{"id":622,"date":"2015-01-11T17:42:39","date_gmt":"2015-01-11T22:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/?p=622"},"modified":"2015-01-11T17:42:39","modified_gmt":"2015-01-11T22:42:39","slug":"an-important-story-that-was-not-as-prominent-in-the-charlie-hebdo-saga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/an-important-story-that-was-not-as-prominent-in-the-charlie-hebdo-saga\/","title":{"rendered":"An Important Story That Was Not As Prominent In The Charlie Hebdo Saga"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: The Infinitely Merciful and Compassionate Beloved Lord<\/em><\/p>\n

There has been so much talk about Muslims and Islam in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre.\u00a0This talk will most certainly continue. Yet, I wanted to highlight a very important story <\/a>that may have gotten lost in the wake of the attack and subsequent show of support in France:<\/p>\n

Lassana Bathily, a young Muslim deli clerk who was working at Hyper Cacher store in Paris during Friday’s deadly hostage-taking, is being hailed as a hero. People in Paris and around the world took to social media to sing Bathily’s praises and credit him for saving six people’s lives by hiding them in a walk-in freezer. Bathily, 24, hid the customers when gunman Amedy Coulibaly, 32, stormed the market on Friday, took 15 people hostage and murdered four more. “I turned off the light. I turned off the freezer. Once we were inside, I closed the door, and I told them, ‘Stay here, stay calm. I’m going out,’ the Mali-born Parisian told BFMTV.<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Although he was initially handcuffed by police when he went out to tell them about the gunman, it was his information to the police that led to the end of the siege. This man, Lassana Bathily, represents the truth about Islam and Muslims. This man, along with Muslim police officer Ahmed Merabat<\/a>, tells the real story of how Muslims contribute to the greatness of each society in which they live.<\/p>\n

Yes, I did tweet “Je Suis Charlie” in the immediate aftermath\u00a0of the attack, out of sheer repugnance for the crime. But,\u00a0I am disgusted by their cartoons, all the while condemning the violent response to it. In reality, “Je Suis Ahmed” and “Je Suis Lassana.” That is to say,\u00a0“I am Ahmed” and “I am Lassana.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: The Infinitely Merciful and Compassionate Beloved Lord There has been so much talk about Muslims and Islam in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre.\u00a0This talk will most certainly continue. 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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. In 2007, his blog \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" was nominated for a Brass Crescent Award for a blog that is \u201cthe most stimulating, insightful, and philosophical, providing the best rebuttals to extremist ideology and making an impact whenever they post.\u201d \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" has also received an award for being one of the \"Top Muslim Blogs for 2010\" by Awarding The Web. In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and currently serves on their board of directors. He also co-founded the Bayan H. 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