Americans condemn Muslim mosque Imam lack knowledge of facts

by Carol Forsloff - Given the potential for
misinformation on social media sites, and the arguments about the
orientation of the Muslims who want to build the mosque in New York,
it's important to have the facts.



Documentation has been done by
newspapers across the country as well as security officials with respect
to Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, revealing he is not only not a terrorist but
someone who is respected in the religious community as well as by those
who have interacted with him in government as a man of peace.



Sound bites from those who
undermine Constitutional freedoms by citing false information are one
thing, full articles of this man's pronouncements are available, as is
the background of his specific religious orientation, which is Sufi.



Given the fact that a reader of
this newspaper, who admitted not to knowing about Sufis, 15 minutes
later declared them to be a violent group, it's important to know the
history of that group, which cannot be learned in a 15 minute selective
search of the Internet.



Islam has its "denominations" just
as Christianity does.  Just as Christianity it has two main divisions,
the Sunni and Shi'a, whose beliefs about the prophet and the succession
are different as are some of the specific beliefs with respect to
government and the law.



Sufis are a division of the Shi'a,
considered to be the ascetics among the Muslims.  They are the
contemplatives, and although within their group they dance and sing and
overtly praise God, they are known for an orientation which is less
earthly and more in the poetic divine inclination.



One of the most famous Sufis is
Rumi, whose poetry of love and spiritual life is respected not just in
the Middle East but in the Western world as well.  Another well-known
writer is Omar Khayyam, whose Thousand and One Nights is a universal
classic.



During
my early college days, as a student at Portland State University I was
the first woman enrolled in the Middle Eastern Studies program  in
1960.   The program involved the study of
Arabic, the culture and customs of the Middle East, history, geography,
religion and economics.  This was combined with my program in
journalism, as it was my intention to be a correspondent in the Middle
East.  I have also traveled to the Middle East some years later .



My knowledge and background with
Islamic studies was something not learned in 15 minutes from a selected
Internet site that the reader, on the occasion of his pronouncements
against the building of the mosque near 9/11 did not name.



Suffice to say, these are  a few snippets
of information already assembled on the Imam Rauf available to counter
the right-wing diatribes that have been demonstrated to have increased
anti-Islamic rhetoric, and even violence against, the Muslims of the
United States.  These incidents have been documented in other stories in
Green Heritage News.

On terrorism:
Well, I'm not a politician. ... The issue of terrorism is a very
complex question. ... I am a bridge builder. My work is ... I do not
want to be placed nor will I accept a position where I am the target of
one side or another. My attempt is to see a peace in Israel. ...
Targeting of civilians is wrong. It's a sin in our religion, whoever
does it. ... I am a supporter of the State of Israel --New York Times quotes

On Judaism: (in his address at Daniel Pearl's memorial, a Jewish journalist where he was asked to speak)." The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg noted on August 19 that Rauf spoke
at a memorial service for Daniel Pearl, a Jewish journalist who was
kidnapped and murdered by militants in Pakistan during which he
condemned violent attacks against Israel and referred to the Jews and
Arabs as brothers.

On suicide bombers:  In a Newsday,  June 8, 2004, Newsday
article (accessed via Nexis) reported: "Rauf has done little else since
the terrorist attacks that pulled him from his mahogany pulpit in the
shadow of Ground Zero. At the outset, he categorically condemned suicide
bombers and, in fact, any violence committed in the name of religion."
The article further reported: "He also said that American policies 'were
an accessory to the crime that happened' since they had armed a
generation of jihadists to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan," and quoted
him saying, "Explaining is not justifying. ... I want people to
understand the things that have fueled terrorism, because if we address
them, that's how we eliminate terror."

These have been collected references by Media Matters which promotes itself as examining statements and beliefs that undermine good journalism and evidence.

There are many other entries in
this same article about the background of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf that
disputes the right-wing condemnation of this Muslim, who has been found,
in documented research of his opinions since 9/11, to be a moderate,
genteel man.  He has been designated by the administrations of both
George Bush and Barack Obama to interact with officials, both in the
United States and abroad, with regard to American - Islamic relations.



To condemn the free worship of such
a man and his followers where they please is something constitutional scholars rebuke as
an affront to the First Amendment of the Constitution.