Posted on 12/05/2015 6:00:52 AM PST by SSS Two
Friday prayers were about to begin at the Mercy Community Center in southwest Houston. Men and women, dressed in everything from suits to sweat pants, filed into the mosque after placing their shoes in bins lined up against the wall. They took their seats on the floor and waited for the sermon, or khutba, to begin.
Imam Wazir Ali knew his message to the faithful this Friday would need to offer guidance to a community struggling to come to terms with another atrocity committed by Muslims ostensibly in the name of their religion.
"If you stand up for justice, although it may not seem immediately that you're going to get it, know that God is on your side, that God will send you what's necessary to get the justice you're looking for," he said.
But earlier in the day, at a press conference, it was a wider audience Ali and other Muslim leaders sought to address - an increasingly anti-Islam audience stirred up by Wednesday's massacre in San Bernardino and the recent attacks in Paris.
'Affront to humanity'
While Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the alleged perpetrators of one of the worst mass killings in the U.S. in recent memory, "sported Muslim names," said MJ Khan, the president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, "they didn't reflect true Muslim values."
It was a sentiment expressed across the nation Friday as Muslims gathered for prayers with the massacre in San Bernardino on their minds, and their hearts heavy because, yet again, they felt compelled to remind the world theirs is a peaceful faith and does not condone the slaughter of innocents.
"The Quran says if someone takes a life, it's as if he's killed all of mankind," Ali said at Friday's press conference. He stressed the importance of recognizing the common bond of humanity, beyond the distinctions of religion.
"I'm a human being that happens to be an Islamic leader. This is a direct affront to my humanity."
Within hours of the San Bernardino killings it emerged that the suspects were Muslims. Community leaders in California, perhaps prompted by the increasingly anti-Islam sentiment in America, immediately held a press conference to condemn their actions.
According to a recent poll, 56 percent of Americans believe that the values of Islam are at odds with U.S. values. Hate incidents against Muslims rose 14 percent in 2014, according to recently released FBI statistics, which charted a decline in similar cases against other groups, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Differing standards
Investigators have not ascribed a motive in the attack but said Friday that Malik, using a pseudonym, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State on a Facebook post shortly before. Even so, politicians and others have not shied away from linking the attack to Islamic extremism.
Both Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, who are seeking the Republican nomination for president, linked the incident to radical Islamic terrorism, the former in a tweet and the latter in a speech after the attack, the Times reported.
In Houston, Mustafaa Caroll, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Texas, pointed out that the plague of mass shootings in America in recent years has been committed by people of all backgrounds. But, he said, when a Muslim is the perpetrator, it reflects on the Muslim community in a negative way.
"No one says, 'let's round up all the young white men, ask them to carry ID,' " he said. "People aren't going to those persons' churches to find out what the preacher is saying to them. When a Muslim does it, or a minority does it, the community bears the brunt."
Finding ways to engage
At the Mercy Community Center mosque, Sacha Simmons, 38, didn't need to hear from her imam that her faith was a peaceful faith. She went to the mosque because she needed comfort, solace, prayer.
An oncology massage therapist, she had a full morning seeing cancer patients at her southwest Houston office, and she was saddened by what happened in San Bernardino and how it reflected negatively on her faith.
"I needed to break the bombardment of conversation circling our religion," she said. "I was trying to find some sense of solace, so I could continue doing the wonderful things I do and show people the beauty of our faith. I'm unapologetically Muslim. Proud to be American and proud to be Muslim."
Idriss Bada, 32, stood outside the Mercy Community Center following Friday prayer, chatting with two friends.
He didn't appreciate his faith being linked to Wednesday's massacre, he said.
But the misconceptions that surround Islam have led him to know it better so he better defend his religion to others.
"I make sure I have quotes from my book, and I do research, because not all will have the same knowledge," he said.
Carroll agrees open dialogue can make a difference, and to that end he meets with other interfaith leaders focused on achieving results.
"Now we're talking about what we can substantively do as faith-based organizations, to deal with real issues," he said. "We're not just saying love, peace and happiness. It's about influencing politics, finding underlying reasons for people doing things they're doing."
For her part, Simmons finds ways to engage with people. Even conversations that start out heated can quickly cool down, once people start to find commonalities.
"I hope people will take the opportunity to have a conversation and engage, find out for themselves," she said. "Rather than allow themselves to be fearful and caged."
I'll crassly go you one better.
Islam is to ISIS as flies are to $hit.
While Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the alleged perpetrators of one of the worst mass killings in the U.S. in recent memory, “sported Muslim names,” said MJ Khan, the president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, “they didn’t reflect true Muslim values.”
...
This is what they always say, and then they claim to be the true victims.
Yet I don’t see them denouncing the violence, offering condolences to the victims or praying for them, their families or loved ones.
Yep, and Obama and his Muslim Terrorist administration is paving the way for Sharia Law and more terrorist acts by threatening normal Americans with anything that Lynch can determine as a hate crime against Islam. She’ll want to persecute all conservatives by her definition.
Paris raided a number of mosques. They found guns, ammo & other weapons stored there.
Americans call such places ARMORYS Muslims call such places their RELIGIOUS CENTER.
America needs to take off the blinders. Obama is importing more enemies each & every day.
An American is urged : “IF you see something, say something”. Many people saw the intense activity going in & out of that residence. However, they were afraid to call this in to authorities because they didn’t want to PROFILE anyone. They didn’t wish to be labeled RACIST !!!!
Let me explain PROFILING:
Americans are NOT supposed to use clothing, beards, language, religion, behavior or anything else to make a decision about who might be an enemy because that would be PROFILING.
Muslims profile in this manner: ARE YOU A MUSLIM? CAN YOU RECITE THE KORAN??? NO? THEN YOU ARE IN INFIDEL !!!!!! IF YOU ARE AN INFIDEL, I MUST KILL YOU. INFIDELS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO LIVE. YOU ARE MUSLIM, OR YOU ARE DEAD.
That is the way profiling works in America today.
It is the path to complete destruction if we don’t wake up.
Some of your friends & neighbors are awake. LISTEN to them. INCREASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE & INCREASE YOUR AWARENESS !!!
Values spelled out in their foundational documents. There is no way Islam can ever 'moderate' without first denying the Koran and the hadith.
Now denying foundational documents is no difficulty for mainline Christianity. Just look the PC(USA).
Their idea of solace is to celebrate and pass out sweets.
I have never been in a Christian church where the pastor
told the congregation to go out and kill Muslims (or
anyone else). I’ve been in Christian churches of all
denominations since I was 4 or 5 years old.
Until they preach and practice “if you see something, tell the authorities” (”say something” would become a high-five contest), they are complicit.
Normal Americans aren’t saddened by the Farookers. They’re pissed off.
And as they grind their foreheads into the floor, and raise their butts to the sky, each is probably saying in his heart...”I wish I had the nerve to do what they did for allah!”
Bastards are putting up a good smoke screen as I see it. I am certain there are some good Muslims but damn few so far.”””
WHY aren’t the ‘good’ Muslims rising up & destroying the Muslims who are defiling the entire religion??? How many wolves in sheep’s clothing exist inside that ‘religion’???
IS there REALLY such a thing as a good MUSLIM? I am finding it harder & harder to think there are ANY good Muslims.
Reform your crappy “religion”.
“The Quran says if someone takes a life, it’s as if he’s killed all of mankind.”
He’s hoping the sheeple read this in a simplistic sense. However, the muzz read it as “life” meaning a muzz life, and “mankind” meaning the ummah (i.e., muzz world). The muzz holy texts are full of passages commanding the muzz faithful to kill non-muzz.
According to an anonymous muslim woman interviewed on westernjournalisn.com, not only are these jihadists muslims, they are PERFECT muslims.
The Bonnie and Clyde of Arabia did what their Muslim brother in arms Louis Farrakhan said to do. Maybe the San Bernadino victim’s families can sue the NOI, but Loretta Lynch’s DOJ already called that free speech.
I'll be 65 on my next birthday. I'm a Vietnam vet. I'm a cancer survivor. I've had many surgeries over the years for a variety of injuries and parts of my body look like a road map. After all of that, I still work out, try to keep in shape, and fear NO ONE, because they can't hurt me more than I've been hurt already, and I will gladly give my life to protect myself and mine and all I hold dear. And, giving my life does not mean they won, it in fact means they LOST, because though they may kill me, they will never DEFEAT me!
Geez..you have been to hell and back. Great post.
And the part about not defeating you, that’s awesome.
And the truth.
Many billions have died before us. If they can do it, so can we lol!
Living is the hard part. Especially with this president/traitor to the republic
Yes! Your comment is dead accurate! I watched an interview with the 3 indifferent “imams” of the killer’s mosque (may death be upon them) who whined about their victimization. No expression of sympathy for the victims.
Thank you for your service to our country.
But what about the victims? I haven't seen one word about the horrors their families have experienced. Or the damage done to the community because these filthy madmen could not keep their hatred in check. There are bodies being buried, and all the presstitutes can do is bemoan the possible implications to the stinking muslimes?????
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