Islam Thread

[SaintPeter5858]

it is probably the circle of christians you surround yourself with. observe more closely.

 

I'm close to the Jesuits because I joined them for several years in the seminary. Jesuit missions, aside from the 28 American Jesuit universities, focus on the depressed areas and this is where Christians are seemingly "less prayerful"

[SUICIDAL333]

I'm happy that Muslims have contributed to the diversity of the Filipino culture.

[rebeck]

Muslims pray very sincerely. They're not ashamed to pray anywhere unlike most of us Christians. I observed this many times

 

"praying anywhere" is not necessarily the same as "praying sincerely". as pointed out in a previous post, unless you can read the hearts and minds of those doing the praying, there's no way you can tell if they are "praying sincerely".

 

but since you seem to have spent a good deal of time observing them in prayer, what can you say about the mullahs and ulamas who recently orchestrated a rally to protest the killing of osama bin laden right after noontime prayers?

 

don't get me wrong, i appreciate all the good things that islam has given to the world (especially in science and culture). i'm just disappointed that such a great religion can produce so much extremism and intolerance.

 

if there is one thing i hope to see from islam, it's the voice of moderation.

[SaintPeter5858]

Extremism is more emotional in nature than religious. Politics could even be stronger.

[SaintPeter5858]

"praying anywhere" is not necessarily the same as "praying sincerely". as pointed out in a previous post, unless you can read the hearts and minds of those doing the praying, there's no way you can tell if they are "praying sincerely".

 

but since you seem to have spent a good deal of time observing them in prayer, what can you say about the mullahs and ulamas who recently orchestrated a rally to protest the killing of osama bin laden right after noontime prayers?

 

don't get me wrong, i appreciate all the good things that islam has given to the world (especially in science and culture). i'm just disappointed that such a great religion can produce so much extremism and intolerance.

 

if there is one thing i hope to see from islam, it's the voice of moderation.

 

Nice observation. that's the negative aspect of Islamic leadership. Even the Sunnis and the Shiites are constantly fighting each other due to leadership rivalry within the same religion

[KillTheDEVIL]

Islam is a religion of peace

[kokomonster]

Ramadan Kareem!

Edited August 8, 2011 by kokomonster

[iskander]

Lol, Ramadan Kareem bro

[hellyeah1]

Hahahaha! Just because of their antics you concluded they are sincere. I

 

 

Muslims pray very sincerely. They're not ashamed to pray anywhere unlike most of us Christians. I observed this many times

[hellyeah1]

Kareem Abdul Jabbar!

[rebeck]

Nice observation. that's the negative aspect of Islamic leadership. Even the Sunnis and the Shiites are constantly fighting each other due to leadership rivalry within the same religion

 

good that we agree on that one then

[rebeck]

Ramadan Kareem!

 

pardon my ignorance, but what does ramadan kareem mean?

[rebeck]

Islam is a religion of peace

 

then in that case, i would throw to you the question i posted above: what can you say about the mullahs and ulamas who recently orchestrated a rally to protest the killing of osama bin laden right after noontime prayers?

 

i'm sure islam has its share of moderates. but i would really appreciate it if they could be more visible, instead of allowing islam's public image to be hijacked by extremists

[silvercross0816]

Ramadan al Mubarak.

Peace mga kapatid

[dungeonbaby]

 

...

 

don't get me wrong, i appreciate all the good things that islam has given to the world (especially in science and culture). i'm just disappointed that such a great religion can produce so much extremism and intolerance.

 

if there is one thing i hope to see from islam, it's the voice of moderation.

 

Maybe you are trying to be gracious and fair, but what contributions to science and culture do you speak of? Just curious.

 

In literature:

Many of the celebrated Islamic poets were considered heretics. The lovely poetry of Rumi, the history of Persia set to verse by Hakim Abu al-Qasim Mansur Firdowsi...and many other literary works were not penned by men particularly inspired by Islam.

 

In music:

Islamic law forbids musical instruments, which is why music is banned from being played in some Muslim quarters in England. Ayatollah Khomeini said that music corrupted the minds of the youth.

 

In visual arts:

Apparently, angels do not enter homes where there are images of living creatures. So forget trying to even paint a portrait of your beloved mother cradling your baby brother, or a dog with a blue coat of fur against various backdrops. Forget most of the great art of the world. (Forget, for that matter, any anatomical drawings made in the name of medicine).

 

In architecture:

The archtiectural beauties we know as mosques were copied from Byzantine churches.

 

In science:

Algebra, the zero, and the astrolabe are credited to Islam. The astrolabe was invented before Islam was born. The zero and the principles on which algebra worked were discovered centuries before the mathematician al-Khwarizmi was born. Arabic numerals originated in pre-Islamic India. Even if one doubted that or argued that it was still al-Khwarizmi who pioneered algebra, one couldn't doubt which culture was unable to use their advanced math to make significant technological contributions to the world.

 

I think your excellent question about how so much extremism and violence can come from a religion whose Golden Age is frequently alluded to in pop culture and Hollywood, is answered by a historical context of Islam and how their holy book views intellectual thought and science.