Oct 102012
 
Can Muslims Celebrate Halloween?

October brings with it another problem for Muslims: Is it all right for us to celebrate Halloween? On the blog GOATMILK, as part of its ongoing series of debates,  a guest blogger recently wrote an article about why Muslims should be allowed to practice Halloween. (See article here.) Basically her reasoning went like this: Other cultural practices lack an Islamic origin or a pure history, but have permeated into the fabric of our lives, and [...]

Aug 092012
 
Feeling Lost as a Convert

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world (although it is second in number of adherents). This is partly because of the growth of Muslim families, but it is also because of an increasingly large number of converts. However, what many Muslims don’t realize is that many of these new Muslims leave the faith after months or even years of being converts. See this article, “Why Are New Muslims Leaving the Faith?” from Islam21c. [...]

Jul 052012
 
The Individual and the Ummah

Muslims are constantly talking about the ummah, which means “community,” specifically the community of all believers. We’re proud of being a part of this community, but in actual practice we do little to foster a feeling of fellowship among its members. Sure, we all pray “together” five times a day and fast at the same time during the month of Ramadan. And there are mosques where we can gather for prayer and other events. But [...]