The Omar² Experience

Muslim Atheist: Unprovable things

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:10:34 -0400

Lets think like scientists!

A man or a woman that your village knows and loves gathers everyone in the village square. After an elegant speech he then proceeds to engage in an act that is completely unexplainable and so amazing that everyone in the village is awestruck. Perhaps he breaks a huge…

Interesting blog.

Let me just say this, I have nothing against the guy, I actually...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 22:45:06 -0400

Let me just say this, I have nothing against the guy, I actually met him before and he’s really nice and very polite in person.

However, for the sake of intellectual integrity and preserving the sanctity of both religion and science, I allowed my aroused passions and agitation to lead me to write this brief note.

Fadel Soliman is an excellent orator, however, he depends more on his presentation skills than providing compelling content, in this episode at least. When he provides a non sequitor he turns up the base in his voice and portrays confident body language. He uses the tone of his voice and the palms of his hands to set up for an important ad hominem or out of place quote. This works excellently with people who have not been trained and conditioned to think and research for themselves. That basically means it works with most people.

Sigh, only a religious preacher would feel compelled to lecture about biology…

Here’s a minute by minute commentary on some of the shit he said.

0.33 – He says the word ‘theory’ several times throughout the video with a sense of indignation and dismissal. We have to understand that evolution is not a theory in the vernacular sense of the word, meaning an imperfect fact or an unsubstantiated speculation. Rather, when talking about evolution, theory refers to an overarching framework that makes sense of otherwise disconnected observations

He talks about Ambiogenesis and evolution like they are one theory. This is false! Evolution is much more developed and has been more rigorously studied… evolution only comes into action after the formation of the first living cell. How the first cell came into being is not the concern of evolution.

4.25 – On the issue of Randomness vs God directly interfering into creation to correct the course of the physical world.

First of all, if you believe in a transcendent, all wise, architect god, nothing is truly random. The fact that something did indeed happen, this, in the believer’s mind, is automatically the result of God’s wisdom and will. Randomness in the way the universe works may disprove Thor and Zeus, but not necessarily more sophisticated conceptions of God.

He is clearly falling into a ‘God of the gaps fallacy’. Just because we do not know all the mechanisms by which evolution and mutation occur does not mean we have to jump to a scientifically incoherent conclusion that ‘God did it’. One could say the same thing about chemical reactions, that when you put an acid and a base together “God” interferes and changes it to water and a salt. But after discovering about atoms and molecules and the forces and laws that govern chemical reactions, saying ‘God did it’ seems very primitive. It portrays a very vulgar interpretation of the divine and how the divine interacts with creation.

Also random mutation happens all the time but usually in unimportant parts of the DNA strand that don’t dramatically alter gene expression if at all. It only has to happen once, just ONCE somewhere strategic for you to get a small leap forward into evolution. It’s not that unlikely if it only needs to happen once.

He’s depending on his viewers’ ignorance to convince them what he’s saying is “logical” where it actually isn’t.

4.56 – Intelligent design – God of the gaps.

The thing about intelligent design is you can easily destroy it by flipping it over, what about unintelligent design? What about the laryngeal nerve, or the appendix? These are unintelligent mechanical quirks in creation; surely this casts the creator into a very unfitting light.

The problem with intelligent design is that it is not real science. It is not falsifiable because it incorporates the idea of an elusive transcendent designer. Ergo it is unpredictive for we have no idea what the intentions of the designer are and so we do not know what to expect. It is neither “Logical” nor “scientific” and should not be taken seriously by anyone with an at least high school biology background.

7.17 – the whole ‘everything good about the west came from Muslims” sentiment is getting a little old and pathetic.

8.00 – He’s reeeeaaallly milking the verses for this one. I think if God wanted to provide a brief description of how human beings came about he would have been more explicit and coherent. The creation verses in the Quran, much like the stories that are allegedly based on historical occurrences are there for the purpose of moral and spiritual reflection. This is why the Quran never mentions dates or details, it simply doesn’t care about them.

My problem with this is that it is so retrospective. He’s not using the Quran to acquire knowledge but rather he is fishing quotes in it to suit his cooped up pseudo scientific opinions.

It is also notable to mention that due to the discovery or remnants of ancient primates and the correlation of cortex size and intelligence, there is no scientific need to believe that intelligence evolved suddenly over night. It must have been gradual.

9.41 – EVIDENCE from the Quran, he can’t even make eye contact with the camera while saying that.

10.58 – Ah, the old ‘my opponents are closed minded because they expect evidence’ gimmick, nice, manipulation of the masses at its best! This way you get to turn the scientific elite’s own claims of enlightenment and open-mindedness against them and claim them for yourself, nice.

11.18 – There are many theories about the evolution of language but this field is still young. The fact that there are gaps in our knowledge does not negate the fact that evolution its self is very well researched and tested and has even been used to make accurate predictions. This is a prime example of pointing at the outer peripheries of the theory which include much speculation and falsely claiming it is proof that the core of the theory is also speculative.

12.17 – The reason scientists oppose teachers who preach against evolution is because they use their religions and ideologies to manipulate science, not because they’re afraid the theory is wrong.

Think back a few months ago, there was a possibility that CERN had discovered a particle that travels faster than light (turned out to be a glitch). But for a few days, everybody was excited, not disappointed, that our understanding was wrong, we were going to rediscover the nature of the universe. This is because (good) science strives on discovering truths about the universe without presupposing we know the final answers to everything.

13.37 – a7eh mix. Open minded bullshit again.

14.25 – no shit Sherlock.

I just wanna say that evolution is so much bigger than Darwin, he’s acting like Darwin is al shaf3i and we have a different opinion on a legal matter than him. This is science, not law, not history, not philosophy, SCIENCE!

Please don’t take the last sentence as some product of some vulgar scientism, I am well aware that science is a limited tool that has its own jurisdictions and parameters. But you must understand that you can bullshit your way around anything, including science. If we are to be sincere human beings, we must set aside cultural, religious and political biases (as much as humanly possible, a difficult exercise) if we are to truly pursue truth and enlightenment.

The funny thing is Soliman’s bullshit it pretty unnecessary, if you believe that God is behind every action in the world, you don’t need to make room for little glitches in physics and biology for him to suddenly step in and set everything on course. You’ll have to trust he’s smart enough to figure out an algorithm that will sort all the physical aspects of this creation shit out, right?

The Function of Faith

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 07:41:00 -0400

Faith has a function.

It’s function is not to describe reality but rather to create it and facilitate personal-tribal-social-national processes. You need faith for money. These little pieces of paper would work if we didn’t think or believe they worked. You need faith for any type of hierarchical system that seeks to govern with authority, no one would do what the government or their parents told them unless they believed that they had authority. You need faith to set out and discuss the existence of any sort of moral system, whatever is details may be.

Faith, and institutions built upon faith such as religions or ideologies, could be thought of as social technologies.

Science however has a completely different function, it is there to describe reality. How do natural phenomenons work? Why does shit accelerate towards the ground? Where did these neat looking birds come from? Why do they have funny looking beaks? etc..

Problems happen when we hold beliefs that refuse to change or adapt accordingly with our increasing awareness and understanding of the world and how it works. If a world view has any intention of surviving, it needs to be flexible, adaptive and evolving like a living breathing organism.

This is a continuation of the drawing :Inside my...

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 06:51:00 -0400

This is a continuation of the drawing :Inside my Head”.

The philosopher has left debating and is proceeding to execute the sheikh, who is now a snake.

The artist sits, apparently oblivious, he only wants to draw the things he likes.

The abyss I’m looking into holds up a mirror for me to see myself if. At the top of the mirror are two women. One holds the other intimately and each shows features of both angelic and demonic qualities. They represent the relationship between good and evil.

“Heaven and Hell” is the name of a song by Black Sabbath, the song has special meaning to me and the lyrics fit the general atmosphere of the painting.

On the right of the mirror is are four characters who each stand for one of the seven deadly sins, I chose to show the ones I felt were most threatening to me. The opposite side has characters that stand for virtuous traits. I chose to show ‘balance/wisdom’ and ‘deep contemplation’.

My expression in the mirror’s reflection is a mix of both “what the fuck?!” and “Ouch!”. A halo of so called enlightenment hangs behind my head.

It took around 10 hours of work, but much longer in preparation and conceptualization. It’s done in black and white ink.

“Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” Nietzsche

do still consider urself a muslim ?

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 05:37:47 -0400

I guess, how come? :p

collective-history: Hatshepsut was one of the most powerful...

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 05:36:03 -0400

collective-history:

Hatshepsut was one of the most powerful women in the ancient world. She was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt and she ruled longer than any other woman in Egyptian history. Hatshepsut was married to her sickly half brother, Thutmose II, and the two of them began to co-rule after the death of their father, Thutmose I, in 1492 BC In 1479 BC, Thutmose II died and Hatshepsut continued to rule by herself until her own death in 1458 BC

It is believed by many Egyptologists and historians that Hatshepsut was one of Ancient Egypt’s most successful monarchs. She commissioned many building projects and reestablished trade networks that had been disrupted by the Hyksos invaders of the Second Intermediate Period. Hatshepsut also led a large-scale expedition to the Land of Punt, a wealthy and sophisticated country to the south of Egypt. Hatshepsut is also believed to have led successful military campaigns in Nubia, the Levant, and Syria during her reign.

The Revolution is not a set of demands, it’s a way of...

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 19:36:12 -0400

The Revolution is not a set of demands, it’s a way of life.

We keep speaking truth, preaching dissent and being pains in the asses of fat powerful men till we die.

The deaths of Khaled Said and over 1000 other martyrs will not be in vain for as long as anyone of us lives.

These days are the most important days of your life, commit to them.

This is an awesome couple. borrowedsoul: My future husband and...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:49:28 -0400

This is an awesome couple.

borrowedsoul:

My future husband and I will most likely look something like this one day.

fabulouslyfreespirited: “Dragon and Tiger” by Kanô...

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 21:42:52 -0400

fabulouslyfreespirited:

“Dragon and Tiger” by Kanô Takanobu (Japan 1571–1618)

In 13th century Japan, with the development of Zen-Buddhist art, a new symbolic meaning was attributed to the dragon representing the soaring spirit of the freed satoric (or suddenly enlightened) soul. The dragon is often accompanied by a tiger, which is associated with the earthbound enlightened mind. Paintings of dragons swirling in the sky among clouds and tigers in a bamboo grove, were highly popular decorations in Zen Temples in the formats of hanging scrolls, sliding doors and folding screen.

The dragon and tiger motif eventually spread from Zen circles into the secular world and especially appealed to the ruling samurai class in the 15th to 10th centuries, since both animals symbolised power, courage and authority.

This dynamic depiction of the dragon and tiger is attributed to Kano Takanobu and was originally pasted on a sliding door in the palace of a samurai warlord. Dragons in Japanese art are usually depicted with three claws, in contrast to the five or four claws usually found on Chinese ones.

Thoughts over Sexual Harassment

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:53:52 -0400

Once I was driving a guy I don’t know that well home from kickboxing practice. On the way he spotted two well endowed, tightly clothed girls walking by and before I could do anything proceeded to make kissing sounds and grabbing motions with his hands. Enraged, I gave him a lecture that included a religious sermon, an emotional appeal and a quasi logical gimmick of how this sort of behavior negatively affects the person doing it.

After a few half hearted attempts at defending himself (something about that they’re dressed like hookers and that they secretly enjoy this sort of thing) he started looking very remorseful. I changed my tone as he started opening up to me about how lonely he is and how hard it is to be young and full of testosterone with marriage (the only socially accepted way to have sex) being years away. My own understanding of his action was this; sexual harassment was the only way he could get women to acknowledge his own sexuality. I’m not saying that this justifies his actions in anyway, but I think the dude deserves some measure of pity here too. This is deeper than just feeling horny.

Also I’ve found that The majority of those who engage in sexual harassment also engage in things such as street fights, senseless cussing and cursing of parents (ta3ala hena ya #@$ omak) and other dishonorable activities. Their lack of respect of women does not stem from a deep hatred of women, it comes from a deeper disrespect for their own selves and humanity in general.

Me and many friends have witnessed many a time when sexual harassment actually reaps positive results, this may mean that sexual advance is rewarded with a cheeky smile and sometimes even with an exchange of phone numbers. I think when assigning blame, these girls should get some of it. They give the assholes hope.

I’ve been sexually harassed before, but then again, I’m a 6 foot tall dude with a beard, I didn’t feel like my innocence was compromised or anything, haha!

I’m not trying to defend sexual Harassment or anything, I just think that this is a very deep issue where religion, power, culture, history, identity, economics, education and sexuality over lap.

Short reflection: Political Islam

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 06:09:00 -0400

الأحزاب الاسلامية و خطابات “تطبيق الشريعة” تكشف مفهوم قشري للدين وغير-علمية في فهم العالم والتاريخ. بدليل الأداء المخزي للتيار الديني في السنة السابقة.

عدم استخدام الخطاب الديني في الدعاية وللحشد السياسي ليس معناه أن “مفيش دين”. معناها أن العبرة بالطرح السياسي، وليست بزعمك أنك تمشي حسب خطة إلهية لا تحتمل النقد أو الجدال.

أيمن الظواهري يزعم أنه يمشي بالقرأن والسنة، الشيخ حسان يزعم ذلك أيضاً، اردوغان يزعم ذلك وجمال البنا يزعم ذلك أيضاً. إذاً ليست العبرة أنك صدقاً أو كذباً تحاول تتطبيق فهم (فهمك) للدين لكن العبرة بماذا تقول و تفعل فقط.

ليست هناك كلمة تخرج من فم إبن أدم مقدسة، ولو كان يتلفظ بالقرأن. فمنطوق القرأن مقدس لكن مفهومه… ليس هناك فهم مقدس.

وذا كنت زعماً أنك تصير بفهم النبي والصحبة - فال أصح أنك تصير بفهمك لفهم النبي والصحابة!

Arnold Schwarzenegger is possibly the single most successful...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:59:04 -0500

Arnold Schwarzenegger is possibly the single most successful American immigrant alive. You may not like his movie, you may think his body is TOO muscular. You may disagree with his political policies - however, it is impossible to deny that his journey has been a very interesting one.

Personally, he is a physical idol for me, his 6 rules for success are pretty basic, everyone should put them in mind.

1- Trust yourself (confidence)

2- Break the rules (fear not originality)

3- Give something back (Don’t be selfish)

4- Don’t fear failure

5- Ignore nay sayers (garbage in- garbage out, Don’t let garbage in)

6- Work your but off (no pain, no gain)

We create our idols

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:36:19 -0500

النهارده الصبح سيارتي إتكلبشتم فذهبت للظباط وكلمهتم بإحترام فسألني أحذهم بإحترام عن الرخص فأعطيته إياه. بعث معي عسكري ليفك الكلبش، العملية مرت بسلاسة.

كان هناك سيارة أخرى أتكلبشت، صدمني أن جاء صاحب السيارة منحني الرأس، مقوقس الظهر و مكسور العين يقول “يا باشا احنا جيرانكم هنا هه،” أشار إلى عمارةٍ ما “واحنا تحت أمركم يا فندم” فأخرج من جيبه شوكولاتة كيت كات وأعطاها للعسكري (اللي هو غلبان أصلاً).

نحن الذي نصنع الفراعنة بإيدينا، الفرعنة يفشخون الناس، رجاءً كفوا عن صناعتهم.

Pray for Syria!

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:34:05 -0500

i-living-islam:

Please remember Syria in your prayers. And, please pray for the people of Syria! May Allah help those innocent men, women and children who are continuously attacked by the heartless dictator and his despicable regime.

من أعز الأيات القرأنية علي

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:43:38 -0500

من أعز الأيات القرأنية علي:

” وإذا قيل لهم اتبعوا ما أنزل الله قالوا بل نتبع ما ألفينا عليه آباءنا, أولو كان آباؤهم لا يعقلون شيئا ولا يهتدون!?”

“إذ تبرأ الذين اتبعوا من الذين اتبعوا ورأوا العذاب وتقطعت بهم الأسباب…”

المسلم، وغير المسلم، في الحقيقة غير ملزم إلا بضميره وفهمه للدين والواقع. لذلك لم يجعل الله في الإسلام لنا كهنوت، رسمياً كان أو غير رسمي. ولذلك جعل لك عقلاً ونصاً، لكي تفهم بهذا وتهتدي بهذا.

ليس هناك من يتبع (بضم الياء) بعمى. فظروفك غير ظروفه وخلفيتك غير خلفيته ومهما على شأنه وعلمه فهو يؤخذ منه ويرد، الله أعطاك الحرية لكي تمارسها لا لكي تدفنها.

لكن عليك أن تستعين بمن علمه يفوق علمك ولا تتكبر وتستعلى عندما تقام عليك حجة. فالله هو الحق والحق من ربك فلا توليه ظهرك.

ابحث عن الحكمة أينما كانت واطلب العلم ولو في المريخ.

I was once watching a video of a Mohammed Ali fight with my kick...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:25:00 -0500

I was once watching a video of a Mohammed Ali fight with my kick boxing coach. As I was remarking on how super human his abilities and skills were, he looked at me through the cornr of his eyes, as he often did and said this;

“If you saw how hard he trained, you wouldn’t be so impressed”

Mohammed Ali used to talk big, but he surely backed it up in the gym and the ring.

Below is a link that takes you through his training, everyone interested in sports should check it out.

When I’m feeling lethargic and I don’t want to go to the gym I always go through it because it gives me inspiration.

“If you saw how hard he trained, you wouldn’t be so surprised”

http://www.muscleprodigy.com/muhammad-ali-boxing-workout-arcl-1051.html

Reflections #Jan25

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:45:51 -0500

Concrete streets shook with the righteous thundering of feet on pavement. The air was crisp and the sky was clear, God himself was marching with us.

We were destroying repressive barriers in our mind with each security line we broke through. As our numbers grew the fear suddenly evaporated and was replaced with an ecstatic pride. Housewives cheered us on from the balconies as we reclaimed the streets. We were reclaiming our birth right.

We were born into bondage. A repressive culture conditioning us to always ‘walk beside the wall’ and to value security over liberty was expressed tangibly through a brutal dictatorship.

I have seen men die for freedom. I have seen blood spattered on concrete. I have witnessed men committing violent atrocities that would make Satan himself recoil in repulsion and disgust.

I have also witnessed the best of what mankind has to offer, brotherhood, compassion, love and courage.

Honor had always been a word, a punch line really, sometimes it was associated with petty things, like a woman covering her head or deluded dreams of ancient empires. I have seen honor in ordinary men and woman valuing freedom over their lives. Men and women ready to die for the person next to them, only because he or she was there.

In 18 days we proved an ancient cliché, that nothing is impossible, but we did…

We left the square too early, it was only natural that we be punished for our naivety, our education was not yet complete.

It has been an adventure. This past year I have done things I had never thought I could or would ever possibly do. I’ve witnessed history as it was being made, in fact, I helped make it.

I even fell in love. Yes, it’s true!

I even lost my faith and started believing in something much more impressive than the religion that was dictated to me as a child.

I even decided to completely ignore five years of university education and pursue what I am passionate about.

My mind and personality have never been through so much in such little time before.

There is nothing quite like the adrenaline rush you get from storming the infamous State Security, or sitting in the Ministry of Interior’s chair.

I wrote during the 18 days “these days will define the rest of my life”, God help me I hope that they do.

I will dedicate my life to destroying false idols, God help me I will never bow down to a pharaoh, not after what I’ve seen and learned.

I now celebrate the first anniversary of January the 25^th. I celebrate a year’s worth of back stabbing betrayal, lies, manipulation, secret deals and incompetence.

Tomorrow I celebrate the lives that were lost and the perspectives that they died for. I celebrate them in righteous anger.

This is THE peaceful revolution of rage.

These are the most important days of your lives, commit to them.

خواطر حول الإيمان

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:54:38 -0500

خواطر حول الإيمان

شاع المعتقد بين الناس أن “الإيمان” هو مجرد “الإعتقاد”، وهذه فكرة خطيرة وخطرة، إذ تفتح باباً “للتكفير الكامل” وهذا يقود إلى فكرة “التجريد من الإنسانية” و هو مبرر أي عمل عنيف أو عنصري، كما أثبت العلم الحديث والدهر.

أيضاً، من الأفكار المدمرة المترتبة على هذا المعتقد، أن “زيادة” الإيمان تكون مجرد زيادة إعتقاد، فتحدث ظاهرة شبيهة بغسيل المخ, لمجرد زيادة الإقتناع بفكرة الدين. ويلهم المرء نفسه أنه ترقى كإنسان بدون أن يفعل أي شيء حقيقي ذو أثر طيب.

أنا سأحاول أن أثبت بطلان هذا المعتقد و أن مفهوم الإيمان في الدين الإسلامي أكثر تعقيداً ولطفاً من بعض نصوص الإسلام المعتمدة وبالإستنتاج العقلاني.

أولاً “الإيمان” يختلف عن “الإسلام”، ففي القرأن يقول الله لبعض الأعراب الحديثو عهدٍ بالإسلام؛

” قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّايَدْخل الإيمان في قلوبكم..” (الحجرات 14)

وكأن” الإيمان” أعلى درجتة وأعمق وأكثر تعقيداً من “الإسلام”.

أهم حديث في تعريف طبيعة الإيمان هو الحديث التالي الذي رواه الشيخان:

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ” الْإِيمَانُ سِتُّونَ أَوْ سَبْعُونَ شُعْبَةً أَعْلَاهَا شَهَادَةُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ، وَأَدْنَاهَا إِمَاطَةُ الْأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ ، وَالْحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ ” .

لاحظ هنا أن أدنى الإيمان هو فعل خيري جوهره أن يراعي الإنسان مصلحة شخص قد لا يعلمه ولا يراه.

لاحظ أيضاً “أعلى الإيمان” هو “شهادة” أنه لا إله إلا الله، لا مجرد الأعتقاد أو الإقرار العقلي أو أتباع التراث الفكري لدا المجتمع. فعلينا أن نقر أن شهادة (و في روايات أخرى “قول”) لا إله إلا الله هو حالة نفسية يصل أليها الإنسان يرى أو يشعر بـحكمة الله في الكون بعد أن يتميز بصفات مديحة كالرحمة والوفاء والعدالة والحياء.

ويكون المؤشر الوحيد على الإيمان هو هذه الأفعال, لا صلب أعتقاده بنظرية لاهوتية معينة أو تمسكه بهوية دينية معينة. فهذه ليست أساس الإمان.

كان مشهور عند المسلمين القدماء “الإيمان قول و عمل… يزيد وينقص”, وهذا المعنى متماشي لحد كبير مع مانطرحه هنا.

“شهادة لا إله إلا الله” تكون إذاً فضيلة مكتسبة من العمل الطيب والفكر العميق والنفسية السليمة أكثر من ماهو الإنتماء لدولة أو مجتمع يدين “بالإسلام”.

هذا أيضاً يقود المرء للإستنتاج التالي - الكفر إذاً من الممكن أن يكون جزئي.

ويستدل على ذلك من القرأن نفسه، في سورة أل عمران 167 -“..هم للكفر يومئذٍ أقرب منهم للإيمان…”

فمن الممكن أن يصنف أحد نفسه على أنه “ملحد” بالإلهية (وجهة نظر معتبرة على فكرة) لكن في نفس الوقت يمط الأذى عن الطريق، ويبر الجار ويعيد المريض ويحفظ الأمانة وما إلا أخره… فهو إذاً لديه خصل من الإيمان، لكنه لم يصل إلى القمة الإيمانية، من وجهة نظر الإسلام على الأقل. أنا كمسلم لا ادعي أطلاقاً أني وصلت لهذه المرتبة.

معظم الناس يؤمنون باقرب الأديان اليهم، وعليك فقط أن تنظر إلى خريطة لتوزيع الأديان، فمعظم الناس يؤمنون بدين آبائهم، و أي عقلانية لتبرير منطق “صحة” هذا الدين تستخدم منطق “رجعي”, أي يبتدء من النتيجة ليبررها في الأخر.

و أنا أزعم أن هذا النمط من المنطق ليس مقتصر على الأعتقد في الأديان فقط، لكن أي نظرية تحاول أن تضم كل نظريات الكون تحتها لا بد أن تنجر إلى هذا النوع من المنطق.

قد يكون أشهر حديث في مسألة الإيمان هو الحديث المشهور، عندما جاء الرسول الملك جبريل وسأله أمام الصحابة عن الإسلام والإيمان والإحسان. فبعد أن عرف الرسول ص أن الاسلام أفعال معينة يفعلها المرء ليدخل تحت المظلة السياسية-الأجتماعية المسلمة لكي ينطبق عليه أحكام وحسابات المسلمين، أن الإيمان هو “.. أن تؤمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر وبالقدر خيره وشره..” لاحظ هنا أن الرسول لم يعرب عن طبيعة هذا الإيمان بل ذكر بعض الأشياء الغيبية، فهو إشارة إلى أن إن كان “الإسلام ” أفعال يراها الناس جميعا, كالصلاة والزكاة مثلا فإن الإمان حقيقة شخصية.

أما الإحسان , كما جاء في تكملة الحديث, هو مصطلح آخر ل-“شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله.” وهو أن “تعبد الله كأنك تراه, فإن لم تراه فهو يراك”.فهو أعلى مرتبات الإيمان ويكون بالأفعال و الأقوال, لا مجرد أعتقاد لا يهز كما بينا سابقا.

فمن نص الإسلام نفسه، “الكفار” ليسو شياطين علينا أن نكرههم (نتعرض لمفهوم الولاء كالبراء لاحقا). الأيات العديدة التي تتحدث عن “الكافرين” يجب أن تفهم أن معظمها إن كانت نزلت الأية في شخص أو جماعة بعينها أيام الوحي, فهي بعد أن تحول القرآن إلى نصا قائم بذاته, أصبحت هذه العبارة في معظم الوقت إشارة إلى “نموذج أصلي” أو “نموذج مثالي” أو “archetype ” . فمعتقد المسليمين أكثر تعقيداً من فكرة ”النجاة الخاصة” أو “special salvation”.

إذاً فهم الدين الصحيح، وأكرر الصحيح، ليس مضاداً للفكر التنويري الحديث الذي يدعوا لقبول الأخر وعدم الأدعاء بملك الحقيقة المطلقة، بل الإسلام كان سبـباً تريخياً في نتاج هذا الفكر.

فعلى المسلمين قبول الأخر وعدم الفرحة, أي الغرور بدينهم، لأنه لا فضيلة في مجرد الأعتقد أو الأنتماء، الفضيلة في العمل والفكر فقط.

والسلام.

Optimistic thoughts

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:19:00 -0500

You hear a lot of complaining about how Egyptians are stupid, lazy, uneducated, etc, etc…

You also hear a lot about how Egypt will never rise because Egyptians have all these negative qualities…

You know what? They are partially right.

But here’s why I’m optimistic.

Over the past few months, I have come across a few very bad car accidents. Every time this happened, within seconds, you would have at least a dozen people, men and women, getting the people out of the cars, calling an ambulance, quickly disconnecting the car battery, etc…

Just normal people, whoever was in the street at the time…

There are so called more ‘civilized’ countries where woman are raped in alleys ways and no one ever intervenes, people are beaten up on the subway and people pretend they can’t see it happening.

If I’ve learned anything from the past year, it is that heroes don’t usually look like Brad Pitt or Gereard Butler, they often look like what you see in the mirror.

Oh, you know what else makes me optimistic? The people who are always so quick to help are almost entirely youth, both men and women.

So I’m personally going to emotionally invest in the future. :)

Socrates

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:34:00 -0500

The father of philosophy, he would go to the market place and randomly ask people deep philosophical questions such as ‘what is virtue?’ or ‘what is justice?’.

He was an oddball of a man, eccentric to say the least. A retired veteran, he took to roaming the street barefoot and led a life of preaching and aestheticism.

His mission was a noble one, to inspire men (women too if they wanted I guess) to lead lives of virtue and knowledge. He was the owner of one of my most favourite quotes;

“The unexamined life is not worth living”

At the time of Socrates, there was a bunch of political elites, whom Socrates was frequently engaging in debate (and mortifying). The intellectuals of the status quo, at the time, were called the sophists. These dudes were manipulators of words and masters of rhetoric. But their basic function was to manipulate socially constructed ‘truths’ in a way that would help the noble elite to preserve their influence and fuel their own little wills to power.

They did not delve deep into the lake of inquisitiveness and quest for a more profound understanding of the universe, they were content with winning arguments and giving good speeches. He acknowledged the limitations of his knowledge while they assumed complete authority.

And that is the difference between them and Socrates. That is the difference between rhetoric and philosophy.

Philosophy then should not have such a bad reputation in our culture.

Socrates payed the ultimate price for his quest. He was trialed and found guilty of “misleading the youth” (interesting that his audience was primarily young people… like Plato) and for “disrespecting the Gods” (namely challenging power). He was forced to commit suicide by drinking Hemlock.

Here is to philosophy and the man who started it all.

I leave you with a few quotes..

“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.”

“I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.”

“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”