" Islam an Arab religion” Do you agree or disagree?

Hugo said:
I see your point but why does Islam in practise hang on to so much that is Arab such as people changing their names to Arab ones, using Arab dress, the Arabic language etc since these things do not make it look international do they?
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Why people changing their names to Arab ones ?.

Do you mean Muslim convert ?. Because they like it.
Using Arab name is not obligated. Muslim converts can use their old name, or use Arab name, or use non-Arabic new name.
In example, there is a Muslim who often gives da'wah in Indonesian television. He was Scottish, and after he converted to Islam he use an Indonesian name, Wahyu Soeparno Putro. Actually, no one forced him to change his name, but he decided to change his name into Indonesian name because he love Indonesia.


Why people using Arab dress ?

Muslims have a right to wear Arab dress or wear other culture dress. I never worn Arab dress. South East Asian Muslim have their own Islamic dress that
different than Arab dress.


Speak and learn Arabic language ?

Many Muslims speak in non-Arabic language.
Learn Arabic language is not obligated, Muslim are allowed to learn other language without learn Arabic. And if I want to learn Arabic language that because I want to know what my Arab brothers say.



Every non-Arab Muslim has a right, adopt Arab culture or not adopt Arab culture. I decided to not adopt Arab culture because Islam is not only for Arab.
 
ardianto said:
Why people changing their names to Arab ones ?.

Do you mean Muslim convert ?. Because they like it.
Using Arab name is not obligated. Muslim converts can use their old name, or use Arab name, or use non-Arabic new name.
In example, there is a Muslim who often gives da'wah in Indonesian television. He was Scottish, and after he converted to Islam he use an Indonesian name, Wahyu Soeparno Putro. Actually, no one forced him to change his name, but he decided to change his name into Indonesian name because he love Indonesia.

Why people using Arab dress ?
Muslims have a right to wear Arab dress or wear other culture dress. I never worn Arab dress. South East Asian Muslim have their own Islamic dress that
different than Arab dress.

Speak and learn Arabic language ?
Many Muslims speak in non-Arabic language.
Learn Arabic language is not obligated, Muslim are allowed to learn other language without learn Arabic. And if I want to learn Arabic language that because I want to know what my Arab brothers say.

Every non-Arab Muslim has a right, adopt Arab culture or not adopt Arab culture. I decided to not adopt Arab culture because Islam is not only for Arab.
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I think if I may say so you have not understood what was asked or what I said. The thread is about perceptions, is Islam perceived as an Arab religion. That has nothing whatever to do with personal choice and you or any one may dress more or less as they please - although in many Muslim countries there would at least for women be little choice.

God could one supposes have caused revelations to occur anywhere to any people. So suppose there had been revelations to North American Indians instead of to the Arabs do you suppose that Muslim and Muslim converts would be naming themselves and their children Sitting Bull, Moose, Big Foot or Hiawatha and wearing North American Indian dress and feathers?

If Prophet Mohammed were born to day in say New York how would he dress and what would be his likely name?
 
Hugo said:
I think if I may say so you have not understood what was asked or what I said. The thread is about perceptions, is Islam perceived as an Arab religion. That has nothing whatever to do with personal choice and you or any one may dress more or less as they please - although in many Muslim countries there would at least for women be little choice.
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Muslims are suggested to follow prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasalam. But some Muslims thinking it including follow his dress, how he ate, etc. Because he was lived in Arab culture, these Muslims also adopt Arab culture.
Muslims are also suggested to give names of Sahabaah to their children. And because Sahabaah were Arabs, of course those names are Arab names.
This causing a wrong perception, Islam is Arab religion.


God could one supposes have caused revelations to occur anywhere to any people. So suppose there had been revelations to North American Indians instead of to the Arabs do you suppose that Muslim and Muslim converts would be naming themselves and their children Sitting Bull, Moose, Big Foot or Hiawatha and wearing North American Indian dress and feathers?
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Wearing Native American dress and feather is not a problem for Muslim men, but Muslim women need a little modification to their native American dress and must covering their hairs with hijab.
Native Americans can named their children with their typically names, but need a little change in their tradition. Usually, a moment after their children born, a Native American dad looked around and named their children like something that they saw first. But now, they can named their children like something that they saw second or third. This is for prevent them give a strange name like Smiling Dog, or Wrecked Car.


If Prophet Mohammed were born to day in say New York how would he dress and what would be his likely name?
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This is IF, okay ?
He dressed like New Yorker, but I can't imagine his name.
 
:wa:

arabianprincess said:
salam wa 3lykom

..“Islam an “Arab” religion.” Do you agree or disagree? .
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Julia - United States

Title Is Islam a Religion for Arabs Only?


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Re: " Islam an Arab religion” Do you agree or disagree?

Hugo said:
the Arabic language
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Well the Arabic language cannot be altered into a different meaning. For example Allah and God. Both have the same meaning but God can be changed into Goddess meaning God is a female or God's meaning more than one God. Allah just means God and only one God...an Arabic student told me this. This is why Muslims try to learn and read the Quran in Arabic. Meaning cannot be altered...unless if taken out of context.
 
Hugo said:
I see your point but why does Islam in practise hang on to so much that is Arab such as people changing their names to Arab ones, using Arab dress, the Arabic language etc since these things do not make it look international do they?
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Very few Muslims wear Arabic clothing. The most common clothing styles worn by Muslims can best be described as Pakistani, Bengali or Indonesian.

From what I understand a Muslims name only has to be Islamic. Not necessarily Arabic. Although I took a new name when I reverted I have been told by several scholars that there was no need to as the name Woodrow has an acceptable meaning.

It should also be noted that not all Arabic names are Islamic as not all Arabs are Muslim and some Arabic names have non-Islamic meanings. When one chooses an Arbic name it should be chosen with care.
 
Woodrow said:
It should also be noted that not all Arabic names are Islamic as not all Arabs are Muslim and some Arabic names have non-Islamic meanings. When one chooses an Arbic name it should be chosen with care.
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^ second that.

I can give a list of Arab names non-islamic meanings.
 
Danah said:
^ second that.

I can give a list of Arab names non-islamic meanings.
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If I might add here,

"Abdullah" which is probably one of the most common muslim names is quite common amongst christian arabs as well.

But then again, here in egypt arab christians prefer to name themselves with western/roman names, why don't they name themselves arab names?

Most (if not all) of christians that I know have the following names
Botros
Paulus
Michael
Mark
Gerges
Samuel

Now christians tell me, are not all those names western/non-arab?
Does that make chrisitianity a non-arab religion?
 
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GreyKode said:
If I might add here,

"Abdullah" which is probably one of the most common muslim names is quite common amongst christian arabs as well.

But then again, here in egypt arab christians prefer to name themselves with western/roman names, why don't they name themselves arab names?

Most (if not all) of christians that I know have the following names
Botros
Paulus
Michael
Mark
Gerges
Samuel

Now christians tell me, are not all those names western/non-arab?
Does that make chrisitianity a non-arab religion?
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At east one of those names is an Anglicized Arabic/Hebrew name. Michael is fro Mi'kail

Come to think of it many English names are Anglicized versions of the names of Prophets(PBUT) The non-Biblical names are usually a description of a persons work or what they desire to work as or where they live. My old English name of Woodrow has several meanings one being "Lives by the Forest"

Since Christianity was founded by Jews it seems the only genuine Christian names should be either Arabic or Hebrew.
 
GreyKode said:
If I might add here,

"Abdullah" which is probably one of the most common muslim names is quite common amongst christian arabs as well.

But then again, here in egypt arab christians prefer to name themselves with western/roman names, why don't they name themselves arab names? Most (if not all) of christians that I know have the following names
Botros, Paulus, Michael, Mark, Gerges, Samuel

Now christians tell me, are not all those names western/non-arab?
Does that make chrisitianity a non-arab religion?
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This thread is about the perception of Islam as an Arab religion. Parents choose names and they might do it for all sorts of reasons. Christians feel no obligation whatever to use Biblical names although many do but of course not all Biblical names would be suitable outside of Israel - who would want to call their child Mephibosheth or Ishbosheth for example. In my church a quick count shows me over 150 different first names and most are not Biblical ones: Nigel, Geraldine, Magda, Charlotte, Kevin, Maxine, Zoe, Merrielle and so on.

If Arab Christians prefer to use Western names that was I guess their parents choice or did you want to decide for them? In Western Society if a name is liked for whatever reason it is usually quickly assimilated, for example, Ali is used quite often and of course because Western Societies welcome people from almost everywhere we are all quite used to various names in our friends and neighbours. No one thinks they are letting the side down just because they like a names of a particular type and to think so is absurd.

I don't understand why say a Muslim convert whose given names was John Smith would want to change it and more than likely insult his parents and grandparents in so doing. In any case what useful purpose does it have? Ed Husain in his book "The Islamist" describes how he went to great length to dress in an Arab Islamic way and when he got to Syria he tells how they thought him some sort of idiot for such a pointless activity as far as faith was concerned.

I spend a lot of time in the Middle East and it is my impression that there Arabs dress as they do because that is how they feel comfortable - it has nothing much if anything to do with the devotion to Islam and when they come to London they dress in a Western way because that is how they feel most comfortable here - well part of it is practical as one might find it not very practical to use Arab dress at -5C on a cold Glasgow night. Westerners do not typically reciprocate but no one stops them if they wish to do that.

If you visit a church compound say in Abu Dhabi you will see Christians from every where and they often dress in their native ways and its a great sight to see such variety and colours in dress and manners. So no, only one thing defines what a Christian is and that is their belief in Jesus.
 
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GreyKode said:
If I might add here,

"Abdullah" which is probably one of the most common muslim names is quite common amongst christian arabs as well.
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yeah, come to think of it. Arab Christians and Jews called God: Allah. Even in the Arabic version of Bible they used Allah to refer to God
the right way "linguistically" to write the name is Abd-Allah like its written in Arabic....but since we combine it in pronunciation it comes as Abdullah.
the word Abd means the slave of
Allah: God
so its the slave of God
 
Re: " Islam an Arab religion” Do you agree or disagree?

Hugo said:

I don't understand why say a Muslim convert whose given names was John Smith would want to change it and more than likely insult his parents and grandparents in so doing.
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I don't understand why changing a name would be an insult.
 
Guestfellow said:
I don't understand why changing a name would be an insult.
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Yeah, there are plenty of other examples of people changing names from a whole host of cultures and religions:

Countless people change their name when they immigrate from one country to another in order to "fit" in their new land.

Abram, Sarai, and Jacob all had their names changed by God as an expression of their encounter with God.

Catholics today still receive a new name at the time of their confirmation. I had high school classmates who chose to use them as their new everyday name in place of the one they had been given at their birth and christening -- all with the blessing of their parents.

My son has gone through so many name changes (none to avoid the law or anyone), that sometimes I have actually had trouble keeping up with its present rendering.

And of course in Anglo cultures it is common for women to change their surname upon marriage, but in Hispanic cultures one keeps one's surname without changing it at the time of marriage. Some of my Hispanic friends think that for a woman to change her name is an insult to the family she was born in, but of course I don't think it is meant that way at all.

So, Hugo, just because you (or I) don't understand why a Muslim convert would want to change his name, that doesn't mean that we should project that it would necessarily be received as an insult to one's parents or grandparents.
 
Grace Seeker said:
Yeah, there are plenty of other examples of people changing names from a whole host of cultures and religions:

Countless people change their name when they immigrate from one country to another in order to "fit" in their new land.

Abram, Sarai, and Jacob all had their names changed by God as an expression of their encounter with God.

Catholics today still receive a new name at the time of their confirmation. I had high school classmates who chose to use them as their new everyday name in place of the one they had been given at their birth and christening -- all with the blessing of their parents.

My son has gone through so many name changes (none to avoid the law or anyone), that sometimes I have actually had trouble keeping up with its present rendering.

And of course in Anglo cultures it is common for women to change their surname upon marriage, but in Hispanic cultures one keeps one's surname without changing it at the time of marriage. Some of my Hispanic friends think that for a woman to change her name is an insult to the family she was born in, but of course I don't think it is meant that way at all.

So, Hugo, just because you (or I) don't understand why a Muslim convert would want to change his name, that doesn't mean that we should project that it would necessarily be received as an insult to one's parents or grandparents.
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You may be right but my words were might be regarded as an insult to the family name.
 
Hugo said:
You may be right but my words were might be regarded as an insult to the family name.
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If I am to understand your use of the word "might" means that you weren't really saying that the family would be insulted, shall I also understand your use of the word "may" in saying that I "may be right" means that you really aren't saying that I am right?
 
Guestfellow said:
I don't understand why changing a name would be an insult.
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:sl:

When I became muslim , people gived me a new name , Mustapha .

It is not an insult for my mother and she is calling me "Philippe" . In fact , I did'nt change my name , but Mustapha is a new name . :D

This is not an obligation in Islam to change the name , Arabic or not .

Iskander is a muslim name but not an Arabic name .;D

Be happy with Islam .

:sl:
 
Grace Seeker said:
If I am to understand your use of the word "might" means that you weren't really saying that the family would be insulted, shall I also understand your use of the word "may" in saying that I "may be right" means that you really aren't saying that I am right?
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Does ".. aren't ...I am right" - you are wrong?

I just offered an opinion and I can be as wrong or right as anyone else. Thomas Paine once said:

A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it the superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.
 
If Prophet Mohammed were born to day in say New York how would he dress and what would be his likely name?
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New York didn't use to exist back then.Islam isn't perceived as an Arab religion but a lot of Muslims follow the Sunnah,traditions of the Prophet Mohammad(PBUH).
 
Re: " Islam an Arab religion” Do you agree or disagree?

Hugo said:

If you visit a church compound say in Abu Dhabi you will see Christians from every where and they often dress in their native ways and its a great sight to see such variety and colours in dress and manners. So no, only one thing defines what a Christian is and that is their belief in Jesus.
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If everyone dressed the same then that means they're equal in some sense. For example when Muslims go Hajj they wear the colour white only to symbolize that they're all equal.
 

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