Open Letter to my One Very Careful Reader

Oh and my good (redacted)...don't worry if this makes you feel uncomfortable (and perhaps it doesn't but parts of it may). Once again, expected. For people who are not muslim, there is not much in the way of 'comforting' notions of 'turn the other cheek' (in the beginning). Those notions happen later once you get the other stuff out of the way. What other stuff? Well..things like the Geneva Conventions of God. Islam speaks directly to acts of war and oppression and establishes very, very clear rules regarding that (and many many muslims do not follow those conventions any more than the US gov or Europe follows the GC or Israel follows the conventions of basic human rights involved in the usurpation of individuals from their own property and the sequalae of all of that). There are many many other details of Islam as well that leave the first time visitor into its halls at a loss for words or leaves them in a position of 'defensiveness'. Like homosexuality, nudity, idolatry, adultery, gambling, drinking, usury, the devil, the hocus pocus of the world 'unseen'...many many things. All I can tell you is that when you fully understand it...you do. What is useful to know is that regarding any and all of these issues, comfort is provided in that a muslim does not have to 'openly' convey his distaste for anything (should he develop a distaste for something as miniscule as dishonesty to something as grand as Sodom and Gomorrha). What a muslim must do though is develop an internal dislike for unjust things and move on from there based on the notion of one God. One God plus an Arab prophet and that is where most people are derailed right away because the prejudice against the darker skinned peoples of the world was seeded long, long ago in our Western conscience. It isn't even our fault! After one gets over that giant hurdle though..there are dozens of others like, what happened to Jesus? Yea and why talk about Moses still? And what's this about marrying a young girl barely able to brush her own teeth (most people don't realize that the Virgin Mary wasn't a legal adult either and they'd prefer to keep their womanly notions of her intact it seems as well as their notions of Jesus being one of the few prophets with no mention of a wife (see Da Vinci Code there)). Well, I don't know if Jesus (pbuh) had a wife because Islam doesn't mention it but neither does Islam mention Chinese Foot Binding in relationship to violence against women who suffer the injustices of genital mutilation. What it does mention is that Africans who hoped to be muslims could indeed excise "just a tiny piece" of the clitoris if it meant that would help them to accept the Creator and his messenger a bit easier. It did not command it though. There are so many topics within it Ozy and I assure you...none of them is an easy trail to follow and the only way of following it is to start with the basic belief.

And I cannot condone people who cannot jump that hurdle. Surprisingly enough...I have discovered most people do believe in one God and were just never alerted to the issue of a prophet of darker skin being the pivotal means to an end "for all types of people and for all time". Not just for one ethnic majority.

That is why Islam has members from all over the world. They know what it is when they get there and we all pretty much agree on a few things but most importantly: you must stick to your guns and there will be alot of folks and devils trying to pull you down into their levels of disbelief. That much is for sure.

But for your sake (redacted)...don't worry if it makes you uncomfortable. That is entirely part of the process of understanding the bottom line of One God and the commandments issuing from same.


Embedded

I thought I was just pretending
all along, saying well, that's
bound to happen and it does and I say
well, that's bound to happen.
We all know that when we leave
the room, the room disappears,
we've perceived that since we were born
and sometimes we talk about it
with strangers knowing full well
that once the guy leaves
he takes your secrets with him
into the ether or
the dark same thing.
It is a strange statistic
and one I am fond of until
it comes to the war zones.