Comments on: Saudi Arabia: Would Fewer Pray?

By: Call of Adhaan – Modern Wonder 2 « THE PENS HAVE BEEN LIFTED… and the pages have dried.

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:45:34 +0000

[...] Especially having lived in a country like Saudi Arabia where there is a mosque every 2-3 blocks, I and many others used (and some still are) to complain about how everything comes to a complete stand-still during prayer times. Everything from the small baqala (grocery shop) to the largest of the largest supermarket chains; the smallest start-up company to the biggest banks; and err… an online newspaper as well. There are even times when the traffic is at an all-time low during prayers. More about this can be read here. [...]

By: Saudi Arabia: Shutting Down Online Newspaper During Prayer « American Bedu

Saudi Arabia: Shutting Down Online Newspaper During Prayer « American Bedu — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:05:13 +0000

[...] Saudi Arabia it is typical for commercial enterprises to close down daily during prayer times. As a result one must plan logistics carefully and especially in the earlier [...]

By: delhi4cats

delhi4cats — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:52:25 +0000

Saudi in US: I answered your email but you may want to check your spam filter as your email to me was in my spam folder!

By: Saudi in US

Saudi in US — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:07:42 +0000

Aafke,

I hope you do not mind me interjecting.

You are not getting anything wrong in my opinion. As I said in number 2 above, it is important to remember the principle of Islam when you do detailed study to apply rational thinking. I think you are doing that well. You actually stated a few good principles.

By: Aafke

Aafke — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:32:48 +0000

So, Abu Sinan, I got it completely wrong when I heard of Salafis, I thought that as they went ”back” to the true spirit of Islam, and to be like the companions of the Prophet that they would come out as learned, intelligent, compassionate, tolerant, understanding, etc.
I’m reading aboiut the life of the prophet right now. What do I get wrong? It is clear I don’t know nearly enough yet, but I’m getting very confused here.

By: AbuSinan

AbuSinan — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:00:32 +0000

I agree with you 100%. Your point number two is very important I think. I think this is problem in not only the religious issues of the Middle East, but in Middle Eastern society in general.

There seems to be a lack of appreciation for innovation, creative thinking, as we would say here in the West “thinking outside the box”.

I think this is one of the reasons why the Middle East, who puts out so many great engineers, has an awful record when it comes to industrial innovation. It is one thing to master the mathematics of engineering, for whatever field, another thing to add a changing and evolving sense of forward thinking to it and create something new.

Engineering, like Islam, is not best understood by just looking at the details and the statics, they are best understood by using your brain and the things that you have learned to get to the root of things and make them better.

The Middle East, in many of it’s approaches, must look to innovation and thinking outside the box. Adherance strictly to rules without looking at ways of applying those rules to life as we know it today is no more good in religion than it is in engineering.

By: Saudi in US

Saudi in US — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:30:01 +0000

Thanks AbuSinan, I think you raise some valid points. Moderate Muslims have a duty to change minds. In my opinion there are many Muslims that fall into radical thinking though 1 of 3 ways:
1) Ignorance and lack of education
2) Intense study of details while forgetting the principles that guide Islam (i.e. not seeing the forest from the trees). This is the case we have experienced here, where a few Ahadeith can guide a person to believe something that does not fit with the spirit of Islam. I noticed the focus on elimination of intellect when interpreting Islamic text in some of the arguments. This is a danger, because intellect is what allows a person to understand the spirit of the religion and to do more complete analysis than relying on isolated text.
3) Brainwashing: Unfortunately some religious leaders have direct an unquestionable influence on their followers. This is a mixed bag, if you have a moderate he/she can do a lot of good, but radicals can use the same method and to a higher degree of intensity that you can call it brainwashing.

I do not think most people will actually pick a fight. However, the expansion of this type of thinking among the masses creates a recruiting field for those that are calling for a fight. We need to confront it in words and using “Takfiri Ideology” as a term is valid. It serves to shock them into understanding the reality of their thinking and hopefully the smart ones can rethink their positions.

By: AbuSinan

AbuSinan — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:12:30 +0000

Saudi in the USA,

I have seen a lot of what I call “takfiri light”. They believe the same thing as their friends in AQ and the like, they just want to package it different. Make it a more friendly extremism I guess.

At the end of the day it is the same thing. I had a lot of issues with people like this during the war between Lebanon and Israeli. Many takfiris and takfiri-light were actually on Israel’s side (if you can believe it) just because the ones fighting Israel were Shi’a.

I am not Shi’a, nor do I believe in any of the issues that seperate Shi’a from Sunni, but at the same time I realise that is an issue between them and God. People need to be given the right to practice their beliefs as they see fit.

It is ironic that these ultra Salafi types call for religious freedom in the West, then want to eliminate it in their countries.

By: Saudi in US

Saudi in US — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:10:20 +0000

Thanks Carol for being a kind host although it was intense. I have learned a few things too, through this.

dalioness, Sorry for assuming you are a Male. Some stereo types remain with us no matter how much we try to get rid of them and I need to work on this one.

If it is any cancellation, I would have used the same intensity in my argument regardless of gender.

Regards..

By: delhi4cats

delhi4cats — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:28:27 +0000

merci bouquet!!