Out of Syria: Muslim refugees must stand behind the Europe

I am so angry about events of the past few weeks. On the one hand Europe – particularly France – is seeing only now, for the first time at close quarters, the depravity of violence, man against man, that those living in the Middle East and parts of North Africa have had to cope with for decades. Our experience of recent years and the very reason why many millions of us are today enduring a form of suspended living is now, tragically, Europe's reality.

On the other hand, of course, Europe did not ask for this immense challenge to be visited upon it, though the imperialist history of some of its states and more recent catastrophic political misjudgments have been contributing factors. No place is safe. Concert venues, airports, shopping malls, seaside boulevards and, most poignantly of all, a church, are the new playgrounds of men of violence who, through their utterly warped worldview, believe that cowardly and wanton brutality can be justified.

As a Muslim, albeit one who isn’t orthodox, I want to reject any attempt to interpret the Koran in a way that would justify such terror.

I talk with my friends whose religious beliefs are stronger. They’re young, bright, intelligent, independent and resourceful. Each of them has a story: why they were forced to flee home and the journey they had to take in order to reach Europe.

Christian tradition

They see me as different. It’s not just that I’m older. Recently, I didn’t observe Ramadan, which some found difficult, but most understood that, before the war, I’d lived overseas and that the practice of my faith had loosened. In my 20s I’d become more open to a less restricted view of the world. When we were in the camp in

Piraeus

they would see me reading the Bible. I’m not sure they all believed that I was simply trying to educate myself about the Christian tradition yet I’ve explained to them that there seems to be a great deal that the Bible and the Koran share.

I do pray. My prayer is less defined than before, but it's genuine. I think about what I've learned through my faith, through the way in which, growing up in Syria, we were taught the difference between right and wrong, the value of love and the sacredness of human life. When I read the Bible I saw the same threads that are woven into the Koran, which I studied as a young man. Later I had started to question the rigidity of some elements of my faith. My views became more liberal than the strict application of my faith would allow. I'm not saying which is better. Nor am I suggesting that those who are practising their Muslim faith in an orthodox fashion should be feared. They should not. The orthodox Muslim is Allah-fearing in the same sense that an orthodox Christian fears God. Belief in Allah or God means, I believe, placing value on human life.

Who is the man that would think it right to slaughter an elderly priest? What is in the heart of men who could, for even one moment, believe it just to force an elderly man of peace on to his knees in his place of worship and to then cut his throat?

My world is dominated by Muslims and I know not one Muslim who believes that such an act is justifiable. Slaughter is the only appropriate word. Religious teaching is full of imagery around the slaying of animals – sheep and goats – as a form of sacrifice. They were slaughtered in the manner in which this noble and quiet man of God, Father Hamel, was slain in his church outside Rouen. In the name of Allah? In the name of Muslim people?

Such a claim is deeply offensive to those who believe in the teachings of Muhammad and who consider their faith to be as noble as any set of beliefs.

Europeans must be worried by recent events. This is the exact motivation of the men of violence – to spread fear and suspicion of Islam. The scale and brutality of the incidents and their simplistic profiling as being carried out in the name of Islam delivers the objective. Only the most egregious interpretation of Muhammad’s teachings could justify such acts, but this is lost in fear, which breeds hostility and creates the negative dynamic to fuel disharmony.

Those who murder Christians in the name of Islam are killing even greater numbers of Muslims and have, on occasion like in Medina, entered our places of worship to spread fear. It is a reign of terror sponsored, not just by Islamic State, but by the regime in Syria and others with the objective of provoking a reaction that would further divide us all.

Living peacefully together

Those most determined on this path want to spread a level of fear that would undermine the prospect of people of different faiths living peacefully together. Eminent Muslim scholars make this point and while their voices aren’t given enough attention they must continue to challenge the stereotype.

As Muslim refugees we must be prepared to stand behind the Europe that’s welcoming us. This isn’t about a silent majority. All of us getting this second chance must be vocal and active. I already owe France. It’s my responsibility to support and defend it in whatever way I can. I will do so as a Muslim who, as a child, was taught that Muhammad believed in Jesus and in the moral law.

Mustafa is a pseudonym adopted to protect the identity of the author, who is a refugee from Syria. He was in conversation with Fintan Drury