Well, for sure that reverend  in Florida, Terry Jones sure does not get it.  Uhm, a Christian without heart and only mind and anger.   Yep, he is going to do what he is going to do because his  belief system is  skewed by his own blindness.  Yes, I have been stating this many times already, “when an individual  dies that person will review his past and feel his own judgements towards others and of course suffer.”

It is only fitting that these type of people crop up from time to time to remind those who are moving toward the light how far we have come and how even further we have to go.  Yes, in Jesus time the world was in a different modality and He needed to create controversy so that others would rise above their own intellect and prejudices.

The meaning of Jihad is struggle or effort .   This is the primary meaning of the term as used in the Quran which refers to an internal  effort to reform bad habits in the Islamic community or within the  individual Muslim.  The is also used more specifically to denote a war waged in the service of religion.  Muhammad in His time also had skirmishes with other tribes in order to unite Arabs in a belief that God is One and idol worship would take one away from  the creator.    Those Muslims who wish jihad just don’t get it. Hatred and judgements will continue to cause pain and suffering upon humanity.

Regardless of one’s belief it through Love of God one can heal and find peace within and without.  Fundamentalism (religious beliefs based on literal interpretation) is sooooo much mind and very little heart.  The Christians and Muslims who follow this doctrine will continue to cause separatism and delay unity.

Man will have his say since we have yet to move into a matriarchal society based upon  Love, tolerance, and peace.  At this time it is important to delve into who you are and know that you are truly a child of God.

The Oregonian has been running several articles depicting a number of Muslim’s fasting during Ramadan (a month of fasting). Dr. Sam Hassan an anesthesiologist states, “whenever, I encounter stress I turn inward and ask God for forgiveness and guidance.”  He goes onto say Ramadan is a more intense expression of the faith that I practice all year long.”

For many Muslims they do this as a ritual and have difficulty remembering the reason they fast.  The mind will gravitate to that which it thinks it cannot have.  I know from a personal experience that when I fasted, I longed for food and after three days I could not wait to eat.  Hence I focused more on food then on God.

I do not  profess to judge how or why Muslims fast on Ramadan.  According to this article Dr. Hassan seems to do it for the right reasons.  My teacher, Meher Baba ofIndia states, “By bringing into action the vital forces to withstand the craving for food, it is possible to free the mind from attachment to food.”  He goes on to say, “external fasting  has no spiritual value when it is undertaken with the motive of securing the health for the body or for the sake of self-demonstration.”

I further  would shed some light on this subject as stated by Meher Baba.  Muhammad incorporated Ramadan originally as a social measure in Arabia so that the rich people would become more aware of the hunger of the very poor people.  It was never intended to be carried on over the centuries and in other countries as a religious dictum.

In closing, if fasting helps one focus on God more then food it helps the individual become more in tuned to the God within.  If one does it to master craving or from the perspective of rituals it loses its  true meaning.

Wikepedia:  Discourses by Meher Baba  and Avataric Advents by James H. McGrew

One evening I had a dream sitting a nice comfy chair feeling content.   Soon after my master, Meher Baba, appeared.  He took a book off a shelf and  gave me a book on Muhammad to read.  I felt great joy holding the book in my hand.

After that dream, I strongly felt that I should  obtain a book on Muhammad to have an understanding of His life.  In fact, I found the same book at a bookstore  that was given to me in the dream.  I felt Meher Baba not only provided a clue to a past life but also a connection to the passion I had felt believing in Him.

A few weeks back, I attended a local Mosque and the  first person I met said, “welcome to God’s House.”  It was a  wonderful feeling to be greeted in such manner.  However, just as I  had attended my local church with  its rituals and ceramonies the mosque provided the same sense of dogma.  Hence, I felt no need to return in my pursuit  of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.

Many  people feel Islam and or Muhammad were advocates of war and wanting to convert the world to Islam which is the furthest from the truth.  In fact Muhammad honored both Jesus and Abraham and told his followers to respect both Christians and Jews.

The emancipation of women was a project dear to the Prophet’s  heart.  The Quran gave women rights of  inheritance and divorce centuries before Western women were accorded such status.  The Quran prescribes some degree of segregation and veiling for the Prophet’s wives, but  there is  nothing in the Quran that requires the veiling of all women or their seclusion in a separate part of the house.  Also the Quran makes men and women partners before God, with identical duties and responsibilities.

Yes, Muslims had more then one wife as that was the custom in that time period.  It was through Muhammad that He gave women more autonomy and  independence.

In future  blogs, I shall provide more information on the Prophet and Islam.