Series of Articles
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi
September 23, 2008: Region’s interfaith efforts seek to counter cancer of extremism
A week from today, the Muslim community will celebrate the end of the month-long Ramadan fast on Eid-ul-Fitr, our biggest religious festival of the year.
Many religious communities have observed fasting. The Ramadan fast frees us from some daily distractions and allows for increased internal reflection, spiritual purification and social action.
One of my greatest memories of this month was the night when more than 300 Christians, Jews and Muslims met to worship God and break bread together. We approached our common concerns through dialogue and cooperation.
The three faiths share many similarities. The Quran, truly an interfaith book, has honored Abraham on 69 occasions, mentioned Moses and his struggle against the injustice of Pharaoh 136 times and honored Jesus and Mary 70 times. God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, peace and patience are mentioned in the Quran 1,000 times.
Yet the world is not short of people who, in God’s name, submit to Satan and commit terrorism to provoke unjust wars. The attack on the Marriott hotel in Pakistan, the bombing of the American Embassy in Yemen, the destruction of the religious Web site of Ayatollah Sistani and many other Shia Muslim Web sites during the last few days were not based on God’s desire. They showed that evil continues even in the month of peace and prayer when the gates of heaven are open.
The interfaith delegation discussed the cancer of extremism as a serious threat to the central essence of our faiths, which is love. Religious extremism pits Muslims against Muslims, Christians against Christians, Jews against Jews, and all against each other. Last year CNN “God’s Warriors,” a documentary by Christiane Amanpour, opened many eyes on this grave danger.
We need to develop correct responses to terrorism. Our own government supports corrupt dictatorships and political games, which are the main sources of fanatic violence.
We are far from the front lines; yet we hear the noises of explosions through the collapse of Wall Street, home foreclosures, gas prices and other economic and social symptoms.
Through our blossoming friendships within the interfaith community, we should build a new spiritual civilization based on the culture of cooperation, peace and justice, forgiveness and reconciliation, respect for human rights, helping the poor and ending war and oppression.
America is really the best place to start this journey. Our beautiful Constitution guarantees religious freedom and a nation whose citizens prefer to think for themselves.
The upcoming election will be a great test for interfaith efforts. The world is watching to see whether Americans uphold our democratic principles or vote on race, class and group interests.
August 16, 2008: Don’t stereotype Muslims; strive for interfaith peace
T here was not a single American Muslim involved with the September 11 tragedy. Muslim leaders condemn terrorism and have always cooperated for peace and security.
Yet some in the media started making stereotypical allegations against Muslims, creating an atmosphere of hate against our community. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and other criminals are considered representative of Muslims, at least the way Steven Emerson, the Rev. Pat Robertson and other Islamophobic neoconservatives interpret the Quran.
Intimidation, vandalism, harassment, denial of civil rights, job discrimination and even bodily assault of Muslims has become a real concern.
Security officials, who recognized the importance of having American Muslims participate in their anti-terror team, encouraged bridge-building and communication. This was helpful, but not enough to protect Muslims’ civil liberties.
In many cases, Muslims became the targets of the government’s agencies. Innocent individuals became the victims of travel troubles, arrest and imprisonment without charges, secret surveillance, and deportation for minor visa or green card paper problems. Some even have been charged with “supporting terrorism” for feeding hungry orphans.
Federal prosecutors even got the dismissal of terror convictions in Detroit after saying the original prosecution was filled with mistakes. I ask the law enforcement officials to help stop this abuse of power.
Islam was not designed to fight America. This religion existed 1,000 years before the establishment of this great republic and always promoted the message of love, peace and justice.
Shame on the so-called Muslims who let criminals hijack this beautiful faith, declaring others as unbelievers, blowing themselves up in weddings and funerals. Shame on those who shoot and bomb shrines, kill the homeless and hungry in Sadr City, Iraq, and behead people. They are not jihadists, but evil gangsters.
According to the Prophet Muhammad, a faithful person is not just one who prays but one who makes people feel safe from harm. We must create an interfaith covenant to work together with love for the One God and fight fanaticism in all its forms with the weapon of education.
I know that once in a while there is some discomfort between Jews and Muslims in Michigan regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It’s clear that this is not a conflict between Islam and Judaism but justice and injustice.
While the American Muslim leadership urged the Palestinians to stop suicide operations against the Israelis, I wish American Jewish organizations would insist that the Israeli army end its nonstop crimes and assassination policy against the democratically elected Palestinian leaders and innocent women and kids.
Our real interfaith hopes lie with leaders like those 400 honorable rabbis who wrote to President Bush, urging a constructive engagement with the Palestinians. Don’t cater to fanatic Zionists who can’t tolerate any communication with Muslims.
May God save this nation from all evil and harm, so we won’t wake up one day and say, “How did we let all these things happen?”
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi heads the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights
August 16, 2008: Open interfaith, U.S.-Iran dialogue to further peace
I t has been said that if you don’t vote you don’t exist. But Americans who want peace made their presence known by giving an election victory to the Democrats, representing a clear rejection of President Bush’s costly war-mongering.
After spending more than $300 billion and keeping our 150,000 troops in Iraq, Bush succeeded only in destroying the country and U.S. interests around the world. Security is now so catastrophic that in his recent trip to the Middle East, the president met Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki in Jordan instead of Baghdad.
It’s a great blessing to see that America’s majority prefers diplomacy and peace over military options. Saying no to war means declaring yes to civil discourse.
So Americans may be interested in a six-page letter Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote to our nation. Mentioning common concerns and values, Ahmadinejad called for dialogue and cooperation between the two nations for the sake of justice, peace, prosperity of all the people of the world.
I hope the Bush administration shows some humility and will wisely open this window of communication to save our sons and daughters from another military nightmare. Talking to Tehran is in the best interest of the United States and is in line with the spirit of the Iraq Study Group, which was created at the urging of Congress in response to the nation’s increasing demands for peace.
The biggest inspiration for international and inter-religious dialogue between Muslims and Christians was the pope’s recent pilgrimage to Turkey. Pope Benedict XVI was warmly and respectfully welcomed in a country with less than 30,000 Catholics and more than 70 million Muslims.
The pope demonstrated his desire for friendship and sincere dialogue with the Muslims. He mentioned that Christians and Muslims believe in the same God and are on the same page on the meaning and purpose of life. He supported his statement by going to the Blue Mosque, facing Mecca and praying.
This type of spiritual reconciliation is needed in this tragic and turbulent world, so we can begin to build a global community based on mutual respect and understanding.
The Persian poet Rumi talked of religious pluralism 800 years ago when he said, “The lamps are different but the light is the same.” Salvation is open to all those who have faith in God and do good deeds. There are those who consider paradise their personal property. They deny God’s universal justice, love, mercy and compassion.
In this age of globalization, we need to go beyond our religious differences and work together for peace, security, freedom, respect, happiness and love, knowing that none of these can be achieved without first establishing justice.
Open dialogue will further our new quest for justice. With justice we can create love and save millions of lives.
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi’s presentation at ISNA convention in Washington DC 4th of July 2009 about Shia-Sunni Unity
In the Name Of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful
Let me start with our universal Islamic salutation: As-salaam alaikum wa Rahmatollah!
First, I would like to thank ISNA and IIIT for this wise and responsible initiative to dedicate a session of ISNA’s annual convention in DC this year to discuss Shia-Sunni common grounds, challenges, and immunization of American Muslim community against sectarian divisions.
The call for unity and brotherhood of the believers is a divine duty, a rational necessity, and a key condition for any great achievements for our Muslim community in this blessed and beautiful land.
The Quran is not merely making a suggestion when it commands:
“Hold fast all together, by the Rope which Allah stretches out for you and be not divided among yourselves” (the Quran 3-103).
We must work together to promote the good and prevent the evil. Here and now we can strive to create the Islamic khaira Ummah. It was a great honor that the prophet Mohammad (pbuh) with the grace of God united two fighting communities and saved them from the brink of the Pit of Fire.
On Thursday, May 10, 2007, more than 20 prominent Shia and Sunni Detroit area Muslim leaders met at the Islamic House of Wisdom and signed a historic “Intra-Faith Code of Honor” as a demonstration of their commitment to avoid communal divisions and all forms of sectarianism and violence. The Detroit “Code of Honor” event was modeled after a similar event in Los Angeles and took place before the national event in Chicago organized by ISNA.
After the tragic event of 9-11, all Muslims regardless of their school of thought experienced a backlash of hate crimes, assaults and serious Islamophobic prejudice; this required an urgent and responsible engagement by the highest Islamic leaders in US to unite the community against the threats through more awareness and education. In a recent report by the ACLU which focused on the post 9/11 lives of Muslim Americans, it emphasized how the previous administration created a climate of fear that both slowed and inhibited the ability freely and fully to practice the principles of the Islamic faith including charitable giving or zakat.
Sectarian tensions were promoted since the 1980s in the US through some overseas sheiks and guest speakers, but September 11 made any Shia-Sunni tension in the US totally irrelevant. There are still some isolated cases of sectarian behaviors demonstrated in some universities, prisons, and even a few non-mainstream mosques which must be addressed by the religious leaders through the honor code in order to prevent any more inflammatory language and negative labeling.
We should all pledge to avoid anything that could result in false alarms and more misunderstanding.
Most of us have developed an interest in community meetings, interfaith gatherings and other ways of building bridges with non-Muslims to help remove negative perceptions about Islam. We should apply the same standards even more seriously within Intra-Faith interaction to fix our own family communication. Charity begins at home. The Sunni-Shia dialogues obviously deserve a similar degree of effort as Interfaith if not more!
After centuries of miscommunication, ignorance, extremism, insults, condemnation, and divide-and-rule policies, which are still practiced by some groups and governments, we Muslim Americans have a unique opportunity to offer ourselves as a new example of understanding, cooperation, unity and brotherhood.
Peace and justice and reconciliation should be the goal of both inter and intra faith constructive engagements and interaction. Good intentions, trusting the others’ good intentions, increased communication, coordinated action, and clearer strategies for defending the integrity of Islam against misconceptions are some of our community’s most important priorities and challenges.
There is so much that we can learn from each other that could make our religious life in this country more convenient and practical. Obviously, the Quran, the Sunna, and the contributions of the prophet (pbuh), Ahlul-Bait, and his knowledgeable companions are the Muslims’ most valuable assets; yet their interpretation based on requirements of time and place through wisdom and critical ijtehad remains a challenge for Islamic scholars.
Asking from the people of knowledge, reading the authentic sources, and educating each other about the new research on the Tafseer, hadith, jurisprudence and Islamic laws relevant to our life in the US should be part of our sincere dawa work in this country, as well as our commitment to rejecting gossip, accusations and rumors about others.
In the last century so many Shia and Sunni reformists like Assad Abadi, Al-Kawakeby, Shaltoot,Iqbal, Sharafoddin, Kashefolqata, Borojerdi, Imam Khomeini, Rafsanjani, Khatami, Vaezzadeh, Taskhiri and other reformists inspired hope, common sense, love, and friendship among the Muslims. They struggled, suffered and sacrificed to unite the Muslim Umma. We should follow their footsteps on the issues related to ourselves.
When we backbite about others, create suspicion, and ridicule one another’s practices, and sometimes even worse than that, we create an atmosphere of hypocrisy and hate that is equal rejecting the Quran and the Sunna. We must keep calling for piety, wisdom, humbleness, honesty, respect, ethics, tolerance and justice.
Shia-Sunni unity is not a call for conversion to Tashayyo or Tasannon; that is a personal decision based on personal belief. The unity is about understanding, fairness, and cooperation between our communities to protect our shared Islamic identity.
The Quran commands three standards for outreach.
“Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom, gentle words and the most gracious kind of argumentation” (12-125).
The conditions of conversation in the Quran include kindness, meaningfulness, being accurate, beneficial, truthful, flexible, friendly, easy and eloquent. The culture of sabb or insulting, abusing, biting with tongue has no place in Islam.
The Quran says “not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him ready to note it” (50-18).
The Quran also tells us, “Pursue not that of which you have no knowledge, for every act of hearing, or of seeing or of feeling in the heart will be enquired into on the Day of Reckoning” (17-36).
It is normal to have disagreements. Diversity in the Islamic laws is not only a Shia-Sunni issue but an issue inside all school of thoughts. We don’t have to be identical but we can and should work together closely!
Hadith that says everyone who makes a rational decision with pure intention based on the Quran and Sunna will get a reward, even if they are mistaken.
It’s the job of imams, Muslim intellectuals, community activists and Muslim families to work together with the new generation to attain enlightenment so that we stay strong in our faith identity while remaining sensitive to other people’s passions and practices. We shouldn’t be worried about openly discussing our historical disagreements on the issue of caliphate and imamate and even our interpretations of the Quran and the hadith at the right time and place with the right people. These conversations should enrich our knowledge and understanding and remove many misconceptions. Slowness in getting results shouldn’t discourage us from communication. If an issue as urgent as the Ramadan moon sighting and the day of Eid has not been solved yet, no surprise the hard issues like khelafa have not been solved either.
[The Shia and Sunni disputes originated before any of us were born. They do not involve us personally and directly. We know about these events through scholars that wrote them down and especially through our family. We tend to believe whatever we were told when we were growing up. So we cannot take these things personally. Those Sunnis and Shias who are interested in expanding their knowledge should work on joint projects which may unifying our community.
There are many conflicts between Muslims that are neither religious nor sectarian -- they are political. The painful problem between Hamas and the Palestinian authority is not a Shia-Sunni issue; both parties are Sunni. Likewise with the recent Iranian election dispute: both parties were Shia! We know often outside parties’ influences inflame disputes.
Even the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is not a fight between Judaism and Islam but a political issue between justice and injustice. Most human problems have roots in human greed, impatience, and weaknesses and sometime also excessive attachment to cultural or ethnic background.
Mosque leaders in the US should guide their congregations with the same courage and honesty of the founders of the five schools of thought. Imam Jafaar Al-Sadeq used to tell the Shia community to pray with their Sunni brothers and sisters, visit their sick, participate in their funerals and show them the beauty of the teachings of the Ahlul Bayt with action rather than just words.
At the same time Imam Mohammad Al- Shafi used to say, “If they open my heart they will see two lines, one about unity of God and the other about the love of Ahlul Bayt. He said if the love of Ahlul Bayt makes someone rafethi (a rejecter of faith) I would like the whole world to know that I am a rafethi.”
Imam Malek ibn Anas said, “I swear by God I never saw someone more knowledgeable and pious and pure than Imam Jafaar al-Sadegh.”
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said, “No one can be compared with the personality of Imam Ali ibn Abu Taleb.”
When the Imam of Hanbali school of thought was asked by his son about who were the best companions of the prophet (pbuh) he mentioned some names including Abu Bakr, Omar and Othman. Abdallah asked his father, “How come you didn’t mention Imam Ali?” And his father said, “You asked me about the prophet’s companions and I answered, but Imam Ali was more than a companion, he was the nafs (the soul) of the messenger of Allah.”
God bless Sheikh Kaftarloo’s soul, who said, “We are all Sunni if that means we try to follow the Sunna (tradition) of our holy prophet. We all are Shia if it means to love Imam Ali and the prophet’s family.”
All Muslims regardless of their different interpretations of the khelafa (successorship of the prophet) share a belief in the unity of God, the prophethood of Mohammad (pbuh), the authenticity of the Quran and the certainty of the Day of Resurrection. There is no disagreement over the principles of prayer, Ramadan fast, charity and pilgrimage to Mecca. Condemning each other with “Takfeer and Bedaa” [infidelity and heresy] for some details of differing customs and traditions should have no place among the faithful.
The Muslim community in the US enjoys freedom of expression, technology and access to fast internet, we are blessed with human and intellectual resources. We have a better chance than any other Muslim community overseas to set an example of Muslim unity. This would enable us to take advantage of this new era of civic engagement and play a more effective role in civil rights and justice advocacy both domestically and internationally.
We have to be aware that there are people in this country who are conspiring to prevent Muslims from enjoying equal protection under Constitutional law. They are a real danger to all American values. We have to coordinate our efforts with our fellow citizens to help steer our country away from racism, exploitation and violence.
Although we should focus on domestic challenges, it is impossible to ignore developments in the Islamic world. Congressman Tip O’Neill used to say: “All politics is local.” In an era of globalization “All global politics is local, and all local politics is global.”
As we condemned the terrorist attacks in London and Madrid, we should keep condemning the terrorist crimes in Iraq, Pakistan, and elsewhere that innocent people are slaughtered in the mosques, market places, funerals, weddings and public places because of political or sectarian fanaticism.
The prophet said, “A Muslim is the one with whom Muslims feel safe from his harm by mouth or hand.” Explosion, intimidation, harassment, and terrorism are not jihad but crimes against Islam and humanity. [They hijack the Islamic piety and integrity in the name of jihad. We heard about cases in Somali where they opened the Muslim graves and left the bodies in open in the name of bedaa (heresy) They should have no place in the Muslim leadership and must be stopped from committing crimes.
This type of violence gives more ammunition to the self-styled terrorism experts like Steven Emerson and Daniel Pipes to continue their crusade against Islam and provides more material for more evil films like Obsession and “The 3rd Jihad.” We can defeat their racism and bigotry by uniting our communities and coordinating efforts for the common goal of justice and integrity.
“ Verily, this Brotherhood of yours is a single brotherhood, and I am your Lord and Cherisher; therefore be mindful of Me” (23-52)
July 3, 2007 Summer should be time of prayer, family, charity
Summer vacation is a time for barbecues, sleeping in and fun, but it’s also an opportunity to reorganize our priorities. To “kill time” in boredom is a bad habit and a regrettable waste of this precious divine gift.
Balancing our free time between our personal, spiritual, family and social needs is challenging, especially for children out of school. Imam Ali said, “He whose two days are alike is a sure loser!”
The prophet Mohammad said: “Appreciate your leisure time before you become occupied, your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, and your life before your death.”
On the fixed date when we meet our Lord, He will ask us about the way we spent our life, youth, knowledge and money in this world. For some, that will be a moment of happiness and reward; for others, a time for loss and regret.
The wisest investment is time spent in communion with God. Prayerful meditation gives us a sense of peace and purpose. It purifies our hearts from any evil in our intentions and actions.
It’s good to have some amusement and escape from the pressures of life and enjoy the gift of sea and sun, while being mindful of the environment. Fulfilling both our physical and spiritual needs should be the goal. Reading some good books, gardening, listening to some educational lectures or taking a few classes may help us direct our human faculties to the path of balance.
Family relationships should be another focus of summer vacation. The average American parent spends less than 15 minutes a week in serious discussion with their children. The neglected kids may spend most of their summer time watching TV, chatting online, playing video games, and learning about violence, drugs, drinking and smoking. Summer can be a time to seek out ways to help our neighbors. Thanks to technology, we are aware of events on the other side of the earth, yet we have no idea about the people who live next door. Jesus said: “You should love your neighbors as you love yourself.” Mohammad said: “You will not enter paradise until you have faith and you have no faith till you love one another.” He also said: “If you go to bed with a full stomach while someone in your neighborhood is hungry, you are not a Muslim.”
In the last four years since the invasion of Iraq, our troops have had no summer vacation. Not only our soldiers but also millions of innocent Iraqis, Lebanese, Palestinians, Afghanis and others are victims of carelessness and injustice of our political leaders.
While the Bush administration has failed to bring service and security to Iraq and the innocents are burned and beheaded in a daily hell in Iraq, some crazies are calling for more wars. We need to speak up, and keep striving for peace.
August 16th 2008: Mothers deserve nearly divine devotion
The Prophet Mohammad was asked, “Who deserves my utmost help and compassion?”
“Your mother,” the prophet answered.
Who next? Your mother.
Who next? Your mother.
And then whom? Your father.
Mothers receive their special status because they provide the gift of life to a child. Because of the hardship of pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding, God obligates us to be mindful of our mothers, especially as we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday.
As the Quran says, “And We have enjoined on man to be kind to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and pain upon weakness and pain and his weaning is in two years: Give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination.”
Imam Sajjad in the seventh century reminded us of the heavy debt we owe our mother. She carried you in her womb, gave you the fruit of her heart, helped you to rest even if she had to stay up, fed you even if she had to stay hungry, protected you from the heat and cold, cleaned you and talked to you.
You can’t appreciate your mother enough.
Love and dutifulness to parents are next to divine devotion. Even smiling at your parents is considered an act of worship, while maltreatment and cutting ties with parents is one of the most serious seven sins in Islam. There is no place in paradise for those who hurt their parents.
The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
In the Islamic legal system, the father is financially and spiritually responsible for the welfare of the mother and children. The Prophet Mohammed set a wonderful example for husbands by entertaining the children and helping with the chores in addition to providing food, clothing and shelter for his family.
Mother’s Day may be best known for eating out, cards, gifts, hugs and kisses. But it should also be a day of building better bridges between mothers and children, of renewing our lifelong commitment to our mothers. We must keep our parents near to us in their old age.
“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be dutiful and kind to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor brush them away, but address them with honor. And lower unto them the wing of humility, and say: My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they took care of me when I was young.” (Quran 17-23).
Mothers are responsible for raising good children and good citizens. There would be no Ishmael without Hagar, no Jesus without Mary.
Our mother’s personality, patience, purity, love, sacrifice, dignity and wisdom give the children the basic understanding of life and truth by which we can ascend to heaven. As the Prophet Mohammad said, “Paradise lies at the feet of the mothers.”
Our mothers deserve our gratitude, obedience, care and support not only on Mother’s Day but every day.
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi heads the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights.