Sympathy And Support For American Sikhs From A Muslim Living Close To The Wisconsin Sikh Gurdwara Attacked By A White Supremacist Recently

By Alveehabib Habib

Assalam u Alaikum w Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu wa Ramadan Mubarak,

Yesterday, Sunday Aug. 5, 2012 a man named Wade Michael Page (or several men) entered a Sikh temple and killed 6 people and others are hospitalized in critical condition. This is my local community, I live minutes away from their Temple and our largest Masjid and Muslim school is only a few minutes away as well. We thank Allah for protecting our families and the Muslims of the city from this monster.

(Police were dispatched to mosques in the city for temporary protection)

As tragic as these events are, this is a time to speak with our children about hate, racism, and how the media many times fuels it. This guy (or group) was a White supremacist and we must let our children know the similarity of this false pride and I bless' pride against our father Adam. It is very possible that this Army veteran thought that Sikhs were Muslims. Many people confuse the two as has been evident after Sikhs have been repeatedly attacked after 9/11.

It is Ramadan and it could be that Allah ta’aala has prevented this man from knowing the difference and protected our brothers and sisters at the Masjid (mosque). We all know that during Ramadan our mosques are very busy with Taraweeh prayers, Iftars, and more focus on acts of worship.

We must be cognizant of the blessings of our Lord and stay on task.

These late nights during Taraweeh prayers, there are juz' that are being recited that are comforting especially with the tragedy at hand.

You can listen to the English explanation of each juz' at Glimpses Of Quran and reflect of on the meanings this Ramadan. We encourage parents to buy the DVDs as an 'eid gift and watch them year round as a part of Islamic education. Understanding the book of Allah is important, especially with the tragic events going on and the confusion our children can be experiencing.

Remember we are examples and should display the best behaviour. We do not believe in the Sikh religion but we sympathize with them because they are human. We can and should extend our condolences and thoughts to them and show our Islamic hospitality. Many Sikhs stood with Muslims against violence after we were targeted after 9/11 and we can support them by showing them our good manners and having an open discussion about Islam.

Allah is the one that opens hearts and provides guidance. This tragedy can turn into an opportunity if we seize it! Allah has shows us mercy this Ramadan and we do not want to deny any favours of our Lord.

We discuss how to address tragic issues like this with your children inside the Outstanding Muslim Parents Academy and we are grateful to empower parents with such a resource.

Please remember us in your dua' during this blessed month and make special dua' for all those suffering around the world, including but not limited to the Muslims of;

Myanmar, Palestine, Syria, Somalia, Kashmir, Chechnya, Yemen, Egypt, and anywhere there is injustice.

Jazakallah Khair,

 Alveehabib Habib

URL: https://newageislam.com/letter-editor/sympathy-support-ameri-sikhs-muslim/d/8273