President Obama addressed the nation Sunday regarding the terrorist attacks in California. One of the things he discussed was religion -- the freedom to practice and the acceptance Americans should have for Muslims.
Source/Credit: York Daily-Record
By Caitlin Kerfin | December 9, 2015
Muslims in southcentral Pennsylvania are talking about how they can help educate the greater community on their beliefs
Muslims in southcentral Pennsylvania are talking about how they can help educate the greater community on their beliefs and spread the word about Islam through actions, not just words.
Durre Sharif, of Newberry Township, is a member of a Ahmadiyya, a sect of Islam. Sharif wears a hijab, or a head scarf, and attends a mosque in Harrisburg that hosted a vigil for victims of the attack in California that killed 15 people, including one York County native.
“So much negativity is swarming about Islam, and it all becomes kind of a blur,” Sharif said.
President Obama addressed the nation Sunday regarding the terrorist attacks in California. One of the things he discussed was religion -- the freedom to practice and the acceptance Americans should have for Muslims.
“We cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam,” he said.
But soon after, Donald Trump sparked a fire after calling for a “complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the country until U.S. representatives can “figure out what the hell is going on.”
Momin Bhatti, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association of Harrisburg, said he was disappointed by Trump's divisive comments.
“We see extremism in the world today, and we can’t resort to extremism ourselves,” Bhatti said. “We have to maintain a focus on superior ideas on tolerance, education and compassion.”
No one from the mosque in York, Masjid Al Tawheed, could be reached for comment.
The Amahdiya Muslim Youth Association of Harrisburg educates their youth on Islam’s teachings, Bhatti said. They are trained in serving their communities and hold events like blood and food drives and interfaith dialogues.
“It’s not just words, it’s action,” he said. “We show our love for humanity and our country by doing these services.”
Group leaders teach the youth that there is no conflict between their identity as a Muslim and an American.
Although he hasn’t experienced any discrimination or heard of anything happening in the Harrisburg area, he knows some Muslims who have.
“Throughout my life I’ve grown up here, and the American people are overwhelmingly great people,” Bhatti said.
Part of the effort of the Ahmadiyya group is educating the community.
“Muslim communities need to step up and make sure that we put out there what true Islam is and that’s what our community has been doing,” Sharif said.
One of her favorite moments in York was when a group from a York Methodist church asked to learn more about Islam. Sharif invited them to an annual conference in Harrsiburg to experience what Islam is like first-hand, she said.
The experience made her feel proud to be an American Muslim and to live in York County, Sharif said.
Read original post here: USA: Local Muslims say best to educate through actions
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