What Need You Know About My Love of Islam?

I have been dialoguing with a reader named Arthur here. I wanted to post my response to his question… (UPDATE: Response from Arthur below)

“If you are willing, I would appreciate it very much if you would share with me, a non-Muslim, what you hold to be most important for me, as an outsider, to be able to understand Islam and Muslims better. “ ~ Arthur

…but first I had to address his apology for what he thought offended me:

Arthur, I wasn’t offended as much as exasperated – and it’s not directly at you. Imagine that you have grown up Muslim all your life in a Muslim home with practicing parents and drumroll, a father who spent his whole life studying Islam and now teaches Islam, and imagine that you were never once, NOT once, taught hate in any form – now imagine that people – who don’t subscribe to Islam – keep telling you, insisting that Islam means this or Muslims think that…and it’s all about hate and violence and more hate and all things that are the antithesis of what you, a practicing, Islam-loving person thinks, feels, believes? Would you not feel throw-up-your-hands-exasperated?

Now, I will never say that Muslims do not do wrong, terrible things – far from that. I will say that they do so despite Islam. And I will not readily say that I don’t understand where others get misleading ideas about my faith – I know there are appalling acts committed by people using Islam as their banner.

My view is that when people do evil in the name of this religion, they do so because linking to Islam grants them power – power for their intents, hegemony, patriarchy, matriarchy (yes, contrary to the popular perception of Muslim women in constant distress from men, Islam is also used by women to justify being bossy) etc – because so, SO many people love Islam. Really. It’s like a cool thang – just as in pop culture, you cite whatever the “It” thing is to give yourself legitimacy, cite Islam as the reason you’re doing whatever and suddenly, you’re granted more “aura”. Too bad the “aura” doesn’t come from God.
And believe me when I say that really, Islam is IT to millions – and unfortunately, those who seek to commit crimes against humanity for their own gain, also realize this fact only too well.

So why do I, a Canadian, think Islam is so cool? Basically, oh wait, I can’t be basic about it, so, verbosely but basically (because why I heart Islam would fill a book):

- it directs me to the Creator
- it tells me that I have a personal relationship with God and that every human being is just a whisper away from it
- it teaches me about a Loving, Merciful, Beneficent, Attentive God
- it teaches me about a Just, All-able, Recording God who, in His tremendous Equity, expects fair and pure actions from His believers
- its prescriptive living jibes with modern living (it’s so easy to have your blackberry beep for prayer – to remind you to excuse yourself from another meeting and direct yourself to the Creator)
- it is so in tune with the natural world – the Qur’an has powerful messages about the earth as a community of living beings and this awakens my conscience more than an Al Gore movie
- equity is such a strong running theme in it that even racist Muslims fall silent (ok, sometimes only for a bit) under the weight of the utopian vision of the brother/sisterhood of Islam
- it grants me a life-purpose that is so freeing, it’s actually like taking a breath of fresh air to face each moment with this awareness
- if the above sounded new-agey, just wait til you hear this one: it connects me to the source of every religion – Abrahamic and not – every history, every story in the arc of human experience which the Qur’an ties together so knowingly in a way that only the Creator and Sustainer of all kingdoms, dynasties, civilizations can
- it compels me to challenge injustice even if it is committed against those who I’ve developed dislike for and this reminder in the Qur’an, “do not let hatred cause you to deviate from justice” is enough to keep me awake wondering if I’m too harsh on Dubya when I speak… Can you imagine?
- it was conveyed by a most extraordinary, gentle man named Muhammad whose very name creates such spontaneous heartfelt love in the hearts of millions, practicing or not; I have never met a Muslim, no matter how lapsed they may be, who does not love this Prophet: we are truly his ummah
- it teaches me to use a guiding point from within myself which I am to sustain through knowledge gleaned from those who have learned and, to nourish this guiding point through prayer and utter trust in and love of God

- it has me under its spell – body and soul – when it comes to its prescription for societal-ills; although those who know me know the struggles I’ve went through to understand certain things as a “modern” Western Muslim woman, I’m more convinced than ever that the perspectives of my religion (which some may call “traditional” perspectives) on everything from dating, marriage, divorce, gender relations, polygamy and gender equity are dead on; this modern woman is a believer…

I’m obviously not done and if you spoke to me next year at this time, I still would not be done. But that’s just because I do so love Islam. Anybody else out there who wants to add to this verbosity of love? Let’s hear them, brothers and sisters…

“If you are willing, I would appreciate it very much if you would share with me, a non-Muslim, what you hold to be most important for me, as an outsider, to be able to understand Islam and Muslims better. “ ~ Arthur

UPDATE:

Dear Commonplacer,

Ms. Commonplacer I thank you for your very generous willingness to respond with such openness to my question. I have asked other Muslims these questions in the past but you are the first to feel comfortable enough to answer.

I am hearing something that seems to be from the depth of your heart. It sounds as though you have a genuine love for your Creator and the religious tradition through which you have come to know the source of all in your life. Your response was very kind and beautiful. I really appreciate it.

Peace. Arthur

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for asking your questions so openly and honestly. I really appreciate your kind words and your understanding. Now, if only all of us can see hear each other’s words from the heart (and this includes we Muslims opening our ears as well), perhaps our world will begin to gravitate towards a new ethos – maybe, the ethos of global harmony?