[UPDATED] MURDER NOT ALLAH'S WAY

Hours after the shooting death of an 18-year-old man in east Trinidad, a Muslim leader called on all citizens – Muslim and non-Muslim to stop killing each other.

“It is not the way of Allah to murder,” Imam Fazeel Mohamed said in his address to observe the Eid holiday at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya yesterday.

Mohamed's lament came as the neighbouring Oropoune community mourned the death of aspiring DJ Kadeem Johnson, who was gunned down on Tuesday night. He became the nation's 222 murder victim in five months.

The imam spoke out against all forms of killings – such as religious terrorism and wars.
“Not by gun nor by a bus nor by a bomb nor aeroplane nor drones. It is not in the way of Allah to blow up churches," he said.

He also sermonised on moral issues. "It is not in the way of Allah to use alcohol and drugs. It is not the way of Allah to commit fornication or be a homosexual. It is not the way of Allah to lie, back-bite and slander and spread rumours or spread mischief.”

The imam said followers of Islam have cause to celebrate as they had gone through a month of fasting, prayer, and charity, but they should choose to do the right thing, not only during the month of Ramadan, but all through the year. He called for Muslims to practice “tabwah”, or repentance, and choose what is pure.

“How many times have we been in a situation where we cannot get out, and we pondered on doing something “haram” (what is not allowed) to get out of it? Allah is saying choose what is “halal” (pure), choose what is correct. Stay away from making choices that shows our disobedience.”

In media interviews after his address, the imam said TT, and the world, is being plagued by murders. He said innocent people are being killed and the crime is instilling fear in God-fearing citizens. The imam called for everyone to do their part and for leaders to show a good example.

“There is no religion in the world that tells people to murder. None,” said Mohamed “We say it is “haram” in the Muslim faith and Muslims still go and do it. It is wrong. We need to get TT back. In this day and age it is difficult to follow what is halal (what is allowed). There are a lot of distractions and you have to remain focused. It depends on what you want. For example, if a man is an alcoholic, you can take him to AA meetings but if he doesn’t want to change he won’t. There is a saying in the Qur'an that goes Allah will not change the people until they want to change. We in TT have to want to change.”

During Eid celebrations at the Barakah Grounds in Endeavour, Chaguanas, guest speaker Fiaz Ali said forgiveness could change the country. Speaking with Newsday after his sermon, Ali said the people of TT need a forgiving attitude now more than ever. He also spoke out against Islamaphobia and said the people of TT need to understand each other and put aside differences, if the country is to move forward.

“To go forward, we have to understand that all of us have something about us that others would hate. The only way we can go forward is to forget those things and move on. With Rasta and Muslim (gangs) is one thing but we have people in politics opposing just for opposing sake. We need leaders to see that and we need subordinates to see that as well. We have to come together and do better,” Ali said.

A similar message was shared by Muslim cleric Maulana Ibrahim bin Yaqub, who, in his Eid sermon at the national headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Preysal implored members to seek Allah’s protection from those who continue to engage in acts of terror against innocent people.“Let us ask Allah the beneficent, the Most High, who is the remover of all strife and enmity, to protect the world from the nefarious activities of the lovers of darkness and those who are bent on creating untold hardships in the world and continue to destabilise the lives of the innocent through violence and bloodshed,” he said.

“The only slogan that can change our restless world to one of peace, love and harmony is love for all, hatred for none. The act of terror, extremism, and barbarism can never solve the problems of the world, those who claim to love God Almighty and yet continue to spread the message of hate and divisiveness are certainly far away from him.”--with reporting by Richardson Dhalai

This story was originally published with the title "Imam: Murder is not Allah’s way" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

As thousands of people of Muslim faith gathered to commemorate and celebrate the Eid holiday, imams and speakers spread messages of peace non-violence and forgiveness.

Imam Fazeel Mohamed, in his address at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya early this morning called for people, both Muslim and non-Muslim, to stop killing each other.

“It is not the way of Allah to murder,” Mohamed said, “Not by gun nor by a bus nor by a bomb nor aeroplane nor drones. It is not in the way of Allah to blow up churches. It is not in the way of Allah to use alcohol and drugs. It is not the way of Allah to commit fornication or be a homosexual. It is not the way of Allah to lie, back-bite and slander and spread rumours or spread mischief.”

The imam said followers of Islam have cause to celebrate as they had just gone through a month of fasting, prayer, and charity, but they should choose to do the right thing, not only during the month of Ramadan, but all through the year. He called for Muslims to practice “tabwah”, or repentance, and choose what is pure.

“How many times have we been in a situation where we cannot get out, and we pondered on doing something “haram” (what is not allowed) to get out of it? Allah is saying choose what is “halal” (pure), choose what is correct. Stay away from making choices that shows our disobedience.”

In a subsequent interview, the imam said TT, and the world at large, is being plagued by murders. He lamented that innocent people are being killed constantly and the crime is instilling fear in God-fearing citizens. The imam called for everyone to do their part and for leaders to show a good example.

“There is no religion in the world that tells people to murder. None,” said Mohamed “We say it is “haram” in the Muslim faith and Muslims still go and do it. It is wrong. We need to get TT back. In this day and age it is difficult to follow what is halal (what is allowed). There are a lot of distractions and you have to remain focused. It depends on what you want. For example, if a man is an alcoholic, you can take him to AA meetings but if he doesn’t want to change he won’t. There is a saying in the Qur'an that goes Allah will not change the people until they want to change. We in TT have to want to change.”

At the Barakah Grounds in Endeavour, Chaguanas, guest speaker Fiaz Ali said forgiveness could change the country. Speaking with Newsday after his sermon, Ali said the people of TT need a forgiving attitude now more than ever. He also spoke out against Islamaphobia and said the people of TT need to understand each other and put aside differences, if the country is to move forward.

“To go forward, we have to understand that all of us have something about us that others would hate. The only way we can go forward is to forget those things and move on. With Rasta and Muslim (gangs) is one thing but we have people in politics opposing just for opposing sake. We need leaders to see that and we need subordinates to see that as well. We have to come together and do better,” Ali said.