I Left Islam Too 

Syed Ebrahim 

May I simply begin by saying that I read the Holy Koran since I was six without ever comprehending what the heck I was reading about? I grew up in the Far East . So proud as a moslem that I began looking at the other non-moslems as damaged goods.  

My grandfather was an Imam who migrated from Yemen . Somehow the fact that we begin our names with 'Syed' had many people convinced that we were the direct decedents of Mohammad. In reality, Mohammad never had a son, so our claim to a link to his bloodline was proved to be illegitimate. Yet, people in our town thought we were above them. So we were put on a pedestal till today.  

As a child, I was confused between one aunt who believed that the earth is flat and another aunt telling us to kill lizards as a way of gaining merits. Most of all, my relatives firmly believe that we moslems are only ones that have reservations in Heaven while non-moslems are headed for eternal damnation in Hell, that includes a little boy in New Guinea who never heard of Islam. As a result, everything a moslem does is centered on how he/she will be positioned in paradise, thus it appears that moslems are rushing to the next life while viewing present life as a transit. What comes out of it is lack of prosperity, knowledge, and education.  

Shame! Today, my friend Steve is studying hard to become a rabbi attending a college that teaches general courses like any university. But my cousin, Igbal, said he just became an Imam. Requirement: read koran. Igbal is forbidden to study anything but Koran while Steve is going thru a vigorous comparative study on all religions. The simple logic is how the heck you would know how good a swimmer you are without swimming with the others.  

Islam is very much like communism; looks good only in theory. Communism has failed. There is yet to be a prosperous Islamic nation today without making it a living hell for its citizens by applying thousand years old sharia law. Judaism thrives because they take the good and throw away the bad. As long as Islam clings on to the Mohammad's teachings, it is doomed! If both Christians and Jews believe in Heaven like Moslems, then why they have made 'Heaven on Earth' as well while we linger in poverty and ignorance. I am ashamed to be part of that cult. 

2004/12/27