From parts of a conversation I recently had with a close group, an extracted version of my take on it.
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I am not the best practicing Muslim but I also don't agree with the way our culture treats religion.
Religion is a way of life, not blind allegiance. We don't teach people how to live, instead we impose regulations. That was not the reason why Allah sent literally any messenger. Mankind was supposed to learn and be better humans, as a creation of God and to other humans. The world does the EXACT opposite for literally every religion out there.
As a Muslim Islam is above all for me. But as someone who's entire set of religious practices stem from logical understanding and humanitarian grounds, I disagree with the way people view religions in general. Also the way Muslims forget that one thing we were all taught in school, rights of mankind are placed even above rights of God, because for His rights He makes the choice to punish or forgive, but for a human you hurt, it is their decision to forgive you and until they do so, even Allah will not. When people like me say, humanity above all, it's really funny how we're called as those operating lives on western ideals when this is literally one of the core Islamic beliefs beyond these obvious major doctrines. When I see someone who read this in school just like me, completely disregarding humanity, I am left to wonder how they studied Islam because we all took the same class, same book, same concepts...then how did they manage to forget such a major teaching, rights of mankind and humanity above all.
No one has the same faith and no two people of the same religion have identical beliefs too. But the society makes a list of generally accepted obligatory principles that you are made to comply with without logical reasoning included because they're labeled essential rules and everything else that religion teaches you is ignored.
When in essence, every religion teaches you two things 1) way of life 2) humanity, that is unless of course they aren't corrupted but mankind has corrupted them.
Islam teaches you two additional things 1) why Islam is the final acceptable form or religious practice 2) you are answerable to no-one but God.
In reality, there are no best practicing people of any faith and yet people of every faith have a faction with this superiority complex and lack of humanity in the heart.
Why? Because of the way religious pedagogy is structured by our society.
Allah has told us what is right and wrong. Every generation has the duty of teaching values. But not to be the judge on earth. In the end, if someone doesn't follow the right path, my duty as an elder, guardian, school, government...etc. was to educate them, not to forcefully make them practice. If they choose to not practice, then it is between Allah and the said individual.
But what does our society do:
1) teach religion like a matter of blind allegiance without actual 'education and learning'
2) hold people accountable when they fail to meet standards, even though the only one who has the authority to be the judge is Allah himself
I am not the best practicing Muslim, but I know my duties and my limits. Anything taught by force is not religious education, it is simply instilling a fundamentalist mindset and agenda.
That being said, I apologize to anyone who may not like anything I said above. I'll be answerable to Allah for that.
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