TO DEFEND OUR BELOVED PROPHET, LET US EXEMPLIFY HIS TRUE IDEALS SAY IMAMS

Source: muslimmatters.org

Following the shocking murders in Paris, condemned by Muslims all over the world, and subsequent moves to depict the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once again,Imams from around the world have come together to issue the following advice to those concerned about the depiction.

1.    For Muslims, love of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is a NECESSARY part of our FAITH. He is dearer to us than our parents and children. We prefer him to our own self.

2.    Accordingly we regret and are naturally hurt by the depiction of our Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace), a great personality held in high esteem by 1.8 billion Muslims and millions more, in such a manner.

3.    Muslims do believe in freedom of speech. And they do respect the right for people to say what they believe to be correct. However, freedom of speech should not be translated in to a duty to offend. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that absolute freedom of speech does not exist. There are laws to protect the dignity and properties of people. We urge governments, civil society and our media to foster a culture of mutual respect and unity, not one of division and disdain.

4.    Most Muslims will inevitably be hurt, offended and upset by the republication of the cartoons. But our reaction must be a reflection of the teachings of the gentle and merciful character of the Prophet (peace be upon him).  Enduring patience, tolerance, gentleness and mercy as was the character of our beloved Prophet (peace and Blessings be upon him) is the best and immediate way to respond. With dignified nobility we must be restrained, as the Qur’an says “And when the ignorant speak to them, they say words of Peace.”

Our aim is to not, inadvertently, give the cartoons more prominence through our attention. Muslims must remain calm and peaceful in their speech and actions. Repel harm with goodness is the Qur’anic imperative and by which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived. If we feel strongly, the only course of action to us is with reasoned debate, civil activism and other legal avenues, God willing.

Refugees In Their Own Country – Ukraine Families Face A Cold Winter (Video)

 The Ukraine civil war has forced thousands of Ukrainians away from their homes and, in the case of Anna, to a hangar in Kiev.

This Week In Civilian Discontent: Protests In The Philippines, Israel, And The US (Video)

 From clashes across the Philippines to the fight for higher wages in Chicago, AJ+ highlights global acts of civil disobedience that you might have missed this week from locations including Sao Paulo Brazil, and Tel Aviv Israel.

July In Syria – By The Numbers (Video)

 July 2014 in Syria saw record numbers of deaths and displaced since the civil war began in 2011. Using death toll data from The Syrian Network for Human Rights, and refugee tracking data from United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), AJ+’s animated audio slide show shows the scale of the past month’s devastation.

This Week In Civilian Discontent: Protest In The Occupied West Bank, A Vigil For MH17 And More (Video)

 From a Palestinian protest over the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, to a vigil for MH17’s victims in Amsterdam, to a demonstration in Venezuela, AJ+ highlights the acts of civil disobedience both big and small you might have missed this week.
Watch more on Israel and Palestine…

Documentary: Syria – so near, so far (Video)

Five Syrian refugees in Turkey reveal their hopes, fears and why their homeland feels like a world away.

 Syria’s civil war has been raging for three years, leaving hundreds of thousands displaced, injured or dead. Two-hundred-and-forty thousand Syrians have sought refuge in Turkey in the past three years. Fifteen thousand of them have come to a camp at Öncüpinar in Kilis province, right next to the Syrian border.

Syria: So near, so far follows the daily lives of five Syrians in Öncüpinar, struggling to come to terms with life in exile, in an alien environment, cheek-by-jowl with thousands of others. It is about their concern for their own and their families’ futures – and what Syria means to them as their country continues to be torn apart.

Filmmaker: Ahmet Yurtkul

The Truthseeker: US civil war is coming (Video)

  US Government “getting ready for civil war”; the experimental vaccines in your dinner; and that virus on your computer – the army now linked to systematic black ops against ordinary citizens.Seek truth from facts with Trends Journal publisher Gerry Celente, editor of Storyleak Anthony Gucciardi, and author of Questioning the War on Terror Dr. Kevin Barrett.
More video’s…