I had not really wanted to make any further public statements for the remainder of this year. I am expecting to do an important interview that we pray will reach our public, our African-American Muslim people on whom we depend primarily for our progress, and also we pray it will reach the American public and the many in the world who are paying attention to our statements and commentary.
I am understanding more and more how important our commentary is. Imam W. Deen Mohammed positioned us to influence America with our Islamic behavioral excellence. Not only behavior in terms of our special Muslim observances and ritual. I am speaking of the Muslim conscience that governs the Muslim behavior. We are not the typical Americans, or African-Americans. Al-Islam is our distinction, and it influences how we think and how we approach our circumstances in America and the world. We want, and Imam W. Deen Mohammed situated us to want, to influence America's lifestyles by our display of Islamic excellence. People benefit from each other's best expressions of their humanity.
I pay close attention to world events. I am a citizen in this world, and this is the sensitivity given to us in this religion we have. Our Prophet Muhammed is referred to as the universal messenger meaning that his life and demonstration of human life is applicable for all human beings in all human cultures and societies. His life is more substantial than an American, or Saudi, or Chinese or Indian life demonstration. His life informs those other distinctions so as to strengthen them, make them the very best they can be, without disturbing or taking away from their natural or national sense of dignity.
As a world citizen, I take seriously what happens in my nation -America, and all other nations on this earth. I would like those who read this to understand that I am no shameless, immoral, self-promoter. My religion prohibits in me any line of feeling or thinking that would support such. I think most people would see this, but perhaps some cannot. Nevertheless, I must say that I am a leader from my people because they neglected to adhere to their best life. I would not be leader if the leaders of my people, the religious and ethnic Community I belong to -the Muslim-African-Americans, had not shown a public neglect and abandonment of our best life and traditions. There would have been no need for me if this had not been the case.
If we were stubbornly adhering to the determinations of our foreparents and the sacrifices they made that we would have Muslim life and a respected human life and citizenship in America, then a leader with my message would not be necessary. I am leader because my People have required one to remind them of what is in them and what they were prepared for.
This awareness had made me sensitive to similar kinds of problems in other groups, and in particular Muslims in other places on the earth, and the state of affairs for the image of Islam. It would not be possible for the government of India to impose, or even attempt to impose, a restriction on immigration applied exclusively to Muslims if the value of Islamic life excellence was registered properly in this world. The problem for the public disrespect of Islam is not owing to Islam, itself. It is owing mostly to the devaluing of Islamic behavioral excellence in Muslims.
I am not speaking of our Muslim attention to the schedule of daily and annual practices and rituals. I am speaking of the intelligent disciplines that reflect in our thinking and behaviors. No doubt, India's new immigration law is a disrespect to the history of Islamic excellence in India, and an affront to the nearly 200 million Muslims in India. To be fair, it is also a commentary on the choices of Muslims, generally, everywhere in the world. It is not to say that there are not evil designs working to defeat and destabilize Muslim life, and to take advantage of false narratives that have attempted to criminalize Islamic life for almost 1500 years. We know this is truth. However, these false narratives are not the whole story.
Muslims everywhere, just like us in America, have turned our backs on our tradition of human behavioral beauty and excellence. Our religion focuses G'd's attention on human life, what He intends for that life, and what He has established as support for the development of our intelligence and emotional nature that guarantees human success. The edifice, the structure, of the human person is what is in Islamic focus as taught in our Holy Book, the Qur'an, and as demonstrated in our Prophet, Muhammed, the prayers and the peace be on him.
Muhammed invited humanity to the prescription of excellence in everything, every human endeavor, as G'd's Divine mandate on man. Not that man is Divine by any measure, but that his created humanity is molded for excellence. If Muslims are promoting this and living for this, and devoting their mortal existence to this in every expression of human aspiration and need, then no government on this earth would want to restrict Muslim immigration. There is shame on India today. And there is a bigger shame on Muslims.
We seek Allah's Assistance and His Forgiveness. We seek Him for refuge from the evil of this world. We pray to Allah for better understanding, cleaner hearts, and improved behavior.