The more people become aware of the social disease of Islamophobia, the easier it will be to combat it.
“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope”.
With this quote by Martin Luther King, I was forced to think and acknowledge that Islamophobia, which has recently reared its ugly head, is real maybe now more than any other time in history.
We may have personally experienced it or know a family member, friend or acquaintance who has.
This new form of racism must be made known and tools must be provided to overcome this phenomenon, especially for Muslims living in non-Muslim countries.
Islamophobia, or the fear and hatred of all things relating to Islam and Muslims, is becoming mainstream and deadly. Whether it’s radio talk show hosts, columnists or extremists who promise to kill Muslim women, there seems to be a great danger to Muslims.
However, God says in His Book:
Dealing with Islamophobia
|
{You shall certainly be tried in your possessions and your lives, and you shall certainly hear many hurtful things from some of those who were given the Book before you and from some of polytheist.
But if you persevere patiently and guard yourselves against evil, that is a matter of strong determination.} (3:186)
Just as we are warned, we are also given the solution, as the Quran reads:
{Good and evil are not equal. Repel (evil) with what is better; then the one with whom you had enmity may become your dear friend.} (41:34)
Rather than feel like victims, it is now that we need to acknowledge the responsibilities that we carry here in contrast to Muslims living in Muslim-majority countries world at large, we are, in many ways, strangers in a strange land.
At times we are opposed where we may be hated and furthermore we may be targeted, and it is here that we are given hope and reminded that Prophet Muhammad said that the conditions of the stranger are blessed conditions, as we have been promised paradise for bearing the burden of alienation.
An Arab proverb even cites “oh stranger in a strange land, be a man of courtesy and cultivation”. It is also supported by the hadith:
"Islam began alienated and will return as it began, alienated. So, blessed are the alienated ones". (Muslim, 145)
 |
The more people become aware of the social disease of Islamophobia, the easier it will be to combat it. We must not through the process though lose hope, we must not lose faith.
Sometimes however and understandably we get impatient with faith and hope after all it’s part and parcel of being human. We pray, we wait; we pray, we wait. We think nothing happens. We wonder why.
Perhaps we’ve forgotten that while faith and hope look good on paper, walking by faith requires that we take action. Maybe we forgot to do our part; we forgot to walk forward in faith and hope and wait for further direction.
During these trying times, we must remember to remain hopeful. It's easy to fall into pessimism reading the kind of hateful, deadly news reports, blog entries and commentary out there that attack Islam and Muslims.
But the fight against prejudice is never won in a day, two or even ten. It takes years and years of deprogramming.
With the continued news of ISIS attacks, Charlie Hebdo experience and even the unfeeling murder of the Chapel Hill youths, Islam has been under fire and often.
Although it seems as if these life's events have run us into a brick wall, we must stop, and wonder how to proceed from here.
How do we get over, under, around, or through this particular brick wall?
We rap hard on the wall. Our knuckles get bruised. This is not going to be easy. But if we let them, the brick walls may help us learn, stretch and grow.
| remember Islam is perfect, Muslims are not |
We find ways to move forward, despite how much we may feel like we'd like to just sit down and quit. While it's easier, quitting, it will do us no good. It won't propel us forward, and it won't help us feel better at the end of the day. So we muster up enough grit daily to walk by faith.
I once read that a civilization is measured not by the rights it grants its majority but the privileges it allows its minorities, so how do we go about grabbing our rights? How do we, as Muslim minorities, work to prove that Islam is not what Islamophobes depict it to be? Islam is the victim in all reality; remember Islam is perfect, Muslims are not.
So we have heard it said over and over again that Muslims are lazy, terrorists with inferior blood?
Such is the nature of prejudice a series of small, and sometimes large, insults that accumulate and take a toll on the body and soul. When we are targets of these prejudices, how can we work through these experiences in a healthy way, without letting the experience overwhelm us?
How Should We React?
It is said that Islamophobia represents fertile ground for anyone with a mind to fan and exploit tensions, so how do we use it to our advantage?
As Muslims, we can encourage family and friends to actively participate in our neighborhood's festivities. Continue as you would in participating in school fetes and just make that extra effort to prove we are the same neighbors and colleagues at work that we have been for years.
 |
Sometimes people need to hear Muslims condemn the violence and what good opportunity can we use our Quranic verses as now. Remind them that Islam simply means peace.
If there is a mosque in your neighborhood, you should try to set up a stall and set up an information booth with free refreshments.
I remember as a youngster, my father rented a movie house and aired the movie “The Message” buying the tickets for all my friends after promises for free tickets for the theme park for whoever saw the movie to the end.
I was able to bring many of my school mates and today, many years later, they remember the gesture and swear the day was an eye opener for them. We can also participate in walks or races for a good cause, whether it's breast cancer, multiple sclerosis or Alzheimer's, we can all participate finding a common cause reminding them that disease knows no religion.
We can even participate in the name of our mosque promoting Islam and writing banners indicating that our religion calls for charity and goodwill.
While all these ideas are well and good, it’s significant to understand the seriousness of the situation; so if by all means someone breaks in front of you in line, now isn’t the time to defend your right to pay for your groceries first.
It may be your right but unfortunately we are at a time where we need to choose our battles and to lay low for a time and just work that little harder to promote Islam being an ambassador if you will to the best religion ultimately reaching our goal for the hereafter.
Lastly but most importantly, engage in supplication. Bear in mind that only God can open people's hearts.
Make prayers that your neighbors', colleagues’ and acquaintances’ hearts open towards you and that your heart in turn opens towards them.
Recommended From OnIslam!
