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| An Open Letter to Muslims Imam Zaid Shakir New Haven, Connecticut In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful As-Salaam 'Alaikum wa Rahmatullah Beloved
Brothers and Sisters, We pray that this letter finds all of you
in the very best of health and states. These are indeed difficult days for
our community. By Allah's Decree, we were not in the country at the time
of the horrendous tragedy that afflicted our nation on September 11th. We
do share the shock, agony, and grief that has descended upon you. No
matter what political context we may try to fit that gristly act into,
right is right, and wrong is wrong. What happened on Tuesday, September
11th, was wrong. That being the case, we wish to extend our deepest
condolences to everyone affected, Muslim and non-Muslim. Many people have contacted us requesting
advice and insight to help them deal with this awful tragedy. We feel it
is best to refrain from any lengthy discourse concerning this issue until
returning to the country. However, the following points might be of
benefit to the believers. Allah knows best. Stand Tall As a community, we should stand tall and
manifest the same dignity that we exemplified before this trial afflicted
us. We haven't done anything wrong. Our community, by the grace of Allah,
is a well educated, hardworking, law abiding community. I am sure that if
statistics were known, there would be fewer if any identity groups with a
lower rate of criminal activity. The perpetrators of the ghastly crimes
which occurred this past Tuesday, if they are found to be Muslims, are not
from our ranks. We have nothing to do with them. If the media or other
forces won't emphasize that fact to the American public, we certainly must
emphasize it to ourselves. Perhaps there are diabolical forces that
wish to use these tragic events to break the spirit of our increasingly
dynamic community. We must not allow them to triumph. If we withdraw and
cease our lawful, well-intended efforts to make this world a better place
to live, they have won. Certainly there is an unprecedented level of
tension in the country. Similarly,
there is an unprecedented threat to our lives and property. However, as a
popular song goes, we were never promised a rose garden. Trials are an
inevitable part of life, and people are tested commensurate to their
faith. The important thing for us is to patiently persevere. If we work
together through this crisis, we will emerge as a great people. We as a community should take our lead from
the Majestic Qur'an. Allah, the Exalted, says: We should continue to extend to our
relatives, neighbors, our companions at work, and our classmates, the same
kindness and courtesies that we were extending to them a week ago. Despite
the tremendous difficulty involved, we should try to find the strength to
smile. In these little things there are divine secrets. Again, why should
we feel shame or guilt for a crime we have absolutely nothing to do with? Further, we must let our neighbors and all
concerned parties know that this tragedy affects us just as deeply as it
affects them. We've been told that on any given Friday upwards to 1,500
Muslims pray Jumu'ah at the World Trade Center. This indicates that a
significant number of Muslims lost their lives in this tragedy. On the
other hand, a significant percentage of the doctors who immediately
responded to the tragedy, along with other emergency staff and volunteers
were Muslim. Reach Out One of the reasons we have been placed in
such a defensive position, a position where we can easily and readily be
exploited by people of ill-will, is that we have not made adequate efforts
to reach out to potential allies. There are members of other religious
communities who share many of our concerns. Similarly, other ethnic
groups, especially the Japanese, are extremely sympathetic to our plight.
We should use this crisis to build bridges of understanding between
ourselves, and such communities. Many cities have already had very
successful interfaith prayer meetings and similar gatherings since the
onset of this crisis. From my past experiences if we initiate such
contacts others are extremely responsive to our lead. We should initiate
such gatherings in every locale where there are significant Muslim
populations. Similar initiatives, including teach-ins, can be undertaken
on college campuses in conjunction with sympathetic student groups, and
they are many. As we mentioned at the outset, we don't
want to be lengthy. Hence, we'll conclude now with a few specific
suggestions for actions, which you may consider in the very near future. Possible Actions Du'a Allahumma, ya Lateef, ultuf binaa feemaa
jarat bihi al-Maqadir (O Allah! The knower of all Subtleties, treat us
gently while manifesting your Decree [in our lives]). Similarly, we should remember Allah much, Dhikr. We should all take a wird of the following: Hasbunallahu wa Ni'amal Wakeel (Allah suffices us, and He is the most excellent one to entrust with our affair). As many times as is easy for us. This should be followed by reciting the two
verses, 173 and 174 of Ali Imran (Chapter 3) Alladhina Qaala lahum al-Naasu,
Innanaasa Qad Jama'u likum, fakhshawhum, fazaadahum Imaanan; (Those to
whom the people said, surely the forces are rallying against you,
therefore, fear them; it only increased their faith) In general, we should
also increase our recitation of the Qur'an. We should also remember that
we a entering into one of the sacred months of Allah - Rajab. A coordinated public advertisement
campaign. A Day of Flowers. Creation of a standardized letter to be
sent to the police chief and mayor of every city with a significant Muslim
population expressing our security concerns. We can also cordially request
a meeting with such officials to outline action plans and emergency
response measures. Such meetings have already been undertaken in many
cities. Officials have been found to be extremely responsive. Utilize local access television stations to
air panel discussions of the crisis and the related events. Such programs
are an excellent way to broadcast our message. If we don't currently air
such a program in our area, we can contact the hosts of existing programs
requesting to use their program for such a purpose. The panel can exist of
the local Imam, Muslim professionals and professors from neighboring
universities, and their non Muslim counterparts. The discussion can focus
on the many issues related to the tragedy. Community level town meetings. Organized call-ins to radio talk
shows. Develop a special handout just for this
crisis. Report hate crimes Organize city-wide Islamic group
discussions of the tragedy. These are a few suggestions, we are sure
that you can think of many more. The important thing is to do something.
Inactivity won't change our public image. In the State of Hawaii, an
Island-wide prayer service was held a few days ago. One of the speakers
was the president of the local Islamic Association. Only 11 of the
island's 1500 Muslims showed up. Such inactivity during a crisis of this
magnitude is unacceptable. These are just a few things we can do. As
far as a few security tips, we mention the following: 1. If you are traveling, make sure that you gas up your car during the day at a gas station where you are well known and are confident that the attendants are friendly towards you. Also, insure that you have enough gas in your tank to prevent you from having to stop in a potentially hostile rural or suburban area. If your car is in poor condition, don't trust it for a long trip where it might breakdown in an isolated area. 2. If you live in an urban area and
frequently walk to work or to shop, avoid walking alone, as much as
possible, or through loitering crowds. Also, avoid walking through
potentially hostile neighborhoods, even if it means taking a longer route. 3. Initiate a local emergency phone call-up
roster. In an attack on the local Mosque, or at the home of an area
Muslims, other believers can be notified immediately and peacefully
respond to the situation with some significant numbers. 4. Married couples should schedule random
visits to the homes of single mothers and sisters. Such visits help to
boost the morale of our sisters and to discourage attacks by those parties
who think that they have no viable support network. 5. On campuses Muslim brothers should
organize escort services for Muslim sisters who find themselves having to
traverse great distances on foot, alone after dark. If sisters are
driving, they should be escorted to their cars. A central phone number can
be dispensed at the weekly MSA meeting. Of course such services should be
undertaken with strict observance of Islamic decorum, preferably two
brothers should escort a single sister. Believers should generally try to
avoid being out at night, especially the sisters. 6. The Masjids should not be abandoned.
Many people are staying away from the Masjids because of threats of
violence. However, in many instances the Masjids have been attacked
because they are abandoned. If a severe threat exists, local police can be
alerted to provide coverage at prayer times. We know of at least one
Masjid that has hired a security company to guard the premises, 24/7 7. All of the community's members should
have a list of police and fire department emergency hotlines. These are a few tips. Insha Allah, they will be of some benefit. Pray for your brothers and sisters here in the Muslim world, you can be assured that their prayers are with you. Insha Allah, we will see you all soon. Please remember us in your prayers. ...and the last of our prayers is, Al-hamdulillah Rabbil 'Alamin. |