islamic education

i’ve always wondered about islamic education in the united states.  in a previous post, i said that i grew up in an area where i did not know any muslims.  this stopped in highschool.  i did not go to public high school, i went to a Franciscian all-girls school.  there, i met a few really nice muslim girls.  also, my school was ‘athletic’ partners with a muslim grammer school.  honestly, i have always wondered about how the muslim world goes about educating their children.  looking at their background, all the years of advancment put into islamic culture, i think that it would be really cool to go to an islamic school for a day.  this would be a cool lecture to have in class.

Names

I have a Muhammad Ali poster in my room and I am currently staring at it wondering about something that has to do with Islam. In the corner of the poster it has a poster of a title bout he was in when his name was Cassius Clay. I was wondering why when you change your faith to Islam you have to change your name? Or is this an option and not necessary? I suppose it would make sense if it’s similar to why Christians add a name when they are confirmed. Am I correct or way off? Side note I think it is awesome whenever something is translated from Arab to English and a U does not follow a Q. Rebellious.

Response to “Just Wondering”

I think I can answer your questions..Of course the absolute most important aspect of Islam is Allah, but it is also really important for Muslims not to harm their bodies, which were given to them by Allah. This is why Muslims cannot eat pork; pigs are dirty animals because they eat garbage, roll in dirt, etc. All meat must be Halal which means that the animal must be blessed and facing Mecca when it is killed. Regarding the alcohol, the reason for not being able to drink is the same as for not eating pork: a Muslim cannot do anything that will harm his/her body such as smoking, drinking, etc. I suppose that could even apply to food, so although there may not be specific restrictions besides pork, a Muslim shouldn’t, for example, over-eat since that could be bad for you…(Anybody correct me if I’m wrong about anything please!)

RE: just wondering..

Halal meat is any permissible meat (cow, goat, chicken, etc), but zabiha meat is that which is sacrificed in the name of Allah and according to the Islamic protocols for animal sacrifice.  Consumption of certain products is not allowed in Islam for health and cleanliness concerns. Pork is derived from an unsanitary animal and for this reason consumption of it, or any of its by-products are not allowed (ex. gelatin).  Alcohol is not allowed for a similar reason – 1, it is bad for your health, and 2, it takes you away from this world and remembrance of God and into a fantasy world of nothingness.  The whole point of this life, according to Islam, is to act righteously and please God so that one may attain a place in paradise.  Personally, I find these limitations very beneficial because it keeps people away from things that are great sources of tension and problems in many peoples lives.

Info on Why Muslims Fast

Why do Muslims fast in the month of Ramadan was a question a fellow student asked. Muslims fast for few reasons. One being that it is obligatory on every Muslim to fast who is capable of doing so. There are some exceptions such as for travelers and sick people who do not have to fast but then they have to either make it up by fasting some other month and/or by feeding the poor. However, another reason for Muslims to fast in this holy month of Ramadan is to show their devotion towards God. When fasting, Muslims worship intensely and pray to God as much as possible because every word or even a thought of worship is rewarded a lot more than it usually is. Muslims take advantage of such a pure and holy month. Thus, Muslims impure themselves by fasting and worshipping so much and at the same time gain so much reward. Another benefit of fasting is to gain self-control. When Muslims fast, it is not just that they are not supposed to eat anything. It is also that they do not do anything wrong, or hear, or say anything wrong. By wrong I mean, to hear, speak, see, or do anything that displeases Allah. When fasting, a Muslim does not only control his or her hunger but also their anger, all sorts of temptation and try to keep themselves away from the things that Islam does not allow. Ramadan is a beautiful month where Muslims only gain tremendously by just giving up few things here and there.

Just wondering…

On the first day of class, we discussed the basics of Islam and what Muslims are supposed to do. One of the things mentioned was that Muslims cannot eat pork and can only eat Halal meat? Why is that? And also, what does Halal mean? Does it have to do with the way the animal lives, how they are killed or what? Also, why are Muslims not allowed to drink alcohol? Are there any other dietary restrictions?

Response to “Whats up with Jihad?”

I disagree here too.  I don’t think they were saying that in Traitor.  I think Don Cheadle’s point was that they were misusing Jihad.  Like none of the stuff the terrorists said, Don Cheadle ever said.  It’s like having a room full of KKK guys and one guy pretending to be KKK, but is really an honest Christian.  If we listen to the KKK guys, then yeah, Christianity is all about lynching people of color.  I think that’s what the movie was about.  

But, what I didn’t like about the movie was that they had all those closet terrorists working secretly at the FBi and stuff.  I thought that was stupid.  If the terrorist network is that good, then why do they have to hide in boats and stuff.  That’s all a bunch of BS.  Like, were there any other good Muslims in the movie except for Don Cheadle?  That’s just racist.

STILL I thought it was a good movie.

Response to “Muhammad First Prophet to Fight?”

I disagree.  The bible is full of violence, including violence allegedly perpetrated by prophets.  So, if we use the Bible to define how a prophet behaves, then Muhammad is actually right in the middle.  Some have been involved in more violence, and some have been involved in less violence.  

The Bible contains all kinds of other stuff that might seem disturbing, way more than anything in this Lings book.  It’s not even close.  People who think that Muhammad is violent should go back and take an honest look at the Bible, both the New and especially Old Testaments.  It seems to me, at least so far, that Muhammad is the most realistic prophet I’ve ever read about.   I’m not going back to Christianity, but I asked Omer what he thought of  the Sermon on the Mount and he said that nobody can deny its beauty.  He said more but it isn’t relevante here.  Our discussion was about something else.  

We can find just as much beauty in books that come before Christ, but they suffer the same problem.  That’s what I think.  They are so pie-in-the-sky that they aren’t realistic, except as things to strive for but never reach.  But, when I’m reading about Muhammad, I feel like I’m seeing something that real humans can accomplish.  

Yeah there is violence, but I think it makes sense when we think about the pre-modern world that Omer talked about when he said that religion covered everything.  If religion was everything, then religion will talk about war.  St. Augustine definitely does.  But I’m still wondering what Islam says about violence.

What’s up with Jihad?

This past weekend, I saw Traitor (an okay movie with a couple of good twists). Anyways, without spoiling the movie, the act of Jihad was discussed. From how I understand it, Jihad is the act of sacrificing yourself to harm those that are threatening the Islamic religion. In the movie, they discuss it as a chess game: in order to win the game, you must sacrifice other pieces, like pawns, to win. This comparison made me think of a question: why are the people who are leading these terrorists not performing Jihad themselves? Aren’t they willing to sacrifice themselves for their religion, or are they trying to achieve therir own worldly agendas, using a person’s beliefs and faith to make them do what they want? Why would any person believe in doing such a thing because of what another person, who doesn’t give up their own life, tells them to do?

Basic Questions Regarding Ramadan

Upon reviewing the most recent posts today, I noticed that an overwhelming majority of them concern the Islamic month of Ramadan and the practice of fasting.  Not being of the Islamic faith myself I am unfamiliar with the exact regulations of this tradition or even the reason, whether historically pragmatic or sacred, for the fasting traditionally associated with the period of Ramadan.  So, as one might expect, I have some questions about this Muslim holiday.  First, why is Ramadan celebrated? What does it historically commemorate or remind the Muslim community of?  Additionally, what are the traditional regulations for fasting (or are there no “official rules” which guide one’s fasting?  Are there any other practices that Muslims observe during Ramadan?  Finally, how many American Muslims partake in Ramadan fasting?