As I was reading this article, I found it very interesting with the types of perspectives individuals had about Islam, whether they were Muslim originally, or a convert. For example, Omar Ibn Sayyid, a former slave, justifies slavery because his owner fed and nurtured him, and he learned about that family’s Christian beliefs. Once he did, he decided to convert from Islam to Christianity. While other individuals like Mohammed Webb was raised Christian and converted to Islam. Sayyid talks about Islam in a negative connotation, while Webb does not. Why do you guys think these contrast perspectives developed and do you think religious scholars view this as a sense of those individuals turning their backs on their “original” religion? How do you think culture influences the religion that you grow up with?
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6 thoughts on “Curtis Sayyid Webb: Perceptions of Islam”
jneeh
I believe that a culture might have an influence on one’s religion but not a huge influence. I also think that as long as you have a strong faith and a complete understanding of your own religion, no culture can change your beliefs or religion views.
gsbaum
Culture and environment definitely plays a big factor on what religion an individual will follow. For example, with the limited amounts of mosques and other locations for Islam practices and ritual in America, it is pretty self-explanatory why people convert or just “lose” their religion due to the inability to practice in the particular environment. Moreover, contrast perspectives are developed due to personal beliefs and/or interpretations provided by outside sources.
ademaio
I do not really think that there is any “turning one’s back on religion” since at the end of the day Islam and Christianity are relatively similar in terms of what they believe about God and who God is. The cultural influence, that is the time and place in which a religion starts, is what changes the malleable things about a particular religion, like its doctrine. Doctrine can evolve and change while the Qu’ran and Bible will always be comprised of the same words. Because of this, the doctrines of Islam and Christianity are quite different and are probably the reason for people converting from Islam to Christianity or vice versa. These conversions are not a rejection of one’s previous religion, but rather an attempt to understand God better.
mmrajan
I’m not sure that religious scholars view this as turning their back on the “original” religion. In fact, the conversation we had in class made me realize that a scholar is capable of placing the reading within the context of the period in which it was written. For example, it was interesting how we were able to discuss whether or not Sayyid actually had the freedom to speak about Islam in the way he intended since there’s a chance he was forced into Christianity. This opened my eyes to how even just a little more information about a specific subject can give you a more critical view of the topic.
In my perspective, culture plays a large role in religion. I’ve seen that it can vary the individual practices but also general traditions.
aodalton
Some people who grow up in a certain religion will feel very close to it as it can be a part of identity and culture. Others will feel hostile toward the religion they grew up with and are eager to leave because of bad experiences. Still more (and probably the majority) are complacent because it has been a part of their lives for so long that they took for granted. People can have so many different reactions to their first religion that it is hard to understand or trace why so many people may feel differently. I think it has to do with what each individual values (emotion vs. reason, freedom vs. security, etc.) as well as past experiences with the religion.
afshamim
I think this is a very interesting question. I think it is very rare for people to change religions from the one that they were raised with. One of the main reasons for this may be the fact that practicing the religion that you grew up with and that your parents shared with you is something that may be cherished by many. Like in the book “Exit West”, praying for the main character was a way for him to reconnect with his homeland and his father, with whom he was no longer in contact with. This is one reason that changing religions later in life may be uncommon. In addition, I think another factor may be that if someone grows up and suddenly believes that their religion is no longer worth following, those people often end up being the “anti-theologists” who reject religion as a whole. I feel that it is not as common for someone to be raised in one religion and then make the transition to a whole new religion. I think the one exception to this matter may be in the case of religion, especially in the modern world.. Many marriages between people of different religions often results in tension between the families due to the difference in theology. Therefore, it seems like it is getting more common for one of the people to change religions. Although this may simply seem like a symbolic gesture, since those people are married it seems more likely for the convert to really believe in that religion.
In the case of Omar Ibn Sayyid, it seems to make sense that he converted to Christianity due to his circumstances. The people who he perceived to be the ones who were giving him sustenance were Christian, and if they were doing it from a point of piety, then it completely makes sense that he would transition to that religion. In addition, he was not in constant contact with other Muslims or Imams to keep him guided toward his original religion, which may be a contributing factor as well.