Opinion

Motto: 'Love for all, hatred for none'

Posted February 07, 2014 1:01 am

The Prophet Muhammad never acted in violence when he did not agree with someone else's speech. He championed freedom of speech. Yet, two alleged members of ISIS attempted a massacre in the name of Islam in Garland, Texas. Fortunately, they were killed by brave law enforcement officers before they could cause serious damage.

This infamous attempt was done as I was returning from a weekend in Washington D.C. As a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, I had the privilege and honor to meet with various members of Congress at Capitol Hill. We had dialogue in support for the "Protecting Religious Minorities Persecuted by ISIS Act of 2015" (H.R. 1568). This act is designed to mainly help Christian and Yazidi minorities in Iraq and Syria. Protecting freedom of religion for all by similar acts is the true response Muslims should have on issues of freedom of conscience and expression.

However, contests that incite hateful or negative speech towards one's faith should be discouraged. The motto that AMYA lives by is "Love for all, hatred for none." If everyone truly lived by this phrase, ISIS, along with hate speech, would cease to exist.

S. Kaashif Qaderi

Lisle

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