Stop being a hypocrite and be a human
Cheering for killers will not make people accept your point of view; it’s an action that literally negates all the blessings that you accumulate in the holy month.
Ahmad Azrai, The Heat Malaysia
Not a day seems to go by without something to arouse the anxiety of Muslims, particularly those in Malaysia. The death of one of the most famous and well-respected Muslim figures in the world – champion boxer Muhammad Ali – barely had time to settle before there was a shock killing at a transgender event in a gay club in Florida – allegedly by an unstable Muslim American. The fact that it happened during the early part of the holy month of Ramadan makes the need to remain calm and patient even more challenging than normal.
Yet, despite the sacred month, a lot of ugly sentiment was made clear at the news of the American tragedy. On various platforms, profile after profile added their voices to a long tirade praising the shooter, not condemning him. They cited religious arguments that it is the will of Allah, spouting various insults on how “those disgusting creatures” – among other undignified epithets hurled – deserved it.
These people also tend to be the same ones who are angry and annoyed with any locals – both non-Muslims and liberal Muslims – or foreigners who voice out their fears and opinions when it comes to the hudud issue, where they express their annoyance by stating that “those” people not only have no business having a say about Islamic matters, they should try and understand exactly what the religion is all about instead of only listening to the “biased” Western media.
Well, for all you indignant Islamists out there, there is a very simple question for you: you may feel that the world is out to get you and that they refuse to understand – but what exactly have you done to allay these fears? What have you done in combating ignorance that did not involve being rude and defensive, but was informative, helpful, and courteous?
