Great piece. I've wanted to write for a while about how American Muslims get race baited into supporting every degenerate movement of the left. If we dialed the hysteria down, we'd realize that we have far more in common with lib-right than we ever did with anything on the left.
Basically agree with everything here except the conversion thing. There is no invalid reason to accept Islam, and we are a wide tent encompassing those Allah favored more and those He favored less. The first disbelievers dismissed Nuh AS because his followers were weak. Highly likely some of them were weak for obvious reasons, like mental disability or crime. Still, we are a wide tent and Allahs care is vast-cast a wide net and take in whoever is willing.
Also I know this is addressed to American Muslims but I think it strongly applies to UK Muslims, conservatives as well. They could do nothing for years but bleat about Islamophobia as if it was somehow UK kuffar were being unreasonably upset at rape gangs and concert explosions. If you even said a word against Shamima Begum they'd jump on you (though recently it seems the mood has shifted a bit.)
So this victim mindset, opposite to the elite mindset exists among conservatives too (UK though.)
Anyways...this article was amazing putting into words what I've been thinking for a decade.
About the conversion part - I was riffing, but you're correct that I should adjust my phrasing. What's more accurate to say is that it's not a good strategy to go after low quality people as a pool of candidates to convert to Islam.
Here's what I mean: In Mosques in the west, whenever we get someone who comes and wants to learn or convert to Islam, many Imams and communities get so giddy with excitement that they want to facilitate the process as fast as possible, disregarding red flags and other crucial steps to da'wah. The current attitude is "Oh brother, what if he dies tomorrow! He needs to say the shahada ASAP". There is no such thing as a "lost" soul that you can fault yourself for. Like bro, It's in Allah's hands. If he wants this man/woman to become Muslim before they die, it will happen no matter what. There are only downsides to rushing it.
When you sit them down and explain everything in the utmost detail and dispel the myths most westerners have about us, when you explain that this is a lifelong change and a journey that never ends where you give up much of what made up your past identity, usually that's enough of a filter for who is actually willing and whose just messing around. But it seems many mosques in the US and UK neglect even these most basic steps because they think its about keeping score rather than helping those and only those Allah has destined to be guided (and we won't know who they are, unless we keep our arms and hearts open)
Also - and this is a big one - those steps I just described also let you know if the person you're dealing with is insane, an addict, or both. At that point when dealing with unstable people, you're better off getting them professional help, and maybe if they're still meant to accept Islam later they will. But they aren't your responsibility.
Great piece. I've wanted to write for a while about how American Muslims get race baited into supporting every degenerate movement of the left. If we dialed the hysteria down, we'd realize that we have far more in common with lib-right than we ever did with anything on the left.
Basically agree with everything here except the conversion thing. There is no invalid reason to accept Islam, and we are a wide tent encompassing those Allah favored more and those He favored less. The first disbelievers dismissed Nuh AS because his followers were weak. Highly likely some of them were weak for obvious reasons, like mental disability or crime. Still, we are a wide tent and Allahs care is vast-cast a wide net and take in whoever is willing.
Also I know this is addressed to American Muslims but I think it strongly applies to UK Muslims, conservatives as well. They could do nothing for years but bleat about Islamophobia as if it was somehow UK kuffar were being unreasonably upset at rape gangs and concert explosions. If you even said a word against Shamima Begum they'd jump on you (though recently it seems the mood has shifted a bit.)
So this victim mindset, opposite to the elite mindset exists among conservatives too (UK though.)
Anyways...this article was amazing putting into words what I've been thinking for a decade.
Thank you.
About the conversion part - I was riffing, but you're correct that I should adjust my phrasing. What's more accurate to say is that it's not a good strategy to go after low quality people as a pool of candidates to convert to Islam.
Here's what I mean: In Mosques in the west, whenever we get someone who comes and wants to learn or convert to Islam, many Imams and communities get so giddy with excitement that they want to facilitate the process as fast as possible, disregarding red flags and other crucial steps to da'wah. The current attitude is "Oh brother, what if he dies tomorrow! He needs to say the shahada ASAP". There is no such thing as a "lost" soul that you can fault yourself for. Like bro, It's in Allah's hands. If he wants this man/woman to become Muslim before they die, it will happen no matter what. There are only downsides to rushing it.
When you sit them down and explain everything in the utmost detail and dispel the myths most westerners have about us, when you explain that this is a lifelong change and a journey that never ends where you give up much of what made up your past identity, usually that's enough of a filter for who is actually willing and whose just messing around. But it seems many mosques in the US and UK neglect even these most basic steps because they think its about keeping score rather than helping those and only those Allah has destined to be guided (and we won't know who they are, unless we keep our arms and hearts open)
Jazak Allah.
Good clarification I think I basically agree👍
Also - and this is a big one - those steps I just described also let you know if the person you're dealing with is insane, an addict, or both. At that point when dealing with unstable people, you're better off getting them professional help, and maybe if they're still meant to accept Islam later they will. But they aren't your responsibility.
Pedantry, but there was another politically motivated attack on a democratic congressman ~10 years ago, still relevant enough to be mentioned.