Archive for the ‘religion’ Tag
Terrorism Has No Religion
By Hajra Zaid, 9th grader at Century High School in Rochester, MN
I remember in 8th grade, my school hosted an inspirational speaker, Calvin Terrell. His presentation had a lot to do with racism, discrimination and the grotesque realities of today regarding these things. There was one point in the presentation when he would flash words onto a screen and we students would have to say the first race that we associated with that word. The list went on, and the reactions of the students were highly stereotypical. Then came the last word, “terrorist.” I remember bracing myself for the worst; students around me stared yelling not only races, but religions, people and countries. After hearing them repeatedly saying Islam, Muslims, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and so on, I became mortified. People need to know what Islam really is, not what the media and stereotypes spell it out to be. Islam is drowning in the misconceptions placed upon it, and it is being distrusted and hated for what it is not. There is no teaching in Islam that condones hate and violence against non-Muslims; in fact, all of the teachings prohibit aggression and injustice towards not only other human beings, but also every creation of God. Read more »
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Conversation with Qays Arthur on Guidance and Faith
Filed under: Guest | Tags: God, Islam, Qays Arthur, religion
Leave a Comment By Fedwa Wazwaz, Engage Minnesota
The conversation with Shaykh Qays Arthur will continue with an exploration of the meaning of faith and guidance in Islam. This will be covered in a few blogs as there are many angles to this issue that I would like to explore. This blog will deal with the angle of the importance of acknowledging our ignorance and that what we do not know is tremendously greater than what we do know about ourselves, others and the universe we live in.
Read the rest of Fedwa’s article here.
Interfaith Panelists Recognize and Accept Differences
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: atheists, Baha'i, Baptists, dialogue, Events, future, Heba Abdel-Karim, humanity, interfaith, Interfaith Youth Core, jewish, Jews, Muslims, prejudice, progressive Islam, Rabbi Hillel, religion
Leave a Comment Five University Groups Discuss How They Can Work Together to Improve Humanity’s Future
By Heba Abdel-Karim and Lolla Mohammed Nur, Engage Minnesota
“Imagine a world where people from different religious backgrounds come together to create understanding and respect by serving their communities.” – Interfaith Youth Core (www.ifyc.org)
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On April 9, the Hillel Jewish Center, in union with the University of Minnesota’s Muslim Student Association, hosted and organized an interfaith discussion that brought together people of different faiths. The topic of the event was “humanity’s future,” and representatives of a number of different faiths spoke about how they see humanity progressing, and how our differences, as well as similarities, can better the community.
A little over a hundred people entered the room, determined to try something different: to go beyond their normal routine, talk to others of various faiths, and get to know them. Unsurprisingly, that’s what made the event—believed to be the first of its kind at the U—such a success. Attendees left politics aside and peacefully interacted with one another. In the end, they saw how similar, yet diverse and unique, we all were.
“I think that what group representatives, members, and the audience all liked the most was the atmosphere: nobody was on the defensive, nobody was being hostile, no group was being labeled with negative stereotypes,” comments EngageMN writer Lolla Mohammed Nur, pictured above to the left of Heba Abdel-Karim.
“The positive atmosphere was almost contagious!” says Mohammed Nur. “Some asked very insightful and sincere questions, and it was obvious that all audience members were there to genuinely learn about different faiths and beliefs. Everybody was there to help promote the message of religious tolerance and awareness.” Read more »
Reflections from my Spiritual Journey to Makka
Filed under: Islam | Tags: Angel Gabriel, Baka'a, Hajirah, hajj, Ibrahim, Islam, Ismael, Jedda, Kaaba, lean camels, Makka, Mecca, Owais Bayunus, Pakistan, pillars, religion, Saudi Arabia, Zamzam
Comments (3) By Owais Bayunus, Engage Minnesota
Hajj is considered the fifth pillar of Islam, meaning every Muslim who can afford it and is in good health has to perform Hajj (at least) once in his lifetime.
My very first recollection of people going to perform Hajj was in my childhood in Karachi, where all the pilgrims from Pakistan used to assemble at the harbor to board ships heading towards Saudi Arabia. There was a distinct difference between them and the rest of the people who were not going to Hajj. The men were all dressed in white, women well covered, and you could see children running around dressed similarly. They were more organized than other people and always remained with their group, lest they get lost and be a problem for themselves and others.
When one of my father’s friends went to perform Hajj, my father took me along to bid him farewell at the passenger ship. In those days, the rich pilgrims normally flew to Jeddah directly and the middle class and the poorer people would take a ship to Jeddah, a journey of almost seven days. Read more »
Energy Conservation: Religious Duty and Good Sense
Filed under: Islam | Tags: conservation, energy, holistic, Islam, Islam and the environment, Islamic teachings, Minnesota, planet, Rafi Sohail, religion, resource management, savings, sustainable
Comments (3) By Rafi Sohail, Engage Minnesota
Conservation of natural resources is a key to ensuring the longevity of our planet and its inhabitants. Islam has a rich tradition of drawing our attention to properly taking care of the environment.
The teachings of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) point toward conservation, sustainable development, and resource management. The Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) remarked, “The Earth is green and beautiful, and God has appointed you his stewards over it.”
This holistic environmental philosophy assumes a fundamental link and interdependency between all natural elements; if one of these is abused, then the natural world as a whole will suffer on account of this.
The following article is a humble attempt to help the readers conserve energy. This effort is inspired by Islam’s exhortations to safeguard the rights of the environment and to adopt moderation in the use of natural resources.
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The ‘True’ Act of a Muslim
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Allah, charity, Heba Abdel-Karim, Islam, kindness, Prophet, Qur'an, religion, Shariah, terrorism, true, violence
Comments (8) By Heba Abdel-Karim
Sitting at Borders on an early Saturday morning, I noticed an elderly couple coming to sit in an area near me. It was crowded, and the only two seats were quite far apart. One of them was right next to me. Being raised to respect the elderly, I happily gave up my seat for the man to sit by his wife. Not expecting a response, I started walking away to find another seat. He stopped me, however, and said something that amazed me, yet left me feeling cheerful until today. He said: “By the way, that was a true act of a Muslim.”
At that time, I was very happy with his comment, and I still am today. But now that I think back and reflect upon it, I am left pondering a question: How are we to know what is considered a true act of a Muslim and what isn’t?
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For engaging the U.S. public, Congressman Ellison is a role model for Muslims
Filed under: ghulam haniff | Tags: aljazeera, assalaamu, diversity, ellison, ghulam haniff, glenn beck, Guest bloggers, Islam, Islamophobia, middle east, muslim, pluralism, Qur'an, religion, virgil goode
Comments (2) By Dr. Ghulam M. Haniff
Last spring King Abdullah II of Jordan concluded his speech to the joint session of the U.S. Congress with the familiar salutation, “Assalamu-alaikum!” Immediately, in response a booming voice rang out from the center of the chamber with a loud “Walaikum-assalam.” Everyone present was stunned.
For a long moment there was a hushed silence. No doubt, some wondered whether this was an exchange of some secret message right in their midst. By then many heads had turned around and recognized the new face. It was none other than the first-term Congressman Keith Ellison, (D-Minn.), the newly elected representative from the fifth district of Minnesota.
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Hijab and the city
Filed under: Corey Habbas | Tags: Corey Habbas, diversity, exploitation, hijab, Islam, modesty, muslim, Qur'an, religion, women
Leave a Comment By Corey Habbas
“Look at any advertisement. Is a woman being used to sell the product? How old is she? How attractive is she? What is she wearing? More often than not, that woman will be…taller, slimmer and more attractive than average, dressed in skimpy clothing. Why do we allow ourselves to be manipulated like this?” So asks a Muslim teen, Sultana Yusufali, in an article she wrote for Toronto Star Young People’s Press.
Her indignation is not unlike that which Muslims living here in the Twin Cities and elsewhere feel when they see women treated like commodities.
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Religion vs. culture through the eyes of a newborn
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: culture, diversity, Heba Abdel-Karim, Islam, modesty, multicultural, muslim, newborn, religion
Comments (2) By Heba Abdel-Karim
Have you ever wondered why a newborn cries when he first sets eyes on our world?
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