Waleed Basyouni – The Life That is Born Out of Death
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the lack of leadership in the African American community and the dangerous of the situation, which is linked to racism and representation. They emphasize the importance of protecting privacy and community involvement, and stress the need for individuals to act with integrity and concern. The speakers also emphasize the importance of history and accepting the "one thing" approach to one's life, and encourage people to stand up for their brother's cause. They end with a discussion of the high prevalence of violence due to Hispanic and African American groups and the need for a clear plan to prevent future events.
AI: Summary ©
smilla Hungary Lau salatu salam ala rasulillah who Allah Allah, he was a woman who Allahabad. All praise due to Allah and His praise and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
My dear brothers and sisters, as you see, the only reason I took my mask today is because after I put this, so just to protect you, the whole point is to protect you from
in case if I have the virus, so, but still everybody is required inside the mustard to keep their mask on. And as well as the man when he comes down from this place.
Today, I would like to speak to you about
the issue of the nation,
that it is very hard just to ignore and to move on. While we are the city where George Floyd was buried, and his funeral just took place here in Houston, Texas.
As a Muslim community, we should have
a lot of reflections about about what is happening in the country today.
And these are just a few points that I want to share with you. Hopefully, it will be something that we benefit from it as a community. Number one, we need to remember that this incident is not just an isolated incident. And it's not just an incident that bad apple or a bad PR, you know,
just circumstances that he was in the right wrong time in the wrong place with the wrong person. It is much bigger than that. And it is more systematic than this. And it is something that we've been seeing it so often, that after, for many years that we've been seeing a lot of people from the African American community targeted in power was abused when dealing with them. So you can just say it's an it's an it's an isolated incident. I'll be too wrong to naive, and not fair to describe what is happening in our country today. Also, it is so dangerous, as well as for us as a community is to feel that we are not this is not something of a major concern for us as a Muslim community, or as a
community who lived in suburb and maybe are less targeted, or have more friendly police and our neighbor hood, I think that would be completely wrong to look at it this white, why it is important for us, especially as a Muslim community, to confront this issue and to be part of this conversation that's happening today. And the pushback that's happening in the country today. In regard to this issue. Number one, we need to remember that the vast majority of you know, our Muslim convert brothers and sisters are African American. You know, when you look at the indigenous Muslims here are black Americans are the earlier Muslim who come came to this country and stablish Islam in this
country, African American, you know, Muslims make 20% of the Muslim population in United States alone, and some according to Pew Research Center, and some even will say all the way up to 40%.
But according to the Pew Research Center said it's 20% so it is something so important for us because African American community is a very, it's part of our community as Muslim is not something I didn't care about is something happened far away from me. It's directly linked to us as a community.
Also from another perspective, that we as a Muslim community, we ourselves are minority
and as the African American community as minority we as well as the Muslim community at all as Whoa, we are minority and we all know the famous statement will kill to your man who killed a third abbia
when there is a herd of balls and there is among them just one white and all the rest were black. So you know what, there was somebody targeting them and he said I want to kill so he said, You know what, you can kill that white one which it doesn't belong to the hurt looks different. It looks different. So after the give up that brother of them too
Because he looked different have a different color, you know that hunters start hunting them one after another, because open the door. And it became a very famous saying in Arabic that they say to men, okay, so abbia, you know, I was eating the day I allowed them to eat that white wall. And another word, if we will allow this to happen to this community, it's your turn is going to be next. And as the Muslim community we are suffering from a stigma that is attached to us as a community of violence, we heard and we've been hearing and it didn't go away, just not because, you know, we didn't hear it too often these days. But we all know what they say the slogan that not alters not
all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims.
You know, it is, you know, the roshe racial profiling at airports, was that something we dealt with, we dealt a lot with this, every time there is
a crazy person do something evil, in the name of religion, we all get, you know, judge and hold accountable for it, by masses, when we allowed
one community to be targeted, one community to be there, their rights to be abused, one community to watch, or when we allowed one member of our community, for him to, you know, be killed in front of the people in public, and the people just passing by, and the best they can do, they just take a video of it, even though I appreciate that video. But if that's the best that we can, you know what tomorrow your son and my son and you and me can be entered the needs of that officer.
Also, it is important for us as part of the society. We as a community cannot live separated from the society that we live in. We contribute to the society that can society affect us and we affect them back.
We don't want to live in America, where a tutorial, you know, an America turned to be another Middle Eastern country, like the kingdom of Arabia, or the republican of Syria, or Egypt, or, you know, a turn country like Yemen, or Libya. We don't want that who wants this for his country, who wants a country where, you know, we all know as many of us immigrants, knows what kind of system that we have a corrupt system, when you have an ultimate power and the hand of ruler
who wants this to live that.
And you being complicit you being, you know, not doing nothing. You being just ignoring the fact that this is something of concern to you. It's a terrible thing. That means we are leading the society to this end.
Evidence, no exaggerations.
There is no exaggerations in this in this issue,
as you know, a natural normal progress for anyone to study history
as how it goes, if there is no push back, if we don't maintain the laws that for hundreds of years, no good laws that for hundreds of years, and more than 100 years, maintain civility, and promote equality, and respect for citizen, it's easy to lose.
It is so dangerous that you think that what you have is something that you have it for granted.
You always have to fight to keep it and to make it grow. And we as member of society, we have to learn how to do that. And to be part of that process.
You know, Allah Subhana Allah, one of his power that he brings life out of death.
There's so many concepts and issues
born alive, out of the death of this young man in Minneapolis,
in Minnesota,
at least the feeling that I feel that I care. I hope that feeling would be born in the heart and the mind of each and every one of us.
And we know that this is serious. And this is something can happen to any one of us. And what can we do to ensure that we live in society that respect its citizens.
There is also another point that it's important to be mentioned here, that this incident shows that all people capable to do what is right and capable to do what is evil.
Or people came that is good and bad on them. And it didn't
Which one of these Tigers you feed more? Well when the battle and which one you invoke, it will dominate. If we invoke in US hatreds, racism, ignorance, you know violence, that's what we're going to be. And if we invoke what's the goodness inside us, that's what we're going to be as individual and society and community. And that leads us to understand the importance of a good leadership.
Oh, my goodness, the this this incident, you know, with Coronavirus, we saw the lack of the leadership can you put your mask on please, the lack of of the leadership just to deal with epidemic, epidemic epidemic that like the violence that we have, but it's even way worse when it comes to corrupting the mind and the heart of people and turning the society against each other.
The lack of leadership because the true meaning of leadership appear in a time of chaos, a time when people in dire need of someone to unify them to bring them together.
People who are truly strong,
lift others up.
But people who are truly powerful are the people who can bring people together.
And unfortunately, that means trust, having a sitting president today, who 60% of the society don't trust him. It's very hard for me to see him be able to unify that society. And if we keep going this way, I don't know where are we heading.
And that require from us to know that we have the power that something Allah smart Allah have blessed us here to do, that we have a power of citizen and people of society to choose. Many of these incident that you see today.
Many of the people who are responsible for handling it are people who are in their position, because they get elected
from the mayor who and the head of the police and that, you know, the Attorney General. And, you know, many positions. And this in this in that in our city handle directly responsible for what will happen when an incident like this take place or how they handle our people who are elected by us.
But as you maybe read it once and are messed it. Bad officials are elected when good people don't participate.
When good people I'm not saying election will solve everything. No. Another thing gets one round. No, it's a long term process. And we can voice our concern. We do have some ways to make these changes happen. And we should not just complain about it. And don't listen to those who saying didn't do anything. This kind of talk did not do anything. Because you know what violence will not do anything except increasing the problem. And this claim that nothing have changed all this use is not true. Today, we having demonstrations and people standing up for black people in cities when you don't see a single black in the demonstrations in Wyoming and Idaho, and many, in many places, more
than 77 out of every 10 americans believe that there is a justification for the demonstration that we see today. 60% show empathy, sympathy to that demonstrations, you will never find that number. Taking consideration that African American are only 12% of America 13% of America, you will not find that number in the 60s and 40s and 50s. What you see today in that the colorful demonstration that you see in the streets of America is not the result of anything but a long work
that made the country to heal and to come together.
We fall away from being perfect.
But we see a progress made over the years and it will be foolish
not to see that or to reckless.
This incident there's two sides of it, we should not lose sight of it. Number one is police brutality. And that police brutality happened with black, white, Hispanic, you know, anyone
i'd happen with any person
and became became more when the person who's the bullies, he feels that he can he feel that he will not be held accountable for it. So he will target the weakest in the society.
Otherwise, it's crazy.
When you look at the Hispanic, also, numbers and the African American numbers, it's crazy how it is way high percentage of people who are convicted go to jail and abused and shot to kill in the streets of America are so high in percent when it comes to these ethnicity group versus white. But in general, it's a very brutal in the United States just to compare now we're at which month is that June since January until today.
Until today there is 172 people were shot and killed in the streets of America from the White Race 88 Black 57 Hispanic.
And just until June
in 2018 399, white and 370 in 19.
Decrease, look, in 2018 209 black American were killed on the street, while in 18. It was 235 Hispanic, and 18 was 108 148. And 19 jumped to 158.
These numbers you might say, oh, there's more white. Yeah, but remember, whites are 73% of the country.
I'm black are 13% of the country, or 12.6 in the country, Hispanic 16% of the country.
And you see the numbers almost equal as crazy.
As unbelievable 60% of the population of President America or African Americans
my brothers and sisters, so the side of brutality and using force and being trained to be a police patrol, not a community friend.
To be trained to actually to be given the tools to criminalize all kinds of actions it make you deal with criminals not citizens at something need to be reviewed need to be to change the attitude, the training.
So the police brutality I do also believe because I'm a realist in the end of the day.
I do believe it's a natural thing.
People have military and police by nature by nature, they are strong. They are can easily can use force. And that's what Allah indivisible Sallam said, especially when there is a corrupt system and a corrupt leader, he said Latta
arriva. That's why there are so many talk in the scholars about you know, dislike being you know, in this kind of positions, especially when there is a corrupt system give you the ability to abuse because the nature of human beings is what voluminous
oppressor,
oppressed with ignorance. So I understand that, but there is must be pushed back must be allowed to protect, must allowed to hold people accountable.
And the other side of it, it's the racism, it's the prejudiced. It's the pre notion that we judge people by their skin colors, or their last names or their ethnicity. So if you're Hispanic, or if you're black of your, you enter this immediately I have this, you know, understanding your perceptions about you, and think of you as something of threat. And we all heard that phone call and for the African American guy who was watching the birds, and how the woman told him I'm gonna just call the police tell them that as an African American men, that's the key point, threaten my life.
The key point was in the black officer in the court, when the lawyer of the lady who was unfortunately, shot dead,
which is a tragedy, and something wrong, not defending the action of the officer. But the key point wasn't that, you know,
argument of the lawyer was one strong point. When the officer said, I felt my life was threatened. It was enough for the lawyer to say, what is threatened about a blonde, white girl in a pink shirt
or a blonde girl in the pink shirt? That was enough because already there is a perception.
So the issue of changing that perceptions and and taking that from the heart of people and changing that that's a long term work. That's a work of Dell. Not a work of law.
That's a work of spreading the message of love and care.
And in you know what i do believe no matter what we can do in society would never become 200% or even near that because even in the prophetic society, there were racism. There were prejudiced. But Islam is the thing that control races control prejudice, control this not to go beyond the level of just being prejudiced or being racist, to be abuser and to act upon the otherwise in the Medina society in Mecca citing the amazing advances in all history Muslim and non Muslim people have that concept that's why Christian tanaman m ninja Hillier left us two things would remain in my own mind until the day of judgment. One of them was alpha Hobbit and sap you feel prejudiced of your race and
your background where you from?
Allah says in the Quran, who are living alphabetical openness,
quinto Masha, Allah, Allah said that he is the one that put the hearts together.
That's why I love what some of the draft says. If we are looking for the oneness of men, we should accept the oneness of God first.
That's something that we should be inspired by as Muslim.
You know, Islam is the one that make that restrictions and I will end with this abomasnow the battery or their battery? Yeah and even hirota sahaabah Phil Jenna, he is from Alberta
heard one of his slaves working for him and he was hitting him and beating him with with with a stick with the with the whip card for submitted to Solomon Kulfi I heard a voice from behind me I don't recognize it because it was so angry at my servant at that point. It was so angry. And when he heard that he couldn't hear who he is. And he said that voice saying to me,
he said to him, he said in the law up double ache min quadratic and a header that Allah has more control and more capable of doing to you what you are doing to this poor servant.
At this point I doubted Is this the voice of Rasul Allah and they look back and he was Mohammed Salah, Salah yaupon phenol have succot assault. I was terrified and the web fought for my head dropped it. There is a Jarrah so Allah forgive me Yasser Allah forgive me Allah
who whom Allah g LA. He's a free man to go
expand on the Visa card Alolan
lahat can now if we didn't do that, you will end up in hellfire.
See, immediately I almost want to see what's that religion does. That's what religion make that into control. That desire that ignorant feeling inside you
that ignorant traits inside you
can follow him about up to about the hobby idea.
never beat anyone else on my life.
ask Allah Subhana Allah to heal our hearts and to heal our countries and to bring us together so Lola Silliman and Amina
hamdu Lillah wa salatu salam ala Mallanna. Via that my brothers and sisters.
This incident
should not focus on that symptoms, or the examples of George Floyd. But it should focus on that roots of the problem. How can we put in place a system in place assurance tools that to help to make our city than our states and our country? safer?
Yes, protesters One, two.
Hello elections. One Two.
You know, talking with people in power is another tool, public relations and a good you know, relationship with government is another tool. electing good people is another many tools has to be used not one. And I'm proud to announce that clear economic center with
you know, take a leading effort with through or through an organization that we have established in Houston that mount associations
in Houston, working with mineral foundation as well with Rabbi associations in Houston, demanding
an oversight committee or the police department.
He's
demanding more sensitive training and the escalation training for the police. And, and six Councilman, a woman in Houston adopted that resolution or that suggestion, that letter, and they are voting on how to be turned to law.
Just one step, that we can take many other steps as well.
But that's what we need, we need to be have a concrete plan, have to look at it, have to use a common sense. I know it is very understand and recognize the anger, the frustration. I want to say this and the end of my hope today.
If the only thing that can be born alive in our heart out of this, or come out of this incident, is that we feel at least the concern the pain that our brothers and sisters having out there. And I ask each and every one of you right now, and be brave enough if you can challenge me.
anyone listening to me today, from those who will hamdulillah bless them with so many things living in the suburb, living good live, you know, you're not an African American or African American, I asked you by Allah, would you if you ask each one of you, hey, do you feel that there's something wrong going on? You might have a mixed answer. Some people said, I don't know of this exaggeration. But you know what, for all those people talk to you like this or anyone has this kind of thoughts in your mind. I want to know right now, if you feel that that's okay, what's the African American going through the stand up and replace yourself with one of them.
If you wish to be in the shoes of any African American man in America, stand up and go switch with him. Live one day like him or her.
When your son get their driver license, you congratulate them, you talk to them about how important to be safe and how important to to drive safely and all this you know what African American father say to their children and mothers, watch the police man, you can get killed.
That's what that's the type of conversation that they have with children that you never have to go through.
You never have to talk to children about it. But they do. It's terrifying thing to own a car and to drive a car in the street.
This didn't happen by the way, in the third in the Third Ward that's happening clearlake
happen and leaks
that happen in your neighborhood.
Be grateful that thing that incident should make us grateful and thankful. And I don't want you to feel petty about our African American brothers. They don't deserve that you know what they deserve? You deserve that you feel respect
for them and what they're going through
we as Muslim have things that control our reactions. That's why we condemned any reaction that has to do with generalizing, police force and police and forums and there is a great men and women there.
Absolutely. And I know many of them person.
White people and black people that is good and bad in everyone. Brown we don't generalize. Our anger never led us to hurt someone or to destroy public property.
I would have legitimate teachers we don't make people suffer and we don't also forsake people malice paradata Arizona yeah commandment nafion Amarillo sobre la mina sir okay that already chronic different color and every I tick along with up nilima to Hippo, tadoba elephant and our ham Nirvana. Y'all I asked you about your names and attributes to bring a good leadership to this country to guide this country into the people's country towards is good, pleases you. We ask you a lot to heal the hearts and to remove the oppressions from the oppressed one. Yeah Allah we ask you to give us a beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds. Long sundowner Muhammad Ali overland everybody. Do you
know the meaning a minute, a kilometer salatu salam ala rasulillah salam, Kuma