My recent trip to Hajj was so rich, that it’s taking me quite a bit of time to disgest it.
I will be writing soon, G-d willing, a piece on the intellectual reasoning of why Al-Qaeda/Al-Qaeda types primarily target Muslims, which compromise up to 85% of their casualities. My interactions with scholars and hearing directly from people in the region were very insightful regarding this issue as well as two books that I was given in Saudi Arabia on the subject written by Mufti Abdul-Azeez ibn Abillah Aali Shaykh and Shaykh Muhammad Walad Muhammad An-Naajim. One thing is for certain in my mind is that the Saudi scholars and government are seriously confronting the criminality of hiraabah (unlawful warfare) and irhaab (terrorism).
In Mina prior to my appearance on Saudi TV 2, I had a very interesting conversation with a Ugandan journalist, who was also making Hajj. The gentleman stated that people are reverting to Islam at high rates in Rwanda in part to the protection that Muslim Hutus gave to Tutsis during the genocide when Hutus were involved in ethnic cleansing. I was asked if I was willing to come to speak to the Muslim community in Uganda; G-d willing, I’ll make it over there.
Back to my appearance on Saudi TV 2, Newsweek contributor Lorraine Ali and I gave an uninterrupted interview for an hour about our experiences while on Hajj as well as the state of Muslims in America. The interviewer asked many questions relating to Islamophobia, in particular the Park51 controversy and anti-Muslim rhetoric in right-wing media. I personally was surprised that so much of the interview was devoted to the issue of Islamophobia, and how American Muslims need to be doing more in confronting Islamophobia given the international stature of America.
I’ll be writing more, G-d willing, as more comes to my mind.