Should Faith Remain Private?

I believe in the holistic view on all aspects from medicine to education. By holistic, I mean that the whole person, including the spiritual aspect or layer must be encouraged to grow for the person to better engage others. If we engage one layer and divorce or encourage people to divorce other parts of who they are - we promote people with multiple personalities and I feel this contributes to extremism, especially in times of trial and hardship.

I believe faith should be brought into the public sphere for discussion and reflection. An honest discussion on faith allows us to holistically challenge the voices of extremism that flourish in the private sphere. This is also an important step if we are going to build a strong foundation for coexistence.

If faith remains solely in the private sphere, then it cannot be challenged and some will mislead and influence the state from the private sphere. I grew by the many mistakes I made online and in person communicating what I truly felt. Through this dialog, I was challenged many, many times to search aspects of my faith, that had it remained private, I would have never came to a greater understanding of and shed views that I now feel were very much in error.

Quite a few accuse Muslims and Islam of trying to take over America....that Muslims say one thing but secretly are planning another. People who have a hatred and fear of Islam (such as Dutch MP Geert Wilders) are asked to brief our elected representatives in Congress in closed hearings and forums...putting Islam and Muslims on the prosecution seat and denying Muslims a chance to respond to the accusations. In many of these meetings, either there is no Muslim present or somebody who is not representative of mainstream Islam is asked to talk on behalf of Muslims.

Why Muslim engagement in the affairs of the country as rightful citizens should be seen as a threat is beyond me. The suggestion that the Muslims are about to take over the US as if it was a small island nation is not something to be taken seriously. However, as a Muslim, I question myself how is it that I and my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters can alleviate these suspicions and find space to practice their faith openly without being seen as a threat.

Truth seekers and/or true faith is not threatened with an honest dialogue in the public square.

Once while giving a presentation to social workers in Duluth, one person yelled to the crowd that I was brainwashing the audience. If Muslims are magicians - then, be you Moses. Moses, upon him peace, faced the Pharaoh's chief magicians in the public square. Engage Muslims openly and honestly in the public square and present your findings in a platform that allows Muslims to respond fairly and alleviate these concerns.

And if Islam is Satanic in nature as some have accused - then embrace the spirit of the Divine. The Divine is secure in His Lordship and was not threatened the least with Satan's request to give him time till Judgment Day to prove that he, Satan was better than Adam and his progeny.

Truth never feared falsehood, magic or Satan himself. But it cannot manifest itself in the private sphere alone where fear mongers and hatemongers mate, breed and aid each other. It needs to be allowed a voice in the public square and given the platform to face the criticism and accusations against it.

In an effort to offer educational resources toward such a platform, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is launching Explore the Quran campaign in which tens of thousands of Americans of all faiths request and receive free copies of the Quran. This is not a proselytizing effort, but an educational one intended to clarify misconceptions and alleviate concerns and fears. Do your part.