Jews and Muslims Can Communicate
A
Muslim giving the Sabbath sermon at
a synagogue in America sounds quite
incredible, especially in these trying
times. That the Muslim was me has me
stunned. Still.
I feel that enough has not been done
by Muslims themselves to tackle terrorism,
so came up with the idea of Project
Friday Khutba. In this project, imams
the world over must state in each Friday
khutba that terrorism and suicide bombing
are haram in Islam.
The Jewish community in Toledo felt
that not only was it novel in its simplicity,
it was vital that it catch on so that
terrorism is stemmed. Never in the history
of the Shomer Emunim Temple in Sylvania,
Ohio, has there been a “pulpit
exchange” with a Muslim. “Perhaps
if we do more talking here, and listening
to each other, we can be an inspiration
to Muslims and Jews in places where
talking and listening to different ideas
is not customary”, said Rabbi
Samuel Weinstein in his invitation to
me.
In his introduction, Rabbi Weinstein
translated Mahjabeen as being “the
face of light”. “We hope
that this face of light can help take
us out of the darkness into the light”.
I lost internal composure for it reminded
me of the recurring theme in the Qur’an
of how Allah takes us out of the darkness
into the light (2:257). Interestingly
in the Qur’an the word is dhulumaat,
or darknesses, into noor or light, in
the singular; for there are many darknesses
and only one Light.
I opened with the prayer of Moses as
stated in the Qur’an. “Rabbish
rahli sadri wa yasirli amri wa ahlul
uqdatum mil lisani yafqahu qauli”,
which translates to: “O God open
my chest, make my task easy for me and
untie the knot in my tongue so that
they may understand me”.
Since the subject is so sensitive, and
both Jews and Muslims were there, it
was important to set the stage with
Surah Nisa, verse 35 which says “O
you who believe! Stand out firmly for
justice, as witnesses to God, even as
against yourselves, or your parents,
or your kin, and whether it be (against)
rich or poor… and if you distort
(justice) or decline to do justice,
verily God is well-acquainted with all
that you do”. I had set my mind
to pointing out the failings on both
sides, and the opportunities, actually
responsibilities we have. Not to mention
the urgency with which these responsibilities
need execution.
“To understand Project Friday
Khutba”, I said to the congregation,
“it is important to understand
some concepts in Islam”. That
suicide is a sin; I like to say that
suicide is a ticket to hell, taking
someone with you is a confirmed reservation.
Sheikh Qaradawi is probably the only
scholar of repute in the Muslim world
who feels that suicide bombing is allowable,
but only in Palestine, for the people
there are unarmed against one of the
most sophisticated armies in the world.
The majority of Muslim scholars especially
in the Muslim Council of Britain and
the Fiqh Council of North America, categorically
state that suicide bombing and terrorism
are haram in Islam.
Islam does not condone terrorism and
Surah Maidah (5:32) says that “killing
one is like killing all mankind and
whoever saves a life it as though they
have saved mankind”. Additionally
the concept of “amar bil maroof
wa nahin anal munkar”, enjoining
the good and forbidding the evil is
a repetitive theme in the Qur’an,
to the point of making it mandatory
on Muslims to practice.
The concept of jihad has the world in
a spin. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) returned from battle and said that
he had returned from the lesser jihad
to the greater jihad, indicating that
the greater jihad is our struggle against
our nafs or our base desires. Observing
hijab and carrying the last name of
Islam after 9/11 is jihad. Despite threatening
phone calls after the start of the Gulf
War and suggestions that I change my
last name, the conviction that God is
the Protector, and we must submit to
His will, is jihad.
Terrorist attacks all over the world
were enumerated, especially the 1074
Israelis killed since September 2000
and the 3738 Palestinians killed in
the same period. That the population
of Iraq has not been decimated as yet
is a surprise, for terrorist attacks
occur on a daily basis and claim large
numbers. Muslim upon Muslim terror was
important for the Jewish congregation
to understand, for if a tally is taken
of the victims the highest number will
be that of Muslims. It is mind boggling
that this evil ideology kills at Passover
dinner celebrations, wedding parties
and inside mosques.
I dwelt at length on US action against
the people of Iraq, for 200, 000 civilians
have died as a result of sanctions,
but overwhelmingly because of American
military force. In the first Gulf War
the United States used 94,000 missiles,
coated with depleted uranium, damning
generations of Iraqis for they are being
born maimed and deformed and will die
of a variety of cancers. And now America
is using white phosphorus which burns
flesh to the bone, and is warfare with
chemical weapons, straight and simple.
The terrorist is an ideologue, no doubt.
But the world has provided grounds and
provocation. The mother of all terrorism
is the dispossession of the Palestinian
people as well as India’s state-sponsored
terrorism against the innocents of Kashmir.
American imperialism, the invasion of
Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as prisoner
abuse at Guantanamo Bay, Abu-Ghraib
and Bagram have catalyzed into one cataclysm
after another.
The congregation was reminded that terrorism
has no religion, for Jewish-American
Baruch Goldstein killed 30 worshippers
when they were in prostration at a mosque
in the West Bank in 1994. In 1982 Alan
Goodman, another Jewish-American killed
two Muslims as they prayed in the Al-Aqsa
mosque.
The Muslim dilemma was also explained:
that of being perpetrator and victim.
We are perpetrators for being co-religionists
or guilty by association. We are victims
twice over; we are targeted by the terrorists
for anyone cooperating or living in
peace with the West is fair game, and
then by the USA Patriot Act which, on
undisclosed charges, arrests, imprisons
and then deprives us of legal representation.
A physician in the congregation said
that my American citizen daughters would
get me legal representation, should
the need arise since my religion and
candid writing are like double jeopardy.
But I am an American citizen too, I
said and all constitutional rights are
redundant under the USA Patriot Act.
It is 1984 come alive, here in our USA.
“If I disappear, come get me”,
made the congregation realize that no
one is immune from the tentacles of
Homeland Security.
The genesis of Project Friday Khutba
was the imam at my mosque not even mentioning
the London train bombings on the Friday
after they occurred, as well as the
permeation of the ideology of Al-Qaeda
in the minds of 18-23 year olds across
the world. A friend of Shahzad Tanveer,
one of the London bombers, stated eerily,
that killing Osama bin Laden would not
matter now, for, pointing to his head
he said, “Al-Qaeda is inside”.
Our mosque was not alone; Muslims all
over North America reported that their
imams had also generally ignored terrorist
attacks.
Imams especially those that do believe
that suicide bombing and terrorism are
haram, have essentially abdicated their
responsibility and practice what I call,
“benign ignorance”. When
explained Project Friday Khutba, many
pooh-pooh it as being too simplistic,
and with vaunted male chauvinism, condescendingly
discard it as unimportant, unnecessary
and unworkable. Many do not realize
how powerful it is for a young person
to repeatedly hear the same message,
especially mind fomenting ideas of violence.
Somewhat overcome by emotion, a Jewish
woman in the congregation asked how
it is that a mother could be happy that
her son had committed a suicide bombing.
I explained that firstly she herself
subscribes to the twisted ideology of
suicide bombing, and considers her son
a martyr. Secondly, the Muslim belief
in the Hereafter and the life of this
world being “but a short play
and amusement” (47:36), as well
as there being no finality to death,
more a transfer (I explained the word
inteqaal as transfer) is what makes
her tolerate the loss of her son with
a smile.
There were no walkouts or huffy faces
at the synagogue. Almost all the congregants
personally thanked me for coming and
educating. They understand that there
are the proverbial two sides to a story.
Perhaps a seed is sown in their minds
and peace will root and flower. We too
must nurture this and get our house
in order. Surah Raad (13:11) is very
clear "God does not change the
condition of any people unless they
themselves make the decision to change".
Each one of us must make it a point
to go to our imams and insist that in
each and every Friday khutba they mention
one phrase: “suicide bombing and
terrorism are haram in Islam”.
Not only would we absolve ourselves
of the onus Islam places on us; the
reverberation of the message the world
over just might bring some order to
the madness that suddenly reigns supreme.
I prayed for “two nations, one
peace” for all Israelis and Palestinians.
Inshaallah it will be more than just
a dream.
(Mahjabeen Islam is a physician and
freelance columnist practicing in Toledo
Ohio. Her email is mahjabeenislam@hotmail.com)
