According to the law of Islam, Muslims should not invite people to Islam (Dawa) using their tongues or pens as their primary tools. Muslims must reflect their religion by their actions and behavior in the first place, and illustrate through their lives good role models and honorable examples for everyone else.
These words were taken from a speech given by the blessed scholar Sheikh Jamal Al-Serron at an event for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). I was delighted to receive an invitation from my friend — Abdul Qader Othman Hafez — to attend the event in honor of a delegation of Arab-American leaders from CAIR.
CAIR is a nonprofit, grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. It is America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, with regional offices nationwide and in Canada. The national headquarters is located on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.
Since its establishment in 1994, CAIR has worked to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America. Through media relations, lobbying, education and advocacy, CAIR puts forth an Islamic perspective to ensure the Muslim voice is represented. In offering this perspective, CAIR seeks to empower the American Muslim community and encourage its participation in political and social activism.
Al-Serron’s speech was so enlightening that I wanted to convey the inspirational message within it to readers, especially the younger generation.
He explained that the biggest and most important jihad in Islam is when people make every effort in good speeches, virtuous preaching and enlightening advice. Jihad was made a law in Islam to fight against enemies and insure independence and sovereignty. Al-Serron added that jihad, which is fighting on the battlefield, can’t be decided by individuals or groups, because it’s a given right to the government so that Muslim countries shouldn’t be subjected to danger and corruption.
Persuading and helping people become better Muslims is the message that Allah assigned to humanity. It’s only fair that we say that most of the nation’s ignorance and threats, the challenges that became obstacles to citizens, and the accusations and misrepresentation of Islam are because of the weakness of this nation to commit to Allah. People have drifted away from God and abandoned fulfilling His obligations or worshipping Him righteously.
If the United States of America is the greatest power, work inside its Muslim community that defends the religion and its people is an honorable mission. It needs a lot of care and attention and that’s the core of CAIR’s mission.
Nevertheless, in a recent survey about the image of Muslims and Islam from the American perspective done by CAIR, alarming results appeared that are worthy of examination. Only Muslims should be blamed for the misconceptions they’ve created about Muslims and Islam.
The American population doesn’t know much or knows very little about Islam. Ten percent of the population believes that Muslims worship the moon. More than quarter believe that Islam is about teaching hatred and violence. A third of Americans think that Muslims want to impose their beliefs on others and the other third of the population believes that Islam doesn’t teach mercy or justice.
On the basis of these results, the CAIR office in Washington has initiated many media projects aimed at reaching the majority of Americans and making them aware of the truth and reality of Islam and the real image of Muslims.
First, they initiated a campaign to acquaint people with the Holy Qur’an. This campaign aimed at providing, free of charge, the best available translated versions of Qur’an to Americans interested in reading it. Second, they initiated a project to familiarize Americans with Islamic culture. They donated a selection of books about Islam and Muslims to 16,200 public libraries in America.
Third, they dedicated a project to the young generation of American Muslims. It is a strategic program to train and employ young American Muslims in large political institutions, the media and law firms in the US starting with the Congress in the first phase.
Fourth, CAIR launched a public affairs campaign that targeted different media outlets especially television, radio, and newspapers. The campaign’s motto is ‘Let’s Start a Dialogue’ and its target is to acquaint Americans with the social, cultural, ethical and moral aspects of the Muslim community.
These are very important projects that should be the responsibility of the entire Muslim Ummah. Substantial funding is required for these projects during a time when America is full of different groups and organizations. For example, right-wing Christians and right-wing Jews are both well-funded and powerful, giving them endless capabilities of influencing public opinion. CAIR has thus set up a project to establish an Islamic endowment. Fifteen percent of its basic expenses will cover the council’s activities to achieve financial and managerial stability for the council. The project is being supervised by the Islamic Development Bank. What I really hope is that Saudis will be generous enough to set up projects acquainting the rest of the world with the greatness of Islam.
