Muslims from Paris celebrate the Prophet

It has become a sort of tradition in this pretty town of the Val d’Oise province. For each great religious feast of Islam, French Muslims from all origins, from Africa and North Africa, intellectuals, religious dignitaries, the young generation and the elderly, from different political spectrum and all walks of life, came to Maryam Rajavi’s home in Auvers-sur-Oise.

The president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran welcomed them to celebrate together theses joyful days. These are occasions for reflection, sharing ideas and festivities. And every year it is becoming more and more successful.

So Muslims gathered again in the rue des Gords in order to celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. This assembly tried once more, to promote the message of tolerance and democracy of Islam.

However, as underlined by Ghaleb Ben Sheikh, chairman of the World Conference of religions for peace, all appreciated this atmosphere inherent to the Iranian resistance, which is to gather people in friendship and respect of their diversity.

This year, NCRI was pleased to welcome in addition of Ghaleb Ben Sheikh, Mrs Anisseh Boumedienne, islamologue and writer, Khalil Merroun, rector of Evry’s Mosque, Tofigh Sebti, chairman of the regional Council of the Muslim Cult of the West of Ile de France region, Ayecha Njoya, Queen of Bamoon Kingdom in cameroun, Faouzieh Abazaid, Syrian human rights activist and islamologue, Ayatollah Jalal Ganje’i, chairman of the Religions and freedom of cult committee of the NCRI, The Avicenne Society of Pontoise and its Chairman Haj Saïd, representatives of the As-Salam Mosque of Argenteuil, as well as the Muslim federation of Cergy (FMC), and El Haj Monayajo Mohamed who represents El Haj Moussa Tourré, chairman of FAYAKA.

Mrs Rajavi focused her speech on the personality and message of the Prophet Muhammad. Here is the text of her speech.

A messenger has been chosen among you, and came to you, aware of the heavy responsibilities you bear. He is full of solicitude for you, full of compassion and mercy for the believers. (Soureh Al Tobeh, verse 128)

My dear sisters and brothers,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,

On the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday, the messenger of mercy and tolerance, I send my very best wishes to all Muslims in France and around the world.

Muhammad’s Birthday is a day of great joy for the history of humanity. His dear mother said “on the night Muhammad was born, I saw in the sky as if it was raining stars. Truly the world has received light from him. But why did he come to life? God summarises his role in a word: for mercy”.

What is Muhammad’s message? What was his personality? The answer is found in the Koran.

-The one who announces the Good News, a messenger.
-A luminous beacon for a life of dignity, solidarity, friendship, tolerance and love.
-Good and compassionate.
-A high culture opposed to oppression, who called for equality between women and men, who called for the respect of women and girls, the way he himself paid respect to his own daughter, Fatima.

-The one who gives priority to human and divine values and who spreads them.
-The one who does not want power.
-The one who teaches and saves.

When he called people to convert, the secret of his success lay in his goodness, his modesty and his love for others. His speeches always invite goodness and an avoidance of evil.

In Medina for his first speech, he invited the people to forgive each other. In his second speech, he said: “Be fair and love each other because God loves you”.

Before the end of the year, he published a social charter for Muslims. A charter which recognised equal rights for all and which committed all Muslims to respect Jews and Christians’ rights and their freedom of religion.

During the first years of his Prophecy, his enemies and the uninformed hurt him a great deal. Many times they throw stones at him; many times they slandered him, expelled him and accused him of many things.

Faced with such difficulty, Muhammad acted nobly with his enemies. When he conquered Mecca, he did not enter the City as a conqueror, because he was the prophet of God. He amnestied all the inhabitants of Mecca and his enemies, cancelled all debts for the poor, forbid revenge and announced equality for all.

Dear friends,

As we celebrate joyfully the Prophet Muhammad’s birth, we cannot hide our suffering in front of the great oppression made to him and his message of liberation. Because of their hegemonic ambitions, fundamentalists gave an opposite image of Islam. They assigned their savagery and crimes to the Prophet. They attributed their fanaticism, suppression, discrimination and misogyny to Islam.

In Iran, the mullahs execute pregnant women, massacre prisoners, lash young people. They gouge out eyes, cut hands and stone people to death, calling theses crimes Islam.

In Iraq they behead, kill dozens of innocent people on a daily basis by terrorist bombings, they say they commit theses crimes in the name of Islam.

Today, mullahs in Iran say their death squads’ crimes and terror are a war between Shiites and Sunnis. While in Iraq, Shiites and Sunnis have lived together in peace and friendship for a thousand years.

But today, this hand that sends money and weapons to kill Sunnis is the same hand killing Shiites and blasting their holy mosques, even if the mullahs’ supreme leader falsely called for the unity of Islam and strengthening of fraternity among Muslims at the beginning of the Iranian New Year.

But we say that this is not Islam. It’s hostility against Islam. Mullahs in Tehran and the fundamentalists they support are the worst enemy of Islam.

This is not Islam, because it has nothing to do with Muhammad’s mercy and tolerance. All that is against goodness and the mercy of God has nothing to do with Islam. Isn’t it that all suras of the Koran, but one starts with “in the Name of God the merciful, the compassionate”? So those calling for vengeance, hatred and savagery, what do they have to do with Islam?

The religion of liberation the Prophet Muhammad brought to humanity has not come to enchain, but to break chains.

-It has not come to make life harder but to make it easier.
-It rejects obligation and constraint in religion.
-It calls to follow the best words we hear.
-This religion does not make praying and fast a tool of suppression, but of evolution and unity.
-It did not come to suppress women and deprive them of their rights and freedom. On the contrary, it is the source of equality and emancipation for women.
-It did not come to sow discord, but to strengthen solidarity and friendship among –hearts, as the Kuran says.
-It did not come to develop fanaticism and dogmatism, for it considers diversity a mercy.

Yes, it came for leniency, balance and tolerance. Tolerance towards believers of other religions and fellow human beings and peaceful co-existence among human beings: men or women, of whatever origin, belief or religion.

Non-Muslims confirm that no other message in the world gives more importance to tolerance than Prophet Muhammad’s message. He said: “whoever oppresses believers of other faith, I will be his judge on the last day.”

Here is the true face of Islam and its genuine message.

The People’s Mojahedin who advocate a democratic Islam, are on the terror list and appeasement with the mullahs in Tehran is on the political agenda.

But we say, even if the mullahs in Tehran receive the assistance of all the powers, they will not be able to hide the truth of Muhammad’s message and it is his message of mercy, peace and tolerance that will win.