Ask Ali: covering up and distinguishing between faiths and religions

Dear Ali: I have read your columns and you make note of how Muslims respect the monotheistic Abrahamic religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism). Why are Hinduism, Buddhism and other religions frowned upon by Islam? AR, India

Dear AR: I have met many good Hindus and I’m sure there are many fine Buddhists. Both faiths have some beautiful ideas, and I love reading the Dalai Lama’s tweets. Note, I’m using the word faith and not religion. This is because a faith is different from a religion. We see it as the following: a faith can be created by a person and others believe in this man’s vision and values, but a religion is a message that is sent directly from the one and only God via his angels to the prophets as is the situation in the three aforementioned religions. It’s not that we frown upon these faiths so much as they don’t fit into our Islamic ideas about religion.

Islam, as one of the main religions that came after Christianity and Judaisim, simply explains that there is no God but Allah, as he is the same God of Adam, Noah, Moses, Ibraham, Isa (Jesus) and Mohammed, may peace be upon them all. Hinduism and Buddhism is seen and respected as messages that are brought by human beings and not Allah. In Buddhism and Hinduism, there is the idea of goddesses and many gods, which is against the beliefs of the monotheistic religions.

The Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) received the message of the religion of Islam as a reaction to the polytheistic religions that had taken over the region. It is very important to Muslims that there is one God; we even have a word for it: “tawhid”. Tawhid is one of the five basic foundations of the religion, and we recite it every day in our prayers.

Buddhism is based on the teachings of a man. He was not a messenger of God like the prophets of monotheistic religions.

As a Muslim, I respect all religions and faiths, and Islam always reminds us to remember to never disrespect any other faith or a religion. In fact, in the UAE we have the oldest temple in the region, which is located in Dubai, and many Buddha sculptures can be found in markets so it’s not really frowned upon. But it’s seen as a faith and not a religion.

About this, I remember how my beloved father would always say to me: “Son, all religions and faiths are perfect, but sadly not all worshippers of these religions and faiths are perfect.”

Dear Ali: I see women around town in headscarves and tight jeans. I suppose they cover the required amount, but seem to miss the point, no? JJ, Dubai

Dear JJ: Everybody who follows Islam is allowed their own individual interpretation. Times are different, and so are the ways people interpret religious ideas. As with any religion and faith, there are many schools of thought about dressing modestly. Some think that wearing the hijab, albeit with tight jeans, is better than not covering at all. Others disagree.

You might even find sisters living in the same home, one covered and the other not. The point is, it’s personal and the debate is always in flux.

Compare this to what is going on in the French part of Canada, where the government is trying to ban the hijab. Yet I remember seeing photos of topless female students protesting at an increase in Quebec university fees. True, Christians (or Jews or Muslims) don’t support nudity in public, but it is part of the culture in some countries so they learn to live with it.

The main point about the dress code is that it has far less to do with what you wear but how you carry yourself. Behaving in a way that is consistent with the teachings of Islam is the truly important thing.

Ali Al Saloom is a cultural adviser and public speaker from the UAE. Follow @AskAli on Twitter, and visit www.ask-ali.com to ask him a question and to find his guidebooks to the UAE, priced at Dh50.

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