{"id":1167,"date":"2017-02-03T18:46:30","date_gmt":"2017-02-04T00:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/?p=1167"},"modified":"2017-02-03T19:33:37","modified_gmt":"2017-02-04T01:33:37","slug":"combatting-the-dark-view-of-islam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/combatting-the-dark-view-of-islam\/","title":{"rendered":"Combatting the “Dark View of Islam”"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIslam is not a religion of peace \u2014 Islam is a religion of submission.”<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Thus said Steve Bannon<\/a>, top strategist for President Trump, on a radio show. As the New York Times reported in a recent article entitled, “Trump Pushes Dark View of Islam to Center of US Policy-Making”:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hateful ideology of radical Islam,\u201d [President Trump] told supporters, must not be \u201callowed to reside or spread within our own communities.\u201d Mr. Trump was echoing a strain of anti-Islamic theorizing familiar to anyone who has been immersed in security and counterterrorism debates over the last 20 years. He has embraced a deeply suspicious view of Islam that several of his aides have promoted, notably retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, now his national security adviser, and Stephen K. Bannon, the president\u2019s top strategist.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Out of this view came the recent executive order banning the entry of anyone from 7 Muslim-majority countries into the United States, popularly known as the “Muslim ban.” Other things may follow, and there is no small amount of fear that more draconian measures aimed at the Muslim community are coming in the months and years ahead. <\/p>\n

May God protect us all. <\/p>\n

But, is there something we can do? Is there is something we can do to combat this “dark view of Islam”?<\/p>\n

Yes, there is. We can teach. <\/p>\n

We can teach, with patience and love, about our faith. We can teach, with calm and clarity, about how, yes Islam is a “religion of submission,” but not submission to “Sharia law.” But, rather, submission to the will of God. It echoes this verse from the Bible:<\/p>\n

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3: 5-6)<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

We can teach, and this is what I am setting out to do. I will teach my fellow Americans, members of my American family, the truth about my faith. And I pray my words can bring some semblance of light in these increasingly dark times. Amen. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Hassaballa","description":"Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago doctor and writer. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, being published in newspapers across the country and around the world. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a columnist for Patheos. His articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global, and he was also a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune and has blogged on ChicagoNow\" . In addition, Dr. Hassaballa has appeared as a guest on WTTW (Channel 11) in Chicago, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and National Public Radio. Dr. Hassaballa is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday), and his essay, \u201cWhy I Love the Ten Commandments,\u201d was published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). His latest book, Noble Brother, is the story of the Prophet Muhammad told entirely in poetry, and it is now published in its second edition. 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