Religion of Peace.

Submitted by Imam Ahmed Syeed Ali Muhammed (United States), Mar 25, 2008 at 14:53

The Comment made by Jason is sad. Sad because instead of actually reading history for himself he is taking other peoples biased accounts not as thier own opinions, but as fact. There has been violence in the history of Islam. Of course there has been violence in the history of almost every religion. But how many of us look at the Old Testament, and all the depictions, of violence there, and say Christianity, is inherently violent. Who looks back upon the Crusades, or the Spanish inquistition, and say well these Chrisitians mutilated, murdered, and oppressed all these people in the name of God, so Christianity is a violent religion.

I've been a Muslim for almost ten years. I'm an Imam at the Mosque where I live, and yes I run across some young Muslim, or Muslimah who has a radical understanding of Islam. It can happen in any religion. It doesn't make the religion itself inherently violent, It just means we as religious leaders have to reach out more to our religious communities and teach the correct understanding of our faith. Suicide is as much a sin in Islam as it is Christianity. So when I hear people talking about Muslims bieng suicide bombers, I wonder... do those people know they are doing something Allah deems sinful?

I have no doubt Jason is an intelligent person, I have no doubt that he is articulate, because he feels a certain way, and excersises the freedom to express the way he feels. It's a wonderful freedom. I hope that Jason picks up the Qur'an, not to convert, but to learn more about our faith. And perhaps he may gain a greater appreciation, and respect for what we (Muslims) believe, and how we practice our faith.

Assalaimu Alaikum,

Imam Ahmed Syeed Ali Muhammed

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