The invitation...

Matt Browne wrote: I wonder if Muslims on Islamicity have the courage to challenge your views, Abu Loren. If words like disbeliever are found in the Quran, does this mean you have to use them when meeting non-Muslims? If words like slave are found in the Quran, does this mean that you have to implement slavery in Muslim countries? If words like Jihad are found in the Quran, does this mean you should conquer non-Muslim countries (as was done between 632 and 1683 CE)? Progressiveness and innovation is not forbidden in Islam. There are numerous verses in the Quran that encourage Muslims to use their brain and seek new knowledge. If progress was forbidden, people in the United Arab Emirates would ride camels and not drive cars and not use web browsers, and they would drink camel urine (as prescribed by the Hadith) and not get insulin shots. It doesn't matter what non-Muslims say, because they are all basically clueless? Yeah, well, I wonder how the clueless people found oil in the United Arab Emirates and built cars, and also replaced camel urine with insulin. I wonder who's clueless here.

Abu Loren wrote: Nausheen wrote:   Assalamualiakum wa rahmatullah wa barkatuhu,   Then what's the point educating them?   And what's the point in referring to them with derogatory terminology?       Wa Alaikkum As'alaam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu   Tell me where I have used derogatory terms?   If you haven't noticed already the majority of the non-muslims particularly the Christians are not here to educate themselves but to mock and discredit Islam and the Prophet (pbuh).

Edited by Nausheen - 14 November 2012 at 4:19am

Abu Loren wrote:     Btw the Prophet (pbuh) also prophecied that the believers would dwindle in the religion and they would follow the ways of the kufr, Jews and Christians. This is exactly what is happening now, everybody wants to follow the ways of the decadent West. They want sex outside of marriage, they want to drink alcohol, they want to go to night clubs and fornicate, they want to watch movies that are full of filth like sex, they want listen to music  that has foul language etc etc etc. If you call this progress, then I don't want any part of it.

Yes, the Hadiths, it's all in there. This is why Muslim men and women seek to get a good general education, and not just a good religious education.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
"The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 74
"Acquire knowledge and impart it to the people." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 107
"One who treads a path in search of knowledge has his path to Paradise made easy by God." - Riyadh us-Saleheen, 245

Trying to depict Christians and Western non-Christians in the worst possible way is no better than trying to depict Muslims in the worst possible way, as if all Muslim men beat their wives, burn churches while people are praying inside, or fly fuel-laden airplanes into skyscrapers.

I don't depict Muslims in that way. Most Muslims are decent people most of the time and most Christians are decent people most of the time. But there are some differing beliefs between Muslims and Christians we should be aware of. Most Muslims assume the differences are mainly about Jesus being a prophet or the son of God. I think this assumption is wrong. To me, the main difference between Muhammad and Jesus is what the two said about how peace between large groups of people can be achieved. This is what Muslims and Christians should debate about. This is what truly matters in a globalized world of the 21st century. Good Christians are asked to love all their fellow human beings. That is the nature of our faith. We know that we are not perfect and sometimes we fail. But our failures drive us to become better human beings. We reject the sins, but not the sinners. Most people have the potential to become good and decent human beings. We Christians try hard to love all Muslims, even the Muslims who despise our faith and who despise everything about Western culture. It's easy to love a friend. It's difficult to love somebody who is hostile. But it's possible when we really try hard. We Christians don't focus on following all prescribed rituals (though they are also important). We focus on how we can learn to love and appreciate all human beings no matter how different they are. When other people give up their hatred, we forgive them. It's what the followers of Martin Luther King did, when Rosa Park's refusal to give up her bus seat made a lot of white supremacists very angry. Over the years millions gave up hatred of people with a different skin color. It's still there, but compare it to 1955. White people elect President Obama, because they think he is the best candidate. Imagine this in 1955. People can learn to give up hatred. People can learn to give up discrimination. Live and let live.

I'm trying hard not to be clueless about Islam. Are you trying hard not to be clueless about Christianity?

My wife and I have been married for 25 years. I never cheated on her. I don't go to night clubs. I don't like music with foul language in it. I don't use profanity in Internet forums. I'm trying to be polite and respectful. I drink alcohol in moderation, which is not a health risk like smoking. I don't smoke. I don't take drugs. I respect other cultures. I like to learn other languages. English is my second language and I love it. In 1986 I also learned some Arabic to find my way around Egypt.

Yes, there are drunk people out there. Yes, there are men who want to have sex with more than one woman. Yes, there are men who beat their wives. Yes, there is greed. This world is not perfect and it will never be. But we can make it a little better every day. With the exception of Yugoslavia, Europe has enjoyed peace for almost 70 years. Germans and French people hated each other. Today they are best friends. That's progress worth talking about. The same can happen with the Christian and the Muslim world in general. They can become best friends. It's one of my goals in life. We are all children of Ibrahim.

Friends don't call each other infidel or pagan or heathen. This is what Nausheen's question is all about. I think it's great she asked this question. If we can't get rid of derogatory terms, it's very difficult to appreciate diversity and celebrate differences. And if we all were the same, the world would be very boring.



Edited by Matt Browne - 14 November 2012 at 6:24am