Tragedy of Sept. 11
The tragic event of Sept. 11 has been a turning point for many people, including the Muslims in the U.S. Many of us in the Muslim community believe we have been victimized twice, once by the people who committed such a heinous crime, and again by the people considering the Muslim faith responsible for such terrible acts.It is imperative to understand the fact that Islam will never condone killing the innocent and considers such a crime as an act against humanity. There are many verses in the Quran that give clear indication about the importance of respecting human life and are considered sacred. According to the Islamic rule, taking a human life is invoking God’s right. As a matter of fact, in Islam, even killing a human by accident requires of the person who commits the act to ask for God’s forgiveness, apologize and give compensation to the victim’s family, and fast from sunrise to sunset for two consecutive months.
Basic human rights such as freedom, security, speech, and the freedom of religion, which are considered the basic values for all of us Americans, are strongly embraced by Islamic teaching and considered Islamic principles.
It is sad to see Islam being stereotyped by the media and by certain groups of politicians with the terrorism and fascism. However, we as Muslims need to blame ourselves for allowing a terrorist group to hijack our religion for a political agenda serving no good cause for the Muslim people.
In many countries around the world, Muslims have been paying dearly for the misunderstanding of the religion by many groups within the Islamic religion and outside the faith. It is time to realize we need to understand each other and give the chance to the civilized people to interact and exchange views. Hate, stereotypes, racism and other negative views should be condemned. The Bible says “You reap what you sow.” Lets’s practice what we believe and may God bless all those who love peace.
Safaa Al-Hamdani
Professor of
Biology
Jacksonville State University
