Can one be Jewish and Muslim at the same time ?

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James Dean

EU Citizen has it right: I was born a Jew and both my parents were Jewish. I then accepted Islam. Despite the fact that my family was shocked and disappointed, they still regard me as one of them. I still have Jewish heritage; despite the fact that now I've become an American Muslim ;-)

Good question BTW!

PS: Remember that Judaism does not easily expel her followers; especially if they were born Jews...and this was something that made me prefer Islam over Judaism; as I beleive that all of us were born equal before GOD and that it's only our beliefs, intentions and actions are the issues that make someone better than the other!

Edit: Paperback, I said "beliefs, intensions and actions". Oh! You're gonna teach me that Jews look at non-Jews as being equal to them?!! I don't think so! Jews view themselves as the chosen people of GOD; even if they're disobedient.

Edit2: Weren't the Jews angry of Paul for trying to preach faith to the Gentiles??! Didn't the Jews approve other nations for having false gods, while Yahweh was for Jews ONLY??!
Yes, I'll speak for Jews; as I myself was born a Jew and my parent were and still are Jewish. The funny thing is that you claim that Jews view non-Jews as being equal to them; despite the fact that they are "unchosen people"!!! So, why then were we called the "hated race"? Why did we face so many persecutions? Why did we break our customs and began preaching for Judaism to the Gentiles for the FIRST TIME i the 10th century when we were able to persuade the Khazars to convert to Judaism...?

EDIT 3: Islam encourages new converts. Those who were not born Muslims but convert after being convinced are given double rewards in Islam; whether in this life or the next. This is why I really thought really very positively about this great religion.

May GOD bless us all, Amen!

Super Jew

Someone born to a Jewish mother who practices Islam would technically be both. But that wouldn't make his practice of Islam Jewish any more than the existence of Jewish Atheists (which should be an oxymoron) makes Atheism Jewish. The problem comes with these "Messianic Jewish" groups, partially comprised of Jews-by-birth, who practice Christianity and call it Judaism, calling their church a synagogue, their pastor a rabbi, and so on. It confuses outside observers and uneducated Jews alike - but really, that's the point. There actually is a group calling itself "Jews for Allah" (as oppposed to "Jews for Jesus" - both of these are the philosophical equivalent of "Vegetarians for Meat"), but as far as I can tell, they have a total of one convert, who they've been advertising for decades now. It's actually kind of funny, because they say he's an orthodox Jew turned Muslim, from "Joseph" to "Yusuf." The reason this is funny is because if he was frum (religious), he would have gone by the Hebrew name "Yosef" and not the English translation "Joseph." But I guess "Yosef" was too close to "Yusuf" (Hebrew and Arabic are both semitic languages, and share many cognates as a result), and it made his handlers uncomfortable.

Lastly, I'll just point out that Jewish identity is matrilineal. Meaning, aside from all those Jews-by-choice out there (people who convert to Judaism in accordance with Torah Law, which makes them 100% Jewish), a Jew is someone born to a Jewish mother. Muslim identity, by contrast, is patrilineal. So, in other words, someone born to a Jewish father and a Muslim mother is neither a Jew nor a Muslim by birth. But a child born to a Muslim father and a Jewish mother is considered a Muslim by the Muslims, and a Jew by the Jews. Talk about an identity crisis! Kid all protesting his oppression of himself, pelting himself with rocks...all bulldozing his own home...

happy inside

Yes, you can be a Jewish atheist - because you have not converted to another religion.

It is impossible to be a Muslim and Jewish at the same time. It's true that if a Jew converts to Islam, he still has Jewish roots, but he can no longer call himself a Jew and he is no longer a part of the Jewish people.

The basis of being Jewish is Judaism and when a Jew converts, he has left his Judaism behind.

It's true that being Jewish is not only the religion Judaism - there are other factors - history, culture, language, however the basis of everything, the foundation of everything is the religion Judaism.

I am a Jew.

kismet

Judaism is a religion, not a race. If one converts to Islam, Xianity, whatever else, then they choose NOT to practice Judaism, right?

Canute

A Jew is either one whose mother was Jewish or who is a convert.

Once a Jew, always a Jew.

A Jew who believes in another religion is an apostate Jew, whether he calls himself a Muslim, or anything else.

Mr. Pitiful (was Gonzo)

you cant be a Jewish atheists
when i decided not to believe in god and his ways
i stoped being Jewish and was branded atheist
the problem that here people dont know the concept of an atheist.
every on is Jewish! but i am not a ******* jew.
and this is one of my big problems with this country!
it is a racist state. it is not written in my blood that i am a jew.
it is a ******* religion!

Taylor L

One can be jewish of birthright but practice islam. Howver i belive in the Jewish religion they are not condidred Jews anymore( Which obviously makes sense) one cannot adhere to two religions at once. It's one or the other

mark

Yes you can and there is no one can stop you. It is your life and your identity. Islam is not a racial religion. Islam is for all the races of the world, look at Al haj time you can see all kind of people. The Arabs are not only Muslims they are Arab Jews and Christian Arabs too.

HopelessZ00

Being Jewish is not a race because Jews do not share one common ancestry or biological distinction. People of many different races have become Jewish people over the years.

Therefore if someone is Jewish they don't believe that Jesus is a prophet, where as a Muslim does. So I don't think they can be both at the same time. Cheers!

Raf N

"Jewish atheists" only exist if you define "Jewish" as an ethnicity or culture.

You absolutely cannot, in any way, be Jewish unless you a. were born to Jewish parents, or b. convert to Judaism.

However, I get what you're saying-- if your family is Jewish and you convert to Islam, then you would be a culturally and Ethnically Jewish person who is religiously Muslim.

Strange..

Serena d

You can be a jew by ethnicity and convert to Islam.
Alternatively, since Judaism is passed through the mother and Islam through the father, if you're born to a Jewish mother and a Muslim father, you're born both Jewish and Muslim.

jojo

well....actually in islam..god said that once any one have the belief that there is only one god the creator of universe then hes considered a muslim..which means that once any jew or christian say that there is only one god and does good deeds then hes a muslim and goes straight to heaven

thanks

ā™£MĒ¯fiĒ¯ Girlā™£

Maybe

MikeInRI

You cannot be Jewish and a Muslim at the same time - because if a Jew becomes a Muslim they deny their Jewish heritage where as a Jew who doubts the existance of God is not denying their Jewish heritage and will hopeful find his way back to God. If he declares himself an atheist and not a Jew - then he/she is not a Jew either.

Good Luck!!!

paperback writer

I must take issue with what 'James Dean' says. The whole perspective of Judaism is geared towards judging people by their actions and not by their religion, colour, class etc.

'Paperback_Writer' says it very well, so I agree with her. As Jews we certainly do not consider ourselves superior to any other religion or ethnic group. People like 'James Dean' shouldn't try to speak on behalf of an entire religion.

As for the question..... No, one can't be both Jewish and Muslim. Just to give an example: Muslims view Jesus as a prophet. Jews don't.

There are many other differences.

If one is Jewish, one is a Jew. If one follows Islam, one is Muslim.

Mr. X

can one be a christian and not believe in jesus?

no.

you can be a formerly jewish person who converted to islam, like james dean over there. or you can be a muslim who digs jewish culture and practices some of it. but you can't be jewish if you're christian or muslim.
there's no such thing as being culturally jewish. i like jazz and basketball, but that doesn't make me african-american, culturally or otherwise. it makes me a lover of african-american culture. similary, you can love and participate in jewish culture, but that doesn't make you jewish.

EU Citizen

Being Jewish is a cultural thing and a relegion duh!!

Theoretically a person can be culturally jewish but adhere to Islam at the same time.

And yes i have heard of a
muslim jew,whilst they are relgiously muslim there jewish heritage forms a big part of their idenity/self image which is completely understandable.

paperback_writer

No.

A person can be a Jewish athiest, because they are not actually embracing another religious system. But one cannot be Jewish and Muslim, or Jewish and Christian, etc.

Doesn't the same reasoning apply from a Muslim perspective? I'd be interested to know :)

JAMES DEAN - you have just espoused a typical Jewish belief, in saying that it is our actions that define us. Judaism teaches that all righteous people have a place in heaven no matter which religion they follow.

Does Islam have the same attitude? I don't know but would appreciate finding out.

Eillene T

Sure, these guys rock www.jews-for-allah.org

Freedom F

Yeah, www.jews-for-allah.org is good; and look up Sabbatai Zevi as well.

Peace.

PS I wonder if jews-for-allah.org have a t-shirt. I think I will try to get one.

EDIT

OK, it looks like it falls to me to correct a few erroneous posts I see here.

Firstly: Jew is a religious designation. As a Jew, your responsibility is to become the best person of your nationality. It is your duty in fact, under Judaistic law. You must be loyal to your country. It is therefore impossible for Judaism to represent a separate culture from your country of origin. I believe this error has cropped up because a lot of Jews have converted to zionism. Zionism is something completely different and in fact in conflict with Judaism. Zionists have no loyalty to their country. Regardless of where they were born or live; their loyalty is to ersatz israel.

Whoo!

Ew, why would you want to be Muslim when you're already a Jew? B, do you WANT to be Jewish?

DANIEL W

You can be Jewish (cuturally/racially) and another religion.

I'm Jewish (culturally), both my parents are Jewish etc. However, my belief is atheist. I went to Cheder and to a Jewish secondary school (boarding) for 7 years. I even went to Yeshiva, however, none of these places managed to convince me there was a God or more importantly prove there is a God.

KeWr

Jewslim? Muslish?
Never heard of it... :)

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