Source/Credit: IndiaNewEngland | Online
By Jen Richman | January 31, 2011
Husain leads youth center; focus on respect, tolerance
A group of Connecticut-based Muslims is quietly waging a war of peace aimed at correcting the image of Muslim-Americans — including South Asians — in New England and throughout the United States. Leading the charge is Sohail Husain, a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Images of terrorism serve to erode the face of the Muslim community in the United States, said Husain. “What we’re seeing is the hijacking of the religion of Islam.”
Husain believes it is unfortunate that the American media tends to glom onto stories regarding a small minority of Muslims, perpetuating what he says is a misrepresentation of Muslims everywhere.
An example of how the media can sometimes misrepresent the Muslim community is by continually making use of the much-touted mention of jihad in the U.S. media as a misuse of the word to mean “holy war.” The word literally translates to mean “struggle,” said Husain.
“We believe jihad is a struggle within ourselves, [to be good people,]” said Husain, adding that he personally rejects the notion of any war as holy. Husain asserts that the only time Islam recognizes war as being remotely justifiable is when done in defense of one’s homeland.
Husain believes that the media — including well-established newspapers — should present news in a more balanced manner when portraying Muslim-Americans because without that balance it tends instead to present sensational stories that paint the group in a negative light.
For example, the New York Times recently ran a story about Pakistani extremists on the front page while the paper chose to “bury” a story about Pakistanis helping American flood victims.
More generally, the average American can look past appearances to what individual actions and gestures represent, said Husain.
Still, Muslim Americans have the lion’s share in portraying Islam accurately. For their part, Ahmadi Muslims rented an electronic billboard in Times Square, New York, that read “We are Muslims for Love. We are Muslims for loyalty. We are Muslims for peace.”
Husain stresses the importance of having a unified, peaceful response from U.S.-based Muslims in response to instances of attempted acts of terrorism.
Husain hopes to reach future generations of Muslims with his message of peace. He serves as the vice president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Youth Center in Meriden. The center is part of the Connecticut chapter of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA. Its goal is to teach Muslim youth tolerance and to serve humanity and to excel in academics. “We are interested in making them the best citizens of their country,” said Husain.
For example, Husain led a group of a few hundred of the youth center’s members at Connecticut train stations in January to promote peace as part of Muslims for Peace, an international group of Ahmadi Muslims with a worldwide following.
Working within the framework of teaching young Muslims tolerance and respect for U.S. citizens is simply not enough. Americans must take responsibility for working alongside Muslims to create religious and cultural tolerance, according to Husain.
It will take non-Muslims and Muslims to push beyond the current cultural climate that exists between the two groups, said Husain. Average Americans and the country’s leadership must work in concert alongside present and future generations of Muslims to counteract the perception that most Muslims in some way contribute to terrorism, he added.
Building cultural sensitivity begins with political willpower, said Husain. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is someone who has been very vocal about presenting Muslim Americans in a positive light by addressing the public with the message that the majority of Muslims living in the United States do not oppose any religion, said Husain.
A doctor by profession, Husain described the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community as “a community that spoke of the ideals that spoke to me about moving forward.”
The Connecticut chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community gathered for an interfaith symposium called “My Faith on Peace” in early January in Moodus, Conn., that focused on perspectives on peace between the Muslim community and the community-at-large. The event proved a successful one in which attendees talked about ways to improve tolerance between Christians, Jews and Muslims in the area, said Husain.
Launched in 1921, the Connecticut chapter was the first Muslim organization in the United States. It currently has about 300 members, about 70 of whom are kids, according to Husain. He said it there is a sizeable Arab Muslim population in the state, as well as robust Indian and Pakistani populations.
Prior to his role with the Connecticut chapter, Husain was president of the Boston chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. According to him, the Boston chapter is about the same size as its Connecticut counterpart.
Headquartered in Silver Springs, Md., the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA has 73 U.S. chapters, including four in New England.
There are 200 Ahmadi communities throughout the world and as many as 60 million Ahmadi members worldwide.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community traces its roots to India, where the group held its first international conference in 1891. The community made its headquarters in India until political tumult forced it to relocate to Pakistan in 1946. There are differences that set Ahmadi Muslims apart from other Muslim denominations, primarily a belief that the group’s founder Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is the messiah. The group also believes that Krishna was a prophet of god. Also setting Ahmadi Muslims apart from other Muslim denominations is that Ahmadis advocate peace above all else. There are two groups within the community, one male and one female. The women’s group is called Lajna Ima'Illah. Ahmadiyya is the men’s group.
Read original post here: Conn. man drives Muslim peace message
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