JEDDAH: From a nonbeliever to a worshipper; from polytheist to monotheist; from Manu Kapoor to Suhail Kapoor, this former resident of Lucknow, India, has come a long way. And the journey has completely changed his outlook toward life.
Once a practitioner of idolatry, Kapoor is now busy working for the cause of Islam and has scholarly discussions over the faith of one-fifth of mankind.
Kapoor is at the forefront of Dawa work on his own and is presently in the Kingdom to meet his friends and well-wishers and to raise funds for the first mosque in Milton which is near Toronto.
He, with a group of dedicated members of the Muslim Association of Milton (MAM), has already acquired a piece of land for $600,000 for the proposed mosque. “Now what is needed is funds to help us put a building on it,” he said. Kapoor can be contacted on 0561942744 in Saudi Arabia and in Canada 001 416 721 5556..
Asked if there were hassles, Kapoor said despite all odds, he and his group never faced any resistance from any quarter when they proposed to build the mosque.
“I have great admiration for Canada. There has never been any form of difficulties when it comes to building places of worship, and this applies to all.”
He winced as he spoke about the ignorance of some Muslims and the divisions among them on trivial issues.
He said Islam is a religion of peace, love, coexistence, tolerance and modernity. But due to the behavior of a few, it is labeled as an intolerant orthodoxy.
He says that the image of Islam is being tarnished by a minority and that Muslims must come forward to present the correct picture of their faith to the world.
“The enormity of their ignorance of Islamic history and its code of conduct is mind-boggling. We should be united in fighting these elements for the cause of Islam,” Kapoor said.
“Muslims must follow the basics which say ‘be kind to your neighbors, keep smiling when you meet others, pray and perform acts of charity.’ We should serve humanity. We should not show hostility toward others, even to followers of other faiths. This is what Islam stands for. We should present to the world a model through our behavior, nature and presentation.
“Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never used his sword to spread Islam; rather he became a role model for humanity with his virtues and righteousness and people were so impressed with his behavior that they embraced Islam. And this is what is needed to change today’s distorted image of Islam,” Kapoor stated.
Focusing on how Muslims were treated in the West in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks, Kapoor said the event brought Muslims to the forefront the world over. Ironically they found themselves as everyone’s focus, even in places where they have lived harmoniously all their lives.
“I remember when the attack took place and it was on Canadian TV; all the non-Muslim staff in my office started looking at me suspiciously as if I had done it. Everything changed within minutes. As if I was not the same person anymore. This happened to Muslims particularly in the West.
“The fallout of the terror attacks did not spare Canadian Muslims either. I remember, the shock of all Muslims when the window panes of our local mosque were shattered by vandals. To our surprise, a Christian Canadian family with their children came the following day and insisted on cleaning the area of the broken glass.
“Their actions said, ‘this is the least we can do, and we feel sorry for what has happened.’ So you see, there are good and bad people in all societies. It took some hard work from us to restore our image in our nation, and a lot more still needs to be done,” Kapoor said.
Asked what Muslims should do to convince others that they are peace-loving people with a great amount of tolerance and respect for other religions, Kapoor said: “One of the major teachings of Islam is tolerance toward people of other faiths. The classic example is of our beloved Prophet (pbuh), who after migrating to Madinah, right away invited the people of other faiths — the Jews and the Christians who were living there — and signed treaties and covenants with them which, apart from other conditions, stated that they had the freedom of worship without interference from anyone.”
He continued: “The fact that Islam reached the far ends of the world in only 100 years from the time of death of the Prophet (pbuh) speaks for itself. The motivating factor for others to embrace Islam lies in the message of peace, love and dignity that it offers.
“One should not judge Islam by the behavior of some Muslims although they should have been true ambassadors; one should judge Islam by reading the message, i.e. the Holy Qur’an. The lowest crime rates today in North America are among Muslims, but, as I said, they will have to do more. Our actions are the extension of, and testimony to, the strength and sincerity of our faith.”
