"Erkek egemenligin tarihi" ve "dertli olmak / sorumluluklarimiz"

Az once erkek egemenlik nereden cikti diye bir arkadasimla konusuyordum. Bu arada asagida da gorulebilecegi gibi universite sonrasinda antropolojiyle tanistigimdan beri avci toplayicilarla takintim var :)

Bir cok -izm gibi feminizm de hakli sorunlara parmak basarken haksiz artniyetler besliyor diye dusunuyorum, kadini erkekten daha ucuz isci yapmak ve isci sayisini ikiye katlayarak erkeklerin de maaslarini dusurmek artniyeti var gibi geliyor, endustri devrimi sonrasinda. Yoksa feminist elestirilerde adalet arayisi elbette hakli.

Kazakistan'da kadina aile ici siddet orani %90. Misir'da kadina taciz orani %90. ABD'de tecavuze ugrayan ortaokul, lise ogrencisi kiz cocuklari orani %20, taciz orani %80, erkek cocuklarinda %10, vs... bu rakamlar dudak ucuklatici. Peki insanlik olarak bu hale nasil geldik?

<<~200bin yillik homo sapiens tarihinde avci toplayici kabilelerde gordugum kadariyla yasli/genc, kadin/erkek vs esdegerlik ve bariscillik (dusuk suc orani gibi) soz konusu (esitlik demiyroum, esdegerlik diyorum, cunku herkesin sorumluluk ve aktiviteleri net ve ayrik bir sekilde tanimlanmis).

Anladigim kadariyla tarihte 10bin yil once tarimin ilk defa cikmaya basladigi donemlerde bitkilerle birlikte hayvanlarin da evcillestirilmesiyle gocebe hayvancilik dunyada var olan birkac lokal tarim medeniyeti haric (oncelikle Misir ve Mezopotamya, sonraki bin yillarda ise Hint, Cin, Kore, Japon, Aztek, Maya, Roma, vs.) insanligin kalan cogunlugu icin giderek en yaygin mod haline geliyor (neolitik tarim cevreyi, topragi, cesitliligi oldurdugu icin avcilik giderek surdurulebilirlik acisindan zorlasiyor).

Gocebe hayvancilikta erkegin rolu avciliktan cobanliga donusuyor. Avcilikta hem vahsi durtulerini guvenli bir sekilde ifade edebilen, hem de gunde ortalama birkac saat avciliga yettigi icin kabilenin diger (su tasima, odun kirma, ates yakma -o zaman zippo yok tabi-, gibi) agir islerine yetisebilen erkek, coban olunca vahsetini kadina ve cocuga, yahut kendisinden zayif erkege zulme donusturuyor ve coban tum gunu koyunlarla yatarak gecirdiginden kabilenin tum agir isleri kadina kaliyor. Ayrica et proteinin yerini sut ve urunleri alinca, onceden protein kaynagi olarak hayvani pisiren erkekken, ve kadin sadece karbonhidrat kaynagi sebze/meyve/ot dograma/pisirme yaparken, simdi protein kaynagi yogurdu, peyniri, yagi yapan da yine kadin oluyor. Dahasi tum bunlar da yetmeyince tarim toplumlarina hali, comlek vs uretmek zorunda kalan da yine kadin oluyor, erkegin bunlari satip karsiliginda tarim urunlerini satin alabilmesi icin.

Kadinlar boylece kabilenin koleleri durumuna dusunce ilk defa gocebe hayvanci kabilelerinde kadina ve cocuga siddet gozlemleniyor. Aksam cadirda dayak yemek, aile ici siddet, evlilik hayatinin bir normu haline geliyor.

Tarim toplumunda kadin/erkek esitsizligine bir de sosyal sinif farki ekleniyor. Endustriyel kurede de aile ici siddet ve sosyal sinif farkinin yani sira, somurge milletler kavrami da ortaya cikiyor. 1. sinif denilen ulkeler 2. ve 3. sinif ulkeleri topyekun (para denilen degeri belirsiz kavramin manipulasyonu ve savas teknolojileri vs sayesinde) somuruyorlar.

Yani son 10bin yilda dunya capinda ivmeyle artan zulum grafiginin yalnizca bir parcasi aslinda erkek egemenlik yahut kadina siddet ve baski.

Avcilik yapamayan erkegin vahsi yonunun "terbiye"ye ihtiyaci var, bunu da ya gunumuz medeniyeti erkegi efeminelestirerek metroseksuel gentilmen erkek modeli seklinde terbiye ediyor, ya da vahiy gelenegi nefis tezkiyesi altinda erkegi (kadini da tabii ki) terbiye ediyor.

Kurban bayraminda kurban kesilmesinin cok mana ve hikmetlerinden yalnizca biri olarak da erkegin kan akitma ihtiyaci olabilecegini dusunuyorum, gerci artik internetten siparisle kurban veriyoruz bir cogumuz, bahsettigim milletler arasi esitsizlikten dolayi.

Saglikli kadin-erkek iliskileri icin, cocuk egitimi icin, yasam tarzi icin, diyet, egzersiz ve medikal pratikler icin, toplumun sosyoekonomik duzeni icin, vs avci toplayici medeniyetlerinden, insanlik olarak ortak atalarimizdan ders almali ve cikardigimiz dersleri icinde bulundugumuz endustri sonrasi bilgisayar cagina adapte etmeliyiz diye dusunuyorum.

Tarim toplumlarinin medeniyetleri ve tarim toplumlari icinde de ozellikle bilinmeyen ve bildigim tek bariscil devrimi gerceklestirmis olan Muhammed asm ve arkasindan gelen 4 emirin medeniyeti de (islam medeniyeti demiyorum cunku 30 yil kadar suren bu surecten sonra Emevilerle beraber yaygin tarim medeniyeti yeniden hortluyor, uzerine "yesil" bir boya ile, Muhammad asm'in getirdigi devrimsel unsurlarin cogu devamlilik gosteremiyor, bunu da sonradan musluman olan toplumlarin kafa yapisinin hala tarim sistemi icinde calismasina bagliyorum), avci toplayici medeniyetler gibi calisilmali ve hepsinin ideal unsurlari gunumuz global zulum ve somuru medeniyetine mezcedilmeli.

Gunumuz teknolojisinin avantajindan, ancak bu sekilde bu medeniyetin dezavantajlarindan arindirarak faydalanabiliriz.>>

Peki tum bunlari dert edinmeli miyiz? Oyleyse neden?

<<"Insanlar bir vucudun azasi gibidirler" manasina gelen bir hadis var sanirim. Aslinda kendimi evrenin ya da insanligin butununden, butuncullugunden ayiramam. Her birimiz ayni havayi soluyoruz, aslinda iciceyiz, her ne kadar egomuzun bir "ben"lik algisi olsa da, "ben" maddeten dahi nerede baslayip nerede bittigimi kesin cizgilerle ifade edemem. Yedigim maydanoz bogazimdan gecerken maydanoz mudur ben midir? Kucagimdaki kediyle ayni havayi soludugumuzda kedi, ben, hava nerede baslar, nerede biter? (Bu nokta I Heart Huckabees filminde de aciklayici bir sekilde islenmis ;) )

Kendimi iyilestirmeye ve dunyayi iyilestirmeye cabalamak icin bana fitratimda konulmus adalet ve baris saiki aslinda ayni ve bir. Benim icin dogru olan insanlik icin, evren icin dogru olandir ve vice versa. Gunluk hayatimdaki en basit gorunen tercihlerimi dahi degerlendirebilmek icin insanligin hatta varligin butununu goz onunde bulundurmak zorundayim. Kendime sikca su soruyu sormaya calisiyorum: eger dunyadaki herkes bunu yapsaydi bu, dunya icin daha mi iyi olurdu daha mi kotu? Bunu ideallerimi belirlemedeki kistasim yapmaya cabaliyorum.

Eger "ben"i, "ailem"i, "milletim"i, hatta "gunumuz"u vs bu holistik evrenden (zaman ve gayb boyutlari da dahil olmak uzere) kopararak dusunursek saglikli, realiteyle bagdasan sonuclara ulasilabilecegini sanmiyorum. Ustelik "ego"ist bir noktadan yaklastigimizda kalbimizin, ruhumuzun, vicdanimizin insani temel degerleri haykirislarina kulak tikayip, nefsimizin, ruhumuzu tatmin etmeyen, aksine bogan heva ve heveslerine kole olmamizin riski yuksek.

Sorumluluklarimizi da bize verilen yetenekler, bilgi, vs ve bana verilen arzular ekseninde dusunmeye calisiyorum. Eger bize merhamet, sevgi, adalet, hikmet, baris, vs ve bunlarin evrende hakim olmasi sevdirildiyse, insaniyetimizle celismemek icin tum yetilerimizi imkanimizca bu amac dogrultusunda kullanmaya niyet etmeli ve caba gostermeliyiz (yani dua hali) diye dusunuyorum.

Ustelik "eger dunyadaki herkes bunu yapsaydi bu, dunya icin daha mi iyi olurdu daha mi kotu?" dusturunca, herkes ya da en azindan insanlarin cogunlugu, kendi imkanlari nispetince tum insanligi dert edinerek baris ve adaleti tesis icin bir niyet ve caba (dua*) icine girse bambaska bir dunya bizi bekleyebilir. Yeter ki Iblis (Seytan'in umitsiz anlamina gelen lakabi) gibi umudumuzu kaybetmeyelim, evrendeki tum guzelliklerin Mutlak sahibi ve kaynaginin, biz insanlar istersek, avci toplayici zamaninda oldugu gibi, hatta daha da guzel bir dunya Yaratacagina da inanalim, emin olalim. Bu anlamda egitim gormus, farkindalik sahibi insanlar olarak, cehalete terkedilmis cogunluga isik tutma sorumlulugu bizlere daha cok dusuyor.

*: Dua etmekten anladigim, esmaul husnayi sahibinden istemek, tasiyici meleklerini cagirmaktir. Evimin guzel olmasini istedigimde, bunun icin gosterdigim niyet ve cabalar (yani dua) guzelligi, cemali, Jameel'den (guzelligin Mutlak sahip ve kaynagindan) istemek, Jameel ismini tasiyan melekleri evime cagirmaktir. >>

...seklinde nacizane goruslerim var. Siz ne dersiniz merak ederim. Yorumlarinizi paylasmaniz, yanlis bildigim noktalar varsa duzeltmeniz umidiyle :)

How I briefly define religion, islam, faith, angels, after-life, etc

This wasn't a very detailed and thoughtful well devised composition, just a fast jotting down of whatever came to mind first,  pretty much as though I was asked the question in real time and was answering in speech, since I was asked to give in short notice some quick answers (which turned a bit long but in perspective of the depth of the matters addressed, really short).

For more professional and lengthy explanations of the below points of view, you may refer to sites and videos such as:

http://receivingnur.org  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9DJWqTOKEzSRNPlmwJJ_5g

http://islamfromwithin.info   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjHzIdnlnUvWHc1y4So6kig

http://holistictransformation.weebly.com/c-glorification-exercises.html  

How do you (or followers of your religion) define belief/faith? Could you provide a quick interpretation of your views of things supernatural (spirits, ghosts, the after life, etc.)?

The answers to all these questions are in fact intertwined so you may also find the answers to each question addressing the other questions from one aspect, since I strive to have a complete and all-inclusive perspective whose different aspects do not contradict each other. First, I'll try swiftly addressing the first two questions together:

First of all what I understand of "islam" (without a capital "I") is that it is not an institutionalized religion and it's not something that just Prophet Muhammad taught. I like to focus on revelation rather than religion, but the Qur'anic word for religion is "deen" which I understand to mean: the path we follow in revealing the potentials of our pure baby/child nature with the consciousness of tawheed (the unity of creation and unity of Creator) and living with and according to this consciousness. There are stages in the development of a seed into a tree. When a human makes choices in life with his/her free will to grow the tree in its own seed of the pure baby/child nature, then those choices and whatever is created according to those choices made, are the "deen" of that human.

I understand the word "islam" to denote: surrendering (tasleem) to the will of the Creator by being in peace (salaam) with self, all creation and its Creator. islam tasleem salaam and muslim share the same triliteral root: s-l-m, where muslim is one who surrenders in peace.

By these definitions, as the Qur'an itself proclaims, revelation is a continuous renewal of the same core message from Prophet Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammad, peace be upon them all. And the Qur'an specifically mentions Prophet Abraham (pbuh*) to be a "muslim", while he clearly lived well before Prophet Muhammad (pbuh*), being his distant ancestor. This characterization of Abraham (pbuh) as "muslim" is not in the sense of an empty cultural or ethnic identification one blindly assumes, but it refers to the essence of what islam and deen mean.

*pbuh=peace be upon him (or asm= 'alayhis-salaam in Arabic), a prayer repeated upon the mentioning of any prophet's name, as a reminder of the essential pivotal importance of their messages in our lives and our gratitude for their teachings and being role models

Furthermore, according to 13th century Sufi master and poet Yunus Emre (ra) (where Sufism denotes the esoteric wisdom of all revelations and the path to attain this wisdom), all creation which is described in the Qur'an as praising the One All-Beautiful, All-Merciful, All-Wise Absolute Creator who brings a whole new universe into existence from nonexistence every single moment, thus proclaim the core message of unity that all prophets and revelations have taught and they obey the laws of creation devised by the Creator (known as the laws of nature) and as such all creation is "muslim", has surrendered to the Creator and is in peace with the rest of the creation. Each 3-d universe at each moment reveals the potentials of previous 3-d universes at previous moments (a tree reveals the potentials of a seed and  a chicken reveals the potentials of an egg and planet Earth reveals the potentials of what it once was, a cloud of gas and debris and so on) according to God's will and assigned purpose, and so they follow the "deen" of "islam".

*ra=radiallahu 'anh=may God be pleased with him, a prayer for saints and teachers who show us the path to our Sustainor.

Why does the Qur'an and Yunus Emre define creation as proclaiming the unity of God? The material world consists of a web of causal relationships. However, coexisting with the material world we observe the nonmaterial. There are the petals and the pistil and the stamen of the flower which constitute the material aspect of the flower, but there is also the beauty of the rose which is its nonmaterial aspect. Angels are defined as the nonmaterial/spiritual aspect of all matter (not winged babies). If matter is the hardware of a computer, angels can be likened to its software. The material aspect of rain is that it is the falling water molecule which consists of 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen atoms. Its angelic aspect is the provision we observe that comes as a result of living beings absorbing it. We observe that rain brings water to the "feet" (roots) of the plants who cannot go searching for a body of water. Its angelic aspect is that of mercy and wisdom and life. Whereas we observe this we cannot find a source in the material water that will define it to be conscious or merciful or wise or alive or a provider. By their very impotence and ignorance, and by their obedience to the laws of creation, the rain or water display the qualities of a Source that is not part of the material web of being, not a part of the entire universe. Even as conscious beings, we humans know from ourselves that we cannot choose our existence over our nonexistence. We cannot decide "I will disappear for a moment then come back to existence". We cannot even decide to be born as humans or how many fingers we have at the moment or the color of our eyes. Thus every single thing that exists points to a Source who must not only be choosing its existence over its nonexistence (and this choice infers an Intelligent Conscious Willpower as well as Love-because the desire to make something exist denotes the love towards it and the value given to it), but also displays Its Divine Qualities in the mirrors of existence. Taking into account a holistic, intertwined universe, one who can make an atom exist should be the One who can make the entire universe connected to that atom exist. Whoever is the Source of the beauty of the rose, must also be the Source of the beauty of the sunset and the beauty of the Milky Way galaxy and the beauty of people or the art they make. This Source must not be limited in time and space like everything else in the universe, Its existence must be necessary (not contingent), not dependent on the choice of another, it must be Absolute (limitless and unbound by space or time). Its Divine Qualities too must be Absolute, the various reflections of Its Beauty point to an Absolute Limitless Beauty.

Thus belief/faith which is "imaan" in the quranic language or jargon if you will, which comes from the root of "amniyah" "security, certainty" is confirming the message of revelation, through reason, observation and the use of all human intellect, emotions and other qualities, with certainty, without contradicting oneself, one's humanity. The Qur'an repeatedly calls humans to reflect, reason, and observe. It addresses the human conscious awareness. Imaan, faith with certainty, offers a worldview consistent with all human aspects, as well as with all we can observe of the existence, of the universe. It isn't a blind repetition I can only uphold while in a mosque. Wherever we may be, in a labcoat, in a doctor's coat, in an artist's apron, a parent, an observer of the sunset, it is to be able to consistently carry the same worldview without being at odds with our humanity as a whole and with what we are doing. It is to see the unity of God wherever we look and whatever we experience. It is a way of learning to read the messages that the creation and all our experiences of it convey to us.

How did you choose this religion? What has helped you maintain your faith? Has anything ever happened that made you question your beliefs? Is there a scenario in which you could imagine yourself stepping away from your religion?

I was born to muslim-identifying parents who taught me that every child is born pure, and their pure nature is that of islam, and that when I became a teenager, an adolescent, I will have to begin choosing what I believe in or what I would like to follow in my life choices. So my identity as a person who has decided that her struggle should be to be in peace with creation and to submit to my Creator, my Guardian, my Protector, my Provider, is not one that I have simply inherited as a cultural or ethnic identity but one that I continue to question, explore and confirm in different ways.

My questioning began at the age of 3 when I was caught debating with my friend whether chocolate and building constructions were created by God or whether humans could "create" them and when I walked in the middle of the living room where my parents and their friends were conversing and I claimed that I could walk without God's direct creation of me walking. I suppose I was most convinced I couldn't walk just because I wanted to, when I had a spinal injury which prevented me from walking for a few months. There stood my feet and toes and legs and I wanted to move them and I was unable to. My will, choice to walk was necessary but insufficient for the creation of a walking me. Through high-tech surgeries and physical therapy and acupuncture, etc, I had to "pray" with my actions, to the Absolute Source of Health, through appealing to the laws of Its creation, for the healthier functioning of my nerves and thus for the creation of a walking me.

It is only through ongoing questioning and challenging that "imaan" (faith with certainty) can be strengthened. Confirmation without blind obedience requires critical and analytical thinking and seeking answers that will satisfy our humanity as a whole, the mind, the heart (emotions), the soul/spirit (which is our conscious awareness, our aspect that does the "metathinking", our perception and awareness of our thoughts, feelings and actions). Only when the answers are found can we confirm the message of revelation with increasing degrees of certainty, and this is a lifelong process.

The Qur'an itself invites us over and over to question both its message and its authenticity as the Word of the Creator. It identifies itself as the "manual", if you will, of the universe. The books of revelation are translators to the human language of the messages of the great book of the universe, which includes the human too. Revelation unfolds the meaning that accompanies all matter and its purpose, as well as the meaning of being human and its purpose. This means that in order to confirm the authenticity of the revelation, I must explore and question and find out that the action of the Creator (the universe which includes myself) is compatible with the word of the Creator (the revelations). In the "manual" metaphor, this would mean to explore a device and study the manual and confirming that the manual is indeed written by the inventor, builder of the device, that the manual and the device are compatible. Everything that I have learned in natural and social science books or in math or art books, even as they describe the existence in a secular way, brings to me further evidence of the truth of the revelation by describing the mindblowingly amazing and intricate design of the Universe and the human.

Personally what I struggled the most as a teenager was not really about whether the existence requires One that will choose its existence (due to the kinds of logic I have already very briefly tried to summarize), but about whether this was a Benevolent and Just Creator. I was very much overwhelmed by the potential of evil and of selfishness of the human ego and I was angry that this world is not Paradise, I wasn't at peace with the creation and its Creator. Here Paradise denotes the unveiled manifestation of all Divine Qualities at their utmost degrees and not in relative degrees as they exist in this world, i.e. in this world health coexists with sickness and light with darkness and beauty with ugliness and purity with dirtiness. I thought if the Creator is Merciful why would It deprive me of Its Qualities I have been made to love so much (we are designed to love health, beauty, cleanliness, orderliness, etc)? It was an awesome struggle I suffered from greatly for years until I started being guided in discovering the answers.

In my 20s I began to realize that I first needed a shift in attitude, that I needed to grow a grateful attitude through conscious awareness, without taking all the bounties I was blessed with for granted. I needed first to acknowledge them: that every moment I am given a new breath and my heart pumps and I am given sight with my eyes who see the beauty of nature and my gazing of the stars or the sunset or a squirrel and I am given pleasure from contemplating them, and that these are all blessings which beg nothing else but acknowledgment and gratefulness. Thus the more I began to see my existence in this way, the more I began to see and be consciously aware of the Divine Qualities of God reflected everywhere and it led me to being increasingly more grateful. I realized I had a choice to make between focusing on what I didn't like and complaining, versus focusing on all the other blessings I am given at every moment and being grateful for them and being positive. And I began to realize the choice stood right there, with my point of view. No matter where I was or in which situation I was, I could choose to sulk and complain or I could choose to be grateful and pray (where I define prayer as being proactive through creativity and spontaneity by appealing to and struggling to reflect the Beautiful Qualities).

Then I began to understand that it was in fact through the graded reflections of the Absolute Qualities I was made to love so much (and that I was made to dislike as the reflection is more and more obscure, as in deteriorating health or beauty etc and love more as the reflection was clearer, brighter, as in improving health etc) that I was able to recognize and discern those qualities in order to find their Absolute Source. I wasn't the one who decided to dislike being dirty, I was given this dislike and it was given to me with a purpose, with the purpose of discerning the existence of cleanliness, and the message of choosing to act in ways to seek cleanliness and to recognize and choose to reflect the Absolute Source of cleanliness who continuously cleans the universe and my bodily systems (think kidney, lungs, intestines, liver in humans or the atmosphere which cleans out the debris of space in a beautiful show of "shooting stars" and at the same time protects life on earth, reflecting the Divine Qualities of the Purifier, Cleaner, Beautiful, Protector). I could now be grateful not just for light but also for the darkness that teaches me of the existence of light, not just for health, but also for illness which teaches me and makes me aware of the health, for it weren't for illnesses we wouldn't even have the concept of "health", if it weren't for darkness, we wouldn't realize there is light, and I couldn't connect in a grateful, loving, intimate relationship with the One who not only gives me health but also teaches me that It is the Healer through the observation and experience of various degrees of health. 

"If It didn't want to give, It wouldn't give the wanting" says Imam Nursi (ra*), a 20th century Quranic commentator heavily influenced by Sufism. As I mentioned earlier, imaan, faith with certainty, is to not contradict oneself, our humanity as a whole (mind, heart and spirit and eventually even the ego). Our desires, as they do not originate from us, are given to us. When we desire and love perfection in all beautiful qualities, our desire indicates a Divine desire to fulfill our desire, as Nursi puts it. The human yearning for eternal bliss and dislike of transience is a sign of the impending union of the human with the Perfect Beautiful Qualities. It is a sign that all the beauty we have loved and passed away from our lives, like the baby version of our children, or a happy moment we had with a friend or a loving moment shared with a partner or a moment of gratefulness upon enjoying a decadent chocolate, have not disappeared in to an abyss of nothingness, but our union with the Beautiful Qualities reflected in them in the special way they reflected in this world is simply impending in a universe where our experience of time is that of fleeting mere moments. Rumi (ra*), a 13th century Sufi master, calls his death, the "shab 'aruz", the wedding night, the night of the union with the Beloved God and all Its beautiful beloved reflections. Just as thepurpose of the 9 months life of a fetus in the womb is to prepare for her average 70 years of life in this world, the purpose of our average 70 years of life in this world is to prepare for our eternal after-life by the means of getting to know, love and reflect our Creator, the reflection of whose Divine Names and Attributes of Perfection in various degrees is the Universe.

*ra=radiallahu 'anh=may God be pleased with him

Thus through both the liking of the clearer reflections and the disliking of the manifestations in lesser degrees, we are taught of the Divine Attributes, Qualities for which we yearn and we are prepared for our eternal union with them. In this way suffering from separation and transience becomes something to be grateful too, because it prepares and leads us towards our ultimate desire.

As to the scenario in which I could imagine myself stepping away from this understanding or path is if someone or something or some writing etc convinced me that there is a more meaningful way to interpret my existence in congruence with my human qualities.

So far every religion or spiritual tradition I have looked into, I found what the Qur'an claims, that the Qur'an is sent to confirm the messages of all previous revelations in their authentic forms, whether it is the teachings of Cherokee spirituality or the beliefs of a hunter-gatherer tribe in New Zealand or Hinduism or Christianity. I feel I can usually see the authentic message carried in other revelations amidst the human intervention, modification, translation, interpretation and most importantly the deliberate corruption in the hands of power, states and empires, that have accumulated over centuries or millennia. The further back I go in the history of each religion, the closer I find the message to match with that of the Qur'an.

The secular or atheistic or naturalistic views are typically taught systematically in schools and media across the globe, and when questioned rigorously do not stand up to the standards of neither my reason nor other aspects of my humanity nor do they address my need for existential meaning and purpose in life. I cannot wrap my mind around how natural causes can in fact bring to existence their natural consequences. How can water and earth and sun create the beauty and eloquence of a flower, the provision of a fruit who seems to know the inner workings of my body and my needs perfectly? How can the seemingly ignorant and unconscious nature be the creator of itself with all its amazing perfections and mathematical order and artistic designs?

The existentialist movement I was heavily exposed to through literary reading of Sartre, Camus, Nietzsche during secondary school was at complete odds with being at peace with my self and all existence. It taught that existence was meaningless, that we were only living this life to eventually perish and disappear, that we had no purpose and nor did anything else. It was a dark, negative, complaining, depressing, and at times even suicidal point of view which offered no peace, no happiness, no meaning, no guidance. It contradicted my human qualities. It was as if it was saying that a complex computer was merely a stupid purposeless box deserving to be crushed and thrown away. Not only did it not make sense to my logic, but it also made my heart revolt.

My inner world was only lightened from the darkness of existentialism through the messages of revelations which timelessly affirm each other, unlike philosophical movements who use reasoning without accepting any guidance from revelation, who view the reason as a source of the truth not as a confirmer of the truth, and who all tend to contradict each other on very fundamental levels.

How does your religion view nonbelief/nonbelievers?

The central tenant of imaan/faith with certainty in the Qur'anic teaching is the testimony (which inherently requires observation, confirmation and certainty in order to be called a testimony) that "la ilaha illa Allah" "there is no deity but God". Notice this begins with a negative statement "la ilaha" "there is no deity". Prophet Abraham was born to a polytheistic society, in a way similar to the modern global naturalist movement: we are told the stars "make" the particles in our bodies, instead of telling the particles are "cooked up" in the stars by the Creator of the stars and the humans and of the entirety of the universe; we are taught in school that the Sun gives life and energy, instead of being taught that we are given life and energy by The One Absolute Provider who gives life and energy to us "through" the Sun and water etc. As recounted in the Qur'an, Abraham began his path to monotheism by questioning whether the stars, the moon, or the Sun could be his Sustainor. Each time he turned away from them stating "I love not those that set" meaning he doesn't like transience and thus transient beings cannot be his Sustainor. He observed this in the setting of the sun at night or of the moon in the morning, today we observe this in the death or destruction of stars and other celestial bodies. He began by rejecting false "gods" (or false representations of a creator) before he was guided in finding the One Absolute True Source with all its Beautiful Divine Attributes of Perfection. In this sense, rejection and nonbelief are the first steps towards confirming belief, instead of blindly following faith, which has little to no meaning and doesn't offer true guidance in one's life.

Imaan/ faith with certainty is not a static state, it is a state which fluctuates throughout life from one moment to another, depending on our level of conscious awareness and our level of questioning and confirming, the degree to which we take it seriously to investigate and live according to the messages of the universe and revelations. Thus, I may be a believer in one moment of awareness and awakening and a nonbeliever in a moment of ignorance where I exclaim the fire cooked the potato, instead of the Creator of the fire and the potato and me cooked the potato with the fire. Every moment where I choose to uphold the awareness of the unity of the creation and of the Creator, I am being brought closer to my Sustainor, the Source of the Beautiful Qualities I love, and their unveiled expression in Paradise. Every moment when I choose to be ignorant of my truth or when I reject the truth after I have understood it, I walk away from my Sustainor, the Source of the Beautiful Attributes I yearn for, and imprison myself in hell (Hell is defined as the lesser reflection of the Attributes of Perfection, it still -out of the Mercy of our Sustainor- is not an absence of these attributes, for the complete absence of these attributes is nonexistence). The better I polish my mirror to reflect the Beautiful Divine Qualities in my actions, the more prepared I am for the union with the lesser veiled attributes, expressed as a higher degree in Paradise. The more I clog and break my mirror by going against what I am made to love and against my conscience, as in when I choose conflict over peace, destruction and oppression over proactive striving for beauty, health and justice, instead of allowing my seed of the pure baby nature to unfold and flourish, I go against my pure nature and destroy it, becoming less and less compatible with the unveiled reflections of the Beautiful Qualities, described as a lower degree in Hell, since the soul desires its Beloved and suffers from separation from the Beloved. The afterlife is but an organic consequence of my intentions, chosen perspectives, actions and striving in this world. I am building my afterlife right now right here in this world. If I completely destroy my seed, I cannot become a tree. If I water and tend to my seed, I can grow into an ever stronger tree.

What is the most important message or goal of your religion? What is your "golden rule"? 

The goal of the teachings of revelation, as the current-me understands, is to find peace with ourselves, with others and the entire creation in this world and the next. It is to teach the meaning and purpose of my existence which is to uphold conscious awareness of the unity of the creation and of the Creator to attain peace, harmony, to build an intimate relationship with our Sustainor Who brings us anew into existence each new moment, Who is closer to us than our jugular vein (as expressed in the Qur'an), Who is all that we love and desire, by knowing It, by loving It and learning to love all that It creates (even when at first we don't like somethings, as mentioned above, we can learn to love them because of the beautiful messages they carry, because they make the Beautiful God known to me, because they teach me wisdom), by being in a state of constant gratefulness and to learn to act accordingly in ways to reflect the Beautiful Attributes of Love, Mercy, Justice, Wisdom etc.

We are intentionally designed to err and to do wrong, we are given a selfish ego who disregards the unity of creation, and considers itself or a group, as separate from the creation and in its greed, considers its benefits to be against what is beneficial for all of humanity or the universe (such is the case of nationalism or the global capitalistic system). However, the ego can be trained to purification, it is not evil in its creation, its existence. It only leads us to evil if we succumb to it, or as Rumi metaphorizes, if we become donkeys letting our egos ride us. On the other hand, if we turn the ego into a horse and learn to ride it instead, i.e. if we learn how to use the ego correctly, it becomes an important, and in fact a necessary and crucial tool in learning and in our spiritual development, in our positive transformation, in our preparing to an eternal life through this transient life which is composed of mere passing moments. This is a path. If death hasn't found me yet, it is because my path of discoveries and learning and training is not over yet.

I struggle to uphold my constant striving towards beautiful perfection while accepting that I can never be perfect (this is the meaning of the Qur'anic word jihad). It is through recognition and acceptance of my weakness and impotence, through knowing that all I can truly do is to exercise my free will and make choices in my perspectives, thoughts, efforts and actions, that I discover the limitless treasures of Beautiful Qualities and only then can I truly be empowered.

Surely the understanding and subtleties of what is the most important message or goal of revelation is also something that evolves parallel to my efforts in studying, understanding and living according to the revelation.

What is something that followers of your religion are misjudged for, or what is one misconception about your religion?

The problem begins at how to define "followers of my religion". People who self-identify as "Muslim" (capital "M" since it usually denotes a simple ethnic or cultural, familial identity) usually don't even know the first thing about what islam, muslim, deen (meaning path as discussed above or translated as religion) or even God means. Street interviews in majority Muslim societies show people who are completely appalled speechless, like a bunny in front of a headlight or a frozen computer screen, when asked as simple a question as "what can you say about God?" It is the atheists and agnostics who tend to think more about what or who God is and isn't, more so than the people who claim they believe in God without having any idea what they believe in, let alone why they believe it. Perhaps the questioning, struggling, researching atheists and agnostics can be described to be more muslim than the Muslims, because they seek truth (Truth is also a name of God). 

We live at a time when the states and other power positions, who also shape the secular media and education system, have actively and brutally in the bloodiest ways killed almost all Sufi masters and destroyed almost all venues (Sufi homes/centers) where people were trained to discover the esoteric wisdom of revelation. When the colonialist oppression ceased with the gradual withdrawal of the colonialists, the neocolonial local states took over the task of oppression. In most countries where the majority of people self-identify as "Muslim", a form of so-called "Islam" (with the capital "I" this time) has emerged in the last few centuries (mainly out of Saudi Arabia) which actively fights the millennium-old Sufi teachings and the Sufi way of life. Again in most of these countries, during the 20th century, armies and police forces have been deployed to even oppress anyone who has the "audacity" to gather with a few friends to discuss the teachings of revelation as explained by Sufi masters. When Hafez Assad was alive in Syria, such attempts tended to end in the "disappearance" (or "evaporation" as the Syrians called it), of the people involved. In Turkey, the police used to raid homes where a Qur'anic study discussion was taking place and those involved could be imprisoned. Mosques were and still are locked after prayer times, for fear people would gather to discuss matters pertaining to the revelation. Students were hunted by principals and teachers for performing the obligatory ritual prayers (salat) between classes at schools. Education as offered by many states is obligatory; its model, style and content are not open to discussion, alternatives such as homeschooling or even education in a nonofficial language are not allowed, with the threat of parents or attempting educators to be imprisoned.

As a result of these despotic and persistent widespread policies in keeping people ignorant of their own religion, people who identify as Muslim now at times think like a secularist (as taught in the media), at other times like a naturalist (as taught in school), and at other times they blindly follow a version of Islam corrupted by sultans, kings, politicians and tend to be utterly ignorant of the true teachings of the Qur'an in a concoction of confusion, contradiction, disinformation and lies; most people find it easier to deal with this mess by dismissing questioning, researching or pondering, reflection, meditation, even though the prophet Muhammad (pbuh*) is reported to have said "an hour of reflection is better than a year spent praying". Through societal engineering, most people also have widely been stripped of their abilities of critical and analytical thinking and meditation, as they have been molded into obedient worker-slaves and consumers supporting the capitalist machine of war, destruction, wasteful abuse of resources and social and economic inequality and injustice.   

*pbuh=peace be upon him

There are many misconceptions about the teachings of revelations, and these begin among the Muslim populations themselves, because first of all most Muslims do not take the time and effort to understand how the revelation defines key concepts or the correct methods by which the revelation is to be analyzed and the way of thinking and living that the revelation teaches us. Most people take their blind faith for granted, never questioning and thus confirming their faith and seeking to either survive or, if they find the means, to flourish in power, wealth or fame even if and usually, at the expense of taking active part in and supporting the current global capitalist system.

Before even addressing how the media tends to demonize the followers of Abrahamic religions and especially Muslims in violent portrayals and repeated associations, with its usual brainwashing tactics, I think we first need to address the baffling degree of ignorance among societies who identify as Muslims. I pray that humanity as a whole starts taking the teachings of revelation seriously and study and examine them thoroughly and shred them to pieces with detailed questioning in order to understand and grasp their messages before deciding to either confirm or reject them.

Qur'anic wisdom in diversity

QUR’ANIC WISDOM IN DIVERSITY

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ (49:13)

· (Hujurat) 49:13 “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware.”

  

Biological origin is reflected the equality of human dignity common to all. We all belong to one human family without any inherent superiority of one over another.

Formation of “nations and tribes” is meant to foster rather than to diminish their mutual desire to understand and appreciate the essential human oneness underlying their outward differentiations; and, correspondingly, all racial, national or tribal prejudice (‘asabiyyah)  is condemned in the Qur’an.

The Prophet (pbuh) said: "He is not of us who proclaims the cause of tribal partisanship (asabiyyah); and he is not of us who fights in the cause of tribal partisanship; and he is not of us who dies in the cause of tribal partisanship" (Abu Da'ud, on the authority of Jubayr ibn Mut’im). When he was asked to explain the meaning of "tribal partisanship", the Prophet answered, it means helping your own people in an unjust cause"

Speaking of people’s boasting of their national or tribal past, the Prophet (pbuh) said: "Behold, God has removed from you the arrogance of pagan ignorance (jahiliyyah) with its boast of ancestral glories. Man is but a God-conscious believer or an unfortunate sinner. All people are children of Adam, and Adam was created out of dust." (Fragment of a hadith quoted by Tirmidhi and Abu Da'ud, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah.)

ذَلِكَ أَن لَّمْ يَكُن رَّبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرَى بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا غَافِلُونَ (6:131)

·  (An’am) 6:131 ”And so it is that thy Sustainer would never destroy a community for its wrongdoing so long as its people are still unaware [of the meaning of right and wrong].”

God does not punish a community for its wrongdoing so long as its people are still unaware [of the meaning of right and wrong]: for all shall be judged according to their [conscious] deeds.

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الطَّاغُوتَ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ هَدَى اللّهُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلالَةُ فَسِيرُواْ فِي الأَرْضِ فَانظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ (16:36)

·  (Nahl) 16:36 And verily We have raised in every nation a messenger, (proclaiming): Worship God and shun false gods. And among those [past generations] were people whom God graced with His guidance, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly] decreed. So travel through the earth, and see the nature of the consequence for the deniers!

وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولٌ فَإِذَا جَاء رَسُولُهُمْ قُضِيَ بَيْنَهُم بِالْقِسْطِ وَهُمْ لاَ يُظْلَمُونَ (10:47)

·  (Yunus) 10:47 “And for every nation there is a messenger, and when their apostle has come [and delivered his message] a decision is made between them in all equity; and they are never wronged.”

This verse stresses the continuity of religious revelation in mankind's history and the fact that in the long run no community, period or civilization has been left without prophetic guidance.

كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَبَعَثَ اللّهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ وَأَنزَلَ مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فِيمَا اخْتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ فِيهِ إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوهُ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ فَهَدَى اللّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لِمَا اخْتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِهِ وَاللّهُ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ (2:213)

·  2:213 All mankind were one single community, and God sent Messengers as heralds of glad tidings and as warners, and through them bestowed revelation from on high, setting forth the truth,  to judge between people in matters wherein they hold divergent views; but the People of the Book, after the clear Signs came to them, did not differ among themselves, except through mutual jealousy. But God guided the believers unto the truth about which, by His leave, they had disagreed: for God guides onto a straight way him that wills [to be guided].”

By using the expression ummah wahidah ("one single community") to describe the original state of mankind, the relative homogeneity of instinctive perceptions and inclinations characteristic of man's primitive mentality and the primitive social order at birth. Since that homogeneity was based on a lack of intellectual and emotional differentiation rather than on a conscious agreement among the members of human society, it was bound to disintegrate in the measure of man's subsequent development. As his thought-life becomes more and more complex, his emotional capacity and his individual needs, too, become more differentiated, conflicts of views and interests comes to the fore, and mankind cease to be "one single community" as regards their outlook on life and their moral valuations: and it was because of this that divine guidance become necessary. The Qur'an does not propound, as might appear at first glance, the idea of a mythical "golden age".

وَلَوْ شَاء رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلاَ يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ (11:118)

·  (Hud) 11:118 “If your Lord had so willed, He could surely have made all mankind one single community: but [He willed it otherwise, and so] they continue to hold divergent views.”

That is, divergent views about everything, even about the truths revealed to them by God. The unceasing differentiation in men's views and ideas is not incidental but represents a God-willed, basic factor of human existence. If God had willed that all human beings should be of one persuasion, all intellectual progress would have been ruled out, and they would have been similar in their social life to the bees and the ants, while in their spiritual life they would have been like the angels, constrained by their nature always to believe in what is true and always to obey God.

وَمَا كَانَ النَّاسُ إِلاَّ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَاخْتَلَفُواْ وَلَوْلاَ كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ فِيمَا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ (10:19)

· (Yunus) 10:19  All mankind was but one single community, and only later did they begin to hold divergent views. And had it not been for a decree- that had already gone forth from your Lord, all their differences would indeed have been settled between them.

this verse alludes to the fact, repeatedly stressed in the Qur'an, that the ability to realize God's existence, oneness and omnipotence is innate in man, and that all deviation from this basic perception is a consequence of the confusion brought about by man's progressive estrangement from his inborn instincts. (The estrangement comes from our own choices and external factors do not have any power over us. See 15:42; 14:22; 12:40; 7:71 and 53:23.)

وَلَوْ شَاء رَبُّكَ لآمَنَ مَن فِي الأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا أَفَأَنتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُواْ مُؤْمِنِينَ (10:99)

·  (Yunus) 10:99 “And if your Lord had willed, surely all those who are in the earth would have believed, all of them; will you then force people till they become believers?”

He has given man the freedom to choose between right and wrong, thus raising him to the status of a moral being (in distinction from other animals, which can only follow their instincts).

قُلْ فَلِلّهِ الْحُجَّةُ الْبَالِغَةُ فَلَوْ شَاء لَهَدَاكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (6:149)

·  (An’am) 6:149 ”Say: that the final evidence [of all truth] rests with God alone; and if it had been His will, He could indeed have guided you all.”

وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ فَاحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءهُمْ عَمَّا جَاءكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَـكِن لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَآ آتَاكُم فَاسْتَبِقُوا الخَيْرَاتِ إِلَى الله مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ (5:48)

· (Maidah) 5:48  “And We have revealed to you the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and determining what is true therein. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each of you We prescribed a law and way of life. And if God had so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community, : but [He willed it otherwise] in order to test you by means of what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. Vie, then, with one another in doing good works! Unto God you all must return; and then He will make you truly understand all that on which you used to differ.”

The term shir`ah (or shari’ah) signifies, literally, "the way to a watering-place" (from which men and animals derive the element indispensable to their life), and is used in the Qur'an to denote a system of law necessary for a community's social and spiritual welfare. The term minhaj, on the other hand, denotes an "open road", usually in an abstract sense: that is, "a way of life". The terms shir'ah and minhaj are more restricted in their meaning than the term din (deen), which comprises not merely the laws relating to a particular religion but also the basic, unchanging spiritual truths which, according to the Qur'an, have been preached by every one of God's apostles, while the particular body of laws (shir'ah or shari'ah) promulgated through them, and the way of life (minhaj) recommended by them, varied in accordance with the exigencies of the time and of each community's cultural circumstances.

وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلكِن يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَاء وَيَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء وَلَتُسْأَلُنَّ عَمَّا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (16:93)

· (Nahl) 16:93 “For, had God so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community; however, He lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and guides aright him that wills [to be guided]; and you will surely be called to account for all that you ever did!”

Or: "God lets go astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills". All Qur'anic references to God's "letting man go astray" must be understood against the background of 2:26-27 - "none does He cause to go astray save the iniquitous, who break their bond with God". That is to say, man's "going astray" is a consequence of his own attitudes and inclinations and not a result of an arbitrary "predestination" in the popular sense of this word. In his commentary on the above verse, Zamakhshari stresses this aspect of free choice on the part of man and points out that "God does not cause anyone to go astray except one who, as He knows, will never attain to faith; and He does not guide anyone aright except one who, as He knows, will attain to faith. Thus, He does not forsake anyone except those who deserve to be forsaken, and does not bestow His favour upon anyone except those who deserve to be favored. God makes the issue dependent on [man's] free choice (al-ikhtiyar), and thus on his deserving either [God's] favor or the withdrawal of [His] aid ... and does not make it dependent on compulsion [i.e., predestination].”

Zamakhshari rounds off his views on this problem in these words: "If [it were true that] God compels [men] to astray or, alternatively, to follow His guidance-why should He have postulated their deeds as something for which they will be held responsible?"

وَلَوْ شَاء اللَّهُ لَجَعَلَهُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَكِن يُدْخِلُ مَن يَشَاء فِي رَحْمَتِهِ وَالظَّالِمُونَ مَا لَهُم مِّن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ (42:8)

· (Shura) 42:8 “If God had so willed, He could surely have made them all one single community. But He admits unto His Mercy him that wills [to be admitted] whereas the wrongdoers shall have have no protector nor helper.”

  

إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ (21:92)

· (Anbiaya) 21:92 “Verily, [O you who believe in Me,] this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Lord of you all: worship, then, Me [alone]!”

وَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ (21:93)

· (Anbiaya) 21:93 “But they have torn their unity wide asunder, all are returning unto Us.”

وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاتَّقُونِ (23:52)

· (Muminun) 23:52 And, verily, this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Lord of you all: remain, then, conscious of Me!

فَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ زُبُرًا كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ (23:53)

· (Muminun) 23:53 But they have torn their unity wide asunder, piece by piece, each group rejoicing in its belief.

“Each group rejoicing in its belief,” literally, "in what they have [themselves]". In the first instance, this verse refers to the various religious groups as such: that is to say, to the followers of one or another of the earlier revelations who, in the course of time, consolidated themselves within different "denominations", each of them jealously guarding its own set of tenets, dogmas and rituals and intensely intolerant of all other ways of worship. In the second instance, however, the above condemnation applies to the breach of unity within each of the established religious groups; and since it applies to the followers of all the prophets, it includes the latter-day followers of Muhammad as well, and thus constitutes a prediction and condemnation of the doctrinal disunity prevailing in the world of Islam in our times. The well-authenticated saying of the Prophet quoted by Ibn Hanbal, Abu Da'ud, Tirmidhi and Darimi: "The Jews have been split up into seventy-one sects, the Christians into seventy-two sects, whereas my community will be split up into seventy-three sects." (It should be remembered that in classical Arabic usage the number "seventy" often stands for ‘‘many" - just as "seven" stands for "several" or ‘‘various’’ - and does not necessarily denote an actual figure; hence, what the Prophet meant to say was that the sects and divisions among the Muslims of later days would become many, and even more numerous than those among the Jews and the Christians.) 

Diversity in Islam

Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of Islam is not about forcing humanity to live under one religion.  Islam accepts diversity.  It accepts people of different races, backgrounds and faiths.  It does not force anyone to follow the word of God and forbids its followers from doing the same.  A great proof of this is evident in verse 10:99 of the Quran which states:

“And [thus it is:] had thy sustainer so willed, all those who live on earth would surely have attained to faith, all of them: dost thou, then, think that thou couldst compel people to believe,” (Asad)

In this verse, Allah is addressing Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) and telling him that he cannot force mankind to believe in Allah or the message of the Quran, because if Allah wanted, His creation would have believed in Him, but He willed otherwise.  This “otherwise” is usually where most become confused:  What does it mean that Allah willed otherwise? Did He will that some of his creation should not follow Him, and thereby be subjected to punishment?  The simple answer is no.  What Allah means is that He does not wish to force His creation to believe in Him or to accept Him and all the goods that He has bestowed on them.  He has given them free will instead of force.  He wants them to be able to choose whether or not they believe in Him, and realize and accept that they are His creations, that the world they inhabit and the food they eat and the water they drink to sustain themselves and the elements which they use to create materials and structures for everyday living ultimately come from the Almighty.  It is not anyone’s place, not even Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) to coerce people to believe in their Creator and Sustainer, it is the people’s own choice.  And that is the beauty of Islam: The freedom of choice.  This same freedom of choice is what creates diversity: people can either choose to believe or not choose to believe, they can believe every part of the truth, some parts of the truth, or no part at all, and all of this is covered in Islam.   Further proof lies in verse 16:93 which states,

“For, had God so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community; however, He lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and guides aright him that wills [to be guided]; and you will surely be called to account for all that you ever did!” (Asad)

 In other words, if Allah wanted to, He could have compelled all of His creation to believe in Him, making them a single community, but He instead chose to give them their freedom and allowed them to choose for themselves whether they want to believe or not. This freedom of choice is what permits an individual to be different from another, in their belief, actions and choices.  At the end though, as the Quran states in the above verse and repeats several times, everyone will be held accountable for the choices that they have made in life and all will be judged with justice.

----Dr Ali Mermer 

Gercek demokrasi icin secimlere katilMAyarak protesto

"Demokrasi yalaniniz gercek demokrasi ve halkin iradesi ile degistirilene, yani halkin ulke disi global guclerin sectigi birkac adaydan birini secmek zorunda olmadigi, kendi adaylarini kendi belirleyebildigi, israf dolu secim propagandalarinin olmadigi, aday atamanin da dahil oldugu gercek bir secim olana dek vatandasi oldugum hic bir ulkede secimlere katilmamaya kararliyim.

Her biri ayni kukla oynaticilari tarafindan bana dayatilan kuklalardan birini degil, ayni jetonun iki ayri yuzu misali yuzlerden birini degil, halkin ozgurce belirledigi kisilerden birini secebilecegim gun secim sandiklarina ilk defa gitmis olacagim. O gune degin sizi yalanlarla bezenmis golge oyunlarinizla basbasa birakiyorum.

Dunya vatandasligi koleliginden Allah kullugu ozgurlugune erismeye calisan bir insan."

Disisleri Bakanliginin TR disinda yasayan "vatandaslari" Cumhurbaskanligi secimlerine davet eden yazisina cevabimdan

Protesting for the sake of real democracy by NOT participating in elections

"Until your democracy lie is replaced with true democracy and the willpower of the people, until the people do not have to elect one of the candidates chosen by global powers outside the country, until the people can identify their own candidates, until there are no wasteful election campaigns, until a true election with candidate identification by the people themselves takes place, I am decisive in not joining the elections of any country I am a citizen of.

The day I can elect people freely identified by the people and not one of the puppets imposed on us by the same puppet masters, and not one of the faces as the two sides of the same coin, will be the first day I will be going to the voting booths. Until that day I leave you alone with your shadow plays embellished with lies.

A human being striving to reach from the slavery of World citizenship, to the freedom of being TheOneGod's 'abd (worshiper/person/being/citizen). "

--From my answer to the email by the Foreign Affairs Ministry inviting "Turkish citizens" who live abroad to the Presidential elections.

Modern "freedom" or "slavery"?

Modern "freedom" comes in the form of oppression, violence, bombs, despotic leaders and most importantly in the form of slavery to the system of capitalism which in turn is based on slavery to our very own egos. I pray we all break the shackles of slavery and become free by riding the horse of our egos instead of letting our egos and the even greater capitalist egos ride us with whips. 

Reminds me of Cem Karaca who sings (translated from Turkish "Bedava Yasiyoruz"):

Perhaps not bread and cheese
But bitter water is free
Freedom at the cost of the head
Slavery is free
We're living for free friends for free!

http://www.sikhnet.com/stories/audio/horse-mind   (A story about the "horse" of our egos)