Mr. Alsuezi:
I thank you for your post.
You have indicated the following:
+++do you want to ask the question, why do I believe in Isalm ? that is also simple… there is a lot of evidence that there is a God… and the Qur’an repeatedly says what amounts to, look around you, don't you think ! if you disagree with that, then there is not much I can say or do so that you may understand where I come from
Many religions repeatedly say that there is a God. Therefore Islam is not unique in that respect. By your definition it seems the only requirement for being a Moslem is to believe in God! If that is the case then I suppose most people on this planet are called Moslems. But of course we know it is not the case. Islam is a faith. This faith is based on believing in God, but it does not end to that. A faith by definition is a certain way of life, and a set of beliefs (besides just believing in God) that one must follow.
There is no question that Islam is a strong advocator of God or a supreme being. The issue is how does it portray that God? Obviously - as it appears - your view of God as portrayed by Islam is certainly different than that of - for example - the Talibans'. In order to understand how Islam really views God, one has to understand what Quran says. It seems by your admission you do not seem to know much about Quran - despite knowing valuable sources and links to point others to!
Therefore, and again going back to my original question, if you are admitting that you do not know much about Islam or Quran and how its verses are defined and meant to be used, then how can you genuinely call yourself a Moslem? If your definition of being a Moslem is just submission to God (and a supreme being) then you may as well be called a Christian, or a Jew, or a Hindu, or practically over 1000 other faiths and religions that exist in this world and promote the same concept.
I mean if I am an American I know exactly what the U.S constitution says and how it has defined my rights and liberty in this country. I do not just call myself American because I believe in Democracy , and freedom of thoughts, but because I know exactly to the point how this democracy and freedom of thoughts are defined by the U.S. constitution.
You as a Moslem therefore should know exactly what it means to believe in God under the rules laid out by Quran.
You say people take verses out of context and do not look into reasons behind a verse they reference, I assume that you have already looked into every single verse and know exactly what they meant to say, and therefore can explain in a rather proficient manner what they really mean someone asks you a question about them who may have misinterpreted them. Because if you believe in Islam, you must also believe in every single verse in Quran, and to believe in every single verse you must understand it fully and completely. Otherwise - and with all due respect - you will simply be following blindly without knowing what is it that you are following!
To be totally honest then, and based on your admission that you do not know much about Quran (or Islam), is it safe to assume that the main reason you really are such a strong defender of Islam is because you have been born into it? Hence it is a matter of ego rather than genuine belief?
There is nothing wrong with that of course. I admit, if I were a Christian, it would be pretty hard for me to change and to convert for which I had been born into it. (In fact I may even take offense if someone brings up issues with Christianity for which I feel a sense of being hurt. It is sort of like buying a stock at its peak, and then watching it as it falls. If someone tells you that your investment was horrible, you (or at least most people) most often do not want to admit it. If you do not believe me just look at any message board on SI, or Yahoo and the constant bickering between the shorts and the longs! As human beings we do take matters personal - very personal - when it comes to religion, and politics, and even investment. There is nothing wrong with this for which we are simply trying to defend ourselves for our ego may hurt us badly.
However to purely defend our ego may not mean finding the truth. In order to find the truth one has to have the willingness to set aside his ego and logically either face the realities or genuinely defend the truth with everything he has instead of just ignoring and/or mocking those who try to point them out.
Sincerely,
Mr. S. Stevenson |
