Muslims Must Unite, Avoid Split, Says Islamic Book Author

KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 (Bernama) -- Muslims must unite and avoid action that can cause split, especially in facing the threats posed by the enemy of Islam, distinguished Islamic author Jerry D. Gray said. Gray, who converted to Islam 28 years ago, said Muslims should have known by now that Israel, despite being a very small country, had caused endless sufferings for the Muslim masses. "The problem is that the Muslims have yet to be united. We must unite and follow the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the caliphs. There should be one leader for all Muslims across the world. "(Unfortunately) we don't have that. Muslims are still segregated in many ways, we are not together," he told Bernama after attending a knowledge programme with Bernama staff here Friday. Gray, 52, who can speak fluently in the Indonesian language, is a former United States Air Force officer and CNBC reporter and has authored several books including the 'Deadly Mist', 'Rasulullah is My Doctor', 'American Shadow Government' and 'Art of Deception'. The father of a 12-year-old son said Muslims should also be prepared to fight the Zionis regime that would continue with the plots to destroy Islam. He said the crisis in the the Middle East proved that Israel aimed at taking control of other countries in West Asia and using the United States as their weapon. "Israel has been using the United States as weapon to weaken the countries like Tunisia, Iraq, Egypt and Syria and now, they have all the intention to advance to other Islamic countries in the Southeast Asia," he explained. When asked about his conversion to Islam, Gray, who is also married to an Indonesian woman, said he converted to Islam while he was serving the United States Air Force in Saudi Arabia. He said the Arabians devotion to Allah, to the extent of leaving other activities when the call to prayers was heard, had lured him to learn more about Islam and eventually become a Muslim. -- BERNAMA