CNS Local Life
Imam Mahmood leading prayers at the mosque

(CNS Local Life): A recent CNS article on the open house held at a mosque, organised by the Islamic Society of the Cayman Islands to introduce Islam to non-Muslim residents and spark interfaith dialogue, has also highlighted continuing rifts here in how the religion practised by 1.8 billion people worldwide is viewed.

Almost one-third of the people commenting on the article offered negative and often misleading and derogatory remarks which, if nothing else, points to the need for more discussions about the different religions represented in Cayman, explained Imam Mahmood Koli, who lives in Peterborough, UK, but was recently on-island for the monthlong observance of Ramadan. “We have much more in common than we do differences, and those are minor. We all believe in one God,” he told CNS.

Muzaffar Soomro, president of the Islamic Society of the Cayman Islands, echoed those sentiments as he called for the formation of an interfaith council here. “We should devote whatever resources we can to fighting misinformation,” he said. “We cannot live in an isolated society. It is best to understand each other and live together in harmony.”

Noting that there has been a Muslim community in Cayman since the 1970’s, Soomro, who has lived here for more than 35 years, recalled that post-Hurricane Ivan in 2004, “there was no religion. People were just helping people.” He added he had both Christian and Jewish neighbours and they would all share the celebration of their holidays and their food throughout the year, and after the hurricane he hooked up his Christian friend to his generator to provide his home with electricity.

More recently, members of the Muslim community visited the residents of The Pines Retirement Home and brought them treats as part of celebrating the holiday of Eid al-Fitr on 5 June, which marks the end of Ramadan.

CNS Local Life
Bilal Ahmed with Pines resident Emily Mae Bodden during the Muslim community’s visit for Eid al-Fitr

Soomro also said he planned to reach out to the Cayman Ministers’ Association (CMA) to discuss the idea of an interfaith council.

Imam Mahmood addressed some of the common misconceptions that came up in the comments to the article. “Islam is not inherently violent; it’s not fair to blame any religion for extremism. When people make up their mind to be violent they will use anything to justify that. They will manipulate and pervert the teachings of their faith,” he said.

The imam also pointed to how passages in the Quran are taken out of context by people who accuse Muslims of being extremists.

As an example, he cited chapter 2, verses 190-195. While the phrase “kill them wherever you find them” is found there, it is important to consider the verses that come before and after, he said. The imam explained that preceding the quoted line, it refers to “those that will kill you” and after it stresses, “if they desist, so do you and if they forgive, so do you”, he said, noting the Quran says: “God does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion… from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them.”

The imam added, “Bigots cherry pick verses. The Quran should be viewed holistically.”

The issue and practice of Sharia law also came under scrutiny in the comments, specifically punishments such as stoning and the chopping off the hand of a thief. The penal code that called for these punishments makes up less than 2% of Sharia law, which derives from the Quran and the teachings of the prophet Muhammed, and was written in the seventh century, the imam said. “You can’t judge history from a 21st century understanding of the world. It was written according to the standards of the time and these punishments are not suitable for the modern world,” he added, pointing to similarly harsh punishments in the Bible.

Muslims now follow the laws enacted by governments, the imam said. “Whatever country we are living in, we abide by the law.”

In general, Sharia “is the way God wants us to live our lives; it is being a Muslim, living a Muslim lifestyle”. Most of Sharia covers behaviour such as praying, marriage and divorce, loving your neighbour, respecting one’s parents and children, following dietary law, conducting business and feeding the poor, Imam Mahmood said.

Another concern was the idea of “temporary marriage” to enable a Muslim man to have an affair, which the imam said is considered a sin and not practised by mainstream followers, who account for 99.5% of all Muslims.

He also dismissed the perception that the Quran calls for ridding the world of non-believers, explaining that chapter 18, verse 29 says “whoever wishes may believe and likewise whoever wishes may disbelieve”. In addition, while marrying outside of their faith is not encouraged and the religious upbringing of children is delegated to the father, if a Muslim woman wants to marry a non-Muslim, “it doesn’t mean she is no longer a Muslim. Our faith encourages her not to but… it is her choice. The Muslim community has no right to excommunicate her or shun her.”

The modern way is to rid society of misogyny, he said, and to leave it to both partners to decide about marrying.

Both the imam and Soomro believe the formation of an interfaith council would help dispel misconceptions about their religion. “It is always good to have a dialogue,” Soomro said.

CNS contacted the CMA about joining an interfaith council but representative Pastor Torrance Bobb declined to comment.