Misconceptions!!

( a speech I wrote recently!! I wanted to save it)

Islam is the most beautiful, perfect religion in this world. I am not saying this because I am a muslim but my god the religion is absoultely beautiful. I am so blessed I get to call myself a muslim. It's origin, it's evolution, the history...everything is facsinating. Sometimes it saddens me or more like frustrates me how islam is ptrayed in today's society. I hate when anyone criticizes Islam and I hate it even more when us muslims do nothing about it. How dare they call Prophet (saws) a pedophile/pimp or any other deragotary names because of his marriages? And how do we just sit there and not remind Aisha (ra) did not conssumate her marriage to Muhammed (saws) until after reaching Puberty. Which is when every girl in Arabia became eligible for marriage!! Our Prophet (saws) married 9 women within 10 years. These marriages were not sexual uniors rather political ones. He was in charge of the Ummah and it was his responsibilty to forge links withi and beyong his community through the only means at his diposal. And guess what that was: MARRIAGE!!!!

---Marriage to Aisha (ra) and Hafsah (ra) linked him to Abu Bakr and Umar (ra). (2 most influential leaders)
--- Umm Salamah-- One of Makkah's most powerful clans--the Makhzum.
--- Sawdah (unattractive widow long past the age of marriage)-- served as an example to the ummah to marry those women in need of financial support.
--- Rayhana (a jew) Banu Qurayza.
--- Mariyah ( a Christian and a copt) political alliance w/ ruler of Egypt.

But nonetheless I can't believe how Muhammed (saws)'s multiple marriages in 10 years shocks people. WHY??? Polygamy was the common thing back then. What should be shocking is his 25 years of monogamy to Khadijah (ra). Now that's shocking and practically unheard of at the time.

My next problem is how Muhammed (saw) is potrayed as barbaric and Islam is supposedly a religion of violence!! We all know how this propaganda started. Anyone who took a course on European history or has the knowledge about the crusades or middle ages know muslims were depicted as the soldiers of the Antichrist in blasphemous occupation of the Holy land (haha, or should we say the silk route to China)..While muslim philosophers, scientists and mathematicians were studying history and determining the scholarship of the future, a belligerant and deeply fractured Holy Roman Empire tried to distinguish itself from the turks who were strangling it from all sides by labeling Islam " the religion of the sword" as though there were an alternative means of territorial expansion beside war at that era. I don't understand when people try to throw history at a muslim's face to prove how violent it was. They always tend to overlook the surrounding. Islam it must be remembered, was bron in an era of grand empires and global conquests, a time in which Byzantines and Sasanians were locked in a permanent state of religious war for territorial expansion. the muslim armies that spread out of the Arabian peninsula simply joined in the exsisiting fracas; they neither created it nor defined it though they quickly dominated it. Despite the common perception in the west, the muslim conquerors didn;t force conversion upon the conquered peoples; indeed they didn't even encourage it. And let's not also overlook the Holy Roman empire had its officially sanctioned and legally enforced version of Christianity, just as the Sasanian Empire had its officially sanctioned and legally enforced version of zoroastrianism. In the Indian subcontinent, Vaisnava kingdoms (devotees of Vishnu and his incarnations) vied with Saiva kngdoms (devotess of Shiva) for territorial control, while in China, Buddhist rulers fought Taoist rulers for political ascendancy. Wow even the peaceful Buddhist fought!! This is how it worked thus every religion was " a religion of the sword". Talking about wars, 1400 years ago the so called violent Islam outlawed the killing of women, children, monks, rabbis, the elderly or any other noncombatant, the mutilation of the dead, rape, molestation, or any other kind of sexual violence during combat; the killing of diplomats, the wanton destruction of property, and the demolition of religious or medical institutions. Please note they were all incorporated into the modern national laws of war.

Let's jump to Jihad. Next time you see someone misuse the word Jihad. Don't just walk away. Enlighten them. Jihad does NOT mean war. The word literally means " a struggle" " a striving" or a great effort" I use it all the time!! Taking care of your parents...cooking for my family is Jihad. Telling the truth or striving to be good when everyone else around you is rotten is Jihad. So don't let westerners or anyone else for that matter think Al- Qaeda or Taliban is doing Jihad. they are misusing the word. And never ever emphathize with them, thinking they are muslims. I am in no position to judge if they are muslim or not. But they are going against the Quran. In surah al Baqarah ayat 190 it states " fight in the way of god, but do not begin hostilities, Allah does not like aggressors". What the Quran doesn't say is oppress your women, like they did. You might as well slap the next person who makes a joke about muslim women. Remind them when they rest of the world viewed women as chattels Islam promoted the rights of the women in a place like arab where girls were buried just for being a girl. Don't let them blame Islam for the way women are treated in some countires. Islam has nothing to do with Jahil's like Taliban and Al- qaeda who doesn't know how to respect their women.

I think I said enough. My only request is stand up. The world we live in today everyone knows about Islam but they have no clue what it is about. They know nothing about our beliefs,values, and rich history. Teach them. It's called Dawah people!!! As a muslim it is your responsibility to spread the beautiful message by Allah and his prophet (saw). What are they compared to us?? Mathematics, science, Philosophy are fields we once dominated. Look at our architects. We are the founders of universities. I am a sucker for stories. I love disney but Arabian nights/ 1001 nights are out of this world. We are just as good as they are if not better! We hold the most beautiful book Quran in our hand compared to other religious texts that are filled with contradictions. So be grateful you are part of this beautiful religion called Islam. A religion where everyone is considered brother and sister. Where smiling upon a brother and sister is considered charity. A religion in which we greet each other by saying "peace be upon you" . So stay united. Don't give it a bad name. Defend it as much as you can. Be proud and spread the message. Jazakallahu khair. May Allah guide us all. Assalamu alaikum wa rahmat-ullahi wabrakatoh.

ps: If you haven't read the the book " no god but God" by Reza Aslan. Try it!! I am reading it right now. It's a excellent book.