So what is happening to our people here is not because of Islam.. most religious leaders here are hypocritical and think they can use Islam as a political tool to mobilize others towards their causes.

But public authority is in the hands of the state, not the imams. I think there is a connection between Turkey’s success as a society and the exclusion of imams from power.

The key to success is the separation of church and state. Combined with the transfer of power via democratic elections (rather than civil war). Unfortunately some countries are going backwards, such as the U.S. whose president is about a big a Bible Puncher as one could be.

Ever so modern and progressive, huh?

I have traveled in Turkey and it is a modern, progressive, relatively prosperous country, particularly in the western parts, and an especially beautiful country.

Yeah, I love how you leave out what Turkey does to its Kurds and how much trouble you get into if you speak against its leaders. Did they bother teaching you that when you went to Turkey?

Did you also know that Turkey blocked YouTube merely because of a video that criticized Ataturk?

Yeah, such a modern country, Turkey! You praise it on the outside but you don’t know it well on the inside. I’ve been to Turkey too; and I’ve spoken to many human rights activists who were abused in this country. Did you also not read the controversy about harassing women and headscarves in Universities? You call the hijab ban “modernization”? Hahahah.

It also gives the lie to the claim that democracy and Islam are incompatible. Nor is it un-Islamic – the mosques are huge and glorious, and many people attend them. But public authority is in the hands of the state, not the imams. I think there is a connection between Turkey’s success as a society and the exclusion of imams from power.

I think it is also not a coincidence that Turkey is the one Muslim country that does not suffer from the obsession with hostility to Israel.

If you think you can minimize Islaams role in life separating it from the State and legislating against the Sharia, then expect misery and a pale future…

My problem is not with this. I know that far too many would oppose this decision for this to succeed. My main problem is with re-written Sharia laws, that means what’s happening in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, etc, does NOT comply with Sharia law. Degrading women, torturing civilians, terrorizing citizens, that’s not what Islam is all about! Our religion is strict; but it’s also in many ways loving. Throughout the Koran we read about Allah being merciful and forgiving. So what is happening to our people here is not because of Islam.. most religious leaders here are hypocritical and think they can use Islam as a political tool to mobilize others towards their causes.

This is why we have to be really careful …

“Allah does not change the condition of a ppl until they change themselves”

Unfortunately many of the Arabs/Arabized fell for the deen of al-Qawmiyyatul-Arabiyyah/Arab Nationalism, which is direct opposition to Islaam and they are still paying the price for that until this day from their encounters with the Rogue State of ‘Yisroel’.

If you think you can minimize Islaams role in life separating it from the State and legislating against the Sharia, then expect misery and a pale future…

this is what brought the European Kuffaar to usurp our lands and impose tyrants such as Hosny, AbduNaasir, King Abdullaah et al, whilst the Ummah was dividing into states based on racist nationalism (Turkey,Egypt et al), proud of their so called ‘ancestry’(something that not one of us here even had the power to choose!)

Busac, my friend…
Allaah has made uur deen easy thus made ebaadah the only reason that we were created:

“Wa Maa Khlaqatul-Jinna wal-Insa Illa li-ya3badoonee” meaning that Allah only created Mankind to worship and submit to Him.
This means all our actions should be sincere and whatever we do as long as our intention is correct can be worship, your studies are worship if u do so so that you may attain a halal livelihood and spend that many in halaal means etc, or you do sports to keep yourself strong and healthy etc…

But then there are those that claim Islaam and dont pray except for eid lol and keep Ramadhaan and then want to change Islaam to suit their whims and desires..may allah protect us from that level of lowliness..Aameen.

I just wanted to say that I loved the podcast, it was great and I loved the sounds!!! hahaha