Misrepresenting Islam, again [Archives:2005/804/Viewpoint]

Editor
Last Friday, I was quite upset. I went to the mosque to do my Friday prayers as usual and listen to the mosque preacher as usual. I had one thing in mind before I entered, i.e., the Asian Tsunami and the horrific catastrophe it resulted in and which caused severe misery to millions of Muslims and innocent people from other religions.

I thought the first thing any preacher would do is to pray for the victims, ask God for the protection of those of them still suffering without shelter or food. But what I got was ugly in the true sense.

“You see, this is the power of God! Who ever know that death would come in such a quick instant. Those who died in Asia, how many of them were drinking, committing crimes, committing adultery, or practicing other evil deeds?” he asked.

I was truly astonished. In a time the whole world is pledging to help, the preacher so openly implicitly or even explicitly criticized those who died saying that they are an example to all of us!

What is going on? What are those preachers feeding their communities?

The only mention of the Tsunami didn't last for two minutes. The remainder of his speech focused on traditional lecturing that he must have repeated for a thousand times or more.

But suddenly, the preacher turns back again to call for the demolishing, the total destruction, the erasing, and the smashing of all Jews and America.

How bizarre!

In a time his Muslim brothers and sisters are suffering in South East Asia, this preacher returns to slam the USA, which by coincidence is the largest sole contributor to aid efforts to help them.

I just wonder how those South Asian Muslims would feel if they know that hundreds of preachers are uttering such rubbish and feeding those in the mosque with ideas that bring hatred and enmity.

Those preachers are in my opinion a reason why we are retarded as a nation. They preach hate and with no justification insult and accuse others calling them infidels, in a time those so-called 'infidels' are the ones currently helping.

This irony repeats itself in many areas in Yemen and the Arab and Muslim world.

This rhetoric is diminishing whatever respect is left for us from the world.

Islam is not theirs, and if they claim ownership to it, we need to fight back. Islam is a religion of tolerance, global peace and dedication to all humans, regardless of faith or religions. Islam is a religion that calls to help those suffering, and it never gave specific directives to help those 'Muslims' but rather all who suffer.

Islam is not what some may call a religion of radicalism that calls for the extreme It is a religion that has been misinterpreted and misrepresented over and over again.

Such preachers in my opinion are the main hurdle to Islam. They may even be the ones who are furthest from Islamic belief and originality.

I believe lack of education and blind fellowship to such so-called Muslim scholars are causing masses of our illiterate people to believe and take them as examples.

For the sake of our future and religion, they need to be stopped. It will take time and perseverance, but it will one day happen.

There will be a day when those preachers will be stopped and told to take their corrupt version of Islam away. Then we will bring Islam that truly deserves people who believe in peace, love, and dedication to humanity.
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