Dear All

Yesterday I was talking to a friend who is a liberal.

She said that the Islamic Ummah is a myth. How is it possible to  equate all Muslims living in five continents with different value systems. She questioned what is common between s European Muslim, Yugoslav Muslim, African American Muslim, Nigerian or Saudi Muslim? They share very little in cultural values beyond Islam as their religion.

My argument was that faith binds them together and give them a shared value system and a bond.

What do you think?

There was similar incident here at my university. In that a college professor arranged a poster board discussion forum by the Muslim students to the local population as what we think of Islam as opposed to what media tells them. In the end of the event, one of the local participant remarked on the striking similarity of ideas that were presented to him by some Muslim presenter from Indonesia and the other presenter from Pakistan and the third from Turky. The interesting thing that the organizer (Professor) herself acknowledged, in responding to this remark, that none of her participant presenters (the Muslim students) met each other prior to the event. Yap! culture plays a dominant part among Muslims, but only within the specs provided by Islam and not outside of it.

Bismillah,

smanzoor wrote: Dear All Yesterday I was talking to a friend who is a liberal. She said that the Islamic Ummah is a myth. How is it possible to  equate all Muslims living in five continents with different value systems. She questioned what is common between s European Muslim, Yugoslav Muslim, African American Muslim, Nigerian or Saudi Muslim? They share very little in cultural values beyond Islam as their religion. My argument was that faith binds them together and give them a shared value system and a bond. What do you think? Not only do I think Muslims have a bond in our faith, but I also believe that if we can get past the super-imposed rhetorical hatred which separate other religions and Islaam, we will celebrate our love of Allah together.  We could be in a world in which we praise our Loving Lord in whatever form we perceive "HIM" to be in, and stop fighting over the small stuff.  When we worship our All-Knowledgeable Lord out of awe and love, we are united as humans to make a better world for people of all faiths and even for people who claim to be atheists.

As Salamu Alaikum

�O mankind! We have created you from a male and female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily the most honourable of you with Allah is the one who has Taqwa. Verily Allah is All-knowing, All-Aware.� (Surah Al-Hujurat 49:13)

�And if your Lord had so willed. He could surely have made mankind one Ummah, but they will not cease to disagree.� (Surah Hud 11:118)

Are the Muslims one Ummah � definitely. The Turkish, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, American- all Muslims face the ONE QIBLAH � they turn their face to Makkah in Saudi Arabia during their Salah (five daily prayers), we fast from dawn to sunset in Ramadan, irrespective of which country we live in, we perform the same rituals of Haj all together at the same time and place- Makkah, Mina, Arafat become the annual meeting place for Muslims irrespective of they color, nationality or culture- we are dressed alike. (anyway the men are- 2 pieces of white cloth), and most importantly we all say the same Shahadah so how can this great Ummah be a myth.

The five daily prayers (Salah) are performed in Arabic in any Masjid in the world. A Chinese will have no problem joining and following an Imam in a Masjid in American, neither will a Swedish have problem joining the Jama�ah in Russia. � A Myth- no way.

Dear All

I received this post from a guest in CV Forum

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Only thing i can say is the the OIC (organization of islamic conference) which is largest organization representing the 57 Muslim countries is a group of kings and usurpers and dictators

if this group is a what you mean by ummah then obviously it is a big failure.

it has achieved nothing except forming committees and wasting money other than that i donot know. where does this ummah exist. **************************

Assalamu Alaikum!

"ISLAM That is what bonds us all together!"

Very true. It is Islam that makes us ONE ummah. Yes, we may belong to different cultures, but we are all Muslims first. It is not that all cultures are harmful to Islam or Muslims. Many cultures promote Islam and Islamic awareness. However, some cultures may be opposed to Islam in some way that should be overcome, and that can be possible by keeping Islam as our number one priority inshaAllah.

Peace

smanzoor wrote: Dear All I received this post from a guest in CV Forum ************************************** Only thing i can say is the the OIC (organization of islamic conference) which is largest organization representing the 57 Muslim countries is a group of kings and usurpers and dictators if this group is a what you mean by ummah then obviously it is a big failure. it has achieved nothing except forming committees and wasting money other than that i donot know. where does this ummah exist. **************************

Dear bro SM, I don't think, ummah can only be reflected through Khalifha or OIC etc., though it may be required for many obvious benefits. Ummah is, in fact, irrespective of it.