Every week Al-Ahram Weekly interviews people on a different Ramadan-related subject. This issue we ask: "What sort of religious conversations do you love or hate to have?" "My favourite preachers are those who speak of forgiveness and mercy. I taught my children that there were two approaches to religion -- the persuasive, and the threatening -- and I've always advised them to stay away from the latter. According to the teachings of the Quran, God forgives us for all our sins as long as we repent, and this is the kind of talk I like, for it arms us with the conviction that God's mercy will never abandon us -- no matter how sinful we might be at any one stage of our lives. In Islam, the door to God's mercy is always open to his worshippers -- no preacher or scholar has the right to mislead us by saying otherwise. I believe preachers should stay away from complex philosophical matters and encourage people in simple language to follow in the footsteps of Prophet Mohamed, adopting his many virtues. That would surely help young people become better individuals." Hussein, 73-years-old "I appreciate scholars who discuss the logical and scientific bases of Islam. The ones that address the intellect by showing the numerous scientific facts that were explained in the holy book 1,400 years before they were painstakingly reached by the secular establishment are my favourite. I love reading the Quran's interpretations of geology -- the way it gives us facts about mountains, oceans, and the atmosphere that modern scientists are still suffering to prove. This kind of talk strengthens my belief by addressing my mind as well my heart. What I dislike is exaggerated talk of Judgement Day, for we already know there is punishment and reward." Abdel-Halim, 55-years-old "I enjoy listening to religious stories, whether about Prophet Mohamed, his family, relatives, and companions, or other messengers and prophets. A tale of human interactions captures the essence of religion in a way that makes me want to dig inside myself and draw my own conclusions. I think this is why the Quran is full of stories, for God could have made it a list of commandments or rules, but He gave us tale after tale. Those who, while speaking in the name of religion, insult the listener's intelligence, repel me. It is shameful the way some preachers will assume a position of power over the listener simply because they know more; in Islam the only thing that makes one person better than another is the strength of faith in the heart. Some preachers abuse their position to suggest otherwise. Basically, I hate dogmatism, and preachers who forget that Islam is about the way you treat others. As for those who speak of hell etc, I don't even take them into account." Umm Yassin, 33-years-old "Reducing Islam to a quantitative calculation of punishment and reward is what I don't like, together with the increasing stress on outward appearance, like wearing the veil or growing a beard. Islam is a civilisation with a wide spectrum of behavioural patterns and a rich history, and that is what I wish scholars would focus on -- if only to give us some idea of who we are, for I believe Islam today is as much about historical identity as modes of worship. Even an agnostic can see himself as Muslim, for he belongs to a glorious culture and his agnosticism arises out of it -- we have a civilisation of which we should be proud. And we need to realise that the question of whether or not, and to what extent, we are Muslims is not a matter of how puritanical we can be. The Prophet stressed the importance of seeking knowledge wherever it can be found, and Hadith refers to the pursuit of knowledge as a religious obligation. So, I particularly appreciate religious scholars who conceive of Islam as a civilisation with accomplishments we should be striving to live up to." Youssef, 30-years-old "I like the positive approach of preachers who speak of God's forgiveness, and of hasanat [good deeds] washing away sins; and showing us how to obtain those hasanat is also very useful. We are human, and it is only normal that as long as we're alive, we might sin on one or another occasion; that kind of talk keeps us hopeful. What I find repulsive is the patronising attitude that makes one feel guilty and doomed for any basic failure, be it irregular prayer or not wearing the veil. It leaves no room for improvement." Hanan, 36-years-old "Speaking of the love of God and His mercy is the only talk I like to hear. But those with to-do lists, and those who live to calculate their hasanat, get on my nerves. Equally repulsive are those with a superficial approach to religion, who give themselves the liberty to judge others." Reem, 32-years-old Interviews by Jailan Halawi
