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I couldn't help think of this question in an article in "The New Republic" - the Spread of disbelief in the Arab World. It seeks to question is Islam part of the Arab DNA.

 

I know we had several recent discussions on this topic, but in the interest of scholarly debate I will post some excerpts from this article.

 

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Why are more Arabs turning their backs on religion? The New York Times Thomas Friedman argued in a column last December that the horrors committed in the name of Islam by terrorist groups like ISIS are to blame. This reflects the mindset of many American pundits, for whom terrorism is central to all things Middle East. In reality, repudiating terror is rarely the motivation of those who veer from Islam. “While researching my book ... I spent a lot of time trying to find out why some Arabs turn to atheism and none of those I spoke to mentioned terrorism or jihadism as a major factor,” Whitaker wrote. “That’s not particularly surprising, because atheism is a rejection of all forms of religion, not just the more outlandish variants of it.”

 

For the vast majority of Arab atheists, the road to disbelief begins as it did for Abdel-Samad, with personal doubts. They start to question the illogicalities found in the holy texts. Why are non-Muslims destined to hell, even though many of them are nice, decent people? Since God knows the future and controls everything, why would he put some people on the wrong path, then punish them as if he had nothing to do with their choices? Why is wine forbidden, yet virtuous Muslims are promised rivers of it in heaven? Such questions began bugging Amir Ahmad Nasr, Sudanese author of My Isl@m: How Fundamentalism Stole My Mind—and Doubt Freed My Soul, when he was twelve, and he brought them to his sheik, the imam of a mosque in Qatar. The answer he received—that doubting God’s commandments is haram (religiously illicit) and can only be inspired by the devil—only prompted him to continue digging.

 

As Islam Ibrahim, the founder of an Arab atheist Facebook page, said: “I wanted to secure a spot in paradise, so I started studying the Quran and Muhammad’s teachings. But I found a lot of contradictory and bloody things and fantasies in it. ... Anyone who uses his brain five minutes in a neutral way will end up with the same conclusion.”

 

Sex outside of marriage, another practice prohibited by Islam, is also unexceptional, especially in urban environments where genders have been mixing in the public space for more than half a century. In Morocco, a study determined that 800 clandestine abortions (presumably prompted by out-of-wedlock pregnancies) are performed on any given day.

 

Likewise, while Islam requires its followers to pray five times a day at fixed times, including twice during working hours, believers typically skip the prayers while they’re at work and perform them once back home. In Saudi Arabia, one of the most zealous Arab countries when it comes to religious protocol, shops have to close for about 15 minutes at each prayer call to allow the customers to perform their religious duty. But you can often see small crowds of people gathered on the sidewalk and waiting idly—some taking a cigarette break—until the shops reopen.

 

In today’s Arab world, it’s not religiosity that is mandatory; it’s the appearance of it. Nonreligious attitudes and beliefs are tolerated as long as they’re not conspicuous. As a system, social hypocrisy provides breathing room to secular lifestyles, while preserving the faÇade of religion. Atheism, per se, is not the problem. Claiming it out loud is. So those who publicize their atheism in the Arab world are fighting less for freedom of conscience than for freedom of speech.

 

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no surprise that a majority of Arabs, like most 'religious' people take their Muslim religion à la carte

 

the "road to disbelief" as described in this piece is the familiar one traveled by their Jewish and Christian brethren who have the freedom to 'come out' in societies that are not threatened by this kind of enlightenment

 

religion in the information age is increasingly more important for tribal/political/cultural reasons than fear of God or uncertainty regarding the hereafter . . . ISIS and other cultivators of ignorance notwithstanding

 

ponder that, and so many unexplainables become clear

FM

Baseman spent some time in Jordan, they are as diverse about politics, religion, economics as anyone anywhere.  Go to the bar and clubs, you can think you are in GT, NY or Zuerich.

FM
Originally Posted by Demerara_Guy:

It is foolhardy to have the belief that Arabs are all religious.

 

From ancient days not all Arabs follow one religion, or indeed have one.

Good morning DG

 

Fox News will want to dispute the above fact.

Chief
Originally Posted by baseman:

Baseman spent some time in Jordan, they are as diverse about politics, religion, economics as anyone anywhere.  Go to the bar and clubs, you can think you are in GT, NY or Zuerich.

I would agree.  I dated a Lebanese girl many moons ago.  She was a complete party animal. I had to dump her because I just could not take the constant partying and drinking.

Wally
Originally Posted by Wally:
Originally Posted by baseman:

Baseman spent some time in Jordan, they are as diverse about politics, religion, economics as anyone anywhere.  Go to the bar and clubs, you can think you are in GT, NY or Zuerich.

I would agree.  I dated a Lebanese girl many moons ago.  She was a complete party animal. I had to dump her because I just could not take the constant partying and drinking.

You just did not train her well.

FM

Base believe me when I say I tried my best to change her. But the woman kept on being the life of the party.  There is only so much an Indo-Guyanese man can take before he puts on the Kick out boot.

Wally
Originally Posted by Wally:

Base believe me when I say I tried my best to change her. But the woman kept on being the life of the party.  There is only so much an Indo-Guyanese man can take before he puts on the Kick out boot.

As Kenny Rogers said, you got to know when to fold, when to walk away.

FM
Originally Posted by baseman:
Originally Posted by Wally:

Base believe me when I say I tried my best to change her. But the woman kept on being the life of the party.  There is only so much an Indo-Guyanese man can take before he puts on the Kick out boot.

As Kenny Rogers said, you got to know when to fold, when to walk away.

I Party with one, plenty drinking, Dancing and making noise with she mouth. And HOT, they gat a very HIGH nature.

Nehru
Originally Posted by redux:
tribal/political/cultural reasons than fear of God or uncertainty regarding the hereafter . . .

 

As it has always been. Only the great unwashed seem to think otherwise that they must really believe in a dude in the sky and his biography just happens to be gel with our national story.

 

Personally, I'm an atheist. But I still "worship" the tribal gods because they're my tribe's gods.

FM
Originally Posted by redux:
Originally Posted by Shaitaan:
 . . . Personally, I'm an atheist. But I still "worship" the tribal gods because they're my tribe's gods.

what Gods are those?

 

The authentic tribal gods of the Indian People. The entire Hindu/Indian pantheon plus anyone else we've deified since our mythological origins. The dude who shot Gandhi would also qualify.

FM
Originally Posted by Shaitaan:
Originally Posted by redux:
Originally Posted by Shaitaan:
 . . . Personally, I'm an atheist. But I still "worship" the tribal gods because they're my tribe's gods.

what Gods are those?

 The authentic tribal gods of the Indian People. The entire Hindu/Indian pantheon plus anyone else we've deified since our mythological origins. The dude who shot Gandhi would also qualify.

cool

FM

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