New Answering Your Questions on Islam Thread

[banner]

To bro Unnamed:

Hmm...i dont' think i was being apologetic actually. This is what i have been taught by Islamic Scholars and its what i'll have to uphold. If actual muslims aren't following (as is the case with any religion) i shouldn't have to accomadate them, i'm only speaking about what islam says. Even more specifically the Saudi "Islam" is really the furthest thing from the teachings of Islam. Its impossible to find one verse in the Quran or one hadith that says women can't drive for example.. Purely a wahhabi phenomena (Saudi and Afgahanistan). So really i'm just trying to give back what i've been taught and the people who have taught me have been relatively representative of muslims as a whole.

LOL and i opened up my geography book but i couldn't seem to find Ecuador, Brazil or Panama. I can't figure out where they're located


Best wishes....i'm out to ride today 
bbl

[RVertigo]

I personally think if these countries were left alone they would naturally form more democratic governments; its a very natural form of progression

Comments?

I agree if left alone long enough...  In the short term (20-50 years), I can't see that happening...  The "growing pains" seen in the early USA (aka manifest destiny, aka genocide) is what I think would happen at first...  When one group so deeply hates/fears/differs from/misunderstands another group, only one will stay in a given area.  One group will either leave, be removed or killed, or be absorbed.

Lots of countries have, are, and will go through the exact same thing...  Once the groups are equalized, then things will progress...  When hate is so deep between two very large groups, nothing good can happen.




And...  I (PERSONALLY) think the US Government should clean up it's own back yard before knocking on it's neighbor's doors.  (In other words, I think we should leave other countries alone... In all ways except for trade...  No funding, no troops, no food, no supplies...  Nothing.)

[Unnamed]

If actual muslims aren't following (as is the case with any religion) i shouldn't have to accomadate them, i'm only speaking about what islam says. ... I feel my answers are representative of the majority of islamic scholars.

I'm pretty sure you're right, your answers do seem to be in line with mainstream Islamic opinion and with the Islamic commentaries from before 1100. What I'm trying to say is that "true Islam" is in the eye of the beholder, and you have to address the Wahhabist doctrines on their own grounds. Whether you like it or not, many people's view of Islam is the view espoused by Wahhabists. I'm sure you don't consider the Wahhabis to speak for all Muslims, but I think many Americans consider Wahhabism and Islam to be the same.

[ajgs500]

THank you Unnamed. 

[Unnamed]

 

[yamahonkawazuki]

I honestly don't think thats valid bro. The average person is usually very ignorant about their religion, be they jew, christian, hindu, or muslim. I could read the bible and ask 4 christians and i would get no where. I think a better approach would be to indepthly study a religion using that religions sources and then take that farther by speaking with a well versed scholar (or two or three). That would give me a good feel for a religion!

i know that. im not saying its the answer to a particular question in its entirety. but what i am saying was this. if you wanted to know something about judaism read the torah, christianity the bible, islam, the Qu'ran, and if your fortunate enough to be able to do so, track down some scholars in whichever one you want to know something about. lol perhaps i condensed it too much? lol 

[Unnamed]

I have to agree with banner on this point. If you only read, for instance, the Qur'an, you miss out on the centuries of commentary which have defined the way in which Islam is practiced today. Similarly, reading the Bible isn't going to explain the debates in Christianity today. I think the holy books can give insights into the general structure of a religion, but in the centuries since they were written/ compiled they have been variously interpreted to mean a lot of different things. If you read through the Qur'an, you will find that it is very similar to the Bible. The message is effectively the same, but people have interpreted the details in a multitude of ways. Reading can help you understand a religion, but it doesn't get you very far.

Or perhaps I misread and you were saying something else. 

[banner]

Ditto^
Religions are extremely complex, much more than the average man gives them credit for so it takes a lot of research and indepth thought to reach their core.

Does anyone have any specific questions i can answer? I think i've covered most bases. I just have one pending questions on Islams view on non-muslims which i'll answer shortly. Anything besides that

[yamahonkawazuki]

well i dont mean read the qu'ran and it only, but basically the holy books of each religion. fwiw each was writtin around its (the religion in question) core values. how someone was supposed to be. yeah through "interpretation"  various translations etcc etc etc. things have changed basically if i ask a scholar of islam, christianity or whatever else, how do i know im getting the "correct answer"? not the interpreted one?

[che mike]

first off, apologies for jumping into the discussion late. even worse, i only read the last page of posts! but i wanted to comment on something that jumped out at me:

Unnamed wrote:
"You're technically right, but war in "self defense" can be variously interpreted to mean a lot of things. Is it self defense if someone invades you? Of course. Is it self defense if they're preparing to invade you? Probably. Is it self defense if they *might* be planning to invade you? Not really, but if you're wrong then you're kinda screwed. You keep going and eventually you'll find people who consider it self defense to fight against the influx of foreign ideals and influence. Thus, despite the Qur'anic prohibition on offensive war, you'll always find people willing to consider war for "self defense". You must also recall that Muhammad's battles were not totally defensive. Just playing devil's advocate."

now, replace "despite the Qur'anic prohibition on offensive war" with anything relevant to jesus's teachings which many people in politics say they follow, and this paragraph is equally applicable to the united states. more so, even: we have a 'department of defense' which is really the department of war they renamed over 150 years ago.

one can't criticize other cultures and religions without also examining one's own. otherwise it becomes like a troubled marriage: your partner always starts the fights an you're completely innocent every time.

[Unnamed]

That was a point I was trying to make, although fairly subtly. I've found that conservative believers, of any variety, tend to have a lot of trouble accepting other cultures or belief systems. Whether its Osama, an Iranian mullah, or Pat Robertson, they all share a common intolerance of people unlike themselves. The thing I've found from learning about the Middle East is that once you really understand why someone is acting as they do, it makes you more conscious of the way your own country acts. The old proverb of walking a mile in someone else's shoes is absolutely critical for understanding the present conflict between (to use loaded terms) the "west" and the rest.

[RVertigo]

we have a 'department of defense' which is really the department of war they renamed over 150 years ago.

Actuallly...  It was only called the Department of War in times of war...  They changed the name to the Department of Defense in a time of peace...  They just didn't name it back to the Department of War.

Other than that, you're pretty much right...  People have used "god" as an excuse for killing for longer than recorded history.

[che mike]

what do you mean your VIEW? I thought you were going to give answers, not opinions....WTF?

to come back to this after a little time off:

pantablo, i think you're being a little unfair here. these are sociological questions. i'm sure if you ask 10 different 'learned' persons these questions you'll get 10 answers. imagine you travel to another country that has little direct contact with americans. people ask you things like:

why are americans fat?
why are americans so ignorant of the world beyond their borders?
why is abortion such a big issue in the united states?
why do women in the US earn less than men?

now, can you give answers to these questions, or your view? if you were an expert on u.s. society, would you be able to give answers, or just an 'expert' view?