What is wrong if [insert] is a Muslim?

I don’t see the fuss about (Barrack Hussein) Obama, who is rumored as a Muslim, wearing a traditional Kenyan garb is going anywhere. At first, his team accused Hillary’s for spreading the picture and now Obama is “fighting” the false claim of his connection or links to Islam, and in fact, this is not the first time. The whole argument, whether Obama is a Muslim or not, shows an attitude of Islamophobia. Whoever spreads the rumor dislikes Islam or Muslims, because, to name a few, Islam or Muslims are considered as a threat and an obstacle to democracy. Thus, if Obama were to be the next President of the US, the fear would be everyone’s worst nightmare.

I have been a Muslim since I was born and for I a lot of reasons I am proud of it. It’s unfortunate that some people without faith, who claim to be Muslims, make Islam sound and look bad, negative or whatever you call it. I’m not OK with that. It’s NOT Islamic to burn the Danish flag or kill non-Muslims or a Danish in particular because of the cartoons of my beloved Prophet, and it’s NOT right as well to publish the cartoon, because it’s not what freedom of speech is all about. Anyway, I’m rambling.

I just want to make a point, why does it matter if Obama is a Muslim or not? I guess it matters; that’s why, the rumor is a never ending loop that works like a black hole that sucks people’s opinion about voting for Obama. To put it simply, “Don’t vote for a Muslim guy. He’ll scare the hell outta ya.” To this extent, Obama’s political platform is not important at all.

Once, an African-American friend said that Muslims are the new nigger, excuse me for using the word, but it’s true, especially after September 11th. Everybody fears Islam or Muslims, because, they say, Muslims are not educated. Democracy and Islam don’t work, and it justifies the killing of innocent people, and, the men especially, have four wives. These are just few of the negative claims that I always hear about Islam and Muslims. Youtube has tons of videos that “justify” the claims and Wodpress or Blogspot have millions of articles that say the same thing. It’s just never enough!

I am always afraid to practice my faith openly, because, then, some people will start saying unpleasant things. You know, they don’t even know what Islam is, and they don’t even understand the difference between Islam and Muslims. Believe me, a lot of friends have asked that question. Yet, they claim that they know “everything” about Islam. It’s not a funny or silly question, but it makes me think that the Western community doesn’t have enough knowledge about Islam or Muslims. Why do they have to be judgmental?

You may think that I am defensive, but everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. I am fine with that, but why do we have to believe whatever the media say? Back to Obama, the whole idea of Islamophobism is implied. I don’t have to be articulate, do I? But it is clear that the rumor about Obama makes it sound that we Muslims or Islam should be feared. It seems like the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad are not enough to insult Islam or to make everybody Islamophobic.

There were times when Muslims had great leaders and Prophet Muhammad was one of them. They unified the Muslim community throughout the world and built a brotherly relationship with non-Muslims. It was the time of peace, where Christians and Jews could practice their faith without fear and worry. They respected each other. It is not a fairy tale and Utopian. Sadly, we don’t have leaders like them anymore. Everything is now politicized and religion becomes their shield to cover their sins.

Believe me, TRUE Muslims are NOT bad people. You just have to find them.

Cheating

I’m not supposed to be using the Internet today, but I couldn’t resist. I thought I’d just reduce my Internet activity, which means that I will just access certain websites like Facebook, Yahoo email and WordPress. Well, I did more than that. I also updated my anti spyware softwares and I also updated my anti virus on Windows XP. I can’t help it. I need the Internet.

I also updated my openSuSE 10.3. Apparently, it was an important update, that is kernel update. I also updated Java, hoping that I can compile Java programs on Linux. Until now, I still don’t know how to compile some programs that are written in the book. I also cannot compile my own program. It’s time consuming because I have to do a lot of research and a lot of reading just to make it work.

I went to the city today and I liked it more. It was cloudy and we had flurries. It made everything feel cold. The worse part was that I rode a bike, so I had to be fully wrapped that I wouldn’t freeze. Honestly, I don’t want to leave this city. I like it here and…Maybe it’s impossible to live here. I need to find a job and then I need to make friends. That way, I won’t be lonely.

I messaged a friend on Facebook regarding what is happening in his country because of general election. A civil war happened because some people aren’t happy with the results. I told him that people run for the government not for the betterment of the society but themselves. That’s why the civil war happened. Unfortunately, the civil war happens only between the supporters, not between those who run for the government. Isn’t it a sad thing? I mean, say group A supports X and group B supports Y. Then either one wins, say Y. Group A is angry because they want X to win. So, Group A and group B have a war. Is either one of these guys, X or Y, really running for the society? If he is, it is worth fighting for. Mind you, I don’t justify the civil war. I mean, it’s worth voting either for X or Y if and only if either one cares about the people. Isn’t that what democracy is supposed to be? But if they don’t, why should fanaticism exist in the first place?

I guess, most of us don’t learn from the past. Civil war has happened from the time of Adam and now it’s still happening around us. Sadly, civil war or any kinds of war is always either politically or religiously motivated or maybe both. What are we trying to achieve? Why can’t we just work together and make a better society instead of creating a war? In this context, honestly, the (civil) war is benefiting nobody but either one who is running for president. If X or Y wins, he will be the next dictator. He won’t care about the welfare of the society and he’ll probably fulfill…say 40 to 45% of his promises. Or, maybe less? Then, what are we fighting for? Nothing.

So, the government isn’t a solution to everything either. How about if everyone of us leads oneself. That won’t be good either. The rich will oppress the poor and the strong will oppress the weak. Now, even with the existence of government, the rich is oppressing the poor and the strong is oppressing the weak. In fact, the government prefers the rich and the strong than the poor and the weak. Isn’t that what capitalism, colonialism or neocolonialism are?

The government is pretty much a puppet that we create to serve us, but a puppet is a puppet. It’s stupid, brainless and inactive. It doesn’t serve us the way want, but it makes things worse. It makes us worse than animals. So, the mistake is we are. I mean, I, we, you, he, she, they. What we are doing to ourselves is destroying ourselves. It reminds me of Frankenstein. I’ll just wait for the end of time.

Conversation

I’ve been enjoying my life these days, because, recently, I’ve had some good conversations with some friends about everything. Here’s a summary to some of my conversations.

Marriage is not a competition

About two or three years ago, I was always controlled by my emotion. I always searched my feelings, as a consolation to my problems, instead of my reason. Unfortunately, this has caused me to make stupid decisions.

I always thought that I always needed somebody to be there for me and to be a shoulder to cry on. At one time, I was dying to have someone in my life, meaning a wife, and I was at the peak of my boredom of being single. I sort of envied my friends in my hometown, who are already married. I felt ashamed of myself, because I didn’t even have a girlfriend. So, when can I expect to be like them, be married?

Unfortunately, I, or other human beings usually do, rarely think before I act. I tend to use my emotion. Well, I was emotionally lonely; I wanted to be married; I needed somebody in my sadness and happiness; and blah blah blah blah. Yet, I didn’t think that marriage is not about those things. Marriage is more than those.

Recently, my roommate and I had a conversation, and he said, “(Marriage) is not a competition.” Yes, I’ve had that thought for about two years now and I finally understood my position and my friends’ position. Now, I fully understand my obligations to myself and to my parents, and I also understand that my dreams are too high. So, to be married now is one thing that I can’t do now.

Drinking age

Some friends have asked me, how old a person is allowed to consume alcohol in my country. I don’t remember what I told them, but I recently realized that we don’t have such a law.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a friend about the indirect role of major religion in my home country, and when I explained to her that we don’t have a law on drinking age, because the majority of the people are Muslims. However, to answer my curiosity, I googled the information and was disappointed by the results. Two sites, including Wikipedia, stated that 18 is the legal drinking age, but there is no source or statistical information. How can Wikipedia post information without any source? Is it because information is so free that we can post whatever we want online? It sounds like we have one of those “he said” “she said” situation. I never like Wikipedia anyway.

Nevertheless, there is one website that states that there is no law on drinking age, but purchasing age, which is 16. I think it makes more sense if purchasing age, rather than drinking age, becomes a law, because one will be asked for his/her ID card when s/he purchases a liquor, meaning that it won’t be sold to a person if s/he is a Muslim and if s/he is under 16. Still, I doubt if it’s true, because the site doesn’t show any source. Who knows?

Heroes

I have been lost, because I don’t know much about my country. Now, although not much, I know how the Western civilization, the French revolution and the US’ road to independence began.

No one has asked me about the history of my country specifically, but, as I read about the Roman Empire, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and so on and so forth, I often ask myself, what happened in my country at that time.

Being abroad, I cannot dig much about the history of my country, besides, although I am at home, for example, I am not sure if the historical literatures can help me much to appreciate and understand my ancestors or national heroes for independence. However, thanks to the Internet, although I’m not sure about the validity of the story, I am able to learn more about national heroes. Unfortunately, there are so many versions to choose from, which make me become insecure to read them (I’m sure this paragraph will tell you that I’m a pessimist).

Anyway, I’m not trying to make myself become more nationalistic or patriotic. Again, I just want to know the history of my home country from the beginning to now. It’s a shame that I know more about Europe’s history, but I know nothing about my own. It’s not that I didn’t remember or learn anything while I was doing my primary, junior and high school, but I recently found out that the history that I learned during my school time was the wrong version. Now I don’t know who to believe.

So, it’s true that history is written by the winner. Well, one thing that I learned while at college was that I should always question the book that I read. Therefore, due to my little knowledge about the past, I tend not to believe what I read about WW I, WW II, the Civil War in the US and so on totally given I didn’t exist in those times.

Do you see a pattern here?

What does it mean to be an Anarchist?

I’m not an Anarchist, because I believe in God, but I embrace its concept of anti-government ideas. This is what Emma Goldman said about the government in her Anarchism and Other Essays, “Government, the dominion of human conduct, represent the stronghold of man’s enslavement and all the horrors it entails.”

The problem with humanity is that we think. Rene Descartes said, “Je pense, donc je suis (I think; therefore, I am),” which means that our conduct is mainly based on reason, and thus we exist as humans because we think. That separates us from animals. Unfortunately, we are so proud of ourselves and the rich and the powerful (the government) create political dogmas, fairy tales and horror stories that scare the weak and the poor. The powerful use religion, which is supposedly as a guidance to our life, to bolster their political agendas and they kill the image of “God” in the society.

Now, human blames God and religion for bringing terror to earth, because, now, killing seems to be a mandatory act to spread religious and political dogmas. Who to blame?

We were told that we were given reason to ponder the Greatness of God and to worship Him. We were told to investigate the biggest secret of the universe and to glorify Him and to return everything to Him for what He has created or planned for. We won’t be able to understand His secret and yet to study the vast universe, but why do we challenge our faith to learn more about Him and His creation?

Is it us to blame or Him?

There is a theodicy problem. If God is Just and Almighty, how come He cannot prevent or overcome evil? Such thought is now universal. And now, we are in the brink of moral and ethical collapse. People blame God and nobody seems to defend Him anymore, because the orthodox and the conservatives are busy with keeping their reputation as the Truth.

I still believe in God and don’t influence me or argue with me with stupid nonsense arguements about good and evil. For our sufferings we endure, I don’t blame God. I blame those who have been and are powerful, because they are the ones who terrorized us and killed our God. The government of now and their predecessors are the ones who create the problems.