God's Religion: Islam

Minority in Muslim Homeland

Pakistan, he says, is a place of extremes. Muslims represent the vast majority of this Islamic homeland's 162 million residents. They control the legislature and the economy, often leaving minorities to endure second-rate status. For years, Salik has waged an unorthodox human rights campaign of public protests he says is neglectful government (Glionna 1). He is saying that's Muslims rule Islamic countries and leaves the minorities in worse conditions and is neglectful to them.

He has gone on hunger strikes, cut himself, burned his clothes and furniture and even lived in a cage-all in an effort to improve the lives of Ahmadis, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and especially Christians like himself. In 1996, then-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize. But now Bhutto has been assassinated. And Salik says Christians here are in more trouble than ever (1). He is doing all this for the are religions in the country that is controlled by Islam.

I don't really know the details of what is really happening but cutting himself wont help. He may become suicidal. Instead of doing all that he should broadcast his opinions to the entire country. So that the countries citizens can understand and see what is happening that they don't have time or say they don't to see what happening around them.
Intimidated by rising Islamic extremism, many are afraid to wear any outward symbols of their faith. Dozens are in jail on the basis of draconian blasphemy laws that forbid anyone to defame Islam. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom wants the State Department to name Pakistan a “country of particular concern” (2). No one is allowed to say anything bad about Islam and the U.S. thinks of Pakistan as partially dangerous.

The Prayer

On a sunny March 18, 2008 I stayed at home. It was around was 1:00 exactly. My mom was praying. But before the pray a sound called the azan went off. Then my mom went to the bathroom and she washed her arms 3 times, face 3 times, mouth 3 times, legs, and etc. Then my mom went to pray. The first thing I noticed was that she set a mat and then she prayed on the mat. She did various movements while she was praying. She was praying in Arabic which is the holy language for Muslims. She was doing the pray in a room with a lot of light coming in. The walls were white. The mat she was praying on was red with the picture of the Kasbah on it. The window was open with a green tree outside. It was a sunny day. The walls were white. People outside were talking. She prayed in Arabic. She stood up straight then bent half way down. Then she stoop up straight and sat on the ground on her knees. She did that 4 times. The room was warm. The wind was blowing in through the window. The sun was shining. The wind was blowing through the tree and the leaves were ruffling. You could see another house on the other side through the window. The room had 2 beds. It also had 2 closets. 1 bed had a window and the drawers had a window on top of it. The closet had clothes and a small T.V. inside it. The closet was open. My mom was wearing a veil for the prayer.

The Carpenter

A highly skilled carpenter who had grown old was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire (1)

The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed to this proposal but made sure that this will be his last project. Being in a mood to retire, the carpenter was not paying much attention to building this house. His heart was not in his work. He resorted to poor workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career (1).

When the job was done, the carpenter called his employer and showed him the house. The employer handed over some papers and the front door key to the carpenter and said "This is your house, my gift to you (1)."

The carpenter was in a shock! What a shame! If he had only known that he was building his own house, he would have made it better than any other house that he ever built (1)!

Our situation can be compared to this carpenter. Allah Ta'la has sent us to this world to build our homes in paradise by obeying His commands. Now, we have to decide how well we wish to build the homes where we will live forever (1).