orlando

Granby Interfaith Vigil for Orlando

/ Chaplain Sami A. Aziz / Leave a comment

On June 16th at 7pm Imam Sami Abdul Aziz & Vjosa Qerimi participated in the Interfaith vigil at the Granby Town Green. When we arrived at the Congregational Church down the street with met with Church leaders Dawn Karlson, Sandra Fischer and many others. From there we walked to the Town Green where about 55 people were gathered to remember the victims of the Orlando tragedy. At the helm were Elliot Altomare and Pastor Ginny McDaniel. Imam Sami Abdul Aziz shared some verses from the Quran and gave a message of hope as well as a condemnation of the actions of the shooter. 

South Congregational Church.242 Salmon Brook St., Granby, CT 06035

 

Program:
Music – Doug
Welcome – Rev. Ginny McDaniel
Readings –
-Reading from the Quran/Reflection, Imam Sami Abdul Aziz
-The Blessings of Jesus, Anne Marie Elder
-Litanies to My Heavenly, Brown Body Elliot Altomare
-Count to 50, Jennica Betsch
Reading of the Names & laying of flowers, Elliot
Sharing in small groups, Dawn
Prayer, Ginny
Son “Singing for Our Lives”, Holly Near
Charge and Benediction, Dawn
Song “Bridge over Troubled Water”

More information about the event can be found at the hosts website here: https://storify.com/elliotaltomare/granbyvigil

Manchester Interfaith Vigil for Orlando

/ Chaplain Sami A. Aziz / Leave a comment

June 15th, 2016 at 7pm: Brother Amer Nabil and Imam Sami Abdul Aziz attended a Interfaith Vigil for the victims of the Orlando attack on behalf of the Muslim community at Unitarian Universalist Society: East in Manchester CT under Qalem Peace Initiative.

Program:
-Gathering Music  (Debbie Vinnick)
-Welcome and Chalice Lighting “Legacy” by Elizabeth Tarbox (Rev. Josh Pawelek)
-Song “Comfort Me”
-Prayer, Rabbi Richard Plavin Beth Shalom B’nai Israel, Manchester
-Music “We Hear Your Cry”
-Reflections
Imam Sami Abdul Aziz, Lighthouse for Humanity, Bloomfield Muslim Community Center
Amer Nabil – Manchester Resident of 16 years
Rev. Persida Rivera Mendez, Ministerio Nueva Creacion
-Song “One Day” by Matisyahu  (Jenn Richards)
-Reflections
Saud Anwar, South Windsor City Council
Bishop John Selders, Amistad UCC and Moral Monday CT
-Candle Lighting    (Debbie Vinick accompanying)
-Reading  excerpt from “Poem for July 4th, 1994” by Sonia Sanchez
-Song “There is More Love”
-Benediction Rev. Cheryl A. Caronna, Faith Formation Director, Center Congregational Chuch
-Departing Music – Debbie Vinick

Amer Nabil’s statement:
My sincere thoughts and prayers are with the families in Orlando who are without their loved ones today. I pray to  God, the Almighty, to give the families, the strength and patience in order to cope with the emotional pain they are suffering at this time.

My brothers and sisters in humanity, I am a proud Muslim and a proud American. I love my religion and I love this country. By profession, I am a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, who has been working and serving in this community. My religion of Islam teaches me to be compassionate, tolerant and considerate.

The messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, said “Show kindness to God’s creations on earth, so that God may be kind to you”

Especially, in this month of Ramadan, when myself and Muslims all over the world are fasting, no food, no water from dawn to dusk to gain God’s blessings, we are encouraged to double the amount of kindness, compassion, helpfulness and care in this blessed month.

The actions of this murderer who destroyed the lives of so many individuals in Orlando, did not represent Islam or Muslims. This was sick minded, violent person who was not religious in the slightest according to his family. As we now know through FBI investigations, that the motive of this hateful crime was not religious but rather personal.

Crime does not have a religion and certainly one person’s crime does not represent the whole community. Those who commit violent crimes in the name of religion, do so for their own personal motives and for their own justification.

God says in the Holy Quran, in Chapter 5, verse 32: “Whoever kills an innocent person unjustly, it is as if he has killed the whole of humankind and whoever saves a life of one innocent person is as if he has saved the lives of all of humanity.”- In Islam- to kill one innocent human being is equivalent to the sin of killing the entire humanity. No Muslim, would ever want to have that burden on him or her.

Rather, a Muslim, who wants to gain God’s blessings will do so by caring, maintaining, growing, showing compassion towards all of God’s creations.

My Brothers and sisters, Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance, compassion and kindness. And I pray, together, we can fight terrorism and hatred by spreading the message of peace.

Imam Sami Abdul Aziz statement:
Peace be Upon you
Chapter 113 – The People form the Quran
1 Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Sustainer of the people,
2 the King of the people,
3 the God of the people,
4 from the mischief of every sneaking whisperer,
5 who whispers into the hearts of people,
6 from devils and men.’

On behalf of the American Muslim community, we, want to extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the barbaric assault that occurred this past Sunday at Pulse, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We unequivocally say that such an act of hate-fueled violence has no place in any faith, including Islam. As people of faith, we believe that all human beings have the right to safety and security and that each and every human life is inviolable.

It is a very sad day when a person of my faith believes our religion advocates violence against peaceful individuals. Going a step further he violates the sanctity of the holy month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed bringing peace to hearts. Islam must be learned from Scholars & Imams of the religion. Not through the internet. As this investigation unfolded we found Omar Mateen to be a loner seeking meaning in life and finding it through websites. A person with a deep identity crisis of being from Afghan heritage, Muslim, brown skinned, and Gay. The answer to this type of darkness is the light that comes from hiring Imams, Chaplains, Scholars and by providing vouchers for religious schools which ground students in their religious and civic identity. It is a major crime and sin to harm the people of our country. They are our neighbors, friends, family members, employers, and colleagues. Harming them is corruption, a clear sign of no faith, ignorance and misguidance. God help us in our time of ignorance and save us from those who claim religion but have hearts of wolves. “The true believer is one who all people are saved, from his hand and words.” This Prophetic tradition is enough if we follow it. The Qur’an states that taking of one life is like taking the life of all of humanity. This past sunday we as human beings experienced that traumatic loss 50 times over. Everyday in this country we experience that loss through violence. Everyday the world over we experience that loss every minute through wars and other acts of barbarity. May God bring healing to our broken world. Ameen-Amen

There are extremists in America and abroad who view the world through a Manichean lens: American Manicheans want Americans to see themselves as entirely “good” and all Muslims as entirely “evil.” Muslim Manicheans want Muslims to see themselves as entirely “good” and all Americans as entirely “evil.” This is a catastrophic recipe for unrelenting violence, and it must be rejected: We will not allow the extremists to define us, mold us in their benighted image, or sow the seeds of discord among us. We are one people, so let us all in good conscience and human solidarity reject this extremist narrative and assert our shared humanity and mutual respect for the sanctity of all human life. May God bring healing to our broken world. Ameen-Amen

Pictures:

Link to Unitarian website event page: http://uuse.org/vigil-for-orlando/#.V2LOQ7srKCi

FAQ for Muslims from the American Public

/ Chaplain Sami A. Aziz / 2 Comments
FAQ
Here are some questions you may encounter when there is a terrorist related incident perpetrated by one claiming the Islamic faith:
 
1. Why don’t you call the attacks “Islamic Terrorism”?
 
Simply because terrorism is unislamic. Many Islamic texts clearly forbid terrorism, violence, and ordain the sanctity of life.
 
The terrorists would like people to see their actions as “Islamic” in order to recruit people from the Muslim world. Calling it “Islamic Terrorism” would be aiding the terrorists in their marketing and recruiting efforts.
 
2. The attackers did it in the name of Allah and Islam, why shouldn’t we call them “Islamists” or “Islamic Terrorists”?
 
Muslims do almost everything in Allah’s name and invoke His name for blessings. Muslims invoke the name of Allah before and after eating, traveling, sleeping, entering a home, embarking on endeavors, opening businesses, purchasing and selling houses, etc. This devotion is mentioned in the Quran: “Say: Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.” [Quran 6:162]
 
Misguided people will also do their incorrect actions in the name of Allah. This does not mean their actions are actually condoned by Allah or Islam even if they seemingly perform some of the rites of Islam or claim them to be from Allah. Allah mentioned such kinds of people:
 
“And when they commit an immorality, they say, ‘We found our fathers doing it, and Allah has ordered us to do it.’ Say, “Indeed, Allah does not order immorality. Do you say about Allah that which you do not know?”
 
Say, [O Muhammad], “My Lord has ordered justice and that you maintain yourselves [in worship of Him] at every place [or time] of prostration, and invoke Him, sincere to Him in religion.” Just as He originated you, you will return [to life] –
 
A group [of you] He guided, and a group deserved [to be in] error. Indeed, they had taken the devils as allies instead of Allah while they thought that they were guided. [Quran 7:28-30]
 
The Prophet Muhammad informed us that there will be people who will display great devotion in prayers and fasting that will surpass that of his own companions, but these people will have nothing to do with Islam:
 
“They will read the Quran but it will not go beyond their necks, they will leave the religion…they are the worse of people and character…they will call to the Book of Allah, but they will have nothing to do with it.” [Sahih al-Jami]
 
Muslims open businesses in the name of Allah. Have we heard anyone labeling them “Islamic businesses”? The Syrians and Kurds are fighting ISIS at the frontline in the name of Allah. Why don’t we call them “Islamic Freedom Fighters”? Being selective with the term “Islamic” for violence or a super minority amongst the 1.6 billion Muslims only seems to be an effort to tarnish the image of Islam in favor of the terrorists.
 
3. What about the term “Islamic Radicalism” or “Islamic Extremism”?
 
The terms suggest that radicalism or extremism emanate from Islam where in reality Islam clearly forbids them. The Prophet Muhammad stated, “O Mankind! Beware of extremism in religion. It surely has destroyed those before you- the extremism in religion” [Ibn Majah].
 
4. Are these attackers extremists?
 
Yes, they are extremists. They have left the teachings of Islam to become extremists. Calling them “Islamic extremists” would be an oxymoron.
 
5. Why are there so many Muslims as terrorists?
 
It may seem that way since the media coverage of a Muslim terrorist is much greater and in-depth than the coverage of Christian, Jewish, Atheist, etc. terrorists. The terrorists who are Muslims are only a fraction of the 1.6 billion Muslims.
 
Data clearly shows that most of the terrorist acts committed on American and European soils are done by Christians, Jews, and others, not by Muslims. Furthermore, 95% of the victims of ISIS terrorist actions are Muslims.
 
6. This is a fight for the soul of Islam, why don’t Muslims fix this problem once and for all?
 
Muslims have been dealing with the concept of extremism for decades. However, this is not just a fight for the soul of Islam. It is also a responsibility of those who have contributed to the creation of these terrorists through misguided foreign policies. Ideologies alone do not create terrorists. Terrorists need the right socio-political environment to sprout. Misguided foreign policies have provided such environments.
-courtesy of NYC Muslim Center