Things that bothered you about fellow Muslims when you were Muslim.

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- Omaar Khayaam
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Things that bothered you about fellow Muslims when you were Muslim.
OP - June 17, 2012, 07:43 AM

Coming from an orthodox Sunni background and taking religion very seriously indeed. There were things or rather actions that fellow Muslims did that really bothered me. To me, these things were serious violations of the Shariah and a sign that these people were hypocrites making a mockery of their deen. As a non-believer, I still find these acts peculiar.

1 - Muslims becoming Ahmadi's in order to seek asylum in this or any other Western country. I don't think these people understood how serious this matter was. I'm not sure if it still goes on. It was rife throughout the 80's and 90's. Muslims would pretend to be Ahmadi's can claim that they were persecuted in Pakistan in order to gain some sort of stay in the UK. The person may claim to acknowledge it's falsity in their heart but technically they have left the deen! These same people would then pray to Allah for this worldly gain while pretending to be Ahmadi's. I wonder how many of these people who still call themselves Muslims promptly repented, retook the Shahadah and repeated their Nikkah once they were granted stay in this country?

2 - This one isn't just mocking the Shariah but is fraud and unethical. Married Muslim couples who claim to be separated and/or divorced under British law, in order to claim single parent benefit. Again, if you announce your divorce under British law then you are divorced under Shariah. It doesn't matter what you claim in your heart. It's your outward action that has deemed you sinful. Outside of Islam, this is just a downright lie and cheating the system.

The above are two that I can think of right off the bat. I'm sure there are others.
- moi
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Re: Things that bothered you about fellow Muslims when you were Muslim.
Reply #1 - June 17, 2012, 11:12 AM

In your experience, how common were these practices? Are you talking about half a dozen people you know or a large number?

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.

A.A. Milne,

"We cannot slaughter each other out of the human impasse"
- Omaar Khayaam
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Re: Things that bothered you about fellow Muslims when you were Muslim.
Reply #2 - June 17, 2012, 03:38 PM

I'm aware of members of my extended family who have done this, who in turn have mentioned others who carry out this tactic.

I've heard of te second one directly from friends both mine and my wife's first hand who have done it themselves and see no harm or shame in doing so.
- chepea
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Re: Things that bothered you about fellow Muslims when you were Muslim.
Reply #3 - June 17, 2012, 03:49 PM

Weird re: the 2nd one! :/

My dad mentioned the 1st one, except he was talking about Iranians leaving Iran.

Anyway, things that bother(ed) me about Muslims (of sound mind and mature age):

1. When they don't read the Qur'an. Sorry, it's your book, read it! It's not even THAT long.

2. When they say: "Proud to be Muslim". It irks me, as if they have to justify their faith to the entire world. Seems more reactionary. And also, if a person is Muslim by guidance, then it should be more like: "Grateful to be Muslim".

3. When they have convert stories to share as if it proves something (always, BTW, white converts, as if other races converting to Islam isn't as remarkable). I don't see why anybody's faith needs justification by Westerners converting to it..

4. When they told me to love the Prophet more than my family. :/ Okay, I know that's a part of Islam and technically Muslims are supposed to do that, but WTH? My family raised me, the prophet, cool as he was, lived 1400 years ago and I never knew him. Reading about someone is not the same as knowing them.

5. Blaming the West for everybody's problems.

I can't think of any that are as intense as yours though, Omaar.

Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

Expect me to come back a Muslim. j/k we'll see..
- Omaar Khayaam
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Re: Things that bothered you about fellow Muslims when you were Muslim.
Reply #4 - June 17, 2012, 05:12 PM

Quote
3. When they have convert stories to share as if it proves something (always, BTW, white converts, as if other races converting to Islam isn't as remarkable). I don't see why anybody's faith needs justification by Westerners converting to it.

This one is peculiar. Particularly when the converts are supposed intellectuals or academics. If gives a sense of confidence to the layman that if the religion can be embraced by a Western convert. Particularly from a middle class background, then there must be something to it. Unfortunately, they forget that this isn't uniform. Religiosity conversion/deconversion is spread over different levels of intelligence and across all religions.
- moi
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Re: Things that bothered you about fellow Muslims when you were Muslim.
Reply #5 - June 17, 2012, 05:21 PM

Quote
Married Muslim couples who claim to be separated and/or divorced under British law, in order to claim single parent benefit.

I have been formally questioned - I suppose technically under arrest - about a Welfare Benefits matter where I was an employee and it was a junior had not formally reported something that was in the minutes of a case conference! What I am basically saying is that social security fraud is hit like a ton of bricks, and I am amazed the attitude seems to be so blase about this - especially from a group of people who claim to be religious and who therefore I would automatically expect much better behaviour about.

Actually is that something that is unspoken. OK, a foreigner will get a hard time, but if you claim to be religious your behaviour better be on a par with angels?

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.

A.A. Milne,

"We cannot slaughter each other out of the human impasse"
- chepea
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Re: Things that bothered you about fellow Muslims when you were Muslim.
Reply #6 - June 17, 2012, 05:52 PM

Quote from: Omaar Khayaam on June 17, 2012, 05:12 PM
This one is peculiar. Particularly when the converts are supposed intellectuals or academics. If gives a sense of confidence to the layman that if the religion can be embraced by a Western convert. Particularly from a middle class background, then there must be something to it. Unfortunately, they forget that this isn't uniform. Religiosity conversion/deconversion is spread over different levels of intelligence and across all religions.

Truesay. But I think I'm guilty of it too i.e. I see smart people being atheists/non-Muslim and think, "Well! Obviously Islam can't appeal to everyone's intellect otherwise these people would be Muslim too!"

But of course that's wrong, it's more complex than that.

Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

Expect me to come back a Muslim. j/k we'll see..
- chepea
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Re: Things that bothered you about fellow Muslims when you were Muslim.
Reply #7 - June 17, 2012, 06:08 PM

And I've heard of people doing stuff like #2 in Canada, except it's to do with property ownership, i.e. perhaps their husband is working abroad so they don't declare the house under their own name (or something like that). Then they don't have to pay tax on it.

My parents didn't do it (it's unethical obviously), but oddly enough people were telling them to. :/ Same with when we needed to renew our iqama (visa) to Saudia, people told my dad to bribe the officials. :/ Which he didn't, but yeah...

I think people think the law the is made to broken

Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

Expect me to come back a Muslim. j/k we'll see..
- moi
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Re: Things that bothered you about fellow Muslims when you were Muslim.
Reply #8 - June 18, 2012, 01:22 PM

Quote
SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2010

Ayaan Hirsi Ali on racism...
She has a new book out called Nomad...here's an excerpt on racism...
"The west tends to respond to the social failures of Muslim immigrants with what can be called the racism of low expectations. This western attitude is based on the idea that people of colour must be exempted from "normal" standards of behaviour.

There are many good men and women in the west who try to resettle refugees and strive to eliminate discrimination. They lobby governments to exempt minorities from the standards of behaviour of western societies; they fight to help minorities preserve their cultures, and excuse their religion from critical scrutiny.

These people mean well, but their activism is now a part of the very problem they seek to solve. Their efforts to assist Muslims and other minorities are futile because, by creating the illusion that one can hold on to tribal norms and at the same time become a successful citizen, the proponents of multiculturalism lock subsequent generations born in the west into a no man's land of moral values.

What comes packaged in a compassionate language of acceptance is really a cruel form of racism. And it is all the more cruel because it is expressed in sugary words of virtue."
http://gayandright.blogspot.co.uk/20...on-racism.html

Is this happening? That people are not being prosecuted when they should be?

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.

A.A. Milne,

"We cannot slaughter each other out of the human impasse"
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