Tariq A. Al-Maeena

Religion has been put under the microscope in recent times as many news reports headline the activities of terrorist groups and highlight their religious affiliations.  Islamophobia, a word that was not in the dictionary in the past, has now become common and is very often used in defense against critics.



Understandably, the media shapes a lot of what we all think.  That is our source of news and when the news continues to report acts of terrorism with links to religion, then by virtue of association, wrong impressions are created.  That is a great disservice to any religion.  Islam has in recent years been under fire by many in the West for allegedly promoting the evil acts of terrorists everywhere, and yet there are a few individuals who take the time to read about this great religion and educate themselves and bridge the gap of understanding.



One such individual is Jussi K., a long-time Finnish resident in the Kingdom.  He writes: “I have been thinking of all the men dressed in black and murdering our brothers, engaging in satanic activities, rape and murder and at the same time hoping to become martyrs and receive Paradise and yelling the name of the one God hysterically while doing it.  The truth is different. An old Bible verse says: ’By their fruits you shall know them.’ If the fruit is good, one shall know where it came from.



“The worst of the acts that took place was the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians, men and fathers who had gone to Libya to rebuild the country and support their families in Egypt. The Copts and Muslims have lived in peace and harmony respecting each other and this massacre made them martyrs.  There is an article that as a Scandinavian makes me proud of my brothers - both Muslim and Christian - titled ‘Norwegian Muslims will form a human shield around an Oslo synagogue.’ Praise God.



“Maybe a year ago, I sent you the story of Umar and his visit to a Christian church in Jerusalem in 637 CE, and how the prayer time came and the priest offered him to pray in the church. Umar thanked the priest, but declined. He went on to explain that if he would do so his soldiers would join him and soon the church would be turned into a mosque. So he went to the courtyard of the church, and this site, even today, has a small Umar’s mosque.



“In our conversation, we equally and totally abhor the recent atrocities by terrorists. They are the worst enemies of Islam, because they ’praise’ the name of God while they perform their sinful acts.  The one God we celebrate is teaching us, His children, to live and love in peace and submission. God’s teaching to us all is, as Islam teaches us, that religions were created/allowed to exist so that we can learn from each other.



“This is the message I would like to see enter into this discussion more often, especially from my Muslim friends; instead of the negativity from both sides, the blaming, taking sides, creating animosity and fear, the threats, looking for a religion to blame, or arguing that this is caused by an ethnic group, politicians, etc.



“The message of true Islam, like the story of Umar, is peaceful coexistence and we should use this time as an opportunity to tell the world of Islam that, and include the following quote from a Hadith:



"Anas, reports the Prophet (peace be upon him) as saying: “By Him in whose hand is my life, no servant [of God] truly believes until he wants for his neighbor [or, one variant says, for his brother] whatever he wants for himself.”   (From the Sahih Muslim, the “Kitab al-Iman” ["The Book of Faith"], 1:73).  Have a great day, Jussi”



Jussi is to be admired for taking the time to read beyond the headlines and educate himself so that he can gain a better understanding of the "other".  Perhaps we too should take his lead and work in such a spirit.  It would help dispel some of the suspicions and false notions between the faiths.

 

— The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena