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Am  I(the Muslim in west) hypocrite ??
tq
09/21/01 at 07:27:49
Assalamo elikuim Are we the Muslim in west hypocrites? Or lets just say Am  I hypocrite ?? That’s what one of my friend said to me when we were discussing that Pakistani Government should have taken a stand and should have not allowed its air space and land to be used.  As long as we the Muslim in west are safe we want Pakistan or Afghanistan or anyone or any country to take bombs, missiles, total destruction and up hold the banner of Islam. At the first sign of trouble we are ready to change our appearances so that we don’t look “Muslim”, we are hiding the sign boards which says that “Islamic school or “ Islamic Mosque”(it happened where I live and only one brother was against it !!) but we want other people to die, to take stand against the whole world – the world strongest army? What are we doing? As long we are safe, let others take the responsibility to do what is right! I know this is not the first time innocent people have been killed or wont be the last but somehow this incident on sept. 11 has started to make me think that everything is so immaterial, doesn’t matter. Some how buying a new car, house, visiting Karachi (buying lot of embroidery clothes) etc doesn’t appeal that much, I know there is a saying in urdu “Naumidi kufar hai” means “it is kufar to be without any hope” (may be some body can translate it better) . I used to think that if we just do our ibadah , fard and some obligatory, that should be enough but doesn’t look this way. There should be more that we should do, and the question is what?  Moving to Afghanistan\Palestine to help the helpless? (Maybe if I would have been a doctor or a millionaire) may be to fight there –but my husband doesn’t have any skills for that (unless it is me whom he is fighting against :) ) see again I am giving myself a break!! What should we do? Is salat,zakat,fasting, reading Quran enough? Wasalam PS:just thinking loudly!!

Re: Am  I(the Muslim in west) hypocrite ??
Kashif
09/21/01 at 11:48:51
assalaamu alaikum Excellent post, and an important question that we all have to answer for ourselves. Throw into that that it is our wages that help finance the anti-Islam machinery as Americans and Britons. Kashif Wa Salaam
NS

Re: Am  I(the Muslim in west) hypocrite ??
amatullah
09/21/01 at 14:44:18
Bismillah and salam, Well i been thinking about those same issues and the same as brother Kashif mentioned in another post about what are we to do here if something la qaddar Allah terrible happens. I asked the shaikh that question in islam-online.net when they had it open but he didn't answer perhaps there was too many questions. Please consider asking your shaikhs around town or via internet and try to post their suggestions for all of us to learn from. Also does anyone know how do you go about trying to organize a peaceful anti retaliation march? How do you get other organizations involved? how do you know if htey would be interested or you are at the wrong place? We are considering trying to do this, we are a small working class town. I think so far we want to call the university and colleges and perhaps even announce it to regular schools. Any ideas people? also just on the board can someone please email people we haven't heard form in long time and touch base with them especially if htey are in to Islam? like cindy and her sister how are they? akbal khan? lots of people i don't want to name each but can someone do that? i worry about them and if they are ok.

Re: Am  I (the Muslim in west) hypocrite ??
se7en
09/21/01 at 16:02:09
wa alaykum as salaam wa rahmatAllah, I have the same fears you do TQ.   It's real easy to speak the truth when it will protect you from harm.  Attending inter-faith activities and candlelight vigils aren't too difficult when you know that your presence there, letting people know what Islam is about, will only help to protect you from violence and hatred.   The test is speaking the truth when it may not be so clearly in your self interest.  We protest misdirected hatred and rage when it's directed at us - but will we be strong enough to protest it when it's misdirected towards Muslims in other lands?  That's when it becomes a struggle, that's when it's true mujahida.   If we do that - stand up for justice not just when it's in our self interest, and do everything possible with the skills that we have fisabiliLlah, then I don't think we'll be hypocrites.   [quote]Also does anyone know how do you go about trying to organize a peaceful anti retaliation march? How do you get other organizations involved?[/quote] That's a great idea amatullah.  Hmm.. I'd say, speak to your imam and some of your community leaders.  Get them in contact with the leaders of other religious organizations (usually most imam's know the contact info of the jewish and christian leaders in their area.)  Get in contact with local police; tell them what you're doing and that you'd like a license.  Get in contact with local media and tell them what you're doing as well.  Make a nice flyer, get the MSA's to advertise on local campuses, send out some emails. The day of get some artistically inclined people to make some nice posterboards; have a half hour program where the local religious leaders give little talks (with a Muslim host in between introducing); have only certain people (articulate people who know what they're talking about) interview with the media afterwards. Have petitions going around during the protest and get people's contact info for follow up activities. Hmm.. I think that's basically it :) wasalaamu alaykum.

Re: Am  I(the Muslim in west) hypocrite ??
Kashif
09/21/01 at 17:30:31
assalaamu alaikum I just received an e-mail from a brother and he expressed thoughts that i've been having for a while... things aren't going to get better from now on. Is it time to start wondering if we should make hijrah? Save ourselves from some serious questioning after we die, and basically do ourselves and the kuffaar a favour. I heard that in one poll 60% of them wanted us out. Amatullah as for protests i think it would be good to work in conjunction with the peace movement. This evening i aptended an anti-war meeting held by the Socialist workers and i was impressed: in 5 days they organised a conference which attracted over 2000 people. What i saw is that there is support for an anti-war movement.. a strong support, its just not vocal enough at the moment - and this is partially due to the media deliberately ignoring those who don't want a war. What needs to be done now is for us to start speaking to friends and to colleagues, telling them that you don't support the war against Afghanistan. If you have the courage to speak out this will encourage others too, insha'Allah. This is a time when we have to strive our hardest to not remain silent, but rather speak the truth. One of the speakers today, George Monbiot, said that 22 years of war had left Afghanistan in the same state as Ethiopia in 1985; he asked, can you imagine anyone declaring war on Ethiopia in 1985? The arguments and the evidence are on our side and we need to speak straightforward and speak loud. So, you might get a punch.. our brothers might get a bullet because you didn't match your speech with your actions! Anti-war means actions and not just lip-service. Peace Movement, yes. Religious movement, no. This is my opinion. Muslims are so shaky on their aqeedah of al-walaa wal-baraa that i don't think its good to get too cosy with the Xtians & Jews. Kashif Wa Salaam PS As always, carry on with da'wah to your family, make du'a for the Muslims all over the world, and make lots of tawba.

Re: Am  I(the Muslim in west) hypocrite ??
Merimda
09/22/01 at 00:28:51
Salam, Interesting topic..it's topics like this that make me feel so guilty. If it's anyone that should be worried about being a hypocrite it's me. Honestly at times I feel like such a coward and phony. I'm going to add some more questions and concerns of mine to this topic. Last year during the uprising in Palestine there were many protests organized in my city outside of the Israeli consulate and I never attended any of them, even though it seemed like the whole Muslim and Arab community went, because I felt it would make no difference. I used to go these protests but last year I stopped. I've just become disenchanted with them. Regarding this latest event,  some one sent me an email asking Muslims to email the Pakistani government to rethink it's support for the U.S against their Afghan brothers and sisters. However I dismissed the email and didn't bother because again I felt that it would make no difference. However after some thought I felt kind of guilty for not doing so. I guess my reasoning for not acting,was becuase I felt that instead of wasting our energy heckling and burning Israeli flags and writing to a gov't that would not really care about what some student believes is right, who lives on the other side of the world and is not in the position of the president of Pakistan and who really has no authority (or right?) to dictate to the Pakistani gov't what to do (that's if they even bothered to read the email and not delete it), I beleive that we should spend our energy on more meaningful and beneficial things like giving money or something like that. I don't know sometimes I feel that it wouldn't hurt to attend rallies or to write to the gov't of Pakistan; and that I'm just using these excuses as a cloak for laziness. So what do you guys think? My conscious is bothering me as well. Am I neglecting my responsibilty? Am I being a hypocrite for doing what I did? Salam, merimda btw: On the topic of the Socialists they have been great here in my city as well. The day after the bombing they were handing out flyers on campus in defence of Muslims and Arabs, advocating peace and reminding ppl about the other victims of U.S foreign policy. There also many articles the day after the attack in the campus newspaper which conveyed the same messages.

Re: Am  I(the Muslim in west) hypocrite ??
jannah
09/22/01 at 00:49:21
wlm, mermida you ask some really good hard questions that i think all of us ask ourselves. we all have thoughts that we are insignificant and what is one letter going to do, what is one extra person at a demonstration going to do etc.  but maybe we should take the time to ask the people that are organizing these things.. if i write one letter what's the benefit?, if i go to this demonstration, how will it help the Muslims? because it seems like you're not convinced that they will do anything to help the ummah, hence you don't do them... so let them convince you. btw you'd be beyond surprised what letters and demonstrations actually do... talk to somaira or mona.. two sisters on the board that were insiders in DC for the summer, it is amazing how the system of letters/phone calls work in congress.. did you know that when an email comes in, it is put in a category and marked on what side of an issue it fell on, then this is all tallied, by day, week etc and given to congressmen and their pr people. if you were in congress and you got a couple thousand angry emails in a day about an issue you sure as heck would make sure you figure out a positive position on it. as for demonstrations we've discussed it many times before so check out those threads. anyway there are always people who are going to say well someone else will do it, someone else will go.. but this is the problem with our ummah right now.. i mean look around... no one else is going to help us...we each need to start doing things.. if you feel that letter writing to media or demonstrations don't do anything, then step up and do some other things you feel are priorities.. ie educating muslims/learning, organizing seminars, doing dawah... if u think giving money is the way to go..go for it....the point is to do something... don't wait until you are standing in front of Allah and then say 'well i decided to do nothing, because i didn't think what i did mattered'. it matters a lot in the end, perhaps the doing more than the actual results even.
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