Part 3 of Why You Should Call People to Islam
by Haroon Sait, Co-Founder of American Islamic Outreach Foundation
The day of coming to America finally arrived! I landed in San Francisco on September 7th, 1999. After wading through emigration and customs I rushed out to the arrival terminal. I had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised to see a chauffeur holding a sign with my name on it. I felt like a VIP as I hopped into her car and we drove up and down the winding hills of San Francisco toward San Jose.
After about an hour of driving we arrived at my “bachelor” apartment where a few other IT consultants who arrived before me have already settled down. We were all waiting for a software project elsewhere in America with any corporation contracted with our company. My excitement soon started to fade as I realized “I have to cook!” My wife, Thafseera, had spoiled me with her delicious cooking for eight years. The transition to me cooking for myself was a challenge!
The next morning I woke up early and got ready to go to work. I wore my brand new Pink shirt, which I bought in India for this exciting day. My roommates became my first guides in America as I joined them in a brisk short walk to catch the 9:30 AM bus. We arrived at the bus stop just two minutes ahead! They taught me to press the WALK button and wait for the beep before crossing the street to get to the bus stop. I was fresh from Saudi Arabia and this was a world of difference. Roads were clean and not crowded, even the air smelled different. This was an awesome feeling.
The bus arrived on time, the door opened and I stepped inside. The driver gave me a big smile and the first thing I heard was “Good Morning Sir. How are you doing today?” I was really surprised to hear that. This was my first experience in America and that is not something I was accustomed to! Neither in Delhi, where I had to sprint behind the buses and use acrobatics to hold on to some metal pipe railing in the steps, nor in Saudi Arabia. That courteous driver left a lasting impression in me about the wonderful people that I am going to deal with in America. Over the years that impression only got better and more concrete.
After several stops, we finally arrived at the office at about 10. My roommates introduced me to my boss, then my manager, the accounting department, and to other support staff. With few exceptions, everyone was from India. My manager jokingly rebuked me saying “No one wears pink here.” I had no clue of the color gender associations; we never had such a thing in India or in Saudi. I felt so embarrassed that the pink shirt saw the light of day again.
I stayed in Santa Clara, CA for little over a month. During the day, I was given training on new software which prepared me for new client projects. In the evenings, I got bored as homesickness slowly crept in. It was hard to adjust to life with bachelors after living with my wife and two kids for so long. In order to cure the boredom, sometimes my friends took me to nearby malls and other attractions.
Most of my roommates were Hindus and much younger than me. Their interests were mostly in movies and other things that I had no inclination to. As I did in Saudi, I would initiate discussions around the dinner table about God and his books. Most of the time, these discussions didn’t go well. I gradually withdrew as I felt that I was talking to the wrong crowd. During this time, my priority was to get over with the training so I can get interviews for projects. Only after I got a project and settled down somewhere, could I bring my wife Thafseera, and my sons Nabeel and Nadeem to the USA.
Towards the end of my first month in the States, I felt confident about what I learned, so I gave some interviews and was offered a position. This job was with Nortel Networks in Research Triangle Park of Raleigh, NC. I said good-bye to my friends and flew to Raleigh. Fortunately, the hotel they booked for me was also in RTP just opposite of my workplace. The hotel-owned shuttle bus would take me to work and bring me back in the evening. My contract ran for a total of six months and I wanted to maximize my time with them. Nortel was a large corporation with thousands of people working in various departments and projects. This was my first workplace to experience working with Americans. As I expected, people were very friendly and courteous across the board. Next to me were several people handling tech support over the phone. Even though they were not in my team, I made good friendship with them.
Whenever I would meet a Christian I liked to ask if they know what the Qur’an says about Jesus. Nine out of ten didn’t know that Muslims believe in Jesus the messiah. I quickly figured out that the topic of Jesus and his mother Mary was the best way to initiate a conversation. I have to admit that in my initial years of calling people to God, I did not observe the courteous tone that is expected in America. Coming from India, I brought with me some baggage connected to the tense atmosphere created by missionaries. Later on I realized that I had to unlearn this tension and meet people in tranquil conversation. Unfortunately, there were bridges burned and irreparable damage done through this learning curve.
The holy Qur’an exhorts Muslims to invite people to God. Since the overwhelming majority of American citizens identify with one of the denominations of Christianity, it just makes sense to start the conversation at a place where they can agree. The Qur’an addresses a lot of these points directly as it invites the people of the book (Christians and Jews) to reflect upon God’s word.
Here are some of those main points I intend to dive more deeply into in the next section:
- Mary, mother of Jesus (peace be upon her) was a righteous woman.
- Miraculous conception of Jesus by the Virgin Mary.
- Jesus was a mighty prophet of God.
- Jesus called people to worship one God.
- Jesus did miracles with the help of God.
- Jesus was like Adam. Adam had neither father nor mother. Jesus had no father.
- Jesus was neither crucified nor killed. God raised Jesus to him.
- Second coming of Jesus (from the teaching of Prophet Muhammad).
- Jesus told his disciples of the coming of Prophet Muhammad (peace be up on him).
God willing, I will write these in details in the next issue. May God’s peace and blessings be with you.
For direct questions to Haroon Sait, feel free to email him at Haroon@MuslimAmerican.com
