I just enjoy listening to this man talking on his show ‘A call for Tolerance’ (Da3wa lal ta3ayosh) where he doesn’t only show a great knowledge of our Arabic/Islamic History, but also gives us an excellent example of how a good Muslim can be by being a role model himself.

Being a Christian Arab, and I guess like a lot of other non-Muslim Arabs, I had somehow an identity crisis where my whole heritage of culture and history is dominant by a religion that I don’t believe in. Feeling of pride with our history and civilzation achivements have always been incomplete. Arabs have always been associated with Islam. All of our major contributions to mankind were triggered by the birth of the Islamic state and its life span for decades through history.

Yet, I am still an Arab, and my patriotic loyality is to my race regardless of what kind of a belief system has dominated its history.

Unfortunatly, at school, they only taught us the violent side of Islam. While, they haven’t really taught us – as Christians in school – Islam as a religion, there are a lot of Quranic passages and Islamic literature in our Arabic language courses. Most of those passages highlights the battles of the Islamic state and its expansion rather than highlighting its scientific and social achievments. Maybe it was due to our situation of being at a cold war with Israel, and the need of building potential fighters in case a real war occured.

Having said that, I have managed to love Islam as a product of the Arab race, rather than of having Arabs to be defined by Islam. It was part of our evolution as a nation and even as human being at large. No one can deny the major contributions in every aspect of human life during the Islamic era of our nation.

Watching Amer Khaled does take me back in time of pride. He takes us smoothly in a historical journey where he highlights the lives of some major character whom have defined our History the way we know it now.

With a lovely smile, radiant eyes, and a lot of passion, Amer shows us his love to life and his strong knowledge of his religion and history. He brings out, with solid historical examples, the beauty of Islam and its tolerance. Defying the bad image associated with Islam in our minds and the world minds that were caused by ignorance religion leaders who don’t really know how to serve their own God.

Amer khaled is a national treasure. He makes me feel proud of being an Arab, and brings me closer to my history. He represents what we desperatly need to clear our image as a nation, and for Muslims as a religion.