Sister Sabrina Shah of Grade 9 (handed in before the March Break or Spring Break)
Al Askariya Mosque (Shrine) is the 1,200 year old Shrine to all Muslims regardless of madhabs or Nationality or ethnic backgrounds. The attack on this Shrine is as evil as the attack on any Holy Shrine of any religion for that matter that professes the oneness of Allah. While this act occurred last month, it is still fresh in our minds because it is the first time in contemporary History that our Holy Shrine has been attacked this way in such a coward way. It is true that Shrines have been attacked in the past as Imam Rida's(Reza-AS) Shrine in Mashhad, attacked by Genghis Khan, from whom we studied in our Global History and Geography Grade 9 class, when he moved his huge army from the far East to the area of Asia Minor (present day Turkey), such an attack, we cannot forget, so why would we even forget this attack today?!
As-Salaamu Alaikum. As you may already know, from the twelve highly respected Imams, Imam Ali Al Hadi(AS) and his son, Imam Hassan AL-Askari (AS) are entombed under the elegant Golden Dome located in Samarra, Iraq. On Wednesday the 22nd of February that was no longer the case. The cruel minds of the terrorists had devised an attack that left us speechless and in great shock.
The Jokes, the misunderstandings, and the painful criticisms have caused great hardships on us for years but we never missed our prayers to listen to that. Our daily duties which were based on religion continued undisturbed without repent,...for those honest Muslims who are not ashamed of their religion, they undoubtedly gained recognition from ALLAH. Yet, enemies of Islam are still searching for a scheme. It is clear to see that we have awakened with a strong hold and defense in our case. Yet, one believes that this is the time Allah wants us to go beyond our anger and act appropriately, without letting our uncontrolled emotions take the best of us. There have been inumerble slayings and threats from so-called "Muslims" and their foreign helpers,who lack morality. There are many Muslims who realize this and are protesting. They have gained the attention and thoughts of others, without lives being lost.
It still seems that when the Holy Shrine's Dome disintegrated from the explosion, so did the Muslim World and communities. Some Muslims' anger indeed, rage placed blame on innocent people and sects in Islam causing conflicts among us. The main issue of course, as we all know is between Shiites and Sunnis. A prominent misconception on our path is that this attack only targeted the Shiites. A lousy comment like this will only lead to more chaos!!! We need to stop remarks and start finding the truth. One cannot find the truth from killing someone, the problem is that one must question those responsible via an investigation as many of one's fellow Students have done in writing to the General Secretary of the United Nations to begin such an investigation since the U.S. ought to be administering Iraq in a post Saddam Hussein era until the Government of Iraq can fully stand on its own democractically.
Many young Muslims are left confused besides, hurt and are not sure how to react in this type of situation. In one's opinion, one suggests for Muslim unity and for Islam, that we all do as one great Aalim once said, "Dua is the weapon of the believers," and in such a sentence, one suggests Dua Ahad (Dua of Unity of our Imam Mahdi(AS)) to be read regardless of sect,nationality, or any other aspects that may deter us from true unity and service to Allah via service to His representative on earth, Imam Mahdi(AS). We are slowly falling apart, whether you see it or not and God forbid, we lose the religion of our Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww) thus, one encourage others to think about this, just as when one is reading the news on this topic and observing the number of lives (innocent lives) being lost to this act or others of disunity. Just remember, these lives are Muslim lives and they are our brothers and sisters, both Shia and Sunni. So, make the dua of unity and show more compassion for our brothers and sisters so that we may all be on the right path and carry out the true meaning of Islam to the World, not just our communities: a religion that began with Adam(AS) and perfected by the command of Allah (S.W.T.) by our Prophet Muhammad (SAWW). Wasaalamu Alaikum-Waramutalahi-Wabarakatu (Salawat).
