A lot of people are having a "Muhammad" problem these days.

Arshul Muhammad

A lot of people are having a "Muhammad" problem these days.

It's nothing new!
People have been attacking Muhammad (PBUH) for 1400 years; some because of their religious beliefs and others because of their political convictions. In mediveal times, he was attacked by authors like Dante and Martin Luther, and more recently we have all read about the cartoon controversies.

When people call him a terrorist or the anti-christ, they are seen as exercising their "‪#‎FreeSpeech‬" rights rather than as being purveyors of hate speech. What's clear is that such people have this "Muhammad" problem and thus, an Islam problem.

In the last few years, there have been many images and depictions of Muhammad (PBUH), and many of them have been violent, grotesque, and unflattering. These images can be jarring. No religious teacher or Prophet of any other religious tradition is represented so consistently negatively.

But what these "free speech" people have forgotten, is that the geopolitical reality of our world dominates the international news, and this has resulted in a hitherto unseen interest in Islam among many people. In the US alone, some six million Americans have adopted the Islamic faith by choice.

Muhammad (PBUH) stands at the center of Islamic faith, and there is no way of being familiar with Islam without taking a long, hard, and close look at this figure who is so beloved by Muslims and yet often vilified by certain non-Muslims.

I, invite you to engage with us Muslims in a positive and compassionate dialogue, without resorting to insults as a starting point of communication. This is your chance to learn about Muhammad (PBUH). It will cost you nothing, but it may change you life forever.

You should know this man! ‪#‎DontHateDebate‬