"... we will use the pen and rational discourse like civilized people do," he said. "Our goal is to meet and engage with our American brothers and sisters."
Source/Credit: Frederick News-Post
By Nicholas C. Stern | March 09, 2013
The Ahmadiyya event will start at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Universities at Shady Grove, University of Maryland, USG Conference Center (Building 1), 9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville.
The Muslim Ahmadiyya Community has launched a nationwide campaign to dispel misconceptions and misunderstandings among many non-Muslims about Islam and the religion's prophet, Muhammad.
Titled Muhammad Messenger of Peace, the campaign will include talks and events at 73 Ahmadiyya chapters across the nation, including one on Thursday at the Universities at Shady Grove, University of Maryland in Rockville, according to Anser Ahmad, president of the Potomac chapter of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Dr. Faheem Younus, a clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland, freelance journalist who founded the Muslimerican.com blog and Ahmadiyya member, will give a talk at the event.
Most of his work outside of medicine involves Muslim American identity issues and trying to resolve the conflict in the minds of youth between their Muslim and American identities, which he said should not exist. He blogs for the Huffington Post and has had op-ed pieces published in The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune and The Christian Science Monitor, among other publications.
His idea for the talk he'll give Thursday stemmed from the anti-Muslim video called "The Innocence of Muslims" made last year, and more specifically, the reaction of some Muslims to the video.
"Some chose to react with violence and protests in the street," he said.
And while Younus condemned the video, he said he and the Ahmadiyya community believes in a clear separation of church and state and that they should not respond with threats or attacks.
"But we will use the pen and rational discourse like civilized people do," he said. "Our goal is to meet and engage with our American brothers and sisters."
When he came to the United States 15 years ago, he said read the Pledge of Allegiance and works of the Founding Fathers to understand what they had to teach.
"If you want to learn about what my prophet is, allow me to tell you what I believe him to be," Younus said. "Our responsibility is to make ourselves available, not to take offense if tough questions are asked."
He has given close to 100 talks in the country on various themes related to Islam and he has learned that for the most part, Americans have no problem with his core Muslim values of monotheism and prayer, for instance. But the problem is that some Americans don't see those same core values being practiced in the world at large, when, for instance, they hear that people are threatened or killed for leaving Islam or for mocking Muhammad.
According to Younus, Muhammad would have forgiven people for mocking him and would have not condoned murdering people who left the religion.
In his lifetime, Muhammad advocated for compassion and giving rights to religious minorities, women and animals, Younus said.
"He was a prophet for peace," he said.
People who act out in violence in the name of Muhammad, Younus said, have no idea about the life of the prophet and are doing great harm to Islam.
"We should all unite to protect and honor the prophet Muhammad in a fashion that is reflective of his life," he said. "There are peaceful voices on both sides that can accomplish what B-52 bombers cannot."
Likewise, Younus said he would like to see other Muslims -- Ahmadi Muslims are a sect within Islam sometimes persecuted for their beliefs -- attend the event.
"The name of the prophet is the unifying force for us," he said.
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