Putney Friends Meeting

This just in from Darah Kehnemuyi, Putney Friends Meeting’s representative on the Brattleboro Interfaith Clergy association. Please share widely.

CelebrateMercy
Cincinnati, OH 45220
(424) 235-3278

For Immediate Release

For the first 13 years of his mission, the Prophet Muhammad and his followers were exposed to demeaning abuse, mockery and torture on a daily basis in Mecca. Not only did he resist violence, he did not even return an insult with another insult. At one point in Mecca, his enemies twisted his name to call him ‘Mudhammam’ (The Loathsome) instead of ‘Muhammad’ which deeply offended his followers. But the Prophet calmly comforted them by stating, “Doesn’t it astonish you how God protects me from the Quraish’s abusing and cursing? They abuse Mudhammam and curse Mudhammam while I am Muhammad.” [Source: Bukhari]

On Tuesday, September 11, extremists in Libya and Egypt reacted to an obscure film which attempts to insult the Prophet Muhammad with profane inaccuracies. But their reaction, which included vandalism and the murder of innocent civilians, completely contradicts the character and message of our beloved Prophet. In a famous Islamic tradition, he stated: “It is not allowed to cause harm to others nor to return harm for harm.” The Quran teaches us that we cannot blame or punish a person for the crime of another and instructs believers to “disagree with them in the most courteous way.”

CelebrateMercy Founder Tarek El-Messidi stated, “When lies are spread about our Prophet, we simply respond with the truth. And the most effective response is to embody his merciful character on a daily basis. Violence and vandalism carried out in his name are more offensive than the content of any film. The Quran tells us that the Prophet is praised by God and His Angels; even a million films cannot threaten his status as the Best of all Creation nor his love in our hearts.”

In response to the crimes carried out in the Prophet’s name, CelebrateMercy will soon launch a letter-writing campaign to the families of the innocents killed in Libya. We will also release more videos this week about the Prophet’s life and character to remind us and others why we love our Prophet, peace be upon him.