Comedy and Religion

I think a non-Muslim watching and laughing at “Allah Made me Funny” is not a big deal. It’s entertainment, that’s what it’s there for. By having people be too P.C. people are confusing what to enjoy and what not to enjoy. Sure, there are some movies out there that are blatantly anti-Islam, but I think that the filmmakers have all the right to do so. I think shows like The Colbert Report really enforce a more satirical look at things. I just recently watched “Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay” don’t ask why…but they covered a lot of racist jokes…not in the most successful fashion, but it was in a humorous manner. I remember one line being “Where’s your KORAN now?” but it was more or less showing the stupidity of racists in America, etc. I don’t see any problem with comedians or movies that can have fun and be entertaining. As far as people like Carlos Mencia, though, it gets annoying with the same Latino vs. Caucasian jokes over and over…that’s just me though.

Response to “Allah made me funny” looks really funny

No matter what you’re talking about, you risk offending someone. I agree, I think Allah Made Me Funny looks very funny. The topics we saw them talk about in the trailer are ones that both Muslims and Americans a whole can appreciate laughing at. For example, when the one guy was talking about being on a plane and people were looking at him thinking he was a terrorist. His joke was poking more fun at ignorant people than Muslims. There may be other topics that focus more on the quirks of Islam but I don’t think they are attacking their religion and therefore don’t run that great a risk of offending many. I think it will be a great way to show everyone that generally, we are seeing and assuming the wrong things when looking at a culture or the people of a certain religion. I agree, the comedy will remind all of us to relax. I can’t speak for Muslims, but I think it looks innocent enough.

“Allah made me funny” looks really funny.

Based on the trailer we saw in class yesterday, I am super excited to see “Allah made me funny.” But since I’m not a Muslim, I was just wondering if others (especially Muslims) would find it offensive or immoral to see. Sometimes I think that movies that are supposed to be funny end up offending audiences or striking up so much controversy that it ruins the “hilarity” of the film. Personally, I think that funny films are a treat to watch and remind us to relax a bit in life… learn something… and stop taking the world so seriously. How do others feel?

islamic stance on homosexuality

Since it’s a topic of interest, i’d like to respond to a few previous posts and clarify that Islam condemns homosexuality. In history, there was a nation of Prophet Lut (the nephew of Abraham).  This nation engaged in many sinful acts, most notably homosexual intercourse.  Prophet Lut was instructed to warn his nation of their wrongdoing and to correct their ways, for God would punish them if they did not desist.  The people did not listen to him and told him to quit preaching and leave the land. Then one day 3 handsome men came to Prophet Lut – they were angels. They warned him that God was going to punish the wrongdoers and that he and his followers should leave the city.  So Prophet Lut and his followers left the city, and the next morning the city was devastated by a terrible earthquake- all the houses and people were destroyed, including Lut’s wife since she sympathized with the sinners. So, I hope that kind of clarifies this topic. I don’t want people to think that Muslims hate homosexuals, but the practice of it is condemned in Islam.

More on Homosexuality in Islam

I did infact google homosexuality in Islam, and good ‘ol Wikipedia brought me back some interesting stuff.
Apparently, homosexuality is frowned upon in the Qur’an, and is viewed similarly to sodomy.
“Homosexuality is a crime and forbidden in most Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc. he legal punishment for sodomy has varied among juristic schools: some prescribe capital punishment; while other prescribe a milder discretionary punishment.”
At first, this shocked me, because Islam came off as very accepting in Muhammad. I read a littler further and found some more interesting information.
“Despite this, homoerotic themes were present in poetry and other literature by some Muslims which celebrated male love, and were more common than expressions of attraction to women.^[1] Some movements in Islam, such as the Al-Fatiha Foundation, accept and consider homosexuality as natural, either regarding Qur’anic verses as obsolete in the context of modern society, or pointing out that the Qu’ran speaks out against homosexual lust, and is silent on homosexual love.”
I’m confused now. Does Islam condemn or approve homosexuality? Are people really punished that harshly for their sexual preference? I’m lost…

Allah Made Me Funny and Homosexuality

I’m very excited to see Allah Made Me Funny. Everything I’ve heard about Islam and Muslims has been semi-serious (with the exception of the jokes Prof. Mozaffar cracks), and it should be interesting to see a Muslim’s point of view on the funnier side of religion.

And to veer completely off that subject, I was talking to a friend of mine who lives next to Wrigley feild about school and the classes we’re taking. I mentioned Intro to Islam, and he had lots of questions for me but none I can answer. My friend has been gay as long as I’ve known him, and he feels he was gay his entire life. There are only a few sections of Christianity that accept homosexuals as a “normal” part of their church. Does Islam take a stand on homosexuality? (I plan to google this right after I finish writing.) Do they ignore it in their followers like some other religions? Do they accept or reject those who are homosexual? This should be interesting.

Response to “What’s Up With Jihad?”

Although I have not seen the movie Traitor, from what other people have posted the movie describes Jihad as sacrificing yourself to harm those who are threateningthe Islamic religion. From what I know, this is an innaccurate and simplistic definition of Jihad. In Arabic, the word jihad means “strive” or “to struggle.” Although there is an aspect of jihad that is armed struggle against those who would deny you the right to practice your faith, the primary meaning of the word is much more personal. One is supposed to “struggle in the way of God,” that is, work to not only make yourself a better person and a better Muslim, but strive to make your society a better place. To say that jihad only represents armed struggle and conflict is ignoring the primary goal and meaning of the idea of jihad.

Response to lilabee

As you stated, in probably every religion there are those that are not completely commited. I personally think that this is a large problem in our culture and particularly our age group. The inability, or the unwillingness to commit to something is troubling. Our age group seems so easily swayed by fads and whats new, but will easily forsake what they once felt passionate about for the next big thing. This mindset has also entered into the realm of religion. In my faith I can see so many people caught up in what the culture desires of them that they miss what God wants for them. I know I will probably get some grief for this, but in my opinion one of the best tools that is used to keep us from God is to make us focus on the here and now, while never thinking about what is to come. This life is not the end, and as long as we keep ourselves so caught up in the present and immediate we are going to forsake the faith and start living for ourselves and not for God.

Response to ratfaced

You brought up exactly what I started thinking about after my post about tattoos and piercings. I know that throughout any religion there are different levels that people follow the rules, but for some reason I think I do have the feeling that Muslims follow the rules more than Catholic or Jewish people (I haven’t thought further into other religions, nor do I have enough knowledge on them to really go into it). Yet, at the same time, one of my good friends is Musilm, but I don’t feel like he follows the rules at all, he might when he is around his parents but once he leaves the house he smokes and drinks and I’m sure he does other things that also do not go by the rules. I don’t know if this is just something that is like a “college phase”, but it seems as though he would chose to keep up this “double life”. I don’t think this is the norm, but it makes me wonder how many people let some of the rules slide versus people that strictly follow all of the rules.