IB_14

2-3 / 21

Page 2 Page 3 Issue 14
Dear Editor,
Assalamu Alaikum
I have been reading and
following your magazine
articles since I started receiv-
ing them. You have a variety
of topics in your magazine
and a broad group of read-
ers. Within my 5 year stay in
the USA, I have been very
privileged to pray and visit
most of the masjids in the
Bay Area and also to listen
to the “Bayans” (talks) from
a variety of speakers and
imams.
One thing that has remained consistent over all these
years is listening to our brothers and imams in “Bayan”
referencing the ways of the disbelievers as “THE AMER-
ICAN WAY”. Even though I am not an American by
birth, I find this phrase insulting. Being an American is
not a different religion nor should we treat this like one.
When we talk about Muslims owning liquor shops and
other haram places, we don’t refer to them as “THE PA-
KISTANI WAY”, even though there are Muslim brothers
from Pakistan in this business. Or when we talk about
adultery and shirk, we don’t refer to them as the “ARAB
WAY”. My point is that these should not be referenced
and targeted to any one specific country. Instead words
like “Non-Believers” or “Disbelievers” can be used. This
way, reference is made across the board and not to one
specific group of people
We in Fairfield (and in other places) have been very
fortunate to have a mixed culture of people (including
Americans) use our Masjid and take part in our pro-
grams. We should be very careful that we do not alienate
any one group of people.
I hope that this message is read and at least understood
by all brothers giving “Bayan” in any masjid in the USA.
A. Shakeel
Fairfield, C
Letters T o The Editor TRIP TO PERU
Alhamdullilah, five brothers fromSanFrancisco left tovisit theMus-
lim community in Lima, Peru for the purpose of spreading Islam.
We had no idea if there were any masjids or even if we would
encounter anyMuslims at all. We were a bit apprehensive but put
our trust inAllah that everythingwouldgowell.Oneof thebrothers
amongst us was fluent in Spanish and was used as a mouth-piece
in translating and talking to the local people.
We arrived in Lima, Peru around 6:30pm and immediately of-
fered our Asr prayers. We then looked for a Muslim-sounding
name in the local phone book at the airport. To our surprise
the person who answered the phone was the person in charge
of the mosque in Lima, Peru. His name was Saeed and insist-
ed on picking us at the airport. We told him that we would
take a taxi. We were so happy and relieved to find out that
there was a masjid. The masjid, which was a huge house with
twelve rooms, was donated by an Arab brother. We arrived
at the masjid and were greeted by Saeed, a Palestinian who
had been living in Peru for the last 45 years and Juan, the
masjid caretaker. They had prepared tea and fruits for us.
Peru is a gigantic country of well over 24 million people.
In the capital city of Lima, there are approximately 400
Muslims. Most of the Muslims in Peru are originally a mix of
Palestinians and Syrians who left their homelands searching
for a better economic life for their families. Evidently, they
found what they were searching for because the majority of
the Muslim brothers in Peru are industrious and financially
well-off. However, due to the lack of practicing their religion,
these brothers have secularly been away from Islam and their
children are either non-Muslim or Muslims by name only.
Overall, the people are very nice, good hearted and hospita-
ble but they have fundamentally segregated themselves from
Islam. Unfortunately, many Muslims have even adopted the
local traditions and religion.
Need to contact us?
Web Address:
E-Mail:
Editor, Islamic Bulletin
P.O. Box 410186
San Francisco, CA 94141-0186, USA
One of the first Muslims we visited in Peru was brother Issa,
the President of the masjid. He was sick when we visited him
so we offered him some Zamzam water. He immediately
felt better. We were invited to many Muslim houses and
received such nice hospitality. Some Muslim brothers came
from remote areas and as far away as a 2-hour flight from
Tacna (located near Chile) to see us. More than 20 Pakistani
brothers there are involved in the car business and their wives,
masha-Allah, are very conservative and observe the Hijab.
At Jumha prayers, the talks are usually bilingual in both Arabic
and Spanish. It was directly after Jumha salat that 3 brothers
in Lima had embraced Islam, Alhamdullilah. Many of the
Muslim brothers in Peru related their stories to us on how they
outlived the many difficulties in their life and on how Allah
protected and directed them to Islam. Many of these brothers
had wholeheartedly made their intentions for continuing the
effort of spreading Islam. The qualities of good Muslims so
undeniably shine.
We had a visit from one man named Khalid who came and
told us his early life story. He also had several questions to ask
us. He seemed to be an Arab but had an unfortunate incident
of being separated from his family.
It was amazing how Allah (swt) protected him. After a few
meetings with us learning about Islam, he decided that he
wanted to become Muslim.
Another Peruvian brother stated that the country of Peru is
emerging from Dunya (worldly pleasures) and thus fertile
for Islam. In addition, there were a few Peruvian ladies who
embraced Islam and said that they liked what Islam offers
women in today’s modern life.
On the other hand, the Muslims who migrated to Peru for
the sake of worldly pleasures are now so engrossed in seeking
fortunes to such an extent that there is no difference between
the Muslims and non-Muslims. Unfortunately, many of our
brothers in Peru who were originally of Palestinian and Syrian
descent have blended in well enough in the pursuit of fortune
to the point that they have lost their Islamic identity. They no
longer are practicing Muslims and as a result, their children
are now being raised as non-Muslims. This is a very big lesson
for all of us. Allah has said in the Quran:
“And those who strive in Our (cause), -We will certainly
guide them to Our paths, for verily Allah is with those
who do right.”
(Quran 29:69)
On our fi al day in Peru, the local brothers cooked an outdoor
lunch for us. Many of the non-Muslim neighbors who had seen
our gathering decided to stop by and join us. Alhamdullilah,
all went well and enjoyable. We really had a very rewarding
experience in Peru. The Muslim brothers were sad to see
us leave. Our final day was made even more special when
before leaving, four Peruvian men who had joined our lunch
decided to become Muslims. Alhamdullilah.
Mosque of Lima, Peru
Mosque Bab ul Islam, Tacna, Peru Mosque Bab ul Islam, Tacna, Peru