Am I losing my faith? Or rather, is the Islam I was brought up with, the one I always knew, all but lost to me?
Everywhere I turn my head I see bloodshed in the name of Islam. A Muslim bomber, a Muslim terrorist, Sunni Muslims killing Shia Muslims and vice versa –surely this is not the Islam which my mother brought me into as a child.
Why is my loving religion being treated in this way? I fear my Islam will soon vanish or be destroyed. But whose fault is it? Who is behind the destruction of my faith? It is us, it is we Muslims. It is our fault. I see Islamic State on television and on the front pages of the newspapers; again, it is Muslims tarnishing the image of Islam and its true meaning.
Allah condemns all such acts, so why would he approve any such thing just because it is labelled ‘Islamic’?
Islam is peace. Islam is tolerance. Islam’s teaching is to love thy neighbour and not to steal or kill or harm anyone and especially not in its name.
Whenever Islam is transformed into a spurious travesty of itself, I myself find it harder to keep the faith.
So am I losing my faith? Unfortunately I think I am, and I can only pray and hope for the best. Schaz Halfaoui