Tough Questions To Omar Suleiman! - Why Were You Handcuffed Behind The Back?
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Is it true that you were handcuffed behind the back and arrested? Why do you put yourself at such a risk? If you had a supplication you knew it would be accepted, what would that be? Do you ever get angry? I can't imagine that Omar Suleiman gets angry frustrated. When I was 13 years old, If you asked me if I was Muslim privately, I would say not really. So we went to churches, we went to synagogues, we went to masjid and ask them questions about Islam, Judaism and Christianity. And she initially, you know, was not supportive at all. And she become Muslim right before she died. Isis had put you on a killing list. Why do you think they saw you as a threat? Okay. Let's start with.
Who is Omar Sulaiman? That's a hard question. Already, you know, but um Alhamdulillah Rabb Al Alamin, my parents originally are from Falastin. From Palestine. I was born and raised in a state in the United States called Louisiana. It's in the southern most part of the United States. I grew up in the United States of America. I studied Sharia and I studied Accounting. And I studied Political Science and Political History. I have served as an Imam of a masjid in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Alhamdulillah Rabb Al Alamin Also, have taught in various institutions and in universities.
And today Alhamdulillah the founder and president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic for Islamic Research which I hope inshallah the work is benefiting people here in Turkey. We always see you smiling. Do you ever get angry? I can't imagine that Omar Suleiman gets angry frustrated. Yeah, I get angry sometimes. - For what? + For what? Some sometimes the very human weaknesses. So someone that's driving and upsetting you on the road or sometimes it's certain things that are said to you or about you. I'm a human being. We're all human being and we get angry for different things. A few ago you had an interfaith discussion that reached millions of people. How was that experience for you?
What was the most interesting reaction that you received after the conference? So al-hamdulillah actually that particular interfaith dialog was something that I do on a very regular basis. I didn't think it would be special. We do a lot of these in Texas. It was something that we do very normally, and I was surprised to see the way that it spread throughout the world. There's not a single week in my masjid that someone or it's very rare. I shouldn't say there's not a single week. It's very rare that someone doesn't come to the masjid and say that I came because I initially got exposed to Islam throught that interfaith dialog.
So people see me in different parts of the country and they'll say that that's how we got exposed to Islam. We happened to come across that video. And many of them ended up embracing Islam Alhamdulillah Rabb Al Alamin. There are many people who were introduced to Islam and accepted Islam by your means. From the ones you know, which of them affected you most? Wow! The most I'd have to say, and I've spoken about him before. So my best friend from first grade. His name was Joshua. So Joshua and I grew up together. When I was 13 years old, If you asked me if I was Muslim privately, I would say not really. You know, that's how far away I'd kind of gone, you know.
I was trying to explore religion and understand religion. So Joshua and I were extremely close. And his uncle was a reverend, was a pastor, Christian Pastor. And we decided together to study Islam and Christianity together. And not just Islam and Christianity We said, you know, we're going to as teenagers, we're going to read the whole Bible together, we'll read the whole Quran together, and we'll talk about religion together. And that's how close we werw which is, you know, the Hadith of the Prophet SAW: "Almar'a alaa deen khalilah." that a person is on the religion of their friends.
It has a special meaning to me because we literally said as teenagers we're going to study religion together. So we went to churches, we went to synagogues, we went to masjid, masaajid and ask them questions about Islam, Judaism and Christianity. And we're really studying and we had our highlighters. You know, you're marking the parts of the Bible that seemed to contradict each other, questions that we had on Quran. We asked all these questions together. + What were you believing at that proces? - I believed in God. I believed in God, but I didn't know is Islam was the religion of Allah, the religion of God. And so that was what that exploration was like.
So subhanallah Allah guided him, but he also guided me. So Joshua became Yusuf and became Muslim Alhamdulillah Rab Al Alamin And so he and I really converted together, if you will. And Yusuf became my brother in the sense that he had a very difficult time when he ambraced Islam, and he basically came to stay with us. He would, he would refer to my father as, you know, he'd call him Pops, which is an endearing way to say dad, you know, to my own dad, my dad would, treated him like a son the same way he treated me and my actual blood brother.
+ His family didn't support him, so Not initially Not not in the beginning Then Alhamdulillah Rab Al Alamin almost everyone in his family became Muslim by now. + Alhamdulillah. - Yeah it spread through. I mean, his mother, his grandmother, it just spread throughout his aunt subhanallah, his aunt who passed away from cancer. And she initially, you know, was not supportive at all. And she became Muslim right before she died. So Islam spread through his family Alhamdulillah Rab al Alamin. And to go through that journey of faith together the way that we did it Alhamdulillah Rab al Alamin and so till now, you know, my father will say he's his favorite son, you know.
What is Omar Sulaiman's daily routine? How do you spend your day? Different days, different things. But generally speaking, a good morning routine is what's going to determine whether or not I have a good day. So the first few hours of the day spent on reading and researching are very important very practical thing. Take my kids to schools sometimes and between me and my wife, we take our kids to school. But really those first few hours of the day it's praying Fajr doing the morning adhkar the morning remembrances, and make the first couple of hours of your day a means of fulfillment and energizing yourself intellectually and spiritually. Read, listen, research.
And so my day has to start with a routine of that, you know. Dhikr and then research and reading and doing what's important to me in that regard. And then the rest of it can be work in terms of meetings and things of that sort, but that's the most important part of my day. So that's what I'd recommend to people inshallah. We know that you're a huge fan of New Orleans Saints. Is it normal for an Imam to be a huge fan? When you're praying, do you pray for your team ad well? So is it normal? I don't think it's normal. I'm not going to say it's normal. I grew up into sports, so played sports and I watch sports. That was my leisure time was watching sports and playing sports.
Where I'm from you know, the New Orleans Saints are very big deal. And one of the reasons why I loved them growing up is because they always would lose. So they were a really bad team. When I was a kid, everyone knew them for how much they would lose. In fact, you know, it was common for us to see people rooting for the other team against the team. So I loved them because they were the underdog, you know? It was. But you still didn't answer my questions. Do I pray for them? Yes. You know, maybe sometimes here or there, you know, it's okay to pray for your team. Just don't pray against the other team. Okay. It was said that ISIS had put you on a killing list.
Why do you think they saw you as a threat? Okay You don't seem to be a threat. You're a very humble guy. I don't know why anyone want to kill me. Yeah, you're right. I can understand why someone would be annoyed by me sometimes. But not that... Look that was surprising but not surprising. It was a very interesting time with ISIS when they first came up, because you'd a lot of interesting emails that I was getting, tweets and a lot of them were unknow accounts. In fact, the majority of them were unknow accounts. Threats are pretty normal from different quarters of different people. So it's not just ISIS that does that.
But I'd say I think ISIS, because of the particular fear, especially, you know, you're talking five years back, I think at this point now, five or six years back, the fear of ISIS, right? When ISIS made a video then it it became a big, big story in the United States. ISIS represents a perversion of Islam. Da'esh manipulates text. It manipulates and groups like Da'esh, they manipulate the deen and thet try to teach people what it's not. Ans subhanallah (glory be to Allah) that's why tell, you know, people that hate Islam in America, Islamophobes. I said that you and Isis have the same reading of Islam. because they read violence into texts. When it's not there.
They noth distort the ayat of the Quran. They both distort the hadith of the Prophet saw so you guys are talking about the same religion, but the 1.8 bilion Muslims are talking about this religion. Right? So I think ISIS threatened by mainstream Muslim Scholars. And that's why who did they target. They target mainstream Muslim Scholars. Because they need to slince people. Is it true that you were handcuffed behşnd the back and areested? Why do you put yourself at such a risk? Is it not enough to read Quran, make salah on your own? So that's a lot of questions in one. But I'll say that was a protest against the mistretment of migrants at the border.
I think that this is becoming a global issue. And so I think it's important that we that we participate in those discussions. The Prophet sala Allah aleeh wa salam was "Rahmat al-alameen" he was a mercy to the world. He wasn't just "Rahmat al-Muslimeen", a mercy to the Muslims. He was a mercy to Muslims and non-Muslims, human beings and animals. Right? He was a mercy to them all. sala Allah aleeh wa salam. so we have to champion that inshallah taala (if Allah almighty wills) what it means to be "rahma" a mercy to the world. But I think it's important for Muslims to be present in some of those discussions inshallah taala. And to work for people in proverty. People that are oppressed.
People that are being harmed, whether they're Muslim or not. We have to consistently be present inshaAllah. If you had a supplication, you knew it would be accepted. What would that be? Easiest question in the world that Allah entered me into Jannatul Firdaus without any questioning and without any punishment. We don't want a personal supplication. What about us? The Muslim community. brother you forgot us. When it comes to that duaa look it's the prophet saw, He even said on the day of judgment, Allah will inspire him to make a duaa. that he would have never said before. So he doesn't he did not even know what that duaa was. That would be on the day of judgment. But I pray for forgiveness.
Because, you know, the main the duaa that Allah swt gave to us: "Allahum eghfer lel moumeneen wal moumenat" to pray for forgiveness. You're in an elevator, and you nocited a young man who doesn't pray. You want him to start praying. You only have one time. What would you say to him - You know, I would first ask him about himself, and I'd ask him what he wants in life, and what he's pursuing. What are you seeking? What's your purpose in life? What's your connection like with Allah? What's your What is it that keeps you going? What is it that moves you? What is it that inspires you? So I'd ask him questions about himself because I know it's one minute, but I have to ask him about himself.
You can't give dawah to someone you don't really know. Right? And then I would take the approach if I only had one minute,of gratitude because gratitude we pray to Allah swt because he commands us. But the driver of our prayer is gratitude. Shouldn't we thank the one who gave us everything that we have? Shouldn't we offer at least these five daily prayers? Shouldn't we you know, shouldn't we use what Allah has given us to worship him with what he has given to us? So I would I would then bring it back to gratitude. your eyes, your ears, your thinking, your sight, your presence, your existence, the nea'am the blessing Allah gives to you.
Because shaytaan (devil) at the and of the day he challenge to Allah from disconnecting people from prayer. He said that you will find the majority of your servants are not grateful. If they're not grateful, they won't pray. So gratitude is to drive someone back to prayer. And so that's what I would do in one minute. But what I'd also do is I'd take his phpne number, so I can have a longer conversation with him, because one minute is not enough time to change someone's life. If you had the chance to say a few things to a 17 year old Omar Suleiman. He's just sitting in front of you. I like your questions. What would it be? Pace yourself. Don't try to do everything at one time.
Develop, work on yourself. Don't be sad because the obstacle that you face that might seem like it's going to be the worst obstacle in the world. It's going yo pass, inshaAllah. And what I mean by that is that sometimes, especially when you're young, you try to do too much at one time. So pace yourself, you know, because if you burn out early on in life, if you just exhaust yourself and do everything at one time or try to do everything at one time then you're not going to be any good in five years or ten years. So you see a lot of people young people that get very enthusiastic about Deen, about religion, and they're so active in college and then they just burn out and they disappear.
So pace yourself. Take it easy. Keep things in perspective and inshaAllah things will pass. And also, I would say to 17 year old version of myself to value your parents more. you know I was always subhan Allah very very, you know, atteched to my parents. But you just don't I don't think people understand how much they're going to miss their parents when they lose them. And so if you have your parents, keep them every single moment with them is so precious. How would you answer someone who says: I'm a Muslim. I have the Kaaba I have the Qiblaa Why should I care about the liberation of Masjid Al-Aqsa?
Masjid Al-Aqsa is the first qiblaa of the Muslims, and it is the place in which all of the prophets gathered to pray. It is a place that Allah has blessed and in so many different ways. It's the place where our prophet saw ascended to the heavens. It is a place where when you read about the and times. Everything circles back to Masjid Al-Aqsa to that area of Al-Aqsa. Al-Aqsa being occupied should should be as severe to the heart of the believers as if Macca or Madina were occupied. It should pain us. It is a duty And I get asked all the time, is Palestine a Muslim issue? Of course it's a Muslim issue, but it's not only a Muslim issue. So it's a human issue.
There are human rights discussions about occupation and the humiliation of the Palestinians, the ethnic cleansing, the settlement expansion, the abandonment of Muslim countries, of our brothers and sisters there. That's a human rights issue. And those people are sacred because one person just one of those brothers and sisters that has their neck under, you know, the boot of an Israeli soldiers is more sacred to Allah not just than Masjid Al-Aqsa, than the Kaaba itself the honor of that person or that one brother or sister that old woman that you see being pushed and shoved and spit on by an Israeli soldier. The child, more sacred to Allah than the Kaaba or the masjid.
But at the same time, if you lose an attachment to Masjid Al-Aqsa, you're losing a piece of your Iman. You know, we are taught the prophet saw taught us that if you can't go there, then at least send oil to be in its lamps. Like that's the level of attachment that you should have to Masjid Al-Aqsa. I can't even I can't even go there. I'm going to send oil for its lamps. And I'll say you subhan Allah, in Turkey the solidarity is just so crucial. Solidarity of our Muslim brothers and sisters for Palestine is so crucial. And so don't think that your protests and don't think that your solidarity doesn't mean anything.
It mean a lot to your brothers and sisters in Palestine when they see their brothers and sisters in Turkey showing that level of love and solidarity for them. If you had a chance to speak to all non-Muslims in the world just for one minute, what would you say to them? Learn about Muhammed saw. Learn about the man, and you will understand his mission. Know the prophet, And you will realize why he is the culmination of the call of all the prophets before. So learn about Mohammad saw would be might. see, it's not even a whole minute. It's almost 10 seconds. Learn about the Prophet Mohammad saw.
00.01.00- 00.04.00 Is it true that "you were behind the back and arrested?" 00.10.00-00.12.00 "What would that be?" 00.20.00- 00.23.00 If you asked me if I was muslim "privately I would say not really."
Who is Omar Sulaiman? That's a hard question. Already, you know, but um Alhamdulillah Rabb Al Alamin, my parents originally are from Falastin. From Palestine. I was born and raised in a state in the United States called Louisiana. It's in the southern most part of the United States. I grew up in the United States of America. I studied Sharia and I studied Accounting. And I studied Political Science and Political History. I have served as an Imam of a masjid in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Alhamdulillah Rabb Al Alamin Also, have taught in various institutions and in universities.
And today Alhamdulillah the founder and president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic for Islamic Research which I hope inshallah the work is benefiting people here in Turkey. We always see you smiling. Do you ever get angry? I can't imagine that Omar Suleiman gets angry frustrated. Yeah, I get angry sometimes. - For what? + For what? Some sometimes the very human weaknesses. So someone that's driving and upsetting you on the road or sometimes it's certain things that are said to you or about you. I'm a human being. We're all human being and we get angry for different things. A few ago you had an interfaith discussion that reached millions of people. How was that experience for you?
What was the most interesting reaction that you received after the conference? So al-hamdulillah actually that particular interfaith dialog was something that I do on a very regular basis. I didn't think it would be special. We do a lot of these in Texas. It was something that we do very normally, and I was surprised to see the way that it spread throughout the world. There's not a single week in my masjid that someone or it's very rare. I shouldn't say there's not a single week. It's very rare that someone doesn't come to the masjid and say that I came because I initially got exposed to Islam throught that interfaith dialog.
So people see me in different parts of the country and they'll say that that's how we got exposed to Islam. We happened to come across that video. And many of them ended up embracing Islam Alhamdulillah Rabb Al Alamin. There are many people who were introduced to Islam and accepted Islam by your means. From the ones you know, which of them affected you most? Wow! The most I'd have to say, and I've spoken about him before. So my best friend from first grade. His name was Joshua. So Joshua and I grew up together. When I was 13 years old, If you asked me if I was Muslim privately, I would say not really. You know, that's how far away I'd kind of gone, you know.
I was trying to explore religion and understand religion. So Joshua and I were extremely close. And his uncle was a reverend, was a pastor, Christian Pastor. And we decided together to study Islam and Christianity together. And not just Islam and Christianity We said, you know, we're going to as teenagers, we're going to read the whole Bible together, we'll read the whole Quran together, and we'll talk about religion together. And that's how close we werw which is, you know, the Hadith of the Prophet SAW: "Almar'a alaa deen khalilah." that a person is on the religion of their friends.
It has a special meaning to me because we literally said as teenagers we're going to study religion together. So we went to churches, we went to synagogues, we went to masjid, masaajid and ask them questions about Islam, Judaism and Christianity. And we're really studying and we had our highlighters. You know, you're marking the parts of the Bible that seemed to contradict each other, questions that we had on Quran. We asked all these questions together. + What were you believing at that proces? - I believed in God. I believed in God, but I didn't know is Islam was the religion of Allah, the religion of God. And so that was what that exploration was like.
So subhanallah Allah guided him, but he also guided me. So Joshua became Yusuf and became Muslim Alhamdulillah Rab Al Alamin And so he and I really converted together, if you will. And Yusuf became my brother in the sense that he had a very difficult time when he ambraced Islam, and he basically came to stay with us. He would, he would refer to my father as, you know, he'd call him Pops, which is an endearing way to say dad, you know, to my own dad, my dad would, treated him like a son the same way he treated me and my actual blood brother.
+ His family didn't support him, so Not initially Not not in the beginning Then Alhamdulillah Rab Al Alamin almost everyone in his family became Muslim by now. + Alhamdulillah. - Yeah it spread through. I mean, his mother, his grandmother, it just spread throughout his aunt subhanallah, his aunt who passed away from cancer. And she initially, you know, was not supportive at all. And she became Muslim right before she died. So Islam spread through his family Alhamdulillah Rab al Alamin. And to go through that journey of faith together the way that we did it Alhamdulillah Rab al Alamin and so till now, you know, my father will say he's his favorite son, you know.
What is Omar Sulaiman's daily routine? How do you spend your day? Different days, different things. But generally speaking, a good morning routine is what's going to determine whether or not I have a good day. So the first few hours of the day spent on reading and researching are very important very practical thing. Take my kids to schools sometimes and between me and my wife, we take our kids to school. But really those first few hours of the day it's praying Fajr doing the morning adhkar the morning remembrances, and make the first couple of hours of your day a means of fulfillment and energizing yourself intellectually and spiritually. Read, listen, research.
And so my day has to start with a routine of that, you know. Dhikr and then research and reading and doing what's important to me in that regard. And then the rest of it can be work in terms of meetings and things of that sort, but that's the most important part of my day. So that's what I'd recommend to people inshallah. We know that you're a huge fan of New Orleans Saints. Is it normal for an Imam to be a huge fan? When you're praying, do you pray for your team ad well? So is it normal? I don't think it's normal. I'm not going to say it's normal. I grew up into sports, so played sports and I watch sports. That was my leisure time was watching sports and playing sports.
Where I'm from you know, the New Orleans Saints are very big deal. And one of the reasons why I loved them growing up is because they always would lose. So they were a really bad team. When I was a kid, everyone knew them for how much they would lose. In fact, you know, it was common for us to see people rooting for the other team against the team. So I loved them because they were the underdog, you know? It was. But you still didn't answer my questions. Do I pray for them? Yes. You know, maybe sometimes here or there, you know, it's okay to pray for your team. Just don't pray against the other team. Okay. It was said that ISIS had put you on a killing list.
Why do you think they saw you as a threat? Okay You don't seem to be a threat. You're a very humble guy. I don't know why anyone want to kill me. Yeah, you're right. I can understand why someone would be annoyed by me sometimes. But not that... Look that was surprising but not surprising. It was a very interesting time with ISIS when they first came up, because you'd a lot of interesting emails that I was getting, tweets and a lot of them were unknow accounts. In fact, the majority of them were unknow accounts. Threats are pretty normal from different quarters of different people. So it's not just ISIS that does that.
But I'd say I think ISIS, because of the particular fear, especially, you know, you're talking five years back, I think at this point now, five or six years back, the fear of ISIS, right? When ISIS made a video then it it became a big, big story in the United States. ISIS represents a perversion of Islam. Da'esh manipulates text. It manipulates and groups like Da'esh, they manipulate the deen and thet try to teach people what it's not. Ans subhanallah (glory be to Allah) that's why tell, you know, people that hate Islam in America, Islamophobes. I said that you and Isis have the same reading of Islam. because they read violence into texts. When it's not there.
They noth distort the ayat of the Quran. They both distort the hadith of the Prophet saw so you guys are talking about the same religion, but the 1.8 bilion Muslims are talking about this religion. Right? So I think ISIS threatened by mainstream Muslim Scholars. And that's why who did they target. They target mainstream Muslim Scholars. Because they need to slince people. Is it true that you were handcuffed behşnd the back and areested? Why do you put yourself at such a risk? Is it not enough to read Quran, make salah on your own? So that's a lot of questions in one. But I'll say that was a protest against the mistretment of migrants at the border.
I think that this is becoming a global issue. And so I think it's important that we that we participate in those discussions. The Prophet sala Allah aleeh wa salam was "Rahmat al-alameen" he was a mercy to the world. He wasn't just "Rahmat al-Muslimeen", a mercy to the Muslims. He was a mercy to Muslims and non-Muslims, human beings and animals. Right? He was a mercy to them all. sala Allah aleeh wa salam. so we have to champion that inshallah taala (if Allah almighty wills) what it means to be "rahma" a mercy to the world. But I think it's important for Muslims to be present in some of those discussions inshallah taala. And to work for people in proverty. People that are oppressed.
People that are being harmed, whether they're Muslim or not. We have to consistently be present inshaAllah. If you had a supplication, you knew it would be accepted. What would that be? Easiest question in the world that Allah entered me into Jannatul Firdaus without any questioning and without any punishment. We don't want a personal supplication. What about us? The Muslim community. brother you forgot us. When it comes to that duaa look it's the prophet saw, He even said on the day of judgment, Allah will inspire him to make a duaa. that he would have never said before. So he doesn't he did not even know what that duaa was. That would be on the day of judgment. But I pray for forgiveness.
Because, you know, the main the duaa that Allah swt gave to us: "Allahum eghfer lel moumeneen wal moumenat" to pray for forgiveness. You're in an elevator, and you nocited a young man who doesn't pray. You want him to start praying. You only have one time. What would you say to him - You know, I would first ask him about himself, and I'd ask him what he wants in life, and what he's pursuing. What are you seeking? What's your purpose in life? What's your connection like with Allah? What's your What is it that keeps you going? What is it that moves you? What is it that inspires you? So I'd ask him questions about himself because I know it's one minute, but I have to ask him about himself.
You can't give dawah to someone you don't really know. Right? And then I would take the approach if I only had one minute,of gratitude because gratitude we pray to Allah swt because he commands us. But the driver of our prayer is gratitude. Shouldn't we thank the one who gave us everything that we have? Shouldn't we offer at least these five daily prayers? Shouldn't we you know, shouldn't we use what Allah has given us to worship him with what he has given to us? So I would I would then bring it back to gratitude. your eyes, your ears, your thinking, your sight, your presence, your existence, the nea'am the blessing Allah gives to you.
Because shaytaan (devil) at the and of the day he challenge to Allah from disconnecting people from prayer. He said that you will find the majority of your servants are not grateful. If they're not grateful, they won't pray. So gratitude is to drive someone back to prayer. And so that's what I would do in one minute. But what I'd also do is I'd take his phpne number, so I can have a longer conversation with him, because one minute is not enough time to change someone's life. If you had the chance to say a few things to a 17 year old Omar Suleiman. He's just sitting in front of you. I like your questions. What would it be? Pace yourself. Don't try to do everything at one time.
Develop, work on yourself. Don't be sad because the obstacle that you face that might seem like it's going to be the worst obstacle in the world. It's going yo pass, inshaAllah. And what I mean by that is that sometimes, especially when you're young, you try to do too much at one time. So pace yourself, you know, because if you burn out early on in life, if you just exhaust yourself and do everything at one time or try to do everything at one time then you're not going to be any good in five years or ten years. So you see a lot of people young people that get very enthusiastic about Deen, about religion, and they're so active in college and then they just burn out and they disappear.
So pace yourself. Take it easy. Keep things in perspective and inshaAllah things will pass. And also, I would say to 17 year old version of myself to value your parents more. you know I was always subhan Allah very very, you know, atteched to my parents. But you just don't I don't think people understand how much they're going to miss their parents when they lose them. And so if you have your parents, keep them every single moment with them is so precious. How would you answer someone who says: I'm a Muslim. I have the Kaaba I have the Qiblaa Why should I care about the liberation of Masjid Al-Aqsa?
Masjid Al-Aqsa is the first qiblaa of the Muslims, and it is the place in which all of the prophets gathered to pray. It is a place that Allah has blessed and in so many different ways. It's the place where our prophet saw ascended to the heavens. It is a place where when you read about the and times. Everything circles back to Masjid Al-Aqsa to that area of Al-Aqsa. Al-Aqsa being occupied should should be as severe to the heart of the believers as if Macca or Madina were occupied. It should pain us. It is a duty And I get asked all the time, is Palestine a Muslim issue? Of course it's a Muslim issue, but it's not only a Muslim issue. So it's a human issue.
There are human rights discussions about occupation and the humiliation of the Palestinians, the ethnic cleansing, the settlement expansion, the abandonment of Muslim countries, of our brothers and sisters there. That's a human rights issue. And those people are sacred because one person just one of those brothers and sisters that has their neck under, you know, the boot of an Israeli soldiers is more sacred to Allah not just than Masjid Al-Aqsa, than the Kaaba itself the honor of that person or that one brother or sister that old woman that you see being pushed and shoved and spit on by an Israeli soldier. The child, more sacred to Allah than the Kaaba or the masjid.
But at the same time, if you lose an attachment to Masjid Al-Aqsa, you're losing a piece of your Iman. You know, we are taught the prophet saw taught us that if you can't go there, then at least send oil to be in its lamps. Like that's the level of attachment that you should have to Masjid Al-Aqsa. I can't even I can't even go there. I'm going to send oil for its lamps. And I'll say you subhan Allah, in Turkey the solidarity is just so crucial. Solidarity of our Muslim brothers and sisters for Palestine is so crucial. And so don't think that your protests and don't think that your solidarity doesn't mean anything.
It mean a lot to your brothers and sisters in Palestine when they see their brothers and sisters in Turkey showing that level of love and solidarity for them. If you had a chance to speak to all non-Muslims in the world just for one minute, what would you say to them? Learn about Muhammed saw. Learn about the man, and you will understand his mission. Know the prophet, And you will realize why he is the culmination of the call of all the prophets before. So learn about Mohammad saw would be might. see, it's not even a whole minute. It's almost 10 seconds. Learn about the Prophet Mohammad saw.
00.01.00- 00.04.00 Is it true that "you were behind the back and arrested?" 00.10.00-00.12.00 "What would that be?" 00.20.00- 00.23.00 If you asked me if I was muslim "privately I would say not really."