salaam,
i wonder what we can do while the cancer of hate devours our belief system. Islam was presented to me over 5 years ago as a perfect way of life devoted to submission to the creator. in colorado, however, i find that most of the muslims i have interacted with are traditionalists, devoted to a man made ideal, rather than to the submission to God & what he asked of us through his Rasul, Muhammed. All religions of God have been corrupted in much the same fashion. i would like to talk to other like minded folks about the values that are told to us in the Quran and our own power of reason which Allah gave us as a mercy. what can we do about the corruption of the deen that practices hate & intolerence? what can we do about that same corruption that condones sexism? we were the progessive ones once upon a time and now we have allowed the extremists to be our voice. the Quran speaks of moderation as well as peace and submission
Islam as a lived reality is not perfect, there is human error and ego involved.
New Muslims should not romanticize the cultural norms of the Middle East, as someone who comes from a cultural background stemming from the Hindu Kush mountains and Iranian plateau, I know that ideas do not always match reality.
Islam is a simple faith, one that does not require a PhD or expertise to follow. However, some traditionalists uphold cultural notions of cultural patriarchy that work against those who are not heterosexual men.
Disagreement at one time was allowed, someone could think differently without fear of someone engaging in takfir against them.
How the intolerant gained control of the Deen is hard to gage exactly. There are several possible answers, however, Islam varies from location to location.
Salam Stanley,
I believe much the same, but have also found that there is a lot of uphill resistance to people even listening to the idea that the Islam they grew up with is not the "real" Islam that everyone should do. But, we are part of a long tradition itself which seeks to use the Quran and Example of the Prophet to decide for ourselves to see through the man made gunk.
- A Salafi in worship, a Sufi in society, a Secularist in government.
Gunk or junk?
I am trying to obtain opinions from muslims about -
http://www.TheTenQuestionsOfLife.com
Riaz
People are people no matter the religion, no matter the place, no matter the time. We are simply here to come to know ourselves through others. God simply shows us ourselves on the last day. We either like what we see or we don't.