Proud to be a Muslim – No apologies. No excuses.
Year in Review: 2016
December 9, 2016
Islam, the world, and Pakistan
June 8, 2018
By Fareeha Qayoom
Brexit and Trump has exposed what the majority, by and large, already know. The world is divided into two: us and them, the first world and the third world, the black and the white, the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, the privileged and the disadvantaged, the favored and the damned, the aristocrats and the peasants, the natives and the immigrants, on and on it goes…like an infinite loop spiral.
This is the status quo. That’s how the world operates. Some are born great. Some grab greatness. Some sit on the fence (praying for greatness).
We are fond of labels. We like lists. We like to clearly identify the label we are born under and the one we aspire to. Race, religion, gender, belief system, clan, class, nationality, language, geography, IQ, appearance, etc., – we are divided. We like classifying humanity into different groups. We ‘like’ people like us. We dislike people who are different, the so called foreigners. The divergent. The uncivilized. The others.
There is one belief system (and religion) that’s against this status quo. It’s the oldest organized belief system in the world; the original – Islam, contrary to popular belief.
The first man, Adam, had a direct hotline to God. He was not only the first person created by God, he was also given instructions on how to conduct himself. In other words, he was God’s first messenger to humanity and the first law-giver. Muslims believe that. In fact, we are required to believe in all messengers and messages (so there is no question of ‘borrowing’ from other religions – in fact, other Monotheistic religions are distorted versions of God’s original message and Islam claims to set the record straight for the world’s remaining time till judgment day.).
There were over 124,000 select few that had this direct hotline to God. Prophet Muhammad was the last one. He brought the last and final version of God’s message to humanity. We can take it or leave it. Up to us. There is no compulsion in religion.
What does God/Islam say?
- God is one. No other gods.
- Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was the last and final messenger and prophet of God.
- Humanity is all equal in the eyes of God. Men and Women. God doesn’t discriminate on the basis of gender. Race. Class. Privilege. Etc.
- There will be accountability and a judgment day.
- There is an afterlife.
- God will decide who were good and who were evil.
- Only those people will make the grade who bring a ‘pure heart’ to God on the judgment day.
- We all know what is good and what is evil.
- We are all born with pure hearts.
- God created us only to worship Him.
- We will all return to God.
- God will settle all disputes on judgment day.
- There will be no second chances.
- We should all worry about our afterlife. It will depend on our conduct in this life.
- God will forgive all sins except one – (the denial of His existence- ‘shirk’ in other words).
Apparently, this is enough cause for Islamophobia…diversity, pluralism, and tolerance for others is not acceptable. Remove. Destroy. Kill. Justify.
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Islamophobia and terror at the heart of ‘Islambol’
http://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2016/12/15/islamophobia-and-terror-at-the-heart-of-islambol
Islamophobia in the US
“Islamophobia has become so mainstream in this country that Americans have been trained to expect violence against Muslims – not excuse it, but expect it. You have an Islamophobia industry in this country devoted to making Americans think there is an enemy within.” – Reza Aslan
American leaders visiting other countries are often eager to champion secular humanist values, deeply embedded in the American constitution and Western liberal-democratic theory, in a bid to portray their country as a bastion of religious freedom. In addition to basic human rights – freedom of action, speech, and movement – religious freedom is portrayed as the core principal of American foreign policy.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/171646-Islamophobia-in-the-US
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/article/Islamophobia-will-be-in-White-House-10786358.php
Donald Trump: The Islamophobia president
Trump rose to power with an Islamophobic campaign and Islamophobia now will become his official policy.
A March 2016 poll showed that 51 percent of Americans support a Muslim ban [Reuters]
Khaled A Beydoun is an associate professor of law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
Islamophobia won resoundingly tonight. Instead of the first female president, the United States got its first Islamophobia president.
From start to finish, the 2016 presidential election vividly revealed that Islamophobia is alive, and potent and politically resonant as ever. Scapegoating Islam and vilifying Muslims was far more than merely campaign messaging; for Donald Trump it was a winning strategy.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/11/donald-trump-islamophobia-president-161109065355945.html
Islamophobia: Understanding Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the West
Introduction
A phobia, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is an exaggerated, usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation. It may be hard for the afflicted to sufficiently determine or communicate the source of this fear, but it exists. In recent years, a specific phobia has gripped Western societies – Islamophobia.
Researchers and policy groups define Islamophobia in differing detail, but the term’s essence is essentially the same, no matter the source:
An exaggerated fear, hatred, and hostility toward Islam and Muslims that is perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in bias, discrimination, and the marginalization and exclusion of Muslims from social, political, and civic life.[1]
http://www.gallup.com/poll/157082/islamophobia-understanding-anti-muslim-sentiment-west.aspx
Unfortunately, Muslims got colonized and education levels went down in the past 250+ years… one of the major reasons why Muslims are living thru their darkest period as a Ummah right now.
DECEMBER 13, 2016
Religion and Education Around the World
Large gaps in education levels persist, but all faiths are making gains – particularly among women
Jews are more highly educated than any other major religious group around the world, while Muslims and Hindus tend to have the fewest years of formal schooling, according to a Pew Research Center global demographic study that shows wide disparities in average educational levels among religious groups.
http://www.pewforum.org/2016/12/13/religion-and-education-around-the-world/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=e080af4f66-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3e953b9b70-e080af4f66-399594957
DECEMBER 15, 2016
International migration: Key findings from the U.S., Europe and the world
BY PHILLIP CONNOR
Millions of people have migrated from their homes to other countries in recent years. Some migrants have moved voluntarily, seeking economic opportunities. Others have been forced from their homes by political turmoil, persecution or war and have left their countries to seek asylum elsewhere.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/12/15/international-migration-key-findings-from-the-u-s-europe-and-the-world/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=e080af4f66-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3e953b9b70-e080af4f66-399594957
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > TECHNOLOGY
Google, Apple and Uber among major tech firms to refuse Trump’s Muslim registry
….
Apple also gave a similar reply saying “We think people should be treated the same no matter how they worship, what they look like, who they love. We haven’t been asked and we would oppose such an effort.”
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1266105/google-apple-uber-among-major-tech-firms-refuse-trumps-muslim-registry/
FYI…science vs. religion.
Stephen Hawking – Did God Create the Universe?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiyrRbYNm0Q
Couple of opposing view points.
SEE IT: Stephen Colbert, Ricky Gervais debate existence of God on ‘Late Show’
A Sunday school teacher and an agnostic walk onto the set of “The Late Show.”
Ricky Gervais joined Stephen Colbert Wednesday night and the conversation quickly moved to religion — an issue on which the two disagree wholeheartedly.
Colbert began the conversation by asking “why there is something instead of nothing.”
Gervais, however, denied the entire premise of the question.
“Surely, the bigger question is not why but how. Why is irrelevant, isn’t it?” said the comedian, who described himself as an agnostic atheist.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/stephen-colbert-ricky-gervais-debate-existence-god-article-1.2962037
Bottom line, haven’t read anything scientific which contradicts what God says in the Quran though about the creation of the universe…
I found this article interesting too…check it out.
Is AI a Threat to Christianity?
Are you there, God? It’s I, robot.
In his relatively short tenure, Pope Francis has been hard at work welcoming spiritual seekers into the Catholic Church. He’s refused to judge LGBT people, sought to integrate divorced couples, and extended priests’ ability to forgive abortion. But Francis’s wide arms have arguably never stretched further than a mass in 2014 when he suggested the church would baptize Martians.
“If—for example—tomorrow an expedition of Martians came … and one says, ‘But I want to be baptized!’ What would happen?” Pope Francis asked. “When the Lord shows us the way, who are we to say, ‘No, Lord, it is not prudent! No, let’s do it this way.’”
While playful, this odd scenario got at a serious question about just how far the church’s welcome can go. Should Christianity, the world’s largest religion, embrace all intelligent life? Even aliens? Granted, the arrival of green space creatures seeking salvation isn’t very likely. But the Pope’s lesson opens the door to the acceptance of another science-fiction stalwart, too—one that’s not so easily dismissed. Namely, hyper-intelligent machines.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/02/artificial-intelligence-christianity/515463/?mc_cid=5b077ba400&mc_eid=a7056ba108