So, over the last few weeks many of us have felt extremely upset with the turn of events globally, from the terror attacks in Baghdad, to the killings of women and children in Palestine to the slaughter of innocent civilians in Beirut– its been tough for us all. Some of us have become accustomed to these events, some of us not much so, and therefore it has led to us feeling upset, hurt and even frightened.
Is it something to get over? No, not really. Sadly, we can’t turn a blind eye to the current affairs, each and every one of us will be impacted by what happens around the world because that’s how it is really. We live in a world where different factions interlink. If the media wants to demonize a certain group of people, they will – and unfortunately we will be heavily affected, be it at home, at work, at educational institutions and even in our own cultural/religious centres. Does this mean we should just live in a world of darkness and let stereotypes and assumptions consume us? Of course not. The most important thing to realise is that each and every one of us has a responsibility – we have to continue striving no matter what, as problematic as our current global climate is. We are all ambassadors of our beautiful religion. Unfortunately certain terrorist organizations such as Daesh have really put a spanner in the works (to put it lightly) but that doesn’t mean we sit back and say “there’s nothing we can do”. There is always light at the end of the tunnel for those who wish to see it.
Over 1,400 years ago the grandson of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), Hussain, was faced with a similar challenge; he could have allowed the tyrant of his time to reign and to misguide the masses – but he chose not to, instead he took a strong and active stance to ensure that the beautiful message of Islam lives on eternally. He even sacrificed his family for this. Equally, we need to do the same, we need to continue to propagate the true message of Islam, to spread love, to show harmony, to show how we are not all barbaric fanatics – not that anyone who shares the ideology of Daesh should even be classed as a follower of Islam, but we have to carry on doing our bit, for we were not created without a purpose.
There are amazing initiatives you can take part in, be it joining the ‘WhoisHussain’ campaign and distributing water bottles to people, or feeding the homeless this winter, or giving a person a rose with a saying attached to it. There is always something we can get participate in, its just a matter of priorities! We need to get involved and play an active role in our communities. We need to get involved in inter-faith dialogue; we need to use the social media platform to our advantage, to be open to discussion with those who share a different belief system. We cannot sit back and allow the message of Islam be tainted. Use your time wisely to make a positive difference and you will be rewarded by God for every action – always keep that at the back of your mind and with the blessings of God, you shall prosper.
Get involved:
http://whoishussain.org/get-involved/
http://www.zahratrust.com/make-difference/
