Badran - Mod, anything you want to know about me?

[Badran]

Originally Posted by bp789

Does your family know about your lack of belief? How did they take it if so?

If you mean relatives then no. I rarely see them, and almost never talk about very personal stuff when i do. I've always kept to myself and avoided family gatherings as much as i could, so i'd actually have to go out of my way to let them know.

If you mean my close family then like i said in a previous post they do. They were shocked and it took them some time but for the most part they're handling it alright.

[shahz]

Do you think atheism/agnosticism is a growing trend in Egypt and the Islamic world? I've met some muslims here in North America who are culturally muslim but are atheist/agnostic. I think a large dose of secualrism is needed and would be good for all religions in the Middle East.

[Freedomelf]

I'm coming on to this thread very late, but I have read it all and just want to say that you sound very interesting and thoughtful. I wish you much success, and I wish for a free democracy for your country. Egypt is such a beautiful place; I've always wanted to go there but when I had the money, I didn't have the time; when I had the time, I didn't have the money, lol. My best friend went there years ago; your people are so very warm and friendly, she said. Best of luck to you.

[s2a]

Originally Posted by Badran

The staff here decided to let me be part of their team, so let me start by saying that i'm happy to be a part of this, and hope to do whats expected of me.

I'm making this thread as you all know in order to share anything you might like to know about me.

My user name is my actual last name, my first name is Muhammad. I'm 22 and i'm studying right now.

I live and was born in Egypt, and spent all my life here in cairo.

One day i just thought i might like joining a religious forum, to learn a few things about other views in general and hopefully share in some beneficial debates & discussions. So i googled and opened this site and joined, and it turned out a much bigger and beneficial experience than i had in mind. So far i've learned a lot since i joined, and have found something i didn't get much of in real life, which is a wide variety of perspectives.

Other than here i don't really use any sort of forum or social network. I'm interested here because of the learning factor, which is for the major part due to the level of people who usually participate here.

Anyway so i think this should be enough basic information to start with, and of course, please ask anything you want to know.

(Assuming of course, that you would care or bother to know anything about me )

What do you know or presume to understand of the faithless, or atheists?

What is your experience in interacting with unbelievers, and those that might challenge those of faith and their claims?

(btw, congratulations on earning the trust of REF mods here. They are a tough crowd)

[Badran]

Originally Posted by shahz

Do you think atheism/agnosticism is a growing trend in Egypt and the Islamic world? I've met some muslims here in North America who are culturally muslim but are atheist/agnostic. I think a large dose of secualrism is needed and would be good for all religions in the Middle East.

I don't know. I see a bit more of it at this time, but it could be that people are just more outspoken about it today, or that i'm simply paying more attention to it now.

I do think that in my country today the state of things holds potential for a faster pace of change in any direction, due to the immense political changes that are going on. With some directions having more potential than others.

[Badran]

Originally Posted by Freedomelf

I'm coming on to this thread very late, but I have read it all and just want to say that you sound very interesting and thoughtful. I wish you much success, and I wish for a free democracy for your country. Egypt is such a beautiful place; I've always wanted to go there but when I had the money, I didn't have the time; when I had the time, I didn't have the money, lol. My best friend went there years ago; your people are so very warm and friendly, she said. Best of luck to you.

Thanks for your heartfelt post. I appreciate your sentiments very much.

[Badran]

Originally Posted by s2a

What do you know or presume to understand of the faithless, or atheists?

What is your experience in interacting with unbelievers, and those that might challenge those of faith and their claims?

My experience with atheists, agnostics or non-religious people has been mostly one of confirmation. I've never struggled to understand how can someone have that world view, even at points when my faith was at it's strongest. So for example, when i joined here and debated issues about god or religion, i was just realizing that my thoughts had a good amount of accuracy. The only enlightening thing was actually getting personal with people who hold on to these world views. As in my offline life, this is almost entirely impossible to do right now.

I had also guessed that i would be able to relate a lot to their experience due to some things about my personal experience with religion, and i was right in thinking so. More and more i could see more parallels in the thought process and the method in approaching things despite the seemingly fundamental disagreement in regards to our world views (at the time).

I had expected to meet both the more stereotypical idea of an atheist and a non-religious person, as well as some cases that i would personally find impressive. I have found that to be true, and the personal experiences i had with those i found impressive for whatever reason were very rewarding. Generally, this has been my experience here with all world views, religious and non-religious alike. I had never struggled to see how can someone be this or that (in regards to differing world views), just lacked the experience of actually interacting with them.

Originally Posted by s2a

(btw, congratulations on earning the trust of REF mods here. They are a tough crowd)

Thanks.