Islam, What comes to your mind? How does the Media Portrail of the religion affect your thoughts?

The first word that pops into my head is “mess.”

as in?

As in… Messy? O.o

Islam…first word…”terror”...not fair I know…but that’s the reality for me…they need to get some good p/r people…

Oh, man… to limit it to just one word? Okay, how about “falafel”.

Let me explain. I’ve had many experiences with Islam, most of them bad. But I’ve also had many experiences with Muslims, most of them good. The only way I can possibly even begin to sum up all those good and bad experiences is in the word “falafel”; standing on line in a convenience store in Columbus, Ohio, head bowed respectfully in the middle of the night while the clerk, manager, and a third employee prostrated themselves toward Mecca to pray as the sun rose over their Middle Eastern home. And then being graciously served freshly made falafel that was well-worth the wait.

Falafel. It’s a decent enough analogy, I suppose, for when words fail me. I wouldn’t want to live on the stuff, but it’s a nice symbol of human kindness.

Hey, we don’t have to say it in one word, that’s not a rule. Hey, DarkMatter, welcome to the site, you’ve been around for a few days now, Do you like it? You better like it, you’re one of my best buds!!!

Well the media which is owned by right wing christians (mostly) (also i am only speaking for the US) demonizes it a lot so I think the word I would use is misunderstood.

The media’s presentation of Islam to the public is extremely errant and biased. The majority of Muslims are good people that unfortunately have been mislead by a warrior code disquised as a religion of peace but in actuality is one of hatred. I love Muslims but hate what Islam does to people everywhere on this globe.

Ditto, AL. I think we’re on the same page on this.

Misunderstood… I can dig that… So now it’s a misunderstood mess.

FiNiX wrote:
>Misunderstood… I can dig that… So now it’s a misunderstood mess.

Thats the best sort of mess one can have…

So it’s a misunderstood mess that needs to be understood, but will then still be a mess? Right?

P.S. I edited “them” to “then”.

i don’t understand…%>/

Islam…first thing that pops into my head is misunderstood.Their faith is actually really intresting. And it’s a shame that a group of extremist have soiled and changed that word and what it really means.Which is to “Surrender to God” or as they say in their tongue “Allah”. And muslim means “one who has surrendered to God.” But now all people think Islam means is terrorist and bombs.You know they believe in christ? Maybe not as their savior and redeemer. But they still beieve in him. Even satanists believe in Jesus.They just think Satan is the correct being to praise. Intresting I think :)))

They also remind me of mormons. And how sometimes our name is soiled by a group of people who still practice polygomy and do crazy things…I guess we have something in common. All faiths do actually :)))

While all that is true, LDSGal, there are those of us who do NOT wish to “surrender to God” in any way. The theological model of subjugation to a deity is not really a Christian model, despite the fact that many post-Protestant sects have adopted it. Because this model exists among most Muslims and some Christians, however, there is tension between those who live in Dar al-Islam and those who live in Dar al-Harb.

Let me explain: Dar al-Islam refers to lands in which Shari’a has been established into law. Shari’a is a legal system based upon the principle that all humans have certain obligations first to God (or Allah; in English, we might call this entity “Jehovah” or “Yahweh”). Thus even if a state in Dar al-Islam were to officially permit people to worship other religions, the end effect is to make Muslims out of all people, as one cannot follow Shari’a without at least outwardly submitting to God. Christian Dominionists have similar goals for the United States and other parts of Christendom.

I cannot tolerate living in such a state. Neither could the Marcionites, which is ultimately why their sect was essentially destroyed by the Muslims over a thousand years ago. The view of a single and finite God demanding obedience from man is anathema to my faith, and much as I respect individual Muslims I cannot tolerate being forced into such a view. And I say that both as one who understands Islam, and who is unmoved by the fact that my fellow countrymen do not understand Islam.

I have heard from muslim speakers that their idea of “submission” to God is not so much like Christian submission to God as our father and Christ as our King (and thus we are his subjects), but rather the relationship between a master and a slave. Allah’s love is the love of a master towards a good slave, and that speaks to what Swiss is saying about their beliefs applied to society. It also is part of the reason that I have stated previously that Islam seems to me to be unwittingly but more directly than most religions (that have untruths woven among the truths within them) to actually be worshipping Satan and forging his kingdom.

Still, as you say, LdsGal, there are many truths preserved in at least some fashion in Islam, for God does still speak to any who honestly seek Him, and most devout Muslims honestly do seek Him.

Precisely, Arandur. While Muslims do accept Jesus the Christ as a Prophet (which itself misses the mark, but never mind that for the moment), the Paulinian doctrine that men (and women) should be free to determine their own obligations to God [viz. Phil 2:12-13] is rejected in Islam… and, sadly, is becoming rejected in many Christian (i.e. post-Protestant) sects as well. Now, I must say I too am not sure I concur with this doctrine, but I object to it for reasons which are completely opposite those of the Muslims. (For one thing, I’m not certain this doctrine has ever been used to justify religious freedom, which makes me question whether it is as permissive as I’d like it to be.)

I just don’t think there are very many satanists in the world, gal. They must stay kinda underground (?) lol.

Very interesting comments! Dark Matter, appear and speak to us!, Empress KooKoo commands it! (sometimes we royals must speak in the third person)

We are living in a time of a clash between Ideology.. There has been many great civilization’s of all religion’s that have had great impact to over-all society and humanity. Religion is only ones belief. It is not one’s responsibility to convince another what is what. Islam is deff. misunderstood, and not the only religion. There are Radicals in all religion’s. Look at Timothy Mcveigh, when the building blew up everyone assumed right away that it was a muslim, to find out that it was a christian. But we did not stand their and turn it into holy war.”maybe we are a Christian country? It seem that Religion has way to much of an Influence on Government. In God we trust?

DM, words well chosen.

How do you see religion influencing government?

I may be ignorant of this, but did McVeigh really use Christianity as his motivation? He as also one man, not part of an organized, nearly worldwide terrorist group. Islam also has the unfortunate distinction of being the only religion with numerous publicly and widely supported terrorist groups that readily target innocents and make public their terrorist intentions. That makes the radical threat within Islam much, much more of a concern than any other religion.

Oh, and add that experts tend to think around 10%, if not more, of Islam is radicalized. That’s a huge margin. I would wager that in any other religious group, violent radicals gain the support of 1% or probably far less than 1% of the adherents to that religion.

Right on Arandur…

Arandur, all that you have said is true.

I don’t think DM’s point was that america is posessed by what is simply a different brand of religious extremism or anything of the sort. However, it is generally accepted that the majority of americans are christian.

It isn’t comparable to the extremism that has become so apparent in islam, but we are definitly a religious nation, dispite all of our rights to religious freedom.

DarkMatter wrote:
>Look at Timothy Mcveigh, when the building blew up everyone assumed right away that it was a muslim, to find out that it was a christian. But we did not stand their and turn it into holy war.”maybe we are a Christian country? It seem that Religion has way to much of an Influence on Government. In God we trust?

Make no mistake, I oppose the Christianization of my country (the US) as much as I do the Islamification of others. I denounce the idea that this is a “Christian country”, and I protest acts of Christian extremism.

Arandur, McVeigh may not have been a “Christian” terrorist… but Eric Rudolph certainly is. There are others who show little hesitation in using violence or extreme legislative force (which this Libertarian finds practically indistinguishable from violence) to accomplish their religious goals under the guise of Christianity.