Webchat Transcripts

Respected Imam To Discuss Religious Tolerance, Role of U.S. Muslims

Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat, a well-respected Imam from Baltimore, Maryland, participated in a two-hour webchat from Bern, Switzerland on October 20 to discuss religious tolerance and the role of Muslims in the United States.

Guest: Imam Dr. Mohamad Bashar Arafat
Date: Friday, 20 October 2006
Time: 8.30-10.30 a.m. CET

Due to lack of time, Imam Arafat has agreed to answer the remaining questions later.  They will be added as soon as we receive them.  Thank you for your patience.

Webchat transcript, October 20, 2006

IIP Moderator
Join us from 8:30-10:30 Central European Time (2:30-4:40 EDT) on October 20 to participate in a live chat with Imam Arafat.
Feel free to post questions before the event begins.

Moderator
Good morning!
Welcome to the webchat with Imam Arafat. Please start posting your questions.

Imam Arafat
Good morning, everyone. I am happy and delighted to have this opportunity and I pray that this will be a useful time for all of us.

Q: Guest for Imam Arafat Chat
Do you believe that the difference in cultures makes it too difficult for Muslims nowadays to practice their religion in Western societies? Do you believe in a clash of civilizations?
Imam Arafat
Differences in cultures is a divine will. He created us in different colors, tongues, ethnicities, and wanted us to know one another and to be introduced to our different ways, which make the family of Adam and Eve more interesting. It is unfortunate that some people sometimes get confused between cultures and religion. They almost sometimes worship their cultures more than their religion. To me, I understand religion as the word of God, which was revealed throughout the ages, and it's meant to emphasize the happiness and the success of the son of Adam in all aspects of life. People have different cultures and understanding on how to implement the word of God, and I am supposed to respect people's different views and practices. In this age of globalization, which changed everything in the past 20 years, we are supposed to know one another closer so we can prevent the "clash of civilizations." To me, civilizations do not clash. In history, civilizations enriched one another. For instance, the Muslims borrowed and translated what the Indians, Greeks, and Romans did and they refined and passed it to Europe through Cordoba in Spain, Sicily in Italy, and in the medieval times, Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo were centers for knowledge and information. The honest western thinkers and philosophers do not forget the impact of Islamic civilization on European Renaissance. Today, it is the opposite. The Arabs and many Muslim countries are benefiting from the technology and advancements we see in the West. But we are still in need of creating more programs that introduce those cultures to one another so we enjoy the diversity that God created in us, to celebrate it, not to fight it.
Muslims who migrated to Europe or the US from different cultures should look into the new culture to which they migrated and adapt what is suitable for them and enrich their own without losing their identity. To me, there are so many things in the western culture that go side by side with Islam, and I have no problem adapting it. When it comes to customer service, business transactions, democracy, freedom of religion, respect for diversity. But I still pray five times and fast during Ramadan, and my "American" wife wears a headscarf in Washington without any problem.

Q: Guest for Imam Arafat Chat
Other than the religious obligation to fulfill the Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca), are there any other philosophical, or theological reasons for it?
Imam Arafat
Yes, the Hajj is a very important pillar in Islam. It has been a source of enrichment for the respect for the cultural diversity where, throughout 14 centuries, people met for what could be called today an "annual global conference." When you look at this event of 3 million people meeting in a small city like Mecca, calling one God, dressed in one color in a simple cloth surrounded by peace and tranquility and honesty, with no crime, not one single act of crime, that brings to memory the unity of the global family. When you look at people from all corners of the world coming together, the Quran says that the gathering should not only be for worship, but also should be for the benefits of the human family. Throughout history, pilgrimage used to be a source of exchange of information, exchange of inventions, exchange of ideas, and exchange of cultures. In the medieval times, where there were no phones or e-mails, what has been invented in Morocco and Spain could find its way to Iran and China through the exchange during pilgrimage time in Mecca. Also, another theological perspective is the importance of Abraham within the Islamic faith, as you know the whole rituals of pilgrimage surround the story of Abraham and his wife and his son Ishmael when he brought them from Palestine. Pilgrimage today shows us the importance of the faithful father and the faithful wife who trusted her husband and how God took care of this lonely woman in the desert, Today, when all pilgrims go between the two hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwa, they remember the cry of this woman asking Almighty to bless her with water for baby Ishmael. At the end of the seventh trip between the two hills, the water gushed from the ground underneath the feet of Ishmael and this water "zamzam" is still there, and millions and millions of pilgrims drink from it today as a testimony to the core of theology for Muslims, Christians, and Jews that if you put your trust in Almighty, the Creator, honestly and sincerely, He will not let you down. One other important factor of pilgrimage is the importance of Abraham in Islam, which prompts Muslims to reach out in dialogue to their Christian and Jewish neighbors who are part of the Abrahamic family and consist today of a large number of the earth's population.

Q: Dolphin
Imam, you live a busy life! Therefore, you will not always have enough time to do five times a day the prayers. How do you personally deal with the fact that you are sometimes not “perfect”?
Imam Arafat
Of course, none of us is perfect. I will never claim that I am perfect. When it comes to five-time prayers, I look at it as a time for recharging my battery, "my spirit," through having one-on-one meetings with Almighty God, the lord of energy and the lord of power. If I don't pray one of these prayers, I feel something is missing in my life. At the same time, the rituals in Islam are not meant to make your life difficult. For example, when you are traveling more than 50 miles or 83 kilometers, then you are allowed to combine and shorten the prayers. Also, if you overslept, you can pray when you wake up, and if you could not pray standing you can pray sitting. If you cannot pray sitting, you can pray laying down. God wants us to be comfortable and not to overburden ourselves. It is unfortunate some people make the practice of religion so difficult on themselves and the people around them, and it should not be viewed like that. Thank you for your question.

Q: Khalid (New Delhi)
What message would you wish to give to the Muslim community around the globe with respect to religious tolerance?
Imam Arafat
I would like to quote the verse from the Quran in Chapter 2, verse number 256, which says, "There is no compulsion in religion, truth stands out from error..." And also other numerous verses in the Quran tell the prophet that his role is just to convey the message, not force the message on others. To me, that is the utmost level of tolerance. I would like to tell the Muslims around the world to please read the Quran - not only the letters of it, but try to understand it through the explanations of the prophet himself, who was a role model in tolerance and respect for the Christians and the Jewish community in his time. You can also refer to the verses in the Quran which refer to the Christians and the Jewish as people of the book.

Q: Guest for Imam Arafat Chat
With regards to religious tolerance, where do you place atheism? Would you say that it is the death of any religion even though people may claim to believe in some other higher power?
Imam Arafat
Thank you for asking that important question. When reading the Quran, you will see that the prophet was 1400 years in Mecca. He did not tell people to worship God because he is God. God introduced himself through science, that he is the creator of the heavens and the earth, and that he is the one who created these galaxies. If you read the verses about the sun, the moon, the stars, the space, the oceans, and the wonder of creation and sense of organization and perfection in God's creation, you will be amazed with the science in the Quran. When you are praying five times and chanting the verses about the zodiac and the stars and the wind and the clouds, the rain, you feel that God wants you to study everything around you so you believe in him using your mind first, you mind and reason, in order to have stronger faith. It is unfortunate that some people present religion separate from reason and separate form wisdom, so they make people run away from religion. To me, the issue is not atheism, the issue is: can we have a healthy debate between faith and reason? The Quran always invited us to prove if there was other gods besides the one god. When I read this verse that God is challenging me to prove, that tells me that the true word of God is wants me to use my mind to reach the conclusion, not to close my eyes and ears, but to use everything in my power to discover by myself. So to me, in brief, the wrong version of religion will die, but the true religion which was revealed by God will be always the guide for scientists and intellectuals and philosophers and is the source of reason.

Q: Dr. Khan (New Delhi)
Dear Dr. Arafat, as you are aware that the U.S. policy towards the Middle East and American unwavering support to Israel in war and peace situations has inflamed the Arabs and Muslims all over the world. Muslims have never hated America as it is wrongly propagated. They certainly disagree with America on some policies. However after the 9/11 tragedy, anti-American elements are trying to damage relations between Islam and the West. In this hostile situation created by misunderstandings and certain hawkish policies, how would the American Muslims convince my American fellows and on the one hand and the Muslims all over, on the other, to resort to peaceful means? Do you think to form coalitions of lobbies to repair relations between the American politicians and the Muslims. And how would you convince the Bush Administration to reject the stereo-type perception about Muslims. I am sure that faithful Muslims would be a boon to American national interest provided the Administration lives in harmony with them.
Imam Arafat
Dear Dr. Khan,
Thank you very much for your wonderful question. Since I came to America, I have been always working hard to reach out with my limited means and answer a lot of questions from my fellow American citizens who like to know about us, our life, and about our culture. I see the problem in America that there is a lot of ignorance and not "enough credible" sources to educate. It is unfortunate that most of the Arab satellites, TVs talk to Arabs and Arab mentalities. But we don't have enough TV programs or movies to address current topics which talk to the American mentality in order to create more understanding and awareness. The culture in America today is a lot about TVs and movies. A lot of Muslims today, they like to talk a lot, but we need to start focusing in making TV programs and movies to address several issues in an artistic form if we want to start in the path of changing the situations. I agree with you that the lack of solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians is creating and continues to create a big problem to everyone. Add to that the war in Iraq, which I pray to see it over the day before tomorrow, is not helping anyone. We need today to empower the moderate voices among Muslims and among Christians and Jews to be louder and have the politicians to support those voices to counter extremism. To me, that is the only way to restore the peaceful atmosphere which used to exist before. That would be a wonderful coalition. I could see more programs like the Iftar dinner which was held a few days ago for the Muslims at the State Department in Washington and other joint programs between the American Muslim community and the American government which are geared toward continuing the path of dialogue will help a lot. I feel like you are, that the American Muslims today could and should be a bridge between America who welcomed them and gave them citizenship and a comfortable life to stand up now and to repay the debt and to be pioneers in calling for better understanding inside and outside the United States.

Q: Guest for Imam Arafat Chat
How do you or, for that matter, any other practicing Muslim, feel about living your religion in the U.S.? Set apart? Discriminated? Fully accepted?
Imam Arafat
Today and yesterday, practicing Muslims in America are everywhere and every place the mosques are open, their schools are open, and they are going on in their lives very normally. We hear and we see some instances of discrimination every now and then, but those incidents, when you compare it to the overall lives of Muslims in America, are separate incidents, but those are not the norm. The norm is Muslims are free to go on in their lives the way they like and wish. Of course, 9/11 created a new environment and requires from us in America to be always alert and not to let anyone misuse their religion and not to let American people that Islam is a religion of violence and terrorism. We have to work all the time on both fronts not let Muslims misinterpret the religion and also to encourage our fellow American citizens to get the proper information and not the wrong information, which we hear through the media outlets sometimes.

Q: Inbisat (New Delhi)
American Muslims seem to be fighting a battle for their socio-economic survival in the post 9/11 period with their backs to the wall. Don't you think, the suggestion that they can play a role in the American society is quite preposterous in the existing conditions?
Imam Arafat
Well, I'm sorry to tell you that I disagree with you. I live in America and I see that a lot of Americans don't travel and have already misinformation about the rest of the world. It is my duty as someone who migrated from Syria in 1989 to bring to my fellow American citizens and to share with them from other cultures what they need to know. Some Americans think that they don't need anybody, and they are wrong. That's part of the problems in America today, that we don't know too much about the rest of the world. One of the advantages in America is that it is a melting pot society of other cultures. Today, the mosaic of the American Muslim community who migrated from different countries can be a great bridge between America and the rest of the world. Yes, some Muslims' businesses and interests were affected after 9/11, but I see that as a consequence of an overall picture that those who came to America only for the dollar should have remembered that, like it or not, they are ambassadors of their culture and religion. Because they lacked in sharing that and educating their fellow Americans way before 9/11, they were confronted by the response of certain people who were so upset and outraged over what happened on 9/11, and they wanted to take it out on the Muslims just because they are Muslims. I know this is wrong and should not have happened, but this is the reality. Now, we have to face the truth, and that is that we have to be sincere in being a true representative of who we are. I don't like someone just taking from America without giving back. As we pay taxes in America, I see the immigrant Muslims also have an additional tax to pay, and that is to do more in terms of reaching out and conducting more programs and help to counter the ignorance which exists.

Q: Marco
What difficulties do you encounter when discussing religious tolerance? Is it more difficult to discuss issues of religious tolerance in a catholic/protestant country or a Muslim country? Are there differences in accepting religious tolerance?
Imam Arafat
I have taught in Catholic universities and other Christian universities, and I have seen the students at the beginning puzzled over what they are hearing, and it took them time to digest the new information and while we continued in our classes things became for them slowly more normal and making sense. I often heard from my students at the end of the course that now that have totally different perspectives toward Islam than when they started the course. Someone would tell me, "I would feel I was about to jump on you when you referred to Jesus as prophet." All that he heard throughout his life was different from what he heard throughout the first class. In the end, his views toward Muslims were more accepting than at the start. It shows that people at the beginning might have low levels of tolerance, but we need to help one another and give proper explanation. At the same time, we need to have patience. I see that also needed in the Muslim world. At certain times I see no tolerance and I would attribute that to two things: either ignorance and a lack of knowledge, or certain hidden agendas of keeping the intolerance thriving over the tolerance.

Q: Yoda
Recently, (Muslim and non-Muslim) politicians in a number of Western European countries have respectfully asked Muslim women to remove their veils/headscarves to demonstrate their willingness to integrate. This has started a heated discussion. What do you think about the current discussion and is there a similar discussion in the U.S.?
In your opinion, should Muslim women be allowed to teach in American schools while wearing a veil or a headscarf?
Imam Arafat
Dear Yoda,
Thank you for your question. I would like to say that the Islamic dress code for women is covering the head, not covering the face. What people call Niqab is really an opinion of some of the scholars for some people, for certain countries and environments. It should not be understood an "Islamic" dress code. This is not Islamic dress code; it's an opinion of some scholars, and it's unfortunate that some people bring this and make it as a big issue while it is not. To me, I would say in Europe or in America, even in a lot of Arab countries today, there is no need for the Niqab, with my respect to the opinions of those who are keeping it. Specifically in Europe and in America, it's giving a different perception and we should be considerate of the society we are living in. It may be acceptable in Saudi Arabia or other places, but I don't see the need for it in America or in Europe especially when you keep in mind that it is an opinion of some scholars sometimes, not all the time. And if I'm of the principal of an Islamic school, I would not be in favor of women having Niqab and teach. And again, please separate between head cover and face cover. Face cover is not part of the Islamic dress code.

Thank you very much.