As bombings and terrorist actions appear on the rise around the world, "Islamic militancy" has unwittingly become a buzzword in newsrooms, congressional offices, governmental departments and agencies, and now even in the film industry. On, October 31, The Washington Post ran the following front-page headline: "FBI Terror Probes Focus on U.S. Muslims." This coming weekend Hollywood will premier The Siege, a film with pointedly anti-Muslim overtones linking the faith directly with terrorism, resulting in the mass arrest of American Muslims similar to the detention of Japanese-Americans during WWII.
"Education is the key to dispelling the stereotypes," says Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, president of The Muslim Magazine and Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA). "That is why we found it necessary to begin publishing a magazine – to help educate the public on the realities of Islam based on its authentic tradition, not upon the actions of extremists whose radical interpretations of the law justify terrorist acts."
In a response to the U.S. military strikes earlier this year, Shaykh Kabbani stated, "Religion has never called for terrorist actions….We [ISCA] condemn all types of terrorism, whether intellectual, ideological, political or cultural. There is no religion which supports terrorism." To further this notion, Shaykh Kabbani, one of the few scholars in the Western world authorized to give a fatwa, or legal ruling, has given a detailed verdict on the concept of jihad in Islam in the latest issue of his magazine.
"I have spoken to many members of the media and government officials, and it seems people are often confused by terms such as jihad and fatwa," says Shaykh Kabbani, a leader in the Muslim community. "They have a wrong understanding of the terms -- who is authorized to issue a fatwa, and the pre-requisite scholarship needed to make such declarations. Often times, you will find Muslims with no scholarly credentials used as a source on Islam. This is in turn creates misconceptions about the religion. It is important for Islamic scholars to provide information to the public, and help others discern truth from falsehood regarding Islam, a faith based on peace, love and tolerance."
In his own campaign geared to educate, Shaykh Kabbani will continue to produce The Muslim Magazine, heeding questions from the media, governmental officials and readers in general, to shape the course of future issues. Additionally, the shaykh will be producing a series ("Educating the Public on Islam") of one-page releases detailing different Islamic concepts that warrant clarification. This is being done in conjunction with ISCA's numerous scholastic publications and worldwide seminars and lectures on Islam and Spirituality.
For further information, scholarly sources on Islam, scheduling Shaykh Kabbani to speak to your organization, or ordering The Muslim Magazine, please contact ISCA in Washington, DC.
Contact: Ms. Dilshad Fakroddin at (202) 661-4654 OR (202) 438-1250 (mobile).
The Islamic Supreme Council of America is an educational, advocacy organization dedicated to the dissemination of informative material on Islam and the presentation of an authentic, scholarly Islamic viewpoint on world affairs. The council is an umbrella organization for the highly-acclaimed Muslim Magazine, American Muslim Assistance (a relief organization), As-Sunna Foundation of America (a scholarly publishing house), and Kamilat (a women’s networking organization). ISCA recently sponsored the 2nd International Islamic Unity Conference in Washington, DC.
Publishers of the most visited Islamic websites in the world:
islamicsupremecouncil.org & muslimmag.org & amahelp.com & kamilat.org & sunnah.org & naqshbandi.net
