dlish

no i havent. i dont think im in the right spiritual mindframe at this point in my life. i far from being a perfect muslim, and the intention when going to Mecca is to come back to your normal life sinless, but also with the intention of not committing sin. i do plan at some point in my life of course. during my younger more fervant days, i was closer to going to Mecca. but the intention is still there. I'll wait for my calling. my father has been twice, my mother a few years ago, my twin brother once and my younger brother once as well as also doing a Umra (which is considered a 'mini' hajj outside of the hajj period so to speak)


there is no set structure in islam.we have no pope, and nobody is infallible. we are all capable of sin and making mistakes. there are committees across the world, but many imams, sheikhs and just people knowledgable in religious affairs are able to deduce some sort of judicial judgements based on Qur'an, Hadith and Sunnah (Qur'an is the holy book, Hadith are written sayings that Muhamamd did, and sunnah are the daily doings of prophet muhammad). any judgements deduced need to be in line with those 3 things. with the advent of technology,it has brought some interesting new innovations (like the astronaut issue mentioned above)

abortion yes. similar issues with morality of killing foetuses (sp?).

birth control no. though some ardent observers believe that bareback is best. coitus interuptus is practiced with those people, but is a bit of hit and miss really. pverty in large parts of the muslim world play a large role in the number of children they have. the lack of access to education, health care and support means that the muslim population is expanding at a rapid pace compared to the western world.

in the middle east? yeah there are people that come door knocking here in the UAE who sell you copies of the latest blockbuster on dvd. if they find that you live alone, they'll usually ask you if you want blue movies. most of these door knockers are chinese. if you get caught with it in the airport, they'll take it off you and possbily fine you. if you get caught selling it, you'll most likely get deported. Im talking about the UAe and probably the gulf. im not sure what its like in other places of the muslim world though.

in the UAE yes the vast majority or people speak english. i only speak english here when doing business unless i come across someone who only speaks arabic.

---------- Post added at 07:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:27 PM ----------

let me pray for your foul tongue and that the cubs win the championship next season....amen

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