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U.S. Newswire – March 17, 2006
Christian ministers unite to decry denigration of prophet
[Following is a op-ed by Archbishop George Augustus Stallings, national co-president, American Clergy Leadership Conference, archbishop and founder, Imani Temple African-American Catholic Congregation, Washington, DC.]
The recent cartoon denigration of the messenger of Allah, Muhammad (peace be upon him) by a Danish newspaper has unleashed a furor in the Islamic world of dramatic proportions. Why could journalism not have been more circumspect in taking on such a behemoth?
Man's inhumanity toward man is most often expressed in acts committed out of philosophical and religious ignorance. What is sacred to one believer may have no special significance to an adherent of another faith. When one crosses the line and disrespectfully treads upon the sanctum sanctorum of another man's belief, rationality is jettisoned and ruminating about what could have been avoided is an exercise in futility.
The American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC), which is rapidly becoming the nation's largest interreligious and interracial coalition of Christian ministers, has taken the high road in an effort to bring about greater civility, sensitivity and awareness among Muslims, Jews and Christians. The organization has brought thousands of interreligious clergy to visit Israel and Gaza in more than a dozen delegations over the past 3 years to interface with the children of Abraham in constructive dialogue, leading participants to a greater understanding and appreciation of each other's faith. It should now be obvious that lasting peace requires more than weapons, walls and diplomacy. It is tragic when religion engenders such conflict, for the true practice of the teachings of our great faith traditions would lead each of us to be peacemakers. . .
We issue a call from Jerusalem to all religious leaders of good will- Muslims, Christians and Jews- to come forward to demonstrate faith that brings respect and dignity for all. The conclusion of yet another interreligious pilgrimage reminds us once again of the urgent need for dialogue and understanding on all sides. ACLC calls upon faith leaders to sow such seeds of love and respect that will bring healing to the land.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=62542
The Clarion-Ledger – March 11, 2006
Muslims decry violent reaction
to inflammatory cartoons
By Okolo Rashid
In the wake of the cartoon controversy, I thought I would share with you the stand that many Muslims around the world have taken. I do this because mainstream media very seldom captures this side of the story.
The controversy, as most are aware, surrounds Denmark's Jyllands-Posten newspaper publishing a series of cartoons depicting Islam's most revered personality, Prophet Muhammed, in a way that is inaccurate, derogatory and deliberately inflammatory.
What I want to talk about is not how wrong that was and what it means and why. Instead I would like to share excerpts from a Jumuah Khutbah (Friday Sermon) by Imam Luqman of the United Kingdom that was adopted "unofficially" by Muslims worldwide and circulated via the Internet and the Muslim media. It is a message to the global Muslim community.
Imam Luqman's sermon focused on how Prophet Muhammed responded to ridicule, as he reminds Muslims of Prophet Muhammed's prayer at Ta'if. (Ta'if is a village about 50 miles southeast of Makkah where Muhammed went to preach and was beaten severely).
Muhammed recited this prayer after he was forced to flee from the insults and physical abuse of the people of Ta'if, wherein his slippers were filled with blood and wounds covered his entire body.
This was also three years after the fledgling Muslim community had suffered a boycott at the hands of Quraysh pagans and was reduced to eating grass and leaves from trees.
The Prophet, under these extreme conditions, in a garden at Ta'if, prayed:
"O Allah! I complain to you of my weakness, my scarcity of resources and my humiliation before the people. O most merciful of those who are merciful. O Lord of the weak and my Lord too, to whom have you entrusted me? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affairs? So long as you are not angry with me, I do not care. Your favor is of more abundance to me. I seek refuge in the light of your face, by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest your anger or your displeasure descend upon me. I desire your pleasure and satisfaction, until you are pleased. There is no power and no might, except by you. Amen."
Imam Luqman admonishes Muslims for exploding in rage and violence and confirming the thesis of the offending cartoons and thus, falling into the reactionary trap set for them.
Muslims are called upon to reflect upon Prophet Muhammed's supplication in Ta'if.
In the Feb. 24, 2006, issue of the Muslim Journal, Luqman wrote: "If those who claim to love the Prophet so much that they are willing to infringe upon prophetic conduct with their blind rage and fury would reflect upon this prayer, it would be a guiding light for them and clear instruction as to how a Muslim should respond to our current situation. It also is the only salve by which troubled hearts and souls will find peace ..."
(Okolo Rashid is the director of the International Museum of Muslim Cultures in Jackson)
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060311/FEAT04/603110308
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