Salam

I wanted to share something with all of you. I dont know how many of you want to hear me out, but Insallah I know some real brothers without issues will understand what im trying to get at hopefully.

I am Muslim Alhamdulillah, Insallah die as such, but I wanted to talk about this issue of culture and identity. Yes ive been going on a lot about it lately, you must see it in a lot of my posts, because I see some people with serious issues of identity around me.

I want to ask these Muslims, who blame culture for all there miseries, why do you live? What exactly are you? or is it you just want to be an attention seeker and a ghost as and when it suits you?

Ive never understood this impression Muslim have, especially in the West among some converts and South Asians mainly by the looks of it, but generally speaking applies to most people here, I am not discriminating, just telling people what I think of my experience, you may disagree if you wish and please do contribute what you think.

Anyway, I know Islam is perfect, but by acknowledging, loving, keeping hold of my culture and identity, does that make me less of a Muslim? Am I doing something contrary to Islamic teachings? I am not claiming superiority over any race, nore am I claiming cultural superiority, however why is liking ones culture, history, past, grandfather such an issue for people? Especially Muslims of most the people.

Do not get me wrong, I am not endorsing nationalism or tribalism, but I think loving ones own is different from hating others who are different. As in, I think one can be happy with the community, land, country, social structure they belong to without having a slight feel of dislike to another.

I would like to ask these people who hate culture so much, and claim they want to be “Just Muslim”, do they never look at the Islamic history they are so proud of and see that even the greatest Muslims never gave there identity up?

Do these people think Islam came to destroy culture? Did the pervious Arabs, Persians, Turks, Berbers, Africans, South Asians etc give up there culture? I dont think so. I think they just gave up there ignorance, us Turks stopped building mountains of skulls every time we conquered our enemies. I dont know the exact ignorant practices that were among Arabs, Persians, Africans, South Asians, and dont want to say, so none of our brothers get offended, but am I wrong in saying, it was just the wrong practices, inhumane practices that were given up? And the beautiful culture we carried on endorsed and developed?

Did Arabs reject poetry, the camel, story telling and trying to be something there not? Did Persians abandon there beautiful arts, culture, buildings and try be something there not? Did Turks abandon there lifestyle around warfare, horses and flags to try be something there not? Did the Chinese leave inventing and there lovely dresses? Did Africans or Asians give up there beautiful languages, colours and way of life?

Did Allah create us to be something we are not? Then why do we have people trying to be something they are not? Why do we have black trying to be white and white trying to be black, or brown and yellow etc. Were we made to be a boring monotone society with no differences and colour, with no different way of life, no different sounds, no different likes and tastes?

Why cant people just be who they are instead of suffering serious identity issues, people who suffer and think they are something else because they know one or two words of that language, or they are 1/5 of whatever, be yourself! As Allah created you.

Am I against mixing and matching? No, I think it is amazing, we should mix and match both culturally and racially, through marriage etc. There are many such example countries, Tunisia and Egypt spring to mind when I think of Arab/Turkish influence, even just the Middle East is a big pool of Turkish, Arab, Persian culture and practices, mixed together.

Ive always like what ive seen of brothers from Malaysia and Indonesia, ive always admired the intellects Persians and south Asians have, the Arab lifestyle has always been appealing, even the “white man” has his own culture and should be proud of it. I might like these things and adapt and exchange what is good of it, but does is change what I am? No….

Anyway long story short, cant people just be who they are? Instead of begging to be people they are not. Because your skin colour aint going to change, nore is your skull structure, nore is your fathers race is going to change overnight, nore are people going to call you what you are not behind closed doors. You are what Allah created you, be happy with it instead of begging off others and choosing yourselves masters.

Cant people just be good Muslims without rejecting there second identity? Dont you remember it was your "cultural" Muslim fathers and mothers who kept you away from drugs, gambling and harram? and your "cultural" leaders of the past who spread Islam throughout the world?

I know the people who have identity crises wont understand this, dont expect them to, but at least refrain from pulling others your way.

Islam is perfect, Culture is beautiful and ignorance must be ridden of, but ignorance is not culture, its ignorance.

I am aware of the contradiction.  Satan is an adversary against God in the struggle for men's souls, but in some ways he is a partner as well (e.g., it is sometimes said that good cannot exist without evil).

I don't know, and I don't care.  I think the case can be made as I said above, but it's not my argument and I don't want to digress any more than we already are.

And what was their chief motivation and criterion for being gods?  It gave them power and authority, of course.

And they do, but that doesn't make them gods.  Still, you do have a point: perhaps in ancient times healers might have been seen as "partners" in sharing God's power.

All of the above seem to be aspects of power and authority, don't they?  Worship is an appeal to another's power.  Challenge implies one's own power.  Autonomy is power over one's own existence.  They all have in common the assertion that God does not share His power and authority with anyone.  Not even with Muhammad, presumably.

Exactly, which is why I keep saying that only that which has been revealed by God (the Quran) should be followed.

Really?  Can you give me an example, either historical or hypothetical, where Muhammad might have been less merciful than God?

No, you need to define it, because it is one of the criteria you offered to explain what "setting up partners" means.

No, obviously not.  Hence your criterion does not make sense.  (I won't bother responding to the rest of the criteria, because I think you get my drift.)