How Can Muslim Attorneys Best Contribute to the Muslim Community?

Please excuse the camera angle, but I wanted to capture this.

On October 23, 2019, I was invited by Emory Law School and Georgia State College of Law to be member of a panel of Muslim lawyers to speak about several aspects of being an attorney.

This is a segment in response to a question that was asked:

How Can Muslim Attorneys Best Contribute to the Muslim Community?

This is a segment in response to that question.

Hold on a second. Yes, we have a lot of rough edges, and if I don't stick up for them, who is? If I am not their brother who prays next to them at the masjid that's going to feel for them, who is?

My advice, to myself firstly and to all of you, is we have to be more patient with one another and continually support one another.

I just had a post I saw this morning. Hassan Shibly, the Executive Director of CAIR Florida said, "Why are there so many fundraisers going on on GoFundMe and all these other crowdfunding platforms when LaunchGood is our own Islamic crowdfunding platform?

And this other brother who I have a lot of respect for, he's actually an Imam of a masjid, is like, "They charge too much. They charge like 5 percent more than GoFundMe."

I'm like, "But we're investing in ourselves. Think long-term." Okay?

Yes, go to Walmart. You will find bananas at 49 cents a pound. When you go to your local grocery store that is run by your mom and pop store, small store, you will find them maybe 79 cents a pound.

Is it more expensive? True.

But are you willing to sacrifice those few pennies more so that long-term, that mom and pop store can grow and they can support the same things you support, because they have the same values you have, so that they can feel for our Muslim brothers and sisters overseas like you do.

Is the few pennies too much?

That's the kind of thing that I continually try to focus on, because I know I'm hyper critical of my own Muslim brothers and sisters.

The last thing I'll say is, anybody here watch UFC? Okay. Khabib, right? Khabib is the champion, right? Khabib, when he fought Conor McGregor, beat the hell out of him. I was so happy. But then he jumped over the fence and wanted to start beating up the cornerman. Okay?

And I remember feeling, I'm never going to support Khabib ever again, even though he's the Muslim icon when it comes to fighting. Right? And I was like, "Why am I being so hypercritical of him? Why am I being so hypercritical of other Muslims?"

There is no perfect Muslim.

You know what I'm saying? Living, I should say. All right? There is no living perfect Muslim. We're super, super critical. I talk about myself. I'm super critical of other Muslims, and then I have to bring myself down to reality.

Who are you to to judge others as imperfect when you yourself are nowhere near perfection?

I just remind myself, be more patient.

The Awad Law Firm, P.C.

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