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The biggest enemy that Islam
is currently facing is ignorance, and Muslims
may be partly blamed for that since they do
not have enough information about their
religion. That was the message carried by
Fadel Soliman, founder of Bridges Foundation,
during a live session held inside
IslamOnline.net's Ramadan tent in Second Life.
Both Muslims and non-Muslims
gathered on October 10, 2007, in the tent to
listen to the lecture that Soliman was giving.
"The first verse revealed
from the Qu'ran gave the command to
read," said Soliman. "That is the
key in order for Muslims to better be able to
represent their religion and explain it to
others."
"I urge Muslims to learn
more about their religion and how to practice
da'wa the right way."
During his session, Soliman
told the story of how a Professor from South
Africa gave a lecture in a Minnesota
university about Islam that carried many false
facts. The professor claimed that the crusades
were not as bloody as people think and that
Islam was spread by the sword and "wiped
out nearly half of the Christian population
during that time."
However, Muslims students
knowledgeable in Islam were able to counter
all his arguments. "That is the example
we need and that is why we need to learn and
be educated about Islam," said Soliman.
"If it wasn't for those students, the
professor would have sent out to the students
a false picture of Islam."
But the young preacher's
message was directed at non-Muslims as well.
"To the non-Muslims in
the audience I implore you to learn about
Islam, because Islam is a religion worth
knowing about because of its importance. But
if you learn about it, seek reliable truthful
sources," stressed Soliman.
Bridges Foundation is the
brainchild of Soliman which he set up after
the events of 9/11 to counter the negative
criticism piled on Islam. The foundation holds
workshops and lectures around the world
explaining Islam to non-Muslims but also
teaching Muslims how to represent and present
their religion.
Soliman is the author of the
book "The Fog is Lifting."
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