The prophet Muhammad, possibly the most loved and hated man on Earth, has been at the heart of many discussions and debates lately on the De Anza College campus and nationwide.
A forum hosted by the De Anza College Muslim Student Association to discuss the prophet Muhammad and dispel stereotypes about him and his followers was held the evening of May 27 in Conference Room B.
There was a diverse crowd that filled the room of all religions interspersed with many colorful headscarves. The event was opened with a recitation of some verses from the Muslim Holy Scripture, the Koran, first in Arabic, and was then translated in English for the non-Arabic speakers.
The guest speaker was Imam Tahir Anwar. A Imam is a person who has enough knowledge to lead prayer, one of the organizers Asiyah Doljic said. Some of the stereotypes they hoped to dispel were that Muslims worshiped the prophet Muhammad and that the verses of the Koran were made up.
Anwar explained the basics of Islam and the reliability of the Koran because of a chain of narration. “We consider the Koran the unadulterated word of god revealed to the prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel,” he said. “The tradition of prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him) is sourced for authenticity and the reputation of a narrator has to be undisputed. One recorder of the teachings of the prophet Al-Bukhari would not trust someone as a source if they had told even one white lie any time in their life … it gets very technical.”
Anwar explained that the chain of narration still existed in the Muslim world today, and explained the Islamic perception of God. “We understand God (Allah) through his 99 names or attributes such ‘most generous,’ ‘most kind,’ this is how we understand the power of God,” Anwar said.
Anwar’s talk was followed by a Q&A session. He addressed the way the Koran was interpreted, the relationship of individual Muslims with God, jihad, and the “Draw Mohammad” event. The words and meaning of the Koran can’t change, but the rules can be changed to adapt to the society they are being decided in, Anwar said. Everyone’s relationship is between you and God, there is no intermediary, God judges you based on your intentions not your looks.
Regarding a question about a justifiable war, by De Anza Student Body President Marlo Custoddio, Anwar said. “I’ve come to realize that the easiest way to incite anyone is through religion. Look at the crusades, when your faith/faith values are at threat it is a war of God, everything else is a war for land.
The entire event was not serious, although the topic would make it seem so, Anwar kept the event light with jokes and humor. “You name the place, I’ve done it there,” Anwar said. “Prayed there I mean. Like in the changing room at Macy’s, on highway 52, in every airport I’ve been in.”
Anwar ended his talk by saying that everything is a creation of God, and people need to mutually believe in respecting each other and finding love for each other.
The crowd then broke for Halal pepperoni pizza and drinks and enjoyed musical performances from Fadi Hayek, Umair, and the Khan brothers.
“One of the first commandments of the Koran is “Ikrah” which is “to read”, so I hope people read and educate themselves about Islam and Muslims in a deeper more in-depth way,” Dojic said.
“I think, especially with the event that happened last week, it would be good to have people more educated about the beliefs so they don’t believe stereotypes like ‘Muslims worship Mohammad,'” undecided major Mariam Azhar said. “I want people to come away with an understanding of how much Muslims value the prophet, which is why last weeks event was really offensive. This is not just a Muslim event; it’s for everyone to learn from.”
