In America at least, Islam doesn’t get the credit I think it should. Granted, I’m still not converted, but I think most of us brush it off as a religion for radicals in the Middle East without considering why it has so much weight.
Part of that weight is social, a huge part. Many people are Muslim because of their culture, and that culture reinforces itself. But beyond that, though, here are three reasons Islam is convincing, or at least attractive to me.
- Islam is fairly simple: The issues at stake, especially when they turn political, can get complicated, but the core of Islam is one of the simplest of any major religion: “There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is his messenger.” Believe that, pray, give alms to the poor, visit Mecca, and fast through Ramadan. Beyond the specifics details in the holy books, that’s pretty much it: a simple belief system with a clearly defined system for living a moral life.
- Islam claims roughly the same God and history as Christianity: Islam claims that Abraham, Moses, and Jesus were in on their religion. Being raised in Christianity, that automatically gets my attention because Abraham, Moses, and Jesus are huge figures for Christians. That said, this is more of a personal reason and probably wouldn’t apply to someone without a Christian background.
- Islam has martyrs: Sure, people argue, but when was the last time you met someone willing to die for their beliefs? Seriously, these aren’t claims. Islam has people right now who are willing to die for their religion, and many actually have. Of course, people die for a bunch of reasons: family, friends, their country, their cause. But when a lot of people do it over a long period of time, the momentum picks up.
So what do you think about Islam?
