Seventh Pillar of Islam
12 Mar, 2007
- Following is a copy of the news item published in one of the major English daily newspaper of India. Interested readers can follow the URL below.
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KOLKATA, MARCH 7: An imam from the United States will lead this Friday's prayers at Sola Ana Mosque in Ekbalpore, Kidderpore, one of the city's most famous mosques. Imam Yahya Hendi, a full-time Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University, is probably the first cleric from the United States to have been offered this rare opportunity by a city mosque. Hendi is also an imam of the Islamic Society of Frederick and serves as a member and spokesperson of the Islamic Jurisprudence Council of North America. He is among the US Muslims to have met US President George W Bush after the 9/11 tragedy. Hendi's visit, and consent of the Sola Ana Mosque committee in allowing him to lead prayers, is being considered an important step in dissolving the mush-debated Islam-versus-West dispute in the region. "He is an American citizen and will be here to deliver a series of lectures," Douglas Kelly, public affairs officer and director of the American Center, told Newsline. "It's good to share American perspective (about issues related to Muslim culture) with people here. It is, yes, part of our Muslim outreach programme." Besides delivering Juma's Khutba and leading Juma's Fard namaz, Hendi will speak on "Tawheed (Oneness) in the Eyes of Islam" and how Tawheed is practised by Muslims in the US. US consulate officials said Kelly would introduce the imam to the congregation. Besides leading prayers at the mosque, Hendi's three-day visit includes a lecture on "Clash of Civilisation and Islamic View" at the Calcutta University's department of Islamic History. The imam will also inaugurate a prayer hall at Shishu Vikas Academy in Sonarpur, and will later speak on "Women and Islam". He is scheduled to follow that up with an interaction with scholars at the Asiatic Society, leading prayers at another city mosque and interaction with madrasa students here. Hendi's schedule stopover does not include mosques like Masjid-e-Nakhoda and Tipu Sultan Shahi Masjid. Kelly said that is due to the time constraint. "Sola Ana Mosque was the first to approach us (with a request) to host Hendi. |
Ironically, both India and USA have many things in common even being situated diametrically opposite of the globe. The most prominent among all is both these countries practice and preach democracy in its true form. Therefore, these countries, like other democratic states, always talk and behave in 'politically correct' ways. The visit of Imam Yahia Hendi on religious mission is one of those ways. What a joke, that he would deliver lectures on subjects like 'woman in Islam', 'Tawheed as practiced by Americans', and 'civilisation clash' etc.
Thanks to democracy, to facilitate the opening of another 'politically correct' way to promote Islam and its military wings. Thanks are also due to embassies and consulates of India and USA, presumably in this supposed area of bi-lateral exchange program of Imams from each country.
We believe, by now our own gregarious Imam Bhukari of Jama Musjid in Delhi must have been invited by different mosques in USA for a similar program like Imam Hendi. Consulate personnel of India in US must be doing extra hours to make the trip of Imam Bhukari a memorable one. Eminent Islamic scholars of India must be busy preparing lectures notes in Hindi/Urdu for him. They ought to be deciding topics and titles of Sharia approved lectures like 'sleeping with daughter-in-law in India', 'how to marry and divorce pre-teen girls en masse in one session' and so on. When Bhukari would address Americans from some mosque nearest to White House, this would perhaps be simultaneously translated by American interpreters and would be telecasted over ABC, NBC, BBC etcetera, .
This unofficial exchange program of Imams would surely help spiritual upliftment of 'kafir' people of India and USA. Islamically they would be enlightened to a hitherto unknown state similar to Islamic Heaven. Eventually this would make the job of conversion of the remaining 'kafirs' in to the fold of 'islamic ummah' automatically, without going through the expensive way of Jihad.
We hope, Imam Yahia Hendi is a multilingual person and he is as comfortable in Hindi as his native language. To address an Islamic audience of Kidderpore, he needs to be very fluent in Hindi than expecting Bhukari delivering his lectures in English in Washington or New Jersey.
Welcome to India, Imam Yahia Hendi. For we Indians, guests are like God to us. Have a wonderful stay and please visit us again to educate us on your dilapidated and ruinous Islam. See if you can renovate and repair it. We wish you all the best.
Long live democracy, the SEVENTH pillar of Islam!