No matter what, the truth shall always prevail, as the popular saying goes.
What happened at Islamic Information Bureau on Saturday, May 07, 2011 was disbelieving however, as evidence of Islam being under attack emerged. It seems as if there are thousands and thousands misconceptions about this true and beautiful religion.
And when we stay in our homes, driving our cars, praying five times a day, we should not feel that everything is well, as the enemies of Islam are always plotting. These misguided people spend sleepless nights, trying to find out ways they can destroy Islam.
But Alhamudulillah, some of these people are blessed and have now have been set free.
The Islamic Information Bureau organized an event with non-Muslim teachers from Blantyre, the Commercial City of Malawi in order to teach them the truth about Islam.
The program started at around 09:00, with the facilitator Sheikh Ahmed Chienda asking everybody to state their first impressions of Islam and Muslims.
Subhannallah!
The answers were terrible, dreadful or perhaps we should say appalling and it was unbelievable that these words were coming from people who read the Bible, from the same people who were created by the same God of Abraham, Haroon, Ishmael and Isaac.
All these is because of ignorance, the great scourge of Humans.
“We believe that Muslims worship Allah, the stone which was found in Makah,” one of the participants stated confidently.
“We believe that when Muslims are on their way to Mosque and if they meet a Pig, they turn back because Muhammad [saw] was severely eaten by Pigs. We also believe that Muslims are terrorists. We believe that Muslims take us Christians as impure that is why we are not allowed to touch Quran.”
From their faces, you could see that to them it is not misconceptions and that this is what they had been taught in their churches and schools.
Mashallah! at the end, Allah guided them and they no longer were willing to listen to or read those misconceptions again and they thanked the IIB for telling them the truth about Islam.
One of the participants, Mrs Madalitso Kumwenda from Nkolokoti, told MalawiMuslims.Com that other people had been brainwashing her, telling her that Islam is a religion of war which she realized now was a gross misconception.
“From what I have I learnt, I have seen that there is no difference between Christianity and Islam because Jesus Christ (pbu) and Muhammad (pbu) all came with one message, to worship one, the true God. We just discriminate each other, Islam is about peace, not a religion of war because all these two prophets came to establish peace among us,” she said.
Kumwenda further asked people who do Dawah to go into remote areas where she thinks that this problem is at a high alarming rate.
“I once went to my home village to attend the funeral which I don’t want to mention the name. But what happened there was really terrible, people started to attack the bereaved woman for marrying a Muslim. They always feel that when somebody’s marries a Muslim, means that she has carried a heavy object and I am urging you to reach those areas to end these misconceptions,” she said.
Mr Davie Kubalasa said the workshop helped him to find the truth and now he will be able to solve the conflicts which normally occurs among pupils in his class regarding the Islamic faith.
“Today, we have known the truth. This workshop has made us to realise the truth about Islam and now will be able to preach unity among teachers or pupils. They have also freed us as the Sheikh has clarified the point of why women are not allowed to go to graveyard during burial ceremony; which we are satisfied,” he said.
However, Kubalasa expressed his concern with what other people do when conducting their dawah, saying that this just increases enmity as some of them tend to insult Christians and appealed to the Muslim leaders in the Country to take a look on that.
“I would like also to express my concern with what other Muslims do when conducting their dawah, they insult us and our religion which is totally different from what we have learnt here. Sheikh Chienda here has taught us the true colour of Islam, we have realised how beautiful it is. Please you have to send well educated people there who knows how to elaborate Quran and Bible with no hassles,” appealed flabbergasted Kubalasa.
For Mrs Jennifer Sasani from Bangwe, the biggest issue for her was about Hijab. She was thinking that Islam does not respect the rights of women.
“I have learnt a lot from this workshop because for the first time I thought Islam is a religion which oppresses women by not giving them the right of dressing but now I have seen that it is the only religion which respects the rights of women,” said the surprised Mrs Jennifer Sasani from Bangwe.
But what about on the sacrificial meat which is distributed during the Eid Aldhua? Mrs Getrude Kachamba has never tested it, thinking that if she tried it, she would automatically become a Muslim.
“For me, people were saying that we should not be going to receive a sacrificial meat which Muslims distribute on [Eid Adhuha]. They said that meat is anathemised and if we eat it, we would enter Islam. But from what I have learnt today, I have seen that it is a total insult to Muslims and I will now be the first one to stand on the queue to receive the meat,” said the freed Mrs Getrude Kachamba from Bangwe.
Mr Peter Mpapa from Ndirande who had never previously wanted to hear anything about Islam, said the program was very educative and promised to be seeking more information about Islam.
“In the past, I was kind of person who never wanted to hear anything about Islam. But now, the facilitator has set us free and we wish the program could continue,” said the Mpapa.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Ahmed Chienda Limbe IIB Coordinator said his organization organized the workshop because it believes that teachers are vital people in the society.
“We wanted to discuss with them about many bad things they hear about Islam so that they should know the truth and be able to teach their pupils. We believe that these pupils spend more time with teachers than with their parents. So, we know how important they are in our society that is why we have invited them,” he said.
According to the coordinator, this was the first ever meeting with non-Muslim Teachers. The success of this first workshop now means there will be more in the future said the Limbe IIB coordinator.
The same workshop also took place in the Central and Northern regions of Malawi and targeted over 300 teachers.
Malawi has an estimated Muslim population of 2 Million, in a country of 13 Million.
