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2006-10-01 15:18:00

From the inside...

ANSWER: Yes. I would like to comment on two things in particular. First, the tragic loss of one of our religious writers we have had since June of 2002, Dr. Nabil Seyam. Dr. Seyam was the director of the Board of Administration of the Islamic Society of Wichita and Co-Founder of the Annoor Islamic School. He was the recipient of the Leader of the Year in 2002 in Wichita and most recently was the recipient of the Community Servant Award by the University United Methodist Church in 2003. Dr. Seyam was selected for the Community Servant Award because of his active role in peace-building and multiculturalism throughout Kansas. He was an adjunct instructor for Pittsburg State University and Wichita State University. He was married and had six children. Dr. Seyam was killed in an accident on Friday, October 13th, 2006, as he was returning to Wichita from a religious service in Norman, Oklahoma. Over the years he answered questions for us nearly every month, along with our other religious writers. His contributions in this area often gave a unique perspective from the Islamic point of view. In addition to his writings, he provided input for our publication as it began to 'crawl' and then stand up and 'walk'. He was dedicated and focused in his work. He will be missed by many. Our writers are not paid. They do it for the love of providing information and education to our readers. The only thing they receive is a very infrequent 'thank you'. While I thanked him, as I try to do all of our writers, each month, I would like to thank him again. Thank you Nabil, for all you did for us, our readers, and all of the others you influenced throughout your life. Secondly, I would like to comment (or gush) on an email I received the other day from a former associate. He had sent it to me and several other former and current associates throughout the country. Maybe one of the best things about our country is how people can remain friends and associates, yet still have different beliefs. Or, at least they used to be able to do so. I trust after my comments, we will be able to as well. Here was his email: "This is regarding the latest bill passed for Bush. This is very sad." There was a link in his email to a transcript from a story recently broadcast by Keith Olbermann of MSNBC. The link was When the link is clicked, you see a synopsis of the story, and then the story in its entirety. “Keith Olbermann has been calling it like it is”, the synopsis stated. “His ‘Special Comments’ are indeed special because no other talking head outside of Cafferty is willing to step up to the plate and say what needs to be said on 24/7. ‘Your words are lies, Sir. They are lies, that imperil us all.’” Mr. Olbermann’s story...or should I say butchering of President Bush...was about the President’s signing of the Military Commissions Act and the supposed loss of Habeas Corpus. As I read the story, I was overwhelmed by many thoughts and feelings. Since it happened about the time this publication was going to press, and I could make room, I decided to share them. The first thought was how disrespectful and unkind we, as a society, have become to our neighbor, to anyone in any kind of a position of authority, and to anyone with an opposing view. There isn’t much ‘common decency’ anymore. We may have read a few of these kinds of stories 30, 40 or 50 years ago, but now we have our pick of dozens each day. Next I thought about World War II and all that I read and learned in school and since about it and the people who lived it. I wasn't born until 1950, so what I read and learned is all that I have. But I do remember how most every citizen got involved and united behind our government to stop extremists in a handful of countries from taking over the world. Men and women did not have to be coerced or threatened to fight, or to lend their bodies and blood to support the war effort. Dissension was minimal. There were a host of remedies that had to be taken to keep us safe and successful in our efforts. Some of these remedies limited our rights for a period of time; some limited our liberties; and some limited things we had been enjoying (i.e. gasoline, tires, sugar, etc.). But it was war. People understood. It was America’s way...to unite behind a common cause. I have spent most of my life around those who lived that period of time. I have yet to find one who has ever said anything but that they were proud and willing to do their part to win the war and stop the aggression that would have taken over the world. Maybe the attitudes of today are the result of many people not believing the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and against terrorism are real. Maybe, because so many are so far removed, serving their own selfish agendas, they think these conflicts and efforts are some kind of a police action instead of war. I thought, “Ask the men and women who are fighting them? Ask their families. Ask the families of those who have died and who have been wounded.” I then thought about these agendas and how often they are ruled by the 7 deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth; and fed by the never-ending pursuit of materialism. I had recently done some research on ‘The Fall of The Roman Empire in 476 A.D.’ I thought how many of the things we see and experience today happened then as well. There is a site that describes it in great detail at http://killeenroos.com/1/Romefall.htm. Like then, moral decay in our society is rampant. There are sorts of agendas. There is little thought about God and His plan for all of us. When someone does try to think about God, someone else is generally trying to remove the thought, or any reference to God. “Wow”, I said to myself as I was reading and re-reading his story, “What have we become?” I thought about the email, postal mail and phone calls I will receive from those who will criticize me for mentioning God in this article. I always get them when I do. That is a ‘no no’ in most situations. “Not for me”, I thought. I will take their ‘spears’. No matter what I'm hit with, I pray that God will be part of my life through my last breath. My beliefs are solid. Theirs may not be. If that is the case, they might want to consider what the French novelist and playwright, Albert Camus, said. “I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't, and die to find out there is." I thought about how I wished I could say I have not committed any of the 7 deadly sins throughout my life. Then I thought, “If only I could say I don’t commit them any longer.” I couldn’t say either. In fact, I have no doubt I have been among the biggest sinners God ever created. Not only have I committed these sins, but I have committed lots of others as well. I thought about how, when I was a child, I used to get spankings - quite frequently, in fact. Dad never spanked. It was always Mom. That was in the days when a parent could spank a child without fear of retribution from a dozen different sources, including the child himself. God knows I needed those spankings, and I am now grateful to my mother for giving them to me. I remember asking Mom after one such spanking, when she was reaffirming her love for me, "Sometimes I don't know whether I am doing something wrong or not. How do I know?" I will never forget what she told me. She said, "Imagine you are getting ready to do, think, or say something. Imagine me to be a little person sitting on your shoulder seeing and hearing everything. If you would still do it, think it, or say it, knowing that I am seeing and hearing everything, it is right. If you wouldn't do it, think it, or say it, knowing I am seeing and hearing everything, it is wrong." It still works today, even though I do a lot of things wrong. I thought how great it would be if all of us, in all walks of life, would use this practice and method of determining what is right and wrong? It doesn’t necessarily prevent a wrongdoing, but it does, without a doubt, let the wrongdoer know when he or she is getting ready to do something wrong. Yes, it is true that I lean to the ‘right’ more than I do the ‘left’, but more importantly...I lean to having respect for each other...our elected officials...and our country. There are a lot of things I don’t like about the ‘right’ either. I do not buy in to Bill O'Reilly of FOX News, when he says, "The spin stops here", when all he does is provide his own spin. His broadcasts are not fair and balanced. They serve his agenda and the agenda of the 'right', just as the 'left' and the liberals serve theirs. I then thought, “If I am going to climb on a soapbox, I also want to be sure and say that I strongly disagree with the style of interviewing that has become so prominent on so many news programs today. A question is asked and before the interviewee has a chance to answer completely, the interviewer talks over them or interrupts them. Bill O’Reilly may be the biggest infractor. Everyone ends up yelling at each other. Isn't a journalist supposed to report both sides of an issue with equal enthusiasm? If one is not going to listen to what a guest has to say, why invite them? If there isn’t enough time to get in all of the segments, cut down the number. These ‘spins’ and ‘agendas’ are not all wrong, nor are they all right. But how do you know?” I thought about how many times I have been accused of making things too simple. Nonetheless, if I have the opportunity to vote for a candidate for any office; watch a news program; listen to anyone talk about anything; or support anyone for any cause, who has the slogan of, “It’s not that hard to do what is right”...I will vote, watch, listen and/or support with more enthusiasm than you can imagine. I don’t have all of the answers, nor does any one person, but I know I want to get back to the days of getting goose bumps when I watch a ‘fly over’ as the national anthem is being sung at a sport’s contest. I doubt my associate had any idea of the number of thoughts and comments his email would cause me to have.