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 Onderwerp: Bekeerlingen ALLAHU AKBAR!Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 10:29 |
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En gij zult degenen die zeggen: "Wij zijn Nasara (christenen)" het vriendschappelijkst vinden jegens de gelovigen. Dit is, wijl er onder hen geleerden en monniken zijn en wijl zij niet trots zijn. En indien zij hetgeen deze boodschapper (Muhammad sallalaho alaihi wasallam) is geopenbaard, horen, ziet gij hun ogen vol tranen vanwege de waarheid welke zij hebben herkend. Zij zeggen: "Onze Heer, wij geloven. Reken ons daarom onder de getuigen." 5:82-38 Abdullah al-Faruq, Formerly Kenneth L. Jenkins, minister and elder of the http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=1
Dr. Jerald F. Dirks, Former minister (deacon) of the http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=241 Viacheslav Polosin, Former Archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=242 Anselm Tormeeda, 14th century CE Majorcan priest and scholar. From his book 'The Gift to the Intelligent for Refuting the Arguments of the Christians' http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=243 Khadijah "Sue" Watson, Former pastor, missionary, professor. Master's degree in Divinity. http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=244 Ibrahim Khalil Philobus, Former Egyptian Coptic priest and missionary. http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=245 Female Catholic Missionary, Anonymous. http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=246 Martin John Mwaipopo, Former Lutheran Archbishop. http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=247 Raphael Narbaez, Jr., Former Jehovah's Witness Minister. http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=248 George Anthony, Former Catholic priest http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=249 Dr. Gary Miller Former missionary http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=250 Delegation of Priests Convert to Islam at Climax of Muslim-Christian Dialogue The remarkable outcome of a dialogue between Muslim scholars and Christian priests http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=403 Dr. M.H. Durrani Formerly Senior Chaplain at St. Mary's Church (Anglican) in http://thetruereligion.org/modules/xfsection/article.php?art icleid=404 |
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Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 10:33 |
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 This is a printer friendly version of an article from the The Journal News. To print this article open the file menu and choose Print. Some Latinos convert to Islam
Aisha Ahmed's decision to convert to Islam and give up Catholicism and her Puerto Rican birth name, Maritza Rondon, did not come impulsively or under duress. She spent five years studying the Quran and hired a teacher to learn Arabic before she was ready for shahadah, a declaration of faith led by an imam that is essential to the conversion process. In the end, Ahmed's decision to become a Muslim and to take a name that belonged to the Prophet Muhammad's wife, she said, was borne of years of questioning her Catholic upbringing and discovering that, for her, the answers were with Islam. "I have lived a humble and peaceful life since I converted. Everything is so clear," said Ahmed, 45, of Tarrytown. "I didn't see in Catholicism the unity and compassion I found in Islam. I saw more kindness and willingness to give." Ahmed's change of faith is not unique among her ethnic group today. In recent years, thousands of Hispanics nationwide have been converting to Islam, particularly since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when interest in the religion seemed to gain momentum. Though precise statistics do not exist, the Council on American-Islamic Relations estimates there are more than 36,000 Hispanic Muslims in the nation today. Other estimates raise the total to 75,000. A study the group conducted also showed that 6 percent of the 20,000 annual converts to Islam are Hispanic. Though the numbers are a small fraction of the estimated 6 million Muslims in the country, it is fast becoming evident that the conversion rate among this minority group is taking root and that its influence is being asserted through the formation of Hispanic Muslim organizations � "dawah," or outreach efforts targeted at Hispanics � and the distribution of literature and the Quran in Spanish. "There hasn't been real scientific gauging," said Mohamed Nimer, research director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "But Muslim leaders are saying they are seeing more and more Latino Muslims, especially in New York, California and Florida." Melvin Reveron converted to Islam last year, following a period of depression and internal doubts about Catholicism, he said. "I called myself a Catholic, but I wasn't practicing as an adult," said Reveron, 41, a Puerto Rican who lives in New York City. "I realized the futility of confession. I felt alienated from God and unworthy of God's graces. If I was going to reintroduce God into my life, I thought this was the best way." Reveron had read the Quran after Sept. 11 because he wanted to gain more knowledge about a religion that was being blamed for the attacks, he said. Culture and religion often can be mistaken, he said. "People say that Islam is a religion that teaches people to kill, that it creates suicide bombers," said Reveron, 41, a supervisor for the Department of Social Services in New York City. "I reject that notion. Just because a criminal does something, the religion isn't wrong. There's something wrong with that person." The Quran, he said, resonates with Catholics because it mentions Adam, Moses, Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Jesus is revered as a prophet � not as the son of God � within the Islamic religion. "I looked at is as an intellectual continuation of what I had been taught," he said. Like Reveron, many Hispanic converts say they have grown disenchanted with Catholicism and have difficulty accepting the church hierarchy, original sin, confession, the Holy Trinity and the saints. Others say they are "reverting" to a religion that is part of their ancestral history � Islam ruled Spain for several centuries. Either way, following the five pillars of Islam, the foundation of Muslim life, is a more truthful existence, many agree. Islam's tenets include professing faith in Allah and the prophet Muhammad, praying daily, charity work, fasting during Ramadan and a pilgrimage to Mecca. "I was very confident it was the correct way of living life," said Fatima Britos, 25, a John Jay College student of Argentine descent. "It is the straight path." Britos recently attended a Columbia University student event titled "Latinos in Islam: Rediscovering our Roots" that saw a diverse group of people in attendance. The affair included a Mexican feast and a discussion led by Hernan Guadalupe on why Hispanics are converting to Islam today. The Ecuadorean-American outlined the Muslims' reign in Spain from 711 to 1492. Between 10 percent and 30 percent of Spanish words come from Arabic, he said. Guadalupe spoke of the cultural similarities and family values inherent to Hispanics and Muslims. Typically, Hispanic households are tightknit and devout, and children are reared in a strict environment � traits that mirror Muslim households, Guadalupe said. "There are 780 years of Islamic influence that can't be ignored," said Guadalupe, 24, a mechanical engineer from South Brunswick, N.J. "If you understand that, as a Latino, you have Spanish blood in you, then you would understand ... that you have Islam in you." Not coincidentally, Guadalupe converted to Islam on Sept, 11, 2001 � or "the day the towers fell," as he said � after years of studying different religions and cultures. He started the Latino Muslim Outreach Program this year, traveling to schools in the tri-state area to educate � not convert � people on Islam, he said. Other organizations have formed in recent years, including Piedad, an Internet group with nearly 300 members whose mission is to teach non-Muslims and give leadership training to women, particularly Hispanic females. "On a daily basis, I hear Latinos coming into the fold of Islam," said Piedad founder Khadijah Rivera. "It is so close to our culture that, once they understand, it is like second nature to belong to Islam." But Catholic leaders do not consider the conversion rate a sign of the faithful growing disillusioned with the church, said Alejandro Aguilar-Titus, associate director of the Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Of the 45 million Hispanics in this country, 32 million are Catholic, he said. Conversely, there are more than 6 million Muslims in Latin America, and it has been reported that Islamic ideologies are spreading among indigenous groups. "As far as we can see, Catholics becoming Muslim is more of an individual choice that comes through marriage, friendships or relationships," said Aguilar-Titus. He later added, "It saddens the church, but at the same time, there is respect for that person's choice." Aguilar-Titus reflected on Islamic Spain and said the influence brought several practices and symbols similar to Catholicism. "These elements could be very powerful and attractive to someone," he said. "I think that's more significant than being disenchanted with Catholicism." In 1997, the Latino American Dawah Organization � LADO � was formed by a handful of converts. It serves to educate and promote the legacy of Islam in Spain and Latin America. One of its organizers, Juan Galvan, a Mexican-American who lives in San Antonio, said he has been in contact with more than 20,000 Hispanic Muslims in recent years, co-authored a report, "Latino Muslims: The Changing Face of Islam in America," and is co-writing a book on conversion stories. LADO's Web site features dozens of accounts. The need for support networks is imperative because often Hispanics may feel isolated from others who are born Muslim or because of a language barrier, he said. Galvan converted in the summer of 2001 after having grown up active in the Catholic Church, serving as an altar boy and Eucharistic minister. "It's a very clear and simple belief," said Galvan, 30. "But it's not enough to say I disagree with the Catholic faith and then become a Muslim. There's more to it." Indeed, converting to Islam means a lifestyle change that to some can be difficult. Fasting, praying five times a day and giving up alcohol and pork � a staple in the Hispanic diet � can present challenges. Women must wear a hijab, but the misperception, many women argue, is that the veil is debasing. Though there are no definitive statistics, reports indicate there are more women than men converting to Islam. "A head scarf does not symbolize oppression. It represents freedom," said Ecuadorean Sonia Lasso, while speaking at the third annual Hispanic Muslim Day at a mosque in Union City, N.J. "Because it is not our physical but our intellectual selves that are seen." Perhaps the biggest obstacle converts face is with their families, who take great pride in their Catholic rearing and have little understanding of Islam. Reveron said he has yet to tell his family, fearing irreversible repercussions. "I haven't found the right way to tell them," he said. "You hear stories about families ridiculing and (the Muslim converts) being ostracized." For Ahmed, her family was more accepting of her decision, so much so that her brother is now Muslim, and her mother has accepted Islam, she said. Her life is much more devout since her conversion. She works as a representative to the James House at Phelps Memorial Hospital Center in Sleepy Hollow. She volunteers extensively in Westchester and the Bronx, a move she credits to her faith. She worships at the Thornwood masjid, as well as in the Bronx, and is proudest of helping to establish a mosque in Suffern with her former husband. While the horror of Sept. 11 moved many Hispanics toward Islam, Ahmed admits that the attacks on the World Trade Center gave her pause about her adopted religion. But it was Islam that prevailed, she said. "I saw a tragic situation and at the same time had to understand that I am a Muslim," she said. "My faith was tested, but I stayed on track because I'm not going to let a group of fanatics change my faith. I became stronger. Once you believe, you can't go back." |
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Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 10:35 |
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Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 10:36 |
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Latino women finding a place in Islam By Carmen Sesin
Reporter
NBC News
Updated: 4:15 p.m. ET Sept. 30, 2005
UNION CITY, N.J. � On a hot summer day, Stefani Perada left work for the day in West New York, N.J., and stepped outside in her long jilbab, the flowing clothes worn by many Muslim women. Meanwhile, other Latinas in the mostly Hispanic neighborhood were taking advantage of the warm day, walking around in shorts and midriff-exposing halter tops. Perada, 19, who converted to Islam just over a year ago, is still trying to become acclimated to certain customs, such as the jilbab and the hijab, which covers her head and hair. "Mostly it's because of how your friends and family are going to look at you," she said. "They look at you like, �Why is she wearing that, it�s so hot.�� But, she said, �I am doing this for God, and one day I will be rewarded for what I am doing.� And there's an immediate benefit: She's not harassed as much by men when she walks down the street. �You know how guys [say], �Hey Mami, come over here?� I used to always hate that. I would cross the street just to get away. Now you still get some guys that are still curious, but it�s much less,� she explained. �They are going to look at me for me, and not for my body.� Growing number of converts? The exact number of Latino Muslims is difficult to determine, because the U.S. Census Bureau does not collect information about religion. However, according to estimates conducted by national Islamic organizations such as the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) there are approximately 40,000 Latino Muslims in the United States. Likewise, it is difficult to break-down the number of Latino converts to Islam into male versus female. But, according to anecdotal evidence and a survey conducted by the Latino American Dawah Organization (LADO), whose mission is to promote Islam within the Latino community in the United States, the number of Latinos converting to Islam tilts slightly in favor of women � with 60 percent women to 40 percent men. Juan Galvan, the head of LADO in Texas and the co-author of a report "Latino Muslims: The Changing Face of Islam in America," explained that those numbers are unscientific, but based on the results of a voluntary survey that has been conducted on the LADO website since 2001. �From observation and experience those numbers are correct,� Galvan said. �From my personal experience, there are definitely more Latina Muslims than Latino men.� Galvan explained said that there �just seem to be more� Latina Muslims at the various events he attends through his work with LADO. At the Islamic Education Center of North Hudson, 300 of the people who attend the mosque are converts, and 80 percent are Latino converts. In addition, out of the Latino converts, 60 percent are women, according to Nylka Vargas, who works at the mosque with the Educational Outreach Program. Overall growth Louis Cristillo, an anthropologist who focuses on Islamic education at Columbia University, points out there are several indicators that reflect the growing trend of Latinos converting to Islam. For example, there are a number of regional and national organizations that cater to Latino Muslims, and there are even support groups that can be found on-line specifically for Latino converts � in particular Hispanicmuslims.com, as well the LADO organization at latinodawah.org. In fact, last weekend, Latino Muslims in this country celebrated the third annual Hispanic Muslim Day with different activities throughout the day. For women, particular challenges Perada says her mother, who is Colombian, accepted her decision to convert because she never really pushed her into Catholicism. However, her father, who is of Italian origin, has had a tough time dealing with it. �Sometimes he says things about the way I dress,� said Perada. �He�ll say, �Why do you have to dress that way. I�m Christian. I don�t walk around with a cross in my hand.' �He always complains to my mom about it, but with me he just keeps it to himself. But I know for him it is very hard,� Perada added. Vargas, 30, from the Islamic Education Center, is of Ecuadorian and Peruvian descent. She says her family is already accustomed to the idea of her being Muslim, since it has already been ten years since she converted. But she recalls the days in which her family was dealing with the initial shock of her new faith. �When I started being more visible, that�s when things started getting weird. My sisters couldn�t understand why I would cover myself. They thought I was being oppressed or brainwashed,� said Vargas. She admits it was difficult at first to adjust to certain customs, such as wearing the hijab or a headscarf and having to pray five times a day. �First it felt kind of weird to be covered, but after a while it [the headscarf] becomes your hair. I refer to my hijab as my hair.� �A return to traditional values� Some, says Cristillo, grew up in inner-city areas ravaged by poverty, drugs and prostitution, and were attracted in part by the fact that some Islamic communities were very active in cleaning up the neighborhoods. Vargas, meanwhile, says she questioned many things about the Catholic faith in which she was raised and felt an emptiness in Christianity. Galvan, from LADO, pointed out that many people come to Islam through people that they know, "friends, co-workers, classmates, boyfriends or husbands.� Professor Awn said that many Latinas find there is a greater sense of economic and social stability in Islam and that it also represents �a return to traditional values.� In that regard, Awn does not think Islam is any more patriarchal than other traditional religions, but recognized that �the younger generation is looking for a more progressive form of Islam." And Perada does not feel that her adherence to the Muslim faith restricts her freedoms as a woman. �If I get married, I know I am going to work, but I am going to be there for my kids, too,� said Perada, dismissing any notions that Islam would prevent her from living the life of any other modern woman. Carmen Sesin is an assignment editor on the NBC News Foreign Desk.
� 2005 MSNBC.com |
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Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 10:40 |
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American Soldier Converts to Islam in Fallujah Mosque At The Mosque of Mohammad's Presence in Fallujah, George Douglas, has become the fourth U.S. soldier said to have converted to Islam. Douglas changed his name to Mujahed Mohammad and declared Islam the best religion, 'for its teachings of forgiveness, nobleness, love, righteousness and courage.' By Dr. Hamid Abdullah  Translation provided by 
Baghdad: Eyewitnesses in the city of Fallujah reported that an American soldier publicly adopted the Muslim faith in one of the city�s mosques, with a crowd of people and clerics in attendance. Dr. Ziad Al-Fahdawi, a witness to the event, said that the soldier, George Douglas, recited the two creeds [�There is no god but God, and Mohammad is His prophet�] in The Mosque of Mohammad�s Presence after asking the mosque�s imam to witness his conversion to Islam. Douglas was reported as saying that he is certain that Islam is the best religion that a person could espouse, for its teachings of forgiveness, nobleness, love, righteousness and courage. When Douglas was finished with his declaration, the mosque attendants shouted �Allahou-Akbar� [God is Greater] and embraced and congratulated him. The American soldier then changed his name, as of May 30th, from George Douglas to Mujahed Mohammad. He also explained that he was very moved by the courage of the people of Fallujah, their stance as Arabs and Muslims, and their readiness to defend their country and to die for the liberation of their land, no matter what pretexts the invaders give for their aggression. Douglas is the 4th American soldier to embrace Islam in The American officer said that he did not convert to Islam for Dr. Samar, but because he was convinced that the Muslim faith is the best of all religions. Two soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade, Sean Blackwell (27-years-old) and Brett Duggan (37-years-old) also converted to Islam following the American forces have already mounted two attacks on Fallujah, the most violent and destructive of which came in November 2004. Fallujah was also a witness to some of the ugliest crimes committed by the American Army against the people of that city, including when an American soldier murdered an injured man near one of the mosques. About 70 percent of the city�s houses have been completely destroyed. This has forced large numbers of the city�s population to erect tent cities for shelter, where they have been dwelling in ever since. |
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Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 10:42 |
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Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 10:45 |
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Former US
Model Overwhelmed by Muslim Piligrimage Source: akhbar.com Constance
Mcdonald sat at a camp in Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia listening to a
Muslim preacher explaining the rituals of the hajj. Clad in traditional white clothes from head to toe with only her face and hands showing, she sat listening attentively to the sermon delivered in English and Arabic with an English copy of the Quran in hand. But for the Muslim convert, it is a far cry from when she used to parade on the catwalks and pose at photo shoots. Understandably, she seemed overwhelmed by the experience of being among 2.1 million other Muslims performing the pilgrimage to Makkah. "I just can't explain how I feel, there are mixed feelings," Mcdonald told Reuters at a complex housing 1,200 American pilgrims when asked about the hajj. "There have been several spiritually moving moments, but also it has been somewhat confusing and frustrating. "I am finding the language and cultural differences difficult to deal with," she said, adding that this was her first trip overseas. "It is like a dream, once we're back home, I wouldn't know if it actually happened or not." Wide circle of converts Mcdonald, a 38-year-old from Lake Orion, Michigan, said she converted to Islam in 1990 to marry Carl Karoub, a US national whose grandparents were Lebanese. "At first the conversion was just out of convenience," said her husband, a medical staffer at William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan, who was born into a Muslim family. "But a couple of years later she realised that this was what she was looking for and she started practising (Islam). "There was no pressure from Carl," she said. "I had been searching for the truth for 10 years, and after I read the Quran and looked at it closely I knew that this is the truth, much like Yousef al-Islam (singer Cat Stevens)." Mcdonald said her faith was further strengthened when her three little girls started going to a Muslim school and she met many other women who had converted to Islam and were married to Muslim husbands. She said she started covering her hair in accordance to Muslim teachings two years ago. Her husband said he paid $10,000 in hajj costs for his wife and himself. Most of the American pilgrims in the complex were of Middle Eastern or Asian origin. |
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Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 10:48 |
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Mum, I've
Decided I Want to Follow Allah
Western women are turning to Islam in rapidly increasing numbers. KAY JARDINE discovers why they are so keen to become Muslims Bullying, depression,
and insomnia made Kimberley McCrindle's teenage years particularly
difficult. Taunts from classmates about her weight and how she looked
left the 19-year-old student feeling like she didn't really fit in, and
always searching for something that would make her feel happy, that
would make her feel she belonged. McCrindle,
from a family of atheists, did not encounter religion until she began
religious studies at high school in Penicuik, when her new interest
prompted her to start going to her local church on Sundays. But the
peace and happiness McCrindle was looking for eluded her until she
started college in "I
was looking for peace," she says. "I'd had a rough past. My teenage
years weren't great: I was bullied at school, people called me fat and
ugly, and I was looking for something to make me happy. I tried to go
to church once a week but I wouldn't class myself a Christian; I was
just interested. But it wasn't for me, I didn't feel in place there. "When
you walk into a mosque you feel really peaceful. Praying five times a
day is really focused. It gives you a purpose in your life. The Koran
is like a guide to help you: when you read it, it makes you feel
better." McCrindle
became a Muslim three years ago and is now known by her married Arabic
name, Tasnim Salih. She is one of a rapidly increasing number of
British women turning to Islam, thought to be the fastest growing
religion in the world. Although there are no official figures on the
subject, there is no doubt that the number of converts is on the rise
and the majority are women, according to Nicole Bourque, a senior
lecturer in social anthropology at Glasgow University and an expert in
conversion to Islam in Britain. "There are people converting all the time," she says. "I would estimate that there are probably around 200 converts to Islam in Mohammad Faroghul-Quadri, imam at the Khazra mosque in The
appeal of Islam to liberated western women is difficult for many to
understand, largely because of the widespread perception in the west
that it treats women badly. A forthcoming documentary, Mum I'm a Muslim, addresses this very issue by talking to converts in For
27-year-old Bahiya Malik, or Lucy Norris to her parents, it's difficult
to explain. Bahiya, who lives in Edinburgh, her twin sister, Victoria,
and their brother, Matthew, grew up as practising Christians in a rural
area in the "Maybe
all through our teenage years we hadn't been that happy. I can't really
say what it was. I don't know if we felt there was something missing or
that we didn't fit in. We were a little bit shy and we weren't really
outgoing sort of people," she says. At the time, Bahiya was two years
into a media and television course in "I
think it's something you feel in your heart, this pull," she says. "You
can't really put it into words. It's like your heart speaking,
something you feel inside and you know it's for you. Allah has chosen
this for you, it's out of your power." Women
who turn to Islam are aware of the widespread western perception that
they are oppressed and discriminated against, but insist that the
depiction is a false image. For many it is a spiritual journey, which,
far from repressing them, improves their social status and gives them
new rights. "You
seem to be really looked after," says Tasnim. "As a Muslim woman,
Muslim men really respect you; they do everything for you. You're
highly thought of and protected." Bahiya says: "I feel that because you
cover yourself up you're not seen as a sex symbol, and because people
can't judge you on your appearance, they have to judge you as a human
being. That's quite liberating." As
an act of modesty, many Muslim women don't wear make up outside the
home and it is often a part of their old life that new female converts
are happy to discard because of the liberating feeling that comes from
knowing their appearance doesn't matter. They resist being shown as
they were before their conversion. Hafsa Hashmi, who lives in Converting
to Islam usually means a complete change of lifestyle for those who
take the plunge, including a different diet, often a new Arabic name,
and your time revolving around the five daily Islamic prayers. In the
workplace, some people organise with their employer a room where they
can have some peace and quiet to pray. Wherever they are in the world,
all Muslims face in the direction of the Kab'aa, or the Holy House in For
female converts, the experience can also involve a quite dramatic
change in appearance. Muslim law provides that women must dress
modestly. The hijab, or the head scarf, is a particular focal point and
can be a tricky area for new Muslim women to deal with. Dr Bourque
suggests this is because it is such a visible symbol of the faith.
Tasnim wore the hijab straight away, although she found wearing it in
public scary at first because she felt people were looking at her. She
was then forced to take it off when she was out because of some of the
comments directed at her. "People
would shout, 'Go back home to your own country'. I had someone spit at
me once when I was standing at the bus stop at college." Now,
though, she wears it all the time and says: "People don't say anything
to me now and I feel more confident about wearing it." Bahiya was happy
wearing the hijab from the beginning, but her parents found it quite
difficult. She says her sister, her brother, and herself were lucky
because their parents were "quite good" about their conversion. For
others, however, families are not always so accepting, often because
they know little about the religion and why their loved ones want to
follow it. For Tasnim, telling her parents, who are atheist, was
nerve-wracking. "They thought I was going through a phase at first but
they realised when I started wearing the hijab that I was serious. They
started getting angry when I began to talk about getting married. They
weren't too pleased that I'd met someone older than me, who was Muslim
as well, and a different nationality." While
Tasnim and her mother are still close and enjoy a good relationship,
they tend not to talk about her faith much. She and her father no
longer speak. For Hafsa, telling her parents 24 years ago was perhaps
even more difficult because converting to Islam then was anything but a
common occurrence. The reactions of her parents were totally opposite.
"I think my mother felt that I was only becoming a Muslim because of
who I was marrying, but that wasn't the case because I had been
introduced to Islam about four years previously although I didn't
convert until I got married. It took her practically her whole life to
get over it. When we got married, my mum said, 'If you're happy, I'm
happy', but obviously she wasn't. My dad said it and he meant it, that
was the difference between them." Tasnim
has been married to Sabir, who is Sudanese, for two years, and says she
has never been happier. "I met my husband at college and it seemed like
the right thing to do. I was teaching him English and he was talking to
me about Islam, and we just fell in love," she says. Bahiya's husband,
Sharafuddin, is also is also a convert, formerly known as Cameron. They
have two children, aged two and four. For
Tasnim, Bahiya, and Hafsa, life revolves around the five daily prayers,
they cannot eat certain foods, or drink alcohol. But the women say they
miss nothing from the days before they converted to Islam. "Islam is
enough for me," says Bahiya. "You don't need anything else once you've
found it." Becoming
Muslim has provided Tasnim with the happiness and belonging she was
looking for. "It's a complete change in your attitude, behaviour, and
the way you think," she says. "I'm now more confident, happy and
satisfied. I've achieved the fulfilment I was looking for." Mum, I'm a Muslim can be seen on Channel Four on Sunday at Source: http://www.theherald.co.uk/perspective/archive/8-3-19102-21- 6-52.html Notes [1] This is a a false statement. The only religion acceptable to Allah - the one which leads to true guidance and peace, is Islam: "Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers" [Qur'an 3:85] |
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jiyuu
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Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 10:52 |
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Muslim
Faithful Fighting Myths That Grew Out of 9/11
Each Friday afternoon, dozens of mostly black men and women wearing traditional Muslim garments stream into Masjid Al-Ansar in the shadow of Interstate 95 in Liberty City, for the weekly Jum'ah prayer at the mosque. Imam Fred Nuriddin opens his message with a declaration of praise for Allah: ''In the name of Allah, the merciful benefactor, the merciful redeemer,'' he begins, ''I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and I bear witness that Mohammed is the messenger of God.'' It's a ritual few outside Islam know anything about. One anomaly of Islam is that although millions of African Americans have embraced it since the early 1900s -- it's the country's fastest-growing religion -- its tenets are a mystery to most Americans. Sept. 11 has helped to change that. Since the terrorist attacks, people in the faith say they have taken on roles as ambassadors of Islam to dispel stereotypes that the religion is dominated by fanatics and terrorists. ''Sept. 11 forced Muslims to recognize they can no longer hide in the woodwork,'' said Imam Rafiq Mahdi of Masjid Al-Iman in Fort Lauderdale. He said African Americans are in a position to educate the public because, unlike Muslims from South Asia and Middle Eastern countries, they don't fear deportation or detention or that they will be ''construed as being anti-American.'' Both Nuriddin and Madhi have spoken at dozens of venues around Florida -- at colleges, high schools, churches, public symposiums -- to answer questions from not only African Americans, but also Anglos and Hispanics. The Liberty City mosque also has had an increase in attendance at its Sunday information sessions for non-Muslims, especially among Hispanics. ''We had a lot of opportunities before, but more since Sept. 11,'' Nuriddin said. ''It's given us an opportunity to clarify things about the religion.'' Misunderstandings about Islam are rooted in media coverage of news events, such as the Iranian revolution in the late 1970s and the politics of the Nation of Islam in this country, Madhi said. ''It's looking at Islam through the actions of individuals instead of the teachings of the Koran. We're trying to correct those views,'' Mahdi said. African Americans largely were introduced to a form of the teachings through Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad during the 1930s. Although the Nation's present controversial leader, Minister Louis Farrakhan, dominates news coverage, many African Americans -- including Malcolm X -- began shifting toward traditional Islam in the 1960s. Orthodox Muslims reject the racial separatism message espoused by the Nation. Traditional Muslims Mahdi and Nuriddin are two of four African-American men with the title of prayer leader -- imam -- in Miami-Dade and Broward. A fifth masjid, or mosque, is led by Imam Abdul Lateef, a native of Nigeria. In 1982, there was one black imam and just two mosques in Miami-Dade County, including Al-Ansar, which was first. Now there are 13 countywide, three with predominantly black audiences. In Broward, there are two African-American imams and 10 mosques countywide, one of which -- Masjid Tauhid in the Sistrunk area -- is predominantly black. That growth was aided by people moving here from Latin America and the Caribbean -- among them Panamanians, Jamaicans, Haitians and Guyanese. Businessman Shaukath Ali, a native of Trinidad, prayed at home after moving here in 1982 until a friend told him about a mosque in Pompano Beach. Since then, he and Imam Maulana Shafayat Mohamed have helped establish several mosques, including Darul Uloom Institute in Pembroke Pines. ''The duty of a Muslim is to make everyone -- Muslim or non-Muslim -- welcome,'' Ali said. ''In Islam, we're Muslim, period. In your heart you abolish the race factor.'' Sofian Abdelaziz, director of AMANA, which helps establish Islamic centers in Florida, said there are 23 mosques in South Florida and about 150,000 Muslims. Of that number, 20,000 are African American and an additional 10,000 are West Indian, he said. Ilyas Ba-Yunus, a sociology professor at State University of New York at Cortland, said the U.S. Muslim population will reach 7.9 million by this summer, with African Americans making up 32 percent of that number. An additional 6 percent come from the West Indies, Guyana and sub-Saharan African countries. Nationally, African Americans account for the majority of converts in the United States, particularly in the Northeast. Some families are now fourth-generation Muslim, said Aminah McCloud, Islamic studies professor at De Paul University in Chicago. Wayne Rawlins, director of the Miami urban improvement program, Weed and Seed, said he was attracted by the message of one God, the call for modesty and Koran teachings that celebrate equality. He started studying Islam's principles in 1974 at age 16, but didn't formally convert until 1989. ''I considered myself a Muslim when I started reading the Koran,'' said Rawlins, who grew up Presbyterian in New York City. ''The oneness of God was the thing that made sense to me. The concept of the Trinity didn't make sense to my logic.'' Each Sunday, Rawlins joins other men from Al-Iman to go into black neighborhoods to speak with non-Muslims about the religion. The reaction they've encountered since Sept. 11 has changed, he said, not all favorable. ''Before, we never met people who were totally against Islam. They would listen to you and may not agree, but it would be cool,'' Rawlins said. ''Now, you run into one or two who are angry. They don't want to hear it.'' But he said most people they meet want to learn more. Today most African-American Muslims embrace teachings of Sunni, or Orthodox, Islam, but they vary on some ritual practices and on the interpretation of the Koran. And they dislike the phrase ''Black Muslim,'' which widely refers to Nation of Islam. Orthodox Muslims reject the Nation of Islam as a genuine Islamic organization because its members do not accept the Prophet Mohammed as Allah's messenger. By 1975, hundreds of thousands of African Americans, including Khalid and Patricia Salahuddin of Miami, moved away from the Nation. ''It was a very easy move for us because all the time we were very sincere in what we believed,'' said Salahuddin, a native of Panama, who invites others to Sunday information sessions at Al-Ansar. The mosque also offers Arabic classes to help members read the Koran and say their five daily prayers. Will Covington of Miami is one of those who is learning about the religion. For more than a year he has juggled his time between Friday afternoon Jum'ah and Sunday services at his Baptist church. He, too, has noticed more new faces -- black, white and Hispanic -- since last fall. Covington said he feels at home at both the mosque and the church. ''I don't feel weird because God is the truth. You have to be involved to find out what's going on,'' Covington said. Such outreach isn't restricted to the mosque. Miami businessman Prentice Rasheed keeps extra Islamic literature at his clothing and jewelry store. They've been in huge demand since Sept. 11. ''When [people] are comfortable they don't want to hear anything that may affect their values. When a storm comes along and shocks them, then they want to see what the heck is going on,'' Rasheed said. ''Sept. 11 was that storm.'' |
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jiyuu
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Lid geworden: 30 januari 2005 Locatie: Nederland Online status: Offline Berichten: 2357 |
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Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 10:53 |
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Islam's
Female Converts By Priya Malhotra, Newsday.com, February 16 2002 CE "ALLAHU
AKBAR [God is great], Allahu akbar!" called Muhammad Hannini as about
15 worshipers gathered Sunday in a mosque in the basement of a home in
Richmond Hill, Queens. Instantly, they knelt and touched their heads to
the floor, a gesture symbolizing submission to God in Islam. Copyright � 2002, Newsday, Inc. |
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jiyuu
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Lid geworden: 30 januari 2005 Locatie: Nederland Online status: Offline Berichten: 2357 |
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Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 10:57 |
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moslimboy212
Senior Member
Lid geworden: 23 maart 2005 Locatie: Belgie Online status: Offline Berichten: 736 |
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Geplaatst op: 20 december 2005 om 15:02 |
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salaam aleykum. ik heb niet alles gelezen want ik heb nu niet veel zin,maar toen ik naar beneden scrollde zag ik opeens een foto van een aantal militairen in een moskee,mashallah ik had niet verwacht dat er zouden zijn die zich gingen bekeren. waleykm salaam |
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laa ilaha illalah
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jiyuu
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Lid geworden: 30 januari 2005 Locatie: Nederland Online status: Offline Berichten: 2357 |
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Geplaatst op: 21 december 2005 om 02:11 |
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Vrouwen die de Islam accepteerden:
Akifah BaxterUSA/Christian background - "I felt like all along I had been a Muslim" AmalUSA/Catholic - "The trinity was a lingering concern for me" American SisterUSA/Catholic - "I am a 17 year old Caucasian American girl" Amina MoslerGermany/Christian - "God guides whom He pleases to the right path" Aminah AssilmiUSA/Christian - "I couldn't be a Muslim! I was American and white!" Asiya Abd al-Zahir Bushra FinchChristian - "I found unacceptable, particularly the idea of the Trinity" Cecilia Mahmuda Canolly Celine LudicCatholic - "I now wear Hijab and I am very happy" Chahida Zanabi (Formerly Elisabeth)Norway/Christian - "I found [the belief that Jesus died] illogical and unjust" CherylCatholic - "I had to asked Allah for forgiveness, there is no middle man" DaniUSA/Catholic+Buddhist+Pentecostal - "I just knew that there is only ONE GOD" Deanne/moiAustralia/Christian background - "Muslim girls that were somehow more liberated than I felt" ElizabethCatholic - "Islam was the missing piece in my life" Erin FanounChristian - "I was amazed at the scientific knowledge in the Qur'an" eyeJehovah's Witness - "And everyday I thank Allah for letting me find Islam" Lady Evelyn Zeinab Cobbold Fathima LiebenbergS. Africa/Pentecostal - "I turned to Allah and finally I found peace" Fathima RanshizPhilippines/Christian - "I never felt such a spiritual peace" Fitra HanifaIreland/Catholic HelenaSweden/Protestant - "I was fed all the propaganda through mass media" JadeCanada/Catholic - "I began to realize the many contradictions of the Catholic religion" Jenni Rauhala (Sumaiyah)Finland/Christian Jewellee Joanne RichardsUSA/Catholic background - "Islam has been the single greatest gift ever" K.H. Abdullateef KareemaUSA/Christian - "Why would God create himself in human form and die?" KarenUSA/Catholic - "If Jesus is God, then why did he have a conversation with God" Dr. Kari Ann Owen (Penomee) Karima Slack Razi Karimah Khadija (Lynda Fitzgerald)Ireland/Catholic background - "I felt really sure that there is no God but Allah" Khadija"God Almighty in His Infinite Mercy answered my prayers" Khadija ZafarPhilippines/Catholic - "Teresita converted to Islam? What got into her?" KhadijiahCatholic - "I am a better person today and I have faith in my Allah" LaraCanada/None - "I enjoy living as a Muslima" Lyla El-SafyUSA/Quaker background - "I felt so peaceful and happy" Madonna JohnsonChristian background - "all of my turmoil and anxiety was gone" MahasinJehovah's Witness MalaakChristian+None - "I knew that the things in the Qur'an had to be from Allah" Maryam al-Mahdayah Maryam bint Noel Maryam Jameelah (Formerly Margaret Marcus)USA/Jew - Well-known writer Mas'udah Steinmann Mavis B. JollyUK/Church of MelanieUSA/Christian - "this is the missing piece to the puzzle!" Michelle MonicaEcuador+USA/Catholic - "Islam, in contrast to Catholicism, seemed very pure" NadiaUSA/Christian Natassia M. KellyUSA/Christian NoorUK/Hindu - Comments on women in Islam & Hinduism Nourallah"I found my happiness in islam" Nur Habiba bint GeestonChristian - "I am now 15 and wearing hijab and niqaab" PhreddieUSA/Christian - "I studied Islam quietly, on my own, in secret" Qadirah Rosalina Panganiban Rukaiya RuqayyahUSA/Christian - ".. Islam doesn't teach that Jesus (pbuh) was crucified" RuqqayyahBaptist+Catholic - "how can three be one and the same?" S.S. Lai Sabrina C.Sri Lanka/Catholic background Sabyrah Altagh Safiyah JohnsonUSA/Christian - "I had found what I had searched for" SandraUSA/Christian SaraChristian background - "reading [about Jesus] was like having a light bulb turned on" Shakira GrahamUSA/Christian Reformed - "I thought Islam was oppressive to women" Shariffa CarloUSA/Christian Sigr�n Valsd�ttir (Amina)Iceland/Evangelical Lutheran Sophie JenkinsUK/Catholic+Protestant - "I was so angry, every time I saw a Muslim woman" Sumaiya (Kristin)USA/Catholic background - "an awakening of my spirit, my mind" Sumayya (Evelyn) Tonnellier Susannah Abu-Suwa Themise CruzUSA/Christian - "They think that we are fundamentalists or terrorists" TenaCanada/Anglican - "My husband read the Qu'ran and then .. converted" TinaUSA/Protestant - "I thank Allah(swt) every day for guiding me" Um LuqmanUSA/Catholic - "Jesus(AS) made sense to me as being a Prophet" Zakiyyah AmatullahUSA/Baptist ZaakiraChristian - "I can't explain how good I feel on the inside as well as the outside" ZahirahCatholic - 3 of her siblings also embraced Islam ZahidaUSA/Christian - "Allah (S.W.T.) guided me to the path of righteousness" ZainabUSA/Christian - "No a guy did not convert me". Zakiyyah Why Indrani and Chandara Embraced IslamA formerly Hindu woman from Journey to LightIceland/Protestant Lutheran - "I grew up being one of the most anti-Muslim, anti-Islam people you could ever meet" Heart of a MuslimUSA/Christian - "Raised in Christianity, I never found satisfactory answers to many questions of the teachings" Aisha's StoryIceland - "When I say that I am a Muslim, they ask me if I am in the Osama Bin Laden group" Allah Guided Me to Islam!USA/Baptist - "We were taught the trinity - and as most children, I really didn't question what I was being taught" Jamillah's StoryAustralia/Christian (Reformed Presbyterian) - Came to the truth of Islam in a unique way I First Discovered Islam By Accident How I Found Happiness in My LifeGermany/Protestant background - "Islam is sometimes hard but I have never been happier before" Choosing Between God and Satan Angel's StoryUSA/Christian background - "This is the story of how I came to Islam" A Canadian Sister's Guidance The Journey Basmah's StoryUSA/Catholic - "I had only known Muslims from TV, as being Terrorists, or evil" Zenah's StoryUSA/Catholic - "I was lost in darkness. I was born and raised fully Christian (Catholic)" Angela's StoryUSA/Christian background - "I know that I am following the truth and I don't feel like a lost soul any more" |
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Pfarrer
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Lid geworden: 07 juli 2005 Locatie: Nederland Online status: Offline Berichten: 316 |
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Geplaatst op: 21 december 2005 om 04:21 |
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Islamieten die christen worden zijn er legio, Goddank. Helaas lopen ze gevaar vermoord te worden door moslims. Ik ken moslims die gedoopt zijn en christen werden, maar dat zelfs hun familie het niet mocht weten. Het gebeurde in kerkdiensten, met niet teveel aanwezigen, zodat de kans niet groot was dat het zou uitlekken, vanwege het grote gevaar dat hen bedreigt vanuit de familie of hun vroegere 'vrienden'. God ontferme zich over hen!
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islam
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Lid geworden: 09 oktober 2003 Locatie: Belgie Online status: Offline Berichten: 2554 |
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Geplaatst op: 21 december 2005 om 06:18 |
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Moeten we nu 'proficiat' gaan roepen?... Nou goed dan, proficiat jiyuu, je bent er achtergekomen dat mensen zich wel eens tot een ander geloof bekeren, en nee beste jiyuu, dat gaat niet enkel richting islam, maar ergens vermoed ik dat je dat wel weet. |
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Met of zonder godsdienst zouden er goede mensen zijn die goede dingen doen en slechte mensen die slechte dingen doen. Maar om goede mensen slechte dingen te laten doen, heb je godsdienst nodig.
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Peter Pan
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Lid geworden: 28 oktober 2005 Locatie: Belgie Online status: Offline Berichten: 2010 |
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Geplaatst op: 21 december 2005 om 07:04 |
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Ik ken een moslim die samenwoont met een nederlandse vrouw. Zij weigert moslima te worden. Hij gaat ermee akkoord. Probleem is echter dat hij dit samenwonen als trouwen naar buiten brengt. De islam, 1 groot vat vol taboes. |
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jiyuu
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Lid geworden: 30 januari 2005 Locatie: Nederland Online status: Offline Berichten: 2357 |
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Geplaatst op: 21 december 2005 om 07:46 |
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Hij is het, Die rust in het hart der gelovigen heeft nedergezonden, opdat zij geloof aan hun geloof mogen toevoegen - en aan Allah behoren de legers der hemelen en der aarde en Allah is Alwetend, Alwijs. Zodat Hij de gelovige mannen en vrouwen in tuinen moge toelaten waar doorheen rivieren vloeien om daarin eeuwige levenden te zijn, en hun fouten wist Hij uit; dat is in de ogen van Allah de grootste zegepraal. (48:4-5)
 Posted on: Sunday, November 11, 2001 More in Hawai'i turn to Islam
By Mary Kaye Ritz Less than three weeks after terrorists struck New York City and Washington, Heather Ramaha stood among a group of women at the mosque in Manoa and recited the shahada in Arabic:
Bruce Asato � The Honolulu Advertiser She was testifying that "I bear witness that there is no God but Allah (one true God), and Mohammed is a prophet of God." By doing so, she became a convert to the Islamic faith, extending a recent national trend. Some Muslim clerics across the country say they are seeing a fourfold increase in conversions since Sept. 11, when stories about Islam jumped from the back pages of the religion section to front pages worldwide. Hakim Ouansafi, the president of the Muslim Association of Hawai'i, said that prior to Sept. 11, there had been an average of three converts per month. In the two months since then, there have been 23. And oddly enough for a religion that is often perceived as one that cloaks its women from head to foot, the newly converted Westerners tend to be female. Ouansafi said the national ratio of converts is 4-to-1, women to men. Here, he said, it's closer to 2-to-1. Most Mainland converts are African-Americans, who make up about a third of U.S. Muslims, some of whom found Allah while they were in jail or in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction. On the West Coast, the men are mainly military, said Ouansafi, and most of the O'ahu converts are former Christians. One's even a single cosmetics saleswoman. More people are looking into his religion and liking what they see, he says, despite the relentless media coverage of Muslim terrorists. "Know you find bad people in every religion, and that religion should not be judged by that extreme minority," he said. One thing Sept. 11 did was remind people that life is too short: "If I'm going to die, I want die a Muslim," a convert told Ouansafi. Cromwell Crawford, chairman of the religion department at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, echoed that: The effect of Sept. 11 on the national psyche made all Americans aware of the transience of life. He described the mood of the country as changing: Singles seek to bond; family members hang together more tightly; and, by extension, the nation's people reach out to one another. "People are turning to religion both in the institutional sense and in noninstitutional ways," Crawford said, adding that the fallout also is benefiting other religions besides Islam. Why overwhelmingly women? "In the expression of this mood, women are moved more readily and more deeply than men," he said. "Go to any church and you'll find more women than men." He also finds the female students in his classes often show greater insight into ethical issues. "Women are the more religious of the genders for various reasons," Crawford said. "... Women give birth and so they are in touch with the life process, caretakers of the life cycle by virtue of their biology." Converting � or "reverting," as Muslims call it since they believe everyone starts life as a Muslim � does not take much besides a sincere belief there is one God, and only one God. "We believe, as Muslims, once a person reverts to Muslim, all his past sins are forgiven by God," Ouansafi said. "Starts just like a baby that was born." The conversion ceremony itself is fairly simple, he said. A convert tells of the converting of his or her own free will; then explains the five tenets of faith. For the ceremony, two witnesses watch as a convert agrees that Jesus was among the great prophets (Ibrahim/Abraham, Mohammed and Moses are among the others), but not God, then speak the same two sentences that Heather Ramaha recited. Now, Ramaha is incorporating her Islamic faith into her life as a Navy petty officer stationed at Pearl Harbor since July. She doesn't wear her hejab to work as a dental hygienist, but she does wear her head covering when attending services at the mosque. While her husband, a Marine, was away recently, she couldn't quite recite the five daily prayers, all said in Arabic, without his help. But Ouansafi said the Islamic faith is supposed to be practiced to the best of one's abilities: It's forbidden in the Quran, for example, for pregnant people, travelers and people with diabetes to fast at Ramadan, if fasting means harming oneself. On a recent Friday � the Islamic equavalent of the weekly Sabbath � Ouansafi spoke at the prayer services about the role of women in Islam, and talked at length in an interview at his office with his wife, Michele Ouansafi, herself a convert, about what draws women to a faith some have called oppressive. Women are revered in their faith, the Ouansafis said. The wearing of the hejab is for a women's own protection � they are away from the lascivious looks of men. The women pray in different rooms and behind the men so as not to be a distraction when worshippers kneel and place their foreheads to the floor. "Women are in back because we are the stronger of the two," said Michele Ouansafi with a laugh. And all the major texts of religions � the Bible, the Torah, the Gospels � "in the Quran, women have more rights," her husband said. He noted that in the Quran ("the word of God, descended directly on the prophet through Gabriel," said Ouansafi), Eve and Adam were equally at fault for leaving the Garden of Eden. Eve wasn't the seductress. Many of the passages in the Quran are gender-neutral. And, in Islam, Ouansafi said, the money a man makes goes for the family. The money a woman makes is hers, he said. Women are not obligated to work. The first feminist was a Muslim known as Khawlah, Ouansafi said. Khawlah argued with prophet Mohammed, taking issue with how easily her husband could divorce her. All a man had to say was, "You are to be as the back of my mother," which was held by pagans as freeing the husband from any conjugal responsibility but didn't leave the wife free to leave his home or remarry. Khawlah went to Mohammed to plead her case. He told her to be patient, but she kept arguing. Finally, she took it to a higher authority, and Allah heard and agreed with her. "Women not only have the right to speak, but to argue with the great prophet," Ouansafi said. Michele Ouansafi converted after meeting her husband-to-be when he tutored her in Rhode Island in 1986, but she said he never asked her to convert. "Ours is a faith of attraction, not promotion," said the French Canadian woman with an MBA who works at Earth Tech, an environmental firm, as a contracts administrator. For those women who see their place in the home, the Islamic faith can be very attractive, said Tamara Albertini, a UH philosophy professor who specializes in Islam and grew up in an Islamic country. The man is responsible for taking care of the earnings, and the woman rules the home. "The main problem with Islam is: If things don't work out, there's no place to go," she said, noting that a woman needs very strong reasons to leave a marriage. However, if a Muslim man leaves the faith, she can divorce him. Although Ramaha's husband, Mike, is a lifelong Muslim and a Palestinian who grew up in San Francisco, he was not the reason for her conversion, she said. "Mike never once tried to get me to convert," the 24-year-old 'Aiea resident said. "He said, 'If you want to do this, you can research it yourself, but I'll love you either way.'" Ramaha has been searching for a way to explain her new faith to her family in California. She notes that most of their information about Islam comes from the TV movie, "Not Without My Daughter," a story about an American woman, an abusive Iranian husband and a subsequent fight over their child. "I haven't been able to find a way to tell them without them flipping out," she said. "I haven't told Dad. I tell him I go to the mosque, but I haven't told him I converted yet." To people who ask her why she would choose a religion that some consider oppressive to women, she responds that they're mixing religion with culture. "Growing up in the U.S., Islamic faith doesn't have the culture mixed into it," she said. Ramaha was the first in her family to join a church. At age 5, she befriended the daughter of a non- denominational pastor and became a Christian. The rest of the family joined later. Her mother is still a churchgoer. But Ramaha said she struggled with the Christian view of the Holy Trinity. In March, she took an online world religions class through a California university. "I'd been a Christian for 18 years," she said. "There are so many loopholes in that religion. (Islam) opened up so many ideas. ... I felt that in my heart this was the right (one) for me." As a follow-up, she took an introductory class on Islam in Hawai'i after Sept. 11, she started reading the Quran, and "something clicked." She converted soon after. "I've always felt drawn to something out there, (otherwise, there's) an emptiness," she said. "The only way I feel complete is when I have a religion, a God to pray to." |
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Marocaantje
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Lid geworden: 04 juli 2003 Locatie: Saudi Arabia Online status: Offline Berichten: 1819 |
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Geplaatst op: 21 december 2005 om 07:48 |
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Joh, je vertelt eindelijk eens wat nieuws. Als je geen berichten kunt plaatsen met een toegevoegde waarde dan kun je ze maar beter niet plaatsen. Voor je eigen bestwil natuurlijk.
Verklaar je nader. Bij voorbaat dank.
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"Wees oprecht tegenover elke Moslim en keer je af van de ongelovigen".
"Jihaad will continue & the resistance will continue until we have victory, or we will be martyrs"Sheikh Yassin |
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islam
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Lid geworden: 09 oktober 2003 Locatie: Belgie Online status: Offline Berichten: 2554 |
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Geplaatst op: 21 december 2005 om 11:21 |
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Met dank voor jouw fantastische inhoudelijke reactie hierboven. Die toegevoegde waarde waar je het zo passioneel over hebt, druipt ervan af... |
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Met of zonder godsdienst zouden er goede mensen zijn die goede dingen doen en slechte mensen die slechte dingen doen. Maar om goede mensen slechte dingen te laten doen, heb je godsdienst nodig.
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Abd van Allah
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Lid geworden: 07 oktober 2005 Locatie: Nederland Online status: Offline Berichten: 82 |
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Geplaatst op: 21 december 2005 om 12:08 |
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82. Waarlijk, gij zult de Joden en de afgodendienaren het meest vijandig jegens de gelovigen vinden. En gij zult degenen die zeggen: "Wij zijn Christenen" het vriendschappelijkst vinden jegens de gelovigen. Dit is, wijl er onder hen geleerden en monniken zijn en wijl zij niet trots zijn. 83. En indien zij hetgeen deze boodschapper is geopenbaard, horen, ziet gij hun ogen vol tranen vanwege de waarheid welke zij hebben herkend. Zij zeggen: "Onze Heer, wij geloven. Reken ons daarom onder de getuigen." dus niet 28-83, zoals je post aangeeft, en ook een gedeelte van de eerste ayaat vergeten. |
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jiyuu
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Lid geworden: 30 januari 2005 Locatie: Nederland Online status: Offline Berichten: 2357 |
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Geplaatst op: 22 december 2005 om 02:06 |
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Jazakallahu khair Abd van Allah voor het
corrigeren van de ayaat. Het eerste deel was ik niet vergeten, het ging mij met name
om de Nasara (christenen) en niet de joden en andere mushriks...
vandaar.
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Marocaantje
Gebruikers Profiel
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Lid geworden: 04 juli 2003 Locatie: Saudi Arabia Online status: Offline Berichten: 1819 |
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Geplaatst op: 23 december 2005 om 11:42 |
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Iemand hier moet toch even de moeite nemen om je even te vertellen dat jouw reactie dit keer niet zo 'geweldig' was en ook helemaal geen toegevoegde waarde heeft. Hierbij zal ik het dus laten en hier verder niet meer op ingaan. We willen natuurlijk geen reacties hebben die geen enkel toegevoegde waarde hebben h�.
Marocaantje |
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"Wees oprecht tegenover elke Moslim en keer je af van de ongelovigen".
"Jihaad will continue & the resistance will continue until we have victory, or we will be martyrs"Sheikh Yassin |
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Moetaqi
Newbie
Lid geworden: 27 december 2005 Locatie: Nederland Online status: Offline Berichten: 5 |
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Geplaatst op: 27 december 2005 om 09:13 |
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salaam mu'alaikum, Voor de bekeerlingen en voor andere broeders/zusters, vergeet niet de IJTIHAD! salaam mu'alaikum. |
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