Why Does Terrorism Dominate The Headlines?
17 February 2016By Tariq A. Al-Maeena
Yet another despicable act occurred a few days ago when the Rida Mosque in
Mahasen neighborhood of Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province was bombed by those
following a takfiri ideology. Four people who had been there offering prayers
lost their lives to yet another act of terrorism, while another 18 were badly
injured. The mosque is frequented by those following the Shia branch of Islam.
The media in the following days was full of condemnation of the latest series
of attacks based on sectarian lines, and news of other terrorists who had been
captured or are on the run. But it is not just our own homegrown terrorists
who dominate the news. There are marauding bands such as Daesh (the
self-proclaimed IS), Al-Qaeda and other fringe groups who have been thrust
onto the front pages or the airwaves with their brutality, all the while
chanting religious verses. All that this has succeeded in doing has been to
promote a very violent image of Islam to those who are not Muslims.
So is this what Islam and Muslims are all about? The mayhem, murders, and
bombings of the innocent? Is there no other face of Islam? You would have to
dig deep between the pages to read of the other face of Muslims, a people who
have dedicated their life to the proper teachings of this great religion and
who by virtue of their piety are not seeking headlines.
There are Muslim individuals such as Dr. Mike Ghouse from the US who is a
community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a
speaker on a wide range of issues concerning Islam and the Western world. He
is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions
on issues of the day and building bridges between the faiths.
There is also Akbar Ahmed, the world renowned Muslim anthropologist whose
various projects have contributed to and shaped contemporary thinking on the
relations between the Muslim and the Western worlds. Professor Akbar Ahmed is
the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies in the School of International
Service at American University in Washington, DC. He has served as a
Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and was the First
Distinguished Chair of Middle East and Islamic Studies at the US Naval Academy
in Annapolis, MD.
The list of such distinguished individuals and their positive contributions to
society is long but inevitably obscured by the dastardly deeds of Abu Bakr
Al-Baghdadi, the Daesh leader, and his kind. And yet there are other
relatively unknown Muslims who are shunted to the sidelines and deserve to
have their story told. They do not carry impressive credentials, but through
their selfless acts they can indeed be a proud beacon to Muslims everywhere.
One such individual is Ali Banat, a Sydney born and bred Muslim who very
recently discovered that he had cancer and only seven months to live. A
successful entrepreneur, Ali had everything he wanted, a fleet of high
performance cars including a Ferrari Spider, luxury watches, mansions and just
about everything else. Facing his inevitable fate, Ali began disposing of all
his assets and made a determination to make a difference in the lives of many
who needed a helping hand.
For one of his projects, Ali travelled to Togo, Africa where he felt he could
help without too much red tape. He founded the MATW Africa Project which aims
to build a village which will be home to over 200 widows, a school, and a
residential dorm to house 600 orphans. A mini hospital/medical center and
businesses to support the local community are also going to be established.
Half of the money required has been collected through goodwill donors. Ali
explains: ''After someone tells you, or you find out that you are sick or
haven't got much time in this life, wealth is the last thing you want to chase
and this is how we should be living our life every day. These people are going
for the wrong goals; you will realize that when you get sick when someone
tells you, you haven't got long to live. You will realize all this stuff
doesn't benefit you in any way.
''It all started when I went to the cemetery to attend a funeral and I was
thinking to myself after you go there's nothing, there's no one there for you,
no mother, no father, no brother, and no sister except for your good deeds. At
this point in my life, Alhamdulillah I have been gifted by Allah with cancer
throughout my body and I have changed my whole life to helping people. It is a
gift because Allah has given me a chance and some time to change.''
Ali's days on the earth have decreased as the cancer has begun tearing through
his body. Yet it is his dream to make things happen, and the project in Togo
is one of them. He is a Muslim and he is not a terrorist. Perhaps that doesn't
command him headline space but his deeds toward humanity should.
— The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena
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