WHAT IS ISLAM?

As I said in a recent blog, I am a khareji in Blogestaan. And ever since I've been here, I have read many long discussions about what Islam is. These discussions occurred among people far more qualified than I to engage in this topic. They were more qualified because almost all of them were either Muslims themselves or had grown up among Muslims.

I am not a Muslim. I did not grow up among Muslims.

And so I followed these discussions with great interest, hoping to find out just what Islam is, but they never arrived at any conclusion. And since they never did, I pondered and pondered this question until I came to an idea of my own. And I thought since all these experts seemed not to really know, I might as well throw my opinion into the mix. This is my opinion:

WHAT IS ISLAM

Islam is a religion.

Every religion is like a box of clothes.

On the bottom are heavy winter coats, like Khomeini, Torquemada, Menachem Begin, coats so heavy they actually threaten to break the box

above are the fall coats, then spring jackets,and summer chiffons

like Shirin Ebadi, Episcopal Bishop Paul Moore, Rabbi Michael Lerner, jackets and chiffons so light they want to open the box and give it some sunlight and air

and the coats on the bottom of the box have more in common with the coats on the bottom of the other boxes

than they do with the chiffons in their own box

they are actually the same religion, really

and the same can be said of the chiffons

And the atheists too they have their own box

from Chairman Mao all the way to Bertrand Russell

Like I just said every religion is like a box of clothes.

.

What is Islam not?

ISLAM IS NOT: Khomeinism. It is not Velayate-Faghi. It is NOT ISLAMACISM. It is not the current IRI. This is a repressive POLITICAL ideology which uses Islam as a tool of control . When one remembers the virulent executions of Khomeini's former ALLIES including Islamic groups, and the decades of house arrests of those Ayatollahs who maintained (correctly) that Velayate-faghi goes AGAINST Islam, since shortly after he came to power, this becomes crystal clear.

Like I just said, this coat is so heavy it doesn't really belong in the box at all because it isn't a religions really, it is POLITCAL ideology.

Some of you are missing the boat.

WHAT IS THE BOAT?

The boat is that you all want a TRUE PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY IN IRAN.

Why are you missing the boat? You are missing the boat because when; you try to define Islam you are chasing a red herring (this means something that is thrown into an argument to deflect--take attention away--from the true essential issues). Why is it a red herring? Becasue Islam, like any other religion, has no definition. You are chasing this red herring in an ENDLESS sea, yes, ENDLESS, it NEVER will end, and you are swimming further and further away from the boat.

SOME of you, I said. Not all.

Get back on the boat.

Get back on the boat and steer it TOGETHER..

What is a parliamentary democracy in Iran? How can we get there? How can we use this website to get there? What is possible? What is not possible? How can the Iranian expat community become relevant in achieving a parliamentary democracy in Iran?

That is the boat.

Please discuss.

Rosie

PS I'll be quiet. For a while.