A conversation with my teenage friend (part 2)
A conversation with my teenage friend (part 1)
Tina: OK but i don't understand, why do we need religion at all, i see many people around me, who have skipped religion altogether and are doing ok.
Me: I want to ask you, what does the word religion mean to you?
Tina: i am not sure !
Me: then what comes into your mind when you hear the word "religion"?
Tina: rules .... fear maybe .... i don't know.
Me: then, to you, the word "religion" is associated with negativity, so i don't really blame you, and i do understand where you are coming from.
Now the funny thing is that we only associate rules and "lack of freedom" which i like to call "limits and boundaries" with religion. but we forget that we as human beings cannot live without rules, laws and boundaries.
Tina: not true, people in the west have freedom !
Me: I agree that western people have more freedom than we do, i agree that a democratic society is different than a totalitarian society. And i agree that their school systems, methods of raising their children ...etc can be more liberal, logical and sometimes better.
But that's not what i am talking about.
I will give you an example: what makes driving in "most" western countries easier than Jordan, Syria or Egypt for example?
Tina: people respect the rules?
Me: Is it only because they respect the rules or is it because the country enforces strict rules and punishes whomever transgresses?
To be more specific, if in Jordan the rules were enforced and strictly applied don't you think our streets would be in a better state?
If people HAD to stand in line because it's the law, if they weren't allowed to smoke in public or they would be fined, if whomever was caught up trashing a park was made to pay and amend,wouldn't you think our countries would be better?
Civilization is a mixture of freedom, laws, and knowledge.
You cannot have one without the other. So the presence of rules and laws - even those strict ones - doesn't necessarily mean oppression and the absence of freedom, quiet the opposite. If there wasn't a punishment for stealing, many innocent people would be robbed, many lives ruined and thieves encouraged. So one person's limits is another person's protection and freedom.
Laws and rules are "part" of religion, but not all what religion is about. The presence of rules in itself is no a problem, it's something Islam shares with any ideology or system. You find laws in a secular, liberal, communist ...etc society just as you find it in Islam.
The only difference is the source, we believe Islam's laws are derived from God the creator, in a secular society it's human.
Tina: i get it, but something still doesn't add up !
Me: i know what's bothering you. you feel that Islam is filled with rules that leaves no place for personal choice and freedom.
Tina: yes.
Me: but we both agree now that not only religion has rules and that a good set of laws is essential to our human experience and lives?
Tina: yes i agree.
Me: Before we continue, i would like to stress that many Muslims don't believe in freedom at all, and if it were up to them, they won't hesitate to rule the world with an iron fist. But as we said at the beginning of our discussion, there are people who use Islam for their own agenda. It's not new to the world that there are always people taking advantage of religion.
Even in the modern world we see countries and people do atrocities, kill thousands in the name of democracy and freedom. Communism was supposed to free people and bring justice, yet in its name blood was spilled and millions were murdered. Human beings are capable of so much if not stopped.
Tina: like Saudi Arabia?
Me: Saudi Arabia is an example of when politics use religion for its own political agenda. It's a political game over there not a religious one.
Tina: You are saying that Saudis apply Islam?
Me: far from it ... i wouldn't want to live in a country that sees women as a bomb ready to explode and ruin the universe at any time, would you like to live there?
Tina: i can barely live here (laughs)
To be continued
Note: apologies to our Saudi brothers and sisters, no disrespect was intended.
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Comment by Lana Abu Ayyash on March 1, 2010 at 12:22pm -
حاولت ارتب المقالة هادا احسن شي طلع معي
:D
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Comment by Majd Jayyousi on March 1, 2010 at 4:27pm
- lana , i love this conversation , can't wait for the next...
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Comment by Zeina Ak on March 1, 2010 at 6:05pm -
So very true! thank you for sharing,,,
I wish more people thought this way including me.....( logic )
waiting....
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Comment by Maryam on March 1, 2010 at 6:57pm -
I love it...simple...deep
I love u ;)
when talking abt ksa;
دُستي ع الجرح
& waiting...
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Comment by lara on March 1, 2010 at 7:46pm -
the diff. is you can always say that you dont lke this rule or you even wanto change it , as ou can ask about the reasoning behind each rule ...... but when shieks say that this is a shari3a law ... they mean from GOD you can not open your mouth ........
تماما كما سالتك عن مسالهحضانه و ولايه القصر و زواج المطلقه الحاضنه ..... قانوون شرعي ...... اعترضي؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟
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Comment by lara on March 1, 2010 at 7:56pm
- المشكله ايضا ان البعض ياخذ امور مختلف عليها بشده و ياخذ الراي الاشد و يحرم الامر و يجعله قانون عام و يطبيق على الجمبع ...و بذلك يضيق واسعا ..... اعتقد ان النظام القانوني بالطريقه الموجوده الان غير قابل للتطبيق؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟
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Comment by Lana Abu Ayyash on March 1, 2010 at 7:58pm
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Lara: i cannot defend those who say we cannot ask questions or we cannot say why? for in Islam questioning isn't a problem and there are no secrets to protect.
I know it's common among many peolpe that asking questions ... doubting ...etc is haram or whatever.
but in the Quran GOD taught us to question, contemplate and think
sometimes the notion " don't ask it's from GOD" is a defense system for people who have no idea what to answer.
as for reasons of "ahkam" we have a whole tradition of "3illa" and "maslaha" in which laws are justified and discussed.
But inorder to be honest , scholars "as opposed to shaikhs meaning anyone with a beard" encourage questioning and never oppose it.
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Comment by Lana Abu Ayyash on March 1, 2010 at 8:05pm
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Human beings have a successful record of distorting religion.
Islam MUST be simple ... and all the prophet's traditions prove it.
But some people are harsh in nature, others don't understand the "spirit" of Islam, while some come from a background in which things get mixed up, so thier way of life that is supposed to be "thier way of life" all of a sudden becomes Islam itself.
And we arabs are masters in twisting Islam to match our traditions.
I'll give you an example: clothes, there are no such clothes that are Islamic, there are no Islamic designs, but there are requirements.
Today we say the cloak, "hatta", thoub ... jilbab, abaya ...etc are ISLAMIC clothings
and even people who become Muslims resort to such dress.
thus those types of clothes are arabian in nature and culture without any relation to Islam as a law and religion.
I can go on ....and on :)
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Comment by Lana Abu Ayyash on March 1, 2010 at 8:08pm
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Another example is "siwak" the "sunnah" is to clean the teeth and if one wants "out of love not law" to use the same tool the prophet used for "siwak" he/she can and i'ts good
but to consider the "sunnah" which is an international religion to use a type of weed that only grows in arabia is not right and is limiting islam.
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Comment by lara on March 1, 2010 at 8:09pm
- طب و فرض قوانين قي امور مختلف فيها و اجبار الناس على راي واحد بجعله قانون ... هل نظام سن القوانين الحالي و قضيه مفتي البلد و الذي يؤخذ بفتواه كقانون نافذ على الجميع عل الرغم من خلافيه موضوع الفتوى ... مقبول ؟؟
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