ON JIZYA:

It is called jizya and not “jizra” :), this is the tax payed by non-muslims living under an Islamic Caliphate, whilst the Muslims pay an obligatory Zakat (which is to be distributed amongst the poor or sometimes for other purposes). Non-muslims don’t pay Zakat by the way.

ON INTENTION:

Perhaps you didn’t catch some of my allusions in earlier post. You didn’t even respond to a lot of my points.

I thought you said you used to be a muslim? How come you don’t know the hadith of intention that I was alluding to. The first thing every muslim learns.

That: “Verily actions are by intentions, and for every man is what he intends. Whomsoever his journeying is to God and His Messenger, then his journeying will be to God and His Messenger. And whomsoever his journeying is to the world, or to a woman to marry her, surely his reward will be to what he hath journeyed”.

How true in your case: because you said that your wife was the main tipping point for your entering into Islam. Can you elaborate on this? Anyway, it seems you finally got her full squared and you “lost” your Islam (which seen to have never been there).

ON YOUR APOSTASY:

You talk about threat towards apostasy. That is rubbish, don’t worry about that. Any muslim with a brain cell will not bother you, we do not live in an Islamic Caliphate, neither in the West nor in the East. Ignorance/corruption has become too interpenetrative in both worlds anyway - that to try anyone for apostasy would be a travesty of Islamic apostasy laws, except perhaps where there are strategic/security implications for the muslims or their religion.

RELIGION OF YOUR ANCESTORS:

I honestly think you should focus all your attention on the “religion of your ancestors” and take stock in say another year’s time to see how far you have ascended in your journey to God. If you feel much happier, then stick to it. I think nothing should matter to you than you own happiness.

However, if you feel as miserable as ever, you may need to start looking else where. Perhaps, Islam again? It is normal for some people to go round and round in circles like that. Especially people without a firm ambition or intention - and so they are unable to get to the bottom of any matter before doing away with it.

It reminds me of the parable given by Imam Al-Ghazali -… of someone who is trying to reach water under the ground. He digs a bit here, digs a bit there, digs a bit here, digs another bit there… He will never reach water, but would only have lots of sands at his disposal.

ON THE JIHADI PROPHET:

As for your points about the “jihadi” nature of the Prophet (peace be upon him), what exactly are you referring to? Please give some examples (of course we know the examples you have in mind) - the execution of the Jewish plotters?. The raiding of the caravan of criminals that have persecuted and stolen from muslims when they were weak?

I am not sure there is any example you can find to fault the Beloved Prophet (peace be upon him), or any Prophet for that matter. I know that in the “religion of your ancestors”, they are wont to charge the Prophets of faults such as those scattered in the bible - as in the fabrications that the likes of David (peace be upon him) were drunkards and lying with their daughters. These are the fancies of the authors of that book.

As muslims, Prophets are divinely protected and far from our odious suspicious which is just a reflection of our own rot. This is an article of faith, whoever finds it believeable should thank Allah, and whoever finds otherwise should blame no one but himself

ON THE BAD SIDE OF ISLAM:

It is widely said that muslims should accept that there are some bad departments in their religion. No, there’s no blemish in this Beautiful deen of Islam, the blemish can only be on the heart of those who see it otherwise. You may find lots of faults amongst muslims, that is hardly surprising - cos it because of these faults that they are muslims (not vice versa). But, sorry, you won’t find any fault with Islam or it’s Prophets (peace be upon them).

If you have any in mind, please produce a list.

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE:

You have the rather honourable company of Old pickler and some other contributors to this blog to support your line of arguments, so please feel welcome here. And also I am sure you old “brothers” and “sisters” here will try to answer your questions wherever they can.

Sorry for the long post and any typos

THE END ——-:)

Brother you crack me up. You are so unreal sometimes.

Asalaamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.

Ibn Taymiyah the 13th century scholar and intellectual forerunner of the modern Salafis and everthing that is wrong with contemporary Islam would probably feel very much at home with the likes of Syed Qutub, Maudoodi.

I am so worried now knowing that western Muslims are reading and liking Ibn Taymiyah. There is no hope, I have a sinking feeling that my ancestors might be paying the jizra and hearing the adan from Westminister.

You didn’t leave Islam. Islam left you. You got your wife, cos that’s what you intended.

Good luck with your Christianity.

J.R.R. Tolkien, the writer of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit—ummm- this must explain your imaginativeness and fantasy stories. Keep it up, i’m almost convinced!

“Contempory Muslim scholars like Tariq Ramadan, Syed Qutub, Maudoodi and others just didn’t measure up, and I was intellectually starved.”

I wouldnt call those guys scholars. Theya re easily refuteable and deviant. If you want to read a real scholar read Ibn Tamiyah. That guy was a super genious. He also wrote polemics against christianity which I am sure are very interesting.

Maybe you are not a winter night’s traveller, but a midsummer night’s dream?

In many ways you remind me of myself in my early days as a Muslim: extremely brittle, chippy and intolerant.(I was also quite left wing, a Guardian and New Statesmen reader and a rabib hater of Israel, a profile shared by many converts.) I’m guessing that like most converts you drive many of your non-muslim friends quite mad. But, I’m just speculating, and please no offence.

If you must know my wife was quite torn, but not suprised when I confessed to her my apostacy, and she did think of leaving me. Presently she describes herself as a cultural Muslim and most of her friends are still desi. I am looking for a South Asian church hoping that this will ease her journey into Christianity. My father-in-law, a man who I love and respect, doesn’t have the foggiest and we plan to keep it that way. Anyway, the Tabliq Jamat takes up most of his time and we live four hours away, so I don’t foresee any problems on that front. Yes it might be circumspect and dishonest, but we both know that their are serious repercussions for Apostates even in the West.

Imran, Actually, for a period of four years I did do my Namaz five times a day. No I didn’t do hajj/umrah but did pay my 2.5% Zakat. I occasionally enjoy pork(mainly ribs) but my wife will not touch the stuff and doesn’t allow me to bring the stuff (or alcohol) into our home.

DrM, Why the vitriol? As a Catholic I can’t fathom why I would be reading the King James version of the bible. I have a canny feeling you have been listening to too many Ahmed Deedat(RIP) videos.

Whatever transpired in Abu Gharib was a lot more humane that happened to Bigley et al. Gentlemen, we also have to remember that the majority of the inmates in that prison are not there for traffic violations. Morever, I don’t think any of you guys got hot under the coller when the place was under Saddam’s management.

Anonymous, How many new Musims have written on the history of Jihad? Frankly I don’t know any, and if they are its all apologetics and published by dubious houses. Moreover, are they scholarly as the works from Bat Yeor or Fred Donner?

“I have read few things from you on your website, and I am not convinced you know much about Islam. I feel that the outward political exploitations of Islam does corner your analysis sometimes alongside with artificial emotions.”

What website are we talking about? The rest of your post is full of non-sequiturs. I personally would rather be shot with a nice STEEL JACKETED 7.62 than have my head sawed off with a meat cleaver. But that’s a cultural choice and I guess I’m just being eurocentric. As for your accertion that beheading is a more humane way of killing please google Orgish.com and view some of the videos of the mujahideen hacking the heads off engineers, election workers and the odd hapless cop. Come back and tell me that this is a quick way to go.