A Problem with Islam Today

The lovely Erykah Badu

What's wrong with Islam these days?

Erykah Badu’s most recent concert has been canceled in Malaysia over a tattoo she has on her body. Officials in Malaysia [a muslim-majority country] claim that tattoos are forbidden in Islam. Of course, news outlets also claim this theology. 

BBC reported: “Tattoos are forbidden in Islam...”

Yet, searching for any mention of tattoos as a sin in the Quran leads to nowhere.The idea comes from the Hadith which is a supplement book to the Quran and represents some behaviors of the Prophet Muhammed [Peace be upon him]. Before I go on, let me mention the the Quran does not mention that Muslims should mimic Prophet Muhammed’s behavior or foresaw another holy book as the Hadith. If you don’t believe me; ask yourself how many wives did the Prophet have and how many wives are allowed in Islam? [More than one wife could be conditional, but is debatable] 

According to that same Hadith, plucking of the eyebrows is also a sin.

Please! Only an asinine person would take that serious. However, I know for a small proportion of Muslims, the only differences between today and 599 A.D. are guns and oil [maybe the hijab]. 

And this is the problem in Islam. We never had a council of Nicaea. There is no Pope of Islam. There are not dozens of different sects that break up the religion by slightly different beliefs or political factions. Thus, when a group of benighted Muslims decide that tattoos are forbidden, they expect the rest of the Islamic world to follow and most do. The only mention of tattoos comes from a guy who said another guy said that the Prophet forbade it. Let’s come to our senses; if tattoos were an essential part of the culture to the Arabs that doctrine the Hadith as the Burqa, they would not have forbade it---I’m sure a Saudi dignitary would actually have a Fatwa in a similar manner as the Burqa stating: The correct view of Islam is that Tattoos must be present on a person’s body. 

The correct view? No, that’s your view. 

One must ignore other views to know what Islam truly is. Read and study the Quran. Most importantly, understand the history and the context. Philosophize an alternative and refuse any dogmatic views. You can’t view the whole picture by looking at one corner. Reciting the Surahs of the Quran and following the words of your elders will not make you a believer [In Islam, no one is allowed to claim that they represent God’s word].  

I know that there are people that will say that I am an ignorant human being that constantly explores and invents things that I am aware of. But how is that any different than Sharia law, fatwas, and even the Hadith? How is that different from you? 

A PhD in Islam is not excuse.