Asking because I haven’t heard much about it that comes from reliable sources (actually reliable sources, not what Wikipedia defines as a reliable source).
Asking because I haven’t heard much about it that comes from reliable sources (actually reliable sources, not what Wikipedia defines as a reliable source).
I’d have an uneasy time fasting given my need to eat before taking my medication, and I don’t have enough faith to pray five times daily. The need to pray that many times a day sounds like it would be good for self-discipline, as does the need to fast for Ramadhan in addition to the other dietary restrictions, but I feel like I’d have a hard time handling those tasks. Besides, I don’t feel like there is a divine presence somewhere, and adhering to monotheistic practices when I’m atheist sounds dishonest.
Islam also shares some of the same problems as Orthodox Judaism, for instance, it mandates circumcision, which is a painful violation of children’s autonomy; I still get depressed when I think about my circumcision. Likewise, I am uncomfortable with compulsory dress codes, and segregating the sexes is a practice that makes me feel uneasy. I consider these (apart from mandatory circumcision) to be annoying inconveniences rather than serious problems, though.
I am not one of those Christopher Hitchens types who think that Islam is just barbarism and its ordinary adherents are violent savages. The work The Study of Islamic Origins notes striking similarities, if not outright borrowings, from Judaism (which is usually good). I have respect for many Muslims such as Omar Mukhtar, Malcolm X, and a certain Sephardic Muslim whom I know. I find various tenets in Islam, such as its rejection of ‘original sin’, to be more reasonable than some in mainstream Christianity. Lastly, I would say that ordinary Muslims are not vastly different from other Abrahamists, therefore I have little reason to be hostile to Islam.
There seems like a few misconceptions I will address here:
Islam doesn’t mandate circumcision, it is only recommended as a continuation of Abrahamic lineage but it is not mandated in the Quran. It is quite common but not a religious requirement in the way other religions see it. The five pillars are the only requirements, everything else is up for interpretation and there have been endless variants of interpretation over the life of Islam. Even if there are dominant interpretations that have political and economic power to reinforce themselves in the world, it doesn’t mean they are truly correct in the eyes of Allah and it doesn’t mean one’s own relationship with Allah needs to look like that. Such as the trend of circumcision, homophobia, transphobia, patriarchy, etc. these are cultural practices that got adopted into Islamic communities but are not inherently Islamic or in the Quran itself. Even the five pillars have caveats to some degree like fasting and praying accomodations for disabled, elderly, pregnant and youth. Islam has been very flexible over the years and it is quite astounding how different the dominant norms of Islam 800 years ago looked to the post capital and post colonial norms we have today.