Following is a condensed version. (Excerpt)When Westerners think of religion, whether it be Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism or any other "ism", Westerns think it's a personal issue. One goes to a Synagogue or Mosque or Church and they do their prayers/rituals and they think of Islam as similar. And that's the first mistake.
Islam is not a religion for personal use. It is Sharia law. It is a form of government to the world, first, then it is a personal application. It's not just how you pray. It's how you dress. You have to speak Arabic. You can't go to Heaven if you don't speak Arabic.
It's not just a religion. It's a form of law. How you eat. How you get married. How you deal with government, the military, youth, women. Every aspect of your life becomes Islam." (End)
As for what I think Islam is I have no idea.
Perhaps this is a good time to relate a true story. Last year I went to a friend's funeral. He was in his late 70's. I accompanied his niece to the Catholic church. After the "ceremony" the Priest approached everyone while they sat in their pew and offered what looked like a small cookie which someone forgot to add baking powder. Seeing everyone accepted the "cookie" I felt I should, also. (That Eddie Albert/Burt Reynolds exchange has a dominate place in my mind, I guess. "To get along, you go along.") Anyway, the Lady whom I accompanied informed me that I was not supposed to accept that "wafer" because I wasn't Catholic and I did a BIG no-no!
The point being when it comes to religion I'm not well versed in practices/rituals so it's difficult to comment on any specific one.
