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Small Talk:
もう我慢できない

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“Muslims would come up to me and go ‘Ahmed, uhh… I don’t like it when you joke about Islam, okay? That is haraam, that is against God…Yeah, I’ll take a Heineken.’

[...]

You know you’re a Muslim when you drink, gamble, have sex…but you won’t eat pork. That’s the weirdest thing, you won’t. Eat. Pork.”

- Ahmed Ahmed, Axis of Evil Comedy Tour

I don’t exactly consider myself a devout Muslim. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve pretty much committed most of the cardinal sins and my soul is pretty much destined to burn in Hell for quite a while. In the practice of my faith, however, I do not just practice and believe blindly to what I’ve been told to by others. I try my best not to depend on another ustaz or imam or some pious hypocrite.

Reading the Quran

I don’t really ‘read’ the Quran as often as many pious people do. You know how some bearded Malay dudes with their kopiah on would sit cross-legged on his sejadah with the Quran on his lap and he would read off of it melodiously?

I’ll admit it, I don’t read the Quran like these people do. You know why? Because it’s pointless. Before you call me blasphemous, let me explain to you why it’s pointless for me. To cut the long story short, I don’t understand Arabic. If I read a holy tome in a language I don’t understand, the only thing I’ll gain is fluent pronunciation and probably some peace of mind. Quite frankly, I think that’s a waste, because the true value of reading something comes from the understanding of what you read.

I don’t read the Quran like it’s some sort of a spiritual ritual. Personally, I can’t imagine God sending down His words to the Prophet Muhammad SAW for that reason alone. God sent his words as guidance, and reference. When things go wrong, turn to the Quran. When judgments conflict, turn to the Quran. When you’re at a loss, turn to the Quran. If you studied the history of the Quran [yes, I studied it. Surprised?] each verse came at the time that requires it. Each verse came down to solve a situation, or when the time came for Muhammad to teach something new to his people.

I treat the Holy Tome as a guidebook, a reference. When I’m in doubt of what I’m supposed to believe, I flip it open and try to find a story I could relate to, in hopes that I can find a lesson in there somewhere. I don’t read the Quran for the sake of reading it. I depend on it.

Fuck You

Which is why I laugh every time I hear all this talk about Islam. Islam is the absolute truth. Islam needs to be defended. Islam is unquestionable. Islam is this, Islam is that. Yes, I’m looking at you, you turban-wearing, coffee-sipping, kapcai-riding white-bearded son of a bitch.

Fuck you for blaming your actions on Islam.
Fuck you for blaming your racism on Islam.
Fuck you for blaming your selfishness on Islam.
Fuck you for blaming your policies on Islam.
Fuck you for blaming Islam when you ruin the lives of non-Muslims.
Fuck you for blaming Islam when you choke the freedom of speech.
Fuck you for blaming Islam when you arrest people for critising YOU.

Some people deserve to be criticized. Pete was right, Muslims are the greatest enemies of Islam. Not the Americans. Not the Jews. Definitely not the Chinese [WTFLOL? Where did that come from, anyway?]. A certain prime minister was said to read one page of the Quran every night, and that he is a humble and God-fearing man. Strangely, though, his recent political maneuvers doesn’t seem to be reflecting these claims.

He might be a Muslim, but I’m quite sure his religion is not Islam.

Islam taught me to find inner peace.
Islam taught me to find peace with others.
Islam taught me to find enlightenment.
Islam taught me to enlighten others.
Islam taught me to be prosperous.
Islam taught me to help others prosper.
That is what my religion taught me.

Islam never taught me about squelching voices.
Islam never taught me about destroying others.
Islam never taught me about conquest.
Islam never taught me about self-preservation.
Islam never taught me about tribalism or racism.

Placing the Blame

Islam is different from Muslims. I practice a religion that brings me peace, prosperity and friends. I practice a religion that brings me a bit closer to Him without having the need to shove others aside. I practice a religion that asks me to trust, to love and to share.
[I have an average share ratio of 1.59 at Boxtorrents]

In the eyes of many, I might not be a Muslim but for all that matters, I live to accomplish the things God has put me here to do. I believe one of the things I must do is to share this message with you. I ask that you spare Islam your wicked sentiments, and point them to Muslims instead.

Please do not blame Islam for the treachery of Muslims.
Please do not blame Islam for the mockery brought by Muslims.
Please do not blame Islam for the stupidity of Muslims.

For the Dimwits

In case you’re a dimwit, at this point you will be fuming mad at what I have just written at length here. Allow me to make myself clear. I am not insulting Islam. I am insulting Muslims. If you feel insulted, then you only have yourself to blame.

You feel insulted because you know what I said was right.
You feel insulted because you know you believed what others want you to.
You feel insulted because you believe what others told you.
If an imam told you the clouds were black, you would have believed him because all other imams said so, too.
You feel insulted because you looked at the sky, and saw white clouds, but continued to believe that the clouds were black anyway.
You feel insulted because despite knowing the truth, you chose to believe what the imams told you to believe.

You feel insulted because you didn’t go out and try to understand Islam for yourself.
You feel insulted because you let others find God for you, instead of looking for Him yourself.
You feel insulted because even when you realise you are a Muslim, you don’t have a clear picture of what it is this Islam that you have believed in all your life.
You feel insulted because now you realise you now have to find for yourself the difference between right and wrong, and you are afraid that you might discover that it would contradict everything you have ever believed til now.

If you are still feeling insulted, and yet you are still reading, I applaud you. I hope you shall open your eyes, read the Quran in a language you understand and find out the truth for yourself. Don’t let others tell you what is right or wrong. God has written out everything for you. All you need to do is to stop listening to liars and listen to the language of your heart, and with it, the language of the world.

There, you will find difference between Islam and Muslims.