Sept.1994 Conflict at Omar mosque

by Rashid Zantout

August was indeed a very eventful month as far as the Omar Ibn El Khattab Mosque was concerned. Many events happened during the month that put our small community under big tests. Did our community pass or fail? Only time will tell. In an effort to pass this test we will try in this article to explore what went wrong and try to suggest remedies. These suggestions could then be developed through community discussions and on the pages of IQRA!

The problems that happened in the Masjid lately were obviously a result of lack of communication. The leadership is trying hard to perform its duties, yet mistakes do happen. How should the community correct those mistakes. In fact the bigger question is what is the relationship between the community in general and the leadership of the Masjid. Are those whom we have elected free to do whatever they want without any interference from the community? That's one extreme. Or should they call for a general assembly every time any decision arises? That's another extreme.

First of all let us affirm that as Muslims we should all have good faith in each other. Therefore we believe that the leadership of the Masjid is acting out of good intentions. We also believe that whoever tries to correct the mistakes of the leadership is doing that based on good intentions. Furthermore, it is important to notice that we are a diverse group of people that are united solely because of Islam. We speak different languages and come from very different backgrounds and cultures. Accepting all this is the first step towards solving our problems.
The lessons that we can learn from such conflicts are many and one writer cannot gather them all. Still through interaction with brothers and sisters, the following suggestions are offered:
Passing judgment on an issue should only be done after gathering all the facts from all the different parts. Like the blind men that went to "see" the elephant. Each one of them came with a different description of the elephant depending on which part of the elephant he felt. such is the example of someone who hears the story from one side and then passes judgment. The elephant for that person can then be a long and thin creature.

Knowledge was a key factor in all the conflicts that happened. The MSA should keep brothers and sisters abreast of current events and decisions as much as possible. If a decision can be delayed till after the community is informed about its consequences, then it should be delayed! Announcements after Isha and Friday prayers should be used more effectively by the leadership in order to inform and educate the community.
In turn, brothers and sisters should go through the official channels when trying to protest or change something. Self-appointed "officials" lead to chaos. The leadership of the Masjid was elected by us and as such it has a right to receive our advice and cooperation.

The leadership should come up with guidelines for conduct inside the Masjid. Such guidelines must pass through an amelioration process where every member of the community tries to make it better. Then such a list can be adopted and punishment procedures set for people who break those rules.

Allah (SWT) described us in the Quran as those who are merciful amongst themselves. Therefore, any one of us who sees his brother or sister doing mistakes should search for the best way to correct that mistake. Publicly defaming the brother or sister almost always does not correct their mistakes. Furthermore, each one of us should have good intentions when thinking about their brothers and sisters. If certain action of a brother or sister can be explained in different ways according to different intentions, then it is the duty of a Muslim to think as highly as possible of his brother or sister and assume the best intentions.

Islam came to wipe out differences between believers. Whether I come from one part of the world or another, my native language is one or the other, or my skin color is one or the other, I should always think of the other Muslims as my brothers and my sisters and deal with them accordingly.