Black or White

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh,

If your kids are being asked to choose between white doll and a black doll, tell me how high is the probability that they will choose a black one? Ok, let's say a white and a brown doll, or a white and a yellow doll? This documentary is a real phenomenon of today's world, like it or not. If you are white, congratulation, everyone likes you but if you are not white, I'm sorry, you will have less popularity, less chance to win internationally established prizes, less loveable by the public unless you behave like the white, if not trying to look like the white. Don't get me wrong, I'm not racist and have no problem with white people, in fact, I have lots of white friends. I'm just pity with those who are not white and think that white is superior while they themselves are inferior. What a sad world.

How many times in the Hollywood films show that white is bad and black is good? How many non-white actors ever won Oscar? How many non-white control the media & news broadcasting? While the population of the non-white is the majority, big majority. Just by watching the above documentary makes you feel sad. A little black girl was asked which doll is bad, she picked the black one and smiled. Which doll is good, she picked the white one and smiled wider. Immediately, she was asked, which one looks like you, she slowly gazed at the black doll, lost her smile and reluctantly picked up the black doll and looked down. She might be no more than 5 years old, already, that is her mind set. Set by who? Certainly it is not her parents. Why do you want to teach people to hate themselves? This is call racial tweaking. Have you ever realised that some religions portray their gods as white, blond with blue eyes? Have you ever seen these images of their gods before? The angels surrounding them and also the prophets and saints? Why?

How many people like to look like white? Undergo plastic surgery to get him or herself looks nearer to the Caucasian. Why do you need to hate your own self. The self that ALLAH has created for you, in the perfect form that we deserve? Again, this is not racism. Why? Because I'm a Muslim. How can a Muslim be racism? Islam offers the solution for racism, offers the universal teaching that even Malcolm X finally came to embrace and most importantly Islam breaks the racial boundary between people. How? The fundamental teaching of Islam is the Oneness of God. Oneness means that there is no God but THE GOD. If there is only ONE God, there can only be One Creator, Creator of human being or if you would like to call it human race. So, basically we are all One race, One human race, created by One GOD. Created from Adam (as) and Eve. So, we only have One male ancestor and one female ancestor, same ancestors. Thus, we are all the same.

"O Mankind, we created you from a single pair of a male and a female, and made you in to tribes and nations so that you may know each other (not that you despise each other). Verily, the most honoured of you in the sight of ALLAH is he who is most righteous of you."

~ The Holy Qur'an, Surah al-Hujurat (Chapter 49: The Private Apartment) Verse 13

We are only different by our deeds, the righteous deeds. Why does THE GOD create us into many tribes? It is clear that in this verse, we are supposed to learn to know each other, respect each other. It is by HIS Grace and Mercy that there are so many different tribes and races in this world. Isn't it going to be very bored if there is only one race in the whole world? It will be very dull to study anthropology, sociology, psychology and other human sciences if the result will only be the same due to one type of people in the whole world. We should learn and respect, not learn and cleanse (massacre, genocide).

O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefor listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. ALLAH has forbidden you to take usury (interest); therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. ALLAH has Judged that there shall be no interest and that all interest due to Abbas Ibn ‘Abd al Muttalib (the Prophet's uncle) shall henceforth be waived. Beware of Satan for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights in regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives, only under ALLAH's trust and with HIS permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat you women well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with anyone of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship ALLAH, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadhan, and give your wealth in Zakat, perform Hajj if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black, nor a black has any superiority over a white- except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim, which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not therefor, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember one day you will indeed appear before ALLAH and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone. People, no prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well therefore, O people, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Quran and the Sunnah (Hadith), and if you follow these you will never go astray. All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listened to me directly. Be my witness, O ALLAH, that I have conveyed your message to your people."

~ Farewell Sermon delivered by Prophet Muhammad (saw) on 9th Dhulhijjah 10 A.H.

Now, that is what Islam teaches, that is what our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) taught us. Through this teaching, many tribes in the Peninsular of Arab who were fighting and killing each other, finally embraced the unity of human kind. Islam offers a balance social order by overlooking the racial differences but at the same time does not wipe away the racial identity. Now, this is the true American Dream, eh? Which emphasised the equal opportunity to prosper in all fields despite the race, social status, native or not.

See for yourself if you don't believe me. During Hajj, the Muslim Pilgrimage. Everyone wears the same 2 pieces of white cloth (no branded designer's outfits), showing equality. In the letter from Mecca by Malcolm X, which is very moving if you read the whole 1 page of it, Malcolm X finally came to the true Islam. This is his experience during Hajj and below is just a short quote:

"During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept on the same rug - while praying to the same God - with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the deeds of the white Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana. We were truly all the same (brothers) - because their belief in one God had removed the white from their minds, the white from their behavior, and the white from their attitude."

He said that, racism in American is an incurable cancer. How true is that! It has been more than 50 years and thing isn't getting any better. Like cancer, killing the person slowly. So people, wake up and realise the indifference between us, it is not the way we should identify ourselves.

No doubt that I am carrying the Islam flag, and I sincerely invite you to come to this faith which is not just the Truth but also a way to cure the cancer, the disease of the heart.

Messenger of ALLAH (saw) said, "The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever".

SubhanALLAH, how beautiful the teaching of Islam is. If not for the beauty and benefits of Islam, I won't come this far. Let's make this World a better place to live before we move on to a better one in the Hereafter, which has no doubt in the approaching, soon.

ALLAHU'alam.

Wassalam.