Muslims….Enough hypocrisy!

By Rasha Almaqaleh

  A short time ago, one of my Italian friends sent me a voice message saying : “ I’m following a Facebook page called ‘Islam Italia’. And in one of their posts they mentioned a verse from the Quran and they said it orders Muslims not to be friends with non-Muslims. They also said that Muslims should not love non-Muslims because this means getting away from religion." Then, my friend laughed while saying:" I don’t think it’s true because you are my friend! But could you please explain to me why they said so. I find it very strange!"

  Now honestly speaking, I don’t know how to answer my friend’s question!

Should I say:" I also find it so strange and I need someone to explain this to me,too?"

How can I explain to her, and also to myself, that there are Islamic clerics who dare to assert that befriending non-Muslims is wrong and prohibited by Quran?!

And with the promotion of such a horrible notion, would I be able to tell my friend, and other people, that Islam is the religion of peace and mercy?!

How can I tell her that Muslims are allowed by Quran to marry Jewish and Christian women but they aren’t allowed by those Muslim clerics to befriend them? Wouldn’t that be stark nonsense?!

  Could anyone explain to me and to my friend, how a Muslim could marry a non-Muslim woman and start a family with her without any trace of cordiality and intimacy? And how should he feel about his non-Muslim in-laws? Let’s not forget that they would be his children’s family! Such an intercultural mess!

With the mere argument of no befriending and no loving others, how can the followers of Islam claim that their message is 'universal'?! Regrettably, there are tens of 'fatwas' in many Islamic books, websites, TV programs, etc. that ask Muslims not to hold any affection towards non-Muslims and never be friends with them. Is it a rational request in the first place? Because as far as I’m concerned, affection is not a controllable thing and you cannot simply press a button to stop loving someone! What kind of religion that orders its followers not to love the non-followers? Wouldn’t that lead us to confrontation and violence instead of coexistence?

  According to those contradictory clerics, Muslims could only be friends with non-Muslims on one condition; they must try hard and take advantage of every possible opportunity to persuade their non-Muslim friends to convert to Islam. Obviously, those clerics don’t care if their teaching contrasts entirely with the Quranic approaches.  Here are some examples of Quran verses:

“Yet it may be, if they believe not in this statement, that thou (Muhammad) wilt   torment thy soul with grief over their footsteps.” 18:6 

 “You cannot guide whom you love. But it is God who guides whom He wills; and He is fully aware of those who receive the guidance.” 28:56

 “Their guidance is not upon you, but Allah guides whomever He decides.” 2:272

 While browsing one of the Islamic websites, I came across some stupid fatwa; A Muslim girl asked the following question: "I have a Christian friend whom I love so much.  We care about each other and we get along very well. I tried many times to speak to her about Islam hoping that she will convert but she was adamant in her position. One day, she got mad at me and told me that we weren’t supposed to speak about religions and that she loved me as a human despite anything else. What should I do? Can I continue being friends with her or not?" The answer was unbelievable! They told her that she should end her friendship with the Christian girl and she must stop seeing her! Well, I’m persuaded that this fatwa is completely inconsistent with the Quran that I read and believe;  “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” 49:13

So where does this sense of superiority that some Islamic scholars have come from? Obviously, many of those preachers express their personal interpretation not only of Quran but of life in general! When I read Quran I come to realize that no one should have any sense of superiority, not even Muslims. And this makes perfect sense as it is the only road to coexistence.In my opinion, such Fatwas are somehow responsible for brainwashing many young Muslims. And it’s time to admit that promoting those repugnant notions paves the way to violence and extremism.

As a human being first and a Muslim girl second, I am not responsible for those hideous interpretations which are nothing but cultural rubbish. Still, I find myself compelled to sweep them away! And I’m tired of doing so. Therefore, the only answer I have to my friend's question is my sincere love and friendship which I hope they will last forever.

Graffiti-City!

By Anis Albasha

Graffiti is an ancient art that is used as a kind of protest or as a way to deliver certain messages and ideas. However, it can be very disturbing and distorting. There is a widespread controversy about graffiti; some people believe it is a form of art, while others think it’s a sort of vandalism.

 

It is almost impossible to find a place in Italy, particularly in the ‘Eternal City’, graffiti-free! I see drawings and writings on walls, doors of stores, front shops, windows and seats of trains, buses, and public places. For me, they have no sense of beauty; rather they are so ugly and unsightly. When I ask Italians about it, they say it is a means of expression, especially by young people who suffer from repression, economically, psychologically, and even emotionally!

This phenomenon speaks volumes about the fact that each society has its own problems.   And always remember, ‘No place is perfect!’

Why the same is different?!

By Rasha Almaqaleh

At the bus stop, one nice evening, I was standing waiting for the bus. There was an Italian lady waiting for the bus, too. We started a spontaneous conversation about the arrival time of the bus. Then, we talked about other stuff like work and family. She told me about her daughter and grandchildren. Then out of the blue, she pointed at my scarf saying "Take this off! It’s not good!" I smiled at her and said: "Why? I wear it as Mary did!” She seemed a little bit confused and embarrassed. She repeated:” Maria? La Madonna?” I nodded my head, “Yes.” Then, she remained silent until the bus arrived!

Unfortunately, the western media have always presented a distorted image of Muslim women. They have made hijab a sign of oppression and ignorance. This negative image has made many Muslim women who live in the west face prejudices and stereotypes all the time. Some of them even feel embarrassed and offended. The funny thing is, while roaming in Europe and especially in Italy, the Catholic country, I’ve seen many statues and paintings of Mary and many female saints wearing hijab! All of them are well respected and appreciated. Isn’t this an annoying double standard in the western conscience? 

If the Western mind fails to respect the veil of Muslim women, it should at least try to see it as a piece of clothing such as sleeved and sleeveless shirts, mini and maxi skirts, long and short dresses, and other different fashion styles. Therefore, I am free to wrap the scarf around my neck or put it on my head. Everyone is free to choose the style they prefer and can decide what they want to wear. 

Can we use ‘technicality’ to overcome prejudices?

By Rasha Almaqaleh

Carnival is a popular Catholic festival which is held every year in all parts of Italy during the period of February to March. People celebrate in the streets walking in beautiful parades, wearing masks and funny costumes. They also eat special dishes and desserts. We were lucky to attend one of those celebrations in Rome with some friends.

On that day, while I was taking some photographs of the festival, I accidentally saw two young men standing next to each other. Then, to my surprise, one of them put one of his feet on something lying on the ground, and the other was looking around to make sure that no one was watching. The first bowed to the ground and picked up the thing so quickly. I had a chance to look at it and I found out it was a smart phone! Then, the two young men walked away!

At that moment, I got confused and I did not know what to do. Obviously, someone lost their smart phone and I saw the person who took it. All I managed to do was to ask our friends to check their cell phones. They did, but nothing was missing!

So, I forgot the whole thing and got involved with the festival. The parade was about to leave the celebration area to a larger one. People headed to their cars or to the buses that brought them. Then, I saw an African lady crying. She refused to get on the bus saying her cell phone was missing! She wept while saying it was a brand new Galaxy S-4 that cost a fortune! The woman was definitely collapsing and I felt kind of guilty and responsible.  I darted towards her and told her about the two men who took the cell phone off the ground and that I accidentally took some pictures of them. I showed her the photos. We looked around but the place was almost empty because everyone left. I told her that there was a good chance the two guys already moved with the parade to the larger square. The lady felt hopeful and we immediately got on the bus and headed over to the big square.

 Once we arrived there, the lady and I started searching for the two men. It wasn’t easy at all as the square was really big and full of celebrating people and their children. After half an hour of the thorough search, I saw one of them! He was standing with a group of girls and guys. They were all talking and laughing. Fortunately, there was a police car nearby and there were some policemen standing next to it and chatting. We rushed to them and told them what happened. One of them came with us and asked us to show him the person. I pointed at the man and the policeman went directly to him. The finder was puzzled when the police officer came to him and gently pulled his arm to get him out of the group. He thought it was about the gun he was holding, so he explained to the policeman that it was just a toy gun and that it was a part of the costume he was wearing. The policeman told him about our claim and the man was stunned. He was embarrassed. Then, he put his hand into his pocket and grabbed the cell phone. He handed it over to the policeman and said that they weren’t thieves! They just found the cell phone on the ground and they were about to announce this!  The policeman then took the cell phone and gave it to its owner, the African lady. She bent at her knees in front of me and burst into tears, expressing how thankful and grateful she was for my help.

  

 What really annoyed me was the policeman’s reaction afterwards. He was keen to explain to us the difference between ‘steeling’ something and ‘finding’ it! For me, He was just defending a wrong act depending on technicality. I knew for sure that those who took the cell phone weren’t planning to return it despite their claim. They would have never given it back , if we hadn’t got them. I truly wonder what if it were the opposite; if an African person found a cell phone and kept it for themselves, and an Italian guy went to the policeman to complain about it. Would the policeman side with the African and justify that taking something which doesn’t belong to you is different than steeling it?! Would he depend on technicality to describe the situation or would he just judge by stereotypes and prejudices?!

A message from the Yemeni people to the Saudi tyrant

By Rasha Almaqaleh

Peace be with us! 

We decidedly say

Peace be upon us 

till the judgment day

It shall be on our side.

 On yours, why shall it be?

‘No’ peace be with you! 

Shame let it be!

With wolves and serpents 

you seek an alliance

You brazenly free them 

to rack our spirit of defiance

Lying on your feather bed or luxurious chair

You send infernal birds to murder and scare   In the heart of our cities

 they set wildfires

They burn our souls 

to calm your desires

When mortal words speak
louder than dreamy actions

We gravely picture our children’s options;  

Waiting in their miserable shed

 to become orphans or to be dead 

Whatsoever you say, 

Whatsoever you do,

At the end of our day,

Peace be with us

‘Sorrow’ be with you!

Your red hands will shrivel

Your Monsters will hide

The dark will fade
We will live with pride

We promise to rise
and break the chain

To expel the grief
and your bloody stain 

Peace be upon us!
Shame on you again!

And again,

And again!

Amazing Lies!!

By Rasha 

When I look back at the following funny words which I wrote when I was a teenager, I come to know that things aren’t getting any better! They are getting worse!

When the sky becomes the ground

And Earth is no longer round!

Night is day and day is night

The sun is running out of light

Welcome to our nice planet!

Words are cheating so you should can it!

Watch your mouth when something wrong

“It's not my business.”  That's your song

Keep yourself close to tears

‘Peace’ is coming with all its fears

White is turning into black

Open your eyes and watch your back

Dogs fall in love with cats

Tigers are afraid of rats

All birds now hate to fly

The sky is no longer high

North and South are one small side

"West" is always there to guide

Facts are just amazing lies

And the truth comes at price

That's the secret of our planet

Save your breath or put a lid on it!

Mocha, the Yemeni lost treasure

By Anis

When I wander in Europe’s streets, markets, malls and stations, I run across the word ‘Mocha’ in bars or coffee houses’ front illuminated signs. It is definitely a way to entice customers through the doors of these places; they use this word as a sign of the high quality of the coffee they serve. Honestly speaking, I am not a coffee addict. But when I see the word Mocha, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride. This is because Mocha is a Yemeni name of an ancient seaport in my country. Driven by this feeling, I ask people around me with a tone of pride: “Do you know the origin of this word?”  To my surprise, the answer is always “No!”Then, my sense of pride turns into an overwhelming sense of frustration.

What raises my anger is seeing that Yemen is very-well known for Qat; sadly, Yemeni people chew this damned green plant daily! Many of my western friends know about Qat and ask me about it! Regrettably, this is because Yemenis now waste their time and effort in planting and chewing this malignant plant and do not care any longer about planting and producing Coffee. There are no efforts to export this important product to the world as there used to be several centuries ago. As a normal result of this disregard, among the top 40 coffee exporting countries, Yemen is not even included!

According to Wikipedia, “Mocha is famous for being the major marketplace for coffee from the 15th century until the early 18th century. Even after other sources of coffee were found, Mocha beans continued to be prized for their distinctive flavor—and remain so even today.”

Yemen has been always described in the Media as “the poorest country in the region.” This is absolutely not true as Yemen is full of resources. Yemeni famous coffee Mocha is one of the valuable resources the country possesses. However, until Yemeni coffee regains its glory and re-invades global markets, I will keep telling the story of Mocha Coffee. Hopefully, one day Yemen will take care of its coffee and regain the global reputation of its missing treasure.

In Sweden: What you see is NOT what you get!

By Rasha

Fruits and vegetables are usually the first thing you see when you enter any supermarket in Europe. However, in Sweden,  it’s more than just seeing! You get fascinated by their beautiful appearances and eye catching colors. They are wrapped and packaged in a dazzling way. You find yourself driven to buy some or many! You think it’s healthy and irresistible! 

But when you return home carrying your wonderful botanic sculptures and then start preparing salad or soup or any other vegetarian dish, you come to know that what you see is definitely not what you get!

I’ve tried different recipes for cooking vegetables but each time I ended up having the same result; No taste and no smell!

Apparently, Vegetables and fruits in Sweden are not for human consumption but rather for decoration and taking pictures only.

Why Muslims fail in promoting themselves while others succeed

By Rasha

I have visited St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City several times. In each time, I wandered there and took as many photos as I wanted. No one ever stopped me or asked me any questions, though I was wearing hijab. People from different countries visit the Cathedral which is open for charge-free tour everyday from 7 am until 7 pm. The working staff is courteous and enjoys a welcoming attitude. Before you enter the lovely Cathedral, you should stand in a line to pass through one checkpoint. All visitors are supposed to take off their jackets before passing through the inspecting machine.  In my first visit, when my turn came, I told the security:“I don’t want to take off my jacket”.  That was due to a decent dressing attitude I like to follow as a Muslim women when I’m in public. To my surprise, they smiled at me and said: “no problem! Go ahead!”

On the other side, when we visited the Mosque of Rome for the first time, the guard stopped us at the main gate and asked us, with no smile, about the “reason for the visit!” His question was weird and pointless as it was obvious that we were a Muslim family coming to the mosque a few minutes prior to the sunset prayer!

The mosque of Rome is an important Islamic landmark in Europe. However, it is run in a bureaucratic way as if it is a governmental facility in a third world country.  Before any cultural visit, there should be scheduling, emailing, filling applications, etc.!

Muslims are supposed to be smarter when it comes to introducing their culture to others. Some Muslims, who live in the west, think that distributing brochures, flyers, or free copies of the Holy Quran in the street can create the desired effect. But it cannot! The best introduction can only happen with lively and dynamic communication. Therefore, The Mosque of Rome should be open for visits everyday and without the need for former arrangements. The opening hours should be long enough. People should be able to wander freely in its courtyard and in the cultural center. 

Mosque of Rome is open for visits  on Wednesday and Saturday from 9.00-12.00

When I posted the photos that I took inside the mosque on Facebook, my Italian friend felt so happy to see them. She thanked me for sharing those photos and told me that she had never seen a mosque from inside! When I asked her why, she said she heard that non-Muslims were not allowed to enter mosques!  Now, do Muslims actually need to spread such confined notions which only lead to more misunderstanding and isolation? Or, they are in dire need of more open attitudes towards others. 

We have to bear in mind that the cultural promotion is like the commercial one; it is an art! It has tools and rules.  And those who master this art can outperform the market achieving high- sale success. But the success resulting from the exceptional cultural promotion is not measured by money. It’s measured by the good reputation which is indispensable to coexistence.