Making a Better Muslim Neighbor
By Anila Ali
Irvine, CA
W e can’t pray for this brother’s grandmother in the masjid; she was not Sunni,” declared a mosque-going believer when asked to pray for a dying Ismaili woman.
It is this kind of thinking that turns many moderate Muslims away from their local mosques. The moderates are not willing to deal with this intolerance but would rather turn a deaf ear and get on with their lives. That is exactly what they mustn’t do: ignore the situation.
It’s time to realize that we, the moderates, have made America our home and it is in America that we will be buried. Our children, mostly the first generation of Muslims, will have love for Pakistan but will not feel the pain or be connected with it the same way we have been with our birth country. With that realization, we must strive to make sure that we leave a generation of Muslims who are completely integrated in the American society and at the same time, maintain their cultural and religious identity. That we cannot do if we remain quiet.
My husband’s family is Shiite-Ismaili. Twenty-five years ago, they were less willing to welcome non-Ismailis but things have changed drastically since then. Most of the boys in the family have either married Sunnis or Shias. My own family has welcomed peoples of all faiths and beliefs, and truly, these additions have been a source of enlightenment for us. We have learned to embrace different cultures and also see beyond the differences. My uncle married a beautiful German Lutheran woman in the late 1950’s. The famous Maulana Maudoodi led the nikah ceremony in Lahore where my grandfather, who was an extremely influential figure in Pakistan’s history, allowed her to follow her beliefs as is ordained by Allah in the Holy Qur’an.
Muslim men are allowed to marry Jewish and Christian women, who are referred to as “People of the Book.” This comes from the understanding that Jews and Christians share similar religious outlooks - a belief in One God, following the commandments of Allah, a belief in revealed scripture (Books), etc. “This day are all things good and pure made lawful to you.... Lawful to you in marriage are not only chaste women who are believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book, revealed before your time, when you give them their due dowers, and desire chastity not lewdness. If anyone rejects faith, fruitless is his work, and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost” (Qur’an 5:5)
This begs the question: if our previous generations were so commendably enlightened, why have we become so intolerant of each other? If we are to raise children with Islamic ideals, we must first learn from the lives of our Holy Prophet, our prophets, Issa, Musa, and many others whose lives are glistening examples of forgiveness, tolerance, and respect.
Target killing of shiites, which is damaging Pakistan to the core, is a tragic example of how our thinking is more reflective of the Dark Ages and the Age of Ignorance than the 21st Century. Pakistan was created as a separate homeland for Muslims. Ironically, the founder of Pakistan, Muhammed Ali Jinnah, was a Shiite Ismaili, a Muslim minority but he fought for a homeland for us all. He urged the Muslims to give respect to the minorities and women. Today, he would be devastated to see how the misguided evildoers are spreading hatred in a land that was supposed to welcome all.
We need to reflect and truly live by the Prophet’s example. It starts by praying for anyone who is sick, irrespective of his/her religious belief and reaching out to our neighbors to wish them Happy Christmas - it sure won’t make a Christian out of you but it will make a better Muslim neighbor out of you.
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