Martin Muchina 🇰🇪

This is me, three months ago, sitting alone in a mosque, very early in the morning, waiting for the Friday sermon. I was a believer, a regular worshipper, and someone who genuinely wanted to understand Islam. Today, I have questions. Very uncomfortable questions. If Islam is truly a religion of peace, why is there so much silence whenever innocent non-Muslims are killed? Has anyone heard Saudi Arabia, the headquarters of Islam, consistently condemn the killing of Christians and other non-Muslims with the same energy it uses to defend its religious interests? If Islam is a religion of peace, forgiveness and compassion, why does the world keep seeing religious extremism dressed in turbans, carrying machetes, AK-47s and grenades? When did preaching peace become a military recruitment exercise? Saudi Arabia! The headquarters of Islam! A country where human rights, freedom of expression and equality continue to face serious questions. Apparently, even in the headquarters, the reception is different depending on whether you arrive with an Arab passport or an African face. In Christianity, the central teaching is that we are all equal before God. But sometimes, looking at the religious hierarchy practised in Saudi Arabia, you would think Allah issues premium membership to Arabs and gives Africans the free trial version! Explain to me how you preach peace while a sheikh can order someone's head chopped off over consensual sex. Apparently, even your bedroom needs a security clearance, a religious permit and approval from the morality police! What kind of peace requires people to live in fear of religious authorities? What kind of forgiveness comes with a sword hanging over someone's neck? I am not saying every Muslim is violent. I refuse to judge millions of people by the actions of extremists or governments. I will not surrender my right to question religious institutions, political hypocrisy and the selective application of human dignity. I left Islam, not God. If worshipping God means switching off my brain, surrendering my conscience and pretending not to see injustice, then I would rather keep asking uncomfortable questions. God cannot possibly be offended by honest questions.