'Did Ye Hear about…?' Myths, Misconceptions and Muslims

Dr. Sameh Sayed Ali Hassan has said that the depiction of Muslims in the western media has resulted in many misconceptions.  A true Muslim is one who promotes peace, is patient with others, and shows forgiveness  when wronged. 

“Muslims believe this life is only a test”,  he explained “to see who is the righteous and who deserves God’s mercy and eternal life.”

Dr Ali Hassan, the chairperson of the North-West Islamic Association, was speaking at the Gasyard Centre in Derry’s Bogside last Tuesday as part of the ‘Did Ye Hear About..Mythbusting Conversations’ series of talks which are aimed at dispelling many of the myths surrounding various organisations and communities. The chair for the event was Pat McArt, former editor of the Derry Journal.

Before a packed house Dr. Hassan explained that almost one quarter of the world population is Muslim. That is 2.04 billion people. 

There are four million in UK,  82 thousand in Ireland, and around 1, 000 Muslims in Derry from over 25 countries 

Contrary to popular perception only 20% of Muslims are Arab.  

And he suggested that much of the media has implied that, somehow, Islam is a new religion. That is totally incorrect.

He stated: “Islam comes from the same root as Judaism and Christianity. All these three religions can be traced back to prophet Abraham, who is known as the father of prophets. Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad are all important figures in Islam.”

IN PICTURES: 'Did Ye Hear about…?' Myths, Misconceptions and Muslims

Dr. Sameh Sayed Ali Hassan, chairperson of the North-West Islamic Association, gave a talk to dispel common misconceptions about Muslims and Islam

Referring to the prophet Muhammed, Dr. Ali Hassan said his message could be boiled down to a simple one - worship one God, do good, prepare for the hereafter. 

He did, however, acknowledge there were practices in the Islamic world that had contradicted this message, things such as dowries where property/money was expected to be paid by a bride or her family.  

Forced marriages and  honour killing  had also received much publicity. 

But, he insisted, many of these issues arose from the culture in various countries and regions, not from the Muslim religion.  There was clear contradiction here, he said, as the Prophet had extolled mercy, respect, and justice in every dealing

Asked about the status of women in  Islam, Dr Ali Hassan insisted that too was another misconception. 

“Muslim women wear hijab as a devotion to the God. Hijab is totally a woman's own choice. Hijab is not a symbol of inferiority or subordination of women.”

He pointed out that Mary, mother of Jesus, wore a hijab as do Catholic nuns.

The myth that Muslims did not contribute to society could be dispelled by one simple statistic  - in recent times the Muslim community in the UK has contributed more than a billion pounds to various charities.

And he concluded that many western writers and intellectuals who had studied Muhammad’s teachings had been impressed. The playwright George Bernard Shaw  had stated: “I have studied him and in my opinion far from being the anti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour of Humanity”

’Did ye hear about . . .?’ Conversations told: Immigrants are not free loaders!

The latest in the series of the Connections Peace Barrier Project’s heard from Gaelle Gormley of the North West Migrants Forum

‘Did Ye Hear About?’ . . . ‘The Exodus’ with Brian Dougherty at The Gasyard

The ‘Did Ye Hear About..?’ series is to continue and will return in January. The mythbuster lectures are part of the Connections – A Peace Barrier Project, organised by the Neighbourhood Management Team and funded by the International Fund For Ireland.