Islam and a look back on religion

I am currently in the process of reading the Koran. As many of you who have read my previous writings can assume, I am rather critical of religion for all the wrongs done in its name throughout history.
I was raised a Roman Catholic and for some time I even considered being a priest because I felt I could help people through god. This was all before my faithful introduction to Ernesto Guevara and communism thanks to a Get Fuzzy comic strip. For the longest time, I held the notion that god was good and that people would be rewarded in life or at least in heaven. Communism however, and the realization of the circumstances of those around me in my poverty stricken neighborhood began to weigh on me. Because of these two things, I became an atheist. For me the suffering millions of humans go through everyday was too much for me and those in the church could not give me satisfactory answers. Not only this, but the hypocrisy of the church angered me as many people no better than myself sought to criticize others and act like they were more worthy of god’s love. I understand showing respect in religious institutions but saying that you are better than someone simply because you are wearing what you deem more respectable clothing is trivial. At that time I was taught that only god was in any position to judge others. Despite this, hearing people judges others was too common. These individuals truly do not understand god.
That was many years ago and I have changed much. Communism and atheism are still strong beliefs I hold, but these thoughts are not as radical as they had once been. Regardless many people still think I am nuts! Recently I have decided to look at religion and try to understand it. I was raised Roman Catholic so their customs and beliefs are known to me so I decided to venture into Islam to see what it is like. Amongst the black community, Islam has always seemed to me as a way for blacks to escape from a white man’s religion. This is the sense I get when reading the Autobiography of Malcolm X, watching that movie Ali with Will Smith or talking to converters to Islam. These people don’t seem to understand god as well if they are converting because of the racial history behind a religion.
So in order to understand Islam more, I decided to read the Koran from start to finish. Its amazing how many people say they are Muslims, Catholic, or so on yet never actually read their scriptures to understand why their religion is the way it is. As I write this I am currently on Surah XXXVIII Sad so for all you Muslims out there, I’ve gotten pretty far into it. While I have not finished reading it, I think it is safe to make some conclusions based on what I’ve read.
It seems to me that these religious scriptures were made to guide people and in many cases it asks people to be reasonable, generous and to care for your neighbors. Of course there are also instances where many people were slain just because their ways did not fit into “Allah’s will” but many times Muslims could be seen living alongside those of other religions. Its amazing because the Koran goes into such details as to what to do for the family when a husband dies, what to do with those accused with adultery, and many other things. What I liked best is that, the accused were not automatically guilty and stoned to death but the accusers need to show proof of these adulterous acts. While it is sexist in some ways (like the distribution of wealth having greater emphasis for men), it cannot be helped that times were different back then and men were the moneymakers of the household.
There are many things I can agree with on the Koran and Islam in general. On learning about why women follow the Hijab, I found myself agreeing with this principle. The Hijab dictates that women should cover themselves so as not to be lusted after by men. While I feel that women should be allowed to choose whether they want to wear a veil or not, it seems that the Koran brought this about in best intentions. Not only does this protect women from men who may think vulgar thoughts based on their physical appearance, but in a sense you actually get to see who this individual really is. You won’t learn to look at her based on her bust but rather her character.
When comparing it to the Bible, it doesn’t seem too different either. Many stories are shared in both the Bible and the Koran such as the story of Moses, Solomon, Noah, and just about everything and everybody really. Jesus is a prophet in the Koran and is not viewed with as much reverence as Muhammad but is still respected nonetheless. I think it would be safe to say that Muhammad in the Koran is the Bible’s version of Jesus. Each are staples of their religion and act as ways people should live their lives.
While I have gained a better appreciation for Islam and religion in general, my views on it have not changed because humanity has distorted and bastardized religion. Women in Islam are constantly discriminated against and men seem to always be the winners based under Islamic law. It isn’t always the case but many Islamic governments have committed human rights records all because of their distorted few of Islam. The Koran itself is a great guide to living a healthy life but the people around the religion have been duped into something that is detrimental to their living.
Don’t think I am bashing Islam only! This criticism of Islam can also be taken into account for many other religions. I know in Latin America Roman Catholicism goes hand in hand with politics for some states. This is something that has caused many of these countries to hold themselves back like some Middle Eastern nations. Countries such as Colombia have abortion banned even in these times based on religious reasoning. Like Karl Marx said, religion is the opium to the masses. People turn to it to solve their problems but it can only do so much before letting the people down.
So as many people have said countless times before me, the scriptures itself are not bad, but rather the people who follow it. There are many religious individuals who truly understand these religious works and follow it without due harm to others. While I respect them for this, it is a path I can never follow again. Too much injustice has been done in the name of religion. Whether it be only a minority of the individuals following said religion, the vocal minority have time and again debased the silent majority. Religion has and will always prove detrimental to society and must be eliminated.

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