Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Muslim
Umar Lee: Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish

Umar Lee: Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 11:32 am by irfanrydhan

Umar Lee: Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish 2015-03-13T11:32:19-06:00 irfanrydhan

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

For those who don’t know, former Muslim convert Umar Lee, is (or should I saywas) a well known blogger in the “Islamic” blogosphere. I must admit, I do not know “Mr. Lee” personally, but I have read some of his writings and heard about him from those who know him personally.

First of all, I didn’t agree with most of what Mr. Lee said while he was a so-called “Muslim” because most of it was extreme “Salafi” or “Wahabi” methodology; meaning that he being a recent convert to the centuries old religion of Islam, suddenly became an expert without any type of formal religious teaching or scholarship – but of course that didn’t stop him from condemning his fellow (or former fellow) Muslims on how they should dress, act, speak and worship.

Most people probably are unaware that Mr. Lee was investigated by the FBI because they believed he had connections to terrorists. Of course he was cleared of all suspicions, but very conveniently in 2010 he suddenly had dreams of Sheikh Gilani and started to leave his “Salafism” for the more peace-loving Sufism. This according to his own blog post (which has since been removed).

Unfortunately, that did not completely cure his hatred and jealously of other “successful” American-Muslims, and just last year in May of 2012 he publicly attacked some Muslim “Hip Hop” artists as well as some scholars for not being true Muslims and in his words, “just going after some Pu–y”! (This YouTube video has also been made private now).

So now one year later, Mr. Lee issues a new video, but instead of attacking specific Muslims for not following Islam the way he thinks it should be practiced, he starts by saying that he is “gonna come out with a book” and that he “has left Islam” and “found his Lord and Savior in Jesus Christ” (PBUH). Now, before we proceed further, let’s quickly analyze this. The very first thing he says is that he is going to write a book! Now for someone who has just found their “God” would writing a book be the first thing you proclaim? Maybe, maybe not, but it is quite obvious after watching and listening to the rest of his diatribe on why he supposedly left Islam, he has become (or was always) one of those “Sell-Out Muslims” that he always use to diss and rag about on his blog posts and videos! Very Ironic if you ask me.

The rest of the video proclaims that Muslims are always fighting each other. They are racist. They don’t mix with different cultures and races. They kill each other, etc. If I were to use Mr. Lee’s same methodology to attack his new religion and the Southern Baptist Church, then I would have to say that they are over whelming White (80 percent, according to a 2010 study). And looking at their history: They were notoriously known to have filled the ranks of the Ku Klux Klan, Southern Baptists have been vociferous defenders of anti-miscegenation laws, Jim Crows edicts, lynching mob justice, to name a few. The Southern Baptist Convention was founded in 1845 in defense of slavery.

Now of course, I’m not saying that all Southern Baptist Christians are racist, but if you only look at one segment of a society, culture or a religion, then you can sway your reader’s views in that direction.

To be fair, Mr. Lee does bring up some important issues in his video about the Muslim Community – especially about the way we treat and help out converts to Islam. There is very little support given to them, and many times, Like Mr. Lee they end up going back to their old way of life and leaving Islam.

But I find it very surprising that someone like Mr. Lee, who was a practicing “Muslim” for more than 10 years, did not follow one of the basic rules of Islam, which is that before you try to educate others, you need to educate yourself. Before you try to change others, you need to change yourself to be a better Muslim. Before you blame others, look at yourself and try to correct your own mistakes.

Mr. Lee had some type of following and fanfare from other Muslims. He could have used that fanfare to highlight how he would have helped a new Muslim. He could have shown that this is how you treat a new person (or even an “old Muslim”) who is learning the ropes of Islam. He could have assumed a leadership role like other activists. But he didn’t do that. He took the easy way out. Instead of trying to help his fellow converts, new and young Muslims – he decided to abandon them – for a quick buck. He will probably be paraded around by Evangelical and Right-Wing Christian groups as another one of those “Ex-Muslims” who has come back to Jesus! They will help promote him (like they are already doing on certain Islamophobic websites). They will pay him to speak and to write his memoirs.

But in the end, he will be the loser and will be forgotten like the rest of those who just wanted fame and not the truth. In his video Mr. Lee proclaims “I don’t see any joy” in the Muslims! And this is one of the main reasons why he left. Are you kidding me?! If I hung out with Salafis for 99 percent of my time, I wouldn’t see any joy either. Islam is too diverse to be described in a short video or even in a small blog post like this.

I will just conclude with a short summary of a discussion I had recently with an older white Christian man, who works with our local Muslim community once a year on the day of Eid here in the Bay Area. He helps to arrange for the carnival rides and games for the children. He told me that he enjoys coming to our Eid program because he sees so much JOY in the eyes of the Muslim children and families who also come up to him and thank him for doing what he does. It makes him (a non-Muslim, remember), feel happy. Now, if this old man, had the same ideas as Mr. Lee, he probably wouldn’t be doing what he does (run carnival rides on the weekends), but instead he would be a racist, hateful, jealous and ignorant fool, who just likes to hear himself talk and make stupid videos with his camera phone and post it up on YouTube and then disable the comments, so he can’t hear anyone else in the world.

If you want to live like that Mr. Lee, go right ahead. Like I said before: Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish.

Previous Post

March 23, 2013

An American [Werewolf] in Lahore – Part 1

Next Post

June 16, 2013 Man of Steel: The Good, The Bad and The Super

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Activism Architecture Art Books/Magazines Business Education Event Planning Finance Food HalalEats Unplugged Podcast Interfaith Islam Media Politics Religion Self Help The Artistic Foodies Podcast Travel TV/Film Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2026 June 2026 February 2026 December 2025 July 2025 June 2025 January 2025 November 2024 October 2024 August 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 June 2023 November 2022 September 2022 April 2022 February 2022 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 April 2019 February 2019 December 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 June 2017 May 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 May 2016 March 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 July 2015 May 2015 January 2015 December 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 September 2013 August 2013 June 2013 May 2013 March 2013 December 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 October 2010 August 2010 April 2010 February 2010 January 2010 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

John Peter Stephen Paul