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RELIGION

Lecture series to
clarify ‘maligned’
Islam religion

CALENDAR

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By Mary Adamski
Star-Bulletin

Ask Americans about a believer who is expected to get beyond prayer into righteous behavior and values kindness and striving for social justice as God-given traits. "That's a good Christian," would be the answer from members of the country's majority religion.

"That's a good Muslim," says Honolulu businessman Saleem Ahmed, a member of the small Muslim community in Hawaii.

American perceptions of one of the world's three major monotheistic religions are askew, he says, largely because people cannot separate the religion from the politics of a country or the excesses of fundamentalists.

Ahmed hopes to help clarify the beliefs in a series of five lectures on "Fundamentals of Islam," which will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, sponsored by the University of Hawaii Outreach College. The talks will be in Room 12 of Krauss Hall. Continuing on successive Tuesdays through Oct. 17, the lectures are free and open to the public.

Ahmed was an East-West Center scholar and agricultural researcher for 22 years and is now "reincarnated as a financial planner." Born in India and raised in Pakistan, he married a Hawaii woman of Japanese Buddhist roots, and their two daughters married Christians.

"I am extremely liberal in my views," said Ahmed, who has lectured for several years at the university and to various church and community organizations, about the belief system based on the Koran. Muslims believe the book written in the seventh century by Muhammed is based on divine revelations and that Muhammed was the greatest of God's prophets, who also included Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

"Islam, it is a religion very much maligned," said Ahmed. "One of the reasons for misunderstanding is the action of Muslims."

Falling into that category recently were Muslim rebels holding hostages in the Philippines and the ruling Taliban movement in Afghanistan, whose directives stopped women from working and banned a men's soccer team from playing in shorts. In the governments ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, "Each generation is trying to make rules stricter than the previous generation," he said.

"Also, it appears the Western media enjoys highlighting misdeeds of Muslims and equating this with Islam," he said. Compare that with deaths in the continuing strife in Northern Ireland, and "You don't see headlines, 'Christians kill.'"

He said Islam is about a sense of social justice, striving for human good, trying to weed out corruption and all sorts of evil, not just prayers, fasting and pilgrimage.

"The most Islamic country in the world, I believe, is America," said the naturalized American citizen. "U.S. laws are cast in secular law, but they reflect God's teaching."

Ahmed said his classes draw people with specific questions and sometimes negative ideas about Islam, but he has never been confronted with hostility. Some frequent questions are about the role of women in Islam, the concept of holy war, the divorce doctrine which permits men and women to end their marriage by making three declarations of that intention. "They ask how many wives do I have."

"I believe the doors have to be completely unlocked, let everyone look at the religion from every perspective, not necessarily to convert but just to see where this particular concept comes from."

There is one local mosque, in a former Manoa home, center of worship for more than 200 families, he said. Perhaps because many members are foreign-born and many are here as visitors, local Muslims do not join in ecumenical or community efforts. "We're not really good at PR (public relations)," said Ahmed.

There are Western converts, the best known being the Black Muslim organizations founded during the 1960s civil rights movement. They are accepted as true followers of Muhammed, but, said Ahmed, "Those who are converting because of hatred of white people, I feel sorry for them. That is not Islamic."

He said: "The high level of tolerance we have here, I think, is very Islamic. The Koran says to invite others to religion on the basis of gracious arguments and wisdom, not hell and brimstone and power."

One Islamic concept that outsiders fear is jihad, or holy war. "The true meaning of jihad, which translates to the concept of striving, is when you strive to alleviate misunderstandings. If something is wrong in society, I strive to correct that ... following nonviolent means. That is jihad.

"So Martin Luther King Jr. was on a jihad.

"When my intention with the lectures is to strive to clarify misconceptions about Islam, that is jihad for me."

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Religion Calendar

Calvary Episcopal Church
45-435 Aumoku St., 247-2733
The Nursing Homes Ministry will sing tomorrow, 3:15 p.m. at Ann Pearl and 4:15 p.m. at Pohai Nani Care Center. Singers, instrumentalists, signers and nonmusical visitors are welcome. Call Janine LeGrand for more information.

Christ Church Uniting DISCIPLES AND PRESBYTERIANS
1300 Kailua Road, 262-6911
Inquirer's class for people interested in knowing more about CCU and church membership, 9 a.m.-noon next Saturday in Pastor's Study. Contact the Rev. Buddy Summers if interested.

First Unitarian Church of Honolulu
2500 Pali Highway, 595-4047
The Rev. Mike Young will deliver the sermon, "If Sex Isn't, Nothing Is," at services, 10:15 a.m. tomorrow.

First United Methodist Church
1020 S. Beretania St., 522-9555
"Living in a Global Village" program will look at the world from a multicultural perspective and consider relationships with people of different cultures, customs and privileges, 6 p.m. Wednesday in Komuro Hall. Call Betsy Repash at 947-3268 for transportation or child care. Light potluck dinner.

Nuuanu Congregational Church
2651 Pali Highway, 595-3935
Dr. Robert Fukada will preach "Fragrance from Life to Life" at worship services, 8 and 10:15 a.m. tomorrow. Fukada is professor at the School of Theology, Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan.

St. Andrew's Cathedral
Queen Emma Square, 524-2822
Hawaiian Mass and Aloha Hour at services, 8 a.m. tomorrow -- a sung service with choir that includes prayers, hymns and Scripture readings in the Hawaiian language.

"An Introduction to the Christian," begins Sept. 25 in the Von Holt Room. The 10-week nondenominational course features fellowship, dinners, group presentations and small group discussions. Free. Register by tomorrow. Call extension 215 or 213 for information.

Alpha prayer partners, 6 p.m. Friday in the Von Holt Room.

New whisks of all sizes, rubber spatulas and kitchen towels are needed for the newly refurbished Von Holt kitchen.

Spiritual Life Center
1020 S. Beretania St., 523-1170
The Rev. Hal Weidner will present "Edith Stein: From Carmel to Auschwitz," 9 a.m.-noon next Saturday at First United Methodist Church, 1020 S. Beretania St. The workshop will explore the powerful and moving story of the Jewish woman who converted to Catholicism, gained fame as a great philosopher in Germany, became a Carmelite nun and was put to death in the Nazi concentration camp. Cost is $20 for seniors and $15 for students.

Tibetan Buddhist Center
26 Gartley Place, 263-8565
Weekly Tibetan language class with Lama Tenpa, 2-4 p.m. today. Free.

Waipahu United Church of Christ
94-330 Mokuola St., 677-3317
Guest preacher the Rev. Gail Silva will deliver the sermon, "Doers of the Word," tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. contemporary and 10:30 a.m. traditional worship services.

Windward United Church of Christ
38 Kaneohe Bay Drive, 254-3802
Special celebration to honor the memory of the former church pastor the Rev. Jerry Holmes and his wife, Eva, 10 a.m. tomorrow.

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"Calendar" runs Saturdays in the Star-Bulletin. Send items 10 days in advance to: Religion Calendar, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802. Items may be faxed to 523-8509.