What does Islam give us? Why not humanism or materialism?
Question:
Why is it that Islam is churning out so many fundamentalists and terrorists (or whatever you would like to call them)?
If a faith's measure is by the acts of its adherents, then we, as Muslims, fare the worst in bigotry and narrow mindedness. Episodes such as, the church incident in Islamabad, the sectarian killings in Karachi and recently, in Lahore - not mentioning elsewhere in the globe - all speak for this prejudice.
Nigeria and the woman, potentially, to be stoned; Saudis and the girls burned at school…what more should I say. I could take it all as media propaganda, but I do not wish to delude myself.
I can no longer defend the faith, for everybody claims that, in the correct form, his or her religion is the panacea. However, should we not be looking at what works rather than what appears to be Utopian?
Humanism fares best so far as I know of today.
Response:
I am not a Muslim because of my belief that Islam promises the maximum possibility of peaceful human co-existence. I am a Muslim because I am convinced that the Qur'an is the Word of God. I am sure that by following Islam, we can achieve the purpose of peaceful co-existence as well; but if, because of the foolish behaviour of some people, Islam is being misused, I will refuse to get confused. Ideally, I should become firmer in my resolve to correct the wrong done by others.
I am not inclined to accept anything like humanism as a way of life, because if life has no purpose except to make the present, temporary life good for as long as we live here, then to hell with this life. I have already lost some of my dearest ones and frankly, I don't have a great deal of interest in humanity. I admire others who do, but that's their choice. Pursuing an interest in humanity, for me, amounts to the following: when it doesn't matter whether I do this or that, why shouldn't I do what enables to satisfy my pleasure-seeking, beastly desires the most, even if it amounts to killing some others who, after all, are living in a meaningless existence. Probably I'll help them by kicking them out of existence. Yes, I wouldn't mind if they treated me likewise because, after all, this place makes no sense if it has nothing to offer this temporary, material life. How can material progress for the humanity - that doesn't survive long enough to benefit from it - be the purpose of life?
What I mean to say is that without my faith, life is a big, big evil. It is indeed a great evil to give an incorrect understanding of the correct faith to others who have not been able to appreciate it, as yet. However, an even greater evil would take place if people who know the true faith and its teachings, abandon it because it doesn't seem to be working on account of the foolishness of some people.
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