“Why Is Islam So Backwards?”

Last updated on: December 26, 2019 at 9:27 am by Iman

“Why Is Islam So Backwards?” 2019-12-26T09:27:48-06:00 Iman

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.

Growing up, I usually saw 3 types of reactions when someone in my class got a bad grade on their report card: the student would vow to work harder; he or she would get upset and not really change anything; or they would blame the teacher for their own failure.

This last group was an imaginative bunch. They were so resentful about their bad grades that, not only would they blame the teacher for doing a bad job, they would also accuse the teacher of being racist, sexist, or simply targeting them.

As Muslims, we often do the same thing as that last group of students. When things don’t go as planned, or someone wrongs us, we blame Islam instead of looking for the root cause of the problem and thinking of a solution. Oftentimes, we have a hard time accepting a test in our lives, so out of resentment, we blame God or the religion itself. Or someone else wrongs us, and we think that Islam must have allowed them to do so — even if, deep down, we know that this isn’t really true. We let other people’s mistakes and misinterpretation (or abuse) of religion to distance us from Islam.

When things don’t go as planned, or someone wrongs us, we blame Islam instead of looking for the root cause of the problem and thinking of a solution.

What we fail to do is guard our faith and fight for it. We have a duty to call out injustices that are committed in the name of Islam, instead of giving in and condemning our religion for other people’s wrongdoings. Or if we are going through a rough patch in life, instead of becoming impatient and pretending that blaming God will fix things, we should try to react with patience and perseverance. There is always something better waiting for us after every trial, in this life or the next. We need to recognize our own shortsightedness as human beings and not allow it to cloud our judgment.

We have a duty to call out injustices that are committed in the name of Islam, instead of giving in and condemning our religion for other people’s wrongdoings.

There is always something we can do to try to oppose or fix backwards cultural practices that are committed in the name of Islam, and we have an obligation to do so. For some people, it’s through painting, creating films, protesting in the streets, or using their social media platform to spread awareness. For others, it’s through writing, which is the medium that I usually choose.

I have written about child abuse committed by Muslim parents, racism, colorism, objectification and degradation of women, and judgment within the Muslim community. I also recently came across some great articles regarding the rejection of interracial marriages by parents and abuse by in-laws after marriage.

Let’s keep the conversation going: What are some efforts that you have seen and appreciated, in which a person or group has protested an injustice committed in the name of religion? Or, what is something that you have done to shed light on these kinds of issues?

Personal / Life

Religion

Previous Post

December 6, 2016

You Will Never Be Invisible

Next Post

December 20, 2016 The Feeling of Christmas as a Muslim Convert

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Afterlife Culture Dealing with Others English Faith & Spirituality Inspiration Letters to the Ummah Personal / Life Poetry Ramadan Reality Check Reflections Relationships Religion Society & Culture Uncategorized Urdu Women

Select a Month September 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 January 2020 December 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 March 2016 November 2015 October 2015 June 2015 May 2015 February 2015 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I am a ladder reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending. What am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Heaven's gate A vision Jacob's ladder The way to God