Jihad Against Racism ISLAM IS AGAINST RACISM AND PREJUDICE Tips t launch yur persnal Jihad against Racism. Extracts frm an article By Abdul Malik Mujahid Alhamdu lillah, all Masjids in the wrld are pen t all peple. Muslims pray shulder t shulder with n regard t any natinal, ethnic, class r clr differences. Islamic egalitarianism still gains cnverts frm the untuchables f India t Malclm X and Muhammad Ali in America. Hwever, this dminant reality is smetimes marred by individual behavir, which is cntrary t the ideals f Islam. Sme Muslims fall fr the age-ld trick f Satan and start playing the silly inferirity/superirity game. Sme steretype thers and tlerate prejudice against ther human beings, despite the fact that all human beings are equal, frm the same man and wman. (Quran 49:13) Hw shuld we save urselves frm falling int this trap? Hw shuld we help thers stay abve the killing fields f racism and natinalism? What can we d nw t becme a better human being? Here are sme tips n hw we can launch ur persnal Jihad against this disease. The Prphet (saww) said: "If ne f yu sees smething evil he shuld change it with his hand. If he cannt, he shuld speak ut against it, and if he cannt d even that he shuld at least detest it in his heart, this being the weakest frm f faith". 1. Knwledge is pwer D we knw what the Quran and Sunnah say abut Racism? The Quran established individual character as the criteria f success, nt clr, tribal r ecnmic status f a persn. The Prphet preached and established these ideals in the peace sanctuary f Madinah and Islamic sciety which he develped. Let ur parents, children, Islamic schls, and Imams learn and teach the ideals f Islam. 2. Ask the nly One wh can really help We can get rid f racial and prejudicial attitudes within urselves with the help f Gd. Make sincere and fcused Dua fr thse peple and grups wh remain ppressed, subject t humiliatin, subject t difficult behavir. After all, Dua increases lve between peple.
peple. Als make Dua fr yurself and thers t gain an appreciatin f thers. Pray tgether with yur family fr thse friends in the Masjid r at yur jb wh are frm ther grups. And remember that dua withut actins is nthing. 3. Hate the hatred The Prphet never hated anyne. He neither hated Makkah nr the Makkans wh trtured him, starved him and his peple and killed his cmpanins, may Allah be pleased with them. He cntinued t pray even fr his wrst enemies like Abu Jahl. 4. Make sincere Tawbah (repentance t Gd) If we have hurt smene thrugh ur tngue r attitude, we need t seek Gd's frgiveness. It is als imprtant t seek the persnal frgiveness f that persns as well if s/he is within reach as an Islamic pre-requisite t seek Gd's frgiveness. There has t be a persnal acknwledgment f wrngding and a cmmitment t change. This is dne by turning t Gd and seeking His Frgiveness fr lking dwn n ther beings due t a false belief in smene's inferirity. 5. Watching Our Tngue The Prphet (saww) said: "Whever can give me a guarantee fr what is between his tw jaws and between his tw legs, I can assure him Paradise". Keeping this in mind, effrt shuld be made t curb useless talk, which can lead t wrse things like backbiting and slander f individuals and grups f peple. Defining backbiting, the Prphet said that backbiting is anything that yu say abut smene in his absence that may displease him. When he was asked by ne f the Cmpanins, even if he is as I describe him?' he respnded by saying, If he is as yu describe him then yu are guilty f backbiting, therwise yu are guilty f slander (which is wrse than backbiting). T add emphasis t hw awful slander is, cnsider that the Prphet said it is wrse than adultery because if a persn cmmits adultery, Allah can frgive him if he repents. But a slanderer will nt be frgiven until the persn he had been speaking abut frgives him. 6. N ethnic jkes please Ethnic jkes are nt inncent humr. They carry the virus f bigtry mst f the time. Think abut hw hurt we feel when sme cmedians depict Muslims as terrrist. Cnsider this verse f the Quran: "O yu wh believe! Let nt a grup scff at anther grup, it may be that the latter are better than the frmer; nr let (sme) wmen scff at
grup, it may be that the latter are better than the frmer; nr let (sme) wmen scff at ther wmen, it may be that the latter are better than the frmer, nr defame ne anther, nr insult ne anther by nicknames. Hw bad is it, t insult ne's brther after having Faith. And whsever des nt repent, then such are indeed wrng ders" (Quran 49:11). Such silly and hurtful jest clearly ges against the type f manners Allah and His Prphet expect frm us. It's a sin in Islam t ridicule r laugh at any beings, and if they are a grup, the sin is strnger. 7. Dn't call peple, Kalla, Gra, Desi, Chapta, r Abd Muslims disliked being called Mr, r Mhammaden. We insist that since we write ur name Muslims that's hw everyne shuld spell ur name. S let's call ther peple with the names they like fr themselves. Fair enugh? Alhamdu lillah mst Muslims dn't d this. But nce in a while we hear names, which we need t challenge. The Urdu term "Kalla" r "Gla" is used by sme fr Africans. While it literally means "black" and "slave", the way it is used mst f the time is demeaning. The same is true fr the Urdu term Chapta r Peela, which refers t the clr, and features f Suth East Asian peple. Gra in Urdu fr Caucasians falls in the same categry althugh it als just means a white persn, but is used t cnvey histrical distrust and betrayal f the white clnial lrds. Desi n the ther hand is mstly used t describe stereitypical images f Suth Asians "curry smelling" Indians and "pakis." It is ften used as a term f self hate in the secnd generatin. Similarly sme Arabs use the term Abd t describe black peple, despite the fact the Prphet categrically prhibited use f this term. Anther term Zingy is used fr the same peple in the demeaning way. Sme Arabs use the term Rafeeq (literally cmrade) fr Pakistanis in demeaning way similar t hw the "N wrd" is used in the west. Ibn al Khinzeeer (sn f a pig), a reference t whever yu are angry with amngst sme Arabs and specially twards Jews is nt nly unwrthy f the fllwers f Prphet Muhammad, it is a direct vilatin f his cmmand nt t insult ne anther's parents. Even the Islamic term Kafir has t be use with care. Nt every nn-believer is a Kafir. This Quranic term, regarding thse wh rejected Allah's guidance after recgnizing it t be the truth, shuld nt becme a term f hate. 8. Challenge the ffensive, names, jkes and cmments If smene uses a hurtful name in ur presence, we might simply say, "Dn't call him/her that. Call him/her by his/her name." If yu are the victim, simply say "That kind f jke ffends me," r say "Yu dn't like t be called bad names and neither d I". We shuld feel cmfrtable in pinting ut unfairness. It is very rewarding in the eyes f Allah, since by challenging this we are fllwing three f Allah's cmmands:
Allah, since by challenging this we are fllwing three f Allah's cmmands: 1. Stand up against injustice. 2. Discurage the evil 3. Dn't call peple with bad nicknames It's part f a Muslim's duty t enjin the gd and frbid the evil. Let's d it with wisdm and patience. Be plite but firm. 9. D nt generalize If yu bserve smething wrng in sme persns' behavir, dn't generalize it t their ethnic grup. Attribute it t thse persns nt their grup. Fr example, I have heard several times that Arabs in Chicag run liqur stres r "Glas" will never be civilised. While it is true that there may be 100 r s Arabs wh have this type f Haram business, they are a small minrity amng hundreds and thusands f Arabs living in Chicag. Withut cndning what they are ding, we must see that there are Muslims f ther natinalities wh are als invlved in Haram businesses. 10. Defend the abused grup Nte unique and special qualities in ther peple. Shw the psitive pints f an ethnic grup that is being made fun f. Whether it's the hspitality f the Arabs, the respect fr elders in Ind-Pakistani culture, the resilience f African-Americans, fr instance, pint ut the psitive t thse wh dn't want t see the ther side f the cin. If yu're still tngue-tied, cnsider this Hadith: the Prphet (saww) said: If a man's Muslim brther is slandered in his presence, and he is capable f defending him, and des s, Allah will defend him in this wrld and in the next. But if he fails t defend him, Allah will destry him in this wrld and in the next. 11. Speak everyne's language What d yu d when there are say, three peple, ne f whm speaks yur native language and the ther desn't? T ften, many f us d the wrng thing. It creates suspicin and discmfrt if yu speak a language in frnt f thers wh may nt understand it. Use a cmmn language understandable t all. S if Br. Muneer and yu bth understand Arabic, but Sr. Yasmeen desn't, speak in English instead, s she desn't feel left ut. If yu bserve this behavir tell them it's unfair. If yu are the ne wh is ding the wrng thing, then dn't defend it by saying, "yu shuld learn ur language". The Prphet (saww) said: "When three peple are tgether, tw shuld nt talk secretly, leaving the third alne since this may grieve him".
12. Share yur jy Have yu invited peple ther than yur cultural grup at an ccasin f happiness in yur family? Whether it's Eid, a wedding r the Aqiqa f a newbrn baby, expand yur next guest list t include thse f different backgrunds. Sharing jy is a great way fr peple f all ethn-cultural grups t bnd. 13. Share yur srrw Have yu visited a sick clleague, class fellw r a neighbr f anther ethnic grup? Have yu been t the funeral f ther peple? Relatinships are nt nly built n the gd times, but n the hard nes as well. Visit the sick, attend funerals, and cnsle thse wh need it, and dn't reserve yur sympathy t thse f the same skin clr r cuntry. 14. The way t a man's heart is thrugh his stmach Have yu learned t ck the fd f ther cultures? Have yu shared yur fd with them? I knw peple wh have becme Muslim because f the hspitality f Muslims. Fd is a great way t bring peple tgether, and t get t knw thers. Share fd with neighbrs. Fd is pwer. Use it! 15. Smiling is a charity Wh d yu smile at? D yu limit yur grins t grups yu knw, especially yur ethncultural grup? Smiling is charity, nt just fr yur peple. Expand yur smile "directry" t include all. Smile pens clse hearts. 16. Salam is fr everyne Quran demands that we greet thers better than the way they have greeted us. (Quran 4:86). After Juma d yu say Salam and meet nly thse peple yu knw r d yu initiate a Salam t thse frm anther ethnic grup? Cnsider this Hadith: The Prphet (saww) said: "Thse wh are nearest t Allah are thse wh are the first t give a greeting".
wh are the first t give a greeting". Saying Salam is als a great way t increase yur lve fr a fellw Muslim, n matter where they are frm. Cnsider this Hadith: the Prphet (saww) said: "Yu will nt enter Heaven until yu believe, and yu will nt believe until yu lve each ther. Let me guide yu t smething which will cause yu t lve each ther: spreading the greetings f peace (Assalamu alaikum). 17. Hug smene tday Have yu ever experienced a hug by a Muslim yu never knew? What a feeling. This ne just fr the sake f Allah. Try it n a Muslim in yur masjid and then intrduce yurself t him. He is yur brther. Isn't he? 18. Beynd Salam Alhamdu lillah, we see a lt f faces f different ethnic grups in masjids, but have we gne beynd Salam with them? Have we invited this brther r sister t ur hme this year? Let's take the initiative t g beynd the Salam and invite a fellw human being f a different backgrund ver t ur place. Dn't wait fr a specific ccasin. Just invite them ver fr dinner, lunch, r a game f basketball. 19. A Masjid tur f ther neighbrhds While in a number f cities in America and Africa, Masjids tend t becme ethnically hmgeneus due t the ppulatin patterns f the city; we can try t vercme this islatin. Let's visit ther neighbrhds and pray in a Masjid there. S if yu're an Urdu speaking persn, visit the predminantly Arab msque. If yu're an Arab visit the mstly African- American msque. If yu're Turkish, visit the mstly Bengali msque. Let's defy the neighbrhd divisins which we did nt create. Let's take ur Sunday schl children n field trips t different neighbrhds and Masjids. Prviding pprtunities fr interactin with peple f diverse grups instills understanding. Studies shw that children playing and wrking tgether tward cmmn gals develp psitive attitudes abut ne anther. 20. Strangers shuld find an pen Masjid dr Hw are yu at welcming strangers in yur Masjid?
D yu mve frward in welcming, guiding and intrducing them t thers r d yu allw a stranger t remain a stranger while yu busily chat with yur wn cultural grup? Open yur heart and arms t the new brther r sister wh may have cme t the Masjid with great difficulty. Welcme their chice and dn't let them regret visiting yur msque. The security staff at Masjids need t have sensitivity training as well. 21. Watch thse expressins and attitudes Did yu see that twist f the muth, r the raise f that eyebrw? Smetimes, it's nt just wrds, but facial expressins that als indicate ethn-racial degradatin and intlerance. It's nt enugh fr us t just avid verbal jabs. Language is nt just abut wrds; it's abut bdy language t. 22. Defend yurself If yu are the target f ethn-racial humr, slurs r attacks defend yurself. First seek refuge in Allah frm Satan Fllwing the Prphet's advice, if yu are angry, remain silent, sit dwn, mve away r make wudu. If yu feel yur security is being threatened seek any help available. If yu are attacked defend yurself if yu are capable f it. Dcument and pursue the case with lcal plice, the department f human resurces and anti-hate grups. Gd tlerates a persn wh is being wrnged t respnd in the same cin but He prefers us t be better: "The recmpense fr an evil is an evil like theref, but whever frgives and makes recnciliatin, his reward is due frm Allah. Verily, He likes nt the Zalimun (ppressrs)" (Quran 42:40). An ex-marine member f the white supremacist mvement the Ku Klux Klan became Muslim due partly t the plite and cnfident respnse f a Muslim dctr t his racist remarks calling him a "dg eater". This is an example f fllwing Allah's instructins that ask us t respnd t evil with smething which is better. 23. Stand up fr justice Take an active stand against injustices like prfiling and discriminatin in the wrkplace r at schls. Speak ut against smene r a grup being paid less because f their natinal backgrund. "O yu wh believe! Stand ut firmly fr justice, as witnesses t Allah, even thugh it is against yurselves, r yur parents, r yur kin, be he rich r pr, Allah is a better
against yurselves, r yur parents, r yur kin, be he rich r pr, Allah is a better Prtectr t bth (than yu) are. S fllw nt the lusts (f yur hearts), lest yu may avid justice, and if yu distrt yur witness r refuse t give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what yu d" (Quran 4:135). 24. Wrk with ther anti-racism grups Vlunteer time t rganizatins and grups which are wrking fr an anti-racism agenda r fr scial justice. All the prphets were sent t help peple take a stand fr establishing justice (Quran 57:25). Wrking fr a cmmn cause brings peple clser. Islam encurages cperatin with nn Muslims fr the cmmn gd f humanity (Quran 5:2). 25. Multi-ethnic Marriages Sme ideas that dislike and discurage multi-ethnic marriages amngst Muslims are wrng because they cnflict with the Sunnah f the Prphet and with the Quranic principle f all peple being ne. I am nt advising anyne t ffer him r herself fr a scial experiment. But we must accept ur children's chice with an pen heart instead f resistance based n the false interpretatin f cmpatibility (Kafa'a) ffered by sme bks. 26. Raising race free children Islam des nt recgnize race, but the sciety we live in des. Bridging this gap is the challenge f Muslim parenting. Chse t live in a multi-ethnic cmmunity. Children with multi-ethnic interactin grw up t be better human beings. Participate in yur PTA with an antiracist agenda. Help yur children feel gd abut themselves. Children wh feel gd abut themselves are less likely t be prejudiced. Welcme children f all backgrund in yur hme. Debrief them if they cme hme with a racial slur frm the schl. 27. Let's have a straight niyyah t please Allah Let's make ur intentins (niyyah) that we will strive t build human sciety based n the equality f all human beings as Allah has asked us t d. Insha Allah, He will reward us fr each step we take t get urselves, ur cmmunity, and ur sciety rid f racism and natinalism. Cnclusin As Muslims wh are dehumanized day and night by the media and pinin leaders, it is ur duty t emerge as a better human being thrugh this rdeal instead f engaging in the
ur duty t emerge as a better human being thrugh this rdeal instead f engaging in the satanic game f cunter dehumanizatin. Whever starts t lk at thers as lwer beings first kills his wn humanity. Prejudice, racism and natinalism are equal pprtunity diseases. Racism and natinalism are twin evils which have killed mre peple in last ne hundred years than prbably all the wars in last ne thusand years including crusades and massacres f the infamus Genghis Khan. Let's launch ur persnal Jihad against racism. May Gd be with yu. Allahu Akbar.