don't judge me by my name

Submitted by Joe Smithheimer (United States), Feb 27, 2008 at 02:30

It's definently true that most white convert women come to Islam via a spouse. It's also true that their interpretation of Islam is for the most part hugely different than that of their foreign born spouse (if he is not born in the west, specificly the U.S.) For the most part Jews, Christians of various faiths, Muslims & all others not mentioned will have similiar values & ethics than if compared to say, for example muslims, from a different country. So although folks claim that the religion of Islam is the world's answer for it's injustices does explain nor does it condem the human tragedies/racism & caste systems that are apart of the Islamic world (as well as other parts of the world.)

It is up the people of Islam to research changing attitutes, assimilation of muslims in the west and differences between both groups (immigrants vs. non immigrants) if Islam is to continue spread the message successfully. We can't be naive to the fact that religion goes in wave trends. This is Islam's golden moment in America, many Americans are converting because it does answer a lot of unanswered questions, especially when we are in a time when the moral capital in the U.S. is at an all time low.

Recently a muslim immigrant confirmed my last statement with this one. " Many Americans convert to Islam out of emptiness, because they believe in nothing". Religious views and ethics now in the U.S. have changed dramaticly since the 1950's, but have they remained the same since the 60's?

Have views in the arab world changed much since the 1050's. Not much. When does Islam's answer for the world's social and economic distasters solve the problems of the Islamic world. If it did why has change been slow. Please don't blame it on "the man". Because Islam's immigrants come from all parts of the world and are of various socio-economic backround Islam's future in America will be as diverse as the skin tones you see in Islam. Also, based on the fact that there are many western converts to Islam who continue to live and raise children in the west, the attitutes shaped in the u.s. will naturally create a subculture of muslims with various views but the one thing they will have in common is the respect for open minds, free speach and changing attitutes which is largely different from the the rest of the Islamic world. American/Western Muslims will have this in common, regardless of how they came into the faith.

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