Ask a Muslim Youth

Hi there.

Seeing that there are some threads like this, I was wondering if this is a curiosity for anyone.

I am not here to answer questions related to Islamic theology (Though I might have to use it to answer questions from time to time, this is not a FAQ about the religious aspects of Islam.)

I am a Muslim who is 17 years old. I am practising, and I have been studying the religion of Islam, as well as its scripture, history, and its ideology, mostly by myself, since I was 14, which was when I began practising. I have lived a fair bit of my life in the Middle East, but I was raised in, and am now studying in the West.

Why is this important to know? It's important, because I am from that key demographic of Muslims that most governments are alarmed about. Why are these young people going to fight overseas? Why are people radicalising? I have a point of view for these questions that is not so obvious to people not part of that demographic. In addition, I have spoken to several people who were down that path to radicalization, and listened to their reasoning.

You can consider me a "representative" of this demographic if you wish. I am here to answer any questions you guys might have about my political opinions, my view of certain events, and its relation to the ideology of Islam.

Please note that not all my replies are something that I actually believe in, but I try my best to answer in the perspective of someone who is "radicalized". And in turn, I hope that I may be able to provide you with insight.

Sanguivorant said:

I am not hear here to answer questions related to Islamic theology

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Well there goes 99% of all my troll questions.
Welcome to CFCOT.

What do you think of Persian nationalism (or other middle eastern nationalists) fighting for their country specifically rather than Islam?

caketastydelish said:

What do you think of Persian nationalism (or other middle eastern nationalists) fighting for their country specifically rather than Islam?

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The short answer is that nationalism that happens within the Muslim community, whether it intentionally does this or not, causes division. When Muslims divide themselves into nations and nation-states, they break a major principle in the Qur'an that advocates for the Unity of the Muslim people.

The Qur'an consistently refers to the Muslim people as one nation, and requests that Muslims do not be divided:

"And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided." [3:103]

There are more verses similar to this. The Qur'an never mentions the Muslims or the Believers as if there were different groups within.

If the Qur'an mentions people, then there are only two types of people: Those who are Muslims and those who are not. So how can Muslims divide themselves if the Qur'an only recognizes two divisions of humankind?

The idea is that as soon as one pledges their allegiance to Islam, they are part of the greater Islamic community, and therefore must not be divided in any way, whether it is religiously, politically, socially, I even add economically. Again, this depends on the interpretation of the Qur'an.

So I oppose any political movement that suggests that there are differences between Muslims and these differences are enough for them to become divided. I am Egyptian, but I do not care if the Egyptian nation were to give up its sovereignty to be part of a larger Muslim federation.

That is not to say that I wish for the Islamic community to be uni-cultural. By all means no. There are different peoples, and they have their different cultures, arts, cuisines and the like. However, we should be united on the basis that we follow the same religion, and believe in the same laws.

So to answer your question, as long as this nationalism does not lead to divisions within the Islamic community, I can tolerate it.

I hope this isn't somehow interpreted as an offensive question, but what do you think of Jews?

caketastydelish said:

I hope this isn't somehow interpreted as an offensive question, but what do you think of Jews?

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They believe in Allah (God) and the Last Day, but do not believe that Muhammad was a messenger of Allah. I honestly don't have much to say. I do admire their ability to remain mostly united. I think the Muslim community can learn a thing or two from the Jewish community actually.

Are you a fundamentalist ?
Why was there a succession crisis which split the muslims into sunni and shira ?
Are there serious doctrinal differences ?
Why do some people still believe they are direct decedents from Muhammad ?

Sanguivorant said:

Why are these young people going to fight overseas? Why are people radicalising?

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Please, go ahead.

Also, do you support Sharia law?

Did you eat pork before you started practicing?
How humane would you say your local halal slaughter practice is?

You said you knew someone who wanted or had already took off to Syria to fight for ISIS, how did that turn out?

There are plenty of bad parts of Islam, like their views on say homosexuals. How do you deal with that?

What's your families ethnic and religious background? If they're not Muslim, how do they feel about your practice of it?

How are the prices for Yezidi women at the ISIS slave markets lately?

Also, what the hell is wrong with people who go and fight for an organization that literally turns captured civilians into sex slaves?

I mean, I can guess why Muslim youths would choose to radicalize themselves - it's usually the same combination between minority complex and social alienation you see with White supremacists and Neo-Nazis - but the whole "literal slavery" thing has achieved a whole new level of sick and wrong.

Sanguivorant said:

Why are these young people going to fight overseas? Why are people radicalising?

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Well?

Why are they radicalising?

What kind of politics do you support in Canada? Left-leaning parties tend to be more welcoming to immigrants (I'm assuming you have an immigrant background) and to Islam in general, but they also support social policies that are opposite to Islamic teachings. So which way do you lean?

Esmer said:

How are the prices for Yezidi women at the ISIS slave markets lately?

Also, what the hell is wrong with people who go and fight for an organization that literally turns captured civilians into sex slaves?

I mean, I can guess why Muslim youths would choose to radicalize themselves - it's usually the same combination between minority complex and social alienation you see with White supremacists and Neo-Nazis - but the whole "literal slavery" thing has achieved a whole new level of sick and wrong.

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LOL. Yeah. Well....

Here're my questions:

Would you ever consider becoming a jihadist?

Have you ever come across people trying to radicalize you?

Have you any first hand knowledge of the role of social media in radicalizing people?

Would you condone radicalizing other people?

Many questions to answer here.

First of all, just to remove any confusion, I was born to a Muslim family, but I began practicing later on in my life. Which basically means I was a Muslim by name and not by practice, if that makes any sense.

These questions require an answer several paragraphs long:

Why was there a succession crisis which split the muslims into sunni and shira ?
Are there serious doctrinal differences ?

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Why are these young people going to fight overseas? Why are people radicalising?

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Also, do you support Sharia law?

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How are the prices for Yezidi women at the ISIS slave markets lately?

Also, what the hell is wrong with people who go and fight for an organization that literally turns captured civilians into sex slaves?

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Unfortunately, today is one of my busier days, so I might not be able to answer all of these questions today.

What I can do is answer the questions that require short answers.

Are you a fundamentalist ?

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If by fundamentalist, you mean that I attempt to apply everything that the Qur'an has given to me, then yes and no.

Yes, because there are various commands in the Qur'an that I can literally follow, like when it asks me to pray, give zakat, believe in Allah, to not steal, to not backbite, I could go on forever if I wish.

However, there are various verses in the Qur'an that are open for interpretation, so that is where I stop for now. The reason for why I do not bother with those that are open for interpretation is a separate question that would require a long answer.

Did you eat pork before you started practicing?
How humane would you say your local halal slaughter practice is?

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I was born to a Muslim family, so no, I did not eat pork before I started practicing.
Animals are slaughtered from their neck, so that blood flows out quickly and the animal quickly looses consciousness.

You said you knew someone who wanted or had already took off to Syria to fight for ISIS, how did that turn out?

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ISIS is a confusing case for most Muslim youth. They are attractive because:
-They are activists
-They are trying to implement an Islamic State
-They do not discriminate according to nationality; all Muslims (well, that is their propaganda) are accepted.
-They are composed of different nationalities, giving the impression that this is truly an organization that seeks to unify the Islamic community.

However, the problems with ISIS is that:
-They are fighting Muslims (This to me is more than enough to convince me not to support them)
-They have no mercy to anyone, they view anyone that is not one of them as the enemy, whether it may be man, women or child.
-They are not merciful towards their prisoners, which is completely contrary to the Qur'an which states:

"And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive, [Saying], We feed you only for the countenance of Allah . We wish not from you reward or gratitude." [76:8-9]

This is one of the qualities of the righteous servants of Allah. If one of these qualities involves ensuring that the captive is having enough to eat, then how can one kill or mistreat their captive and still declare themselves righteous servants of Allah?

I read the news about how they treat their captives. They beat them, torture them and starve them. They hold prisoners who are practicing Muslims, and perform the same actions. In no way are they following the Qur'an in this regard.

-They force female prisoners of war into prostitution practically, when the Qur'an explicitly states:

"But let them who find not [the means for] marriage abstain [from sexual relations] until Allah enriches them from His bounty. And those who seek a contract [for eventual emancipation] from among whom your right hands possess - then make a contract with them if you know there is within them goodness and give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you. And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution, if they desire chastity, to seek [thereby] the temporary interests of worldly life. And if someone should compel them, then indeed, Allah is [to them], after their compulsion, Forgiving and Merciful." [24:33]

How then, can they sell sex slaves? It is a completely un-Islamic practice that goes back to the Era of Jahiliyah (Ignorance).

So the person who was radicalizing, I told them why they were bad, and he believed me, and said that he would not go to fight. I promised him in return that I would not tell anyone that he had these feelings.

There are plenty of bad parts of Islam, like their views on say homosexuals. How do you deal with that?

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To keep it short, I do not care what non-Muslims do among themselves. If they want to engage in homosexual practices, let them do as they wish. They are not obliged to uphold Shari'a because they are not Muslims.

Whereas a Muslim by definition, made an active and conscious decision to submit their will to Allah and follow the principles of Islam. We believe homosexual practices are actions that people choose to engage in, and the Qur'an explicitly shuns homosexual practices, so I would not tolerate them from another Muslim.

How do you feel about this article about Jews and the land of Israel?
http://www.templemount.org/quranland.html

The basic premise is that Allah gave them the land, which does make a mockery of may fellow muslims claim to land, if they are defying a direct command of Allah.

How do you feel about Qu'ranic Suras that directly contradict each other?

How do you feel about this article about Jews and the land of Israel?

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All land belongs to Allah, not to the Muslims. That being said, as long as the state of Israel tolerates Muslims practicing their religion inside their country, and does not actively fight Muslims, it is fine to me.

Those who want Israel are Palestinian nationalists who use Islam as a justification to receive support from the Muslim community, and you already know my view of nationalism.

Because all land is Allah's land, Muslims can move anywhere in it, and are told to do so:

"Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves - [the angels] will say, "In what [condition] were you?" They will say, "We were oppressed in the land." The angels will say, "Was not the earth of Allah spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?" For those, their refuge is Hell - and evil it is as a destination." [4:97]

If Muslims are being oppressed in Palestine/Israel (Whatever you call it), they are commanded to emigrate and leave the land that they are being oppressed in.

How do you feel about Qu'ranic Suras that directly contradict each other?

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Examples, please. By putting the Qur'an verses under proper context and definition, it is difficult to find a contradiction.

People who make this statement often point to how the Qur'an says there is no compulsion in religion, yet commands Muslims to fight non-Believers. Is this what you are asking about?

What kind of politics do you support in Canada? Left-leaning parties tend to be more welcoming to immigrants (I'm assuming you have an immigrant background) and to Islam in general, but they also support social policies that are opposite to Islamic teachings. So which way do you lean?

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Interesting question. I honestly do not know if I want to participate in Canada's democracy. The lesser of the two evils is the left though, because they provide room for the Islamic community to expand. If you are curious, I have written something about the requirements for an Islamic State, and surprisingly, it is countries in the West that best follow those requirements. I can demonstrate that if you are curious.

Would you ever consider becoming a jihadist?

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I often fantasize of leaving all my comfort and wealth to fight and die for a righteous cause.

ISIS is prone to failure due to its mistakes.

If I see a group that actually follows Islam and seeks to defend the Muslim community from oppressors (Such as those who attacked Muslims in Bosnia, though I will discuss that in another question), then it would appear very attractive to me.

Have you ever come across people trying to radicalize you?

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Not really. I believe that a lot of people self-radicalize for a number of reasons, which I will explain in a long answer.

The steps are:
-Self-radicalization
-Seeking other people with the same ideas
-Finding out how to go to fight overseas.

Have you any first hand knowledge of the role of social media in radicalizing people?

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Link to video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv2Pr99cQ0M&bpctr=1415288920
This propaganda video basically echoes how Muslims feel in the West. This is very effective for a number of reasons. I will analyze this video and explain the terminology they use when I have the time.

They also have twitter accounts and ask fm's, where people can directly ask a questions, and they answer. Often, they answer that the news is nothing but false propaganda, and they are not actually doing what the news suggests they are doing. A lot of these accounts have been shut down though. They are often made by Muslim youth who grew up in the West and to left for ISIS that are pretty tech-savvy and know how to appeal to their own demographic.

Would you condone radicalizing other people?

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Hard question to answer. Generally, no I do not condone it. The reason it is hard to answer, because my view of radicalization is someone who gives up their life and property to go fight for the sake of Allah. I would not condone convincing someone to join ISIS. Again, it really depends on who the enemies are, and whether the group in question is truly on the right path, which I can tell you, no group like that exists at the moment.