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Chicago Muslims Hold Fundraising Dinner
By
Ayub Khan, IOL Chicago correspondent
CHICAGO,
April 16 (IslamOnline) - North America's leading Islamic scholar,
Jamal Badawi, urged Muslims Sunday, April 14, in Bridgeview, Illinois,
to cooperate with non-Muslims and work towards achieving justice,
peace and harmony.
Speaking
on the topic of “Muslim-Non Muslim Relations,” at the annual
fundraising dinner of the United Muslim Americans Association (UMAA),
Badawi stressed that this cooperation should follow Islamic guidelines
and that they should not be comprised in any way. "No one has the
right to dictate to us what is 'acceptable Islam,'" he said.
Badawi
said that many politicians and leaders in North America are not coming
forward in support of Palestinians because they are presented with a
distorted version of Muslim/non-Muslim relationships. "They are
presented with the wrong view that aggression, violence and hatred are
rooted in the Holy Qur'an," adding that often times people base
their opinion of Islam on erroneous translations of the Qur'an.
At
other times, a particular verse is divorced from its section and is
quoted without giving due consideration to its textual and historical
context, he added, commenting that it was incorrect to refer to Jews
and Christians as “infidels,” because it means someone who has no
religious faith.
“How
can we call them as infidels when in spite of the major issue of
Trinity, we all worship the same God,” Badawi asked. He said it was
also wrong to label all non-Muslims as disbelievers. There are many
unbelievers who have not yet received the message of the Qur'an and
they may be forgiven. On the other hand, he said that the term
“disbeliever,” means someone who received the message and yet
rejected it.
"Disbeliever
gives only a partial definition under the broader term 'Kafir,' which
is divided into 'Mushrikeen [polytheists],' and Ahle Kitab [People of
the Book]," he said.
“Jews
and Christians do not disbelieve in God and the core teachings of all
the Prophets, hence they cannot be called disbelievers,” he
emphasized, commenting that Jews and Christians have no right to
complain when called “Kafir” because the difference is on the
theological level, and it is up to Allah (SWT) to judge their fate on
the Day of Judgment.
Badawi
said it was vital for American Muslims to participate in the political
process and make their voices heard and remove the prevalent
misconceptions about Islam.
Sheikh
Jamal Saeed, imam of the Mosque Foundation, agreed, adding that it is
incumbent upon all Muslims in the U.S. to become politically active
and lobby Congress and the Senate to stop Israeli aggression and
oppression. “We will have to make the politicians accountable before
they sponsor kind of support for the state of Israel,” he said.
Sen.
Patrick O'Malley, who lost his bid for the Republican candidacy for
Illinois Governor, but came in second, thanked the UMAA for their
endorsement and support. He appealed to Muslims to participate in
elections and involve themselves as good citizens.
Chris
Hagee, campaign manager for Joe Birkett, Republican Candidate for
Attorney General of Illinois, conveyed the greetings for the candidate
who could not attend due to family obligations. He said Birkett has
extended experience with the law and will fight for and protect the
rights of all people. He said that he very much appreciates UMAA's
endorsement.
Frank
Avila, who won the much sought after position of Commissioner of
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, said his victory was due to
the existence of the UMAA. Previously, he had run for the same
position but had lost each time. He said the Muslim vote is very
powerful and is going to determine positions of major political
offices. He hoped that in the next election a Muslim would run
alongside him.
A
total of 16 of the 39 candidates endorsed by the UMAA won the March
19th primary elections.
Sabri
Samirah, UMAA president, appealed to all Muslims to politically
empower themselves, saying that in these times of crisis, Muslims must
come together and tackle the problems confronting the Muslim
community.
Imam
Ahmed Bilal Kareem from the Muslim Society, Rafeeq Jaber from the
Islamic Association of Palestine, Abdel Azeem El Siddig, Kareem Irfan
and several other activists also spoke at the event.
The
UMMA is an Illinois based-organization working for the political
empowerment of Muslims.
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