Musings of a Servant of Allah
Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. (13:28)Archive for Culture vs Religion
On living in the West
“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.” -Albert Einstein
Thank you, spiritualtravelman, for being my muse for this post.
Ironically, I’m better able to practise my faith as a Western Muslim, as opposed to a Middle Eastern one.
However! A Muslim woman living in Malaysia and Iran stands a much better chance at equality than one living in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Certain cultures have more deep-seated, tribalistic, misogynistic roots…while others are forward-thinking, modernised and view women as equal to men. Look at this disgusting example of misogyny in Saudi Arabia.
Strange isn’t it? Muslim women need to flee the country of their birth to be able to practise their faith. In the West, we can observe hijab, get educated, go to work, buy property, drive (don’t even get me started), select our spouses, divorce, remarry, adopt, choose to have children, choose to remain childless….the possibilities are endless. God bless Australia/America/Europe (except France lol)/the UK!
On another note, I read somewhere that spirituality is an intensely private, internalised concept for women…but for men, it’s all about the public sphere of legislative domination and the like. Why do egos have to get into the way of everything??? Heh.
On faith
Spirituality, in our secular day and age, has come under fire.
A very good friend and colleague of mine, Rob, is a devout Christian. He married his wife, Christina, a fellow churchgoer, and they’re amongst the sweetest people I’ve met. He told me that: “Although they say that Australia is a Christian nation….it’s still very popular. People think I’m weird for believing in God.’
Sad, but true. Yes, to each their own, but it seems like atheists are really, really pushing their views upon the rest of the world. I had a neuroanatomy tutor who did just that. We have the infamous “Letter to a Christian Nation.” We have people who claim that religion is all about violence, and the world is better off without it.
Au contraire. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Perhaps I’m biased, but I know that faith is what sustains dying patients in hospital, and faith is what helps their mourning families cope. Hospitals are places of death and dying, and this is where humanity, is in its rawest form. Strip away the distractions of everyday routine, and you’re faced with very mortal, very finite, incredibly vulnerable human beings. And in this state, people turn to God. And He listens.
Unfortunately, there are religious leaders who cause far more harm than good. This cuts across all faiths. We can name disgraced priests, imams, monks….but the point is not to give up on the concept of spirituality all because of a few bad apples.
Shaykh Nuh has been a Godsend. He’s my spiritual guide. I hope I can save up enough to do my medical elective in Jordan at the end of 2008, so I can also spend my evenings learning from him. His very presence is calming. Truly, he is beloved to God. Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad is another brilliant scholar. Both are so engaging, and they really speak to me in ways others cannot. And of course, my local scholar, Shaykh Naeem Abdul Wali. Hilarious, witty, and pure genius. He wrote this article Jesus and Muhammad (upon them be peace): Brothers in faith and the challenge of walking in their footsteps in a secular world. I highly recommend that you read it.
So if you’re searching for God, spirituality, faith – don’t give up. Don’t listen to the anti-religion chant that has soaked our angry, bitter world. Listen to that voice within you that is not content with material wealth and chasing this illusionary world. Listen to the stories of those who have found God, and felt inner peace ever since.
Most of all, listen to your heart, and to your soul. The less involved you are with the hallucinogens of Life, the more aware you are that there has to be a purpose to this life. I wish you the best in your journey, and hope you find the tranquility which you seek.
Largely misunderstood
I suppose it’s all-too common now….but I’ve come across a blog post strongly suggesting that I am oppressed. Why? Because I’m a Muslim woman. This is news to me. lol.
It’s unfortunate that so many people think this way. Perhaps it’s because lots of people rely on fabricated media reports. Or movies like ‘Not Without My Daughter’. Or books like ‘Forbidden Love’. Who knows? My responsibility is to clarify those points, because it would be a shame for my pristine faith to be tainted by the ignorance of others.
Trust me, if I ever felt oppressed, I’d be the first to be vocal about it, and instigate change. I’m headstrong, passionate, a 200% go-getter…how else did I survive the med school application process?? I don’t need to be rescued, nor do I need to be labelled. So the next time you hear of ‘poor oppressed Muslim woman’ – think twice. There’s more to Muslim women than meets the eye. Don’t like culture or ignorance fool you into believing otherwise. You owe it to yourself to know the truth for what it is.
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Key points of contention
1. The laws of God apply equally to men and women.
2. Men and women are viewed equally in the eyes of God.
3. Men and women have distinct roles, rights, and responsibilities.
4. Men and women must dress and behave within certain divinely prescribed boundaries.
5. Female genital mutilation has no basis in Islam.
6. Islam gave women the right to own property, to inherit, to vote, to divorce, to be viewed as the counterparts of men 1,400 years ago.
7. All Muslims are encouraged to seek knowledge.
8. Women are honoured in Islam. Heaven is under the feet of the mother, the mother is to be loved three times more than the father, a woman who dies in childbirth dies a martyr and is given Paradise, no Muslim woman has ever fabricated a Prophetic hadith (narration of his words or actions), and Muslim women have been amongst the greatest scholars in recorded history.
9. Men and women can reach Paradise, and ask for their hearts’ desire.
10. The arabic word for God’s mercy ‘Rahim’ or ‘Rahman’ have the same root word for the womb, or ‘rahm’
