Discovery
I was watching the discovery channel the other day, ( I really enjoy it btw), and the show on was: "Global Trekker". It basically shows a trekking trip to somewhere in the world, and takes you with them, to see parts of the world, and people that you might never see otherwise. It also tells alot about the history of the places, the people, their way of life etc etc....
So, this show was about central China. Very interesting btw. There was this part where the trekker was visiting a place abundant with Muslims. They were showing the mosques and the people. Then came a part where the trekker was going into one of the markets in that area. going in, this is what she said:
"They tell me I do not have to worry about bargaining here, because the muslims will never try to cheat you. Hey that is quite a reputation!"
That is quite a reputation. And it made me smile. I wish more people were like this, showing the true side of Islam, with its ethics and principles, and building a true and correct reputation for Islam, rather than the ones bombing up everything, claiming it in the name of Islam, and hence giving Islam a bad name.
Jaza Allah kol kheir any muslim, especially those living in a non muslim community... who make an effort through their actions... to show the true face of Islam.
So, this show was about central China. Very interesting btw. There was this part where the trekker was visiting a place abundant with Muslims. They were showing the mosques and the people. Then came a part where the trekker was going into one of the markets in that area. going in, this is what she said:
"They tell me I do not have to worry about bargaining here, because the muslims will never try to cheat you. Hey that is quite a reputation!"
That is quite a reputation. And it made me smile. I wish more people were like this, showing the true side of Islam, with its ethics and principles, and building a true and correct reputation for Islam, rather than the ones bombing up everything, claiming it in the name of Islam, and hence giving Islam a bad name.
Jaza Allah kol kheir any muslim, especially those living in a non muslim community... who make an effort through their actions... to show the true face of Islam.
posted by doshar @ 3/18/2006 10:58:00 AM
9 Comments:
At 3/18/2006 2:20 PM,
Alina said…
Doshar, I believe we should all do our best to show the true face of humanity. That part of us that can fight our flaws and our cruelty...of course, regardless of our religion, our race and our gender, we all know the difference between good and bad. We should try sticking to the good a little bit harder.
At 3/19/2006 1:55 PM,
tota said…
this is a good thing really, but do you think that the main reason to disfigure the islam image in the west, is mainly Muslims whom living in the west, or shall i rephrase it ... is it enough to say that by them the Islam image will be modified?
I guess media which ‘s played the big side in this, it’s rare to find them showing a positive side about Islam, they usually pick negative models to be showy from one side & for other reasons we all know from the other side
But again, is it depending on Muslims on west, them & by them?
At 3/19/2006 9:15 PM,
doshar said…
yeah alina, humanity does need to show its better side more... but humanity is not under attack. ISlam unfortunately is under attack in a way. And a lot of people look at Islam very differently than it really is. So, it needs to be corrected, not just for the benifit of muslims, but more importantly for Islam itself.
The message if Islam is entrusted to the muslims to carry ot to the world, and to everyone. Part of carrying the mesage, is showing what Islam is about. And trying to show everyone true Islam gives them a real choice... if they wish to follow.
If people never get the real message of Islam, then they would not have a real choice to follow it would they? why would someone follow something he know nothing about? and here it is upon the muslims the burden to try to deliver.
Tota; no I do not think it only depends on the muslims in the west. The main muslim nation also has a role, but these are the ones that the west are daily subjected to... in the markets, as neighbours, as employess etc etc.
and as they say... seeing is believing. and having good first hand experience with muslims, admiring their ehtics, and knowing it comes mainly from Islam... really go a long way. more than you know.
this is how Islam was first spread in a lot of places btw, traders would go to places to trade. and people would marvel at their honesty and discipline. and when knowing that Islam helped make them this way, they followed it through conviction. religion is part worship, and part ethics.
but of course, muslims all over are responsible.
At 3/21/2006 1:35 AM,
Safiya Outlines said…
This is a really uplifting post. I watch Globe trekker a lot but I haven't seen that one yet.
I'm a Muslims in a Non-Muslim country and I'm always aware that how I behave may effect how the people around me think about Islam. It can be a heavy burden sometimes, but as you said, we have a responsibility and that starts at an individual level.
At 3/21/2006 1:03 PM,
LouLou said…
doshar,
"ISlam unfortunately is under attack in a way."
Don't you think that's because a lot of people feel under attack from Islam?There is a very vocal, very loud & very organized group of Muslims that is always out there sending out messages in the name of Islam that are very hostile to everyone who is not Muslim. Sometimes this group goes further than just sending out written or spoken messages & carries out heinous attacks against innocent people - never forgetting to mention the Quran & the Sunna as their motivation for every single attack.
Yes it is very positive that this particular group of Muslims managed to build a reputation for honesty in their community. But despite their effort, don't you think that when a terrorist attack happens in the name of Islam, people still hold it against them? Am sure that being a minority, they must suffer a lot from the backlash.
Defending Islam if we really want to do it has to turn inward. Just like we make an effort to talk to people outside about what Islam is, we have to make an equal effort to educate our own extremists about what Islam is. Action always speaks louder than words. And we have to learn to get as angry with those who commit crimes that demean Islam as we do with non-Muslims when they insult Islam.
We still haven't learnt to do that unfortunately. We still choose silence or muted criticism of their actions - out of some misplaced sense of loyalty.
It's not really the fault of the media. Mass media that most people watch reports on current events. And current events these days show a lot of violence by Muslims against everyone including other Muslims. If we focus on addressing this, we will find that the problem of our image or Islam's image is going to solve itself. Some other issue is going to become current events & the outside world will stop focusing on us so much because we won't be giving it reason to. Unfortunately we continue to be the current event(or current disaster) right now.
At 3/21/2006 9:22 PM,
Nesrina said…
Doshar, I was moved walahi when I read this part "the muslims will never try to cheat you." Gazaki Allah 7'eiran too ya Doshar. u made me happy.
At 3/22/2006 6:31 AM,
Charisma said…
Hey D!!
ezayek ya bent?!
just wanted to say hi, hope all is well with you, send my best wishes to roora :)
At 3/24/2006 9:15 AM,
Alina said…
True, Doshar, but I get this feeling people tend to look the wrong way to many other things, not only Islam...It is unfortunately a general thing these days, which is presently directed towards Islam...
At 3/26/2006 7:46 PM,
doshar said…
glad it had the same effect on some of you as it did on me.
chari honey, ezayek enty? how is everything? nefsena neshoofek. keep in touch.
Post a Comment
<< Home