DONALD TRUMP is the front-runner for the Republican nomination to US presidency. On March 23 he appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain in which he said that Muslim communities were “absolutely not reporting” suspected terrorists and need to “open up to society”. This interview was extensively cited in the media. According to The Guardian, Donald Trump implied that Muslim communities were the “enemy within”. (Donald Trump hits on a sore point with Brussels ‘coddling’ remarks. The Guardian, 23 March 2016)
Donald Trump’s remarks about American Muslims are applicable to all Muslims especially those living in the western world.
At this moment, Muslims around the world number about 1.6 billion and the above news has reached almost all of them through the media. In reality, however, this news should be an eye opener for Muslims. They may not have discovered this fact at present, but they will soon come to realize it
Muslims should now put into practice the fact which Islam states about all of mankind being one family of God.
Going by Muslims’ current mood, it can be said that they would at first give a negative reaction, claiming that Trump’s remarks are only a phenomenon of Islamophobia. However, Muslims will soon realize that this traditional response of theirs is not working. They must be guided to discover an alternative response that works. To be sure, this alternative would be only one, that is, Muslims will have to openly disown “Muslim terrorists” or “Muslim radicals” and dedicate themselves completely to work towards peace in every possible way and affirm that Islam is a religion of peace. They should now put into practice the fact which Islam states about all of mankind being one family of God.
Going by Muslims’ current mood, it can be said that they would at first give a negative reaction, claiming that Trump’s remarks are only a phenomenon of Islamophobia. However, Muslims will soon realize that this traditional response of theirs is not working. They must be guided to discover an alternative response that works. To be sure, this alternative would be only one, that is, Muslims will have to openly disown “Muslim terrorists” or “Muslim radicals” and dedicate themselves completely to work towards peace in every possible way and affirm that Islam is a religion of peace. They should now put into practice the fact which Islam states about all of mankind being one family of God.
This change in the Muslim mind would come about sooner or later. It is a golden opportunity for those Muslims who have been working towards peace but have not gained much popularity among Muslims in general. Now their mission would receive full support from all Muslims and they would be able to spread their work globally. This change in western Muslims would surely appear and it would undoubtedly serve as a boon for the peace mission of Islam.
Islam is a religion of peace—this had till now been a fact which had no direct relation to Muslims, but now it has become the personal interest of western Muslims. Muslims would soon understand that to become acceptable in the modern world, they have no other alternative. To secure their interest in the present world, they have no option but to replace every kind of negativity with positivity and contribute towards the constructive projects for the progress of the world.
A person can be indifferent in a matter which is not his personal interest, but he can never afford to ignore that which does become his personal interest. This state of affairs is great news for peace-keeping Muslims. They will see that they can now carry on their mission with Muslims’ popular support, something that was not possible earlier.
To secure their interests Muslims must replace every kind of negativity with positivity and contribute towards the constructive projects for the progress of the world.
Muslims should realize that the first requirement for them and their future generations is that they understand the true Islamic teachings, live by those teachings of peace and well-wishing and communicate to the world that Islam is a religion of peace, through every action as well as diction. To achieve this purpose it is important to translate the Quran into all languages and convey its message to all peoples. Along with this, literature about the true face of Islam and peace should be disseminated informing the world that ‘God calls to the Home of Peace.’ (10:25)
Donald Trump’s above statement should be considered as the trump card for the Muslims to bring about an era of global peace and human brotherhood.
