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W e teach kids, new Muslims, our
families and peers that if you do so and so,
you will go to heaven, if you do so and so,
you’re going to hell, which may have an
element of truth to it, but we become so
obsessed with this method of teaching
that it forms a shallow and challenging
idea of religion and a negative view of
God. That’s why, when Muslims end up
working or associating with people outside
of the religion, and they’re offered alcohol
for example, it slowly starts seeming to be
ok and acceptable because there isn’t a
strong enough backing to say no and they
begin to believe: "well God will punish me
anyway, I might as well enjoy with my
friends" Or "everyone else is doing it and
nothing happened to them, it should be
safe and I will feel accepted." Sometimes
they feel an emptiness within and look for
fulfilment in such matters because they
lack hope, contentment etc. You might
have Muslims who come from the
staunch and religious homes but their
behaviour and outlook is anything but
religious or spiritual. There are many
reasons for why that would be. There are
many of us who would initially be shocked
or disturbed with certain practices or sin,
until we associate with it long enough and
it ultimately becomes a norm.
I call this the fish market effect. Initially
when you enter a fish market, you may
be taken aback with the smell, but if
you stick around long enough, it fades
away into the background. Hence,
practices we may have avoided before,
become a norm and become
acceptable. Further to that, the “don’t
judge” card has become a ticket to do
as one pleases. It has become a way for
people to shut out advice and guidance
and very much breeds complacency.
Even matters which used to be
universally unlawful in religions and the
law itself, have now been okayed.
Slowly but surely, almost nothing is
wrong anymore, even matters like
bestiality and incest are beginning to be
acceptable and encouraged because
“you shouldn’t judge others if you are a
good person”. Sin, immodesty and
immorality are easy and become norms
because everyone who speaks against it
is “judgmental”. We should retrain
ourselves to always be teachable and
open to hearing and considering the
information at hand instead of always
being on the defence. I have had my
say regarding my opinion of the
situation at hand, but how do we rectify
it, what is the solution if moral
degeneration and lack of consideration
for religion seems to be a pandemic?
It starts with us. Our own selves. It is
the hardest thing to go back and
unlearn some of the things we were
taught and to teach the self once more
after spending a lifetime convincing
ourselves that we are correct. To deal
with the cognitive dissonance and to
be able to say I was wrong is no
simple task but it needs to be done
and it takes time. We need to start
with reconsidering who God is and
relook at how we perceive Him. God
is kind and loving. The reason why we
don’t turn to suicide and unhealthy
coping mechanisms when things get
tough, is because there is always hope
for us. Him. When everyone turns
against you, there is still one who
cares. Him. He loves to reward and to
give to you, the laws He gave to you
are to protect you because He
intimately understands how human
beings work and what will grow you
and what will destroy you. God is as
you perceive Him to be. If you think
He is punishing and angry, you will
attract situations and feelings that will
convince you of that. The mind and
energy, as well as the way the universe
has been created, is powerful. If you
think He is loving and loves to give
you, I promise, that is what will
happen in your experience.
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