Also, my roomates name is Sultan (Suel-tan). He is a Muslim. It's a unique experience praying at the same time as him in the morning and evening. Will be hopefully contacting Chabad today for Shabbat.
Out of time at the internet-cafe... gotta run and explore Mumbai!
The 5 Americans beginning their journey in India
8 comments:
Hey Josh,
Hope all is well. This is your uncle Sam. Nana told me you called her--she was very happy to hear from you!! This sounds like an awesome experience!! I'm sure you'll learn a lot about the world (and yourself) over there.
I'm sure when you and Sultan compare notes about Muslim and Jewish rituals you'll find a lot more similarities than differences.
Take care.
Uncle Sam
Hi Josh! It was so good to hear your voice. I hope you guys go back to Elephant Caves and take photos. Watch out for those monkies....or just bring something to share so you could get a good photo....but don't let them take your camera! Shavuah Tov! MOM
Response to post by B'rina Yageelu:
I find it very unfortunate that so many people have the perception that Muslims = terroirsts. Sultan is a good guy. All the Muslims I've met thus far have been good people. Uncle Sam is right, I have found there are many more similarities than differences between my own Jewish observance and Sultan's practices.
I cannot speak for the true intention behind the ideas of the Quran, as I have do not have much background in Islamic ideology.
However, I do know there are over 1.2 Billion Muslims in the world. Each year, there are around 1,000 terrorist attacks, and Islamic fundamentalists claim responsiblity for around 600 of those attacks*. I hopefully believe that most of the Muslims in the world are good people without mallicious intent. Call me naive if you like, but I am also familiar with the concept to "respect but be suspect" of any stranger you meet. I strive to practice this concept with a responsible and good heart.
*(http://www.emergency.com/2002/erri_ter2001.pdf)
I just looked at your website today for the first time. It is wrong to think that all muslims are terrorists. Not all of them have fundamentalist views. Coming from India, I have so many friends who are muslim and who are the some of the nicest people I know. Don't label people..just don't do it.
..and Sultan is a great guy!
Dear anti-labeler,
Not labeling people is a great goal to strive for, but we all do it. However, not all labels come with bad intensions. Labels help us relate to other people, and yes, labels can also distance us as well.
More important than not labeling a person, is remembering to respect everyone individual.
lol..you just labeled me by calling me an anti-labeler. j/k
I think you can't force people to be nice to people they hate, because in their hearts they still hate those people. So yeah, it depends what you have in your heart and head when you call a person a certain name-I agree with you Yoshi.
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