[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]What: Lecture \u201cChallenging Hate: Islam, Conflict & Peacebuilding\u201d
\nWhere: Singapore Expo Max Atria
\nWho: Shaykh Prof Mustafa Ceric
\nWhen: 29 August 2014
\nBy: SimplyIslam, Jamiyah Singapore, Muslim Expats Network (MEX)[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_separator][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]The backdrop to Shaykh Prof Mustafa Ceric\u2019s talk was a recent ceasefire in Gaza (although after over 2,000 deaths), aggression and conflict in various Muslim lands and an overall dismal state of affairs. It was heartening to see over 400 people gather at the lecture that night. It was testament to their belief and hope that they could all #ChallengeHate.<\/p>\n
And I\u2019m pretty sure they did not leave disappointed. Shaykh Prof Mustafa Ceric\u2019s lecture was very organised, hopeful and full of wisdom.<\/p>\n
He started off by talking about how humans are not machines and therefore not fixable and not predictable. It is almost impossible to predict how anyone would react to events. He also said that we are the only organism that do not have an inborn instinct towards what is good or bad for us. Unlike other animals that can sense danger, humans can\u2019t even tell what food is good or bad for us.<\/p>\n
The only way we can know is through learning. Shaykh emphasised that this is why the first revelation isn\u2019t \u201cBelieve!\u201d but \u201cRead!\u201d or in other words, \u201clearn!\u201d. He posits that what we are and who we are depends on who teaches us. Even values such as hate and love are not instinctive; they are learned.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”5083″ img_link_large=”yes” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”600″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
When God created us, He breathed His Spirit into us. This Spirit is present in every human being \u2013 Muslim or not. Therefore, every human is sacred and deserving of respect and love. Shaykh explained the difference between Faith, Religion and Morality. He believes that because of the Spirit of God, all humans have faith. Religion is what we learn and choose to belong to. Morality is what makes people recognizable by their words & deeds.<\/p>\n
Shaykh says that hate or love of others become present in our heart because of who teaches us our religion. To feel better than others, that your religion is the best and that other people from other religions are your enemies \u2013 these teachings does not belong to Islam. Shaykh warns us against teachers who propogate such ideas and who instill hatred in the hearts of their students.<\/p>\n
Shaykh Prof Mustafa Ceric says that to solve the problem of the ideology of hatred, we need to reflect on 4 questions:
\n1) What is our strength?
\n2) What is our weakness?
\n3) What are the opportunities available?
\n4) What are the threats to us?<\/p>\n
1) The Muslims\u2019 strength is our belief in one God. This has endured over the years and our commitment to this belief inspires other faith communities to practice their own religion. Therefore, we should keep in mind this strength of ours when we communicate with others.
\n2) Our weakness is our inability to unite. Despite having 1 God, 1 Book, 1 Qiblah, we can\u2019t even have 1 Day of Eid. We need to work on our weakness and to be able to unite despite our differences.
\n3) The opportunities that are present to us lies in Islam being an integrative religion. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) spread his message, he did not say all before me are wrong. Instead, he said that he came to affirm what was in the Old & New Testament. This is a huge opportunity for us to reach out and share with others. We can link up with other faith communities due to our connection with their books and yet we do not do so.
\n4) The most difficult and dangerous threat to us is the violence that is done in the name of Islam. Shaykh emphasized how Islam is the religion of no-compulsion and no-force. He spent a considerable amount of time explaining the root word of Islam, Iman and Ihsan (peaceful submission to God, security and beauty respectively) to prove that violence has no place in the religion.<\/p>\n
A quote I really love from Shaykh was this: \u201cTolerance is a sign of strength. Intolerance is a sign of weakness.\u201d He said that once you are confident in your faith, you are not insecure and will not hate others. But people hate and resort to violence to compensate for their own insecurity.<\/p>\n
With Iman, Islam and Ihsan, we have to face the world and challenge hate. The more we give love, the more we have for ourself! He said, \u201cIf you are ever hesitant to give love, remember you are not giving others, you are loving yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also says that when we hate, that hate harms others but harms us even more. He reminded us to watch what we allow in our hearts because from his experience in Bosnia, the law is not in the book, but is in the heart. What we store there will manifest in our actions and interaction with others and to safeguard against ever allowing hate to fester, in any way.<\/p>\n
The Q&A segment was one of the most interesting ones I\u2019ve ever sat in. Someone asked for the Shaykh to share his experience in Bosnia. Instead, Shaykh read out a poem written by a former Foreign Minister of Sarajevo.<\/p>\n
The wall in front of you
\nThe wall behind you
\nThe wall is all
\nThis world has for you<\/i><\/p>\n
But in your heart
\nDon\u2019t let it grow
\nYoung boy in Palestine
\nDon\u2019t turn away
\nFrom the world
\nThat has turned
\nAway from you<\/p>\n
Allow the world
\nTo feel ashamed
\nLooking you in the eye
\nThe eye of a boy
\nWithout boyhood<\/p>\n
Ask
\nWhose hand
\nIgnoring death
\nWhose steady hand
\nPut the bandage
\nOn your donkey\u2019s leg<\/p>\n
Ask
\nFor you see farther
\nFacing the wall
\nWhich hand
\nWill lead the world
\nThe one that
\nPulled the trigger
\nOr that which healed
\nYour wounded donkey<\/p>\n
Turn around
\nShow the face
\nOf a boy that never was
\nHelp the world
\nThat has not helped you<\/p>\n
For the sake
\nOf brave people from afar
\nSharing with you
\nDeath and Honour
\nIn the name
\nOf the children in Nigeria
\nSyria, Mexico, Iraq
\nAbducted children in Australia
\nDead children
\nOn the bottom of the Mediterranean
\nChildren still alive
\nIn the mines and sweatshops
\nChildren on the borders and wires
\nWaiting for a raindrop in deserts
\nChildren in the Philippines
\nSomalia, Palestine and Bosnia
\nChildren in the slums
\nSleepless and dreamless<\/p>\n
For the sake
\nOf all those
\nUnafraid of your memories \u2013
\nOf wells with clear water
\nOf uncut olive trees
\nLast seen
\nIn your grandfather\u2019s eyes
\nWhen he talked of home \u2013
\nThe memories unscathed
\nBy bullets and barbed wires<\/p>\n
For the sake of children in Israel
\nWho bear no guilt
\nTurn around
\nYoung boy in Palestine
\nSave this world<\/p>\n
Help it be ashamed.”<\/p>\n
Haris Silajdzic
\nSarajevo
\nAugust 2014<\/p>\n
It was actually a beautiful response without having to speak about the surely-painful experience of Bosnia.<\/p>\n
Another lady asked about the need to teach adab (etiquette) and to emphasize it to our children. Shaykh agreed and lamented the fact that we read Facebook but not actual books anymore. He said it is important to engage in good literature as it builds character. He also said we need to do zikr to get peace and to make our hearts softer. \u201cWhen we become closer to God, we become better to humans.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a question about how we could understand the hatred and conflict happening in the Middle East. I found the Shaykh\u2019s response to be particularly beautiful and poignant. He says that everything happens is Qada\u2019 & Qadr (predestined). And yet prayer is the only way we can change what is written. He says that since we don\u2019t know what is predestined and we don\u2019t know which of our prayers are answered, we need to make lots of sincere prayers to ask Allah for peace in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
He says that we can try to analyse and find real world solutions to the problems but that if we don\u2019t pray for peace, it\u2019s pointless to talk. He then appealed to the whole Muslim world and to all khatibs and imams to make public prayers for peace for the world. He also prayed, \u201cMay God make people think not about the art of war, but the art of peace and the art of tolerance.\u201d<\/p>\n
A young boy in the audience also asked about ISIS. Shaykh unequivocally said that ISIS is unislamic and not in accordance to the teachings of Islam. He quotes the Qur\u2019an: those who kill one person, it is as if he killed all of humanity. He who saves one life, it is as if he has saved all of humanity. Shaykh said \u201cIf someone kills someone innocent in the name of Islam, he is not Muslim.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaykh praised the harmony and peace and the collaboration he sees in the Singaporean Muslim community. He commends the government for the peace we get to enjoy and said that it is important that we do not take this for granted. He said that Singapore can set a good example for the rest of South East Asia and our role for the global Ummah.<\/p>\n
Responding to another question, Shaykh strongly told the audience to increase our skills in managing our communities so we can work together. He says it is more important that Muslims contribute to the world instead of counting the number of converts to Islam. \u201cWe have to stop talking about how we have contributed in the past. We need to contribute NOW. Don\u2019t talk about our great history. We don\u2019t belong there.\u201d<\/p>\n
I will end this review with the following quotes by Shaykh Prof Mustafa Ceric:
\n\u201cPolitics is too important to be left to the politicians. We all have to be involved in the policy process.
\nReligion is too important to be left to the theologians. We need to learn our religion and not let others manipulate our religion to poison others.
\nWar is too dangerous to be left to the generals. They cannot be left to decide what is war and peace.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]Bio of speaker: Dr. Mustafa Ceric has served as the Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina since 1999. Ceric was educated at al-Azhar University in Cairo and received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He served as an imam in his native Bosnia, and later at the Islamic Cultural Center in Northbrook, Illinois. The Grand Mufti has received global acclaim for his work in strengthening democracy, promoting world peace, and pursuing interfaith dialogue. Ceric was considered a pivotal leader during the war with Serbia and remains a strong voice for the survival of Islam in Europe. He sits on the World Economic Forum’s Community of West-Islam Dialogue (C-100) and various other interfaith councils throughout Europe and the Middle East. Cerci was one of the 138 Muslim signatories in October 2007 of A Common Word Between Us and You, a letter addressed to Christian leaders in an appeal for peace and cooperation between the two religions. He is listed as 49th in “The Muslim 500 – The World’s Most Influential Muslims”.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]Number of people who attended: 400<\/p>\n
Notables in the audience: Vice Ambassador of Indonesia.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_separator][vc_column_text]Ameera Begum<\/b>
\nAmeera is the Editor of Muzlimbuzz.sg, a chronic reader and a news junkie.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]What: Lecture \u201cChallenging Hate: Islam, Conflict & Peacebuilding\u201d Where: Singapore Expo Max Atria Who: Shaykh Prof Mustafa Ceric When: 29 August 2014 By: SimplyIslam, Jamiyah Singapore, Muslim Expats Network (MEX)[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_separator][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]The backdrop to Shaykh Prof Mustafa Ceric\u2019s talk was a recent ceasefire in Gaza (although after over 2,000 deaths), aggression and conflict in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[2664,2663,2122,173,2669,2670,2666,2667,2668,2665,772],"class_list":["post-5082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-event-review","tag-challengehate","tag-challenging-hate","tag-conflict","tag-islam","tag-jamiyah","tag-mex","tag-mustafa-ceric","tag-mustafa-ceric-singapore","tag-peacebuilding","tag-shaykh-prof-mustafa-ceric","tag-simplyislam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5082"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5085,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5082\/revisions\/5085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}