The Deen Show – Muslim Student of Ahmed Deedat who had become very Christian

			student, Medina. So here's how we're going now. So Jesus is God, I would like you to show me one
verse, only one statement anywhere in your Bible, any version of the Bible, where Jesus says, I am
God, or where he says what shocked me. Because when I was studying at the age of 17, I met
personally,
		

			that the woman must cover her head, that the woman who doesn't shave off her head, your Bible says
		

			this modesty, then the nuns, the nuns, you know, the Roman Catholic Church. Nobody gives them a
second look, is Mary the mother of Jesus came along. You won't give her a second look. But my dear
sisters, those woman on your Gold Coast assess Barbaro and all that with beanies and tangles in G
string. Look.
		

			It's affecting
		

			older men like me,
		

			into the mosque, my father used to run a bar and went to a Christian school to be really a British
white school, where I became very Christian. So I used to have a picture of Jesus whom I actually
prayed to Jesus. Yes, went to Christian school, got a scholarship to be a pastor and a priest. Well,
yes, yes, I go to church every Sunday, you said your family was Muslim. I very much anti Islam
because of the culture I saw. It didn't make sense to me. I was seeker. We love Jesus so much that
we pray to the God Jesus pray.
		

			I feel I feel very happy to let people know that we love Jesus is one of the mightiest messengers of
God ever sent. He was like Moses, Abraham and all the preceding messengers. Yes. But then I'll let
him know. Let's get the elephant out the room. Yeah. And when people get cultural Islam, they are
turned away. The relationship that you built with the Christians right next door to the mosque. Yes,
yes. They're losing the kids in the nightclubs, drugs and fornication and adultery message of the
devil. Are you familiar with that? That's in the schools. Now the
		

			message of
		

			this call is the Church of Satan. He established an organization called Hicksville football. Yes.
What was that all about? It was an organization or law with only non Muslims, not only non Muslims
kafar
		

			Assalamu alaykum greetings of peace guess where I'm at in Hollywood now Hollywood, California, but
Hollywood, Florida, with Shay Scheffer. How are you? hamdulillah Mashallah, how are you doing? I'm
doing fine. It's a pleasure to be with you. Very nice for you to be with us. I'm in LA in Hollywood
of Florida, hollywood of Florida. So tell me do you know what's unique you just gave me a beautiful
tour of the mustard here and also the TV studio very beautiful martial I think every Masjid every
community to have one of these setup because they need it It's so important shala but also what
really what all of the hype manufactured fear the push you know the Islamophobia you know, trying to
		

			separate polarize us, but you actually have a Christian church right next to your mustard. So some
people would think like, that's the impossible to happen. But you guys tell us about that. It's the
relationship that you built with the Christians right next door to the mosque. Yes, yes. So we are
technically not under one roof. But we are connected different buildings, different buildings, but
the same roof Yes, that is interesting. And we have a good bond and Fridays we share their parking
lot and Sundays they share our parking lot. We don't have to invite Christians to have an interfaith
program we live in defeat every day when we come to pray and when they have different services we
		

			all meet we talk when we have programs and activities together we share the events together. So we
are not just
		

			interfaith dialogue people we live interfaith Yeah, so we can get some experience you've been doing
Taotao is as I as we know is sharing because if you care you share yes yes Amanda and on every one
who has submitted to the world of the crater a Muslim to share its art. We're supposed to be a mat
ambassadors to this day. No more prophecies to come. Of course. Yes. So you've been sharing for over
3030 years? Well, 40 plus 40 years 43 years? Yes. So inshallah we can gain some some definitely some
benefits from from your wisdom. Tell us what has been some of the challenges here in Florida. Some
of the main misconceptions that people have and how do you go about addressing them well,
		

			You know, Alhamdulillah maybe I need to share this with you.
		

			I grew up very Christian.
		

			Yes, I grew up very Christian. I don't like to accept that. And I do not say that I ever denounced
Islam and I used to be law, I don't want to get into that jurisprudence technicality, because we
love all the shakes getting on. And so my parents were Muslims, for Father's 200 years ago with the
British coming from India, etc, to the Caribbean, because I'm Caribbean. So I grew up very
multicultural multifaith, I went to a Christian school to be really a British white school, where I
became very Christian. So I used to have a picture of Jesus home. I actually prayed to Jesus. Yes,
went to Christian school, got a scholarship to be a pastor and a priest. Yes, yes, I go to church
		

			every Sunday, you said your family was Muslim. But the sad thing they were not practicing was like
most Today, many, many people, they'll fall into the trap of just being culturally most Yes. And
well, they were a little beyond cultural Muslim. My father never entered a mosque. My father used to
run a bar, you know, I'm saying. So it was not about understanding or knowing Islam. So hence, I got
involved in the Christian community and, and sad enough, you know, because of the cultural Islam
that used to be practice around and in some places still today. I grew very much anti Islam, because
of the culture I saw. It didn't make sense to me. I was seeker. And I love the question you asked,
		

			Tao. And that is what motivated me to do Tao today. Because I saw in those days, the walls that were
around me from Islam, and I will I wanted to know. So when Allah guided me, guided me and gave me
the Hidayat to get into the fold of Islam, and when to study Islam, etc. My dream and vision was not
to have people like me anymore, that did not know Islam that turned away from Islam by not getting
the true Islam. And when people get cultural Islam, they're turned away. Yeah. So that's what opened
up my vision, through the mercy and guidance of Allah to do Tao in such a way that what I was hungry
for and people like me, I feel that this is the message we need to bring to the world. We are in for
		

			an exciting show. Yes. So you are technically okay. So you come from a Muslim family. Then you are
about to be a pastor or priest. Yes. Got a scholarship for it. Okay, so technically went to church.
This is not new to me. I just interviewed another Muslim who technically he left Islam came back to
Islam. So because you get many situations like this. So you actually now you know, the Bible very
well. Then. Hamidullah? Yeah, not supernatural, but so you're good. I went to church. And so you
read the Bible and you're another, you know, our teacher, one of one of the people that many people
says benefit, I'm gonna do that. Well, not only I know, I'm a dad, but let's be very real. He was
		

			one of the motivating factors in my life, because when I was studying at the age of 17, I met a
mudita. Personally,
		

			quite shallow. I met him in India, where he came to the University in Bangalore. Personally, I met
him, and I was totally motivated by his message and his style as a young boy, a teenager. Then I
became his guest in South Africa in 1994. We got a student, my deed, so here's how we're going now.
So yeah, the Muslim Muslim family. Then he's went to study to be a pastor priests, and then comes
back hooks up with dama das, yes. And that's why the very same verse of our Medina to us uses Audrey
laughs Amelia Rebecca Bell hikmah invited aware of the Lord with wisdom. I use that as Al hickmott
verse, you know, because of Medina. And then when I became as guests that Islamic Propagation
		

			sentence or Africa, you know, it concreted everything in 1994. Yes, yeah, I've been to his home.
I've been to his grave. Um, you know, I've had that personal connection. So he has been very great
in motivating me in this field of town. Yeah, he really helped to solidify and to help give that
confidence to Muslims out there. And I also tremendous asleep benefited from much of his work, of
course, and as many have millions all over the world milligram Jen Nami. So what do you remember
some highlights from from his lies from your time spent with him that stood out that really had a
great impact on you to share with us here today? Well, the mere fact that Sheikh Ahmed deedat would
		

			look at the Quran and look at those areas that humanity needs to better understand those areas of
misunderstandings that our Muslims would only concentrate Yes, on their pillars, prayer zakaat even
though they don't give all this a cart, the cart fasting and Hajj, so he went into the other eras of
like pseudo Allium, Ron, the life of Marissa molesta led to Salaam Prophet Jesus speech.
		

			All other profits, and that linked with the Bible, Christianity, Judaism, you know, the message of
humanity and how our Muslims by understanding that we will be able to relate better with non Muslims
from the scriptures, and that message, which is the universal message of God. And I try to
concentrate on that area like when I go to synagogues and churches, you know, Alhamdulillah we would
we would refer to the Bible and the Torah and sometimes we will talk about stories from the Bible
and tour I remember I went to a synagogue and spoke about the life of Joseph peace be upon him. When
our Finnish Jewish guy came and said, you know, that story is very similar to the Torah. But you
		

			guys went a little more in details, I say, Yeah, that's it. We're the same scriptures from God.
Because that's the kind of thing that I I believe that the non Muslims do not hear from us. They
think that we are a bunch of aliens we are different people. Our lifestyle is different, we learn we
practice with each different, but if only they will understand the commonalities that exists between
us. And Allah says that or do last year Rebecca bellick invited we have dialogue with them. Then he
says in the Quran in surah Allah Mirage chapter three verse 64, to Allah we like Kalimantan so I'm
Bane in Albania can invite people to the message that one word of commonalities between us and them.
		

			And what I learned from DITA, based on what you asked me, is, that's an area that a lot of our
people do not really study, or try to comprehend. Hence, when we come across non Muslims, we are
lost and we look like we different and we already at last, they already don't know us, and we now
don't know about them. But our Quran teaches us about Judaism and Christianity and the Prophet
Abraham peace be upon him and if only we would learn that and that is what chicama de that was a an
expert at and I really admire that and I met and I think if more for Muslims will understand that
we're not just telling people that we are there for you, we will let them know that we all one
		

			people yeah, we just have some misunderstanding here and they're obviously representing our Deen in
the best of manners in the best of character as the last and final messenger Muhammad peace be upon
him said I have not been sent accepted perfect good manners. So that foundation is there. We're
trying to be great ambassadors. How do you sometimes we'll have groups come in and one interact with
our Christian neighbors and friends? And I tried never to because it's never our intention to insult
to belittle, you know, to put anybody's faith down. But how do you address sometimes it's a
sensitive issue, but I feel I feel very happy to let people know that we love Jesus is one of the
		

			mightiest messengers of God ever sent. He was like Moses, Abraham and all the preceding messengers.
Yes. But then I'll let them know. Let's get the elephant out the room? Yeah, because Come on. Look,
people respect. When now I respect you. You tell me Look, if I don't believe Jesus as your Lord and
Savior, the tenant is I'll go to the hellfire. And I respect you for telling me that I don't have to
hate you now. But now I like to let you know that we don't believe in him as a God, or a little son
of God. But we say peace be upon him that he was one of the mightiest messengers of God. And he
preached us a message all the messengers that pure monotheism call it tawheed. So now we get that
		

			out of the room, and we can go on many of the other commonalities, how do you address this is
without compromising? What without compromising? You know, we agree to disagree, agree to disagree
in a play, like, Listen, we keep our identity. And this is very important, we should keep our
identity and that's why we are who we are. And we tried to understand the commonalities of which we
have more in common, we get to understand that and better understand it, because if we don't
understand the commonalities, we will never get over the differences. And when we understand the
commonalities, then we see Well, okay, here's where we differ. You know, it's like a husband and
		

			wife. Yeah, listen, husband and wife,
		

			kind of home, we love to have the same kind of children, same achievement in life. But listen, get
honest, and you're a man and I'm a woman. And we have different responsibilities. And the wife tells
the husband, you cannot take the pain of, of becoming pregnant and having a baby. You know what I'm
saying? Yeah, and the husband probably say, you cannot take the financial stress that I go to. But
let's understand that we have differences, agreed to agree to disagree, and respect each other's
differences. And there will be differences, and they are differences. And I think people are
intelligent enough to understand that very intelligent, and we got to let them know why we differ.
		

			And I love to explain to them why we differ so and they are so amazing, like, wow. And do you know
sometimes when we talk of the differences
		

			when my little experience, brother Eddie,
		

			you're able to see where, from a philosophy point of view. Other religions also have those beliefs
that we differ in when I mean they think like us, among the teachings of Jewish philosophers and
Christian philosophers, etc. They also think like us in many areas, but it's just a thought.
		

			Those that are thinkers, so they don't disagree. They agree that this is your difference. And you
pray to the God that Jesus prayed to. And I'm like, do you know, we are very much in common? They're
like, What do you mean? I said, Well, you love Jesus, and the God that Jesus prayed to we pray to
the God that Jesus prayed to. So we are very much Sima.
		

			Anyway, I say that one more time, I say, Tell them we are so common that you love Jesus and we love
Jesus. The only difference is that we love Jesus so much do we pray to the same God Hebrews, we love
Jesus so much that we pray to the God Jesus pray. You like these guys a wall, amazed that you love
Jesus so much that you pray to the God that he prayed to. So how could they disagree with me? Okay,
but now he says, look a little bit, but I believe that he died, he came, and he sacrificed himself
for my sins. You don't have that? How do you deal with that? Know what I didn't know. Some of them
tell us? We don't have them? And I'm like, Yes, we do. Now, because they believe that Jesus died,
		

			peace be upon him for their sins. And that's their salvation. And they're big about salvation, this
big blessing salvation thing. I said, Well, we don't have it because we don't believe Jesus died. On
the cross. We believe that he was raised. And you know, we go around, and he will come back. And you
believe that he will come back and they're like, yes, we believe he will come back. I said, The only
difference is you believe he died, and he will come back. We believe he never died, and he will come
back. Again communality, we are in one. And
		

			we believe that God
		

			grants us Paradise by His mercy. So just as you believe that you will get paradise and salvation by
Jesus dying for your sense. We believe that without Jesus dying for our sins, that the God of Jesus
will grant aspired by His mercy. And that is what he's all about mercy. And we believe that in
Islam, it's not your prayer in your hygiene, pilgrimage that gives you paradise. That's your effort.
But God forgives whomsoever He wishes, and He grants you by His mercy, His grace and mercy. Like one
of you guys caught that merciful thing we never thought that Islam has. And I said, Yes, we are
granted by by the mercy of God. And that's what we live by. So you got the same thing, but in a
		

			different line. You see what I'm saying? And, and these are some of the ways you better explain to
them and the people understand and then if you even want to go back into the Bible, and you see the
protocols, the story of the prodigal sons, right. And then the one who went off and he went and
he's, you know, burned all his mother, his father's money and whatnot, and just partied play, kicked
out the other was obedient. But then he turned and came back to God. I mean, he turned, turn back to
God turn back, came back home. And just like, you know, God Almighty, when you turn back, he opened
his arms, he took him in, believe we had the U turn back to the crater. You know, it often reminds
		

			me of that authentic, Id from the last in front of the merchant who said to mankind Prophet Muhammad
who said, that, that if the son of Adam was to come to me with sins all up into the heavens not
ascribing any partners to me, I will forgive you got this story there. It's very similar than yes in
the Bible. Yeah, you see it over and over. And you know what, what is very interesting sometimes I
tell my I mean, I still got my my father sisters are Hindus. Yes. I got my cousins are Christians.
My family's very much interfaith. Yeah, so I do have a lot of dollar to do you know.
		

			But I also tell them I said, you know, when Jesus says, the way to my father is through me, I'm
like, oh, Prophet, peace be upon him said the same thing. There's a Hadith of the Prophet peace be
upon him in which he sees the way to Allah subhanho wa Taala. Is to his son, to his way Yeah, so his
way, and even a line the Quran says that, if you love Allah, then obey the Prophet, peace be upon
him. So I tell my Christian friend, this and we have the same principle, the way to God is true, the
prophet peace be upon him. And that's what Jesus meant the way to God that he wished it is through
him. But we don't interpret that as worshiping Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, or as worshiping
		

			Jesus peace be upon him, but the way the God of Jesus God of Muhammad peace be upon him is to follow
Jesus peace be upon him and follow Muhammad peace bother teaching. The teacher they understand. I
mean, it makes an intelligent person can definitely understand it. The same words is just a matter
of differences of opinion in interpretation. It's nice now to go we can go a little bit and into the
Bible, as someone who is studying to be a pastor, priest and I, there's, well, I didn't get into it.
On your way is God Almighty, guided gave me that he died back to that
		

			to the way of Jesus because Jesus submitted his will to God and that's what Islam means submission
to the will of the Creator, not the creation, is that there's a passage in the Gospel of john and
it's amazing because it hits home where Jesus is reported to have said, This is life eternal, but
they may know you the only true God and Jesus, I don't
		

			Have you heard Jesus who has been sent? This is like so similar now to the Shahada right close Yeah.
And shadow. There's nothing worthy of worship except the one true God. And Muhammad is the final
message. So that's it, he was saying the Shahada there, it's right there, this is it. And in the
line of forgiveness when, according to the Christian teachings, when they were on that crucifixion
mission, Jesus said, Father, forgive them for they know, they don't know not what they do. So he's
always been speaking about his father, and forgiveness and mercy and kindness. You see, so even in
his last according to the Christian teachings, he was praying to his father. And in the end, the
		

			father in this sense meant God the God that he prayed to Yeah, but father is just a language of
speech. Yes, you know, it's a it's amazing that you will have many of the the people who haven't
connected to Muslims haven't connected with Muslim haven't visited a mosque, you know, they just
been brainwashed, you know, a lot of the the height, the manufactured fear that's out there. And now
they don't have the proper understanding. But when you just look at and we're not going deep into
some other issues, but just if you start with this pure monotheism, this just connects, we say with
the closer it connects with the innate nature of man that you just worship the one God, yeah, we've
		

			just been talking about, and that was Jesus's whole mission, calling people just to worship the one
God. And you know, brother, Eddie, that's one of the thing I tell some of our students because, you
know, we have a class where we only train students to be Imams and to do interfaith work. So I
always tell them that I said, dow, and as you were mentioning earlier on the kind of dow dow got
different levels, people like dow, I said, Yes, dow got different levels. One level is only to
invite people to God, you got a level to only invite people to God. And if we look at that, that's
not my opinion, the prophet peace be upon him. That's what he was doing for 13 years in his early
		

			mission, only inviting people to God. Then when you have people come to God, then you get them to
understand invite them to understand the teachings of God, because a man may believe in God, but he
does nothing that God says, Now you've got to give him down and invite him to do what God says. You
might have a guy who is a Muslim, and he's doing what God says. He's praying, he's giving charity,
but he's not live in Islam. Otherwise, you've got to give him Dawa, to live Islam, you see, so
Dharma got many different categories, and people can fall into any category. Yeah. So now you guys,
okay, we get that out of the room, we talk about the pure monotheism, not ascribing partners to God
		

			relaying This message is what we believe. And that the door Mercy is always open that you turn to
your Creator alone. And you come to him with a sincere heart. He's the most Gracious, The Most
loving, the most forgiving, get that out of the way. But now, you're the pastor comes over. And now
some common things you can work on, for instance, this this whole movement now growing the kids go
to the, to the university, and the professor, you know, writes on the board, no, God here, right. So
now there are given Dallas. So now you can tag team right together to come together, say with the
Christian neighbor, say, Look, they're trying to take our kids away from God, look at that same
		

			there's no God. You know, how do you do? Have you had these situations come up all the time? Yeah,
we had we had recently the people who start preaching the message of the devil. Are you familiar
with that? That's in the schools. Now the
		

			message
		

			on this call is the Church of Satan. The Church of Satan is literally called the Church of Satan. So
now we work together. I mean, I do have a lot of Muslims, I do criticize me and said, Why are you
involved with all these people? What are they about Islam? I said, Man, listen, we have so many
things to do in Davos, as we said earlier on, invite the god invite to righteousness, enjoin, good
and forbid evil, it got so many things we got to do that the Prophet peace be upon him taught us to
do. So when you have these people seeing the Church of Satan. So we work together with our Jewish
friends, and Christians, and everybody, even the Hindus, everybody doesn't matter, to get people to
		

			believe in God, or not the devil, not the devil, and the there are people who just want you and they
had a big, big fight about that, you know, whether it was saying that if you can teach religion in
the schools, then you need to start teaching about the Church of Satan. So we work together with a
lot of other churches and religions and faith to stop that, because that's not right. That what
faith is that? The fallacy that that's opposite of the faith, that is no faith, you know what I
mean? So that's areas of commonalities and working together for the pleasure of God, you got another
example. I mean, any Christian, any religious God conscious person wants their children to come out
		

			and to have a wholesome relationship between man and woman to come together in the family to have
children to bring them up to be morally upright, and society, you know, now they're coming and, you
know, kid they're losing the kids in the nightclubs, drugs and fornication and
		

			altri Another common good you can work together with us. We are commanded to enjoin good and forbid
evil and call people to righteousness. So we can work together. And I think that's the area we need
to work together. You know, I really do admire a lot of all Muslims in the united states of america
now, working very hard to get involved in politics. Congratulations, wish them all the best. But I
do think there is so much more to do, as you rightly said, on righteousness, humanity, seven our
children from their own path, uniting people and believing in God, in doing righteousness, we need
to get more people involved in doing this kind of activity. Because it doesn't become you can be the
		

			president of America, it doesn't mean you're going to stop this evil, you may be able to make
policies in Congress, but not necessarily policies that can save humanity from
		

			and from their own path. And that's another area that we need to work with our neighbors and our
people of different cultures and faiths. People, you know, you're in this part of the woods, as they
say that the neck of the woods that many people you have, you know, people go to extremes and call
Muslim terrorists. And you know, they're here to take over. Sure. Yeah. Right. have you dealt with
people like that, who have been hostile? And had these kind of twisted thoughts? And how have you
dealt with them? Well, I have had people come to me and said, what, what is this Sherry, why are you
Muslim is want to take over, because you know, when we have these interfaith programs, you're a
		

			theist, you've got Scientologists, you've got all kinds of people. They're people, again, from the
satanic church. And we have been in interviews and events and programs like that, and we have all
these questions from them. So
		

			based on what you just said, we tell people that, you know, you need to work together. And what was
the question you just asked me now? where people come on, and they they associate Islam with
terrorism, and you Muslims are doing to kill you're lying to us under Sharia? And so get to the
right point, Sherry, I want to get to that point, because that's what I want to know what you
specifically asked what it was there, so to show you, so people come and said, Why you guys want to
make America Sharia country? I'm like, Listen, I think this is greatly misunderstood.
		

			Islam and Sharia is a misunderstood, misunderstood thing today. If you go to Saudi Arabia, they got
their own Sharia, they got certain laws that are not practicing in India, you go to India, they got
certain Sharia laws that are not practice in Saudi Arabia, you go to Africa, they got certain laws,
they call Sharia that are not practiced in India. So bottom line is Sharia laws put together by
scholars who deduce laws from the Quran and the Sunnah. But it does not mean that anyone is going to
bring Saudi Arabia laws in America, Pakistani laws in America, African laws in American college,
Sharia Islamic laws, there is nothing like that. That's my verdict of Sharia. Me, Sharia. And that's
		

			what the law says, is the Quran. Sharia is the tour. Sharia is the Bible. Because really, Sharia is
the law of God. And the real Sharia that we supposed to follow is the law of the Quran. So the fear
that Americans have brother Eddie, is not the law of Quran. And I'll tell you why. Because they
believe in the Quran. They know the Quran exists, they are allowed to swear by the Quran, you're
allowed to live by your Quran, the Constitution of the United States of America gives you freedom of
religion, to live by your Quran, which is your Sharia. I think the fear in America that some of our
Muslims have misinterpreted, is by letting Americans think that we're going to bring the Saudi
		

			Sharia law here, the Pakistani Sharia law here that, you know, but that is a little
misunderstanding, and people mix them up both. There's a fine line within that there are laws. I
mean, let's take the niqab. Let's say someone is wondering, what am I speaking about? Well, in some
Muslim countries in India and Pakistan and Arabia in some areas, some villages, not the whole
country, some villages, the Sharia laws, women must cover their face. In most other Muslim
countries, it's not so are we bringing that law? No, no one is bringing that to them. Those are laws
that are Sharia based on the the the deduction of laws of Quran and Sunnah in certain states and
		

			countries. And that's what Americans are freedoms. I tell them, color cut. This shirt is a
misunderstood thing. We are going to live by the Koran, and no one is applying the chronic law to
America and Americans a man who believes in Islam. He lives by the Quran it's nothing like applying
this man made Sharia law to everybody. You know people get often confused but when you when you
bring it back home and since you we talked a little bit
		

			The Bible. I mean, you have Sharia mentioned over 200 plus times in the Bible. I mean, prayer is
shittier Of course, you know, it's charity, you know, the 10 commandments, right? That's the Sharia
being beautiful to your parents, you know, how many of the people now nowadays have their kids
cursing them out? Right? You know, if you follow the way of the Creator, right with the kids in the
home, you this is addressing all of that, all those things, but many people they get, they get they
get caught up with with the 2.1% or 2% with the the penal code. And we often give this example
imagine if aliens came from outer space. And then he wanted to know about, you know, America and the
		

			US Constitution and all we talked about was the electric chair. Right? The penal code. Yeah, yeah,
we do justice. No, not at all. So people get lied to they create Islam and like this Boogeyman
coming to get you and they misunderstand and yeah, they totally misunderstand. Many just
deliberately get lied to, because the truth they get told is not the full truth. Yes. So you have
you know, so much negative you know, Time magazine didn't did an article and over a span I'm not
actually I believe coast is that over, I believe, 70,000 publications or more, were printed talking
negatively negative propaganda about Islam. So now imagine today with all the Facebook and the
		

			YouTube Oh, yes, all of the, you know, the misinformation, a lot of ignorance out there. But yeah,
it's really a lot of ignorance. Sometimes they speak to some of my colleagues and friends of
interfaith background, and they had made the deal a lot of ignorance people really don't know, they
see what they just saw online, on social media, and that's why we as Muslims need to clarify these
misunderstood areas and Missa misconcept from a very intellectual point of view, not from an
ignorant point and create more confusion to the situation before we wrap up just because many people
here and people respect when you tell the truth and obviously coming from genuine love and concern,
		

			right? I mean, you get upset if Come on your neighbor neighbor told you you know, look, you're about
to get a ticket and you knew that and you let them get a ticket so why don't you tell me man right?
So that's a minor What about these major things when we talk about salvation we talk about you know,
Hellfire paradise and all these things that are important we get that out of the room, elephant of
the room and we move on to the commonalities. But now a lot of people they have misconception not
this term when you hear interfaith so clarify froze, because now someone thinks like, Okay, are you
talking about that we all come together from all different religions and we hold hands and sing
		

			Kumbaya so and everything's good you know, we can do whatever we want mishmash is a buffet and don't
mix it all up together. Or what do we mean when we say interfaith? Well, you know, again, if we look
at the Quran, yeah. And, and basically, I tried to not be a person, you know, if you if you if you
check me out, I try to not be a person of stories and fairy tales, and fake news. Put it like that.
So I like to get evidence and backup from the Quran and the Sunnah.
		

			And as we mentioned a little while ago,
		

			Allah subhanho wa Taala says in Surah, Allah Brian chapter three verse 64. Kalia kita, to Allah,
Allah Karim attain so I'm vain in Albania. Allah is telling us in the Quran to call the People of
the Book and discuss areas of commonalities commonalities if Allah tells us Kalima the same area,
the same talk the same word. See, if Allah tells us that we need to do that, then it's a command
number one, to call people of different faiths to discuss areas of understanding and then yes, you
explain to them your belief, your belief in God, how they believe how they don't Mashallah you
believe that's what you believe for you is your belief for me is my belief, but at least we educate
		

			them and that's a dour. Now, if we go into the Sunnah of the Prophet peace be upon him, the prophet
peace be upon him then in his days when he used to get frustrated in the message and the people not
getting the message, Allah subhanho wa Taala told him, your mission is to give the message Allah His
mission is to give you diarrhea, so prophet of Allah, you cannot give he Daya. Allah gives guidance,
your job is to give the message. So in Tao, and with interfaith people in the line of interfaith,
let's stick to that. Yes, doesn't matter what fits people have, we need to bring them together. And
as you rightly said, Taka for righteousness, the problems facing our children, woman, humanity,
		

			society, things that are affecting people we could work together without I have to believe
		

			in the way you believe in you believe in the way I believe, but we can do the areas of commonality
that will benefit all of us. And if you look at the time of the Prophet peace be upon him now for
those people who say don't work together and we do have that problem out there. A lot of our Muslims
who are getting very extremist nowadays they're like, don't work with it, but the other people when
we look at the history of
		

			Prophet peace be upon him. And this is where, again, it's not my opinion. It's what we read in the
life of the Prophet peace be upon him when he started preaching Islam and growing up in society and
the community as what we have today and what caused it to happen like that, okay.
		

			He established an organization called Hicksville football. Yes. What was that all about? It was an
organization allowed only non Muslims, not only non Muslims, kafar people, hardcore disbelievers who
never even believed in God.
		

			And for the righteousness and the betterment of society. He worked with the people together and
worked on areas to help people from being robbed, being killed, being mobbed, be murdered, all these
different things. He worked together in a society to help the people that have the people and people
of all different walks of life, all kinds of people Good, bad and ugly, as we would say. And he
loved it. He loved it, working with them, to help other people. So why can't we do that? Yeah. Are
we looking at the sooner that we enter a time like that, actually, when a very serious time, and we
should work with people and they will not? It's not like they were all people of one faith?
		

			Definitely. It was not. Yeah, this was known as a repeat this again, so called fool. Yeah, that
organization that worked for the virtues and the benefits of helping the society against crime,
criminals, teefin, Robin, you know, harms to different people. And then later on in life, the
Prophet sallallahu Sallam mentioned again, how much he loved that organization? Yes. So we see it in
his lifestyle where he did it for the society so that he did, why can we get faith leaders to work
together? He worked people who did not even have a faith? Yeah, that's my evidence, and I will based
on Quran and Sunnah. Last question. Before we cut out, is that so from a Muslim family, to almost
		

			becoming a Christian pastor, and to coming back to Islam? What was it that brought you back to
Islam?
		

			You're familiar with the public Jamaat, right? Yes. You must be familiar. Yeah. So because my name
was Muhammad, I still had the name Muhammad Shafi Muhammad. My mother name was canine canine. My
father name was sheriff. My brother's name was Ricky, cc, we are very much very Christian eyes kind
of thing. But because we had elastance, the surname Muhammad. So there was a group of South Africans
who came to the Caribbean
		

			around the year 1994 95, something like that. And they would go to homes of Muslim homes, that
someone directed him to home. And that's how they ran into me. And they're like, oh, but you're a
Muslim for Muslim family, and they got me to go with them and sit and eat nothing about mosque,
nothing about nama, pray Our Salah, eat some mangoes, I still remember that. It's a mangoes had a
nice conversation with about five or seven South Africans. So I thought it was a little retreat, it
was a little camp. And I started hanging out with them hanging out with them. And as a teenager,
that was kind of exciting. It was interesting. And that was also a strategy I learned and how you
		

			can win the hearts of people and they really want my hearts, how they were so loving, and so kind,
you know, they were people, different people I seem to bleak nowadays. Nowadays, the people I seem
doubly good. Some of them, some of them, if you're not in public, you're not one of them. These
people know that I will not even in mustard. I want to practice in Islam and the kind of love they
showed to me, and the caring and the love. It was phenomenal. You know, they sponsored me to go with
them. And in my mind, it's a camp, it's a retreat. So I went around and hung out with them. And they
were the people really, who told me whenever you decide
		

			to think about Islam, will sponsor you to go and study Islam. And they did I got sponsored from
South Africa. When I finished college. Allah gave me that he died and guidance that they will write
me every month, every month. Are you ready? Are you ready? You're ready. So I'll use this group of
South Africans
		

			to write to me on a regular basis to keep me going that whenever I write in later on, a lot, give me
an I like that, that that that theme that you have purpose of life. And that's I mean, I must say
it's a pleasure to be with you on your deen show, brother Eddie. It's really nice to be with you on
the purpose of life. And as Allah gave me the hit die, I started realizing what is the purpose of
life. And I was I will get in this call from there, ready to sponsor me everything for Islam to go
to cut the university in India, study Islam and everything. And then one day I just started getting
frustrated. Bottom line, the worldly life here.
		

			will be totally frustrated. Everyone will just frustrating me in how my believe because I started
practicing Islam. Why are you practicing? Are you becoming a Swami? Are you becoming a Blackmagic?
Guy? What are you doing, why your life has changed. So from this Christian lifestyle to this, from
this modern lifestyle to this sort of Islamic lifestyle, and that started frustrating me. And on the
other hand, I will get in this call from those Muslim brothers in South Africa who were just willing
and willingly say, whenever you're ready, we sponsor everything for you to go and study and boom,
one day I said, Let's let it happen. Oh, it's a whole long story. I had a whole nine yards. My
		

			parents didn't want it. My relatives didn't want it. They were like you wasted your own college
life. You wasted time, what are you getting into because remember, they will not practice in Islam.
But Alhamdulillah Allah made it happen. And I got that scholarship from South Africa to go and study
Islam. That's what happened. hamdulillah and he came back to the true purpose of life was the
creator, not the creation to the way of Jesus Moses, Abraham and all the messengers including
Mohammed just being the last and final message of peace be upon him and inshallah maybe on our next
hookup can be you guys. got me thinking since you're from Trinidad? Yes. From the island of
		

			Trinidad, and maybe inshallah we'll hook up again. there sometime in the future. Of course, some
radar use people have been mentioned to me before and now I'm meeting some people from Trinidad long
as you made the intention. We're gonna let it happen. But it must be awful because you know,
Trinidad is like the leading island of Islam in the Caribbean when I mean and activities. You got a
lot of big Islamic centers in the Caribbean, when it comes to population and activities and
dynamism. Trinidad is it you'll feel at home in Trinidad, you feel like you're in the West, but in
an Islamic atmosphere. Beautiful. Thank you. Thank you guys for tuning in. Go ahead and leave all
		

			the gems of wisdom you picked up from here and your experience with this interview. Thank you so
much for tuning in hope insha Allah has been a benefit continue to tune in subscribe if you haven't
already. We'll see you next time. Peace be with you as salaam alaikum Alaikum wa Salaam wa
rahmatullah. Thank you very much, but a pleasure to be with you on the deen show. 100 law. Thank
you.