Omar Suleiman – Addresses Oxford University

			Good evening. It's wonderful to see so many of you here tonight. And we're very lucky. Because
tonight we'll be joined by Professor Imam Omar Suleiman, who is here to give an address on the title
Islam a test, not a threat. So without further ado, please welcome Omar
		

			Thank you very much.
		

			So I want them
		

			to be with you all.
		

			Human, the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. First and foremost, I want to
thank the president of the Union, Matt, who is the tallest person I've ever met in the United
Kingdom. So this is already a very unfamiliar and foreign environment to me, but it's wonderful to
speak to someone at eye level
		

			here in the UK, and of course, all of you for attending and everyone that was a part of organizing
this
		

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			Nabi Yona won't be him. Learn who Federico Gaynor had in home one Nola who Muslim on
		

			now how you heard what I just recited may have caused you a range of emotions.
		

			It may have given you what some social scientists describe as linguistic threat or anxiety, which
can happen when a foreign language is spoken around you. Or it may have sparked curiosity and
interest about what it was that was just recited.
		

			Or maybe you just appreciated how it sounded. Or maybe you just don't like my voice.
		

			A complex interplay of psychological factors can influence how we deal with the foreign and the
unfamiliar. But the verse that I recited from the Quran translates as follows. Say, we believe in
God, and what has been revealed to us, and what has been revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob
and his descendants. And what was given to Moses, Jesus and other prophets from their Lord may peace
be upon them all. We make noses distinction between any of them, and it is to him that we wholly
submit, when I translate the verse, suddenly the foreign and the distance may now feel familiar and
near. But going from foreign to familiar, is usually a process, a process that many find
		

			inconvenience or too complicated to engage. Because in more ways than one, ignorance can be
comfortable, and knowledge can be complicating.
		

			When my worldview perfectly conforms to an algorithm that aligns good and bad, and truth and
falsehood neatly to my likes and dislikes, then I inevitably live comfortably in my chamber of
ignorance that intentionally or unintentionally excludes people and ideas that could be disruptive.
		

			There are some who find joy in exploration and experiencing others. With the example of the
recitation of the Quran. Some would shed tears, even if they didn't understand a word of it, just by
being captivated by the beauty of the recitation, or even the emotion of the reciter. But those who
take it a step further by familiarizing themselves with the meaning of Islam, Sacred Scripture, may
find an even deeper sense of enrichment. The Quran speaks about Christians who hear the Scripture
and whose eyes filled with tears not just out of an appreciation for the recitation, but also out of
recognition. When the righteous Christian leader of Abyssinia, known as Dina Joshi received the
		

			first set of Muslim refugees fleeing the persecution at the hands of the pagan elites of Mecca. He
initially granted them safety out of a commitment to his own scripture and principles of justice.
But then when his diplomatic ties with Mecca, were put to the test. And Islam and the Muslim
community were misrepresented to him. He called for the Muslims to recite from their book as Jaffa
the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him read
		

			verses about Jesus and Mary peace be upon them. He was deeply moved, and he famously drew a line in
the sand, saying the difference between us and you is no greater than this line. This religious
recognition of his had massive political implications, and that it shaped his legendary refugee
policy. He no longer saw these people, as Wanderers and Bedouins from the Arabian Desert. But as
brothers and sisters in humanity, and faith, the familiarity led to a beautiful logical place of
friendship and fraternity through faith. There's perhaps nothing more beautiful than when you see
the best of what you hope to be, and people whom you want assume the worst. The great Syrian
		

			historian, even our socket records that when a group of Byzantine Christians first encountered the
Muslims and their worship, and the Great Mosque of Damascus, they paused and said admiringly, you
remind us of the disciples of Christ, and there is no shortage of historical accounts to a similar
effect. Sometimes, however, the familiar can cause a different reaction.
		

			One Easter many years ago, around the time when the movie The Passion of the Christ, was released,
that's when Mel Gibson was still okay. I held a series of Friday Sermons on Jesus peace be upon him
in Islam, and I invited the local community to attend, we put an ad in the local newspaper, and 30
to 50 of our neighbors join every single week for the Friday sermon for an entire month. And at the
end of the last sermon of the series, I walked to the back of the mosque, and I found a gentleman
named John sitting alone.
		

			He was one of the last people left in the mosque, and he looked like he was about to burst into
tears.
		

			But as he was looking at the inner part of the dome, the look on his face wasn't one of contentment,
or even grief, it was actually one of frustration. And so when I put my hand on his shoulder and
asked him if he was okay, he responded by saying, people who pray like Jesus to the lord of Moses
five times a day, and I'm supposed to believe you're going to *.
		

			He went on to explain that it was the first time he felt like he had witnessed the biblical
references of Jesus falling on his face and prayer in real life, that now he had to seriously
reassess his own convictions. He was perplexed by us, because he always assumed us to be worshipping
another God altogether, and following some sort of pagan religion with incoherent ideas. But what he
saw an Islam that was familiar to him, had now become a test to him. Which brings me to another
conversation of mine, which forms the basis of this address I was on I was once asked by a fellow
Professor after giving a one on one presentation on Islam. If I could honestly say to him with a
		

			straight face, that Islam was not a threat to him.
		

			I responded to him by saying, Islam is not a threat. But it is a test. In the case of John, Islam
was a theological test to him. But in a much broader sense, Islam as a religion, and the Muslim
community, provide a potent test to almost every political and social movement trend claim or party
in our western societies today. And if you don't reckon with this test, you risk not just alienating
or oppressing Muslim populations, but robbing yourself of the opportunity to appreciate the beauty
of what has been made foreign to you before and not remedying the gaps in your own thinking and
practices. First, we must start with the ugly.
		

			The demonization of Islam and the dehumanization of Muslims, based on manufactured fears has led to
all sorts of political and social problems. Now there are two types of foreign to reckoned with in
regards to Islam and the Muslims. There's the exotic foreign and there's the extremist foreign. The
exotic foreign is the foreign which casts Orientalist tropes on Islam and Muslims with a lens that
never allows them to be seen as part of anything other than their mysterious own. And the extremist
foreign that portrays Islam and Muslims as uniquely dangerous and suspicious, which has formed the
basis of the colonization of the Muslims abroad, and the securitization of the Muslims at home. At
		

			the onset, the two forums may seem unrelated, but they actually do feed off of one another. Both
lenses involve a charitable read of the quote unquote West past and presents an escaping read of the
quote unquote Muslim world, past and presents. And it may be perhaps that much of this projection of
Islam and the Muslim world is a lack of recognition of the ways in which Islamic civilization has
already contributed to the very fabric of Western civilization as we know it today.
		

			Everything from the coffee that we drink to our medicine. And some would say the same thing, to our
toothbrushes and combs to our math and sciences to the robes you adorn yourself with when you
hopefully all graduate from this wonderful institution, to the legal traditions you study to get
there, to the domes and your architecture and in many ways, the university system itself to the
study of optics and psychology and surgery and the hospitals, they're performed it and the list goes
on and on. But you wouldn't know that watching the crude portrayal of Muslims over the years who
seem * bent on destruction, and unable to function outside of the harsh Arabian Desert, a place
		

			where the women are all seductive and subjugated and the men are vicious and malicious. And while
these stereotypical constructs were brought to life through Western imagination onto Western
screens, the very contributions of the Muslim world to Western human progress were erased. And even
worse, the main contribution of the west to the Muslim world in return has been to tame and civilize
populations by force, to supposedly protect them from themselves and the world from their terror.
And this is precisely how the exotic foreign lens plays into the extremist, extremist foreign lens
that renders Muslim populations uniquely dangerous. And mentality is forged of we must liberate them
		

			out of mercy and benevolence, ironically, by bombing them mercilessly. So you effectively become our
Saviors in Hollywood, but our tormentors in real life. Muslim men are inherently in need of being
restrained and Muslim women are inherently in need of being rescued. And so in the name of women's
rights, women are drowned and starved and left in utter desperation. As their nations and families
are stretched to pieces and in the name of human rights human atrocities are committed far from the
sight of those who unwillingly or unknowingly fund them with their tax dollars. And just as
ignorance has led to a lack of appreciation for what Islamic civilization has meant to Western
		

			civilization, it has also led to a lack of acknowledgement for the many harms caused to the Muslim
world through historical and ongoing projects of Western imperialism. But as the saying goes, a
history written in blood cannot be erased by lies written in ink fabricated lies, see weapons of
mass destruction.
		

			By unrepentant global powers that justify illegal invasions, in order to steal the resources of
Muslim lands long predate their rock war. Virtually every attempt to arrogantly impose a Western
conception of democracy on foreign populations has failed and left in its wake nothing but misery
destroyed civilizations and civil wars. Rather than be held accountable for deliberate crimes to
stunt the progress of some Muslim majority countries. These advanced democracies add insult to
injury by insisting that the very countries they ruined are in fact the authors of their own
destruction. And that the solution to the liberation of these backward countries is, you guessed it,
		

			even more unsolicited, unwanted and most importantly, utterly failed intervention by enlightened
superpowers. Now, that is not to say that all problems that exists in the Muslim world are
externally imposed and to be blamed on the west. Nor is it to say that there is nothing redeeming
about Western civilization as it is celebrated today is to say that a sincere and inquisitive mind
that is willing to be vulnerable in the pursuit of truths made so foreign, will likely arrive at a
very different conclusion about Islam and the Muslim world than what is mainstream today. It's also
true that the sincere and inquisitive Muslim is also self critical, and that Muslims should
		

			challenge themselves to live in accordance with their best examples. Despite the overwhelming
obstacles. As Muslims, we should constantly seek to revisit the beauty of the pristine example of
our Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, and to revive the golden age of Islamic contributions
inspired by that example. Our oppressors are not our teachers, and our obstacles are not our
excuses. So while we refuse to let others pontificate to us, we preach to ourselves and to our world
simultaneously to be better. Now, some might say, even while acknowledging that Islamic Golden Age,
that it's time to stop living in the past, Islam and Muslims today, they argue, are a shadow of
		

			their predecessors. Most modern discoveries and progress take place outside of the Muslim world and
often outside of faith communities altogether. The world's religions that remain relevant today have
largely done so in spite of and not because of their actual teachings. And so religions have to
constantly constantly monitor societal trends, and then rapidly undergo a rebranding exercise, which
often entails renegotiating their core beliefs as a matter of pragmatic survival, or aligning their
beliefs entirely to secular and unholy pursuits of power.
		

			So Islam has to stop resisting reform of its core values and tenants if it wants to thrive in
today's world. My answer to that is why is it that despite all the calamities and challenges that
continue to plague many Muslim majority countries, and the pressures and discrimination that come
with being a Muslim minority, Islam remains the fastest growing religion in the world. And while you
may sneeringly, say, we just have more kids, I'd respond with, we certainly have a lot more converts
as well. So how do we make sense of this, in my view, in one word, authenticity, from the
preservation of its message and the historicity of the Quran, to the commitment and adherence of its
		

			followers to its tenants, to the simplicity and consistency of its message, to the intuitive yet
uncompromising nature of its moral code. The core value proposition of Islam is so potent and robust
that it connects deeply and profoundly with those seeking fulfilling answers to some of life's most
perplexing questions. The human inclination to worship is innate and impossible to overcome. Whether
the object of our worship and devotion is God, or technology, or progress or human reason, or indeed
our own desires, we are all in some way devout. Islam is so widely appealing because it places an
unrivaled emphasis on submission to the only entity that is absolute God, emphasizing that
		

			everything and everyone by comparison and contrast is relative. Thus, the very essence of the
Islamic faith begins with the act of ultimate humility and opposition to satanic pride, which is to
dethrone oneself in recognition of one's fallibility and imperfection. It is hard to imagine an
expression more authentic or sincere. And this is what is so profoundly appealing about Islam, to
many who have embraced it. It is a striking, counterintuitive and historic anomaly. By and large,
Islam has resisted reinventing itself to align with the prevailing orthodoxy, orthodoxies of
society. And Muslims have insisted on the full practice of their faith in the face of much
		

			discrimination. Though this seemingly stubborn refusal to relent should be costly. Islam if anything
continues to grow exponentially. And so if the goal is to exert maximum pressure to make Muslims
uncomfortable with their Islam as it is, I would argue that it will only make Muslims insist more on
their faith. So we will remain just by being ourselves as a result of that a test, a test for ever
evolving systems of thought and governance a test for new trends, a test for new worried populations
that may see our insistence on our faith as a threat. And we've already seen the impact of such a
dangerous framing of our religion and community, not just abroad. But here at home. While anti
		

			refugee and anti immigrant rhetoric and policies rooted in ignorance and fear on the rise. The
Muslim refugee is not looked at merely as one who may consume some of the nation's resources or
dilute its identity, but a threat to that nation's existence because perhaps they'll inflict terror
or infect their populations with regressive ideologies. The Muslim prisoner, jailed on false
terrorism charges, or for mere thought crimes isn't afforded the same backing by rights
organizations that otherwise fight for liberties and the end of mass incarceration. Because to
defend a prisoner accused of supporting ISIS or Al Qaeda may end up costing you your own security,
		

			or at the very least lead to your permanent social stigmatization. Even though the accused may be
entirely innocent. Muslims feel the double standards around them all the time. It's why Palestine
not being given the Ukraine treatment, despite seven decades of a sustained illegal occupation
stings so much.
		

			And let me state here in unequivocal terms, anti Palestinian bigotry is Islamophobia, even if not
all Palestinians are Muslim. I say that because anti Palestinian bigotry employs the same
Islamophobic tropes, it employs the same framing and tactics to dehumanize Palestinians, Muslim or
otherwise, and deprive them of their basic human rights. We get it. We're a test to the principles
you claim, whatever they may be. And that's why no matter where you stand politically, we test you.
If you're a self proclaimed conservative who believes in preserving religious freedom and religious
values in society, yet somehow simultaneously seek to remove Islam and the ability of Muslims to
		

			practice or even exist in your society. You are betraying your own claims. There is nothing
Christian about your
		

			cause, and you should know that white nationalism is no less secularizing than anything on the left.
And if you're a self proclaimed liberal who fights for the rights of minorities to live in peace and
without harassment, yet simultaneously seek to remove the rights of religious communities, including
minorities to practice their religion without fear of reprisal or legal repercussions, and to adhere
to their own values of unchanging moral truths. Even if that means challenging your liberal values,
you too are betraying your own claims. And so no matter where you fall on the political spectrum,
Islam as a test to your political views, and the elasticity of your claims to pluralism, as the
		

			great Muhammad Ali said about himself, I am America, that the part you won't recognize, but get used
to me, black, confident, cocky, my name not yours, my religion, not yours, my goals, my own get used
to me. The words I am America can easily be spoken as I am the United Kingdom, or I am France, or
whatever other place that Muslims have found it difficult to live freely and faithfully. Muhammad
Ali, though, who initially posed the test to America's legal system, War Machine, and understanding
of itself politically, socially, and theologically, is now rightly recognized for enriching it and
the world beyond beyond measure. It is my hope that many will come to see today's Muslims today, in
		

			the same way, tomorrow, and maybe even today as well. I want to end with an observation though, that
it is often when we're all vulnerable, that we're suddenly forced to work together. It has been my
experience that nothing brings us together like crisis. It's in crisis, that we arrange our
priorities to meet a common threat. And that we are reminded of our shared humanity. It's during
that reminder that we can learn empathy for one another, and be enriched by one another's presence.
humanity faces the major threats of environmental degradation, increased political polarization
through social media, potential nuclear wars, global hunger, and the advent of technologies that
		

			seemed to make us less human, and see others as less human. Muslims are used to being looked at as
the threat. But we are a community of faith that loves to surf. If you lower your guard and see that
beauty, you may understand us a bit more, and the beautiful religion that we adhere to.
		

			And so as I started with the ugly, I'll end with the beauty that can arise out of the ugly. They
both happen to involve the infamous date of 911. In the United States.
		

			All Muslims have grown up in the United States are under the shadow of 911. And it has had global
implications. And I look not just at September 11 2001.
		

			I actually look at September 11 2005. And September 11 2011. Allow me to explain why. I'm from a
city in the United States known as New Orleans, Louisiana. And we were struck in 2005 by one of the
greatest natural disasters in the history of our nation, the same amount of casualties or close to
the same amount of casualties as the 911 terror attacks, and all types of property damage, and so
much more that happened to our city.
		

			And as a Muslim community, we came out to serve. We went to shelter after shelter to bring people
into our homes to bring people into our mosques. We served, we rebuilt. We got it out homes. And
suddenly we were looked at entirely different.
		

			When we went to the largest shelter at the time of evacuees, the Astrodome in Houston, where there
were 1000s of evacuees, we asked for a date in which we could serve food to all of those who were
there. And the shelter management said to us, there's only one date available to you, September 11.
		

			Now we could have walked away from that and said it's not worth it. Imagine the optics of Muslims
just four years removed from 911 walking into the Astrodome with their phones and hijabs and cookies
and beards, with boxes in their hands on that day, when the fears of our community would be stoked
in the way that they would annually where most Muslims on 911 would stay indoors. And in fact, till
today still do.
		

			But we took it as a challenge. He said you know what? We renew our intentions. Our goal is to serve.
It may be for a divine wisdom that this is the only day that was given to us. And we will serve
everyone in that day of 911.
		

			And what ended up happening was as Muslims came out on 911 2005 to serve the evacuees in the
Astrodome, we were the only relief group
		

			To receive a standing ovation from all of the evacuees.
		

			I fast forward to another 911 anniversary, the 10 year anniversary of 911. Where as faith groups who
had now become more familiar with one another in New Orleans, Louisiana after that disaster, we
decided to do something positive and productive on that day rather than mourn and grieve. And so we
decided to rebuild a section of the city that had never been rebuilt river town, to repaint to redo
the roads to clean it up and to completely transform it with hundreds of volunteers from our various
faith communities, to show what togetherness could look like. We did so and then we came together in
the mosque at the end of the day, and we had halal and kosher gumbo, the halal gumbo tasted a little
		

			better than the kosher gumbo. It's just my opinion.
		

			But you could see the tears in the eyes of the people that had once seen our community in a
particular light. They sat there and they all look like John in the back of my mosque, frustrated,
but content, hopeful, but at the same time, regretful.
		

			And it paved the way for many difficult conversations that had to be had.
		

			And as I say to people, when you complicate your worldview, it's a beautiful thing. And so I said to
them, we have complicated things for you. You're welcome. as it heads medica Shabazz, Malcolm X.
once said, we need more light about each other. Light creates understanding, understanding creates
love, love creates patience and patience creates unity. Lastly, I want to acknowledge that some of
this may be difficult to hear and process for some, but I want to applaud those who are linguish
their comfort zones and find growth and what may be initially uncomfortable and unfamiliar.
Difficult Conversations formed the basis of durable relationships. Durable relationships formed the
		

			basis of healthy communities, Healthy Communities form the basis of contributing societies. And as I
began with the verse from the Quran, I would like to conclude with another one as well. This one a
call to get to know one another.
		

			Yeah, a Johann Nasser in follow up on
		

			mean carry on.
		

			Why John? Come shuru welcome.
		

			In early two, or four in Chrono Qumran and Allah He at Cancun in nulla, her only one hobby, oh
people, we have created you all for male and female, made you into nations and tribes so that you
may get to know one another. Verily the most honorable among you, and the sight of God is the most
pious. Rarely God is all knowing, and all aware. Thank you very much.