Q: Salaam Imam,

I have a very important question about muslims suffering across the world. In countries like palestine they are being oppressed and slaughtered, in afghanistan they are being massacred, in iraq and now yemen their is a huge war which was not caused by muslims and nonbelievers are making muslims fight and making our lives very diffuclt. Also, in somalia somalians are killing each other. As a muslim i feel like my brothers and sisters, arabs, afghanis, iranians, africans, asians, and all are being oppressed and are going through tremendous trials while no muslim or muslim countries are doing any thing about it. We muslims are so scared of non believers that we dont even want to think of what is happening to us or even speak about it. For example i was in class and the students were saying muslims were very violent and only want to kill “infedels” but i told them that that was not true at all and we are very peaceful people, we do not harm or kill any one unless they are oppressing or killing us. I feel like we muslims need to set aside our differences and unite, like prophet muhammed (pbuh) said we muslims are like one body if one part of the body hurts all of the body hurts.

Thanks and peace to you imam. (Globalized muslim suffering)

Time: Thursday December 3, 2009 at 10:42 am

Answers:

• Humans should condemn all violence that is placed upon all innocent people.
• Humans should sanction justice and present ideas of peace to all people at all times.
• Ideas of peace must be shared to lay people as well as persons in authority in a peaceful manner.
• Muslims should insist that people be awarded peace, love and mercy, shelter, food, fair housing, medicine, etc. regardless of race, gender, religion, etc.
• You have done the right thing by correcting your classmate’s misconceptions in a peaceful/dialogue like manner. Islam insists that we invite people to the message of truth in a manner possessing wisdom. In this regard, you seem to have done well.

We need not set aside healthy differences. We must become accommodating of differences and function as a positive group whilst never viewing our way as worthy of being imposed upon others. Such narrowness spawns a damaging effect upon humanity.

May Allah place in our hearts a greater level of love and compassion, Ameen.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.