Why so many threads/posts about Muslims or Islam?

[Aquitaine]

End-Time Reformer is the reformer about whom about all the founders of revealed religions have prophesied, with different names and titles. I mean Buddha, Krishna,Zoroaster,Moses, Jesus etc.
It is called End-Time, may be because all other religions and their followers have to truthfully merge under the End-Time Reformer, as their purpose as a different entity will end at that juncture. With him a new era of humanity is to usher in, it is for this that he has been named as Adam also.
Regards

You're going to annoy a lot of Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and Zoroastrians with that comment.

 

[Aquitaine]

Peace be on you.
1-Theoretically, many can come.
2-On the level of prophesy, Promised Messiah -- the Mahdi is mentioned, as follower of Holy Prophet (pbuh) according to Ahmadiyya-Muslims.
3-Holy Prophet (pbuh) was like Hazrat Moses (a.s.) :
[Quran ch 73:v 16] Verily, We have sent to you a Messenger, who is a witness over you, even as We sent a Messenger to Pharaoh.

Both Prophets with Jalal [grandeur, sun-like property, fast] --- Both have their Messiahs; Both with Jamal [beauty, calm, moon-like property, slow process] --- Thus End-Time reformer has steadiness in spread, His Khilafat continues, it is like a process. End-Reformer's time will be at least 1000 years.

"That the history of religion is cyclic and is renewed every seven millennia. The present cycle from the time of the Biblical Adam is split into seven epochs or ages, parallel to the seven days of the week, with periods for light and darkness. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad appeared as the promised Messiah at the sixth epoch heralding the seventh and final age of mankind,[64] as a day in the estimation of God is like a thousand years of man's reckoning.[Quran 22:47] According to Ghulam Ahmad, just as the sixth day of the week is reserved forJumu'ah (congregational prayers), likewise his age is destined for a global assembling of mankind in which the world is to unite under one universal religion: Islam."
Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmadiyya

Doesn't that seem a little totalitarian, that everyone will be under Islam in the final epoch? What about people with different beliefs, what will happen to them?

 

[Deidre]

This appears to be a mostly western site. Islam is the new guy in town, so to speak. It is also apparently growing rapidly in the West whilst Christianity is declining, so of course it is going to be scrutinized since it is farely new to Westerners.
It is also - from what I have seen - more at odds with "western" social progressivism than Christianity currently is, at least in my country (UK).

Finally, another reason why it may draw significant criticism is because it is marketed as the final religion (see post #95 regarding the merging of other faiths under the End Time Reformer).

These are excellent points, actually.

 

[LuisDantas]

The thing that is troubling to me, is this is a religious forum, and Islam is a religion, and if you disagree with its premise, that's fine. But, the constant negative rants about it, seem kind of off putting. If this were an anti-Muslim or anti-Islam site, those posts might make more sense.

A forum about religions is supposed, even expected, to have room to discuss and criticize them.

If some of those are somewhat more fragile than others, that is to be expected.

Had scientology reached 20% of the world population, I must assume we would be quite implacable in criticizing it. Its "doctrine", such as it is, is very much worth of criticism.

 

[Aquitaine]

These are excellent points, actually.

B-b-but we're on the internet: we're supposed to be arguing and uncivil towards each other. :S

 

[Deidre]

A forum about religions is supposed, even expected, to have room to discuss and criticize them.

If some of those are somewhat more fragile than others, that is to be expected.

Had scientology reached 20% of the world population, I must assume we would be quite implacable in criticizing it. Its "doctrine", such as it is, is very much worth of criticism.

Bashing =/= criticism. Bashing Islam has become the norm on here...

 

[Rival]

Bashing Islam has become the norm on here...

What do you class as bashing?

 

[Deidre]

What do you class as bashing?

I think you know.

 

[Rival]

I think you know.

No, I don't. I'm asking an honest question, because I seriously don't know.

 

[Deidre]

No, I don't. I'm asking an honest question, because I seriously don't know.

Remember the thread that you posted that was locked I believe, last year? That would be an example. Everyone is entitled to think anything they wish about any religion they wish, but it’s off putting to see a lot of the hurtful commentary that I’ve seen over the past year on here, relating to Islam. Especially when we have such awesome Muslim members on this very site. Just my opinion as to what I’ve observed relating to how Islam is ‘handled’ here.

 

[Rival]

Remember the thread that you posted that was locked I believe, last year? That would be an example. Everyone is entitled to think anything they wish about any religion they wish, but it’s off putting to see a lot of the hurtful commentary that I’ve seen over the past year on here, relating to Islam. Especially when we have such awesome Muslim members on this very site. Just my opinion as to what I’ve observed relating to how Islam is ‘handled’ here.

You mean confronting Muslims head on about some of what I believe to be abhorrent things about their religion? Also, you seem to be equating Islam with Muslims, as if critique of Islam is critique of individual Muslims. But I may be misreading you.

 

[LuisDantas]

Bashing =/= criticism. Bashing Islam has become the norm on here...

Maybe because it is justified or even necessary? It is a real possibility, you know.

 

[Deidre]

You mean confronting Muslims head on about some of what I believe to be abhorrent things about their religion? Also, you seem to be equating Islam with Muslims, as if critique of Islam is critique of individual Muslims. But I may be misreading you.

This is a good point.

Maybe because it is justified or even necessary? It is a real possibility, you know.

Maybe.

Most of my offline friends are atheists, and one said to me one night...''why do you defend Islam? I think it's because you considered converting to it.'' Maybe he is right...I think we tend to defend things that at one time, were near to our heart. I'm grateful to be following Christianity again, but perhaps, there are times when I think back to last year when I heartily explored Islam, and feel sometimes offended, when it is offended. Maybe I need to ponder that some.

 

[Milton Platt]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I thought I'd put it in the general section: ever since joining this site, 90% of the content I have come across is to do with Islam or Muslims, most of it posted by non Muslims. Why is that? For example, if I flick through the european political section, I constantly see more posts about Muslims or Islam (particularly negative) than other, more pressing concerns within the european community, for example, the failing economy, the rise not only of neo-Nazis but of the extreme right, the increase in violence, murder, sex crime, political instability, Britain's role in the EU and so on.

Why is this?

Because Islamists are killing tens of thousands of people in the name of their god. Right or wrong....it is still a fact.

 

[Tomorrows_Child]

I don't recall claiming that there were any.

What you said, word for word : "It's one of the few religions that maintains the ideal that every verse of its text is correct and as a result there is much crime and social issues that are associated with it."

So I can repeat the question or you can say you don't want to answer it. Up to you.

 

[Tomorrows_Child]

Because Islamists are killing tens of thousands of people in the name of their god. Right or wrong....it is still a fact.

Who are these Islamists?

What is your definition of Islamist?

Most people would label someone who follows the teachings of Islam an "Islamist"...which would be correct. But someone who follows those teachings would not be killing thousand of people in the name of God. Even the MI5 (you know, that little intelligent service from the UK) has stated openly as long as ago as 2008, that someone who is a "conservative" muslim, is highly unlikely to be radicalised and involved in terrorist activity. They then went on to describe people that do take part in these activities as "users of alcohol, drugs and prostitutes...and Islamic novices".

Their words not mine.

 

[Tomorrows_Child]

This appears to be a mostly western site. Islam is the new guy in town, so to speak. It is also apparently growing rapidly in the West whilst Christianity is declining, so of course it is going to be scrutinized since it is farely new to Westerners.
It is also - from what I have seen - more at odds with "western" social progressivism than Christianity currently is, at least in my country (UK).

Finally, another reason why it may draw significant criticism is because it is marketed as the final religion (see post #95 regarding the merging of other faiths under the End Time Reformer).

The UK is also my country, so in what way is it at odds with so called social progressiveness?

 

[Tomorrows_Child]

Btw, I won't be able to reply to everyone, so I apologsie for that but this thread, asking one question has morphed into the norm for this forum, namely, "let's bash Islam some more" but I'm more than happy to answer questions, already answered some above. But that then also requires a two-way discussion. Let'ssee if it progresses like that.

 

[paarsurrey]

You're going to annoy a lot of Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and Zoroastrians with that comment.

Why should they get annoyed? It is prophesied in the scriptures belonging to each one of their religions.
If at all they should be annoyed first with the founder of their own religion who prophesied the coming of a reformer. Right? Please
Regards

 

[Maya Kaath]

I'd say certain muslims are demonizing and smearing their own faith.

While it's true that the worst enemies of any faith are professing believers who behave in ways completely counter to the teachings of that faith, there are entire organizations in the west dedicated to the destruction of Islam and the persecution of Muslims. Politicians and others spout hateful rhetoric, grown men carry loaded rifles and march around American mosques claiming they'd be crazy to protest Islam unarmed. I continue to meet people who demand that Muslims speak out against the violence of groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda completely oblivious to the fact that they have been speaking out, loudly through paid ads, open letters, conferences, interfaith work, public meetings, seminars on their faith and on and on.

Why don't people know about the Muslims who condemn what cultic groups like ISIS are doing in the name of Islam? Because conflict sells papers and ad space and draws eyeballs and listeners. Conflict fills seats. Nice peaceful Muslims, not so much.

The worse part of it is the rank ignorance. People hear verses taken out of any context and believe that those verses are what Islam is about. It would be as if someone, looking at Christianity, first judged the faith by what the most extreme professing Christians were doing, then ignored all of Christ's words about love and self-sacrifice in favor of believing that the Gospel of Christ was "I have come not to bring peace, but a sword."

We non-Muslims contribute to that demonization when we carelessly repeat what we've heard rather than investigating the teachings of Muhammad for ourselves and understand them in their historical context. We contribute to it when we fail to speak out against any violence in the name of religion whether it is from Islamists or Islamophobes.