THE FOLLOWING IS LONG but may be of some benefit and bring you to a depth of understanding... Just happened yesterday. My response to a praciticing Jewish person who had befriended me over the past year and piqued his interest in Islam. So i had begun sending him some videos and started giving dawah to him... He had written the following to me just at the onset of Ramadan: I would like to study more about your faith, I find it amazingly spiritual, something I need to experience myself. Can you send me a link or 2 so that I can continue my exploration of Islam. You have changed my whole opinion and outlook on your faith. Thank you. Yesterday he posted something something pro-Israel and as I was getting ready to respond, I got caught up in the rush to taraweeh. When I got home, he must have read my recent posts, and had unfriended/blocked me. So I sent him this response via private message (as I was unable to respond back on his wall).... Hi Ben -- I had seen your post earlier this evening and was typed up half my response to send you a quick message, which I will put below, But in the meantime had to get ready and get to prayers this evening and was unable to finish. when I came back, i was unable to respond as you had unfriended/blocked me... which you certainly have every right to do. It is a free country after all. However, I think it is appropriate to respond as I dont necessarily see us as two diametrically opposite sides of the fence that cant be reconciled. What I am about to say is not all that profound, but I certainly hope it resonates as you seem to be a good person with a sound heart. So to respond to your post. Human life is human life... be it Jew, Muslim, Bhuddist... we are all the son of Adam and you and I share a lineage through our father, Abraham. When we see the killing around the world, they are ALL equally atrocious. Every life, every person, regardless of their background whether they are reported in the media or not, whether they are mentioned by name or not... God knows them... He knows every hair on their head and they are all special to Him. This conflict, this war is the worse that we humans can be. After watching the constant killings in Syria and the year-long forced starvation in Yarmouk, the situation in Nigeria, and in Burma, and in North Waziristan, Pakistan and the Muslims under oppressive communist rule in China... well quite frankly, you start to become numb after a while. After seeing one grotesque killing after another, you become de-sensitized. The Gazan conflict, in particular, is one that strikes a nerve with our community and heres why. Firsty, Jersualem is the 3rd most holy and sanctified land in our tradition and heritage... It was the first qibla (direction for prayer) and it was where our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him and all of Gods prophets) prayed together to the Almight during the time of the Isra and Mairaj. In addition to this, Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived side-by-side for CENTURIES (not a handful of years, but CENTURIES) in the Holy Land PEACEFULLY. The Muslims would leave their children with their Jewish neighbors to babysit and vice versa... I know of this from 1st generation Palestinians from our community. From our lens, what the Gazan people go through, living under seige and as second-class citizens having to go through humiliating checkpoints and having rifles pointed at them by the 4th most powerful military in the world, it tears our hearts. It doenst take much to see that this is the David and Goliath of today. It doesnt take much objectivity to see that what happened to our Jewish brethren during WWII under Adolf Hitler is being repeated today. And even if these are opinions or lack subjectivity, then we can merely look at the facts -- as presented by Jewish authors themselves such as Noam Chomsky, Dr Norman Finkelstein, Israeli historian and social activist , Ilan Pappe and others... the never-ending expansion of the settlements which are illegal under international law. The use of white phosphorous during Operation Cast Lead. Just look at the images of Jews at Auschwitz and during WWII, and look at the Palestinians in modern-day Israel. You would really have to distort reality greatly if you didnt see similarities. I want to be clear... we stand with our Jewish brethren... those that hold on to the Torah an Talmud. What we dont accept is Zionism. A 2-state solution is what we want.. PEACE above everything is what we want. No more dead bodies -- JEWISH NOR MUSLIM. But the current government and the powers to be are not people of God, in our eyes. They have a nationalistic agenda, and this is what we oppose. We oppose the massive killing of the Gazan people who are absolutely helpless. They have no army, military, navy, anything. So when I post on Facebook -- it is not in opposition to Jewry or anything of that like -- but if I dont give my own brothers and sisters a voice... those that have no voice, then how can I face God when his messenger left us with the following: The entire Muslim nation is like one body... if one body part is in pain, then it is as if the entire body suffers in fever and insomnia. If I wasnt impacted by this, if it didnt stir my heart in to motion, I may as well be dead. And Ill leave you with this... a very central theme in the Holy Quran which speaks to the sanctity of life (not Muslim life, not Christian life, not Hindu life, not Jewish life... but ALL LIfe) -- He who takes a life, it is as if he has killed all of mankind... and he who saves a life, it is as if he has saved all of mankind. We want the killing to stop from both ends, and they only way that can happen is both people are allowed to have their own self-governing state so they can equally enjoy freedom, the right to economic prosperity and the pursuit of happiness. Good night and be well, Ben. take care of yourself and your family, Shomail
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 05:59:23 +0000
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