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Ahmad Ali
MR President Donald John Trump,
I am writing this open letter to congratulate you on your winning of the US presidential election, as my Islamic moral requires me to send my congratulations to you on your victory, despite your stated attitude against Islam and Muslims, which formed one of the pillars of your election campaign.
Islam, which you do not know very well, is a religion of tolerance, peace and reconciliation, which doesn't stand in contradiction of principles of international relations. Hence I am beginning my message with directing my greeting 'Assalamu Alayk' (Peace Be Upon You), despite your statements amounting to call to discriminate against people based on race, colour and religion. That in turn contributed to increased level of 'Islamophobia' and anti-American Muslims sentiments in your country.
And do not forget that the United States is like a 'mosaic' and a 'rainbow' of peoples. Do not make this American 'rainbow' that glitters like gold become a burning ball of fire. And do not cut the very tenuous link between you and your people.
It is unfair to punish all Muslims, whether in your country or outside, because of a handful of terrorists whose criminal acts are rejected by the Islamic Sharia.
Therefore, I invite you to review your past attitude as you are about to enter the 'White House' on January 20 as the 45th President of the United States of America. You will be the president of all Americans including of the Muslims who comprise more than 8 million of the population.
Mr President-elect, I've watched a video in which a peaceful Muslim woman was kicked out of your election campaign just because she was wearing a hijab.
There is no doubt that this act that I would describe as extremism was improper. It shouldn't have taken place in a country, which has derived its greatness from values based on the coexistence of its citizens and ethnic and religious diversity among its people.
This act was uncivilised, immoral, inhuman, undemocratic, unconstitutional and not in conformity with the principles of the freedom that the United States supports.
As far as freedom is concerned Islam has liberated women from restrictions and given her freedom to wear the hijab, to protect her from the deviant behaviour of some men who look at the woman from a prurient perspective and then start harassing her due to their inability to curb their animal instincts and their immoral behaviour!
There is no doubt that the hijab protects women against sexual harassment and from some people who are like 'flies' hovering around the woman as if she is a piece of uncovered candy.
And I do not think that when 'nuns' wear a head cover 'apostolnik' to cover their hair just like the 'Muslim Hijab' means they are 'terrorists'!
As we know that covering head in the church is mandatory for women and a headscarf is an integral part of the characteristics of nuns working in Orthodox and Catholic churches and monasteries. Besides in Protestantism, women are required to cover their hair while attending the Requiem Mass.
In other Christian denominations such as the 'Amish', who settled in Pennsylvania state since 1720 after their ancestors emigrated from Germany, where your ancestors came from, obliges women to wear moderate long loose dress. In addition their men do not encourage women to work in government institutions and they live their lives as stated in the Bible. Besides, they also reject women's nomination for the presidency of the United States because, according to their beliefs, women may not be granted powers to rule the country!
And since 'charity begins at home', we have not heard anyone of you demanding political or fundamental rights for the Amish women though they are staying in America, which tirelessly keeps calling for the adoption of 'human rights' for male or female alike in the Arab world!
If this denomination had been an Arab or followed the Islamic religion, it would be accused of backwardness and being reactionary, especially as the 'Amish' lifestyle is like the medieval way of living and they do not use cars or modern technology. The US administration would have intervened to improve their conditions and demanded to transfer them from their medieval world to a contemporary and open-minded world.
Regarding the women's rights and their status in Islam, it is enough to let you know about a truth that you may be ignorant of. This truth lies in the fourth 'Sura' chapter in the 'Holy Quran' and it is the third longest chapter. This Sura is called An-Nisa (The Women) and it is a Sura of compassion and justice as it talks about the rights of the weak in the society, the non-Muslim minorities living within the confines of Islam, orphans and servants. In addition, the Sura focuses primarily on women.
Besides, there is another Sura called Maryam (Mary) in memory of the 'Virgin' Mary, the noble great pure chaste mother whom Allah has chosen and purified her above the women of all nations. And the name (Mary) is one of the most common and popular names among our Islamic society in recognition of her position in Islam as in the Christianity.
Mr President, I want you to know that the Sura (Maryam) is the only sura in the Holy Quran, out of 114 suras, that is named after the name of a woman. Besides, the name Mary is mentioned thirty-four times in the Quran.
In addition, the sura All 'Imran (Family of Imran), which comes third in order before the second longest sura, has identified the general framework of the birth of Jesus son of Mary.
Mary's pregnancy was mentioned in Sura At Tahrim (The Prohibition) in the Holy Quran where Allah says 'And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel, and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was devoutly obedient.'
All of this confirms the appreciation shown by Islam for the women represented by the example of 'Mary' and it is a divine testimony to her chastity after she gave birth to 'Jesus Christ' (PBUH), a unique miracle in human history. She was a virgin and gave a birth to Jesus without a father, and this shows her high position in the Islamic religion. She was covering her hair and wearing hijab and was not expelled from the Christian history!
Why is there such attitude towards women wearing hijab? Note that there is not a single picture that shows the hair of the Virgin Mary, and perhaps the 17th Century paintings of the Italian artist Giovanni Battista Salvi reflect the gravitas in her character as she is wearing the 'hijab' that comes down her vibrant blue gown.
Apart from the blue colour or any other colours, I am frankly addressing you that Sura 'Mary' in the Quran includes 98 verses, most of them shows the value of this great woman, where Quran says from verse 16:
"And mention, [O Muhammad], in the Book [the story of] Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place toward the east. And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Angel, and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man. She said,"Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, [so leave me], if you should be fearing of Allah. He said,"I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you [news of] a pure boy. She said,"How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?" He said,"Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed".
Until we get to verses starting from verse (30) in which Allah the Almighty speaks on behalf of Jesus peace be upon him:
[Jesus] said,"Indeed, I am the servant of Allah . He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I remain alive. And [made me] dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant. And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive." That is Jesus, the son of Mary - the word of truth about which they are in dispute.
This message stated in the Holy Quran reflects the great miracle that describes the birth of 'Jesus Christ', son of Mary and his birth constitutes one of the main pillars of faith, according to Christianity. This miracle was not mentioned explicitly in the four gospels that you believe in as it was stated in the Quran in detail.
Moreover, just to remind you that the name of Jesus was mentioned in Quran 25 times, while the name of our Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) was mentioned 4 times only, which reflects the values of tolerance in the religions away from extremism and out of respect for the value of the human.
Since talking about all aspects presented by the Holy Quran about 'Jesus Christ' and his mother 'Virgin Mary' requires an accurate narrative and long time, I will point to another aspect of my open messages to you with the need to understand that Islam looks at women, whether she is wearing hijab or not, playing a vital role in the family as a mother, sister, wife and partner with the man bearing the burdens and responsibilities of life.
So do not be an extremist in your attitude towards women wearing hijab, prejudiced in your judgment against Muslims, fanatic in your policies against the immigrants whether they are coming from the Arab East or any other places.
Mr President, do not forget that your grandfather 'Friedrich Drumpf' was an immigrant from Germany, your grandmother emigrated from Scotland, and your wife Melania is an immigrant from Slovenia and got the US citizenship just ten years ago!
And your president 'Barack Hussein Obama', who is getting ready to leave the White House, was an immigrant from Kenya. There is no American whose grandparents did not migrate to the US territory except of its original inhabitants, the remnants of tribes of Apache , Cherokee, Choctaws, Seminole, Cheyenne, Hunkpapa, from which the warrior named ' Sitting Bull, derives and with his 7th Cavalry achieved victory in the of the seventh cavalry to the United States in the 'Little Bighorn Battlefield'. This Native American warrior fought valiantly against federal government troops in 1876 along with 'Crazy Horse' from Lakota tribe.
All of them were exterminated, except for only a few, and have become a minority, 'Indigenous peoples of the Americas' who we came to know through Hollywood' movies, which have portrayed them as 'human monsters'. They are represented in American culture in a barbaric way though they were defending their plundered land against the invading Western power. They became the people who have history without geography!
Away from human values your grandfathers finished them off in a 'terroristic' way and destroyed their morale under the brutal campaigns that took place in their plundered country which is now called the United States of America which presents itself to the world as a pioneer of democracy and advocate for freedom!
Mr President, you may agree with me that 'terrorism' is not limited to a specific nationality or one religion. Jews have suffered so much from the Nazi terrorism and Palestinians are now suffering from the Zionist terrorism just as Native Americans suffered from the terrorism of the Western coloniser.
And since your roots are German, certainly you do not want to copy a 'Trump' model from the German terrorist 'Hitler' to lead the world again to a world war.
For this you should take the initiative to build bridges of love among your people and the peoples of the world and do not adopt or embrace the walls of hatred which will make you hated among Christians, Muslims and others.
Before entering the White House, I invite you to read a translated copy of the Holy Quran, so that you can be familiar with the great values of Islam, the religion of peace, on condition that you should be clean and pure as one of the personality traits of Muslims is the purity of the body and the soul.
If you do not have a copy of Quran, I can send you one through the US Embassy in Doha through the US ambassador to Qatar, Dana Shell Smith, who has earned respect in the Qatari society in spite of being a woman not wearing hijab because we consider that personal freedom should be respected despite our conservative society which opens its doors to all human cultures.
Despite your extremist views there is no doubt that the trust the American voter has put in you makes us believe in the American people's choices and based on our confidence in your friendly people we look at you as a president who can be trusted to lead the United States over the next four years, contribute to strengthening the stability of the region and seriously deal with the challenges facing the GCC, move forward with the strategic partnership agreements between Doha and Washington and further consolidate partnership between US and Qatar.
There is no doubt that the bilateral relations between the two countries over the last two decades have turned into a strong partnership in many areas regardless of whether your president is a Republican or a Democrat.
Perhaps the model that is embodied in the American-Qatari relations lies in the right balance of the relationship between Doha and Washington, the equality in managing bilateral issues between a small country and a superpower. The partnership is based on firm friendship and solid foundations built on mutual respect.
We did not forget that American companies have played pivotal roles in the development of the oil and gas sector and the petrochemical industry in our country. There are more than 120 American companies operating successfully in Qatar.
Your country is biggest foreign trade partner of Qatar and the largest source of its imports, not to mention the co-investment in the industry of the future, through close cooperation in the field of education with the branches of the prestigious American universities in the Education City, which are beacon for science not only in Qatar but in the entire Middle East.
Mr President, when we mention the Middle East, we refer to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and I think you know very well that Israel occupied Jerusalem in June 1967. It was an Israeli occupation of Arab land that has its history, sanctity, people, sovereignty, and borders.
There is no need to give you Mr President-elect a history lesson on this issue. Many international resolutions have been adopted condemning the Israeli occupation and demanding the Jewish State to withdraw to the June 5, 1967 borders. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 issued on November 22, 1967 has formed the core of international efforts to find a just and lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
As long as you, Mr President, believe in international legality, you should be the first to abide by, support and defend. The real criterion for the greatness of your country which you seek to make a great country again is to seek a just and lasting solution to this issue.
Therefore, your great country, under the leadership of your new administration, should bear moral, legal, humanitarian and political responsibilities towards the developments in the Arab-Israeli conflict, with the need to stop policy of double standards.
Like all peace loving Arab people I am reminding you of the 'Arab Peace Initiative' launched by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz on behalf of all Arabs in extraordinary summit of Arab League held in Cairo in June 1996.
The aim of the initiative is to establish a Palestinian state which is internationally recognised on the 1967 borders with its capital in Eastern Jerusalem in exchange for the Arab recognition of Israel and normalisation of relations between Arab countries and the Jewish state. This initiative could be a basis for peace in the region, based on the two-state solution that envisages an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel.
Mr President, during your election campaign, you promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, which is the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict and reminded of the 'Balfour Declaration' 'The Promise of who doesn't own, to those who don't deserve'.
And I am saying to you without any fear that Jerusalem is a 'red line' which can't be crossed and it can never be accepted as a capital of Israel. No matter how long it takes we will not relinquish our legitimate rights over Jerusalem.
I want to remind you that there are more than 807 UN resolutions in favour of the Palestinian cause. In addition there are many resolutions of the UN Commission on Human Rights which have condemned Israel's racist policies and violation of human rights.
All of these decisions are based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) issued on 10 December 1948 and the four Geneva Conventions as well as the recent decisions of the 'UNESCO' regarding Jerusalem as an Islamic site.
To make this four-year term of presidency of the United States blessed, I want to remind you that 'Jesus Christ' suffered a lot from terrorism. Therefore, you should be fair when dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict and don't be biased in favour of one party over the other, so that you can bring back to your country its greatness again. Your bias should be in favour of justice only and thus the desired peace will prevail throughout the Middle East.
Finally, as I started my message with peace, I will end it with 'May the Peace, Mercy and Blessing of Allah be Upon You'.
(Ahmad Ali is general manager of Al Watan and Qatar Tribune newspapers.)
