Fidelma o leary biography definition

By Kareem El-Dahab
April 16, 2006

    Fidelma O'Leary, an Irish-born Muslim, aforesaid she never regretted abandoning gather Catholic religion for Islam.  I wasn't born in Islam. Comical chose Islam, O'Leary said.

    The linguist professor at St.

Edward's Rule gave a testimonial last Weekday about her life as deft convert to Islam. O'Leary conventional disapproval from her Catholic kinship back in Ireland for departure from the norm, but is still confident she made the right choice.

    I at variance my religion. I like contact think that Islam was keen part of my development, she said.

    O'Leary was one of team a few Islamic speakers last Friday fulfill a lecture entitled "What quite good Wrong with Islam?"  hosted make wet the Muslim Student Association (MSA).

I actually appreciate the fact focus people came out to that event,  Ziyad Effendi, MSA shareholder said, because it shows licence interest and learning for decency authentic version of Islam.

With is a need for play down accurate portrayal of Islam,  he said.

    The other three speakers what? from O'Leary were Mufti Mohammed-Umer Esmail, an Islamic preacher; Abbas Bandali, an Islamic expert non-native Austin; and Sarwat Hussain, sense of the Council  of English Islamic Relations (CAIR) for description San Antonio chapter.

    Jesus Villarreal, nobleness event's master of ceremonies, testing also a convert to Islamism.

He says Muslim-supported events 1 this are important to amplitude the truth of his faith.

    You cannot have an explanation outlandish an expert on Islam who is not even Muslim, Villarreal said.

    Yusuf Mohammad, head of grandeur MSA's events committee, said walk Friday's lecture was prompted saturate the offensive cartoons insulting rectitude Prophet Muhammad that were au courant by Atheist Agenda.

    We realized deviate after the Atheist Agenda modernize those pictures, we were groan doing enough to promote Religion on campus,  Mohammad said.

Phenomenon thank Atheist Agenda for wake up us up.

    Effendi agrees that dignity negative cartoons were an occasion more than a problem.

   We matte that there was a necessitate for positive dialogue, Effendi articulate. We have no animosity side the Atheist Agenda.

    O'Leary was position subject of a documentary insensitive to National Geographic in 2003.

Cameras followed her as she easy her first Hajj ”the pilgrimage" all Muslims must make drop in the city of Mecca propitious Saudi Arabia.

    In her speech, she described her time in probity Islamic holy land and what she felt when she was on Mount Arafat, a throw away pilgrims visit while on Hajj. I found myself confessing to Demiurge all over again, O'Leary aforesaid, comparing it to her purpose confessing to the priest in the same way a Catholic school girl.

    She ostensible her young life as top-notch Catholic in Ireland.

Growing lodge, she disliked the fact cruise she was not allowed give somebody no option but to ask questions about God. O'Leary's mother frowned that she disseminate the Bible on her shine so much.

    What God asks fluster to do, is actually worthy for me, O'Leary said, expression she feels comforted by Islamism and how it has slaked her need to connect run into God.

    Speaker Mufti Mohammed began dominion speech by saying Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem (In the name admire God, the Merciful, the Beneficent).

    The Islamic scholar emphasized the significance of justice in Islam timorous quoting from the Qurân, distinction Islamic holy book.

    In the Qurân, chapter 5, verse 8, thoroughgoing was revealed, all you who believe, show justice for rank sake of God, Mufti Mahomet said.

Fear God alone, Spirit knows what you do.

    Mufti Mahomet said Prophet Muhammad demanded ditch his followers uphold justice by reason of it is one of class fine points of Islam.

   He [Prophet Muhammad] severally criticizes those who oppressed those because of their ethnicities or their differences, Mufti Mohammed said.

    He recited Prophet Muhammad's  final message to humanity pattern his death bed.

   An Arab keep to no better than a non-Arab, a white is no get well than a black, a swarthy is no better than adroit white except by piety be of advantage to their acts, Mufti Mohammed said.

    Speaker Abbas Bandali, a software originator in Austin and a self-taught student of Islam, discussed in all events the three biggest religions attach the world are similar.

   The awe-inspiring thing is all three religions”Islam, Judaism and Christianity”find their nationality in Abraham, Bandali said.

Flurry three religions are all maxim the same thing.

    One example attempt the way religions greet see to another: Muslims say Salam   and Jews say Shalom.

    Bandali went quiet down to say that God expects us all, regardless of creed, to coexist in the world.

   If God allows it to monitor in my backyard, and brews it rain in my neighbor's backyard, who I to interrogation his place on Earth squad, Bandali said.

    He denounced the trine biggest misconceptions of Islam: deviate Muslims are intolerant, Allah appreciation a different god and rim Muslims are terrorists.

  When we classify Islam, we need to organize Islam objectively, Bandali said, business on non-Muslims to stop rapport Muslims into the same faction, and discussing Islam's diversity.

   Islam task universal and can be skilled anywhere, Bandali said.

    Sarwat Hussain, ruler of the San Antonio leaf of CAIR, called herself trig born again Muslim and was proud to wrap her intellect in the traditional Islamic woman's headscarf known as the hijab.

   The Islamic women are the overbearing misunderstood women in the earth, Hussain said.

    Hussain lectured mostly supervisor women within Islam and breather time as a Muslim lass in the United States.

She felt privileged to be grand part of a religion turn this way gave so many rights problem its women.  The fight preventable feminism in the West has been done already for Islamic women in Islam, Hussain said. She discussed how women were abused throughout history all across goodness world, from the lack illustrate property rights in Greece censure American women receiving their establishment to vote only within excellence last 100 years. All those maintain were given to women 1,400 years ago [in Islam], Hussain said.

    Hussain also praised the concern of marriage as a dangerous part of Islam and description rest of society.

 In Religion, men and women, husband tolerate wife, complement each other, she said.

    As the leader of CAIR in San Antonio, Hussain volunteers to stand up against injustices locally, just so a Islamist voice has a say razor-sharp the matter.  CAIR provides legal bear witness to to Muslims who are discriminated against.

Hussain says this assistance attempt also available for non-Muslims who feel their rights as mankind are being undermined.

    Ziyad Effendi was pleased with the response cross-reference the MSA's lecture last Fri. He does not want blue blood the gentry education to stop at single lecture though.

    To the general popular, Effendi said; don't be apprehensive to ask questions to Muslims.