What Would Your Grandfather Say?

Dear cousin,

As relatives that go back thousands of years to our shared grandfather Abraham, let me get straight to the point.

You are all believers of Allah — a good G-d who created all human beings with the purpose of transforming this world with virtue and justice.

You proudly trace your lineage to Ishmael son of Abraham — the one and only Abraham who stood up to an entire pagan world and single-handedly pioneered the path of kindness and love, as documented in the Torah (what you call Tawrat).

So here is my question to you: With atrocities being perpetrated by Muslims in the name of Allah — mass beheadings, rapes and murders of women and children, the killings of thousands of innocent people — why do we not hear any voice of protest from any of you?

Some argue that you silently condone and agree with this behavior. Others say that you may not advocate this viloent approach of creating an Islamic Caliphate and would prefer that it be done peacefully, but you can understand and therefore tolerate your fellow Muslims who do embrace these militant methods.

We prefer to believe that 1.5 billion of you do not approve of these methods. But if that is the case, why are none of you — not individually and not collectively, not your laymen and not your leaders –crying out in outrage?! Why are your Imams silent about this in their weekly Kutbahs (sermons)?

How about your children: What are they being told about these brutal methods?

And finally, the biggest question of all: Did you ever think what your grandfather and ancestor — the founder of your faith — would say about this behavior?

When Abraham became aware of G-ds plan to destroy the infidel cities of Sodom and Gemorrah, what did he do? One would have perhaps thought that Abraham would have celebrated the annihilation of the non-believers, the apostates and the sinners. But no! We are told — and you can read it in your very own Quran — that Abraham prayed for them, beseeching G-d to spare the city in merit of the righteous people that may live there!

So please explain: How is it possible that instead of following Abraham’s path of compassion, instead of praying for (people you consider to be) infidels, you are murdering them in cold blood?!

How can anyone claiming to be Abraham’s child — the very Abraham who introduced love and kindness to the world; the very same Abraham who prayed for an infidel nation — behead another human being?!

The basis of Islam, built upon the Torah, states that every human being is created in the Divine Image. How then can someone claiming to be a believer gruesomely murder the… Divine Image, while crying out Allahu Akhbar, God is the greatest?!…

Is this what Abraham sacrificed his life for, so that his grandchildren would in his name and in the name of G-d terrorize the world?!

How would your grandfather Abraham react to your actions??…

By Rabbi Simon Jacobson
meaningfullife.com

Rabbi Simon Jacobson is the author of the best-selling book Toward a Meaningful Life, a William Morrow publication that has sold over 300,000 copies to date and has been translated into Hebrew, French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, German, Hungarian, Czech and Croatian.

Rabbi Jacobson heads The Meaningful Life Center (www.meaningfullife.com), which bridges the secular and the spiritual, through a wide variety of live and on-line programming. The Center, which has now found its home in Downtown Manhattan, presents to people of all backgrounds, the universal teachings of Torah as a blueprint for life. MLC, called a "Spiritual Starbucks" by the NY Times, is in the process of creating a warm, soulful environment, a "third space" where men and women can commune, read, have a coffee and interact, while also offering dynamic, interactive experiences of living spirituality through a variety of ongoing programs, musical and artistic events, lectures, classes and seminars, as well as a wide array of published learning materials, books, audio and video programs. The Center is an outgrowth of Rabbi Jacobson's popular Wednesday night class that has captured the hearts of thousands of participants over the last 25 years with its spiritual message and profound insights into the human condition.