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Michael Wolfe ('My Hajj Experience') |
dealer3
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
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An American in Makkah
The Hajj experience of Muslim convert Michael Wolfe
I am a Muslim. I revere the same God as my Christian mother and my Jewish father. Allah is simply the Arabic word for the God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus. I find the absence of priests and rabbis attractive. Islam means acknowledging the oneness of God, surrendering to it, cooperating with the way things are. Being a Muslim, God is as near as the veins in my neck. During the Hajj each year, millions of faithful come to Mecca. The men and women wear simple lengths of unstitched cloth. The garments are a symbol. The person who wears them agrees not to harm plants and animals or fellow pilgrims. No arguments, no violence. We agree to keep the peace. The garments are a great leveler too. Who can tell rich from poor? Millions Descend on Mecca Here I join people from all over the earth, all these human beings drawn together by the call of an idea, by the oneness of God. We have left daily life behind and come to a place hardly belonging to this world, a place filled by the almost tangible presence of God. To preserve its sanctity and protect pilgrims, the sacred territory around Mecca is forbidden to all but Muslims. It lies hidden in the mountains of Saudi Arabia 50 miles from the Red Sea, a modern city of 1.2 million people. To walk around the block in Mecca is to walk around the world. I step out the door and for 15 yards, I’m in Indonesia. Down the street past a couple of stores and it’s Africa. Pakistan is just around the corner and then I’m in Bangladesh. A vast majority of the world’s one billion Muslims—80 percent—now live outside the Middle East. There are more than five million in the United States.
Muslims Perform Sacred Duties The duties of the Hajj are symbolic of the story and obligations of Islam. Before prayer, Muslims wash, representing ritual purity. The walk around the Ka’ba—the black stone block in the great mosque—is an expression of our desire to put God at the center of our lives. Pilgrims also make a journey to Mina and to the plain of Arafat, 13 miles outside of Mecca. Making our way on foot, we trade city streets and buildings for tents and carpets on the sand of the barren plain, giving up our usual comforts, getting back to basics. On the plain of Arafat, we perform the central obligation of the pilgrimage, to be here together from noon until sunset. There is no ceremony. We stroll, we pray, we meditate. The Hajj goes on inside the hearts and thoughts of each of us. This is a rehearsal for that day of judgment. How will we account for our acts? Have I injured anyone? Have I been grateful enough for the simple gifts of life, water, food, friends, family and the air I breath? Before leaving Mecca, we visit the Ka’ba one last time. For most of us, this will be our last glimpse of the shrine. There is an old proverb—before you visit Mecca, it beckons you. When you leave it behind, it calls you forever.
extracted from the source:
http://towardsislam.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=187&hl=
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[ This Message was edited by: dealer3 on 2006-01-19 22:16 ]
[ This Message was edited by: dealer3 on 2006-01-20 18:20 ] | |
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axxxr
Joined: Mar 21, 2003
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From: Londinium
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This reminds me of Yvonne Ridley who was a Sunday Express reporter who got captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan she was held prisoner by the Taliban she was so impressed by Islam she converted upon her release,now you would think such an experience would put someone off Islam but no,she now works as an active ambassador for the faith..You can read her vonne Ridley interview or vist her site: www.yvonneridley.com
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dealer3
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
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From: London
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yes, she was also a BBC reporter at the time of her capture...she had heard every evil thing you could hear about in regards to the taliban, but when she was captured, she was treated so well and taken care of, she couldnt understand why all these lies were being written and circuated amongst right-wing newspapers all over the world...she looked into Islam and now is a muslim...
she does a show called, 'the agenda', on sky digital channel 836...every morning i think...covers all the news etc etc...
brilliant person!
peace with you all...
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axxxr
Joined: Mar 21, 2003
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From: Londinium
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Also have a read about \"John Walker Lindh\" the American who became a muslim and then joined the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The public has heard little about John Walker Lindh since the media frenzy over his capture in the winter of 2001.On January 19, John's father Frank Lindh delivered an address at The Commonwealth Club of California. Lindh explained that he and his family have avoided the press for nearly four years; he now wants the public to understand the truth about his son, who he says didn't stand a chance of getting a fair trial in the emotional days following 9/11. Immediately characterized as a \"terrorist\" by the press and politicians, Lindh faced a jury in Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Pentagon. The trial date scheduled by the judge was the anniversary of 9/11. Initially facing 11 criminal counts most relating to terrorism the only charge that John Lindh was found guilty of was violating economic sanctions by supporting the Taliban government, for which the 20-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in prison. FULL ARTICLE
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dealer3
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very intresting...i think it is typical...of goverments like America, so-called 'democracies'...to be just and fair in anyway...they are simply harsh to scare/deter other people from doing anything aginst them...or even thinking about anything against them...even if it is just and non-violent! but now they are worried...because they are begining to find that people are not afraid...not even of death...people will start to do the right thing...even if it means they will be punished..."no fear"..."stand up and speak up"...is the way to move forward...most definately!
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amnesia
Joined: Jan 15, 2004
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From: Doha, London, Tokyo, Shanghai
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I went to Yvonne's site, saw this picture.
It really shows you that those US's Army guys are fighting blindly!
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max99
Joined: Nov 24, 2004
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From: Manchester (@ Uni)
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i dnt see the point of soo many similar threads about this topic, like trying to prove stuff
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solidsingh
Joined: Jan 15, 2004
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From: india
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i think its good that everyone wears the same so you cant tell who is rich/poor because in todays society everyone is judged by how big there wallet is which shouldnt be the case
"The person who wears them agrees not to harm plants and animals or fellow pilgrims" muslims kill animals in the halal way? im pretty sure thats harming animals no offence
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amnesia
Joined: Jan 15, 2004
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dont look too deep into things, he was sharing something to those who care.
Plus I didn't see any thread that was about the same topic.
Sorry if it offends you.
@solid, it means harm for no reason or in a way that could be considered torture.
There are numerous points in the Quraan that says we should eat animals (except pork) if we want. And that point in that article is saying that during that time period when you go to Mecca you should be sure to not harm anything, but it wasn't pertaining to food. (is that understandble? sorry if my explanation was off)
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[ This Message was edited by: amnesia on 2006-01-29 15:51 ] |
solidsingh
Joined: Jan 15, 2004
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From: india
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i think i understand
the quran says halal is not harming?
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amnesia
Joined: Jan 15, 2004
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well, it's like I said before, Halal is killing in the name of God and when killing the animal for food, it is killed with the minimum amount of pain as possible. (or at least as we think is possible).
Like in some Animal processing plants, they hang sheep by the legs and slit their throats to let them bleed to death, Islam is against that, an animal would be killed with one swift movement.
To vegetarians, they might say its still killing an animal, but from an objective point of view, at least it's an attempt to cause the minimal amount of harm, for those who are meat eaters.
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dealer3
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
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From: London
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halal meat...is not just any old meat cut in any old way...
ask ur butcher how they kill the animal to sell to you...today in the 21st century...there are many methods of slaughtering animals...commonly they may just shoot the poor thing, they may catch it and bleed it to death, or most commonly today they may electricute it...electricuting is probably the most common, and science has showed that the poor animals brain explodes internally due to the power of the electricution...this to me is cold blooded murder!
today it is a scientifically proven fact...i am not making it up...u can research and find out for yourself...
when meat is halal, it is cut in a special kind of way...the usual stuff, but the place where the animal is cut from...is usually just below the neck...or somewhere thereabouts...scientific facts, scientific research has showed that by cutting from this place, the animal loses it feeling of pain...therefore the rest of the process is absoloutly not hurting the animal in anyway...so overall the animal feels less pay cutting the 'halal' way than any other way...
remember this is all scientifically proven...
if u wanna to learn more about this concept or anyother...
http://www.aswatalislam.net/D[....]leID=2054&TitleName=Zakir_Naik
this speaker is great...listin to words...if u go slightly down the page...theres alot of stuff on meat or being vegeterian and so on...worth a listen if u got time...
kindest regards
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scotsboyuk
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
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From: UK
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I would have thought that the most humane way of killing an animal for food these days would be to shoot it in the head, resulting in near instantaneous death. Furthermore I would have said that it would also be humane to only kill the necessary number of animals that are required instead of killing more than are required and thus having meat go to waste and hence cause suffering and death to animals unnecessarily.
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[ This Message was edited by: scotsboyuk on 2006-01-29 17:18 ] |
dealer3
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
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From: London
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i agree that animals should not ever be put into pain and/or suffering...
im not sure about shooting an animal at its head...but it is A SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN fact that the way halal meat is cut, its causes less pain to the animal than nearly all modern methods...
just to clear confusion/misunderstanding...
halal meat...is not a special type of meat or anything....
if meat is halal it means the animal in question has been cut in an ethical way...which will cause the animal the least amount of pain possible...
this is the reason why muslims only eat (or are suppose to eat) halal meat...because most other ways hamr the animal more...
islam is a way of life...which has the utmost respect for everything...everything that is islamically wrong, is generally morally and ethically wrong...
kindest regards
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axxxr
Joined: Mar 21, 2003
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From: Londinium
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And just for those who don't know,Halal Meat for muslims and Kosher for jewish people is sacrificed in the exact same ways as described in the Quran and the Torah and both religions have allowed consumption of each others meat and all food products.
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Posted: 2006-01-19 23:11
