Must be mindful of Ummah’s needs

Abdulaziz-ul-Haqq ibn Orozco

Sha'ban 03, 1435 2014-06-01

Letters To The Editor

by Abdulaziz-ul-Haqq ibn Orozco (Letters To The Editor, Crescent International Vol. 43, No. 4, Sha'ban, 1435)

Appeal from a reader for the release of Princess Jawaher from house arrest in the kingdom so she can marry the person of her choice.

We must be mindful of our Muslim Ummah’s situation and how to frame our thoughts, especially when expressing critical opinion or perspectives on matters pertaining to Islam. The question that should always be at the forefront of our Islamic mind is: How do we write critically what needs to be said without overtly offending or crossing the boundaries of the Qur’an, the Sunnah or Hadith?”

Re: Letter, “Valid concern, valid point,” by Brother Muslim Mahmood (May 2014). The brother was kind enough to comment on my April letter, “Need focus and commonalities.” Perhaps there is a bit of misunderstanding. I wrote that different schools of thought can create space for exchange of ideas in order to revive the global Islamic movement. However, I stated that disunity can hurt the Ummah.

But let us not have illusions or sugarcoat matters. What we choose to write about (or not write), our commitment and our challenges as Muslims for the Ummah are to continue to write, struggle and sacrifice for the cause that is real and relevant to Muslim brothers and sisters who have no way of voicing themselves — like those 200+ kidnapped Nigerian girls.

Abdulaziz-ul-Haqq ibn Orozco

Chowchilla, CA, US