http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=87357&d=28&m=10&y=2006
Muslims Urged to Counter Campaign Against Islam P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News JEDDAH, 28 October 2006 --- A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, secretary-general of the Sunni Cultural Center (Markaz) in Calicut, has denounced the move by adversaries to link Islam and its Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with terrorism and extremism and has urged Muslims to stand against this deliberate campaign. Speaking to Arab News, Aboobacker reminded the enemies of Islam that their smear campaign would not affect the Holy Qur'an and its divine message. "Such campaigns have been there since the inception of Islam but nobody was able to destroy Islam or the Qur'an," he pointed out. "Allah the Almighty has promised that He will protect the Qur'an. So those who attack the Qur'an or try to create a fake Qur'an should understand that their efforts will be in vain," he said referring to a fake Qur'an reportedly distributed by a Christian missionary through the Internet. Aboobacker, who is also secretary-general of Sunni Scholars Organization of India, advised Muslims not to be confused or distracted by the smear campaigns and abide by the teachings of Islam and the Qur'an. "It is our duty to confront these campaigns by practicing the noble teachings of the Qur'an in our daily life," he said. "The fake Qur'an, the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet and Pope Benedict's attack on the Prophet aim at harming Islam. They all tell the world that Islam, the Prophet and the Qur'an came to spread terrorism and extremism. These are part of a big conspiracy to defame Islam and its Prophet," he said. Qur'an is miraculous not only for its literature but also for its great message and methodology. "Islam has never spread through terrorism or sword and inducements. Instead, it spread through its spiritual teachings and the good example shown by the Prophet and his companions through their deeds." In India, for example, there are nearly 200 million Muslims. They came to the fold of Islam not by force but through preaching by spiritual leaders like Khawaja Mueenuddin Chishti, Sheikh Kutbuddin Baktiyar and Malik bin Dinar. "Islam should not be blamed for the acts of any Muslim individual who might be involved in terrorism because such individuals can be found among followers of other religions also," he added. He opposed calling freedom fighters in Palestine terrorists. Aboobacker emphasized the need for spiritual education to combat terrorism. "We need an education system in which students are taught religious topics along with other subjects. Islam tells its followers to respect human beings and not to kill anyone," he said. "The main objective of the Qur'an is to purify the hearts of people and make them civilized." He criticized the move to demonize Muslims in Kerala and other parts of India. "All Muslim organizations should stand up together against this move and tell that Islam and Muslims are against terrorism," he said. Aboobacker came to the Kingdom to perform Umrah from the UAE, where he gave religious lectures for 25 days. He also disclosed plans to establish an orphanage and a school in Kashmir. "We have got a 10-acre land and have started work on the project, which is to cost 20 million rupees," he said. The Markaz currently runs 25 institutions including a College of Shariah, an Arts College and an Engineering College. The famous Egyptian seat of learning, Al-Azhar University, has recognized the certificates of three of its colleges and this will be declared by an Al-Azhar official at a special assembly of Markaz scheduled for Feb. 9-11, 2007. +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. 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