My Year Inside Radical Islam Read Online Free PDF Page B

the same God, all in turn giving equal honor to each other. . . . That is when I first began to re-appraise the “white man.” It was when I first began to perceive that “white man,” as commonly used, means complexion only secondarily; primarily it described attitudes and actions. In America, “white man” meant specific attitudes and actions toward the black man, and toward all other non-white men. But in the Muslim world, I had seen that men with white complexions were more genuinely brotherly than anyone else had ever been. That morning was the start of a radical alteration in my whole outlook about “white” men. There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and the non-white.
    I sensed echoes of the same spirit in Masjid al-Mu’minun. There was a greater ease of interaction between the races than I had encountered since moving to North Carolina.
    Al-Husein had assured me before we left for the mosque that it was okay if I took part in salat, the Islamic ritual prayer. He said that some of the other Wake Forest students who had gone with him found salat to be a deeply moving experience. I merely found it confusing. I followed along as best I could when I stood in line for prayer, trying to imitate the bowing and prostration. I didn’t even try to repeat the Arabic words.
    My confusion about what to do during salat helped tip off the other mosque-goers that I wasn’t Muslim. When the prayers ended, al-Husein and I stood around talking with some of the worshippers. One of the Muslims came up to me and said he wanted to give me something, then headed to the back rooms.
    When he returned, he handed me an audiotape of a previous sermon, along with a short book by Imam Muhammad Armiya Nu’Man called What Every American Should Know About Islam and the Muslims. It was a touching gesture, one that marked my transition from mere intellectual curiosity about Islam to actually considering the faith for myself.
    With each new layer I peeled back in my study of Islam that summer, the faith seemed more inviting.
    Although the book by Muhammad Armiya Nu’Man that had been given to me was grammatically challenged, it verified much of what al-Husein had told me about the true, peaceful Islam. I was again struck by the respect displayed for other religions. In a section somewhat absurdly titled “Do Muslims Hate Christians and Jews?” Nu’Man quoted Sura 2:62 of the Qur’an:
    Those who believe (in the Qur’an)
And those who follow the Jewish (Scriptures)
And the Christians and the Sabians,
And who believe in Allah and the
Last Day, and work righteousness
Shall have their reward with their Lord;
On them shall be no fear, nor shall
They grieve.
    Nu’Man commented on the verse: “This verse lets us know that Jews, Christians, and Sabians (an ancient religious sect), who believe in Almighty God and do good works, will have their reward with their Lord. As Muslims we accept this.” To me, Sura 2:62 left no room for ambiguity: one did not have to be Muslim to reach heaven. Righteous Jews and Christians would also have their reward with the Lord.
    This reminded me of a conversation I had with my dad while I was considering Mike’s argument for Christianity. My dad said that the idea that believing in Jesus’ divinity was necessary for salvation was wrong, and added, “I’ll prove it to you.” He said that if you were in “heaven,” but knew that many other people—even your friends and family—were being eternally tormented just because they called God the wrong name, that wouldn’t really be heaven. How could you be happy in a place like that? In contrast to Mike’s fundamentalist Christianity, verse 2:62 of the Qur’an offered a strikingly