Outcider
10-07-02, 06:08 PM
Last week I received a message from Ippo, a moderator, saying to my amazement: "If I see even one more of your posts which are degrading to Islam, contains mild blashpemy, flame baiting, or malicious. You will be banned."
This made me wonder. What on earth have I said that my posts have been degrading to Islam? I'd never do such a thing deliberately, but perhaps misinterpretations can happen due to different cultural backgrounds. Please forgive me, if we've understood each other wrongly.
If I had lived during prophet Muhammad's time, I might have criticized his teachings even then. Hundred of years have elapsed and many things have changed. It may not be fair to criticize ancient beliefs at this stage, but science has progressed and it's even easier to be critical now.
I've criticized other religions, too. For instance in the thread "101 clear contradictions in the Bible". I've warned of the Korean Moonists long before the current thread "This was a full page ad in my paper".
Thanks to Ippo I decided to have a few days' break from taking part in the discussion and study other religions instead. I landed among other things at pages written by Joseph Farah for WorldNetDaily.com. He wrote about an Islamic University in Palestine, where even five-year-old children are taught how to become suicide terrorists.
You certainly know whether the information was correct or not, although I've learned that you'd never admit such a place even exists.
The news was shocking and made me think very negatively of Muslims. Having seen slander, foul language, threats etc. on this forum, makes one generalize all too easily. I've had contacts with very fine Muslims, but such people, unfortunately, are rare on this forum. Some splendid sources of information have been banned. For instance, charlesl gave me good and useful information about Saudi princesses. He had worked in Saudi Arabia for some years.
As we've learnt in the past few days, most of the moderators are under 20 and without doubt think of many things differently. I'm sure I was also fervent at that age. We all are young once and our thinking changes.
Some of the older people seem to be totally stick to their religious beliefs and don't even consider something else could be true. Everybody has his or her own right to believe in whatever he or she chooses. I have my own beliefs, but they are mine and they don't belong to anyone else. I am pleased to discuss my beliefs, of course. Please note again that Islam, just like all untold other beliefs, is nothing more than a belief (true, even if I was banned for saying that). Many people's actions are guided by that belief and knowing why such a behaviour is observed is good for all of us, so-called outsiders.
It is beneficial for all of us to learn how people may interpret you. If you look at my brand new avatar, even that may cause misinterpretations, even if that certainly is not the purpose. In conlusion, I'd like to extend those flowers I have in the hand to all participants of this discussion forum to all girls/women, but I suppose I can't. Even shaking a woman's hand is forbidden, I am told. I'd also like to extend those flowers to the guys, but I can hardly do that either, because we might be considered gays, also forbidden in your religion.
But perhaps I can offer them to children, who still might understand what simple friendship means.
This made me wonder. What on earth have I said that my posts have been degrading to Islam? I'd never do such a thing deliberately, but perhaps misinterpretations can happen due to different cultural backgrounds. Please forgive me, if we've understood each other wrongly.
If I had lived during prophet Muhammad's time, I might have criticized his teachings even then. Hundred of years have elapsed and many things have changed. It may not be fair to criticize ancient beliefs at this stage, but science has progressed and it's even easier to be critical now.
I've criticized other religions, too. For instance in the thread "101 clear contradictions in the Bible". I've warned of the Korean Moonists long before the current thread "This was a full page ad in my paper".
Thanks to Ippo I decided to have a few days' break from taking part in the discussion and study other religions instead. I landed among other things at pages written by Joseph Farah for WorldNetDaily.com. He wrote about an Islamic University in Palestine, where even five-year-old children are taught how to become suicide terrorists.
You certainly know whether the information was correct or not, although I've learned that you'd never admit such a place even exists.
The news was shocking and made me think very negatively of Muslims. Having seen slander, foul language, threats etc. on this forum, makes one generalize all too easily. I've had contacts with very fine Muslims, but such people, unfortunately, are rare on this forum. Some splendid sources of information have been banned. For instance, charlesl gave me good and useful information about Saudi princesses. He had worked in Saudi Arabia for some years.
As we've learnt in the past few days, most of the moderators are under 20 and without doubt think of many things differently. I'm sure I was also fervent at that age. We all are young once and our thinking changes.
Some of the older people seem to be totally stick to their religious beliefs and don't even consider something else could be true. Everybody has his or her own right to believe in whatever he or she chooses. I have my own beliefs, but they are mine and they don't belong to anyone else. I am pleased to discuss my beliefs, of course. Please note again that Islam, just like all untold other beliefs, is nothing more than a belief (true, even if I was banned for saying that). Many people's actions are guided by that belief and knowing why such a behaviour is observed is good for all of us, so-called outsiders.
It is beneficial for all of us to learn how people may interpret you. If you look at my brand new avatar, even that may cause misinterpretations, even if that certainly is not the purpose. In conlusion, I'd like to extend those flowers I have in the hand to all participants of this discussion forum to all girls/women, but I suppose I can't. Even shaking a woman's hand is forbidden, I am told. I'd also like to extend those flowers to the guys, but I can hardly do that either, because we might be considered gays, also forbidden in your religion.
But perhaps I can offer them to children, who still might understand what simple friendship means.