Observations of a Jew Who Converted to Islam

[Ancient lion]

In the name of God the sustainer of the earth, heavens and what's in between,
This article was published at huffingtonpost on 18/11

Why did I convert? Simple. I wanted to better understand the life of Muslims in America, and what their growing presence means for the rest of us. I didn't trust how politicians and the media were playing the issue, and I didn't want any second-hand information. The only way I truly felt I could know American Muslims was to become one.

Oddly enough, converting to Islam is one of the most Jewish things I've ever done. We clearly have an Islamophobia problem in this country. Mosques across this nation are repeatedly being vandalized, and women wearing traditional Muslim clothing are being thrown off of airplanes for no good reason.

Jeremy Greenberg
Jeremy Greenberg: The Observations of a Jew Who Converted to Islam

The unique feature of islam is: despite all anti-islamists efforts to spread their hate and intolerance, Islam is the ONLY growing religion according to religioustolerance site !

 

[Mr. H.]

I guess he's going to have to murder his family now.

 

[Ropey]

I guess he's going to have to murder his family now.

^

Fellow converted to understand better? I think he might have liked to understand better first.

More drivel from drivel created by drivel and so rebutted with drivel.

Fastest Growing Religions: Tribute To Wicca & Paganism - YouTube

Pentecostals Celebrate World's Fastest-Growing Religion

^ Here's a bit more drivel.

Africa is clearly moving towards Christianity within the areas that are resource rich. Islam is losing that battle although the Chinese are spending a lot of money to get their own foothold. Islam? Not looking good in Africa and Africa, not the Middle East will be the resource center of the second half of this century. I feel for the Muslim countries who have done absolutely nothing in the face of global warming and lowered sea levels, raised prices of food, massive overpopulation considering their purchasing power, etc.

It's not looking good for much of the Islamic world as poverty is the state of being for the great majority.

Bringing 'New' Christianity to Africa: The Good News

Fastest Growing. Time will tell.

 

[SW2SILVER]

Perhaps, as a Jew, you might also have become a NAZI when they were also invading? Don't be a moral coward. Muslims ,They out - breed us, is THAT an example of GOD’S will?

 

[lizzie]

My observation has been that Judaism and Islam share many ideas and ritual practices/laws. I suspect (but can't prove) that the origin of Islam was born of rebellion against the Christianity of the time period, by those who practiced Judaism and hated the Christians or the Christian religion.

 

[Political Junky]

I recently heard a Jewish woman tell how much Jews and Muslims have in common. Their dietary rules, circumcision, and she named others as well.

 

[Jroc]

I guess he's going to have to murder his family now.

^

Fellow converted to understand better? I think he might have liked to understand better first.

More drivel from drivel created by drivel and so rebutted with drivel.

Fastest Growing Religions: Tribute To Wicca & Paganism - YouTube

Pentecostals Celebrate World's Fastest-Growing Religion

^ Here's a bit more drivel.

Africa is clearly moving towards Christianity within the areas that are resource rich. Islam is losing that battle although the Chinese are spending a lot of money to get their own foothold. Islam? Not looking good in Africa and Africa, not the Middle East will be the resource center of the second half of this century. I feel for the Muslim countries who have done absolutely nothing in the face of global warming and lowered sea levels, raised prices of food, massive overpopulation considering their purchasing power, etc.

It's not looking good for much of the Islamic world as poverty is the state of being for the great majority.

Bringing 'New' Christianity to Africa: The Good News

Fastest Growing. Time will tell.

You beat me to that one Ropey. Here is better piece, South America and Asia also..

If Christianity were mainly a religion of the peoples of Europe and North America, as secularists have always thought, then Jenkins says it made sense that "the growing secularization of the West [could] only mean that Christianity is in its dying days."

However, a strange thing has been happening: rather than dying, Christianity has spread in unexpected ways. Mark Hutchinson, chairman of the church history department at Southern Cross College in Australia, says that "what many pundits thought was the death of the church in the 1960s through secularization was really its relocation and rebirth into the rest of the world."

Jenkins says, "We are currently living through one of the transforming moments in the history of religion worldwide .... The era of Western Christianity has passed within our lifetimes, and the day of Southern Christianity is dawning."

The numbers boggle the mind. In Africa in the year 1900, for example, there were approximately 10 million Christians on the continent. By 2000, the number had grown to 360 million.

The Anglican Communion is a perfect example of this worldwide trend. Whereas in its U.S. branch -- the Episcopal Church -- membership has declined over the last 40 years to 2.3 million, in Uganda alone there are more than 8 million Anglicans

.

In the Global South, however, Christianity is finding converts by the millions. According to researcher David Barrett, author of the well-respected World Christian Encyclopedia, Africa is gaining 8.4 million new Christians a year, and that number is a net total -- that is, new converts minus those who leave the faith.

South Korea is another example of a nation in which the growth of Christianity has been stunning. In 1920, Jenkins says, there were only about 300,000 believers in all of Korea. But today, in South Korea alone, there are 10 to 12 million Christians -- about 25% of the population

Christianity growing in staggering fashion In Africa, Latin America and Asia, Christian News

 

[Ropey]

Perhaps, as a Jew, you might also have become a NAZI when they were also invading? Don't be a moral coward. Muslims ,They out - breed us, is THAT an example of GOD’S will?

 

[MikeGloster]

My observation has been that Judaism and Islam share many ideas and ritual practices/laws. I suspect (but can't prove) that the origin of Islam was born of rebellion against the Christianity of the time period, by those who practiced Judaism and hated the Christians or the Christian religion.

Perhaps you would like to give some examples or sources which made you come to this conclusion. I realize you said you were unable to prove it, but something (s) must have influenced you.

 

[lizzie]

My observation has been that Judaism and Islam share many ideas and ritual practices/laws. I suspect (but can't prove) that the origin of Islam was born of rebellion against the Christianity of the time period, by those who practiced Judaism and hated the Christians or the Christian religion.

Perhaps you would like to give some examples or sources which made you come to this conclusion. I realize you said you were unable to prove it, but something (s) must have influenced you.

It isn't really sources, but observation of religious practices and laws. Judaism has been around long enough to have evolved somewhat, but Islam is a relative newcomer as far as world religions go. Their dietary practices are similar, and the Islamic religion has much in common with old Judaic law prior to Christianity, but is more militant based on the founder of the Islamic religion. When Christianity first started forming as a significant religious force, it appears to have been at odds with Judaism- afterall, the message was completely different as far as the path to salvation was concerned. I'm pretty certain that there were many who practiced the Judaic religion of the time period who fiercely defended their own faith against the Christians. It looks to me like it's likely that the origins of Islam were probably Jewish believers with a new prophet, if you look at the basics/ laws of the two religions.

 

[Ancient lion]

Judaism has been around long enough to have evolved somewhat, but Islam is a relative newcomer as far as world religions go. Their dietary practices are similar, and the Islamic religion has much in common with old Judaic law prior to Christianity, but is more militant based on the founder of the Islamic religion. When Christianity first started forming as a significant religious force, it appears to have been at odds with Judaism- afterall, the message was completely different as far as the path to salvation was concerned. I'm pretty certain that there were many who practiced the Judaic religion of the time period who fiercely defended their own faith against the Christians. It looks to me like it's likely that the origins of Islam were probably Jewish believers with a new prophet, if you look at the basics/ laws of the two religions.

The first point: ''Islam'' means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true God. who submits his will to God is termed a "Muslim". Hence, Islam is not a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammed

into Arabia in the seventh century, but the true religion of God, Allah, as it was originally revealed to Adam and subsequent prophets.
BTW, Names:Judaism and Christianity had no divine origin.

The second point: Relations with jews;

1.

Before the advent of Islam the Jews were well established in and around Madinah. Each tribe lived in well fortified areas. They controlled the economy of Madinah and owned practically all the date groves. They were the overlords of the poor and illiterate Arab tribes of Aus and Khazraj who were laborers. The Jews looked down upon them and used every opportunity to weaken them by inciting quarrels and fights between the two tribes.

2. On the arrival of Rasulullah

in Madinah most of the people of Aus and Khazraj embraced Islam and the Jewish stronghold over them diminished.
N.B: The prophet was born in Meccah, But due to persecution, Muslims used to go to other cities eg: Alhabasha and Madinah.

3. On the arrival of Rasulullah in Madinah, he made A Cooperation and Non-Aggression Pact with the Jews (provisions of the treaty )

4. Actually, The Torah had in several places foretold the coming of the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him

. In fact, the Jews themselves used to tell the Arabs that a new prophet and a new Divine Book was soon to come. But when the Holy Qur'an came down from Allah, and even when they had recognized its authenticity, the Jews denied it out of sheer spite.
( Revise Surat Albakara Ayah 98 and the video in my signature).

5. There is a famous story of Abdullah Ibn Salam

‘Abdullah bin Salam, the most learned rabbi among the Jews came to see the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) when he arrived, and asked him certain questions to ascertain his real Prophethood. No sooner did he hear the Prophet’s answers than he embraced Islam, but added that if his people knew of his Islamization they would advance false arguments against me.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) sent for some Jews and asked them about ‘Abdullah bin Salam, they testified to his scholarly aptitude and virtuous standing.
Here it was divulged to them that he had embraced Islam and on the spot, they imparted categorically opposite testimonies and described him as the most evil of all evils. In another narration ‘Abdullah bin Salam said, "O Jews! Be Allâh fearing. By Allâh, the only One, you know that he is the Messenger of Allâh sent to people with the Truth." They replied, "You are lying." ... That was the Prophet’s first experience with the Jews.[Bukhari 1/459]

 

[lizzie]

The first point: ''Islam'' means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true God. who submits his will to God is termed a "Muslim". Hence, Islam is not a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammed

into Arabia in the seventh century, but the true religion of God, Allah, as it was originally revealed to Adam and subsequent prophets.
BTW, Names:Judaism and Christianity had no divine origin.

The bolded is what virtually everyone believes about their own religion, and Islam, regardless of what you say, is a relative newcomer as far as world religions go.

 

[jillian]

I recently heard a Jewish woman tell how much Jews and Muslims have in common. Their dietary rules, circumcision, and she named others as well.

there are commonalities. both are abrahamic religions. there are some similar cultural traits. but there are mostly things that are not similar.... for example, the way muslims treat women isn't acceptable to jews. that isn't to say that in more fundamentalist jewish groups there aren't negatives as well, such as women not being able to participate in religious services, or that orthodox women don't cover their heads. but that's done for respect, same as men who cover their heads. it isn't done to hide women so that their menfolk can "control themselves".

the way i've always seen it is that the relationship between jews and muslims is the worst case of sibling rivalry in history.

it goes back to hagar being sent packing with ishmael.... and his people have been ticked off and angry ever since.