What may surprise you is that Muslims love and respect Jesus (pbuh) and his mother Mary (there’s even a chapter named after her in the Quran), and that we pray to the same God that Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad prayed to.
Source/Credit: Baitul Hammed Mosque
By Imam Shamshad A. Nasir | November 16, 2013
Fear is a natural emotion. It’s what keeps us from rushing to pet a growling dog or getting too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon. In short, fear helps keep us safe by making us cautious about what we believe to be harmful -- even deadly -- people, places or things.
But in many cases, fear is simply being afraid of the unknown. This can be due to a person choosing not to know, but for most people, it is the result of either not knowing about, or not having direct experience with, someone or something that is perceived or regularly presented as a threat. If that “something” has been associated with terrorism and sinister plots to spread an alien religion in what you consider your Christian country, it is easy to understand why so many people have a very real fear of Islam, Muslims, and the mosques in which they worship. But is this fear valid?
Not long after 9-11, when I was the Imam at Baitul Rahman Mosque, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s US headquarters in Silver Spring, MD, I went outside after leading the late afternoon prayer and noticed three ladies taking pictures of the mosque. When they saw me, they took off running for their car, but I was able to reach them before they drove away.
I asked them to roll down their car window. When they did, I could see they were clearly terrified. They begged me not to prevent them from leaving. In a calm voice, I politely asked them why they were taking pictures of the mosque? They told me they were students and had a class assignment to learn about Islam and Muslims by visiting a mosque.
I asked why they didn’t just come inside and tell me what they wanted? They said they were scared of Muslims and afraid of entering a mosque. I assured them they were perfectly safe, invited them in to see the mosque and served them refreshments. I spent a good deal of time answering their questions and making them feel at ease, but I was very sad and upset to see such terror in their eyes when I first approached them.
Things haven’t gotten much better. In the 12 years since 9-11, Islam, Muslims and mosques are overwhelmingly associated with terrorism and sinister plots to spread an alien religion in Christian, Western countries. Given this widespread perception, it is easy to understand why so many people have such an intense fear of Islam, Muslims and the mosques in which they worship. But is this fear valid?
Take a moment to think of all the different groups of people in America and all the stereotypes based on their ethnicity, race, gender or religion -- beliefs that are or were, at one time or another, considered “true” mostly because a majority of people believed them and treated these “others” based on prejudiced ideas. You may be a victim of such negative and offensive stereotypes yourself. If so, keep in mind the hurt you felt at that unkind remark or degrading generalization and remember that Muslims are today’s “easy targets” for slander, fear-mongering, ridicule and hate.
And while many people (hopefully) are able to recognize and dismiss such fear-mongering and faith-directed hatred, many are not. They believe what they hear on the news, what they read or see online and what friends, clergy and non-Muslim “experts” tell them about the “true” motives of Muslims and the “real” teachings of Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
It certainly seems like critics of Islam (and even the general public) only see the end result – Muslims behaving badly -- without bothering (or wanting) to ask if such behavior is taught or condoned by Islam. The reality is that every instance of Muslims doing something reprehensible can be shown to be a clear violation of the teachings of the Quran or the example of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
For those people who sincerely want to know about Islam or just meet Muslims and learn first-hand how we pray and what we believe, the best thing to do is visit a mosque. Call 411 and ask for mosque listings in your area or search the internet for mosques near you. Call and ask to speak with the Imam (the minister) about visiting the mosque for a tour or attending the Friday Sermon (usually held around 1:30pm).
If you get an answering machine, leave your name, number and your reason for calling. Remember, some mosques are only open during the five daily prayer times, so it may take a day or two for someone to get back to you. But unless there is a major language barrier, you should hear back from someone.
If, for some reason, you have difficulty contacting a mosque in your area, you can go online to www.Ahmadiyya.us, look for the drop-down menu box labeled “ – Select Chapter – “, then click on the Down Arrow to show the list of Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques or mission houses in the US. Scroll down to find the Ahmadiyya Chapter nearest to you and select it. You will see contact info with an address, phone number and possibly an Email and local website.
If you live in Southern California, you are always welcome to visit the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s two mosques -- The Baitul Hameed Mosque in Chino at 11941 Ramona Ave. (909-627-2252), and The Baitul Salaam Mosque in Hawthorne at 13221 South Prairie Ave. at 132nd street (310-679-4500). Our Friday sermons are in English and start at 1:30pm. Please call us a day or two ahead of time to let us know when you want to visit so we can brief you on the etiquettes of visiting a mosque and accommodate any special requirements you may have.
If you have a deep-seated fear of going to a mosque, it will be very difficult to experience a direct awareness of Muslims and their spiritual practices. This will make it much harder to relate to them and understand Islam. The only solution is to face your fear. If you don’t want to go alone, ask a relative, friend, so-worker or your minister to go with you. What I am sure you will discover is that Muslims are people just like you – they can be just as warm, friendly and interesting as you.
What I am also sure will happen is that you will begin to see Muslims as regular, everyday people just like yourself; people who work hard, love this country, and want the best for their families and their future. What may surprise you is that Muslims love and respect Jesus (pbuh) and his mother Mary (there’s even a chapter named after her in the Quran), and that we pray to the same God that Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad prayed to. Allah is not some “other” god. He is the only God of the entire universe.
Visit the mosque for the evening prayer, just after sunset, so you can hear the recitation of the Quran in Arabic. Feel free to ask any questions you may have after the prayer – I’m sure the Imam will be happy to answer them. And I encourage the Imams of other mosques to reach out to their non-Muslim neighbors and show them the true, peaceful face of Islam.
As the Imam of the Baitul Hameed Mosque in Chino, I will be more than happy to answer any and all of your questions – even the tough ones. You don’t need to feel shy and be afraid to visit any Ahmadiyya Muslim Community mosque (we have thousands across 204 countries). You will always be greeted with peace, a warm smile and an open heart. Don’t forget to bring yours.
-- Cure fear of mosques by visiting them
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