I believe in the holistic view onall aspects from medicine to education. By holistic, I mean that thewhole person, including the spiritual aspect or layer must beencouraged to grow for the person to better engage others. If we engageone layer and divorce or encourage people to divorce other parts of whothey are - we promote people with multiple personalities and I feelthis contributes to extremism, especially in times of trial andhardship.
I believe faith should be brought into the publicsphere for discussion and reflection. An honest discussion on faithallows us to holistically challenge the voices of extremism thatflourish in the private sphere. This is also an important step if weare going to build a strong foundation for coexistence.
If faithremains solely in the private sphere, then it cannot be challenged and some will mislead and influence the state fromthe private sphere. I grew by the many mistakes I made online and inperson communicating what I truly felt. Through this dialog, I waschallenged many, many times to search aspects of my faith, that had itremained private, I would have never came to a greater understanding ofand shed views that I now feel were very much in error.
Quite afew accuse Muslims and Islam of trying to take over America....thatMuslims say one thing but secretly are planning another. People whohave a hatred and fear of Islam (such as Dutch MP Geert Wilders) are asked tobrief our elected representatives in Congress in closed hearings andforums...putting Islam and Muslims on the prosecution seat and denyingMuslims a chance to respond to the accusations. In many of thesemeetings, either there is no Muslim present or somebody who is notrepresentative of mainstream Islam is asked to talk on behalf ofMuslims.
Why Muslim engagement in the affairs of the country asrightful citizens should be seen as a threat is beyond me. Thesuggestion that the Muslims are about to take over the US as if it wasa 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 Muslimbrothers and sisters can alleviate these suspicions and find space topractice 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, oneperson yelled to the crowd that I was brainwashing the audience. IfMuslims are magicians - then, be you Moses. Moses, upon him peace, facedthe Pharaoh's chief magicians in the public square. Engage Muslimsopenly and honestly in the public square and present your findings in aplatform that allows Muslims to respond fairly and alleviate theseconcerns.
And if Islam is Satanic in nature as some have accused- then embrace the spirit of the Divine. The Divine is secure in HisLordship and was not threatened the least with Satan's request to givehim time till Judgment Day to prove that he, Satan was better than Adamand his progeny.
Truth never feared falsehood, magic or Satanhimself. But it cannot manifest itself in the private sphere alonewhere fear mongers and hatemongers mate, breed and aid each other. Itneeds to be allowed a voice in the public square and given the platformto face the criticism and accusations against it.
In an effortto offer educational resources toward such a platform, the Council onAmerican Islamic Relations (CAIR) is launching Explore the Qurancampaign in which tens of thousands of Americans of all faiths requestand receive free copies of the Quran. This is not a proselytizingeffort, but an educational one intended to clarify misconceptions andalleviate concerns and fears. Do your part.