USA: What you need to know about ISIS and Islam

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Faith Presbyterian Church and Ahmadiyya Muslim Community host program in Indianapolis to fight fear of Islamic faith with knowledge.

Times of Ahmad | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Indy Star
By Olivia Lewis | March 19, 2016

The best way to disband fear is to educate, said the hosts of a faith-based event on ISIS and the Islamic religion.

More than 100 people were at Faith Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis on Saturday for an event with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Indiana to condemn the violence of the Islamic State, or ISIS, and to inform others of the peaceful intent of most in the Muslim community.

“We want to tell everybody that those terrorists and extremists do not represent Islam,” said Muzaffar Ahmad, spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Indiana. “They have a distorted view of Islamic teachings.”

In a two-hour presentation, speakers from both the Muslim and Christian communities spoke about peace, prayer and their beliefs. David Carlson, a professor of religious studies at Franklin College, spoke about the political differences between the U.S. and the Middle East. People often try to speak with him after his presentations.

“A lot of people say ‘I realized I don’t know anything about Islam,’ ” Carlson said.

Ahmad, treasurer of Ahmadiyya, said the organization partners with churches to host events like this to counter the message of Islamic extremists.

Ahmab said there is a misconception that all Muslims are the same and that ISIS is targeting Christians and Jews. However, Ahmab said the extremists have also killed Muslims who say they don’t agree with the violence.

“Organizations like ISIS are a threat to the safety and security of this world, of our country,” Ahmab said.

During the question-and-answer period, Yahya Luqman, an Imam for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, told the crowd that verses from the Quran that are quoted in the media are often taken out of context, which relay a false perception of violence.

Luqman read part of a verse from the Quran that referenced “kill them wherever you meet them ... drive them out where they have driven you out,” he read. Then he read the lines preceding and a line that followed, completing the verse.

“It actually means only commit violence as an act of defense,” Luqman said.

The Imam said Muslim means peacemaker and Islam means peace. Luqman said the people committing the violent acts of ISIS and other extremists groups should not be calling themselves Muslims.

“It’s important for us to show to people, especially those who are unfamiliar with the Quran, what is happening in the Middle East and other places with these horrendous acts, and violence and bloodshed.”

Fareeha Rehman of West Lafayette traveled to Indianapolis for the event. She brought her three daughters and their friend.

Rehman said her family, like other American families, fear extremist groups like ISIS. She and her husband own a grocery store in West Lafayette and two of their four children attend Purdue University.

Rehman said she brought her daughters to the event to encourage them to spread the message of peace in Islam. However, Rehman said she also wants her children to be able to stand up for each other when their peers express fear.

“People in the United States think we are different, but we are the same as you,” Rehman said. “We are American citizens, we love America because we live here and this is our home. We don’t want this, we discourage this.”

Laurel Toney, an Indianapolis resident, said she attended the event to learn more about Islam. The 71-year-old said she learned of the “horrible positions” Muslims and American soldiers have been put in when faced with child soldiers due to the ISIS regime. She also said she learned about the difference between the religion and the extremists.

“The biggest takeaway is that we really need to pray for our fellow Muslim Americans and Muslims throughout the world,” Toney said.

“Hopefully they’ll be praying for us, because we need to build relationships with each other. That’s the best way to defeat the extremists.”

Call IndyStar reporter Olivia Lewis at (317) 444-6126. Follow her on Twitter: @TheWrittenPeace.


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