Some Arab-Muslim Intolerance in America and Europe

Hasan A. Yahya, Professor of Philosophy 

Some Arab-Muslim Intolerance in America and Europe

Hasan A. Yahya, Professor of Philosophy

I heard this from an Arab Muslim friend. He says: I am an Arab, so what? Loving is a glue of life among Arabs. Love for family, for wife or wives, for children, for wealth, and of course for loving sex and women. I am a human like any body else on this planet earth. I carry the same amount of love to my country like any body else, I have the same feeling and emotions running in my blood and nerves like any body else. I have a great history no one can deny. I have a great religion enlightened the whole world with morality and self esteem.  Space, time, and circumstances do not differ from American or any other society. But, unfortunately in recent years, Arabs and Muslims are squeezed by faraway land of ours we originally came from for various reasons. As a Muslim, my wife have to check every damn serial for doubting any ingredient of pork or lard, or animal oil. She goes to Meyers supermarket to bring two or three things, and she will never come back on expected time, and finally when she arrives, and before asking her, why the delay that long? She began to say, you know I have to be sure about what we eat. Almost all food contains some pork or lard products. I have to look for Kosher products, because Jews in terms of food, are like us. Do not like pork. They are selective in their choice of meat. Then why you took so long? I said: because the Kosher section is empty. I have to look to other products, and read the ingredient list on each product. She said. I said that Omar bin al-Khattab (RD) once said to a person after he ate Pork meat one time, “I wish you did not tell us about it, you spoiled our meal. If you say Bismilla (Just mention the name of God) on it, it will be legal.” But Omar is not existing nowadays, and our belief become more and more rigid. I thanked God, because my wife was spending fun time reading instead of making illegal things in my behind. Such a habit almost all Muslims keep track of. Unfortunately, in my early life in the United States,  I have seen and heard some students who came to oursue their studies like me, when we were invited in American parties, The American friend said: You Muslims don’t eat pork, so I made you a pork free section. We appreciate his concern, but one Arab-Muslim student who come from a rigid and fundamental society said:  I don’t care what type of meat I eat. And he ate pork. Well! I think he’s free to do whatever he likes, it is his choice. And as a civilized person with Islamic morality, I have to respect his wish. Unfortunately, some Arabs and Muslims disagree with me, But religion is a choice made by anyone. And he or she is responsible for their choice. This action from those who cross the lines of legality have the same God, and God according to Islamic teachings  will punish them, it His job, not the human job to punish other people on their decision, good or bad. Muslims have to understand that illegal actions or sayings or drawings should not enrage fundamentals to act in the name of God and slay the person, because repentance door is always open in Islam, like the idea of born again in Christianity. It is the work of God to reward or punish humans for their sins. After all, whose the perfect? Whose without sin? As Jesus said. I think in my humble opinion, that some theologians act as if they are Gods in their Fatawa. They determine in their Fatawa sending people to Heaven or Hell, while they know that no one decide human fate  in this life and the Other life as well except God.

 Decaying dogmas should have passed away, as Bertrand Russell, the British American philosopher  puts it: “I do not believe that a decay of dogmatic belief can do anything but good”. Unfortunately dogmatic unlearned (illiterate mostly), reflect their belief in these theologian culturally rather than religiously. Which in my belief gives the idea of defending religion according to their mentality and ability to accept other people in the same time and place. I admit at once that  new shapes of dogma, such as those of various faiths (especially, the Muslim faith in recent years is similar to superiority ideologies of Nazis and Communists, (Zionism may be included) are even worse than the old shapes of dogma, but they could never have acquired a hold over men’s minds if orthodox dogmatic habits had not been instilled in youth. Bin Laden’s  language is full of reminiscences of the theological seminary in which he received his training. We need no dogmas, but an attitude of scientific inquiry, a more acquiring knowledge combined with a belief that the reaction of dogmatic persons is not desirable, whether inflicted by bin Laden or by any other theologian imagined in the likeness of the believer.

In conclusion, for my wife, I say if she likes what she’s doing concerning pork, it’s good. But the belief that the Name of Allah, before eating, makes everything legal for Muslims, and we should follow what Omar suggested in the early years. I also recommend Muslims to be tolerant with others, and understand that God Himself, when He created Adam and Eve on this earth, He wrote all the names of those destined to go to Heaven, equally with other list of those who are destined to go Hell. And it’s out of the question, that all people will get into Heaven, for simple reason, it’s the Well of God, no Muslim denies this fact. So dogmatism to defend Islam, is against the Well of God, otherwise, God interfered to destroy Muhammad’s enemies who were worshiping idols made from dates and stones. And finally, Islam finds its way, like Judaism and Christianity, but cultures sometime and ways of life are rigid  especially among isolated people from the world. But what excuse can be given to a person to kill an Holland  film director, or book writer, or ex-Muslim if they are different in their opinions? Abu Lahab and his wife’s story is well known in Islamic history, Nothing in Qur’an gives orders to kill Abu Lahab or his wife, despite their actions against the Prophet (PBUH). In Salman Rushdie’s case, and other imagined hurting Islam persons are far less than Abu Lahab and his wife. Muhammad (PBUH) was tolerant in old  days, why some Muslims are not tolerant in modern days?  And why they react offensively against others without due process of law? Doesn’t Islam say in Qur’an: “No compulsion in Islam”? Which means understanding others no matter their belief was. These questions need more study to be understood and answered, in an era of conflicting ideas, politically, socially and culturally.( 1110 words) www.hasanyahya.com

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