8 posts tagged “religion”
Great news! Now, let's hope everyone follows the lead. Read the Mufti's full position here.
Egypt's religious advisor says Muslims can choose own religion
Egypt's official religious advisor has ruled that Muslims are free to change their faith as it is a matter between an individual and God, in a move which could have far-reaching implications for the country's Christians.
"The essential question before us is can a person who is Muslim choose a religion other than Islam? The answer is yes, they can," Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa said in a posting on a Washington Post-Newsweek forum picked up by the Egyptian press.
"The act of abandoning one's religion is a sin punishable by God on the Day of Judgement. If the case in question is one of merely rejecting faith, then there is no worldly punishment," he wrote.
In most Muslim countries, Muslims who convert to another religion are considered apostates and can be subject to capital punishment.
Mr Gomaa warned however that if the conversions undermine the "foundations of society" then it must be dealt with by the judicial system, without elaborating.
Attempts by Muslims in Egypt to convert to other religions have been hindered by the state's refusal to recognise the change in official documents and in some cases have led to arrests and imprisonment.
The question on my mind, as of late, has been: to cover my hair or not to cover my hair? So, I am going to make a list of very honest pros and cons about wearing hijab for me. By no means is this meant as a list of pros and cons for every Muslim woman. Wearing the headscarf is a very personal matter, a question each woman must answer on her own, with her own reasoning and in the context of her own culture.
Now, maybe if you actually read these things, you will think some of these reasons are shallow. And actually, many of them are. But some of them are very important to me. Anyway, I'd like to point out one more time that these pros are cons are specific to my individual decision to wear a headscarf or not.
Cons:
- Putting on a headscarf is akin to admitting that there is only one way to dress modestly, even though I believe there are multiple ways.
- The headscarf is cultural. Does wearing a headscarf indirectly support the already pervasive tendency for Muslims (especially converts) to Arabize themselves? If yes, and I suspect the answer is yes, then how can I justify this for myself, when I whole heartedly believe that Islam is a universal religion, and can coexist with non-Arab cultures?
- Once I put a headscarf on, I will be a visible Muslim, and all of my "Christian" privilege will be taken away instantly.
- Becoming a visible Muslim means actually saying, to my coworkers, yes, I'm a Muslim. This is a question that has been danced around in our office since I first started working there. When I first started, I was covering my hair everyday already, except in the Jewish style, and many people were confused by it. My boss once told me somebody asked her if I Muslim. At that time I had not yet converted and I wasn't sure I was going to. I had no idea what to say, so I laughed. Now I feel like a jerk for laughing instead of being cool and composed and telling her truth.
- There is a general tendency in the Muslim community to discredit women who do not wear a headscarf. Does putting a headscarf on mean I will be part of that?
- Stereotypes. People will judge me by my cover (pun intended) differently than they do now. Will this also make me a more vulnerable to hate crimes?
- Covering my hair means telling me whole family "hey, surprise. I converted to Islam." No, I haven't done that yet.
Pros:
- I think wearing a headscarf will encourage me, even if it's just a little bit, not to miss prayers.
- I won't have to carry a scarf around with me so I can pray, it'll already be on my head.
- I don't believe head covering is obligatory for women, but only Allah knows best.
- I covered my hair for a while before and I loved it. I don't have to worry about my hair when I go out, and I feel even sexier when I take my hair down. In fact, I also think it makes my hair healthier, because the fabric adds a bit of protection from the sun. Since it is up, it doesn't get tangled by the wind or caught in the screws on chairs.
- Being a visible Muslim means I can be an example of a what a good Muslim is.
- Head covering is cultural, yes, but not just to Arabs. It is really only recently that women have been walking around bare headed. Even here in the US, women used to wear hats to cover their hair (among other methods of hair covering). In fact, I believe many wealthy women still do wear hats on special occasions.
- Covering is an excellent method for denouncing the over sexualization of women's and girls' bodies. I hate it when I am walking my dogs and some (or a few) idiot decides it's appropriate for him to cat call me. I hate the way sex and women's bodies are used to sell just about everything you can think of.
- Maybe random men on the bus will stop hitting on me.
- I can be confident that whomever I am talking to will be paying attention to what I have to say, and not my clothes. Well, unless that person doesn't know any other Muslim women. Then, it could be an issue.
- I love scarves. It's a whole new realm of (modest, inshallah) fashion.
- My grandmother and mother were both devout Catholics. My grandmother covered her hair, and in the years preceding her death, my mom started doing the same thing (in fact, she probably died with a scarf on her head). I feel like I would be continuing a legend. No women have been more important in my life than they were.
Today is international women's day and, not coincidentally, blog against sexism day. I've been thinking about making a post outlining my position on various feminist issues, but haven't really executed the plan. Since I'm short on time, I'd like to just take a minute to briefly explain the way I feel about some issues. To keep things brief and clear, I've created a table to describe my thoughts. I've covered only six topics. Obviously, there are many more. Please feel free to share your opinions, especially about prostitution and pornography, as I am very conflicted over those. At the same time, you should know that nothing will change my opinions on the ERA, Abortion, or same-sex marriages. Happy International Women's Day!
|
Issue |
Political Stance |
Personal Belief |
|
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution of the United States of America |
I fully believe in and support the ERA. Until this country acknowledges that women are a fundamental part of American society by including them in the binding and legal document which upholds the republic, women (and men) will not be protected against sexism. |
All women and men are created equal. All women and men will be held accountable for their own actions on Judgment Day. |
|
Abortion |
Abortion is a public health issue. Abortion must be completely legal in every state. All women must have access to a variety of birth control methods, and these birth control methods must be affordable to every woman. Likewise, more research must be conducted on hormonal birth control for men. However, until women have absolute autonomy over their bodies, reproduction, and sexuality, women will suffer. Men should never dictate to women how, when or where they produce offspring. There should be no spouse- or parental-notification laws. |
Speaking strictly from a moral perspective, abortion is wrong. The Qur’an specifically prohibits feticide and infanticide. I acknowledge that religion and spirituality play a major role in many women’s sexuality and reproduction, and should not be ignored. However, these beliefs vary from woman to woman, and therefore cannot be dictated to society by a State. In my ideal world, all women and men would have access to birth control and would use it as they deem appropriate. Few women would have the need to seek abortions. |
|
Same-sex marriages |
All persons should be able to marry their partner of choice, as long as that partner is capable of making and expressing his or her commitment. This also means that persons seeking marriage must be of legal age. The State must acknowledge these unions and grant the persons involved the same privileges and rights that heterosexual unions receive under the law. Religious institutions do not need to endorse or approve of same-sex marriages. |
I do not believe that Islam prohibits same-sex relations, nor do I believe that Muslims are required to denounce same-sex relations as unholy and sinful. All people have a right to believe, or not to believe, in whatever religion they choose. For more information on Islam and same-sex relations please visit the following web sources. |
|
Modest Dress |
All women have a fundamental right to wear or not to wear whatever they want. No State should dictate to women how to dress or what to cover. Both the French and Turkish ban on the headscarf violate women’s rights, as well as laws, such as in Iran and Saudi Arabia, which force women to cover themselves. Covering is a choice. |
Covering is a choice. I do not however, believe that the full face veil, or niqab, is an Islamic practice, nor is the burqa. I prefer to dress modestly, but I do not always cover my hair. |
|
Prostitution |
Prostitution is a public health issue. Legalizing prostitution and regulating it would be a better way to keep women safe. It would also cull human trafficking. |
I absolutely, 100% detest and despise prostitution. This does not mean I feel any hatred towards women who sell themselves. On the contrary, I am saddened and enraged that women must resort to prostitution to feed themselves and their children. I am horrified and infuriated that men (fathers, brothers, husbands, uncles, cousins) sometimes force women into prostitution to make money. I am sickened at the thought that very young girls are sometimes sold to brothels, so that their family can have more money. |
|
Pornography |
Pornography is a public health issue. It should not be banned, as it is a form of expression. However, it should be regulated. Porn stars should wear condoms. Violent pornography (“snuff”) should remain illegal. |
The vast majority of pornography is denigrating to women. I find it disgusting. Humans should embrace their sexuality, but that doesn’t mean they should take advantage of anyone sexually. |
In light of my recent Qur'anic post on guidance, I'd like to take some time to expand my thoughts a bit on the concept of God's Guidance. My most recent Qur'anic excerpt post was inspired by a discussion I'm involved in on one of Pamela Taylor's On Faith blogs. I posted one of my favorite verses from the Qur'an:
"God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is, as it were, that of a niche containing a lamp; the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant star: [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree – an olive-tree that is neither of the east nor of the west – the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light!
God guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided]; and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all things." (24:35, translation by Muhammad Asad)
and somebody contested the translation of " God guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided]" because it is tradtionally translated as “Allah guides to his light whom He wills.” This person then, essentially although not outright, claimed that the traditional translation makes the verse less beautiful because "It seems Allah has punished the disbeliever for something that is beyond his control but of Allah’s doing." My response to him was:
When God tells us he guides whom He wills, then I think we should understand that the is no reason for God to guide those who willfully disobey Him. This verse doesn't make the Islamic God into a callous, judgmental, spoiled child. It reminds us that God is always here for us as long as we do [good] and worship him. [essentially, as long as we submit to His will].
To which he replied: "I also don't think you understand the conundrum. You have to think a little deeper, I suspect." So, I realized I had been too vague. I was pressed for time, cramming for midterms (more like procrastinating) and hadn't expressed myself so that he understood my perspective. So, this is what I just finished writing to him.
[..] I want to say that I do actually understand the "conundrum" you are talking about. I spent a long time being an agnostic/practical atheist, because there are many paradoxes that come with believing in God. These paradoxes, however, are not found only in Islam. The monotheistic religions are especially prone to inexplicable conundrums, such as Free Will versus an Omniscient God. If God is omniscient, how can anyone have true free will? And if we don't have free will, then what is even the point in being religious? Why would God create humans just to toy with them and torture them in the afterlife? And of course, there is the classical omnipotence paradox: If God is all powerful, can he create a rock so big that even He cannot lift it?
You know, I've thought a lot about these questions (even before I converted to Islam). And I think every believer should think about these questions. They are an important part of developing faith and character. This is what I’ve come up with so far. My perspective, however, also evolves as my beliefs and faith evolve.
1. God is Omniscient and Omnipotent.
2. God created humans, whom He gave free will (unlike the angels).
3. God exists outside of humans and time.
4. God guides whomever He wants.
5. God has the power to take away our free will, but He is merciful and
compassionate and operates within His own moral structures, upholding
His covenants.
6. Humans, while created just as God wanted them to be, are not
perfect. That is, they have weakness of character and moral
insufficiencies (a trade off from free will). God can guide the weakest
humans, if He wants to.
7. God loves His creations (there are numerous verses in the Qur'an
expressing this), and therefore created a sense of God in all of us. We
are born knowing God, but forget Him later. This is where God's Will
comes in. Does He guide those who forget Him?
Up to here, I think most of what I said is fairly orthodox and
probably most monotheists will agree with me. But now here comes my own
interpretation of "God guides whom He wills." I believe this is a
reminder to us that we are constantly at the mercy of God. God guides
everyone at first (and I also believe God wants to guide everyone). But
some people reject His guidance (and some earlier than others), while
others may only follow it half way.
I don’t believe that God picks and chooses people randomly to guide.
God has a covenant with us, and to fulfill it, He will guide whoever
wants His guidance. But part of His covenant with us is that we submit
to His will. Those of us who do not submit to Him (because we have Free
Will and can choose not to) are not worthy of God’s guidance. In the
end, God can choose to guide whomever He wills, and this is the most
important part of the message. God, however, isn’t prone to “isms” like
racism, sexism, able-ism, etc., so those of us who believe in God have
no right to believe we are superior to the non-believers. God didn’t
handpick us, one by one, to be his “army.”
VERILY, thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest: but it is God who guides him that wills [to be guided]; and He is fully aware of all who would let themselves be guided. (28:56)
Translation by Muhammad Asad
The commentary on this one is great. This verse is really true about a lot of things in life. It's kind of like that proverb "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." Except, of course, we're talking about God and not water. and humans, not horses.
Commentary by Muhammad Asad
* v.56 : Or: “God guides whomever He wills” – either of these two renderings being syntactically correct. According to several extremely well-authenticated Traditions, the above verse relates to the Prophet’s inability to induce his dying uncle Abū Tālib, whom he loved dearly and who had loved and protected him throughout his life, to renounce the pagan beliefs of his ancestors and to profess faith in God’s oneness. Influenced by Abū Jahl and other Meccan chieftains, Abū Tālib died professing, in his own words, “the creed of ‘Abd al-Muttalib” (Bukhārī) or, according to another version (quoted by Tabarī), “the creed of my ancestors (al-ashyākh).” However, the Qur’anic statement “thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest” has undoubtedly a timeless import as well: it stresses the inadequacy of all human endeavours to “convert” any other person, however loving and loved, to one’s own beliefs, or to prevent him from falling into what one regards as error, unless that person wills to be so guided. * The above rendering of the expression al-muhtadīn conforms to the interpretations offered in this context by many classical commentators – e.g., “those who accept guidance” (Zamakhsharī), “everyone who in time would find the right way” (Rāzī), “those who are prepared (musta‘iddīn) for it” (Baydāwī), “all who deserve guidance” (Ibn Kathīr), and so forth. Thus, God’s guidance is but the final act of His grace with which He rewards all who desire to be guided. For a further consideration of this problem, the reader is referred to Zamakhsharī’s illuminating remarks quoted in note 4 on 14:4.
is that women are unlike men. They are " the
opposite sex" (though why "opposite" I do not
know; what is the "neighboring sex"?). But the
fundamental thing is that women are more like
men than anything else in the world.
-Dorothy L. Sayers
The Human-Not-Quite-Human
- Opposite versus Pairs
- Procreation versus Love making as a spiritual experience
- Marriage and Sex
- Heterosexism and Homophobia in Islam
With so much focus on body politics, modesty and the hijab, it is easy for non-Muslims, and indeed some Muslims, to believe that Islam is a hostile environment for sex: talking about it, doing it, appreciating it, and learning about it. In fact Islam frowns on monasticism and celibacy. As servants of God, Muslims are expected to interact with society and their environment. We are expected to educate ourselves and fully participate in the everyday conflicts of life. This is our jihad, or struggle. Secluding ourselves from the world is selfish. It does not benefit anyone but ourselves, and it certainly does not benefit God, who has given us the earth to care for it.
The word khalifa has several meanings: successor, steward, viceroy and guardian. It is often translated as ruler. As such, it is our duty to be active in the world, and part of this duty is to our partners and the future (information about how this is ultimately like to environmentalism).
"And when thy Lord said to the angels, I am going to place a khalifa in the earth, they said: Wilt Thou place in it such as make mischief in it and shed blood? And we celebrate They praise and extol Thy holiness. He said: Surely I know what you know not." Al Qur'an, 2:30.
Opposite versus Pairs
If there is one idea most feminists agree on, it is the idea that women and men are not, in fact, polar opposites of each other. The "opposite" argument stems from an anatomical examination of the male and female bodies. For a long time, women were considered the same as men, only inside out: imperfect, and lacking instead of having ("hole" versus "protrusion"). While this argument was sexist, it meant that pleasurable sex for women wasn't bad yet. That is, because it is necessary for men to orgasm in order for new life to begin (i.e., release of semen), it was believed that women also needed to have an orgasm to "complete the job", if you would. In fact, women were considered seductresses, with boundless passion and uncontrollable, irrational desire for flesh.This thought process changed completely by the end of the 1800s, as the results of an incident which occurred sometime in the 1700s.
A young man, who had been forced to become a monk due to poverty, came upon an inn on the country side. The owners of the inn were filled with grief because their only daughter, whose beauty was well known, had died. The parents asked the monk to watch over the body for the night, as she was not yet to be buried until the next day. The monk was curious about the girl's beauty, and lifted the shroud that covered her body to find not death and decay but the vibrant body of a young woman. The monk was overwhelmed by her beauty and "took the same liberties with the dead that the sacraments of marriage would have permitted in life." Afterwards he was ashamed of himself, and fled in the morning before the woman was buried. The burial went on as scheduled, but as the coffin was being lowered into the grave, someone noticed movement from inside. The lid of the casket was removed and the young woman began to stir. Her parents were thrilled she was alive, but were later displeased to find that she was pregnant and could not explain how she became that way. She was sent off to a convent. Approximately nine months later, the monk had returned, only much richer and no longer a monk, and after learning what happened to the young woman, he went to convent and asked her marry her. (You can read this story in the beginning of Chapter One of Thomas Laquer's Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud, or in the London Medical Gazette, among other places)
Within a hundred years of this incident, the common perception of woman as a creature with uncontrolled sexual desires changed to a cold-hearted, emotionless, frigid creature who had no passion or joy in sexual intercourse at all. The idea that women and men were same, only women were "men turned outside in" (Aristotle's Master Piece, Arno Press ed., p.3.) was completely overturned: "Not only are the sexes different, bu they are different in every conceivable aspect of body and soul, in every physical and moral aspect' (Laquer summarizing Jacques-Louis Moreau).
Meanwhile, back on the deserts of seventh century Arabia, a young man was ascending into Prophethood and would, more than a thousand years before the Europeans were deciding that women were worth even less than they originally thought, reveal that women and men are equal to each other in every conceivable way. We begin with the story of creation.
This is the basic story of creation from the Qur'an. Amina Wadud dissects this passage practically word for word in her book Qur'an and Woman, but we don't need to go that deep for the purposes of this post. We just need to look at the two main words of this passage: nafs and zawj.Wa min ayathi an khalaqa-kum min nafsin wa wahidatin wa khalaqa min-ha zawjaha wa baththa minhuma rijalan kathiran was nisa'an.
And of His signs (is this:) that He created You from a single nafs, and created from (that nafs) its zawj, and from these two He spread countless men and women. (4:1)
The word nafs is, grammatically, a feminine word and has a common and a technical meaning. Commonly, nafs is translated as "self" (and the plural, anfus, as "selves"). Wadud points out that nafs "is never used in the Qur'an with reference to any created self other than humankind." The technical usage of the word nafs, however, is the single (genderless) nafs from which all of humanity ultimately come. That is, despite any and all differences between us: language, nation, tribe, skin color, we all have the same single origin.
The next, and final key, to our understanding of the creation of humankind, lies in the term "zawj." This word can mean mate, spouse, group, or pair. Grammatically, zawj is masculine, but conceptually, it has no gender and is used also to refer to the pairing of animals and plants as well.
Looking at verse 4:1 from the Qur'an with our new vocabulary, we can see that there is actually very little said about the creation of human kind. The entire creation is framed without the concept of gender ever entering the story. Wadud points out:
In general, I believe that what God doesn't say is just as important as what God does say. In the case of creation, God doesn't stipulate whom He created first, or that the second creation was formed from the flesh and bone of the first, making the second subservient to the first. The language God chooses to reveal the story of creation tells us that men and women are, in fact, created equally.
The absence of deail in the Qur'an indicates one or more of the following: 1. the reader already has enough details about a story to understand it and other details are unnecessary -- even redundant; 2. these details are unimportant to the point which the Qur'an is making at the particular time; 3. the Qur'an is referring to something Unseen, for which human language is already deficient.
A recurring theme of the Qur'an is dualism. 'And of all things We have created pairs, perhaps you [will all] reflect [on this fact].' (51:49). Earth and Heaven, Day and Night, Male and Female: Neither more essential than the other. Pairs
I know what you're thinking. Ok, what has this got to do with sex? Moving on.
Procreation versus Love making as a spiritual experience
When the Europeans discovered that women could become pregnant without having an orgasm, there was a radical reformation on the role of sex in the lives of women (and to think the women were never asked if they minded!). As I pointed out earlier, Biologists and physicians decided that women, in fact, didn't really have any exceptional feelings about sex and the Churches soon caught on to the trend. If women don't need an orgasm to make a child, then women's pleasure became unnecessary, frivolous and dirty. In fact, the story of the Innkeepers' daughter led some physicians to believe that men had some sort of control over how long gestation lasted (see London Medical Gazette). Women became even more of a commodity than they were before. Reproduction was only her duty, not her duty and her pleasure.
Islam, on the other hand, turned sex into a privilege for humankind. There are only a few stipulations about sex in Islam. For one, it must occur inside a proper marriage. Secondly, you're allowed to have it. There are no rules on position, however the vast majority of Muslim clerics agree that anal sex is forbidden, as well as sex while a woman is menstruating. There are several verses in the Qur'an pertaining to sex, and countless Hadith:
The interesting fact about sex in Islam is that every Muslim will tell you that sex is very important in Islam, and it is a blessing in marriage. But talking about sex remains taboo, and this taboo has become a serious hurdle for Muslims (some exceptions are the sex talk shows in Egypt and Pakistan). Muslims need to be reminded that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, did not shy away from sexual topics, even when he was confronted by women who were troubled by their husbands' disinterest in sex. [For some recent public Muslim discussion on sex, visit Pamela Taylor's first post as a panelist Newsweek's "On Faith" section. Be forewarned: there are quite a few anti-Islamic comments in response to her very reasonable post. It seems there's all kinds of confusion going on between modesty and sex.]"And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts). Verily in that are Signs for those who reflect." Al Qur'an 30:21
"Your wives are a tilth unto you; so go to your tilth when or how you will." Al Qur'an 2:223
"Permitted to you, on the night of the fasts, is the approach to your wives. They are your garments and ye are their garments. Allah knoweth what ye used to do secretly among yourselves; but He turned to you and forgave you; so now associate with them, and seek what Allah Hath ordained for you, and eat and drink, until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread; then complete your fast Till the night appears; but do not associate with your wives while ye are in retreat in the mosques. Those are Limits (set by) Allah. Approach not nigh thereto. Thus doth Allah make clear His Signs to men: that they may learn self-restraint." Al Qur'an 2:187
"When you intend to have sex with your wife, do not rush because the woman (also) has needs (which should be fulfilled)." (Wasa'il, vol. 14, p. 40)
"Three people are cruel: . ..a person who has sex with his wife before foreplay.'' (Wasa'il, vol. 14, p. 40)
"When anyone of you has sex with his wife, then he should not go to them like birds; instead he should be slow and delaying." (Wasa'il, vol. 14, p. 82)
The Prophet said, "No one among you should have sex with his wife like animals; rather there should be a messenger between them." When asked about the messenger, he said, "It means kissing and talking." (Tahzibu'l-Ihya, vol. 3, p. 110)
Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq has been quoted as follows, "...there should be mutual foreplay between them because it is better for sex." (Wasa'il, vol. 14, p. 82)
"The best woman among you is the one who discards the armor of shyness when she undresses for her husband, and puts on the armor of shyness when she dresses up again." (Wasa'il, vol. 14, p. 14-15)
And now, I promise, this long post is almost over. I've got a lot to say about marriage, as marriage will never cease to be the absolute favorite patriarchal institution for feminists to pick on. Marriage can be oppressive. It can be a form of legalized prostitution, a method of trading. But marriage can also be liberating and sustaining. It can be a proclamation of love, commitment and respect just as well as it can be a simple monetary transaction. There is a lot to be said about marriage, but what I want to say right now, for the moment, is that marriage is not a patriarchal evil-- and this isn't just the Muslim in me saying this.
As a public health worker, I tend to view the world in terms of what's healthy and what isn't. Health isn't just a physical well being, it's also a mental, sexual, psychological, emotional and spiritual well being. For many people religion is a core aspect of their health, and any spiritual uneasiness can result in physical, emotional, or psychological illness. As a result, I often look at religion in terms of what's healthy. God doesn't want us to destroy ourselves, starve ourselves, eat our selves to death, get infections, spread diseases. God wants us to take care of ourselves and I believe that this is also part of our jihad, part of our struggle on our path. This is why God gives us rules and laws.
I know what the Qur'an says about fornication and adultery, and I believe that the punishment (100 lashes each) for these crimes is outdated. During a time when the moral fabric of the Muslim society was constantly under tension, it was very important for the Muslims to have a strong faith and not be tempted to return to the times of jahiliyya [ignorance of divine guidance]. However, now that the Ummah [Islamic community] is diverse, well formed, and very large, I think it is about time lashings and stonings were abolished [Yes, Iran. I am looking at you]. Some might argue that with such a large and diverse Ummah, it is more important than ever to stay away from bi'da [Innovation], and certainly that is true to an extent. But God gave us our brains specifically so that we could think about these issues so I don't think it's out of line for us to decide that we aren't going to violently punish transgressors.
Of course, Allah knows best.
[Expect part two... sometime later!]
I don't have much time to post. I mean this in several ways. For one, tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and in Europe, Christmas Eve is the big day. We'll open gifts in the evening and then sit down and have a tasty and special dinner. This is different from the American traditions my family practice, who wake up early on Christmas day (December 25th) and open gifts and then have breakfast and possibly a big lunch or dinner. This difference was huge for me when I celebrated Christmas with Oliver's family for the first time and I got very upset and didn't want to join everyone in the living room. Oliver laughed at me. So did his brother. They are very similar in some ways.
But right, I'm short on time. So, I've got to start talking about Christmas. Oh boy, the pressure is on.
First, let's get this straight. I'm a pluralist. I believe that all righteous paths lead to God, and these paths will vary from culture to culture, from family to family, and most importantly, from individual to individual. Of course, no Holy Text will ever say that. And maybe I'm wrong, maybe there is only One Straight Path. But even if there is, I would never be so arrogant as to believe that the path I chose is, without any doubt, the only Right Path. Is this heresy? Oh well. The point is, I appreciate other religions. I was raised Christian, so I see the beauty in Christianity very easily. I can also appreciate the beauty in other religions, but tonight's focus is on Christianity.
Here is the truth: I love Christmas. Come on, if you live in the States or Europe, how can you not love Christmas? Sure, I despise the commercialism attached to Christmas these days. I can't stand shopping malls when it's not Christmas, so imagine my dissatisfaction with the shopping experience when it is Christmas. But Christmas lights up the long, dark winter nights. Everything is so shiny and bright and colorful during Christmas, and everyone is cheery. Christmas is a time to remember the Divine Beauty in the world, to be thankful for family and friends. I've always spent Christmas with family and friends, and I always will, and it flabbergasts me that anyone, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu or otherwise would be offended at the sight of a Christmas tree. Even the nativity scene doesn't offend me. Actually, I find it touching and inspiring and beautiful.
We are blessed again this year in that all Eid al-Adha, Christmas and Chanukah all fall close together. This is an opportunity for all of us to get to know religious traditions we might not otherwise know anything about. Take special advantage of Eid al-Adha, because the Islamic calendar is Lunar, so Gregorian dates only repeat themselves once every 33 years.
Someone on the PMU list once told a story about how, in Pakistan, he would celebrate both Eid and Christmas. Half of his family was Christian, and the other half Muslim, so the families would always get together for religious holidays, only they simply would pray their own ways. Religious holidays never separated them though, so why should they separate anyone else? If your neighbors are Christian, but you are not, what's the harm in wishing them Merry Christmas? And if you are not Christian, but someone wishes you Merry Christmas anyway, why should you be offended? After all, it's simply another way of saying "Have a happy day today."
This isn't as organized as I hoped it would be, but I ended up having far too little time to gather my thoughts. Just one more thing to say. I mentioned earlier that I'm a pluralist. So, actually, I understand that some people don't want to have anything to do with Christmas whatsoever. I can understand why some people would find, say, the nativity offensive. And you know what? That's okay. I also believe it's their right to make a big stink about it. In fact, I'm surprised more orthodox Christians don't make a big stink about Christmas being based on a pagan holiday in the first place. So, if people want to complain and be offended, then let them. I do believe this desire to be so politically correct has just divided us more, and hurts us more than saying a couple well-wishing words would.
I don't think there is a simple solution to this political correctnessb problem, but you know what I would love to see? In addition to Christmas trees and snowmen and big stars, I would love to see the streets also decorated with "Happy Eid" banners when it's time, and "Happy Diwali" banners, and Menorahs! Menorahs are beautiful.
So. Happy Chanuka, Merry Christmas, Happy Eid & Happy New Year, everyone.
"A real pietist, like a true lover, cannot explain what force or what reason brings him into the fellowship of God. Love knows no reasons and when it reasons it is no longer true love. Both religion and love belong to the realm of mystery. Neither can be fully explained. Both are inward feelings which defy reason and explanation."
- Samuel Umen
I very much like this quote. But there is one part, albeit only one, that bothers me. "Both religion [emphasis mine] and love," he says, "belong to the realm of mystery." That's the part I where I disagree. You see, religion isn't mysterious. Religion is a set of rules, constructs, and concrete (in some cases, literally) structures that actually take the mystery out of God. When I posted this quote on Yahoo! Answers, many Christians told me it was not true, as the Bible is empirical evidence for the divinity of Christ. Some of them even went as far as to quote the scriptures in which reason is given for the existence and belief in God. Here are some examples:
I can explain why I believe Christianity to be the true explanation of our existence and purpose and it does not defy reason.
The force that brought me into fellowship with God was that of God drawing me to Himself. To me, that's not mysterious... except the wondering of why a perfect God would choose to love someone like me? That part does remain a mystery!
certain aspects of the human brain really are beyond our reach of understanding,,,,,,,, at this point in time., but love and religion don't go quite as deep as this quote would imply.
Its wrong. Its the Holy Spirit that draws us closer.
Read 1 John and see how often he says "by this we know".
Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
1 John 4:13
By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
Maybe religion is a mystery, one thing that is not a mystery is the Bible. God is not a mystery. All you have to do is get an accurate knowledge of God to see what is true. You can do this through the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16,17 says- All scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in rightiousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work. Hebrews 4:12 states For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of the joints and their marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart.
I find it interesting how far people will go to try to prove there is sound reasoning, flawless logic, which proves their belief in God is not illogical.
Over the past year or so, I've come to believe in God (and maybe someday I'll talk about reverting to Islam). For a lot of people, this is very surprising. For one, I'm a statistician. Statisticians have some strict ideas about what is true or not. We never say anything is 100% true. We only find that something happens, with some certainty, at least part of the time. We'll even tell you just how often we think we'll be wrong. Secondly, I love science, especially microbiology and chemistry. I also read about quantum mechanics in my spare time. For many scientists, but not all, it is completely impossible to combine Faith and Science. To them, I say-- Muslims did it 1400 years ago, so when are you going to get on the boat?
Let me clarify what I mean by "combine Faith and science." I don't mean the scientific proof of the existence of God. Nor do I mean seeking evidence to argue the existence of God. The truth is, science will never explain God. At least, it certainly won't explain God in my lifetime. However, it is perfectly possible to do sound scientific research, and to reach clear, objective scientific conclusions without having to give up the idea that God gives us our breath and the earth and the sun and the planets. It's perfectly sane to believe that God created the universe and that dinosaurs bones are archaeological artifacts leftover from a really, really long time ago.
If you don't believe me, let me explain to you how sanity is determined. Basically, "sane" is just a summary judgment that describes where on the infamous bell curve a persons mental functionality is found. There is no way to objectively describe sanity-- we simply find out if people are in the middle 68% of the curve (see the link above) or not. If a person is outside the 68%, she's insane, or abnormal. This is pretty much how everything in the world is determined to be "normal" or "abnormal." That's because these words are originally from statistics, and eventually became everyday words (the bell curve is also called the normal curve). Truly, these distinctions are quite arbitrary. They mean nothing biologically. If you want to get some more information on normal things, you might be interested in The Trouble with Normal, by Michael Warner. It's queer.
I digress. All of this is just for me to, crazy enough, prove a point. Which is to say that, with 95% certainty, it is not insane to have Faith and be a scientist at the same time. But what is kind of insane, is to believe that there is hard evidence to support your Faith. A true believer, for one, does not need any hard evidence to be sure that God is the creator of all things. Most importantly, a true believer does not tell lies that the existence of God does not, in some way, defy logic (if we hold Science as the epitome of true logic). It is exactly this type of denial that is so scary, because it is the foundation of dogmatism.
Which brings me back to my only disagreement with the statement: "Both religion and love belong to the realm of mystery." When you're using the sociological definition of religion, which is usually organized religion, it's not so mysterious. In fact, its quite clear cut. Loosely defined, religion could simply mean Faith, but then, why not say Faith? It's better to distinguish these, so that we are all on the the same proverbial page. One other person on Yahoo! Answers shared the same opinion as me:
Althoug I agree that fellowship with God and love can be put in the same realsm , i don't believe relgion and love can be. religion is simply a system of belifs, traditions, and laws set up by man. even athiesm is a religion. So this word is what botehrs me about this quote. simply goping to church every sunday, eating the crackers, and doing what the priest/pastor tells you, does not constitute a relationship with a God. Thus, religion is not an inward feeling which defies reason and explanation. it is simply an outward expression of what you may or may not believe.
In this case, instead of Faith, he chooses to us the same words Umen used, "fellowship with God." This phrase is probably more appropriate to use when comparing Faith to Love, as it indicates a certain type of relationship with God, one that is of the same substance as a loving relationship with a person. A relationship, in other words, shrouded in mystery.
Peace be upon Samuel Umen. He passed on in 1990.
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