Islam - is anyone interested in it? No preaching, just asking...

[PasseBlanc]

Just wondering if anyone here is or has ever been interested in coming to Islam, despite all the bad press/media hype etc?

I'm not here to quote and preach, I just want to maybe answer a few questions from my own perspective as a convert/revert muslim and give a bit of evidence.

Your thoughts/opinions/questions welcome

Interested in Islam and respectful, but as a spectator. I don't practice any religion, just a decent moral code!

I'm interested from the point of view that I am comfortable in my own faith and have no desire to convert.

Born again religious people tend to be slightly annoying in my experience i the same way ex smokers or vegetarians can be.

I'm always up for listening though.

CanIsawItOff - I can imagine why that must be..when some people get 'born'again' they can be a bit judgemental of others or go to the extreme within the religion itself.

I personally made the choice to convert because of the amount of scientific evidence I came across. Since then I've studied a lot and am even stronger in my decision because of this. I really try not to come across as annoying lol hope I'm not anyway...;)

Science convinced you to convert to a religion founded a few thousand years ago really?

Science and religion don't make great bedfellows imho!

Just to clarify, this is modern science that converted you.

OH is muslim and I have never felt the need to convert, or been under any pressure to do so.

Have you married a muslim?

CanIsawItOff - do you have a few minutes where I can give you some examples before you give me the sarcastic comments and face?

I am interested in Islam, as a Christian with interest in Faith in general.

In my personal experience, I find that people who are religious, but not extremist one way or the other, have more tolerance for other peoples faith than those that have none. In my own personal experience, atheist are more inflexible and intolerant in their views, than those who have some sort of belief.

I know nothing of Muslim doctrine, but find that I have a lot in common with Muslim friends. (Both my children have Muslim best friends, though they go to Catholic primary school)

It's not sarcasm it's genuine confusion. Not sure if you saw my thread from the other day regards JW's?

I'm genuinely intrigued by religion and how if functions in todays secular society as science provides more and more answers to the questions posed by scripture.

If you've got examples please do share, i'm as curious as the next person.

Science? Fucking Science are you having a laugh?

No I have no desire to listen to anybody talk about any religion. The older I get the more I see it for what it is and despise it. If people want to follow a religion thats fine by me but I will never, ever convert to any religion.

Does MN not have a religion topic?

Quint, as an atheist I find that offensive.

I am tolerant of everyone's beliefs, or lack of.

I would never generalise and judge all Christians to be intolerant of other people's faith (or lack of). I would expect you to offer the same courtesy to me.

I am interested in the wearing of hijab and am writing an article about women in my profession who do so, especially burqa. This is something which seems to really bother non Muslims. In fact many non Muslims confidently say it is impossible for women to do this job if they wear burqa as nobody will understand them. This is rubbish. It is not a problem at all. I am interested in the fact that non Muslims feel they can dictate what women wear in the name of liberating women, whereas they are doing the opposite because not allowing women to wear hijab is actually very confining and limits what Muslim women can do.

I am not a Muslim but I am frequently bothered by anti Muslim propaganda and by ignorant assumptions made about the lives of Muslim women. Eg. That Muslim women all have hard lives, are uneducated and forced to wear hijab by husbands or fathers.This is not my experience at all.

I'm not having a laugh no. If I was, there's no way in hell I would have ever made such a life changing decision to convert to islam. I'm going to give some examples.

In the Qur'an it states how a foetus grows and develops in it's mothers womb
It also mentions things such as the orbit of the planets
The partition of salt water and river water when they meet in the ocean

There's tonnes more science. If you actually want to read and see for yourself, this website is a great one www.miraclesofthequran.com/index.php

check it out. Also, may I mention that Mohammed, the messenger, was an illiterate man with no education and no understanding of the world. This has been proved within historical narrations and reports from both muslim scholars/historians and non muslim scholars and historians.

As for the Qur'an. It is an unexplained group of texts that has never been changed. This has also been proven by academics who have studied the ancient languages in depth and understand the semitic formations.

I'm just saying, upon studying it in great detail, right down to the mention of the solar system and nature in the Qur'an, I find it to be the absolute truth.

HelloCheeky - I'm happy for you to pm me if you want more info or experience about the hijab/burqa/niqab.

Hi,
I converted to Islam 8 years ago, 2 years b4 I married DH (I feel I have to add that, caz a lot of people think I did it to please him)
Feel free to ask me questions :) xx

asalaamalaikum Onedayamumihope

Thats all Science and fact its nothing to do with religion.

Anyway Im off, it just sounds like your'e preaching and I strongly believe it all to be bollocks so will go and watch Dexter instead.

Disclaimer This is nothing to do with your specific religion. I do not discriminate. I despise them all equally.

I am saying in my experience. I have yet to meet an atheist who is respectful of my faith. I have not met one atheist who has not wanted to discuss my faith and ridicule it. I did not say all atheists are like this, but all those I have met have been like this. They all have been quite clear that religion is mumbo jumbo cannot be proved, and it goes against all scientific evidence. I have yet to met ONE atheist that has said "I dont believe, but I cannot dismiss that there could be a God or some divine being. " It is always "Nope, not possible, it is mad to even think it"

JaneFonda, it would make me very happy if you were the one who widened my experience. Nothing would please me more than to be able to say "I have come across atheists who are respectful of my belief and open to the idea there might be a God".

PasseBlanc however, I would give a miss..... As I dont like being preached at.

I said in my post that I find anti Muslim attitudes are often very poorly informed. However, I am not a Muslim and can't imagine why I would be interested in the fact that the Quran mentions how babies develop in the womb, or about planets. What does this prove ? It is well known that Arab scholars were centuries ahead of Europeans in terms of scientific knowledge, but what has that got to do with religion?

quint quick question as I really do need to get off this thread.

Im not trying to kick off or anything but am just wondering if you as a christian do the same as your ideal atheist and do admit there might not be a god? Might all be rubbish even if you believe it to be true?

Seriously am just curious

I personally think it is pure stupidity to live on this earth, wake up every day and not wonder why the hell am I here??? I think it's further stupidity to proclaim you are 'such and such' without having sufficiently studied the evidence within the major religions and faiths.

I think it is dangerous to do what so many people do these days and rely on the words of psychics who always tell clients exactly what they want to hear about either themselves or about loved ones that have passed on.

Study and find out for yourself what suits you, and don't go into anything without having complete evidence for it. When people ask you why you are what you are, you at least can back yourself up without them assuming patronisingly that you 'found jesus/god/Allah whatever' and decided to follow a 'spiritual path'.