Protests sparked by an American-made film that mocks Islam’s holy prophet entered a second week Monday.Libyan officials and the FBI are now trying to determine if last week's deadly attack on the US intelligence agencies didn't see coming.
Local Muslim Americans say either way these violent actions do not define their community.
Anti-American protests are spreading throughout the Muslim world.
Over the weekend, riots in Afghanistan turned deadly and more protestors hit the streets in London, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Lebanon.
“This is a tragedy, this is an American tragedy that we all share,” explained Tahira Khan a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Rotterdam Junction.
Muslim Americans in the Capital Region are denouncing the violence, saying they too are hurt by the anti-Islamic movie, but that violence is no way to react.
“If the prophet was alive today, he would have just walked away,” explained Samin Khan.
Instead, Samin and Tahira must watch other Muslims in cities around the world do exactly the opposite.
“We're hoping, through education, people will realize it is just some people who are crazy, acting in an intolerable way that is not justified at all by either Islamic scriptures or by the prophets’ actions,” Tahira said.
Samin and Tahira remind all of us, the very word Islam means peace.
But, they say since the 9/11 attacks, they've had to defend that.
“I feel like, that Billy Joel song, ‘We didn't start the fire, it was always burning since the world was turning,’ that is like our life, and we seem to always have to come to the press or do different things and run like hamsters on wheel,” she explained.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been working for over a century to dispel myths about Islam.
Now, during a time of anti-American uproar, Tahira says they must work even harder to try and be a sane voice in what she calls an insane world.
“We're hoping the more we put it out there with droplets of rain, we can say that is not what Islam The motto for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is, “Love for all, hatred for none.”
Tahira and Samir say they're working tirelessly to bridge the gap between religions.
They say getting involved and forging friendships are the best ways to promote understanding of the true teachings of Islam.
To learn more about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, CLICK HERE.
