Some questions about the religion of Islam

Hi John,

Thanks for your questions. For the purposes of a more fluid discussion,  I'd like to suggest you give us your opinion on all the questions you have asked. I appreciate you are learning like all of us, so no one has all the answers. So as this is a learning process for all, please give us your opinion or thoughts and then we can respond if we so wish.

There has been some disquiet about the lists of questions you keep posing, as it takes a lot of energy to answer your queries, and you seem to be in the passive situation of soaking up all the information, but giving little of your thoughts or musings in response. Imagine sitting in a cafe and having a chat with someone. Would you pose questions in this way, or might the discussion flow in a manner where opinions and thoughts are just shared back and forth? I would hope the latter.

Your comments about Islam could be applied to any corner of the globe where religious fundamentalism dominates, like America for example. So it is not Islam per se that is the problem, but how the powers that be use it to control masses of people for their own ends.

May I also add that asking for a response ASAP implies some urgency or impatience on your part. Which also pulls on the energy of those being asked.

Thanking you for your curiosity. I look forward to having a conversation with you as soon as I know what you think based on your ongoing research into Islam.

mimi

Hello John, I find that you synchronistically post right at the time I want to answer those questions for myself but don't find the opportunity or the time to do so - so thanks.

Islam can be a genuine 'path' in my view. But what is islam, as people each have their own way of dealing with it... it is also in a large respect a matter of regional culture.

I don't know enough about Mohammed to comment on him (yet), there are those who think he was a holy man and those who think he was the opposite. Perhaps the wikipedia or other noospheric memory complexes can tell you more?

Dictators, big and small, political or on your work or in your family you have everywhere, not just in some islamic nations - it's very convenient to use use religion as a support for their rule or abuse. Some say Bush uses religion to gain politcal support... Some say people get the government they deserve. Not all cultures have ventured into the seperation of church and state that is prevalent in the west.

I think islam - just as religion in general - is distorted by some in the west. This is imho largely the result of the shadows of modernity and postmodernism and is very slowly changing for the better. Those outlooks tend to reduce religion as something archaic, backward, a power structure to be abolished etc. These views don't take the individual experiences, meaning, paths to spirituality into account and are as such reductionist.

Islam, like christianity before it is now slowly incorporating the outlook of modernity and postmodernity. With christianity you now see a wide range of different outlooks: evangelical, fundamentalist, progressive, conservative... with islam you will see the same: moderate and fundamentalist and mystical islamic thoughtforms will arise in time.

For more regarding the topic read these articles by these islamists:
Abdolkarim Soroush
Fatema Mernissi
Time Out of Joint - Western dominance, Islamist terror, and the Arab imagination

Dear Friends
kind regards
I agree with the comments that state religion is being used for evil purpouses.
George W Bush uses Evangelical Christianity as a stepping stone to create wars and to impose a police state on his own people.
I was watching a documentary yesterday on the life of Spanish dictator Francesco Franco and he endorsed "Christian" civilisation whilst killing innocent people-many of whom were opposed to his fascist state.
The documentary stated that Franco had the backing of Pope Pius XII during the Spanish civil war.
All religion are being exploited however Islamic governments seem to treat their people with even more contempt.
The Muslims in some of these nations are banned from education-colleges were burned down in Afghanistan, women are treated hideously and no technological advancement exists only in the form of nuclear weapons.
The Iranian government seems to be a truly despicable government though and fundamentally backwards.
Although I don't want war its pretty obvious that the present Iranian clerics who rule that country need to be overthrown.
Here is a link about how Iran is being run by its government.
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/deliver/document/15557.html
God knows what will happen as the US is set for another showdown with Iran.
Perhaps Israel(The government back the upcoming war anyway), Great Britain, Russia, North Korea and China will be involved too.
Religion is government isn't sane-I think that a politicians religion should be integrity, justice and righteousness and you don't need a religious label outright to adhere to those things.
yours thankfully
John

Dear Digger
kind regards
Naturally I would rather see the Iranian people themselves rise up against their oppressive government than the US and Israel attacking Iran.
Its clearly obvious that the American and Israeli governments would conquer Iran for their own selfish ends rather than the publics concern.
If America and Israel cared about people being opressed by their governments then they'd have invaded Zimbabwe by now and removed Robert Mugabe but they only want to dominate the Middle East for material reasons rather than humanitarian concern.
America's invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq has been a horribly mismanaged situation.
It seems as though the Iraqi's feel worse than when they were under Saddam Husseins leadership.
I also heard about the Opium trade that is out of control in Afghanistan since the American occupation.
Apparently the Taliban regime seized the poppy fields and stopped its distribution but America and its puppet regime have allowed its distribution including flood loads of Opium being exported into the Western World.
I have always tried to understand the contradiction between America setting up regimes(Hussein and Khomeni were CIA installed) and America fighting against these regimes.
Apparently the American government and the Taliban had negotiations and secret deals before the war in Afghanistan.
There seems to be many contradictions where the governments of the World are concerned............Or they are all together in the Illuminati which seems to be the case.
Yours thankfully
John