RE: German Far-Right AfD Politician Converts To Islam
Thank you, @joseph. As a moderate Muslim, based in the USA, I feel between a rock and a hard place.
On one hand, I desperately want to remind Islamophobes in the States, and throughout Europe, that terrorism has no religion and the majority of victims, at the hands of these unholy terrorists, are Muslim moderates.
On the other hand, I wish to take a tougher stance with my own community and urge them/us to clean up house. Something is rotten in our community when hate and violence and murder are allowed to spread so far and wide...
As a poet and philosopher, all I have is my voice, my words, and my hope that I might somehow serve as a bridge, helping to eradicate mutual mistrust and foster peace and healing...
Below, are spiritual aphorisms of mine, inspired by the beauty I find in Sufism - the mystical branch of Islam:
https://idriesshahfoundation.org/interview-with-yahia-lababidi/
Bless you,
Yahia
May I suggest another approach, or maybe a better way to "clean house"? I think it starts with education. Potential radicals need to be educated on:
Reasons to believe why Mohammad was not advocating violence.
Quranic, peaceful alternatives to resistance to oppression.
What other Muslim prophets like Jesus had to say about dealing with adversity, including constant reminders that the Quran forbids making one prophet greater than the rest, and sans the hypocritical rejection of the 4 Gospels.
Reasons to believe why Mohammad was not trying to establish a world-wide caliphate.
Reasons to believe Islam, as taught in the Quran, is more inclusive than takfiri (Muslims who excommunicate others) have made it to be, which includes education about Sayyid Qutb and other promoters of takfirism (doctrine of excommunication).
Teachings like this will go a long way to bringing potential radicals into a better understanding of Islam. I'm curious, is this being taught in your mosque @yahialababidi?
Thank you, for this fine list. Yes, potential radicals need to be better educated about what Islam preaches, starting at mosques. Peace, Yahia