From: wmuhanna@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Waleed A Muhanna)
Subject: Re: islam & ethnicity
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 20:46:05 GMT

In article <1993Jan22.141046.2015@cs.brown.edu> 
dzk@cs.brown.edu (Danny Keren) writes:
>"wayne mcguire" <wayne.mcguire@channel1.com# writes:
>
>#To: Danny Keren
>#
>#You accused me of ignorance about Islam thus:
>#
># DK> Yet you know nothing about the Bible or the most basic
># DK> facts about Islam (such as it passing from the side of the
># DK> father).
>#
>#Waleed Muhanna, who may know more about Islam than you do,
>#replied:
>#
># WM> This is not true.  You should get your facts straight.  One
># WM> is not considered a Muslim just because his/her father
># WM> happens to be a Muslim. A child of a Muslim is assumed to be
># WM> a Muslim, just like the child of a Christian can be assumed
># WM> to be Christian. But, by definition, you are a Muslim if you
># WM> believe in the Islamic faith and uphold/perform the
># WM> *religious* duties of Islam (e.g., prayers, zakah);
># WM> otherwise you are not.  A non- practicing Muslims can
># WM> *claim* to be a Muslim, but that doesn't make him/her so.
># WM> Anyone can become a Muslim and there are no formal
># WM> procedures for conversion.
>#
>#So who has a better grasp of the facts about Islam, you or
>#Waleed?
>
>Well, I answered Waleed on the net already, but will answer again:
>there is no difference between the two religions in that sense,
>because the child of a Moslim father is considered a Moslem,
             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
NOT by definition, no.  How many times do you have to be corrected on
this before it registers with you?  Surely, you are not claiming you
know more about Islam than I do.

As I said before, a child of a Muslim father is *presumed* to be a Muslim,
but this is no different from the child of a Christian/Hindu/etc father 
being *presumed* to be a Christian/Hindu/etc.  A Muslim is *defined* by 
his/her religious beliefs and practices, not by his/her ancestry.
Islam is much like Christianity in this regard.  By contrast, a Jew is
defined by his/her matrilineal bloodline; his/her faith or spiritual
practices are not important at all.  He/she can be an atheist or an agnostic
and still be *considered* a Jew.   Do you see the difference now?

>and
>one who is not such, has to convert. There is a formal procedure
>for conversion, although, I agree, it is much easier and shorter
>than conversion to Judaism.

The procedure for conversion to Islam can hardly be called "formal".  
Of course, a person is encouraged to learn more about Islam before
converting.  But, there is no formal (or informal) educational process 
that one has to complete.  There is no elaborate, formal ceremony that
one has to perform.  To convert, you simply approach a Muslim (people 
typically go to the 'Emam of the nearest Mosque), express your sincere 
desire to become a Muslim, and verbally declare your solemn belief that
``There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger.''
That's it.  It's that simple.

>-Danny Keren.

Waleed Muhanna
-=-
  "Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty.
   The obedient must be slaves."
	    --Henry David Thoreau, 1847
Xref: sparky talk.politics.mideast:26399 talk.politics.soviet:10836