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Old 03-04-2018, 11:48 AM
Nephele Nephele is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 210
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SeekerOfKnowledge
Salam,

first I want to say that I am happy to see that there are so many peaceful discussions in this section of SF.

I am not a Muslim, and neither do I wish to convert. I wish to learn more, though, to get a better understanding.

Faithful people have my deepest respect, no matter what their religion is.

Are there any online resources available? To be able to spread peace (and to convince haters, that not every faithful Muslim is a terrorist or misogynist), I will need to know more about Islam faith.

Greetings, SeekerOfKnowledge.

I find that the best resource is the most direct – and that's going out and meeting people and speaking with them directly and getting to know them. I have great respect for the Muslim people I have met and chatted with here in New York, and I'm fortunate that our city is home to such a diverse population so that one actually can meet others this way.

There was one incident in particular that will always remain in my memory. I was coming out of F.A.O. Schwarz (a fantastic toy store here in NYC that sadly has recently closed) and saw a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk.

Without thinking, I went over to a nearby food cart which happened to be halal (which is the Muslim equivalent of kosher) and the owner of the cart was just finishing his prayers (he was picking up his small carpet off the sidewalk). I told him I wanted something for the homeless man on the sidewalk. The halal cart owner smiled at me and told me not to worry – he and already fed that man (who waved to him and smiled back).

The homeless man on the sidewalk wasn't even a fellow Muslim, but the halal cart owner nevertheless felt compelled to feed him because he was hungry and without the means to buy food. The cart owner saw only a fellow human being in need.

It's that act of kindness (and many more that I have witnessed from New York's Muslim population) that has made the greatest impression on me regarding the Muslim people.
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