Jumatan di Capitol Hill Berjalan Lancar
By Republika Newsroom
Sabtu, 26 September 2009 pukul 07:47:00
WASHINGTON-- Agenda shalat Jumat di halaman barat gedung Capitol Hill berhasil
digelar. Ribuan umat Islam hadir dalam kesempatan tersebut. Mereka beribadah
dengan khusyu' untuk menjawab prasangka terhadap Islam yang selama ini
berkembang di sebagian warga Amerika Serikat (AS). Sekitar 3.500 Muslimin dan
Muslimat berkumpul terpisah.
Salah satu peserta shalat Jumat di Capitol Hill, Lonnie Shabazz, mengungkapkan
bahwa momen bersejarah itu bukan hanya digelar untuk menjawab prasangka.
Menurut dia, Jumatan juga merupakan bagian dari kewajiban yang harus dijalankan
umat Islam.
"Pesannya sangat jelas. Saya pikir acara ini menujukkan kepada publik Amerika
bahwa prasangka mereka selama ini terhadap umat Islam tidaklah benar," ujar
dia. Shabazz menambahkan bahwa umat Islam bukanlah ekstremis, juga sama sekali
tidak mendukung tindakan rasis. Menurut dia, Jumatan di Capitol Hill berhasil
memberikan jawaban itu.
Salah satu panitia Jumatan di Capitol Hill, Abdul Malik, dalam khutbahnya
mengungkapkan bahwa Amerika bukalah tempat yang sempurna. "Tapi saya bisa
katakan bahwa tempat ini merupakan salah satu tempat yang paling baik untuk
kita hidup,'' tutur dia seperti ditulis situs CNN. Sekelompok non-Muslim
terlihat menggelar aksi menentang Jumatan tersebut.
Lebih lanjut Abdul Malik mengungkapkan bahwa Jumatan tersebut bukanlah bentuk
protes umat Islam yang datang dari seluruh penjuru AS. Menurut dia, acara
tersebut merupakan pernyataan bahwa umat Islam juga bisa bekerja sama dengan
warga AS pada umumnya. afp/irf
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Thousands of Muslims gathered Friday on Capitol Hill for a
day of prayer that organizers said was intended to inspire American Muslims and
non-Muslims alike.
"America is not perfect," Abdul Malik, an organizer of the event called Islam
on Capitol Hill, told the crowd.
"But I will say something it took me my whole adult life to come to: America is
not perfect, but I want to tell the truth: It is one of the best places in the
world to live."
Organizers had hoped that 50,000 people would show up for the Friday afternoon
prayer session, which took place at the foot of the U.S. Capitol.
There were also anti-Muslim protesters near the event.
Earlier, Malik said, "This is not a protest, it is a day of prayer, of
devotion, hoping that we can work ... for the betterment of the world
community."
He added, "We can come together and work together for the common good."
He said that Muslims in the United States have a "unique responsibility" and
that the event seeks to inspire Muslims and all Americans.
"America represents, still, a beacon of hope," he said.
Malik said conversations about the event began only a few months ago.
"It's amazing," he said. "The Web site has gotten more than 3 million hits
already."
Friday's event was focused on a 1 p.m. prayer, and a reception and banquet were
planned afterward.
Malik said attendees were traveling from all over the United States --
including Texas, Florida and Georgia -- as well as from other countries, such
as Britain and Canada.
"The beautiful thing ... about this, is that we have a good representation of
the uniqueness and beauty of what Islam stands for," he said.
Besides the protesters, the event drew other criticism. Malik said he had
received some "very nasty e-mails."
And one Christian leader warned of a strategy to "Islamize" American society.
"It is important for Christians to understand that Friday's Muslim prayer
initiative is part of a well-defined strategy to Islamize American society and
replace the Bible with the Koran, the cross with the Islamic crescent and the
church bells with the Athan [the Muslim call to prayer]," the Rev. Canon Julian
Dobbs, leader of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America's Church and
Islam Project, said in a written statement.
"The time has come for the American public to call Islam to account," he said.
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