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[OttomanScribe]

30 year old non practicing muslim from NYC.

I am originally from Bangladesh, but I grew up in NYC. I come from a very progressive-liberal background, my parents never really pushed me in any way and let me choose my own faith. I was religious when I was young but basically grew out of it.

I would consider myself an aethist, however my phisolophy in life is "Live and let live", so I have no problems with how peopel want to live their lives.

Pleased to meet you NYC doesn't seem unrepresented

Shia Muslim background here. Nonpracticing, though still sympathetic since most of my friends and family being Muslims. Saudi, studying engineering in the US.

Also Saudi students are quite well represented Does the government pay for your studies? I have met a few brothers for whom that was the case.

I live in Rockaway, NJ its nice and hilly. I have been in the same town for all of my life so far. There is brand new mosque in our town where I go to pray on Fridays if I am not in school. Only place that came close it was Anaheim, CA when I visited it during E3 back in 2005.

My grandparents and most of my relatives live in Lahore. Funny story, my Mother and my Father lived a few blocks away from each other in Lahore before their parents got them married.

It sounds like a nice place I really want to visit Pakistan but all my Pakistani friends tell me not to lol. Yeah it is weird those connections, a similar thing is the case of my in-laws families when they lived in Pakistan.

Viral marketing, basically

I don't know if you watch the news, no amount of viral marketing is going to do us any good

i am 32. he is only going to learn quran as of now, but i would like him to memorize it. my wife wants me to send him to pakistan to do that but i have only one child. so, it's hard for me to send him away for year or two, so, maybe i will send him to some Islamic school here in michigan when i get enough money.

There are quite a few good scholars in the United States also I don't know about Michigan though. He also might not be too keen on going to Pakistan for 2 years? What are the Muslim schools like in the States? They are a bit mixed here.

i went to a talk after isha namaaz in my local pakistani mosque and thought 'might as well give intention' and it was a really good experience. i was a bit nervous giving dawat, but once i started talkin i just kept going. Insha'Allah i will try and go jamat every month.

Maybe dawat means something different? :S when we talk about dawats we mean these dinners held by uncles and aunties lol. Are you talking about the Tablighi thing of making the intention to come to their jamaat?

Salaam,

Born Muslim here but in a completely white culture, but was never pressured by my parents to practice, actually my father and the majority of my relatives were militantly secular. But I gained interest myself by the influence of a high-school teacher who was also a convert. Then I began practicing. Really tightly knit among the other Muslims in my community and join them in as many activities as I can. Here in Canada there's an organization called MACYouth, and I'm part of the Ottawa branch specializing in getting younger Muslims involved in community work as much as possible.

Currently living in Ottawa, ON; 22 years old, doing my Master's in Biomedical Engineering.

Pleased to meet you all

EDIT: My family is originally Pakistani, but I don't speak a word of Urdu...(maybe a few words)

Walaaykum salaam

22 and already working in organisations like that? Masha'Allah Canada sounds cool.

Pleased to meet you also.

Peace on you all. Practicing Pakistani Muslim living in Chicago.

And upon you pleased to meet you.

This thread makes me happy <3 Muslim born and raised in the US as well, my parents are Syrian and I go back to Syria every couple years or so (I used to go every other summer as a kid) so I speak Arabic and am very much into my Syrian-ness. I'm pretty religious in that I follow all the pillars and don't break any of the rules but I'm very laid back otherwise. I have friends that are all much more conservative than I am but we get along very well. I have a hard time finding anyone that is as chill about certain things like I am but isn't also drinking and dating and whatever I was very lucky to find my husband.

I pray that your relatives in Syria are safe, it looks set to get pretty crazy there if Al Jazeera are to be believed. My heart longs for Damascus, insha'Allah one day I will be able to go

I'm half Turk/Aussie and am Atheist, and come from a strong muslim background on my Turkish families side.

another Aussie, w00t

Muslim, born in Iraq living in Canada right now. Still practice, but I avoid group activities. The community here isn't as nice as I hoped it would be.

That sucks, insha'Allah it improves soon many of our communities are only now finding their feet.

On an unrelated not I never would have guessed OttomanScribe converted to Islam or lives in Australia. Always thought you were a student from Turkey for some odd reason.

yes, me too. because of his id.

Understandable I used to write down notes obsessively when I was studying with my Sheikh. One day he looked up and made a joke that I looked like an Ottoman scribe, writing rapidly in my Turban. It became a thing amongst the brothers, my friend was an Ottoman Malay, because he was from Malaysia but always dressed like a Turk etc. not original but I like the name.

I'm Muslim living in and originating from Saudi Arabia.

I fully believe in God, His prophets and messengers, and the teachings of Islam. I also practice, but not as I devoutly as I would like.

Nothing is more peaceful than being in Al-Haram, or listening to the Quran in the morning in the car.

I think if any of us gets to the point where we are as 'devoutly as we would like' we aren't as devout as we should be

I am hoping to go on hajj this year.. so excited!

My name is Fawaz. I was born in Saudi Arabia. I am currently studying engineering in the U.S.

You guy have no idea of how much respect i hold for those of you who were not born into a Muslim family.

Pleased to meet you I sometimes think it is harder to be born into a practising Muslim family than the other way around. Some of my friends found it hard to battle the conceptions their parents had about the deen, when it turned out that they were contrary to scholarship. As a convert you have something of a blank slate, and no misconceptions to dismantle.

Born in Pakistan, grew up mostly in Saudi, been in Canada for around fifteen years now.

Cool do you ever meet up with any of the other Canadians, or are you all two scattered? Or you know, don't know each other on Gaf lol.

my older brother is actually coming your way around june to study in australia for a year. i think its required for his international relations major to study a year abroad. most likely hell be staying in sydney with some family there, since apartments seem to be extremely expensive to rent.

anything he should know as a muslim in sydney? unlike me, hes actually the religious type who prays 5 times, doesnt drink etc.

Sydney is an interesting place to be a Muslim, especially a practising one. We have more scholars than most of the other Australian cities and are blessed with many visits. However we are also quite divided along ethnic lines. The Masjids are usually frequented by a single ethnic group almost exclusively. We have a few ghettos, mainly because the discrimination in the rest of the city can get pretty bad sometimes.

When he is coming, pm me and I will give you my number to give to him insha'Allah I would be happy to show him around.

I'm 21, born in Virginia and still live in Virginia. Mom was born in DC, but her parents are from Pakistan... and my Dad was born in Pakistan. So yea, I've been a Muslim my whole life.

Pleased to meet you

This thread is made of win . I'm also a 21-year old Muslim, born and live in London.

two young'ns! What can I say, I'm almost 25, 21 is now young to me *feels old*

Hey im Omar im from holland, my parents are from Morocco but i think our origin is from syria or saudia hundreds of years ago

Pleased to meet you Omar

UK Muslim, born and raised here (with a stint in the US, I'm a dual national). Parents originally from Pakistan.

Not super religious, but still consider myself a believer.

Dual US/UK citizenship? Nice! Wish I had that, you can pretty much go anywhere with ease. Pleased to meet you

 

[Lamel]

Signing.

Originally from Lahore, Pakistan. Now live in NJ, U.S.A. I am sort of non-practicing, though my parents are more religious than I am, though still moderate.

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

London baby!

Salaam brothers and sisters.

 

[OttomanScribe]

London baby!

Salaam brothers and sisters.

Walaykum Salaam wa Rahmetullah akhi (?)

Great, more poms

 

[mazeedibeedi]

I'm born and raised Kuwaiti muslim. Although I'm not too religious now. Currently studying in London

 

[OttomanScribe]

I'm born and raised Kuwaiti muslim. Although I'm not too religious now. Currently studying in London

Pleased to meet you

 

[d[-_-]b]

Hi everyone, I'm Salman, born in Pakistan raised in the US, I consider myself a moderate muslim, though I have new found respect for my religion and a vigor to learn about my religion, I guess I forgot ASA guys

 

[Cryptic Psychedelic]

&#1575;&#1604;&#1587;&#1604;&#1575;&#1605; &#1593;&#1604;&#1610;&#1603;&#1605; MuslimGAF and everyone else.

Newcastle Here and just turned 21

I was born in Pakistan but spent a considerable part of my life travelling so can't really say call myself Pakistani much.

Born muslim, had a long stint with theism, agnosticism and atheism (in that order) before my girlfriend (and now fiancee) got me reading up on Islam. So yep, born-again muslim here

 

[OttomanScribe]

Hi everyone, I'm Salman, born in Pakistan raised in the US, I consider myself a moderate muslim, though I have new found respect for my religion and a vigor to learn about my religion, I guess I forgot ASA guya

Walaykum Salaam Wa Rahmetullah bro where abouts in the US? Are you studying?

MuslimGAF and everyone else.

Newcastle Here and just turned 21

I was born in Pakistan but spent a considerable part of my life travelling so can't really say call myself Pakistani much.

Born muslim, had a long stint with theism, agnosticism and atheism (in that order) before my girlfriend (and now fiancee) got me reading up on Islam. So yep, born-again muslim here

Wa Alaykum Salaam Wa Rahmetullah akhi I guess I have a similar order, though me being Muslim was only my soul first I'm guessing Newcastle in the UK not in Aus lol

 

[Cryptic Psychedelic]

Yep, I live in toonieland
Coming from a Sufi/Sunni family, faith was a big thing in my life and still is. Spent about half a decade living the cycle of scepticism. A trial by fire in a way

 

[OttomanScribe]

Yep, I live in toonieland
Coming from a Sufi/Sunni family, faith was a big thing in my life and still is. Spent about half a decade living the cycle of scepticism. A trial by fire in a way

What Tariqa, if you don't mind me asking? I have already mentioned tasawuf in the Islamic thread so no point being coy about it, I'm mujadidi Naqshabandi myself.

 

[d[-_-]b]

Walaykum Salaam Wa Rahmetullah bro where abouts in the US? Are you studying?

Living nyc, studying computer science, I'm 23, going midlife crisis about where my life is going, so that would be the best way to explain my new found vigor

 

[OttomanScribe]

Living nyc, studying computer science, I'm 23, going midlife crisis about where my life is going, so that would be the best way to explain my new found vigor

Insha'Allah 23 isn't your midlife you are a year younger than me. Married yet? Wives are a good way to stop any crises

 

[bigboss370]

soo what exactly is Shahadah?

as far as i know, to become a muslim all you have to do is believe in God and his prophet Mohammed? I didn't think there was any ritual or anything...

 

[Cryptic Psychedelic]

What Tariqa, if you don't mind me asking? I have already mentioned tasawuf in the Islamic thread so no point being coy about it, I'm mujadidi Naqshabandi myself.

I've only put my foot in the doorway right now so I'm still learning alot.
My parents didn't take part in Sufism as much as my grandparents did, so I guess I could call them the average run of the mill sunnis while my grandparents(maternal & paternal) and their offspring are Kadri.

 

[Wazzim]

soo what exactly is Shahadah?

as far as i know, to become a muslim all you have to do is believe in God and his prophet Mohammed? I didn't think there was any ritual or anything...

That's all you needed to do in the golden age of Islam (many converted to get lower taxes). People may have thought of new things rituals for converting though, I personally never heard of that term.

 

[bigboss370]

That's all you needed to do in the golden age of Islam (many converted to get lower taxes). People may have thought of new things rituals for converting though, I personally never heard of that term.

golden age of islam? i must be really out of tune with all this stuff but i was told that Islam is an unchanged religion. Like for example the bible got changed over time but the Quran and ways of islam stayed the same. Its supposed to be like the last religion from god that encompasses/completes the previous major religions?

 

[Yasir]

Born Muslim. Born in Britian, travelled everywhere, and don't really consider anywhere home (and I like that! ).

Practising and trying my best in all aspects of Islamic life. I am also Sufi (Naqshbandi-Haqqani) and am completely in love with it

I have friends and family which represent all areas of Islam and we all get on perfectly fine, alhamdullilah.

Currently studying Medicine at the University of Sheffield, UK.

 

[Cryptic Psychedelic]

golden age of islam? i must be really out of tune with all this stuff but i was told that Islam is an unchanged religion. Like for example the bible got changed over time but the Quran and ways of islam stayed the same. Its supposed to be like the last religion from god that encompasses/completes the previous major religions?

It is an unchanged religion, The Golden Age refers to the era (c.750 CE - c.1258 CE) where muslim scientists, philosophers and engineers were spearheading Scientific and Intellectual Growth.

 

[beast786]

born in pakistan and living in chicago.

married a sikh women she goes to mosque and gurdwara. I also go with her and respect it.

also have a year old.


<---------- love of my life.

 

[Yasir]

golden age of islam? i must be really out of tune with all this stuff but i was told that Islam is an unchanged religion. Like for example the bible got changed over time but the Quran and ways of islam stayed the same. Its supposed to be like the last religion from god that encompasses/completes the previous major religions?

La ilaha illa Allah wa-Muhammad rasul Allah.
There is no god but God and Muhammad is the prophet of God.

That's the shahadah. It is the sole requirement to become a Muslim, but it's need to be said out aloud with full intention of its meaning (i.e. not in a throw-away manner). Only difference nowadays, people tend to go to imams or Sheikhs etc.

Not sure what rituals are being mentioned :/ Only thing I think of is that after an event/speech by a Imam/Shiekh etc if people want to convert; they Shiekh might the others gathered to place their right hands on the neighbours right shoulder and repeat after the Sheikh along with the convertee. But thats only done as a means of showing the bond between Muslims; they're all awitnessed to the conversion etc.

Not sure if thats helping.

 

[Cryptic Psychedelic]

born in pakistan and living in chicago.

married a sikh women she goes to mosque and gurdwara. I also go with her and respect it.

also have a year old.


<---------- love of my life.

Didn't you have a thread where you handed out ps3s or something when your son was born?

 

[amarito69]

Salaam malekoum

French muslim with algerian background living in Japan.

I am very liberal muslim mostly because my knowledge is very weak but step by step i try to know more my religion.

By the way , do some of you guys live with your non muslim husband/wife?
How do you manage?

 

[beast786]

Didn't you have a thread where you handed out ps3s or something when your son was born?

yes.

 

[RiZ III]

For the person who said her husband wanted to memorize the Quran, he certainly would not have to go to Pakistan to do that. There are many programs in the states for that. And actually you don't even need that. There are many websites and apps whig he could use. I have Quran Pro on my iPhone for example. It has reciations for several famous reciters and you can go verse by verse on it with Arabic and English translation. My commute to work is an hour each way, so I've memorized quite a bit using this app. There's also QuranExplorer.com which also has verse by verse recitation fir many different reciters. Tell him to look into that.

 

[d[-_-]b]

Insha'Allah 23 isn't your midlife you are a year younger than me. Married yet? Wives are a good way to stop any crises

Found a nice girl but religious difference, I'm from a joint family, so they want a muslim girl, talks about conversion are going on, but I was shot down in my passive approach, so now taking an active approach on educating her about islam and pakistani culture because she'd live in a joint family.

 

[CaLe]

Lebanese Muslim from Montreal, Canada. Lived there for the better part of my life (23 years+). I'm turning 27 soon, and I'm a Software Engineer.

My future wife-to-be is Sunni whereas my parents are Shia. I particularly do not believe I belong in any of these groups. They both have practices or a mentality that I do not believe in. As such, I merely consider myself a Muslim.

 

[phalestine]

<= Former Muslim here. I'm not particularly religious, though I remain sympathetic since my entire family on my dad's side (they're mostly Palestinian and Lebanese) still is. Born and raised in the States.

Pretty crazy, im pretty much in the same boat. I dont pray but I still do Ramadan with the family. I was born in New Orleans, moved to Palestine at a young age and came back to Florida 7 years later.

Though I do have Lebanese and British blood in me, I just consider my self Palestinian.

Palestinian muslim living in California.

waaat? I didnt know you were Palestinian.
Gaza or Westbank?

 

[OttomanScribe]

La ilaha illa Allah wa-Muhammad rasul Allah.
There is no god but God and Muhammad is the prophet of God.

That's the shahadah. It is the sole requirement to become a Muslim, but it's need to be said out aloud with full intention of its meaning (i.e. not in a throw-away manner). Only difference nowadays, people tend to go to imams or Sheikhs etc.

Not sure what rituals are being mentioned :/ Only thing I think of is that after an event/speech by a Imam/Shiekh etc if people want to convert; they Shiekh might the others gathered to place their right hands on the neighbours right shoulder and repeat after the Sheikh along with the convertee. But thats only done as a means of showing the bond between Muslims; they're all awitnessed to the conversion etc.

Not sure if thats helping.

Indeed, the Shahadah is the foundational requirement for someone being a Muslim. It is important that this testification of faith be stated in front of two witnesses.

I sat down with my Sheikh and my closest Muslim friend and repeated after him not just 'I testify there is nothing worthy of worship save God, and Mohammed (sullAllahu alayhi wasalaam) is the Messenger of God, but also the other foundations of belief, in the Last day, in the books and the other Prophets etcetera.

Born Muslim. Born in Britian, travelled everywhere, and don't really consider anywhere home (and I like that! ).

Practising and trying my best in all aspects of Islamic life. I am also Sufi (Naqshbandi-Haqqani) and am completely in love with it

I have friends and family which represent all areas of Islam and we all get on perfectly fine, alhamdullilah.

Currently studying Medicine at the University of Sheffield, UK.

Cool, one of my close friends is a student of Sheikh Nazim

I've only put my foot in the doorway right now so I'm still learning alot.
My parents didn't take part in Sufism as much as my grandparents did, so I guess I could call them the average run of the mill sunnis while my grandparents(maternal & paternal) and their offspring are Kadri.

Cool I have a few Qadri friends, most are Pakistani. One of the greatest of the Mashaykh in Sydney is Qadri.

soo what exactly is Shahadah?

as far as i know, to become a muslim all you have to do is believe in God and his prophet Mohammed? I didn't think there was any ritual or anything...

The Shahadah, as others have said here, is the testification of faith. It is one of the five central pillars of Muslim practice, along with fasting, alms giving, prayer and pilgrimage.

One is considered Muslim once they bear witness to this belief, and they are held to the other pillars from that point on. In terms of a ritual.. I guess you could describe it as such, though I wouldn't really think it would look like what most rituals do. It is a public witnessing of the persons belief, and often takes the form of a kind of 'welcome to community'.
This is a video where Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad, a Cambridge divinity scholar and convert, describing it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V76UQklapoc

 

[Lesiroth]

&#1575;&#1604;&#1587;&#1604;&#1575;&#1605; &#1593;&#1604;&#1610;&#1603;&#1605; &#1608; &#1585;&#1581;&#1605;&#1577; &#1575;&#1604;&#1604;&#1607; &#1608; &#1576;&#1585;&#1603;&#1575;&#1578;&#1607;

Reading some of the replies: its rare for someone to come from a family/background that isn't orthodox huh. Mine are quite religious - or at least are keen to present themselves as such when citing X verse. But they also retain a lot of cultural identity, some of which isn't exactly Islamic they would admit.

You're Muslim Meus?

In any case, Assalam Alaikum everybody
17, Muslim-born Egyptian here

 

[OttomanScribe]

You're Muslim Meus?

In any case, Assalam Alaikum everybody
17, Muslim-born Egyptian here

Walaykum Salaam Wa Rahmetullah

17 eh? The youth is represented alhamduliLlah

 

[Linkhero1]

waaat? I didnt know you were Palestinian.
Gaza or Westbank?

West Bank

 

[punkypine]

I was born in Faisalabad Pakistan, and lived there for about a year before moving to the US

I grew up in philadelphia, but now i go to school somewhere else nearby. I consider myself pretty moderate. My parents are very religious. I do not enjoy talking about faith on the internet because it is rarely civilized, but this thread is a little different so its all good.



I have to say, despite me growing up in the US, going to grade school, college, and now grad school here, playing sports, having a ton of non muslim friends (and having lived with them), and not being overly religious, I still find that there seems to be somewhat of a barrier between myself and other people around me.

I found that when I visited Pakistan (I've only been back twice, and only once since I was 5), and with my family once for Umra in Saudi Arabia, being in a muslim country is a strange but awesome experience. I'm sure its partly because it's one of the few times when I wasn't a minority, but I think that when you live in a society where so many people don't understand you, where your name alone gets you constantly screened (and my name is pretty "terrorist"-y i guess), and where a significant portion of the population literally wants you gone, you become subconsciously defensive.

Anyway, the point of this little rant is that despite having no real connection to anywhere else in the world (by the time I was 10, my entire extended family was in America), I hope to get a chance to spend more time back in Pakistan. I never really thought about it growing up, but as I get older, I'm starting to understand my cultural identity better, and while I plan on living and working in America, I'm hoping to spend a lot more time traveling and maybe even working/volunteering part time back in Lahore when I'm done school.

 

[OttomanScribe]

I was born in Faisalabad Pakistan, and lived there for about a year before moving to the US

I grew up in philadelphia, but now i go to school somewhere else nearby. I consider myself pretty moderate. My parents are very religious. I do not enjoy talking about faith on the internet because it is rarely civilized, but this thread is a little different so its all good.



I have to say, despite me growing up in the US, going to grade school, college, and now grad school here, playing sports, having a ton of non muslim friends (and having lived with them), and not being overly religious, I still find that there seems to be somewhat of a barrier between myself and other people around me.

I found that when I visited Pakistan (I've only been back twice, and only once since I was 5), and with my family once for Umra in Saudi Arabia, being in a muslim country is a strange but awesome experience. I'm sure its partly because it's one of the few times when I wasn't a minority, but I think that when you live in a society where so many people don't understand you, where your name alone gets you constantly screened (and my name is pretty "terrorist"-y i guess), and where a significant portion of the population literally wants you gone, you become subconsciously defensive.

Anyway, the point of this little rant is that despite having no real connection to anywhere else in the world (by the time I was 10, my entire extended family was in America), I hope to get a chance to spend more time back in Pakistan. I never really thought about it growing up, but as I get older, I'm starting to understand my cultural identity better, and while I plan on living and working in America, I'm hoping to spend a lot more time traveling and maybe even working/volunteering part time back in Lahore when I'm done school.

Asalaamu alaykum wa rahmetullah I know of that which you speak, I feel it even when I go to the Muslim ghettos in Sydney lol, but it was never stronger than when I was living with my wife in her village in Bangladesh.

It is truly an awesome thing to be part of an Ummah insha'Allah you get the opportunity to go back and spend some time there after you finish your education. Pakistan has her issues, but she still maintains much good as well, alhamduliLlah.

 

[F#A#Oo]

Newly reverted Muslim here of 2 weeks...

Life is so much more better for me since I reverted...all praise belongs to allah!

 

[Mothman91]

Assalamu-alaykum! Brother from VA. Hope everything is going fine in our lives =D.

 

[OttomanScribe]

Newly reverted Muslim here of 2 weeks...

Life is so much more better for me since I reverted...all praise belongs to allah!

AlhamduliLlah, w00t, another convert! where are you from brother?

Assalamu-alaykum! Brother from VA. Hope everything is going fine in our lives =D.

Walaykum Salaam wa rahmetullah I am very well alhamduliLlah, I hope the same is true of you

 

[Boudica]

21 year old born and raised Muslim from Canada! Pops is Egyptian and my mother is half Somalian half Yemeni. Can read and write Arabic, but can't speak any language but English fluently. I get a lot of raised eyebrows because of it lol!

 

[bigboss370]

i'm not really sure if i'm a muslim...i mean, its the religion i 'know' most about compared to the other religions. i do believe in god and his messenger. i haven't read all of the quran though. i do not drink (altho i have in the past), i do not smoke or eat pork and follow the traditional approach of no sex before marriage(altho it is VERY tempting) since i believe in the reasonings of all those things. i have prayed before but never 5 times in a day and i haven't prayed in a long time. i have read the quran before but not in a long time. i guess when it comes down to it i don't count as a proper muslim, but i have an aspiration to be in the future because i believe in it. there are still alot of things i dont know tho. i am canadian btw.

also i find myself losing faith in the international strength of the Islamic religion. not because of the terrorism thing in the media, i understand some of that is islamic 'extremists' who shouldn't count as being muslim anyways and also sometimes the media puts muslims in a bad light. but sometimes it just seems brothers and sisters of the faith are disconnected from each other. same thing with islamic countries..they should support each other. saudia arabia not allowing muslim women to vote or drive doesnt make sense to me, i thought women are highly respected in islam, and saudia arabia is supposed to be the leading country to represent the religion.

i am happy however that the number of converted muslims is going up

 

[OttomanScribe]

i'm not really sure if i'm a muslim...i mean, its the religion i 'know' most about compared to the other religions. i do believe in god and his messenger. i haven't read all of the quran though. i do not drink (altho i have in the past), i do not smoke or eat pork and follow the traditional approach of no sex before marriage(altho it is VERY tempting) since i believe in the reasonings of all those things. i have prayed before but never 5 times in a day and i haven't prayed in a long time. i have read the quran before but not in a long time. i guess when it comes down to it i don't count as a proper muslim, but i have an aspiration to be in the future because i believe in it. there are still alot of things i dont know tho. i am canadian btw.

Asalaamu Alaykum Brother how old are you? Knowledge is one of the greatest ways to get closer to God, to find certitude and faith. Aspirations for the future are indeed a noble thing, and were any of us to go around calling ourselves 'proper Muslims', we would not be. We are all afflicted with our own imperfections and striving to overcome these things is part of what it is to be human. I pray that we are all given strength in this, if it is God's will

also i find myself losing faith in the international strength of the Islamic religion. not because of the terrorism thing in the media, i understand some of that is islamic 'extremists' who shouldn't count as being muslim anyways and also sometimes the media puts muslims in a bad light. but sometimes it just seems brothers and sisters of the faith are disconnected from each other. same thing with islamic countries..they should support each other. saudia arabia not allowing muslim women to vote or drive doesnt make sense to me, i thought women are highly respected in islam, and saudia arabia is supposed to be the leading country to represent the religion.

Fitna has been a standard within the community since the death of the Beloved of God (sullAllahu alayhi wasalaam), do not let it get you down brother. Such a thing can be of great benefit to those who seek it, for it allows us to strive for unity, something that we could not do were that unity to already exist. Saudi Arabia is made up of Muslims, and Muslims do not represent the religion, that honour is only to the Prophets and the Messengers (peace upon them all).

 

[dmshaposv]

Signing.

Originally from Lahore, Pakistan. Now live in NJ, U.S.A. I am sort of non-practicing, though my parents are more religious than I am, though still moderate.

The same. Only I am a Pakistani muslim based in Dubai, U.A.E.

 

[thuway]

Despite what the tag reads, I am only a Junior Member for starting a stupid thread.

Male, 24, Medical School Student, Pakistani, currently studying abroad in Karachi at DOW University.

Planning to go back to home (good ole' USA) in the next two years.

Salaam-ualaikum Ummah!

 

[F#A#Oo]

AlhamduliLlah, w00t, another convert! where are you from brother?

wa alaikum salaam,

I have a very mixed background...

My grandad is Pakistani and my grandmother was French they lived in Kenya where there is a massive Pakistani community...they later moved to London England but my mother ran away from home when her dad tried forcing an arranged marriage onto her...she found herself in Italy and she married my father who is Italian...she converted to Catholicism btw when she met my father. I was brought up a Catholic but not in the strictest sense...

So I guess that makes me 1/4 French and Pakistani and 1/2 Italian. I was born in Italy...but I grew up and still live in London England.

My journey to Islam has been a long one...I dwelled for 2 years...but it was only in the last 2 months that I understood Islam was what I had been looking for. I kept creating doubt and trying to force my way away but everytime I saw something or had a question Islam had the answer...I was being guided (which is what I prayed for) but I kept ignoring the guidance...

 

[AlimNassor]

I gots a question. Why is that a lot of Muslims in Jordan/Syria/Lebanon and Libya are fairly liberal? yet in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan it's a very different story? is it just a cultural thing or is those nations are a differing sect of Islam?

 

[Azih]

I gots a question. Why is that a lot of Muslims in Jordan/Syria/Lebanon and Libya are fairly liberal? yet in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan it's a very different story? is it just a cultural thing or is those nations are a differing sect of Islam?

More to do with the society than anything else, every place has a different culture and people generally adopt the aspects of whatever culture they grow up in, regardless of religion or even sect.

Even within a country for example I'm sure that someone growing up in Baghdad would tend to be different from someone growing up in Karbala even if they both were Twelver Shia.

 

[OttomanScribe]

I gots a question. Why is that a lot of Muslims in Jordan/Syria/Lebanon and Libya are fairly liberal? yet in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan it's a very different story? is it just a cultural thing or is those nations are a differing sect of Islam?

I don't know if one would describe Jordan, Syria or Lebanon as 'liberal'. I think that of those mentioned, Iraq at some points was probably the most so. It comes down to what you mean by liberal I think. In terms of 'sects', they are all coming from different positions. Lebanon is a mix of Sunnah, Shia and Christian along with random other sects. Jordan is a mix, mostly Sunni, but within that a mass of different viewpoints. Syria is ruled by a minority group, the Alawi, who have a completely different idea of their religion to that of the Muslims they rule over. Afghanistan is a myriad of ethnic groups, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Pashtuns and Hazhara and many more, all with a different heritage and idea of the religious tradition.

So what do you mean by liberal?

 

[Firest0rm]

I gots a question. Why is that a lot of Muslims in Jordan/Syria/Lebanon and Libya are fairly liberal? yet in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan it's a very different story? is it just a cultural thing or is those nations are a differing sect of Islam?

Muslims in Iraq are fairly liberal too.

edit: to clarify, what Iraq has been going through is reactionary sectarianism as a result of 30 years of no other form of opposition to the Ba'ath regime. Its the only identity people were able to associate with after all other forms of parties were banned.

 

[Wazzim]

I gots a question. Why is that a lot of Muslims in Jordan/Syria/Lebanon and Libya are fairly liberal? yet in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan it's a very different story? is it just a cultural thing or is those nations are a differing sect of Islam?

Iraq is/was very 'liberal', it mostly comes down to the government's approach to the situation and the culture instead of the sect.

 

[Enco]

I gots a question. Why is that a lot of Muslims in Jordan/Syria/Lebanon and Libya are fairly liberal? yet in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan it's a very different story? is it just a cultural thing or is those nations are a differing sect of Islam?

It's all culture.

People tend to mix religion and culture up which is the cause of most problems.

 

[Salih]

esselamu aleykum everyone,

totally forgot that this thread existed! thanks for the link, Ottoman

well my name is Salih, being a muslim my whole life of course, alhamdulillah
23 yrs old, chemistry student, my family is from turkey but i was born here in germany. In the late 1960s my grandfathers came to germany as "Gastarbeiter"/guest workers to build up germany again with the intention to go back home after several years. yet they stayed there and sent my grandmothers with my parents to germany. my mother always tell me how crazy the time was back then: for example there was no Imam, so it was difficult for the muslim workers to pray on a friday/cuma. however, they still figured it out by learning how to hold a friday-praying.

Since then we are happily living here and visiting our relatives in turkey whenever there is time; but because of my academic studies i barely have time. I really want to visit Istanbul again und just visit the different mosques like Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Fatih Mosque. It has been a long time :/
oh and btw. i am going to be 24 on August 3rd, so it is during Ramadan