Salaam Rida,

Nice pic. I like the prayers, I think the people who put them here do so out of sincerity and I know I make du'a for people so why can't people express it in words? Just like I write sometimes after Allah (swt) because it reminds me to glorify His name. I also think I said on this thread that I was thinking of taking a step back from this forum in terms of the way debates are but then posts came up that I wanted to respond to as well as my own thread - isn't that just the way?

I guess. It is totally up to you though, you are not obliged to answer anyone's questions. Their journey will take fold regardless. I personally like the idea of discussion forms. I met a really good friend from Canada on a discussion forum and she was there for me during my hardest times. I also met my Uncle on a discussion forum who used to play cricket with my dad when they were young. We speak to each other every weekend now. You never know where your next click or reply will take you.

so, if tomorrow they begin praying to stones you will do it too, just to keep peace. God and his laws should be above all things(that includes your parents, learn from the story of Abraham). Also, You should learn why Mosses was punished with not seeing, but only from far away, the promised land, it may help you to understand some things.

Well we don't know what tomorrow holds do we? So let's not make assumptions about anyone praying to stones. Because the fact is my parents don't pray to stones, they pray to Allah, to one God.

I already know the stories of Abraham and Moses, read it in many different languages, with many different interpretations.

Peace RidaKhan

I would ask, what is your true religion?, because the tone of voice in your writings sounds very arrogant.

Hey there. I don't understand why you think I am arrogant. I guess my writing style is not that same others because I don't like to add "prayers" or "Quranic verses" to random strangers I meet on the discussion forums.

To your question, I don't have a religion. I follow a Deen (an ideology/ way of life) called Islam which literally means "Peace". Because I am a follower of Islam and its holy book, the Quran- I call myself a Muslim because I agree with the teachings of the Quran and also because I am comfortable with just being called a Muslim (no sunni, no shia, no wahabi). Like I said in my introduction, I do not like to be labelled with any kind of "ists" "holics" or definitely do not follow any "isms".

Secondly, I was also born into a Muslim- sunni family. And I pray the sunni way to make my parents happy and to keep peace with the rest of the Muslim community. Of course, my understanding of salaat is very different to 99% of the Muslims. Nevertheless, I compromise on certain rituals performed by the Muslims because I want to keep peace.

Of course, you are judging me in saying that I am arrogant. And you have no right to judge me, and I have no right to judge you. Therefore, I had suggest that if both of us don't have anything nice to say to each other, we shouldn't say anything.

---

I was the one who reported to the moderators so that the discussion is heated down. My action was not out of arrogance, it was with the intention of compromise and to keep peace. Again, sad when people judge you without getting to know you. Just because I disagree with you or question your identity, it is as a result of curiosity and interest. Not arrogance.

I also got a cool fb pic that you guys might be interested in having a look at. )

https//www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=495958453797969&set=a.169489449778206.41247.159050624155422&type=1&theater

One thing I notice with some folks here - when you disagree with THEM, they say you disagree with the Quran itself. They say their views are 'quranic' or 'according to the quran' or 'the true view'. These are simply delusions of grandeur. In truth, ALL of us are subjective interpreters of the Quran.

Agreed. But I guess better to be subjective interpreters of the Quran than following it blindly, ey?

I feel the same about the whole 'disagreeing = ignorance/ arrogance'.

Okay to begin with. Can you please stop quoting my lengthy responses and only quote specific parts?

Thank you.

//Lets accept the meaning and theory of Momin according to your understanding, but than it left me wonder who Allah is addressing in Quran as a believer?//

Rida My understanding? I had say Parwez's understanding. And your question makes me want to quote a mohawara in Urdu, that "ap baal ki khaal nikal rahay ho" i.e "you are trying to rip skin off the hair"- it is used when someone is deliberately trying to analyze/ dig information from something that is very straight forward.

Even though, I shouldn't be justifying my beliefs to you, yet I don't want people to think I stepped back because I didn't have enough Quranic knowledge. I certainly do not want them to think that someone who copies verses from the Quran and posts them on discussion forms automatically qualifies to be "more educated" about the Quran. Learning from Jinnah/ Iqbal and Parwez- my elders have taught me to be mindful of the respect shown to the Quran/ Islam in general. Therefore, in my humble understanding, it feels like "you are making a mockery out of Quran" if you post a Quranic verse on a "random" discussion forum often accessed by trolls. Therefore, I very rarely quote Quran on discussion forums unless I have to, in order to explain a particular point of view. Previously I mentioned my annoyance with this guy called "amir" who had been posting entire Quran on this discussion forum and literally preaching to people. I don't like what he is doing, I don't agree with preaching and I certainly find it very insensitive of people quoting Quran where ever and whenever they like. It's pathetic. Really, it is.

To your second question, who is Allah referring to when he uses the word Salahiteen/ mutaqeen/ momin- of course he is referring to Muslims- to be generic. Because you wouldn't be a salahiteen/ mutaqeen or momin if you weren't first a Muslim. So again, don't try to rip skin off the hair.

//I think you started well in the post but you are inclining towards the same path that you started the post about. I expected that to backup your statements you should be quoting Quranic Ayats, with the knowledge and understanding you demonstrated about Arabic and Quran. Although, it is nice to know about Iqbal and Prevaiz but Allah (Ar-Rehman) takes precedence on all of them. //

Also, could you also elaborate how you translated Momin as a Peace Maker.

Peace unto you.

Allah does indeed precedes over any human understanding, but I trust these people's views. I have already told you why I don't tend to quote Quran unless I have to.

Look up my previous posts about the word Muslim/ Momin and see for yourself why Momin- indeed means a peacemaker. I think it is on page 2 of this discussion forum. I have also quoted Quranic verses there. Besides, weren't you the one correcting me on one of the verses quoting "mutaqoon" ? So then, you must have already read my lengthy post about the words Muslim/ Momin, where not only have I quoted scholars, but also the Quranic verses. Perhaps go read it again.

But do try not to rip skin off the hair. As the hair do not have skin.

Peace

Salaam RidaKhan,

I do study the Arabic Quran to some extent, not as much as I could I guess, but I know some basics.

Did I say that I was a "Quranist"?

No, I did not, I avoid the term. I said I was a Believer, but if I have to refer to myself with a religious origin, I suppose it would be Muslim, since it seems to be the only accepted term. It is not wrong either, just that that term is so misused.

I understand that is why the definition "Submitter" emerged, so suppose I may have to land on Muslim. However, I belong to no sect, simply Muslim.

The reason is the false perception that the Muslims today are the only Muslims, anyone can be a Muslim, even if not been studying Quran.

God bless you

Hey there! I AM SO SORRY You were NOT meant to read that post lol. My internet died around 4pm yesterday and I have been trying to get it work. I just spoke to the internet people and thank god it is working. You are right, you never said you were a Quranist and from reading your post you had already told me that you were learning Arabic, which I sincerely appreciate. So here's my actual response that I wanted to post lol.

You are right in the regard that Arabic is not my primary language, but you seem to have misunderstood my point in the post you read, since you said I tried to claim that Mu?min is the same as Muslim or translate into this, which I never did. I tried to define the word Muslim according to my knowledge, which is something like Peacemaker and the words Islam, Muslim and Salaam come from the root S L M. It does not take an expert to draw these conclusions I did, and I did not make this discovery on my own, credit is to people on this forum. I think the word Peacemaker/Submitter is still not the right choice to properly define Muslim, but something like Truth-seeker or similar.

Rida That's fine. I get you here.

//One does not have to be a Muslim to grasp the Message which all messengers came with and they all brought the same Message with some adjustments to the contents.//

Rida Yes. You do not have to be a Muslim to obtain the message of God. But you do need to recognise that in Islam Quran summarises the message of God and clears it out for other people. Thus you do need to study Quran as perhaps a matter of interest. I would discourage you to stick to translations of other people.

// Following the basic principles of the religion of God is simple, it means believing in God alone and the Hereafter, and to be a righteous believer. The Quran is a good book to guide people to be righteous, but this does not mean a man or a woman cannot be living in the Light of God without it.//

I don't understand you at all here. People maybe guided to an extent, by their society/ education-and perhaps athiests are guided too. But they may not be fully guided. It seems like you have this illusion that there is one "religion of God" which is universal. I strongly oppose this idea because well, this means that you dont think that Islam is that religion, or maybe you do, yet you think other religions say the same thing as Islam one way or the other therefore humans are getting the same Quranic message. If you mash all religions into one, all Gods into one, all books (regardless of their fabrication) into one- you are left with nothing but contradictions. And yet, you feel that everyone is "Rightly guided"? For example, what do you mean by the "righteous believer"?- which scripture determines who is a believer and who isnt? Buddhists may practice idolatry which contradicts the foundation of Islam- but a practicing Buddhist is a "believer" . It cannot be all same Man of Faith, each religion has its sets of rules/ foundations. There maybe generic guidelines like no to injustice/theft/murder etc- however, there are clear distinctions in guidelines of one religion to another. I am sorry to say, but this is a very popular western-converted Muslim perspective, which well... is certainly not Islamic in my understanding. Even though, I respect you for your beliefs.

//You are right in many ways, and I knew most of what you wrote already, but it was well written to the depth of it, I could learn at least a thing or two from it. The only problem is that this boastful contentment with the Quran has rendered you slightly arrogant to the extent of denying all the existing religions (sects) in the world. You do not have to be speaking and writing Arabic to grasp God?s Message//

Yep. I was right to conclude earlier. It is not something new for a converted Muslim of the West to minimize the emphasize to learn Arabic. Which of course is a must to understand Quran and its messages. Like I said earlier, translations can be wrong. You must learn the language. But we- (tempted to use the word "We" here), as Muslims do expect that if you want to join Islam you must have an understanding of either Arabic- or a languages similar to it like Persian, Urdu or Turkish. It is very sad that the new converts do not comprehend this despite many Muslim scholars emphasizing the importance of Arabic. Very, very sad.

//before I stumbled onto the Quran and I cannot say I was on a highway to Hell before I did so, I saw through Satan?s tricks with the trinity and invented stories about Jesus and I was a monotheist believer even then. I had never even taken my eyes upon the Quran before that and read the warnings about Jesus and the belief in the trinity.//

Quran makes it clear that if someone simply did not know the messages of the Quran then their lack of knowledge by chance will not shove them into hell. However, if someone does have the knowledge of the Quran and is aware of its messages and then deliberately choose not to adhere to the Quranic laws. This is when it starts getting tricky. You weren't going to be shoved into hell before you stumbled across Quran. And I dont think I ever said that anyone who believes in something else other than Quran will go to hell. For all I know is that I am not God, and I am no one to decide who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.

//Please do not get me wrong, the Quran is a most excellent book, perfectly detailed and it is not seemingly biased, its Message can be understood even with a quite poorly translated Quran//

You don't sound very convinced lol. Why "join Islam" after reading a "poorly" translation of Quran. Why not do more research before you convert? -

//If we want to classify ourselves by the ?name? Muslims, through the name Islam, we break God?s commandment of not divide ourselves into sects, because it is what it is, at least if we think it is a special religion exclusive to those who call themselves Muslim.//

Allah refers to the followers of Quran as Muslims. I do not comprehend your problem with this term. I am guessing it is the stereotype that is created in the Western media about the term "Muslim" which is preventing you from embracing it. Any other reason for rejecting this term, to me, is just lack of understanding of the Quran and its importance and emphasize of the term Muslim. I replied to Awal's post speaking of the 4 phases of being a Muslim. You might want to have a look.

//I must thank you for providing me with some additional information which I did not know, or if I did know it, you put new light to it, you had me thinking, even if I have not changed my mind regarding my perception of the Truth, as I am most certain about it.//

Fair enough.

//You said that I put Believer into a generic form, I say that I choose this neutral term because it means just as it is usually perceived, as someone who believes in God, since there is only one God, one religion, thus making the term Muslim less attractive, if one wants to be open to the world. //

Again, a typical Western- convert response. I have met so many people like you. it's so interesting how you guys come up with these abstract understanding of something so simple. / Yet, you have the right to call yourself whatever you are comfortable with.

//If it would be possible, if my passport had this information, to state my religion, I would have wanted it to say ?the religion of God? or ?God?s religion?, since it is the most accurate term. There is only one religion and that is God?s religion. Creating religious sects is just causing additional imbalance in the peace of the Earth, hence I free myself of the boundaries of a specific religion. If you want to call me ?Other? as religion, then please go ahead and do it, but I would say that it is Christian, Jew, Muslim etc, which is in the ?Other? category. For non-other, the choice is God?s religion. So it is either God?s religion or ?Other?.//

I had agree with you here. You are indeed among the "Other" category. Thank you for finally answering this.

// Your Arabic is certainly better than mine, but we must still contemplate the Quran?s true meaning. I respect the translations I have read and I am sure they did their utmost to present it as accurate as they could, considering Arabic is used in a completely different way than English. And I study the original Arabic Quran together with those who are more knowledgeable in Arabic than I am.//

Just be careful about those teaching you the Arabic. I am glad you are making the effort though. However, I like to end the discussion here and agree to disagree, respectfully.

Peace RidaKhan,

Good stuff, please continue with your explanation of angels and satan God willing.

Message me with an email address and I will send you the required documents that speak about the root words of Mailaika and Shaytan. You might find the glossary helpful as it also defines other concepts often wrongly translated.

Salaam RidaKhan,

No problem. Funnily enough, in my last reply a few moments ago I was just saying that humans will rarely agree on everything. I see what you mean, compromise and tolerance are essential and what you're saying fits my understanding of the Quran. I would disagree on the point about having a personal relationship with God, as I believe we do. I think we serve Allah, not people. We live in society, it has benefits and many problems but I don't believe it prevents our personal relationship with God. I have occasionally come across views where people look at the warnings that God gives as a way of saying anyone who ever does certain things outside of Islam is doomed right there are then. They seem to be forgetting that God is The Most Patient and the Most Merciful. But, as you say, there is a line to be drawn in that compromise when it comes to intolerance, hatred and injustice etc.

Awesome. Cool. Well said. )

Salaam Rida

Correction 2177 is about Mutaqoon.

Why would not you consider yourself Momin, when Allah is addressing you as a Momin.

Peace

I don't call myself Momin because I don't believe I have reached that stage yet. According to Parwez- who I really admire, to be a Momin, we go through 4 phases.

Phase 1 Muslim

Here you accept Islam and by that I mean that you accept that there is one God, Quran is the book of God (given that you have thoroughly studied it and explored every aspect of it), and recognize the efforts of the Prophets. (Believe me, the first stage is not as easy as it sounds as human heart needs to be convinced about these "facts".)

Phase 2 Salahiteen

Now that you are clear about the foundations of the Islamic faith. It is time that you use and expand your "salahiyat" or "abilities" to work for the cause of Islam i.e. peace and injustice. For me this phase is about completing school, university, getting enough work experience etc.

Phase 3 Mutaqqeen (as mentioned by you)

Mutaqeen defined as people who are able to defend themselves from every hurdle in their life. Like an Arab that travels through the Arabian desert, tightly holding his robe and skipping every spiky desert plant/bush/ animals e.g. poisonous snake which if not dealt with properly can lead to death or permanent harm. I can send you a document which is a glossary of Quran so you can look up these terms in more detail.

After passing the phase of Mulim and Salahiteen can we only be prepared enough to face difficulties in life, and if we succeed, we become Mutaqeen.

Phase 4 The Final phase known as the phase of Momin. The peacemakers.

Now that our Islamic foundation is strong, have abilities/ qualifications to back up our stance, and have gained enough experience in life to deal with hurdles- we are now asked to work and strive for world peace.

In this phase, because we are empowered by our abilities, strength of character and experience, we are now asked to take on a greater responsibility (and by far the hardest) as Allah or God believes that we are ready for something much bigger.

---

So here are the 4 phases of a Muslim's journey as described in the Quran. The 4 words, Muslim, Momin, Salahiteen and Mutaqqin are repeatedly used. And I admire Parwez and Allama Iqbal to have been able to recognize and divide this step by step approach in order for Muslims to gain more control about their practice of Islam.

Thus, I do not feel that I have reached a place like that of Momin (peacemaker) since I do not feel that my heart has reached that "satisfaction" phase of Momin where I am happy to leave the world because I think I have done some good to the humanity.

I am still struggling with the phase 2 and 3. I need salahiyat- skills/tools to back me up and I am still learning to handle the difficulties that life throws at me. I know that life is unpredictable and can continue to throw difficulties, however, if you can pass the first few difficult experiences, you are likely to be able to deal with anything because you have a good foundation, required skills, tools and enough life experience.

What do you mean by compromise? There really is a distinction, at times, from attempting to please or appease people, atheists lets say. I find this is a group that people can easily end up trying to "appease" if they are religious. In fact, I've seen some Atheists who have commented back about my views - negatively and as though they are offended - about ridicule of certain things religious people do (I think it was about songs that religious people may write during times of hardship and then simply ridiculing this), but these same people think its ok for them to say whatever they want about anything and ridicule it etc. so, why would it be an issue for me to raise questions about what they do? I'm not sure if you meant appease when you said compromise, I'm just mentioning a point that came to mind.

Hey there supportpeacenotwar-

Apologies for the late reply, I know compromise can be a manipulative word at times. But i had suggest that it is important to recognise the actions/ intention of the person/ group you are compromising with. For example,
I could never compromise with Saudi Arabian/ wahabis to legally making it difficult for women to seek divorce/ drive/ stopping them from going out of the house etc. I will not, and can not compromise with the injustice and oppression of these men over the women. At times, I can also not compromise with those Atheists who think "all" religious belief is nothing but a fairytale and everyone who has a religion is stupid. Of course, their ignorance is not something I can compromise with.

But I can compromise with people/ groups who are practicing their beliefs without inflicting pain onto others either psychological or physically. A group that I can not compromise with as a Muslim/ Human is perhaps the practice of the cast system in Hinduism. I am okay with their idolatry practice, their dance/rituals (as long as it is not harming the environment which is not the case with the current condition of the Ganges river) but i can compromise with certain Hindus who usually tend to pick and choose parts of hinduism that may assimilate with their lives.

Of course, no two people can ever agree on everything all the time even if they belong to the same sect/tribal clan. Again, as humans we shall compromise on those practices/ beliefs which are not harming other directly. At this moment in time, I sit here silently, compromising with the billions of people who do not agree with my beliefs. I am not saying that my relationship with God is personal, I dont think my relationship with God can ever be personal for as long as we humans live in system called a "society" where we have to contribute to qualify as being a member.

To put it simply, compromise with everything but injustice done to others- people, environment, animals.

Hey there Man of Faith

Sorry for the way over-due reply, got caught up with uni holidays. )

Look, I absolutely respect your choice of calling yourself a Quranist and thinking that Quran is a universal book, however of course, I may just have to agree to disagree at the label of calling oneself a Quranist. I prefer to call myself a Muslim. I guess partly because calling oneself a Muslim gives you a sense of belonging and identity. And we have learnt that from evolution of human wanting to belong to a particular tribe.

I do recommend that you learn Arabic though if you really admire Quran that much. I don't know, it maybe handy. Personally, I like to study hebrew some day because i want to read the Torah/ Talmud in hebrew. )

From PRL

= Haa-Jiim-Jiim = to intend to a certain target, aim at, repair, undertake, repaired/betook himself to or towards a person / place / object of veneration/respect/honour, went/visit frequently/repeatedly, pilgrimage.
Overcome another by/in argument/evidences/proofs/testimonies, plead, contend/argue/dispute.
Refrain/abstain.

---

undertaking
Noun

I would translate "hajj" as "undertaking/venture/enterprise".

2227 And call out to the people with the undertaking/venture/enterprise, they will come to you walking and on every transport, they will come from every deep enclosure.

Perfecto!... This person is spot on regarding the concept of Hajj. It is supposed to be a "conference" where Muslims from all over the globe can come and discuss how to maintain the Islamic economy, politics, social + other issues concerning our society/ planet. For futher reading, I had recommend Ghulam Ahmed Parwez's website Tolu-e-Islam, and look into his perspective about hajj as well.

I personally do not mind the rituals associated with Hajj- but the running and sacrificing a goat seems harsh. Nevertheless, I could talk while we jog lol!

Dear RidaKhan

Your definitions of what I mean by The Qur'aan Phonological, Etymological, Orthographic, Models etc are incorrect. Please do not define on behalf of others. That can be misleading just like the new thread that you have started
"WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE PREACHING HERE? And WHO IS MONITORING THESE THREADS?" ( In that thread you insinuate al-amiyr as a sort of example). Yet I am not preaching but presenting nothing but pure qur'aanic knowledge without the condemnation of anybody or their views. Why the 'apparent hostile approach' on the first day of your registration.

I am not even gonna argue with you. It was necessary to mention that you are "clearly" preaching and obtaining many followers. (Thus no surprise about you are getting "thankful" emails, I AM GETTING THOSE TOO LOL!!!). And anyone who disagree with what you are doing, you just tell him/her off for being "hostile".

I will continue to define your big words like "phonology" and "orthographic" etc because everyone has the right to know what these words mean in common English. As I fear, many young people may be reading these threads thinking that anyone who throws in big words is likely to be an "expert" on Quran, which from what I have observed is certainly not true here.

So yes, go ahead, preach and post "your views" and continue to copy/paste verses from the Quran. As a Muslim, I personally think you are making a mockery out of Quran here on the threads, when EVERYONE CAN GET A COPY OF THE QURAN FROM GOOGLE.

So, genius followers, did any of you think of that before sending Al- amiyr thank you messages?

Guess not. But if you do google Quran, I personally recommend Quran Explorers and the translations by Yusuf Ali. Only for English speakers though.

Though, I think al-amiyr has done a pretty good job of copying/ pasting the entire Quran lol.

Sure, it would be nice to have a place where people confined themselves to expressing absolute truth, all the time. How would you go about achieving that though?

My advice to you is to not take people here too seriously. Read threads that interest you, ignore posters you think are wrong, and realize that this is not a highly moderated forum - I sometimes wish for stricter moderation myself, but that approach taken to its logical extreme would stifle pretty much all discussion, since pretty much all topics have been examined thoroughly previously by posters who are no longer active here.

Hey there Magnus

I can understand the part about not taking people here too seriously. Given the lack of strictness as you know yourself. It is sad though. I wished we had a forum where I could carry out discussions with people who are listening to views from all sides, but oppose the whole "this is what you must do/ believe, if not I pray that Allah may guide you because you are just so wrong".

There are some good books available on this site. I really wonder if people read them.

I really hope the Admin is reading this though.

The way I would go about achieving this would be people writing "expository" explanations/ backing themselves up on what they are saying e.g a book, a verse from Quran (not the entire Quran), scholarly arguments, links to relevant articles/ book page numbers.

Above all, I had request the admin to invite "guest speakers" which can open a topic for discussion and thoughts can spring for there. At the minute, it is just about any random person coming and posting. And perhaps misusing this space to find themselves partners for relationships. Both men and women.

Really sad.

Tons the posts in al-amiyr's threads (and ones similar to it) are skepticism or doubt at al-amiyr's posts, mind you.

There was that period were a few different people consecutively started claiming they were divine messengers a while back too. I do wonder why this place gets so many people like that sometimes.

Oh my God, are you serious? This is really scary. &

I hope the ADMIN/S are reading this.

An interesting introduction. )
Richard

Thanks Richard!

As I said, if you choose to read the aya literally, then read it in full. Liyakoona ar rasool shahidan alaikum says that he 'named' you al muslimeen so therasool is witness over you. If you got the messenger hovering over you, that's great but I don't. So I try to read it descriptively.//

I think we are agreeing. Yay! D

//As for the terms no catching on the middle east, the BIGGEST quranist group, the ahl al quran are in EGYPT. so much for your "period' , hehe.//

You are funny. Arab world makes only 15% percent of the Islamic world. Egypt is likely to be part of that 15%. So again, you are wrong (with ALL DUE RESPECT), the Ahl-e-Quran is a very small sect. And sects shouldn't be created to begin with.

But I wonder Are you a member of Ahl-e-Quran?.. Just a general question Are you guys allowed to go to Mecca and perform hajj/ umrah? Or Has the Saudis banned you/ other Ahl-e-Quran followers due to rejection of hadiths?

Do enlighten me. )

Peace Rida,

//Wasn't the whole point NOT to label people?//

Rida Yes, I agree the whole point was to avoid "new labels" invented by the modern era. You seem to have gotten offended by me asking Man of Faith about what he will put on his passport?

It's just a question lol. Seriously, like you know some passports do require it. And besides, here we have like annual Australian Bureau of Statistics that determine x, y, z proportions of different religious groups in Australia.

I still don't know what Man of Faith will put down himself. My guess is still "Other". Though, you should probably let Man of Faith reply, as the question was aimed at him, not you lol.

Salaam again,

Today I am going back on my divine mission, but since I felt a bit provoked I had to reply. What I received as a reply was not entirely accurate to the Truth.

What I want to start to say is, the word Muslim does not translate into Believer, this word means something else. The word Muslim means something like someone who submits to God, or some say Peacemaker because it comes from the same root as S L M which gives the greeting Salaam. This word is not used as a name of a religion, but as a way of coming to peace of mind.

As far as I am concerned, the Arabic word mu'min is the word for Believer, so in that sense I can call myself 'Mu'min' then if I would like to tell my faith in Arabic, but this does not place me in one folder, I could belong to any sect in the world, as long as they worship God alone. This is what God meant when He said that we should not break into sects, but this is unfortunately what keeps happening.

I do not like to call people wrong, but I would like to object on this about Muslims are necessarily people who specifically follow the Quran, even those who followed the teachings of Jesus in a proper way (being monotheists) were also Muslims, being Muslim means to follow the same Message as both Jesus and Muhammad carried about being peaceful and friendly, the whole "religion" tells you to be making peace with both yourself and others. God hints at this thing about calling yourself Muslim in the Quran, where he says you should not call yourselves Muslims but Believers, it could have been that people had the same issue those 1400 years ago. If you truly believe and you are certain at heart it is more appropriate to refer to yourself as a Believer.

Well, i hope you enjoy your trip. But it seems from your background that you are not a first language Arabic speaker, as you stated the meanings and the root words of both Muslim and Momin wrong. And I state the following to expand your Arabic knowledge, as many out there are not aware of the classical Arabic literature.

The word Muslim is derived from the word Islam, and with the word Islam, the focus is on the letters Seen- Lam- Meem. Following is a detailed description of the various scholars and the linguists.

All the basic meanings are taken from Moheet, Taj and Lane; these are eight in number-
Salema means he got purified from all the defects, shortcomings; all the shortcomings are complemented. Verse (Quran verse 2/71) refers to the cow that is perfect and without any defect, so its basic meanings are to get well and perfect, complete in all respects so that no defect remains.

To remain safe from all dangers, accidents, mishaps. Ibn-e-Faris says that its basic meanings are more inclined towards perfection in health, safety and security. As-Sal'am is also one of the names of Allah used in the Quran (59/23) which means free from all defects and shortcomings and who faces no danger from anything. The author of Taj-ul-Urus, however, disagrees with this and says that Sal'amun means someone from whom safety and security is sought. Sal'am is one of the names of Allah, as He has kept the entire creation safe from all catastrophes and His System and Laws are in operation with perfection.

As-Sullamu means a ladder used to reach some high place and is safe and dependable. So the third meanings are the ways and means by which someone can reach the heights with confidence.

As-Silmu (2/20 means one who lives with peace and order and also maintains peace and order. Tasalamat-il-Khailo means horses who march in step; no horse creates any trouble or mischief - all are in one step. This explains the Islamic System. As-Silmu-wa-As-Salamu means to be obedient, to bow, to surrender. So the fifth basic meanings are to bow to and obey the Laws of Allah in totality. Nawab Siddique Hasan Khan writes that the basic meanings contain the element of humility and softness.

Is-Taslama Sakamat-Tareeq means one who walked in the middle of the path and did not deviate from it. Qaloo Salama means who leads or takes up the middle path, does not look either side and avoids obscene things or lewdness. So the sixth meanings of this root are to adopt a balanced way and avoid obscenities, filthiness, indecency, and immodesty.

Is-Talam-az-Zaru means the crop has ripened. So the seventh meanings of this root are a system under which efforts bear fruit. As-Salimatu is a woman whose hands, feet and limbs are soft, beautiful and in perfect shape. So the eighth meanings of this root are beauty and elegance.

To sum up, Al-Islam means a system or code of life which-
Removes all the shortcomings of a person and enables him to develop all his potentialities.
Safeguards him from all the dangers, catastrophes and degradations of life, and
marches him on towards higher evolutionary stages of life. Enables not only himself to lead a peaceful life but also helps maintain peace and order around him and in the whole world.
Trains him to live in harmony among other fellow beings and not to commit any act by which someone else gets enraged or upset.

So like you said the "peacemaker" but by following ONLY Quran alone. (and using knowledge, 'ilm' to help consolidate the Quranic views/ Islamic social order).

So Islam is that code of life which has been revealed by Allah for the mankind. There is no other code acceptable to Him. In Surah 'Ale-Imran (3), verse 82, Quran says, "Do those people desire some different Deen than the one ordained by Allah?" At another place, "Whereas whatever is there in the universe follows the way which leads to the goal set for them by Allah" (13/15). At yet another place, "If someone adopts a way other than this, it will not be acceptable and in the end he will be the loser" (3/84). This is the Code which was revealed to various Anbia from time to time and its final and complete form to Rasool Allah (peace be upon him) and this code has been selected for the entire mankind. This code of life has been named Al-Islam and the followers of this Code are called Muslimeen. A Muslim is he, who accepts the Holy Quran as the one and only, complete and final Code revealed by Allah for the mankind.

NOW as for the word "Momin". It actually originates from the word "Aman". Ask any Urdu/ Sanskrit speakers and they will reassure you that Aman means "Peace". Thus Momin is a person who practices peace in Sub-continental language. You may argue that it is not Arabic, thus I will give you the Quran word "Ei'man" from which the word Momin is derived from. The root word for Eiman are Alif- Meem- Noon.

Amnun means peace, safety, state of mind where one feels safe from fear or danger (2/24). Also when one feels safe, secure and at peace. Ibn-e-Faris says that its basic meanings are-
Peace of mind. To testify. The opposite of dishonesty.

Amana is to satisfy someone and put him at ease without fear, to provide peace or protection to someone, to take over the responsibilities of someone's protection (Taj).

Aitimanun is to trust someone, have confidence on someone, take someone as trustee or protector (Taj).

Naq'atun Amoon is a she-camel which is dependable by virtue of her qualities and can take one through the journey without getting weak or falling down after stumbling (Taj).

Momin is one who stands guarantee for peace, upon whom one can depend, rely and then rest at peace, one who guarantee international peace (Taj).
Amanat is something which is entrusted to someone (Moheet).
Ameen is one who is contended, at peace, trustworthy, reliable, dependable.
Baladun Ameen is a city where peace and security prevails (Makkah)(95/3).

Muqamun Ameen is a place which provides adequate provisions of protection and security (44/52).
To declare Ei'man, therefore, means-
To believe, admit, accept or not to reject.
To testify the truthfulness, not to contradict.
To have confidence, reliance, trust.
To accept, to obey, to bow in obedience.

According to the Holy Quran, Ei'man on the following five fundamental entities is needed in order to become a Momin (2/177)-
The Allah.
The Law of Mukaf'at and the life Hereafter.
The Malaika.
The revealed Books.
The Anbia.

And Momin is one who accepts the truth and acts in such a way that it ensures his own peace and helps him to safeguard the peace and security of the rest of mankind. Indeed, Al-Momin is one of the most important Attributes of Allah Himself.

Personally I wouldn't call myself a "Momin" simply because Momin is an attribute to Allah and also because I do not believe I have done enough good deeds to achieve a status like that of Momin. Thus, I simply call myself a Muslim, i.e a follower of Islam and its holy book Quran.

Umm... I sort of have a feeling, you also believe that "Malaika" means "Angels" and "Shaitan" means the "Devil"...? Yes?... Even though, the both concepts Angels and Shaitan are neither Islamic and nor rational. And certainly derived from the Christian concepts of Angels and Satan. Will discuss further, if you are interested. In my understanding, not only the word Muslim translates as the follower of Islam and Quran, but also as a Believer of the guidelines of the Quran. You tend to put the the term "believer" in a more generic form.

I still do not understand which religion you identify yourself as on your passport. My guess is still "Other".

I disagree. The term 'Muslim' in the perception of the world is NOTHING LIKE the word 'muslim' per the Quran. When Allah 'names' the followers of ibrahim as 'muslimeen', this is not a literal name. If it was, then the messenger would be literally a witness over you (read 22/78 fully please).

The people I work with don't view quranists as a 'new sect'. They respect our difference and enshrine diversity.

However, I respect your strategy of communication peace

So shouldn't we correct their perception about the word Muslim rather than inventing a new name?

Like one of the guys said above, Muslim is a description of a job of someone who follows Quran. Nevertheless, I won't get in your way of calling yourself a Quranist, just like I won't get in the way of those calling themselves feminists, humanists, socialists, capitalists, anarchists, islamists... all such terms are Western. Utterly Western, unlikely to gain popularity in the dominant Muslim cultures of the Middle East. Period.