From Manhattan to...Madera?

(^a Banksy production)

'Mosque hate crime: An article in Sunday's Section A about a hate crime at a Madera, Calif., mosque omitted the attribution for a quote. It was Marciela Garcia, the receptionist for Dr. Muhammad Anwar, who said: "I've seen these Muslim doctors help people who have no money, no health insurance; start free clinics; run food drives. Dr. Anwar is my boss, my friend and a caring person. I feel like I would lay down my life for him. But what do you say and who do you say it to?" '
[read the whole article here]

This occurred right by my hometown and I've known all the aforementioned doctors for 10+ years. They are all big players in the community service sector. Madera is exactly as the article stated a "Central California farm town with laid-back ways" and also about as far as you can get from Manhattan in every respect, but the Park51 tensions apparently had no trouble at all covering the distance. The current mindset of most Americans towards Muslims is troubling...but we cannot play the victims. Imagine if the Prophet (pbuh) had played the victim when the Quraysh tribes were in hostile opposition to him...we probably wouldn't even have the religion of Islam. What if he had decided that there was NO way that anyone would ever come to the religion and that it was better to just not mingle with anyone that objected his teachings? Instead, in as little as twenty-three years, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam and is now the second-largest religion in the world...people were inspired by the Prophet's honest, merciful, compassionate, and brave character. These days we as Muslims act too radically towards people who do stuff we do not approve of (burning of Qur'an, protesting at mosques, drawing pictures of the prophet) - instead of retaliating in the same fashion as the agitators, we should set an example as Muslims to be calm and composed. By acting angrily and aggressively we're doing the opposite of what the Qur'an and Prophet's example teach. What kind of message are we sending about Islam to the average American?

Abdullah bin `Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The best of companions with Allah is the one who is best to his companions, and the best of neighbors to Allah is the one who is the best of them to his neighbor" [At-Tirmidhi].

How many of us have invited our non-Muslim friends over for an iftar and explained to them what Ramadan is all about? Or aside from Ramadan, just made an effort to get to know our neighbors? Or volunteering your time at a local shelter? Or really just partaking in anything the greater community is involved in - beyond just the Muslim community? By staying in our own little "safety-bubbles" we aren't doing any justice to our religion. Right now, more than ever, the notion of "Islam" in America needs a makeover, makeoverrr. As Tariq Ramadan stated "It is urgent to stop blaming the 'society-that-does-not-like-us' or 'islamophobia' or 'racism'...That such phenomena exist cannot be denied, but Muslims must tackle them by getting involved as citizens and by fighting against injustice, racism, discrimination, populist stigmatization discourse, and hypocrisies."

Another flaw of the "safety-bubble" is that most of us have taken on the persona of the"silent type." Yes, mysterious can be attractive, but not in this situation; where the livelihoods of so many Muslims are on the line. When people are talking about Muslims in a negative fashion, being an example yourself as a good Muslim isn't enough...we should voice our knowledge on matters regarding misinterpretation of Qur'anic teachings due to the media.

"It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards East or West; but it is righteousness―to believe in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Book and the Messengers; to spend of your substance out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans for the needy, for the wayfarer for those who ask and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient in pain (or suffering) and adversity and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth the Allah-fearing." - (Quran 2:177)

^That's what makes a Muslim...If through your actions and words you show what being a Muslim is all about; that the freedoms this Country was founded on reflect true Muslim values, who wouldn't stand up for Islam?