The Internet Islamic Art Database | Library of Islamic Art and Quotes | Page 86

“Islam is a diversity of interpretations. The problem is not the book, it is the reader. Tell me the way you read, I will know what is in your mind, but not for sure what is in the text. The ones to blame often are the religious people themselves because the way they present their religion is all of dreams and hopes. It is not dealing with the reality …which is a complex reality.

“Compelling a woman to wear a headscarf is against Islam, and compelling her to remove it is against human rights.

“There is nothing more Islamic than critical thinking.

“Humility is knowing that you can get an answer from anybody: be it a child, another person, or nature.

“Consistency means that Islam is great, but not all Muslims are great. Consistency means that we should acknowledge our failures and weaknesses.

“Being religious puts you on the defensive in this industrialized modern world. When we are pushed to being defensive, we are forced to be formulated in our approach to religion and lose the essence of our connection with God.

“When you don’t know who you are, you are scared of what you are not.

“We do not have Theocracy in Islam, but we can have a civil state and an Islamic reference.

“Islam is not about following charismatic leaders and scholars. It is to follow a message. This message is asking you to be intellectually, spiritually, socially, politically independent… and courageous.

“Intellect is a part of a good faith. Intellect is the light, the heart is the direction.

“I don’t like what you are doing, but I won’t insult you for it. You know why? Because who you are tomorrow may be better than who I am today.

“The great majority of people that many scholars call “kuffār” do not even know what they are denying. These persons do not even know what it is to have a relationship with Truth. This is why we have to be very cautious with our judgement. A “kuffār” is someone who knows the Truth and denies the reality of it; it is an intellectual opposition to Truth itself.

“Islam is not about being physically visible. As Muslims living in the West, we need to have an intellectual and spiritual visibility. This is not about political activism; many of us are agitated, they are not activists. There is no vision, no center, no spiritual axes that we need. Being intellectually contributing to the future of our society is the very meaning of “La illaha il Allah.” It is where true freedom starts.

At the end of the day, it is about being human beings, it is about following the footsteps of the Prophet ﷺ: being with Allah, serving Him, and doing the best for the people living in our country, be it the oppressed, the marginalised, women, or our own children.

“For Muslims the Qur’an stands as the Text of reference, the source and the essence of the message transmitted to humanity by the creator. It is the last of a lengthy series of revelations addressed to humans down through history. It is the Word of God — but it is not God. The Qur’an makes known, reveals and guides: it is a light that responds to the quest for meaning. The Qur’an is remembrance of all previous messages, those of Noah and Abraham, of Moses and Jesus. Like them, it reminds and instructs our consciousness: life has meaning, facts are signs.

“We are not following scholars: they are serving the community and should not be served by the community. Our teachers should be means for us to come close to God and our Knowledge should be also means for us to serve Him better and to serve the society.

“As Muslims, we are not worshipping Knowledge. We are using Knowledge to worship God.

“Female excision, forced marriages, honour crimes, for instance, are not Islamic even though certain scholars may have attempted to provide religious justification for them. This critical work is a long way from being completed, and awareness must be raised among Muslims and their fellow citizens about those confusions that lead to the original message being betrayed.

“Islam has no problem with women, but Muslims do clearly appear to have serious problems with them, and the reasons and sometimes the (questionable) justifications for this must be sought from within.

“Listen to the voices that challenge you to improve yourself. Be among the people who are changing the world.

“If you cry, if you smile, remember: the Heart is the noble people’s home. It is where they get their strength, their fragility. Alone, in silence.

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