Umar Lee leaves Islam … and?

Islāmic forums and blogs are a blaze with news of a famous Muslim blogger, “Umar Lee” leaving Islam and converting to Christianity. I was oblivious to this “news”, but someone pointed it out to me and suggested i write a few words about it. Well, for a start, i don’t seem to see what all the fuss is about, to use an over used cliché. We are going through a turbulent and confusing times, something which as more days go by will only increase. Publicity stunts like this should not really catch our eyes. We should not be wasting our precious time here on earth with sensational, self-regulated and attention seeking musings.

If Umar lee has left Islam, then so be it, it’s his loss. Needless to say there are hundreds of people walking his path almost every day. You see, many of these people who choose to convert to Islam and then make a show of telling the people about it, through interviews, documentaries etc. Do so for a very specific reason. There is something far more sinister being played out than what meets the eye. In our times, Islam is under scrutiny like nothing else on earth. It is probably the one thing which every person from the Joe on the street to the leading scientific theorist of the day is closing following.
When people like Umar lee leave Islam, it is actually a given event waiting to happen. They are in all actually undercover Islamaphobes or agents seeking to undermine and further alienate Muslims. Now, i know you think I’m sounding like a conspiracy theorist, just hold on and i’ll explain later. By making a public shows of their departure from the “crude and barbaric” religion of Islam, it is an attempt to ‘show up’ as it were, the “real” Islam in front of the Muslim and non-Muslim population. As if to say, ‘look if Islam had anything worthy, then i would not have left it. It is simply a very candid set of rules made centuries ago in amidst the barren deserts which is not applicable today’.

Actions like Umar Lee, is nothing new, attempts to ridicule Muslims and Islam like this has happened in the past and will continue to happen in the future. In these times, it is nothing more than a test of faith from Allah. In a time when GAY marriage is being legalized across the known world, and undercover government-funded civil liberties groups like the ‘progressive Muslims’ being strung up and supported by pseudo-Islamic scholars. The days to come will only go from bad to worse. As the prophet (peace be upon him) had foretold us. Nearing the end of times the level of fitnah in society will reach critical mass to such an extreme that the following hadith will become applicable:

Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri:
Allah’s Apostle said, “There will come a time when the best property of a Muslim will be sheep which he will take to the tops of mountains and the places of rainfall so as to flee with his religion from the afflictions.

– Bukhari :: Book 9 :: Volume 88 :: Hadith 210

The prophet (sallahuali wasallam) told us, holding on to Islam will be like holding on to a burning coal in one’s hand. This is fast becoming a reality. Incidents like Umar Lee will only increase, where other famous “converts” will choose one day, like they had “chosen” to become Muslims, just leave Islam. These actions are nothing more than desperately trying to grab public attention and fame. You see, If you ridicule Islam or even go one step further to say you are a former Muslim, then you are almost guaranteed to get a publishing contract, instant fame, TV interviews, movie Roles, Expert advice on “Muslim fundamentalism”, etc. One only has to ridicule Islam and you will be guaranteed over-night fame. People like, Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer and Bill maher have made a career out of attacking Islam. This is the easiest career route for people these days.

Not too long ago, in our local mosque two ‘blue-eyed blonde’ men walked into our mosque one day and declared they wanted to convert and become muslims. That, they had “seen” the truth and would like to taste strong beliefs Muslims have. Much to the celebrations and jubilation of the Muslims who were present, they declared the shahadah, the testament of faith, and were warmly welcomed into Islam. Several months into their new religious family, these two new Muslims did all their best to take part in Islāmic circles and went even further to sell Islāmic merchandise (itr, Siwak, clothes etc) on every friday jummah prayers at the local mosque. They would come early and set up a stall just outside the main doors of the mosque, as attendees of the Friday prayers would enter and leave, the first and the last thing they would see would be these two ‘white-skinned, blue-eyed blonde Muslim’ brothers. This ‘open-stall sell’ on a Friday prayers, would usually end with words of praise, salam and encouragement from those leaving the prayer.

As faith would have it, these two turned out to be undercover M15 agents who were strategically placed by homeland security to check if there were any terrorist activity going on in the popular mosque, attended by a large number of young Muslims. Their cover was blown when they decided to place charges of terrorism on the people they often chose to accompany. The night before it all came out in the open, they made a show of telling those around them they were moving out of the area and one of the two was going abroad to see his sick grand-mother. As you would have it, the following day when charges were pressed it all came out in the press it was actually a sting operation, where two officers had gone undercover to learn of any dangerous activities from the inside out.
These cheap schemes are the usual ploy of the soldiers of satan. There will be more ‘Umar lees’ who will do the same in the future. Our resolve should be not to give room to these petty squeaks of shouts. One of the first thing Umar Lee did when he left Islam, was as expected, make a YouTube video doing a rebuttal of all Islāmic beliefs and truths. Claiming what Islam promises is not true and there is nothing else in it, save the occasional violence and extremism.

All in all, these are cheap attempts and a miserable one at best, in order to try and lure people away from Islam. If not that, then to cast doubt in people’s minds. In the future we will see many more of these self-proclaimed ‘I’ve been a Muslim and now I’m not’ come out. Lastly, it should also be a great lesson for us to understand how blessed we are to be Muslims and have Imam, to be people who are content with Islam no matter who comes and goes. We should realize how Iman is a valuable commodity not everyone who claims to be a Muslim truly has. Not to mention that fact having Iman is in the hands of Allah, we can lose this valuable gift if we are not careful with our words and deeds.