Once again a decent term finds its way to distortion and stereotyping at the hands of the “talented” marketers specializing in launching their own vocabulary. Anti-Semitism, for one, ends up a meaning describing unfavorable sentiments against Jews departing from the original meaning of Semitism. A Semite is a member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the near East and Northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians.
Islamists and Islamism is another term innovated to describe extreme factions and their dogmas of terror that erroneously operate in the name of Islam. The dogma extremism and the resultant terrorism have been fought by Muslims for over 1300 years. Islamism is a term set originally to define the religious faith, principles and cause of Islam. The religion of Islam of 1.3 Billion people does advocate moderation and excellence of human life. Less than Two million sympathize with the dogma of extremism.
The innovators of such terminology and distortions are in effect trying to hijack the original terms in an effort to stealthily blemish what the terms originally represent.
Madrasah is the Arabic term for school. The kindergarten, elementary and secondary institutions that hundreds of millions of Muslims went and go to every morning to learn chemistry, physics and mathematics to eventually become one day doctors, engineers and agriculturists are called Madrasahs. The Mother and/or the father get up in the morning and send the children to the Madrasah.
Mention Madrasah today and you will think bin Laden, extremism, hatred, laboratories for crime making are written all over it.
The mindful and just person can easily see that the Islamic Schools of the West bring about prosperity and success.
Muslims in the USA, like all Americans, are concerned about their children in two domains. The loss of values is one concern and the ability to properly integrate in the western society and to compete to the fullest of their abilities is another concern. The loss of values in public schools is a problem that seems to be beyond the government’s reach to rectify. Stereotyping and racism are realities and often a penalty that the Americans pay for establishing a Democratic society that bears a mosaic of cultures and schools of thought.
The role of the Islamic Madrasah is to provide the values through Islamic teachings that instill ethics, manners, friendship appreciation, trust, taking care of ones neighbor, honesty, trustworthiness, work ethics, family bonds. Also the School provides proper and sound training in all academic subjects as prescribed by the relative departments of education. The school instills in the hearts the determination to excel at what one chooses to do in the future as a career and to have ones own contribution to the wellbeing of society at large.
An important aspect of the school is to teach the personal obligatory Knowledge of the religion. Because it equips the students with enough sound religious knowledge with which they can identify the thought of the extremist factions and the ill dogmas that masquerade in the guise of the religion. Even they would learn how to refute such dogmas based on the rules of the religion. Students of such Madrasahs will be well shielded from becoming preys for extremist groups.
These schools should be supported and nourished and treated as gems because they provide every meaning of sound integration in society, healthy coexistence and strong and mutual construction of vigorous societies.
I praise Allah, over the years I have been instrumental in establishing several full time and part time schools in the USA and Canada, and most recently in Montreal/Chomedey and Vancouver, that gave sound training to hundreds of children. Some of the children we see today as young Muslim American men and woman competing soundly in their careers and contributing to the well being of America. Some stood as valedictorians delivering a speech at graduation inspiring their fellow students to have their constructive role in society.
I encourage the Muslims in the USA to give priority to establishing Islamic Schools and to strive to have them operated in the most proficient and professional manner. These schools are the cobble stones towards a prosperous life for all in the USA.
