Interesting comparison between the protesters in Seattle, Portland and Oakland and members of The Muslim Community
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PLEASE WEIGH IN ON THIS WITH YOUR OPINIONS. THANK YOU, BIG AL
| Nov. 9, 2016
Assalamu Alaikum
Dear Family & Friends of ICSC,
“But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And God knows, while you know not.” (2:216)
The results of yesterday’s Presidential elections have, without doubt, caused a degree of collective worry of what a Trump administration would mean not only for the American Muslim community, but our country as a whole.
Rather than indulge in worry, let us use this as an opportunity to come together, remember our blessings, and work for our nation and our community.
“Verily with every hardship there is ease.” (94:5)
One of our Center’s great leaders, Dr. Maher Hathout, used to remind us that ease does not necessarily follow the hardship – that blessings exist simultaneously with the difficulty and it is up to us to look for those silver linings.
We are blessed to be Americans and live in a great nation guided by an inspired document like the U.S. Constitution.
We are blessed to have our interfaith and civic partners alongside us extending peace, support, and love. We are blessed to live in a country where, while imperfect, there is a fundamental goodness, sense of fairness, and adherence to the law.
Indeed, the economic and social status of Muslims in the U.S. is far above most Muslims in the world. We enjoy freedoms that many Muslims do not.
For these blessings, we are eternally grateful to the Almighty.
There is no question that our community’s advocacy organizations such as MPAC will be keeping close tabs on our behalf. They need support now more than ever.
And should tough times come our way, let us have the right frame of mind.
Should we have to struggle, it is in some ways an honor – an honor for us to follow in the footsteps of the men and women who came before us, from various communities, that have endured trials to make our country stronger.
Should adversity befall us, let us look for the blessing – a blessing that God might be testing us as a mark of His love for us and to make us stronger. “If Allah intends good for someone, He afflicts them with trials.” (Hadith Bukhari 5321)
Should we have to deal with increased misinformation and rhetoric about our faith and community, let us redouble our efforts, and view it is an opportunity to educate and take action about what Islam truly stands for.
We are blessed to be part of an Islamic Center actively working toward understanding. Our spiritual home is also a community center. This gives us a platform to connect with our greater Los Angeles community in ways that shine a light on our Islamic values of service, compassion, and justice.
Programs such as our weekly food pantry, our monthly dinner service at the Union Rescue Mission, citywide interfaith events, and much more, are all opportunities for us to be a part of actively educating our neighbors.
“Not equal are the good deed and the bad deed. Repel evil by that which is better, and then the one who is hostile to you will become as a devoted friend. But none is granted it except those who are patient and none is granted it except one having a great fortune.” (41:34-35)
Our faith in God, coupled with our attitude, mindset and our rights as Americans, should provide us with a reservoir of hope and energy to go forward with certitude in our faith, and confidence in our nation.
We close with a hadith / du’a reported from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) found in the books of At-Tirmidhi:
“Oh God, guide us among those whom You have guided. Grant us safety among those whom You have granted safety. Take us into Your charge among those whom You have taken into Your charge. Bless us in what You have given us. Protect us from the evil You have decreed, for You decree, and nothing is decreed for You. And there is no humiliation for whom You take as a ward. Blessed and exalted are You, my Lord.”
May God bless our nation, may God bless our community and all communities, may God guide us all as we strive only in His cause.
In peace,
Omar Ricci ICSC Spokesperson
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Although a number of agitators also appear to be associated with Berkeley University, so these may be communist/extreme leftwingers.
Good points Professor. The ones that I am so disappointed in are the kids in Settle and Portland.
This behavior is extreme socialist CR*P
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Multiple-high-schools-in-San-Francisco-march-to-10606389.php
I hope the schools realize that leading students off premises without parental permission opens up the school to immense liability, and possible lawsuits.
I sure hope this is not Obama inspired:
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/massive-cyberattack-hit-five-top-russian-banks-kaspersky-150738178.html
What he could do in the next 70 days really scares me.
I use Kaspersky but didn’t know it is a “giant”.
I can understand the concern of some Muslims, but the problem stems from the repeated violent acts from proponents of Islam. I feel bad for individual, peacefull Muslims, but there is a security issue. In the aftermath of the Orlando slaughter, the latest in a sequence of violent Islam-associated incidents, Donald Trump said we want to put the brakes on Muslim immigration until we find out “what the hell is going on.” Well, here is what is going on: the Koran, if taken for what it says and acted on, results in what we have been seeing over and over and over, places like Orlando, Brussels, San Bernardino, the navy recruiting office, Fort Hood, Boston, Paris, etc. (you can google the list I imagine). We have to ask ourselves how many more innocent people need to be killed by this craziness before we recognize the root of the problem, and here is the root: the violent verses in the Koran are “open-ended, unconstrained by historical context.” in the Koran you have to interpret what the words actually say in a way that makes them mean other than what they actually say to avoid the violent meaning. When Christians do evil they are acting in opposition to the Bible. In Christianity there are no verses of violence in the New Testament of the Bible, and verses of violence in the Old Testament are constrained by the historical context. When Muslims do evil, they find support in the Koran. As I said, I feel bad for individual, peaceful Muslims who are trapped in that enforced religion, but there is a real security issue that needs to be addressed.
I notice in the USA, people in various cities are protesting against President elect Trump. I find this a bit odd as he has not done anything yet. Protests should be targeted against policies, not individuals. The US constitution guarantees the right of free speech. Americans may not like what their fellow Americans have to say, but tolerance is the key to creating a society worth living in. The nasty alternative is a society like Syria or Iraq.
A tip to all Americans. You cannot build a better society for your children by yelling at one another. It sets a bad example for your children.
It appears that the general theme of the protesters is that they personally feel threatened by public comments Trump has made against women, blacks, Mexicans, immigrants of any form, gays, overweight people, and people he considers less than desirable because of handicap or appearance. Racist, bigoted, prenudice,crude, misogynist, childish, bully, vengeful persons are normally considered unfit to be president because of the fear they may act on their false beliefs or character/personality disorders.
I find it illuminating that those who are so outraged at the election results, that they protest as though somehow they were cheated when the vote seems to have been fair and legitimate. Their champion, Clinton, is responsible for her own apparent corrupt and illegal acts, not those who voted accordingly because those acts came to light. Also, some business owners, such as Grubhub in NYC are letting employees know that if they voted for Trump they are not welcome in that business organization, because, according to the memo, Trump is not inclusive. So, how is letting employees know that they are not welcome because of their legitimate and legal vote, Inclusive? How is the drive for inclusiveness aided by excluding those you don’t agree with? How is that inclusive? Or by striving for inclusiveness, are they really saying that they want to include only those who think like them and everyone else is not welcome? Hypocrisy seems to know no bounds in this day and age. Sadly, I believe our society and culture, as well as those around the world, will continue to collapse, due to extreme divergent views and with few willing to listen and to understand the views of others. The prophesies are unfolding before our eyes and though difficulties will continue to grow, I am confident that God is in control and things will work out according to His plans for his children. It will be an interesting ride from here, however. Just my opinion.
http://www.infowars.com/shock-video-black-mob-viciously-beats-white-trump-voter/
The silence from the racist in the Whitehouse is deafening.
The college kids are pissed because they thought Hillary was going to pay for their college.
The young women are pissed because they believe somehow having a women President makes more sense than a man.
The Muslims are pissed because us dumb Americans are still bringing pork and beans to the food shelf.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxfkq6rKiRM
I don’t mean to say too much and take up too much space on this blog, but I see something happening in the country that is disturbing. My father was of the WWII generation, a generation that grew up in the depression and became labeled the “Greatest Generation” largely due to how they overcame the difficult challenges of their day, such as the depression and world war. That generation produced young people of great ability, people who matured quickly to face the responsibilities required of them. When I, as part of the 60’s generation grew up, many of my father’s generation were appalled at how the young people of my day comported themselves, which was the antithesis of how they faced the challenges of their day. Now that I am 70 and see the antics of many of the younger generation, I can relate to my father’s concerns. When I see so many of this younger generation fear a Trump presidency because they believe they will lose their free health insurance or that they will lose some other entitlements, which the WWII generation never had any of, and when they protest and begin to destroy property and injure others because they did not like the result of the election, I wonder what kind of a younger generation did their parents raise? My father’s generation had to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, so to speak, and grow up and conquer the challenges before them. many in this generation seem to want everything they want given to them with little effort on their part. There seems to be a great lack of a willingness to grow up and roll up their shirtsleeves and start to become self reliant and make their way in the world on their own two feet and with a solid work ethic. Too many, I fear, still rely too much on their parents and are fearful to face the challenges of this day. Perhaps because they have been enabled by parents who never allowed them to fail at anything or who over indulged them in some ways. It is not my place to judge and to paint with a broad brush, but I see a significant percentage of such behavior among the young people in this day. To those young people who think Trump is too great a disaster to overcome and wish to lash out by hurting others and destroying other people’s property, I would ask if Trump is more difficult to endure than a great depression or a world at war. I think a Trump presidency, however one might see it, is a pretty small problem to face when compared to what my father and his generation faced. Perhaps it is time for those so disposed to grow up and to face the challenges of this day with confidence, faith and a willingness to work hard for what you desire, but do so with civility, character and without harming others. It is time for the young people of this generation to rise above the petty incivility, anger, and destructive behaviors, which neither help your position and point of view, but diminish it in the eyes of others who are law abiding citizens.
The Oakland riots appear to be sponsored/initiated by Black Lives Matter more than Islamic in nature, so they may be different.