Obviously by the grace of Allah, but is there a reason which the human mind can understand. I say with delight that many ppl are finding the truth and reverting to the faith of God, but what is the attraction to the non believer to lead them on this path?
And secondly why do so many BOXERS convert to Islam. This is a list of those I know of who have:
Muhammad Ali - boxer
Matthew Saad Muhammad - world champion boxer (formerly Matt Franklin)
Dwight Muhammad Qawi - world champion boxer (formerly Dwight Braxton)
Eddie Mustapha Muhammad - world champion lightweight boxer (formerly Eddie Gregory)
Mustafa Hamsho - boxer
Akbar Muhammad - boxer
Mike Tyson - boxer
Hamdan Chris Eubank - boxer (super middleweight boxing champion)
Antony Mundine-Australian middleweight boxer, AFL player
may be they think there is no racism in islam . but when they visit
southern sudan they will still find slavery. religen is different from how
it is practised at ground level.
I don't know about others but I am sure Mike Tyson hasn't. :)
Anyway, one of the studies show that in America (& Africa), Christianity is viewed as a "religion of the white people" Mainly because the icons, symbolism and history of contemporary Christianity which is part of the foundation of Western Civilization goes hand in hand with people of 'white' skin.
From my own experience, I have seen that Churches are divided according to color & social status (not all of them though). If you go to a predominantly white church, their brochures will depict Jesus as white skin, blond hair and blue eyes. If you go to a predominantly black church, they will show Jesus as a dark skin with curly hair & hazy brown eyes.
Anyway, some sociologists believe that Islam has thrived in black America because African Americans do not want to worship, yet another white man & be subjected to his teachings.Though saying all "blacks" who convert to Islam do that for this reason will certainly not be true.
I think one of the primary reasons is because Islam is pretty much about discipline and the clarity of rights and wrongs has been less diminished than in other religions.
The Duchess of Kent gave that as one of the reasons for converting to Catholicism from Protestant Christianity - she felt that protestant vesion had become undefined and unclear where everything goes.
different people have various reasons for converting to islam
i usa the for the ultra black movement people its a act of defiance of the white man. they dont want to worship a religion( christianity) for they think it was imposed on them by thier white master and they also belive that christians think god and jesus are white.
so its a way of defiance
indian subcontinent
well during the mughal rule there were 2 types of people who accepted islam in india
1. the pro mughal or the pro govt hindu class which was more of opportunitistic by nature.
2. was the low caste harijans or untouchables as they were know who found respect and dignity in islam who were other wise treated worse than animals by the upper caste hindus
islam gave them respect esp the practice of offering namaz in a straight line shoulder to shoulder irrespective of caste creed or color is very heartning for them
then there are many others who have accepted islam fr various reasons like they got attracted to the religion people like cat stevens etc
but primarily its the 2 type i have mentioned above
thats why it is diffcult for islam to spread to europe china and japan
since these are more homogenous populations. still i dont undersatnd
it suceeded in bangaldesh not in west bengal.
African religion says, God is for everyone everywhere. God takes very little interest in the day-to-day affairs of individuals. God is not concerned with purely personal affairs but with matters of national and international importance. The ancestral spirits, on the other hand, are concerned with the day-to-day affairs of their descendants. They are the intermediaries between the living and God. People pray to God through their ancestors.
christianity allows autonomy of local culture and language without comptley alienating from native culture and belief sysytem.
*christianity allows autonomy of local culture and language without comptley alienating from native culture and belief sysytem. *
From my own studies of the modern day Church, they are actually quiet against such 'Cultural influences' like any other western religion-including modern day interpretation of Islam.
Yes, early church broke away from the traditional Jews and preached to the gentiles; and the rituals performed at festivals like Christmas and Easter have a far more socio-cultural influence but to say that Christianity in principle would lean backwards in its concepts of theology to accept people from other cultures will be going a little too far.
Most anthropologists hate missionaries (Christians or otherwise) working in Africa, South America etc. as they consider them a threat to the preservation of different native faiths and cultures.
Disclaimer: As I am not an expert on Christianity, so please don't take my word for what I say. Maybe a few Christian guppies here would come in & comment on this as well.
Similarily to how Christianity and Judaism profess respect and equality for their own faith in the first instance, and then further limit this to the '12 Tribes of Israel'.
eventhough greeks and romans are christians now they dont reject or
try eliminate their pre-chrisitian heritage they just simply integrated
in to chritianity.
I dont know for sure, but the best thing that ever happened to my forefathers must be the fact that they converted to Islam.
I believe, the most remarkable aspect of Islam is the fact that it spread like wild fire, in the hearts of the people, who were downtrodden by religions such as Hinduism...
Let us thank Allah that we have been born as Muslims each time we offer dua...
spock there is no downtrodden people live in pakistan now ?
there are countries with better social justice than pakistan who
may not belong to islam.social justice can brough about by legislation
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by rvikz: *
eventhough greeks and romans are christians now they dont reject or
try eliminate their pre-chrisitian heritage they just simply integrated
in to chritianity.
[/QUOTE]
Actually rvikz, for people who study theology as a field of study consider Christian theology very much influenced by Hellenistic & Roman cultural. Though after that those cultural influences came to a halt with the end of Apostolic age. You will find Christians in India celebrating Holi, or the ones in East Asia celebrating the Buddhist festivals but the Church or the priests will never endorse it. Maybe that's what I was trying to say. :)
Easter, a Christian festival, embodies many pre-Christian traditions. The origin of its name is unknown. Scholars, however, accepting the derivation proposed by the 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, believe it probably comes from Çastre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated a month corresponding to April. Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox; traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by sholay: *
Similarily to how Christianity and Judaism profess respect and equality for their own faith in the first instance, and then further limit this to the '12 Tribes of Israel'.
[/QUOTE]
IMHO, human rights, respect, dignity, freedom, individual rights and the right to practice one's relgion freely and openly, should have nothing whatsoever to do with one's faith.
That means when we greet each other, pray for each other, help each other, attend funerals, etc should not be predicated by the other's faith. I find that to be self-righteous and contradictory to God's will.