Tag Archives: Islam

Study: American Muslims Pose Little Threat

Posted on
Reply

In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved

Let me start with this: I have never understood and completely abhor those fellow Americans who plot to hurt innocent people in this country. It is a betrayal beyond all measure, and they deserve to be punished severely, if convicted of the allegations made against them. And, definitely, homegrown terrorism is a threat that must be dealt with. Yet, especially during this election season, we cannot let alarmism and fearmongering win the day.

Some elected politicians have talked about the threat from – not “homegrown terrorism” in general – but “Muslim” or “Islamic” homegrown terrorism specifically. Congressman Peter King, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, held four hearings in 2011 to examine “the extent of Muslim-American radicalization by al-Qaeda in their communities today and how terrible it is, the impact it has on families, how extensive it is, and also that the main victims of this are Muslim-Americans themselves.”

A study by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security examined Muslim homegrown terrorism, and it declared:

Threats remain: violent plots have not dwindled to zero, and revolutionary Islamist organizations overseas continue to call for Muslim-Americans to engage in violence. However, the number of Muslim-Americans who have responded to these calls continues to be tiny, when compared with the population of more than 2 million Muslims in the United States and when compared with the total level of violence in the United States, which was on track to register 14,000 murders in 2011.

As the report says, this number is not “negligible,” but it is far less than some people would have you believe. And the number of plots and those who support them have been decreasing:

In addition to the decline in violent plots, the number of Muslim-Americans indicted for support of terrorism — financing, false statements, and other connections with terrorist plots and organizations, aside from violent plots — fell from 27 individuals in 2010 to 8 in 2011, bringing the total to 462 since 9/11.

Again, not “nothing,” but not a “scourge” as some would have you believe. In fact, a significant proportion of those plots were foiled by Muslims themselves: 

Muslim-Americans continued to be a source of initial tips alerting law-enforcement authorities to violent terrorist plots. Muslim-Americans turned in 2 of 14 individuals in 2011 whose initial tip could be identified, bringing the total to 52 of 140 since 9/11.

The findings of this study have been replicated by other studies as well. The point is: homegrown terrorism is a very important issue, and again, as an American I expect law enforcement officials to expend every effort to stop terror plots from being materialized. But, as Professor Charles Kurzman, author of the current study, told the New York Times: 

terrorism by Muslim Americans  [is] “a minuscule threat to public safety.” Of about 14,000 murders in the United States last year, not a single one resulted from Islamic extremism, said Mr. Kurzman

Let not the forces of hatred succeed in dividing us through fear and misinformation. Let us be a better people and better nation than that.
Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/commonwordcommonlord/2012/02/study-american-muslims-pose-little-threat.html#ixzz1lqif3AaP

Santorum and the God of Abraham

Posted on
1

In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved Lord

It seems that former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum’s presidential run is running out of steam. According to the Huffington Post, Santorum is “taking a pause from Florida campaigning just days before the Tuesday primary that even he expects to deal him a third consecutive loss.” Yet, despite the fact that he is likely not going to become President of the United States, there is something he said while campaigning in South Carolina that intrigued (and amused) me.

At a town hall meeting before the South Carolina vote, Santorum asked a crowd: “Where do you think this concept of equality comes from? It doesn’t come from Islam. It doesn’t come from the East and Eastern religions…It comes from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that’s where it comes from.” He meant that, if people want equality, then they must live by God’s rules since the concept of equality “doesn’t come from Islam” but from “the God of Abraham.” This begs the question: which rules are God’s rules and who is say what those rules are? But, I digress…

Still, his statement was quite telling because it is painfully obvious that Santorum has absolutely no idea that the God of Islam is the very same God of Abraham. Islam has always maintained that Muslims worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the Hebrew Prophets. In fact, Islam is nothing less than the religion of Abraham himself, as outlined numerous times in the Quran: “And lastly, we have inspired thee [O Muhammad, with this message,] “Follow the creed of Abraham, who turned away from all that is false and was not of those who ascribe divinity to aught besides God.” (16:123).
Yes, many Muslims call God by His Arabic name “Allah,” but so do Arab Christians. In fact, open up an Arabic Bible, and the name for God is none other than “Allah.” Why, even Jesus Christ himself called God “Allah.” If someone wants to become “Leader of the Free World,” I would expect that he or she would know that Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews. That’s pretty basic information.

I take Mr. Santorum at his word that he loves and worships the God of Abraham. So do I. That should be our point of reference; that should be our point of convergence. No, we don’t worship the same way, but that is totally irrelevant. The fact that we both call upon the God of Abraham makes us brothers, and as brothers, it should move to bring us together to help make our country better. Presumably, that is why is running for President: to make our country better. So why the divisiveness over the God of Abraham, Who should always be a force for unity and brotherhood.

The same should go for all Americans of faith (and it should extend to those who do not profess an “official faith” or any faith at all). Our common love and worship of the God of Abraham should bring us together. It is what the Lord our God wanted for us. Why not heed Him?

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/commonwordcommonlord/2012/01/santorum-and-the-god-of-abraham.html#ixzz1khkCcRlH

Election 2012: A Rough Ride for American Muslims

Posted on
1

In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved Lord

This was published on my Patheos column.

The 2012 election year has finally come, and as already seen in Iowa, the presidential campaign is in full swing. On the Democratic side, there is no contest (but lots of concerns). But the Republican primary process has already given us a chilling glimpse into what is to come for American Muslims. Our faith and our status as Americans look to become an important part of the election.

Former Senator Rick Santorum, thrust into the spotlight by his surprise finish in Iowa, was asked in a debate about who should be profiled in this country: “Well, the folks who are most likely to be committing these crimes. If you look at—I mean, obviously, it was—obviously, Muslims would be—would be someone you’d look at, absolutely. Those are the folks who are—the radical Muslims are the people that are committing these crimes, as we’ve—by and large, as well as younger males.” And that’s just one example of what some Republican candidates are inferring and saying about Muslims. I would also be remiss if I did not mention Newt Gingrich and his incessant claims about the “threat” of “Sharia law” to our country.

These criticisms will only intensify as the months pass on the way to the November elections. Islam will be demonized, and Muslims will be more and more “otherized” and scapegoated. Just recently, state Rep. Judy Manning (R-GA) said of Mitt Romney, “I think Mitt Romney is a nice man, but I’m afraid of his Mormon faith. It’s better than a Muslim.”

Yup . . . hold on to your seats, folks, it’s going to be a rough ride for American Muslims.

I never cease to be baffled by comments like these. The truth about Islam and Muslims is so different than what is presented in the media to the minds of many Americans. The season of Jesus and his birth has just finished. Don’t our fellow Christian Americans realize how much Muslims love Jesus? Don’t they know how much of the Quran extols the virtues of Christ? Don’t they know the number of times Jesus (and his mother Mary) is mentioned in the Quran? I penned a piece about the Virgin Mary last December and gave it to a devout Catholic colleague. She was stunned at the beauty of the Quranic description of the both the birth of Mary and her son, Jesus. My brother-in-law gave it to his co-worker, and the reaction was the same.

It seems like our fellow Americans do not know how much our faith honors all of the Abrahamic prophets. Whether it is Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Jacob, David, or Solomon, they are all revered, and respected, and honored in our faith. It seems incredulous that I must re-state the fact that we Muslims worship the same God of the other Abrahamic faiths. “Allah” is simply the Arabic version of “God.” And, if Jesus were alive today, he would also call God “Allah.” Moreover, open up an Arabic Bible, the word for “God” is none other than “Allah.”

Most American Muslims are just like most other Americans: patriotic, country-loving citizens who work hard every single day to contribute to the greatness of this country. As the TLC show “All-American Muslim” showed, we are normal people like everyone else. We are teachers, doctors, lawyers, football coaches, police officers, firefighters, and nurses. One of my closest friends, whom I consider to be a brother, was on the ground on 9/11 as a first-responder helping the injured on that horrible day.

Now, that fact doesn’t sit well with some Americans, as the Lowe’s advertising controversy with “All-American Muslim” showed. They would like to have everyone believe that the actions of criminals acting in Islam’s name speak for the whole of Islam and Muslims. But that doesn’t change the truth: Muslims are not the monsters that some make us out to be. Islam is the not the “evil” that some make it out to be.

And, to be fair, there are some in the GOP who have acknowledged as much. The most shining example is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (another Republican), who defended his appointment of a Muslim judge and called the hysteria about Sharia law “crap.” And New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg is another politician (not a Republican) who has refused to join in the demonization of Muslims for political gain.

Since the forces of division will not stop trying to demonize Islam and Muslims, we must not stop telling the truth about our faith and our people. The election season may be rough for American Muslims, but in the end, all will be right and good. The forces of hatred will not win. That is because our country is a great nation, and our people are a great people.

Why I Am a Doctor

Posted on
1

In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved

This was published on Inside Islam: Dialogues and Debates.

“So, you are going to become a doctor, right?” This question, I am quite certain, has been asked of scores of Muslim children by their parents all across this world. Does Islam, somehow, motivate Muslims to become physicians? Perhaps slightly, especially since the Qur’an says that saving a life is like saving all of humanity. But I think that is more of a “fringe benefit” than a major motivation for Muslims to become physicians.

Most importantly, when the Lord blesses a person with being a physician, He gives them the opportunity to do His work on earth: help relieve the suffering of His people. Each and every day, physicians are given the honor and privilege to help people feel better, breathe better, feel less pain, and – through the Lord’s healing power – treat and even cure disease. If smiling to one another – as the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once said – is a charity, then how about helping someone’s asthma attack? Or helping someone overcome a cancer diagnosis? Or relieving the pain and suffering of someone afflicted with a terrible infection? For me, as a Muslim, being a doctor goes hand in hand with my mission in life: to help God’s people be better.

I did not deserve this honor, and so that’s why I am thankful for it each and every day. God blesses men and women in becoming doctors in two ways. First, and especially in the United States, most physicians are blessed with a good, stable, and well-paying occupation. Additionally, although it has been eroded significantly, most people have enormous respect for physicians and the difficult job they must do.

Has being a doctor ever conflicted with my religious belief? Never. In fact, I hang my religious faith, as I hang my coat, on my desk chair before I see any patient in the office or hospital. My job is to take care of my patients and do what is medically best for them. Period. My religion has never entered into the equation, and that is how I think it should be. I would never, God forbid, impose my own religious belief upon my patients. To me, I would betray my mandate as a physician if I were to do so.

Was Islam a factor for my becoming a doctor? No, not really. For me, there was absolutely no pressure from my parents to become a doctor. Ever since I was a young boy it has been my life dream to be a physician, and I am eternally grateful to the Lord for His granting me my dream to be a doctor. I help people and, in the process, do God’s work at the same time, without ever preaching or even mentioning God at all. What a tremendous gift, Lord, and I thank you so very much for it.

Your Personal Hijrah This Year

Posted on
1

In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved

Happy New Year…times two.

Not only am I talking about 2012, but I’m also talking about the Islamic New Year, which occurred on November 26. The Islamic New Year marks the Hijrah, or the migration of Muslims from Mecca to Yathrib, a city 250 miles to the North, which occurred 1433 years ago. (This is 1433 by the Islamic calendar.)

The nascent Muslim community in Mecca was so oppressed, so harassed for its faith that its members were forced to migrate to Yathrib, later called Medina. It was a very difficult thing to do for the Muslims, including the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who reportedly said, “O Mecca! I know you are the most blessed of the land of God. If your people did not force me to leave I would never have left you.” (Ibn Kathir, Vol. 2, p.285)

The Quran extols the virtues of the emigrants in many places: “Those who have been driven from their homelands and their possessions, seeking favor with God and [His] goodly acceptance, and who aid [the cause of] God and His Apostle: it is they, they who are true to their word!” (Surah Al-Hashr, The Gathering; 59:8)

Indeed, it takes a lot of courage and conviction to leave everything behind and go to a completely alien environment for the sake of God. The Lord comforted the emigrants in the Quranic scripture by telling them, “He who forsakes his home in the cause of Allah, finds in the earth Many a refuge, wide and spacious: Should he die as a refugee from home for Allah and His Messenger, His reward becomes due and sure with Allah. And Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah An-Nisaa, The Women; 4:100)

And, there is another interpretation of the Arabic word hijrah in the Quran, brought forth by Muhammad Asad, which says that:

the term hijrah (lit., “exodus”), derived from the verb hajara (“he migrated”), is used in the Quran in two senses: One of them is historical, denoting the exodus of the Prophet and his Companions from Mecca to Medina, while the other has a moral connotation—namely, man’s “exodus” from evil toward God—and does not necessarily imply the leaving of one’s homeland in the physical sense.

The above passage [from Surah An-Nisaa] refers to this wider, moral and ethical meaning of the term hijrah—just as the preceding passage in the same surah (verses 95-96) refers to “striving hard in God’s cause” (jihad) in the widest sense of the term, embracing both physical and moral efforts and the sacrifice, if need be, of one’s possessions and even one’s life. While the physical exodus from Mecca to Medina ceased to be obligatory for the believers after the conquest of Mecca in the year 8 H. [hijrah], the spiritual exodus from the domain of evil to that of righteousness continues to be a fundamental demand of Islam.

Thus, each one of us needs to make such a “migration”; each one of us needs to “forsake the domain of evil,” in Asad’s words, and seek out the domain of righteousness, which is the domain of God. And just as the original migration was difficult for those early Muslims, so too may be this migration from the domain of evil to the domain of righteousness be for all Muslims. It may be quite a lonely journey.

Enter Asad’s interpretation of verse 100 in Surah An-Nisaa, which in transliteration reads

Wa many-yuhaajir fee sabeelil-laahi yajid fil-ard muraaghaman kaseeranw-wa sa’ah; wa many-yakhruj mim baytihee muhaajiran-ilal-laahi wa Rasoolihee summa yudrikhul-mawtu faqad waqa’a ajruhoo ‘alal-laah; wa kaanal-laahu Ghafoorar-Raheem.

And he explains this interpretation thus:

The word muraagham is derived from the noun raagham (“dust”) and is connected with the idiomatic expression raghima anfuhu, “his nose was made to cleave to dust”; for example he became humbled and forced to do something against his will. Thus, muraagham denotes “a road by the taking of which one leaves one’s people against their will. “(Zamakhshari)

It being understood that this separation from one’s familiar environment involves what is described as muraaghamah, the “breaking off (from another)” or the “cutting off from friendly or living communion” (see Lane III, 1113). All this can best be rendered, in the above context, as “a lonely road”—a metaphor of that heartbreaking loneliness that almost always accompanies the first steps of one who sets forth on his “exodus from evil unto God.”

But, it is worth it, so worth it, because at the end of that (perhaps quite lonely) journey is the smiling face of the Lord and a “life abundant.” This life is abundant in God’s blessing, grace, love, forgiveness, and mercy. At the end of that journey, that hijrah, is a place from which you never want to leave. And thus, each of us has to make the choice to forsake our own domains of evil and migrate to the domain of God.

The beauty is, once we start down that path, we will find the Lord running toward us, and even though the start of the journey may be a “lonely road,” we will quickly be accompanied by our Precious Beloved, and we will be relieved, comforted, and blessed with a “life abundant.” Happy New Year, indeed.

This first appeared in my column on Patheos.

Sharia and Shopping

Posted on
Reply

In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved

Year after year I watch as the holiday shopping season begins and ends without much incident for me. Indeed, it is a good time to scoop up some really good deals on whatever I may need: luggage, electronics, and the like. Yet, I am not a part of the frenzied shopping scene, because I do not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. While that does not mean I do not honor and revere Christ, which is something that I do as a devout Muslim, nevertheless, I am not out shopping for various gifts for family and friends.

Yet, sometimes, I wonder what it would be like if there was an “Eid shopping season,” which are the main Islamic religious holidays. I wonder how it would be if there was a “Black Friday,” which is also the Muslim Sabbath, for the Muslim holidays. I wonder what it would be like to have Muslim holiday songs playing non-stop on a number of radio stations. I wonder what it would be like to have people’s houses all decorated with lights for the Eid holidays.

Indeed, I do not have to wonder about such things. All I need to do is travel to a majority Muslim country and experience this myself during Ramadan and the days afterward. Yet, I wonder what that would be like with an American consumerist bent: “Hurry now for your last-minute Ramadan deals!” “Come in today for pre-iftar (sunset meal) doorbusters!” “Eid is around the corner, and these fantastic sales won’t last forever!”

True, this “Muslim holiday shopping season” would occur a little earlier each year, because the Islamic religious calendar is a lunar one. Still, an American Muslim holiday shopping season would be kinda cool.

Now, now, relax: I am not trying to pour “Sharia law” all over you. This feeling comes out of a small amount of sadness over the degree to which forces in our country are actively trying to marginalize the American Muslim community, to make it the perpetual “Other” that must be feared and fought. Indeed, whenever companies try to market to the Muslim community — such as Whole Foods during Ramadan or Butterball turkeys during Thanksgiving — there is almost always a cry of alarm that Muslims are trying to “Islamize” the United States and force “Sharia law” down everyone’s throats. The same goes with the reality program “All American Muslim,” which is currently airing on TLC.

During the Republican presidential campaign, the degree of Muslim-bashing is astounding. When asked who should be profiled, former Senator Rick Santorum replied: “Well, the folks who are most likely to be committing these crimes. “If you look at — I mean, obviously, it was — obviously, Muslims would be — would be someone you’d look at, absolutely. Those are the folks who are — the radical Muslims are the people that are committing these crimes, as we’ve — by and large, as well as younger males.”

Herman Cain remarked that when his doctor with an Arab-sounding name turned out to be Christian, he said: “Hallelujah! Thank God!” This is not to mention the hysteria of Newt Gingrich, the latest Republican frontrunner, about the “threat” posed to the United States by “Sharia law.”

Deep down, I know that this anti-Muslim sentiment is not reflective of the whole of the American people. By and large, the American people have been welcoming and kind to their Muslim neighbors, which has been confirmed by polls of American Muslims and my own personal experience as an American Muslim. Nevertheless, it still does bother me that there are those who want to “otherize” (using Reza Aslan’s term) me simply because of my faith. It does serve to motivate me more to engage my society: get to know my neighbors, participate in the local life of my community, vote in each election, large and small. And I know that, in the end, these friends and fellow community members will accept me as one of their own, even though I don’t light up my house during the Christmas season. That’s because I know my people — the American people — are very good people indeed.

This first appeared in Middle East Online.

If They Only Knew…

Posted on
1

In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved

Clearly, those Christian “patriots” who want to silence TLC’s “All-American Muslim” series have no idea what is in our scripture and our faith about Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin. Clearly, these people have no idea about Islam in general. Otherwise, they would not try to bully advertisers into dumping “All-American Muslim” for a truly silly reason: that the Muslims on “All-American Muslim” are “too ordinary.”

No, my house is not decked out with lights or a Christmas tree. Yet, I still love Jesus so very much. As this poem I penned attests:

 

What was it like, when you stood there alone?
Praying in the East, on you His Light ever shone?

What was it like, when the angel came before thee?
Frightening you greatly, shattering your tranquility?

What was it like, when you were told the news:
That unto you was born the Messiah of the Jews?

Did you not know, that you were more than worthy?
That God chose you above all, that He favored you greatly?

Did you not know, that before you came to be,
The Lord already declared that magnificent were thee?

What was it like, when the Spirit was blown:
When our master was conceived, a miracle to be shown?

What was it like, as you left in fear?
Afraid of the slander that may be placed in the ear?

How did it feel, when the pangs came in earnest?
Did you feel deserted, that the Lord had no interest?

What did it sound like, when our master to you spoke?
How soothing was his voice, covering you like a cloak?

How sweet was the fruit that fell from the tree?
Did it comfort your mind, fill you with tranquility?

How sharp were the stares when, with him, you arrived?
Did their shock give you pain, that they would think you would connive?

How powerful was his voice, when he proclaimed the truth?
Were they amazed by his grace, as he shattered the lies of the uncouth?

O Blessed Mother, upon you I perpetually pray for peace.
And also upon your son, I pray blessings cover him as a fleece.

And if, O Blessed Soul, I get a chance to kiss your hand,
It would be the most honored place I could ever stand!

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/commonwordcommonlord/2011/12/if-they-only-knew.html#ixzz1gXn3ehZe

“Er…Happy Holidays!”

Posted on
Reply

In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved

During these days, many of my patients, as they are leaving, tell me: “Er…Happy Holidays!” I know they mean well: they don’t want to offend me by saying “Merry Christmas.” But, I’m here to tell you: I would not be offended if you say to me: “Merry Christmas.”

I mean, that is a very nice thing to wish me: happiness on Christmas Day. No, I don’t celebrate Christmas…but that doesn’t mean that you can’t wish me happiness on Christmas Day. I would welcome such a wish, because, Christmas Day for me is so boring.

Nothing is open…nothing! A couple of years ago, I had to work on Christmas night, and I was looking for something to eat: nothing but the Muslim-owned Mediterranean restaurant was open. But, I didn’t want that food: I wanted Chinese food. But, all the Chinese restaurants were closed! I was totally devastated.

If the wishes of my patients for a “Merry Christmas” came true for me, I would find all restaurants open for business on Christmas night only for me, and if I go to any of them, they will give me food for free in gratitude for coming in on Christmas night. So, please, wish me a Merry Christmas, for God’s sake!

I see no problem for me as a Muslim wishing my Christian friends and neighbors “Merry Christmas” during Christmas season. The same goes for my Jewish friends and neighbors during Rosh Hashana. Once I told a patient, whom I knew to be Jewish, “Happy New Year.” She was quite surprised, and she said, “Happy New Year to you, too?” (Asking if I was Jewish). I said, “No, but I know it’s Rosh Hashana.” I knew she appreciated it, and that made me very happy.

We should do more of this sort of thing. If we each wish our neighbors a “Merry Christmas” during the Christmas season; a “Happy New Year” during Rosh Hashana; a “Happy Kwanzaa” during Kwanzaa; a “Happy Divali” during Divali; the bonds of our brotherhood and sisterhood will be all the stronger. The barriers of hate and fear will be destroyed. And our country will all the better for it.

So, to one and all, I say to you: Have a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous, Happy New Year.

Read more:

Hajj Lessons: How to Improve Our Ummah

Posted on
Reply

In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved

October 28 marked the first day of the last month of the Islamic calendar, Dhul Hijjah, and it marked the beginning of the Hajj season. Now, millions of elated pilgrims are descending upon the valley of Mecca to perform this truly amazing, once-in-a-lifetime event. I was blessed to perform the pilgrimage in 2003, and it was the most powerful spiritual experience of my life.

When everyone is dressed in the ihram garb, which are two white unstitched cloths (for men, and any loose, full-coverage garments for women), they are commanded by God to avoid hurting or harming anyone in thoughts and deeds. At this time, more than any other I have ever experienced, one can sense the ideal nature of theummah, or global Muslim community: An entire human family working together in peace and harmony.

As I and the rest of the world witnessed the recent release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, after a relentless pursuit by not only his family, but the entire nation of Israel and much of the Jewish Diaspora, I lamented the state of our own ummah. Sadly, I did not think that we, as Muslims, have the same sort of care for our own as Israel had for Gilad Shalit.

A natural question that comes out of this lament is: What can we do about it? Is there anything that we, as individual Muslims, can do to help make the ummahbetter? Yes, we can support the myriad of relief organizations that tragically have no shortage of work to do helping the poor and drown trodden of the Muslim world. But is there something beyond this that we can do to make the ummah act as if it is wearing the ihram garb?

Indeed, there is.

We can begin by greeting each other with the greeting of “peace.” The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “Spread greetings of peace, feed (the poor and needy), behave kindly to your relatives, offer prayer when others are asleep, and you will enter Paradise in peace.” Reportedly, he said this soon after he arrived in Madinah, where he built the first Muslim ummah. And notice, the first thing he said was to “spread greetings of peace.”

We must do the same. So many times, I have noticed that when I see a fellow Muslim and say, “Assalamu-alaikum,” I either get no response at all or a muffled grunt at best. Sometimes, I do get a response and even a smile, and the connection I make with that brother or sister is amazing. In fact, when we say, “Assalamu-alaikum,” we are doing something quite profound: We are asking God to send down His peace upon you. It is one of the best things that we can ask God to do for someone.

We must do more of this. We must say, “Peace,” to every Muslim we see, and whenever we are greeted by a fellow Muslim, we must — I repeat, must — respond in kind. It is fulfilling the command of God: “But when you are greeted with a greeting [of peace], answer with an even better greeting, or [at least] with the like thereof. Verily, God keeps count indeed of all things. (4:86)”

When I visited Cairo over five years ago, everyone said “Assalamu-alaikum” to everyone else. Even Christians say “Assalamu-alaikum.” It was devoid of any real meaning for me. Although the greeting was used constantly, I felt there was a lack of meaning behind it. But here in the West, when I see a fellow Muslim smile and say “Assalamu-alaikum,” it means something very special, whereby I am making a connection to a fellow believer and human being and praying for their peace from the Lord.

God tells us: “Verily, God does not change men’s condition unless they change their inner selves. (13:11” The change must begin with us, and the thing that we can do right now is to “spread peace” amongst ourselves. When we all start to do this, the bonds of our brotherhood and sisterhood will grow in strength and quality. And, God willing, the state of our ummah will improve for the better.

This first appeared on Patheos.com

Washington Post: At Hajj, can peace be found?

Posted on
1

This was published today in the Washington Post’s faith blog.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/at-hajj-can-peace-be-found/2011/11/04/gIQAXUzmlM_blog.html

Year after year, holiday after holiday passes with no progress in the Holy Land. In August, Muslims celebrated the end of Ramadan, with no peace in the Holy Land. In October, Jews marked the High Holy Days with Palestinians still under occupation. Now, as millions of Muslims descend upon Mecca to perform the pilgrimage, or Hajj, peace between the children of Abraham remains as elusive as ever.

Indeed, there is great fear that even more violence will erupt, and the chance for a lasting peace will become even more remote that it already seems. Yet, far beyond the cynical political calculation of politicians, the Realpolitik of various world leaders, and overarching geopolitical interests of nations, there lies the lives of people, real live people, who have suffered and are suffering tremendously. That is what I see as a person of faith, who values the Holy Land tremendously.

This land is very special to me, as a Muslim. It is the land of my ethnic and spiritual father Abraham, to which he fled the oppression of his people for his staunch belief in the Lord God. It is the land in which my Master Abraham, and his sons Isaac and Jacob, are buried. The rituals of the Hajj, in fact, are all a re-enactment of the story of Abraham with his son Ishmael in the plain of Paran.

In this Holy Land, my Master Joseph, who preached the faith of the One God to my Egyptian people many centuries ago, was also laid to rest. In this land, my Masters David and Solomon ruled in justice and faith, and on this land, my Master Jesus Christ tread his holy footsteps, preaching the Gospel to the Children of Israel. And to this most holy of lands, my Master Muhammad traveled by night to lead all of the prophets in prayer. For all these reasons and more, the veneration of this land will be ingrained in and be with me forever.

In such a wondrous place, there should be no violence. In such a wondrous place, there should be no occupation; no war; no sadness for the loss of life; no cries of children attacked by rocket fire; no screams of mothers holding their dead babies in their arms. In such a wondrous place, the children of Abraham should be living and working together in peace, just as their holy fathers did all those years ago.

Yet, sadly, despite the wondrous nature of the land, these are not wondrous times. Extremists who hail from both Isaac and Ishmael are bent on seeing the other destroyed. Politicians lack the courage to make the hard choices for peace. And as diplomats wrangle over what to say and do to save political face, terrible misery continues to envelope this most wondrous and holy of lands. As those diplomats wrangle, the blood of innocents, which defiles and chokes this most wondrous and holy of lands, continues to spill with abandon.

Will this sad state of affairs fail to awaken us? Will the cries of the Holy Land, in her utter anguish, not arouse us to try to bring and end to this suffering? It brings me no pain to see Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall: this was, after all, the wall of my Master King Solomon, about whose story I read in the Koran itself. And neither should it bring any misery to our Jewish brethren to see Muslims worshipping on the Temple Mount: in the chants of the Koran is the glorification of Moses, David, Abraham, and Solomon, and most importantly, the glorification of our mutual Lord and God.

This is the middle way, about which the overwhelming majority of us can agree. There can be peace between Christian, Jew, and Muslim in the Holy Land; there can be mutual respect for the life of the other in that most wondrous land; the cries of the innocent can be quieted and replaced with the laughter of children hopeful of a bright and prosperous future. We live this reality in America, and it is most joyous indeed. It just takes courage and fortitude, and reliance upon our Lord, to make this come to pass over there. As I behold the scurrying of the politicians near and far, I realize that change cannot come from they. So let that change come about through us.