An Ex-Muslim Dares to Question Allah
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 70s-80s, there were no “religion tolerance” classes in school. The extent of learning about other religions was limited to our one Jewish classmate whose family would come and explain their customs on holidays. When I was 12, my mom’s German-born cousin, her American husband and their children had to leave their jobs in Tehran and move to California because of the Islamic Revolution. At that age, the facts went in one ear and out the other. I recall hearing about the Shah and the hostage crisis on TV all the time, but the magnitude of it didn’t penetrate my pre-teen brain. Islam was barely a footnote until college, and even then not a huge topic.
For most of my life, I believed what I’d always heard; Islam was a religion of peace and extremists were sullying the image of good Muslims throughout the world. As I got older, writing on the topic of parenting propelled that vision of a peaceful people in my mind; after all, didn’t we want our children to be well rounded and respectful of others? I believed it. I couldn’t grasp the idea that any religion would dictate murdering those who disagree. While getting into political writing started to open my eyes, the Obama administration and their special exceptions to the Muslim Brotherhood forced me to face the truth about Islam and Sharia Law.
Something that troubles me is the possible reward for loyalty to Allah. If a Muslim’s good deeds exceed his sins, or if he dies fighting infidels, he may go to “paradise” with its peculiar sexual perks. Strange motivation. Of course, the Koran ignores and denies several truths. It denies Jesus is the Son of God, it denies that His death was atoning for our sins and it denies His resurrection. With Islam, if you are Christian, Jewish or any non-Muslim faith (an infidel), you have to be converted or else killed so you suffer eternity burning in hell. For all the questions I can muster up, Amil Imani has far more poignant ones.
Amil Imani is the author of Obama Meets Ahmadinejad and Operation Persian Gulf. Leaving Iran during the revolution, he hopes for Iranian democracy and speaks out on the danger of radical Islam. He recently shared an essay on his website called An Open Letter to the God of Islam. It has funny parts (like waiting to be struck with a thunderbolt for questioning Allah!), but primarily he’s asking some serious questions. He writes,
“I have been spending much of my life trying to get some satisfactory answers to my questions about Islam from Islamic scripture and authorities without success. More often than not, I get conflicting answers, confusing responses and even outright contradictory statements.”
I don’t believe that Sharia law is breaking out across America, but the Koran is very clear on what should be done here and many American-Muslims openly agree. In 2010, NPR admitted, “U.S. courts already recognize and enforce Shariah in everything from commercial contracts to divorce settlements, to wills and estates“. For now, their considerations seem to stay within U.S. law, but it is something we have to watch. An Open Letter to the God of Islam is a must-see for anyone interested in learning more about radical Islam. Check out Amil Imani’s articles at: AmilImani.com
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” ~Matthew 5:44
