Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| A Message of Hope |
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| bhaloo |
| 09/25/01 at 14:18:29 |
| slm Do you have a message of hope to share? Here is one: A MESSAGE OF HOPE (The following is an unedited e-mail message received today by CAIR.) This past Saturday, I was visiting a close friend's grandparent in Bloomery, West Virginia. It was a short, peaceful, visit. I was the only Muslim with the hijab among my group of close friends. On our way home, we stopped by a Country Buffet Restaurant for dinner. I was alert, cautious, and aware of my surroundings...we pre-paid for our food and headed to the buffet. Ten minutes after we settled into our seats, the waitress leaned by our table with what appeared to be our money and receipt. We assumed they were going to kick us out. Although, what occurred in the next few moments was what I believed to be the blessings and mercy of Allah. She told us on behalf of the restaurant, they wanted to pay for our entire meal and give us a total refund. They were very sympathetic of the innocent lives. The waitress by her own personal expressions, was also sympathetic to the Muslim Community and did not want to see any more innocent lives lost due to war. What struck me the most, that brought tears to my eyes, were her tears. She told me she was proud that I had the courage and strength to come out and wear the appropriate veil. This experience gave me a sense of encouragement in the midst of crisis and confusion. There are many who are compassionate and understanding. |
| NS |
| Re: A Message of Hope |
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| jannah |
| 09/25/01 at 16:01:10 |
| There were many nice messages we received at the jannahorg email inbox.. I'll post a few: I just discovered your site through AOL, and am very interested in it. My father was an American Foreign Service officer, and I was born in Damascus and lived about half my childhood in the Middle East. We have had Arab friends and love the culture, the food, and the goals of Islam. I am so sorry that these recent horrors will turn some primitive and ignorant people to acts of violence or just unpleasantness against Muslims. Please know that most of us will condemn such acts. I very much hope that we can all get through this in a way that is very different from that of the fanatics and psychopaths who are the terrorists of the world. We women, especially must stand together against hatred. Take care of yourself, and please be careful. Ĝ Warmly, Mary This is not a post of hate, but rather one of love. I am a white American who is deeply grieved by the out lash against those who appear to be Middle Eastern and those who practice the religion of Islam. My intention, beginning with your web page, is to try to contact as many Muslims and people of other faith's who are experiencing rage and hate from people of this nation. My hope is that each person that reads my letter will experience the unconditional love of my Lord, and that you will receive blessing from my words. I extend a hand of friendship to you while others extend only hate. I express my grief for you as you are improperly treated and wrongfully accused. I extend my hope of safety, happiness and renewal for you and this nation. When I walk down the road and see you, you will not see hatred in my eyes. You will see love, hope and acceptance for I have been treated in these ways by you, as a community, in the past. You have never raised a hand against me nor will I against you. These men who lashed out against you and I were evil. Your religion and your beliefs do not place you with them; rather it distinguishes you from them. I stand with you and extend my hand of friendship to you. I hope these words at some level bring some relief to the pain you have and are suffering. I pray for your families, I pray for your friends, I pray for your safety and security. With deepest regards and respect, Nancy My family and I would like to let the Islamic people know that, the people who have retaliated against Islamic people do not speak for us. They are no different than the terrorists. None of the people I have talked to approve of this as well. It is unfortunate that small numbers of people that do evil things are so easily heard. Ĝ Mark Lee Hello, I just want to let me know that, as a christian, I will pray for my muslim brothers and sisters with all of my heart. I know islam is a religion of peace, I know that Christ is considered a prophet in islam too; I believe Allah, the merciful, the compassionate, is the same God I pray to. Let us hope and pray together. With love, Eric Geevers The Netherlands, Ĝ Europe. Ĝ Assalaam Alaikum - Peace be Upon You! I am writing to let you know how VERY impressed I am with your website. I am not a Muslim (tho' I am a woman) but I have found it neccesary to seek out information of late... My job is as a Host on AOL in the Spirituality Forum. We don't have very many Muslim Hosts so the rest of us were asked to patrol the Islamic rooms after Tuesday. Our instructions were to protect the online experience of our Muslim members. That means we do not allow harrassment, slurs or religion bashing and we are fully empowered by AOL to take care of the offenders. We are of all faiths; Christian (Protestant and Catholic), Jewish, Neo-Pagan, Baha'i, Buddhist, New Age... All of us came together to do what we can for our fellows. Part of my job also consists of trying to answer questions. Now, since I'm not a follower of Islam, I didn't have all of them. I AM a comparative theologian and do kow some about your faith but certainly not enough to handle some of the things thrown at me. I'm sure you can imagine.... Anyway, I happened to have The Complete Idiot's Guide to Religions Online and while perusing the section on Islam read about your site. Having sites to direct people to is quite handy and I like to check them out myself first... so I did. WOW! I can't tell you how the beauty of your opening page made me feel - there are no words. All I can say is that you are obviously an intelligent and talented lady. I also want to say that my heart goes out to all Muslim Americans. I (and most Americans, really) know that those evil people are not truly following this blessed faith. We can no more compare them to all Muslims than we can compare all Christians to Tim McVeigh. My heart aches for the acts of hate directed at your sisters and brothers. What I do may not be as important as digging through the rubble in NYC but I hope it can make a small difference. I am, in Service to the Divine, Mary Steelman |
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