Cool. Al-Azhar organized a rally with the help of a German activist aimed at opposing the stupid practice of FGM. BTW in case you didn’t know, FGM has no place in Islam. It’s a stupid cultural practice. (hat tip: Nominally Challenged)
Al-Azhar Stands Against FGM
SudaneseThinker
SudaneseThinker
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Good.
Its a disgusting, un-islamic, sickening practice. Where the Pharohs of old thought it up, I have no idea. But to each his own. We have some weird customs here. we have this ritual or right of passage where a girl has sex with as many men as she can and each man she has relations with gives her a leg braclet, the girl with the most is given like a high status within the tribe.
Alhamdullilah & danke schoen to the German activist:)
Why don’t we ever take the initiative & solve our problems on our own?!!!
Many people here in Sudan have tried to do everything they can regarding this.. But imagine what they got as a reply from! People in Authoroties said that they should BAN discussing such issues becuase these discussions, Forums, workshops etc. includes showing some UP APPROPRIATE materials!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CAN u belive that! I was like.. what da….. neva mind!
I know exactly how you feel Precious. Our interpretations of Islam have turned it into a prison rather than a force for positive change and the backward elements in our culture just makes it worst. That’s why I respect families like Al-Badri who started Afad university. They helped change things positively even though it was a very difficult upstream swim.
And btw,
“I was like.. what da….. ”
Pleeeeeease finish the sentence… Grrrrr… Oh well, this is where books by prominent Sudanese professors on the dynamics of Sudanese culture come in very handy. They all admit the difficulty in changin such people’s perceptions. However they also provide very good suggestions. The best way to tackle such issues is to convince these people from an Islamic perspective. Give them examples from the Sunnah and Koran. Most will start listening attentively.
Exactly Drima.
The Koran and the Sunnah is the ONLY way to change these societies too many people are illiteratae, and have a fill in the blank style of Islam, they mix their culture and islam, and wholeheartedly label it Islam even though it completly contridicts with Islam
LO-
You make a powerful point. Certainly Islam does not have the market cornered on this error. Since I know Jews and Christians best, I can best address them. Folks read in and pull out what suits their needs. Others seek to manipulate the weaker minded or more naive.
Though I am a religious person, in general, I don’t much trust religious people. The Qur’an or Torah or New Testement…and I have read all or at least parts of them all, have wonderful ideas and also some pretty crazy stuff…but we seek to rationalize the crazy by saying it is metaphor, allegorical, but literal when that suits us.
Sometimes I wonder if you took any long book with some complexity …I don’t know; Fountainhead or 1984, or Lord of the Rings and went to wherever and told folks you had a revelation and this book, the Lord of the Rings…holds all God’s truths. Then when you see crazy shit, you make hadiths, or have Talmudic interpretations or church canons and shove round pegs into square holes and start whipping or killing folks that give you shit about it. Presto…the new religion…hell just as Tom Cruise.
I think we could all sit under puffy clouds and talk about the images we see and attribute all kinds of signs and wonders.
I guess I am saying that I deeply believe in God, but realize I am quite agnostic about much of “his” writings and their editing and interpretation as well. Too bad religion is often just one more thing that divides us.
Peace y’all.
Howie,
I would appear, when it all boils down to it, that ‘religion’ has very little, if anything, to actually do with God, and much more to do with maintaining the power of the professionally religious over the bewildered masses.
This follows for every religion, though to different effect in each case.
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