reisiger

pious bloody law clerks... no heart... no compassion... I'm out.

This isn't a struggle of identity politics or a culture of micro aggressions. Simply put, and the left is the only side correctly identifying this phenomenon, and has been since Karl Marx. It is a class struggle. The battle lines are 1/10 of 1% who own nearly everything versus everyone else. Coalitions will form along different lines and based on different grievances, but at the root of it all, the cause is the same: the richest continue to lie, cheat, steal, and feel entitled to rig the global power structure against everyone else. And they do this by re-writing laws to favor their causes, ensure permanent majorities, and build bought-off oligarchies. Ever notice that the same people always tend to win? I recognize all other struggles as being offshoots of the same larger struggle. Simply put: as a Muslim, I will not stand by and watch the LBGT community be persecuted. As I've said so many times, leave the judging of to Allah (S W T) and stand up for anyone who fears for their own safety or who isn't treated with the basic human dignity that we all should expect. If those who don't stand up against oppression are as guilty as the oppressor (as Imam al Hussein (AS) famously said), then I would think that it is a moral obligation to stand up for all who are oppressed. I'm not condoning homosexual behavior, but neither am I condemning it. That is up to Allah (S W T) to judge. I will keep my interpersonal relations halal, but make bloody well sure I'm standing up for anyone and I do mean anyone who fears for their safety or well-being.

Salaam sister, and to @Ali Emanoil Mustafa as well. I also struggle with depression. I'm a huge believer in the value of cognitive therapy. I'm sorry for all the struggles, brother. May Allah (S W T) reward you for not lashing back at the provocations and may He guide your family to this deen. One thing that helped me in my struggles was the MBTI (myers-briggs) personality test. It should be called a cognitive function test. I forget, sister @Islandsandmirrors - are we both the same type? I know we are both on PerC as well. Anyway, if you are interested, check out 16personalities.com/test to take the test. Once I found out my type, it was another tool in dealing with my own head. It helped me a ton, and I hope it helps you. Please feel welcome to reach out if you need moral support! R

Hello! I actually went through something similar in that I had a lot of questions and something drew me toward Islam. I happened to be in the seminary program for the Episcopal church at the time, so I know full well that moment of questioning the central doctrines of post Nicaea Christianity can be terrible. I remember the hours of intense agony over it, praying tearfully for guidance. Alhamdulillah (the praise be to God) I received it. I will be more than happy to help answer any questions you may have about Islam. Please don't be put off by my avatar. I am far left (obviously), but some things are massively more important than politics, especially seeking God. If I can answer anything at all, please feel welcome to ask, either here or by direct message. One worry I have is that when someone, specifically from our region of the world looks into Islam, there is a hodge-podge of info out there, but not all is reliable. Many critics, thinking they are doing a good thing, attack Islam based on out-of-context quotes of the Qur'an or the traditions and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family). I will gladly help with a western-friendly explanation (I am not a scholar) of the Qur'an, how it was revealed, and obstacles that a non Arabic speaker has to understanding it. No matter what else you may read of Islam, please always remember that Islam does not mean peace. It does have peace in the word. Islam is a peaceful faith, but it is OK to fight back, as our brothers standing up to the Zionist transgressors do, but it is important to know the limits and the rules and not to transgress them. The easiest way I can describe the essence of Islam, and if you only take one thought from this, it's this one: Islam means the complete submission to the will of Almighty God in peace and sincerity. We believe that we have a place in the universe and a purpose, and that is to live according to His commandments. Our purpose is to worship God, and we can do that in our daily prayers, and (I believe) with correct intention, any act of kindness or goodness can be an act of worship. God calls Himself Allah, and so do we. Allah is an interesting word in Arabic because it is what is known as a perfected word. It cannot be pluralized, nor does it have gender. Like Whom the word represents: there is only Allah (may He be glorified and praised) and although we say "He," this is a rule of grammar and not an assertion that God is masculine. Allah (may He be glorified and praised) is beyond all human descriptions. Jesus (peace be upon him) explains it perfectly when he says: hear O Israel; the LORD your God is One, and you shall love Him with all your mind, heart, and strength. And the second commandment is like unto it: you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. On this hangs the Law and the Prophets. And we believe that Jesus (peace be upon him) was a mighty prophet who came with blazing miracles and truths to a stubborn people. He taught love and compassion, and mankind's knowing our place before our Lord, and he also taught that we cannot simply follow rules once a week and be OK- the entire basis of the Judaic law he taught and which Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) preached as God commanded him to emphasize again and again the rights of the Creator and of His creation, and beautifully illustrate deen. Deen is mistranslated as religion, but it really means "way of life," in the same way that Christians talk about "walking the walk as well as talking the talk." Deen is exactly that, and all that Islam is is living properly and correctly as our Creator wants us to; being completely submissive to His law, and trusting that He is the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful and that all that He wants for us is best for us in this life and the next. Lastly, and I know many non Muslims ask about how non Muslims are treated by Muslims, and I believe Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) says it perfectly when he says that: people are of two types; they are either your brothers in faith or your equals in humanity. Anyway, if you have questions, and I can answer them, I will be glad to. If there was anything good in my thoughts, it is from Allah (may He be praised and glorified above all that is associated with Him), and all errors are mine (astaghfirullah- God forgive me), and may we all be guided to truth and the ultimate success. In shaa Allah (God willing). Peace be with you, R

Please substantiate your statement. Do you mean my statements about Putin and Assad? History will judge both to be. You are correct about fighting DAESH not making one a war criminal. What does that is disregard for the rules of the Geneva convention. Things like using civilian areas to hide weapons, dropping chlorine barrel bombs on ... well anyone, prisons where dissidents are tortured, etc., targeting medical facilities, ordering your military to strike targets twice to ensure that the civil defense groups pulling people out of rubble. If you'd like to discuss it more, then I will be glad to, but I ask that you not make cavalier blanket statements about what is misinformation and the impact it has on others. My entire academic background leading to my under grad political science and graduate degrees in international relations, I believe does qualify me to voice a position on the matter, and to simply allege misinformation and its consequence, well OK that's your opinion and I respect your right to it. Sorry. As it happens, I am correct and I can prove it. I get the sense that everyone here has a giant love of Assad and Putin because they stand up to the west. An enemy of an enemy is not a friend. I am interested in why you believe my point is wrong, but as for setting back these forums? Not possible. Maybe we can have another 1000 threads about masturbation and mutah, or why if you don't beat yourself bloody every Muharram, your a mukasir with no love for Imam Hussayn (AS). But frankly, I feel SC is lots of 15 year old keyboard warriors and I'm about a centimeter away from asking the admins to delete me again.

Stein. Usually I write in the Queen of England, but this time I voted for Stein.

Good points, but on the endorsement matter; he was very nuanced with that. He simply said that a trump presidency would be a disaster (fact) and that we must not have that. He supported her, but did not endorse her. In fact the result of their meetings was the most left wing platform ever for the Dems. I think that we need to break this 2 party mess. Washington warned against it; it isn't sanctioned in the constitution, etc. As for Israel... Sanders was pretty silent on the issue as a whole. That was disappointing to me too, but I don't think he is pro Israel. I can't see him going to jail for civil rights protests here and supporting Zionist apartheid at the same time, but I agree that it was disappointing. Look further into it- he never endorsed Clinton directly. The Democrats screwed him though, and screwed us all. I won't lay it all on Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, but the party seemed intent on handing Clinton the nomination. I called out my senator at a town hall over his support of Clinton over Sanders despite RI Democrats voting for Sanders overwhelmingly. I still wouldn't be surprised if trump is the dajjal

eh... sorry brother- I have to watch those after work. Videos are blocked here. I will though for sure. I suggest looking into Senator Sanders, though. He is the only elected official in this country that I think actually is honest. Not perfect, but honest. Chomsky is brilliant, and I've been a fan of his since Manufacturing Consent. Howard Zinn was brilliant though. People's History of the United States is the most honest history book I think I've ever read. It is amazing. Anyway, I don't want to appear discourteous by not responding to the videos- got about 10 hours before I'm home again though. ugh.

Don't get me wrong- Israeli and Saudi influence are a problem. no doubt. Boehner inviting naziyahu to address congress was insanity. The thing is that the Americans won't move unless there is a clear and present danger that has been demonstrated. Sadly, the Israeli and Saudi issues are things that aren't universally agreed to be a problem. Congressional Republicans would block any anti-Israel action. In democracy, majorities matter more than truth. Oddly enough, I heard a speech with the Aga Khan where he said that democracy does not automatically equal good governance.

Just want to say that you, @Islandsandmirrors, and he ever legendary @Gaius I. Caesar are my favorite SCers at the moment. I feel like there is a bias here toward Russia because Russia backs Assad, and Assad is friendly with Iran. To me, Assad and Putin are both criminals with no regard for human life, only holding onto power in Assad's case, and a drive to rebuild Imperial Russia in Putin's case. Neither are good men. Clearly there was enough Russian influence in the election to warrant an investigation; of course this attorney general (confederate hobbit) will never investigate, and I doubt thay Lyin' Ryan or Mitch McConnell (fun fact- my mom's maiden name is McConnell; I investigated to make sure I am NOT related to that fascist... Alhamdulillah I am not) will appoint an independent commission to investigate. Anyway... we are in the collective mess we are because people are able to seek out "news sources" that feed their confirmation bias. There should be no liberal or conservative news. There should just be the news. Senator Sanders is the only member of the US Congress who has been consistent and demonstrated consistent integrity and supported just causes throughout his career and I think he is absolutely right to call for an investigation into ANY foreign influence in the election here. Sadly, the experiment of 1787 failed in 2017 when they handed power to a tyrant who is far more dangerous than George III.

Salaam alaikum The only thing that I would argue is that so many Muslims seem to portray it as an action that could have been prevented, or somehow universally the fault of the person who did it. I see that as blaming the victim. Suicide is the ultimate irrational act. To take one's own life is contrary to the survival instinct our Creator put in all of us. With that said, I have to believe that there are cases where the person who ended their life was unable to be rational due to mental illness exacerbating and magnifying their problems, or what about a person who is horribly abused and just can't take anymore of it? I understand the reasoning, but the reasoning still lacks compassion. I cannot and will not believe that Allah (S W T) the Most Merciful would look at His creation who had suffered so greatly through either mental illness to the point that they ended their own life and then cast them into hell. I'm not justifying suicide, but that argument makes it sound like Allah (S W T) is somehow limited by human logic. Yes the person took away their own chance to repent, but who is to say that Allah (S W T) couldn't or wouldn't take pity on such a poor wretched soul? I just come back to the same point where the law seems devoid of any heart. There is a hadith (forgive me - I can't remember the narrator or the details) that talks about RasulAllah (S A W A S) and one of the companions seeing a woman in a total panic after her child got lost. They help her to find it and as she is joyfully and tearfully united with her child, RasulAllah (S A W A S) tells the companion that Allah (S W T)'s love for His creation is so great that that mother would sooner cast her child into hellfire than He would. Alhamdulillah.

1000X this ^^^ A free and independent press is vital to the function of any sort of a democracy, as it informs the electorate on the issues of their day. Failure to do so renders it impossible for said electorate to exercise the franchise properly, and either a lack of information, media slant, or outright propaganda get in the way of that. Now I know it is very common in the US to call the media liberal, but I'm calling shenanegans on that. In 1983, 90% of the media in the US were owned by 50 companies. Today, 90% of the media are owned by 5. (Ashley Lutz These 6 Companies control 90% of the Media in the US: Business Insider June 2014) This consolidation of the media industry into fewer and fewer hands has been allowed for ideological reasons and has resulted in one of the most grossly misinformed electorates I can imagine. When we hear phrases like "alternative facts" and "post truth age," better believe we are being lied to and the corporate media is the Joseph Goebbels of the 1%. They've not stolen elections; we've simply handed them over based on lies and a massive failure of the 4th estate. When the press and the judiciary are no longer independent, you have an authoritarian state, and sadly, the US is taking a goose-step down bad memory lane.

I know there is debate over music, but one of the best lyrics I ever read was written by a Muslim, and it's simple enough: God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in their shoes. Then you really might know what it's like to have to lose. As for whether people can be punished... Allah (S W T) can do whatever He likes. That's the awesome thing about Him: He always does the right, just, and compassionate thing. The thought that a person would be suffering from mental disease, try to end their own life, and then be punished for it, well that would seem to make Allah (S W T) unjust or unkind. anybody want to suggest that about Him? I sure don't.

Salaam alaikum! Your words are beautiful and so true. Thank you for sharing them. I don't mean to sound like I'm dismissing fiqh. Without the esoteric, the exoteric is mundane ritual. Equally empty as any other mundane ritual. Without the exoteric, the esoteric has nothing in which to take root. But thank you for expressing this so eloquently!

And brother, please know that when I say these things, I say them with an eye on the Judgment for all of us. We know what is haram, but if we must, let's hate the act, but love the person, as they are either our brother in faith or equal in humanity. I don't want it on my conscience that I should have spoken up about being more compassionate. Allah (s w t) knows my weaknesses, and He knows what a wretched sinner I can be, but I hope that every person who showed me an act of kindness when I was in pain frees them from jahannam. And I hope to encourage people to live kindly and to love even the most wretched of sinners, even though we hate the haram.