Anti-Muslim hatred: A common threat to all humanity


"If someone does bad to you, do good in return." Those words came from Farid Ahmed, who survived the Al Noor mosque terrorist attack but lost his wife Husna Ahmad. He became one of the important figures of that bloody attack by repelling evil with good, and he has won the hearts of everyone in the world. The creator is kind, and he loves this kind of kindness in all matters. Ibn Khaldun, in his book "Muqaddimah" wrote: "It should be known that we – May Allah guide you and us – notice that this world with all the created things in it has a certain order and solid construction. It shows nexuses between causes and things caused, combinations of some parts of creation with others, and transformations of some existent things into others, in a pattern that is both remarkable and endless."

Within that harmony in creation, the victim's husband, Farid Ahmed, ends the continuous victimization of Muslims and shows how Islam leads the way for those strong enough to "forgive the unforgivable." In a 2011 meeting, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, as well as the Arab League, a key partner, identified Islamophobia as an important area of concern. Combating it on national and regional levels is important but not enough. To struggle against Islamophobia, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) has called for March 15 to be an international holiday after 50 Muslims were killed. This important step is very symbolic if it brings together European and Muslim countries at a multicultural level.

To struggle against Islamophobia, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) has called for March 15 to be an international holiday after 50 Muslims were killed. This important step is very symbolic if it brings together European and Muslim countries at a multicultural level. It is time for trans-Atlantic efforts to defeat the Islamophobia industry as it is not a Muslim problem, but an affront to all humanity. It is a fundamental violation of human rights and human dignity.

To define real leadership is without doubt the best vaccine against racism and discrimination as the leader enhances societies' understandings. New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is showing the world what real leadership should look like. She promised to cover the funeral costs of the 50 innocent people in Christchurch, and she also assured that every family of the victims would get financial assistance moving forward. She explicitly said that the terrorist wants notoriety, and she will not call him by his name.

Muslims are beset by both the hijacking of their religion by groups such as Daesh and incidents like the New Zealand terrorist attack on two mosques. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also wrote in The Washington Post his appraisal of Jacinda Ardern's exemplary attitude and said that all leaders should learn courage, leadership and sincerity from the prime minister of New Zealand to embrace Muslims living in their respective countries. Ardern is a leader who deeply cares for the community accosted by terrorism.

Racism is killing all societies' heartlands. For sure, every bad incident comes with a blessing inside as a result of sunnetullah, a Quranic concept defining the order of Allah. Every hardship will be followed by a khair (the good of the faith). God willing, this case will lead to lots of good and blessings for everybody in the world. From one point it teaches us that no concession will mean a safe haven for a Muslim, so every single Muslim probably understood that if they are Muslim they shall stand against those threats and be proud of being Muslim. Those against Muslims are mostly fascists, and they are racists.

On the other hand, the public, which mostly consists of reasonable but quiet people, became aware that the hatred narrative spread by politicians has concrete results that affect the daily lives of innocent people.

And also it became very obvious that there is no safe haven for anybody in this world, so as humanity we should act and react against all kinds of racism and fascism together as one body. Or the result will be a total loss for every single human being. It was the same through history, from the Middle Ages to the age of colonialism to the world wars, but for the last several decades we have been living in an illusion.

Everybody and every single member of the ummah has become aware that there are Muslims in the world, and they are all human beings and unrelated to any stereotyping of the mass media.

So hopefully, your assumption will coincide with truth in the future, and there are mass conversions to the right path in the Far East populations of the world.

The only unfortunate thing is that the elite of the ummah stays indifferent to this terror attack and prefer to keep their people under their subordination. Allah may change those elites and destiny if we change ourselves.

* President of the Islamic Conference Youth Forum (ICYF)