Taking a Stand by Muzzaffer Alidina

Taking A Stand

September the 22^nd was a cold and chilly evening in Toronto. After the tumultuous events around the world, Canadian Muslims had finally decided to be part of the mass protests around the world. Except with a two-fold premise. The primary goal of course was to take a stand on the Islamophobia surrounding Muslims from all sides. However, we also wished to take a stand against the violent and reactionary actions of our very own Muslim brothers and sisters around the world.

As I boarded the bus from a local mosque, I felt a little ashamed on the numbers present from our own community. Word on the street was that this rally was proposed to various religious groups. Being a Shia, I was glad that our brothers and sisters from different faiths would participate with us – especially after certain political lobby groups had been able to divide us along sectarian lines, especially with regards to the turbulent events in Syria.

As we journeyed to downtown Toronto, I wondered about all the arguments for and against protesting. I knew for a fact that the Prophet would never condone violence, even if someone had insulted him. He is beyond that. The ahadith have even mentioned a story of how he used to be abused by a woman in his neighborhood, who would dump garbage on him. The Prophet was never reactionary. Rather, he went to visit this woman when he noticed that there was no one there to throw garbage on him.

From a spiritual point of view, what we do know is that a human being has four faculties – and that if the faculty (or construct) of intellect supersedes the others – then man can rise above and beyond the level of Angels. But if man chooses, for example, to let the faculty of anger to take control, then man can only be ranked below animals.

 

To Protest or Not to Protest?

When the news of the film had initially broke, my curiosity got the better of me. I instantly went on YouTube in search of the 15-minute clip. It was derogatory, defamatory and insulting. But what didn’t make sense was the violence. I knew that every country had its own political context, like the drone strikes on Pakistan and Somalia, the army’s brutality in Egypt, the sectarian and tribal struggle for power in Libya. So was an insult on the Prophet an excuse? Or was it our own “red line”? Was protesting going to help? Or should we just ignore such “trivial” attempts to mock the holiest of men?

Looking at things from a historical perspective, protests and rallies had made a difference. The revolutions in the Middle East, from Tunisia to Egypt were spurred on by a desire for change. Tahrir Square was even noted as a primary catalyst for the Occupy movement. And irrespective of all the failings of the global Occupy movements, there have been some success stories. So protesting could only help. But these would require concrete goals. Asking for blasphemy laws to be put into place, or rather adding a restriction on freedom of speech would only make our global society more totalitarian – wouldn’t it?

Another aspect that really bothered me is the duplicity we as Muslims showed. If we truly respect all divinely appointed Prophets, and of course – the final Prophet more than the others, where were we when Western media destroyed the fabric of Christian values in the movie and book The Da Vinci Code? You could argue that it is upto the Christian community to lead the way in protesting – but were we even aware that it was defamatory towards the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)? Yet certain countries like Iran had turned out in numbers to protest against the movie, and even banned the book locally.

 

So I figured I am a hypocrite. I had watched the Da Vinci Code and had barely taken any action with respect to it. I guess this was a good time; it can never be too late.

 

Freedom of Speech

 

One argument that still didn’t sit well with me was the notion of freedom of speech. In the global world today, defamatory language, from the subtle swearing to the abusive taunting surrounds us in our day-to-day lives. Of course, it’s immoral to use such language, language that the Prophet himself would be disappointed with. It’s so easy to find insulting and defamatory language and videos in the social media world with respect to any religious leaders.

But there are limitations. Anyone who has had to write a paper for school or work is fully aware of the copyright laws. Plagiarism is discussed at length, and is taken very seriously. Isn’t that an infringement on freedom of speech? What about those who speak against the government? In Western countries they are targeted and systematically dismantled. From war resistors to NGOs, everyone is aware of governmental laws that limit freedom of speech.

 

Double Standards

 

What spurs on Muslims further is the glaring hypocrisy of the Western world. When it comes to Anti-Semitism, institutions have been set up to crack down on anything that may or may not even be anti-Semitic. With respect to racism, there are preventative laws as well as repercussions in all aspects of the Modern world, including sports. So why not take a stand against Islamophobia? Isn’t it our right as Muslims to do so? No it’s not a right, it’s a responsibility – for future generations to come.

 

Read more about the protest in Toronto here:

http://muslimperspectives.com/?p=274

Spread awareness; true islam is a religion of peace

Please click to enlarge.

Spread the true islam.. Spread the true Prophet Muhammed (PBUH).

The true islam; religion of peace and understanding

Flyer delivery and packaging; Project-Prophet Muhammed

Gallery

 

Parcel received from Jamana Printers

English flyer * 2000 pieces box

Flyer!!!

Dividing flyers into groups of 50

That looks organized.

Jaji Wazir helping organize flyer’s to be sent to villages across Tanzania

Mohammedi rashidi setting our flyers for each region

Delivery begins

Off he goes to deliver them to our representatives

 

Flyer to educate public about the last Prophet (Muhammed)

Project Prophet Muhammed A project to spread awareness of the True Prophet and the True Islam. We will start distributing flyers across Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania on Saturday the 22nd of September. We muslims unite against the disrespect against the Holy Prophet of Islam, in the manner in which the Prophet has advised us to. We ask for those who have wronged to realized their mistake and to repent. “O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah az-Zumar 39:53) Below are the fliers which will be handed out. Please click to enlarge. Flyer in english The below flyer is the native language of Tanzania; Kiswahili.  Flyer in swahili

 

Sayyed Nasrallah speech against disrespect of Holy Prophet

“Oh Most Honorable People, Most Dignified People, and purest of all, Peace be upon you,” Hizbullah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said greeting the hundreds of thousands of protesters on Monday. 

Sayyed Nasrallah did not appear via video-link today, on the 17th of September 2012 to deliver his speech. Instead, the Resistance leader arrived into the ceremony square to deliver a live speech, reiterating the condemnation of the sacrilege anti-Islam film insulting Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his chaste progeny). 
Sayyed Nasrallah thanked people, Muslims and Christians, politicians and religious figures, who have attended the rallies in support of a just cause, that of defending the person of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). Expressing gratitude he said “Peace be on our Prophet Mohammad and his companions and all the prophets and messengers…I thank you for heeding the call of the prophet. I thank all of you, especially the Sunni, Shia and Christian clerics, and the national parties – particularly our brothers in the Amal movement – who responded to our call for protests.” 
Also, Sayyed Nasrallah, assuring the rejection to this insult stated “Some until now are not aware of the degree of insult that targeted the Prophet through some of these scenes [of the 12 minute movie trailer] and stabbed the prophet’s faith, the Quran and his wives.”
“We are here to declare our rejection [of the anti-Islam sacrilegious film], also to completely close the door before any future attempt to repeat such an insult,” Hizbullah leader clearly declared. 

Moreover, Sayyed Nasrallah further added that boycotting the websites that insist on broadcasting the trailer of the film is a must, emphasizing “We should prevent the airing of the complete film by the Americans.” 
He urged the people to “establish planning groups and teams to work and achieve these three objectives,” iterating “The whole world should know that this prophet has followers regardless of how great the sacrifices might be.”
According to Sayyed Nasrallah, America, which objects and deceives under the slogan of freedom, needs to understand that the broadcast of the complete film will yield very dangerous repercussions.
In addition, he recapped that the “All governments and people are required to put their utmost effort and exercise pressure on the international community to issue an international resolution and pass laws that criminalize such acts of insulting Monotheistic religions, also prophets Ibrahim, Moussa (Moses), Issa (jesus), and Mohammad (peace be upon them). 
Furthermore, the Resistance leader encouraged practical steps in defense of Prophet Mohammad, and assured that any delay in this task is considered as negligence in defending Prophet Mohammad, which also keeps the door open to new insults which are of unknown destination. 
Promising that Muslims will unite to serve common objectives, Sayyed Nasrallah guaranteed “Our movement needs to reach all the Ummah in defense of the Prophet.” 
His Eminence noted “We need to underscore the great awareness among Muslims and Christians and highlight the importance of coexistence.” 
“Let no one be deceived that this battle can be ignored. The Muslim world’s failure to come up with international laws that incriminate abuse against Islam will be tantamount to an offense against the Prophet Mohammad,” Sayyed Nasrallah stated.

 

He ended his speech by paying a pledge along with the hundreds of thousands of protesters “We are under your Command our Prophet Mohammad. We, our families and children are under your command. We will defend you with our blood, souls, lives, wealth…Allah is a witness to what we say, the blood of our martyrs, the wounds of our wounded, our demolished homes all witness, we will sacrifice everything for your sake our Prophet.”

 

“Prophet Mohammad, we are under Your command!”

for more details;

http://www.english.moqawama.org/essaydetails.php?eid=21021&cid=258

What Did Non-Muslims Say About Prophet Muhammad?

Video

Some quotes from non-Muslim scholars and intellectuals about the Seal and Final of Prophets, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

Biography of Prophet Muhammad (saww) – Sayed Ammar Nakshawani

Video

Biography of our Holy Prophet.

Peaceful protest in Benghazi

The people of Benghazi held a peaceful protest against the anti-islam movie while also showing their support for U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed in Libya. Just as not all Americans are the same as those who attempted to make a mockery of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), similarly not all people who claim they are muslim are the same as those who have reacted with violence.

Holy Quran 25:63

The worshippers of the All-Merciful are they who tread gently upon the earth, and when the ignorant address them, they reply, “Peace!”

Below are pictures from the peaceful protest held by the people of Benghazi showing the true islam;

 

 

source; http://www.theatlanticwire.com/

The Life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) – Documentary

Video

Learn the truth about this holy man, a blessing for all of mankind.

React Like the Prophet by Meysam Rajani

#WhatWouldTheProphetDo?

 

In the name of Allah, the most compassionate, the most merciful.

 

I have not been sent, but to perfect your Akhlaq (Morals/Good Manners) – Prophet Muhammad(SAWW)

Attempts at ridiculing Islam’s great personalities have never been an infrequent occurrence. The Prophet, whilst he was alive, was thrown garbage at, pelted with stones, mocked in public and even had his life threatened. Aba Abdillah’s head was shamelessly disrespected by Yazid (LA), the fourth Imam along with the women of the martyrs of Kerbal were put on display as prisoners of war. These efforts to ridicule or belittle Islam and its great personalities have occurred in the past, are happening in the present and will continue to. What is our responsibility as Muslims, living in different corners of the globe? How do we react to this insensitive, preposterous, unbelievable attack on the Prophet of Islam?

The question we must ask ourselves, before we take any action, is ‘what would our Prophet do?’ Often, we make hasty decisions out of anger and disgust, rushing to the defense of our religion, with good intentions but adopting wrong approach. For instance, some people claim that the western world should be prepared to face the ‘repercussions’ for facilitating the production of this movie, or that they shouldn’t be surprised that Muslims have opted for violence in their reactions. The message may be correct to an extent, reaction to this attack will spark up, considering this is the holiest personality to the religion of Islam. But by stating, that violence is NOT surprising, we may be attributing an element of justification to the way some Muslims have reacted. It is important to note that, in NO way are we permitted to threaten or harm the lives of innocent people. The Prophet(SAWW), in a well-known hadith, was thrown garbage at, continuously for three days by an old lady. He never reacted or retorted, nor did he even ask the lady about her actions. In fact, he visited the lady when her absence was noted. The prophet was the pinnacle of good akhlaq, even when he was subjected to extreme mockery and ridicule. After all, he spent forty years acting upon his famous saying, “The only reason I have been sent is to perfect good manners.” If we are to defend the prophet of Islam, then we should adopt his approach.

The below post is a short clip from Nouman Ali Khan, a well renowned speaker in the Muslim world. It provides good advice on how we should react in these circumstances, as ordained by Allah(SWT), His messenger, and the Holy Qur’an.