Hey everyone! I just wanted to drop a line and let you know that I am still around. I know some people got a little worried when I disappeared for a while .  I have just been really busy with my work and family that I haven’t had a chance to write any articles lately.

I still plan to come back soon when things settle down so stay tuned! If anyone emailed me or left any comments lately, I apologize for not getting back to you yet.  I haven’t even had a chance to check my mail or go through my pending comments.

Ever since I started this site, I have received a lot of support from people around the world! I want to thank you for taking time to share your thoughts with me.  Your support is what keeps me going.  I know many people out there feel trapped in a world they did not want, but you are not alone!  People like us are everywhere and hopefully one day we will be free to speak our minds with no problems.

Of course I have also received many emails from people letting me know that I am going to be punished severely in “hell” for what I am doing… Really? For speaking my mind and thinking for myself? I think it’s funny when people threaten me with imaginary “scary places” that have no evidence of existence.  I also think it’s sad that they think I deserve to be punished and tortured for all of eternity… just for having a mind of my own.  That doesn’t sound fair at all!  What kind of “god” would create you with a brain and then punish you for thinking? Religion seems to convince people that someone like me deserves punishment, while someone who kills for their religion goes straight to “heaven”. I think people really got it backwards! I wish they would start thinking for themselves instead of blindly following these ridiculous religious books.

Until next time… hopefully it won’t be too long before I start writing regularly again… Take care!

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This topic is pretty amusing to me because it reflects some of the thoughts that went through my mind when my religion teacher was telling us about the “miracles” of the prophets. I was a skeptical kid that asked a lot of questions and I wondered how these extraordinary claims could actually be real. Why don’t these “miracles” happen anymore? Doesn’t “god” want to show us any more signs? Maybe he just can’t make them happen? Or maybe miracles just don’t exist?

I often thought about how I would react if someone came up to me today and made these outrageous claims. What would I think? Let’s take a look at a few of these “Miracles” from the 3 major Abrahamic Religions:

The Miracles of the Moses

The 10 Commandments

“God” told Moses to go up to Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights and then gave him two tablets with the 10 commandments that were inscribed by god himself. When Moses came back down, he discovered that his people were worshipping a man-made golden calf while he was gone. He got really upset and then dropped the tablets, which break into pieces. God then commanded Moses to go back up the Mount and engrave a new set of tablets himself just like the original ones that god created.

My Thoughts

• Why would it take 40 days to get those damn tablets done? How do we know that Moses didn’t engrave the first ones himself? I mean, he was up there for over a month. What was he doing the whole time?
• If the original commandments were written by god, and Moses had to redo the tablets, how do we know that he didn’t make any changes? He could have created a completely different set of rules.
• The commandments are not even all that miraculous anyway… Most of them can be summarized into the “golden rule” that has been around a long time before Moses even got these tablets (treat others the same way you would like to be treated), and the rest are just plain silly… but I will talk about that in a future post.

Crossing the Red Sea

When Moses and his people were running away from the Pharaoh and his Egyptian army, “god” gave him the power to split the red sea. All he had to do was wave his staff over the water and then a strong wind came and divided the sea so that his people can walk through. The Israelites made it all the way across with walls of water on both sides, but as soon as the Pharaoh’s men came after them, god let the walls of water fall on top of them, allowing Moses and his people to get to the other side without being harmed.

My Thoughts

• I would really like to see that happen! It would be pretty damn cool…. Moses waving his magic wand like Harry Potter, and the sea would miraculously form a pathway long enough for his people to walk all the way to the other side… That would be pretty amazing except for the fact that it is NOT POSSIBLE!! Doesn’t that defy the laws of gravity? We all know it is just plain BS.

The Miracles of Jesus

Virgin Mother

Apparently, Mary (the mother of Jesus) miraculously conceived without having sex. The “Holy Spirit” impregnated her without the help of a man or any kind of “seed”.

My Thoughts

• Virgin? Yeah right!! We all know it cannot be a “miracle” that she got pregnant. That just defies everything we know about biology! If someone came up to me today and said she got pregnant out of nowhere by a “holy ghost”, I would probably laugh in her face.

Resurrection

According to the bible, Jesus was resurrected 3 days after he died for our sins. Even though he had already been buried in a tomb, he was somehow resurrected and even appeared to some people for over 40 days before his ascension to heaven. The crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus was all to save mankind.

My Thoughts

• Come on… Really? I guess it’s just like those Zombie movies huh? Rising from the dead… Freaking people out…
• The concept of Jesus dying for our sins is very silly.. why would god need to create him, have him captured, tortured and killed in order to forgive people for their sins…. There is another option you know… He could have just forgiven everyone! He is all-powerful right? This whole mess could have been avoided.

The Miracles of Mohammad

The Quran

Most Muslims will probably say that Mohammad’s greatest miracle was the Quran. It is the Holy Book written by “god” that is full of wisdom that works with everyday life in every generation.

My Thoughts

• The Quran is not really miraculous at all!… As I mentioned in a previous article, it is just a book with nonsense, flaws and grammar mistakes. Nothing special there.

Isra and Miraj (Journey to Jerusalem and Heaven)

One night, when Mohammad was in Mecca praying, he went on a journey on his “flying horse” from Mecca to Jerusalem. He then went up to the 7th heaven where he met god. This is the night when he bargains with god to reduce the number of times they need to pray from 50 to 5 (See my previous article about this topic). This 2-part event is called “Al-Isra” and “Al-Miraj”.

My Thoughts

• Flying horse? Where have I heard that before?… Hmmm… Greek mythology? Or maybe I am just thinking about all the cartoons out there today….
• Trip to Jerusalem – I was told that the reason why his followers believed that he went to Jerusalem is because he was able to describe the city in detail even though he has never been there before…. Yeah… that doesn’t seem like proof to me! Someone else who has actually been there could have told him about Jerusalem. Not to mention that he traveled a lot when he worked in the trade business with his wife Khadijah. How do we know that he never went there during one of those trips? Or that he met other travelers that told him about the city. That’s not a miracle. ANYONE can pretend they have been somewhere if all they have to do is describe the place.
• Trip to Heaven – Mohammad goes up to the 7th level of heaven to meet god in what is called Al-Miraj. Hmmmm…. Where is this 7th heaven that is up in the sky? Is it still on earth? Or another planet? Or somewhere in all that empty space out there. I wonder if the “flying horse” can actually fly in outer space… Or does he float instead?

These are questions that people SHOULD be asking or at least thinking about. I remember another time when we were told a story about how Mohammad was hiding from his enemies and he ended up going into a cave. “God” then had some spiders create their webs at the entrance of their hiding place. When the enemies passed by and saw the webs on the outside of the cave, they didn’t think there was anyone inside, so they left….. I was told this story was a miracle from “god”… ummmm… NO! It is not a miracle. There were times when I left my house to get coffee, and by the time I got back, there were spider webs at my door. It is an every day occurrence that happens in nature…

Miracles my ass!

Come on people… These are just fairytales written for ancient times when people didn’t know any better. You can’t call it a miracle just because it is written in a book, and you shouldn’t believe something extraordinary just because someone said it was true. We have to examine the evidence to see if it makes sense. We have to use our logical minds to determine what is real and what is fiction.

It is important to teach people the value of critical thinking. The number of religious skeptics is on the rise due to the fact that the newer generations are more educated and knowledgeable about the world. It is getting harder and harder to trick people into believing such religious nonsense.

I am not saying that we have all the answers. I am just saying that we should not believe something unless there is evidence. It is much better to say, “I don’t know” rather than jumping to conclusions just because someone said that their “imaginary friend” did it all. And just because some things might be unknown now, it doesn’t mean that we will never know them in the future. We know much more now than we did a thousand, a hundred, or even 10 years ago.

Being a skeptic is one of the most valuable lessons you can learn in life. With this skill, you will not be easily tricked into believing something without logic and evidence. You will ask questions, do your research and assess the validity of any outrageous claim. THAT is what will get us closer to the truth…. NOT an imaginary friend with a book.

(If you would like to suggest a topic, you can do it here)

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This is a sensitive subject for Muslims because many of them really believe that Islam abolished slavery. That’s what I thought when I was a Muslim, because that is what we were told in school. The sad truth is that Islam absolutely condoned slavery and Mohammad was actually a slave owner and a slave trader. There are many verses from the Quran and the Hadith (Mohammad’s Teachings) that are dedicated to telling people how to deal with the slaves. This includes the many women that were captured by the Muslims at war and used as sex slaves, or as they would call them… “those whom your right hands possess”.

There might have been a couple times where Muslims were told to treat their slaves nicely, or promised a great reward in heaven if they choose to free a slave. But there is NOT A SINGLE VERSE in the Quran or Hadith that abolishes slavery! In fact, the only times that Muslims were required to free ONE slave (with no payment) is as a punishment for a sin they have committed! That is NOT abolishing slavery! That is saying that if you are good, you can keep your slaves. A slave might be allowed to BUY his freedom only if his master agrees to some kind of payment. That should be a crime! You should not have to BUY your freedom.

I always knew that slavery was condoned in the bible, but I never for a second thought that Islam allowed it until I did my own research. You know why? Because they are not going to teach you that in schools. They are not going to admit that the Quran and Hadith are flawed. That would be a real embarrassment for Muslims.

Slavery in the Quran and Hadith

I read many verses in the Quran and the Hadith that discussed slavery, and this is just a summary of what I have learned:

A slave and his master are NOT equal

Allah sets forth the Parable (of two men: one) a slave under the dominion of another; He has no power of any sort; and (the other) a man on whom We have bestowed goodly favours from Ourselves, and he spends thereof (freely), privately and publicly: are the two equal? (By no means;) praise be to Allah. But most of them understand not. (Quran 16:75) (See also Quran 2:178)

Slaves were definitely property and they can be used to pay off debt.

Narrated Jabir: A man manumitted (freed) a slave and he had no other property than that, so the Prophet cancelled the manumission (and sold the slave for him). No’aim bin Al-Nahham bought the slave from him.

(Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 41, Number 598)

Men are allowed to use women as sex slaves if they were prisoners of war

O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee (Quran 33:50) (See also Quran 23:5-6, 70:29-30, 4:24, 8:69) (See also Sahih Bukhari 62:137, 34:432)

Mohammad was a slave trader and owner

Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) reported: There came a slave and pledged allegiance to Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) on migration; he (the Holy Prophet) did not know that he was a slave. Then there came his master and demanded him back, whereupon Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Sell him to me. And he bought him for two black slaves, and he did not afterwards take allegiance from anyone until he had asked him whether he was a slave (or a free man)
(Sahih Muslim 10:3901)

Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah: A man amongst us declared that his slave would be freed after his death. The Prophet called for that slave and sold him. The slave died the same year.
(Sahih Bukhari 3:46:711) (See also Sahih Bukhari 34:351, 72:734, and Sahih Muslim 4112)

In fact, Mohammad said that it is better to give away a slave to a relative, rather than to free one

Narrated Kurib: the freed slave of Ibn ‘Abbas, that Maimuna bint Al-Harith told him that she manumitted (freed) a slave-girl without taking the permission of the Prophet. On the day when it was her turn to be with the Prophet, she said, “Do you know, O Allah’s Apostle, that I have manumitted my slave-girl?” He said, “Have you really?” She replied in the affirmative. He said, “You would have got more reward if you had given her (i.e. the slave-girl) to one of your maternal uncles.”
(Sahih Bukhari 3:47:765)

Slaves are not allowed to marry anyone without the permission of their master

“Ibn Umar reported the prophet as saying: “If a slave marries without the permission of his master, his marriage is null and void.”
(Abu Dawud, Vol. 2, Ch. 597, No. 2074)

It is OK to beat your slave

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Zam’a: The Prophet said, “None of you should flog his wife as he flogs a slave and then have sexual intercourse with her in the last part of the day.”
(Sahih Bukhari 7:62:132) (See also Abu Dawud 1814)

You are allowed to rape female prisoners of war even if they are married (because their captivity is equivalent to divorce).

Sa’id al-Khudri reported that at the Battle of Hunain Allah’s Messenger sent an army to Autas and encountered the enemy and fought with them. Having overcome them and taken them captives, the Companions of Allah’s Messenger seemed to refrain from having intercourse with captive women because of their husbands being polytheists. Then Allah, Most High, sent down regarding that:” And women already married, except those whom your right hands possess (Quran 4:. 24)” (i. e. they were lawful for them when their ‘Idda period came to an end).
(Sahih Muslim 8:3432)

“And all married women (are forbidden unto you) except those (captives) whom your right hands possess (because their captivity is equivalent to divorce).” (Qur’an 4:24)

These are only a SOME of the verses in the Quran and Hadith about slavery. It’s just really sad and SICK! I can’t believe Muslims even try to come up with excuses and reasons why slavery was allowed. They come up with whatever they can to defend Islam. One of the excuses that I heard was that “times were different” back then and it was the norm during Mohammad’s time…. but isn’t Islam supposed to work for all generations? If there was something that violated human rights, “god” should have forbidden it, right? Another excuse I heard was that god could not just abolish slavery right away because it was a common practice. It had to be gradual… Just like drinking. If “god” just banned it, no one would want to convert to Islam. The difference is, drinking alcohol was eventually forbidden but slavery was never abolished!!

So what does Islam Teach Us?

Islam seems to forbid many little harmless things but ignores the bigger issues. Let’s see now…

You are NOT allowed to:

• Drink
• Eat pork
• Gamble
• Play or listen to music
• Eat with your left hand
• Travel on your own (women)
• Wear silk (men)
• Uncover your hair (women)
• Have premarital sex
• Marry a non muslim (women)
• Have a homosexual relationship
• Criticize Islam, God, or Mohammad (Blasphemy)
• Leave Islam

But you ARE allowed to:

• Own a slave
• Have 4 wives and sex slaves (for men)
• Beat your wife
• Kill an Apostate
• Marry a child
• Have temporary marriages
• Rape captive women

What kind of nonsense is this? It seems to me like “god” really got it backwards! You cannot enjoy life or think for yourself, but you can take away the basic human rights of someone. That is one sick god!!

You know…. Even if a god existed, and he allowed things like this to happen, I would never want to worship him anyway…

(If you would like to suggest a topic, you can do it here)

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When I was still a Muslim, one of the most common things that my non-muslim friends brought up was the issue of drinking. They didn’t see why it was a big deal and they thought it was funny that some of the muslims they knew still liked to drink even though they knew they were not supposed to. I know that some moderate and liberal Muslims today don’t have a big problem with alcohol, but my family was one of the ones that were extremely strict. We were absolutely not allowed to drink or have any friends who drink. We were not even allowed to cook anything that included any kind of alcoholic flavoring (even though the alcohol evaporates when cooked).

It was to the point that, when I was still a student, my mother did not want me work as a waitress in a restaurant, because it would mean that I have to serve alcohol to people. Yes… it’s that big of a deal in my family…. We have only ONE relative that openly drinks, and my family pretends that he doesn’t even exist. His mother never talks to him or answers his calls and everyone talks about him like he did something terrible.. Just for drinking sometimes.

What Does Islam say about drinking?

The Majority

If you ask Muslims, most of them will probably tell you that it is absolutely forbidden to drink alcohol. Both the Quran and the Hadith made that very clear.

“O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al-Ansaab, and Al-Azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan’s (Satan’s) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful”

(Quran: al-Maa’idah 5:90)

Interesting… It seems to me that the ” scary devil’s handiwork” is not so bad ….. I think many drinkers would agree that he did a pretty good job, don’t you think?

The funny thing about this subject is that wine is actually promised to Muslims in “heaven”. If it is so bad, then why would god give it to them as a reward? Why would “he” give them something from the devil? Isn’t “Satan” the enemy of mankind?

This following Hadith is the reason why my mom would not let me work a waitress at a restaurant. It seems to me like it is a little over the top…

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has cursed alcohol, the one who drinks it, the one who pours it, the one who sells it, the one who buys it, the one who squeezes it (squeezes the grapes, etc), the one for whom it is squeezed, the one who carries it and the one to whom it is carried.” (Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 2/700)

Extreme Punishment

I don’t think most Muslims really know the actual punishment that is required for people who drink. I know I didn’t. I was really surprised that the majority of the Islamic scholars agree that the minimum punishment is 80 lashes…. For having a drink! Wow! Isn’t that a little excessive? Isn’t the punishment for rape 100 lashes (if the person is not married)?….. So they are pretty much saying that a person who drinks is almost as bad a rapist… Really?! For having a drink? You don’t even get a buzz from that!

…When Umar (became the Commander of the Faithful) and the people went near to pastures and towns, he said (to the Companions of the Holy Prophet). What is your opinion about lashing for drinking? Thereupon Abd al-Rahman b. Auf said: My opinion is that you fix it as the mildest punishment. Then ‘Umar inflicted eighty stripes.

Sahih Muslim 17:4228

To make matters worse, Mohammad said that if someone drinks more than 3 times, then the punishment should be death…. DEATH!! For drinking a few times?

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If he is intoxicated, flog him; again if he is intoxicated, flog him; again if he is intoxicated, flog him if he does it again a fourth time, kill him.

AbuDawud said: And there is a similar tradition of Umar ibn AbuSalamah, from his father, on the authority of AbuHurayrah, from the Prophet (peace be upon him): If he drinks wine, flog him if he does it so again, a fourth time, kill him.

Abu Dawud 38:4469 , See also: Abu Dawud 38:4467 and Abu Dawud 38:4470

I never knew that this was real the punishment for drinking alcohol until recently. They don’t really advertise it, especially in this world that is all about this new thing called “freedom”…. I couldn’t believe it! These rules also still exist in some Muslim countries today that are ruled by Sharia law (like Iran and Saudi Arabia). I really wonder how many Muslims actually know this. Especially with drinking being on the rise in Muslim countries….

Alcohol is only forbidden sometimes?

I remember in Islamic class when my teacher was telling us about a Quranic verse that only forbade drinking before prayer. He was trying to explain why the following verse did not completely forbid alcohol.

O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged. Qur’an 4:43

Did Mohammad ever drink? Maybe…

This is the part that they don’t teach you in schools! I heard a rumor that there was a Hadith (#3753) by Sahih Muslim (a reputable person) that says Mohammad had an alcoholic drink (that was very common in his time). I also heard that ever since that Hadith was exposed by non-muslims online a few years ago, they have been trying to hide it so people cannot use it to criticize Islam.

We were with the messenger of Allah, PBUH and he asked for a drink. One of his men said: “Oh Messenger of Allah, Can we offer you wine to drink?” He said Yes. He (Gaber) went out looking for the drink and came back with a cup of wine. The messenger (Peace Be Upon him) asked, “Have you covered it with a twig in a transverse manner” He (Gaber) said, “Yes” and he (Muhammad) drank.
Sahih Muslim – Hadith #3753

I did not really believe it, so I did some research online for Hadith number 3753…. with no luck at first. That number ended up pointing me to a different Hadith or to nowhere. Then I found a screenshot taken a few years ago of the Hadith described, but it was in Arabic. It was from a reputable website for the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Saudi Arabia. Since I speak Arabic, I read the title of the Hadith, went to their “updated” website and looked it up by the title (instead of the number). It turns out that the Hadith was still there under a different number (now #2010) and it was not available in the English translation (only in Arabic). It also looks like the Hadith was slightly modified. They used the word “Laban” (Milk) instead of “”Nabidh” (which is usually an alcoholic drink) to make it seem like Mohammad was talking about something else instead of alcohol. Wow! They really went through some extensive measures to make this Hadith difficult for the public to find. If the Hadith was really not talking about alcohol, then why did they work so hard to hide it? All the links to that original page do not exist anymore (except in some archives). If they were telling the truth, they would have nothing to hide.

Update (Feb 2, 2012): I later did some more research and found yet ANOTHER page with the original Hadith on the Saudi website. They changed it to another number (2010 to 2011) AGAIN, but the content uses the same word “Nabidh” (which is usually alcoholic). This version was before they changed the word to “Laban” (milk). In this Hadith, Mohammad specifically asks if the drink is alcoholic and the man says yes, then mohammad drank it. View Page. The funny thing is, when I searched for this original version of the Hadith on their website (al-Islam.com), I could not find it. But when I click on the link (above), it takes me to the correct version of the Hadith. That means that it is on their server but not available to the public.

There was also a story about Mohammad performing wudu (ablution) with wine.

Narrated by Abdullah bin Masoud (May God be pleased with him):

He was with the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him on the night of the jinn when he asked him if he had water. He answered that he had wine in a pot. Mohammed said: Pour me some to do ablution and he did. [The] Prophet peace be upon him [said]: “O Abdullah bin Masood it is a drink and a purifier.”

Musnad Ahmad - Hadith #3594,

This part just seemed a little strange to me and I have to say that I only found an original screenshot of this Hadith (at least so far… and only from my brief research online). I am pretty sure that if I were to look it up in the actual books I would find the Hadith in some of the older editions (before they were able to modify anything).

In reality, I don’t care whether these Hadith’s are true or not. Drinking should be something that is a personal choice. I just resent the fact that the religion is trying to control what you decide to do with your life (whether their prophet did it or not).

Do Some Muslims Drink Today? Absolutely!

Although the majority of Muslims think that drinking is Haram (forbidden), I have to say that I am surprised at how many of them still drink behind the scenes. Some are kind of open about it (if they come from more tolerant backgrounds), and others have to drink in secret. From my experience, I see more Muslim men drinking than women. I think that is because the men have a lot more freedom to go out without being questioned about what they are doing…. While women have stricter rules… Of course.

Final Thoughts

There is nothing wrong with drinking in moderation. In fact, research shows that moderate drinking can have some pretty good health benefits. As long as it is not abused, there is no harm. I understand that too much alcohol can be harmful…. just like too much sugar, red meat and salt can be bad for you.

It just seems like Islam has this obsession with control. “God” needs to micro-manage everything in your daily life.

The way I see it, it’s perfectly fine to have a good time as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone. And since I don’t believe in the afterlife, I would like to enjoy the ONLY life that I have before I am gone. I am not going to wait for these imaginary “rivers of wine” that the Quran promises.

That’s it for now…. I have to go because I am late for happy hour.

Cheers!

(If you would like to suggest a topic, you can do it here.)

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The number of Interfaith marriages around the world are on the rise. People are becoming a lot more open minded and tolerant of other faiths, but what does Islam think about marrying a non-Muslim?

Interfaith Marriage in Islam

The General Rule of Thumb

According to the Quran, Muslims should NOT marry people who don’t believe in Islam.

Do not marry unbelieving women until they believe. A slave woman who believes is better than an unbelieving woman, even though if she attracts you. And not marry (your girls) to unbelievers until they believe. A man slave who believes is better than an unbeliever, even though if he attracts you. Unbelievers do (but) beckon you to the fire but Allah beckons by His grace to the garden (of bliss) and forgiveness, and makes His signs clear to mankind; that they may receive admonition. (Quran 2:221).

And I’m not even going to get started on the comparison to slaves… I will leave that for another post where I will write about slavery in the Quran.

In addition to not allowing interfaith marriages, most families prefer not to even let their children marry anyone from a different country. Even if they are Muslim. They like to keep it within their culture and traditions so they don’t have to worry about “inter-cultural” differences.

Exceptions for Men

The Quran later “revealed” an exception that was directed only to the men. To me, it is more like a contradiction, because it disagrees with the law in the previous verse. The exception says that men are allowed to marry “people of the book”, generally known as Christians and Jews. I guess they feel that the two religions are close enough to Islam to be considered ok.

Lawful to you in marriage are not only chaste women who are believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book. (Quran 5:5).

What About the Women?
Of course, there is a double standard in Islam…. again. As usual, the women are left behind, because according to Islam, women cannot marry anyone that is not Muslim…. no matter what.

Excuses Given by Muslims

Muslims always come up with many excuses that “explain” why women don’t get the same rules as men. Here are some of the things they say:

• The man is always the head of the household so his religion is always what the family follows.
• Women are “weaker” emotionally so if she marries a non-Muslim man, she will be influenced by him and she would be more likely to change her beliefs.
• When they have kids, they will always go by the fathers religion (I guess they didn’t know that Judaism is based on maternal lineage. The mother determines the religion of the children).
• They just don’t want to be influenced by non-Muslims.

The Reality – How People Deal with their Interfaith Relationships

Because of these religious laws, many couples are faced with making a really difficult decision. They usually have three choices:

1. They can just break it off and forget about getting married.
2. The woman can marry a non-Muslim anyway and face the consequences. I think that in most cases she will be at least disowned, but this can really vary depending on where she lives.
3. The man can “convert” to Islam. That way the woman does not have to choose between her family and the man she loves. I have to say that this is a popular option, because no one wants to lose their family. It’s just sad….

It just seems that Muslims keeps figuring out ways to make life difficult for their people.They have to be in control so they can make sure Islam keeps growing by gaining new converts or having little Mini-Muslims running around. Muslims also think they are better than others so they have this great fear of being “influenced”.

Aren’t we supposed to try to bring people together to make this world a better place? Instead, Islam drives people apart and makes non-Muslims think that they are not worthy.

(This is a topic that was suggested by a reader. If you would like me to write about something else that interests you, make a suggestion here.)

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I remember learning about Adam and Eve as a kid. I am sure everyone knows the basic story of creation about how “god” took some clay and created adam, then used part of adam to create eve. I don’t know why he didn’t just create her from scratch. I guess he was trying to recycle or something? Anyway, we were basically told that we all came from adam and eve but they didn’t really talk about details of how it worked. It wasn’t until I was older that I actually thought about it…. Does that mean that their kids had to have sex with each other?!!

In short, the answer is YES!

The story of Adam and Eve according to Islam

After Adam and Eve ate from the “forbidden tree” and got banished from heaven, they were sent to earth as a test to “god’s” new creation. The Quran does not mention Eve’s name, but Muslims know her as Hawwa. Eventually, they started having kids together. God decided to give them two sets of twins, each set included a boy and a girl. The boy from the first set was named Cain (Qabil) and boy from the second set was named Able (Habil). Of course, the girls names are not mentioned again… I guess they are just not important. Apparently, “god” ordered the boy from the first set to marry the girl from the second set (because having sex with your sibling is not as bad as having sex with your twin?)… And that’s how it all started… That’s why we are here today…

I had two problems with this story:

1. Marrying bothers and sisters is not allowed in Islam (or in any society that has basic common sense!). So that means that this story contradicts the “Islamic law”. Muslims say that this was a one time exception to get the population of the world started, then it was outlawed later in the Quran.
2. Why couldn’t “god” just create another couple to have kids too? Or better yet, a whole bunch of families. That way they don’t have to be incestuous and have sex with their siblings. He is all powerful right? He surely knows that there is a major problem with this idea.

Islam and Evolution

Many Muslims believe that the Quran and science are in line with each other. They interpret parts of the Quran to explain scientific ideas like evolution and the big bang. I remember learning about evolution in school, but we were always told that “god” made it happen and that the story of creation in the Quran somehow fits. I don’t know how that made sense, since the idea of humans created from clay just doesn’t work with the basic principles of biology and evolution.

To make matters worse, the story of Adam and Eve makes us all a result of inbreeding! Especially because “god” made Eve from Adam. That would give them similar genes right? So their kids would be 2nd generation inbred. That is a recipe for disaster! Talk about major genetic defects….But I guess “god” knew that.

It’s just sad that people in the 21st century still teach such nonsense. They make up crazy interpretations that would make the Quran seem like it works with modern day science. They would also never admit it when they are wrong. They would rather teach their kids how to be ignorant and follow religious ideas based on blind faith. I refused to do that. I studied the Quran, asked questions, and thought about the answers I was given. It turns out that the best way to lose your faith, is to actually read your “holy book”. Reading the Quran is the main reason why I am an atheist today.

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One of the readers requested that I write about how Muslims feel about non-believers and how they are treated. We always hear about people who converted to Islam, but do not hear as much about the ones who left Islam (except for some extreme cases). This subject really varies and it depends on if we are talking about conservative Muslim countries or secular countries. Many people living in the U.S. and other western countries are a lot more open minded because they see so many diverse views and ideas. However, Muslims living in the middle east might see it as a big problem. I will write about my views in both cases, since I lived in the Middle East as well as the United States.

Definitions

First off, let’s talk about the difference between a non-Muslim unbeliever and an apostate.

• A non-Muslim unbeliever (kafir) is someone who does not believe in Islam (typically referring to Christians & Jews).
• An apostate (murtad) is someone who used to be Muslim then decided to leave Islam.

I fall into the second category. I was born into Islam, lived as a “Muslim” until my mid-20′s, then decided that religion wasn’t for me.

What Muslims think of Non-Believers

Why I Didn’t Come Out Publicly as an Atheist

When I first decided that I really did not believe in religion, I did a lot of thinking. I had to decide if I was going to keep it to myself or tell my family. My parents are moderate Muslims that believe the Quran is the word of god, but since they are not extremists, I don’t think they would try to enforce any punishment on me. However, they would definitely disown me and never speak to me again.

I had two options:

1. I can deal with the fact that I will never have contact with my family again. This is something that my parents will never get over. It is not as simple as having a difference of opinion. It is something that they absolutely truly believe. Even after they disown me, they would be so depressed because, in their mind, I am going to be punished in “hell” for all of eternity…. They would also feel like they did something wrong in raising me and that it was their fault. My parents would just be miserable and extremely hurt.
2. I can hide it from them to save the relationship with my family. I love my parents very much and we have a really good relationship. Since they do not live with me (and they are not in the U.S. most of the year), I can live my life without them bothering me too much. My husband knows my views on religion and supports me completely. If we just keep it a secret, it would help keep the peace and avoid any problems.

Needless to say, I decided to go with the second option. After all, I believe that this is the only life we get, and I do not want to spend it fighting with my family. I realize that my situation is a little easier than most and I think that it is sad that people around the world are being punished just for thinking for themselves.

(This is a topic that was suggested by a reader. If you would like me to write about something else that interests you, make a suggestion here.)

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About a month ago, my mom was packing to go on a trip. While she was trying to figure out what she needed, she realized that she could not find one of her purses. After looking everywhere with no luck, she started freaking out. She came downstairs really frustrated and said: “I think the devil is playing tricks on me! I can’t find my bag and I know I saw it this morning. He must be hiding it somewhere to mess with me.”….. It took every bit of self-control for me not to burst out laughing. She was really serious! She proceeded to recite verses of the Quran to ward him off. I tried to tell her that the “devil” was not messing with her, but she got mad and said: “You know this stuff is real right? It’s in the Quran”…. Of course mom. It MUST be real because this ancient book said so. I wanted to say more so badly but I decided to let it go. She eventually realized that she put the purse inside another bag to save space, and then gave credit to god (of course) for helping her find it.

Now, my mother is an educated professional with a graduate degree. She is generally not an irrational person by any means, but somehow she manages to block off her logical side when it comes to religion. It is deeply ingrained in her and she would never for a second think that it is not real. Many Muslims are the same way. There are just certain superstitious things that they truly believe in just because they are in the Quran and Hadith (Teachings of Mohammad).

Here are some examples of the biggest issues I have seen:

The Evil Eye

The Evil Eye is probably the most popular superstition that I see in the Muslim world. It supposedly comes when someone admires something you have but does not say a blessing, and then harm happens to you or the item they liked. For example, if someone admires your car but does not say “Masha’ Allah” (which basically means “with god’s will anything is possible”), and you get in an accident the next day, it would be their fault. Or if someone admires your beautiful wife and then she gets a cut on her face, it would be their fault as well. Because of ideas like these, people are always saying “Masha’ Allah” all the time so they don’t cause harm to others or themselves.

Warding off the Evil Eye

When I was about 11 or 12, my parents got into a big argument. They did not speak for days, which was very uncharacteristic of them because they were always very affectionate towards each other and they never argued in front of me or my siblings. My grandmother was convinced that the evil eye is what was causing their fight. Someone just had to be jealous of their relationship. She came over and started reading verses of the Quran in our living room to ward off the evil eye. It didn’t work the first day, so she came over again the next day and did the same. Later that night my parents worked things out. My grandmother was so happy because in her mind, it worked! Reading the Quran verses got rid of the evil eye and my parents were back to themselves again. Of course she gave credit to “god”, not to the fact that they sat down to discuss the problem and then reached a compromise.

Muslims believe that there are some things that you can do to help protect yourself from the evil eye. Here are some of the ideas they usually suggest:

• Put a small Quran in places like your living room or car. You can also wear a necklace with just a few key verses from the Quran to help protect you. This is especially done for kids because they want to keep them “safe”.
• Don’t always tell people when something good happens to you just in case someone is jealous. It is not worth the risk of the evil eye.
• Always say “Masha Allah” (with god’s will anything is possible) when you see something you admire so you don’t accidentally put the evil on someone or on your self.

Obsession with being right handed

Mohammad believed that the devil was left handed. He had this obsession with doing everything with the right hand, foot and side, because anything on the left is associated with evil. He said that you should always use your right for anything “honorable” (writing), and your left hand for anything that is not (going to the bathroom etc.).

I have an uncle who is left handed, and when he was younger, his family would tie his left hand behind his back so he would not use it for eating or writing. Needless to say, that did not make him right handed, it just made him resent the idea that he was left handed.

Here are some more things that Mohammad taught his people to keep “Satan” away:

• When you put your shoes on, always start with the right foot then the left.
• Never eat with your left hand because that means the devil is eating with you.
• Always spit to your left because that’s where the devil stands.
• When you go to the bathroom, you should enter with your left foot, but when you leave you should use your right (since the bathroom is an “unclean” place).
• When a man pees, he should never hold his penis with the right hand. (yes he actually said that)
• Mohammad also believed that if you wanted to make sure bad dreams don’t harm you, spit on your left side. I did not even know this teaching existed, but apparently it is in the Hadith:
  

  A good dream that comes true is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan, so if anyone of you sees a bad dream, he should seek refuge with Allah from Satan and should spit on the left, for the bad dream will not harm him.” (Bukhari Book 87 #115)

Fortune Telling

Islam says that fortune telling is true but they try to discourage people from it because fortune tellers “work with the devil” to get their information. Although they are not supposed to find out their future, many people still speak to, palm readers, card readers, and coffee fortune tellers.

My grandmmother went to see a fortune teller when she was in her 20′s and the teller told her that she would not live past 60. The closer my grandmother got to that age, the more scared she became. Then age 60 came but nothing happened. Still, she thought every year would be her last. She ended up living until she got to her late 70′s, and I am pretty sure that if she did not have this fear that she was dying, she would have lived a happier, more enjoyable life.

Witchcraft

The Quran and Hadith (Mohammad’s teachings) are filled with witchcraft. It is even said that witchcraft could kill and that the person performing the spell should be tried as a murderer and executed. Mohammad even thought that he was “bewitched” at some point.

7 Dates a day keep the “spells” away

The “prophet” Mohammad had an interesting way of warding off evil and protecting himself. He ate 7 dates a day…

He who ate seven ‘ajwa’ dates in the morning, poison and magic will not harm him on that day. (Sahih Muslim Book 23, #5081).

More Funny and Strange Things Mohammed Believed

These are some things they didn’t exactly teach us in school… Probably because they sounded even dumber than the examples above. I found them in an article while doing some research for this post. I looked up the references in the Hadith, and they actually exist!

This list really made me laugh:

• If someone oversleeps, it is because Satan urinated in their ear.
• You should try your best not to yawn because it is caused by Satan and he will laugh at you every time. But it is OK to sneeze because god likes sneezing.
• Keep your doors closed because Satan does not open closed doors.
• Satan comes out at night so don’t let your kids out of the house after sunset.
• Satan hangs out in the upper part of your nose when you sleep at night, so if you wake up to go to the bathroom, always wash your nose and blow it to get rid of him.
• And last but not least…A child will always resemble the parent that climaxed first during sex (when conceived).

And people wonder why we don’t take religion seriously….

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Since I had to take Islamic classes for so many years, some things just became a blur in my mind over time. However, there are a few stories that stand out because they were just funny and interesting. One of these stories is about the time when the “prophet” Mohammad had to bargain with his god to lower the required number of times people had to pray every day.

Apparently, Mohammad went up to visit god (Allah) in the 7th heaven and god told him that Muslims should pray 50 times a day. Then, Mohammad went down and saw Moses who convinced him to go back up to god and bargain with him. Mohammad went up again and god lowered the required prayers just a little bit. Then Moses told him to try again and Mohammad kept going back and forth until the required number of times people had to pray went down to 5 times a day. At that point, he decided to stop because he felt too embarrassed to go back up and ask for a lower number since that was a pretty good discount.

I always wondered why god didn’t realize that Mohammad was going to go back and ask for a better deal. Why didn’t god just ask for 5 prayers in the first place? And more importantly, why would god bargain? I mean, he is supposed to be the “Law Maker” not the “Deal Maker”. It just never made sense to me.

Can you imagine what life would have been like for Muslims if they had decided to stick to 50 prayers a day? If Muslims today had to work 8 hours a day and sleep at least 6 hours, that would leave them with 10 hours a day at 5 prayers per hour. This doesn’t include meals, showers, errands, family time etc. No one would have a life! Why would god need that? Is it a self esteem thing where he constantly needs to be praised? Or does he have a big ego and he just likes to hear it all the time? And what kind of god would “create” people for for the sole purpose of telling him he is awesome? That is not life. That’s slavery. But then again, we were always told that we were just slaves of god and he can do what he wanted with us. That is not a god I would want to worship.

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Equality (or in this case, inequality) between the sexes is a very controversial topic in the modern Islamic world. Muslim countries are advancing and trying to catch up with the west, yet women and men cannot have equal rights because Sharia Law states that the value of a woman is half of a man.

A Woman’s Inheritance is Half a Man’s

According to Islam, if someone dies, the inheritance would be divided among the children. This division is NOT equal. The women only get HALF of what the men get.

Qur’an (4:11) – “The male shall have the equal of the portion of two females”.

So that means that if a man had 3 children (a boy and two girls), each of the daughters would only get 1/4 of the inheritance while the son gets 1/2.

Excuse
The excuse given is that women do not have any financial responsibilities since they are only “daughters, housewives and mothers”. They say that the man is always the financial provider and that he would need more money than a woman.

This was probably the case 1,500 years ago, but, obviously, times have changed since then. Today, women are educated, they have good jobs, and sometimes have to be the providers for their families as well. This just shows that these laws are ancient and cannot apply to the modern world.

A Woman’s Testimony is HALF as Valuable as a Man’s

In Sharia Law, when an Islamic court requires the testimony of 2 people, the witnesses have to be two men. If two men are not available, then they have to be a man and two women.

Qur’an (2:282) – “And call to witness, from among your men, two witnesses. And if two men be not found then a man and two women.”

Excuse

The excuse that I was given was that women are very emotional and they might allow their feelings to cloud their memory and judgement. They also say that since women go through hormonal changes, because of their menstrual cycles, they are not always of sound mind because their “intelligence is diminished”.

To me, the excuse is worse than the law itself! The idea that our biological cycles somehow diminish our mental intelligence is absurd! And the fact that they think a man’s testimony is twice as reliable is proof that Islam is a male-chauvinistic religion.

Polygamy is Allowed for Men

In this case, a woman is actually worth 1/4 of a man. Men (and only men) are allowed to have up to 4 wives. This does not include the concubines, sex slaves and temporary marriages that are allowed for men.

Qur’an (4:3) – “Marry women of your choice, Two or three or four”

Excuse

My Islamic teacher used to say that a man can have more than one wife because:

• Sometimes the wife cannot get pregnant and give him any children.
• The wife might be sick and cannot perform her “sexual duties”.
• The man might have a really high sex drive and one wife just cannot satisfy him.
• The are more women than men this world (because many men die at war and generally have a lower life expectancy). Since the woman-to-man ratio is higher, it is better to have more than one wife per husband (so they don’t have to stay un-married).

That last excuse really makes me laugh sometimes. Really? You couldn’t come up with anything better? Just pure ignorance!

The Blood Money (Diyah) of a Woman is HALF a Man’s

If someone accidentally kills a muslim man or a woman, they are required to give “blood money” to the victim’s family as a fine. In Sharia Law, the money you pay for killing a woman is HALF of what you pay for killing a man.

Excuse

The excuse most people give is that when a man dies, the financial loss is much greater than a if a woman dies. This is because the woman is only a “housewife” and does not usually bring in any income.

Again, this is the 21st century, and no matter how they spin it, Islam is still an ancient, male-dominated religion where a woman is “literally” worth half a man.

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