My thoughts on Islam's current state

Hello, I'm a Sunni Muslim and 14, so I do have some say on a topic like this. Please hear me out.

I believe that most of the problems and issues in Islamic societies are due to their stubbornness of holding on to their old principles and doctrines. Muslims have not changed their system since the death of Prophet Muhammad more than a thousand years ago and some of them have been outdated as time moved closer to the present. The Arabic root of the word Islam, �silm,� means peace, and Islam is a faith that commands its followers to promote justice and act justly in political, commercial and social life. As a result, Muslim states in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East attached particular importance to the values of justice and peace for some 1,400 years. The Islamic world is effectively being crushed under the weight of one of the most serious challenges since World War I as armed conflicts, civil wars, failed states and outdated political structures deprive many Muslim countries of peace and security. A culture has to adapt to the changes happening in the world. It must do so, in order to strive and live on. Sure, Islam can maintain its core beliefs, but they have to be open minded in terms of politics and the well being of Muslims everywhere. There has to be a paradigm shift from where they are right now because Islam won�t last that much longer if this keeps up. Muslims can�t live under monarchies or dictatorships forever, they have to be more democratic at one point or another. Islam has been divided into different sects because of a thousand year old debate of people who have been long dead since that time. There is literally no point in continuing the argument of who should�ve been the first leader or caliph during Islam�s golden age. The golden age has passed and there has been rapid changes since that time and yet Muslims are still very stubborn in holding onto the past. ISIS and other extremist groups has taken advantage of this by appealing to the Muslims who want Islam to be the dominant power they once were and they�re trying to accomplish this by killing their own fellow Muslims. Those terrorists are following a corrupt interpretation of sharia law and they�re violently forcing it upon the Middle East, even though the root word means peace and the Qur�an even states on multiple occasions that Muslims don�t have the right to force their beliefs on the will of others. They have diluted the one virtue they were obligated to uphold. Due to these circumstances, many people view Islam as a religion for barbarians and lawless societies and to fix this problem Islam must change their thousand year old system to something more modern and understandable to more people, so they can view Muslims in a brighter light. It would lead into a more cooperative and peaceful relationship between Westerners and the Islamic world.

Zer0, welcome!

What specifically are the "old principles and doctrines" you are referring to? Please explain which "system" that existed during the Prophet's (saw) time, and remains the same until today? What in your estimation is the "particular importance" Muslim states attach to "the values of justice and peace"? I'm curious as to why you seem to believe Muslims are any different from any other citizen who desires peace and stability. A few examples may prove helpful in illustrating what point you're attempting to get across here. Which countries are you referring to as "failed states"? Iraq, Libya and now Syria are indeed in turmoil, but from outside destabilization not outdated political structures. Moreover, the political structures which were in place had been imposed post colonialism, in the interests of outsiders. Each and every society have their share of extremist, whether political, religious or ideological. The advent of ISIS and those outsiders who support them as useful pawns, has become more clear since Russia has taken an active role in the region.   Many people indeed have been indoctrinated to become Islamophobic, this in my estimation, has more to do with outsiders rather than internal policies, religion or governance.


Edited by abuayisha - 18 May 2016 at 8:33am