Where I Stand on Terrorism, Islam, and Islamophobia

I hate no one. That is my creed, and it is my nature to love everyone in Christ. Yes, I am a Christian. You may call me an ultra-liberal conservative, or an ultra-conservative liberal. Your choice. Or you may choose not to label me at all, because like me, you hate labels and the idea of putting everyone in a little box.

Islam is a wonderful religion, and one that I deeply respect, but I feel that way about every religion. Do I have anything against Islam? Nope. Actually, I've spent a significant amount of my time studying Islam, and I probably know more than most people, other than the experts, PhDs, and Muslims themselves. I value many of the same teachings that Muslims adhere to, and many of the same religious figures.

Do I have anything against Muslims? Nope. In fact, several of my friends, both in real life and virtual, as on Gather, are Muslim. Actually, about half of my friends are Atheist, a few Agnostic, a few Muslim, a few Hindu, one or two Buddhist, a few Christian/Catholic, several Jewish, and the rest something else or not sure. I don't judge people on their religion. I believe we are all free to believe what we want.

I'm sure you're all familiar with those "Christians" who go around preaching to people telling them if they don't follow ONE SINGLE WAY they're headed straight for hell, and they do this to their friends, family, colleagues, and strangers too. I'm sure your also familiar with those who do the same thing, but upon invitation, those who preach if given the opportunity. I'm not one of those people. I never preach to people's faces, never say I'm RIGHT and you're WRONG, because that's wrong too.

You can argue all you want and offer all the evidence you want, but unless someone decides in their heart they'll listen to you, you'll get nowhere. Maybe a nod and a polite smile if you're lucky, or a curse or blow if not. I'm a firm believer in the writer's saying Show don't tell. That applies to life too. If you show by your lifestyle that you're a happy blessed person and you feel truly at peace, that peaceful, blissful feeling is contagious and soon people will be asking you about it.

Does this mean I support terrorists or terrorism? No. In fact, I do not believe in many of the ideas that support terrorism. But I respect and love those who are members and support it, because we're all people, and we're all equal in God's eyes. (Allah, Yahweh, etc.) I understand the basis for it, and I learn as much as I can about terrorism, because no one wants to argue with someone who doesn't know where they're coming from. No one can reason effectively without understanding all the other sides to the question and where they stand, but most importantly, WHY they take that position.

I seek to understand the people in this world. I try my hardest to learn about other cultures, other political ideologies, other languages, other clothing traditions, other culinary traditions, and other religions. I try my hardest not to judge people, but we all do, and when I find myself judging someone, I stop the thought. Yup, I slip up, all the time too, and sometimes when I slip up, it means the end of a healthy relationship, or the end of a long friendship, or the end of something before it ever started. But I can't let it hang over the rest of my life.

Other people come down on me all the time for who I am. I am a non-conformist. I do not yield to popular opinion because Bush or Oprah told me to do so. I do not automatically side with the oppressed minority, or the popular majority. I don't take sides at all. But neither do I sit on the sidelines. I am a very opinionated person, and I'm willing to accept that my beliefs might be wrong. I believe God alone knows truth (Al'h Haqq) because He is absolute truth, and that I have only a glimpse of it. So yeah, I might be wrong. I'm admitting it right now. Most people won't, or they'll avoid the question. But I said it outright.

And lastly, for Islamophobia. I believe strongly that this is a wrong practice that needs to stop. Just like with every other cultural, racial, religious, political, or national group, it's only a small minority of people who claim to be adherents to it that distort the image of it for everyone else involved. I applaud member Mary J., found at http://marijoseph.gather.com who has tried to allow people to understand her Islamic beliefs and culture. And I condemn the actions of those (note I'm not condemning the people, but their actions) who have decided to bash her, insult her, and her people and religion. That's wrong. We all deserve respect, and that's what I'm about. I'm about love.

I love my Muslim brothers and sisters. I love my Jewish, Sikh, Ba'Hai, Jain, Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, Wiccan, Atheist, Christian/Catholic, Agnostic, Scientologist, and Taoist brothers and sisters. And I don't judge you for your beliefs; I applaud you for the courage to share them in a world where anyone and everyone by doing so immediately opens themself up to the harshest criticism.

I am a seeker. I seek Truth (Al'h Haqq). And I seek Love. I seek to give love, and to receive it from those of like mind. Not necessarily of like religion or political beliefs. Like mind.