By Miriam, a graduate student in Philadelphia crossposted at Muslim Matters
You may see me in the crowd in my community saying, “kedu” (hello) or chanting “eh” after “Igbo Kwenu” (“Igbos speak”). On the outside, I am your typical Igbo-American girl. However there is nothing typical about me – I am Igbo and a Muslimah (gasp!). Shock to you? Perhaps not, but to many in my community it is. Many Igbos and even Nigerians claim that “there are no Igbo Muslims.” Well, sorry to break it to you, but I am living proof that I am full Igbo and a practicing Muslim. When I tell Igbos that I am a Muslim, I frequently hear “tifaqua” (God forbid!). I am not married to a Muslim (a common thought among many) nor was I tricked into the faith by a fellow Muslim. I converted (alhamduillah) because I felt like this was the right path for me – to convert to another faith- the same convictions that drove my forefathers before me to convert to Christianity. Others may claim that “Islam is not compatible with Igbo culture,” yet I challenge them to prove that Christianity was more compatible than our traditional indigenous beliefs that preceded it for thousands of years. What many fail to realize is that we are a product of our environment. If Buddhists took control of Igbo land, we would most likely be Buddhist and still strong in that faith and conviction. My challenge for everyone reading is to analyze why you believe what you believe – and to respect and agree to disagree with others who may differ.
To be a Muslim in my community is difficult – not impossible, but challenging. Many of our practices, cultures and beliefs rest heavily on Christianity, even though Christianity arose among the Igbos in the 1900s. In fact, my great grandfathers were not Christian. How do I come to terms with cultural beliefs such as reincarnation? This belief is ingrained in my people. Even my grandfather, a Christian, believes in reincarnation – even though it goes against the principles of Christianity. Are masquerades (symbolizing the dead) halal? Is breaking the kola nut (see a kola nut ceremony) a preservation of my rich culture or an abomination in the eyes of Allah (subhanahu wa ta ala)? How can I find a happy medium yet preserve my identity as an Igbo? Today, this still remains a challenge. I am still trying to find a community – even if small- of people of my own ethnic background. Are there people like me? I asked myself, “do Igbo Muslims exist?” Frustrated, I scoured the internet for anything – ANYTHING that would reassure me that there were people like me. Alhamduillah, I came across this blog – about an Igbo Muslimah convert. I contacted Ify immediately and soon we became friends.
While I expected hostility from my own community, I am somewhat dumbfounded and shocked by the treatment that I have received from some born Muslims. This is certainly not an attack on the fellow Muslims who have embraced me and provided support, but rather a critique of the way some born Muslims interact with converts. You never know who might be a new Muslim – one may have converted only a few hours before your encounter. Your interaction can either help a new Muslim embrace their faith or help them leave it. I can sympathize with why a Muslim may leave Islam, due to a lack of community – especially if you are non-white. No one comes to you, and invites you for iftar during Ramadan. No one introduces you to people they know in their family who are looking for a wife. I can be assured that if I walk into a local church, I would at least be greeted with a “hello” or a “welcome” and a smile by one stranger in the church. As for the masjid? Not so much. Are some masajid unwelcoming? Yes – and I have yet to find a welcoming masjid in my area. I desperately long for the feeling of community, acceptance, and support, which is so critical to building my faith. In the predominantly Desi/Arab masjid I have attended, as a black Muslimah, I am invisible – I exchange salaams with women who give me cold looks. At the end of jumu’ah, the congregation lingers, talking and exchanging greetings while I, on the other hand, walk away, and even question if anyone noticed my presence at all.
However, the hostility has also occurred on the hands of fellow Africans. I can recall one instance when I stood next an African woman, not realizing that she was praying on her own before the calling of the adhan. I had just converted, and was still trying to understand how to perform salah. She later looked at me sternly and said, “You don’t know how to pray?” in front of others. Embarrassed, I made some excuse and apologized for the confusion. I was too embarrassed to announce to the entire group that stood around me that I had recently converted. She neither bothered to assist me nor to make me feel welcome. I never entered that masjid again. I would have preferred her to come to me and say, “Sister, I noticed that you were praying with me before the adhan? Normally, this is a private prayer.”
I am putting my story out there to paint a 3D picture of the life of a female convert to Islam that may be residing in your community. She was not a blank canvas before embracing Islam. Rather she had an established cultural identity and is trying to merge it with her faith to paint a picture of who she is today. She may not have the support of her family or community and needs the umma to become her second family. Honestly, if my faith alone rested in the hands of Muslims in my community, I would have left Islam long ago. However Allah (subhanahu wa ta ala) gives me strength to persevere even through tribulations and I ask everyone to please make dua to make this easier and my faith strong.
But don’t shed tears for me, just yet. I have found a small group of converts that I can call on for support. Recently, meeting Ify and her crew has expanded my circle, alhamduillah. On a Friday night, Ify, her Muslimah friends, and I went out for cupcakes and pizza. We laughed, talked and giggled the night away. As I sat next to these women eating my delicious pizza, I thought to myself “so this is what a community feels like.” Alhamduillah, I think I have found a niche – a niche not based on culture, race or ethnic affiliation. But a niche based on the principles of Islam and the fear of Allah (subhanahu wa ta ala) alone. Personally, I prefer the latter. Because while friends, family, and strangers may isolate you, the love of Allah (subhanahu wa ta ala) is so much greater and and more rewarding.
Dear Ify ,
Thank you for your post and sharing your experience, being Muslim is a struggle period.
Finding a community is hard for immigrants Muslim women who are born Muslims because we have been exposed to more than just one culture. There are some of us, far and few who have actually rejected parts of our cultural that Isolates us from other communities. We choose to be ‘social floaters’ interacting with people from all walks of life and going to different Masjids and marrying outside our culture. We refuse to be isolated and live in a bubble.
Unfortunately, the Majority of immigrant Muslims in this country choose culture over Islam and this penetrates through the lack of comrade and kindness towards people who are not just like them. At Masjids or in public they do not give salams or interact with others except those from their small “cliques”. It is really a reflection of the state of Ummah and the disconnect and dissonance in Muslim world-wide.
You said, “In the predominantly Desi/Arab masjid I have attended, as a black Muslimah, I am invisible – I exchange salaams with women who give me cold looks. At the end of jumu’ah, the congregation lingers, talking and exchanging greetings while I, on the other hand, walk away, and even question if anyone noticed my presence at all”.
Thank Allah that you have not been sucked into these culturally biased Masjids. I know people who have given up their identity and values for the sake of fitting in. They are American born, but suddenly after reverting they start speaking with a foreign accent depending on what community they end up with. I have heard native English speakers speaking with a Desi or Arab accents and they start wearing the native clothes too lol. Trust me, there is nothing to desire in giving up your identity just to fit-in and belong to an isolated ethnocentric congregation. I have friends who are both married and single from these cultures, who go into those Masjids and hope that no one notices them. They actually try very hard to avoid being spoken to because these women are so noisy and want to interfere in their personal lives. Very seldom do women talk about ‘ideas’ and world-issues, it is generally gossiping and family problems. If they are single someone is asking them “did you get married yet” , if they are married, someone is asking them “are you pregnant yet”, if they are divorced, then they are looked upon with suspicion. They are extremely critical of each-other, so I am not shocked that someone said something about your Salat. They pick on eahcother in the Masjid, talking about how a sister’s hijab or dress is not up-to-standard bla blaa blaa. It is unfortunate that is the state of most people. They are extremely judgmental, closed and isolated.
You have to understand where they are coming from, I actually pity them and pray that Allah opens up their minds and hearts. There was a study done in UK on depression and immigrant women. The study found that they had higher rates of depression, feeling stuck because of “family conflict that seemed impossible to resolve” and it persistent because the culture seemed seemed inescapable. Here is the abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20633932
My point of this post is that, it is not only Muslim converts/reverts that feel disconnected. It is a human-state to struggle to feel separated from others, everyone goes through that in their lives as they grow, learn and develop an identity that is evolving…
MLK said: “Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they can not communicate; they can not communicate because they are separated”
As-Salaamu ‘alaikum,
There’s nothing really wrong with converts to Islam adopting “foreign” Muslim dress — it’s usually closer to the Sunnah than our (western) dress is, consisting of a long (knee-length or longer) shirt and a loose pair of trousers. Sadly, most parts of the Muslim world have abandoned it but most people in the Indian subcontinent and west Africa haven’t, so may Allah reward them (even if other Muslims abandoned traditional dress because they were forced to) and those who adopt the Sunnah where it isn’t well-known.
This is a fantastic post- and I empathise with you for the treatment by “born Muslims” I’ve seen so many Muslims sadly enter the faith and then leave it not because of their lack of faith, but their disillusionment with the Muslim community- we are not easily embracing of others, and it is a serious issue in need of addressing. One of my best friends in college confided in me she believed Islam was the true path, but because she saw how other converts were treated, with politness but distance in one turn, and then with an admiration as though witnessing a circus attraction on the other, she was afraid to take the step to officially accept the faith. It’s sad.
@Someone from inside – Not my story but Miriam’s. I can relate to being a social floater, that’s what I am, even as I try to maintain some semblance of community. After my conversion, I too gave up some up my culture, my name among other things to fit in, to blend in, to be accepted. It’s much easier to blend in by not standing out and by adopting the dominant culture especially when facing hostility from your loved ones and those closest to you. Poignant quote by Dr. King, love it! Very true about the human condition, not unique to converts.
@Yusuf – Wa salaam alaykum, perhaps nothing wrong intrinsically but definitely the pressures to give up your culture after conversion can be immense and clothing is just one manifestation of that.
@Aisha – So devastating yet so common. I firmly believe that to practice Islam fully, we must practice our faith communally. Our faith is somehow incomplete in the absence of that community, of real community spirit and bonds of closeness and caring.
Very very true sister. May Alla (subhanahu wata’ala)reward you for this contribution.
Asalamalaykum, am so happy that you found Islam. Am a Nigeria too (Yoruba) and truly its very rare to find an Igbo muslim. I was just thinking of how you were able to cope with your family especially. Anyway may Allah continue to strenghten you. Amin
Salam alaykum,I’m an ibo muslim from Enugu State.We have many ibo muslims in Nigeria.You can connect with us @ igbo muslim group on facebook or send me ur facebook username so that I can add u to the group. Masalam.
Wa salaam alaykum Seerah, Ameen. Speaking for myself and I think I can speak for Miriam as well, coming to accept our conversion can be a process, sometimes positive and sometimes negative. But I think over the last nine years, my immediate family and those I interact with the most are now generally supportive.
i will advice you ify to leave islam for your own good and embrace the xtian faith coz that is where life is in, it is not too late God be with you
Kaunar, I receive many messages like this and usually delete them but yours was one of the nicer ones so I’ve left it. Quite happy to remain in Islam, thank you. You should check it out for yourself with an open mind and heart, you might just find it to be more agreeable to your soul. All the best.
i can see you all laughing over pizza and cupcakes. I can also guess who was there witn you all. Dear Ify, u r a gem and i pray Allah keeps u that way and increases you both in eman and patience, ameen.
Samira, wish you were there with us. Ameen, may Allah reward you and your family with goodness and keep us all on the straight path that is most pleasing to God.
allahu akbar, i’m so happy to see an igbo woman become a muslim.
the only case i have ever seen in my life was our former amir at university of ibadan (isa okonkwo)
who accepted islam after he caught the reverend father and a nun doing the fobbiden 3 letter thing.
may allah continue to strenghten your iman (amin)
what are u doing to spread the message to other igbos?
Assalam Alaikum, incidentally Sheikh Isa Okonkwo was a former student of the School of Arabic and Islamic Studies based in Afikpo, Ebonyi State Nigeria. So are many other Igbo speaking muslims. Alhamdulillah we have quite a large number of Igbo speaking community based majorly in Afikpo, Abakaliki, Enugu, Nsukka e.t.c…..
Just for mention I graduated from thesame school. Alhamdulillah
so amazement an igbo girl convert to islam,
Salaam alaykum shereef and sadiq, welcome to the blog. The gift of Islam is truly amazing and humbling. In terms of spreading the message to other Igbos, I start first my practicing my Islam and being a visible Muslim, this often generates conversation as it’s an unexpected thing for many. I write for example here on my blog and when given the opportunity also speak about my experience in Islam.
Asalam Alaikum Ify! If you will, contact me @ Khari Hubbard on facebook? I’d love to help insh’allah?
Salam Alaiki Ify, I am indeed very happy to read your post. And I believe that your conversion to Islam as an Igbo woman is the Will of Allah (Subanallah) and also a sign from Allah (Subanallah) that Islam is His religion, and whoever He wish to show the straight path nobody can stray. I wish you good luck.
Wa alaykum Salaam Sambo, indeed, the religion is universal and thank you for your words of support, it’s very heartening to hear. Stay well!
Salam alaykum Ify & Miriam. I’m happy for both of you.May Allah keep all of us on his deen till we die.I have heard of Igbo muslims in Igboland in the past.I think a lot of them are either hiding their Islam, or have decided to dump Islam because it does not give them ‘upward mobility’ in their communities,no thanks to muslims from other tribes.A lot of people are actually leaving Islam in Nigeria – Yorubas,Auchi people etc.We take our Islam for granted,we are so tribalistic and worst of all we are a very ignorant lot.
There is very little Dawah taking place.Those that were born muslims are very content with only them being muslims.They never reach out to the non-muslims in their community,nor live exemplary muslim lives.Ignorance of Islam is of course the major problem.Most of the Islamic scholars are living in the 19th century with Uthman dan Fodio(may Allah be pleased with him),so they dont know how to tackle 21st century issues.The people are left ignorant and therefore preyed on by christian evangelists or even extreme islamic groups.But some youth and elders have taken up the challenge.Pray for us and don,t ever take your Islam for granted.May Allah help you
Wa alaykum salaam taiwo and ameen to your dua. It’s true, I have encountered many West African Muslims, those whose practice was more cultural than knowledge-based, leaving Islam for Christianity or for the supposed ease they have found here in western countries.
The need for authentic knowledge and an expression of Islam, which is both practical and relevant to the lives of everyday Muslims is critical.
I thanks God for you ify because Islam is the only religion acceptable by God he who engage in any religion other than Islam shall not be acceptable , in the they of Aliqyaom shall be in the torment of fire . may God deliver us AMEEEEEN.
Jazakhalah Khairan for this post. May Allah continue to strengthen you in faith and guide your steps. I remember visiting your old blog (muslim apple) and I think I was moved to tears at some point. Its a feeling of joy, of peace within my soul I experience anytime I meet muslims either when I travel or when I read articles like this. I pray the joy will be crowned when we all meet ourselves in the highest part of Paradise.
Ramadan Kareem. . .!
Javamylove, lovely name by the way, welcome and ameen to your prayers!
I try to remember in my prayers, other converts and those seeking to put their faith into action, it can be a struggle. Developing real bonds of connection and community with other good Muslims is essential.
Ramadan Kareem! The blessed is quickly passing us by.
May god bless you and streight your faith this is another igbo convert contact her please http://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002627853472&slog=1633796466&seq=312536036&st=user&fbtype=2048&refid=0
Salam Muhammad, Ameen.
Do you know her, if so it might be better for you to contact her.
بارك الله فيك أختنا في الإسلام.
Actually Islam is the true religion of Allah, Islam is not the name after person nor the name after tribe like xtianity which is the name after jesus christ & Budusm which name after tribe of buddha.. What wil mek you intrested in is One version of Qur’an in circulation not like xtianity which hav multiplicity of bible in circulation contradictin one another..
I am an Igbo Muslim. Islamophobia is everywhere, even in my village down in the Southeast of Nigeria. But Islam teaches tolerance, perseverance, forebearance and compliance with everything that is good and humanly dignified. It is sure that Allah must test believers to know their real level of faith in Him. Life is a short passage. It is only that man prefers to be in a hurry. Islam is the true path to reach the Over-Powering Supreme Being, Allah (SWT). Muslims must be firm in their faith and seek peaceful coexistence wherever they are.
Salam alaykum Muhammad,
May Allah give you strength and patience to persevere.
Salaam Sisters,
The journey of your conversion is very touching..may this article serves as a guidance and courage to all upcoming/ future converts in sha Allah. May Allah bless you and us, strengthen our iman, and guide us to the right path (Siratal mustaqeem- ISLAM)… Keep the good work up.
Salam Hamdeeya,
Ameen! Thanks for stopping by.
Wow theres more like my self. An Igbo/ibo revert Muslim From London, uk
Salaam Khaliyl, many more like us, indeed! Welcome and thanks for stopping by.
Miriam, if u meet a muslim before u meet islam, u will not see d truth. Alhamdulilahi 4 ur life. I also know of am igbo muslimah in MICA, lagos. Will get her across inshaAllahu. May Allahu make islam easy 4 all of us, and 4give us 4 our sins. As 4 attitude, manners is lackg in d whole society 2day, may Allah help us. Love u. Sallam
Sallam ify, but really dis happens to born muslims who want 2 start practising islam appropriately, lyk wearing d hijab or niqab, Family and friends avoid u thinking u ve suddenly become an extremist. May Allah make it easy
Alhamdulilahi Rabil’a'lameeeen……..
salam miriam,loved ur piece,would love to be pals,u on fbook?my email is as below…salaam..
Masha Allah sister. May d Almighty give u strenght to withstand ur many tribulations.
Wa alaykum salaam Hadiza, Faruk, Haroun, and everyone else,
Glad to hear from you, amen to your prayers, may this month of Ramadan be filled with blessing for all of us.
As Salaamu Alayum Sister…MayAllaah be praised for your conversion…I am an African American of direct traceble Igbo decent….a convert as well I can relate to what you’re saying sister…unfortunately it seems to be black people who catch the worst of it as far as lack of acceptance and those barrier creating looks…I get that myself…..but stay strong fore we make truth our only basis four belief…Allaah is our guide and we hold no grudge…I have never communicated with a fellow Igbo before…please do respond…wa salaam
Wa alaykum salaam Chris, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Discrimination and lack of openness can be found amongst many communities. The best thing to do in my opinion is to overlook and forgive and to surround yourself with good companions that help strengthen your faith.
Unbelievable… Praise be to Allah the most gracious, the All knowing most wise… Sister m so glad indeed Allah loves U. Apart 4rm d fact that all new borns ar muslims only 2 be mislead when growing up. I’ve heard of few muslims from d eastern part of our beloved country (nigeria) n even tragic stories of how our brothers have 2 run away from d east jst 2 practice islam some have 2 wait till there parents die but am always happy 2 hear of a convert frm d east than anywher in “9ja” cus seriously its stunning i nd my friends often refer 2 them “yahud” (jews, pls dnt take it personal, jst the reality) of nigeria… Cus they hate islam, the fact is i love igbo pple fr there strong structure, courage n beauty i even thought of marrying igbo wen m due buh furtnately they aint enough muslims 2 be noticed… Mum 1ns told me in her working place n igbo man converted 2 islam, they welcomed him n even begun showing him steps as a new convert. Nt long he switched faith cus he had recieved death threats frm kins men saying he wants 2 useless his life prior to the end. An igbo girl in my area converted n her parents heard of it all d way frm d east they came n converted her back 2 xtienity how sad… But nvr the least Masha Allah i thank almighty Allah for building light in darkness for He is the light of all lights the ONE the ONLY the IRRESISTIBLE.
Note:
Miriam must hav witnessed hostility in d west cus they ar clearly enemies of islam (astagafirullah) some of them join d faith to spoil its name “Allah know”, while some of them ar ignorant of how 2 treat pple U r quite aware some of them hav “autism” n dnt really practice islam as expected, the male folks ar more welcoming…. If it wer 2 be in da eastern part of the world (arabia) U’ll be suprise of the worm treatment they give.. pls dnt denounce Allah n Us (islam) bcus sum persons try 2 embarass U it might be trail 4rm Allah n also U might want to read the biography of “MALCOLM X” n also his statement when he went 4 Hajj.
May Allah Keep our faith n guide us aright. Amin.
Abdulhafiz,
Who do you refer to a yahud? People in the East who are against Islam? We have to be careful to avoid name calling and dissing others, you never know, maybe one day they will be guided to Islam or simply leave off their hostility. When I was a new convert, another Muslim women once called me a “Jew” using the term in a pejorative sense over a disagreement we had. I remember those words stung and I had to pray and work hard to remove the animosity from my heart towards her.
The stories you mention highlight the importance developing support networks for new converts. It’s easy to convert to Islam, to make the declaration of faith, but remaining in Islam is often a serious challenge.
Salaam alaikum folks. just thought to chip in something. Am an Anambra Igbo and you cant guess how happy i am to know that there are Igbos outside nigeria (in the west) hu have chosen islam as a religion. it gives me one added spear point to trust at some of our igbo non-muslim brothers/sistas hu strongly blieve islam is for any other somebody on the planet except a civilized western-culture-loving person. more to the topic at hand i wish to say that it appears social nonacceptance is the universal lot of reverts. here in igboland the people will have nothing of a muslim of igbo origins. when i travelled to the north of nigeria i was never really accepted into the community of the hausa muslims either, leaving me quite stranded somewhat. but thank God Almighty our community of Igbo muslims is increasing daily. Na alu nu olu! Anyi ga enwe mmeri! Ka odi nu oge ozo.
Dawood, the other day I was talking to another convert and we discussed some of the difficulties experienced particularly as a new convert to the faith. Struggles are inevitable and they many strengthen our faith or weaken it. It’s important for coverts to develop good friends and support networks that encourage and reinforce our faith.
actually there are quite a few igbo muslims out there.. the brittish comedian “Nabil Abdulrashid” is an igbo muslim though he grew up in the north and identifies more with hausa culture.. he comes from a family of igbo speaking muslims… look him up
@ sadia. Sal’ alaika. Thanx a wonderful lot.
hmmm wat a story, i just wondered what made you to leave our christian faith to go and join the islam faith but whatever it is i want you to make sure you know what you are doing and that you are not driven by material wealth and the fact that most christians are a disgrace to Christ himself because if we use man as our parameter for assessing the standards of Christianity we will be prejudiced but we should use Christ and the Holy Bible as our standard and leave God to judge for himself the hypocrisy of men. There is still time for you to accept Christ before it is too late. God bless you and may our LORD JESUS CHRIST reveal himself to you all to show you the light. Amen.
Peace Ernest. While I do not want to turn d atmosphere on dis site into one of inter religious rivalry i still feel u need to b cleared on several points. I dont feel miffed by wat choice of religion any one has made but wat i hate is wen he or she tries to impose it on others or assumes an holier than thou attitude. I wud b grateful if u cud sit down n deeply contemplate wat Jesus Christ meant wen he said: ‘i hav not com 4 dose hu say we see… 4 d healthy hav no need of a physician’.
Ernestine, welcome. The reasons a person converts to another faith are as individual as each one of us but for me, Islam spoke to me, both my mind and heart, in a way nothing else ever had. Recognizing the truth in something makes it easier to follow.
I almost condemned a friend of mine who is an islam convert but when i examined his principled lifestyle filled wit d fear of Allah, i was humbled. I prayed to God for forgiveness. He is d All merciful n All gracious creature of heaven n earth. To him be a praises.
Andrea, we’re all on a journey of learning and increasing in our understanding and compassion. My mother was initially not thrilled with my conversion to Islam but over the years she has come to accept it and says that she can see how Islam has made me a better person.
Asalamu Alaikum Sister Ify,
Nice reading ur reply n thanks, “yahud” refer 2 d jews and i dnt think i have used dat word literally to d face of a “kafir”… M sorry about ur personal encounter, u make it seem thus u feel for the kafir’s Allah has said they ar clearly our Enemies and the prophet warned us against choosing a kafir as a friend no matter how good they seem. Until they accept Islam they r our enemies n if U say “NO” then i guess u’ve nvr heard a yemeni mother cry becouse she’s been asked 2 choose whch of her son dies, the cry of minority muslims in Gaza n d hardship they face, the torment in iraq, parkistan,france,briton etc many many this pple dnt hav heart, dnt look in ward cus that u can handle look outside and think of those pple who hav’nt attained the status Allah has placed U think of there sorrow, am nt encouraging violence or hatred buh we all have 2 open our eyes n live d reality imagine the blesphemy movie of the prophet, what did U do non violent about it? Did U demonstrate or try 2 make pple understand and they listened? Or said oh we are sorry? If nt for d demonstration around d world still they are refusing 2 drop d movie but Allah is watching…, the fisrt paragraph of ur reply has no justification they hate evry pint of sweat, blood nd life in our body dnt think they r kind they love U dats a lie if they love U they here d shahada everyday let them testify or rot in hell as Allah has promised read wide in the Qur’an pay attention 2 evry word and understand pple but 1 thing U should keep close ” a Kafir is nvr a friend”
bisallam.
Wa alaykum salaam Abdulhafiz_IV,
Look not everyone is an enemy, verses and hadith have very specific contexts. Even an argument from commonsense debunks the myth that all non-Muslims are an enemy to every Muslim. My parents love me and want the best for me and even support me in my Islam. The Prophet (s) loved his uncle Abu Talib and vice verse, even Allah testifies to this love in the verse that “you do guide those whom you love.” Muslims who marry non-Muslims or have children who are not Muslim, do you think there’s hatred between them? I think not. Perhaps, you would benefit from a little more interaction with people of different faiths.
It’s sad that some people can be so bigoted. The problem of inter religious violence and hate crimes both at the individual and at the social level is caused mostly by people who fail to see that differences in religion is not an excuse for war. Religiously bigoted people will surely always find passages in their religious books which seem to commend them for their negative feelings towards people of other faiths, but only seem that way because those passages are taken far out of context. I am a muslim and will always remain thus Insh Allahu Rabbi; I believe that Islam is a religion of peace and as for fighting “fight those who fight you”. That as simple as it gets.
Salam Ify, so happy to have encountered an igbo Muslim……you’re indeed a rare gem. May Allah(SWT) guide us aright. I’ve always been fascinated by the igbos, when I went to Saudi Arabia recently I was so happy to have seen people from Delta, IMO, Enugu and other eastern states.
IFY NWA NNEM JISIKE CHINEKE GBA JI UME .IF NILE INAGABIGA CHINEKE MAAKIYA. OTU IFEA KAM GABIGARA. OGE MBANYERE ISLAM.
IFY UDO UDO
Arinze,
My knowledge of written Igbo is minimal so my cousin translated your words for me. All the best to you.