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The bubble busted

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The bubble busted
Caraj
07/10/04 at 13:10:29
Back when I first came to the boards I was offended on a few occations
by people saying I and other Americans lived in a bubble, not realizing much about the world outside my country.

I would get upset and offended but looking back at my 3 or so years on the boards I have to say now they were right!!!!!!!!
I cannot believe how closed minded and ignorant I was to all around me.
Being a single mom all those years I was only concerned about my sons and myself, but in a way I really hurt us all by having my head stuck in the sand.

I would like to thank those on this board who opened my eyes to this. Truly I do and mean this from the bottom of my heart.

However you all have left me with a new dilema  :(   :)
The disgust in those around me, the ignorant, the hateful, the idiots who are so closed minded and full of hate inside their hearts seem closed.
But that is ok, best to know what one is truly dealing with.  ::)
Than to live in a make believe world.

I am so tired of all this hatred I have thought 2 ways.
#1) I have seriously considered moving to a remote place and living out my years away from the world.
But with family and other needs this would be difficult but can be done in a semi-remote way
#2) then my heart says, IF I am not part of the solution I am part of the problem and that if my heart has changed through my learing experience I have no right to keep it to myself and I should stay and help fight the battle against ignorance and hatred. But the chicken part of me is like  ::)
My heart says, help others through their ignorance and hatred and my mind says, heck no, there is nothing I can do about this.

How do some of you out here deal with hatred and ignorance?
Do you feel it is not your job to deal with it?
Do you feel you need to fight against it?
Am I making any sense here  :D

Again, my most sincere thanks to the people who brought all this to my attention, I was living in a bubble that never crossed my country's boarders. Now through this board and friendships of people outside my country, my heart and mind is more open, aware and the bubble has bursted.
This is a good thing, a very good thing.

07/10/04 at 17:58:38
Caraj
Re: The bubble busted
Trustworthy
07/10/04 at 17:47:58
[slm]...

Use your free time to get involved with protests and speak out.  Teach by correcting the wrong and defending what is right.  I usually make trips with the Imam to talk at colleges and churches and the last one we did was at an ELK's Club.  You know those guys with the deer heads and stuff who are almost always veterans of some war.  It went great.  They asked the typical questions about the Taliban and women in Islam and terrorrism so they learned a lot.  I'm also part of a Middle Eastern Compassionate Listening group where we get together and talk about things.

Also being your Muslim self teaches others about their own ignorance.  I get a lot of people come up to me and ask about Islam.

I hope this helps.

Ma-assalaamah....
Re: The bubble busted
theOriginal
07/10/04 at 17:52:34
[slm]

Sister Azizah...

I always joke around with people who ask me what it is I want to do with my life.  My answer always is "I want to save the world."  And then they laugh, and I laugh with them...although I don't really find it funny.  The truth is that I totally believe what you said (so eloquently, mashaAllah) that if you're not part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.  

I think so much that it drives me crazy.  Seriously, I get stressed out, and I don't know how to cope with the tension...because no matter how badly I want to do something to help, sometimes it seems so hopeless.  I feel like people don't care enough to encourage you to do anything, and without that support it seems so pointless.  

I know I'm a pessimist... There's just so much... and I can't even organize my thoughts in my head, much less actually summarize them here...

So let me just return to my perpetual isolation (now that one's a joke)...

Wasalaam.
Re: The bubble busted
timbuktu
07/10/04 at 19:06:53
[slm] may Allah (swt) reward those who struggled to show you and others the truth :)

but don't blame yourself for the time you were ignorant. As you said you were a struggling single mother. What matters is that Allah has opened your eyes and your heart. Whatever time you have is to be spent properly: learning, practicing and teaching.

Learn to say the Salah.
Seek refuge in Allah (swt) and ask Him to help.
Then venture to show the ignorant their ways.
Direct people to this and other Islamic sites.

The struggle between light and darkness is perpetual, until Qiyammah is established.  Of course we wish that our near and dear ones see the light as we have seen, but that is only for Allah (swt) to open their hearts. We just play our part.
Re: The bubble busted
sal
07/10/04 at 19:13:05
[slm][quote]I am so tired of all this hatred I have thought 2 ways.
#1) I have seriously considered moving to a remote place and living out my years away from the world.  
But with family and other needs this would be difficult but can be done in a semi-remote way[/quote]
This is a kind of surrender and self  pledge to satisfy your conscience that you are not one of  these people you have mentioned however it seems you so quickly could find it is not the proper solution by saying  

[quote]#2) then my heart says, IF I am not part of the solution I am part of the problem and that if my heart has changed through my learing experience I have no right to keep it to myself and I should stay and help fight the battle against ignorance and hatred.[/quote]

so to be in the safe side ,that you will not gain also the hatred of the parties you condemn their deeds or reactions it is enough just to show what you have learnt from these people practically  if any (i.e. hatred is not supposed to be responded with hatred) Defending one on the expense of another seems to be a kind of payback that expands hatred in one’s heart and it might render to  a bad consequence
a person should not be blamed for his loving some thing or hating before he is given two options each one showing its point of view or a fact that gives him the opportunity to decide or judge ,so such an ignorance is not to be liable  or responded ruthlessly or with fight until all the facilities and proves are shown .
so I think this is what is going on and therefore ,it’s the opponent’s business  to prove the vice versa through you before fighting who hates what you don’t just because you have reached the fact before them . and what about giving them the excuses you had before three years ?don’t there be hope they will arrive the place you are ?
HOW ?

IF you believe in what you said about those people, then there must be some good influence you have gained from them .so if you deal with the same people who hate these people in a good and kind way such that this is what you have learnt then this is a big job,this way you still be good to both sides and decrease the distance of hatred between the two parties
If this is done then you have fulfilled your aim saying
[quote]My heart says, help others through their ignorance and hatred[/quote]

May ALLAH reward you for your good wishes  
07/10/04 at 22:23:42
sal


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