Muslim: racial or religious identity? There are about approximately one & a half billion people today known as Muslims worldwide. More than 50 or so countries known as Muslim states. Other lives as minority in many other nations. Hence, if a Muslim live in the U.S., American Muslim. If in Canada, Canadian Muslim, or Filipino Muslim, Chinese Muslim, Malaysian Muslim & so on. But do every person carrying the name “Muslim” are indeed a Muslim? Or because his clan and place where he grew up are “Muslim’s”? In some country where Muslims are few often times mingled the term Muslim along with nationality & tribe. Thus when ask the respond often heard is “Muslim”? or “You know how to speak Muslim?” Ridiculous as it may seem! Likewise, not all “Christians” are true Christians. Because true Christian respectively follows the way of Christ as it is mentioned in John 14.6 “I am the way and the truth and the life “. Jesus taught in John 16.24 “ If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” There’s an admonition to those who do not obey the Gospel in 2-Thessalonians 1.8 “In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel…” Therefore, if an individual or group of followers inconspicuous use the fundamental teachings of Christianity for personal interest like the racist Klu Klax Klan or the Neo-Nazis, & others. Can we implicate the blame on all Christians? no! For instance, when Hitler proclaimed “And the founder of Christianity made no secret indeed of hisestimation of the Jewish people. When He found it necessary, He drove those enemies of the human race out of the Temple of God.”[Adolph Hitler, _Mein Kampf_, pp.174 follow for link below] does that mean all Christians are responsible for the genocide of European Jews during world war II because a "Christian" Hitler says so? Of course not! A Muslim by Qur’an definition means one who surrenders and submits to the laws of God. Therefore the word Muslim is religious identity & cannot be tribe or nationality. True Muslim believe in the Oneness of God. Believed that Muhammad s.a.w. is not the founder of Islam but the last prophet. supplicating to Allaah directly without any mediator. Pray five times a day, do good deeds, not drinking wine, avoid immorality, not gambling, truthful, known for humility, not using amulets, don’t approach fortune-tellers, forbid evil. Etc. Some may attempt to say its hard to find those nowadays? But did they spent sometimes to seek or simply search it’s proper definitions before referring the term "Muslim" to terrorism? Or perhaps another case of prejudice? In order to comprehend proper definition one must seek the derivation of the term Muslim which is the Qur’an itself. Muslims believed that the Qur’an is words of Allaah (God). One example is mentioned in Surah Al Fussilat 41.33 “And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness and says, "Indeed, I am of the Muslims." It is refulgent according to this verse that it is essential for a Muslim to persuade people to believe in Allaah in a good speech & do good righteousness. This is in comply respectively with Divine manifestation in Surah An-Nahl 16.90 “Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression.” & in verse 125 of the same Surah “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best.” No doubt every religion taught God is Love & equality to all. Hopefully before incriminating any religious identity to individual be sure if reliable otherwise it is misleading & causing more chaos. As proverb says, Honesty is the best modesty. Look at the figures uploaded which demonstrates religious tolerance. scienceblogs/pharyngula/2006/08/23/list-of-hitler-quotes-he-was-q/
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 01:24:31 +0000
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