Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board

A R C H I V E S

Interfaith groups vs. Muslim groups

Madina Archives


Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board

Interfaith groups vs. Muslim groups
UmmZaid
05/20/03 at 02:09:19
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
[slm]

Do any of you post on interfaith boards, Yahoo! groups, etc?  Do you find it productive? I mean for da'wa, or just opening up dialogue, getting people to see us as real human beings, etc?  I saw Kathy's post on her interfaith dilemna on another folder.

Or do any of you find that you are better served by staying in Muslim-only e-environments?  

I used to always post on the interfaith boards, b/c I loved to talk about Islam, answer people's (non Muslim) questions, etc. (Not to debate, that's not my thing, but just answer questions or share).  But recently my eyes have started to open up as to how ugly and arrogant (towards Allah mostly but also towards people) some folks can be.  It's all about the debate.  And then of course, people have their agendas or their pre-conceived notions. I'm not necessarily talking about Christians, I'm mostly talking about all those "other" Americans who are Universalist, neo-Pagan, etc.  

OTOH, I often feel that Muslim-only groups aren't as "exciting" or fun or challenging. I don't know why.  I do have a group of Muslim-only groups that I belong to and enjoy a lot.
Re: Interfaith groups vs. Muslim groups
ltcorpest2
05/20/03 at 02:29:11
wait hold on here,  i thought this was an interfaith group.  oh gosh,  have i been mistaken for the last 20 months (that is a guestimate).  You learn  something new everyday i guess
Re: Interfaith groups vs. Muslim groups
Halima
05/20/03 at 04:37:43
While this is an Islamic website, I agree with mike aka ltcorpest2 that it can also be considered an inter-faith site because we had non-Muslims debating here heatedly with the Muslims, some constructive exchange of ideas, learning about each other and Islam for all, the Muslims included as well as getting some good advices from the Christians who have posted here.

All in all were are constantly learning on the board.

Halima

Re: Interfaith groups vs. Muslim groups
Yasmeena
05/22/03 at 03:13:27
[slm]

I have tried out interfaith boards a time or two.  Being raised Christian, I have a good ubderstanding of the different faiths in Chrisendom.  I totally agree with the book about the bible leading me to Islam.  The interfaith message boards I have visited have had posts from people who like to try to convert everyone to their "God" and not having an open mind.

My personal experiences in talking to people one-on-one has for the most part been positive.  I really enjoy Da'wah work.  It has given me a greater appreciation of my faith in Allah.  I really prefer to work with people one-on-one, face-to-face than on a message board.  Besides this one of course  :)  I love my family here.  We share hopes and disappointments with eachother and we all gain insight and strength from the sharing.

Thank you Jannah, for this wonderful community that you have given us to build on.

Yasmeena
Re: Interfaith groups vs. Muslim groups
UmmWafi
05/22/03 at 23:35:01
[slm]

No comments on the interfaith boards thingy but just a little caution.  Yes, maybe Islamic boards are less "exciting and challenging" or whatever.  Granted the interfaith boards can be good for da'wah opportunity and its more "fun" to answer questions but one has to be very careful that one is capable of answering questions in the first place. Also to be very careful with their missionaries cos they can be very persuasive.  Allahu'alam.

Wassalam.

PS : I think this is an Islamic board where people of other faiths and beliefs are welcomed also.  Read the Constitution and the archives.    
Re: Interfaith groups vs. Muslim groups
UmmZaid
05/23/03 at 01:36:55
[slm]

By "interfaith" I did not mean an Islamic forum where people of other faiths or no faith post as well. B/C even though people of any religion may post here, the fact is that the Madina Constitution and the rules of the forum are derived from the rules of Islam.  I would say that this is an Islamic board where others are welcome as long as they agree to abide by these Islamically based rules.  "Interfaith," I would say would be something like the old religion boards at Table Talk on Salon, or the boards on AOL, etc. where the rules were just what ever the service's rules were.  If someone comes up and starts calling Muslims names or slandering Islam or the Prophet (peace be upon him) as a Muslim, you have no recourse with the admin on these groups most of the time.

As for Islamic groups not being as "exciting or challenging," what I meant by that is that there tends to be a lot of cutting and pasting of long articles that ... well, have been sent to all the other groups, which you've already seen b/c you have the book or saw the webpage... or b/c you already read it on one of the other groups you're on.  I'm not saying that I find groups where people debate and make up their own Islamic rulings and conclusions to be exciting though... Hm. My bad for bringing up this topic.
Re: Interfaith groups vs. Muslim groups
bhaloo
05/23/03 at 01:57:28
[slm]

A long time ago, I used to have "discussions" with missionaries on ****** with people like ****** **** and ***** ****.  The first guy has a famous website that attacks Muslims.  Some of them even appeared on TV or had books.  They were really good at twisting things around, and unless you came really prepared, they'd eat you alive.  They all had PHDs, so it wasn't difficult for them to come out with a 20 page response to your reply.  At first I liked the challenge, to go up against these famous people, and it kept me on my toes, I had to know everything in detail, and know their books well.  I remember with one priest from the UK we went into a Greek version of the bible.  I learned from these people how to win any argument.  They were very skilled in knowing what kind of questions to ask Muslims (the kinds of questions that someone new to Islam, or for that matter a practicing one, wouldn't give much thought to).  It was a good learning experience for me, as I felt my faith grew stronger.  Jannah and Se7en used to call me the Missionary Slayer (or some name like that).  But after a while I realized that this was a waste of time.  These people were just eating up my time.  I could use it better telling others about Islam and helping Muslims and non-Muslims with Islam.  The internet is a very powerful medium, you can change people's lives, even if they are halfway around the world.  

Islam only boards are usually not very productive.  You have people at all different levels, so what is to keep someone with a high level of knowledge from staying there?  
Re: Interfaith groups vs. Muslim groups
A_Stranger
05/23/03 at 18:05:41
[quote author=bhaloo link=board=bebzi;num=1053407359;start=0#6 date=05/23/03 at 01:57:28]
Islam only boards are usually not very productive.  You have people at all different levels, so what is to keep someone with a high level of knowledge from staying there?  [/quote]

To spread the knowledge Allaah (swt) has bestowed 'em with to those who don't have that knowledge.


Re: Interfaith groups vs. Muslim groups
se7en
05/29/03 at 06:27:59
as salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah,

the Non-Muslim boards I've been to are inundated with missionaries that just eat up so much of your time, so I've grown quite frustrated with the few that I've visited.

I feel you on your thoughts about Muslim msg boards and chats too.. sometimes it's very frustrating to have the *same* debates over and over again.. or deal with ppl who don't want real discussion but simply try to propagate views from their particular group or movement.. or deal with people who are quick to judge and criticize and just lack adab.  *sigh*

I think it's an awesome thing on this board that certain topics [that will *always* cause debate and controversy, like zabiha meat, the sunni vs. shi'a,  niqaab vs. hijab, etc] are closed.. so discussions on other things, that may be of more benefit, can be nurtured.

wasalaamu alaykum :-)
05/29/03 at 08:09:24
se7en


Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
A R C H I V E S

Individual posts do not necessarily reflect the views of Jannah.org, Islam, or all Muslims. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the poster and may not be used without consent of the author.
The rest © Jannah.Org