Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

Society Religion & Philosophy
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I understand that I am hitting a raw nerve here. I am not a muslim, but to the so called pure muslims I have a few questions. I dont intend to hurt your sentiments, but these are genuine doubts and I need the clarifications…

  1. Isnt taking and giving interest(banks) haraam. Is it really possible to survive in this world without the concept of interest. I would rather prefer usury to be banned rather than banning the concept of interests. I know that there are banks which cater to the interest free concept. But how many muslims would bank that way.

  2. A female should be accompanied by a male relative when she goes out. Is this feasible.

  3. I know that is a debateable question. Isnt music haraam. True there are different schools of thought regarding this, but if Islam is a perfect religion why do we still have doubts about such basic issues.

  4. The concept of polygamy. True Islam lays down strict guidelines regarding polygamy. How many muslims really understand the guidelines and adhere to them.

  5. Four witnesses for a rape. Is it possible

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

Dont judge car by its driver rash guy, if muslims are doing something bad, it doesn't mean islam tells them to do so. if you see someone's driving car badly whom do you blame .. car or a driver.... same is the case with religion.... same is the case with even your religion.

And dont judge islam before you know it fully.

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

Every religion has its fallacies. But every other religion has evolved with the times while it is not so with Islam(sure the purest one!!!). While having a slave was the norm in those ages, it is not so at present.
I can keep giving examples but I need clarifications for the points raised above...

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

[edit]
*Please avoid personal insults. *

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

You seem to have a very selective and pin-pointed knowledge of Islamic rules. Watch a lot of CNN ? :p

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

islam's rule or any other religen's rules can be changed by external factors.
adaptation is key to survival.

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

islam is for all times it came to change society not for society to change islam

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

1) Isnt taking and giving interest(banks) haraam. Is it really possible to survive in this world without the concept of interest. I would rather prefer usury to be banned rather than banning the concept of interests. I know that there are banks which cater to the interest free concept. But how many muslims would bank that way.

Interest-free banking is very widespread and accelerating in growth in many parts of the Muslim world. It's been so successful that even most major Western investment and commercial banks now have Islamic banking divisions that are continually growing

2) A female should be accompanied by a male relative when she goes out. Is this feasible.

Only some Muslim scholars think that's a part of Islam. Others believe the restriction only applies to journeys that exceed a specified length or duration.

3) I know that is a debateable question. Isnt music haraam. True there are different schools of thought regarding this, but if Islam is a perfect religion why do we still have doubts about such basic issues.

Islamic scholars have always been against codification is religion - against having "just one way of applying Islam". Having Islam constantly open to the best interpretation of knowledgable people prevents it from the trap of falling into a single, corruptable set of rules. Music is a case in point. Islam is a perfect religion and at teh time of the Prophet a single, unified opinion existed about music, but somewhere along the line someone innovated, and invented sayings of the prophet to either support or oppose music. Scholars are divided over some believing the evidence against music to be post-Islamic innovation, whilst other believe the evidence in favour of music is post-Islamic innovation.

4) The concept of polygamy. True Islam lays down strict guidelines regarding polygamy. How many muslims really understand the guidelines and adhere to them.

The lack of education about Islam is a flaw in Muslims, but not in Islam. Some countries like Malaysia are taking steps against this, where the givernment offers incentives for people getting married to take a short Islamic course on the rights and duties if husbands and wives. This ensures muslims really understand the guidelines and gives them incentive to adhere to them.

5) Four witnesses for a rape. Is it possible

Four witnesses are required for an accusation of consensual sex, not for rape.

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

a)A female should be accompanied by a male relative when she goes out. Is this feasible.

its not Islamic its Afghanis traditional or you can say there local rule.

b)Four witnesses for a rape. Is it possible?

its not Islamic also there is no such thing in Islam.
actual rule is if " any man accuse a women of adultery he should provide four witness"
i think this rule is in Quran "Surah al Nisah:

RashGuy your saying these things as you are a angle and you and your follow religion people dont do sin full things.

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

Ok, when will Hinduism abolish the caste system then?

Tu ...
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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

india has to integrate 260 million dalits and 140 muslims to survive as a nation
regarless whatever religen says same way islam has to adapt to non-muslims
whatever religen says about other religens.

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

^ islam is a system which gives rights to non muslims already just needs to be implemented

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

Two of the biggest wars of the last century were started and conducted by the civilized world ie xtian democracies. Does that mean there is something wrong with the religion? I beg to differ. Its the ppl who practice or misuse the religion who r to blame.

Does Islam need reformation? Most definately Yes. Now this does not mean to change the basic tenets of Islam as preached in Quran. Shariat and interpertation of Sunah needs to be reviewed and understood with a new meaning which suits Muslims according to their current needs.

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

^ current needs ?

1400 years ago people did business, they married,they interacted in society etc

the same things happen today only difference today is that means of technology,communication and transport has been made faster, the people then had needs and the needs are same today.

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

Yes, current needs. There are profound differences between today and then. Mass communication, interdependent economies, service based economies (never been done before), higher standards of living, and the list goes on.

Why should our women be under house arrest when we have civil society now? We are no longer an aggregated bunch of tribes, as was the case under the nobel four Caliphs. Why pretend we are?

This is the danger in pretending that Islam IS a political order, and not simply a guide that relates the relation between man-and-God, not between men and other men (aside from what offends God, of course).

No one is saying that marriage is obsolete, or that working is obsolete. But the ground realities have changed…women are more educated now…so why not have them able to bare witness just like any other men?

Please explain…

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

Can we draw a distinction between usury and interest? It is in fact usury which is banned in Islam, but we (by analogy) make no distinction between interest and usury. Is this valid or not?

When I was in university in Canada, I participated in a program were several students would escort female students to their dorms during early morning and late night.

In socities where civil law and order is not present (and sadly, this is much of Muslim society), it is foolish and idiotic to simply talk about abstract notions of rights when rapists and murderers respect no such notion and have very little standing in there way.

The real question here is about law and order, not the typical “gender bias” stick Muslims constantly get hit with by a supremacist mindset (and I know that may hit a raw nerve, but let us be frank…the Western view of the world is that it is the best and that anything that differs from it must be flawed).

A religoin can be perfect, but Humans by definition cannot practice religion perfectly.

How many muslims actually practice polygamy…

Four witnesses is required for Hadd laws. Usually means death. Without four witnesses, the rapist can still be convicted under lesser laws (usually imprisonment).

In practice, the legal order is corrupt in Muslim countries. It is setup to protect the rich and the powerful.

Anyhow. in the West, a rapist gets what? 10 years, at most? Not only that, but it takes very little to get an accused man in Jail. There are cases where a man gets sent to jail, but was in fact simply having sex by consent.

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

//Islam is a perfect religion and at teh time of the Prophet a single, unified opinion existed about music, but somewhere along the line someone innovated, and invented sayings of the prophet to either support or oppose music. //

At the very outset I would like to thank Maddy for the informative post.
But then arent you saying that the sayings of the prophet (pbuh) have been distorted. If Islam is the purest religion, how is this possible.

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

//Interest-free banking is very widespread and accelerating in growth in many parts of the Muslim world. It's been so successful that even most major Western investment and commercial banks now have Islamic banking divisions that are continually growing
//
Isnt the concept of interest free banking a subversion of the rule as laid down in Islamic law. Does it not violate the spirit of the law. Arent you paying interest just by another name.
Maddy one question I would like to ask is this--- Would you give me a interest free loan of 1 million dollars or the maximum amount you can afford. Sure I will give a surety for the same..

Last person to answer this post wins!!!!
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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

//Ok, when will Hinduism abolish the caste system then?//
That is the beauty of hinduism. Years ago low caste hindus were denied entry to temples. True aberrations still take place, but they are becoming rarer.
Unless and until we try to evolve with the times it would be difficult.
ps: I am not a hindu but am a christian

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Re: Is Islam a followable religion in the modern world.

despite the caste system india has the most mixed and diverse genetic make up

Genetically and culturally India is perhaps the most diverse country on the face of the earth. The most authoritative summary of genetics of human populations is provided by Cavalli-Sforza in his magnum opus, History and Geography of Human Genes [Cavalli-Sforza, et. al 1994]. He provides global maps of frequencies of 82 genes for 42 population aggregates of indigenous people covering the entire world. The 82 loci show the highest levels of heterozygosity, 0.35-0.37 for northwestern India, west Asia and continental Europe (Fig.1).

http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/hpg/cesmg/peopling.html#sec4