RECLAIMING OUR RELIGION
Being a muslim we need to reclaim our religion from the prongs of a strict interpretation, we are witnessing attempts to make this strict ideology the one and only accepted face of Islam. We have seen what the resurgence of political Islam has done to our regions of origin and to our religion.
Roughly 200 years after the death of Jesus, Clement of Alexandra wrote that it is impious “to desecrate the symbol of manhood, hairness.” Writing in 195 A.D., Clement also stated “But let the chin have the hair … For an ample beard suffices for men. And if one, too, shave a part of his beard, it must not be made entirely bare, for this is a disgraceful sight.” Even today Christian clergy in Greece, Russia, Romania and other Orthodox communities wear untrimmed beards and hair.
If we were to follow Adams’ theory, we should wonder if Abraham Lincoln, signer of the Emancipation Proclamation and 16th president of the United States, was a “secret Muslim” because he also had a beard. If we applied Adam’s theory to the entire U.S. Civil War era, many more American men would have been Muslim because the beard was a prominent facial feature during this time in American history.
The Bible and other artifacts of Christian history show us the long history of the beard in Christianity. The most clear biblical passage to condone beards comes from Leviticus (19:27): “You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your heads, neither shall you clip off the edge of your beard.” To cut off another man’s beard, according to Samuel (10:4) is an outrage.
According to Jeremiah (41:5), to shave or pluck one’s own beard was only appropriate during times of mourning.Leviticus (21:5) states that “You shall not shave your beard for the dead [a pagan practice] with a baldness on the top, and they shall not shave their beard.” Moreover, Leviticus (19:27) also states “…to all men in general, you shall not make a round cutting of their hair of your head, nor disfigure your beard.”
Jesus’ apostles are also represented frequently as bearded men. One of the most revered figures in Christian history — Saint Paul of Tarsus — also wore his hair long. In Acts (19:12) we learn of Paul’s “head bands,” indicating his long hair which he had to tie back in order to keep in place.
As we believe in freedom of religion. we need to clarify to those in universities, the media and discussion forums that in exploring the “hijab” they are not exploring Islam, but rather the ideology of political Islam as practised by the mullahs or clerics of Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Islamic State.
In the name of “interfaith” these well -intentioned Americans are getting duped by the agenda of Muslims who argue that a woman’s honour lies in her “chastity” and unwittingly pushing a platform to put a hijab on every woman. If you can’t wear it, don’t crucify him for wearing it
Please do this instead: Do not wear a headscarf in “solidarity” with the ideology that most silences us, equating our bodies with honour. Stand with us instead with moral courage against the ideology of Islamism that demands we cover our hair.
Restoring integrity, or wholeness, is always a radical act. It transcends notions of left and right, emphasising the need to think independently. In Islam, independent thought has a strong history, not that you’d know it from the news about bombings, beheading and bloodshed.
when Muslims are victims of attack they refuse to call it terrorism.
# Finsbury Park attack
#Newspapers are spreading hate, warns Muslim of Council of Britain
#Bag of vomit thrown at Muslim woman’s car in suspected hate crime
#Norway plans to ban Muslim face veils in schools
#Muslim men hauled off Manchester flight after passengers complain
# ISIS attack
If we are to win this battle, we need to actively counter the propagation of extremist beliefs on satellite channels, on campus, online and in communities.
Muslims must define what islam stands for: an ethical and moral religious framework which advocates for human rights, peace and equality while weeding out hate, violence and discrimination. Likewise, confronting the wider obstacles facing Muslims in our country – socioeconomic and political issues, as well as widespread anti-Muslim discrimination – is vital. It’s important to remember that no one, apart from extremists, benefits from the presence of Islamist extremism
islam says no to terror,
islam means peace
Credits to: Sara khan
Craig Considine
Nafysah @ .Knowislam.com.ng
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