A
press release yesterday from CAIR urged Muslim prayer leaders and imams to address post-presidential election anxieties in sermons during their regular Friday prayer services today. An outline of talking points for leaders prepared by Sh. Omar Suleiman, president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research in Texas, was included. Here are some excerpts:
We have to come to terms with the idea that will be faced with some level of hardship with our faith regardless of the circumstances. Part of ending harm towards the community collectively is individually being ready to dispel stereotypes. In Makkah, the public display of the faith was the protest of the Companions. We must also continue to publicly be unapologetically Muslim....
It’s very easy for us to say that they all hate us, and there is no good left in the people. Instead let us remind ourselves that the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for the people most sincerely when their rejection for him was most severe. He prayed for them at Ta’if when they struck him in the face, and at Uhud when they almost killed him....
The under 25 voters were almost unanimous in expressing what type of America they wanted to live in. And it is not one of bigotry or xenophobia. We have to make sure we continue to invest in the younger generation so that they don’t repeat the mistakes of the past (and in this case, the present). We must continue to build institutions that will stand for justice and peace for generations to come. The Day of Judgment has not come yet, and even if it had, we would still be required to finish planting what is in our hands.
