The Muslim Community in American cannot and shouldn't put its activities on hold ....

With all do respect, I believe this request as sincere as it is, is reactionary and inappropriate. The Muslim

By: Brother Salahuddeen Abdul Kareem

Community in American cannot and shouldn't put its activities on hold because of the tragic events of 9/11/2001. If there is some delay this year on celebrating the spiritual, mental, moral, physical, and social successes of our community following a month of fasting, what about next year when some other concern comes up surrounding this ongoing 9/11 saga. What if our community is asked or expected to do something or to not do something every year surrounding this event? And what about all the painstaking, heartbreaking, disastrous dates that we have within our community - local, regional, national, and international - that far outweigh the tragic events of 9/11? What about Gaza in December 2008 through January 2009 when bombs and missiles fell from the sky on top of our brothers and sisters in the occupied land? Gaza...We Will Not Go Down Without A Fight

Are we going to stop our celebrations to remember the children, women, and men who were killed by Israeli military attacks? Are we going to be brave enough and demanding enough to ask the American government and its citizens (Jews, Christians, Hindus, and others) to remember our endless heartbreaks and tragedies (Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Pakistan, and right here at home - America!)? Are we going to ask the countries and people responsible for such oppressive behavior - here and abroad - to delay their celebrations?

I humbly believe that we are going down the wrong road with regard to this event. No Muslim in his or her right mind applauds any sort of wanton killing and property destruction whether in this country or elsewhere in this world. We - the Muslim community - don't have to prove to anyone that we are civilized, humane, and caring. This fact of life has been proven and continues to be proven by our collective behavior here and abroad. If we assume that 9/11 was a Muslim orchestrated event, the responsibility and criminal nature of this event returns to the doers and orchestrators of it, not to all Muslims around the world. Allah Almighty orders us not to implement or apply collective punishment practices. He further ordered us to avoid guilty complexes and feelings when collective punishment is imposed on an innocent people (9/11 and making every Muslim responsible for what happened on that conspiratorial day). We don't have to take out our tissue and napkins to publicly wipe away our tears of sadness regarding what happened on that plot-centered day. We should continue to uphold the pillars of justice and fairness for all mankind throughout this world. And we should know by now that we - Muslims throughout this world - are the targets of a malicious, sinister, diabolical, and evil effort to eliminate our presence and identity from this world. We are being marginalized in this world. We are being oppressed in this world. We are being asked to retreat from our responsibility and who we are in this world, and this request to curtail, delay, and/or deny ourselves the right of celebrating after a month of fasting is a clear example of our defeated minds and broken spirits in my humble opinion.

I hope these comments are taken as intended; brotherly and sincerely. Rather than retreat into some corner that reflects a reactionary posture, let's go forward with conviction and courage carrying the bright touch of justice, fairness, peace, and prosperity for all people in this vast world. This is the heart and soul of Ramadan. This is what we should be calling for today, not an cessation of our right to celebrate a month of fasting, especially within the context of something so controversial, dubious, and shrouded in darkness - 9/11.

As-Salaamu Alaikum,

Br. Salahuddeen Abdul Kareem

Your Brother in Faith