Mycroft
Ministry of Serendipity
In the West, Muslims make up a meaningful portion of our population. But very few non-muslims understand what their beliefs really are, and this has allowed a very skewed interpretation of Islam to become ‘mainstream’ in the minds of Western Citizens.
But what can events like Gay Pride teach Muslims?
A Muslim friend of mine recently asked why homosexuals feel the need to espouse their sexuality on the streets with colourful banners and costumes and floats. I explained to him that they’re not espousing their sexuality. This confused him.
Gay Pride exists because there are still inequality issues that surround the LGBTQ world. And there are still wild misinterpretations about what it means to be homosexual, and what defines sexuality. The purpose of Gay Pride is to firstly remind people that these issues are still current, but also to provide a platform for people to discuss those issues in a way they might not ordinarily be able to do.
Muslims can learn a lot from this. And perhaps there should be a Muslim Pride festival. Perhaps, even, it may be the final solution to combatting extremism.
The problem with Islam is this: not enough non-muslims know much about it in the same way as they might do Christianity or Catholicism. And the reasons for this are as follows:
1) Islam is a lifestyle, too.
In parts of the world where the vast majority of people are Muslim, Islam is as much of a lifestyle - a way of life - as it is a religion. Islam is woven into the very fabric of their society in the same way as the US Constitution is woven into the fabric of American society. For this reason, Muslims, perhaps, tend to just get on with things and live life as best they can in the hope of a better afterlife.
This is all well and good, but it has a dramatic downside in that nobody really discusses Islam in-depth in those countries. Everyone tends to agree with each other. So when one mights suggest that, perhaps, Homosexuals are abominations and that something should be done with it, more people might agree with that than they probably should. Not because they actually believe those things, but because that just seems the norm. Extremism begins when a group of yes-men all agree that illicit interpretations are correct because they don’t bother to question it. I think everyone can agree that in those countries there are not enough Muslims challenging each other, and their faith, and demonstrating that while Islam might disagree with homosexuality, it doesn’t call homosexual people ‘abominations’ (unlike the Bible) nor call for any active retribution against them (unlike the Bible).
2) Western Muslims are too insular.
The problem with Western Muslims is that they are too closed-off and not very approachable (at least seemingly). Everyone knows that you can go into a church any time its open and talk to the priest, or pray, or sit quietly and contemplate the beauty of the stained glass.
Nobody knows that you can do exactly the same with a Mosque. And, in fact, a great many people might believe. quite wrongly, that they’re not ALLOWED inside a Mosque on account of not being Muslim.
3) Muslims are too quiet.
This is by far the most important and relevant problem of our modern times. There are not enough Muslims making a noise about Islam. The only ones that are being vocal about Islam are the non-Muslims extremists who stand on the street corners, go to demonstrations, and shout loudly about their distorted view of what they think Islam is.
The problem is that there are no real muslims launching protests or counter demonstrations. This means that the media has only one opinion on record: that of the extremists. And this has been the case for so long now that the warped and distorted view of Islam is gradually in danger of becoming the mainstream one.
Something like Muslim Pride could be instrumental in thwarting extremism. Such a festival not only highlight the richness and beauty of Muslim culture, but also allows the curious to approach Muslims and ask about their faith in a way they might not feel able to do so just by keeping the Mosques open. It provides a platform for Muslims to talk about what they really believe, and challenge the ideas laid out by extremists.
But what can events like Gay Pride teach Muslims?
A Muslim friend of mine recently asked why homosexuals feel the need to espouse their sexuality on the streets with colourful banners and costumes and floats. I explained to him that they’re not espousing their sexuality. This confused him.
Gay Pride exists because there are still inequality issues that surround the LGBTQ world. And there are still wild misinterpretations about what it means to be homosexual, and what defines sexuality. The purpose of Gay Pride is to firstly remind people that these issues are still current, but also to provide a platform for people to discuss those issues in a way they might not ordinarily be able to do.
Muslims can learn a lot from this. And perhaps there should be a Muslim Pride festival. Perhaps, even, it may be the final solution to combatting extremism.
The problem with Islam is this: not enough non-muslims know much about it in the same way as they might do Christianity or Catholicism. And the reasons for this are as follows:
1) Islam is a lifestyle, too.
In parts of the world where the vast majority of people are Muslim, Islam is as much of a lifestyle - a way of life - as it is a religion. Islam is woven into the very fabric of their society in the same way as the US Constitution is woven into the fabric of American society. For this reason, Muslims, perhaps, tend to just get on with things and live life as best they can in the hope of a better afterlife.
This is all well and good, but it has a dramatic downside in that nobody really discusses Islam in-depth in those countries. Everyone tends to agree with each other. So when one mights suggest that, perhaps, Homosexuals are abominations and that something should be done with it, more people might agree with that than they probably should. Not because they actually believe those things, but because that just seems the norm. Extremism begins when a group of yes-men all agree that illicit interpretations are correct because they don’t bother to question it. I think everyone can agree that in those countries there are not enough Muslims challenging each other, and their faith, and demonstrating that while Islam might disagree with homosexuality, it doesn’t call homosexual people ‘abominations’ (unlike the Bible) nor call for any active retribution against them (unlike the Bible).
2) Western Muslims are too insular.
The problem with Western Muslims is that they are too closed-off and not very approachable (at least seemingly). Everyone knows that you can go into a church any time its open and talk to the priest, or pray, or sit quietly and contemplate the beauty of the stained glass.
Nobody knows that you can do exactly the same with a Mosque. And, in fact, a great many people might believe. quite wrongly, that they’re not ALLOWED inside a Mosque on account of not being Muslim.
3) Muslims are too quiet.
This is by far the most important and relevant problem of our modern times. There are not enough Muslims making a noise about Islam. The only ones that are being vocal about Islam are the non-Muslims extremists who stand on the street corners, go to demonstrations, and shout loudly about their distorted view of what they think Islam is.
The problem is that there are no real muslims launching protests or counter demonstrations. This means that the media has only one opinion on record: that of the extremists. And this has been the case for so long now that the warped and distorted view of Islam is gradually in danger of becoming the mainstream one.
Something like Muslim Pride could be instrumental in thwarting extremism. Such a festival not only highlight the richness and beauty of Muslim culture, but also allows the curious to approach Muslims and ask about their faith in a way they might not feel able to do so just by keeping the Mosques open. It provides a platform for Muslims to talk about what they really believe, and challenge the ideas laid out by extremists.