I, as a Jewish convert to Islam, perhaps have a different point of view on dawah and relations towards non-Muslims than other converts. My journey to Islam was fraught with some very good, and some equally as bad, dawah. Although I personally was never very religious, the title “Jew” that was branded onto my forehead was unfortunately seen as a scarlet letter by some in the Muslim community. This mark in general can bring us benefits and disadvantages in life, but in the Muslim world, I felt sometimes as if I had leprosy. I was called a whore, a liar, Shaytaana, kike, was told to jump in an oven, and was promised special treatment at the reopening of Auschwitz*. Tell me is this how our beloved Prophet (saws) would have spoken?
These are symptoms of two diseases infecting the Ummah. The age of the online Jihadi (or Dijihadi) and hatred and ignorance towards non-Muslims in general, but especially towards Jews (who are apart of Ahlul Kitaab). I will address the Dijihadis first.
Its very easy to be emotionally raw online, to say what’s on your mind in a crass and uncultured way. People do it all the time. In real life, nobody would come up to a Muslim and yell “durka durka” at them, but online, it happens all the time. Likewise, I doubt that many of these Muslims who treated me (and others) in this way would have done so to my face. What is it about this forum of communication that lets loose all human depravity in people, leaving all adab and human decency behind? Muslims have no excuse to have anything but the utmost patience for people, in all mediums of communication. When the Prophet’s Non-Muslim neighbor used to dump her trash at his house, how did he react? He treated her with respect, patience and kindness. Would he have acted any other way if they had talked on MSN? I don’t think so. So why then do we as the slaves of Allah act in any less of a proper manner?
What is worse about this is that many times it is not just a lack of self control, these people feel as if they are fighting in the cause of Allah. They feel as if using such filthy language and having no respect is pleasing to God. What kind of anti-Dawah is this? This promotes to the kuffar the idea that Islam is violent, rude, combatant and unforgiving. When you embody the negative stereotypes about Islam that are in fact *counter* to Islam then you are doing a grave disservice to the religion, to our beloved Prophet (saws) and mostly to Allah (swt). If people are looking at you, judging not only you, but God, the Prophets (saws) and Islam, won’t you take a second and think about how your actions and deeds represent Islam? Is this truly fighting for the sake of Allah or is this you justifying your own personal vendettas and grudges?
The second issue that I noticed mostly because of its direct relation to myself is the Non-Muslim hatred, and most specifically, Jew-Hatred. Obviously, the first issue would not exist if this problem were not prevalent, however, unfortunately, they both are. This superiority complex is something that very much needs to be addressed more, and if often ignored. Once again we should turn to the Prophet (saws) for our example. I will say with certainty that Muhammad (saws) never acted as if he was better than anyone, although truly he was. He never talked down to anyone, treated them as less than him, or blindly hated. No, in fact, this is the man who talked kindly and respectfully to the man urinating in public on a mosque! Yet, so many Muslims refuse to use the same sort of conduct on any non-Muslim, regardless of how respectful they are. Why? Simply because one has not had the opportunity yet to accept Islam? Or because one is taking longer than *you* would like to accept? Or perhaps because one is not accepting Islam at all? Is this any reason to break away from the example of the Prophet and use the same tactics that non-Muslims themselves use against their “enemies”?
Jews in particular are under a great deal of scrutiny in the Muslim community. This may be in part due to Zionism and the state of Israel, it may be due in part to a hatred for the religion and what some of the Rabbis have said through the ages about Muhammad (saws), and it may be due in part to the Quranic verses citing that Jews are under the wrath of Allah. Considering the fact that I was not a Zionist, and not religious either, my scarlet letter had to do more with my ethnicity than with my mindset or my values. It was claimed that I could and would never accept Islam because my blood was poisoned. My blood is poisoned? The very God who created Bani Yisraeel is too weak to guide us to Islam? Wow, astagfirallah!! Throughout our history, the wrath of God has been on us. Many, many times, and yet, what was the purpose? Punishment? In part, but the main goal was for us to wake up out of our rebellion and come back to God. He never hated us as a group, as a people. He was never too weak to guide whom He wills. The bold presumptuous claims of these Muslims amazes me. As if our blood is a barrier that Allah cannot cross. It was reported in AlJazeera that 100 Jews annually accept Islam. This may be a small amount but when you understand that we are .002% of the world population, and our culture makes it difficult for us to convert, you realize what a huge number this is. Alhamdulillah, Allah has NOT forgotten us.
We as Jews have a great many barriers to overcome in being guided to Islam. Religion, culture, family pressure, preconceived notions about Muslims, Islam, and the Prophets Isa (as) and Muhammad (saws). The last barrier we need to overcome is Muslims themselves! The kindness and generosity and patience *alone* of Muslims through the ages brought many people to the fold of Islam, why then do you stand in our way, pointing crooked fingers back at yourselves calling us dishonest, insincere, liars, and immoral? When we ask you a question why do you assume we are attacking you? Why do you assume that God cannot guide us simply because a few of our ancestors were cursed for breaking the Sabbath? People, wake up, your views of the world are not all there is. Allah (swt) is powerful and He *is* mercy!
Muslims, stop standing in the way of Allah’s guidance. Stop creating a wrong impression of the truth for the non-Muslims. Fear your Lord, and we will all be better off.
*this is referring to a certain group of Muslims, and by no means all Muslims I had contact with.
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