Islamaphobia

Ebrahim Bham

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Channel: Ebrahim Bham

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Towards the Ramada Mallanna Viva La Mulana Viva la vida de la vida kitabi la sherea Tabata, Shariati a mama do follow me la mina shaytani r rajim Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem Wanaka Nana Monica v kusakabe, Maja kulu for sub behandling Arabic our camino, de de

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Baca Hata, to karaoke in Surat Allahu la z.

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My dear respected elders and brothers.

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We know we are living in a world

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where almost on a daily basis, we come to hear via the media or other platforms,

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about aspects that are known today as Islamophobia.

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And this particular aspect of Islamophobia means where there is intense dislike and prejudice against Islam and Muslims, it can take various forms of shapes, it can take the form of killing of Muslims, without any valid reason, or for other political purposes. It could be stigmatizing the religion also for other purposes. It could also perhaps take the form of

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drawing caricatures of the personality who is at the core of the existence of Muslims, the prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam deliberately distorting the religion, deliberately stereotyping Islam and Muslims. And then, of course, this these things lead to other matters, it leads to the cheapening of Muslim lives, so that when a Muslim life is taken, it is not regarded to be as serious as if an other non Muslim life is taken, or especially if it is a white person's knife is taken. So that doesn't make and grab the headlines. And this also came recently to the fore, when three people in North Carolina were killed, most likely because of the Islamic belief. And the media made it out

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that it was a parking dispute. It was only when Muslims went onto the social media platform to object that year was a hate killing, where people were killed solely because they were Muslims, that the media responded. And then also after social media campaign, that forced the president of America to apologize or to condemn it up till then, it was not condemned. And this is because of the stereotyping of Muslims so that when Muslim life is taken, it is not regarded to be so serious. So we are facing this aspect of Islamophobia. And this particular aspect of Islamophobia, was something that was introduced as a concept in the early 90s, by a survey which was done in the United Kingdom,

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by the Runnymede trust. And it came up with the aspect of the concept of the Islamophobia, which was an unfounded hostility, fear and dislike of all, or everything Islam, or Muslim. And they did the survey and amongst the aspects with regard to the survey, which came out from non Muslims, which was revealing without us agreeing upon it. And of course, sometimes you relate something to understand not to justify. So this Runnymede trust in the early 90s did a survey United Kingdom, especially in the broader context of Islamophobic attacks, and from the media, and from the society against Islam and the Muslims. And part of the survey was this, that people thought that Islam cannot adapt to new

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realities. Islam does not share common values with other major faiths, absolute rubbish. But just to give you one example, what was in this trust survey, Islam is inferior to other religions in the West. Of course, something that we do not believe in Islam is a religion of violence and supports terrorism. Islam is a violent political ideology. This is something that came up during the course of the survey that was done by the Runnymede trust in the early 1990s. To Do With Islamophobia. Now, with these aspects, what is important for us

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to keep in mind is that it doesn't come in a vacuum. It is not only

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In an intense dislike against a group against a religion, or against the people, there are many reasons that come to the fore. One of the reasons is that the West, and especially maybe even more, we can see the West, anyone that has Imperial designs, anyone that has the intention of a global hegemony treats America previously was a British Empire, they always had to create an enemy. So the British Empire did the same thing during the course of what was known as the the British Empire. You know, and of course, someone had made mention with regard to it, we all know that the sun never set upon the British Empire, it was very good, great pride was set. So one person one day went to his

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Irish parents as an Irish person, and he came home from school and he said, Oh, my father, do you know that the sun never set upon the British Empire. Now, Irish people had a sort of a dislike against British people. And he said, Yes, my son, because no one trusts the British in the dark. Nevertheless, this particular aspects were there. And they also created this you have to create an enemy to justify global hegemony, you need to create an enemy with the intention of continuing your war machine, and you need to create these type of situations. So, there is this aspect that comes from time to time that it is not done in isolation, there is a reason why these Islamophobia and I

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will go on to make mention with regard to it, the other aspect is that comes to mind is a stigma of terrorism. So whether it be the Boko Haram or ISIS or whatever it is, these situations without understanding the background, or without understanding that it could be individuals doing something, whatever it is, these things are used to stigmatize Muslims wherever they are in the world. So this aspect also comes to this. And now we I think it's very important for us to understand this, that when anyone else does it other than a Muslim, so Andrew brevik did it in Norway. He killed people in a terrorist attack. No one ever suggested, although he himself said it was because of his beliefs in

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Christianity. No one regard it to be Christianity to be a terrorist organization, or supporting terrorism, why it is done with Islam and Muslims is a different matter. I also firmly believe that while when we deal with terrorism, and when we deal with aspects that are extrajudicial killing, which I said, I normally say that Islam is does not allow it in normal circumstances. I think it's important for us to understand that we, when we condemn these aspects, it is done because of our own values, not because of any political pressure from anyone. And in this regard, I have quoted many times an incident of Abu Bakr radi Allahu terrano, that Abu Bakr radi Allahu terrano, in his time of

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effort, after a particular victory in a battle, they send the head of an opposing general to over Korea, Latino, and he said, Why did you do this? They said, the normal customs of warfare at that time was that if the Roman Empire had defeated Muslims, they would have severed the head of the Muslim general and send it to the ruler. And I'm also doing the same because that is how the normal warfare was waged at that time, it was a normal aspect of war that was carried out. So over Korea, latona replied, since when do we need them to give us values? We've got our own profit to give us values. Our profits are allowed lesson didn't do it. He didn't encourage this. Why should we take

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norms from them and implemented in our life. So this particular aspect is something that we've got to keep in mind, but it will be very revealing to see in terms of terrorism and in terms of loss of life, who is cost and who has been responsible for greater loss of life in the past 5060 years in this world. In the Second World War, over 50 million people died, that was not caused by any religion not caused by Islam and the Muslims. The Holocaust was not caused by Islam and the Muslims. Although Muslims had to bear the brunt and consequence of the Holocaust. It was done by aspects of people who were Christian regarded himself as Christian white Christians. The other aspect that we

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got to keep in mind according to Hamish Mishra, who is a non Muslim who had written with regard to the fight for independence in India, said after the 1857 War of Independence, that the British had put over a million people into the gallows for speaking out against British imperialism and fighting for freedom. 1 million people without the aspect of law were put through the ghettos since so called war of terror

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10s of 1000s, if not hundreds of 1000s, if not coming close to million, have died on the aspect of war of terror, which have made many people to say it is not a war against terror, but it's a war of terror. Just to give an A

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Example between 2001 and 2010. Only in Afghanistan and Iraq, America had spent $406 trillion,

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so called war of terror, in a war against terror. It's actually a war of terror $406 trillion, only on this particular aspect, people are dying on a regular basis on drone attacks, without any aspect of law without any aspect of going through the aspect of going through the judicial system. So what do we talk about terrorism, who has been the cause of greater loss of life in the world in the past decade, or in the past century? So we have to keep these aspects in mind when we deal with the aspect of terrorism. And of course, historically, also, this aspect is very well known. You know, I read a very interesting quote in the Australian newspaper, and a British International Development

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Minister said, I don't think there's anything that Islamic state can come up with, that Christians in the history have not matched. At some stage in history, we used to burn one or another alive, over relatively trivial aspects of doctrine. Now, we can say that these particular aspects of Islamophobia, intense dislike against Islam, and the Muslim distorting all of this can be because of ignorance. And many times we do say that, but there is a lobby group in America known as the Council of American Islamic Relations. And the spokesperson made a very telling comment recently, and it was, I picked this up in the in the computer and speaker of internet when he said that we have

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distributed more neurons in the last few years than we have ever distributed. So that means there is a great amount of distribution of neurons, which of course does tell us that in this whole myth of Islamophobia, there's also an opportunity, when they are people who are speaking out against you, there's an opportunity and we have to grasp that opportunity that is on its place. But he said in this very same time, they have been tripled the report of Islamophobic attacks. So it is not only that it is because of ignorance, there are other factors that come into play. And there is a well funded Hate Machine against Islam and the Muslims, there at least seven prominent think tanks in

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America, whose only task is to create fear and hatred against Islam and Muslims, at least seven, if not more. And amongst them, the more prominent ones, is Daniel pipes of the Middle East forum, Pam jealous of Stop Islamization of America, as if Sharia is going to be implemented in America, or by Robert Spencer, who has got a think tank known as Jihad watch. So this negative mindset leads to a situation where Muslim lives become cheap. And if it is taken, it is not regarded to be as serious as other lives that have been taken. So this is something that we got to keep in mind. Now we can go on making mention with regard to it, I think in South Africa, we need to be very, very vigilant. We

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need to be careful, we need to be away from complacency. Yes, it is true, that thus far Alhamdulillah through the grace of Almighty Allah subhanho wa Taala, the level of Islamophobia in South Africa is not as intense as other parts of the world. But there are signs that are there, which are worrying, we see aspects from time to time in the media, which were not there, maybe a year or two back, we see aspects to the means of the spy cables, etc. Where negative stereotyping is starting to occur. And I think it's important for us, and it'll be negative for us to think that those particular think tanks that are out there to create intense dislike against Islam, and the

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Muslims will be working in one part of the world, and would not be starting to work and starting to concentrate on past aspects where Muslims might be relatively free from Islamophobia, that they would not take that into account. We can make mention with all of that, but I think important for us is how do we deal with it? We don't have much time normally our time of Juma there is this look at how do we deal with this. The first thing is, we must keep in mind we cannot be absent from the debate. Many times people feel we will sit in our massages, we will make zeker we will be in our hunters, we don't have to deal with it. As long as we are doing our salads etc. We don't have to

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worry what is happening. That's a wrong approach, maybe occur himself. So I've never had that approach. That doesn't mean that I'm undermining solids, aka Jessica tetra by all means. We have to have hunters. We have to have Tablighi Jamaat, you have to have everything. But that doesn't mean that while we are having this we turn a blind eye to these things. It's important for us that we are not absent from the debate. We learned this from none other than our beloved. Allahu Allah wa sallam, himself Salaam when there was attacks against Islam and the Muslim assassin took appropriate steps. Whenever you remember when he was from sometimes there was poetry that was coming

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against Islam and the Muslims, maybe Kareem saw some commission poets to reply to that in poetry. So that means if these media reports against you, you must have someone to reply to that in the media, because that is what Muslim did when they were people who are composing poems against Islam and the Muslims, Muslim commission perverts reply to it. So that was a tsunami occurring. During the course of the survey, which Council of American Islamic Relations did was, they found that when they they dealt with non Muslims, they found that only 37% of American society outside Islamic or outside Muslims had interacted with Muslims. That means that 63% of Americans have not come into contact

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with a Muslim. Now I to me, I don't think that is correct. If there are people who are in they, they are not, they are not in exposed to it, by all means. But when if people are exposed, it's a duty to be able to give a correct interpretation through the means of the conduct, through the means of polite argument with regard to Islam and the Muslims. So this particular aspect, you cannot be absent from the debate. If you're absent from the debate, you are losing the battle. And I think it's an important aspect, I just gave an example of social media, that when three people and three Muslims were killed, the media didn't report it, it was because of the pressure of the social media

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that made the media stand up and take notice and which force the American government to condemn it. Without that particular type of not being part of the debate, you lose these particular aspects. Either you become involved or you become irrelevant. So there's the first aspect that we got to keep in mind. The second thing is we have to use this word to to create the stigma with regard to it to the best of our ability. And that is whenever there are these aspects that come to the fore, which are reported against Islam, and the Muslims are against the religion, then it is our duty that we go and report it, we go and make a noise with regard to it. And we create the stigma with regard to the

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hate of Islam and the Muslims, the way other religious groups other people will be doing in terms of their loving. So the second aspect that we have to create that stigma whenever it is there, we make a noise with regard to it. If it is done in your work in your company where you are working, someone makes a Riga remark against Islam and the Muslims take it up. You make mention with regard to that this is not right. It is incorrect. It is part of Islamophobia. So I think we need to be creating the stigma with regard to it. The third thing is, bear in mind, not all non Muslims are islamophobes No, no, that's not the way we deal with it. Now via creme de la ciudad way, and we are not supposed

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to deal with it that way. In fact, one of the some of the most important literature with regard to Islamophobia is not been written by Muslims. You know, one of the most beautiful books in this particular regard is written by Nathan, Leah, the Islamophobia industry, why the right wing creates fear of Muslims. This is something that has been written and there's another book written making Muslims the enemy. So we are we are not supposed to create one size fits all. All non Muslims are against us. That is not the way we are supposed to read it now via Kareem salsa in his time, dealt with non Muslims who are sympathetic to Islam and Muslims and who are inclined towards justice maybe

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occur himself some dealt with him in the Treaty of would Apia nebia cream sauce from sent to non Muslims to non Muslims but Muslims to go and give his view with regard to reaching a peace agreement with the people of Makkah. One of them was put up in worka. Today when waratah was the leader of the panel, Casa Aslam used him then there was the leader of the tribe. There was an African presence in Makkah in a time of early Islam. And the leader of the tribe was a person by the name of policemen acaba who lives with me I called him and let me say Allahu Allah Salaam sent a message with him towards the people of mactan Muslim used him No I am being Massoud was used to quell and to bring an

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end to the Battle of the trench very well documented in Islamic history. So we are not supposed to take this view that all non Muslims against us know those particular non Muslims who are inclined towards justice, who would like to see aspects of right and wrong, they know what is right and wrong, or they have some predispose predisposed, we know that disposed towards that we have to use them. There's a third aspect. The fourth aspect always keep in mind. Our Nivea cream sauce, dealt with attacks against Islam and the Muslims themselves. Keep in mind was greatly attacked. Islam was attacked via Kareem salsa was attacked, how didn't it be a cream sauce and deal with it? Maybe a

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cream sauce lamb remains steadfast while he remains steadfast. And while he fought for his principles, he was excited.

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The only kind and beneficence and merciful on a one to one basis, even with regard to those people who personally attacked him. We all know the incidents. I don't have to give examples. A woman used to put thorns in the path of nebbia Kareem Salah Salem. And when maybe a cream sauce Kim came to know that she was sick. Therefore they were no hawthornden his partner is also meant to visit her. And she thought that maybe Starscream is coming to take revenge. And then we saw them as how are you keeping? How are you feeling? And when she saw that lack of nimbyism, she turned and she became a Muslim. And not only when we saw Saddam was weak when we saw cinnamate power and authority he

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forgave the one who mutilated the body of his uncle Hassan Hamza he forgave the one who had caused the death of his daughter has a Dana be a cream sauce to forgive them. So this aspect was always be in mind that maybe a cream sauce lemon or Muslims was subject to greater tortures and perhaps what we are seeing, or at least similar, or at least some form of torture out, it may be a cream sauce, react to that. Always bear in mind be focused on your objective. So objective is to please Allah subhanho wa Taala. To find a niche for yourself to practice Islam to propagate Islam to show the beauty of Islam. We always keep in mind that objective we are not waylaid by other incidents that

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may happen in terms of taking us away from our objective. Give me an example. Maybe a cream salesman wanted to sign the peace treaty of Arabia even bend backwards to sign that when they were about to sign this keep this in mind I have to share this beautiful example of serum. The person who was negotiating on behalf of the disbelievers was helping hammer his son about chendol had accepted Islam. But he had tied him up he had oppressed him and he was with him in Makkah somehow or the other he comes free from Makkah and he comes into the place where they're about to sign the peace treaty and about general says oh Muslims helped me against my oppression. Look, I am tired. Look at

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how I've been beaten up just for the sake that I have accepted Islam navia Karim Salaam cesium himself Swail free your son he has become a Muslim. So he's been ama said, Oh Mohammed on free him. Either. You agree to the treaty. The treaty said any Muslim who goes over any Muslim who is in Makkah goes over to the Muslim side without the permission of his authority without the permission of his guardian. Muslims will return him back. Muslims will return him back or Navistar. Some said the peace treaty is not signed as yet. He says well, then our own sign it may be so slim sennebogen will go back make supper, Allah will bring ease for you, Allah will create a situation that you will

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be free. Now we saw some hidden objective. And even as as emotional as this incident was for the Muslims, which even some of the Sahaba were incensed that we saw some didn't allow this one incident two, to deter him from what he felt was for the benefit of Islam and the Muslims. He went to sign it despite the fact that he said go general back, go back to Makkah. So, let me so serum had a strategic objective and you work towards that we always keep in mind I think is important point that we should not allow in our country hostility of other people to take over against us because in hostility people never see the truth. When people are hostile towards you, they will never see the

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beauty of religion. That is a reason why Nivea cream sauce from science, a peace treaty of Arabia, so that hostility can be removed when hostility was removed after the Treaty of Arabia. So many people accepted Islam in one or two years. They did not accept Islam in the previous 18 years of Islamic history. Why? Because there was no hostility. When you allow atmosphere of hostility, then it creates a lot of problems in many things. It creates a problem with regard to how people view you how people react to you how people might deal with you, and also create a problem in terms of how people look at upon your values, upon your teachings. Islam has never encourage that you must always

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have a hostile relationship, especially in a place like South Africa. At the end of the day, very important point is never apologize and be in doubt with regard to your religion. Never do that. Irrespective of the type of things that come upon us. We believe

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firmly that our religion is the one in which lies our salvation, we will adhere to that, we will propagate that with a great amount of politeness we will not impose it upon anyone, but we will believe in that and in that no matter what comes up and no matter what type of attack or what type of phobia there is, inshallah, may Allah Allah keep her steadfast upon that particular belief, irrespective of the circumstances while through that one