DrZoidberg
Contributor
Islam is often accused of all manner of things that aren't really intrinsic to Islam. I don't think Trump style vilification of Islam is really helping. It's not making the world a better place.
So why does this matter? Understanding things is always better than being wrong. I think Islam fucking sucks. It's among the worst forms of religion and I think it's a scurge of mankind. It also seems to be good at sprouting idiot extremists due to the fact that their prophet was among other things, a general. Perhaps not the most conducive idol if we want peace on Earth. I think this is something worth discussing, and how we're to deal with it.
Islam isn't going to go away in a hurry. Our world is increasingly globalised and cosmopolitan. That's just a fact. We all will have to deal with living in a world where we have to get along with Muslims That isn't helped if we constantly accuse them of a cartoon version of Islam. It'll just increase divisions and make the world more dangerous.
Here's a couple of common erroneous statements.
1. Islam is always conservative, or that the only kind of Islam is conservative.
As evident in the Quran Mohammed himself seemed to have no problems with changing his mind about stuff. Quite soon after Mohammed's death the Umayyad dynasty was proclaimed commander of the faithful and the new caliph. The Umayyad's minted coins with Mohammed's face on them, they were famous for having lavish parties, music and dancing. Harun was famous for being gay. All this recorded in poetry from that time.
The Umayyad court was famously liberal and conservative scholars were horrified how the Umayyad court encouraged difference of opinion and dialogue. The court was open to all manner of faiths. They had Taoist, Confucian and Hindu thinkers at court.
It wasn't a fluke. The caliph's after, the Abassids kept it going. The Ottoman court did the same. Muslims have a long tradition of being liberal. Much longer than the west has.
The rise of Islamic conservatism was as a result of resistance to European colonialism. Islam became a banner under which they fought the European overlords. This is a fairly modern version of Islam. If they can become conservative they can also become liberal.
2. The Muslim immigrants will outbreed the local population and that way conquer Europe.
Islam is a belief. Essentially an opinion. Beliefs and opinions can change. There's no reason to assume that Middle-Eastern immigrants to Europe will stay Muslim. Nor that their off-spring will stay Muslim. Not does it say what type of Islam is inevitable for them to hold.
3. Islam is not liberalising.
To those of you who have slept under a rock, the liberal Islamic movements are the main engine for reform and change in the "Islamic world". It's a type of Islam that is exploding and has already had plenty of an impact on all Middle-Eastern governments. Even for the poster boy, Saudi Arabia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_and_progressive_Muslim_movements
Liberal Muslims are consistently ignored by the Western press: Obviously, because it isn't news. We consistently publish statements by obscure extremists as if they represent Muslims in general, while not giving liberal Muslims a voice. Whenever there's an act of Islamic terrorism you have to look hard to find an Imam or Mosque who doesn't issue a statement condemning it.
4. All Sunni Muslims support the Islamic state
No, they don't. First off, the Islamic state has called every other Muslim government apostates. And there's a lot of those. Even Al Qaeda has distanced themselves from the Islamic states calling them all manner of bad things. The Islamic State have failed miserably in catching the hearts and minds, even of other Jihadists. Certainly of Muslims they're ruling. Most Muslims think they're a disgrace and that they suck. Even Muslims living under hard-line Islamic rule tend to start hating them after about a year. Syria isn't the first attempt by the group to start a government. They've tried in a number of countries, each time a total disaster and they end up being chased out by the same people they claim to represent. IS in Syria is just the last in a string. If the pattern holds they'll soon get kicked out by their subjects long before Assad kills them off.
5. Islamic conservatives agree on how the sharia should be interpreted.
They agree on hardly anything. Videos of idiotic Islamic scholars are often shared making all kinds of daft claims, and it's assumed they represent a majority of all Muslims. While funny, they of course don't. The Islamic State has been absurdly creative in interpreting scripture, and in many cases over-riding the Quran. There's a rule in the Sharia about adultery. It's to be punished with forty lashes. That, somehow, doesn't apply when keeping Yazidi women as sex slaves in brothels.
Anyhoo...
Not sure where I'm going with this or what response I expected. Just thought I'd rant a bit.
So why does this matter? Understanding things is always better than being wrong. I think Islam fucking sucks. It's among the worst forms of religion and I think it's a scurge of mankind. It also seems to be good at sprouting idiot extremists due to the fact that their prophet was among other things, a general. Perhaps not the most conducive idol if we want peace on Earth. I think this is something worth discussing, and how we're to deal with it.
Islam isn't going to go away in a hurry. Our world is increasingly globalised and cosmopolitan. That's just a fact. We all will have to deal with living in a world where we have to get along with Muslims That isn't helped if we constantly accuse them of a cartoon version of Islam. It'll just increase divisions and make the world more dangerous.
Here's a couple of common erroneous statements.
1. Islam is always conservative, or that the only kind of Islam is conservative.
As evident in the Quran Mohammed himself seemed to have no problems with changing his mind about stuff. Quite soon after Mohammed's death the Umayyad dynasty was proclaimed commander of the faithful and the new caliph. The Umayyad's minted coins with Mohammed's face on them, they were famous for having lavish parties, music and dancing. Harun was famous for being gay. All this recorded in poetry from that time.
The Umayyad court was famously liberal and conservative scholars were horrified how the Umayyad court encouraged difference of opinion and dialogue. The court was open to all manner of faiths. They had Taoist, Confucian and Hindu thinkers at court.
It wasn't a fluke. The caliph's after, the Abassids kept it going. The Ottoman court did the same. Muslims have a long tradition of being liberal. Much longer than the west has.
The rise of Islamic conservatism was as a result of resistance to European colonialism. Islam became a banner under which they fought the European overlords. This is a fairly modern version of Islam. If they can become conservative they can also become liberal.
2. The Muslim immigrants will outbreed the local population and that way conquer Europe.
Islam is a belief. Essentially an opinion. Beliefs and opinions can change. There's no reason to assume that Middle-Eastern immigrants to Europe will stay Muslim. Nor that their off-spring will stay Muslim. Not does it say what type of Islam is inevitable for them to hold.
3. Islam is not liberalising.
To those of you who have slept under a rock, the liberal Islamic movements are the main engine for reform and change in the "Islamic world". It's a type of Islam that is exploding and has already had plenty of an impact on all Middle-Eastern governments. Even for the poster boy, Saudi Arabia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_and_progressive_Muslim_movements
Liberal Muslims are consistently ignored by the Western press: Obviously, because it isn't news. We consistently publish statements by obscure extremists as if they represent Muslims in general, while not giving liberal Muslims a voice. Whenever there's an act of Islamic terrorism you have to look hard to find an Imam or Mosque who doesn't issue a statement condemning it.
4. All Sunni Muslims support the Islamic state
No, they don't. First off, the Islamic state has called every other Muslim government apostates. And there's a lot of those. Even Al Qaeda has distanced themselves from the Islamic states calling them all manner of bad things. The Islamic State have failed miserably in catching the hearts and minds, even of other Jihadists. Certainly of Muslims they're ruling. Most Muslims think they're a disgrace and that they suck. Even Muslims living under hard-line Islamic rule tend to start hating them after about a year. Syria isn't the first attempt by the group to start a government. They've tried in a number of countries, each time a total disaster and they end up being chased out by the same people they claim to represent. IS in Syria is just the last in a string. If the pattern holds they'll soon get kicked out by their subjects long before Assad kills them off.
5. Islamic conservatives agree on how the sharia should be interpreted.
They agree on hardly anything. Videos of idiotic Islamic scholars are often shared making all kinds of daft claims, and it's assumed they represent a majority of all Muslims. While funny, they of course don't. The Islamic State has been absurdly creative in interpreting scripture, and in many cases over-riding the Quran. There's a rule in the Sharia about adultery. It's to be punished with forty lashes. That, somehow, doesn't apply when keeping Yazidi women as sex slaves in brothels.
Anyhoo...
Not sure where I'm going with this or what response I expected. Just thought I'd rant a bit.
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