@shabang Said
Having been a christian all my life , brought up in a white christian family ( non practicing like most ) i have now converted to Islam , it is now my Holy month of Ramadhan , and i have been praying 5 times a day and fasting til the sun goes down - i find it a very disciplined religion , i am not a terrorist , i believe in the hereafter , i dont go around putting my religion in peoples faces or ram it down peoples throats !! i believe each to their own
However, i am in a predicament, my parents are now not accepting the fact that my criteria towards life has changed, they think it is idiotic that i amm starving myself. My wife who is also muslim is quite westernised and astray, i love her with all my heart and i love my parents and family equally the same.
Should i carry on hurting them or should i keep at it and please my wife - i am soooo confused in what i should now do. i dont want to do wrong by anyone i just need answers.
Just so I'm understanding the predicament...
Your parents, who are non-practicing Christians have a problem with your beliefs. Is it because of your beliefs, or just because or Ramadan?
I'm not terribly certain how different the criteria towards life is between Christian and Muslim, but you specifically mention that they think it's idiotic to starve yourself. Fasting is also a Christian principle and if memory serves, you are allowed to eat after sundown (right?) so you're not even starving yourself.
Also a Biblical principle is that when a man marries, he separates from his parents and cleaves to his wife. Of course, they expected you to remain in the (sort of) faith that you were raised with, but you've made your choice and if you believe in it, you should stand on it.
I don't believe you should turn from your faith because it's hurting your parents. If I put myself in their shoes, I would be wondering where I fell short in my own faith that I didn't demonstrate it well enough for my child that (s)he would remain in that same faith.
I realize that I've answered this from more of a Christian perspective and using Christian reasoning, but I don't think that your parents would respond to Muslim teaching.