Interracial relationships

Israfil wrote: We Muslims here complain about the war in Iraq, Iran, Syria and any country with a high Arab population but what about Sudan? Ethiopia? Malaysia? We have problems in other areas yet we focus on Arab states. We focus on Pakistan yet we dont focus on Muslim women being raped by Arab militas. Hmmm I see a pattern here. Not point figers at cultures but I'm saying that there is a pattern of where our priorities are as a community. We can talk about Bush all day long but the thing is until we equip ourselves with knowledge and of true Islamic principles only then we can acheive that enlightenment where our society changes. As for Candor and Muslims like him they will always win so long as we Muslims keep looking elsewhere......Yes I have a lot to say here because I'm sick of Muslims picking each other apart rather than supporting...I take this approach because I'm sick of people overlooking all what I say and only using parts of what I say. I write a lot so why dont you read!!!

Assalamu Alaikum Brother:

I did read what you wrote. Have you read what you wrote? You say that you are sick of Muslims picking each other apart, yet you spent the entire paragraph doing just that.

I am not sure what the point of your posts are. You make very sweeping statements and generalisations, yet when someone questions these or answers you with a different opinion you become upset. Are you wanting someone to agree with you that there is prejudice? I agree, there is prejudice. But not everyone is prejudiced and not everyone has shared your experiences.

Wa alaikum Salaam,

Let me first say that it takes a lot of patience and understanding here on this website even though this is a website and none of us has seen each other just by the very fact that we can have a somewhat civil discussion is miraculous. What upsets me on this website is when people take my words out of context and use them for their own illogical assertions. Let me first address to Mishmish illogical assrtion.

Sister with all due respect let me say that what you posted about what I say in conjuction to us "brothers reflecting the very prejudices of our Ummah" is not only unwarranted but totally wrong. Mishmish if you asked sister Ummziba all of my post reflect the realism of society and how we as individuals, not as an Ummah must change it. Before we can change our social infrastructure we must individually change ourselves. I neevr said specifically that all cultures in Islam are against reverts I don't know where you got that crap from, because it is what it is crap!

It appears I can't be sympathetic to people here because I highly dislike it when people just brisk through  what I read and assert things that I totally did not say. Secondly Candor is obviously an ignorant Muslim hands down. I use the word ignorant because obviously for any Muslim to allocate a specific cultures qualities with those who revert to their primordial faith is obviously ignorant of the true spirituality of Islam. Most of those who respond here are absent of the ole philosophical subject: logic.

My whole point here was not to post some complaining on why this is this, and why that is that. My whole point here was to discuss the reality of our world and how ignorance parades through our community unknown. This subject has nothing to do with reverts and non-reverts. This has something to do with our own socialogical dysfunctions and how we should combat it. True we are all entitled to our opinion but what we must do prior to stating our opinions is "GET ALL THE FACTS" sister Mishmish disappointing that you overlooked all that I said and the only thing you can state about anything what I said was something totally different. Perhaps you are carrying over comments in the women's section. Actually I haven't even gone back to that subject because I chose not to continue the discussion perhaps you are carrying what you said to here I don't know just making an assertion like you did here.

Some of you may look at my age and say I haven't even known 1/3 of life yet but living in a country which of course was not by choice, you learn a few things. Living in Islam you obviously learn more things and practicing it, you learn a lot! On this subject here (which I like to bring everyone back to) its knwon here that racism is not the very top of our discussion. The only thing I can say I admire about the Nation of Islam is that it discusses racism on a real level. Although I don't agree with their inital philosophy on spirituality I agree that racism starts with human beings (of course they have their own brand where racism start but I only took what they implied).

Racism in culture starts with the individual and until we change the individual and our perspective on life only then we can notice any differences within our community. Sometimes it takes the "out of the box" approach by us to do that. Look at Rosa Parks. Not too many Muslims here give her her due but if we can take anything in our time from that individual we can say that she went above and beyond off one simple act. It took a woman, an African-American woman to say "no!" in defiance of the law to change history and that she did. Of course there are others to mention but point being here is that it starts with us.

We Muslims here complain about the war in Iraq, Iran, Syria and any country with a high Arab population but what about Sudan? Ethiopia? Malaysia? We have problems in other areas yet we focus on Arab states. We focus on Pakistan yet we dont focus on Muslim women being raped by Arab militas. Hmmm I see a pattern here. Not point figers at cultures but I'm saying that there is a pattern of where our priorities are as a community. We can talk about Bush all day long but the thing is until we equip ourselves with knowledge and of true Islamic principles only then we can acheive that enlightenment where our society changes. As for Candor and Muslims like him they will always win so long as we Muslims keep looking elsewhere......Yes I have a lot to say here because I'm sick of Muslims picking each other apart rather than supporting...I take this approach because I'm sick of people overlooking all what I say and only using parts of what I say. I write a lot so why dont you read!!!

Assalamu alaikum,

Sister Mishmish, thank you for forming a reply to Candor's ill informed comment on "weak-hearted Western converts to Islam".  My heart was too angry at the comment to form a civil reply.  You have done so, nicely.  May Allah reward you for your patience with a matter that surely tore at your heart, as it did at mine.

As to Candor's comment that "there are other more serious problems that confront the Ummah and which require immediate political and military solution".... that may seem true, but in real life, in people's day to day striving to survive and worship Allah as best they can, it is family which forms the core concern of any human being.

Politics, world affairs, struggles between nations, economy, business....these all take a back seat to what is really important in people's everyday lives - that being the people they care the most about, spouse, children, parents, kin.

When people view someone from the "other" as not an option for marriage, how can we expect humans to get along on a grander scale?  It is the marriage of two people that forms the very soul of human existence.  When we can learn to look beyond colour, culture, language, and ethnicity in our marriages, we human beings just might finally learn to get along at all levels.  Racism is an important issue, whether between two persons or between two factions/countries/ideologies - it is at the core of many of the problems in the world today.

Peace, ummziba.

Candor I assume you haven't delt with racism much when you stated:

>>>But there are other more serious problems that confront the Ummah and which require immediate political and miltary solution.<<<<

Candor perhaps you'd like to go back to Hadith where Abu Jahl calls Bilal "Son of a slave woman." If you think racism is not an even more important issue now than it was 1500 years ago then perhaps your ideas on what is important and not are definitely mixed up. Racism is perhaps the second if not most single important issue that effects this Ummah. Sure you have different cultures and sure you have different cultures banning together. But as the topic implies when it comes to marrying one another that is a different story.

It is usually "I'm your friend until you marry my daughter" type thing. Such as I'm good enough to pray next to you and make you my friend but the case is different in marriage....Think about it.

Oh BTW darker complexion doesn't come from hard work it comes either genetically or through the acclimation of sunlight.........