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Greetings sister.
Let it be known that now you are not just talking to us, but you are talking to all visitors to our web-site and may your prayers, your wish and your dreams be answered.
It is just one of those things in the latter half of the 20th century, that while many fought for individual rights and freedom and managed to achieve liberal Western governments in place, we also gave away some of those rights unknowingly. Whilst living in what we perceived to be a democracy we gave up our right to know. We gave all the rights to know to our teachers, businessmen, scientists, doctors and politicians. When we stopped asking those pertinent questions, we left them to know more about us than we know more about ourselves. We left them free from the responsibility to inform us fully.
Firstly, in Islam, we are responsible to each other.
Secondly, in Islam, men, women and children are expected to seek knowledge (wherever it may be) in order that we may be able to differentiate between right and wrong. Additionally, we are required to not base things on hearsay, because this does not count as knowledge. In other words we can not truly say that we know something to be true unless we have seen it for ourselves, or if the source of the information is reliable.
Thirdly, in Islam, our Creator has given us the freedom of choice. On a deeper level what this implies is that we need to learn for ourselves what is right and what is wrong. Unfortunately, in the case of Iraq, Palestine, Chechenya and others this may be the opportunity to learn for ourselves the difference between right and wrong and to live by that code.
It was the honorable sciencist, C.G. Jung(European psychoanalyst) who said:
“The individual who is not anchored in God can offer no resistance on his own resources to the physical and moral blandishments of the world. For this he needs the evidence of inner, transcendent experience which alone can protect him from the otherwise inevitable submersion in the mass. Merely intellectual or even moral insight into the stultification and moral irresponsibility of the mass man, is a negative recognition only and amounts to not much more than a wavering on the road to the atomization of the individual”.
By relying on your emotions instead of true religious guidance, you have left yourself unable to deal with the situation. The fact that you and many others feel so debilitated emotionally by what is going on, what is needed is for you to move past that overwhelming feeling. Our prophet, Prophet Muhammed said:
The example of a believer is that of a fresh green plant the leaves of which move in whatever direction the wind forces them to move and when the wind becomes till, it stands straight. Such is the similitude of the believer: He is disturbed by calamities (but is like the fresh plant, he regains his normal state soon). And the example of a disbeliever is that of a pine tree (which remains) hard and straight till Allah cuts it down when he will” (Bukhari 9:93 #558).
If you do not move past those feelings, which you have, the negative things that are happening in the world will triumph over you leaving them free to do precisely that which you abhor. It is hard, I know to accept the knowledge of what your government has been doing. So it was for many Germans after the atrocities against the Jews, and so it has been for practicing Jews throughout the atrocities committed by the Zionist State against the Palestinians. Each one tries to do what they can do, in order to correct injustice within their individual and joint capacity. You may not have been able to stop the war against Iraq, but surely consider why up until now the coalition forces have not been able to end the war as quickly as they thought they would have done?
You, along with other protesting Americans and protesting citizens of the world, are having some affect. Not only that, you are giving hope to the Iraqis, by not allowing them to feel forgotten. Let this be your first step towards overcoming your over-powering emotions. Once you can do this, you are better placed to deal with what is at hand in your own life and in the lives of others. You are arming yourself by seeking independent knowledge about the situation, and one can well believe this to be daunting, but this has become a fact of our lives that we will all have to learn how to overcome.
Do not forget that there are still many Americans that believe that what President Bush is doing is right because “Saddam Hussein is a bad man”. I am sure you now realize that so is President Bush! Two wrongs do not make a right and by ‘taking from Peter to give to Paul’ is a greater injustice, especially if Paul wants it all for himself! Within your own capacity you can be a tool for change. As you know, that ability is much needed in our world today, for things have gone too far. Become friends with other protesters and see what else they are doing (i.e. positive and constructive actions) to put things right. If you find common ground, why not share in those ideas and if possible make them a reality. This will help you grow stronger within yourself and not feel so handicapped by what you have been feeling.
The power of prayer is much underestimated, so begin to pray again as many across the world are praying. Who knows what kind of storms our Creator can come up with to help us turn the tide of what is happening. Most of all, what is important is that everyone of us can learn to lead better and more resourceful life that, God Willing, will not allow such a calamity to happen again.
Take care of yourself and do not hesitate to write again.
For your further reference please try the following links:-
Wisdom from a Plumber
Anti-War Rallies: Islamic Ethics
Why Demonstrate?
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