Islam in the AI Age!

De: Alaleem al-Abu Bakhur

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

The first monotheistic religion was Zoroastrianism, and its cultural influence in conjunction with the caste system that it embodies can be seen in part in Shiism and Hinduism today. Shiites make up a confused minority of Muslims globally at roughly 10%, and since the 1970s, they have directly or indirectly been responsible for the vast majority of negative press felt by followers of Islam globally, specifically the other 90% Muslims who practice Sunni Islam. As my friend says, they came to Islam and follow the Sunnah because of the clarity. Sunni Islam is the fastest growing religion globally, and in a world of chaos that is full of instantaneous news and advertising from legacy and social media at a rate higher than ever seen before in history, it’s the simplicity of being Sunni Muslim and the consistency of the rules that keeps those who follow faithful and attracts new believers. Shiism could be viewed as a more modern form of Islam that in fact combines prayers and that views ancestors of the Prophet Mohammed as divinely appointed leaders of the religion, but the truth is that this bastardization of the Quran and Sunnah in that it has just allowed men to manipulate the followers of Islam for their own will, which is generally not altruistic. As my friend says, being Sunni Muslim is work as one has to pray about twenty hours a week, and there are a great many requirements that the faithful must meet to follow the teaching of the Prophet and the word of God in the Quran. Being Sunni Muslim isn’t for the meek as prayer is work and following hadiths of the Sunnah aren’t for the faint hearted. Sunni Muslims have been misunderstood by most Western and Eastern nations as the media has intentionally confused large swaths of the global population regarding the nature of Sunni Islam. Practicing Sunni Islam is rewarding as it leads to good outcomes for individuals and societies where Muslims live, and both Islamic countries and countries with Muslim minorities should work to understand the needs of those who are faithful, recognize that freedom of religion is a right and personal choice, and that religion isn’t about being right or wrong but the effect that worshipers have on the societies that the live in. As for Shiism, the Mullahs of Iran are a perfect example of why we must work to keep governments secular in that too much power given to an individual or a group of individuals ultimately leads to an abuse of power, the people, and prohibits the potential positive outcomes of religion on society. In the AI Age, there’s increased uncertainty, and it’s highly likely that this will result in more people turning to Sunni Islam as it’s structured and easy to be faithful, meaning the relationship is between the believer and God, not through a rabbi, priest, minister, or imam. This is what has appealed to Muslims since the 7th century AD, and it’s what is enticing about the religion today!

“Every man, either to his terror or consolation, has some sense of religion.”-Heinrich Heine