Long ago, my parents sent me to attend Islamic classes in the evening. The Sheikh there was very strict, in fact he was too strict. My friends and I called him Santa Claus behind his back because he had a really long white beard. “Oi dude, cut the crap. Santa Claus is coming” my friend would warn me when we fooled around the mosque.
One day we were going to pray, and Sheikh Santa noticed my friend’s T-shirt. “You can’t pray with that T-shirt boy. It has pictures on it. Don’t you know pictures and statues are haram?” screamed Santa. My friend at the time wore a Nike T-Shirt with a picture of Michael Jordan on it. He apologized and said he wouldn’t wear it again.
I found the experience hilarious. Next to my friend, another boy stood wearing a T-Shirt with “Metallica” written across it. It’s a good thing Sheikh Santa doesn’t know what the hell Metallica is because if he did or had any idea what the lyrics of their songs were about, my friends and I probably wouldn’t be alive today.
Needless to say, I kept telling my dad all those stories until one day he decided to find me another place with a sane non-extremist Imam. Indeed he did and the Sheikh there was much nicer and more reasoned.
SudaneseThinker
SudaneseThinker
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Extremist Imams are to be found in any country? And, if so, moderate Imams are present in every country that also houses extremist Imams?
You’ve got a nice dad, I think - he sounds really sweet
Tse.
Hehehe, Tse this happened like about 10 years ago… And ya a country will always have both the extremists and the moderates but u always hear more about the extremists since they’re the loony scary ones.
The picture of a young Muslim lad worshipping while wearing a Metallica t-shirt is one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard of and/or contemplated.
By the way, did the Imam know that you called him Santa Claus? If yes, how did he respond… cause I can’t help but feel that there’s got to be some great story there as well.
Drew.catt, na thank God he didn’t know we called him Santa otherwise I would have been in deep shit… Hehehehe… But I’m serious all he needed was a red suite and “wala” he’s Santa…
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