OMA Annual Dinner
Staff Writer, Ottawa Muslim Network

Ottawa Muslim Network

The event was attended by representatives of a number of High Commissions and Embassies, Representative of the Prime Minister,  Father Brian Cornelius of the Northwestern United Church, Bob Chiarelli - Mayor of Ottawa, Larry Hill, Deputy Chief of Police, and Councillors Shawn Little and Diane Deans.

The President of the OMA, Abdul Waheed Syed, in his opening remarks, indicated that the year 2001 has been a trying year, yet successful. He said "the September attack had a profound impact on everyone".  He stated that despite the negative outcomes, there were positive outcomes.  He thanked the elected officials and the local police for their support and cooperation. He noted that it was very helpful that elected officials denounced hate crimes and that MP's and the Prime Minister, as well as Senators and the Mayor of Ottawa visited the mosque, and that these visits were helpful in promoting harmony.

The Imam of the Ottawa Mosque, Dr. Gamal Sulaiman, was given a standing ovation when he was presented with a plaque from the OMA in appreciation and recognition of his contribution to the community.  Imam Gamal Sulaiman was very active in supporting the community and dealing with issues facing the community as a result of the September 11 incident.

The guest speaker for the evening was Dr. Jamal Badawi, Professor of Religious Studies and Management at St. Mary's University.  Dr. Badawi is a well known worldwide, and particularly in North America, for his numerous scholarly work on Islam.   He is also the Vice-Chairman of the Islamic American University. 

Dr. Badawi spoke on the misinformation being communicated on Islam.  He said "the Qur'an teaches self-criticism", however there are blatant errors of translation.  Some of these may be through ignorance but there are obvious cases of intentional promulgation of erroneous information.  He emphasized that Islam "advocates justice even with the enemy" and that one should make clear the difference between "pure" Islam and "normative" Islam.  To promote better understanding, he encouraged everyone to reflect upon the 1400 years of Islam and Muslim interaction with others - this interaction having a history of both hostility and cooperation.

Dr. Badawi's speech focused on what he refers to as the "cut and paste approach" of those who claim to know about Islam or who promotes certain points of view on Islam or Islamic issues.  The Qur'an was revealed in Arabic and to this day it is still kept in that original form, in spite of attempted translation and/or interpretation in various other languages.  Dr. Badawi pointed out that the Arabic language is so rich that one must be careful in its translation as the meaning or intent of a verse could be greatly misinterpreted.

He voiced the many instances where certain parts of a verse is used out of context.  Out of context historically as well as out of context in terms of the entire verse, section, or chapter to which it relates. He gave an example of the word "infidel".  This word is not an accurate translation of any word in the Qur'an.  In fact the word "infidel" was used by the Crusaders to refer to the Muslims not the other way around.  He pointed out that it was much surprise to the Crusaders that the infidels (Muslims) they referred to practiced a pure form "monotheism".

Dr. Badawi ended his presentation with the verse from the Qur'an that encourages all humanity to reflect upon their common heritage.

© Copyright 2002 Ottawa Muslim Network

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