Bridge necessary between religions
Cole Bockenfeld, Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/25/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Our minds are useless to us if they are not open, Sheikh Muneer Al-Farra said to an audience of more than 50 people in the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Arena.
The Muslim Students Association invited Al-Farra to speak in an attempt to dispel misconceptions being presented by the media about Islam, according to the press release.
Al-Farra said it is necessary to "build a bridge of love and respect" between different religions and to urge people to seek information about different religions from the adherents themselves rather than the media.
The point of this lecture is not to convince you to become Muslims or to make you feel guilty for holding certain stereotypes, but only to open your mind to the right information, Al-Farra said.
"The media will let you hear what will benefit them, not what will benefit you," he said. For example, CNN in the Middle East is completely different than CNN in the United States and neither offers a balanced viewpoint.
Al-Farra said American movies he watched in his native Saudi Arabia convinced him America was a violent and dangerous place.
When he decided to come to the United States in the late 1990s, he thought he was making a mistake by coming to such a dangerous society, he said.
"I didn't leave the building I was staying at for four days," Al-Farra said. "One night I saw a man from my window that was walking at about 10 p.m and yelled to him to 'run for your life.'" He thought the man had to be crazy because he could be killed for walking alone at night, he said.
"But I was wrong" about American society, Al-Farra said. One or two years later, he found himself talking to people in a gas station at 1:30 a.m. and realized there are good people everywhere, he said.
Al-Farra said Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together for hundreds of years in peace and they can do so again today.
Addressing the topic of violence and terrorism, Al-Farra said Muslims are forbidden to kill anyone but aggressors against them, and they cannot follow the attackers if they retreat.
The Muslim Students Association invited Al-Farra to speak in an attempt to dispel misconceptions being presented by the media about Islam, according to the press release.
Al-Farra said it is necessary to "build a bridge of love and respect" between different religions and to urge people to seek information about different religions from the adherents themselves rather than the media.
The point of this lecture is not to convince you to become Muslims or to make you feel guilty for holding certain stereotypes, but only to open your mind to the right information, Al-Farra said.
"The media will let you hear what will benefit them, not what will benefit you," he said. For example, CNN in the Middle East is completely different than CNN in the United States and neither offers a balanced viewpoint.
Al-Farra said American movies he watched in his native Saudi Arabia convinced him America was a violent and dangerous place.
When he decided to come to the United States in the late 1990s, he thought he was making a mistake by coming to such a dangerous society, he said.
"I didn't leave the building I was staying at for four days," Al-Farra said. "One night I saw a man from my window that was walking at about 10 p.m and yelled to him to 'run for your life.'" He thought the man had to be crazy because he could be killed for walking alone at night, he said.
"But I was wrong" about American society, Al-Farra said. One or two years later, he found himself talking to people in a gas station at 1:30 a.m. and realized there are good people everywhere, he said.
Al-Farra said Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together for hundreds of years in peace and they can do so again today.
Addressing the topic of violence and terrorism, Al-Farra said Muslims are forbidden to kill anyone but aggressors against them, and they cannot follow the attackers if they retreat.
