curious

in class i remember prof. mozaffer talking about people changing their names after they converted to islam, particularly if their name had a less-than-appealing meaning. for example, that man who was name abd-al-kalb (something like that)… i don’t get why someone would give their kid a name with the meaning related to dogs. what’s that all about? my second question is about the arrangement of the Quran. from the readings in Muhammad, it seems that he received revelations from different part of the Quran at different times.   How was it decided how the verses should be ordered, as well as the order of the chapters?  was he told that this was the way, or was it decided after all the revelations were revealed?

Response to women in Hell

When I read that a while back I was definitely scared as well. But, I definitely agree. I don’t know how much guys gossip, but girls always seem to. At social gatherings, there is always gossip about clothes, style, grades, attitude, relationships, etc. (at least my aunts do). My uncles, on the other hand, always seem too busy arguing about politics and why the world is screwed up. It’s terrible to gossip. I know I do. But, I always regret it. Gossip spreads lies, personal details, and seems to ruin everything when it is unnecessary. Also, (I don’t know where to cite it…but, my mom told me that…) when you talk about someone else behind his/her back, it’s a sin against you, but a plus for them. For instance, if I gossip about a person, I get sinned for it, but the person gets a sin taken away from him/her. Anyways, yeah it is scary to think that there will be more women in Hell. Hell itself is scary enough as is.

Scary fact

By reading the biography of Muhammad, we now know that Gabriel took Muhammad to the life of Heaven. There he visited all the other Prophets and led the prayers. While he was going up the heavens with Gabriel, he saw all the deeds happening which will take one to heaven and also hell. This was mentioned on page 78, first paragraph. “…the ultimate destinies of Paradise or Hell became clearly apparent. Hidden depths of good and evil were summoned to the surface.” When the Prophet came back to Earth, he told his followers what he had seen there. Mohammad said, “I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers are women.” This is was not mentioned in the book we were reading only because it is not stating any hadiths, it is just a biography of our Prophet Muhammad. I find this hadith so terrifying that most people in Hell will be women!! Many people including my mom say that it is because women LOVE gossiping and God dislikes who do so. Women get jealous very easily and God dislikes that too. Women show off their possessions like no other and God really disapproves of that because no one is above the other. I am just wondering what other females (Muslims and non-Muslims) have to say on this.

Response to 9/11 North Korean Connection

First off, I find your connection to the events of september the 11th and the current situation in North Korea a bit hazy.  North Korea is simply following US policy regarding national security, mainly, their supposed interest in acquiring nuclear and biological weapons to ensure safety through building a strong military presence.  I think it should be questioned whether or not other countries’ (North Korea, Iraq, etc.) should be justified in an attack against the US due to America’s refusal to adhere to the Non-Proliferation Act of 1978.  The US set a dangerous precent when they committed acts of aggression against the people of Iraq: Even if we suspect you of having a nuclear weapons program we can overthrow your government.  Now, “from a realist” perspective, why WOULDN’T North Korea develop a nuclear program?  I believe the US would certainly be more apprehensive to attack a country if they KNEW they possessed such an arsenal. 

Secondly, how can you say that people who hate Muslims after 9/11 are “realists”?  If these so-called realists were at all educated in world politics and religion, I assure you, they would not hate Muslims.  They would first question how the US’s presence in the Middle East in the 1980’s allowed groups like Al-Qaeda to flourish.  They would realize the overwhelming US military presence all around the Arab world and question how that would affect Muslims’s perspectives of the US.  True realists might then conclude that Muslims in the Middle East are vulnerable to US aggression.  People who live in the MIddle East are well aware of the US’s military dominance and know that any attack against us would result in a backlash of devastating violence and suppresion.

The most important thing to be aware of in the current political atmosphere is the use of symbols and buzz words used by tyrannical leaders like Bin Laden and the Bush Administration.  Bush primarily speaks of terrorists, a fairly general term.  However, if you were to ask an average American to picture a terrorist they would most likely come up with a precise image of a Muslim, with a long beard, wearing a turban, scowering menacingly at your young children.  Bush warns that these extremists are here to try and invade our land and destroy our political and religous systems.  Bin Laden refers to infidels trying to overtake their land and to the same to their own culture.  However, as Noam Chomsky points out, when Bush speaks of “our land,” he most certainly means the world and when Bin Laden speaks of “his land” he means the Arab states.  I merely want to point out that Al-Qaeda is trying to mimic what the US has been doing for years, except on a much smaller scale.

Response to Warning baby tossing

It’s so interesting to hear other cultures rituals. I mean to us, baby tossing seems as something ludicrous, but in India they actually believe that it can improve baby’s overall health. I think that there are so many different views, depending on a culture,  on what is good or bad for the baby and one needs to respect what others practice even if we don’t really approve of it. As crazy as the idea seems,  it seems to be working because no deaths have been reported as a result of this ritual, so it must be doing some good. If it was completely useless, they would have that much common sense as to stop practicing it.