From: "Eli Pariser" <bulletin@9-11peace.org>
To: <9-11peace@complete.org>
Subject: 9-11Peace: Islam
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 10:18:19 -0500
Message-ID: <NFBBILDICDMBFNGCLHNEIEJDCLAA.bulletin@9-11peace.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Importance: Normal
Sender: 9-11peace-bounce@complete.org
Errors-to: 9-11peace-bounce@complete.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-to: bulletin@9-11peace.org

9-11PEACE.ORG BULLETIN: ISLAM
Read online, subscribe, or unsubscribe at:
http://www.9-11peace.org/bulletin.php3


CONTENTS
---------
1. Introduction: A Call for Understanding
2. Islam for Non-Muslims
3. Ramadan
4. Islam and the "War on Terror"
5. Discrimination Against Muslims
6. Featured Actions
7. Get Involved
8. About the Bulletin


INTRODUCTION: A CALL FOR UNDERSTANDING
-------------------------------------------------------
At a traditional Ramadan dinner President Bush recently
hosted at the White House, Bush told his guests that it's "a
good time for people of different faiths to learn more about
each other." Ramadan is the holiest month on the Islamic
calendar, and Bush's celebration, the first ever held in the
White House, was intended to underscore his repeated
statements that the war on terror is not a war on Islam.
Meanwhile, the US and its allies have continued to bomb
Afghanistan, despite calls from Pakistan's President,
humanitarian groups, and many Muslims to stop this bombing
out of respect for this holy month.  And at the very same
dinner, President Bush stated that "evil has no holy days."

The words "jihad", "Islamic" and "Ramadan" have been making
frequent appearances in the media since Sept. 11, but it
seems that little effort has been made to educate the
general public about the context of these terms, or even to
make a strong distinction between Islam, a religion
practiced in some 50 countries, and Islam as it is
interpreted by Osama bin Laden and the Taliban (and indeed,
although you won't hear it mentioned, the Northern
Alliance).  This sad fact is testified to by the hate crimes
perpetrated against American mosques, people wearing
turbans, and even Islamic websites such as Islam.com, almost
all of which have spoken out against the terrorist acts of
Sept. 11. A great number of people still equate Islam with
terrorism.  And the only way to fight this critical
misunderstanding, and the hatred that goes with it, is
through education.

This week, we try to jump-start the educational process by
providing some introductory information on Islam, and giving
some Islamic perspectives on the current war in Afghanistan.
We will try and briefly describe some of the major aspects
of this religion, as well as pointing you to some great
Islamic websites where you can get more in-depth
information.

During this holy month of Ramadan, and in light of the
events of September 11, understanding and tolerance are
vital, especially if we ever hope to have peace.

Ramadan Mubarak. (Happy Ramadan)

Next week: Afghanistan and oil


ISLAM FOR NON-MUSLIMS
--------------------
Much like Judaism and Christianity, Islam is a monotheistic
religion that arose in the Middle East.  "Islam" is an
Arabic word which means submission, or surrender.  According
to Mahmoud M. Ayoub's chapter on Islam in "World Religions:
Western Traditions"  (Ed. by Willard G. Oxtoby), the
consonants in the word, s-l-m, connote peace (salaam),
soundness, and safety. The word, then, means a total
submission to the will of God, which results in inner peace
and soundness of spirit in this life, as well as safety from
divine retribution in the life to come.

People who practice the Islamic faith are called Muslims.
Muslims believe that Allah is the one true God and that
Muhammed is his prophet.  Profession of this belief
(shahadah) is the first of the five pillars of Islam, which
also include regular worship, paying the zakat alms,
observing the fast on Ramadan, and performing the hajj
pilgrimage to Mecca.

While Muslims do not worship Muhammed, they do believe that
he was a prophet and messenger much like Moses.  However,
Muhammed was Allah's last prophet, or the "seal" of the
prophets.  (Muslims also greatly respect the message of
Jesus, and venerate him as another one of God's prophets).
Muhammed was also the prophet who received and transmitted
the Muslim scriptures, called the Qur'an.  This happened
miraculously, since Muhammed could neither read nor write.
According to the Qur'an, Muhammed received the scriptures as
a revelation from the angel Gabriel, who told him to
"Recite!"

There are many mentions of Biblical figures such as Adam,
Moses, Jesus, and Abraham in the Qur'an.  For example,
Muslims believe that Abraham was a true Muslim, because he
had faith in the one true God long before the Jewish and
Christian scriptures were revealed.  They also believe that
they are physically descended from him through his son
Ishmael.  Obviously, there is a close relationship between
Islam and the biblical heritage of the Jewish and Christian
religions.

You don't have to take our word on all this, however.  To
hear about the Islamic faith, it is of course best to hear
from Muslims.

Islam.com's succinct intro to Islam.
http://www.islam.com/introislam.htm

If you have the time to do a little reading, you may also
want to check out these excellent links:

Islam 101's "Intro to Islam".
http://www.islam101.com/dawah/index.htm

Al-Islam's "Discover Islam" articles:
http://www.al-islam.com/articles/articles-e.asp

The sacred scripture of Islam is the Qur'an. If you are
interested, you can download and read the Qur'an here:
http://www.submission.org/quran/

For a short glossary of Islamic terms click here:
http://www.islam.com/Glossary.htm

Does the Qur'an really justify terrorism? For an article on
terrorism and Islam click here:
http://www.submission.org/terrorism.html


RAMADAN
---------
The Islamic holy month of Ramadan began on Nov. 17.
Unfortunately, the American government did not discontinue
bombing during Ramadan.  It is quite likely that the
continued bombing will help justify Islamic fanatics who
believe that the "war on terror" is really a war on Islam,
and will strain relations with peaceful Muslims as well.

Click here for a short, clear explanation of what Ramadan
is.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=30

Ramadan around the world:  view online video of
representatives from different countries (the Philippines,
Morocco, the U.S., etc.) talking about Ramadan.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=31

What can Muslims learn from fasting on Ramadan?
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=32


ISLAM AND THE "WAR ON TERROR"
------------------------
Now, a look at the controversy surrounding America's war and
this holy month.

Read President Bush's message for Ramadan, which is short
but sounds very nice.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=33

Unfortunately, his other statements are not as diplomatic.
Click here to read CNN's article on Bush's Ramadan dinner,
the one during which he stated that "evil has no holy days".
http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/11/19/rec.bush.ramadan/index.html

Read this article for some Muslim perspectives on the
American refusal to stop bombing during Ramadan (Ramzan):
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=34

This article argues some Muslims feel that the bombing
shouldn't be stopped only because of Ramadan, but because it
is causing the unjustified deaths of innocent people.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=35


DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MUSLIMS
--------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, Sept. 11 and the war have caused an increase
in the discrimination against Muslims.

Read this article to begin to get an idea of what it's like
to be a Muslim in America during this war.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=36

Discrimination against Muslims is not only occurring in
America. This article notes that China has been using Sept.
11 as an excuse to crack down on Muslims.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=37

Taliban fundamentalism extends even to banning crooked
turbans. It seems difficult to understand how this sort of
interpretation of Islam could be confused with Islam as a
whole.
http://www.9-11peace.org/r.php3?redir=38

And finally, the Newsweek special article called "Why they
hate us". Fareed Zakaria argues that "The problem is not
that Osama bin Laden believes that this is a religious war
against America. It’s that millions of people across the
Islamic world seem to agree."  Read the article and decide
for yourself whether you agree with this position.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/639057.asp#BODY


FEATURED ACTIONS
-----------------
Our main action this week is to educate yourself about
Islam, and try to help spread the message of tolerance and
understanding to others.  It is important to fight racism in
your community and express support for Muslims everywhere.
You could send feedback through Islamic websites expressing
your understanding that all Muslims are not terrorists.  You
could visit a mosque, a simple but direct action that we've
mentioned before.  You could partner with Muslims and help
bring information to the people in your community, through
acts such as speaking at a local school.  It is important to
be creative and help foster understanding, rather than
discrimination and racism, in any way you can.

If you are a woman you may want to wear the hijab (veil)
that Muslim women wear, to show your solidarity with them.
This could be dangerous, so please be careful, but this act
could also start some interesting and important discussions
with people that may give you the opportunity to express
your views.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you may want to
volunteer to provide non-violent protective accompaniment to
Muslims or people of Arabic descent in the area where you
live. Contact the local mosque or an Arabic group and offer
your services.  By acting as a buddy, you can help prevent
violence and hate crimes just through your presence (this
will work even better if you carry a camera or video camera
to document events if something happens).  You will be
helping people of Arabic descent and Muslims feel safer, and
also demonstrate to others that non-Muslims stand in
solidarity with Muslims and Arabic peoples in our
communities.  This type of grassroots action has worked very
well for Peace Brigades International in other countries,
and we could use the same techniques very effectively in our
own country.


GET INVOLVED
-------------
If you would like us to include an action, giving idea, news
article, or source in the bulletin, please write to
bulletin@9-11peace.org and describe your item in the subject
line.

The 9-11Peace.org bulletin is looking for volunteers to help
us deal with the immense amount of email we receive.  If you
think you've got the time, know-how, and energy to do this
well, please write to Susan at editor@9-11peace.org.  Put
"Volunteer" in the subject line, and add a brief paragraph
summarizing your experience and interest.

We apologize if you have sent us an email and we have not
gotten back to you yet.  Our response time will be slow
until we can get some more volunteers working on this aspect
of 9-11Peace.org.


ABOUT THE BULLETIN
-------------------
The 9-11Peace.org bulletin is a weekly newsletter providing
resources, news, and action ideas to over 20,500 people
around the world.  The full text of the bulletin is online
at http://www.9-11peace.org/bulletin.php3; users can
subscribe to and unsubscribe from the bulletin at that
address also.  The bulletin is a project of 9-11Peace.org.
Contact bulletin@9-11peace.org for more information.