Razvoj i napredak muslimana u americi / Developing resilience as Muslims in America

Razvoj i napredak muslimana u americi

El-Hamdulillah, evo mjesec ramazan je upravo završio kojeg smo ispunili dobrim djelima, danas sam želio da nešto kažem o dešavanjima koja su se desila zadnji dan ramazana u Ćatanogi. Nažalost, u nekim mjestima ramazan se doživljava drugačije, njihov ramazan je bio ispunjen strahotama, pozivom na nasilje i krvoproliće, od strane onih koji tvrde da su muslimani. Oni su odabrali da ramazan prvedu (prožive) ubijanjem nedužnih, pri tome oni su očito okaljali sliku islama i muslimana bez razlike rase, religije ili čak mjesta i lokacije.

Ono što bi trebali znati o onima koji to čine u ime islama, njih je poslanik a,s, opisao u hadisu kada je rekao: Pojavit će se mladići koji će podcjenjivati vaš namaz kada ga porede sa svojim, vaš post i njihov post, njihova djela i vaša djela. Oni će učiti Kur'an ali njihovo učenje neće prelaziti dalje od njihovih grla. Oni će napuštati vjeru kao što strijela napušta luk! Imam Buhari.

To je realnost našeg današnjeg vjerskog života; da postoje dvije vrse lica islama koje svjet vidi kroz naš način prakticiranja islama. Prvi imidž islama kao religije koja promoviše mir, umjerenost i prosperitet. A drugi imidž islama je koji propagira radikalizam i ekstremizam, i koji poziva sljedbenike na nasilje i razdor. Ovo ne samo da je zbunjujuće, pogotovo mlađe populacije, ustvari to vodi ka širokom nerazumjevanju islama. Čak šta više mlađi ne žele da budu sljedbenici islama zbog takvih zlodjela, misleći da je islam nasilna religija, koja podstiče svoje sljedbenike na ubijanje i širenje mržnje među ljudima. Istina je da je poslanik a,s, rekao u hadisu kog bilježi imam Tirmizi da će doći vrijeme da će biti teže očuvati svoju vjeru (din) nego držati žeravicu u ruci. Suočeni sa ovim negativnim prikazivanjem islama, nemožemo jednostavno staviti glavu u pjesak i ništa ne uraditi!

Mi moramo graditi i izgarditi samopouzdanje i otpornost kako bi ostali na pravom putu. Mi moramo odabrati sebi put onako kako nam je preneseno od poslanika a,s, a jedan od principa islama je kako je on a,s, i kazao: Ova vjera je, uistinu, lahka i niko se neće nadmetati s njome a da ga ona neće savladati i nadvladati. Imam Buhari.

Kad se umjerenost izgubi u našoj vjeri i praktikovanju vjere, tada izgubimo balans! Davno je kazato: Ko nema vjere nema ni mjere.! Bez balansa nemožemo ni razumiti vjeru, zato je vrlo bitno imati i uspostaviti balans, jer danas postoji problem jer postoje ideje koje su maskirane kao vjersko štivo a koje ustvari mogu prouzrokovati mnogo problema i ne suglasicu u društvu i zajednici.

Draga braćo i sestre: Mi moramo konstantno biti na oprezu i u isto vrijeme moramo raditi na ostvarivanju zajedničkih interesa sa znanjem, obrazovanjem i razumjevanjem kako nas islam i uči tome. Islamski principi nas i uče kako da razvijemo samopouzdanje i da nastavimo da doprinosimo napretku, da širimo nježnost ma gdje bili! To je naš identitet, i jedan od naših principa kojeg se moramo pridržavati. Ovu vrijednost je manifestirao i poslanik Jusuf a,s, u Egiptu koji je doprinosio zajednici i ako je većinski bila bezbožna ili je obožavala Faraona. Isto su i ashabi uradili kd su bili u Habeši a koji su doprinosili zemlji kojoj su pripadali. Dakle živjeti kao manjina u većinskom kršćanskom svijetu se ne protivi islamu.

U svjetlu složenih pitanja kao što su ''radikalna ideologija'' i raznolikih načina života koji predstavljaju izazov za nečije vjerovanje, trebamo uvijek biti na oprezu i ne uzimaju zdravo za gotovo. Moramo nastaviti razvijati razumijevanje islama koje je sukladno potrebama i kontekstu naše zajednice, mjesta i prostora u kom se nalazimo.

Moramo imati razumijevanja islama koji će nas motivirati da postanemo zajednica koja je duhovno snažna, moralno upućena i uspješna u različitim akademskim i profesionalnim poljima. Moramo potvrditi razumijevanje islama u skladu sa ponašanjem i manirima poslanika Muhameda a,s.

To je islam koji želimo u Americi, i to je islam koji želimo da nasljede našu djeca. Moramo imati povjerenja i hrabrosti da se sačuva naš način vjerskog života. I mi treba da ostanemo postojni i zaštićeni od negativnih uticaja koji pozivaju na regresiju i razaranja.

Mladi su naša nada i budućnost islama u Americi. Draga omladino, preko vas se nadamo da će učenje islama biti poštovano od strane svih ljudi (prije svega muslimana). Stoga je bitno da spoznate islam i steknete osnovno islamsko obrazovanje od onih koji su akreditiran i legalni (učitelji, profesori imami). Ne od onih koji pozvaju u nejedinstvo, arogancija ili optužuju druge ili ih nazivaju nevjernicima. U stvari, tu vrstu učitelja treba izbjegavati, pogotovo ako ste ih slušali ili pročitali nešto na online.

Mi priznajemo da će se mnogo toga promjenuti u vašem životu, i da ćete imati mnogo pitanja, neka pitanja će se vezati za vaš vjeru i religiju a neka za emocije kroz koje prolazite ili bilo koja druga pitanja. Šta god da je, ne ustručavajte se pristupiti vašim roditeljima, nastavnicima ili vjerskim učiteljima i profesorima.

Kao roditelji, vi/mi igramo važnu ulogu i uvjek trebamo upućivati, napominjati i biti strpljeni u tome. Pokušajmo razumjeti njihove izazove i njihovo razmišljanje, pa i ako ih nađeš da čine nešto loše, pokušaj reagovat mudro i popričaj sa njima sa mnogo strpljenja.

Kao što većina vas zna prošle hefte u subotu bli su protesti pored naše džamije na cesti, (ne kako mnogi kažu haman od dragosti ispred džamijem, ne to je laž koju haman muslimani šire, istina je da su bili dole na cesti) ali ono što mogu kazati da mi ipak radimo dobru stvar ovdje u BG sa reprezentiranjem islama ovdje, i ovo vam govorim zbog toga što smo primili nekoliko poruka od amerikanaca koji se izvinjavaju zbog male grupice koji pokušavaju da nešto urade. Mnogi komentari na našoj facebook stranici i na drugim mjestima koji pokazuju ljubav i sipatiju prema muslimanima u BG. I nadam se da će ova zgrada mnogo toga dobrog doprinjeti prije svega nama kao i zajednici u kojoj živimo.

Developing resilience as Muslims in America

Alhamdulillah, the month of Ramadan that has just passed was filled with deeds of compassion and kindness. I want today to talk about what happened last day of Ramadan in Chattanooga, just day before Eid.

Unfortunately, in some places, Ramadan is experienced differently It was a Ramadan filled with atrocities, a call to violence and bloodshed, by those who claim to be Muslims. They choose to live Ramadan by killing the innocent. In doing so, they have obviously tarnished the image of Islam. These indiscriminate killings disregarded race, religion or even location.

Let us be reminded that those who commit these heinous crimes have been described by Rasulullah s.a.w in a hadith which means: There will emerge among you people whom would belittle your prayer when compared to their prayer, your fasting compared to their fasting, and your deeds compared to theirs. They will recite the Qur'an but it will not reach beyond their throats. They will leave the religion just as an arrow leave its game. Hadith reported by Imam Al-Bukhari.

That is the reality of our religious life today; that there are two faces of Islam seen by the world, reflected from the practices of Muslims. The first is the image of Islam as a religion that promotes peace, moderation and prosperity. The other is the image of Islam that propagates radicalism and extremism, and calls upon its followers to violence and discord. This is not only confusing, especially for the younger generation, in fact, it leads to widespread misconceptions regarding Islam. It is true what the Prophet s.a.w had foretold in a hadith reported by Imam At-Tirmidzi that to uphold the true teachings of Islam that bring benefit to others is like holding on to a piece of burning coal. Confronted with this negative portrayal of Islam, we cannot simply bury our heads in the sand and choose to do nothing about it.

We have to build our confidence and resilience to remain on the guided path. We must choose the path as shown by Rasulullah s.a.w. And one of the key principles of practicing Islam is highlighted by Rasulullah s.a.w in his hadith: The religion is easy, and no one complicates his religion except that he will fail to practice it (properly). Therefore correct your religious practice, practice moderation (do not be extreme) and convey glad tidings. Hadith reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

When moderation is lost in our religious practice, we lose its balance too. Without balance, we will fail to understand and practice Islam comprehensively. Upholding this balance is important, especially because there are problematic ideas masked as religious teachings, which may cause us to veer off the guided path if we are not careful.

Last week, we have seen negative influences, which may sow the seeds of hatred and cause division and disunity in the religious harmony of our country. They promote an exclusive understanding and practice of religion, and they reject diversity and differences in opinion, going against the grain of the diverse nature of humankind. Further, there are radical ideas that promote rigidity and extremist religious behaviors. For example, there are ideas that seek to instil doubts in Muslims that they cannot live in the modern world.

Therefore brothers and sisters, we have to be constantly vigilant and be on our guard, and at the same time, work toward increasing our knowledge and understanding, as taught by our beloved religion. The principles of Islam teach us to develop confidence to continue contributing to development, and to spread kindness wherever we are. This is our identity, and a principle we need to uphold as Muslims. This value was manifested by Prophet Yusuf a.s. – He contributed to the development of Egypt even though the King and a majority of its people were non-Muslims. Likewise, the Prophet’s companions who lived as a minority in Habashah contributed to the harmony of their land. These and many other examples prove that living, as a minority is not against Islam.

In the light of complex issues such as radical ideologies and diverse lifestyles that pose a challenge to one’s faith, we should always stay alert and not take things for granted. We have to continue to develop an understanding of Islam that commensurate with the needs and the context of our community. It is an understanding that recognizes the diversity of our Islamic tradition. It is an understanding that is guided by Islamic principles, and empowers our community to have an in-depth perspective on complex issues.

We need to have an understanding of Islam that will motivate us to become a community that is spiritually robust, morally guided and successful in various academic and professional fields. We need to uphold an understanding of Islam in line with the conduct and manners of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

This is the Islam that we want in America, and this is the Islam that we want to pass on to our children. We need to have the confidence and courage to preserve our way of leading our religious life. And we need to remain steadfast and withstand the negative influences that call for regression and destruction.

Youths are our hope and the future of Islam in America. Our dear youths, it is through you that we hope that the teachings of Islam will be honored and respected by humankind. Thus it is pertinent that you ensure that you receive good Islamic education from learned teachers who are trusted and accredited. Not teachers who encourage disunity, arrogance or easily accuse and label others as misguided or kafir. In fact, these are the sorts of teachers that you should avoid, especially if you listen to lectures or read materials online. Islam teaches us to radiate blessings, and not to judge others.

We recognize that as youths, you will undergo changes in life, and accordingly, you will have many questions, whether these are related to your religion, or the emotional challenges that you go through, or any others. Whatever it is, do not hesitate to approach your parents, teachers or religious teachers.

For parents, you would also need to play your part and always be guided by compassion in reaching out to the young. Understand their challenges and their thinking. If you find them doing the wrong things, approach them wisely and speak to them with compassion. 

As many of you know last Saturday there were few guys protesting against Muslims in front of our mosque, but what I want to say is that we are doing good job here in Bowling Green by representing our religion and I can say this by number of messages I received from Americans non-Muslims that I know. And many messages from people that I don’t know saying that they are sorry that first day of Eid we have to watch this protests. So by amount of messages that I received privately and number of positive comments on our Facebook page I can say that I love this community and this city, and I hope that we all will understand how much this new building will help us to organize and promote different events where we can introduce our religion to even more people, and have even better understanding and relationship.