When I received the news that
in
Al Madinah Calgary Islamic
Centre was established in 2005. It is located in a shopping mall. We purchased
two shops and converted them into a mosque. If the sign outside the mosque is
removed, no one would even know that this is a place of worship for Muslims. In less than five years our congregation grew
from 27 people to almost 2000 people. We
have more than 200 girls and boys learning Qur’an and Islamic teachings. In less than five years 23 non-Muslim
Calgarians embraced Islam at the Al Madinah Islamic Centre. Every year hundreds
of Calgarians; Christians, Jews, Atheists, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and others
visit the Al Madinah Centre and take part in the Interfaith Dialogues. 99% of
those who attend the interfaith activities at the Al Madinah Centre change
their attitude about Islam and Muslims.
Their misconceptions and misunderstandings about Islam are removed. They
appreciate that someone has helped them in removing those fears and distrust of
Muslims that the media tries to build everyday. In Ramadan, every year for one
month, more than 200 Muslims and non-Muslims eat together at the sunset time at
the Al Madinah Mosque.
The Interfaith activities at
the Al Madinah Calgary Islamic Centre motivated me to walk across
Insha Allah (God willing), in
future, we have plans to establish a Food Bank, Women’s Shelter, Temporary
Residences for New Immigrants and a School in Calgary. We have already purchased 5 acres of land for
these projects.
The issue of banning the
minarets in
The most important thing for
Swiss Muslims is that the 42.5% Swiss voters were against this ban. They need to work on the 15% or less voters
and help them to see the minaret issue the way 42.5% Swiss voters saw it. The Swiss Constitution guarantees freedom of
religion, but the rightist Swiss People’s Party, or S.V.P., and a small
religious party created Islamophobia in
Of 150 mosques or prayer
rooms in
The issue of minarets started
in 2005 when the Turkish cultural association applied for a construction
permit to erect a 6-metre-high minaret on the roof of its Islamic community
centre in a small municipality which was opposed by the local community. After appeals
and court cases the 6m minaret was constructed in July 2009. This has snowballed
in to a controversy and became a political issue with the right-wing parties
projecting the minarets as symbols of Islamic militancy.
One of the Swiss parliamentarians
said,
“We don’t have anything against Muslims, But we don’t
want minarets. The minaret is a symbol of a political and aggressive Islam;
it’s a symbol of Islamic law. The minute you have minarets in
This Swiss Parliamentarian
saw life in minarets. For me minarets are just concrete and steel. The honour
of a mosque is not in its minarets but it is in the hearts and minds of the people
who pray inside the mosques. We do not
need to build high towers on our mosques. We need to build our current and
future generations to be the true representatives of Islam.
If only 25% of 400,000 Swiss
Muslims establish dialogue with their neighbours, classmates, colleagues and
other Swiss people and remove misunderstandings and the hate that some
Islamophobe politicians have created in their minds, I am sure within a year
the proponents of religious tolerance in
Moreover, about 7%, or
14.5 billion Swiss francs ($14.4 billion), of Swiss exports go to Muslim
countries. Swiss economy needs markets in Muslim countries.
If the Swiss conservatives
want to question the growth of Islam, they should establish dialogue with Swiss
Muslims. I am sure they will find blessings in the growth of Islam. Christianity
and Islam do not fear each other. It is the misguided Christians and Muslims
that create fear of each other.
Although, the tragedy of
9/11, the terrorism around the world, the Danish cartoons, the Islamophobe
movies, the ban on hijab in France and the ban on mosque minarets in
Switzerland have helped in increasing Islamophobia and hate towards Muslims but
these tragedies have also increased curiosity about Islam in the minds of
millions of non-Muslims. And when a
curious non-Muslim meets with the true
follower of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and learn Islam, this
non-Muslim embraces Islam without any hesitation. I strongly believe the current persecution of
Islam will lead towards the renaissance of Islam. Muslims have to go through the current
sufferings and chaos. The renaissance of Islam is just around the corner. That’s
the way I see this. May Allah bring peace for everyone on earth. Amen.