Nineteen years ago, when we established the World Muslim Congress, a discussion group, followed by the website (www.WorldMuslimCongress.org), only a handful of Muslims understood the essence of Islam. Most of them assumed the pathways (rituals) are Islam, and what was passed onto them was Islam without independent verification.
After nearly two decades – Muslims are questioning Sharia, Hadiths, and Tafseer, and they see the flaws in them. Thank God for America; Muslims have limited their fear to Allah and not anyone else on the earth, not the men running around in some’ Masajids eager to issue fatwas or look down on those who question their interpretations. Islam is about freedom, and it is about creating harmony among God’s creation and making peace. Now, Muslims do their “Iqra” – read, understand, see its value, and follow it as Prophet (PBUH) had assigned them to do. There is no one between an individual and God, and there is no intercessor in Islam.
Today, I watched the video by Manal Omar organized by the Washington National Cathedral – it is 1 hour 27 minutes long – the first 12 minutes are introductions, but still worth listening to the entire video. The event was moderated by Professor of Islam Dr. Yvonne Haddad at Georgetown University. It is from 2015, but as fresh as it can be.
Thank God, much of Manal’s presentation is in the book American Muslim Agenda. Today, many American Muslims are thinking and seeing Islam as a system to create better societies. Most of us are on the same path, the path of seeing Pristine Islam. If you have not read the book, get one from Amazon or through Kindle.
We have to recognize two Islams – one you see on the TV screen emanating from Taliban, Shabab, ISIS, and a few others, and the other one is pristine Islam practiced by over a billion Muslims.
It is worth your time to watch this video
Mike Ghouse