Why Islam is Anti-American
Or more accurately, why America is primed to fear and/or hate Islam.
Yoda wasn't too far off when he said "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to the Dark Side." I would add "Ignorance leads to fear."
Ignorance (The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed), perhaps isn't the best word for America's relationship with Islam. Maybe unsympathetic, uncomprehending or antipathetic would be more descriptive. When I say "America" and "Americans", I'm referring to the overwhelming majority. I believe that most of the readers of this site are above the crowd mentality of the masses so please don't take offense (whether Muslim or American or both) at least until you've read this post to completion.
We understand what we are told about the Islam faith but it doesn't jive with the cores of our lifestyles. It's like being told that there are people who live in the sewers who walk with their hands and eat with their butts. It seems contradictory to our norm.
No Islamic visual images or depictions of God are meant to exist because such artistic depictions may lead to idolatry. Moreover, Muslims believe that God is incorporeal, making any two or three dimensional depictions impossible. Even I, as an atheist, know that God is supposed to look kind of like Santa Claus but a little more dignified. For those feeling confused already, Muslims and Christians worship the same God. The Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam, is believed to be the last in the succession of messages from above, including the Torah, Psalms and Gospel. Many details and people are similarly mentioned on both the Qur'an and the Bible.
The second pillar of Islam is salah, the requirement to pray five times a day at fixed times. Each salah is performed facing towards the Kaaba in Mecca. Prayer is preferably done in a prone position with close contact to the Earth. Christian organized worship primarily takes place on Sundays is done while kneeling or sitting. Why do "they" pray differently to the same God?
Islamic law forbids intoxication yet Christian ritual prescribes the use of wine in the Eucharist. From 1920 to 1933 the US banned the manufacture, sale, or transportation but the 21st amendment repealed the prohibition set forth in the 18th. It is the only amendment to be repealed by another amendment of the Constitution. In the United States today, more than 15 million Americans are estimated to suffer from alcoholism. Alcohol is present at celebrations, weddings and in our homes.
Islam tradition prevents the consumption of pork. Sausage, bacon and ham are staples of the American diet. Ham much like alcohol is typically present at holidays and religious celebrations.
My point is that there are many traditions and laws of the Islamic faith that contradict the norms of American culture. This potentially creates a barrier that must be broken.
In the grander scheme, we have more in common than we have differences. We are all human. We all need food, shelter, water and sleep. We have compassion for our friends and family.
There should be no cultural or religious difference that is greater than our ability to find common ground. Like an urban myth, the aspects of Islam that are most commonly known by your average American are those that seem contradictory to our everyday lives.
Investigate those who you find different from yourself.
Yoda wasn't too far off when he said "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to the Dark Side." I would add "Ignorance leads to fear."
Ignorance (The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed), perhaps isn't the best word for America's relationship with Islam. Maybe unsympathetic, uncomprehending or antipathetic would be more descriptive. When I say "America" and "Americans", I'm referring to the overwhelming majority. I believe that most of the readers of this site are above the crowd mentality of the masses so please don't take offense (whether Muslim or American or both) at least until you've read this post to completion.
We understand what we are told about the Islam faith but it doesn't jive with the cores of our lifestyles. It's like being told that there are people who live in the sewers who walk with their hands and eat with their butts. It seems contradictory to our norm.
No Islamic visual images or depictions of God are meant to exist because such artistic depictions may lead to idolatry. Moreover, Muslims believe that God is incorporeal, making any two or three dimensional depictions impossible. Even I, as an atheist, know that God is supposed to look kind of like Santa Claus but a little more dignified. For those feeling confused already, Muslims and Christians worship the same God. The Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam, is believed to be the last in the succession of messages from above, including the Torah, Psalms and Gospel. Many details and people are similarly mentioned on both the Qur'an and the Bible.The second pillar of Islam is salah, the requirement to pray five times a day at fixed times. Each salah is performed facing towards the Kaaba in Mecca. Prayer is preferably done in a prone position with close contact to the Earth. Christian organized worship primarily takes place on Sundays is done while kneeling or sitting. Why do "they" pray differently to the same God?
Islamic law forbids intoxication yet Christian ritual prescribes the use of wine in the Eucharist. From 1920 to 1933 the US banned the manufacture, sale, or transportation but the 21st amendment repealed the prohibition set forth in the 18th. It is the only amendment to be repealed by another amendment of the Constitution. In the United States today, more than 15 million Americans are estimated to suffer from alcoholism. Alcohol is present at celebrations, weddings and in our homes.Islam tradition prevents the consumption of pork. Sausage, bacon and ham are staples of the American diet. Ham much like alcohol is typically present at holidays and religious celebrations.
My point is that there are many traditions and laws of the Islamic faith that contradict the norms of American culture. This potentially creates a barrier that must be broken.
In the grander scheme, we have more in common than we have differences. We are all human. We all need food, shelter, water and sleep. We have compassion for our friends and family.
There should be no cultural or religious difference that is greater than our ability to find common ground. Like an urban myth, the aspects of Islam that are most commonly known by your average American are those that seem contradictory to our everyday lives.
Investigate those who you find different from yourself.
- Jason's blog
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Comments
You are probably trolling around, searching blogs for anti-islam messages and posting your propaganda in their comments. If you had read the post, you would see that I'm promoting peace and understanding.
Instead you have offered an ignorant commercial for your religion that only hurts your own credibility. You have reduced the teachings of the Quran to nothing more than comment-spam.
p.s. Totally stoked about that "HELL FIRE for ETERNITY" stuff.
So? Doesn't every other religion in the world believe the same thing? Isn't that why Christianity plagues the third world with missionaries, spreading the word of their beliefs?
"they believe that Jesus Christ was just a prophet like their Muhammad. Many Christians, including myself, find this to be an insult."
I believe that Jesus and Muhammad were both delusional heretics or at best, sly con-men but I don't go preaching on the blogs of others - that's insulting and kinda crazy.
"Some of us know a bit more."
Dee, you are a fear mongering, hate filled bigot. You have been brain washed by your parents/church to hate those who are different than you in an act of medieval self-preservation. You are the American Taliban and are an embarrassment. Your religious intolerance is treasonous in the eyes of America's patriotic.
I implore you to consider the reasons why you are following the orders of a Bronze Age cult, trying to indoctrinate others and spreading hate speech in hopes of sparking yet another holy war,
I don't know - send them to Jesus Camp? Perform an exorcism?
"Hey, what happened when someone like you decided to make fun of Muhammad in a cartoon?"
A few death threats and some temporary boycotts. Same thing that happens when people make fun of Jesus...or teach evolution. And that's not even a crime sometimes.
"free speech hindering people like you!"
If I'm hindering free speech, why am I allowing you to comment on my blog? Would I be able to come to your blog, spouting off my own propaganda and not get deleted? I wouldn't do that however, because I don't preach my views and try to push them on others without provocation.
"I've got more patriotism in my little finger"
Then why are you trash talking other religions on the internet? Don't all Americans deserve the right to practice whatever religion they want without persecution? Freedom of religion is a universal human right - whether you agree with their customs or not. I'm not saying that you don't have the right to discriminate against muslims I'm just saying that your hate-speech is counter productive to the evolution of human culture.
"My parents never mentioned or bashed Islam or any other religion EVER"
Maybe if they had mentioned Islam and given you a proper education, you wouldn't be so afraid of it.
"don't call me a bigot because I have different views"
I'm not. I'm calling you a bigot because you're a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance. <-that's the definition of "bigot"
"grant free speech to a select few"
What?? I do not have the power to either grant or deny free speech. Speak all you want but just be aware that the educated, patriotic and disillusioned will always be around the corner, waiting to counteract your jibberish.
"Who's trash talking other religions?" and then right after that, " I believe the concept [tenants of Islam] is a wolf in sheep's clothing."
That's not trash talking?? What if I were to say the same of the Bible?
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