@RealNeat
Look, I don't say these things just to be a jerk. I debated whether to reply to you, because I don't go out looking for animosity. In the end, I shared my honest opinion, without malicious intent. I don't want to cause physical harm to anyone, but I do believe Islam is a destructive ideology.
Clearly, you are a believer, and by definition, if I'm critical of Islam, according to you it's gonna be because I don't understand it properly. It's always the same rhetoric, i.e. it has nothing to do with Islam, you don't understand the context, here go watch this video of this muslim apologist.
But I can assure you, I've done my homework on this topic. I know Shabir Ally very well, and I've watched a lot of his videos. He's an apologist for his faith and in that regard, he does his best. I'll give him full marks for being outwardly respectful and gentle in his demeanor. He's much better in that regard than modern "Dawah" guys like Mohammed Hijab.
But I still think it's preposterous to argue that Islam brings anything good to the world.
Let's take this week for example, there's a big scandal in Pakistan because (another) 13 year old Christian girl was kidnapped, raped and forcefully converted to Islam. Within a few days she was married to her new 44 y.old "husband".
Her family appealed to the court, and despite protests, the Islamic courts upheld the marriage because the "husband" claimed she converted of her own free will. She was visibly upset as the "husband" restrained her physically in court. Her parents were crying, and there was nothing they could do about it. This happens because according to their interpretation of Islamic Law, it's perfectly fine. This is a recurrent situation in Pakistan, supported by the institutions.
My first language is french (although I am not from France). Therefore I was able to dig deep into the Samuel Paty incident and read the first hand accounts of the situation. We're not talking of a few Muslims being naughty here, but rather, widespread (if sometimes tacit) support and celebration of this murder among the muslims of France, whether from the students at the school after the murder, or in the social media comments, so many (and I mince my words) rejoiced at this murder.
And it's not difficult to understand why when you read the core texts of the faith. It might sound ludicrous to you right now, but growing up with tons of muslim friends from early childhood, I was actually very open and receptive to the religion of Islam. A decade ago, I remember reading the autobiography of Malcolm X, and that led me to the Qu'ran, which I first read then, as a teenager. (I have it on my Kindle right now)
Since then I've watched documentaries, read books, had many discussions with my muslim friends, and I've read a lot of the Hadiths and Islamic texts. It's been a source of interest to me, along with the other religions.
It's been a slow process but over time as I learned about the details of the life the "prophet", and Islamic theology, I became more and more appalled and turned off. I am prepared to defend every single claim I made about the so-called messenger of Allah, with multiple sources for my claims. Don't assume I'm ignorant about Islam simply because I'm critical of it.
According to you, I am arrogant, juvenile and I lack knowledge of Islam. And now with this book you're preparing you will "refute" my claims. I've heard this tune before, but ok I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
Ultimately, I believe my perception of Islam to be accurate. Nonetheless, I remain open to new ideas, and I will gladly read your book whenever it's ready, because I don't dismiss the value of your opinion even if we have a fundamental disagreement.
Look, I don't say these things just to be a jerk. I debated whether to reply to you, because I don't go out looking for animosity. In the end, I shared my honest opinion, without malicious intent. I don't want to cause physical harm to anyone, but I do believe Islam is a destructive ideology.
Clearly, you are a believer, and by definition, if I'm critical of Islam, according to you it's gonna be because I don't understand it properly. It's always the same rhetoric, i.e. it has nothing to do with Islam, you don't understand the context, here go watch this video of this muslim apologist.
But I can assure you, I've done my homework on this topic. I know Shabir Ally very well, and I've watched a lot of his videos. He's an apologist for his faith and in that regard, he does his best. I'll give him full marks for being outwardly respectful and gentle in his demeanor. He's much better in that regard than modern "Dawah" guys like Mohammed Hijab.
But I still think it's preposterous to argue that Islam brings anything good to the world.
Let's take this week for example, there's a big scandal in Pakistan because (another) 13 year old Christian girl was kidnapped, raped and forcefully converted to Islam. Within a few days she was married to her new 44 y.old "husband".
Her family appealed to the court, and despite protests, the Islamic courts upheld the marriage because the "husband" claimed she converted of her own free will. She was visibly upset as the "husband" restrained her physically in court. Her parents were crying, and there was nothing they could do about it. This happens because according to their interpretation of Islamic Law, it's perfectly fine. This is a recurrent situation in Pakistan, supported by the institutions.
My first language is french (although I am not from France). Therefore I was able to dig deep into the Samuel Paty incident and read the first hand accounts of the situation. We're not talking of a few Muslims being naughty here, but rather, widespread (if sometimes tacit) support and celebration of this murder among the muslims of France, whether from the students at the school after the murder, or in the social media comments, so many (and I mince my words) rejoiced at this murder.
And it's not difficult to understand why when you read the core texts of the faith. It might sound ludicrous to you right now, but growing up with tons of muslim friends from early childhood, I was actually very open and receptive to the religion of Islam. A decade ago, I remember reading the autobiography of Malcolm X, and that led me to the Qu'ran, which I first read then, as a teenager. (I have it on my Kindle right now)
Since then I've watched documentaries, read books, had many discussions with my muslim friends, and I've read a lot of the Hadiths and Islamic texts. It's been a source of interest to me, along with the other religions.
It's been a slow process but over time as I learned about the details of the life the "prophet", and Islamic theology, I became more and more appalled and turned off. I am prepared to defend every single claim I made about the so-called messenger of Allah, with multiple sources for my claims. Don't assume I'm ignorant about Islam simply because I'm critical of it.
According to you, I am arrogant, juvenile and I lack knowledge of Islam. And now with this book you're preparing you will "refute" my claims. I've heard this tune before, but ok I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
Ultimately, I believe my perception of Islam to be accurate. Nonetheless, I remain open to new ideas, and I will gladly read your book whenever it's ready, because I don't dismiss the value of your opinion even if we have a fundamental disagreement.