BY: AKMAL AZIZ

Never in the history of humankind has the Holy and Beautiful religion of Islam been misinterpreted and misunderstood by the ‘ummah’ or faithful that it has caused tensions and rising Islamophobia worldwide.

Equally to be blamed are non Muslims and, actually, both Muslims and non Muslims are causing true Islam from surfacing as the religion has been demonized by many who have ulterior motives and agendas that are self seeking and self serving.

This is why the more than one billion adherents of Islam and the world at large are both suffering from growing Islamophobia and this needs to be kept in check if world peace and prosperity is to be achieved.

There is a grave distortion of Islam as propagated by Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and all Muslims need to practice the faith in its full counsel and not subscribe to any deviant teachings.

This is why it is important for the rightly trained Muslim scholars to show the way and lead the followers of Islam that it will begin to dispel the darkness of Islamophobia and cause interfaith relations to be healthy and well.

Islam is an ancient religion but there are individuals and organizations that have perverted true Islam and this is the cause of so much discomfort and unhappiness in the world and the black sheep Muslims must be identified and separated for goodwill to prevail.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher