This Khutbah was delivered by Khalid Latif at the Islamic Center at New York University on January 14th, 2011.
Nonviolence is a philosophy and strategy for social change that rejects the use of violence. In modern times, nonviolence is a powerful tool for social protest. Today, many think of Islam as being inherently violent. Yet it is clear that values of Ihsan (excellence), Adl (justice), Sabr (patience), Rahma (mercy) and a deep respect for human life are a part of Islamic tradition and the idea that a violent means is justified by reaching a desired ends is not.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy teach us that nonviolence is a viable option in creating social change. He said "Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."
Similarly the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, advocated for mercy, compassion and understanding. The 13 years that he spends in Mecca are spent encouraging nonviolence as a means by which to deal with the oppression he faced at the hands of the Meccans. An often quoted hadith of the prophet says "The Merciful One is merciful to those who are merciful. Be merciful on the Earth, the One who is in the Heavens will be merciful to you."
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Speakers Bio: Imam Khalid Latif was appointed the first Muslim chaplain at NYU in 2005 where he began to initiate his vision for a pluralistic future on and off campus for American Muslims. He was also appointed the first Muslim chaplain at Princeton University in 2006. Spending a year commuting between these two excellent institutions, he finally decided to commit full-time to New York University's Islamic Center where his position was officially institutionalized in the spring of 2007. Under his leadership, the Islamic Center at NYU became the first ever established Muslim student center at an institution of higher education in the United States. Imam Latif's exceptional dedication and ability to cross interfaith and cultural lines on a daily basis brought him recognition throughout the city, so much so that in 2007 Mayor Michael Bloomberg nominated Imam Latif to become the youngest chaplain in history of the New York City Police Department at the age of 24.
Imam Latif has not only managed to solidify the basis of a strong Muslim community at NYU that seeks to emphasize inclusiveness and understanding of others without compromise, but has also worked tirelessly to foster dialogue with people of other faiths in order to clarify misconceptions and encourage mutual education. Through his work Imam Latif has demonstrated not only an exceptional dedication to gaining and disseminating religious knowledge and values, but has begun to carve out a much-needed space for young American Muslims to celebrate their unique identity and have their voices heard in the larger public sphere. He is a sought after speaker, having lectured throughout the United States and in various parts of the world and has been quoted, featured and appeared in numerous media outlets including BBC, NPR, CNN, the NY Times, New York Magazine, The Colbert Report, Newsweek,Time Magazine, BET and GEO TV. Amongst many awards and distinctions for leadership and community service over the last few years, Imam Latif has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by Georgetown University's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talaal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre for the last two years (2009 & 2010).
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Subhan Allah, may Allah bless Khalid Latif for that Khutba and spreading this message as we celebrate MLK's b'day.
SportzChamp45 1 year ago