Posts by Merry Magdalene

11

The Lucifer Effect--Understanding How Good People Turn Evil--Phil Zimbardo

by blondie in

jw
friends

my first exposure to psychology was reading one of phil zimbardo's books after seeing his series on a pbs station.

you might remember him from the stanford prison experiment.. the above is his new book that i plan on getting.

he also spoke at mit and the webcast is here:.

Merry Magdalene

Thanks Blondie. That looks worth reading. If I remember correctly, the results of that prison experiment were quite chilling. This could shed a lot of light on current horror stories.

~Merry

147

Merry Becomes A Muslim (a bit long)

by Merry Magdalene in

who is merry?

i was born in 1965, the same year that malcolm x was assassinated.

my father had committed suicide a few months into my mother's pregnancy so we lived with her parents until she married again when i was about 18 months old.

Merry Magdalene

Did you all give up on me? Sorry I haven't had time to finish up here.

LittleToe: There's a marked difference between justice and mercy, Fortunately, Allah is Merciful as well as Just. http://www.understanding-islam.com/related/text.asp?type=article&aid=44

Thank you for your fair-minded remarks, Zagor.

Hi tij! No, I haven't written any lyrics for a while. It comes and it goes. I did find a couple poems yesterday that quite touched me, though-- the last two on this page (Lam Aleph and Imagine): Mideast Youth . So, what did the Muslim boy say to ask me?

He does have a penchant for rainbows, though
'and rainbows always turn to grey'...... m. y'tara 2006
Silver is just another shade of grey
You peeked at my hair, didn't you!?.....................................................................................

As to the Dispatches Undercover Mosque series shown on YouTube, here is the response of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia London. Don't feel sorry for me! Ignorance, intolerence and bigotry are to be encountered everywhere, on both sides of the fence (among Muslims and among non-Muslims). It is part of the human condition. There are many other reasons you could feel sorry for me, but I would rather you didn't. There is no need. Feel sorry for abused and oppressed women of all religions or none everywhere in the world. I am not one of them, but I hope somehow I will be able to stand up for what is right and help them.

Bernadette:
If I were to turn to Islam then I like to think it would be the mystical Sufi, although the Whirling Dervishes are perhaps a little OTT for my tastes
Yeah your right LT ....scottish dancing is more sedate
Oh, the mental pictures...it's too much!!! Thanks for the bright spot in my day

Have a great weekend everyone!!! ~Merry

25

Should Britain Build a £100m Mosque for the Olympics?

by LittleToe in

a poll is being taken by the british newspaper "the evening standard" as to whether or not britain should invest 100m in a new mosque for the olympics.

i have to admit i'm a little confused as to why folks would desire to have their tax money invested in paying for a religious building, given that religions are already tax free.

i don't see a similar offfer to build a new cathedral, synagogue or hindu temple, nor would i want to.

Merry Magdalene

Quick update:

The Mayor of London today revealed an organised email campaign around an online poll being conducted by the Evening Standard aimed at stirring up communal hatred by spreading entirely false statements about plans for a new mosque in East London. These included a totally untrue claim that the Mayor was planning to spend £100 million of public money on the mosque when there are no plans to spend any public money at all on the mosque.
--http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=11471

~Merry

147

Merry Becomes A Muslim (a bit long)

by Merry Magdalene in

who is merry?

i was born in 1965, the same year that malcolm x was assassinated.

my father had committed suicide a few months into my mother's pregnancy so we lived with her parents until she married again when i was about 18 months old.

Merry Magdalene

I only have a moment but wanted to say thanks to KW. I'm glad to have had the chance to "meet" you here at JWD. My best to you and yours.

Abaddon, I feel you missed the point about menstruation being only one of the things we are required to purify ourselves after and before we pray. Why is that the only one that bothers you? Because it has been treated with unhealthy regard by other religions? It is not viewed the same way in Islam (or isn't supposed to be; I can't speak to the attitudes of every Muslim in every culture; some of us do still hold on to non-Islamic attitudes).

You seem to feel the Qur'an IS reliable. Yes.

If you are interested we can talk about these topic (evolution and whether the Qur'an is inspired) in another thread. Cool. I look forward to a chance to explore this topic more, whether on another thread or on my own.

You unavoidably do pass an implicit judgement (by, for example, questioning their motives) even if you are a nice enough human being not to make it explicit. I am truly not trying judge anyone (including myself), but when I observe things with which I do not agree, I feel a call to self-reflection and I try to express the hope that others will do the same. I believe we can question motives without judging them. We are doing a lot of that on this thread, imo.

Our enslavement to God in turn means that we have to suppress many of our souls’ desires and inclinations. Therein lies one of the greatest secrets to unleashing our real human potential. This is so because it is our human potential that separates us from the rest of this creation, and it is to the extent that we are able to conquer our physical nature that we realize that spiritual potential.
Now is the time to give ourselves to our Lord, totally. The trials and tribulations we are currently witnessing will only intensify as we move closer to the end of time
Oh please not the Mahdi. Please, do two things for me. Find the Qur'anic reference to the Mahdi. You probably already know I know that you almost cetainly know there isn't any.
No one mentioned the Mahdi, only the end of time.

Second, ponder on why you are now believing in what you were brought up to believe. You come from a background with Millenialist beliefs. You have adopted a school of Islam with similar beliefs. "The world is a terrible place and will end soon. God/Allah will make it better". Do you see a pattern here? Maybe you have been drawn to a 'solution' you LIKE or are subconsciously drawn to, rather than one which is obviously 'true' in comparison to other beliefs. In Islam I have found no promise that the end will come soon, only that it will come, maybe soon, maybe a long long time from now. We must be fully engaged now in doing what is right and contributing to making the world a better place to the extent that we can, while yet being glad that this is not all there is. I was raised as a JW with isolation from almost everything and the hope that I might never have to die. I liked that a lot. Who really wants to die? When I left JWs I didn't give up that hope but pursued it through my research into the legends of the human immortals of India, China and Ireland. When I gave that up for Christianity, there was still an escape clause that Jesus made it possible that I might not have to die (if I squinted just right while reading the associated scriptures). But in Islam I had to finally give up my most cherished desire, for the Qur'an explicitly states that everyone must taste death. ("No one here here get's out alive.") Maybe I have a subconscious death wish, but I don't think so.

How much submission is here in going after your own desires? I'm not saying that to be mean, but to trigger self-analysis.I don't think you're mean at all. I am frequently trying to examine my desires, but they are often deeply hidden.

The quotation about female Imams is rife with error; just as evolutionism has nothing to do with the god existing or not, so to feminism has nothing to do with god existing or not. It very elegantly tries to turn the tables so the discussion is not about equality with men but about having value to god, but neglects the fact that many traditional Islamic ways show god does not value men and women equally; not as different equals (which is what they are), but as different in-equals. I disagree. And I do feel valued equally.

Like I say, if it's about your subconscious yearning for something clear-cut and certain that promises an end to the problems of the world, then it ain't submission to god but a form of shirk, with your own desires being the idol (even if you're not aware of it). I hope not, but I pray that if I am committing shirk it will be revealed to me more clearly. The self-examination continues...

All the best Merry, a pleasure discussing things with you. Likewise. I find your point of view very interesting, challenging and worth considering. I hope we both benefit.

~Merry

147

Merry Becomes A Muslim (a bit long)

by Merry Magdalene in

who is merry?

i was born in 1965, the same year that malcolm x was assassinated.

my father had committed suicide a few months into my mother's pregnancy so we lived with her parents until she married again when i was about 18 months old.

Merry Magdalene

Abaddon, I always feel a mixture of dread and delight when you show up.

As an educated moden woman, how do you integrate your understanding of natural processes of the female body (like menstration) with Qur'anic et. al. dictats on this?

Allah obviously made women to bleed. We know this is nothing fearful or dirty. Yet women cannot "participarte in he performance of prayers" whilst menstrating. This is about as logical as a command from god as men not being able to pray whilst undergoing spermatogenesis, yet given the very frequent fear of menstration in primative cultures such as Islam stemmed from (and Judaism too) it is all to logical that a man might think this. Yes, menstruation is natural and not fearful, but I would argue that it is dirty. Not in the sense of bad, shameful, evil, or contaminating to men, but in the most natural sense. Before prayer, men and women are both required to cleanse themselves after sleeping, defecating, urinating, vomiting, bleeding or oozing from a wound, etc. So why is it unfair for women to not be able to pray until after they stop bleeding (both menstrual and post-partum) and are able to cleanse themselves? As well as showing respect to Allah, from my own experience I would say it is a kindness and a mercy to be exempt from fasting and from salat prayer at those times. And we can still make du'a prayer. http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/w_islam/impur.htm

And female Imams; if women are equal, why don't we them?I think it is because there is no Prophetic tradition that can be pointed to for having women lead men in prayer (many agree that they can lead other women in prayer, and some say they can also lead unqualified men in prayer within their own households) and there are some proofs for why they should not. I have not done much research on it as it has been a non-issue for me. There are some who are pushing for this. I wonder why. Is it for the sake of Allah or for their own sake? By asking these questions I do not believe I am judging women for wanting this or wanting not to wear hijab. It is simply a reminder that as Muslims we must always question our own motives in order to purify ourselves, and we must encourage each other to do this as well. I feel that there are very important, legitimate issues of oppression and discrimination that should be addressed, but I do not think this is one of them.

When Imam Shakir was addressing this issue here, I liked this point:

Islam has never advocated a liberationist philosophy. Our fulfillment in this life will never come as the result of breaking real or perceived chains of oppression. That does not mean that we should not struggle against oppressive practices and institutions. However, when we understand that success in such worldly struggles has nothing to do with our fulfillment as human beings, we will be able to keep those struggles in perspective, and not be moved to frustration or despair when their outcomes are counter to our plans.
Our fulfillment does not lie in our liberation, rather it lies in the conquest of our soul and its base desires That conquest only occurs through our enslavement to God. Our enslavement to God in turn means that we have to suppress many of our souls’ desires and inclinations. Therein lies one of the greatest secrets to unleashing our real human potential. This is so because it is our human potential that separates us from the rest of this creation, and it is to the extent that we are able to conquer our physical nature that we realize that spiritual potential.
We must all realize that we will never achieve any meaningful change in our situation relying on our own meager resources. The great sage Ibn ‘Ata Allah as-Sakandari has said, "Nothing you seek through your Lord will ever be difficult; and nothing you seek through yourself will ever be easy." 77 Now is the time to give ourselves to our Lord, totally. The trials and tribulations we are currently witnessing will only intensify as we move closer to the end of time. If we are not living for our Lord, relying on His guidance and help, and trusting in His wisdom, we will find it very difficult to negotiate our way through this world.
When we live for our Lord it becomes easy to live with each other. If in our personal relations we can come to embody the spirit of mutual love, mercy and affection, encouraged by our Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, we will be able to make a beautiful and lasting contribution towards the uplift of men and women alike. The times we live in cry out for such a contribution. The question is, "Who will respond?"

Isn't it all a but 'all are equal but some are less equal than others' double-speak? You will probably continue to feel this way no matter what I say, and I will continue to feel otherwise. I only hope none of us will let our perspective on this obscure the more important issues that need to be addressed. I am sure you feel that 'equal but different' and 'equity not equality' are just more ways of masking unfairness while I feel that they are ways of explaining a fairness that many just don't like. Here is another quote I like, taken from a discussion on female Imams: (sorry I couldn't change the font size)

What we so often forget is that God has honored women by giving them value in relation to God - not in relation to men. But as Western feminism erases God from the scene, there is no standard left but men. As a result, the Western feminist is forced to find her value in relation to a man. And in so doing, she has accepted a faulty assumption. She has accepted that man is the standard, and thus a woman can never be a full human being until she becomes just like a man-the standard.

Very interesting to read you past experiences. I find it especially interesting you were interested in paganism and Wicca, both of which seem at poles to your current beliefs. Thanks. Yes, very different. No one could be more surprised at my changes than me, except maybe my best friend.

Do you feel you were less certain in the past (about the validity of your former beliefs) and are more certain now? Or do you feel the certainty you feel now is the same as the certainty you felt in the past? Do you preclude feeling yet more certain about different beliefs in the future? If so why? I feel that I have always been equally certain about my beliefs, jumping in with both feet so as to gain the fullest experience, while yet continuing to question and explore and challenge from 'within' that experience. Unfortunately hindsight cannot be applied to the present. I do believe in looking before you leap, but, for me, it can't be all looking and no leaping.

~Merry

147

Merry Becomes A Muslim (a bit long)

by Merry Magdalene in

who is merry?

i was born in 1965, the same year that malcolm x was assassinated.

my father had committed suicide a few months into my mother's pregnancy so we lived with her parents until she married again when i was about 18 months old.

Merry Magdalene

Thanks, tetra and HS and Juni. Peace and best wishes to you too.

Glitter: Merry - do you think you'll be moving to a larger city soon so you can associate with your Muslim brothers and sisters fully? No plans to do. I can't take my daughter away from her father and he won't move, so I'm pretty well tethered it seems. Thanks for the tips though, that was very kind of you. I respect your feelings about early marriage, and I don't think there is any more for me to say on the matter.

Euphamism: Good discussion, Merry! Mind if I keep questioning a little? Not at all.
I do think this is the root of the reaction you're getting. When you say that you have 'become a Muslim', you mean that you have begun practicing your personal understanding of the meaning of the Quran. When other people hear that you have 'become a Muslim', they assume that you have accepted some form of Islam as it is typically practiced. There's a pretty big difference there, IMHO. (Not saying you're wrong to call yourself a Muslim, of course; just that poeple are likely to misunderstand what you mean.) I think I have accepted Islam as it is typically practiced by many, or at least I am trying to learn and practice. What I was saying is that my acceptance of the Qur'an came first and almost independently of that. It didn't remain independant and isolated however.
....Obviously, you're not putting up a smoke-screen; you're a very sincere person, or else you wouldn't be talking to us like this. But I have to wonder, do you think that Allah is going to make an exception for most non-monotheists (polytheists and atheists)? (I realize that the People of the Book have a special status, but that still leaves nearly half the world's population.) If most of them are going to hell, is that a teaching that you can intellectually or emotionally accept? And if most are not, then what is the point of the statements in the Quran implying that they are? I may not be totally clear or correct on this, but as I understand it at this point, Allah will not be unjust to anyone. All will be judged fairly, depending on whether or not they did their best with the knowledge and understanding they had. If they were given the monotheistic Message and its attendant laws and principles, understood it, and still rejected it, fought against it and its followers, sought to alter it, etc., then hell.

Mrs. Smith: I just don't get it. This is going off the topic a bit. Merry posted this thread and many of the post are respectful, posters asking questions and giving their own opinion. Some were encouraging and others were critical, but respectful. I have over the last few months read many posts where Christians have tried to express their thoughts and were shot down and mocked. I don't understand why a muslim post gets this kind of dingity (which I feel is awesome) and a christian post gets regected by most. Why not give everyone this kind of response, are we hanging on to WBTS double standards? This is an interesting observation and I hope more will add their own observations and perspectives to it. My own observation is that Islam and Muslims as a topic have been treated very disrespectfully here, for the most part. That is why I originally started talking about it and giving my viewpoint on matters. And yet I have been treated very respectfully on an individual level. I'm glad. I think it is much easier to have useful discussions that way. I don't wish for anyone to be treated badly. Thanks for your comments in that regard, LT and HS! Good points. Although Hado may have got off on the wrong foot and stumbled into a hornets' nest here, I don't find him to be at all an unpleasant or hypocritical person.

No worries about the harmless hi-jacking, Caedes.

TopHat: Merry? Are there many branches and different beliefs in the Muslim religion? Like in the Christian religion there is the Baptist, Catholic and so on. I do not know much about it myself yet, so I do not know if this is correct, but here is a link that talks about that-- http://en.allexperts.com/e/d/di/divisions_of_islam.htm But the Qur’an says: “And hold fast, all of you together to the rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves.” (3:103) http://www.pakistanlink.com/Opinion/2004/July04/2/08.html I know there are some Sunnis and Shias who feel that their holding to the essentials of Islam (the 5 Pillars of worship and the basic beliefs) unites them in Islam in spite of their other divisions.

~Merry

147

Merry Becomes A Muslim (a bit long)

by Merry Magdalene in

who is merry?

i was born in 1965, the same year that malcolm x was assassinated.

my father had committed suicide a few months into my mother's pregnancy so we lived with her parents until she married again when i was about 18 months old.

Merry Magdalene

kerj2leev:
Merry are you still searching other religions while you are a Muslim?

I don't really have time, but I am interested in continuing to learn about other religions.

I'm trying to answer everyone in order but am having to save my response to Abaddon as I have been unable to post it for some reason.

~Merry

147

Merry Becomes A Muslim (a bit long)

by Merry Magdalene in

who is merry?

i was born in 1965, the same year that malcolm x was assassinated.

my father had committed suicide a few months into my mother's pregnancy so we lived with her parents until she married again when i was about 18 months old.

Merry Magdalene

I don't seem to be able to post the response I just composed. I keep getting an error message. I will try this as a test.

33

I just wanted to say I love you all and this is the love thread

by needproof in

jw
friends

for a bit of sunday fluff, i wanted to post that i love every single one of you guys and girls.

please feel free to join me in sending love to all on jwd :)

Merry Magdalene

alt Merry

147

Merry Becomes A Muslim (a bit long)

by Merry Magdalene in

who is merry?

i was born in 1965, the same year that malcolm x was assassinated.

my father had committed suicide a few months into my mother's pregnancy so we lived with her parents until she married again when i was about 18 months old.

Merry Magdalene

Thanks, Xena. Question everything! that's my motto And it certainly is an interesting thread, but I can't take credit for that.

~Merry