Islam.. A Religion of Peace

Islam is considered by many westerns as a threat on their countries and religions. If these people just give some time to read about Islam and understand this great religion they will realize that they were misunderstanding it or mislead by the political propagandas against Islam. Prophet Mohammad had a universal message calling people to worship only God and no one else. His message was not a message against Judaism or Christianity, it was a message based on the pervious prophets and their messages. It teaches people how to respect each other and live peacefully together under one God.

Prophet Mohammad asked Muslims to have Jerusalem as their first kiblah or direction when praying. At the time, the people living in Jerusalem were mainly Jews and Christians and Islam hadn’t yet reached the holy city. This proves that even though Muslims weren’t there it was still a holy place and that if a Christians or Jews are living in it that doesn’t make it any less holy. My point here is that if you believe in the holiness of a place, it does not matter if you are controlling it or someone else is, it should still be holy for you. If a Moslem is praying in a room, and someone from a different belief prays next to him in the way he believes in, this doesn’t mean that any or both people’s prayers were not accepted just for the fact that someone from a different faith is next to them.

The story of Caliph Omar Ibn Al-khatab and the well known Covenant of Omar is a topic I’ve been learning about since I was in elementary school. In the Islamic religion classes, almost every year starting from first grade up to high school, we used to learn about Caliph Omar and his Covenant and governance of Jerusalem and the Islamic State. His covenant shows the great respect that Islam has for Jesus and his message. It shows how people must respect each other and other faiths and religions in order to live safely in peace and harmony. I’m originally from a city called Al-Bireh which is next to Ramallah and today both cities are considered as one city for the dependence on each other. Al-Bireh is a Moslem city and Ramallah is a Christian city. Both cities have a shared history and very similar traditions. The Covenant of Omar always remembers people how they should respect each other’s believes and rights to live in this land. If a person has any doubt that people from different faiths can ever live with each other in harmony and without discrimination or conflicts, I encourage them to visit the cities especially during the holidays. In the holy month of Ramadan, both cities celebrate the month together and respect those fasting every day during the month. During Christmas, both cities are decorated and celebrate the birth of Jesus together in the same festivals and walks.

When the Aqsa mosque was built by Caliph Omar, he respected the areas holiness to Jews and allowed them to continue on going and praying in the area where the Temple was believed to be. All people around the world and not just Muslims should read about Caliph Omar and learn from him. We should all learn how we should respect each other.

Even before Caliph Omar, when prophet Mohammad went to Medina were Jewish tribes lived, he gave them protection that no one will harm them and they will be free to live their lives and practice their religion as long as they did not harm the others.