It’s easy to tar an entire group because of the actions of a few — but it also is unfair and inaccurate, says Dr. Muhammad Hussain, a local Muslim.
Many Americans still don’t have much real information about Islam, Hussain said.
“It’s hard sometimes for people to sort out and separate the acts of a few people from a whole group of people.”
As examples:
A Jew walked into a gay bar in Israel in August and killed two people and wounded several others.
“You can’t assume that all Jews are like that and hate gay people and will kill them,” Hussain said.
Basque terrorists in Spain were blamed for a series of bombings in Spanish territories in 2009.
“That doesn’t mean everyone in that part of Spain is a terrorist,” he said. “Terrorism is not new to Islam, just like it is not new to any other religion.”
People of all religions misquote, misuse and take scripture out of context, Hussain said. In Pakistan or Spain, “the problem is these people may not even represent a fraction of 1 percent of the Muslims or the Basques.”
And the violence is often against other Muslims — those that certain groups don’t consider true Muslims — not outsiders, Hussain said.
Islam “doesn’t really condone any acts of terrorism,” he said. “The sanctity of life is very important” in his religion, Hussain asserted.
“If you take one life, it is like killing the whole community. If you save one life, it’s like saving the whole of humanity.”
Christians in the past burned people at the stake, he said.
“There were waves and waves of immigrants who came to this country because they were being persecuted for the Christian faith by other Christians.”
Americans also have misconceptions about Islam’s treatment of women, Hussain said. Oppression, female circumcision and families who murder or mutilate female relatives they believe have dishonored them are all cultural trappings, Hussain said. These customs are not part of Islam.
Muslim couples sign a marriage contract, similar to a prenuptial agreement, when they marry, Hussain said. The bride can choose to have conditions added to the contract.
“Islam says the woman has no obligation to work, cook, clean. She doesn’t have to provide for the family,” Hussain said. “He (the husband) has to.”
Hussain adds he doesn’t know of any culture in the world where women don’t face censure if they fail to cook, clean or care for their children.
Islam itself, though, “says the woman is independent. She can do that if she pleases, but she doesn’t have to do that.”
Women are dominated by men in many non-Muslim countries as well, Hussain points out.
“Women here (in the United States) still continue to fight for their rights.
“So whatever happens in the Muslim world is no different than what happened in the rest of the world,” Hussain said. “Societies are paternalistic.”