Muslimah

Happy Saturday Everyone!

I wish to thank Carlos Scienza for sharing his perspective in so open and honest fashion with all of us. Thank you so much Carlos!

This week we hear from Muslimah who is a Muslim Convert and I know you'll enjoy her post as well.

Here Is Muslimah's Introduction:

You can call me Muslimah. I'm a 21-year-old convert to Islam and I live in Helsinki, Finland. You can visit my blog at http://hijabchicblog.blogspot.com

1) What religion do you practice?
Islam.

2) Did you convert or were you born into this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
I'm a convert to Islam. I was born into a Christian family, but I was never practicing because I simply didn't believe in Christianity. I took my Shahada (declaration of belief in the oneness of Allah SWT and acceptance of Muhammad as His Messenger) 4 years ago at the age of 17.

3) Would you consider yourself a moderate, conservative or other.
I consider myself a Muslim and there's only one way, one Islam. Islam is a universal religion, perfected by Allah SWT and it needs no moderation, alteration etc. The teachings of Islam are very clear, logical and pure, but unfortunately some people try to mess things up.

4) In your opinion, what makes you moderate/conservative/other?
What makes a person a Muslim? Submitting to God's will, so I try my best to follow the teachings of Islam - the holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), like every Muslim believer should.

5) What's your heaven/paradise like?
Eternal. Read the holy Quran for more specific information.

6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
No. I believe in the Day of Judgement and the Last Day, when every single human being is held accountable for his/her deeds and are judged by God, according to their actions in this life. The ones who were true believers and who did righteous deeds will make it into heaven out of God's Mercy and the disbelievers will end up in Hell.

"That Day, the people will depart separated into categories to be shown the result of their deeds. So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it." Quran 99:6-8

7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
Islam is a very logical religion, it makes a lot of sense. It's an universal religion and the teachings of Islam go for every situation, every era, every race and every nation. Islam is a way of life and a meaning for life, like a complete guide to this life and hereafter. Islam was given to the mankind 1400 years ago and all the teachings and scriptures still make sense, because Islam was perfect from the beginning and allows no religious innovations. Allah says in the holy Quran:

"This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion."
[The Quran 5:3]

8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
Friday. Muslims do not celebrate the Sabbath like Jews and Christians do, but for Muslims Friday is the day when people gather to the Mosques for Friday prayer, Jum'ah. All Muslim men are required to attend Friday prayers and women can attend voluntarily.

Then we have 2 major Eids, 1) Eid al-Adha - celebrations start right after Hajj (the time of year when Muslims do pilgrimage to Mecca) and 2) Eid al-Fitr - which marks the end of the month of Ramadan, the holy month of Islamic lunar calendar and the month when Muslims fast.

9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
Most of my friends are Muslims, too. The reason why I mainly choose to hang out with other Muslims is because I can really relate to them, we have much more in common than with people of other faiths. We have similar values and practices. For example, if I was spending time with non-Muslims, it would be a bit difficult for me to explain to them hey it's time for prayer, I have to go pray and many of the people I used to know before converting to Islam are nowadays getting involved in things I don't want to be a part of, for example many of them are dating, drinking alcohol, going to clubs and my religion doesn't allow such behaviour, so I'd rather stay away from them. Sooo, my question to the answer would be no, not really. I feel much more comfortable with other Muslims than with people of other faiths, however I still treat people of other faiths with respect.

10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
No, I wouldn't join to celebrate the holy days of other religions. Imitating non-Muslims in their festivals implies that I'm pleased with their beliefs and practices and I accept them, which is the reason why it's forbidden for a Muslim to join the celebrations of other faiths. For example, joining a Christmas celebration would imply that I accept the pagan rite or that I accept Prophet Jesus as the son of God. Jesus, peace be upon him was a Prophet, just like Noah, Moses, Muhammad.

Allah says in the holy Quran 3:85 (interpretation of the meaning) “Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.”

11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I myself am a Muslim woman, choosing to cover my entire body (including my face and hands) in front of men I'm not related to. The Shariah is better than any man-made law, because the Shariah is the word of God, based on the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and therefore it's superior to any other system.

12) What are your thoughts on women not being allowed to become priests?
Islam permits women to lead other women in prayer but not a congregation with men in it. If there are both men and women, the Imam has to be one of the men and men will pray in the front row and women will pray behind them or in a separate women's section.

13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
Yes, Islam forbids free mixing of unmarried men and women, in order to protect modesty. Modesty is very important in Islam and Islam encourages people, both men and women to protect their modesty.

14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
Islam is a religion and a way of life so yes, it definitely affects my life and I try my best to live my life according to the teachings of Islam.

15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion?
Every parent wishes the very best for her/his children, so naturally I wish my children would also marry Muslims.

16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
God only knows who will make it to the Paradise and who will end up in Hell.

17) Who do you think is not a practicing ----- in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
Unfortunately, most people in the Western media especially and public domains talking about my religion are not speaking for Islam. Many of them are non-practicing Muslims who have adapted to the ways of non-Muslims, many of these people aren't even Muslims and many are Muslims without real knowledge based on the authentic scriptures, so I do not agree with them.

Muslims believe in One God, Angels, the Revelation, the Prophets, the Day of Judgement and divine Predestionation althougth people have free will.
There are 5 pilars of Islam: declaration of faith, the Prayer - we pray 5 times a day, fasting in the month of Ramadan, giving charity and pilgrimage to Mecca.

That's what makes one a Muslim.

18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
I've experienced racism and discrimination, especially when trying to get a job, but I have not been a target of a major hate crime.

19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
Absolutely not. I feel like Islam taught me about the value of a human being and especially about the value of a woman, which is unfortunately very widely misunderstood in most of the Western medias.

20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Yes.

21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
No. I believe in the Day of Judgement and Heaven and Hell.