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Youth from the breadth and depth of London
gathered at Westminster University in Northwick Park on
Wednesday 7th April 2004 for an enlightening presentation
addressing how the Muslim people could strive to progress for
a better future in the western world. Appropriately, its title
was "Striving for a better tomorrow".
This event marked
the debut of AIM - the AhlulBayt Islamic Mission - a newly
formed organisation working within the Muslim community living
in this country. More than 350 guests from different
backgrounds and religions including renowned clerics,
delegates from Islamic Institutions and professionals
assembled to gain an insight on a wide range of topics.
In the light of
current affairs, the speakers focused on practical dilemmas
that face the Muslims of today such as the "Jihad, a
Misunderstood Concept", Terrorism, the importance of the
Islamic veil, the Islamic view of Mel Gibson's movie "Passion
of the Christ" and "Our Responsibilities towards Mankind".
The event began
with a talk by Ayatollah Sayyid Fadhil Milani, one of the
highest ranking clerics in Britain and a professor at the
Islamic college in London. He spoke of the misconception of
Jihad, addressing the negative view of Jihad in the world
today. He stated that it is a misused concept, and the problem
of it being used as a defence against certain acts is one
which gives people a dark vision of Islam.
When referring to
the declaration of Jihad, he said "we must understand that
only qualified authorities can issue such rulings after firm
knowledge in relation to the ethics of war and peace according
to Islam." He concluded on the following point "one is not
permitted to present Islam and Jihad in a way that harms Islam
or the Muslims".
Sheikh Mahmood
Abdullah, a prominent speaker and author of the book on Human
Rights and State Terror, in his talk "Islam vs. terrorism"
elucidated Islam's stance on terrorism and its proud history
of fighting against terrorism. He pointed out the
misapplication of the term "Terrorism" by today's media and
how they have used it to give a negative impression of the
Muslims. This is particularly relevant in the modern day with
the acts of terrorists who proclaim themselves to be Muslims,
and linking these acts to the teachings of Islam.
The wearing of the
Islamic veil has also been a subject of great media focus,
with citizens of certain countries, most famously France.
Sukaina Panjwani, who represented the Islamic Human Rights
Commission, took the stage to discuss the issue of Hijab in
today's "modern" world. She emphasised on the importance of
being active in the movement against such violations of the
rights of the Muslims throughout the world. She urged the
audience to act by filling out questionnaires and sending out
condemnation letters in a stance to speak against the
suppression of the Hijaab in countries seeking to impose such
laws.
The recent
resurgence of Christianity has been exemplified by the
production of Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ". An in
depth analysis was delivered by Sheikh Mohammed Bahmanpour, a
well-known cleric renowned for writing the script for the
famous film "The Honourable Saint Mary". He stated that while
Islam does give importance to Jesus, as a Prophet of Allah the
Exalted, it is not in the same order as Christianity, using
verses of the Holy Qur'an to illustrate this point. That
clearly drained out all the misconceptions widely held.
Fittingly, the
concluding talk by Hassanain Rajabali - a lecturer and debater
of Islam in New York - put forward the notion of "Our
Responsibility towards Mankind" as Muslims and ambassadors in
the communities we live in. He pointed out the need for each
of us as individuals to play a part in the progression of
humanity guiding Mankind through the teachings of spiritual
enlightenment. He stated that our mission as the
representatives of God on Earth is to propagate His most
eloquent and perfected word to those whom are yet to discover
its full depth.
Although aimed at
students, the conference was much more far reaching in its
effect. At this time, the world is full of confusion and
misunderstanding which made the timing of the conference
relevant to the audience.
The AhlulBayt
Islamic Mission works to adopt Islam as a source of
enlightenment and to promote those values that bring about a
healthy society. |
