… i think i understand now why “we” (as in Muslims) are in the state we are in. Jews, Zionists, President Bush, the “west”, gorays, kalays, we don’t need any of these bogeymen. All we have to do is look in the mirror at the image staring back at us. We have only ourselves to blame. Who needs Jews - we have our own enemies right within ourselves. A few threads in the Culture Forum are a classic example of my beliefs. Why do Pathans hate us? Why do Bengalis hate us? Why don’t Orientals hate us? Why do Martians hate us? This Forum can also, sadly, provide too many perfect examples. Which school of religious thought do you follow? Did you know that this sect prays in this way, and that my sect prays according to the manner of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)? Did you know your sect is going to perish and mine is going to survive until yoam al aakhir? Muawiyah did this, and this Caliph did that, and therefore i am right, you are wrong, end of topic. Your sheikh doesn’t speak English well enough, my sheikh does - she’s not a true Muslim, she’s a kafir, she’s going to perish in hell, my crystal ball told me so.
man. Do we ever stop and really reflect on how absurd we sound? i would be embarassed to introduce any of my nonMuslim friends to this Forum. Why? Because i am always discussing the principles of Islam with them, extolling its beauty, its open-mindedness, the peace within it, the sweeping rights to ALL human beings that were ordained in the 7th century, milestones ahead of the Victorian times when women weren’t even considered as equal human beings alongwith males. i tell them, politely, how women weren’t given inheritance rights in most ‘western countries’ until a hundred years ago (at the very earliest); female infanticide was eradicated by the Word of God at a time of such jahiliyah when female babies were buried alive. The emphasis to seek knowledge, to travel, was all ordained by Islam. What to say of equality infront of God’s eyes ? If i go on Hajj, i tell my nonMuslim friends, i will be as equal infront of Allah as any Arab prince. No concept of original sin, i am not responsible for anyone else’s sins and no one is accountable for mine, i am independent, i am free-minded. i have found all this, and so much more, within Islam.
But you know the sad part is… we have the best religion and the worst followers. We have no one to blame but ourselves. Forget Jews, forget Zionists, forget the conspiracy, forget even Dubya. We are our own worst enemies. We’ve created a separate Islam - it’s cultural Islam, pick and choose what you want, you can pray five times a day but you can still make fun of your Muslim Bengali brothers and sisters [don’t you know they stink and all they eat is fish?]. You can memorize the entire Quran but still declare someone a kafir based upon whether or not they follow your school of thought. The discussion, the openness, the sharing of ideas - that all perished hundreds of years ago when madrassas did not carry the negative connotation as they currently do.
We don’t need opponents in the form of Jews or Rabbis. We have enemies right in our own midst. They have wreaked more damage on our ummah than any Rabbi could ever have done.
So the majority of the Guppies above who replied to this thread, agree with me. Well that’s no fun 
i was expecting a WWIII.
baji Nadia!
i guess we both feel the same way. It feels nice to know i am not alone.
