World peace (presentation at THE 38th ANNUAL INTERFAITH FORUM SERIES)

 (As salaamu 'alaikum. Greetings of peace. Below is our presentation at the Annual Interfaith Forum series sponsored by the Interfaith Council Of Southern Nevada. In addition to the text, video and photos of the event are to be found. Many thanks to the Muslim community for its support as well as the SGI Buddhist Center for hosting the event.)

                                            

WORLD PEACE

                                              Can Peace be our future? 

(Presentation at the thirty-eighth annual Interfaith forum series, sponsored by the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada, October 26, 2025 Las Vegas, Nevada.)

In the name of God, The Compassionate, The Ever-Merciful

Our topic can be viewed as theoretical, yet it  can also be seen as the most important topic of this  era, particularly in a Western context, where we have viewed ourselves as  largely immune from the conflicts and turmoil experienced overseas. Recent events in the  contemporary  political climate have placed those sort of assumptions   into question. 

“Peace” as a word, can carry diverse meanings in the minds of people. For most, the popular meaning is the end of war. Yet, wars are fought for both good and bad reasons. The African-American theologian and social reformer Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr (d.1968) has famously written “ True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.” 

Islam has placed great emphasis on justice. Peace is a by-product of not only justice, but a correct mentality. It stands against racism in the strongest terms. It calls for economic justice, the removal of oppression, a healthy and sober society in which  the environment and natural resources are protected, where  minorities are not subjected to exploitation and abuse. It is  when these conditions are addressed, peace will naturally follow. 

The Qur’an says “ And God invites towards the abode of peace, He guides to a straight path whom He wills.” ( Q 10:25). The ultimate “abode of peace” is in the next life. This world will always have some sort of problems, but we do our best to bring forth what is beneficial to mankind. The Qur’an says “Indeed, God orders justice and excellent conduct, giving to those closest to you, He forbids immorality, repugnant acts and wickedness. He gives you admonition, so that perhaps you will take heed.” ( Q 16:90).

The Quranic verse cited last is actually very important on this overarching topic. It presents the foundations for authentic peace, be it within a person, society, or between opposing sides. “Justice” (Al-’Adl) is the proper balancing within all situations, “Excellent conduct” (Al-Ihsaan) denotes beautiful embellishments, of people and places, of the soul and body. The Qur’an says further to “give to those close to you.” This doesn’t mean charity only, it denotes having an attitude of communal benefit,  which captures  the big picture of human needs , not just individualistic or limited interests. Much of the impediments to peace, even the peace of a person’s soul, is linked to lack of true balances, failure to engage in authentic introspection, and the unavailability of a support system. These impediments can be caused not only by individual trauma but also emerge from structural injustice.

These points cannot be ignored if we are serious in seeking peace, be it the peace within an individual or between different groups of humans in our world. There is a global trend today, heavily represented within political discourse, which obscures the realities which we have shared by resorting to scapegoating, xenophobia and calls to irrational behavior. We have to be strong enough and have enough education to resist that trend. There are things all of us can do  for our own selves, which includes activities such as attending sessions of this kind, reading physical books, travel to diverse areas, and of course spiritual efforts and a baseline moral foundation. We have the ability for growth, we say that God has placed the capacity within us. 

We say that if a proper mentality is instilled deep within us, through the examples of effort which was highlighted earlier, peace will come to us as individuals, and if justice is truly the interest for those who yield power, peace on earth is attainable.

Thank you.

Click here for video

The Deep Fake: navigating the oceans of the information age

 Tradition tells us of an incident in which a particular tribe  in Arabia, during the Prophet's lifetime, was reported to have engaged in rebellious activities and even had abandoned Islam. The Prophet  Muhammad, upon whom be peace, is said to have sent individuals there to investigate this claim, and, having heard the Adhaan (prayer call) emanating from their location, became satisfied  that the report of their rebellion was actually false. 

Throughout history, both ancient and contemporary, conflicts have been started or at least continued through the dissemination of reports, images and ideas that are without foundation. Perceptions are formed,  beliefs are entrenched, followed up by actions that are destructive at one level or another.  While the dangers of this are well known to politicians and indeed to students of political science, this also has implications on areas of faith! 

                                                                            

The Deep Fake

The term Deep Fake references photographic, video and other technological tools that can, over the course of time, trial and error, create images that are convincing. All indicators of the false nature of the image are carefully removed. Thus, the viewer believes the fake video is real.  In the religious realm, an example of A Deep Fake creation is that of the notion called The Islamic Dilemma. The notion, widely spread in times of late by Christian apologists online, asserts that the Qur'an states positive attributes regarding  the Bible, yet since the Bible and Qur'an have areas of contradiction, the Qur'an must be false, regardless or not  if the Bible is itself  truly the victim of incorrect attributions (ft.1).

This notion is easily refuted and has been explained  countless times now by many Muslim figures (ft.2), yet it continues to be used in polemics. It is my belief that even the majority of those who use this line of argument know that they are actually being dishonest, yet they will make these claims with the hope of stunting the growth of Islam. 

Religion is admittedly a sensitive subject, open to interpretation that can reflect genuine belief (as opposed to deliberate distortion of facts), however I find it very distasteful that people lie about religion. When speaking on religions other than my own, I strive to represent their views correctly (even if I am refuting those views) and have taken the time to study those claims. Thus, I won't really speak on religions about which I am ignorant. Unfortunately, there are others who won't adhere to that principle. 

Easy methods of navigating religious deep fakes

The most important method is by obtaining a physical copy of the primary scripture of that religion, preferably enhanced with a translation and commentary by recognized authorities of that faith. A physical book is emphasized because online versions can be subjected to more distortion. Physical texts also are superior in terms of actual cognitive understanding of what is being read. Interact with scholars or preachers  of that faith, those who would be able to answer your questions.  

Christian apologists these days have been advocating that Christians NOT read the English translations of the Qur'an, claiming that Muslim translators are deliberately attempting to make the Qur'an look nice. Rather, they encourage their folks  to read Qur'an translations as penned by themselves. I have read atleast two English translations of the Qur'an by Christian opponents and saw the outright false explanations and translations. 

Deep Fakes with political implications

In recent weeks, I have begun to pay closer attention to the rise of AI (Artificial intelligence), to produce videos and compositions using high-level English. It has been to the point that I have to repeatedly look at a video to determine if the depiction was real or actually generated by AI technology. 

In addition to AI generated content, authentic images and videos are distributed widely, but devoid of the context, generating a false image. Take for example the recent video of a reported wedding of Fatemah, daughter of Iranian government advisor Ali Shamkhani. Her wedding dress has more of a Western style, even a bit revealing. Her father is with her, arm-in-arm. This has been widely seen as hypocrisy, in light of the Iranian government presenting itself  as a defender of Islamic morality and dress code. 

Yet, the context is that other than himself and the groom, no other (strange) men were present. All the other attendees were women. The Islamic codes are sensible guidelines. In public there is a dress code, particularly when interacting with the opposite sex, but in private, with one's family, a woman is free to have more relaxed dress. Thus, an occasion in which her father and her husband are the only males present makes it perfectly acceptable to dress in such a fashion.(ft.3)

The political deep fakes are more difficult to detect because there are high stakes involved, usually state actors who wish to stir up dissent to achieve particular ends and will thus use governmental resources to make the picture more murky.   Books can also present false information, and, as we know, history itself  is usually written by the victors. 

Thus, navigating political deep fakes really means paying attention, having as much education and life experiences as possible. Travel outside one's comfort zones when possible. Talk with people. Get real life accounts. 

Let us be a people blessed with the abilities to navigate properly the era of deep fakes.

Footnotes

(1) The issue of the Quranic treatment of the Bible is addressed in our article A deep dive into false ideas regarding Islam: with a focus on the Abrahamic ties. Click here for the article

(2) We have briefly addressed the so called Islamic dilemma in the video "The Islamic dilemma: fact or fiction" Click here for videoi

(3) The entire controversy, seemingly started by Israeli media sources, shows how Muslims are depicted as rigid and unreasonable, unable to live normal lives. Islam has no problem with its followers having normal lives. We can be happy (and sad) just as others are. The assumption that is presented is that any who goes against rigid behavior is in fact disassociating themselves from Islamic values, yet the truth of the matter is that Islamic guidelines were NOT violated by the bridal dress when in a function in which her family (husband and father, the only men)  was present. It is actually ironic that Iran is displayed as rigid when in reality their dress codes are actually very relaxed.