USA: Local Muslim leader speaks to confronts myths about Islam

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Younus will be give a free talk, “Islam: Fact and Fiction,” at the Owings Mills branch of the Baltimore County Public Library at 2 p.m. Oct. 13.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Community Times
By Jacob deNobel | October 9, 2013

Dr. Faheem Younus, president of the Baltimore Chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, said he has acted as a voice for moderate Muslims on national outlets including a regular blog on the Huffington Post and frequent appearances on the “Sean Hannity Show.” Now he’s bringing his message of peace to Owings Mills.

“I want to share the message we have been teaching our children for the past 100 years. In the post-9/11 world, we believe it’s an important message for America to hear, which is Islam means peace,” Younus said. “I think it’s interesting for people to know that our community’s motto is love for all and hate for none. That’s the core message.”

Younus will be give a free talk, “Islam: Fact and Fiction,” at the Owings Mills branch of the Baltimore County Public Library at 2 p.m. Oct. 13. The talk is hosted by the Baltimore Jewish Cultural Chavurah, a secular-humanist Jewish community based in Reisterstown.
Anita Brownstein, of the Baltimore Jewish Cultural Chavurah, said she helped organize the event after hearing Younus speak at the Community College of Baltimore County.

“I suggested he come speak to the group, because it seemed like such an interesting topic,” Brownstein said. “We were just going to have it at a member’s house, until someone said ‘No, this is important. Let’s open it up to the community.’”

Younus belongs to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, a sect of Islam. Hafeez Khan of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s national headquarters in Silver Spring said the key defining feature of the community is they believe the promised Messiah, believed to be Hadhrat Mirza Ghluam Ahmad, established the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in 1889. Other Muslim groups do not believe the Messiah of the latter days has yet arrived. Outside of this factor, Khan said the central tenets of their belief are the same.

Younus said he generally portions half of his presentation to lecturing, while opening the second half to audience questions. His lecture will address his belief of separation of church and state, gender equality and peace.

“The first 20 to 25 minutes, I share these broad ideas about what Islam stands for, so people don’t think it’s just one man’s opinion,” Younus said. “Some people will say ‘You’re a nice guy, but the faith is not,’ so I want to make sure they walk away knowing that peace is what the majority of Muslims believe, and that’s what our scripture stands for.

Following the lecture, Younus opens the floor to audience questions, where he said the real learning begins.

“We’re saying if you have any questions about Islam, and if you ever watched something in the media and it got under your skin, this is your opportunity,” Younus said. “I don’t care whether it’s positive or negative. Even if it’s something extremely negative, I welcome that. One of the things I always say at the beginning of one of these talks is that there is nothing people can say that will offend me. I welcome that dialogue.”

People are often most interested in various myths about the Islamic faith, Younus said, including questions about suicide bombings and gender issues.

“I’m not dismissive of the fact that there is a problem in the Muslim world,” Younus said. “I always say that Islam is like a healthy body, and we have a virus in the body and have to address it. Are there people in Islam who twist the teachings? Of course. You don’t want to give those people a platform; you want to give a platform to the moderate voices.”

Younus said so far audiences have been extremely receptive to his message.

“I believe many people come skeptics, and I can’t control anyone’s heart and mind, so if they want to remain skeptics by the end of the talk, they have a right to,” Younus said. “What I have experienced is a large majority of people feel they are getting genuine answers.”



"Islam: Fact and Fiction"
Where: Owings Mills branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, Grand Central Ave., Owings Mills.
When: 2 p.m. Oct. 13.
Cost: Free

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/community_times/news/speaker-confronts-myths-about-islam/article_cec95d2b-ba4d-5fe4-9f59-1279eeab421e.html


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