Critical Thinking Skills

The following is my personal synopsis of many of my debates over the years with a large number of my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters. I put this in this section because it is an issue that I hear many reverts discussing in relation to born Muslims.

Critical thinking skills and comprehension are two things grossly lacking.

To the extent that I wonder if in many countries they teach them to kids in school. Here in the US we are taught this at a very early age.

However, most of my debates with fellow Muslims reveal a serious lack of Critical thinking skills, comprehension and tolerance and understanding of opposing views. Seems when the conversation turns to anything analytical many bros and sis resort to these things, many of them in the same session:

Totalitarianism – Forcing their views on you

Blank stare – Complete lack of willingness to understand, comprehend and repeat your position and ignore anything you say after that as well as a complete breakdown in the ability to analyze your argument.

Uncooperative – Complete inability to explain exactly where you are wrong in your assertions and willingness to spend the time to explain their positions to help you understand.

Arrogance – Thinking they are better than you Islamically since they come from a so called “islamic culture” however un-islamic their opinion may be or from a certain madh’hab or follow a certain scholar or group of scholars.

Accusation - Calling you racist, kafir, fasiq, munafiq, other choice names to describe your personality or position

Abuse – Treating you differently (bitterness and cold) well after the discussion has ended and there is no more need for debate because positions have been defined. Trenches have bee dug in and eventually you are ignored.

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