Wow.... My daughter may becoming Islamic

[bshole]

Just found some books she is reading and they are all about Islam. I have mentioned before that her best friend is a black Muslim girl. My daughter is in 8th grade. The question is, should I intervene?

 

[agent00f]

Just found some books she is reading and they are all about Islam. I have mentioned before that her best friend is a black Muslim girl. My daughter is in 8th grade. The question is, should I intervene?

Yes, before the white nationalists start rounding them up.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Just found some books she is reading and they are all about Islam. I have mentioned before that her best friend is a black Muslim girl. My daughter is in 8th grade. The question is, should I intervene?

Dunno, How many musims are there in the world and how many of them are violent nutjobs? I believe that's a pretty small number, in comparison.

 

[FIVR]

Yes, before the white nationalists start rounding them up.

Not sure if joking, but depending where OP lives his daughter could be endangered by publicly converting to Islam. Hell, even in CA there are a lot of people who hate muslims. I would be concerned... not for her beliefs, but what her peers may do to her.


Also she will be put on a list and she will be monitored by the NSA if she publicly converts. Those programs are active and very precocious.

 

[desura]

Intervene, but do it in a smart way. The short of it you should keep in mind is that kids of that age are latching onto anything that is powerful and yet somehow transgressive against their upbringing. This kinda explains why the kids like rap music, because there is some coherence to it and there is strong emotion and power behind it. Islam does have internal coherence of course -- all ideologies do, but kids and vulnerable people get seduced by the fact that it adds up and then they get caught up in the internal coherence of the ideology and use it to offend the people who love them.

Which means that taking her to the megachurch and expecting her to be impressed by the youtube videos and stage productions that they show there is counter-productive.

Especially with the current culture calling racism on everything, she might fall into the trap of equating Islam with freedom from racism, which of course is total garbage. Look up the term "Abed" for example.

So yeah, just go along those lines, with the "have you really thought this through" sort of thing being your main point to her. Has she really thought it through, how annoying it would be to wear the Islamic dress and how it constrains her enjoyment of the outside? Has she really thought it through just the aesthetics of Islam and how the prayer makes you prostate on the ground? And so on.

 

[ivwshane]

Intervene, but do it in a smart way. The short of it you should keep in mind is that kids of that age are latching onto anything that is powerful and yet somehow transgressive against their upbringing. This kinda explains why the kids like rap music, because there is some coherence to it and there is strong emotion and power behind it. Islam does have internal coherence of course -- all ideologies do, but kids and vulnerable people get seduced by the fact that it adds up and then they get caught up in the internal coherence of the ideology and use it to offend the people who love them.

Which means that taking her to the megachurch and expecting her to be impressed by the youtube videos and stage productions that they show there is counter-productive.

Especially with the current culture calling racism on everything, she might fall into the trap of equating Islam with freedom from racism, which of course is total garbage. Look up the term "Abed" for example.

So yeah, just go along those lines, with the "have you really thought this through" sort of thing being your main point to her. Has she really thought it through, how annoying it would be to wear the Islamic dress and how it constrains her enjoyment of the outside? Has she really thought it through just the aesthetics of Islam and how the prayer makes you prostate on the ground? And so on.

Yeah, take advice from our local bigot. Lol

I'd certainly talk to her but not because I would want to discourage her but rather to see what she is learning and what is behind her new found fascination.

Sounds like you've got a child who is curious about the world and that's a good thing.

 

[bshole]

Dunno, How many musims are there in the world and how many of them are violent nutjobs? I believe that's a pretty small number, in comparison.

Well I kind of want her to be atheist like me but then I remember what a miserable person I am. Atheism surely is unable to provide hope or purpose in life like the Abrahamic religions do. The problem is that I have an extremely high level of confidence (99.99%) that the Abrahamic religions are works of fiction that have no relationship to objective truth.

Not sure if joking, but depending where OP lives his daughter could be endangered by publicly converting to Islam. Hell, even in CA there are a lot of people who hate muslims. I would be concerned... not for her beliefs, but what her peers may do to her.

Not joking at all. Where I live is extremely multicultural. Muslims, Jews, Christians, atheists, whites, blacks, asians, mexicans, etc...

 

[MajinCry]

Will she take Islam as seriously as sane people take Christianity? If so, there's fuck all to be concerned about.

 

[desura]

Yeah, Islam is the worst religion in the world. That isn't really that tough a statement to make. Even if it had a golden age or whatever way back when, today it is increasingly Saudi-centric and extremist. And converts to Islam have gone on to be the worst people because converts to any religion tend to be the most fanatical and literal. So no, conversion to Islam is not something that is normal or good or whatever.

 

[desura]

Well I kind of want her to be atheist like me but then I remember what a miserable person I am. Atheism surely is unable to provide hope or purpose in life like the Abrahamic religions do. The problem is that I have an extremely high level of confidence (99.99%) that the Abrahamic religions are works of fiction that have no relationship to objective truth.



Not joking at all. Where I live is extremely multicultural. Muslims, Jews, Christians, atheists, whites, blacks, asians, mexicans, etc...

Honestly, I ended up finding the work of Richard Dawkins and EO Wilson to be the best in determining how life should be ordered.

 

[Victorian Gray]

Yeah, Islam is the worst religion in the world. That isn't really that tough a statement to make. Even if it had a golden age or whatever way back when, today it is increasingly Saudi-centric and extremist. And converts to Islam have gone on to be the worst people because converts to any religion tend to be the most fanatical and literal. So no, conversion to Islam is not something that is normal or good or whatever.

Bigot.

 

[desura]

Bigot.

I tolerate Muslims and I can appreciate it for what it is.

But it is still the worst religion in the world.

 

[woolfe9998]

When my daughter was thirteen, one of her friend's parents tried to convert her to LDS (mormon). We cut if off at the knees. Don't let your daughter be suckered into any religion at that age, before she has the ability to think critically.

 

[glenn1]

Converting to Islam is far less important than what faith community she gets involved in as a Muslim. If it's one where prayer and charity are the focus then no big deal. If it's the kind that believes in the utter subjugation of women and killing those who commit apostasy then yes it's a big deal. You can and should nurture the positive faith aspects like charity and can do so in any religious framework including Islam or none at all and that's probably what you focus on now.

 

[MikeMike]

Figure out why she has the books.

Is it to convert? Is it to understand her friend better?

Figure out the WHY, then figure out how to respond.

Responding and then figuring out the WHY is a bad plan.

 

[Svnla]

What is wrong with OP's family. Per him, his son is a no good lazy bum and now this. So much drama.

Better practice the phrase "Allahu Akbar".

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Maybe she is doing what far too many Americans need to do which is actually learn and understand the religion. Just talk to her. Find out the root of her curiosity and be open to what she has to say.

 

[feralkid]

When my daughter was thirteen, one of her friend's parents tried to convert her to LDS (mormon). We cut if off at the knees. Don't let your daughter be suckered into any religion at that age, before she has the ability to think critically.

Thank you.

Reasoned, logical.

Too bad the chowderhead who posted above you can't see past his bigotry of one religion, and realize they all can be both the greatest and the most horrific influences on humankind.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Intervene with logic, reason, science. Religion is for the weak.

 

[Victorian Gray]

I tolerate Muslims and I can appreciate it for what it is.

But it is still the worst religion in the world.

You're a bigot.

 

[desura]

You're a bigot.

Then you're a fool.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Then you're a fool.

nope, you're just an irrational bigot, although there are no rational bigots, so I guess that's redundant. meh, I'll fix it next time.

 

[desura]

Intervene with logic, reason, science. Religion is for the weak.

Eh, thing is religions are basically group selection institutions where people can form social bonds and from there get stuff done, whether it is from the emotional benefit of being together in a non-commercial space, or from forging commonalities and favor-granting friends.

I argue that on an aesthetic and humanist level, Islam is simply unattractive and uninteresting. Covering the head like that of women is basically the same thing as when the Army forces people to wear their hats and helmets.

 

[Victorian Gray]

Then you're a fool.

And you're still a bigot.

 

[desura]

nope, you're just an irrational bigot, although there are no rational bigots, so I guess that's redundant. meh, I'll fix it next time.

So far no one has really used any rationality here in arguing otherwise. It is all knee-jerk irrationality, PC platitudes.