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Outreach Opens Doors of Understanding
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught us that Allah does not create pure evil. With every evil act and with every bad situation there is something good. The event of September 11 is no exception. We look back and see how we as a community and as Muslims in the US were and compare it to where we are now and see the difference. I believe we have grown rapidly in our thoughts, priorities and behavior. Our focus is no longer on ourselves as individuals and families, but rather as communities and Muslims in a larger non-Muslim society.
For many of us, our priorities shifted and perhaps completely changed direction, I believe, to what Allah wants rather than what we want. From what we want in this life to what we want when we face our Creator. Our priorities changed from being doctors, engineers, and business professionals purely for the position, but rather to use these positions to serve Allah. We began to realize what we must plan for and do in order to survive in a non-Muslim society and to better serve Allah and carry the message of Islam.
People and nations who learn from history are the ones who, not only survive, but also flourish and prosper. We look back at the prophet and his companions and see the difficulties they overcame, the hardships that they endured and the challenges they faced, and we understand why they succeeded. We look back at American history and see what the African Americans, Jews, Irish and other minorities went through, and we understand why they also succeeded or at least overcome many of their problems.
After the first Gulf war, years before 9/11, I had a discussion with a co-worker about the discrimination we were facing as American Muslims. He reminded me of the fact that other minorities faced similar situations. At that time, we did not realize what we must do as Muslims and we went on with our lives, perhaps complaining more, but not doing much about our situation. There had to be something big, a tremendous event to take place in order for us to rise up and take on the responsibility of being Muslims. Unfortunately, this event turned out to be the tragedy of September 11.
Since then, every year, every once in a while, it seems like we face a situation of increased attacks, extremism and bigotry. Recently, we had to deal with the opposition of building the Islamic Center close to ground zero, the burning of the Quran and our Eid falling so close to 9/11. So how do we get out of this vicious cycle?
There are several things that we must do, and key factors that will help us move forward and take our place as a strong element in American society.
One key element is building alliances and strong relationships with non Muslims, including faith based groups, politicians and other minorities. It is imperative that we reach out to those who want to work with us and those whom we share values with. There is a tremendous support for the Muslim community out there and we just need to extend our hands and open the doors. We have succeeded to a certain extent but we are not there yet. Outreach and public relations is a top priority for the Mosque Foundation and must be for all Muslims.
There is a great deal of support from both the Christians and Jews, and yes, even some politicians. Listen to some of the talk radio stations and you will hear how non Muslims are fighting for the rights of Muslims. You will hear a radio host debating Terry Jones on the issue of burning the Quran and exposing the man for what he really is. Our interfaith iftar, and the CIOGC's interfaith press conference after Eid prayer are examples of the support we are receiving from Jews and Christians. Rabbis and Priests of various ethnicities and backgrounds, expressing their support for the Muslims and their shock and disappointment over the hateful and bigoted behavior of some of their fellow Americans. A group of Christians, who at one time hated Islam, led by former congressman Mark Siljander, took the time on Christmas weekend to attend MAS convention to address the Muslims and show their support. Not only that, such people are traveling overseas, writing books and making a great deal of effort to spread the word among their own people to defend Islam.
These are few examples of the people and groups we must show our appreciation for and continue to work with. Rest assured there many others out there who just need us to reach out and present Islam in its true form. Outreaching and building relationships is a key element for us. We must open doors and build bridges. There are many who are afraid of us because they do not know us. It is our duty and obligation to change the bad image of Islam and replace it with the beautiful image it deserves.
Our vice president, brother Oussama Jammal, is in charge of outreach and public relations with a great deal of experience. He will continue to focus on this aspect and lead the effort. We as individuals must reach out to our non Muslim neighbors, co-workers and friends to destroy the myths and present the true message of Islam. Let us build bridges and tear down barriers so we can bring about peace and harmony to all.
May Allah guide us to what pleases Him and help us in our struggles.
Hussein Ata