Islam Is More Ideology Than Religion, F.B.I. says...

In the video, the FBI outlines their ideas about Islam, which he describes bluntly at the beginning as being less a religion than a political ideology. “We are not going to be discussing Islam as a religion,” Mr. Gawthrop says. “We are going to be discussing that component of Islam which is non-religious. That component comprises about 83 percent of the religion. Islam is only about 17 percent religious.”

Very true about the state of islam and what the western world is going to have to deal with.

thelede.blogs.nytimes.com...

All Religions are only Ideology.

Aren't they?

the key in that is "political ideology", not ideology alone.
Christianity, for example, is a system of religious ideologies. It is not political.

Islam, on the other hand, is largely a political system supported or empowered by religious ideology.

reply to post by Awen24


I beg to differ that Christianity is not political. The founding of Christianity was born of political strife. The Christian philosophy permeates western political practice and behavior among states. Overtly, there may not seem to be political ramifications of Christian ideology, however, proselytizing (spreading The Word) inevitably leads down the path of expansion and conquest - political reality and historical fact.

ganjoa

Even Muslims openly admit that Islam is no mere religion. They often proclaim; "Islam is not a religion, it's a way of life."

Islam dictates spiritual practices, ethics, hygiene, sex, politics, inheritance, marriage, divorce, funerals, and just about every single aspect of an individual's life and that of a collective society.

Originally posted by Sahabi
Even Muslims openly admit that Islam is no mere religion. They often proclaim; "Islam is not a religion, it's a way of life."

Islam dictates spiritual practices, ethics, hygiene, sex, politics, inheritance, marriage, divorce, funerals, and just about every single aspect of an individual's life and that of a collective society.

and therefore, it sucks.

i am christian and don't give a rats if you want to do crappy things. don't do them in the name of my religion.

for i am the christ, wait, no i am not and you will pay for the transgressions.

render under casear what is his.

no prob, dude.

very simple, live free or under total rule.(or die)

Islam is an all encompassing belief system that dictates most or all aspects of a followers religious, political and social life.
There are quite a few different interpretations of the Islamic code, hence the strife between Shia and Sunni's throughout the world.

After Islam's first period of expansionism Islam was noted as a most tolerant and understanding religion and many Muslim nations etc provided safe haven for many Christians etc during the worst excesses of The Spanish Inquisition and the advancement puritanical Protestantism etc.

However, with the onset of the Age Of Enlightment Christianity gradually adopted a more tolerant and spiritual approach and was very much forced out of the political arena.
Individual freedoms and 'democracy' have become ingrained in the very essence of 'Western' society, and religion has by and large become a matter of individual choice.

At the same time it appears that Islam has regressed with more brutal, intolerant, repressive interpretations coming to the fore.
These interpretations control every aspect of followers lives and does appear to be a complete ideaology when judged by current 'Western' standards.

The 'fundamentalist' Islamic belief is the very antithesis of the 'Western' belief in personal freedoms of thought, speech and belief and as it spreads in influence the two continue to clash more frequently and with more ferocity.

Of course this is an over simplification of events, both past and present, and there are many more variables and viewpoints to be considered.
However, I think that is a fair brief summarisation and as long as fundamentalism continues to spread and we insist upon our 'democracy' then it looks like major confrontation between the two ideologies is increasingly inevitable.

reply to post by CountDrac


And not only a political ideology....

but one more grounded in economics

Originally posted by ganjoa
reply to post by Awen24

 

I beg to differ that Christianity is not political. The founding of Christianity was born of political strife. The Christian philosophy permeates western political practice and behavior among states. Overtly, there may not seem to be political ramifications of Christian ideology, however, proselytizing (spreading The Word) inevitably leads down the path of expansion and conquest - political reality and historical fact.

ganjoa

I'm not suggesting that Christianity doesn't have a political history or political involvement. It quite clearly does and has. Whether it should have is another matter, but on point... the issue here is whether or not Islam is a political or religious ideology. While Islam is both, Christianity is not. It is not, nor does it contain political ideologies. Attempts to utilise scripture as politlcal models (e.g. Calvin's Geneva) have failed miserably, and with good reason. TO suggest that proselytising is a political movement is misleading. It certainly has been that at times throughout Christianity's history, but that's not what Jesus preached, and it's not what the Bible taught. So that's what I'm getting at.

If we're going to fairly analyse Christianity, or in this case, Islam, we have to do it using the relevant texts, and not using the actions of believers as gospel. After all, the ideology of each religion is derived from text. It's only logical to start there... and that's exactly what the study quoted in the OP did.

reply to post by Sahabi

Islam dictates spiritual practices, ethics, hygiene, sex, politics, inheritance, marriage, divorce, funerals, and just about every single aspect of an individual's life and that of a collective society.

So then, its not very different from the old testament way of life, is it?
The same old testament that christians quote from whenever convenient.

Originally posted by Awen24
the key in that is "political ideology", not ideology alone.
Christianity, for example, is a system of religious ideologies. It is not political.

Islam, on the other hand, is largely a political system supported or empowered by religious ideology.

How can you possibly say Christianity isn't political, when looking at the political stances many in the republican party take?

reply to post by sk0rpi0n


They are both wrong for today (Bible and Qur'an), but they were a God-send for their time. These books helped to civilize and organize ignorant and savage people. The world has come a long way and we all know good and bad, wickedness and justice. We might not all agree, but do we really need to say "What Would Moses/Jesus/Muhammad Do" before sleeping with my wife, or wearing my clothes, or using the toilet, or deciding inheritance for my children, or even how to eat my food? My great grand parents ate a fruit which gave them the knowledge of good and evil, I don't need any holy books to give me their interpretation of good or evil.


Philosophically, these books are wonderfully insightful in some verses. But I'm not looking to be a Moses or Muhammad clone.

Originally posted by MysticPearl

Originally posted by Awen24
the key in that is "political ideology", not ideology alone.
Christianity, for example, is a system of religious ideologies. It is not political.

Islam, on the other hand, is largely a political system supported or empowered by religious ideology.

How can you possibly say Christianity isn't political, when looking at the political stances many in the republican party take?

...you're putting the cart before the horse here. This isn't a question about whether certain Christians have political ideologies. Of course they do - they're people, they're involved in politics. And of course, their ideologies may be informed by their belief in the Bible, and in Jesus Christ.

...but that doesn't make the Bible a political ideology.

Does the Bible espouse political views? No it does not. Does it talk about how to establish and run a state? No it does not. In fact, the only political advice you'll get in terms of Christianity is to pray for those in power over you.

Now, if we're talking Judaism... then that's a different story. The Old Testament does contain political ideology... primarily because the Hebrews are the Chosen People (nation) of God. The Church, on the other hand, is not chosen on a race basis, but rather, we are "all one in Christ Jesus". In this sense, Christianity is apolitical, while Judaism builds much of its religious ideology around the political entity of the Jewish State.

...make sense?

I don't think we have learnt anything new here. I have always viewed all religions as an ideology essentially.

Originally posted by SpeachM1litant
I don't think we have learnt anything new here. I have always viewed all religions as an ideology essentially.

key words in the OP: "political ideology", as opposed to religious ideology...
meaning, essentially, that Islam is both a political and religious system, and sees no conflict between the two... so in other words, and by way of an example, furtherance of the Dar-Al-Islam (the extent, or rule of Islam) can be achieved either through conversion or through military expansion, it makes no difference...

whereas, again by example, Buddhists don't seek to create a 'Buddhist State', Islam mandates that its adherents fight to establish a global Islamic Caliphate.