Controversial Imam’s mosque introduces “Mana Islam”.
When talking about religion we non-Muslims talk about conversion and converts but Muslims talk about reverts instead. The reasoning behind this is that they believe that all people are born with a natural faith in Allah. According to Islam, children are born with an innate sense of submission to Allah, which is called the ‘fitrah. Their parents may then raise them in another religion or without a religion but in the end?they will ” revert” to Islam with the proper direction.
”No child is born except upon ‘fitrah?(i.e. as a Muslim). It is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a polytheist.”
Prophet Muhammad
It is no doubt with that belief in mind that a new monthly programme run by ” reverts” (new Muslims) has been announced by Masjid at-Taqwa mosque. The Mosque has as its chairman controversial Imam ‘Shaykh Dr. Mohammad Anwar Sahib.
Sahib is the Imam made famous for his views on women and Jews, and his condemnation of a Muslim woman from his mosque who reported that an individual at their mosque was promoting terrorism. He was stood down permanently from FIANZ when he was exposed by this blog. The videos we analysed were picked up by the MSM and condemned by politicians, the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand the?Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the Human Rights Commission
This month Sahib’s mosque started a programme to target Maori New Zealanders for conversion. Their translation of “Mana Islam” is not what you would expect. When Kiwis talk about Mana we usually mean respect. We talk about someone having Mana.
The Masjid at-Taqwa mosque have translated “Mana” to mean “Strength.” I am not a scholar of Maori but when I lived in the Bay Of Plenty “Kia Kaha” meant “stay strong.”
Given Imam ‘Shaykh Dr. Mohammad Anwar Sahib’s controversial history I cannot help but be concerned at what kinds of views and values these “reverts” will teaching in this Maori themed conversion programme. Listed under the aims and objectives of the Trust that runs the Mosque it states…
To do any and all other things that are lawful and permissible in Islam which will further the aims and objectives of the Trust
There are so many things that are lawful and permissible in Islam that are not lawful or permissible in New Zealand. This statement shows that they will do anything in their power to spread Islam in our country guided not by the laws and values of our culture but by Islamic (Sharia) law.
The very views that Imam ‘Shaykh Dr. Mohammad Anwar Sahib expressed that he was condemned for are the views of Islam. Other Muslims may condemn what he says because they don’t like how it makes Islam look or because they disagree with what he says but that does not change the fact that what he says is what “Islam based on the Qur’aan and the authentic Hadeeth according to the understanding of the Sahaabah and the Salaf” actually states.
