Women in Islam

As an American and a Muslim, I have really had my eyes opened to how ignorant and closed minded most Americans are. I must admit I am proud to no longer be a part of the majority. This country is so blind and closed minded. Americans cling to every word of the media and refuse to gain knowledge on their own. Because the truth is women are a very vital part of Islam, they should be loved and respected. And in most cases they are.
I want to discuss a few misconceptions Americans have on Islam. Many people think that Muslims put down and belittle women and they have no rights in Islam. Well let me say you are wrong. Sure there are some terrible examples of the way women are treated in Islam, but you can find many similar examples in christianity. As Americans we dont understand why women and men are separated so much. It is to minimize sexual immorality. Some countries have taken this to the extreme and force women to cover even their face. However the majority of the Muslim world does not require this. A point of fact is in many countries this is a choice for women to wear lose clothes and cover their hair. If they are going to be Muslims they should cover the hair and wear lose clothes. The same applies for men except covering of the hair. The Qur'an tells us women are our equals. They should be treated the same as men, they have a extremely vital role not only in this world but our religion. Sadly a small number of people have made poor examples for us Muslims. And Americans only get to see the bad side of Islam because this is all the news shows. Well let me tell you brothers, Open your eyes to the truth. Read, learn, expand your mind. If you take Islam at its roots, as the religion it was meant to be not what the news shows, you will see the truth. Islam is a peaceful, open, and kind religion. The typical man in Islam, cherishes his wife. He treats her with love and respect. He follows Gods law from the Qur'an, and women are treated very kind. Their role is vital for Islam. There is a quote I love; "Teach a woman to do something, and it is as if you have taught all of mankind." the Prophet Muhammad. This is a powerful quote from the first Muslim and it says it all about the way Muslims should treat women. I know many Muslim's who are angered by the way a few poor examples treat women. But as Americans we dont see that most women are treated well because the news doesn't show this side of Islam. Before you judge get the facts, dont base your opinions on the words of others. I dont care how smart you think you are, if you form an opinion before you gather facts for yourself you are an idiot. This is only one example of the misconceptions on Islam Americans have. If you dont know for yourself, Find out. Learn before you make a decission, and for the love of God, OPEN YOUR MIND.

Sex is everywhere!!!!

As a Muslim I have been working on a new concept completely foreign to Americans. Complete, sexual abstinence. I am not just talking about the act, rather anything that has to do with sex. Masturbation, physical contact with the opposite sex of any kind, thoughts, images, and any other way that we allow sex into our lives. This task has been much, much harder than I originally thought. Sex is every where. The news, T.V. shows, music, advertisement, books, art, and even our children are attempting to be sex symbols. This is not only sick, but sad that parents would allow their children to do such things. Many would even encourage it. Have you ever wondered why divorce rates are so high. Or why adultery is so common in our culture. Every where you turn sex is in your face. Sexual abstinence until marriage offers many benefits. For one, adultery rates are so high in my opinion because when you have premarital sex, you are always comparing your husband and wife to former lovers. If they are the perfect person however they fall a little short in bed, you will start seeking this pleasure else where. However when you wed as virgins this is a non issue. You have nothing to compare to, so as far as you know its perfect. You have no reason to seek this pleasure else where. Having sex was the worst thing I have ever done in my life, and I have done some pretty stupid things. Sex not only complicates any relationship, it creates self esteem issues. It creates the thought that if you are not having sex, there must be something wrong with you.

I for one refuse to raise my children is such a place. Once upon a time, this country was a wonderful place. A place of morals and values. Now the only morals and values we have are the ones our actors, and actresses tell us to have. With role models like Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton and all the other whores, what else can we expect. They make it look cool to be used and abused.

To be continued....

A white Muslim?

As a recent convert to Islam my life has just became very interesting. One of the first things I found out, is Americans are really ignorant to anything but America. I think it is sad really. The vast majority of Americans lack the ability to think for themselves. If Fox or CNN says it, well it has to be true right? Yes, it is. Well if you are the average American anyways. I also found out that most of your friends and even your best friends forget about you when you make a choice like this. However this is largely do to their ignorance on the subject. Hopefully in this blog I can clear some things up.

I guess you might want to know how exactly I became a Muslim. Well it is a story I enjoy telling. I was raised Southern Baptist, and attended a christian school most of my life. I was quite devout in my religion at the beginning of this year, 2009. I was struggling in life and praying everyday, for God to show me the path I should take. After a few weeks I became united with a Muslim friend I haven't talked to in a few years. We never talked about religion, it was off limits. Oddly our first conversation in 2 years was about religion. After an hour or so of talking, I decided to look at a few pages in the Qur'an. I prayed to God, to show me the signs, the truth. As I read the first 2 or 3 pages I was not really impressed. However I continued to read anyways. About half way into the first surra(book) I was blown away. This was the message I have been looking for. The very next day, I contacted another Muslim I knew, to help teach me about Islam. The things I learned over the next few weeks, blew my mind. I had no idea that Islam was this way. I was ignorant, close minded and uneducated. I couldn't get enough of the Qur'an. I knew it was time to convert. This shocked a lot of people.

My friends and family were shocked at my revelation. They were confused, and confused. I can't really blame them. I mean, I didn't even expect this to happen. Sadly some of them have yet to accept this. Its not about accepting Islam, but I would like to think that they would still accept me. I understand to a point I used to be just as ignorant as them, but I have always tried to keep an open mind. Islam is not all about crazy, mad fanatics. At its roots its the most peaceful understanding religion on the planet. But as Americans we have been programed by the media to believe all Muslims are terrorists. Another mistake is Americans think all Arabs are Muslims and all Muslims are Arabs.

I have also found that many people don't take me seriously as a Muslim. Sure the majority of those at my mosque have welcomed me with open arms. Most have been very kind and helpful. As the only Caucasian at my mosque I do tend to get a few stares. Although the majority of stares come from other white people. I know this is mostly due to ignorance. I have even had a few Americans tell me, "they were sick of Muslims coming to this country and acting like we owned the place." Surprisingly I was not too offended by this. I mean it was just a prime example of ignorance. I don't even look anything like an Arab. I think it is sad that many Americans are this uneducated. Sure there is racism everywhere you go, but if you are going to be racist, know your races. I rarely dress in the traditional dress, but I take pride in wearing my kufi. I want the first thing people to know about me is, I am a Muslim.

There are a few open minded people left out there. You can tell them right away, because of the stupid remarks. They at least ask questions to the subjects they don't know much about. I love answering questions about Islam. I pray everyday that I get a chance to tell someone new about Islam. I am the type of person to ask questions and educate my self, at least a little before I speak on a subject. Honestly I think this is the worlds largest problem. We as humans are programed to fear that which we don't know. So why not educate yourself, so you can get past the fear. Well because your favorite actor, singer and news source don't tell you to do that. If Dr.Phil and P. Diddy didn't tell you to do it, then well its just wrong.

To be continued....

This is my first blog so please bare with me. I will cover many topics throughout the course of my blogging from my thoughts on government, America, my life, and Islam.

I am going to start by talking about my self some. Allow you to get a feel of who I am and how I became this way. OK lets begin.

I am 26 years old, from Beaufort, S.C. I am an U.S. Army veteran, disabled. I am a student in college, and I am a Muslim. My major is psychology with a focus on drug addiction. I grew up on a farm, in a small military town. I tend to vote republican or independent. I am not married, although I have someone in mind and I have no children. I don't drink, or do drugs. Although I have in my past. I despise the news, all sources. I think it is disgusting that life revolves so much around sex in this country. We will cover these topics in later posts, I am sure. I have Wolff-Parkinson's-White syndrome and I am patiently awaiting surgery. The VA hospital in Little Rock AK is suppose to be doing the operation. For all of you that want socialized medicine, just ask a veteran and you will change your mind. Well I guess that about covers the back ground info and I am sure more will be reviled in future posts. Bye for now.