Our young people nowadays have one of two ways to go: either becoming atheists or extremists, both of which have been prevailing lately. Sociologists, when researching trends like these, will always look into poverty, ignorance, westernization or Americanization. The real reason behind these trends has always seemed far-fetched, as far as ‘serious' research goes; it lies within the predominant religious discourse and the distorted mental image that has become associated with Islam. These two factors have actually become mines in the path of Islamic faith. These young people sometimes read non-authentic Hadiths (collection of traditions containing sayings of the Prophet Mohamed), which are spread by hypocritical scallywags intentionally mixing them with authentic ones. Deliberate misinterpretations incite followers to use violence to force people into converting to Islam. If they do, again according to these falsified sayings, then their property and lives would be safe from God's wrath. Fraudulent Hadiths can hit a certain chord in young people's hearts. The latter will either believe them, turning into terrorists and fighting all that is different, or they will take these depressing words to mean that Islam incites murder in the name of faith. That's when they may choose to turn their back on Islam never to return. When you converse with enlightened Sheikhs they seldom if ever contradict or reject these types of Hadiths, they don't even question their veracity. They will always use euphemisms or attempt to find excuses for falsified Hadiths. Surprisingly enough, the more enlightened the sheikh, the more sensible and elaborate the excuses, spoken with a gentle smile to boot. They will quote dozens of scripts to confirm that Islam is a religion of mercy while at the same time insisting that these duplicitous Hadiths are authentic. They overlook the fact that they advocate violence and that they've been transmitted by humans, allowing for a margin of error caused by defective memory or intentional hypocrisy. We are living among people who worship falsified Hadiths, amending or correcting them becomes a nearly impossible task. Preliminary interpretation manuals are highly regarded, yet ancestral legends are referred to and included among the topics discussed. When young people read them, they might find they contain old bits of knowledge stating for example that Earth is flat, that it is the center of the universe and that the universe revolves around it. They may also read about Earth being mounted on a pair of bull's horns, a bull that is also half whale... In addition to other myths that reason cannot fathom. These early interpreters were considered holy men among their generations and that is why their works were never challenged. If one's to rely on interpretation manuals to understand the Holy Quran, it must be made clear that the writings of interpreters are not the Holy Quran nor are they a religion unto themselves. They cannot, therefore, impose any kind of belief or any form of commitment. They merely reformulate ideas born out of common and oftentimes incomplete human brains. There is no particular imperative to either accept them fully or toss them into the abyss. The real disaster lies in the fact that religious schools and institutes use curriculums that give these interpretations a major status, upholding their faulty analyses and misleading legends. Unfortunately, each one of these misleading interpretations leads to the profanation of Islam. In here lies the real abuse. They have largely contributed in conveying a much distorted image of the Prophet Mohamed. They are the underlying causes of atheism and extremism, to the extent that blood has been shed in the name of worshiping God through murder. Shame on those who convey that image; Islam, in truth, has nothing to do with any of that.
