American Muslim preacher on a mission to improve Muslim world's relations with West

Thursday 15 Oct 2015 - 11:45 Makkah mean time-2-1-1437

Feisal Abdul Rauf, the former imam of the Masjid al Farah mosque in New York. Image from toledoblade

Missoula, (IINA) - Feisal Abdul Rauf, former imam of Al Farah Mosque in New York, will be in Missoula, US this month in a bid to enhance the discourse on Islam in society, hosted by the Montana World Affairs Council, The Missoulian daily newspaper reported.
Abdul Rauf, who is also author of several books, has spent the past decade working to improve relations between the Muslim world and the West.
“Americans’ understanding of Islam has unfortunately been shaped by the news,” said Rauf. “While most of the relations between Muslims and non-Muslims are good throughout the world, the things that hit the news are the things that shape our perceptions.”
For the past 15 years, Al-Qaida and ISIS have carried out violent acts in the name of Islam. While Islam is not a religion of violence, Rauf said, the atrocities of a few have shaped U.S. opinions of the Muslim world.
But the misconceptions over religion cut both ways, he said.
“When a preacher in Florida, who didn’t have 35 members in his flock and nobody in the evangelical church even knew him, threatened to burn the Qur’an, it was flashed all over the world, and Muslims in the world felt this was what all Americans wanted to do,” he noted.
“That’s the kind of thing that’s happening on both sides,” he added. “We have to battle that in every possible way.”
“The most powerful way in which people can combat this is when people get to know each other,” said Rauf. “When you know a Muslim – when people who are Muslims get to know Americans – this is what develops personal relationships and friendships, and that’s really what combats misunderstandings most effectively.”
Rauf said. “Islam has always commanded there be no coercion of religion, and they coerce people.”
While progress has been made in some areas, Rauf said a better U.S. policy could do more to address the problems that stand in the way of stronger ties.
“Our policies could be more intelligent, developed in such a way that would make our country safer and the Muslim countries better off,” he said. “That’s the part where I feel we’ve failed. At the end of the day, most of the conflicts are about politics and the fears that certain people have.”
Robert Seidenschwarz, chairman of the board at the Montana World Affairs Council, said Rauf will discuss mending Muslim-American relationships with local high school students before a community discussion later that evening.
It noteworthy that Rauf will speak at the Double Tree Hotel at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21. 
Feisal Abdul Rauf is a Kuwaiti American imam, author, and activist whose stated goal is to improve relations between the Muslim world and the West, according to Wikipedia.
From 1983 to 2009, he served as Imam of Masjid al-Farah, a mosque in New York.
He has written three books on Islam and its place in contemporary Western society, including What's Right with Islam Is What's Right with America, and “Moving the Mountain: Beyond Ground Zero to a New Vision of Islam in America.” He founded two non-profit organizations whose stated missions are to enhance the discourse on Islam in society.
SM/IINA

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