Links to Groups of Note

There are various groups on Facebook that are helping to promote dialogue and forward thinking on issues around the world in this post I am posting links to the ones I recommend.


http://www.facebook.com/groups/LibyansAndAmericans/

http://www.facebook.com/groups/united4peace/

http://www.facebook.com/groups/223627154436541/

http://www.facebook.com/groups/newpage4peace/

http://www.facebook.com/groups/129081333916272/

I will add to and edit this page as more pages become available that should be given consideration.

The End of an Era Continued

Earlier this year I posted on the End of an Era and planned to make it into a series of posts. Well sometimes real life intervenes and what is planned does not always happen. A lot has happened in Libya and the world over the intervening months and much has happened here at home, in the United States. The Arab Spring moved on to the summer and then the fall as other countries experienced their upheavals. Egypt had its elections and seemed to be moving forward. Syria erupted into bitter conflict and many have lost their lives more on that in another post. Libya has moved forward but not without some unexpected costs (more in another post). The US went through a bitter campaign season with the country deeply divided on their choices. For the average person life moved on if not with some difficulty, it moved on.

We the people of the world saw so much happening that it was hard to keep up as one crisis after another assailed us through the news. Bin Laden was killed by a US military strike force. A film was made that stirred up protests and violence in several countries as Muslims reacted to what they considered an insult against the Prophet Muhammad and Islam. Economic crises affected many countries such as Greece and riots broke out in many countries. Everyday it seemed there was another upheaval, another bombing, more protests, more loss of life and then there was the shooting of Malala in Pakistan because she dared to seek education for herself and others like her. The Taliban took credit for the shooting and stated they would not stop until she was dead. Fortunately, she survived the attack and is now safe for the moment but what happens if she decides to return to Pakistan? Only time will tell and for those that believe in a higher power it is in the hands of God.

We the global community see changes happening everyday and it is difficult to keep up. For me I see it as was stated the end of an era and the chance for a better tomorrow. Take a stand for peace and take a stand against hatred and bigotry as we the people of the world are the ones who can control our destinies.

How I came to Islam

How I came to Islam

Friends and acquaintances alike have asked me many times why did I convert or revert as Muslims call it to Islam.  In order to give an accurate account I have to start a bit before I converted.

I was born into a typical Midwestern family in that both of my parents were white and Christian. My mom was LDS (Latter Day Saint) not devout practicing and my dad was Baptist not devout practicing either. I was raised with the standard Christian beliefs as there is a God, Jesus is the son of God, and I had to accept him as my savior. I celebrated all the standard Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter. I had a basic understanding of Christian beliefs. As I grew older I studied the Bible and was introduced to various Christian religions as my dad made it clear to my mom that I was not going to be forced to go to one specific church. He wanted me to choose my belief system. Because of his attitude I did learn to some degree about different Christian beliefs, I had friends who were Catholic and attended the Lutheran church, Methodist Church and even the Jehovah Witnesses.  I never really felt at home with any of them except maybe the Catholic church because of the nuns and priests. At one time I even fantasied about becoming a nun. The point is as far as religion for many years never found a fit. Then when I was older early 20’s and after I married my husband I was reintroduced to my mom’s faith LDS and was baptized into the Mormon Church (hind point mom had me blessed when I was a baby without dad’s consent). I was comfortable for a while and even attended the local LDS College, which was Rick’s at the time. I think in the case of the Nun and in the case of the LDS church the drawing factor was the separation of men and women in a manner of speaking.

Leap ahead or reflect as I said I was baptized into the Mormon Church at the age of 22 and had been married to my husband from Libya about a year. I did not have access to material on Islam and although hubby tried to answer my questions, he did not have the resources that I wanted. He accepted my choice at the time as he was not about to force me to become Muslim.

Now leap ahead 12 years and after the birth of my two sons. Hubby and I had been married about 12 years and we now had two sons and because of the way my father insisted on me being raised I insisted on the same with my sons. Of course there was a lot going on in the world at the time with the Palestinians and the world in general. It was in 1995 if my memory serves me correctly that an incident happened that change my perspectives completely. My sons had been born in 1984 and 1986. And were 11 and 9 at the time when my oldest son came to me and said mom (remember we were teaching them both religions at the time) came to me and said mom I want to believe the way you believe and I want to believe the way dad believes who do I believe? That question literally set me back. I was speechless as I did not have an answer and it made me realize the confusion I was causing for my children. Looking back I think I was in the same boat with the way my father insisted I be raised but more on that later.

I went to my husband and asked him what do I do? He did not have an answer either. I knew in my heart that he would never convert to my religion and it was at that time I was having some major issues with what was happening in the church. It was at that time some people had been excommunicated for talking about issues contrary to church doctrine. I had read all the LDS information such as the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, again I was having some issues.  Fortunately we had met some other Muslims from my husband’s country, I had at this time gained access to the internet, and so I started to research Islam. I had a background from what my husband had told me but now I was searching in depth. After two weeks plus 12 years, of intensive study, I found I could accept Islam but it was hard to get around the issue of Jesus as the son of God in Christianity versus Jesus as a great prophet.  Even with that one issue, I felt I could become Muslim. So as I said two week study, I converted. I still had my doubts about the Jesus issue but felt it was in the best interest of the family that we no longer divide the children.  I have not regretted my decision and have become very passionate in my beliefs. I am not perfect by a long shot but I am Muslim and will be until I die.

Back to the Jesus issue, after more research and coming across some information on the web, I was able to resolve that issue in that from my studies the word used by many to interpret Jesus as the literal son of God is an old Aramaic, which means one who is close to God. Muslims accept the virgin birth and they accept that Jesus will return among other things. Therefore, I am at peace with my choice and will always try to defend my religion against misconceptions or Islamaphobes. We still observe the holidays with my family as they are Christian and so we have dinners on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Easter but not as a religious celebration but as a celebration of family. We do observe Ramadan, Eid Fitr (little Eid) and Eid Al Adha (Big Eid at the time of Hajj (Pilgrimage)). I do not believe in trying to make others believe as I do because that goes against what Islam teaches and there will be many that say what I am doing is wrong but that is their opinion not mine and my choices are between me and God/Allah.

What it means to be an American today?

A friend of mine asked me to write my story for her and so I did and this is what I wrote. This is just a brief overview of my perspectives.

What it means to be an America today?

My story:

I was born in the Midwest, Wyoming to be exact so I grew up with Midwestern ideals. As a child I was headstrong and tended to be my own person which made it difficult to make friends. I wasn't really an introvert as much as I was a self-contained person. I had strong beliefs of right and wrong which I learned from my parents and this tended to make me somewhat judgmental and those traits continue even today.

I am now 52 years old and have learned a lot in the last 52 years. I soon realized when I decided to go to college that the world was bigger than my own little piece of America. As I had lived in several different states that was a sizeable piece but at college my world expanded sometimes painfully that there was more to America and the world than I had thought. I watched TV so I knew of other countries and I was pretty good at geography but it had no context no personal meaning. It was at college this all changed.

As I said I have a very strong belief in right and wrong and at the time I entered college in the early 80’s I felt America could do no wrong. It was there I met the love of my life and my world expanded dramatically. You see my husband to be was from Libya which at that time was under the thumb of Ghadhafi. We happened to be in the same field of study and we met through mutual friends (long story). It was through him and others that I met that I learned as an American I had a lot to learn. I could no longer keep myself in my shell and ignore what was going on beyond the American borders. This was about the time of the Iranian hostage crisis and I watched the story unfold on TV. At that time, I was part of the group that accepted the word Muslim terrorist.  I felt the Muslims and terrorism were synonymous.  I remember all the coverage whenever there was an attack by the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which was headed by Yasser Ararfat. Needless to say, I was growing in my knowledge of the world and at times it was a painful growth as I learned that America wasn’t the knight in shining armor I had thought it to be. My father had served in WWII and he had told some of the stories he had experienced during the war but they were just stories and did not have the meaning they do today.

I am proud to be an American and I do agree with our principles but now I realize there is more to it than that as I witnessed the Gulf War and the struggles more recently of the Arab Spring.  Over that period of time I learned about my husband’s beliefs and chose to convert to Islam and since then I have had to deal with the prejudice and hatred many feel towards my beliefs especially after 9/11. Many have suffered far worse than me but it made me realize that America has a long way to go to be truly accepting of all the people who make up its population. 

After 9/11 in 2005, I had the privilege of traveling to my husband’s country (Libya) and meet my extended family. They were warm and welcoming and it was there I learned how others viewed Americans. I was a bit surprised as many felt Americans were arrogant and that their way was the only way. The experiences they had were of Americans treating them as they deserved everything handed to them. I was sad this was so as I told my family there I am a guest in their country and as such it is the guests obligation to be considerate of the host. I pray I was able to change some misconceptions at that time.

Then is 2010 we were able to visit again just a few short months before the revolution. We became aware that something was brewing but it wasn’t until after we left that we followed what was going on and then the revolution happened.  I will not go into all the details but I had family threatened by Ghadhafi’s response and when it was finally over I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. This brings me back to what it means to be an American today is it means to be a responsible global citizen as what we do here in America affects others in the world. The world has become so interconnected it is important for me as an American to do what I can to help others and to work at home to protect what we hold dear our freedoms. We cannot let fear rule how we react to others.