An invitation to a place of more understanding and less fear
A Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta (UUCA) talk about Islam by Rev Dr. M’ellen Kennedy
“…We are being whipped up into fear of Muslims. And when we are afraid…. we’re operating out of just that reptilian part of our brain…. When we are afraid we don’t have access to our higher functionings, our whole self, the power of the knowledge in our hearts, our whole being, resigned to a small place of living. ….People are afraid of what they don’t understand, so my hope today is to share with you a little bit about what I love about Islam, in order to invite you to a place of more understanding and less fear….”
— Rev Dr. M’ellen Kennedy
UUCA Talk on Islam by Rev Dr. M’ellen Kennedy
Notes:
At the 05:30 mark, the Reverend speaker demonstrated a portion of the Islamic prayer. This is the Qur’anic set of verses recited during this segment:
الْفَاتِحَة
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
The short prayer, called The Opening (Al-Fatihah), is the first chapter of the Qur’an, Islam’s holy book. Below is an English translation. Further below is a transliteration, in case you wish to recite the verses in Arabic:
The Opening
In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds,
The Beneficent, the Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgment,
You (alone) we worship; You (alone) we ask for help.
Show us the straight path,
The path of those whom You bestow Your favors; not of those who earn Your displeasure, nor of those who go astray.
Al Fatihah
Bismi Allahi arrahmani arraheem
Alhamdu lillahi rabbi alAAalameen
Arrahmani arraheem
Maliki yawmi addeen
Iyyaka naAAbudu wa-iyyaka nastaAAeen
Ihdina assirata almustaqeem
Sirata allatheena anAAamta AAalayhim ghayri almaghdoobi AAalayhim wala addalleen
I got about halfway through her talk and will watch the rest later. She’s a very dynamic speaker and the way she describes how living in fear shrinks your world into that tiny lizard brain is powerful. I think that’s where we are here in the US these days. If it’s not MAGA-based, it is the non-MAGAs fearful of what’s coming next with them, with their fear-mongering puppetmaster at the helm. Learning about the prayer and what its philosophy is is appreciated.
Thank you, and you are so welcome for the thoughtful comment, Ms. Jade.
🙂
I just finished watching the rest of the video. She is a wise and dynamic speaker. May it be so, indeed. Thank you again for posting it <3
Yes, indeed. She also reminds me of Karen Armstrong, author of the books A History of God, and The Battle for God, both articulate and composed with their thoughts and discourse on comparative religion… you could mistake one for the other in their looks as well 🙂 And yes, you’re welcome!