Bekijk volle/desktop versie : Columnist wordt 7 dagen moslim om Islam beter te begrijpen



18-03-2010, 12:31
Islam has been given the least attention of all my religious studies. I felt unworthy and uninformed when I set out to compose a column on the second largest and fastest growing religion on Earth. So I did what any self-respecting heretic would do: I became that of which I was ignorant.

Here are the recollections and reflections of a seven-day convert of Islam.

I put aside my usual texts-in-tow — mainly Christopher Hitchens and Bishop Spong — and fetched my noble Quran. I tossed out my beloved boudin — gyros were to be my new pork-free companions. A quick vacuuming of the rug and, voilà, we’re ready to prostrate toward Mecca and submit to Allah.

But are these simple alterations the defining factors of all that is Islam?

No. Not even close.

I had to swallow some things not quite as succulent as hummus and shawarma for this venture. A renegade like me despises back-assward thinking — (of which I quite often see in Islam). Mainstream Islamic doctrine often seems to be the antithesis of my own. But letting go of bias and accepting the help of my newfound brothers and sisters led me to discover the beauty of a faith that has been repeatedly demonized and shunned by both the American media and pulpits throughout the land.

Salat — or prayer — is one of the five pillars of Islam. Five a day, every day — and that sunrise prayer sure does come early for an insomniac. But while stumbling through Arabic incantations and bowing down before Allah didn’t do much to enlighten my Islamic ignorance, I had a revelation after my first litany.

I exited a prayer room, which is little more than a closet in Prescott Hall, and I discovered a burka-bound beauty. I extended my hand as a greeting and was denied reciprocal shaking.
I inquired from a Muslim brother after parting ways as to why this happened and soon discovered something that can only be learned from experience.

She was not the cliché “oppressed” woman of Islam. She had donned the modest outfit for personal religious reasons — not including the fear of being beaten, beheaded or any other stereotypical nonsense that does not in fact rear its fundamentalist face everywhere the hijab and burka lurk. She was a freedom loving, God-seeking human just like myself, only with more clothing and a deeper convictions of what she called “God” — one of which was abstaining from touching a male stranger.

The remainder of my days following the Prophet’s (PBUH) teachings included Quranic study (only in English, unfortunately), Friday prayer at the local mosque, fantastic lamb at Atcha Bakery and several brilliant conversations with my newly found companions of the faith.

The remaining four pillars of the faith were somewhat irrelevant for my test drive — it’s not the time for Hajj or Ramadan, my salary likely would put me on the receiving end of zakat (charity) and I didn’t want to degrade the religion by taking and then renouncing the shahadah (statement of faith).

Now I realize I have yet to mention jihad — and there’s a reason for this: It’s never been that important to the Muslims I’ve encountered. Jihad is not just a holy war, despite what you may have been taught in your upbringing. It’s more often than not an internal struggle and has little to do with flying planes into towers, donning explosive underwear or gunning down masses with a high pitched “Allah!”

But how then does one account for the all-too-recent atrocities conducted by Muslims in the name of Allah? We must admit for starters that while there are bad people who are Muslim, people are not inherently bad because they’re Muslim.

Rather than deeming an entire religion, ethnicity or country as evil, I will personally testify there are indeed good people who are Muslim in Tanzania, Israel, Egypt, Jordan and now Baton Rouge. These are the only places I can personally vouch for, but I will further speculate there are probably genuine and decent followers of Muhammad (PBUH) the world over.

I wasn’t led to blow up or behead anything during my seven-day conversion, but rather to despise those who do so in the supposed name of a great faith. Fundamentalism rears its ugly-malformed face in every faith, confusing its definition of god with God. There remains much I don’t agree with in Islamic doctrine and practice, but seven days was all it took to gain an appreciation and respect for an over-demonized religion of my fellow man.
Salaam!
http://www.lsureveille.com/opinion/cancel-the-apocalypse-columnist-becomes-seven-day-convert-of-islam-1.2192291