Picture by Nada Al-Mahmeed
Muslims in the West have been defending their religious symbols, distinguishing them from political Islam. The politicizing of Islamic practices has given a further justification to discriminate against Muslims.
Hijab for example, is being turned into a weapon against Muslims, whereas the hijab is more than a headscarf that is donned for religious reasons. It is a form of representation, a practice of free will, and could be an act of resistance towards discriminatory political and legal practices; consider the case of Turkey and France.
My point is that Hijab is an act of free will that should be respected. A woman who chooses to wear the hijab, out of any conviction she might have, should not be questioned for doing so, and should not feel obliged to justify her act.
Muslims living in a Muslim country sympathize with Muslims in the West; defending them on every platform, calling for their right to practice their religion, as long as they are doing that in a manner that doesn’t collide with the legal systems of the countries they live in- except for those few secular countries whose systems contradict with the core principals of human rights, and that is the freedom of expression in general, and religious expression in specific.
I hope we all agree on that!
Now let’s talk about Muslims and their respect for others’ religious symbols.
Why is it that some Muslims cringe and flinch each time they see a Christian wearing the cross?
Where does it say in our religion to discriminate against people from other faiths!
Didn’t the Islamic civilization thrive because of its tolerance towards other races and faiths? Haven’t we protected religious minorities in the name of Allah the protector? Haven’t Allah given humanity the freedom of belief and affirmed that no one should be forced to convert to Islam against his will?
Before reacting negatively again, even if it was through the simplest gesture, when you see some one practicing their religious freedom, think for a moment what if you were in his shoes living in a foreign non-Islamic country!
Islam is a loving religion. It calls for peace and tolerance. Let’s act like Muslims then.
lulwa aburamadan
Amal, you remind me of a documentary called (cities of Light), it's the rise and fall of Islamic Spain, it highlights a period in history, when Christians , Muslim and Jews lived together in harmony and flourished. At this era, people of this different faithes and cultuers learned, translated from each other's great works in many subjects.when the film ended, every one in the room was happy and grateful to watch like this film now!!, it means to all of us we don't need to blend cultures and adopt pieces of others, we just need to work harder with each others to creat new Islamic civilization , because of Islamic Spain who taught us the great lessons : MANY RELIGIONS, ONE COMMUNITY......................November 22nd, 2009 @ 6:53 am
Douaa Dalle
This reminded me of the following incident: once I was attending a speech in a mosque by a sheik that I really liked. the speech I think was about the principles of inviting non-Muslims to Islam and he asked as the following: when you meet some one who is non muslim (who looks foreign) do you or do you not smile at him/her? I was really surprised by the question? I said to myself "what a very obvoius stupid question for sure I should smile duh!!!" I Known the shaik to be a bright and knowledgeable person so I really wanted to know why he asked a question that seems to be for a child to answer. suddenly I knew why he asked that when a woman in the group said with confidence "ofcourse not we are in war with them" I was like !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT and then it hit me it is that BAD. A really big group of muslims doesn't know or practice the basic ethical principals of Islam.November 22nd, 2009 @ 2:29 pm
TheMastermind
As usual, I generally agree with Prof.Amal but would like to point out a few things. Allah says in the Quran: "There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error" al-baqara 256. ofcourse no one is to be forced to come into islam; one obvious reason for this has been mentioned in the verse above. the right path is clear, it is distinct from the wrong path; so there is no need to force anyone into islam ,they can clearly see that it is the right path just by examining it. So, when talking about non-muslims in a muslin community, what am i supposed to do as a muslim? well, the Prophet peace be apon him and his Companions have given us a great example to follow I think. No non-muslim has ever been treated unjustly by the companions of the prophet during there time in rulin and infact, most non-muslims preferred to live in muslim lands just because the treatement there was so much better. But what I want to point out is that even thought we have to treat the non-muslims well and be just to them, this does not mean in any way that we should LOVE them; that is a totaly different thing. A muslim may be nice to non-muslims and just to them and everything but taking to the point of alliance ( wala2 ) is wrong. Allah says in the quran about Ibrahim peace be apon him: "There is a goodly pattern for you in Abraham and those with him, when they told their folk: Lo! we are guiltless of you and all that ye worship beside Allah." they treated there folk with just; but they did not take them as allies. other than that point I am with the proffessor....December 5th, 2009 @ 2:52 am
Amal
Mastermind: Although I don’t disagree with you in theory, the issue of loyalty has some problematic implications!! With over 30 million Muslims in the West, some have sought exile or political asylum and have been taken in and in many instances have lived on these countries social allowances. How can these people not be loyal to these countries!! How can one bite the hand that helped them!! Within the Islamic Empire lived the Christians and the Jews, and loyalty to the Empire was assumed as long as they were protected and given the religious freedom! So my question again is that how can you say that these Muslims living in the West shouldn’t love the countries they live in and be loyal to!!December 13th, 2009 @ 11:55 pm
TheMastermind
my reply: Alliance is not the same as Loyalty! ( wala2 ) is not the same as ( wafa2 ). If a country feeds me, shelters me, gives me and my children health care, education, and so on, of course I am loyal to it and love it; but, when it comes to a matter of religion, the muslim must make a distinction. Yes, I love this country and am a part of it, but when it comes to choosing between mt country and my religion, i should choose my religion in a heart beat! If I were to give an extreme example I would say: a muslim should not join his country in a war against muslims! yes, i am a citizin of this country, but i am a muslim first and a citizen second! One last point i want to make is that if we observe our religion and its teachings we notice that the prophet PBUH syas: "The most beloved of Allah's servants to Allah are those with the best manners" and he also says "Nothing is weightier on the Scale of Deeds than one's good manners". Islam gives great importance to good manners and Vituality, and it instructs severly against betrayal, so obeying our religion doesnt cause us to betray our country and hate our relatives and all, in fact, Islam HELPS us live and regulates our lives in a way that is accepted by any sensible human. so, before going on and on about topics that are arguable, let us first go back to Islam and see what IT tells us.December 18th, 2009 @ 12:31 am
Starr
ptwBsr I'm not easily impressed. . . but that's impressing me! :)April 9th, 2011 @ 11:57 pm