I'm a muslim, ask me
Out of context: Reply #80
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- MakeBelieve0
Gonzalle - a quick response, apologies if some bits seem like incoherent ramblings, but tried to address as many points as possible.
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You have made some good points. I woudl say that you did try to engage, but it was initially a bit offensive, making fun of or trying to find faults even in me - as if I am deceiving you.
I would ask you to honestly read the writings of John L Esposito or Karen Armstrong, non-Muslims who write about Islam from an unbiased perspective. This way you can know about Islam without learning about it from media and other skewed sources. Go to the academic books, that is the best way to truly make a fair judgement.
I will clearly state something that 99% of Muslims have been saying over and over again, ISIS, AlQaeda and other terrorist organisations do not represent Islam or Muslims. Even Obama came out to clarify this yesterday. They are as Islamic as a ham-sandwich.
We do not hold the KKK as examples of Christians around the world - would it be sensible for me to ask every Christian to apologise, condemn and speak up against KKK - when that small fringe group has nothing to do with them?
Would I ask every Jew to answer for every crime committed by the 'Jewish' state of Israel? Does Israel represent all Jews? Of Course it doesn't. What about the terrorist activities and attacks by Jewish-Zionist settlers across occupied Palestine, we don't hold all Jews accountable for this. No Muslim organisation in the UK, for example has asked for Jewish community to respond to the massacre of 100's of children last summer.
Would I expect all regular white-Americans to answer for the mass shootings randomly carried out by young gun-toting teens?
Should I ask every Buddhist to come out marching against their own followers in Burma/Myanmar who were slaughtering and attacking the Rohingya minority?
Seriously, we need to get to a logical and sensible position about all of this. Just look up what ISIS, Osama, Bin Laden, 7/7 London bombers, Lee Rigby killers and all the other terrorist claim as to WHY they do what they do. Almost every one of them claim it is because of US/Western intervention in their homelands - i.e. foreign policy and thus POLITICAL grievances. Even the MI5 says there is evidence that a well-established religious identity actually protects against violent radicalisation (Guardian, Aug 2008). In fact almost all of the Paris attackers were known to not pray, attend mosques or observe fasts. They drank, did drugs and other un-Islamic things. The lady suicide bomber herself only become somewhat religious in dress a month ago, before that she was taking nude selfies of herself. This radicalisation has almost no basis in normal, traditional, conservative or liberal Islam, it is a strange mutation of disenfranchisement (France is known for its 2nd class citizens, particularly the north African Muslim community), unemployment, racism and other factors.
True religion prevents radicalisation - that is almost universal. Islam is no exception.
Fact: 94% of all terrorism in US is not perpetrated by Muslims (surprising right?). Islamic terrorism figures very small, this is the same across the world. But due to the media coverage given almost exclusively to Islamist terror, you would never believe it.
Almost every Muslim organisation in every country, including France, have come out categorically condemning the acts of violence. They have issued tons of fatwas against terrorism, and some scholars have even asked for Muslim governments to wage war against ISIS. The highest authority in Sunni Islam, Al-Azhar University has issued tons of harshly worded refutations of every terrorist claim to religious legitimacy. Deoband in India, Malaysian, Saudi Arabian, Turkish Millet and many others have all done the same. It is almost given 0 coverage anywhere. If you don't look for it, then you won't find it, but just Google your local Muslim org and you'll see. They're shouting at the top of their lungs.
Is ISIS our problem? Yes, absolutely it is. Muslims have a duty to tackle their misguided theology and debunk their arguments. But note, that Muslims are also the enemy of ISIS and others. In fact, ISIS has killed mainly Muslims in Syria, Iraq and other places. Its first focus is to kill all Muslims that do not follow its skewed version of Islam.
Islamophobia is on the rise and after Paris, I have known over 20 incidents related to my family and friends. A friend's sister was spat on, another one was refused on to a bus, another was almost ran over by a car. A baby pram was rammed by a woman screaming at the Muslim family. My friend door was strewn with hate-graffiti.
An egg was thrown at me and my family the other day and we have had verbal abuse aimed at us on the street. Never, in my 34 years, born in London, had I faced any form of Islamophobia (or even racism), so this is an escalation.
What did I do? Did I have anything to do with Paris attacks (one of my favourite cities)? Do I know those terrorists? Do I even share their ideology or political grievances?
I don't feel I have to respond or apologise for the attacks, as it is as alien to me as a KKK lynching. I do however, openly and clearly condemn the act and barbarity and I pray to God that ISIS and other groups are destroyed. I pray for those that lose their lives, their families and friends.
I pray that we have a better, more mature society that can see the difference between average Muslim citizens and these criminals - that's what they are, criminals.
Islam is open to criticism. In fact the Quran has an open challenge for this and asks those who can refute what is revealed. Muslims are happy engage in debate, but not in mud-slinging or manipulation of facts and texts - as is done by a lot of Islamophobes. See the above video of Mehdi Hasan debating in Oxford University. Just recently in the UK a new Q&A open tour has been arranged allowing anybody to ask questions.
I am not diverting responsibility to tackle ISIS and others, rather I am saying that this fight is OUR fight, together. We are their enemy and they are ours. One Australian commentator, Waleed Aly, said on TV, that ISIS wants to make western countries absolutely despise Muslims so that the Muslims then flee to ISIS.
This only reminds me of when Jews were given badges to wear to define who they are (Look up what Trump recently said about labelling Muslims). Also when Jews tried to enter other European countries and were denied entry, as they fled from the Nazis. When Jews faced the worst crime of the last century. I don't want to see a repeat of anything like that, but as a Muslim, this is how it feels now. We're the new bogeymen, the new Jews.
If you're honest about getting to the truth, go to a local Muslim neighbour, mosque or Muslim friend, talk to them and you'll find out how much of what of I have said above they will repeat.
- As I said... I'm fed up with this kind of logorrhea... In my everyday life I don't meet any scholar muslim. Far from that !gonzalle
- it's alarming to read about such racists incidents! Stay strong!
Really dangerous also because it's what the terrorists want. devide our culture.uan - Trust me, we're all fed up. Lets all try to be fair and tolerant, this is what makes the west so much better than other places (even most Muslim countries).MakeBelieve