Organized Religion Makes Me Uneasy

A friend showed me a forum where a somewhat famous and respected sheik issues fatwas on things like threesomes and smoking marijuana.

It saddens me to think that the majority of the people I meet feel the need to seek a sheik's approval of every intimate detail of their lives. For some reason they do not trust themselves to make any kind of judgement, or they distrust their ability to research matters on their own and come to their own conclusions.
These shaikhs capitalize on every one's vulnerability, and their "fatwas" are sometimes nothing more than opinions that have no basis in Islam. And if you tell anybody this they will think you are "some sort of atheist."

I think I am "some sort of being that posses at least one working brain cell."

If you go to these forums, you will see that all of the questions are from people who have probably asked 3294834 sheiks the same question, and might very well go on to ask 32897432894 sheiks the same question, looking for the answer they want.

Very often they are horny old men who are looking for someone to justify their want of... Perverse... Things.
Like the threesome question?

السؤال: إذا كان الرجل متزوج من أكثر من زوجة ، هل يجوز أن يجتمع زوجتين ـ مثلا ـ للمداعبة في نفس الوقت ، أو أن يجامع واحدة والأخرى ترى ذلك أو يداعبها أمام الأخرى ، أو يطلب من زوجيته التعري أمامه ويمارسهم معاً ؟
الجواب : يجوز مداعبتها معاً ولكن لا يجوز تعريتهما لعدم جواز نظر كل منهم إلى عورة الأخرى.

So basically, you can do whatever you want as long as your women keep their eyes closed.
You know, so there's a sense of modesty.

These are the kinds of examples that make a mockery of religion in general.

Faith is a beautiful thing. Religion is a beautiful thing. Sacred. Glorious.
How dare these people invade it in this manner?

We should all stop giving these people a podium.

It is disgusting that while there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the Moral Police are on forums and at their dinner tables preaching about how it is a disgrace that women can rent their own hotel rooms now without the permission of their male guardian.
And many many people blindly mimic this opinion, because someone "more knowledgeable in Islamic law" told them so.

Stop listening to these people. You be the judge.
Who on earth knows your faith, your religion, better than yourself?

Organized religion is what takes the soul out of believers.
Let's just put a stop to it.

ubergirl

Let's Try and Put Things Into Perspective...

I was listening to some people complain about how we Saudis are mistreated in airports all over the world. Going through extra security and having to take off our shoes and answer to rude Europeans about why we're in their country when all we're doing is throwing our money at them and they should be happy about us and anyway, isn't this racist?

I understand why most (probably all) of Saudi Arabia is offended by this treatment.
Don't worry, I am not going to argue that we deserve it because of our evil ways.
(You know, how we enjoy blowing things up.)

I actually think we deserve it for another reason: Karma.

I'll get straight to the point: How horribly do we treat our foreign help?
I'm talking about drivers, maids, Indian construction workers...
And not only are they treated appallingly at airports, but everywhere else.

What we Saudis put them through is torture. I am shocked at how this goes... Not unnoticed; I think people certainly notice it, but what is shocking is how this is acceptable.
We have these people working outside in the July sun for hours on end, when it is illegal to have anyone working in that kind of heat.
And what they are payed is shocking. I heard that on average these people make four hundred riyals a month, that's roughly one hundred and six dollars.
And that is not all. That's probably not even the worst of it!

We have treated them this way for decades.
And we see nothing wrong with this.
And then we wonder why we are treated like the scum of the earth all over the world.

I just wonder why it took so damn long for it all to catch up to us.
I mean, we have missed a huge chance to make up for the mistreatment of our foreign help! HUGE!

I am deeply, deeply ashamed of this.
I think these workers are incredible.
Think of all the hardship they have had to endure in their lives. Compare it to being searched a bunch of times at an airport, what we are complaining of.
Now think of how many of them there are. You probably see dozens of them everyday. You pass them without so much as a smile or a nod, to show your gratitude.
And then we have gone on to play the victim, not even acknowledging what we have done to deserve mistreatment.
Shame on us.

What happened to having perspective?
Where are all the smart people?
Why aren't they on TV telling everyone that they are idiots if all they care about is how rude the customs people are at Heathrow?

After spending twenty years on this earth, I am still confused.
Why don't we all just be nice to everyone? Having empathy is really not that difficult.


ubergirl

Free Fouad!

I have recently learned that a Saudi blogger, Fouad AlFarhan, has spent almost a month in jail.

Get him back to his kids, for God's sake.

Freedom of speech sounds pretty darn good right about now.


ubergirl

Is It Just Me Or...

... Is Barack Obama kind of sexy?



I know. He's a politician and they're icky.

He seems genuine, though.

Madri.

I guess I got a crush on Obama.
Original, I know.

I want a democracy toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I'm so jealous.

ubergirl