Tag Archives: violence

Please See It For What It Is

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In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved Lord

The sectarian violence that has gripped the land of my ancestors, Egypt, has been truly sickening to watch. The attacks on Christians and Christian churches in the past weeks are horrific, and they must be condemned. Not that my condemnation necessarily means much, but at least I – an American Muslim of Egyptian descent – have spoken out against it before God.

This internecine violence the world is currently witnessing is a totally new phenomenon in Egypt. Many of my relatives have grown up in Egypt and they all told me that this Muslim-Christian thing had never existed until after the Revolution. Egyptians always lived together in peace, not caring who is Christian and who is Muslim. One of my patients is an Egyptian Coptic Christian, and she just came back from Egypt, where she stayed at her Muslim friends’ homes and broke the Ramadan fast with them. This is the true spirit of the Egyptian people.

No doubt, there are some in each community who desires to see violence against the other. But, they are a tiny minority. Their rhetoric of violence and exclusion must also be condemned. But, what I can see – and it is clear as day - is that this interreligious violence is being  stoked by nefarious elements within society. And what I urge Egyptians – Christians and Muslims – to see through the aims of those who want Christians and Muslims to attack each other and resist it.

The governing Council must do everything within its power to protect all Egyptian citizens – Christians and Muslims alike. They must do everything within its power – within the rule of law – to stop those who want to attack fellow Egyptians simply because are Christians. Yet, more than this, I urge Egyptians – those with my very same ancestry – to remember who they are: Egyptians, citizens of one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever known.

This sort of violence is a stain upon our heritage as people of Egyptian descent.  This violence is beneath both Egypt and her people. The Egyptian people are better than this, and I urge them to remember this fact. And for those Muslims who think that Christians are to be attacked, I remind them that this is totally against everything for which Islam stands. Moreover, it is a direct affront to the directives of our beloved Prophet:

This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.

Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.

No compulsion is to be on them.

Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.

No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses.

Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet.

Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.

No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.

The Muslims are to fight for them.

If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.

Their churches are to be respected.

They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.

No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).

Please see this for what it is: evil people trying to destroy all the good which the Revolution has brought by stoking violence between people who are actually brothers and sisters. Do not let the evil ones win.

This first appeared on Beliefnet.

Security and Trust vs Suspicion and Scapegoating

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In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved Lord

Ever since 9/11, the American Muslim community has been placed under a tremendous amount of scrutiny. Even now, more than ten years after those terrible events, the cloud of suspicion has not lifted over the community. According to a months-long investigation, the Associated Press has published an article claiming that the New York Police Department, with apparent help from the CIA, has engaged in an aggressive intelligence-gathering operation within the Muslim community. According to the article:

The department has dispatched undercover officers, known as “rakers,” into minority neighborhoods as part of a human mapping program, according to officials directly involved in the program. They’ve monitored daily life in bookstores, bars, cafes and nightclubs. Police have also used informants, known as “mosque crawlers,” to monitor sermons, even when there’s no evidence of wrongdoing…Many of these operations were built with help from the CIA, which is prohibited from spying on Americans but was instrumental in transforming the NYPD’s intelligence unit.

An enormous amount of taxpayer money, $1.6 billion since 9/11, has been spent on such an operation. In addition, Wired magazine reports that highly inflammatory anti-Islam materials have been used to paint the entire American Muslim community as “violent” and “radical.” According to the article: “The FBI is teaching its counterterrorism agents that ‘main stream’ [sic] American Muslims are likely to be terrorist sympathizers; that the Prophet Mohammed was a ‘cult leader’; and that the Islamic practice of giving charity is no more than a ‘funding mechanism for combat.’”

The facts, however, consistently belie the contention that the American Muslim community is a violent “fifth column.” According to a U.S. Justice Department study conducted by two North Carolina Universities:

Although the vast majority of Muslim-Americans reject extremist ideology and violence, a small number of Muslim-Americans have radicalized since 9/11. In the eight years following 9/11, according to our project’s count, 139 Muslim-Americans committed acts of terrorism-related violence or were prosecuted for terrorism-related offenses that involve some element of violence. This level of approximately 17 individuals per year is small compared to other violent crime in America, but not insignificant. Homegrown terrorism is a serious, but limited, problem.

The reasons for this, according to the study, are: (1) public and private denunciations of violence, (2) robust self-policing practices and community building, (3) heightened political engagement, and (4) an assertive Muslim-American identity which, the study has shown, has served to undercut the radical message that American values and practices are hostile to Islam. Moreover, opinion polls have consistently shown American Muslims to overwhelmingly reject violence against innocent people, much more so than their Christian and Jewish compatriots.

A recent Gallup survey asked if attacks on civilians by individuals or small groups is ever justified, 89% of Muslims said it is “never” justified. This is more than Protestants (71%), Catholics (71%), Jews (75%), Mormons (79%), or those without any religious affiliation (76%). Asked if it was “sometimes” justified, Muslims were the least in saying yes. A more recent Pew survey has reiterated these findings, with 81% of American Muslims believing that suicide terrorism is never justified.

Further, according to Michael E. Rolince, former FBI Special Agent in Charge of Counterterrorism in the Washington D.C., field office:

“We conducted about a half a million interviews post-9/11 relative to the attacks of 9/11, and this is important because your community gets painted as not doing enough and you could have helped. I’m not aware — and I know 9/11 about as well as anybody in the FBI knows 9/11 and that’s not bragging that’s just the reality — I’m not aware of any single person in your community who, had they stepped forward, could have provided a clue to help us get out in front of this.”

He said this in 2005 at the Muslim Public Affairs Committee’s annual convention.

So, why the continued suspicion and mistrust of the Islamic-American community? Leave aside the fact that making sweeping generalizations and painting an entire community with the sins of its criminals is patently un-American. Making all Muslims out to be “terrorists-in-waiting” hurts our national security. As the article in Wired says:

The FBI isn’t just treading on thin legal ice by portraying ordinary, observant Americans as terrorists-in-waiting, former counterterrorism agents say. It’s also playing into al-Qaida’s hands. Focusing on the religious behavior of American citizens instead of proven indicators of criminal activity like stockpiling guns or using shady financing makes it more likely that the FBI will miss the real warning signs of terrorism. And depicting Islam as inseparable from political violence is exactly the narrative al-Qaida spins — as is the related idea that America and Islam are necessarily in conflict.

Now, I am under no illusion of the daunting task of preventing another terrorist attack placed before law enforcement officials all across this country. I think I can safely speak for all Americans when I say that I expect nothing less than a relentless effort on the part of law enforcement to root out every single potential terrorist or terrorist plot. But training law-enforcement officials to fear every single peaceful, law-abiding Muslim citizen sends a chilling message of deep suspicion and mistrust, as well as frank betrayal, when what is needed is even stronger collaboration and cooperation.

The American Muslim community is a willing partner in the fight against terrorists who seek to harm innocent Americans. Many domestic terror plots by Muslims, in fact, have been foiled by the American Muslim community itself. I can see how most Americans would think it to be understandable, if not logical, to spy on the Muslim community, given that Muslim extremists successfully attacked NYC twice. Yet, I fear that such spying will further damage an already frail relationship between the Muslim community and law enforcement, and this is the last thing that either party needs. I hope and pray that, through these revelations, smarter heads in our law-enforcement agencies will prevail.

This article first appeared in Middle East Online.

God’s Light Cannot Be Extinguished

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In the Name of God, the Kind, the Beautiful

The death of Osama bin Laden is indeed a notable event: the symbol of Al Qaeda and the most prominent proponent of modern “jihadist” philosophy and thought, was killed by American Special Forces in Pakistan on May 1. His killing has been met with jubilation all across America, in both government and among the general populace. Among Muslims, news of his killing has elicited a myriad of responses, most of which was relief and a desire to move forward in a “post-bin Laden” world.

Is this the end of Al Qaeda? Perhaps. Is this the end of the terrorist threat against America and the West? Hardly, and it is naive for anyone to think so. Yet, the killing of Bin Laden is the exclamation point at the end of a steady decline of his philosophy and methodology of change.

Bin Laden’s heresy is but the latest in a series of “blips” in the historical trajectory of Islam and its core message of faith, justice, compassion, and mercy. Indeed, the blips can be the source of much strife, trial, and tribulation, but they are not threats to the core of Islam. The people behind these aberrancies embody this verse of the Qur’an:

They aim to extinguish God’s light with their utterances; but God has willed to spread His light in all its fullness, however hateful this may be to all who deny the truth (61:8)

The Kharijites were the first of these “blips” in the history of Islam. First appearing in the 7th Century, they emerged in response to the civil war between Imam Ali (r) and Mua’wiah (r). They became a force of dissension and rebellion, and many Muslims were killed because of their aberrant theology. These were the first to declare that anyone who does not follow their way to be a “kafir,” or “unbeliever” in their mind, who deserves death. The Kharijites ultimately assassinated Imam Ali (r) himself.

They sought “to extinguish God’s light with their utterances,” But their aberrancy died away, for “God has willed to spread His light in all its fullness.” The core of Islam remained intact, and the Muslim nation continued to do great things in human history.

Then came the Hashashin, or Assassins, who terrorized the Muslim populace for many years. They worked for Crusader and Muslim alike, doing whatever was necessary for their own wordly gain. They were one of the earliest terrorists to spread suffering among the Muslims. It is even believed that the Assassins attempted to kill Saladin himself.

Once again, these killers aimed to “extinguish God’s light with their utterances,” but their aberrancy also died away, for “God has willed to spread His light in all its fullness.” Islam was not destroyed by them, and its core message remained alive and well, giving nourishment to millions upon millions of people.

And now we saw Bin Laden, emboldened by the defeat of the Soviets in Afghanistan, who thought he could be a new force for change in the Muslim world. After being spurned and rejected, he turned violent, becoming a neo-Kharijite and declaring war on innocent people. In his name, thousands upon thousands of people – who did nothing wrong – were maimed and murdered. Legendary Muslim filmmaker Mustafa Akkad was one of those victims, among scores of others.

He aimed “to extinguish God’s light” with his rambling utterances, “but God has willed to spread His light in all its fullness…” The entire world saw the fruit of his beliefs, and it was nothing but terror, and darkness, and evil. He brought nothing good, and as the Qur’an says:

In this way does God set forth the parable of truth and falsehood: for, as far as the scum is concerned, it passes away as [does all] dross; but that which is of benefit to man abides on earth. In this way does God set forth the parables (13:17)

The scum of his violent theology has indeed passed away, and that which is benefit to man – the light of God’s truth embodied in the core of Islamic teaching – continues to abide on earth. And one can see how his scum philosophy has passed away: for his heretical beliefs have been largely ignored and spurned by the overwhelming majority of Muslims all across the world. In each and every street uprising, whether in Tunisia, or Egypt, or Yemen, or Syria, Muslims have said “NO” to Bin Laden and his theology.

This is because “God has willed to spread his light in all its fullness…”

Now there are those that want you to believe that these aberrations, these “blips” in the history of Islam, are the essence of the faith. They want you to believe that the terror and violence and intolerance that marked the Kharijites, or the Assassins, or the modern neo-Kharijite barbarians of Bin Laden’s ilk, is based in and comes from Islam. They lie in the worst possible manner.

All the violence and evil that comes from “Islamic terror” is inimical and antithetical to everything for which Islam stands. Terror in the name of Islam is the exception, not the rule, and the events of the last six months has borne this out in full display for everyone to see. As Michael Shank recently wrote in the Nation:

What is happening in the streets of Cairo and Sanaa and Damascus is not the work of Gene Sharp or Gandhi. As Americans angle to amplify nonviolent Muslim voices, a good start would be to give credit where credit is due: The seeds sprouting this Arab Spring are native born.

It very well may be that Muslims will face another aberrancy that will wreak havoc among their ranks, although I pray this does not come to pass. I pray that justice, freedom, and dignity embrace all peoples – Muslim or otherwise – and that peace will reign supreme. Yet, if such an aberrancy rears its ugly head, it too will pass, and the core of Islam will remain unscathed. That is because:

“God has willed to spread His light in all its fullness, however hateful this may be to all who deny the truth.”

Was Al Qaeda’s Obituary Written in Tahrir Square?

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In the Name of God, the Kind, the Beautiful.

This was published March 7 on altmuslim.

 

I had to read the report by the Reuters news agency several times to ensure I did not misunderstand: Osama bin Laden declared his opposition to attacks against civilians. In an Internet posting on Feb 24, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s No. 2, wrote: “There are certain operations attributed, rightly or falsely, to the mujahideen, in which Muslims are attacked in their mosques, market places or gatherings … I and my brothers in al Qaeda distance ourselves … from such operations and condemn them.” He also said that militants should refrain from indiscriminate attacks on “Muslims and non-Muslim.” I still ask myself if this posting was some sort of joke, an early “April Fool’s” stunt, if you will.

Yet, it may be a sign of Al Qaeda’s desperation. As the wave of revolution continues to roll all across the Arab Middle East, the neo-Kharijite militants of Al Qaeda have been relatively silent as of late. Indeed, according to the website Magharebia, Zawahiri was posting statements about the Egyptian revolution, but it seemed to have very little effect or influence. In fact, the events of Jan 25-Feb 11 in Egypt, coming on the heels of the “Jasmine Revolution” of Tunisia, is Al Qaeda’s worst nightmare: political change coming about using peaceful, non-violent protest.

Throughout its existence, Al Qaeda has maintained that political change can only be achieved through violent struggle, which they falsely claim to be “jihad.” And it has matched its rhetoric with vile actions throughout the world, killing scores of people. Yet, the overwhelming majority of those people have been innocent civilians, most of them Muslims. Zawahiri has condemned Islamist groups that seek to participate in secular political processes, such as the Muslim Brotherhood. According to Magharebia, Zawahiri “challenged those who do not share his opinion to provide ‘one example’ of a peaceful revolution that succeeded in changing a regime.”

Well, the youth of Egypt and Tunisia have met his challenge and proven that real political change can be achieved without the use of a suicide bomb vest; regimes can be toppled without having to resort to bombing innocent people eating pizza, or buying groceries, or praying in a house of God. And, it seems, it has gotten Al Qaeda scared to death in their caves.

Indeed, the extraordinary events the world has witnessed in Tunisia and Egypt has completely decimated Al Qaeda’s main premise and raison d’etre. In fact, it was Al Qaeda-like violence that brought about the brutal repression that led to the revolution in Egypt. In response to the assassination of Anwar Sadat by “Islamist” militants, Hosni Mubarak put into a place a perpetual state of emergency, allowing his security services to arrest and torture at will. After three decades of state-sponsored brutality, the Egyptian people stood up and would not take “No” for an answer.

Yet, they did so peacefully, despite a brutal and ugly crackdown by regime supporters. The weight of their dignified nonviolence was finally too much, and the regime crumbled. This must have terrified Al Qaeda to the point that their “Sheikh” Osama Bin Laden directed Zawahiri to “reiterate this matter” about attacks on civilians and urge “the mujahideen to consider the rulings of sharia (Islamic law) and the interests of Muslims before undertaking any jihad operation.”

Yet, what Al Qaeda doesn’t seem to realize is that this popular, nonviolent uprising is wholly in keeping with the Sharia, and their brutal violence is the complete antithesis of the Sharia. In another article on Magharebia, the calls to violence and “jihad” by Zawahiri last October were widely rejected:

“This is not the first time that Zawahri calls Muslim rulers infidels and calls for people to get out of their rule. And calls by Al-Qaeda generally do not find any echo in the community. It has become sure enough that people who respond to such calls, are people who suffer from psychological and social problems. Al-Zawahiri is known as a doctor, but instead of choosing to treat people, he chose to kill them, and this choice in itself is an indication that the mental abilities of this man aren’t sane,” said Driss Moussaoui, President of the Moroccan Association for Social Psychiatry.

Even the Salafists in Algeria issued a fatwa banning violence against the government: “Any opposition must occur in a peaceful context and must be marked by the need not to fall into violence in any form: riots, demonstrations, sit-ins, and even insults,” said Salafist theologian Sheikh Mohamed Ali Ferkous.

And judging by the actions of Muslims all across the Middle East, this view of rejecting violence is clearly majoritarian . It has been government actions – such as the gunning down of unarmed protesters chaning “Salmeya, Selmeya (Peaceful, Peaceful)” in Bahrain – that has been “Al Qaeda-esque.” It has been the autocratic Arab governments who have been the terrorists. It has been Arab governments who have seemingly taken the advice of Al Qaeda by reacting to peaceful protest with brutal violence. And the most beautiful thing is, this reaction has only further strengthened the resolve to answer violence with peace – and completely destroy everything for which Al Qaeda stands.

Indeed, the death of Al Qaeda was bound to happen. This band of thugs was nothing more than murderous criminals who wrap their bloodthirstiness in the garbs of religiosity, much like the Kharijites were before them. And just as the Kharijite phenomenon fizzled, the Al Qaeda phenomenon will fizzle as well. That is because the core of Islam – the message and movement of another Prince of Peace, Prophet Muhammad – will always endure and survive any aberration that seeks to overtake it.

It is as God says: “They aim to extinguish God’s light with their utterances: but God has willed to spread His light in all its fullness, however hateful this may be to all who deny the truth.” (61:8) Al Qaeda, with its brutal violence and bloody actions, sought to extinguish God’s light by claiming any view other than its own as “infidel” worthy of death. But, “God has willed to spread His light in all its fullness,” and that meant that aberrations such as Al Qaeda were inevitably going to fail.

What is even more extraordinary is that I had always thought the main thrust against the thugs of Al Qaeda would come from the Muslims of the West. It turns out, however, that the death blow will probably come from the Muslims of the East. The barbrians of Al Qaeda are surrounded on all sides by the true warriors of Muhammad. And they cannot be wiped out soon enough.

The revolutions spreading all across the Middle East were long in coming and long overdue. It is my hope and prayer that the light of freedom and human dignity shines forth in every Muslim country all across the world, nay, every country on the face of the earth. The Arabs are no less deserving of living in freedom, no less deserving to be able to shape their own destiny. As they raise the flag of freedom and dignity, in all its nonviolent splendor, they will forever prove to all the nay-sayers that Islam does not encourage violence. On the contrary, so many of the protestors cite Islam as their motivation to say “Selmeya, Selmeya.” It has been said that, on 9/11/01, Al Qaeda rose to its prominence, and on 2/11/11, Al Qaeda breathed its last. To the giant that is Islam, Al Qaeda’s phenomenon was nothing more than a gnat, a fleeting blip. And its obituary was written on the streets of Tunisia and in Tahrir Square.

As Terrorist As They Come…

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In the Name of God, the Kind, the Beautiful

The wave of protest and revolution continues to roll all across the Middle East. After Egyptians, with whom I proudly share ancestry, toppled their dictator after a mere 18 days of largely peaceful protest, now their neighbors to the West have done the same. In Libya, the people have stood up and said, “Enough” to their leaders, calling for democracy and the freedom to choose their own path and destiny.

But the regime could not stand this. Numerous reports have surfaced that the regime of Moammar Al Ghaddafi has brought in foreign mercenaries to fight and kill unarmed protesters in the capital Tripoli. Indeed, it is difficult to confirm many of the reports, but they keep coming from many different sources. In fact, another report claimed that two Libyan pilots crashed their planes rather than follow orders to bomb the civilians in Benghazi, the country’s second largest city.

And now it seems the country has been split in two: the eastern half being wrested from the regime, and Tripoli remaining in the hands of a madman who will not flinch at mowing down unarmed protesters in the streets.

It is without doubt that a man who straps a bomb on his chest, walks into a pizzeria in Tel Aviv, and detonates the bomb is a terrorist. It is without doubt that a man, yelling “Allahu Akbar” or “Down with the government,” who flies a plane into a building and killing innocent people is a terrorist. It is without doubt that a person who bombs any house of worship – church, synagogue, mosque, or temple - is a terrorist.

But to bring in foreigners to your country to kill your own people; to order your own Air Force to bomb unarmed protesters in your own country; to gun down protesters chanting, “Salmeya, Selmeya (“Peaceful, Peaceful”), like what I witnessed in a video sent from Bahrain: that is as terroristic as they come.

Why do they do this? Because the people want different leadership? Because the people want a say in how their lives are governed? Because they no longer accept to be treated like insects and animals? Because they want their dignity, long-stripped away from them for decades? Is this the reason to kill innocent people because they dare to stand up and claim their rights?

That’s as terrorist as they come.

What I have seen on the television (and smartphone) screens, what I have read in news reports, and what I have heard on the radio has disgusted me to the core, even more than I was when I witnessed the carnage in Egypt. These brutal dictators are truly criminal thugs, and they have absolutely no legitimacy whatsoever. I pray that the Lord protects the people of Libya, Bahrain, and any other country from the brutality of their leaders and those in charge. And I pray that the freedom I enjoy here in the West comes to every oppressed person on this earth.

Yes, someone who blows himself and others in a crowded market is a true terrorist. But so is a man who orders planes and helicopters to fire upon and kill his own people, simply for raising their voices in protest. That is as terrorist as they come.

Attacking Christians

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In the Name of God, the Kind, the Beautiful

Thanks be to the Precious Beloved, this article was published on Middle East Online.

When I first learned of the attack, I was sickened to my very core. On New Year’s Day, as worshipers exited a Coptic Church in Alexandria, Egypt, a suicide bomb exploded killing 21 and injuring dozens more. My in-laws were vacationing in Egypt at the time, and thank God, they were not hurt. Yet, I could not believe that someone could have the audacity of attacking a house of worship and killing people whose sole crime was glorifying the Lord on the brink of a new year.

Although the investigation into the attack is still ongoing, suspicion falls upon Al Qaeda, who has attacked churches in the past, most recently in Iraq. I pray those responsible are swiftly brought to justice and rot in jail for the rest of their lives. If this is indeed Al Qaeda, who proffer themselves as “holy warriors,” they have committed treason against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad in the vilest manner.

The sanctity of human life is paramount in Islam. The Quran strongly condemns the taking of innocent life: “And do not take a life that God has made sacred, except for just cause.” (17:33) In no way, shape, or form could killing Christian worshipers at a Church be ever considered “just cause.” Never. Moreover, suicide is equally as heinous: “And do not kill yourselves, for God has been merciful to you.” (4:29) Thus, for someone to kill both himself and others in a cowardly suicide attack is doubly vicious.

What is more, the sanctity of houses of worship — any house of worship — is also strongly upheld in Islam. In fact, one of the very reasons that Muslims are sometimes allowed to take up arms is to protect houses of worship: “Permission [to fight] is given to those against whom war is being wrongfully waged [...] For, if God had not enabled people to defend themselves against one another, [all] monasteries and churches and synagogues and mosques — in [all of] which Gods name is abundantly extolled — would surely have been destroyed [ere now].” (22:39-40) Thus, once again, to attack a Church is not only heinous in its own right, but also violates a primordial principle of Islam.

In 628 A.D., a group of Monks from St. Catherine’s Monastery (also in Egypt, at the foot of Mt. Sinai) sought protection from the Prophet Muhammad. He then dictated a covenant: “This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them [...] No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet [...] No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”

If those behind the attack indeed turn out to be ‘Muslim’, this crime is even more despicable because they have directly violated a directive of the Prophet Muhammad himself. The Prophet was absolutely clear in his declaration: “No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).” American Muslim blogger Peter Gray could not have said it better: “It boggles the mind how any Muslim — any person who kneels in prayer each day and solemnly bears witness that ‘there is no god but God, and Muhammad is His messenger’ — could so spectacularly betray his religion while uttering ‘God is the greatest.’”

After recovering from the shock and utter disgust of the attack, I saw right through the barbaric and Satanic aim: to foment hatred and division along religious lines in Egypt. Already there have been protests and clashes between Muslims and Christians in Egypt, threatening to make an already tense situation even worse. As an American Muslim of Egyptian descent, I call upon all Egyptians — Christians and Muslims — to stand together and deny the barbarians any semblance of victory in this violence.

As the Prophet Muhammad himself declared, Christians and Muslims the world over are his “citizens,” one people albeit with different faiths. Never can we let the crimes of barbarians tear us apart. Otherwise, the barbarians will win.

 

Don’t Let Them Win

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In the Name of God, the Beautiful, the Kind

When I first learned of attack, I was disgusted to my very core. An apparent suicide bomber detonated a car bomb, killing 21 and injuring dozens more outside a Church in Alexandria, Egypt. What barbarians! Just like one Egyptian woman said,

Why would my son or brother go to celebrate the mass by prayer, not by drinking or doing drugs or anything like that, but by praying in the church, and then this would happen to them at the church gate? What religion or law, whatever it is, would approve what happened yesterday?

No religion or law would approve. It takes a truly depraved person to think that he (or she) will go to Heaven by killing himself and others who chose to spend the New Year, where millions of others engage in drunkenness and debauchery, in a house of worship glorifying God. I pray those behind the attack are brought to justice and rot in a jail cell for the rest of their lives.

My heart goes out to the families of those who lost loved ones in this heinous murder. As a father who lost a child, I know full well the horror of having to bury one’s child. As an American Muslim of Egyptian descent, I stand next to my Egyptian Coptic brothers and sisters in condemning this vicious attack.

As soon as I learned of this attack, I saw straight through the apparent aim: to rip apart Egyptian society along religious lines. There were reports of clashes between Christians and Muslims in the wake of the attack. That’s what these neo-Kharijites (khawarij) want: to foment destruction. They are as Satanic in their aim as they are barbaric in their actions.

Do not let them win. After the dead are buried, after the Church is cleaned up, after the investigation is completed (and hopefully, the perpetrators brought to justice), Egyptians must stand together. For centuries, Copts and Muslims – all Egyptians – lived and worked together in peace and harmony. Indeed, there are clashes from time to time – but that is the fruits of the ignorant.

Muslims worship the very same God as the Coptic Christians. Muslims honor and revere Master Jesus Christ as well. Yes, their faith traditions may differ, but they are still one: one brotherhood as Egyptians. This attack, in addition to senselessly taking lives, was trying to ignite religious violence in Egypt. I call on all Egyptians – who share my very same ancestry – in the Name of the Precious Beloved Lord whom we all worship, to refuse to give the barbarians their “victory.”

In the Name of the Precious Beloved Lord whom we all worship, stand together against hate and barbarism. In the Name of the Precious Beloved Lord whom we all love, stand together against the forces of evil and violence. In the Name of the Precious Beloved Lord whom we all adore, stand together during this difficult time and resist the forces of intolerance. This attack was not just against a Church: it was against all of Egypt. Do not let the Satanic terrorist barbarians win.

May the Lord our God comfort all those who have lost loved ones. May the Lord our God shower His soothing healing over all those who were injured and bring them swift recovery. May the Lord our God bring those behind this attack to justice as swift as possible. In Your Most Holy Name do I ask this. Amen.

Honor is Gender Neutral

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In the Name of God, the Kind, the Beautiful

This was published on the Project Sakinah website.


From where did this come? Where in the Qur’an does it sanction the murder of a woman on the mere accusation of adultery? What sort of barbarity is this?

Muqadas screamed in horror as her stepfather, Nazir Ahmed, put his hand to her mouth and cut her throat with a machete. Her screams awakened her mother, and from the corner of the room, Mrs. Bibi looked on helplessly as her husband mercilessly slaughtered her other three daughters: Bano, 8, Sumaira, 7, and Humaira, 4. He only paused to brandish the knife at this horrified wife, warning her not to intervene or raise alarm.

“I was shivering with fear. I did not know how to save my daughters,” Bibi, sobbing, later said. “I begged my husband to spare my daughters, but he said, ‘If you make a noise, I will kill you.’ The whole night the bodies of my daughters lay in front of me.” Ahmed, who was arrested the next morning, was totally unrepentant: “I told the police that I am an honorable father, and I slaughtered my dishonored daughter and the three other girls.” When asked why he killed the three young girls, he replied: “I thought the younger girls would do what their eldest sister had done, so they should be eliminated.”

What did their eldest sister do that she be slaughtered like an animal? She was accused of adultery by her husband, from whom she fled because he had allegedly abused her and forced her to work in a brick-making factory. Mr. Ahmed did have one regret: “I wish that I get a chance to eliminate the boy she ran away with and set his home on fire.” Police have said they do not know the identity or whereabouts of Muqadas’ alleged lover.

I wish I could say that the above story came from a Hollywood film. Sadly, however, the above story is the true account of a so-called “honor killing” in Gago Mandi, a village in eastern Punjab province in Pakistan, as reported by the Associated Press on December 29, 2005. The Chicago Tribune reported a similar account of an honor killing in London: Heshu Yones, a 16-year old West London girl, had her throat slit by her father because she “had sullied the family name…by dating without his permission.”

The story is always the same: a woman is accused of fornication or adultery and then mercilessly slaughtered by a male member of the family in order to defend the “family’s honor.” From where did this come? Where in the Qur’an does it sanction the murder of a woman on the mere accusation of adultery? What sort of barbarity is this?

Yes, the Qur’an does prohibit fornication and adultery: “And do not commit adultery, for behold, it is an abomination and an evil way” (17:32). But the prohibition is general, for both male and female. Moreover, the act is equally abominable when a man commits it as when a woman does. How could it be that, today, the “family honor is stained” if a woman allegedly commits adultery, but there is no worry about the family’s honor when its male members “sow their wild oats”?

How could someone like Nazir Ahmed be unrepentant about killing his own flesh and blood when the very next verse in chapter 17 says: “And do not take any human being’s life – [the life] which God has willed to be sacred – otherwise than in [the pursuit] of justice…” (17:33). By no stretch of the imagination could one call “defending the family’s honor” an act of “justice.”

It is estimated that 5,000 women worldwide are massacred every year to “defend the family honor.” What is happening here? How could this occur in the 21st Century? What’s next? Burying infant girls alive? Is the Muslim world going to return to this:

“for, whenever any of them is given the glad tiding of [the birth of] a girl, his face darkens, and he is filled with suppressed anger, avoiding all people because of the [alleged] evil of the glad tiding which he has received, [and debating within himself]: Shall he keep this [child] despite the contempt [which he feels for it] – or shall he bury it in the dust? Oh, evil indeed is whatever they decide!” (16:58-59)?

I mean with women being killed for honor, all that is left is to start worshiping statues of wood and stone once again!

It is the return of the Jahiliyyah, or pre-Islamic ignorance, into the fabric of Muslim societies. I have heard people try to explain it away by saying, “This is their culture.” This is completely unacceptable. The Qur’an had answered this justification centuries ago:

“But when they are told, ‘Follow what God has bestowed from on high,’ some answer, ‘Nay, we shall follow [only] that which we found our forefathers believing in and doing.’ Why, even if their forefathers did not use their reason at all, and were devoid of all guidance?” (2:170)

It is a repugnant stain that has absolutely no justification in Islam whatsoever. It is a cancer that must be torn away from the body of the Muslim world, and it can only be done from within the Muslim world itself. There has to be a major process of re-education, to teach these people how Islam condemned such practices over 14 centuries ago. With such clear verses in the Qur’an such as 16:58-59, one would think such a process would be easy. Unfortunately, however, old habits die hard. But this is one habit that has to die again – and this time for good. It is high time to reiterate the fact that honor is gender neutral.

Voting: My Right, My Obligation, My Religious Duty

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To be honest, I am glad that Election Day is coming upon us. I am tired of the constant bombardment of campaign ads by Democrats, Republicans, and third party interest groups. And I CAN’T STAND the seemingly unending robocalls to my home and cell phones. I will be so very glad when this is all over. Yet, despite my distaste for all the ads and phone calls, it has not soured my desire to participate and vote on November 2.

As far as I am concerned, voting is a religious duty, plain and simple. The Quran commands me to “enjoin good and forbid evil,” and there is no better way to do so than participating in every election, big and small, and making my voice be heard and counted. The Quran also says that I, as a believer, am charged with making the world a better place and helping stand up for justice even if it be against myself. One of the most important tools to help achieve these goals is exercising my right to vote.

The Prophet Muhammad was reported to have said, “If any one of you sees something wrong, he should seek to change it with his hands; if he is not able to do so, then he should speak out against it; if he is not able to do so, then he should at least hate it in his heart, and this is the weakest level of faith.” In no way, shape, or form does Islam condone “seeking to change [something wrong] with [one's] hands” by turning to violence. Never. In no way, shape, or form did the Prophet ever mean that you can “change evil with your hands” by plotting to bomb Time Square or the Washington, D.C. subway system. Never.

This is not religiosity; it is barbaric thuggery. In fact, turning to violence against the innocent is the height of treachery and treason. And no Muslim must ever be dishonest, treasonous, or ungrateful. Killing innocent people in the name of Islam spits in the face of its letter and spirit, and it spits in the face of its Prophet and all that for which he lived and died.

As citizens, we have a right to disagree with the conduct of our government and those officials who act in our name. To redress those grievances, however, we must never turn to violence and murder. There are no “Second Amendment remedies,” as some are wont to say. If we do not like what our elected officials have done, then we show up on Election Day and replace them with other officials who will properly represent our interests. That is the American way. That is also the Islamic way.

As a child of the late 20th Century, I am not heedless of the sacrifices of the scores of men and women who stood up to secure their right to vote, frequently facing grave danger to life and limb. I am not heedless of the scores of men and women who faced the rage of the police dog, or the sting of the fire hose, or the searing pain of the baton to the face and body. I am not heedless of the fact that scores of men and women died to secure not only their rights, but my rights as well. As an American Muslim, it would be the height of ingratitude and discourtesy to ignore that legacy and forgo voting on Election Day. It is conduct unbecoming of a good citizen, and as a Muslim, Islam demands that I be nothing short of a good citizen.

And so, God willing, I am going to vote on November 2. No matter how busy my work day may be, God willing, I will do whatever it takes to cast my ballot and make my voice be heard. It is my right; it is my obligation; it is my religious duty.

A Prayer on September 11

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In the Name of God, the Kind, the Beautiful

On this most dark of anniversaries, as someone who has suffered his own personal 9/11, I send out prayers of peace, comfort, and strength on this 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. I know the pain that the victims’ families are feeling. I empathize and sympathize with them. I pray that they are brought comfort and God’s Peace and Strength on this day.

I also commemorate this day by posting this signed interfaith statement that came out of Chicago. Even though I am not a signatory, I am in support of it.

United interfaith response to the call for burning a sacred text day and in respect for memory of the victims of 9/11 and in support of vulnerable among us:

AN INVITATION TO PRAY TOGETHER FOR THE EXTINGUISHING OF FIRES AND THE KINDLING OF A FLAME

What could inflame hatred and violence more than to set afire that which others hold sacred?

In the past, burnings of the Talmud were often a prelude or accompaniment to killings of Jews. And today again, hatred and violence can be the only source and purpose of those who promise to burn the Holy Quran on the day we Americans and the whole world remember the tragic events of 9/11.

We — who thank God for the diversity and vitality of religious commitments in our nation and who seek, from the wellsprings of our many faiths, to promote mutual understanding and respect and to advance justice and peace — cannot remain separated and silent on the 9/11 weekend. Our own religious commitments call on us to speak out.

We ask you, therefore, to join us in prayers that will kindle a different flame –

a prayerful spark that will ignite us again to bring comfort to those who lost loved ones on that terror-filled day and in the wars that followed from it;

a prayerful spark that will ignite us again to stand against the forces of distrust, hostility, and cruelty;

a prayerful spark that will ignite us again to stand with the documented and undocumented immigrant, the homeless and those losing their homes, the jobless and the despairing;

a prayerful spark that will ignite us again to seek healing and reconciliation at home and abroad for the cause of justice and peace.

In whatever way is in keeping with your own religious tradition, we ask you to pray with us on the weekend of September 10 -12 that the fires of hatred and violence in our nation and in our world will be extinguished and that, together, we can stand in mutual dignity and respect, see the image of God in every human being.

Signed:

Rabbi Andrea London
Beth Emet Synagogue, Evanston, Ill.
Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative, JCUA

Dr. Zaher Sahloul, Chairman
Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago

Joshua Hoyt, Director
Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Jane Ramsey, Executive Director
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs

Jay Moses
Chicago Presbytery

Dr. Bambade Shakoor-Abdulla
Chicagoland Shura Council

Imam Kifah Mustapha
Mosque Foundation

Rabbi Bruce Elder
Congregation Hakafa
Board Member, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs

Orlando Rede Kopp
Church of the Brethren

Sidney Hollander
Board Member, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs

Bishop Jung
United Methodist Church

Rev. Andrea Christopherson
Northern Illinois Conference

Rabbi Michael Zedek
Emanuel Congregation

Bernie Wong
Chinese American Service League

Rev. Livingston
Rainbow PUSH Coalition

Father John Mukasa
United African Organization

Samuel Fleischacker
Director of Jewish Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago

Fr. Robert Oldershaw
St. Nicholas Church

Rev. Tom Rosa, Interim Rector
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

Rev. Nancy M. Waite, PhD; BCC
Director and Chaplain, Pastoral Care and Healing Arts Department
NorthShore University HealthSystem

Rev. Robert V. Thompson
Lake Street Church of Evanston (Ill.)

Pastor Daniel Ruen
Grace Lutheran Church

The Rev. Canon Jane P. Henderson
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church

Rev. Dr. Ann L. Rosewall
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

Rev. Richard Mosley, Jr.
Hemenway United Methodist Church

Rabbi Brant Rosen
Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Evanston, Ill.

Charlotte Lehman, M.Div., Lead Pastor
Reba Place Church

Richard Rhodes
Board Member, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs

Rev. Wendy Mathewson, Associate University Chaplain
Northwestern University

Rev. Esther Williams-Hays
The Bread of Life International

Mary Katharine Deeley, Director of Christ the Teacher Institute
Sheil Catholic Center at Northwestern University

Rev. Barbara Pescan
Unitarian Church of Evanston (Ill.)

Reverend Jessica Gregory
Northminster Presbyterian Church

Frank C. Senn, Pastor, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Evanston, Ill.

Rev. Dr. William M. Youngblood
Northminster Presbyterian Church

Janet W. Boyd, Pastor
St. John’s United Church of Christ

Susan Murphy
Interfaith Action of Evanston (Ill.)

Rev. Thomas Libera
St. Athanasius Church

Rev. Dean L. Francis, Senior Pastor
First United Methodist Church

Fr. John Kartje
Chaplain & Director
Sheil Catholic Center/Northwestern University