Cochin Blogger's Profile

Almost all of them said that they doubted their Islamism when they saw a
million non-Muslims march in London to oppose the Iraq War: "How could
we demonise people who obviously opposed aggression against Muslims?"
asks Hadiya.

At the same time, they began to balk at the mechanistic nature of Wahabism.
Usman says he had become a "papier-mâché Muslim",
defining his faith entirely by his actions, while being empty inside. "Wahabis
are great at painting themselves [an Islamic] green on the outside, but when
it comes to that internal aspect, it's not there. You pray five times a day,
but why? Because God's told you to pray five times a day. You pay your
charity – why? Because God's told you to pay your charity. This God of yours
is telling you a lot. And why does he tell you to do that? Because if you
don't do it, you'll end up in a fire. It's all based on being frightened.
There's nothing to nourish you."

For spiritual uplift, many soldiers and veterans depend heavily on pop-Christian books, especially Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life, and themes of divine purpose and devotion to God.