Yasir Qadhi – Speaking Truth to Power and Standing Up Against Oppression

			Next, my brothers and sisters,
		

			I'd like you to give a warm welcome to our next speaker. He's an author of several books. He is he's
a walking encyclopedia and a wealth of knowledge. He has 1000s of amazing and knowledge filled
videos on YouTube with literally millions of views. He's the Dean of Academic Affairs at a moment of
Institute, and also serves as the resident scholar of the Memphis Islamic Center helped me in
welcoming shares. Dr. Imam, Ali.
		

			Salaam Alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
		

			Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah, who Allah Allah, he was a happy woman. Voila, I'm
about.
		

			We've been listening to stories of great visionaries of great leaders throughout this entire
conference and convention. But the question that arises is what are some of the characteristics that
causes some human beings to be so popular, so admired? There are obviously many, but I would argue
that one, if not the most important characteristic and trait is that leaders speak truth to power.
And when you speak truth to power, typically, those in power don't appreciate the truth. So one of
the ironies of being a leader is that most leaders at some point in their times, were actually not
leaders at all. They were officially silenced. They were imprisoned, they were smeared, some of them
		

			may be even executed. In other words, typically, the most popular and influential leaders of
humanity, for most of their lives were extremely unpopular and extremely controversial. And all we
need to do is to look at the lives of the prophets, the lives of all of the prophets, the prophet
muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, how long did he have to suffer in Makkah, the Prophet Musa
Allah, He sat down with Pharaoh, the Prophet Isa, with the Romans, and on and on, but it's not just
religious leaders. Look at some of the most famous and popular leaders of this century of humanity.
People like Nelson Mandela, people like Mahatma Gandhi, people like Martin Luther King, universally
		

			revered, respected and admired across all religions across all geographic lands. All of them,
without exception, were actively engaged in fighting for justice against tyranny and oppression. And
that meant that they had to speak truth to power regardless of the consequences. It is so easy now
for us to claim these figures as heroes, now that they're gone now that their legacy has been
established, it's so easy for us to claim them as legends. But the fact of the matter is that if
Martin Luther King were alive, when he were alive, when the FBI had a massive file on him, and you
told him that a time will come, a time will come, when you're gonna have a national holiday,
		

			commemorating what you've done, you're gonna have multiple stamps issued by the government honoring
you, you're gonna have hundreds of 1000s of schools around the world hold fairs and competitions
writing about you, if you would have told him that he would never have believed you. And look at
another example who we just heard about a few minutes ago, an example that we all admire it Hajj
Malik Shabazz, Malcolm X, and I say this, while I'm honored to share a stage with one of his
daughters, it is so easy. It is so politically correct, it is so morange It is so morally
advantageous of us to claim his legacy now, and to sing his praise now, and of course, he's worthy
		

			of it. But the question that I want you to think about, if Malcolm X had been alive right now, and
we know his rhetoric, and we know how we used to speak, and we know what he would say, if Malcolm X
were to be alive right now, would he have been welcomed on this very platform that is now
commemorating him? Think about that question, because that is not an easy question to answer. And we
as Muslims, as an American oma, we so desperately need such leaders, but until we get them, each and
every one of us has a role to play, and each and every one of us has to do what we can in our
communities and in our circles of influence. We're living at a time in a place where our religion is
		

			being smeared. Our faith is
		

			Being maligned our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam as being mocked, our holy book is being
misrepresented. Journalists, media, politicians, they love to jump on Islam, to blame Islam to
consider Islam to be a terroristic and a violent religion and to associate all that's happening in
the world with this religion of Islam. Recently, there was a very depressing article in the New York
in the New York Times talking about ISIS, and it's selling off of Yazidi girls. And it was entitled,
the theology of *, linking the crime of * to the religion of Islam, even in the title, the
theology of *, *, doesn't need a theology. It's a war crime, plain and simple. Before that
		

			article, there was another famous article, I should say, infamous article in The Atlantic entitled
what ISIS really wants, it went viral, no article in the history of the Atlantic was read as highly
praised and as highly read as this article. And that article clearly said, the journalist in that
article wrote, ISIS is very Islamic. ISIS is Islamic, and represents Islam. It is very Islamic. And
I had a debate with that journalist on NPR, and you can listen to it. And I pointed out to him, that
the problem that I have with his article, which is the problem that I have with the article and the
theology of *, and all other such clips on TV, or shoddy attempts at journalism, the problem that
		

			I have, yes, you are correct. I said to him, that ISIS claims to be acting in the name of Islam,
that ISIS is quoting the Islamic tradition. But the question that I have for you is very simple.
ISIS, is it coming out of a vacuum? Or are there political circumstances from within which ISIS is
coming? If we had not gotten involved in that region, if we haven't invaded Iraq, if we haven't
supported and depose the dictator, if we hadn't put sanctions on that country for more than a
decade, which resulted in the deaths of half a million people if we hadn't gone to war twice, in
1991, in 2004, if we hadn't bombed it with more than 1000 tons of bombs left then would ISIS have
		

			ever arisen? The fact of the matter, dear brothers and sisters, is that ISIS is not coming from a
reading of the Quran. ISIS is a legacy of our own foreign policy and an extreme example of a failure
of what happens when you invade. When you bomb when you occupy when you destroy an infrastructure,
stop blaming the religion, and be brave enough and courageous enough to ask yourselves why ISIS is
happening.
		

			So instead of talking about the theology of *, what I want to see is brave leaders, journalists,
or us or whoever talk about the theology of imperialism, instead of talking about is ISIS Islamic.
What I want to see is leaders asking is Guantanamo American, instead of arguing about how faithful
or not radical jihadists are to Islam, it's about time we start asking our elected official
officials, how faithful its foreign policies are to the interests of us here in America versus the
interests of Halliburton, and Shell Oil. That's the type of courageous journalism and the type of
leadership that I'd like to see. I am tired of having to defend Islam, of having to apologize for
		

			offenses that have been committed across the globe, that I have nothing to do with and that emanate
from political causes, not religious ones. We belong to a civilization that claims in its national
anthem, that there's liberty and justice for all. If that is the case, then why are we so obsessed
as a nation to talk about the crimes being committed halfway across the globe? About smearing of
faith of 1.5 billion people, while ignoring or sidelining the crimes and injustice is being
committed under our very noses by people that were are accountable to us, when Eric Garner can be
choked to death, because he's selling cigarettes without a license. When a black man stop for a
		

			broken tailgate can be shot in the back when a 10 year old child just having fun and playing in his
playground is shot to death to by police simply because his skin color is black. While a white kid
who massacres nine people in a church in cold blood is not even handcuffed and instead treated out
to a free meal at Burger King. I mean, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You can't have your cake and eat it as
well. In light of all that's happening in our own land. By what more or right can you continue to
criticize others and smear others for human rights violations when we have enough in our own
backyard, Muslims more
		

			Slim's Enough is enough. We need to cut through the hype. And we need to be brave enough to speak
truth to power to challenge this media campaign that is against our faith. Wasn't it Jesus Himself,
my prophet in yours who said something about pointing out the speck in your brother's eyes while
ignoring the log in your own.
		

			Now, when someone like myself criticizes any aspect of America, immediately, the response that I
hear is, well, if you don't like it, then go back, go back to where you came from. If you're so
critical, then just leave. And that attitude, frankly, is downright racist. Because the person who
questions my right to criticize is himself or herself, the greatest critic of American policy.
Granted, his criticisms are very different. So while I criticize drones that kill innocent people,
he criticizes free health care to the poor. While I'm worried about supporting foreign dictators,
he's worried about where Obama's mother gave birth to him. But still, for some reason, their
		

			criticism always seems to have the mark of legitimacy and patriotism. While my criticism because I'm
brown skin with a weird sounding name is interpreted as unpatriotic and unAmerican. So let's get one
thing straight.
		

			I was born here, and I don't need to prove my Americanness and my identity to anyone. I have just as
much claim as you do to this land. If your grandfather came from a foreign place and landed on Ellis
Island, well, then my father came from a foreign place and lived in in Houston, Texas. Sure.
		

			Maybe your grandfather came in a boat, and my father landed on a plane. But still, the point is that
both of them came from somewhere else. And all of us other than Native Americans, all of us are
immigrants, because America is a land of immigrants. So if you don't understand that, if you don't
like my opinions, maybe you should go back to where your ancestors came from, because I'm not going
anywhere.
		

			The point is,
		

			the point is that criticism of one policy does not mean condemnation of the entire country. Our
country has a lot of good and evil. As I criticize one aspect, I point out positives and other. I am
grateful to Allah, I'm thankful to Allah to have been born and raised here. The political and
religious freedoms we enjoy are rare to find in any other land. Isn't it amazing? Isn't it something
that all of us should be proud of, that I can stand here today in the largest convention of Muslims
in North America, and publicly and brazenly say that American foreign policy in the Middle East is a
disaster of the highest magnitude that I can say that our war on terror and our drones and our
		

			killings of 1000s of innocent civilians is itself a war of terror, that I can say that the Patriot
Act is the most unpatriotic act of this entire century that I can say all of these things. And I
don't have to worry about the FBI, or the Department of Justice, or the CIA issuing a warrant for my
arrest. Thank God for American freedom and American liberty.
		

			Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah. We acknowledge and we celebrate that good, and we as Americans do
cherish those freedoms, but it's because we care. It's because we cherish it's because we have a
natural love for our place of birth in our upbringing. It's because our country allows encourages
dissent and freedom that we have to speak out when we see evil, whether it's about hashtag Black
Black Lives Matter or campaigning against drones are calling for a better foreign policy in the
Middle East, for how long brothers and sisters will Palestine, the under the yoke of tyranny and
apartheid and occupation. If you want to stop terrorism, for one side, stop supporting and financing
		

			state terrorism from the other side. Free Palestine is something we all need to be talking about.
		

			And, you know, this reminds me recently a good friend of mine, a good mentor, he came up to me one
day after one of these fiery talks, pulled me aside and he said,
		

			you know, you have great potential in the community, and you can really benefit the oma. But I
really think you should stop talking about these sensitive issues. Just continue preaching the
Sierra, doing some tafsir doing some halaqaat and you'll be fine. And what law he his point was
coming from sincerity. Well, I was a good brother. I'm not he wanted to. He basically wanted to
protect to me, you know from the far right from
		

			The government from what not? And I seriously thought about his advice for like two minutes I
thought about his advice. And I thought to myself, how can I preach this? How can I talk about the
life and times the methodology, the message of the greatest leader that humanity has ever seen? Our
Prophet Sall Allahu Allah, he was setting them and realize that the entire Sierra from the beginning
to the end is about benefiting others and bringing about change in society. How can I teach this era
and then ignore the very message of this era of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam?
		

			Well, law he My dear brothers and sisters, what law he? How can we see pictures of innocent babies,
drowning to death, fleeing from civil war, fleeing from brutal dictators fleeing from religious
fanatics, and then do nothing to help? How can we accept that non Muslim countries like Germany and
Sweden are welcoming hundreds and 1000s of asylum seekers while our own Muslim countries? Let me say
it frankly, our own oil rich Gulf states have refused to accept a single asylum speaker How can I
remain quiet? You tell me how is it possible for us not to speak out and say Shame on you. Shame on
you. Shame on you. Of what use all your fancy buildings Of what use is the fact that you're building
		

			higher and higher buildings, predicting exactly what the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said,
barefoot ignorant shepherds of shepherds amongst them are going to be competing building taller and
taller buildings Subhan Allah dear brothers and sisters, the message I want to leave you with is
very simple. Realize that if we wish to follow in the footsteps of the prophets, we have a
responsibility to preach the truth. We have a responsibility to speak truth to power, we have a
responsibility to convey the ethics and the values and the teachings of our faith to spread
compassion and mercy. Brothers and sisters, the prophets did not win popularity contests. They were
		

			very unpopular throughout their message only towards the end of their message. Were some of them not
even all some of them blessed with acceptance on this earth. But in the end, my dear brothers and
sisters, false hood always loses and truth and justice shall prevail. It doesn't matter how mighty
the army of the pharaoh is. It doesn't matter how powerful the PR of his state is. It doesn't matter
how lavishly his palaces and the palaces of his cronies appear. A day will come when all of that
will fade away and the followers of the prophets shall prevail even if God has to part the sea in
order to save them and bless the believers.
		

			guts of Allah hula Ali banana Rosalie, your Lord has decreed that I and my prophet shall be the
victors you need to do and I used to be Oh Nora, la EDF. Why him? Well yeah, Bella Who? And you Tim
man Oh, they want to extinguish the light of Allah. But your Lord has refused, except that his light
shall prevail. Muslims, always be on the side of the truth. Always be on the side of justice always
be on the side of the oppressed. And if you do so, then you shall be on the side of God and you
shall be the victors. JazakAllah heroine salaam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa. Chuck.
		

			Chuck.
		

			Chuck.
		

			Chuck.
		

			Thank you, Chef. For standing with your press. botica low fique