Comments on: Islam, Muslims, and Assumptions.

By: shush

shush — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:45:06 +0000

Female genital mutilation is extremely rare in Senegal and only practiced in small, cloistered pockets. The vast majority of Muslim leaders in Senegal are now teaching that it is not required for holiness.

By: Anne

Anne — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:39:04 +0000

You’re right that we can’t categorize a religion by one person, and I applaud you for that. I’ve heard that the African Muslims are the ones who practice female genital mutilation (circumcision). Does this group?

By: jaklumen

jaklumen — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:49:24 +0000

I wish I was able to communicate more how I feel. This touches on something I have shed many tears over.

I wish I could explain, but I can’t.

By: Carol

Carol — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:58:09 +0000

You are right to post about this. Many people do have such assumptions. I was one who did. Then, into my youngest son’s life has come a young lady who works with him. She is what is known as a Black Zionist. She is a member of a fundamentalist church whose preacher teaches his congregation that they have an obligation to help Jews in their fight in Israel because, during the civil rights fight in the 60′s, the Jews backed MLK Jr. and gave millions of dollars for the advancement of civil rights.

My point? My son’s girlfriend has traveled to Israel three times, has met many Jews and Muslims. She has protested at her college campus against the violence in Israel. She’s told me about the people she’s met and how the assumptions we have are wrong. She’s majoring in Middle Eastern Studies and studies both Hewbrew and Arabic so she can work in Israel someday for the Dept. of State or at the U.N. She’s absolutely mind-blowing, in the sense that she has such an open mind and wants to work in a field that most people would never consider. She has expanded my understanding in ways I never imagined.

By: e2c

e2c — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:30:26 +0000

The Middle East is still quite cosmopolitan... Re. area religions, there are also many Druze and Baha'i. And the culture of the Middle Eastern and North African "Arab" countries is very sophisticated and diverse. (Then there's Iran... again, highly sophisticated, with amazing traditions of literature, music and art that are several millennia [sp?] old.) The US media has been spreading some very confusing and prejudiced notions about Arabs and Muslims for many decades, but the way things are ow is beyond atrocious.

By: amberfireinus

amberfireinus — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:08:46 +0000

Brilliant post!!!

I would like to add a few things if I may….

Firstly, the Coptic Christians were amongst the first TRUE Christians. It was they who were fed to the lions, and they who suffered terribly for their faith in biblical times. One of the most beautiful examples of this Church lies in the center of Cairo. It is called the Hanging Church http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/cairo-hanging-church.htm . The first Christian Monestary (St. Catherines) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Catherine‘s_Monastery,_Mount_Sinai is also located in Egypt on the Red Sea. It is where the Burning bush lies.

Why am I telling you this? Because these people live in harmony with the Muslims. Side by side every single day. They are Egyptians, they are Middle Eastern, and they are Christians.

There are also Jews living well in Egypt. I have visted the Temple in Cairo too. It is beautiful. It is not vandalized in any way, or scorned. I was escorted to it by a very devout Muslim. http://www.bh.org.il/Communities/Archive/egypt.asp

We need to stop focusing on our differences and instead embrace our similarities.