Participants: Lincoln Steed (Host), Imam Shamshad A. Nasir
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI000220B
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00:06 Welcome back to the Liberty Insider.
00:08 Before the break I was talking with guest Imam Shamshad 00:12 about the necessity of dialog between religions 00:15 and the advantages that come from that. 00:16 Of course the certain risks 00:18 that come from doing it the wrong way around. 00:21 But during the break I was think about 9/11 00:25 which was a horrific event and it underscored 00:28 the fact that so many people certainly in the United States 00:31 have almost no knowledge about 00:35 what different faiths believe and of course Islam. 00:38 They were abysmally ignorant. 00:41 And one of the negative things that came out of it, 00:45 some people are prejudice 00:47 and just no thought at all committed acts of violence. 00:51 You know, lashing out to try to get to the people 00:54 they thought were responsible. 00:55 And I could remember some of the Sikhs 00:57 were attacked. Right. 00:58 Nobody should have been attacked. Of course. 01:01 You know, people that have nothing to do with it 01:03 but that was just pure ignorance 01:04 'cause Sikhs its the most peripheral connection 01:09 in history to Islam, isn't it? This is a separate religion. 01:13 Yes, they were against Muslim because of 9/11 01:16 and because Sikhs appear to them like Muslim 01:19 because they had turban and they went attacked them. 01:22 So as you said I agree with that 01:24 that nobody should be attack 01:25 on the basis of faith or religion whatsoever. 01:28 And this 9/11 disaster was great disaster for us, 01:32 for whole humanity in fact I will say 01:34 because Islam says that if you kill innocent person 01:38 you kill whole the humanity, you kill whole the humanity. 01:41 So in this regard but after that 01:44 the awareness of the faith and religion 01:46 and necessity of the coming together for a dialog 01:50 it became more apparent and more people accepted it. 01:54 And now you will see many towns and cities 01:57 there religious leaders meeting coming together, 02:01 interfaith meeting, dialog are coming. 02:03 I think it is a good sign of that 02:05 and so that the people should know-- 02:07 in our mosque here in Chino and Masjid Bait-ur-Rahman 02:11 in Maryland many groups were started coming. 02:15 And people were so ignorant 02:17 they don't know even know how we are greeting, 02:20 why we are greeting, what is the meaning of greeting, 02:22 what is the different between Muslim and Islam 02:26 or Quran and things like that. 02:28 So they don't know, but now by the grace of God 02:31 as we are approaching our side people are coming to us 02:34 dialog is more important as I am saying. 02:36 And I would think not just in the US 02:39 but in another parts of the world 02:40 that same dialog would be useful for Muslim communities 02:45 to find out some of the things about Christianity. Of course. 02:48 I mean, it's obvious to me that in some countries especially 02:52 where the populous that are not well educated 02:55 they're presuming that the United States 02:58 as a political entity is an expression of Christianity. 03:01 And of course as, you know, 03:03 this government structurally is not Christian, never was 03:07 and it doesn't do things because of religion. 03:10 Because of religion. 03:12 And so I think this dialog helps all around and goodness knows 03:19 there's a lot of information that could be shared. 03:21 I know a Seventh-day Adventist 03:22 within North America many people have no idea. 03:26 I remember my son when he was much younger 03:29 we wanted to send him to Christian Academy 03:33 and we had a good interview 03:35 but after we were there the principal called me up 03:38 and he says I'm sorry he can't come here 03:40 because Seventh-day Adventist are not Christians. 03:43 I said well, I said what you made of course we're Christians. 03:46 Oh, no you're not Christians, end of it. 03:49 Well, that's apart from the prejudice 03:52 that are represented, that was prejudice 03:53 built on absolute lack of information. 03:57 Right, and sometimes other people 04:00 did not want to understand other people too 04:03 even so much you do dialog with them but-- 04:05 Well, of course dialog is the magic, isn't it? 04:08 I can give you example that I was in Dayton, Ohio 04:12 a group of people started coming to my house 04:15 and you know I am the Imam but I welcome them and I gave-- 04:21 in my living room they came 04:23 and started preaching about the Bible. 04:25 So one day it took 30 minutes 04:27 they were gave me some pamphlets. 04:29 Next day again they came, third day again they came 04:32 and the third day I said, okay, 04:34 look you come continuously two days 04:37 you were preaching to me, you were telling me 04:39 what your faith. Now you want to tell them. 04:41 Now that I listened very carefully 04:43 what you are talking. 04:44 Now I want to also mention about Islam. 04:47 They said, no, no, no our faith is true 04:49 and I say you are Jehovah Witness I know. 04:53 I thought they were-- You right. 04:54 And I-- now it is my turn that 04:57 you have to give time to me also to listen to me. 04:59 And they were not agree at all and then left the place. 05:03 They say, no, our is only true, our is only-- 05:07 I said, there was a Kroger store very close to my house. 05:13 And I said, did you go to Kroger store? 05:16 They said, yes. 05:17 I said, do you find how many breads are there on one shelf. 05:21 So many brands and you pick all the time one 05:24 and you say well, this is the only taste 05:26 because you didn't taste other one, 05:28 because you don't know the knowledge 05:29 of other groups and faith. 05:31 So I cannot believe that that is 05:33 what you have that is the only tasty 05:35 and rest of that don't have any taste at all. 05:38 Well, there is might be the truth that's not impossible. 05:42 But they will never know and you will never know 05:44 unless there is some discussion if it analysis. 05:45 Of course that is the necessity of the dialog 05:48 that we should come closer to each other 05:50 and understand what is your belief, 05:52 what is my belief, what is your faith, what is my. 05:55 How I practice. 05:56 Even somebody they do not know 05:58 how Muslim are practicing their faith. 06:00 For instance after 9/11 it was great disaster again 06:03 I will say that a Muslim are saying 06:06 prayer in an opening area or in the airplane 06:10 or somewhere else when the time of prayer approached. 06:12 You thought that was provocative? 06:13 Yeah, people thought 06:16 oh, he is doing some suspicious activities 06:19 and they reported. 06:21 So the reason is that they did not know 06:22 what kind of worship and how Muslim worship. 06:25 So I think it is very important 06:27 that we should come to each other 06:28 and visit to the church 06:30 and mosque or synagogue or temple 06:33 so that we should know what kind of worship they do, 06:36 what they say in their worship, 06:37 and how form and shape of their worship is 06:40 so that we get to have good knowledge of these things. 06:42 Now I like your attitude 06:45 and I think we need more discussion. 06:47 And on one level there has been a lot more 06:50 but on another level 06:51 I think the barriers are still up 06:54 and in some ways there-- 06:57 as I mentioned in another program 06:58 that you know I had internationally 07:00 this move against forbidding people from saying 07:03 anything offensive to another religion. 07:07 We're in the timeframe 07:09 when people take offence very easily, don't they? 07:10 Of course, yeah. 07:13 In this age very easily. Yes. 07:16 Many times you will have experience of that. 07:18 Yeah, yeah. 07:20 And even within the US, 07:21 even within the Christian community 07:24 things like abortion, and prayer in school, 07:27 and all of these things that just you know, 07:30 the emotions are so high 07:32 and often people don't understand like 07:34 I've just came form meetings recently 07:36 where people of good Christian faith were claiming 07:43 that they can't share their religion in the schools 07:46 and religious persecution. 07:48 Well, they are not being persecuted. 07:50 There is a protection that the government has 07:53 so that it's not teaching religion to anyone 07:57 so that it restricts religious instruction in the schools. 08:00 But that doesn't mean the government 08:01 against religion. Of course. 08:03 It's to the advantage of every religion that it does that. 08:06 Because I would be very unhappy no offence 08:09 if I found that the State school was teaching Islam, 08:14 right and you would be very unhappy 08:16 if you found that you send your child the State school 08:20 that they were teaching Buddhism, right. 08:22 You don't want the government in that business. 08:24 Of course, this is not the government business. 08:26 That's the point. 08:27 It's not that any of those religions 08:30 don't have a dignity and perhaps could be correct. 08:34 I mean, that's for the individual 08:35 to find with your conscious and your spiritual search. 08:38 You will settle on one 08:40 that you see God speaking through it 08:41 and then you follow your conscious. 08:43 You know, we also stress this point 08:46 because it happened at the time 08:47 of the Prophet Muhammad peace be on him. 08:49 Then Prophet Muhammad peace be on him 08:52 started telling his mission that he is from God 08:55 and he is prophet and people follow him. 08:57 And some group of Christian from Najran 09:02 they came to his mosque and they said the dialog there. 09:07 So this is very important for us that it is started there. 09:10 And the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community 09:12 in India, Qadian he has many dialog 09:15 with other people too, 09:17 in writings also and verbally also. 09:20 And our community was doing already this thing 09:23 as I mentioned in 1886 religious founders day 09:27 was celebrated where the big article 09:30 of the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community 09:32 title of The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam were read 09:35 and it took longer time than any other person. 09:38 And they increase two days for that. 09:41 And I think your group is been 09:43 almost forced in today's discussions 09:45 because in Islam you have a very distinctive difference 09:49 and you have to explain yourself over time. 09:50 Yeah, yeah. 09:51 And with your understand of Jesus, 09:54 your automatically in dialog with Christians 09:56 so that is a more positive dynamic. Yeah, yeah. 10:01 But yes, I think you and I can agree 10:02 and I hope our viewers do that there are difference, 10:06 there are great prejudices, 10:07 there are truths and errors all floating around in religion. 10:10 But it can only be helped not harmed 10:13 by honest discussion, clarification. 10:18 In some cases you might be confirmed 10:20 yes these people have a dangerous view 10:23 that I won't persecute but I will stay away from it. 10:25 But you might find that the belief 10:27 you have is quite false, 10:29 it's a prejudice rather than an understand. 10:31 In this regard tolerance is also very important 10:34 when somebody disagree with you or he is mentioning 10:37 things which is not according to your belief 10:40 you should have tolerance also. 10:41 Unfortunately these kind of tolerance 10:44 is not in among the Muslims these times 10:46 especially in Pakistan, India in these days. 10:48 I think both surely in the Muslim societies 10:50 tolerance is scarce commodity. 10:53 Yeah. Yeah. 10:56 So a last word from you as we end this program. 11:01 Again would you-- how would you reiterate 11:03 the importance of understanding Islam? 11:07 I think this is very important 11:09 to understand the faith of other person. 11:11 It also important that if you disagree, 11:14 disagreement is okay, 11:16 but respect should be maintain always there. 11:19 And knowing other people is not harming you at all 11:23 and it is also the teaching of the Holy Quran, 11:26 teaching of the Prophet of Islam 11:28 that you must get the knowledge. 11:30 And for that knowledge 11:32 even if you have to travel you can travel. 11:34 So to knowing each other very important 11:38 but maintain the respect and honor 11:40 and dignity of other people as well. 11:43 Yeah, the day I read to my children from the Bible 11:46 where in the Book of Acts 11:48 there was a story told that Philip taken up 11:51 and placed in the desert alongside the Ethiopian Eunuch 11:55 who was passing by reading turns out the Book of Isaiah. 11:59 He was reading it and as he said 12:01 I don't know what it means. 12:03 I think this is pretty typical of today 12:05 whether it's the Bible or the Quran 12:07 or probably other holy books there are a lot of people 12:10 that have no idea what are in those books. 12:14 I think Christians speaking as a Christian 12:16 and as a Seventh-day Adventist 12:18 we need to understand our holy book. 12:21 We need to know a reason for our faith. 12:24 But also when we are in dialog with people of other faiths 12:27 we should be familiar with what they believe 12:31 not in the comparative religion sense 12:33 which sometimes equates all religions 12:36 with other religions but we need to be informed, 12:39 we need to be sensitive to other people's believes 12:42 and we need to be able to speak intelligently, 12:45 sympathetically, and supportively 12:48 of other people's faith commitment 12:50 because there by lies religious liberty. 12:55 For Liberty Insider this is Lincoln Steed. |
Revised 2014-12-17