Assalam-u-Alaikum
I just had a very interesting day. I was recently hired at VWR International, Alhamdulillah, after almost six months of vigorous job searching. My superiors and colleagues are really nice people. On the first day, my supervisor herself came to discuss accommodations for saying my salat, which I think was a very a beautiful gesture. It’s a corporate environment and I intend to progress and develop within it. The atmosphere is really warm and friendly, Alhamdulillah.
Today, one of my Christian colleagues started a religious discussion with me. He was first talking about racism and discrimination and later he somehow went on towards religion. He asked some really intriguing questions. One of them kind of remained stuck in my mind since I didn’t know how to answer him without offending him. He asked why is it that an Afghani who changed his religion to Christianity was given the execution sentence in Afghanistan. He was surprised that the majority of the Muslim clerics agreed on this. So does Islam tell the authority figures to have the people, who change their religion (from Islam to another religion), killed? If yes, then doesn’t this defy the notion of free will? I mean consider someone who is born in a Muslim household but realizes that he doesn’t believe in Islam and would rather want to be a Jew. Then, if he converts, should he be killed? What is Islam’s take on this issue? How do I explain this view to a non-muslim/Christian person?
This brother also commented that Islam makes it impossible to consider other religions. He says that's the reason why people follow Bin Laden, the terrorist. Its because their religion makes it impossible for them to consider other religions. My take on this comment was to talk about Islam's take on terrorism and also to talk a bit about difference between cultural and religious values. I tried to explain that none of the religions promote voilence. Usually people who do such things, bomb a place and then say its in Quran, have their own political agenda in mind and they don't mind twisting the words of Allah for their own personal gains. But when I actually tried to explain the difference between religion and culture, he said both are interwined. This comment puzzled me a bit. I was unable to fully explain the difference between culture and religion although I understood. Perhaps the atmosphere there prevented me from thinking further. Its a corporate world.
I have to be careful about what I am saying without offending anyone. So my question is how exactly are culture and religion different and how do they relate or interact?
Thanks
Take care
Assalam-u-Alaikum
I just had a very interesting day. I was recently hired at VWR International, Alhamdulillah, after almost six months of vigorous job searching. My superiors and colleagues are really nice people. On the first day, my supervisor herself came to discuss accommodations for saying my salat, which I think was a very a beautiful gesture. It’s a corporate environment and I intend to progress and develop within it. The atmosphere is really warm and friendly, Alhamdulillah.
Today, one of my Christian colleagues started a religious discussion with me. He was first talking about racism and discrimination and later he somehow went on towards religion. He asked some really intriguing questions. One of them kind of remained stuck in my mind since I didn’t know how to answer him without offending him. He asked why is it that an Afghani who changed his religion to Christianity was given the execution sentence in Afghanistan. He was surprised that the majority of the Muslim clerics agreed on this. So does Islam tell the authority figures to have the people, who change their religion (from Islam to another religion), killed? If yes, then doesn’t this defy the notion of free will? I mean consider someone who is born in a Muslim household but realizes that he doesn’t believe in Islam and would rather want to be a Jew. Then, if he converts, should he be killed? What is Islam’s take on this issue? How do I explain this view to a non-muslim/Christian person?
This brother also commented that Islam makes it impossible to consider other religions. He says that's the reason why people follow Bin Laden, the terrorist. Its because their religion makes it impossible for them to consider other religions. My take on this comment was to talk about Islam's take on terrorism and also to talk a bit about difference between cultural and religious values. I tried to explain that none of the religions promote voilence. Usually people who do such things, bomb a place and then say its in Quran, have their own political agenda in mind and they don't mind twisting the words of Allah for their own personal gains. But when I actually tried to explain the difference between religion and culture, he said both are interwined. This comment puzzled me a bit. I was unable to fully explain the difference between culture and religion although I understood. Perhaps the atmosphere there prevented me from thinking further. Its a corporate world.
I have to be careful about what I am saying without offending anyone. So my question is how exactly are culture and religion different and how do they relate or interact? Thanks
Take care
Assalam-u-Alaikum
