Tag Archive for 'Muslim'

Dear Ann Coulter, Thanks For Turning Me On To Islam!

jackson published on September 7, 2009 in celebrity, superforest journal and zeitgeist. 12 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

SuperForesting can be the most exciting thing in the world!

Yesterday, I posted about how I am fascinated with Islam, and very interested in promoting a dialogue between my culture (i.e. SuperForesters) and Islamic culture. My hope is to get people talking so that we can all find a peaceful and respectful common ground. From a place of respect, we can share information and create things together. A win for everyone.

This morning, I checked the comments on the post, and an interesting dialogue has indeed started! I have never before been asked if SuperForest is a Conservative site, or a Liberal site, or if it’s neither.

I feel like my response to that question ties back in to my Islam post beautifully, so here goes. (I warn you, the granola level is about to rise considerably. Hold your nose.)

I believe that any label or belief-set that puts boundaries between you and your fellow man is unhelpful, and hinders your growth. I believe that the separation between myself and any other living thing is simply a construct. I believe that all are equal, that all is right and wrong at once because those concepts depend totally on cultural conditioning.

In my head, we living creatures are all just facets of the same beautiful diamond. To say one facet sparkles brighter or better than any other is to disregard the staggering perfection of the diamond as a whole.

I post about Islam because in my culture, we are told that Islam is the enemy. I don’t believe this to be true. Calling someone “enemy” is disrespectful, and certainly not going to help discussions and negotiations, when they inevitably occur. 60 years ago the citizens of the first world were in a fight to the death. Today we’re all trade partners. Former enemies becoming allies is the way it’s always gone.

If my posting my love for Islam bothers you, ask yourself why it does so. I am not an expert, I am an enthusiastic amateur. My job on this planet is to follow my heart and my curiosity, and that’s what this site is a record of. I post out of a love for this planet and its wildly varied people. My love of Islam is a love of the religion, the cultures, but especially the people.

I have enjoyed very much studying the world’s religions, and recently became aware that my knowledge of Islam was lacking in the extreme. So I posted about it. Then I went to Qatar, and while there I was lucky enough to go and speak to the Imam of the local mosque, to ask him questions. I was lucky enough to have him read to me from the Koran. He was a gentleman and I’ll respect him and think well of him all of my life. I have spent many wonderful hours now studying Islam’s many facets.

And you know who really sparked this whole thing?

Ann Coulter.

I was watching television one day and she was on talking about Obama. This was pre-election. Every time she mentioned his name, she was sure to include Obama’s middle name, “Hussein.” It was like a mantra. She kept intoning “Barack Hussein Obama. Barack Hussein Obama…” Over and over.

In my head I thought it was an extremely interesting button to push so strenuously. I thought, “is pointing out Obama’s Muslim heritage enough to really scare people? And, if so, why?”

I had to know more. I love that! You never know what’s going to inspire you.

Ann Coulter, wherever you are on this magical planet, from the bottom of my heart: Thank you.

Without you, I might never have been motivated to pursue a study of Islam. I might never have got to stand with that Imam as the Qatari sun set behind us and had him sing to me in Arabic a passage from his holy book (which I wasn’t allowed to touch.)

I might never have learned that next to Muhammad’s grave, an empty room is kept ready for Jesus. Did y’all know that? Right next to Muhammad’s grave, there is a straight up empty room set aside for Jesus when he comes back. Did everyone know that the Muslim faith was so Jesus-friendly?

I sure didn’t. But I do now, thanks to Ann Coulter.

A commenter said that I should know everything there was about Islam before I posted. Why? I simply posted that I loved it and am curious about it. The people, the culture, the history… What about that isn’t fascinating? I want to know more!

To SuperForest is to accept that all are one, and that life should be spent rejoicing in discovery and connection. To try to label the site is to miss the diamond. We SuperForesters have many viewpoints. Many hearts and minds. All wanting Peace. All promoting Peace by being Peace.

Dang, that’s good granola!

Thank you to Ann Coulter and to everyone who left comments! Love!

Happy Ramadan!

Love to All,

Jackson

People We Love: The Muslim World!

jackson published on September 6, 2009 in zeitgeist. 15 Comments Tags: , , , , .

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The first day of Ramadan. Beijing, China
(image via Grace Liang/Reuters)

Good Morning SuperForest!

SuperForester Carla and I would happily like to announce that we are planning on doing an extensive series of posts on modern-day Islam, with a focus on the similarities between humans all over the world.

I have been interested in religion for as long as I can remember. As I child of five I went with my family to visit the Vatican, where at the base of a huge marble pillar, I found a lovely metal crucifix. Sadly that crucifix has been lost to time, but the moments I spent staring at the tiny anguished figure of Jesus on the cross have stayed with me, fueling a lifetime of curiosity.

Since then I have dabbled into as many religions as I could. From the pantheon of Egyptian gods, to the Zoroastrianism, to Judiasm, to Shinto. Every religion has it’s own unique flavor. Christianity and its countless offshoots are especially interesting to me as each seems to hold true to some parts of the bible, while happily ignoring others. I am always interested in the friction that develops when contradiction and faith collide.

But there is one religion that I know very little about, and that is Islam. Furthermore, I would happily admit that most of the goodhearted folk around me know just as little or even less.

And unlike Shintoism, or Jainism, or Sufi-ism, or even a giant like Hinduism, it is the relationship of the Western world with Islam that I feel is the most crucial at this stage of human history. For the world to grow, we must find a way to grow together, as both the Christian West and the Muslim world are too mighty to come to body blows without mutually assured destruction being the inevitable result.

Sadly, what little I know of Islam stands in direct contradiction with the Islam that I see portrayed in Western Culture. In the West, we are taught that most Muslims would happily kill us, and we are not taught that Mohammed once wrote: “The ink of the scholar is more holy than the blood of the martyr.”

When we in the West think of Muslim cities we think of destroyed, rubble-strewn Iraq, and not of verdant, lovely, and composed Iran.

We are told that Sunni’s and Shiites are constantly at each others throats, with no hope of ever reaching reconciliation, but we are not told that Sunni and Shia regularly intermarry, and that even in Iraq during Saddam’s most oppressive days, Sunni and Shia were and always have been lovers, co-workers, allies, friends, and family.

In short, there seems to be a great gulf between what we are told Islam is, and what Islam actually is… A system of beliefs that help our fellow humans find structure and comfort in the short sweet dance we call life. Full of misinterpretation and contradiction, just like every other system.

A Muslim man awakes and begins his day just like a Catholic man does. We all eat breakfast cereal, and thanks to the ubiquity of certain global brands, we all eat the same breakfast cereal! When I was in Qatar, I was amused to see that the boxes of Raisin Bran featured smiling Islamic families, with children in posh uniforms, fathers in headscarves, and mothers wearing the chador.

My travels and brief sojourns into Muslim lands have only served to reinforce the similarities between humans worldwide. Our differences are minute, our similarities are overwhelming.

I am not an expert, merely an enthusiastic amateur. Through this and many other posts on modern Islam, we hope to begin discussions, spark embers of curiosity, and mostly, to encourage people to find things out for themselves.

If all one knows about a subject can be summed up in one word: EVIL, then imagine the delight of breaking that silly word open to reveal the treasures of similarity held within.

Greater cultural exposure always leads to hybridization and renewed vigor, provided that peaceful communication can be maintained. That is what we hope to foment.

A great man once said: “The only way to deal with differences is to respect them.”
We have tried the route of disrespect and disdain, now it seems fun to try the route of respect and enthusiasm. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

We cannot afford to refer to another ethnic or cultural group as “Them” ever again, for there is only “Us”, and the cost of demoting another human being to less-than-human status is a price to high for our species to pay.

Love to all, and happy Ramadan!

-Jackson

Love To Our Muslim Brothers and Sisters! Happy Ramadan!

jackson published on September 3, 2009 in zeitgeist. 8 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

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Ramadan began on August 22nd, so forgive me for not saying this sooner:

Happy Ramadan!

From wikipedia:

“Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان‎, pronounced: /rɑmɑd̪ˤɑːn/) (also written Ramazan, Ramzan, Ramadhan, Ramdan, Ramadaan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and indulging in anything that is in excess or ill-natured; from dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality. Ramaḍān is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God (Arabic: الله‎, Allāh), and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramaḍān, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.”

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So if some of your friends and neighbors seem a bit tense, imagine not eating or drinking from sun up to sun down for an entire month. That’s dedication!

To our Muslim brothers and sisters around the world, we wish you a fulfilling and joyous Ramadan.

And thank you to my brother from another mother, SuperForester Abdul Razak in Qatar, for sending me these lovely photos and keeping me in the Ramadan loop!

Love,
Jackson & Team SuperForest