Posted on 10/09/2002 7:07:18 PM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
From joining a residents' committee to learning qigong, Muslims spare no effort to show they can mix with other races
THREE months ago, housewife Dirah Didik turned up alone at Bishan Community Club to attend its qigong class.
Since then, she has persuaded her friends at her mosque to join her, and now 15 of them, all with headscarves on, can be seen every Saturday morning at the community centre's courtyard practising the Chinese martial art with 30 non-Muslims.
She had taken the course, said the 54-year-old, because the terrorism-related arrests had given Islam a bad name, and she wanted to show that Muslims can get along with other races.
'I chose a Chinese- dominated sport because this is where the non-Muslims are. Also we're interested to know the Chinese culture,' said the head of the women's committee of Muhajirin Mosque.
The mosque is one of 40 to sign the joint statement condemning terrorism. Another 82 Muslim groups have done so too. They have also pledged to become an integral part of the multi-racial Singapore society, a move that Muslims like Madam Dirah are consciously setting out to do.
Just two months ago, Madam Hasnah Masnud, 43, head of the Malay activity executive committee at Chua Chu Kang Community Club, decided to join her residents' committee at Teck Whye to be 'a spokesman for the Muslims'.
She will explain to the other members why many Muslims might not be able to take part in activities next month, which is Ramadan, the month Muslims fast.
'Often non-Muslims have no one to turn to if they have questions about Muslims. It's our duty to be out there to explain,' she said.
Sometimes, Madam Dirah said, it takes small steps on the part of Muslims, like accepting a handshake from someone of the opposite sex, even though they do not do so normally.
Citing a Malay idiom, she said: 'When you're with the cows, you moo, when you're with the donkeys, you bray. It's better to exercise flexibility and accept the handshake, so he won't feel uncomfortable.'
Mr Muhammad Haniff Hassan, manager of the Adult Islamic Religious Students' Association of Singapore (Perdaus) secretariat, said a Muslim woman who has started using a tudung should not cut down on time spent with her non-Muslim friends.
'Non-Muslims will then associate the tudung with something bad, that it makes Muslims exclusive.'
Mr Mohd Anis Tairan, chairman of Siglap Mosque, added that Muslims should not kick up a fuss about drinking Newater - endorsed by the Muis' fatwa committee to be clean and pure - as this will give the impression that they are being unreasonable.
To the Muslims interviewed, enlarging the common space of all Singaporeans means achieving a certain comfort level with each other.
Education about different religious practices is key, said Mr Syed Hassan Mohamed Alattas of Ba'alwi Mosque.
Mr Wan Hussin Zoohri, president of the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday Memorial Scholarship Board, described the common space as the area where races can interact 'without inhibition, restraint or suspicion'. Celebrating festive occasions together could be a start, he said, adding that this, however, should be two-way.
'Malays normally invite non-Malay friends to our house, but I've yet to see Chinese here do this commonly during Chinese New Year.'
The original article shows Muslim women attempting to assimilate into society. How is this a bad thing? Isn't assimilation supposed to happen with immigrants when they move to a new country? So if Muslims do this, they're on a missionary mission to convert the infidels.....if they don't do this, then they're a closed to-be-feared secret sect of people?
Don't get me wrong, I have NO use for Islam. From what I've read of it, it's a borderline gutter religion. But in THIS country, freedom of religion is a guarantee. So my question is this: other than exterminating them off the face of the earth (as I assume you want), what are they supposed to do? What are we supposed to do?
Inquiring minds would really like to know.
How else are they going to aquire targets among the civilian population?
If they mingle it's good. Arabs tend not to do that but one reason Persians are more reasonable and likeable is that they do mingle when they come here. The problem for the Arabs though is they might find they like our freedoms and the American way of life too much for their leaders' tastes.
Have you really read all of the posts on this thread?
Don't get me wrong....but islamics ONLY mingle for the purpose of lulling sheep, like some poor folks, on FR to sleep with their "peacefulness", whilst their islamic brethren, sneak up behind us and FLY planes into our tall buildings, our Pentagon and our homeland soil....killing thousands of innocents!!
MODERATE ISLAM IS THE TROJAN HORSE OF RADICAL ISLAM!!
Radical islam is an insane death cult!!
They first give the impression they want to integrate and live by the laws of the country. But when they are growing in numbers, it all turns around, like in Malaysia.
In Indonesia, where they are a 90% majority, the finishing off the remaining infidels has begun, the killing of Christians.
Islam sees itself as superior to everything else, and muslims are told to resent other religions, especialy polyetheists. Taoism and Hinduism are such believes.
The ultimate goal is to replace everything with an islamic state. It starts out innocent, but it ends like in indonesia.
Like the many movements in the UK. And also in the Netherlands they do not want to integrate, where the integration proces was a complete failure. In Belgium the first political movement calling to stop any proces of integration was founded in Antwerp.
Fanatical imams: group preaches hatred in Dutch mosques
Islam is not about integration, but to have anybody submitting to allah. Da'wah is the peaceful proces of inviting people to islam. It is the first step to change the country to a Khilafah...
I would rather DIE than convert to islam!!!! (If that choice were ever forced on me, I would die a martyr--a REAL one, and go to my God with honor!!!!) And the people I hang out with feel pretty much the same.
However, many, many people in this country live in a spiritual vacuum, and are potential customers for any religious charlatan who comes along. That's how the "New Age" gets all its followers. Some of these people (espcially those who secretly long for an authoritarian system that tells them how to live ever minute of every day) end up converting to islam. And for some reason (probably a satanic one), islam has become even more attractive to them (or better known to them) since 9/11.
These poeple would be better off, for example, becoming Orthodox Christians, and voluntarily following every detail of ever fasting rule Orthodoxy has. Most Orthodox Christians (even very devout ones) don't follow every such rule, but there are converts who do. Unlike converting to islam, these Orthodox Christian converts are likely to end up growing spiritually, and losing the weakness that made them susceptible to authoritarianism in the first place.
Besides that, we Chrstians (Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic) need to do a whole lot better job of REAL evangelism, here in the US!!! Then many of these people may well become Christians of one sort or another, instead of swelling the ranks of potential muslim fifth columnists. Whe we neglect our calling to teach and baptize, all kinds of nasty alternatives creep in instead!!
I do not think that those muslim women were "assimilating". Most muslim women with an interest in doing so don't wear hijab. Those who do mix with us in hijab are usually practicing da'wa, or at least advertising the presence and increasing influence of fundamentalist islam in our country (or in another "infidel" country, in this case).
Finally, I have no interest in exterminating muslims, or anyone else for that matter. I DO have an interest in stopping islamic expansionism, and in fact rolling it back (i.e., in the Balkans, and the incipient islamization of Western Europe and perhaps even here)!!!! Even moderate muslims say that some 80% of US mosques are extremist (i.e., with a Wahhabi imam). These infiltrators are NOT here to show us the hand of friendship!!!
You almost got it right, crazykatz. I'm a culturally/socially conservative, Christian (anti-clinton of course) political INDEPENDENT, not a Republican. I believe that both of our parties have too much New World Order influence (i.e.,thy've been bought). We have all sorts of conservatives on FR, and even a few liberals!
I find it very "interesting" that those who go around criticizing "hatred", "paranoia" and "bigotry" in others are usually practicing these vices themselves. Anyone who believes that Serbia is the home of "hatred and paranoia" is obviously deeply afflicted with Serbophobia, which is a form of racism. And anyone who thinks that there are no Americans (or for that matter, British or Germans) who will stand up for Serbs has at least a little bit of Serbophobia as well.
We Christians, in fact, are commanded by our Lord to stand up for our Christian brothers and sisters when they are unjustly maligned. That definitely includes Serbs!!!! And when we are baptized and take Communion, we are made one with all other Christians as well--including Serbs. So anyone who hates Serbs has a LOT of people to hate!!!!
But I won't go so far as to condemn over a billion people inhabiting the planet because of their religion. You can, and that's fine, but I won't. Oh and one more thing, a lot of us here aren't Republican....I used to be, but left because there's little conservatism to be found with the current GOP (in my humble opinion). So spare me the "Klintoon" verbage and turn off Rush and try to come up with something original please?
I find people who support muslims to be SO boring...please do not EVER freep me again!
You might care to review this threat to see exactly what I think of Islam too.
I didn't find your Rush rhetoric regarding Clinton offensive either, just generic and tired and old. Your definition of being Conservative is towing the GOP line? Maybe you don't belong here. Further explanations?
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