American Muslims should promote "Abrahamic" values...

Society Religion & Philosophy
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Received via local Muslim newsletter in Dallas, Texas, U.S.A. few days ago. This even is taking place today.

**Dallas Central Mosque’s Imam Dr. Yusuf Kavachi to speak on Abraham before the TCC **

Muslims, Christians and Jews all trace their religion’s founding to Abraham. Yet when commentators state that our country was founded upon Judeo-Christian values they are excluding Muslim-Americans. Muslim-Americans should promote the usage of “Abrahamic” values instead of just Judeo-Christian values wherever possible. The Texas Conference of Churches representing countless denomination of Christianity in Texas is hosting its 38th Annual Faith and Order Conference with the topic being “Abraham: Three Faiths on Nov. 5th & 6th ,One Ancestor” in Flower Mound, north of Dallas.Conference registration deadline is October 9th .Three speakers are Dr. Yusuf Kavachi - Imam of the Dallas Central Mosque of the Islamic Association of North Texas (IANT). Rev. Dr. Douglas Skinner - Active member of interfaith efforts at the local, state and national levels. Rabbi Geoffrey Dennis - Professor at University of North Texas (UNT) in Rabbinical Literature and Introduction to Judaism. Please visit Welcome to nginx! for more details and remember that the registration deadline is Thursday October 9th, 2003. Due to some reason If you are not able to attend, then please email [email protected] expressing your appreciation for their holding this conference, and how much you appreciate their promotion of tolerance and understanding of all three Abrahamic faiths.

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Re: American Muslims should promote "Abrahamic" values...

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by jannu: *
Muslim-Americans should promote the usage of "Abrahamic" values instead of just Judeo-Christian values wherever possible.

[/QUOTE]
I totally and completely disagree with this approach. And I believe I have good reasons for this. Yes Abraham, Moses and Jesus were all true Messangers of God. Abraham is considered the "Father of Prophets" because all prophets after him is from his direct lineage. But to mesh Islam by hiding behind Abrahamic values is an extremely short-sighted and potentially conflicting approach.

If you read history of these religions, Abraham (Allaih Salaam) spread the message of Oneness of God. That was pretty much it, and that was pretty much what was required at that time. He spread the message of doing good deeds and that there will be a Day of Judgement. Moses (Allaih Salaam), when he came, was given a more explicit sharia. He was given the 10 commandments. His followers were supposed to follow the sharia and live their lives according to that. Jesus (Allaih Salaam) did not really bring any new sharia. He came and he said that he is reinforcing the sharia of Moses. Believe in one God, do good deeds and that there will be a Day of Judgement.

Islam was revealed on Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him), and while we accept all previous messangers and the message they had brought with them at those times... Islam is not rubber-stamping the sharia of Moses. Islam is the most perfect form of those sharia, and the critical difference is that it cancels all previous sharia and gives it own. The basic principles remain the same: Oneness of God, Day of Judgement and doing good deeds, but the element of detail is totally new.

Let me giev you an example of how Islamic sharia cancels out the previous sharia on prior prophets. Moses was given the Commandment of "Keeping the Sabbath Holy". Muslims are not given, nor are required to follow that sharia. Our message is to pray extra on the day of Friday, and then spread around to earn our livlihood. This is different than to not to do any business on the day of Saturday. This is just one example.

The point is, that while all religions are from Allah, and Abraham is a Prophet of Allah... we are not to promote Abrahamic values, but rather the values of Islam as taught to us by Muhammad. Because they are the purest form of all previous religions.

While, we all agree, that the current times are tough, and muslims are looking to find similarities with other religions to convince people that Islam is not all bad, but rather is very similar to Judaism and Christianity, to actually go ahead and promote older values is not doing any service to Islam. We should stay our course, spread knowledge about Islam and its teachings, and promote our Islamic values.

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What a great idea - inspires understanding, education and tolerance. What a shame that some will be short-sided and so hung up on not having their "perfect, unaltered" word compared or mixed with the earlier versions of Islam that they will dismiss this. It seems God would be pleased with such events that promote tolerance and understanding.

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Re: Re: American Muslims should promote "Abrahamic" values...

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*Originally posted by Faisal: *
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While, we all agree, that the current times are tough, and muslims are looking to find similarities with other religions to convince people that Islam is not all bad, but rather is very similar to Judaism and Christianity, to actually go ahead and promote older values is not doing any service to Islam. We should stay our course, spread knowledge about Islam and its teachings, and promote our Islamic values.
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I agree with all you said.... and then you lead in to your last comments. The basic idea is the bridges are missing. Yes, we are different but the bare foundations are the same and lead to the same creator. I still get stares of disbelieve when I talk about Mosses and Jesus. I focus on them during my discussions on religion issues and have spent hours with colleagues. Once the basic threads are tied then we can begin to diverge in to direction that you propose. First you have to see what is the level of understanding of the other person on the issue. THAT'S where you have to start from... this helps in smoothing out the humps and dips.

You are absolutely right... and your point is exactly what defines us as Muslims but it takes a different tact when trying to convince a non-muslim that you don't worship stones or moons or go off on tangents that tie you up needlessly for lenghts of time. I have found myself having an easier time by starting from their understanding of their faith and then coming forward.

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Re: Re: Re: American Muslims should promote “Abrahamic” values…

everybody defines god in different way read the following

The name of God in Arabic. It is a compound word from the article, 'al, and ilah, divinity, and signifies “the god” par excellence. This form of the divine name is in itself a sure proof that ilah was at one time an appellative, common to all the local and tribal gods. Gradually, with the addition of the article, it was restricted to one of them who took precedence of the others; finally, with the triumph of monotheism, He was recognized as the only true God. In one form or another this Hebrew root occurs in all Semitic languages as a designation of the Divinity; but whether it was originally a proper name, pointing to a primitive monotheism, with subsequent deviation into polytheism and further rehabilitation, or was from the beginning an appellative which became a proper name only when the Semites had reached monotheism is a much debated question. It is certain, however, that before the time of Mohammed, owing to their contact with Jews and Christians, the Arabs were generally monotheists. The notion of Allah in Arabic theology is substantially the same as that of God among the Jews, and also among the Christians, with the exception of the Trinity, which is positively excluded in the Koran, cxii: “Say God, is one God, the eternal God, he begetteth not, neither is he begotten and there is not any one like unto him.” His attributes denied by the heterodox Motazilites, are ninety-nine in number. Each one of them is represented by a bead in the Moslem chaplet, while on the one hundredth and larger bead, the name of Allah itself is pronounced. It is preposterous to assert with Curtiss (Ursemitische Religion, 119) that the nomadic tribes of Arabia, consider seriously the Oum-el-Gheith, “mother of the rain”, as the bride of Allah and even if the expression were used such symbolical language would not impair, in the least, the purity of monotheism held by those tribes. (Cf. Revue Biblique, Oct., 1906, 580 sqq.) Let it be noted that although Allah is an Arabic term, it is used by all Moslems, whatever be their language, as the name of God.