If Islam is such a great religion, why did we fail to produce great muslims

[bella88]

Re: If Islam is such a great religion, why did we fail to produce great muslims

@Truthador

The people you mention were able to capture the attention of the world in a way very few Muslims have been able to do so. More importantly they did it in an era where Radio and then Television had become the number one source of news media for most people. So even if you were illiterate, you were still aware of these people.

Another factor is that most of these people didn’t push their religion to the forefront of their campaigns. Nelson Mandela fought to end apartheid, he wanted black and white to live equally, regardless of faith. Similarly, Martin Luther King, a Christian minister, pushed for equal rights for black people in America. He wasn’t fighting for equal rights for black CHRISTIAN people but black people regardless of faith. Mother Theresa, a Catholic missionary famous for her charity work. She worked to help the poorest people in society regardless of their faith.

Ghandi, a Hindu, was also involved with civil rights, this time in India. He pushed for greater rights in a British ruled India but through peaceful means. He practiced what he preached and chose to live a simple life. Outside of India he’s seen as being an inspirational Indian, rather than a Hindu.

Muhammed Ali is probably one of the few Muslims to achieve global appeal but is he famous because he’s a Muslim? He first achieved popularity BEFORE he was a Muslim. A gifted boxer, he became Heavyweight Champion of the World in 1964 before he reverted to Islam. This was in an age when not only was boxing one of the most dominant sports in the world but being heavyweight champion made you the most famous sports person in the world. However it can be argued that it was through Islam he became the inspirational character he is today.

With his skills and abilities he was already well known in the sporting world. When he joined Islam, his appeal extended to the Muslim world. Outside of boxing it was his refusal to be conscripted into the army and to go fight in Vietnam that cemented his place in history. Muslims continue to admire him but he isn’t held in high esteem by others for being a Muslim. Sporting fans love him for his boxing achievements and others admire him for sticking to his principles, for refusing to go to war. In a sense they see him advocating peace in the same way Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela did.

There are many good Muslim role models out there but we live in an age where Muslims are portrayed negatively by the non-Muslim world, so it’s difficult to see how we can have inspirational Muslims who will join the group of people mentioned above. Add to that the way Muslims in the public eye conduct themselves, it makes it all the more difficult. When the majority of Muslim countries appear to be run by corrupt politicians or trigger happy dictators who advocate violence against their own people, then we’re not going to be seeing a Muslim who’s revered by the whole world anytime soon.

the most sensible post so far on this thread. and the least biased one as well.