Catholic, just registered

Yea, I live in north Jersey so I definitely know what you mean.  In Paterson, the city I live in, people separate themselves from one another.  Black people live in certain areas, the hispanics live in others, arabs live on the other side of town.  I mean, people tolerate each other to a point but you notice the same behavior world leaders display on a more personal level. No one bothers to hear the other one out; and instead of trying to undertand each other, they fight and kill each other.  If more people took the time to learn about Islam and actually hear a muslim out, perhaps they wouldn't jump to conclusions and assume that everyone wearing a turban is a terrorist. 

I'm actually interested in your story because I was introduced to Islam as a child so I accepted it a lot easier than an adult would.  Not that its hard to accept, but I'm sure its hard for an adult that was raised in a certain religion to easily accept another.  I've read the stories of many converts, mostly from Christianity to Islam, and it facinates me because the major denomenator for most of these stories is that they were looking more for something that made more sense.  Not that Christianity doesn't make sense, but there are a lot of things that condradict themselves.  In one of the stories that I read, a woman spent a good part of her college years looking for the right Church.  She had a problem with the concept of the holy trinity; how could God be One but be 3 at the same time.  After many years, she finally found the answer in Islam:  There is only One God and that is Allah...the foundation of the teachings of Islam. 

I'm also curious to know what you mean by "moral relativism."

MayPB wrote: Hello! I am a convert to Islam myself, previously I was Catholic. Michael you have just entered the Lion's den. When I converted to Islam I was expecting that this religion of "peace, justice & tolerance for others" was exactly what the church had been missing. Boy was I wrong!  Muslim extremist could do benefit from a good beating from a nun in Brooklyn, and if "peace loving" muslims could admit this publicy more often than the rest of the world would have more respect for Islam.

Majority of Scholars have publicly denounced violence. There are many users here at the forum including myself who have very clearly spoken that Islam forbids violence, that Islam is the message of peace and submission to Allah. But, who is listening?

Anyway, this section is only for introduction. Please discuss in the relevant sections.