Ex-Priest's Journey Since Embracing Islam with Yusuf Ogston (Rev Russell Ogston)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 7 чер 2024
- Books & Resources that Yusuf Ogston found helpful..
Books
Elsewhere, Home - Leila Abouleila
Natives - Akala
From the stage to the Prayer Mat - Rabia Broadbeck
Gaza in Crisis - Noam Chomsky
Brit(ish) - Afua Hirsch
King of the Castle - Gai Eaton
Babel - R.F. Kuang
It’s not about the Burqa - Edited by Mariam Khan
The story of the Quran - Ingrid Mattson
Signs on the Horizons - Michael Sugich
The Invisible Muslim: Journeys through Whiteness & Islam - Medina Tenour Whiteman
The Butterfly Mosque - G. Willow Wilson
Films
The Last Samurai (2003)
UA-cam
‘Finding Joe’ (Documentary about Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey)
00:04 Ex-Priest Russell Ogston's Journey to Embracing Islam
02:36 Ex-Priest's diverse upbringing and open-mindedness influenced theological training
07:39 Encountering Islam through a personal connection
10:18 Challenging systemic problems in healthcare and society
15:51 Concerns about encroaching materialism in Eastern countries and double standards in the West
18:00 Growing disconnect between governments and citizens worldwide
22:42 Recognizing unconscious privilege and learning from the experiences of people of color.
25:12 Establishment of a distinctive British Islamic identity
29:31 Realization of racial hierarchy in Muslim world.
31:43 Islam's notion of equality and the pervasiveness of racism in all cultures and religions
35:50 Observing double standards in Western society vs. community cohesion in the Islamic world
38:13 Accountability to God and social responsibility
42:30 Challenges in Western welfare and value of caring in Islamic world
44:57 The NHS is at a breaking point.
49:23 Embracing a new culture and unlearning assumptions
51:47 Exploring the identity and experience of second or third generation Muslims in the UK
Many thanks!
Born in Uk, lived in UK, educated in UK as an Islamic scholar what a beautiful thing. As a Turkish Muslim I find this idea so fascinating and I hope that this happens in every western country.
Every Westerners I hope....
Thank you very much for your comment, my Turkish muslim brother.
Turkish people are the best. ❤ From an Indian Muslim brother.
May Allah swt fulfil your wish. Aameen.
Paul Williams: "Jesus did not teach Christianity. He taught Islam."
_I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and I bear witness that Jesus is the Messiah and the Messenger of God._ - John 17.3
W'Salaam Alaikum. Something I forgot to mention in the interview with Paul is this: The evil of racism and social stigma (the two are often intertwined) falls away when it comes to the Salah (prayer). Suddenly the Adhan (call to prayer) happens and we all file into the masjid (mosque), as I have just done here in Oman, and we file in line regardless of race, status, money, knowledge, age, etc..... I could literally be praying next to the poorest man on one side of me, and the richest man on the other....THIS is the beauty of Islam, the beauty of what our beloved Prophet (pbuh) spoke. We all, more than ever, need to be reminded of this. Alhamdulilah
Alhamdulillah. I have subscribed to your channel.
Love from your brother in faith.
Malaysia
Islam is so perfect, but it is the Muslim people who are at faulty. Your observation as regards the prayer in the nosque is spot on.
Beautifully said.
That is true of just about every religion because they want converts. You will not socialize with these people when you leave the mosque
NO “ladies’HIJAB” found in the Quran.
The word HIJAB is used in the Quran but not for ladies.
Check these Ayath/verses that they say have Hijab in them. (But not found)
In Quran 33.59 - “ … JILBAB over themselves…”
in Quran 24.31 - “… Khimar over the Jayb..”
The word is KHIMAR in the Quran.24.31
- Root Meaning of KHIMAR is just a COVERING,
it can also be a neck scarf, any scarf, dupatta, chadar, etc.
There is no head, hair, veil, niqab or any such importance in the Quran,
transliteration of Quran 24.31: “yadribna bi’Khumur’ihinna ala juyoob’ihinna”
[Plurals : khumur, juyoob]
Quran 24.31 (see the part of the verse they say has hijab )
// *..put forth the Khimars OVER THE JAYBs…*//
KHIMAR = COVERING
and
JAYB just means OPENING
- like an opening in a dress, deep-neck, like shirt pocket - is a jayb
To verify from the Quran
check this example in
//Quran 28.32 (part)
“…. yadaka fee jayb’ika …”. //
“… put your hand in your Jayb..” (clearly a pocket or opening in the dress)
(or) some people translate it as chest/ bosoms coz that’s where the Jayb is.
Look at where the importance is in the verse:
“COVERING over the Jayb”
- but the EXPLANATIONS of ‘Sect’ /Firqa leaders promoted the concept of ladies’HIJAB
- by adding it in books written much later after the Quran AND by adding words with brackets in translations and explanations - gradually shifting the importance of COVERING the Jayb
- giving importance away from the Jayb seems like distraction from the main emphasis.
- AND also these Firqa leaders wrote the Dictionary centuries later to push their meanings
- please ask them : when and who wrote the Dictionary that they show their meanings from?
We should not accept new meanings to the words after the word is used in the Quran
- in the present era the meanings can be understood by checking the same word usage within the Quran
- see where the word is used again.
QURAN is it’s own DICTIONARY within it - (by using the important words in other verses and locking the meanings).
They should know when the same root word is used for intoxicants even then it’s used for “COVER”
- - any intoxicant or alcohol
COVERS the ability INSIDE THE MIND - -
Please NOTE : khumur /intoxicants/ALCOHOL does NOT cover the HAIR or outer-head.
How can a religion claiming to be for the whole world - promote desert clothing for far off freezing lands?
They’re Spreading culture and calling it religion - They took the desert clothing that is needed in sand storms and called it religion
OTHER religious groups were ALREADY wearing it in the desert.
IF anyone wants TO FOLLOW WORDS OF ALLAH then they should verify with the Quran - coz every secondary source should match with the Quran
AND they should not add words in translations.
JILBAB:
Means any decent OUTER CLOTHING worn above the under-garments - it’s plural is JALABIB
The verse in the Quran 33.59 is about JILBAB - it’s about wearing outer clothing - where it also says that “they can be RECOGNISED and NOT HARASSED”
So the condition is to be recognised :
how will anyone RECOGNISE if you cover fully?
- So avoid tight clothing - it’s really simple as per Quran.
Wearing clothes that the security personnel and other people are scared of coz they cannot recognise the person inside - as a result you face difficulty and then that results in feeling harassed.
Check the verse Q.33.59 below and remember that some translations or interpretations have added words in brackets - so look at Arabic /or word-to-word translation to VERIFY, yes VERIFY.
“… alay’ihinna min jalabib’ihinna… “
--
//Quran 33.59
O Prophet! Ask your wives, daughters, and believing women to draw their JILBAB over themselves .
In this way it is more likely that they will be RECOGNISED
and not be HARASSED.
And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful//
--
Notice it’s only talking about properly covering themselves - there is NO emphasis on head, hair, face covering in this verse also.
-
Some of them will not VERIFY what is in the Quran - word by word.
And you may get to see how they will jump to start calling IGNORANT and names to the person showing them the research.
brother yusuf living in Oman for 10 years it makes me happy because that's my home country what a wonderful guest thank you dear teacher ❤️
Oman seems so lovely. We want to have a family holiday in Salalah in shaa Allah. Oman is being slept on. Its traditional with amazing architecture unlike some other gulf countries who have gone crazy with modernism lol
Very interesting both are converts
Ngl I'm looking to get nationality for OMAN 😂😂
I lived in Oman in 1997-2000. Age 8-12. Malaysian boy meets Arabian life. Wonderful times. How i miss Oman
Happy to listen as a Bangladeshi Muslim from Bangladesh.
I am also from Bangladesh
Hey, ma shaa'Allah ! I'm Nubian Egyptian sister with a white convert husband too! May Allah bless you and your beloved wife, ameen. ❤
MashAllah sister, that is very nice to know! I met my wife in London. Tell your husband he is very blessed to be married to a Nubian Egyptian :) Where did you meet? And do you live in Europe/US ....or elsewhere? Salaam
MashaAllah, hello fellow Egyptian sister, I'm from Cairo, may God bless your life, the examples of revert Muslim men and women I've seen are such wise educated people, although their journey was not easy but they value their faith more than most of born Muslims in my opinion.
رزقكم الله الخير والبركه
Thank you SO MUCH ! Cairo Um A'Dunya....mother of the world ! Salaam to you and everyone you love :)@@h.saied12
@@rogston39 Thank you so much for replying, I saw your reply to the Nubian sister but didn't realise you're the guest of the episode himself, I've started watching Dawah channels and revert Muslim stories only a short while ago and this really affected me. I actually aspire to reach that level of wisdom and knowledge that leads a person to change his faith and his entire path. God bless you and your beautiful family
I'm a Bangladeshi.. I'm glad to know a Bangladeshi women had impact on his journey to islam❤
Haseena is a fasciste
আলহামদুলিল্লাহ। আমি একজন গর্বিত বাংলাদেশী মুসলিম❤❤❤ 🇧🇩🇧🇩 আপনাদের উভয়কে আল্লাহ উত্তম জাযা দান করুন।
Ameen
Thank you Yusuf Ogston (Rev Russell Ogston) for sharing your journey as a muslim: You made very important distinctions. Born Muslims must unlearn their bias: Agreed with you on their social behavior: Palestine is a living example of Bias and injustice of our times.
Я родом из Таджикистана. Очень рад что вижу белые Мусульман. Пусть всевышний Аллах. Удволйт
Brother our skin color is have no relation with islam this religion is for human not for particular skin type people
Have a good day brother❤
@@ahteshamahmed4316 Perhaps because the majority of Islamophobes are white, he is happy that there are whites who convert to Islam
I feel so fortunate to listen to these two noble leaders of Islam .
Thank you br Paul for all you do
This channel is a breath of fresh air for us muslim westerners embarrassed of our country’s leader’s. Islam is the hope of the decadence of the west. Alhamdulillah!
Asalamalaikum from the US 🇺🇸 This was an insightful 2nd interview with Yusuf Ogston. Thanks for sharing, Paul. Keep up the great work. 🇵🇸 Free Palestine 🇵🇸
wa alaikum assalam
Thank you Mr. Williams for having Mr. Ogston. I think we need someone, who have embraced Islam, to remind us about the issue of the dominance of the social-driven attitudes over faith when it comes to treating others based on their skin color or social status! Very valid point.
Your great guest speech is very clear I live in America and most of the time I struggle with British accent but he speaks very clearly I hope you make him a regular guest in your wonderful vlog
May اللہ bless both of u & your families & all the people around u.... & keep all of your generations to come on this right path....huge huge respect from pakistan....
May Allah bless you br. Yusuf.
Am so happy Paul that you got brother Russell again, I remember the previous episode because it touched me very much very well spoken warm hearted person. I just want to affirm that there is unspoken racism found among Muslims, but its a very wrong action, Islam as a religion is very clear in that, and no matter how racist a person is in his heart Islam brings him down to his face right next to a person of all colors in Mosques. Islam IS perfect. Muslims arent :) Thank you again Paul for a very nice conversation.
I grew up in the UAE, a very multicultural society. As per my experience, there is no discrimination based on the colour of one's skin in and of itself. We have indigenous Iraqi, Syrian and Palestinian Muslims who are blonde with gray eyes, and sometimes even ginger. And we have other Palestinian, North African and Gulf Muslims who are mostly brown, some Muslims from thy gulf are black, while Muslims from Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Mali etc too are black. So it really isn't easy to say so and so is an "English Muslim" just by looking at someone.
Honestly, if I didn't know the two of you, and I saw you brothers at a mosque in UAE, I'd assume you both to be from Levant or Gulf.
Unfortunately, there is sometimes discrimination based on language or based on nationality, but not based on race. (My experience)
May Allah bless us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Bro in UAE as per my experience it’s white skin regarded as noble and higher Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi are outcasts and blacks are untouchable. It happened to me because of skin color the Arabs didn’t even entered in the elevator if they find me alone in the elevator but it wasn’t the case when find a white person. We Muslims have tendency of putting the issues under the rug.
@@maaz87 LIke the brother said, it's not so much about color but more about ethnicity.There are a lot of brown, deep brown and black Arabs and they don't get that treatment. It's ethnicity and also economic class. It's more of a Gulf issue (but not only a Gulf Arab issue) and certainly not all Gulf Arabs are like that. And yes, White European converts do have preferential treatment.
Please, let’s be honest. Racism does exist among Muslims in Muslim countries and among those who settle in the West. As an African-American I am no stranger to the feel and scent of racism and very much experienced it in Saudi Arabia for the nearly four years I resided there. There is a toxic, distasteful color consciousness that exists among Muslims and we can pretend it doesn’t exist because we know it shouldn’t but it is there and it is palpable.
Im from Malaysia & always follow Bro Paul discussion on Islam, I value your knowledge & research on Islam. It has enhancement my knowledge on Islam eventhough I am born muslim. Continue good discussion & dakwah. May Allah bless you sir….
Kan, bagus cara dakwah dia. Penuh berlimiah dan ketenangan, kalau di Malaysia ceramah agama kinda boring, ayuh berguru sama Brother Paul
Kan, bagus cara dakwah dia. Penuh berlimiah dan ketenangan, kalau di Malaysia ceramah agama kinda boring, ayuh berguru sama Brother Paul
Iklim agama di Malaysia berbeza sedikit....huhu😅
Brother Paul, I am so glad you talked about this racism in Islam (more of cultural nature). We should take this menance heads on and keep challenging it until it's gone. (May not be fully eradicated but reduced to a point where it's not a norm)
Alhamdulillah!
What a great conversation with two great intellectual persons. Very interesting and informative. Thanks a lot.
Glad you enjoyed it!
May Almighty Allah Bless and Reward Both of You in this Life and in the Hereafter.
Br Yusuf what beautiful words i can listen to you all day long, Allah bless you for the beautiful heart and integrity you have. Please continue these amazing discussions.
Salaam Aliakum waramotullah wabarakatuh, jazakallah khayran, love you both, Islam is beautiful, 🙏
I just love such videos. Thank you for these videos. Keep going
Interesting conversation.
May Allah Accept your works, and make it a means of acceptance and Guidance for the Ummah!
What a beautiful episode
Alhumdulillah for Islam ❤, May the Creator grant us Jannat Al Firdaus, May we Meet there!
Aameen Ya Rabbul Alameen
AlhamduliLlah.....hopefully consistent in Islamic belief 🤲🤲🙏
Masha Allah; may Allah bless him.
“You cannot replicate human compassion with systems” perfectly describes modern western society
ALLAHU AKBAR ALHAMDULILLAH WHAT A BEAUTIFULL LIFE ALHAMDULILLAH YA ALLAH🤲☝️
Excellent video thanks a lot 😊 🙏
Once you are a muslim, the pulling of brotherhood starts. Prophet p.b.u.h said, "pulling one another "❤
Hafeez from Malaysia here. I like how brother Yusuf speaks very clearly and crisply to me as a non native speaker.
May allah protect and keep him steadfast ❤
May Allah bless him and you both and the rest of humanity on the earth and wish him success and happiness in his life and your life, best of luck in his journey towards humanity, freedom, justice, equality , especially justice for Palestinians in Palestine ❤❤❤.
I am from Malaysia...
I appreciate your kuliah and input too
I great you my big brother in the name of allah you chennal always i get something to be happay my allah bless you
Mashallah brother Paul bringing us closer and closer to Allah with these videos may Allah reward you with good deeds and jannah to you and yo all of us ameen
I really appreciated the informative content in that episode, it was great! . May Allah increase us in the knowledge of His deen🤲🏽
SUBHAANALLAAH that’s so Amazing to see both of you, May ALLAH GUIDE us all to the straight path Aammeen 🤲🏼
"You cannot replicate human compassion with systems" 40:30, great quote!
As a French white Muslim , would you say that there are more and more white Muslims in Uk ?
May allmighty Allah bless you.
Ma shaa Allah! Allah Gudie whom He wills without account.. welcome to Islam
As salaam o alaikum brothers Paul and Yusuf, thank you for this deeply stimulating conversation.
I just wanted to add my two cents on the subject of racism and deep set prejudice that brother Yusuf felt living in the Middle East. I am a Muslim, born and raised in Pakistan, who then got the opportunity to move around a bit.. lived in Malaysia for 5 yrs, then Bahrain for another 7 years, and Canada for the last 4 yrs.
Throughout this journey, I experienced Islam in various colors. In South Asia, there is a deep social divide that transcends color, I believe. So, growing up, at home, we had domestic helpers who were treated in many ways, similar to what Brother Yusuf described. But they were Pakistanis, brown and muslim like us.
The same pervasive class system I witnessed in the Arab world. The only difference was probably that Middle Eastern Arabs seem to suffer a superiority complex towards all other non-arab muslims of color..be they from Egypt, Sudan, or Bangladesh.
It was in Southeast Asia that I actually felt Islam, in the real sense. We had muslims from Pakistan/India, Iran, Sri Lanka, Jordon, Scotland, Indonesia, and surprisingly, we were all treated with same deference and politeness.
I am no scholar but maybe these varied experiences are more a reflection of the social system of these regions that somehow supercede their belief system?
wa alaikum assalam
❤❤❤welcome back
May Allah SWT bless both of you and all of your families.
Very informative.jazakAllah to the teo brothers
How lovely to see two revert brothers having an enlightening discussion, thank you for sharing your experiences 🙌
Assalamu alaikom
Such a beautiful surprise to see u again Yusuf, and hear parts of your journey to Islam, that really put a smile on my face and brought incredibly beautiful memories me and my husband had in Oman with u and ur beautiful wife and lovely children (May Allah bless u all)
Its quiet fascinating that u have detected cracks in yhe system early on before even becoming a Muslim, as its a sad reality in the west how enslaving people become the norm u der the illusion of fake freedom and so called democracy, which led to many vicitms that u have witness throught ur work as a priest
May Allah reward u as u r a very descent person along with ur family
Hope to see u and ur lovely family again soon in shaa Allah
Alaikum Salaam to you both :) Thank you so much for your kind words, and indeed you are right...."the illusion of fake freedom and so called democracy...." . Every blessing to you there :)
Alhumdulillah, Allah knows this hence you was chosen for His cause to be the example and a message in a bottle. What an excellent message and a reminder indeed. Forever remembered
Allah intends Islam for all of humanity with all its cultures. Islam need not be Middle-Eastern in culture. I sincerely believe in Islam to the absolute core of my being (with Allah's help and mercy). But to be honest I grew up in the West and never really took to Middle-Eastern culture, though I am sympathetic to it. I sincerely believe and pray that the West can become Islamic while keeping the unique and positive aspects of its heritage. In fact I look forward to it.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ (13)
O, people! We created you from a male and a female, and We made you races and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. The best among you before Allah is the most righteous. Allah is Knowing and Aware.
As a Muslim, I was born and raised in Morocco until the age of 17, and for the past 30 years, I have been living in the West. I deeply appreciate the significance of this verse. Over the years, I've embraced the richness of both Moroccan and Dutch cultures, and I strive to instill this appreciation in my children, encouraging them to navigate and embrace the best of both worlds.
Freedom for Palestine and Gaza ❤
Thanks so much for your doing your part and showing the way of the truth
Interesting conversation❤
The reverts are so precious ❤
as a muslim I am always sad seeing muslim countries in the gulf bringing in football players, rockstars, and concerts to their countries instead of helping their Muslim brothers from poorer countries
I love both of those sirs in the sake of Allah , may Allah give them the highest paradise
😁.. MashaAllah.. Allhamdulillah..
Thanks for your sharing..😍👍🏽
Salam from Jakarta..✍️🇮🇩
Welcome 2 Islam brother from your sister in America !
Masallah assalam walikum my dear brother's 🎉
So wonderful really
Thank you again Paul, you look really tired i hope you're healthy and happy. Take care of yourself❤
Welcom to the islamic nation brother 🇲🇦🇵🇸🇲🇦🇵🇸🇲🇦🇵🇸
Alhamdulillah it's so beautiful explanation
Thans for shering
It’s heart filling to listening to these beautiful stories of our bro/sis in Islam❤ I lived most my life in UK (London) got married and moved to Birmingham. Lived in Birmingham over 10years since 2010. My children are thus brommies🎉
Finally live now in egypt 🇪🇬
I have many connections with Brother Yusuf. May Allah keep us all firm in this beautiful faith (a gift from the Almighty) aameen.
W'Salaam Alaikum, thank you so much for your kind words. I lived in Birmingham and studied there. I lived near the University and then in Handsworth :) Great memories. I was in Cairo in 2011 - 2012; an amazing time....not always easy but if you can thrive in Cairo, you can thrive anywhere :)
Thanks!
Many thanks
Jazakumullah khayran
La Hawla Wa La Quwatta Illa Billa
May Allah strengthen our minds like these gentlemen scholars, ameen.
MashaAllah
Very balanced and a sincere deep thought provoking articulation of affairs and behaviors. We are struggling to understand but also express the worldwide cross cultural “new islam” encounters, and you both discussed it very clearly, un-apologetically “ours and theirs ” !! In muslim and non muslim countries.
Duas and thanks
Yes, we need to raise our voices for peoples interest. We need leaders to stand beside less privileged people. Compassionate and Enlightened ones must come forward in politics.
May Allah swt grant you and all of us jannat ul firdaus
Allah huma bareek, amazing
MashaAllah!
mashaallah what a guy may Allah bless both of u
MASHAALLAH ❤❤
Alhamdulillah and welcome Thanks Brother ❤
Inspirational journey; very nice to listen to♡.."Unlearning in order to learn"
The first interview was an absolute treat and the second video is so interesting. I’m travelling to Oman for the first time this month for holiday. I can’t wait.
Enlightening discussion. Thanks to both of you.
Wow... You guys look like brothers 😂
Love you brothers for the sake of ALLĀH Alone....
MashaAllah brother for accepting and REVERTED to ISLAM congratulations ALHAMDULLILLAH AMEEN
Thank you for sharing this beautiful video
Thanks!🙏 for all you do
Many thanks!
As a palestinian, I never forget the role of Great-Britain in helping to estahlish a jewish state in Palestine till the official creation of the state of Israël in 1948, along with the creation of multiple arab tyranic states affiliâted to the West till today
what does that have to do withy the video
Why are you attacking 2 muslim men, what have they got to do with that. We stand with Palestine but not on the expenses of other Muslims . We all are struggling differently brother. Free Palestine 🇵🇸
@@lisaa19861 exactly
Maybe the Muslims of Arabian territories in the Ottoman Caliphate should not have rebelled against their Muslim brothers & joined with the British in WW1z
Its rather tragic and we all are saddened by that but you cant hold a grudge against these 2 gentlemen for decisions made by others several decades ago.
Great book list!
M.a may allah protect you.
Brilliant video! ❤
جزاک اللہ خیرا
Very informative ❤
Pls do more frequent episodes!! JazakAllah for your efforts - an avid follower ✨️
Iam proud to see such great Muslims with great idea mashalah welhamdulilah.
New subscriber. Regards from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
As a person who was born and grew up in the Middle East, having lived in GCC and Levant contries, racism, classism, and sectarianism do most definitely exist. I have experienced it first hand as a non-Arab. Different countries and societies have different prejudices. However, because the teachings of Islam strongly prohibit prejudice, this prejudice isn't expressed overtly. Muslims aren't perfect, no one is, but for the most part they try their best to adhere to those teachings.