ABOUT THIS SITE

As Salaam Alaikum! (The Peace of God be with you!)

The articles on this site were all written during the period 1992-1998, while working in a county jail in Florida, U.S.A.   They were responses to perceived needs among the inmates. "How to be a Muslim" was directed primarily at those who say they are Muslim but know very little about Islam. Especially those who are an embarrassment because they say they are Muslim while using alcohol and cocaine. "A Guide to Muslim Groups in America" was written primarily for jail staff who have negative views of Islam and will not cooperate with Muslims trying to practice their religion. "Christianity or Islam" was written to help Muslim inmates who complained of being harassed by Christians. "Haram and Khamr" was written for Muslims who continue to use drugs like alcohol and cocaine. (I met Malcolm X two weeks before he was killed and was tremendously impressed by him. His message of discipline, self-reliance, and responsibility is what drew me to Islam and is still the central message of the Deen (Faith) for me. La Daraka, La Baraka! [No responsibilty, no blessing!])

"Homosexuality and Islam" was written in response to the Taliban in Afghanistan executing homosexuals by pushing stone walls over on top of them in sports arenas.  "Beards and Islam" was written in response to the Taliban emasculating men as punishment for shaving.  Anyone who can use this material should feel free to copy it in whole or part, as long as it is not taken out of context in such a way as to mislead.   

The first three articles were written for a Dawah Society in the jail.   This Society supported the work of the Ministry of W. Deen Mohammed and considered itself part of the Muslim American Society which was led into true Islam by him.  As far as I know, the Dawah Society no longer exists.  I no longer work at the jail, I no longer live in America, and I am no longer involved in Dawah (propagation or teaching the Faith).  I have retired to the Philippines and married a Christian Filipina.   I have no intention of updating these articles beyond correcting addresses and links to other sources of information.  I am leaving them on-line for those who might find the information useful. 

I have had inquiries from people wanting my response to the Islamist terrorist attacks.   If you read my articles, with their statements that Islam is a continuation of Christianity just as Christianity is based on Judaism, that the Abrahamic Faiths (Judaism, Sabaeanism, Christianity and Islam) all worship the same one God and are all true religions, that the Qur'an says that Jews and Christians are "People of the Book", followers of the prophets of God, and their religion, literature and holy places must be respected and venerated by Muslims, you must understand the anguish of true Muslims over the horrible crimes being committed in the name of Islam.  I think that too many Western articles on such events ignore the fact that many more Muslims have been killed by these Islamist and Fundamentalist extremists than Non-Muslims.  The killing of liberal, educated and westernized Muslims in countries like Algeria has set education back at least a century, and has caused educated and enlightened Muslims to live in terror all the time.  

I do think that Christians in particular need to take a more balanced view of Islamic bigotry and violence, however, and acknowledge its origin in the Christian persecution in the Crusades and the Inquisition.  Every Muslim boy is raised being taught Richard the Lionhearted's boast after slaughtering the men, women and children of the city, Jew and Muslim alike, "The streets of Jerusalem run knee deep in the blood of the Infidel to the Glory of God."  As the descendant of Jewish Marranos and Muslim Moriscos who took refuge in Florida to escape being burned by the Catholic Inquisition in Spain, I have some difficulty with Christians criticizing Muslims for savagery.  That said, I am not in the least defending or justifying Islamist terrorism.  Terrorism and persecution is terrible and very wrong, whether it is done by Israel or Al Qaida, America or Taliban Afghanistan.  While I sympathize with the Palestinian victims of Israeli terror, who have lost their loved ones, their land and their livelihood to Israeli murder, violence and theft, I do not believe that their resorting to counter-violence is right or helps to bring justice.  Living now in the Philippines where Islamist terrorists have killed hundreds of innocent people, I am truly ashamed of the ignorance, bigotry and savagery of these benighted people committing crimes in the name of Islam.

If I were to write any more articles, my next topics would be the shameful violence of sexual mutilation (incorrectly called female circumcision by those who commit this atrocity) done to little girls in parts of Africa (Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Chad, Niger, Mali, etc.), mostly by Muslims, and the horrible persecution and slaughter of Baha'is and Sikhs by the Muslims of Iran and India-Pakistan.   I respect and admire the Baha'i Faith and the Sikh Religion.   I see them as Abrahamic religions, worshipping the same one true God as Islam, Christianity and Judaism, with good teachings and beautiful prayers.   I will not work in Dawah any more until I see more effort by Muslims to correct our problems and misdeeds, to be more tolerant and egalitarian, with more rights and protection for women and girls and for rationalist unbelievers and followers of other religions.

Mikail Juma Tariq
Bicol Region, Philippines,
January, 2004
[email protected]

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