Imam Zaid Shakir at 'Dysfunctional Islam' Talk

I attended a fundraising talk on 'Dysfunctional Islam' organised by Glasgow Central Mosque last Friday, 26th August. The title is quite provoking for 'dysfunctional' according to Oxford English Dictionary means 'not operating normally or properly', which is not fit to say that to Islam. Imam Zaid Shakir, one of the prominent Muslim scholars of this time of Zaytuna Institute gave a very intresting talk that night. Among the most important points he mentioned which I would like to share here are the following:

(i) revert vs convert: he said it is wrong to use the word 'revert' to someone who converted to Islam, because revert for him means 'returning to the previous state unconsciously' while 'convert' is more of change or transform to a new state consciously. While he was aware of the hadith that 'every child is born in the state of fitrah...' but that same person was not conscious of his 'fitrah' (or Islam). But he was conscious is the religion that his parents brought him up. For that reason, if we used 'revert' it means, according to him, returning to the original religion of which one had previously consciously believed, in this case for a Christian, then Christianity and so on, not really the din al-fitrah.

(ii) ideology vs religion: he also questioned the usage of the word ideology for Islam because he said Islam is not an idelogy but rather a religion. Ideology, according to him is man-made, while religion is God-revealed. Another thing, he said that religion is more concerned with salvation in the hereafter while ideology is more interested in attaining the worldy pursuit. He proposed the audience to read a book by Daniel Bell on the End of Ideology

(iii) The third interesting point he raised is with regard to interest-bearing housing loan or mortgage in the West. He made a hypothetical situation where if one were in a situation when there was no food at all, except flesh of pork, would one without hesitation consume it, since in Islam there is a dispensation (rukhsah) if one encounters such extreme hardship (darurah), then one is allowed to do so for survival? He believed many people would rather prefer to wait and pray that ALlah would send some halal food, instead. This is how disgusting the pork is to the Muslims eyes even at time when it was permitted (darurah), many would still reluctant to grab the 'opportunity'. But sadly, when it comes to mortgage or housing loans, the Muslims would easily and hastily succumb to the worldly tempation of material gains, ignoring the curse and wrath from ALlah for dealing with interest (riba). He believed, while noting differences of opinions amongst scholars, that there is no dispensation given in Islam for taking riba no matter what, unlike in the case of food for survival, just mentioned. He reminded the severity of prohibition of riba is of the highest order and clearly manifested when ALlah Most High declares war against only to two types of people in this world: that those deal with usury (Al-Baqarah: 278-279)and those that attacks His Awliya'(al-Hadith). Wallahu 'alam.