På den nationaldemokratiska hemsidan kan ni läsa om det hela. Klicka här!

Vad jag försöker förmedla är att dessa snubbar har noll koll och gissar jag rätt har dom träffat ytterst få, om några muslimer i sina liv. Har dom haft otur, har dom träffat någon med utlänskt påbrå som har varit elak mot dem – och där har de för sig själva satt en grund för generaliseringar – och eftersom muslimer målas upp som fienden på grund av en förvrängd och orättvis mediabild – så har de hittat sin måltavla.

Bara i Värmland ser vi okunskapen bland förtroendevalda. Sist hade vi en Sverigedemokrat i Grums kommunfullmäktige som skrev att hon hellre tar en vätebomb än Islam – och ännu lite tidigare hörde vi Filipstads förtroendevalda i Filipstad uppmana kommuninvånarna att spika upp grishuvuden på sina dörrar för att hålla muslimer borta.

Jag skulle vilja utmana dessa människor genom att de själva frågar sig hur många muslimer de har träffat när de står med sina plakat och känner broderskap genom sitt gemensamma riktade hat mot islam och muslimer. Senast i december efter den tyranniska händelsen i centrala Stockholm av en minst sagt förvirrad man debatterade Kent Ekeroth och Yasri Khan i radiokanalen BBC, och det var minst sagt oroande att se hur en folkvald politiker som ska vara från ett numera ”rumsrent” parti är så fylld av okunskap. Jag skulle vilja fråga Kent hur många muslimer han personligen känner.

Rädslan för Islam och muslimer är ett tilltagande faktum. Förtroendevalda och media pratar kring om det finns några gräsrotsprojekt för att motverka muslimsk extremism när den kan försummas i jämförelse med den tilltagande islamofobin läser vi om i tidningarna var och varannan dag, men vad talar de förtroende och media om för att minska de ökande islamhatande krafterna i det svenska samhället. Ja, jag låter frågan hänga på tapeten här bredvid mig.

[Många fördomar krossas i mötet mellan människor, tyvärr är inte alla människor har öppnat ögona för att utmana sina fördomar.]

May 2011 awaken our minds for the purpose to seek
Do we think the world has reached its peak
Of correcting injustices few do speak
Keeping peace evolves in the same streak
Compassion seems to endlessly leak
And our hearts are left weak

One day we might stand united able to truly say
We know in which direction we are on our way
Seeing that life is no easy game to play
We have faith and along the route we pray
That God will never let us go astray

Striving for justice derived from peace
is a matter of ours we will never let freeze

Previous weekend, a young man chose to commit suicide using a bomb in the central of Stockholm. This has led to a major debate in Sweden about radical Islam and terrorist threats. It is important that we do not let ourselves be led by fear, but that we try to be balanced in order to constructively strengthen our society together.

The 11 December is a date we will remember for a long time forward. Probably, we will also remember where we were when we were told that a young man had chosen to blast himself to death in the central of Stockholm. Personally, I was in a small town at Kjesäters college along with around twenty participants attending the qualified course ”Value Based Leadership”, a collaboration between Swedish Muslims for Peace and Justice (SMFR) and the Scout Leadership Academy.

We had the majority unwittingly gathered in a circle with a tense atmosphere which was created by the fact that some had been told were aware of the tragic event. After a moment of silence our president Yasri Khan began telling us about the incident that created a great sadness and concern in the room where we had been assembled. We became concerned about how the social climate with tensions in society would become after this. We came into expressing the importance of not letting ourselves be led by fear and that we now had to try to be balanced in order to constructively strengthen our society together, and reach out with this to the public.

As a peace movement it is obvious that we are against all forms of violence, whether it is a laserman who spreads fear and terror in an entire city, a girl being beaten in Lund for wearing a headscarf or a suicide bomber in the heart of Stockholm. We are concerned that the development in Sweden will follow the same pattern that has occurred in other countries after terrorist attacks. Suspicion has been thrown over Muslims and they are being subject to a collective blame because of one individual’s behavior. Our open peaceful society is not a fact but something that requires constant efforts and reflection.

For some time now, we are in Sweden standing at a crossroad. We are under constant pressure from xenophobic as well as Islamophobic forces gaining more ground. A financial crisis in Europe has made people afraid and we see greater polarization between groups as we are divided into ”us and them”. Discrimination and exclusion is now a reality for Muslims in Sweden. The fear we all feel after the violent attack is likely to result in more hate against Muslims and an increased difficulty for Muslims in Sweden.

We believe that Sweden, as in so many other things, can be a model and that we together can create a constructive public debate. Everyone needs to take responsibility for reducing tensions and misunderstandings, and build bridges between the gaps in our society. Security is a right for every citizen and must be safeguarded. It is important that we reflect on what social climate we want and what world we want to live in. Only through meetings, we can create understanding and mutual knowledge.

Our foundation as a Muslim peace movement is the Quran and the message of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) which encourages us to work for [3:104] ”to become a community of people calling each other to do good and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. They will be the successful. ”

Our foundation and inspiration as a Muslim peace movement is based on the Quran. It invites us to do good and to do right, for example in the verse [16:90] ”God commands that right and justice shall prevail [among people and commands them] to do good and be generous to the next, and He forbids all shameless acts and everything that is contrary to reasonableness and reason and everything that constitutes a violation of the rights of others. He admonishes and warns you, that you should put it in your heart. ”

Swedish Muslims for Peace and Justice is working actively to strengthen the Muslim youth in their identity in order for them to take responsibility over their lives. We offer a platform to identify what they think is important and provide tools to enable them to influence the society. We want to avoid frustration and a sense of hopelessness and instead allow influence and participation leading to a sense of responsibility and a community enriched by diversity. We believe it is the best way to create secure leaders and role models which in turn contributes to a safer and fairer society – for all.

Amir Dabboussi
Contact person in Karlstad
Swedish Muslims for Peace and Justice

_____
Read the original article here!

Fundamentalist or Responsible Citizen?

Contribution of religious communities to the formation of European citizens.

28 November to 5 December 2010          Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Final Statement

Our God has called us here all together, Jews, Christians and Muslims, motivated to encourage young religious people to take a more active role in public life within Europe. In light of the changing religious composition of European societies, increased xenophobia, and a trend towards excluding religion from civil discourse, our aim was to propose ways in which young religious European citizens can take a more active role in fulfilling their duties towards society as a whole.

We are concerned over the rise of extremist attitudes, sometimes identified with fundamentalism, whether religious or secular. We believe that religions, cultures and civil systems can work together towards common objectives.

We assert that religious identity should not be excluded from the public sphere, and that in order to achieve a fairer society, people of all backgrounds and beliefs must take an equal part in civil activities.

To achieve this, we recommend:

• Formal, informal and non-formal educational initiatives:
-          to raise awareness about the role of religious communities within society;
-          to raise awareness of civil duties within religious communities;
-          to increase understanding of different religions and perspectives;
-          to help all people to see beyond stereotypes;

• Dialogue and collaboration:
-          on an individual level: getting to know each other, listening, and sharing life experiences;
-          between religions and secular authorities;
-          to build networks involving different religious and secular communities and policy influencing organisations;

• Engagement:
-          by young religious citizens in politics, media and NGO work;
-          in setting an example, becoming involved in voluntary services.

These are activities that will need to be continued by all members of European society on a long-term basis. We must persevere towards a more committed, more responsible and more inclusive society, all together.

Sarajevo, 4^th December 2010

His customer: What you say is might be true, no good God would had allowed such things to happen.

The hairdresser: No exactly, it’s good that we are on the same track.

His customer: Thank you for your service, the haircut looks great. By the way, there are no hairdressers in this world.

The hairdresser: Excuse me? Are you crazy? I’ve just cut your hair and it’s also written ”Barber” on my plate.

His customer: But look at that customer who just walked by, his head full of hair, he looks like he needs a haircut.

The hairdresser: Yes, but it’s his fault, he has not sought me.

His customer: Exactly! how can you say that there is no God when humans themselves have not sought him?

[Author: Unknown]

During my attendance at the conference ”Fundamentalist or responsible citizen?”, a three year campaign run by FEMYSO and EYCE, which was to be wrapped up this week into a statement from religious youth organizations in EU. The statement will be published later on. It has been a week of learning more about the diverse religious culture of Bosnia i Herzegovina and not to forget directly through the fellow 60 participants which took their precious time to contribute to a society with less fundamentalist attitudes, whether religious fundamentalism or secular fundamentalism. The week has been loaded with good lecturers as Ajmal Masroor from the UK, talking about perspectives of fundamentalism which had never crossed my mind before. To that has also some interesting group assignments been done and presented with creativity and success.

The city we held the event in was Sarajevo. A city with adorable local citizens and specially some who generlously spent their time and efforts for our sakes as visitors. A city with great food such as Burek <3. A city with diversity around every corner. I would not be surprised if I would turn up there again, sooner or later.

To conclude the outcome of the conference I would emphasize on the statement, which puts religion on the table as an obvious rescource to the society, as defining fundamentalism as dangerous whether it is religious, secular, issue-based etc. For a responsible citizenship there lies a tromendeous importance for us as individuals to take part i the processes of society, by taking and givning – sharing. By doing so we stop dividing ourselves, isolating our ideas and possible contributions – and that will create a European unity though all the differences we might have, on the premise that a respectful tolerance is present. Europe is changing and it is time for the general image of the European citizen to be recognized as far more diverse, multucultural – and may it be a perception of Europeans by the visibility of its welcomed expressions.

As for this to be my first international activity as a representative for the organisation Young Muslims of Sweden – I can state that it has been totally mind blowing, far better than expected.

May Allah make this event something that I and all each great participants comes to benefit from, and sharing it outwards so that it may be a benefit for humanity. Amin!

D. Goleman – Working With Emotional Intellingence