Is Marijuana Haram?

Kerry Howley | April 11, 2007

A toked out soi-disant imam rehashes an old question:

The issue of substance abuse, intoxicants and Islam rose to the Turkish media's attention recently when police carried out a raid on the home of private citizen Nazif Kamil Orde in Istanbul for the benefit of current-affairs documentary program Arena. They smashed their way into the home of the man newspapers have nicknamed "the junkie teacher" - Esrarc Hoca - a self-styled imam who interspersed his lessons on Islamic philosophy with some strong tokes on a lit joint and encouraged the young followers sitting around his living room to do likewise. He extolled the virtues of cannabis and said no one could make him stop - smoking was his duty to God.

Esrarc Hoca's behavior has largely been interpreted as the actions of a drug pusher trying to drum up business, and he has made himself somewhat of a joke to serious media pundits with such over-the-top statements as "My child will learn to roll joints and smoke at the age of six," "How can you outlaw weed? God orders us to smoke it," and "Friends, you can't take away the gun on a Muslim's belt, the horse beneath him or the joint in his hand."

Whole thing here.

Comments

|4.11.07 @ 10:42AM|#

This is actually an interesting religious question. Alcohol is banned, among other reasons because (and it says so fairly directly in Qur'an and Hadith) praying while not in your right mind doesn't count as praying, but throughout history Muslims have used all kinds of drugs, often more psychoactive than alcohol, with full support of Imam and 'Ulema.

The Assassins of Syria got their name as a mistranslation of "Hashishim"--they were supposed to get their purpose and fervor by smoking Hashish before each mission.

In India, the British sided with the Hindus initially because, although the Muslims would use any kind of wacky drug, they wouldn't sit down and talk over wine, beer, or brandy.

Nowhere in the Qur'an or Hadith is there a specific commandment to indulge in any particular drug--I'd like to see his religious justification.

|4.11.07 @ 10:48AM|#

How do you say "What was I JUST talking about?" in Turkish?

|4.11.07 @ 10:52AM|#

"Friends, you can't take away the gun on a Muslim's belt, the horse beneath him or the joint in his hand."

Wow, I never new Turkey was so much like Texas.

Brian24|4.11.07 @ 11:31AM|#

It's early, but I'd like to lay 5-1 odds that joe wins the thread.

|4.11.07 @ 11:38AM|#

I'll never understand why any religion worth its salt would be against drug use. I'm betting religious texts make a lot more sense when you're stoned off your ass. To paraphrase Penn Jillete, I don't think anyone's ever tripped on acid and lost god.

|4.11.07 @ 11:59AM|#

My child will learn to roll joints and smoke at the age of six

Better than teaching him to strap a bomb to himself.

dhex, multiverse, nothingness|4.11.07 @ 12:12PM|#

"To paraphrase Penn Jillete, I don't think anyone's ever tripped on acid and lost god."

i like penn and all, but homeboy clearly doesn't know what the score is on this point.

|4.11.07 @ 12:20PM|#

That sounds like something Bill Hicks would say, not Penn Jillete.

|4.11.07 @ 12:32PM|#

Better than teaching him to strap a bomb to himself.

What a racist and islamophobic thing for you to write! Clearly suicide bombing is no worse than the Crusades, and it's only a Tiny Minority of Extremists that misunderstands Islam who engage against such things, which are only done against enemy combatants anyway, in the name of freedom.

"War is Deceit."
-- the Muslim prophet Mohammed

|4.11.07 @ 12:34PM|#

"serious media pundits"

Thus immediately letting us know said author is not to be taken seriously. Good show!

|4.11.07 @ 12:47PM|#

What a racist and islamophobic thing for you to write!

I'm sorry, I'll hang my head in shame.

|4.11.07 @ 1:26PM|#

The Indian Marriage arrangement site ad is back. Am I still the only one who sees it?

|4.11.07 @ 1:41PM|#

OMFG

THE EVILDOERS ARE HIPPIES!!

|4.11.07 @ 3:15PM|#

The Indian Marriage arrangement site ad is back. Am I still the only one who sees it?

Janish, 22. 'I like cricket, engineering, movie musicals, and I'm looking for a girl just like mom who will jump into my funeral pyre. Big dowry a plus.'

Brian Sorgatz|4.11.07 @ 3:17PM|#

"Friends, you can't take away the gun on a Muslim's belt, the horse beneath him or the joint in his hand."

"He that speaks truth must have one foot in the stirrup."-Turkish proverb

VM|4.11.07 @ 3:26PM|#

Brotherben:

AMEN. (and duh!)

:)

|4.11.07 @ 6:35PM|#

"What an anti-American thing for you to write! Clearly waterboarding is no worse than 9/11, and it's only a few bad apples who misunderstand the Constitution who engage [in]such things, which are only done against enemy combatants anyway, in the name of freedom.

"War is hell" -- American general, William Tecumseh Sherman

LOGIC&REASON|4.15.07 @ 2:31AM|#

How did this conversation go from is marjiuana haram to having non-muslims bash Islam,
"The Evildoers are hippies!". Islamophobe, maybe if you would try to understand what you fear than you would be posting comments like that, to the average muslim you sound like a nedneck. War is hell only because people deceit. Mossad- Defeat the Enemy through deception.

Goodday mate