Monday, February 25, 2019

Do you have to be a liberal Muslim or a conservative Muslim? No, you can just be Muslim

*NOTE: Not all liberal Muslims are the same. Not all conservative Muslims are the same. I'm not talking about Muslims who happen to be liberal or conservative, but those Muslims who go out of their way to label themselves as liberal or conservative Muslims and annoy the hell out of others. Also keep in mind that liberal Muslims in the west are NOT the same as liberal Muslims in Muslim countries. In the exact same way, conservative Muslims in the west are NOT the same as conservative Muslims in Muslim countries. Many Muslim countries are already conservative (especially when it comes to women), so being a conservative there is a double crisis. In other words, being a conservative Muslim in an already conservative/right wing Muslim country is not good at all. In the same way, being a liberal Muslim in an already western liberal country is not good.

Whatever happened to just being Muslim, no matter at what level of religiosity you were at? What happened to being Muslim no matter your sect or school of thought? Whatever happened to seeing each other as Muslim at the end of the day? Do you have to pick either liberalism or conservatism? Can you be liberal on some matters, while conservative on others?

I did a blog post about how liberalism in Islam can mean anything today:
https://mymuslimthoughts.blogspot.com/2015/07/in-islam-words-secularism-liberalism.html

It always made me wonder what causes right wing, orthodox, conservative, and Salafi/Wahhabi Muslims to lash out at other Muslims and call them out as "liberal". These conservative Muslims are far more likely to create a fuss about Muslims being "liberal", "deviant", "munafiq", and "kaffir" than liberal Muslims creating a fuss about Muslims being too conservative. This post will criticize both sides, but more so conservative Muslims and their ideology.

The thing is, conservative Muslims don't realize if something isn't mentioned in the Quran or Sunnah, if it isn't directly commanded by Allah or his Prophet, then you can go ahead with your ideas and practice them and share them. Conservative Muslims have very rigid mindsets that don't allow for difference of opinions, even if they don't go against Islam. Within the Islamic religion, you can have a wide range of ideas and beliefs without contradicting Islam. As a matter of fact, "liberal" views have historically been held by various scholars throughout Islamic history. Conservative Muslims do not acknowledge this.

True, liberal Muslims today change a lot about Islam (like approving homosexuality). However, conservative Muslims do the EXACT SAME by twisting the religion and casting out labels of "kaffir", "kufr", "mushrik", "shayateen", "biddah", and so forth. Conservative muslims tend to be embarrassed that the Quran is not conservative enough, and go out of their way to force illogical, nonsensical views of Islam. Ironically, conservative muslims love showing off how conservative and rightly guided they are by actually labeling themselves as "conservative" or "salafi/wahhabi". Why don't they label themselves as just Muslim? Because they want to differentiate themselves. Being called a "Muslim" only is too weak for them.

My frustration is mainly aimed at new generation conservative Muslims, who are using "colonialism" as an excuse for everything. For example, if you support nuclear families, then you are a victim of colonialism, since polygamy is apparently the only accepted form of marriage (which by the way Islamically it is not, but this is literally how they paint it). They are also saying it is because of colonization that we don't have a Caliphate (strange because never in Islamic history have Muslims been united under one state. Caliphates often had internal struggles, and waged war on other Islamic empires). They also say it is because of colonialism that many Muslim women choose not to wear hijab (weird, because as I mentioned before in many Muslim empires (like the Mughal Empire), head covering was not common (except for prayer)). Where was colonialism back then? On top of this, there exists a very valid view (which I have linked to several times) that hijab is not mandatory. Even if you believe hijab is supposed to be worn by all Muslim women, it is not even close to being among the most important things in Islam. If you go read up on the biggest sins of Islam (even minor sins), hijab is never mentioned! Yes these modern day conservative Muslims make it in their top 5 list for it being the most important or the most sinful!

Also, in addition to this, I have mentioned before that conservative Muslims (who try to paint a picture of unity through orthodoxy) are NOT and NEVER have been united. Conservative Muslims are divided amongst themselves when it comes to religious beliefs. True, liberal Muslims are also divided (and this MUST be recognized since not all liberal Muslims support things like homosexuality), but liberal Muslims don't paint themselves as united; conservative muslims do that. Conservative Muslims often gloat how there is only one true Islam, but this is proven wrong by their own. IF there was only one true Islam, then ALL MUSLIMS throughout history and today would be united under one madhab; there would be no scholarly differences when it comes to Islam. Is this the case? NO. Throughout Islamic history (and even today) Muslim scholars have ALWAYS been divided, Islamic empires have ALWAYS waged war on other Islamic empires in the name of Islam, there are several madhabs (schools of thought), and there are several sects (with several sub sects in between). Conservative Muslim speakers and scholars are always being criticized by other conservative Muslim speakers and scholars on all kinds of issues related to faith, spirituality, war, and governance. For example, classical Muslim scholars like Ibn Rushd, Ibn Sina, and Al Farabee were declared kaffir by the conservative classical scholar al Ghazzali. Even today, conservative scholars don't consider those three as Muslims. You can also look at the controversial conservative scholar Ibn Taymiyyah. He is considered to be the father of Salafism. Taymiyya is HIGHLY revered by orthodox and conservative Muslims. However, the overwhelming majority of orthodox Islamic scholars during the time of Taymiyya considered him to be a deviant, misguided, or even kaffir. He was imprisoned many times because of his beliefs. Yet today, orthodox Muslims celebrate him and promote his hardline views. Similarly, Hafs Bin Sulaimaan, a highly influential and respected early Muslim, who's method of reading the Quran is followed by almost all Muslims worldwide, is considered to be a "liar" by many orthodox Muslims for forging hadiths. Another guy is Ibn Hazm, a classical Islamic scholar who is again, respected by orthodox and conservative Muslims for his work. But, he also believed Allah sent female Prophets. And for this reason, he's criticized and insulted by the same orthodox/conservative Muslims. In all of these examples, orthodox Muslims respect and celebrate these figures, but then also hate on them.

Even today, there are popular conservative Islamic scholars like Noman Ali Khan, Yasir Qadhi, Zakir Naik, Omar Suleiman, Hamza Yusuf, Taqi Usmani, Muhammad Al Munajjid, Ibn Baz, Ibn Uthaymeen, and Muhammad Al Albani. Other conservative scholars and preachers are ALWAYS critisizing the said scholars. You can find critical essays and videos by conservative muslim organizations or conservative preachers who heavily critisize the above scholars. A simple google search will show you. Salafi scholars and their followers, whom are well known for attacking "modern or "libera" Muslims, often end up attacking their own as well. I have seen online that vicious salafi/wahhabi/deobandi Muslims often end attacking their own after attacking and harassing other Muslims.

Also, throughout history and even today, Muslim cultures have differed from one another. Conservative Muslims don't realize this. For example, as I mentioned three paragraphs above, conservative Muslims say hijab has always been a part of Islam and it is because of "colonialism" Muslim women today choose not to wear it. But, if we look at Islamic history in the Indian subcontinent, hijab was never really worn. The dupatta (still used today) was a loose head covering which many women would wear only during prayer. Many of them would take it off, and no one cared. This is why so many conservative Muslim women in the Indian subcontinent still don't rigorously wear the dupatta, but usually only for prayer. Even in the rural areas, where it is even more conservative, the same tradition stands. As I asked above, where does colonialist ideology have any value here? Hint: it doesn't.

It's funny, I have seen conservative Muslims who believe Salafi ideology, yet cast out Salafi's as "deviants". So, as I said, conservative Muslims, whatever the brand they attach to, still cannot be united under the conservative Islamic ideology. They prove this over and over.

Because conservative Muslims like to paint a picture of unity through orthodoxy, they tend to only visit places that suit their ideology. For example, I have mentioned online Islamic forums as hotbeds for conservative, right wing, and even extremist Muslims. They congregate where they can freely act like wild animals. On Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, there are Allah-knows how many of these conservative, alt-right, right wing, Salafi/Wahhabi, and Muslim versions of red pill, MGTOW, and Incel accounts. They only like to talk to each other, and don't like other kinds of Muslims. They will harass and insult the hell out of you if you step into their territory. Or, you will be blocked, because they usually only want to interact with those who are like them.

I mentioned polygamy above. Conservative Muslims say it has always been a part of Islam and the nuclear family is "biddah". Well they're wrong again. Go back to the Mughal empire, how often was polygamy practiced? Rarely. This is why you are far less likely to find polygamous families in the Indian subcontinent compared to other places. So, how is there any "biddah" here?

I also find so humorous that these muslims who propagate conservatism and orthodoxy often do it through fake accounts on social media. This is true, see for yourself. More than half of Daniel Haqiqatjou's fans have fake accounts with no pictures of themselves. I mean, if they were such pious Muslims who want to stand for the truth, why do they need to hide their true identities? Even on YouTube or Twitter, conservative Muslims tend to have fake names. Why hide if you believe you are on the right path?

In addition to, I find it weird how conservative Muslims, when arguing with non-muslims or Islamophobes, love painting the image that all 1.6 billion Muslims are united; they will pretend that all sects of schools of thoughts are perfectly fine in Islam. However, when these conservative Muslims debate other Muslims, then they ally with other conservatives and try to take down "modern liberal" Muslims. They start casting out labels of "kuffar", "biddah", "deviant" and so on. But then, when it comes to debating each other, they show how disunited they are (as I mentioned above how conservative Muslim scholars and preachers frequently get criticized by other conservative Muslim scholars). Conservative Muslims are full of contradictions, whereas liberal Muslims are not. Liberal Muslims do not usually attack other liberal Muslims.

Moreover, I also frequently notice that conservative Muslims are super hypocrites. For example, many conservative Muslims who are involved in promoting conservative identity and bashing others, they often live in Western countries. They often criticize the west (culture, laws, wars) but would NEVER consider leaving the western country they live in. They often cry online about no one doing jihad against the "kuffar", but again, these Muslims are living comfortabley in the west and wouldn't dare take their keyboard warrior mentality out in real life. Also, on the topic of jihad, haven't you noticed self proclaimed mullahs on Youtube and Facebook are fat and unathletic? They're so out of shape! Also, a lot of the time, these hardline conservatives live in houses. Which means they use mortgages. Mortgages are haraam. But on this, they will NEVER give it up. Hypocrites!

Also, many conservative Muslim women who live in the West believe Muslim women should only be burka covered housewives. However, these conservative Muslim women would NEVER leave the west, even though the burka-covered-housewife mentality plagues nearly every Muslim country.

Yes, we can criticize liberal Muslim movements for supporting homosexuality. But we have to criticize conservative Muslims for giving birth to a new set of conservative Muslim men who support movements like MGTOW, Red Pill philosophy, Salafism/Wahhabism, and incel content. We also have to criticize conservative Muslims because they have a tendency to be unforgiving and would rather see Muslims as apostates instead of being guided. In Islam, we are supposed to pray for each other to be guided by Allah. Conservative Muslims only pray for those who share their ideology. We have to criticize conservative/orthodox/right wing Muslims for using Islam to insult and abuse others; to use Islam to be trolls on social media; and we have to criticize them for using Quran verses and Hadiths about those who are condemned on to other Muslims. These backwards sick minded freaks get pleasure and enjoyment out from this!

True, it seems like liberal Muslims are a little embarrassed the Quran and Sunnah is not liberal enough, and this is why they need to change certain parts. They want to change Islam 100 percent to fit modern western culture. AT THE SAME TIME, right wing/conservative/alt right/Salafi Muslims do the EXACT same. They are embarrassed the Quran and Sunnah are not conservative enough. They try to change Islam so it is 100 percent against modern western culture. This is why the tend to rely on Hadiths over the Quran, then conservative scholarly opinions over the Quran and Hadith, then false and weak Hadiths, and then biographical accounts of various Muslim leaders in the medieval and modern era over the Quran and Sunnah. Also, conservative Muslims tend to look way into the Quranic language (like dissecting root and plural words and then finding their meanings) to try and prove their points. Why are they doing that? Isn't Islam already clear on everything? Why didn't Allah make your commandments clear in Islam? This shows they are embarrassed that Islam isn't conservative enough, and they need to take it upon themselves to "guide" everyone, because apparently Allah didn't do a good job (they will never say it openly, but they pretty much hold this belief).

True, some liberal Muslims follow some commandments while ignoring others. At the same time, conservative Muslims do the same. They are only obsessed with four things: hijab, promotion of polygamy (because nuclear family systems are "bad"), traditional gender roles for women (which by the way isn't even mentioned in the Quran or Sunnah), and fantasizing about a Caliphate (yet they fail to realize for 1400 years Muslims have never been on the same page when it comes to politics. Heck, even the Sahaba's waged war on each other (i.e. First Fitnah and the Battle of the Camel)).

Liberal Muslims use the excuse we don't need all of Islam because we live in the 21st century. At the same time, conservative Muslims do not understand that we don't live in the 7th century in the middle of an Arabian desert. They don't know how to read Islam in it's context, they want to apply all of it in every situation possible. They don't realize the social, political, economic, and education situations back then are NOT found today. They don't understand that you can't re-create the conditions and customs of 7th century Arabia. They fail to realize Islam was revealed to this specific time and context. They fail to realize Islam is (and historically has been) interpreted differently across different times and cultures.

Liberal Muslims lack faith. Conservative Muslims lack the ability to understand Islam through reason, logic, and critical thinking. Conservative Muslims do not use their brains; they blindly follow what scholars/preachers/mullahs say (i.e. Pakistan and Afghanistan. Whatever illiterate mullahs say in those countries, the men and self hating women blindly follow it).

Yes, liberal Muslims might lack Islamic education on certain matters. They might not know some things are Islamically wrong. However, conservative Muslims fall into the same boat. As a matter of fact, much of the Muslim world is conservative, and at the same time, highly illiterate on Islam. Yes, conservative/orthodox Muslims are less likely to know about Islam. This is why conservative Muslim countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan have supporters of honor killings and domestic violence (refer to my other blog where I post articles from Pakistani media outlets that feature disgusting comments from Muslim men towards women). This is why self hating Muslim women who cover themselves in hijab or burka see themselves as self righteous queens; they love attacking other Muslim women and love being in the company of hardline aggressive Muslim men. These hardline Muslims do not question or think about what they are doing in the name of Islam; they blindly follow whatever is "Islamic" to them. For example, conservative/hardline/troll Muslims will always use certain hadiths to get under the skin of other Muslims. Nine times out of 10, those hadiths are either weak or fabricated, or flat out made up (refer to my article earlier about the false made up hadith about women taking their brothers or fathers or sons to hell).

True, liberal Muslims want to limit religion in public. At the same time, conservative Muslims want to overly impose religion in public on anyone, and aggressively come after anyone who opposes them.

Yes, liberal Muslims might blur the boundaries between haraam and halaal. But conservative Muslims often go out on a haraam brigade and label anything they want to as "haraam". In Islam, only Allah and his messenger can declare what is haraam. Conservative Muslims have a habit of ignoring this. Even the optional things in Islam, or the things that are encouraged but not mandatory, conservative Muslims will say it is all mandatory no matter what. Same goes with things that are disliked (makruh) but not haraam. To conservative Muslims, it is haraam.

Yes, liberal Muslims might support certain movements today that go against Islam (like LGBT, and CERTAIN aspects of modern feminism). However, right wing/conservative/orthodox Muslims do the same by heavily emphasizing men's rights over women's rights. As I have said before, right wing/conservative/orthodox Islamic ideology gives men a LOT more rights and freedoms. Does it make sense to support such movements when your own interpretations of Islam already give men God-given rights to keep women in their place?

While both sides are judgmental, it is conservative Muslims whose judgments are far more problematic. They try and justify their behaviour in the name of Islam because they are "just trying to guide you"- accept their ideology or face abuse and insults in the name of Islam. True, liberal Muslims will call you extremist or too religious for not wearing a bikini, not drinking alcohol, not having boyfriends or girlfriends (or trying to Islamically educate them on how these things are wrong. Lets face it, if you are a good Muslim, you don't feel good if you see other Muslims engaging in the mentioned activities). However, conservative Muslims will call you kaffir, mushrik, shayateen, murtad, and non-practicing, all because they see someone without a beard or without hijab. Conservative Muslims literally openly reject the Quran verses and hadiths on never to judge or hate or make takfeer on other Muslims. Also, they love condemning other Muslims to hell and are so confident that other Muslims will burn. This isn't even allowed in Islam. Try and correct a conservative Muslim for this behavior and you're called a "liberal" Muslim. This proves my point on conservative Muslims literally thinking Allah and his Prophets are not doing their job properly.

I wrote a while back about how Atheists always compare the hypocrisy of American Christians to Muslims. In other words, atheists see Christians and Muslims in the exact same way. Have a read:
https://mymuslimthoughts.blogspot.com/2015/04/atheists-should-stop-comparing-muslims.html

Now looking at that article, understand that hardline ultra orthodox Muslims act just like the hardline atheists. Here's an example how- these extremist hardline Muslims see the secular and liberal influence on Arabs, They see Arabs engaging in haraam/un-Islamic activities. They also see Arab women wearing tight and revealing clothes. Unfortunately, these hardline extremists then look at Muslim women in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh who are for the most part without hijab. These extremist orthodox Muslims will say "oh look, the Muslim women in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh are also under liberal and secular influence. Because they don't wear hijab, they most likely also drink or engage in pre-marital sex or they reject the 5 daily prayers like how our Arab women do!". This is wrong on so many levels. Don't compare the liberalized and secularized hijabless Arab women to the hijabless Muslim women of the subcontinent. Arab women don't wear hijab because of secular and liberal influence, whereas Muslim women in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh don't wear it because they literally have not worn in during the 1200 year Islamic rule of the subcontinent. And as I have mentioned many times before, Muslim women in the subcontinent tend to be religious. They will more likely, compared to other Muslim women from different regions, be strict when it comes to prayer and fasting and staying away from pre-marital sex. And this trend actually does continue with Western Muslim women who have Pakistan, Indian, and Bengali heritage. Unfortunately, these hardcore right wing salafi Muslim men and women won't understand this.

Liberal Muslims are more likely to overlook flaws of others. I know, I wrote above how they are also judgmental. But by that I mean they might call you "too religious" if you don't drink alcohol, don't have pre-marital relationships, don't wear anything tight or revealing, and you get the picture. However, they are more likely to not let the shortcomings of other Muslims be the end of the world. For example, if they see a Muslim lacking spiritually in some area, then they will ignore it. Even if they see Muslims engaging in stuff like pre-marital intercourse, alcohol etc. (recall in the beginning of this article where I said not all liberal Muslims are the same. They may be (and usually are) conservative in some areas), they still won't act like it is the end of Islam. Conservative Muslims on the other hand specifically look for flaws in others so they can go write about it on their Facebook page, or Twitter, or on online Islamic forums so other conservative Muslims can join in on the judgmental and hate parade. By wasting their time through judgments of other Muslims, they feel good inside; they feel like they are perfectly guided.

Another major short coming of conservative Muslims is that they want an Islamic answer for everything. Whatever the situation, they want an explanation from Islam. They will use Islam to justify excuses. This is problematic, because for instances like rape, they end up blaming the woman for either not wearing hijab or not having a mahram. They fail to realize not everything has an answer. Events and situations arise without anyone's control. For example, random acts of violence. How do you protect yourself from a guy who is walking around ready to stab anyone near him? How can you tell who he is? You can't. Or how about not driving in a car because it would lead to accidents? How about not having friends in life because they might hurt or deceive you? Can you prevent all of that? No. These are just examples I use whenever conservative Muslims blame women when she is raped or harassed.

Similarly, when you bring Islam into everything, when you use it for everything, it creates greed. Business in Pakistan frequently quote Quran verses and hadiths. Why? Because they want people to think Allah is on their side. When Allah is on your side, spending your money here gives you "sawaab" (blessings), and spending your money at another business that doesn't use religion means you are spending money for Shaytaan. In the exact same way, politicians in Pakistan use religion to gain votes and to get into power. The religious parties play with religion to fool people. And of course, Pakistan being a conservative country, will automatically have people vote for such politicians.

One more example of using Islam for everything, have a look at my other blog. I frequently link to comment sections from social media where Muslims use Islam to insult others. They will find hadiths and verses about people who are condemned, and then use them on other Muslims they don't like. Islam, as you can see, is now being used by conservative/orthodox/salafi/wahhabi Muslims to harass other Muslims.

Anyways, continuing on, it is true when it comes to male-female relations, liberal Muslims will find no problem in taking the opposite sex for friends. In reality, unmarried men and women cannot be friends, you can't treat them like how you would with friends of your own gender. However, this doesn't mean we are to completely segregate men and women and forbid all interaction. This is what conservative Muslims love advocating for. Even though you find numerous instances of men and women talking to each other in the Quran and Hadith, and you find nothing that explicitly forbids male-female interaction, conservative Muslims ignore this and say it will lead to "zina". I have talked about segregation before and why it leads to problems. I have also linked to scholarly sources that say there is nothing wrong with men and women being in the same area and interacting. But again, conservative Muslims ignore this part about Islam.

Liberal Muslims are more open to different interpretations of Islam. Conservative/right wing Muslims are not. They always have arrogant attitudes that they are on the right path and everyone is on the wrong one. The love being arrogant when they claim to know why Muslims suffer, or why there are problems in Muslim communities. They always claim to have the one "true" Islamic answer.

Liberal Muslims, or Muslims who happen to be liberal, are FAR LESS likely to leave Islam. I know, this is hard to believe. I have another post coming about apostasy where I go more in depth into this. It is actually conservative Muslims who are the most likely to leave Islam. Their obsession of religion and the nonsensical rigid orthodoxy gets to them, and then they lose all spiritual satisfaction, which eventually leads to becoming a kaffir. This is why those Muslims who want to learn more about Islam become dissatisfied with the religion if they stumble upon right wing/salafi/conservative Islamic material. Case and point, literally every single testimony of an ex Muslim on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Quora, Yahoo Answers, online forums etc., they always talk about coming from strict or conservative backgrounds. If they didn't come from strict or conservative backgrounds, then it is about how they became super religious (in other words, overly conservative/right wing), which eventually led to their demise. If it doesn't lead to apostasy, then at the very least it leads them to become liberal Muslims. Either way, you can see how much damage conservative/right wing/orthodox Muslims cause- they either cause apostasy, or they cause you to be a Muslim who supports LGBT, nudity, evolution, alcohol, and ultra secularism. Also, conservative/right wing Muslims are going to TEST your faith with their harsh tones, with their insults and abuse (which is ALWAYS done in the name of Islam), and their inability to use logic and reason. These kinds of Muslims will cause insecurity in other Muslims, they will PUSH you to the brink of apostasy, and unfortunately many do lose their faith.

Conservative/orthodox/wannabe conservative or orthodox/Salafi/Wahhabi Muslims unnecessarily create controversy. They want to make provocative comments. They want to get under your skin with this. They are full of assumptions and judgments and accusations. They have terrible ways of talking (i.e. harsh and aggressive). And if you don't agree with them, then they label you as "modernist" or "liberal" or "devient" or even "kaffir". They brainwash themselves into thinking they are on the right path, and everyone else is on the wrong path. They create insecurity in themselves and other Muslims.

Here's something else. In the age where white supremacy and right wing nationalism is getting more and more power in western countries and on social media, have you noticed right wing Muslims/Salafi's use the exact same language and writing style as these racists? Literally, go see comments on any right wing media outlet. The compare it to a right wing/conservative Muslim media outlet. The similarities are strikingly obvious, and sad. I mean this itself should serve as yet another reminder why right wing/conservative/Salafi Muslims are not to be followed.

As if it isn't clear enough, conservative/right wing Muslims always make women their number one point of attack. They really don't want women being anything other than burka covered housewives who don't interact with men in any point of their lives. Everything is literally zina or flirting to conservative right wing Muslims when women do anything. Don't ever accept the take on women's rights when conservative right wing Muslims preach. Follow liberal Muslims on this matter.

And finally, one more thing wrong with conservative Muslims is that they refuse to acknowledge any harmful laws and cultural practices against women that exist in pretty much all Muslim countries. Over here I side with liberal Muslims because they see the injustice and double standards Muslim women in Muslim countries face. To conservative Muslims, it is the "Jewish" western media and Western human rights groups that lie about Muslim countries. Then they contradict themselves when they believe these media outlets and human rights groups when it comes to Palestine, Syria, or China. They are willing to believe and share that part with everyone, but ONLY that part. They will only believe these human rights groups and media outlets when it shows non-Muslims harming Muslims. Anything other than that, then it is "propaganda" against Muslims and Islam.

An example of the above are religious political parties in Afghanistan and Pakistan, who (and I have repeatedly linked to them) consistently opposed domestic violence and honor killing laws. These laws are drafted up by secular and liberal political parties! Why do these religious parties, which is made up of the most educated and learned scholars of Islam, not see how misguided they are?

Though something to note, I have seen/met Muslims who call themselves "conservative" but are really not conservative at all. At the same time, I have met Muslims who call themselves "liberal" but are no where near that.

I mentioned above how liberal Muslims want to limit the role of religion in public. So in other words, they may support secularism, or varying degrees of it. However, I wanted to add on to the conservative side a bit. I just watched a video on YouTube about a Muslim guy who "came" to Islam. No, he wasn't a convert. He was born and raised a Muslim. He mentioned that even though he came from a family that prayed 5 times a day, read the Quran, didn't allow boyfriends and girlfriends, and didn't allow mixed parties in high school and university, he STILL said he and his family were "secular". You see this? These Salafi/Hardline Muslims call all of this "secularism". To them, this literally is secularism. Why? Because apparently all of this is not good enough to be proper Muslims. The definition of secularism or liberalism is SO FRICKIN broad to these people.

Even though various factions of liberal Muslim ideology have existed throughout Islamic history (many classical Islamic scholars had liberal views on various topics), it still is a relatively new phenomenon as a whole. Liberal Muslims will be the first to tell you that their way of thinking about Islam is a fresh new start. Liberal Islamic discourse is still developing, and it still is in its baby steps. On the other hand, conservative Muslims say their ideology has dominated throughout Islamic history. This is true, conservative and orthodox Islamic philosophy has been dominant for most of our history. However, here is a down side: conservative Muslims have consistently failed to establish a proper united front. They have always failed to establish a united identity of spirituality, governance, and scholarship. Had they been successful, all Muslims would be united under one Islamic state governed by one madhab, and everyone would be on the same page when it came to Islam. Has this ever been this case in Islamic history? No. Is this the case today? No. Do conservative Muslims admit this? No. Once again, never in Islamic history have Muslims been united when it comes to religion. This proves right here that conservative/orthodox Islamic philosophy cannot unite Muslims, it cannot dismantle differences, and it cannot establish a proper way to interpret and apply Islam. These differences in Islamic history also prove that there is no one correct version of Islam, because conservative Muslims always brag how there is only one true Islam. Conservative Muslims say they are the ones following the one true correct version. Well, this paragraph just proved them wrong.

Something else, modern day Muslim conservatives like right wing, incel, red pill, mgtow etc. are new movements that have never existed in Islamic history. I mentioned earlier how right wing muslims also change a lot about Islam and it's history. They still however claim their orthodox right wing version of Islam has been the only version followed since Islam started. You can see how much these right wing Muslims contradict themselves.

Liberal Muslims, Modern/Modernist Muslims, Secular Muslims, Progressive Muslims, and Cultural Muslims (and as I mentioned earlier, these Muslims are NOT the same, as some are more religious and conservative on some matters than other Muslims within this very this group), at the end of the day are still Muslim. On the other hand, the takfeeri backbiting judgmental salafis/wahhabis/deobandis/red pill/self hating burka covered housewife Muslims take themselves out of Islam. Takfeer takes you out of Islam. Backbiting and judging are HUGE SINS in Islam, and these rabid kinds of Muslims are heavily engaged in it. At  the end of the day, even though one side looks more Muslim, whom do you think Allah will choose on judgment day?

So, is there a kind of measure we can use to determine if is right and wrong? Is there a measuring device you can use without being labeled liberal or conservative? Yes. Ask yourselves, does Islam explicitly ban it? Does it explicitly promote it? If it indirectly does (going through several verses and looking at the root words then looking at hadiths then looking at scholars) then it is NOT good enough at all, it has to be CLEAR. Also, can you find within Islamic parameters the intellectual diversity to accept/reject the idea? Going back to the beginning where I said if it is possible to be liberal on some things and conservative on others, yes, you can. Just use this measuring device I mentioned above.

I am someone who is liberal on some matters (like women's rights) and conservative on others. I use that same mechanism above, and I have featured scholars who share the same views. Again, if Islam doesn't explicitly forbid your action or idea, if it doesn't directly say it is wrong, then you can go ahead. So ignore people who will call you a "misguided liberal munafiq Muslim", because you support women's equality or their right not to wear a hijab. At the same time, you can ignore those who call you an "overly conservative salafi/Wahhabi" for not drinking alcohol, for not dating, for not having sex outside of marriage, or for not letting your daughter or son go to mixed college parties.

Both liberal and conservative Muslims need to morph their ideas into one. Both need doses of each other's ideology so they can both come to be Muslim.

If anything, Muslims are supposed to be conservative when it comes to spirituality. The 5 pillars of Islam is what makes us Muslim; it cannot be rejected. Important features of Islam such as praying, fasting, giving to charity, and being good humans; all of this is what will take you to Jannah and protect you from hell. It doesn't matter how you dress, or how much you sin, only the spiritual side of Islam can save you in this life and the next. When it comes to spirituality, there is no conservatism or liberalism; there is only devotion. Devotion has no liberal or conservative ideology, but we are still suppose to take it seriously and make it a big part of our lives. Surprisingly, conservative Muslims don't really pay attention to this. They're way to occupied with nonsensical matters.

I am not a liberal Muslim (it may seem like it, but I'm not). Nor am I a conservative Muslim. I'm just a Muslim. If Islam forbids something, then I follow it. If Islam approves of something, then I follow it. However, I recognize the diverse opinions of Muslim scholars and academics who can make the argument that you don't have to do A or B in Islam. I recognize Muslim academics (like Dr Shabbir Ally) who question the authenticity of hadiths (especially the anti-women ones). Why? Because, such views are actually okay in Islam. And throughout Islamic history, there have been "liberal" Muslim scholars. There has been a great range of diversity in scholarship on how to view the Quran and Hadiths. Conservative Muslims paint a completely different picture, but they just fool and defeat themselves.

4 comments:

  1. You are probably one of the few intellectual and intelligent Muslims I've come across. Who is able to make this comparison and comment on the current state of Muslims. I myself am intrigued. Keep it up!

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  2. And you're a Muslim with deviant beliefs.

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  3. hijab is mandatory. You sound like a feminist

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  4. And Islam does promote gender roles, you are delusional and severely misguided if you think it doesn't

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