Being Muslim Pt. 2

Time for part two of my ongoing series dealing with facts about Muslims and Islam. Today, we'll be looking at a key principle of the Islamic faith...the Five Pilars of Islam. Let's start with the basics...what are the five pillars?

1) The Declaration of Faith: “I bear witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is his messenger.”

2) Prayer is prescribed five times a day as a duty towards God. Prayer strengthens and enlivens belief in God and inspires one to a higher morality.

3) Fasting is called for during the month of Ramadan. This involves abstention from food, beverages, and sexual activity from sunrise to sunset and it means curbing evil intentions and desires. Allowances are made for health, age and circumstances. After sunset, there are family and community meals and celebration.

4) Zakat is a proportionately fixed contribution from the surplus earnings and wealth of the Muslims. It is spent on the poor and needy and for the welfare of society as a whole.

5) The Hajj is the pilgrimage to the Ka’bah in Makkah (Mecca), at least once in a lifetime, provided one has the means to undertake the journey.

Wait a minute...did I miss something? Where's the pillar that talks about how if you blow yourself up you go to heaven? Where are the 72 or 10,000 virgins?

Getting into heaven, for a Muslim, is about following the Five Pillars of Islam. These Pillars were developed to guide a person through their life and to ensure that we all do the right things. For example, Pillar 4, the Zakat, refers to people giving contributions to charity for the benefit of those who have less then we do. Basically, it's a welfare system built into the religion and the culture, as a way of taking care of people who need help. Sheesh...these Muslims are a bunch of savages, huh?

So where do these ideas of blowing up buses full of children to get into heaven come from? In my own humble opinion, what we have is a situation where certain corrupt individuals in the world prey on the faith and devotion of a people steeped in ancient beliefs and tradition. How do you manipulate these people? Not by posting completely fabricated propoganda on the evening news, as our "leaders" do, but by telling them that this is what their God, their Allah wants...and that is simply not true.

Terrorists are terrorists because they have been lied to, mislead and manipulated...not because they are Muslim. Every culture on this globe manipulates its peoples...all of them. Dictators and rulers of many middle eastern nations prey on the faith and trust their people put in them and are manipulated in believing that by carrying out the wishes of these sadistic leaders, their place in heaven will be secured. Sadly, that pales in comparison to the type of manipulation that goes on right here. Every time turn on the Fox News Network or look at Mr. Bush dribble on standing behind a podium, we too are being lied to and manipulated. For the Muslims, the lies are based their religion. For us, our lies are based on what we believe in most...fear.