Below is a speech I made at an inter-faith memorial service at a local Jewish synagogue:
Hello, my name is Mustafa and I am a Muslim. These days, particularly after 9/11, introducing one’s self like this is a lot like standing before an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and saying hesitatingly, “Hello, my name is Mike and ... I am an alcoholic.” I am by no means ashamed to be a Muslim, but I am sure you would agree there is a negative stigma attached to the words "Muslim" and "Islam" in the minds of most Americans.
Before I proceed I want to make it absolutely clear that I personally condemn and utterly disapprove of the perpetrators of the atrocious attacks 10 years ago. This horrific event made an indelible imprint on the psyche of most Americans, including myself. I want you to know that I have never met a single Muslim who was happy and celebrated that the Twin Towers were attacked and that they collapsed. I whole-heartedly agree with a statement by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, “Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram – or forbidden - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not “martyrs.” A recent poll by the Pew Research Center indicated that 81% of American Muslims would also agree that suicide bombing and violence against civilians are never justified. My heart goes out to the 3,000 people who died that day and their families, most particularly to the brave firefighters who gave their lives trying to rescue people from these buildings before their collapse.
I don’t intend to distract from remembering these people, but I want to share my experience and perspective on 9/11 and since then as a Muslim. I am from Mississippi and I grew up as a Baptist. I became a Muslim in 1982 while I was going to college at Mississippi State University. I had a room mate from Iran and I read parts of his Quran about Jesus and Mary. When I saw that the view of God in the Quran was more consistent with the Old Testament and was more logical for God to be One without father or son or equal, I chose Islam as my religion. Adjusting to Islam was quite difficult for me. One of the difficulties I had was the association of Muslims with terrorism and suicide bombings in Israel. I did not and still do not agree with anyone who would do such a thing. I stopped practicing Islam in late 1985 in large part because of the stigma of being associated with terrorism that I did not agree with.
After I reached 40 years old, my own mortality struck me. I realized that I would one day die and have to give an account before God for how I lived my life. I knew that I could not use the excuse that someone blew himself up along with innocent people in the name of Islam as the reason why I did not pray and worship God. I decided to practice Islam – in June 2001 while on a vacation in San Diego. Then shortly afterwards came September 11 and once again Muslims were associated with terrorism. This was a severe test for me as to whether or not to stay on the path that I had chosen. I studied and read a lot about both 9/11 and Islam and I have come to the conclusion that these actions are not taught by Islam and neither are they endorsed by Muslims. I decided to continue to practice Islam regardless of the cost – whether or not I would lose my job, or my family would fall apart, or whether or not I would be arrested and imprisoned for being a Muslim. Thankfully, none of those things happened and I have been consistent in my practice of Islam and continued to grow in my faith.
Even though I haven’t had any personal problems or difficulties with practicing Islam, I see a disturbing trend in America where Islam continues to be vilified and Muslims are demonized. Last September I attended a seminar “Revealing the Truth about Islam” that was presented in the small country church that I attended while growing up near Pascagoula. There was some accurate information presented, but the gist of the 2-hour presentation was that Muslims are commanded to kill the infidel including Christians and that if Islam spread, it would take over America and there will be no more Christianity here. I disagree with this assessment as Islam teaches ‘there is no compulsion in religion’. I am anxious and somewhat fearful for what the future holds for Muslims in America, but I believe that increased interactions between Muslims and the American people such as this meeting tonight will show that Muslims aren’t the evil bogey man that they are portrayed to be. Although most Muslims look different from you and I, they typically want the same things such as freedom to practice their religion, equal opportunity for an education and meaningful employment, and a peaceful environment in which to live and to raise their children.
Hello, my name is Mustafa and I am a Muslim. These days, particularly after 9/11, introducing one’s self like this is a lot like standing before an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and saying hesitatingly, “Hello, my name is Mike and ... I am an alcoholic.” I am by no means ashamed to be a Muslim, but I am sure you would agree there is a negative stigma attached to the words "Muslim" and "Islam" in the minds of most Americans.
Before I proceed I want to make it absolutely clear that I personally condemn and utterly disapprove of the perpetrators of the atrocious attacks 10 years ago. This horrific event made an indelible imprint on the psyche of most Americans, including myself. I want you to know that I have never met a single Muslim who was happy and celebrated that the Twin Towers were attacked and that they collapsed. I whole-heartedly agree with a statement by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, “Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram – or forbidden - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not “martyrs.” A recent poll by the Pew Research Center indicated that 81% of American Muslims would also agree that suicide bombing and violence against civilians are never justified. My heart goes out to the 3,000 people who died that day and their families, most particularly to the brave firefighters who gave their lives trying to rescue people from these buildings before their collapse.
I don’t intend to distract from remembering these people, but I want to share my experience and perspective on 9/11 and since then as a Muslim. I am from Mississippi and I grew up as a Baptist. I became a Muslim in 1982 while I was going to college at Mississippi State University. I had a room mate from Iran and I read parts of his Quran about Jesus and Mary. When I saw that the view of God in the Quran was more consistent with the Old Testament and was more logical for God to be One without father or son or equal, I chose Islam as my religion. Adjusting to Islam was quite difficult for me. One of the difficulties I had was the association of Muslims with terrorism and suicide bombings in Israel. I did not and still do not agree with anyone who would do such a thing. I stopped practicing Islam in late 1985 in large part because of the stigma of being associated with terrorism that I did not agree with.
After I reached 40 years old, my own mortality struck me. I realized that I would one day die and have to give an account before God for how I lived my life. I knew that I could not use the excuse that someone blew himself up along with innocent people in the name of Islam as the reason why I did not pray and worship God. I decided to practice Islam – in June 2001 while on a vacation in San Diego. Then shortly afterwards came September 11 and once again Muslims were associated with terrorism. This was a severe test for me as to whether or not to stay on the path that I had chosen. I studied and read a lot about both 9/11 and Islam and I have come to the conclusion that these actions are not taught by Islam and neither are they endorsed by Muslims. I decided to continue to practice Islam regardless of the cost – whether or not I would lose my job, or my family would fall apart, or whether or not I would be arrested and imprisoned for being a Muslim. Thankfully, none of those things happened and I have been consistent in my practice of Islam and continued to grow in my faith.
Even though I haven’t had any personal problems or difficulties with practicing Islam, I see a disturbing trend in America where Islam continues to be vilified and Muslims are demonized. Last September I attended a seminar “Revealing the Truth about Islam” that was presented in the small country church that I attended while growing up near Pascagoula. There was some accurate information presented, but the gist of the 2-hour presentation was that Muslims are commanded to kill the infidel including Christians and that if Islam spread, it would take over America and there will be no more Christianity here. I disagree with this assessment as Islam teaches ‘there is no compulsion in religion’. I am anxious and somewhat fearful for what the future holds for Muslims in America, but I believe that increased interactions between Muslims and the American people such as this meeting tonight will show that Muslims aren’t the evil bogey man that they are portrayed to be. Although most Muslims look different from you and I, they typically want the same things such as freedom to practice their religion, equal opportunity for an education and meaningful employment, and a peaceful environment in which to live and to raise their children.
