Living Tradition

How American Conservatives think

2007-07-18T06:07:00.000-04:00

For the past five years, and even before that, Muslims and Islam have been the target of a sustained campaign of hate and bigotry. The crude,unsophisticated attacks are easy to ignore.What is more dangerous is the insidious campaign being carried out by thinkers on the Right.Cloaked in a garb of intellectualism, these activists are basically peddling the same message as their more outrageous colleagues. It is therefore important that we be aware of their strategies and ultimate game plan.

I am providing a link to a disturbing article that lays bare the ideology that drives and motivates these individuals.It is long but definitely worth reading.Let us never forget that we ignore the threat posed by these individuals at our own peril.

news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2766040.ece

More hate and bigotry from those 'freedom loving' Danes

2007-06-26T10:13:00.000-04:00

Remember the cartoon controversy? And the many breathless denunciations of Muslims who took umbrage? The calls for protection of the concept of Freedom of expression(never mind if it was selectively applied).Well these rabid hate filled extremists have revealed their agenda again.There seems to be no limit to their hatred for Islam and Muslims.Check the link below but be warned that it is bound to cause you a great deal of anguish.

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2007/06/for-mohammedan-free-denmark.html

The group that is responsible for this piece of garbage is the same one that has called for the banning of Islam.Much like the SANE group in the USA which has embarked on a 'Mapping Sharia Program'.In both cases, these organisations consist of individuals whose visceral animosity towards Islam is well documented.

What should be our response?I strongly believe that a repeat of the violence that followed the publication of the cartoons will only redound to our advantage and play into the hands of our enemies.There will be a small fringe that may resort to intemperate words and action but the vast majority of us must make our disgust and anger known in a dignified and civilised manner.To do otherwise would mean that we are no better than those who revile us.Let us draw inspiration from the Best of all mankind(peace and blessings on him) This campaign of vilification is an old one;what is certain is that those who indulge in it cannot escape chastisement and a grievous punishment at the hands of Allah Subhan Wa Taala.

Khaled Abou El Fadl - A Self-Admitted Mu'tazilah

2007-04-25T11:22:00.000-04:00

In a recent posting on my Mere Islam blog, I let my readers know that Khaled Abou El Fadl has publically stated the following:

"I follow a school within Islam called the Mutazila..."

There's now quite a discussion raging around all of this, so please check it out.

Deen On....

Mukhar Mai's book

2006-10-15T03:58:00.000-04:00

"I have a message to the women of the world and all the women who have been raped or any [other] kind of violation: that, no matter what, they must talk about it and they must fight for justice." – Mukhtar Mai, author of In the Name of Honor

IN THE NAME OF HONOR
A Memoir
by
Mukhtar Mai

In June, 2002, Mukhtar Mai, an impoverished Pakistani woman, was publicly gang-raped as retribution for the alleged transgressions of her pre-adolescent brother. This painful initiation sparked Mai’s transformation from a silent member of an oppressive society to a powerful leader in the fight for women’s rights and a role model for women around the world. For the first time in the United States , her story is being published in its entirety in her own utterly engaging words.

Humiliated and shamed after her trauma, Mukhtar Mai thought her only recourse was suicide. She even determined how she would take her own life (“I will swallow acid…to put out forever the fire of shame that torments my family and me”). But after Mai’s mother begged her to forego her plans, her anger and thirst for justice propelled her to discard the silent submission she had always been taught. She began using her voice to speak out about the injustices of the Pakistani legal system and in so doing attracted the attention of journalists and human rights organizations around the world. For three years and through many twists and turns of the legal system, Mai kept telling her story--all the way to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In the Name of Honor recounts every step of the process that finally resulted in the conviction of her tormentors, including how Mai used the international support she received to start a school in her village and to help other Pakistani women who were raped, kidnapped, and threatened with murder. By telling her story, Mai offers many important insights into how to bring about change:

Anger Has Its Purpose

“When I begin this journey into the legal system, a path from which there is no turning back, I’m hampered by my illiteracy and my status as a woman. Aside from my family, I have only one strength to call upon: my outrage.”

Coping with the Seemingly Impossible

“I’d had no idea that speaking about one’s pain, about a secret that feels shameful, can set both mind and body free.”

Furthering the Cause of Women

“Despising men is not the way to win respect. The solution is to try to fight them as equals.”

The Healing Power of Dissent

“I have no intention of leaving my village, my house, my family, and my school. Neither do I have any desire to give Pakistan a bad name abroad. Quite on the contrary, by defending my right to be a human being, I’m convinced that I am supporting the political wishes of my country.”

Creating Hope for the Future

“Knowledge must be given to girls, and as soon as possible before their mothers bring them up the same way they were raised themselves.”

In the Name of Honor is an utterly riveting account of one woman’s triumph over hundreds of years of female oppression, and a stirring tribute to the power each person has to change her circumstances, and the world, for the better.

Mukhtar Mai runs and attends a school for girls in Meerwala, the small and impoverished village where she was raised in the Muzaffargarh District of Pakistan . She has also started a school for boys in Meerwala. In August, 2005 Mai was awarded the Fatima Jinnah gold medal for courage by the Pakistani government. And in November, 2005, Glamour Magazine named her Woman of the Year.

Nicholas D. Kristof, a multiple Pulitzer-prize winning columnist for the New York Times, is renowned for his coverage of the Tiananmen Square student protests in China and the genocide in Darfur. He was instrumental in bringing the world’s attention to Maukhtar Mai’s case, and contributed the foreword to this book.

In the Name of Honor: A Memoir
Atria, October 2006 Hardcover, 192 pages
ISBN-10: 1-4165-3228- 5
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-3228- 6

What You Can Do about the Middle East Crisis

2006-07-17T20:29:00.000-04:00

FROM CAIR IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED:

1) CONTACT YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES (includingPresident Bush) and ask them to publicly condemn Israel’s “disproportionate and excessive” attacks oncivilians and civilian infrastructures in Gaza andLebanon.Point out that such attacks only serve to strengthen extremism in the region and that the United Statesmust adopt a Middle East policy that is in our nation’s, not Israel’s interest.

TO CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS,
GO TO:http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/

2) PUT YOUR CELL PHONE TO GOOD USE. Call all of your friends and family members and ensure that they contact their elected officials. Act as a facilitator.You can enter their zip code into our website at http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/ and get the names and contact information of their Senators.

3) CONTACT THE MEDIA. Call in to radio talk shows andwrite letters to the editor to express your views. Tofind local media contact information, go to:http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/media/

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
CAIR Government Affairs Director
Corey P. Saylor,
E-Mail:csaylor@cair-net.org,
Tel: (202) 488-8787 x6413, (571)278-4658

Bill and Warren

2006-06-30T05:22:00.000-04:00

Even the jaded observer was jolted by a series of announcements made by the sage of Seattle and the oracle of Omaha as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are known.Bill recently declared that he would gradually withdraw from the daily administration of Microsoft to concentrate on the Melinda Gates Foundation while Buffett announced that he would donate more than 30 billion dollars to the same organisation.Between the both of them,more than 60 billion dollars or more than 80% of their wealth has been pledged to charity!In this day and age, when crass consumerism and ostentatious spending(sadly a weakness that many Muslims have fallen a prey to)reign supreme,it is truly a noble gesture on their part.

But what is the moral of the story for Muslims here?I believe that though not Muslim, both these individuals have unleashed the power of Zakah.One may not agree with all their aims or support every receipient of their aid, but the fact is that in one stroke of the pen, they have laid down the gauntlet.Are we, as Muslims, and more importantly as a community that loves the Sunnah, rise to the challenge?Where is the Muslim version of Bill Gates? Which one of us will have the magnanimity to donate the bulk of his wealth? And by God, if there ever was a community in need of help, it is our Ummah.Palestine,Somalia, Kashmir,the list is endless.Do we need to be shamed into action by these two men?

Do not get me wrong;there are men and women in our Ummah who spend in the way of Allah.But there are on the other hand, Muslims who hesitate or downright refuse to help,while having no qualms about spending money on worthless baubles.Ask me how difficult it is to get funds to construct a medical clinic, or to clothe the inmates of a madarsa, or to build a mosque and I will talk till the cows come home.Why should it be so torturous to get people to spend on the Deen? The only favor they are doing is to their own souls.Islam has never been against making money, and lots of it, in a manner that is halal.But spend wisely and in accordance with the Quran and the Sunnah and Inshallah get rewarded on the day of Judgement.A simple trade off but one that many of us barely grasp.After all, we are being asked to donate only 2.5% of our wealth,not 80%!

Bill and Warren have joined the likes of Rockfeller and Carnegie in taking the concept of philantrophy to a new level.It is time our community produced people who will make the whole Ummah proud.I long for the day when those who build 600 room palaces will get the Hidayah to construct a 600 room hospital instead.Or when those who spend millions on racing horses at Ascot will utilise that kind of wealth to provide drinking water to thirsty Africans.And to paraphrase MLK I have a dream that one day my Ummah will stand tall and proud in the comity of nations based on its deeds and nothing else.Ameen.

Will Tarek Fatah scream for Haditha?

2006-05-19T01:56:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, one of my favorite pro regressives Tarek Fatah took part in a 'Scream for Darfur'rally,ensuring as always that he got dollops of publicity.He took it even further when he accused mainstream Muslim organisations of being unconcerned about the killings there.Never mind that a quick 'google'search would have revealed that he,as in most instances,was wrong.But then Tarek and his friends have never been too concerned with the facts have they?And their not too subtle references to racism in the Muslim community were unpardonable to say the least.Our friends at MWU have more of the spiel if anyone can bear to digest their sanctimonious, self serving agenda.

I want Tarek to read this story and let me know when he plans to organise a 'Scream for Haditha rally'?I am outraged by this report and so should you.But then what else can you expect from these noble men in uniform who serve in the world's 'finest'army?

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/18/murtha.marines/index.html

M. Shahid Alam: The Muslims America Loves

2006-05-17T13:02:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

Found via Yursil, via PMUNA Debate.

The Muslims America Loves

On March 11 the New York Times published a front page story on Dr. Wafa Sultan, "a largely unknown Syrian-American psychiatrist, nursing a deep anger and despair about her fellow Muslims." Deep anger and despair at fellow Muslims? Are these the new qualifications for Muslims to gain visibility in America's most prestigious newspaper?
If the only Muslims that the United States can recruit in its battle for ideas are at best mediocrities or worse--nobodies--what chance is there that it can win the battle for Muslim hearts and minds? The short answer is: very little. Muslims are not helpless children. You cannot molest them and then expect to mollify them with trifles and protestations of pure intentions. That may have worked for a while. It will not work for ever.

Activist Muslim Profile: Rami Nashashibi

2006-05-03T16:43:00.000-04:00

TRIBUNE PROFILE: RAMI NASHASHIBI

Muslim confronts needs of cityActivist sees poverty, gangs
as top threats to urban brethren–and he won’t stand for it

By Margaret Ramirez
Tribune religion reporter
Published May 3, 2006

He is one of Muslim America’s rising young activists, yet he is reserved in his comments on caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, the Mideast conflict and the war in Iraq. Instead, Rami Nashashibi speaks out against Muslim-owned liquor stores, protests on behalf of Latino workers and denounces mistreatment of blacks by the criminal justice system. On Monday he joined Mexicans, Koreans and Poles in a massive march for immigrant rights.

Such issues are not commonly associated with Muslim activism, but Nashashibi, 33, believes Islam calls on the faithful to focus on gritty problems in urban areas. For him, waging a war at home against poverty, gang violence and other modern plagues is key to uniting Muslim Americans. “Muslims have been absent and aloof about the problems in the inner city,” he said. “We’re seen either as victims or villains. We have notbeen part of the larger story in transforming communities. But now we have a unique opportunity to bring together the diverse elements of our community to effect change.”

Muslim leaders and scholars agree that one of the most pressing problems in Muslim America today is the divide separating Arab and Southeast Asian immigrants, such as Nashashibi, from the growing number of African-Americans and Latinos becoming Muslims. As executive director of the Chicago-based Inner-City Muslim Action Network or IMAN, Nashashibi is one of the few Muslim activists nationwide connecting wealthy, suburban Muslim immigrants with largely working-class Muslims in the city. As a Palestinian-American educated in Chicago, he bridges both worlds, mixing Islamic beliefs with street culture like spoken-word and hip-hop music. This month, IMAN moves into new offices that include a free healthclinic for the low-income Latinos, African-Americans and Arabs in Chicago Lawn on the Southwest Side.

As Nashashibi’s influence grows, many observers say he is redefining what it means to be a Muslim-American activist. “Rami has been able to do what others have not been able to do. He bridges the gap,” said Imam Seth T. Ibrahim, spiritual leader of the Mosque of Umar, one of the oldest African-American mosques in Chicago.“Others have tried to do this and failed. Rami is the key.”

Sherman Jackson, professor of Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Michigan, said that although there are other Muslim leaders working in poor urban areas, Nashashibi stands out for his efforts to make local activism a natural part of American Islam. This interpretation of the faith represents a shift in the Muslim-American community from insulated immigrants to socially conscious activists, Jackson said.“The plight of poor people in America, even poor Muslims in America, has not been on the radar screen of the immigrant Muslim community. They have been much more interested in monument-building,” said Jackson. “With Rami, he’s trying to reconfigure our thinking, particularly as Muslims, so that these needs appear more obvious to us. “He’s trying to change the mindset. In that regard, Rami’s a pioneer.”

At the same time, Nashashibi’s brash personality and outspokenness have riled some of the community’s elders. He speaks out against Muslim-owned businesses that sell liquor, which the Koran forbids. He has also been criticized for allowing rap music and break dancing at IMAN events and for promoting too much interaction between men and women. “Yes, IMAN walks a fine line sometimes and I have to choose mybattles wisely,” he said with a laugh. “Sometimes I don’t choose them well.” Nashashibi was born in Jordan to Nancy Daoud and diplomat Maher Nashashibi. They raised him in a secular Muslim home, where thefamily spoke English instead of Arabic and never went to mosque or read the Koran. Because of his father’s occupation, he moved frequently and attended high school in Rome.

After graduation, the young Nashashibi searched for a college in Chicago, where his mother grew up. He enrolled at St. Xavier University and later transferred to DePaul. There, Nashashibi got to know African-American and Puerto Rican students on campus and began to see Islam in a different way. He sawsimilarities between the black struggle for civil rights and Palestinians in the Mideast. His mentor, an “old Black Panther”whose identity he will not reveal, helped him see how activism could be integrated with Islamic beliefs. Soon, his religious devotion took hold. “It’s strange but I guess you could say my path to Islam is similar to a convert,” he said.

In 1995, Nashashibi and other students formed the Inner-City Muslim Action Network to address social problems in Chicago Lawn, purposely choosing a name whose acronym, IMAN, means faith in Arabic. Working on a shoestring budget of donations from the Muslim community, the groupstarted with small projects like a food pantry, GED and computer classes, and a free weekend health clinic that operated out of aphysician’s office. Two years later, the group formally introduced itself by organizing Takin’ It to the Streets, a festival that included music, art exhibits, a kids’ carnival and lectures on Islam and activism. The event drew hundreds of people, mostly young Muslims. “That’s when things took off,” he said. “People had never seen anything like that before.” As Nashashibi and IMAN grew in prominence, the group developed relationships with other community groups. One effort focuses on establishing a forum for Latino day laborers. Nashashibi has also begun lobbying for alternative sentences for low-level drugoffenders.

The notion of using Islam as a basis for activism stems partly from one of the pillars of the faith, known as zakat. Many Muslims satisfy that charity requirement by sending money to their home countries. Nashashibi is trying to extend that idea to include charity and activism in the U.S., even if the needy are not Muslim. “I started thinking about this when I studied the prophet Muhammad,” he said. “I saw that quality in his life–his ability to reach out to all sectors of society, whether they were Muslim or not. I’m tryingto get Muslims to understand that.” Nashashibi’s most ambitious project is the May 20 opening of IMAN’s new offices, which include a permanent home for the health clinic with three examination rooms and a medical lab. The director of the clinic is Dr. Sherene Fakhran, a physician at Northwestern MemorialHospital who is also Nashashibi’s wife. Together, they have a year-old daughter, Jenah.

Securing the new IMAN building was tricky, because Islam prohibits paying interest. The Greater Southwest Development Corp. purchased theproperty and will sell the building to IMAN under a $625,000 lease-to-own contract. “He has passion like you wouldn’t believe,” said James F. Capraro, the corporation’s executive director. “Next to the word `passion’ in the dictionary, they should just put Rami’s picture.” Still, that passion has sometimes landed him in trouble. At a fundraising dinner for the Mosque Foundation of Bridgeview, Nashashibi caused a stir when he criticized Muslim immigrants who own liquor stores in poor Chicago neighborhoods. Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president of the foundation, agrees the issue is important but said attacking business owners without providing an alternative plan is counterproductive. “At the Mosque Foundation, we’ve been trying hard to change this. But it’s very difficult. So, we’re trying to do it gradually in a way that doesn’t turn people off,” said Sahloul.

Nashashibi said he won’t back down. He also feels it’s his duty to remind the Muslim community that urban problems like alcoholism, drugaddiction and gang violence are becoming worries for Muslims too. “We have Palestinian-American kids with drug problems,” he said. “Arab kids are out there in Chicago gangbanging. These are our issues too.” Nashashibi is most in his element at IMAN’s monthly Community Cafe, held in the Spoken Word Cafe in the Bronzeville neighborhood. The event started two years ago to provide a hip social gathering spot for young Muslims. On a recent Friday, aspiring poets took the stage to rap about religion and racism. A disc jockey spun hip-hop beats for a diverse audience of African-American, Latino and Arab Muslims. “Yo, yo, everybody. … What’s up, my brothers and sisters?” Nashashibi told them. “I’m happy to see so many of you here tonight. This is what it’s all about. It’s time for us to start telling our own stories, without others telling those stories for us.”

More on Darfur

2006-05-03T16:05:00.000-04:00

May 3, 2006
More on Darfur
I emphasized a few statements in bold letters and made my own comments in bold italics. The cause for Darfur keeps getting more and more interesting.

“Save Darfur”: Evangelicals and Establishment Jews

by Yoshie Furuhashi - April 28, 2006

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/furuhashi280406.html

It’s embarrassing that America — and the world — will be witnessing a PRO-WAR rally in Washington, D.C. on April 30 (a project of SaveDarfur.org) that is far more highly publicized than an anti-war one (that appears to be poorly organized) in New York City on April 29, even while Washington is still soldiering on in Afghanistan and Iraq and gunning for sanctions or war on Iran.

Really, the LAST THING we need in America is ONE MORE WAR to get involved in — the least of all in an oil state like Sudan (amidst loud complaints of higher gas prices, no less). Who is behind this astonishing pro-war rally in war-weary America (war-weary as far as the Iraq War is concerned, that is)? A rag-tagcoalition of evangelicals and establishment Jews (those whom the corporate media designate as official leaders of Jewish communities).

Keeping the peace within the diverse Save Darfur Coalition has not been easy. Tensions have arisen, in particular, between evangelical Christians and immigrants from Darfur, whose population is almostentirely Muslim and deeply suspicious of missionary activity. Organizers rushed this week to invite two Darfurians to address the rally after Sudanese immigrants objected that the original list of speakers included eight Western Christians, seven Jews, four politicians and assorted celebrities — but no Muslims and no one from Darfur.

Some Darfur activists also have complained about the involvement in the rally of a Kansas-based evangelical group, Sudan Sunrise. Last week, after an inquiry from The Washington Post, Sudan Sunrise changed its Web site to eliminate references to efforts to convert the people of Darfur. Previously, it said it was engaged in “one on one, lifestyle evangelism to Darfurian Muslims living in refugee camps in eastern Chad” and appealed for money to “bring the kingdom of God to an area of Sudan where the light of Jesus rarely shines.”

Although it is not formally part of the Save Darfur Coalition, Sudan Sunrise helped arrange buses and speakers, and it is co-hosting a dinner for 600 people on the rally’s eve. (Alan Cooperman, “Groups PlanRally on Mall To Protest Darfur Violence: Bush Administration Is Urged to Intervene in Sudan,” Washington Post, 27 April 2006: A21) Wow, fascinating. For this effort, the coalition has recruited major celebrities likeGeorge Clooney and Elie Wiesel to speak to those assembled. Though recent reports have indicated that the turnout might be lower than expected, organizers, while refusing to give a concrete number, believe itwill be in “the tens of thousands.”

Little known, however, is that the coalition, which has presented itself as “an alliance of over 130 diverse faith-based, humanitarian, and human rights organization” was actually begun exclusively as aninitiative of the American Jewish community. And even now, days before the rally, that coalition is heavilyweighted with a politically and religiously diverse collection of local and national Jewish groups. A collection of local Jewish bodies, including the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, United Jewish Communities, UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, sponsored the largest and most expensive ad for the rally, a full-page in The New York Times on April 15.

Though there are other major religious organizations, like the United States Conference on Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals, both of which have giant constituencies that number inthe millions, these groups have not done the kind of extensive grassroots outreach that will produce numbers. Instead, the Jewish Community Relations Council, a national organization with local branches that coordinate communal activity all over America, has put on a massive effort to bus people to Washington onSunday. Dozens of buses will be coming from Philadelphia and Cleveland. Yeshiva University alone, in upper Manhattan, has chartered eight buses.

Besides the Jewish origins and character of the rally — a fact the organizers consistently played down in conversations with The Jerusalem Post — the other striking aspect of the coalition is the notedabsence of major African-American groups like the NAACP or the larger Africa lobby groups like Africa Action. When asked to comment, representatives of both groups insisted they were publicizing the rally but had not become part of the coalition or signed the Unity Statement declaring SaveDarfur’s objectives. The coalition’s roots go back to the spring of 2004 following a genocide alert, the first ever of its kind, issued by the United States Holocaust Museum. An emergency meeting was coordinated by the American Jewish World Service, an organization that serves as a kind of Jewish Peace Corps as well as an advocacy group for a variety of humanitarian and human rights issues.

At the meeting, which was attended by numerous American Jewish organizations and a few other religious groups, it was decided that a coalition would be formed based on a statement of shared principles. After a year of programming that involved raising awareness about the genocide, the coalition came up with the idea for a rally in Washington. Planning began in the fall of 2005. David Rubenstein, the director or “coordinator,” as he prefers it, of the coalition says that, given that the groups who started the coalitionwere Jewish, “it’s not surprising that they had the numbers of more Jewish organizations in their rolodexes.”

He says that the Jewish community has been “extraordinarily responsive and are really providing the building for this thing,” and yet he insists that the coalition has worked “very, very hard to be inclusive, tomake sure there are people beyond the usual suspects.” This is a sentiment echoed by Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service and one-time Manhattan borough president and Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City. The world service and Messinger personally have been at the forefront of planning for the rally. Much of the Jewish turnout has been a result of her lobbying efforts.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The fact that the aggressors in Darfur are Arab Muslims (here we go again with leaving out the fact that the Sudanese define race differently than we do) — though it should be said that the victims are also mostly Muslim — and are supported by a regime in Khartoum that is backed by the Arab League has made some people question the true motives of some of the Jewish organizations involved in the rally. (Gal Beckerman, “US Jews Leading Darfur Rally Planning,” Jerusalem Post, 27 April 2006) Should we laugh or should we cry?

Some say America is addicted to oil, but America is even more addicted to war (or economic sanctions when war is not in the cards). “Leaders” of almost all groups in America — Republicans or Democrats,Christians or Jews or Muslims (many of whom rooted for the war in Afghanistan in the Carter-Reagan era and the war on Yugoslavia in the Clinton era), whatever — come up with their own pet wars to promote, sooner or later. Thus is the job of the power elite made easy. As Raffi Khatchadourian notes in an op-ed in the New York Times, Washington is about to up its already considerable military assistance to Idriss Déby, the current ruler of Chad, whose forces have been fighting “hundreds of rebels backed by Sudan” (the largess extended despite “torture, rapes, summary executions and mass killings” that his forces have commited):

The CIA armed [Hissène] Habré for years, and since 2003, the U.S. military has been training and equipping Déby’s army, making his fight to stay in office America’s fight, too. Last year, Chad took part in a vast, international military exercise organized by the United States — the largest exercise of its kind in Africa since World War II, according to the Defense Department. This summer, American forces will continue to advise Chadian soldiers, and Congress is expected to allocate $500 million for a five- year program to train and equip several Saharan armies — including Déby’s. (”Blowback in Africa,” 28 April 2006) Militaristic identity politics in America, in which each group clamors for its share of Washington’s war chest for its cause, supplies the power elite with an excuse: “Imperialism? Far from it. We are here, by popular demand.”

MUKHTAR MAI ADDRESSES MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN STERLING, VA

2006-05-02T21:14:00.000-04:00

(Washington, D.C. - 5/2/06) -- On Friday, April 28,more than 250 people attended an event featuring Mukhtar Mai at the ADAMS Center in Sterling, VA.Hosted by the Muslim Public Affairs Council, KARAMAH:Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, and the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center, two-thirdsof those in attendance were women. Mai, who gained international recognition last yearwhen she was profiled by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff, is a symbol of courage to Muslim women around the world.

In 2002, Mukhtar Mai was gang-raped in public on the orders of a village tribunal in retribution for a crime her younger brother allegedly committed. Defying social stigma, Mai refused to be silent and took the rapists to court. The perpetrators were initially convicted, but then acquitted by a second court. In June 2005, the Pakistani Supreme Court agreed to rehear the case and eventually convicted her attackers.

Mai subsequently became a symbol for advocates for the health and security of women in her region, attracting both national and international attention to these issues. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf awarded Mai a financial settlement of about $8,000, which she used to build two local schools, one for girls and another for boys. There were no schools for girls in Mai's village before this and she never had the opportunity to get an education.

In her remarks, Mai discussed her work in Pakistan to build both girls and boys schools as well as to buildroads, infrastructure and a health facility in her village of Meerwala in Pakistan. During the question and answer session, she talked about forgiveness and mentioned that the children of her assailants also were admitted to her school and that she did not hesitate to give them admission. Imam Mohamed Magid, who heads the ADAMS Center, welcomed Mukhtar Mai and talked about the importance of hosting such events at mosques and community centers across America to discuss pertinent issues like domestic violence and gender relations. "I have a message to the women of the world and allthe women who have been raped or any of the kind ofviolation: that, no matter what, they must talk about it and they must fight for justice," Mai has said. "I do feel that if I stop now or step back it will harm alot of women. So, I have to keep going and keephelping others."

Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, president of KARAMAH, delivered a motivational speech about women's rights as articulated in the Qur'an and urged Muslims to separate un-Islamic cultural practices from the true religion of God. The closing statement was given by MPAC Foundation Board member Dr. Hassan Ibrahim, who wrapped up the event by talking about a verse recited in the opening by MPAC's DC Operations Liaison Zuleqa Husain: "Do not, then, follow your own desires, lest you swerve from justice: for if you distort [the truth], behold, God is indeed aware of all that you do!"

Sunni Sister speaks on Darfur

2006-04-28T23:25:00.000-04:00

Salaam alaikum,

This weekend, on April 30th, millions around the US will march to bring attention to the modern day nightmare that is Darfur. I know that we as Muslims are overwhelmed by so much suffering in the world. It's so much that you might just feel like giving up.

Don't.

Your prayers and donations go a long way to putting pressure on this government to stop this senseless, immoral war. Whether the perpetator is Muslim or not, we have to fight to end the injustice and keep our fellow beings, especially our fellow Muslims, from being oppressors. One of the best acts of charity is to keep your brother/sister in from oppressing him/herself and others.

The media hasn't done a great job on giving the American people an accurate picture of the conflict. And there will always be people to exploit any conflict involving Muslims for their own greedy aims. (What else would they do with their free time?) But you can help and you stand up for justice.

Here's Umm Zaid's entry on what you can do to help the people of Darfur.

Also, here's a good article on the misconceptions of what's happening in the Sudan.

5 Truths About Darfur

1) Nearly Everyone is Muslim

Early in the conflict, I was traveling through the desert expanses of rebel-held Darfur when, amid decapitated huts and dead livestock, our SUV roared up to an abandoned green and white mosque, riddled with bullets, its windows shattered.

In my travels, I've seen destroyed mosques all over Darfur. The few men left in the villages shared the same story: As government Antonov jets dropped bombs, Janjaweed militia members rode in on horseback and attacked the town's mosque -- usually the largest structure in town. The strange thing, they said, was that the attackers were Muslim, too. Darfur is home to some of Sudan's most devout Muslims, in a country where 65 percent of the population practices Islam, the official state religion.

A long-running but recently pacified war between Sudan's north and south did have religious undertones, with the Islamic Arab-dominated government fighting southern Christian and animist African rebels over political power, oil and, in part, religion.

"But it's totally different in Darfur," said Mathina Mydin, a Malaysian nurse who worked in a clinic on the outskirts of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. "As a Muslim myself, I wanted to bring the sides together under Islam. But I quickly realized this war had nothing to do with religion."

2) Everyone is black

Although the conflict has also been framed as a battle between Arabs and black Africans, everyone in Darfur appears dark-skinned, at least by the usual American standards. The true division in Darfur is between ethnic groups, split between herders and farmers. Each tribe gives itself the label of "African" or "Arab" based on what language its members speak and whether they work the soil or herd livestock. Also, if they attain a certain level of wealth, they call themselves Arab.

Sudan melds African and Arab identities. As Arabs began to dominate the government in the past century and gave jobs to members of Arab tribes, being Arab became a political advantage; some tribes adopted that label regardless of their ethnic affiliation. More recently, rebels have described themselves as Africans fighting an Arab government. Ethnic slurs used by both sides in recent atrocities have riven communities that once lived together and intermarried.

"Black Americans who come to Darfur always say, 'So where are the Arabs? Why do all these people look black?' " said Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh, editor of Sudan's independent Al-Ayam newspaper. "The bottom line is that tribes have intermarried forever in Darfur. Men even have one so-called Arab wife and one so-called African. Tribes started labeling themselves this way several decades ago for political reasons. Who knows what the real bloodlines are in Darfur?"

Mukhtar Mai termed a powerful voice for Pakistan

2006-04-26T14:05:00.000-04:00

By Our Correspondent

WASHINGTON, April 25: “Mukhtar Mai is a very important and powerful voice for Pakistan,” said Karen Hughes, the Bush administration’s chief image strategist. Ms Hughes, State Department’s Under-Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, was one of dozens of US officials and citizens who came to the Pakistan Embassy on Monday night to pay homage to the rape victim who overcame her ordeal to fight for other underprivileged women.

“I agree with her message of ending oppression with education and believe strongly in her mission of educating women, particularly young girls,” said Ms Hughes. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian affairs Richard Boucher wished her “all success in the kind of work she is doing and the kind of changes she is trying to bring about for the Pakistani society.” But no praise could have been sweater for Ms. Mukhtar than her presence at the Pakistan Embassy which had not only closed its doors on her but also had tried to prevent her first visit in October last year. “But much has changed since then,” noted T. Kumar, Amnesty International’s advocacy director for Asia-Pacific region.

The Sri Lankan human rights campaigner was one of 100 protesters who demonstrated outside the embassy last summer against Pakistan’s decision to prevent Ms. Mukhtar from visiting the US. “We are happy that the embassy is now welcoming her,” he said. Ms Mukhtar is now in Washington to receive an award from Senator Hillary Clinton at the prestigious Kennedy Centre on Thursday for her struggle to raise the status of women in rural Pakistan. Instituted by a group called Vital Voices, this would be the second award Mukhtar will receive in the US.

In October, she received a Woman of the Year award from Glamour magazine. Impressed by Ms. Mukhtar’s determination, Ms Hughes called her a “symbol of courage around the world” who had shown that she had “a great deal of courage” to share her experience in the hope that she might help others. Chairman Senate Ahmad Mian Soomro, Prime Minister’s economic adviser Dr. Salman Shah and economic adviser to the Finance Ministry, Asfhaq Hasan Khan also attended the reception.

Award for Mukhtar Mai

2006-04-23T21:15:00.000-04:00

MUKHTAR MAI TO BE HONORED BY
MPAC, KARAMAH, ADAMS CENTER ON APRIL 28

(Washington, DC - 4/23/06) -- The Muslim Public Affairs Council, KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, and the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) announced today that they will host "An Evening with Mukhtar Mai" at the ADAMS center in Falls Church, VA, on Friday, April 28, 2006 at 6:30 p.m.

Mai, who gained international recognition last year when she was profiled by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff, is a symbol of courage to Muslim women around the world. In 2002, Mukhtar Mai was gang-raped in public on the orders of a village tribunal in retribution for a crime her younger brother allegedly committed. Defying social stigma, Mai refused to be silent and took the rapists to court. The perpetrators were initially convicted, but then acquitted by a second court. In June 2005, the Pakistani Supreme Court agreed to rehear the case and eventually convicted her attackers.

Mai subsequently became a symbol for advocates for the health and security of women in her region, attracting both national and international attention to these issues. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf awarded Mai a financial settlement of about $8,000, which she used to build two local schools, one for girls and another for boys. There were no schools for girls in Mai's village before this and she never had the opportunity to get an education.

"I have a message to the women of the world and all the women who have been raped or any of the kind of violation: that, no matter what, they must talk about it and they must fight for justice," Mai told CNN in a recent interview. "I do feel that if I stop now or step back it will harm a lot of women. So, I have to keep going and keep helping others."

SEE: "The Pakistani Who Fought Back and Won" (CNN, 11/5/05)

With the international attention she has received has come further financial support for her campaign to provide education to impoverished populations. Mai continues to stand up for justice and emphasizes that her treatment sharply contradicted the principles of Islam.

WHAT: An Evening with Mukhtar Mai

WHEN: Friday, April 28, 2006 at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: All Dulles Area Muslims Society (ADAMS)
46903 Sugarland Rd., Sterling, VA 20164

CO-SPONSORS:
Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS)

"It is our hope that this event can help raise awareness about the reality of sexual violence and encourage Muslim Americans to speak out against it," said MPAC Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati. "We applaud Mukhtar Mai for speaking out, insisting on justice, and providing opportunities for education that can improve the lives of future generations."

"Mukhtar Mai has identified the root problem of feudalism and tribal customs in Pakistan, which takes away the dignity of women, men and children. She has taken steps to return to a more Islamic system of conflict resolution, forgiveness and spreading education" said Irfana Anwer, Executive Director of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights. "We are honored that Mukhtar Mai will meet the Muslim community at a mosque which is known to be inclusive and respectful of women, and meet with Imam Muhammad Magid who supports her like her local Imam in Meerwala does."

ADAMS is one of the largest Muslim communities/mosques in the DC Metro Area and in the United States, serving over 5,000 families in seven branches throughout Northern Virginia. ADAMS engages in regular interfaith, government relations, social services, and community service.

[CONTACT: Irfana Anwer, 202-234-7302; Zuleqa Husain, 202-547-7701; Edina Lekovic, 213-383-3443, http://us.f381.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=communications@mpac.org]

Masjid Security: Another Issue Ignored

2006-04-01T04:22:00.000-05:00

Last year Albert Brooks was looking comedy in the Muslim world. In similar vein, I’ve been looking for common sense and honesty in the pro-regressive movement for years now. So far, I’ve been unsuccessful, but an issue of neglect did rear its head. Last month, my local masjid received a threat, the culprit told an unsuspecting sister to “remember my face” after leaving a sealed letter on the minbar. It turned out to be a death threat, and the authorities were notified. The culprit was arrested last week. A couple of months prior, a masjid in northern California was vandalized. This, unfortunately is not “news” since attacks on masajid and Muslims have become common. The issue of neglect I’m referring to is masjid security.

For those people out there who think that absolute “freedom of speech” doesn’t come with consequences, please join us in the real world where rising Islamophobia is increasingly taking on a more virulent and physical form. Many masajid are low on funds, especially after 911 with declining donations but that doesn’t mean we cant take matters into our own hands. When I was in Chicago, our local masjid could not afford to have the parking lot cleared of snow. We decided to shovel it ourselves, and did so several times. Now if we had taken a page out of Asra Nomani’s handbook of self-promotion, there would be camera crews, controversy and calls for a “gender weather jihad” against the elements, not counting a failed run for some masjid committee.

Why hasn’t this issue ever been brought up by our self-appointed reformers? Could it be that this particular concern isn’t flashy enough to gain attention? Or is it simply that they don’t attend masajid to know or care? Some masajid can afford to hire private security services but many can not. I think its high time that we get involved directly and give whatever free time we can to our local masjids and their security.

What's Wrong with Beliefnet?

2006-03-31T11:04:00.000-05:00

Beliefnet.com is a popular website that focuses on the world's major religions and one that offers a spiritual alternative to its readers. I am not a great fan of their methods and I find that some of the writers who contribute to the columns on Islam are a bit too apologetic for my taste. Having said that,I must credit them with generally taking a balanced approach to Islam. They tend to steer clear of controversy, though they have featured people like Asra Nomani in the past.

I was therefore truly dismayed that they have now chosen to feature the blog of Kathy Shaidle on their website. Kathy was, until now, a Canada based blogger little known outside of the Catholic blogosphere. Her blog is named "Relapsed Catholic" and chiefly consists of large doses of venom directed against Muslims and Islam in general. She panders to that extreme minority that believes that Islam is the root of all evil. In short, a pest best ignored. But by affording this Islamophobe the chance to spread her vitriol, Beliefnet has greatly erred. She has now access to a large readership with little in the way of balance in opinion.The simply brilliant Antonia Zerbisias says it better than I ever can:

In issuing their fatwa on the Muslims who are calling for the heads of people whose mightiest weapon is the pen, the North American pyjamahadeen have gone too far, using the incident as another reason to bash Muslims and sow further divisions between what are already "clashing civilizations."

It's like they have been waiting for just this opportunity.

Case in point: Toronto-based blogger Kathy Shaidle (a.k.a. Relapsed Catholic) whose religious politics would have easily qualified her as chief judge and bonfire builder during the Spanish Inquisition. The woman never misses an opportunity to insult Islam. And so, it was hardly surprising that, not only did she publish the offending cartoons, she giddily took up the torch and ran with it.

On Sunday she posted a Tom McMahon cartoon claiming that when it comes to skyscrapers Muslims "destroy" them, and when it comes to cartoons Muslims "riot about them" — as if this applies to every single Muslim every single minute.

Why she doesn't call her blog the Daily Auto Da Fe — for the public burning of heretics in Spain — is beyond me.

The cartoon uproar has merely added fuel to her fire, one she and others of her ilk had been hoping for ever since the calls for Muslim blood over the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 calmed down.

I have written to Beliefnet and have expressed my outrage in strong terms. I believe that if enough of us make our displeasure known, there is a strong possibility that she may get the pink slip. For a website that prides itself on a non partisan approach, Beliefnet has really messed up. Let us help them make amends.

(editor's note: Haters take note. We allow your comments to be posted here (with some exception; we do not allow profanity, harassment, and some other things. All commenting is at our discretion and we reserve the right to edit or delete). Kathy Shaidle, on the other hand, doesn't allow commenting on her blog, while she does cyber-pound on the head of anyone who dares disagree with her. And sends out her attack poodles to boot. WWJD, anyway? Thanks for pointing more readers our way, Kathy.)

Iman Muhanna and American Muslim Politics

2006-03-27T21:04:00.000-05:00

Salaam alaikum,

Sister Umm Zaid and I have written an article about the murder of Iman Muhanna Mohammad for AltMuslim.com.

Also, it seems that many of us are getting into the political boxing ring as American Muslims are gaining a foothold in politics.

Empowering Muslim Women

2006-03-19T15:56:00.000-05:00

All praise is due to Allah, and May His Peace and Blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad and upon his family, and his companions and all those who follow his way until the Day of Judgment, Ameen.

The 2nd annual Sisters Deen Intensive Program will take place in San Jose, CA fromMarch 24, 2006 to March 27, 2006 at the Hyatt Hotel. Applications are open only to sisters.

“WHY SHOULD I ATTEND?”
This intensive is a unique program devoted specifically to female-related topics and it has been designed exclusively for Muslim women who wish to embody the great and noble Islamic tradition. The subjects offered will be covered by an impressive line-up of qualified teachers and will, Inshaa Allah, enlighten and empower the participants by providing them with an introduction to the core Islamic sacred sciences from a gender specific orientation.

THE TEACHERS
Praise be to Allah, several of the foremost female scholars are confirmed for the program including Ustadha Saira AbuBakr, Ustadha Rania Awaad, Ustadha Shamira Chothia, Ustadha Mona Elzankaly, Ustadha Ameena Jandali, Ustadha Umm Hassan (Saliha Shakir) and Ustadha Fadwa Silmi. In addition, Imam Zaid Shakir will be presenting a special session for the sisters. Biographies of all the teachers participating in this program follow below.

CURRICULUM
Daily sessions include:
Tajwid (all levels)
Tajwid sessions will cover the rules and fundamentals of proper recitation of the Holy Quran according to the Hafs recitation. Parallel beginner, intermediate and advanced levels will be taught by an impressive lineup of female Quran teachers whom each hold an Ijaazah (traditional teaching license) in the science of Tajwid from the greatest scholars of Quranic recitation of our time.

Fiqh (Hanafi, Maliki and Shafi’i)
Beginner sessions will cover a primary fiqh text focusing on the rules of purification, prayer and fasting. Intermediate fiqh session will provide an in-depth look into the chapters of menstruation (Hayd), postnatal bleeding (Nifas) and chronic/irregular bleeding (Istihada) for each of the three madhhabs. Both levels will also cover aspects of ritual purification (Ghusl) pertaining to each of the above topics as well as address the issues of discharge, contraceptive use and the fiqh of intimate relations. These are parallel sessions taught by Ustadha Saira AbuBakr, Ustadha Rania Awaad, Ustadha Shamira Chothia, Ustadha Mona Elzankaly, and Ustadha Fadwa Silmi.

Mahaaram al-Lisaan: Prohibitions of the Tongue
Ustadha Saira AbuBakr will present a detailed examination of the rules and etiquettes of speech in Islam based on the wisdom of the famous text, Mahaaram al-Lisaan, by Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud, and inspired by the prophetic warnings about “the harvests of the tongue. ” Not a word does one utter, except that there is an angel watching, ready to record it. (Qur’an 50:18)

Special Evening Sessions:
Foundations of our Methodology:
In this special session, Imam Zaid Shakir will be presenting an introduction to the fascinating science of Usul al-Fiqh, otherwise known as the essential principles in Islamic Sacred Law. Imam Zaid will address what it means to follow a madhhab and its role in allowing us to practice sacred law in our daily lives.

A Muslimah’s Guide to Home Etiquette
In this series of sessions, Ustadha Rania Awaad will be covering the essential etiquette (adab) of home life. She will delineate the rulings pertaining to everyday living according to the Sunna tradition, which if implemented, would ensure a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere in the home. Topics include the etiquettes of speaking, sleeping, eating, drinking, hosting guests, as well as entering and exiting the home with a focus on cleanliness, purity, modesty, worship, education and the relationship with other members of one’s home.

Muslim Supermodel: Redefining Body Image
This groundbreaking panel discussion will focus upon the negative realities of women’s images in our culture today, and provide a redefinition of body image from within our classical tradition. Led by Ustadha Saliha Shakir and Ustadha Ameena Jandali, this forum will touch on issues of self-image, modesty and practical applications to implementing Islam in the public sphere as a Muslim woman.

COURSE MATERIALS
Course materials for the Tajwid, fiqh classes in each of the three madhhabs as well as for the special evening sessions will be provided on site. Students participating in the morning Tajwid classes are expected to bring a mushaf, a copy of the Holy Quran in Arabic, with them to the program.

For more information, click here.

How to be a Muslim reformer

2006-03-18T14:50:00.000-05:00

Salaam alaikum,

Yeah, we've been bad. Very bad. How dare we neglect this blog after winning the Brass Crescent! :::slaps hand::: But we'll make it up to you starting now.

Here is a wonderful entry from a blog entitled 'Aqoul.

In light of the recent slew of unIslamic reformers, here's a reality check served with humor and wit. How to be a Muslim reformer.

It's all good but here's one part that stuck out for me.

"7. Remember your audience
Don't bother engaging Muslims in a respectful yet frank discussion on how to remain faithful to the Prophet's (alayhi salatu wa salaam) message in our modern, globalized, polarized, terrorized world. You don't even need to talk to Muslims, unless it's to get the extremists frothing at the mouth. Being a true visionary is hard work and requires far too much study, which leaves you hardly any time for gala dinners with pretentious, xenophobic ultra-liberal or ultra-conservative (really, does it matter?) activists who will praise you as a model Muslim making a real difference in the Islamic world."

In Honor of the Prophet

2006-02-20T11:52:00.001-05:00

Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) by Mohammad Zakariyya

Salaam alaikum,

Bismillahir-Rahman-Rahmeen

Welcome to the online carnival dedicated to the best of all creation and a mercy to mankind, the finest and most excellent example of human behavior and the seal of all Messengers. His name is Muhammad (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam). In light of the increasing controversy with the Danish cartoons, many Muslims felt that we should respond to the insults upon the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam). We felt that this was the perfect opportunity to reflect on his life and his example. We as Muslims rely on his excellent example to guide us in our everyday lives and it is our hope that the Muslims of the world will take to heart the Sunnah of the Messenger (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam). We must remember that he was insulted, beaten and had his life threathened many times only to have many of his enemies become Muslim.

Once again, the media has ampilified the voices of those calling for death and destruction while most of the rallies and responses to the controversy have been peaceful. The only way to combat their ignorance is with truth and knowledge. And while we may be saddened or angered at their harsh words against the Beloved of Allah (alayhi salatu wa salaam), the greatest tragedy is that these hard hearts may never know what Truth and Love really is and they will never know what it is to love the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam). Praise is all due to the Lord of the all the worlds, exalted and high is He, for giving us the Messenger (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam).

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Taslim Rashid (better know as Bint-eh-Adam of Tranquilart) was produced a wonderful piece of art entitled The Beloved along with a poem on the subject of our Messenger (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam).

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Seal of Perfection by Aaminah Hernandez

A blessing upon mankind
Prophet Muhammad
Conveying the Truth for all

Born of a noble lineage
In a land of ignorance

Bearing signs of purity
Known as trustworthy
Solitude, meditation

Orphaned but never alone
Respected leader in town

Kind to relatives and tribe
Gentle with children
Patient with all Allah's creatures

Illiterate, unlettered
But wisdom recognized early

Exceptional man before
Prophet Muhammad
Given true revelation

Teaching sincere charity
Preaching purification

A reminder to mankind
Of Allah's Oneness
And a promise before birth

Enjoining a pure worship
You, a righteous example

Bearing the Qur'an, a seal
Perfecting our deen
Exemplifying Islam

Creating community
Brotherhood away from hate

Showing us te honored path
Prophet Muhammad
Guiding us in submission

Prayer and repentance at night
Governance of nafs in day

Reciting beautiful ayat
Proclaiming Only One
Bringing us true religion

Remembrance and submission
Worship in every action

Warning away from dunya
Guiding, inshaAllah
To the one path to Allah

Attesting to His Greatness
Commanding all that is good

Delivering pure Islam
Prophet Muhammad
The final Seal of Prophets

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Baraka of Truth and Beauty has a wonderful entry on 'Ashura Reflections. "

"The Prophet's (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam) attempt to bring the message to the people of Taif provoked insults & abuse - he returned with wounds all over his body & blood filling his shoes. This, after over a decade of ill-received preaching in Makkah, & during a three-year boycott by the Quraysh, in which Muslims were reduced to eating grass and leaves off of trees. How exhausted & humiliated he must have felt.But instead of asking for Taif's destruction, he chose to pray for its salvation. He also made the following supplication:"O God! I complain to You of my weakness, my scarcity of resources and my humiliation before the people. O Most Merciful of those who are merciful. O Lord of the weak and my Lord too. To whom have you entrusted me? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair? So long as You are not angry with me, I do not care. Your favor is of more abundance to me. I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Your anger or your displeasure descend upon me. I desire your pleasure and satisfaction until you are pleased. There is no power and no might except by You."

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Yusuf Misdaq has written an interestng short story on the Danish cartoon controversy.

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Umm Ibrahim has a lovely post entitled, Blessed Days of Hajj

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A poem from Tiel Aisha Ansari

Walk In His Traces

I dreamed I was walking in the desert

there were footprints in the dust of the trail.

I stepped in them and found myself dancing.

One gate stood open in an iron fence

on it, the mark of a hand.

When I touched it sparks flew.

In the noise and confusion of the crowd

I heard a voice whisper:

"La illaha il Allah."I turned and saw no-one, only footprints

and the city shone with brilliant light.

The world bears witness to the presence of a few--

walk in their traces.

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MeccaOne Media Press Release

San Jose, CA - February 6th, 2006

The display of violence and flag burning is not the way of the Prophet Muhammad and the teachings of Islam. Islamic traditions include a number of instances of the Prophet having the opportunity to strike back at those who attacked him, but he refrained from doing so.

“You do not do evil to those who do evil to you, but you deal with them with forgiveness and kindness.” - The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

That description of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad is a summary of how he reacted to personal attacks and abuse.Listen to the program from MeccaOne Radio, "Prophet Muhammad, Mercy To Humanity" to get a better understanding of how Muslims display their love for the Prophet Muhammad.

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And Muhammad is His Messenger

By Aiman S. Ahmed

O Muhammad, my hand is inept to draw your life
Your graces, your jihad for His Word and your love!
Each dewdrop, each beauty in affair you champion
You gave to humanity, you returned to Allah
As wonderful and triumphant as a pen breathing in an ocean of ink
Your path straight in its depth, your belief unfaltering
By fountains and mirages of this fleeting Pasture
Making me believe of your trust in the Beloved
And how the children would sing for you
Their eyes bright and their smiles wide
How you received them in your arms, your cause
To clothe them, to feed them, to teach them
That they grow to be like you and to act like you
Thoughts of love, kindnesses and worship of Allah
Alone, and in this humanity your footprints lie
And how sadness would cling to your heart
When the whisperer seduced man to err
Your life is a mirror of divine mercy
And Allah be thanked; lo, Allah be thanked!
You bled in Tai'f for the sake of the Recitation
That cleaved to your tongue, your heart and your mark of the Seal
Pressed to the breast of the universe, spate of burning stars!

O Muhammad, my tears are few to write of your conquests
Ink is plenty though no education moves me
Solitary reflections of your victories, losses and spiritual ascensions
Birthed in the Year of the Elephant, living in the Year of Sadness
You split the stones and clay for therein the infant girl lay
Her soul wailing: "For what crime was I slain?" *
The Qur'an has come down from the Lord and Muhammad is His Messenger
And you displaced their gods and altars into the Waste
Only before Allah we must prostrate, no more shirk and hate!
The poets disputed the verses that you spoke
But none could imagine the flow; yield to Gabriel!
They didn't realise that you bore heaven's yoke
You were unlettered, and yet a sign unto jinn and mankind
Tracing the Word to Abraham and Moses and Jesus son of Mary
Prophets also of the Jews and Christians, People of the Book
Leaning on my spirit, I saw your inheritance in the storm
Ever magnificent, peaceable, gentle and human
To pardon the knives that cut your feet, but you leave the trail behind
For humanity to follow, in Allah's service we must wallow
Slowly but surely all creatures shall perish and die
But for the good-hearted and pious, Paradise is nigh!
Entrust us with your example to prepare for our tomorrow

* Qur’an 81:8-9 (“And when the girl-child that was buried alive is asked for what sin she was slain”)

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Our brother Aiman and sister Rym have started a wonderful blog all for the honor and love of the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam). O Muhammad!

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Imam Zaid Shakir has a wonderful response to the controversy.

"As the crisis that has emerged in the aftermath of the publication of the infamous cartoons that claim to depict the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of God upon him, escalates, we would do well by stepping back and attempting to analyze the situation as dispassionately as possible. By doing so, as Muslims, we can hopefully formulate a more productive and meaningful response, and avoid being exploited by either side in the ongoing conflict. Saying this, I do not mean to imply that Muslims are not justifiably angry over the caricatures. However, I would agree with those who argue that responses that involve wild outbreaks of frenzied violence are inappropriate, and they only affirm what the cartoonist is trying to imply. Namely, that Islam is a religion that encourages obscurantist violence and terrorism".

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The Respect of a Cousin by Edward Miller

Here's an article giving the Jewish perspective on the cartoon controversy.

"For Muslims, the mere rendering of an image of Muhammad is sacrilege. The portrayal of Muhammad in a pejorative fashion is to them an inconceivably offensive desecration, on the level of what would be for us the defilement of a Torah scroll. Because it was done in newspapers across Europe, it was a slap in the face repeated thousands of times."

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Why I reject the anarchists who claim to speak for Islam

by Fareena Alam

"As a result, the standard-bearers for Western civilisation are now a bunch of untalented, ignorant and previously unknown Danish cartoonists. The editors at Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten did what they did simply because they could. Little attention was paid to the value of these images or the impact their publication would have. It was the worst kind of arrogance. The revelation that the same newspaper rejected cartoons lampooning Jesus three years ago on the grounds that they would offend their readers made their protestations of free speech seem cynical. Freedom of speech is not absolute. It has to be in service of something, like peace or social justice. How have these cartoons, and the hypocritical defence of them, served these ideals?"

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Sister Katherine Randall gives us

An Abyssinian Story in Honour of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him)

I, Asma', wife of Ja'far Ibn Abu Talib, have found refuge in a land that is friendly to those of us who are Muslim, the ones who willingly surrender to the One God. Our Prophet, the Trustworthy, whose calling Khadija first recognized, has sent us here for our protection. My husband, harassed so unjustly by his family, has been appointed by Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him, to lead this small contingent ofthe most severely persecuted of our brothers and sisters. These are the people who have no recourse to powerful clan affiliations that would be embarrassed by the torture of one of their own members. So the unbelievers, more interested in the concerns of tradeand the economic position of Makkah, target the least influential amongst us in the attempt to usurp the Prophet's calling and refute the revelations that come upon him.

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Discover Prophet Muhammad

by Sister Rym

Let these words flow like a stream

Just listen well and be the judge

The facts will shine in the darkest mind

For he was truly one of a kind

He was the Prophet Muhammad

The seal of all Prophets

He came with the final message

Chosen and sent by the Divine

Honest and Trustworthy he was called

From the time he was young

Long before the revelation came

Depicting his morals, so sublime

Left an orphan in tender years

Living with grandfather, then uncle

He learned and worked with them

Responsible and mature

Muhammad, beloved by many

From a young age he questioned society

Their idols didn’t enter his heart

In contemplation he thought of the One

In Cave of Hira he used to sit

Way up in the mountain, just to think

Then came the Divine revelation

A sacred event, a turning point

“Read! In the Name of your Lord”

Angel Jibreel embraced Muhammad

So tightly, while he was scared

“Read! In the name of your Lord”, he said

An angel sent by Almighty God

O Muhammad you have been chosen

A mission so great for all mankind

Spread the Light, spread the Truth

Ibrahim, Isa, Musa, and others

Were chosen to convey the message

Now your turn O Muhammad

With the final Divine message

People will listen, people will ignore

Some will follow, some will attack

A challenging mission O Muhammad

But God is always with you

Muhammad received the revelations

Telling people about the Creator

One God created us all

Those idols are nothing but stone

Love each other, be merciful

Enjoin good, forbid evil

Worship the One Creator

A message of peace and justice

Twenty-three years as the Messenger

A perfect example in every step

Elevating morals and society

Conveying the Message of God

Also a husband, father, and more

Lessons learnt from all his roles

A life rich with Truth and Wisdom

Uniting people for righteousness

Islam a religion for all

No matter what race or tribe

The Final Message

A Mercy to all humanity

My words will end, yet more to know

Learn about Muhammad and Islam

Closer to the truth and enlightenment

Discover our love for Prophet Muhammad

(Peace Be Upon Him)

******

And finally, my little entry entitled Do you know what it means to love the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam)? [by Kelly Izdihar]

******

Tala 'al Badru 'Alayna

The white moon rose over us

From the valley of Wada

It has become obligatory upon us to be grateful

Whenever an invoker invokes Allah

You are the sun, you are a full moon

You are light upon light

You are the light of the sky

O my beloved, O Messenger!

Thank You

2006-02-18T02:26:00.000-05:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

On behalf of the writers of Living Tradition -- AJ Suhail, Dr. Max, Kelly Izdihar, Abdur Rahman, and myself, Umm Zaid, -- I would like to say thank you and Jazakh Allah Khair for those who nominated us for the Brass Crescent awards and those who voted for us for Best Group Blog! Insha'Allah, we will be able to bring you more interesting items, analysis, commentary, etc. this year (or do you come for the commentary and stay for the sarcasm?).

You can read the results here.

Film about Mukhtar Mai

2006-02-07T16:31:00.000-05:00

Somy Ali turns filmmaker

By: Sarita Tanwar

February 6, 2006

After turning journalist and taking up social issues in America, one-time Bollywood actress Somy Ali has now turned filmmaker after her recent attempt at making a documentary on the life of the now-famous Mukhtaran Mai, the Pakistaniwoman who was punished by a 'village council' in Pakistan by subjecting her to a gang rape. The gutsy Mai gathered global attention when she dragged her rapists to court and was granted justice and monetary compensation, which she distributed in charity.On 20th January, Mai was invited by the United Nations, who called her 'The Bravest Woman On Earth', to give a speech but it was cancelled it at the last minute since the Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was at the UN the same day and the organizers didn't want to embarrass him.

The US-based group Asian-American Network Against Abuse of Human Rights (ANAA),which Somy is actively a part of, has been supporting Mukhtaran's cause. Somy was placed in charge of filming Mukhtaran while in the US and also being her interpreter, since Mukhtaran cannot speak English.Says Somy about the experience, "It was very enriching. We took her (Mukhtaran) to the Glamour magazine office since they want to do a feature with her next year.

After that, it was NASDAQ where she gave the closing bell. Following that, we went to the IWHC (International Women's Health Coalition) gala where we met dignitaries like UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and actress-activist Glenn Close," reveals Somy.The next day, Somy accompanied Mukhtaran Mai to Las Vegas for a fundraising event. Somy says, "Over there, I was there in the capacity of being a spokesperson for ANAA and a translator to Mukhtaran." Somy was also on the discussion panel along with Mukhtaran, answering questions from the audience.From Hindi films to social and human rights issues to filmmaking, Somy is quite happy with the changing sequence of events in her life. "I'm proud of my stint in the Hindi film industry and that was my priority then. Today, it's something else. I have to find meaning in what I do and right now, this is what is of primary significance to me."Somy's film on Mukhtaran can soon be seen on ANAA's official website.

sarita@mid-day.com

Blogging for the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam)

2006-02-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

Blogging for the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam)

In Honor of the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam)In these controversial times when Muslims are feeling quite helpless, I think there's one person in particular that we need to reflect on. Who else knows more about trials, suffering, pressure, stress and tribulations other than our Messenger (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam). In the face of crises, he never lost his serenity. While being attacked and maligned, he prayed for his enemies. It's time to cultivate such qualities in ourselves instead of falling into the traps of violence and slander.

Umm Zee and Baraka are hosting blog carnivals. I've decided to host one, too. Brother Aiman came up with the idea of an artistic response. The Islamic Artists Society is representing an artistic response to this latest controversy. We will avoid reactionism and focus on Habib Allah (peace and blessings upon him). February 19th, 2005, two weeks from now, is the deadline for any creative expression in praise and honor of the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam). We have every right as Muslims and as human beings to defend ourselves. A mosque was bombed in Tennessee. We have to defend our right to existance and to our religion. We shouldn't suffer for the actions of a few. Every other religious and ethnic group has this privilege accept us. And while we still have power to speak, we should take advantage of it because it is common to spill our blood with no remorse.

We must fight back, but not with violence, not with vigilantism or oppression towards innocent people. We don't deserve the help of Allah ta'ala if we are willing to trangress His laws for the sake of temporal justice. Our justice is ultimately in the afterlife, if it's lived in fear and awe of Him. Please turn in any essays, artwork, online short films, graphic design, poetry, etc. to mosaicsmag (@) gmail.com. or if you have my personal email address, you can use that, too. If possible and if it's okay with UZ, Abdul-Halim and Altaf, we can use the Progressive Muslims blog, the Living Tradition blog and 3rd Resurrection for this purpose. Consider it as a way of reflecting on his life to help us get through post 9-11 society. If you want, you can turn posts written on your blog from the past. It doesn't have to be anything new. Link this event on your blogs if you want.

Shukran

Kelly Izdihar

2nd Annual Brass Crescent Awards

2006-02-05T01:32:00.000-05:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

Living Tradition is nominated for a Brass Crescent Award, in the category of Best Group Blog. On behalf of all the contributors: Kelly Izdihar, Dr. Max, AJ Suhail, and Abdur Rahman Squires, I'd like to thank everyone who nominated us and ... urge you to vote for us. I figure we're along shot for this, but I hope that someone besides us votes for us! Alhamdulillah, Kelly, Dr. Max, Abdur Rahman, and I are also nominated in other categories for things from our individual blogs.

Vote for the 2nd Annual Brass Crescent Awards

-- Umm Zaid

The only language they understand is money

2006-01-31T01:06:00.000-05:00

The furor over the despicable cartoons published in a Danish newspaper show no signs of abating. As a Muslim, I am outraged by the calumny heaped on my Beloved Prophet(Peace and blessings on him). This is part of a growing trend in these so called civilised nations; a sustained campaign to attack, vilify and defame Islam and Muslims, all in the name of Freedom of expression.But this concept itself is highly selective.One can spew venom at Muslims and get away with it but there are sacred cows that one dare not criticise.Charges of anti-semitism will be levelled,prosecutions launched and a big fuss made.

I am glad that Muslims are beginning to get their act together and are using their brain for a change. Instead of burning books, attacking shops and indulging in violence for the most part, they have realised that in Denmark, as elsewhere, the worship of Mammon reigns supreme.Till a few days ago, neither the newspaper in question nor the Danish government was willing to even offer a semblance of an apology. But the moment the economic boycott began to hurt them, there has been a climbdown of sorts. Not the best of apologies but a retreat nevertheless.Money talks and how!

This incident should serve as an eye opener for the entire Ummah.Let us work together to educate the world that while we are not opposed to sincere dialogue or differences of opinion we will not remain idle spectators when our religion is defamed.I am reminded of an incident that took place when the Czar was deposed. A man was walking on the streets of St Petersburg, twirling his umbrella in gay abandon. When reminded of the danger he posed to others he remarked that Russia was now free and he could do what he chose. To which an old woman retorted'your freedom ends where my nose begins'!

Hopefully, the Ummah will rely more on cold logic than unbridled passion when confronting those who abuse the concept of free speech.

Heeding Pakistani Protest, U.N. Blocks Talk by Rape Victim

2006-01-22T09:13:00.000-05:00

Here's an update on our Sister Mukhtar Mai.

*******

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 20 - Mukhtar Mai, the Pakistani woman whose defiant response to being gang-raped by order of a tribal court brought her worldwide attention, was denied a chance to speak at the United Nations on Friday after Pakistan protested that it was the same day the country's prime minister was visiting.

Ms. Mai had long been scheduled to make an appearance called "An Interview With Mukhtar Mai: The Bravest Woman on Earth" in the United Nations television studios, sponsored by the office for nongovernmental organizations, the Virtue Foundation and the Asian-American Network Against Abuse of Human Rights.

But on Thursday night the organizers were informed that the program would have to be postponed because of Pakistan's objections. Ms. Mai is leaving New York on Saturday so the effect was to cancel her appearance.
Asked at a news conference why Pakistan had taken the action, the prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, said: "I have no idea. You have informed me and so have some other people as I was walking in. I don't know how the place functions."

The Pakistani Mission did not return calls seeking comment.

In 2002, a village council sentenced Ms. Mai to be gang-raped for the supposed misconduct of her brother. Pakistani women in such circumstances often commit suicide, but Ms. Mai instead successfully challenged her rapists in court. She gave the compensation money she received to schools in her remote district.

Mr. Aziz is scheduled to see President Bush in Washington next week.

This was not the first time that Pakistan's government had interfered in Ms. Mai's travels. President Pervez Musharraf blocked her from taking a trip to the United States in June and then relented last fall when Glamour magazine honored her as its "Woman of the Year."
Asked why the United Nations bowed to the Pakistani protest, Shashi Tharoor, the under secretary general for communications, said he could not comment on this specific case. But, he said: "As a general principle, indeed there are written instructions guiding the holding of any event on United Nations premises in which we are obliged to take into account views formally expressed by member states. This is a building and an organization that belongs to the member states."

Thousands rally against U.S. in Pakistan

INAYAT QALA, Pakistan (AP) — Thousands of angry Pakistanis protested Sunday against a U.S. airstrike that killed civilians, chanting "Long live Osama bin Laden!" as anti-American rallies in the country entered their second week.

Pakistani authorities, meanwhile arrested a relative of a man suspected of hiding the bodies of four suspected al-Qaeda operatives believed killed in the Jan. 13 attack, said a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

*******

My only question is this...how does bombing countries and killing suspected terrorists along with innocent civilians work to defeat "radical Islam" (whatever that is)? If anything, this gives ammunition to Osama bin Hidin and more soldiers for his cause. And maybe, that's what the United States military infrastructure wants? Let's make dua for our sister and for the people of Pakistan who have been through so much with the earthquake and their corrupt leaders.

Comunity Reform: Islamic Center Websites

2006-01-12T20:28:00.000-05:00

Modern Muslima talks about your Islamic Center's website.

A very timely piece that all web savvy Muslims should read. Remember: a cool Islamic website is great dawah.

Stop Blaming Bush? Muhammad Ali Hasan's Plea

2006-01-04T14:11:00.000-05:00

I ran across this article at Naseeb.com. I really wish this was brought to my attention months back. Oh, how I wish! But these things happen for a reason. Let's take a look at Hasan's plea for us naysayers to stop picking on our current president.

First off, we here at Muslims For America, on behalf of all of our members, would like to extend our deepest prayers and love to all victims of the hurricane. We are touched by the outpouring of charity that we have seen on various news channels, particularly, all the folks rushing to the southern states in hopes of helping others - this is the kind of stuff that makes us love America! We have also listed some charities that are looking for volunteers and donations - the list can be found here - link

The article starts off very nicely with his expression and grief for us Hurricane Katrina refugees. What's interesting though is that if you click on the link, you'll notice that of all the charities that Americans for Bush recommend, none of these charities are Islamic ones. You would think that the Hasans in their efforts to increase understanding of Islam amongst Americans would have joined up with at least one Islamic organization to collect charity for Katrina victims. Wouldn't that be great dawah and a way for us to show other Americans that we care? I'm certainly not knocking secular or Christian based charity organizations but Muslims for America should include American Muslims, don't you think?

However, we here at Muslims For America are getting increasingly concerned over the demonization of President Bush and the trivializing of this disaster as somehow being an incompetency to be blamed upon the President.

Who trivialized this disaster? I don't remember any mainstream American reporter trivializing the event. Now some of the reporters were very opinionated, some were even self-righteous, but far from being trivial. And if certain reports are using that angle, isn't that their right? Hasan must admit to himself that Bush's handling of the Katrina crisis was pretty bad. Showing up in the Gulf South days after the storm does not look good. Oh, wait! He was on vacation. So he was on vacation while our country is at war and a huge storm nearly decimated the Gulf South. Yeah, it's hard for a reporter to give that a good spin.

We even heard, from one source, that commentators at the BBC were criticizing President Bush for hugging victims of the hurricane, and somehow, insinuating that his response was one shallowness --- such commentators were likely referring to this photo (the picture is up above).

So where's the source? I'm not saying the BBC reporters didn't criticize President Bush but it would be nice to have a link to Hasan's accusation. I don't know what's in President Bush's heart so I can't say for certain that this picture was simply a photo-op or a man sincerely concerned for his citizens. But Bush does have a reputation for not being concerned about the plight of poor people and people of color.

On behalf of all of our members, we are deeply upset by such comments. We suggest that such British commentators start reverting their criticism towards Prime Minister Tony Blair, who we have never seen make any sorts of outreach to minorities, whether it be visiting British Muslims in a Mosque after a terrorist attack, as President Bush did here, or hugging minorities. This is the kind of stuff that makes us love America!

Oh, dear. Well, you see, Muslims aren't concerned about Bush visiting mosques and holding iftars as much as we are concerned about white phosphoros and shrapnel being used on defenseless Iraqis and Afghanis--not to mention our American fallen soldiers and those who are coming home with some serious injuries. For all the speeches about "Islam is Peace" and "Muslim Americans are patriotic" can't compare to the over 25,000 death count of Iraqi civilians since the March 2003 invasion. So who cares if Tony Blair didn't hug a bunch a Muslims, Bush and Blair share the same policies when it comes down to oppressing poor Muslims in the "third world." He hugging minorities! I is soooo happy (insert me tap dancing)! Maybe he should have thrown some life rafts to all those drowning minorities in New Orleans.

We have also listed some charities that are looking for volunteers and donations - the list can be found here--victims of various British disasters. We applaud President Bush for visiting with hurricane victims, signing a $10 billion relief bill, enlisting Presidents Senior Bush and Clinton to head a relief effort, and of course, embracing victims of this tragedy, particularly minority victims who have lost their homes.

There he goes with that "minority" stuff again. Since September 2005, Bush has NOT been back to the Gulf South. The Gulf South has NOT seen any improvement. Corpses are still being taken out of the Ninth ward and Chalmette. Will New Orleans or any affected city see that money? The writers of the New York Times are asking the same question. Because if you talk to the residents of New Orleans, they'll tell you that things haven't really changed. Maybe Hasan should go to New Orleans and see the carnage for himself to get a better picture of what's going on and maybe he can see where that $10 billion dollar relief bill is going.

Prime Minister Tony Blair could learn a lot from our President. The media would like us to believe that this is a racial issue and that these hurricane victims perished simply because of their race, thus indirectly saying that our President is a racist.

Do I have enough time to tackle this in this entry? Okay. Since the storm, many people have been wondering if the federal and state response would have been quicker if the suffering residents were of a different ethnicity. No one argues that Katrina would have done her damage whether New Orleans was predominately Black or not. But the questions remain. Why did it take so long for local, state and federal agencies to respond. Why did they sit on their hands as average Americans sent aid. Why were people left to fend for themselves? We do have the most powerful military machine on Earth. We do have within our arsenal the power to subdue nations and make them bend to our will. In light of our political and military might, there is no reason that anyone could offer for the delayed response that would be satisfactory. I don't care about the reasons. The fact remains that American, tax paying citizens needed help and they were left to drown.

Judging by the photo above, our President is no racist, as he has been quick to respond and is always willing to embrace all minorities. We also do not welcome the criticisms of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who has also criticized President Bush. If anything, it was Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco's responsiblity to make sure that the levees of New Orleans were re-inforced enough for a Category 5 hurricane.

Re-read that paragraph. They don't invite criticisms against Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco but they are willing to criticize Mayor Nagin for failing to ensure suitable levees for New Orleans. So we can't criticize Mayor Nagin or President Bush but you can? Everyone failed. I'll repeat that. Everyone failed. All three leaders did a horrible job. And according to this article, it was the Bush administration that was responsible for cutting funds to the New Orleans levee system. And it was only after Katrina's fury that the Louisiana state legislature decided to look into reforming the levee board. So as I said, our officials, from the top down, let us down.

Some will say that it was the Federal Government's fault for not giving enough funding to reinforce the levees, however, the Governor and Mayor should have responded to the Federal Government with appeals to such budgets, in addition to gathering their own state funds. But sadly, the worst example of incompentence would be the disastrous organization behind this effort. The Mayor and the Governor knew this hurricane was coming and they knew
it would be horrible. While Mayor Nagin enforced a mandatory evacuation, he did absolutely nothing to assist the citizens of New Orleans who were living in, or near, poverty and did not have the necessary personal funds to leave the city. There were plenty of school buses that could have been used to bus these people out of town, but the Mayor made the decision to stand pat.

I can agree with that--everyone failed, top to bottom. It's everyone's responsibility to insure security to America's citizens, not just the local or federal sector.

Thus, we are infuriated at the Mayor's decision to blame everyone except himself. Our advice to him is the following: Please keep your mouth shut.

Very mature.

Your criticisms have proven to be counter-productive.

Not likely. I spoke to some New Orleans residents who don't particularly care for Mayor Nagin but did respect the fact that he spoke his mind on that fateful day. I even had a little respect for him after his outburst.

In addition, we offer great criticism towards the media. It is well documented that many reporters are picking and choosing who they refer to as a "looter" and who they refer to as a "shopper." Should we see a Muslim dragging grocery bags across water, we shudder to think of the possible labels - "Terrorist Looter?" It is also worth noting that MSNBC photographer, Tony Zumbado, gave an excellent account of the real atmosphere within New Orleans. His comments included the following -"They were told to go to the convention center. They did, they've been behaving. It's unbelievable how organized they are, how supportive they are of each other. They have not started any melees or riots ... they just want food and support. And what I saw there I've never seen in this country." While some in the media show pictures of African Americans and print "looter" under them, President Bush has made a point of wrapping his arms around the same people, weeping into their shoulder and promising rebuilding. Zumbado further confirms the incompetence behind the Governor and Mayor's decisions, within this crisis. People walking miles, in flood water, from the SuperDome to the New Orleans Convention Center? No assisted evacuations for those who couldn't afford to leave? Late calls to the National Guard?

Hold up. I was watching Tony Zumbado that night and he didn't finger anyone as responsible for the crisis. In that same transcript, he states, "I don't want to sound negative against anybody or any official, but according to them, and what they saw, they left and they're there on their own. There's no police, there's no authority. ... You would never ever imagine what you saw in the convention center in New Orleans.

President Bush has no control over how evacuations will be handled, how the victims will be taken care of afterwards, and what the actions of the state's national guard will be. After all, he is a Federal administrator, not a State one. He does though, have action over any aid bills to be passed and making an example of how we should go about this tragedy. While some in the media show pictures of African Americans and print "looter" under them, President Bush has made a point of wrapping his arms around the same people, weeping into their shoulder and promising rebuilding.

So if there is a tragedy, like a terrorist attack or a deadly storm, the president's job is to simply pass bills and let the state handle it? Well, he certainly didn't do that for September 11th. New York City has been able to rise from the tragedy stronger than before but will New Orleans be the same? Do we have to get attacked by terrorists for the president to take a more proactive stance in securing our country from man made and natural disasters? When you are in a position of leadership and you see those under you are not doing their job, whether you like it or not, you have to pick up the slack so that people can look at you and say, "Well, at least he responded when one else did." But he didn't do that. He waited. Could you imagine days after September 11th, with the towers still burning and the president waiting to respond? Do you think he would have just left it up to Rudy Guiliani to take care of business? No, a defender and chief rises to the challenge and doesn't wait for other people to make up their minds. This article is an insult to those who were depending on their leaders and they were left behind.

We agree that criticisms are counter-productive and that our points above are probably better left to be un-said. But we simply could not help ourselves from pointing out some of the horrible trivializing that is taking place over this tragedy. Most of all, we pray and send love to the victims of this tragedy, as Muslims and Americans. We encourage the same of everyone else.

I thought I explained how criticizing a certain official is not trivializing but...whatever. I just hope there's some secret sadaqa coming from this family to make up for this article.

Community Reform: Interview with Yantaru

2006-01-01T23:36:00.000-05:00

For you who aren't familiar with this wonderful group of sisters, prepare yourself. These are proactive Muslimas who are spreading the deen, educating the youth and showing Muslim women that you can adhere to the Sunnah of our Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam) and live an active full life of service. Yantaru is one of the groups in our community who is putting their faith to action, dealing with the challenges of modern day society and drawing upon Islam as their center of motivation. The interview is a collobrative effort of all the sisters of Yantaru. Please support this wonderful organization and for more information visit www.yantaru.org.

Could you tell our readers how Yantaru become the organization that it is today? How did you guys come up with this idea for a women's organization modeled after the life and example of Nana Asma'u?

Yan Taru was a word used in the Sokoto Caliphate, to refer to the women who were the backbone of an educational movement established by Nana Asma'u during the reign of her brother Caliph Muhammad Bello (1817 - 1837). The Sokoto Caliphate was established by Shaykh Uthman dan Fodio in 1804 spanned an area comparable in size to western Europe, in modern day terms it consisted of large part of Nigeria, parts of Togo, Benin republic, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. It remained in existence till it’s dismantlement in 1904 by the British. However the last Caliph appointed a successor (Sultan Muhammad Mai Wurno) before his death to make the hijra to Sudan, the present Sultan of Mairurno, Sultan AbuBakr is a descendent of this general.

The Yan Taru was a group of itinerant female student-teachers. Women and girls who left their homes and made the long arduous journey to Sokoto, primarily on foot. The women unable to make the journey to seek knowledge would send sadaqa, which would then be used to run the charitable works of Nana Asma'u. Today, hundreds of women from the countries of Nigeria and Niger continue to make this same journey, albeit, mostly by bus. The Yan Taru Foundation is just an extension of this system being applied to the American socio-cultural context. We incorporated as a non-profit foundation in April this year.

Yantaru places much of it's focus on women's education. Do you think that such educational initiatives are missing in our American Muslim community or do you see Yantaru simply taking the education of Muslim women to a new level?

Yes, unfortunately, there is a tremendous lack of educational initiatives not just for women but for Muslims as a whole in the United States. Traditionally Islam was spread around the world through the centuries by scholars, pious merchants and amirs, but in America, for the most part, our mosques and community centers are run by doctors , engineers and PhDs who do not have a solid foundation in traditional Islamic education, and hence our mosques do not impart this or make education a priority. The Rasul (peace and blessings be upon him) was primarily a teacher and our mothers, Ummuhat ul-mu’mineen, were his closest students, and were teachers of his companions as well. Shaykh Uthman and Nana Asma’u stressed the importance of knowledge during their lives and this was a distinguishing feature of their community, and is what lead to their success. And if we are to have spiritually and materially thriving Muslim communities in the United States it must be based on a solid traditional education that is connected by a scholarly chain to the Rasul (peace and blessings be upon him).

Ma sha Allah, their are small pockets of activity across America, last year their was a women’s deen intensive in California with several female teachers, just last month there was a Sisters' Two Day Weekend Program in Chicago with local female teachers (http://www.madrasaprogram.org/) Shaykh Uthman said there should be a scholar in every city. Women are sometimes taken advantage of because of a lack of education (on the woman’s part and on the man’s) because they are unaware of their rights. And sometimes women violate the rights of others due to the lack of a solid traditional education. There was a beautiful piece of nasiha that Habib Ali gave to sisters of the Yan Taru in San Diego a few years back, it essentially addresses how true Islam gives men and women the guidance to develop healthy and balanced relationships based on obedience to their Creator; these basic things are necessary for us to know in order to be able to adequately prepare ourselves for the Day of Reckoning. In sha Allah, a transcript of this talk will be available shortly in the Yan Taru library www.yantaru.org/library.

Could you please talk to us about Nana Asma'u and why Yantaru chose her to be the role model for your group? Islam is filled with many exceptional women in it's history but what was it about Nana Asma'u that inspired the creation of Yantaru and its goals?

Jean Boyd (author of the Caliph’s Sister and co-author of One Woman’s jihad) wrote a short book introducing Nana Asma'u, it is available in our digital library and is a good start for a person who wants an overview of her life but in a nut shell Nana Asma’u was an Islamic leader, Scholar, Poet and social activist. As the daughter of Shaykh Uthman ibn Fodiyo, the leader of the Sokoto Caliphate, Asma'u was a role model and teacher for other Muslim women as well as an Islamic scholar, linguist and writer. She developed a method of bringing women to her for learning called the Yan Taru movement, which has continued to exist until the present. She taught women, old and young, through poetry. These poems contained the teachings of Islam, which they memorized and then returned home to teach. She left a large body of writing in Arabic, Fulfulde and Hausa. She was 72 when she died.

We didn’t really choose her, rather Allah ta’ala choose her for us. We are women who adhere to the community and methodology established almost 200 years ago by the great Islamic scholar Shaykh Uthman ibn Fodiyo and Nana Asma’u was one of his greatest students. Like you say there are great women throughout Muslim history, foremost of them being the Ummuhat ul-mu’mineen, Imam Suhaib Webb’s Mothers of the believers CD set is a great introduction to these remarkable women. The Imam not only mentions the obvious contributions, like teaching, but he also highlights the subtle things they did that made their communities strong, their powerful impact and their legacy linger.

Ma sha Allah, we are also blessed to have various great women in all regions of the world people like Fatima bin al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn al-Daqqaq al-Qushayri, Karima al-Marwaziyya, Zaynab bint Sulayman, Fatima bint Abd al-Rahman, Umm al-Fath Amat as-Salam, Hafsa bint Ibn Sirin, 'Amra bin 'Abd al-Rahman, Umm al-Darda' 'Abida al-Madaniyya, 'Abda bin Bishr, Umm Umar al-Thaqafiyya, Nafisa bint al-Hasan ibn Ziyad, Khadija Umm Muhammad, 'Abda bint Abd al-Rahman, Sitt al-Wuzara, A'isha bin Abd al-Hadi, Sitt al-Arab and Daqiqa bint Murshid.We also have women from lands whose women scholars are generally not cataloged in the biographies, lands like sub-Saharan Africa, East Africa, Malaysia, The Indian subcontinent, Europe, Central Asia and China to mention a few.

We look at the world she was in and it bears so many similarities to out world, although it was a different era (19th century) and a different geographical region (sub-Saharan Africa)
1. They were dealing with Muslim men who would not teach their womenfolk or let them seek knowledge elsewhere
2. They were a minority in the land, there were a great number of non-Muslims and nominal Muslims
3. They were dealing with new converts and how to properly integrate them into the society
4. They were dealing with inter religious marriage and the religious instruction of children who wouldn’t get any at home
5. They were dealing with some men who oppressed their womenfolk, men who capitalized on the fact that their womenfolk were ignorant of this great religion.
6. Another problem in their society was bori (a pre-Islamic spirit possession cult), which could be likened to neo-paganism, which is a problem in our society today.

Yantaru is currently sponsoring a poetry and a clothing design contest. How do the arts play a role in the aims of the Yantaru?

The arts are essential, especially in this age. We are living in an age where Muslims need to use art and culture as a vehicle for calling Muslims to the practice of the deen and inviting non-Muslims to this way of life. Dr. Umar Abdallah mentioned in one of his talks, how the arts really effect the way a person perceives him/herself and the effect popular culture, in particular film, has on a society. The Harlem Renaissance, was predominantly a cultural movement of change. Amir Suleiman, Native Deen, Mecca2Medina and M-team, are a few Muslim artists who effectively use the arts to inform and educate.

Our beloved prophet (peace be upon him) had poets around him, Nana Asma’u used poetry to teach, mainly because it is easier to memorize and the people of the land had a strong oral literary tradition, her father Shaykh Uthman used to recite poetry in the marketplace, hence using the arts to teach and covey the deen is by no means new. People have such a capacity to memorize, even little kids memorize lyrics, youth who might easily flunk a high school class, are able to memorize a tremendous amount of data in the form of musical lyrics and can compose a rap (freestyle) at a second notice, ma sha Allah the human being has an amazing ability to store, utilize and retrieve information.

Arts are usually categorized into performing and visual arts, we are attempting to address both, performing through our poetry contest and the visual arts via the design contest. The design contest is essentially an effort to recognize and highlight the creativity and talent of Muslim women. Fashion has a large impact so we would like to help facilitate a means for Muslim women to design and wear their own Islamic outfits. Through this contest we hope that talented designers are discovered, sisters have an opportunity to enjoy expressing their creativity, and we all realize that Islamic attire can be beautiful, diverse, and fashionable.

Do you have plans to start regional chapters throughout the United States. I noticed that there are some members located in California and Pennsylvania?

Our growth is organic, wherever there are students of our Shaykh (Sultan Abubakr, a descendant of Shaykh Uthman) you will find the Yan Taru, at the moment we have members in California, Pennsylvania, Texas, Alabama and Georgia. We are going to expand our membership to include people who support our work or volunteer with us, this will be called “Friends of Yan Taru” and people can open these chapters anywhere, look for more information regarding this on our site in the up coming months.

Yantaru also offers programs and literature in Spanish. In your view, how do you see Yantaru addressing the growing current of Latino-American converts to Islam, who are looking for Spanish material and programs.

We are working on putting together folders filled with Dawah material, to make it into a convenient carry-around package for those who wish to learn more about Islam. We hope to work together with Latino Dawah Organizations to make Spanish material available wherever the need arises, and establish a team that will encourage the propogation of Islam. We hope to not only provide written information, but follow up and interact with the people who have asked for and received material. We want them to be able to ask questions and hopefully through our answering them, they will grow in love with the deen, and see that it is not only a religion, it is a way of life. Also, we are currently working on putting together "New Shahada" baskets that will Insha Allah contain all the basic necesities for a new Muslim. It will contain items such as Hijab/Kufi, Quran, prayer rug, and more, Insha'Allah.

Yantaru offers classes for spiritual health, such as fiqh and tasawuf, lectures on healthy diet and exercise and offers business expertise to Muslim women. Talk to us about the holistic aspect of Yantaru's educational outreach and why you decided to include all these areas of interest rather than just focusing on one?

Islam is a both a complete way of life and spiritual path so the Yan Taru Foundation tries to reflect this, we want women to have healthy bodies, pure hearts who are empowered economically, all these things are important in establishing strong families and communities and inviting non-Muslims to embrace Islam.

Finally, what are the future plans of Yantaru? What role do you see your organization playing with the American Muslim umma?

We hope with Allah’s permission to reource for women and children, Muslim and non-Muslim, locally and nationally, some of the services we plan to provide are as follows:
1. Provide distance learning courses and course packs
2. Publish audio, visual and other material for children.
3. Social welfare services for people in need in particular women and children by establishing a women’s centre, which would house an adult’s library, children’s library, mother and baby room, prayer area, kitchen, office space, gym, health resources centre and business resource centre.
4. Encouraging and facilitating entrepreneurship in women through seminars, publication and workshops and interest-free loans to budding entrepreneurs
5. Establishing a girls summer camp where girls can spend time immersed in activities that strengthen and nourish the mind body and soul.In addition to our concern for the woman as a servant of Allah we are concerned with the woman’s social interactions as a sister, mother and wife. To this end we plan to publish books written by traditional male and female scholars on this insha Allah.

Please keep us in your du’as
For more info visit us online at http://www.yantaru.org/ or email us at info@yantaru.org

Will they now shut up?

2005-11-20T03:47:00.000-05:00

Since 9/11 many Islamic associations have been the target of a sustained smear campaign carried out by members of the neocon right as also Islamophobes such as Daniel Pipes, Robert Spencer and the rest of their pathetic ilk.Slander, innuendo and calumny have been used to vilify these associations and in particular ISNA.Now comes the news that after a thorough investigation ISNA and numerous other associations have been cleared. A link to the relevant article is provided below.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005511150460

I know that it is too much to expect these purvryors of hate to apologise but will they atleast shut up?

Five questions from a Bigot

2005-11-17T04:41:00.000-05:00

Dennis Prager, whom I believe has a syndicated radio show, had an op-ed published in the LA Times in which he 'asked'Muslims five incredibly fatuous questions. Juan Cole of Informed Comment has torn him to shreds;his rejoinder is a must read.Reproduced below is most of it.

Informed Comment
Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion

Juan Cole is Professor of History at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Muslims and the 5 Questions

Somebody named Dennis Prager wrote a frankly bigotted op-ed for the LA Times asking "Muslims" 5 questions. The questions are fairly easy to answer in themselves, but the stupidity of the whole framework is what is objectionable. Why is it that our media personalities cannot think their way out of a paper bag? Why don't high school civics courses alert them that there might be a problem with stereotyping everyone that you categorize as belonging to a particular group?

Prager begins his "questions" directed, apparently at all 1.3 billion Muslims in the world, by referring to the recent riots in France. He is thus framing his questions with the implication that those Muslims are all trouble-makers and have something to answer for. But the alienated in-between young African- and North African-French are mostly not very involved in religion and a lot of them couldn't tell you how to pray to save their lives.

Prager's first question is why "Muslims" are so "quiet" (implied is: "about terrorism emanating from other Muslims"). Of course, Muslims have been anything but quiet about terrorism and all sorts of Muslim leaders and groups have repeatedly condemned it. Muslims haven't been "quiet." Prager hasn't been listening.

Moreover, the mere assertion that an act was done in the "name of Islam" would not necessarily connect it to Islam in the eyes of other Muslims. All kinds of crazy things are done in the name of Judaism and Christianity and Buddhism. Why didn't the American Buddhists demonstrate when Aum Shinrikyo let Sarin gas loose in the Tokyo subway? Did American Catholics demonstrate against Franco's policies in Spain? Why should American Catholics even feel responsible for those things? Why should Indonesian or Bangladeshi Muslims demonstrate about something that happened in distant Jordan, which had some local context they don't even understand? People who are actually Muslims don't take seriously small groups of cranks who do bizarre things in the name of Islam.

And let's turn the tables on Prager. Let's ask why he is so quiet.

Let's take the following item:

' Jewish settlers began attacking Palestinians as they returned home yesterday from the funeral of an Israeli soldier, shooting dead a 14-year-old girl and wounding several others in the West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinians said.

They said the settlers began attacking shortly after the funeral in Hebron's Old City, throwing stones at houses and cars, and breaking windows.

Nizin Jamjoum, 14, was standing on the balcony of her home when she was shot in the head and died, said her brother Marwan, 26, who was injured.

At least six Palestinians were hurt, including one who was stabbed, Palestinians said.'

Has Prager ever joined a demonstration against the fascist actions of the far rightwing Israeli settlers who are stealing Palestinian land every day and from time to time killing them? Does he care about Nizin Jamjoum or her family? Nizin was a little girl. Her parents doted on her. They fed her and raised her. She played with brothers and sisters. She said cute things that made everyone's dimples come out. And then an armed colonist shot her dead, in the head. Her cranium was crushed, her brain oozed out the back of her little head. Does Prager care?

Then he asks, Why are none of the Palestinian terrorists Christian?

Prager is not only stereotyping an ethnic group, he is profoundly ignorant. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a much more violent group than Arafat's Fateh, was led by Christian George Habash. In fact, the PFLP had to hire Eastern Orthodox priests to minister to its fighers. Christians in the Middle East, whether Palestinian Christians, or Maronite Christians in Lebanon, have been just as much parties to the violence in the region as Muslims. And, of course, Israeli Jews haven't exactly been pacifists.

Then he asks, Why is only one of the 47 Muslim-majority countries a free country?

Well, gee, Dennis. Let's see.

There is the legacy of European colonialism, which ruled most of the Muslim world with an iron fist and established modern bureaucratic practices that were authoritarian, which the post-colonial states inherited. (If you want to understand the Pakistani military, you have to understand the colonial British Army of India).

And, the Russians invaded Muslim Central Asia in the 19th century. They first subjected those peoples to Tsarist absolute monarchy, and then to Stalinism. Vladimir Putin and Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan both have authoritarian tendencies, and it is because they both come out of the old Soviet system. You want to blame Islam for this?

It wasn't just colonialism. Neo-colonialism has played a key part. Iran was a parliamentary democracy in the early 1950s. Then its prime minister asserted Iranian ownership of Iran's own oil. And the UK and the US objected to this step, and sent in the CIA to overthrow the elected government of Iran, and install an absolute monarchy for all the world like Louis XIV! Courtesy of Dwight Eisenhower and Winston Churchill.

The political scientists now think that democracy is best sustained where the per capita income is at least $8000 a year. It isn't an absolute requirement, but it seems to help. There are a lot of poor Muslim countries because they are in resource-poor regions (arid parts of Africa and the Middle East).

Why bring ethnicity into it? Is that really the likely explanation? Prager could ask the same question about the Chinese. Why is only one Chinese-majority society (Taiwan) moving toward democracy? Does he think it really has something to do with being Chinese? Authoritarianism in East Asia used to be attributed to Confucianism, but then Japan and South Korea (and lately Taiwan) challenged that thesis. Things change. If we were in the 1930s Prager could ask what was with those Fascist Catholics.

Whatever the answer is to Prager's question, it has little or nothing to do with the religion of Islam per se.

Prager's number 4 is Why are so many atrocities committed and threatened by Muslims in the name of Islam?

Prager's list is skewed to begin with. He lumps together localistic national liberation movements (Chechnya) and individual crimes of passion with the guerrilla movement in Iraq, and attributes them all to "Islam." In Prager's weird world, everything Muslims do is in the name of Islam.

I append below a list of the number of murders per year in a fair number of the world's countries, and have put the Muslim-majority countries in bold. They cluster at the bottom, not the top. If we wanted to think in Prager's warped way, we'd have to ask what is with those Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians, that they are so murderous.

Prager's number 5 is Why do countries governed by religious Muslims persecute other religions?

Countries governed by religious anythings have persecuted other religions. This is true not only for religious ideologies but also for secular ideologies like Communism and Fascism. Make an idea into an "-ism" and boom, you get gulags. Religion or no religion. You think Muslims were tolerated in Franco's Spain? And, by the way, why can't a Muslim guy marry a Jewish girl in Israel if the two love each other? Hmmm. Could it be that the rabbis are unsympathetic to young love? Prager doesn't seem to know that Terry Nichols of the Oklahoma City bombing was in fact part of the Christian Identity Movement, or that fanatical Christians have killed abortion doctors in the name of Christianity.

There is something seriously wrong with the questions themselves. They come out of a weird mindset that lumps Malaysians with Moroccans, Kyrgyz with Sudanese, and Uigurs with Moro Filipinos, all just because they have a common heritage in one of the great world religions; it isn't as if their actual local practices and beliefs are all exactly the same.

The questions are symptomatic of prejudice and sloppy thinking. They demean Americans by the posing of them. Muslims as individuals haven't done anything wrong, and don't have to answer Prager's silly questions.

Community Reform: Muslim Mayor in New Jersey

2005-11-16T23:37:00.000-05:00

Salaam alaikum,

However you feel about Muslims getting involved in politics, I thought this would be a great article to post since it evolves Muslims "putting their money where their mouth is."

Muslim triumphs over a smear to become mayor

Teacher will lead Prospect Park

Monday, November 14, 2005

BY WAYNE PARRY--Associated Press

The anonymous flier mailed to households in Prospect Park days before a new mayor was to be chosen was direct and devastating in its claims: A Muslim council member, one of three candidates for the post, was "a betrayer living among us" with ties to the 9/11 terrorists.

The mailing said Mohamed Khairullah "should not be living in our clean town" and "will try to poison our thoughts about our great country."
But the letter failed to derail his candidacy. The borough council chose Khairullah in a 4-0 vote Wednesday night, making him one of only two Muslim mayors in New Jersey.

"The people of Prospect Park are great people," said Khairullah, 30, a high school teacher. "I'm just happy to have this opportunity."
Arab-Americans and Muslims make up about 15 percent of the population in this half-square-mile borough in Passaic County. Hispanics account for about 40 percent, with Caucasians and African-Americans representing most of the remainder of the nearly 5,800 who live here.

The mayor's seat was vacated last month when Will Kubofcik stepped down because his family moved to Bloomingdale. The local Democratic Party nominated three candidates to fill the remainder of the four-year term, which expires next December. Khairullah, a Syrian native and former Saudi resident who was first elected to the council just two months after the 9/11 attacks, was one of the three nominees.

In the mailings, the anonymous author said Khairullah has made public comments "which show his ties to the people responsible for the horrible attacks of 9/11."

Khairullah called those claims baseless and disgusting, and said they endangered the safety of him and his family. He said the flier probably referred to -- and misrepresented -- comments he made at a pro-Palestinian rally in Paterson last year in which he said American Muslims need to do their part to effect change in the Middle East, either through political activism or economic boycotts.

"I just couldn't believe someone would stoop down to that level," he said. "It's one thing to attack me, but to attack me in terms that place my safety and the safety of those around me in grave danger is really low."
The mailing is similar to one that went out the night before the 2004 election to voters in Bedminster, accusing township committee candidate Zaheer Jan and his running mate of being funded by "foreign nationals, not local residents." Jan, who was born in India and grew up in Pakistan, said it was a scare tactic designed to make people fear he might have terrorist ties. He lost the election by 14 votes out of nearly 3,600 cast.

CONTINUED...Allahu akbar!

The more things change ......

2005-11-15T04:04:00.000-05:00

There is an old saying that the more things change ,the more they remain the same.I discovered that this adage held true after returning to India in September this year.Having spent the better part of the last four years in North America, I found that my views had been tempered by life there and there was a subtle but distinct change in the way I had begun to view things.My sojourn in Canada had exposed my family and myself to the joys of a multicultural Ummah in what must be one of the most diverse countries in the world.For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to meet and interact with Muslims of different nationalities,appreciate our cultural differences and like all good Muslims partake of the delicious food that other Muslims shared with us!

So it was with a new perspective and a renewed joie de vivre that I relocated to India a few months ago.Now is the time to make a difference, I said to myself.I am going to share the positive aspects of my life abroad with my Brothers here.Hopefully,the community here would have changed what with all the advances that India has made in the international arena.A greater exposure to the world outside must have convinced them that most of us here are living in a little pond.They must be ready to connect to the Ummah at large.

Unfortunately, my enthusiasm is slowly turning to frustration.I find that little has changed and that petty differences continue to be the bane of the Ummah here.While Muslims are dying in Iraq, Palestine and Chechnya and while there are dark forces ranged against us in almost every part of the world, Indian Muslims are still fighting over things that are insignificant in the larger scheme of things. People have come to blows and discord has set in on whether or not one should wear a cap during prayer, are 20 rakahs preferable to 8 in taraweeh, is it permissible for the congregational dua to be read aloud etc etc. The situation in some mosques has become so dire that certain congregants have been thrown out because they were not wearing caps!And the most distressing aspect is that Muslims in India face enough challenges as it were, including the enmity of Hindu Fascists, discrimination in the job market, an abysmal standard of living and stark economic conditions.Instead of looking at the big picture the Ummah here is riven by dissension and in some cases actively egged on by certain members of the Ulema.

But all is not lost. There are islands of hope;people who have realised that there is a far greater danger that confronts us not only in India but in the rest of the world.Forces that are led by countries who are now paranoid that Islam poses a greater threat to them than communism and who are doing everything in their power to try to destroy us.It is these committed individuals that offer hope to the Indian Muslim community that things can and will get better.Every country has its distinct challenges but there are certain core issues that should unite all of us. After all we are one Ummah and if one part of the Ummah is hurt ,the rest will feel the pain too.Muslims in North America have taken the lead;hopefully Muslims in the sub-continent and elsewhere will rise to the challenge.

American Muslims Stand Behind Sister Mukhtar Mai

2005-11-05T22:46:00.000-05:00

Salaam alaikum,

Various Muslim groups have taken action to support their sister Mukhtar Mai. She was recently awarded by Glamour Magazine as one of their 2005 Women of the Year. This is what they had to say about her.

Mukhtar Mai is barely literate, yet Nicholas D. Kristof, the esteemed New York Times columnist, says of her, "There is no one person who has been more courageous—or more effective—in the struggle for women's rights in the developing world." With her stunning act of defiance and her ongoing activism, says Amna Buttar, M.D., of the Asian-American Network Against Abuse of Women, Mukhtar has "singlehandedly changed the attitudes toward rape and women's rights in Pakistan, and given hope to survivors." Mukhtar says, "It's because of the support of the world that I feel brave."

(There's also website for her cause right here.)

American Muslims, moved by their sense of justice and search for righteousness, have created a group called Muslims for Mukhtaran. The proud list of signature groups include ISNA (the big, bad, Salafi, fundamentalist, evil punching bag of MWU.com), Women in Islam Inc., and the Muslim Public Affairs Council. It is wonderful to see Muslims combating violence, sin and injustice, even when it is against our own selves. We will keep you updated on this as current events progress.

EID MUBARAK!!!

2005-11-05T22:31:00.000-05:00

We've been bad. Very bad. Neglecting our poor little blog. :-(

No fear, we shall be blogging again!

But for now, here's a little Eid card!

See it, it's right on the top. It says "may Allah accept your fasting." We hope and pray that Allah may accept our pleas for forgiveness, our fasting, our prayers, and our charity and good deeds for His sake and His sake alone. We all know that this umma can use all the mercy and help it can get. Ameen.

Sidi Hajj Gibril Haddad: Unenlightened Feminism and Praying for Show

2005-11-05T18:01:00.000-05:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

Hosted at Mere Islam in PDF format. May be available in HTML or another format soon.

Unenlightened Feminism

Zakat and Sadaqa: The Charity of the Muslimeen

2005-10-23T16:11:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Rita

South Asian Earthquake

Hurricane Wilma

Famine in Niger

South Asia Tsunami

and wars all across the Earth

These are just a handful of the causes that you can serve for the sake of Allah ta'ala. Give your duas and prayers for them. Don't underestimate the power of appeal to Allah. There are no veils between Allah and the oppressed. Volunteer for relief efforts if you can. Work with your masjid to donate clothing and to send relief. Whatever you give during this month of Ramadan, whether it's the gift of prayer or monetary wealth, your action will be blessed a thousand times over.

Red Cross

Mercy USA

Hidaya Foundation

Islamic Relief

ICNA Relief

Zakat and Sadaqa Information

Soundvision: Zakat Page

General Zakat Questions

What can I do to help Iraq? (I would apply this to all countries affected by war)

The Inner Dimensions of Zakat by Imam al-Ghazali (radiallahu anhu)

Donating blood as sadaqa

Is it bad to give old clothes in charity?

Is buying books a form of charity?

I'tikaf Preperations

2005-10-23T16:06:00.000-04:00

So the last 10 ten days of Ramadan are almost upon us. Time flew fast, didn't it? It will never be this easy to worship in the other months of the year as it is in the month of Ramadan. Some of you maybe making i'tikaf (spiritual retreat) at the masjid but many of you, especially the sisters, will be making i'tikaf at home. Here are some tips for you and some good reads to prepare for the last 10 days of this blessed month.

Spiritual Retreat for Women at Home

More on women making i'tikaf at home

The best times to begin i'tikaf Conditions of I'tikaf (from the Fiqh of Fasting--Hanafi)

Ramadan for Women: Making it Special, Making it Spiritual by Umm Zee

And just in case you want to prepare for Laylatul Qadr a little early

When is Laylatul Qadr?

Worship on Laylatul Qadr?

Islamicity link to Laylatul Qadr

The Powerful Night of Ramadan

The Powerless and the Night of Power

Progressive Islam: Musharraf Style

2005-10-03T10:32:00.000-04:00

Salaam alaikum,

Let's say you are the leader of a Muslim country that's not particulary known for protecting the rights of rape victims. And a recent controversy dealing with a rape victim who refuses to take her abuse has decided to use whatever tools at her disposal to confront this national problem. And a few weeks ago, you made the blunder of saying that such rape victims are using their trauma to get a visa out of your country or tarnish the image of said country. Lovely. Guess who I'm talking about? Well, the title of the post made it obvious. Here is a statement made by Musharraf.

"Mai had come under the sway of organizations determined to harm Pakistan’s image and he did not think Pakistan 'should be singled out when the curse is everywhere in the world.' He noted he had seen reports or figures about rape in the United States, Canada, France and Britain showing that 'it is happening everywhere."

Yes, rape is a global curse and it does occur everywhere. But the difference is in how the crime is handled. It's not fair to point the finger at Muslim countries for instances of rape. It IS justifiable to point the finger if your country punishes the victim rather than the rapist. That distinction seems to get by him each time. But I digress.

It seems that when he is not busy blaming Pakistan's rape victims for their suffering, he has started funding Pakistan's own progressive Islam. Many thanks to the PMUNA Debate for posting this entry on the blog. Yes, while the Islamic court in Pakistan is prevented from properly punishing Muktar Mai's rapists, he likes to dabble in 21st century styled ijtihad. And you wouldn't believe who is the head of this institute. Riffat Hassan, progressive Muslim and feminist, is the leader of this progressive Islamic institute. She speaks with glowing terms of Pakistan's current leader.

Organised by international scholar, Dr. Riffat Hassan, and featuring the views of one of the most prolific progressive thinkers of our times, Dr Fathi Osman, a project of no less controversy is now in the works. An autonomous, progressive Muslim institute - the antithesis of more orthodox organisations, such as the Islamic University in Islamabad - and headed by the bastion of the "enlightened moderation" movement himself, President Pervez Musharraf. And it will be truly global in its make and manifesto. It is envisioned that the board of directors will comprise the best international progressive scholars, whose works and teachings will be transmitted to Pakistanis around the country through multimedia sources and teachers programmes.

And here's an excerpt from the Dawn, with Riffat Hassan defending Musharraf from criticism.

At the end of his presentation, three-fourths of the people in the room stood up and applauded. The remaining one-fourth were persons who were opposed to him for personal or political reasons. Their venom toward the president became manifest in the question and answer part of the meeting. In a voice filled with anger the questioner told the president that since he had “categorically denied” making the statement attributed to him by The Washington Post, he should make a clarification to the world press.

She went on to express her disappointment at the way he was treating human rights activists who were protesting against violence toward women. The president responded to the deliberately provocative comment by saying that the many journalists who were present had already heard his clarification. He expressed his disappointment at the questioner and others like her who were engaging in what he said was unpatriotic behaviour. He said that he would always support the cause of women but he would oppose those who were using women’s cause to further their own agendas that were harmful to the country. At the end of the Q & A session, again the vast majority of the people stood up and gave the president a resounding round of applause.

Hmm, can't bite (or criticize) that hand that feeds you.

Svend White on "Lessons Learned from the PMU Experiment"

2005-09-26T17:35:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

Svend White has an article at Alt.Muslim on lessons to be learned from the short-lived PMUNA organization.

ISNA Thugs? by Sheila Musaji

2005-09-25T14:14:00.000-04:00

Hat tip to PMUNA Debate for posting in this entry.

This is an article by Sheila Musaji, looking into the accusations by Naseeb.com and Muslim Wake Up.com that ISNA is an exclusivist group of Islamist thugs.

I'll write on some of their accusations later but Mrs. Musaji does a good job at poking holes into their theories.

Dr. Amina Wudud and the Progressive Muslims: Some Reflections on Woman Led Prayer

2005-09-18T14:05:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

Ustadha Zaynab Umm Salah has written a piece reflecting on last spring's hullaballoo.

Dr. Amina Wadud and the Progressive Muslims: Some Reflections on Woman-Led Prayer

It is unfortunate that the Progressive Muslims have seized upon the issue of prayer as a way to highlight gender discrimination against Muslim women. There is profound wisdom in following the Prophetic command, "Pray as you have seen me pray." Our prayers, more than likely, cannot favorably compare with the prayers of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and those around him. Why jeopardize the quality of our prayers even further by making this pillar of Islam a platform for social rather than spiritual activism?

The Progressive Muslims raise valid and relevant questions about women's issues, especially those pertaining to women's space in the mosque and gender relations. However, there is a way to address these issues from within the Islamic paradigm, without compromising the authority of the Quran, the integrity of Prophetic practice, and the intellectual heritage passed on to us by the great scholars of old.

I believe that it is time that Muslim women reclaim their rights from within Islam. I humbly suggest that our scholars be more aware of the sensitivity of women's issues. The Progressive Muslims raise some important points, and while we may not accept their philosophy, we do ourselves a disservice by dismissing legitimate concerns that affect Muslim women today.

This topic really hit home for me, because as a woman, I too have experienced discrimination in the mosque. I simply ask that when our scholars discuss the issue of women's leadership, they keep an open mind. Many brothers use the hadith of Abu Bakrah as a weapon against women. Did the Prophet, peace be upon him, intend to prohibit women in all places and all times from assuming any and all types of leadership positions? History points to many examples of positive female leadership, and, indeed, many examples of negative male leadership. Consider what the Qur'an has to say about Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba. Look at the example of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and how he routinely consulted his wives in matters of utmost importance.

What's Next? The Gift of Ramadan

2005-09-16T14:25:00.000-04:00

Salaam alaikum everyone,

I've missed posting stuff here but as some of you may know, I am a native of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina basically washed us out. Alhamdulillah, I am in Atlanta, Georgia, safe and sound, and ready to get back to business.

So much has happened that I have not been able to comment on. In October, this blog will be a year old. We started out with a few goals in mind but our main goal was to promote traditional Islam while pulling apart the theories of the Progressive Muslim Movement.

Within a year, the PMUNA had become Muslim media darlings. Only these journalists, professors and policy makers (cough) could bring the Muslim world into the 21st century. Those who did not fall in line with their agenda were immediately insulted. Their character was called into question publicly and their ignorant fans applauded their efforts.

But in the last two months, we have seen the mass resignations of popular members such as Omid Safi, Michael Knight, and Muqtedar Khan. And with the recent disaster of Hurricane Katrina, the American public will not be distracted by female-led prayer stunts or Muslim women venting out their sexual frustrations. Americans are too busy wondering why we could rebuild Baghdad but New Orleans was left to drown. But does this mean that the fitnah is over?

Of course not.

They have disbanded but these are very creative people. They have managed to steal authority from those who could speak better on Islamic issues. Scholars who spent years training in Western universities and at the feet of the shayukh need not apply. They have seperated but they will pull their respective careers together. They will market themselves as the beacons of Islamic enlightenment until the United States is done with its policies in the Middle East and such beacons are no longer needed.

Where does this leave us at Living Tradition? We are still committed to seeing progress of the Muslim community around the world according to the dictates of the Qur'an and Sunnah. We still believe that in order to progress, God must be the goal of our progression. We are committed to seeing our communities in the West become a beautiful example of Islam. If Islam is still spreading with all this negative propoganda, just imagine what would happen if our neighbors had a more balanced concept of our religion.

We are seeing more progress in our communities. If there was one good thing that came out of the PMUNA is that it forced Muslims to address certain issues from an Islamic standpoint. The issue of "Women in the Masjid" was addressed at the 2005 ISNA convention. A published essay supported by CAIR and ISSA addressed the rights of women in the mosque. Muslims raised their voices of outrage at the plight of Sister Mukhtar Mai at the hands of the Panchiat in Pakistan. We spread the word of our fallen sister and her unborn child, Iman Muhanna Muhammad.

Just recently, Islamic Relief was in charge of relief efforts at the Astrodome in Texas. Various Muslim organizations have come together to establish an umbrella group to collect charity for Katrina's victims. CAIR has plegded to raise 10 million dollars for hurricane relief efforts. New Orleans, with a small, diverse community of Muslims, launched its first Islamic newspaper. More masajid are producing newsletters, some publish newspaper and have websites to give more information about Islam. Muslims are getting involved in the fields of arts, politics and civil liberties.

We have a long way to go but we are getting there. Alhamdulillah, it is good to see progress in the Muslim community for the pleasure of God.
So here is another great idea from Imam Zaid Shakir. I wish his article was still posted to the Zaytuna website but for some reason it's gone. He suggested that we set aside a dollar for every day that we fast in Ramadan. He also suggested that the money be donated to a charitable organization. But it is your sadaqa so spend it when it is needed most. There are probably many people in your neighborhood who are needy. Some of you might be hosting families who lost their homes in the Gulf South. Consult with God and He will guide you well.

I'll be back with more soon...

Avari/Nameh: Should Nomani Be Normative?

2005-09-12T14:12:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

From Haroon Moghul, of Avari/Nameh.

Should Nomani Be Normative?

September 2nd is Hurricane Relief Day

2005-09-01T17:25:00.000-04:00

U.S. MUSLIMS DESIGNATE FRIDAY AS 'HURRICANE RELIEF DAY' - TOP
Mosques urged to collect donations at congregational prayers(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/1/05) A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on mosques and Islamic centers nationwide to collect donations for hurricane disaster relief following Islamic congregational prayers (Jumah) on Friday.The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) asked that the funds collected be sent to the American Red Cross or other relief groups offering assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. (See the list below compiled by the Associated Press.)CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 31 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

To read CAIR's Mission, Vision Statement and Core Principles, go to: http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?Page=About

CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper,
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726,
E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org;

Rabiah Ahmed,
202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org

SEE ALSO:A LIST OF SOME NATIONAL CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS -
TOP
Red Cross: 1-800-HELP-NOW
or https://www.redcross.org/
Salvation Army: 1-800-SAL-ARMY or http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/
Catholic Charities: 1-800-919-9338 or http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/
Episcopal Relief & Development:
1-800-334-7626 or
http://www.er-d.org/
United Methodist Committee on Relief:
1-800-554-8583 or http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/emergency/hurricanes/2005/
Operation USA: 1-800-678-7255
or http://www.opusa.org
FEMA Charity tips:
http://www.fema.gov/rrr/help2.shtm
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster: http://www.nvoad.org/
Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: http://www.la-spca.org/
Islamic Relief:
http://www.irw.org/katrina
ICNA Relief:
http://icnarelief.org
Humane Society of the United States:
http://www.hsus.org

DC-AREA MOSQUE TO COLLECT DONATIONS HURRICANE VICTIMS - TOP(STERLING, VA, 9/1/05) On Friday, September 2, the All Dulles Muslim Society (www.adamscenter.org) will have hurricane relief donation collection boxes at all Jumaa Locations: Main Center, Farifax Branch, Reston Branch, Leesburg Branch, and Tysons Corner Branch. Please make check payable to ADAMS with memo: "Hurricane Katrina"The ADAMS Sisters Youth Groups will also collect Canned Food at the ADAMS Main CenterADAMS urges Muslim Americans to donate generously to humanitarian organizations that are working to meet the needs of the affected people. ADAMS also urges Muslim Americans to volunteer in any capacity to help bring relief and comfort to the victims of this disaster.CONTACT: ADAMS President Rizwan Jaka, E-Mail: rojpm@yahoo.com

How You Can Help: The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-01T15:01:00.000-04:00

Many organizations have sprung up to help the people of the Gulf Coast and beyond. All these organizations are reputable and placing your charity in their hands will be protected. As of now, New Orleans is still in a state of shock and chaos. The looting and on-going violence has made it very hard for rescue workers and police to do their job.Make dua for them and for Mayor Ray Nagin. He needs all the divine and human help he can get, as well as Governor Kathleen Blanco and the elected officials of Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. Also all the people involved in the rescue and recovery attempts as well need our help. Here is where you can donate whatever you can.

www.redcross.org
Immediate help to those who need medical attention, food, clean water and rescue. Very well-known institution dedicated helping others in catastrophe zones.

www.irw.org/kartina
Islamic Relief has started collecting money and other items

www.reliefonline.org
ICNA Relief, charity org. of the Islamic Council of North America

www.mercyusa.org/HurricaneKatrinaRelief.cfm
Mercy USA for Aid and Development

There are also many New Orleans Muslims making refuge in Baton Rouge. You can contact them here.

Islamic Center of Baton Rouge
www.webrouge.com/icbr/
820 West Chimes
1-225-387-3617

Everyone here (well, there) is in need of milk, diapers, medicine, clothing, and everything else that you can think of to sustain them. Your most helpful charity is your dua but if you are able to give, please do. I'll be back with more information.

Condemnation of Pat Robertson's Rhetoric

2005-08-28T17:56:00.000-04:00

DON'T JUDGE ISLAM, CHRISTIANITY BY EXTREMISTS
Lexington Herald Leader, 8/26/05

Few conservative political and religious leaders have condemned the Rev. Pat Robertson's call for assassinating Venezuela's leader to prevent him from using the country as a "launching pad for communistic infiltration and Muslim extremism." The televangelist first denied saying it and then apologized. But an apology has never stopped conservative groups from demanding redress from anyone they consider guilty of hate speech.

The irony of Robertson's statement is that it occurred at a time when American Islamic groups are taking a strong stance against violence. So far, more than 174 national organizations, mosques and Islamic centers have signed a religious edict or fatwa against terrorism -- something conservatives argue that they should do forcefully.The July 28 statement by the Islamic religious council representing North America, says the Quran forbids violence targeting civilians and cooperating with anyone involved in it.

Working with law enforcement to protect the lives of civilians is a religious and civic duty, the fatwa says. One signee is the Council of American-Islamic Relations, a civil liberties group that has a chapter in Lexington. On Saturday, the local chapter celebrated its first year at a dinner also attended by Jewish and Christian religious leaders.

The local group has worked to educate the media, law enforcement and schools about the Muslim faith. It is also planning community service projects with local churches.The goal is to break down stereotypes that create distrust and breed hostilities.

In that light, CAIR condemned Robertson's comments: "America's image is damaged by such inciting and irresponsible rhetoric at a time when we are trying to demand that other countries challenge their own religious extremists.

"The Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, did condemn Robertson's comments. The Colorado pastor is worried that the comments would increase the danger for missionaries in Venezuela."Pat doesn't speak for evangelicals any more than Dr. Phil speaks for mental-health professionals," Haggard told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

How odd. That's precisely the point Muslim groups try to make about extremists who distort Islam.

The Death Throes of PMU Continue

2005-08-24T13:07:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

Along with recent resignations from Muqtedar Khan, Laury Silvers, and Michael Knight, today Omid Safi, Sarah Eltantawi, and Hussein Ibish -- three of the four founding members -- announced their resignation from the organization. So I'm not keeping track, but has this organization officially lasted longer than CAMU or not?

Will They Apologise?

2005-08-23T14:20:00.000-04:00

The "Reverend" Pat Robertson, the popular televangelist, has stated that President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela should be assassinated because he is inimical to American interests and because he is encouraging "communist infiltration and Muslim extremism." (ed note: he also, importantly, pointed out that any assasination of Chavez would not likely stop oil shipments to the U.S.) This is the latest in the long line of outrageous statements Robertson has made but even more ludicrous is the fact that there are people who are still willing to listen to him. With leaders such as Pat Robertson, Jimmy Swaggart, and Franklin Graham, all of whom have made hateful statements about Islam and Muslims in the past, we need to ask what ever happened to the so called Christian ideals of compassion and tolerance. I guess their idea of compassion is bombing countries to smithereens or invading them for cheap oil, while making pious statements about freedom.

There have also been calls from right wing columnists and at least one Republican that Makkah and Madinah should be nuked the next time America is attacked. Surf a few of the mainstream right wing sites where attacking Muslims and Islam has become de rigeur.To them all Muslims are the enemy. Our lives mean nothing; the stench of their hypocrisy is unbearable. Case in point is the growing opposition to the war in Iraq fuelled by their casualties, but few Americans really know about the nearly 100,000 Iraqis who are estimated by the British medical journal Lancet to have died. Why should they? After all, we are all expendable. Meanwhile,
airheads like Michael Savage and Ann Coulter (to name a few) have heaped filth on our Deen with nary a protest from their co-religionists.

The point that I am trying to make is simple. All the examples point to a common factor: that almost every one involved in attacking our religion and its adherents is a White Christian (and please do not accuse me of profiling) and for the most part a right winger. Taking the lead from various Muslim organisations both in North America and Europe who have repeatedly denounced acts of terrorism and violence by the misguided members of our community, I call upon the leaders of White Christian churches, organisations, and communities to condemn without reservation this verbal terrorism that has been unleashed against their Muslim countrymen. Maybe,they should start a 'Not in My Name' campaign akin to the one spearheaded by CAIR in which they wholeheartedly denounce the hatred that is being spread by their co religionists. What about apologising to the millions of people whose countries have been invaded, bombed or ruthlessly exploited by their government and the ones before it? And if they state that Christianity does not preach the message expounded by their lunatic fringe, then we should remind them that we have been trying to say the same thing for the past 4 years but to no avail. Perhaps,they will then understand how it is to be Muslim in North America!

If every individual Muslim is to be held responsible for the dastardly acts of a few extremists then I demand the same kind of accountability from the average White Christian. Your silence reeks of collusion. And before you accuse me of rushing to judgement, may I remind you that we feel the same way every time our entire community is pilloried in the media? You cannot apply different standards nor can the rules of cricket be tailored to your advantage. A level playing field is all that we want; is that too much to ask?

Related: Why Pat Robertson Isn't Treated as a Terrorist

The Continous Slander of Muslim Fest

2005-08-20T22:52:00.000-04:00

As I stated in another post, if you don't like the way a certain group does things, you can...

1) voice your opinion to make a change
2) quietly and gracefully leave
3) put up with it

Well, our PMUNA friends have decided to opt for a more insulting but less productive tactic--insult and slander.

Some of you might remember the piece Jawad Ali did on Muslim Fest, criticizing it for not having female singers, even though more than half of the organizing committee is female. Well, it doesn't end there.

Here's a letter explaining the real deal from the PR volunteer published in the Toronto Globe. As usual, my added comments are bold and/or italicized.

NIMO HUSSEIN

MuslimFest public-relations volunteer
Globe and Mail
http://tinyurl.com/ccqvp

Toronto -- The Globe's portrayal of MuslimFest 2005 does a disservice to the 250 young, enthusiastic and mostly female volunteers who worked tirelessly over 11 months to bring the festival to life (Women Artists, Performers Criticize Muslim Festival Restrictions -- Aug. 13).

The implication that Zuriani "Ani" Zonneveld (a PMUNA board member and singer of their "theme song") was denied leave to perform because of her gender is unfortunate. Indeed, the organizing committee had no knowledge of this person until The Globe and Mail article. Ms. Zonneveld complained, two days before the launch of the festival, to someone> affiliated with the festival, rather than to the organizers. MuslimFest does not have any policy in place that bans female singers from performing before a mixed-gender audience.

MuslimFest hopes to encourage female singing talent in the Canadian Muslim community. The fact is, the chair of the first ever MuslimFest was a woman, 70 per cent of the volunteers at this year's event were women and 60 per cent of the 11 committees it took to bring this festival to life were led by women and the audiences were predominantly women. The festival came to life within a community of dedicated people from different cultures, ages and races with a common desire to let others see beyond the political strife and stereotyping that corral the media regarding issues involving Muslims.

Please give Muslim Fest all your support. What's sad is that they are probably getting more support from non-Muslim organizations than Muslim organizations. Gee, did I just see a rattle snake crawl by? Well, Ms. Zonneveld has a concert sponsored with Naseeb on September 4th, same time as th ISNA Convention. Also performing will be 786 and Azhar Usman and while I would love to see Azhar Usman's comedy show, I'm not banking on the Naseeb event as having as many people as the ISNA convention. And why is everybody player-hatin' on ISNA these days? If you don't like it, you know what you can do.

PMUNA Debate Tidbits

2005-08-20T22:34:00.000-04:00

We've got two good posts from the PMUNA Debate

First off, Laury Silvers, PMUNA board member leaves the nest. Who next? Allahu 'alim. I would tell you more about her but her bio was removed from the PMUNA website. She did write an article for MWU entitled "Civil Disobedience and Women-Led Prayer" and there some info about her on that.

And secondly, there's a new website called Progressive Islam.org with links to Michael Knight's, Ginan Rauf and Harriet Tubman's blogs. There are also links to articles on Alt.Muslim and almost no mention of Muslim Wake Up! or the PMUNA. Insha'Allah, the editors and writers of Alt.Muslim will be careful. Alt.Muslim is a respected website and some readers might shy away from Alt.Muslim if they associate too closely with Mike Knight and the PMUNA.

Community Reform: Supporting the Arts

2005-08-20T20:46:00.000-04:00

Praise of Ink: The Art of Islamic Calligraphy

We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting
Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang,
eminent master of Arabic calligraphy
at Zaytuna Institute on the following dates:

SEPTEMBER 10TH*
Saturday, 7:30pm
Special Lecture Event

Praise in Ink: The Art of Islamic Calligraphy
SEPTEMBER 12TH – 26TH*
Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:30pm – 9:00pm

Islamic Calligraphy Workshop
SEPTEMBER 24TH*
Saturday, 11:00am - 1:00pm
Calligraphy for Children (Ages 7-14)
*All events are free and open to the public.

Haji’s works will be available for purchase at Zaytuna Institute after the Sept. 10th and 24th programs.

OTHER EVENTS/EXHIBITS:
SEPTEMBER 9TH – 11TH & 16TH – 18TH
Friday - Sunday, 11:00am – 5:00pm
Asian Art Museum - San Francisco

SEPTEMBER 25THSunday,
12:00pm - 5:00pm
Stephen Miller Gallery in Menlo Park

Religion has been the inspiration for some of the greatest artistic achievements of human kind. To understand the spiritual and creative pulse of religion, people often look to the art that is created by its followers. When we give dawah to people, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims, we must do it in a beautiful way. Calling people to Islam, whether for the purpose of embracing the faith or to have a better understanding of it, must leave the seeker with a positive impression.

Muslims, despite the most recent, ludricious accusations of our lack of creativity, have been creating some of the most beautiful art for over 1400 years. Muslims can empower themselves and cultivate a sense of pride (not nafsy pride) in their history and show others why Islam inspires us to create such wonderful things. May Allah ta'ala bless the endeavors of Zaytuna for planning such a wonderful event and may other Muslims follow in their example.--Risama

Palestine IS "a Muslim Issue"

2005-08-16T16:23:00.000-04:00

In the latest of many poorly penned articles, Mona Eltahawy of PMUNA fame argues that the Palestinian cause has nothing to do with Islam and is merely a land dispute which has been hijacked by "Islamists." The essay, as expected has received accolades and approval from familiar quarters. Paul Wolfowitz, a man known for his fetish of ultra-leftist Arab woman,(just ask his Saudi companion) has endorsed Eltahawy (an Egyptian national) as a "good moslem." Its always reassuring to know that these journalists come with the neocon war criminal seal of approval.

Eltahaway, along with fellow neocon spaniel Amir Taheri, also writes for the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat, a medicore paper published out of London. Apparently the Saudis haven't been paying attention to the editorial process - or maintaining standards for that matter. The intrepid Eltahawy has also published articles sardonically calling on ulema to condemn and declare jihad against tsunamis. In similar vein, Eltahawy dismissingly refers to the desecration of the Holy Quran as being merely "ink on paper," while berating Muslims worldwide for their justified anger and reaction. She also feels that modest Muslim girls are "salafist tools." A true "progressive" Muslim indeed.

That being said, her article on Palestine is especially poor, lacking facts and relying heavily on empty secular arguments. For starters, the conflict, right from the beginning has been immersed in religion. Oh, but weren't many of the Zionist pioneers secular athiests? Indeed they were, but why then did they refuse offers for a jewish homeland in either Brazil or Uganda, picking Palestine instead? Apparently the biblical symbolism of jews "returning" to their "ancestral homeland" was too good for these European Askhenazi athiests to pass up. The paradoxical argument being that "God gave us this land," yet when asked if they believe in a Supreme Being, the answer is invariably "no." Then again, I have yet to come across a Zionist argument which is based on either truth or reality.

Eltahawy also fails to mention the hypocritical Messianic Christian armagedonists who support Israel. It's odd how she doesn't seem to find fault with the fervent religiosity of Judeo-Christo fascists, yet seems adamently opposed to the Islamic response. While it is true that the conflict took on an a more overt religious tone with the defeat of the Arabs in the 1967 war, it was the specific act of terrorism committed against Masjid Al Aqsa, the third holiest masjid and first qibla of Islam by an Australian pro-Zionist terrorist that shocked the Islamic world. She deliberately leaves this revealing bit of information out.

Then comes the absurd -- the issue of suicide bombing, a favorite amongst selective moralists who find them abominable yet are nowhere to be found when "shock and awe" is being conducted. Ah, but that's how war is isn't it ? One man's suicide bombing is an act of terrorism while another's use of 200 tons of depleted uranium is "liberation." Suicide bombing is never seen within the context of the century long conflict which spawned it. Root causes are never addressed.

If Palestine is an Islamic issue, what about the Christians, asks Eltahawy. What about the Church of the Nativity, and other Christian landmarks and holy sites ? If Eltahawy had done her homework she'd know that the keys to the Church of the Sepulchre have been entrusted to a Muslim family for the last 800 years by the local bickering Christian sects. In fact, Christianity in Palestine has sharply declined under Israel's brutal occupation. Last time I checked non-Muslim friends of Palestine like Tom Hurndall were being used for target practice by the IDF. Nor was Rachel Corrie bulldozed to death by an Islamist.

So just why is Eltahawy so keen to make Palestine a non-Islamic issue? The answer is the fear of Muslim unity, the unique feature being the concept of ummah amongst the Muslims, transcending race, tribe, language, and geography. This, of course, is the nightmare scenario for both the puppets and their masters. It's far easier to take over a house divided than to face a unified force. Just take a look at the "modern" Arab world, a veritable jigsaw puzzle of tiny artificial nation-states crippled by the ideologies of pan-Arabism and its various permutations, Nasserism, Ba'thism, etc. Take a look at "modern" Turkey, the police state established by its Kemalist generals. Is it any wonder that Muslims are fed up with these thugs and gangsters? I can't say I'm surprised that large parts of the Islamic world are in the condition they are today. Just look at who is calling the shots, and they've been doing it for decades. It's time for a change. "Surely Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own condition." (ar Ra'd, 13:11)

In conclusion, Palestine is an Islamic issue because it involves Muslims fighting against oppression and tyranny. It is only when we feel and support the struggles of our fellow Muslims in Palestine, Kashmir, Chechneya ,etc that we have earned the right to truly call ourselves believers. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) was reported by Imams Bukhari and Muslim to have said : "The believers having love among themselves, being merciful among themselves, and being kind to each other are like one single body, if any part of the body is not well, the whole body shares the sleeplessness and the high fever with it."

Michael Knight leaves the PMUNA

2005-08-14T22:08:00.000-04:00

Michael "Muhammad" Knight, writer, chief agitator and impersonator of Ibrahim Cooper (CAIR), antagonist of Imam Siraj Wahhaj and stink-palmer extraordinaire has thrown in the towel.

He describes the PMUNA on his blog as follows...

"For me, the scene just comes off as a lame attempt to reframe the Prophet within modern liberalism, stretch the traditions and make Islam a little more slack, softer, more huggable. That’s not my game. I can endorse woman-led prayer without the need of a scholar telling me that it’s okay and has precedents from the Prophet’s life. If the Prophet wouldn’t have liked it, then in 2005 the Prophet is wrong, *&^% on him. La ilaha illa Allah...

So I quit PMU and wish it the best. There’s a slight feeling now that PMU is a sinking ship, but they could still be around in a year if serious changes are made within the organization. Maybe get rid of Tarek Fateh, ‘cus the dude’s nuts."

Actually guys, I don't have anything to say about this. I have some questions. Why convert to Islam, take the name Muhammad and then curse the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salaam) because his Sunnah is different than your opinion? Oh if Siraj Wahhaj irks you so, why not bring the message directly to him (and we all know why that won't happen)? Never mind, I don't even want to go any further.

How can any group or organization of Muslims expect to be successful when they go against Allah ta'ala and His Prophet (peace and blessings upon him)?

Zainab al-Ghazali Dies

2005-08-14T19:42:00.000-04:00

From Allah ta'ala we come, and to Allah ta'ala we return

On August 3rd 2005, the umma lost our sister, activist, and scholar Hajja Zainab al-Ghazali.

MUSLIMFEST 2005

2005-08-13T23:49:00.000-04:00

Alhamdullillah, I just got back after attending the Muslimfest 2005 in Mississauga, Ontario.This is a festival that showcases talented Muslim artists,musicians and comics and offers families a unique opportunity to enjoy themselves in a safe and inclusive atmosphere.Among the highlights of the day were performances by Wharnsby Ali and 786,an art exhibition and the Allah made me funny tour.Special sessions were held for children and there was a steady flow of food and drink;something that is important for us Muslims!

I am glad that Muslims are fighting the stereotypical image that we lack humor,are unable to express ourselves artistically and fail to appreciate the fine things in life. Thanks to a dedicated band of volunteers drawn from across Toronto,this festival went a long way in dispelling that myth.Another heartening aspect was the enthusiastic involvement of young Muslims.It is encouraging that we are beginning to afford opportunities to our youth to channelise their energy in a constructive manner;this event proves that a good time can be had,albeit in a manner that is halal.Different perhaps, but great fun nevertheless.

One would think that an event like this would have earned the appreciation of the whole community. But wait,the usual suspects were up to their old game. Jawad at MWU ran a diatribe against the organisers accusing them of discrimination against women.Never mind that nearly half of the organising committee consisted of women, that there were more women than men in attendance and that apart from the Salah there was no real segregation of the sexes.His comrade in arms,Tarek Fatah had expressed the same sentiments last year and Jawad basically rehashes the same tired arguments.By the way, I doubt that either of them attended the Fest but truth is always the first casualty at the hands of these polecemists.

The one thing that these regressives are good at is indulging in unwarranted and baseless attacks on those who disagree with them.You can quote from the Quran and the Sunnah but that is of little consequence.It is always their way or the Highway.
I therefore suggest that Jawad and the other proggies talk the talk and walk the walk.How about they organise an alternative Muslimfest to show the rest of us fundo types how things should be done. And as a gesture of goodwill I am taking the liberty of drawing up a tentative programme.

1 The pleasures of Tantric sex - Asra Nomani
2 The art of erotica - Mohja Kahf
3 Alternative(read gay,lesbian and transgendered)lifestyles - Ahmed Nassef
4 Ijtihad 101 - Irshad Manji
5 Effective strategies to get on TV - Asma Gul Hasan
6 Who is a Muslim? The PMU/MWU approach - Omid Safi

The entertainment can perhaps be provided by belly dancers from Egypt,VJ's from the Arab version of MTV and maybe even a film by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.Who cares whether it is halal as long as everyone is having a ball.

All Salah sessions(if held at all) will be lead by Amina Wadud and will consist of mixed gender congregations.Anyone who refuses to pray behind a woman will be drawn and quartered or worse,publicly accused of being a Wahabi.

And any profit they make is theirs to keep;I am not interested in a cut!

Will they rise to the challenge?

Do We Need the Advice of an Apostate?

2005-08-12T16:24:00.000-04:00

This is the question I asked myself this morning when I read Salman Rushdie's column in The Toronto Star. This darling of the chattering classes has called for a reformation of Islam and suggests among other things that Muslims stop treating the Holy Quran as a book that is divinely revealed. In his opinion, it should be viewed merely as a 'historical' document, whatever that means. So here we have a self confessed murtad dispensing wholly gratuitous advice to the Ummah; obviously Rushdie believes he has the panacea to our problems!

My question to him is simple: what is your locus standi? You are neither a Muslim nor a well wisher.If you were at least the latter, perhaps we would have accorded you the courtesy of listening to your suggestions. We, on the other hand, remember with disgust and anger, the vile abuse you heaped on the Holy Prophet(may peace and blessings be on Him)and his respected wives. You've had no qualms in renouncing Islam, and I think that as far as the vast majority of Muslims are concerned, you are a loser not only in this world but in the hereafter.I suggest that you stick to what you do best: squiring skinny supermodels around various soirees.

However, my beef is not with Rushdie alone; it annoys me that the Western press runs articles on the need for reformation by people who are either out of the fold of Islam or who are barely hanging in there. It may serve the purpose of satisfying the ill informed, the naive, and the gullible but every such publication erodes their credibility even further in the eyes of Muslims. The Manjis, Nomanis, and Nassefs may be wildly popular with the average North American viewer( because they say what the audience wants to hear, not what Islam stands for) but they have little or no following within the larger Islamic community. I am all for freedom of expression, but at the end of the day it is results that matter, not vacuous talk.

For once, I would love to have true leaders like Ingrid Mattson, Sheema Khan, or Jamal Badawi, to name a few, be afforded the same opportunities and publicity that the "pretenders" get. When the West (and I use this term in a generic sense) understands that the only way it can gain credibility among Muslims is by initiating a dialogue with those we might consider more genuine representatives of our faith, this will truly be a step in the right direction. The greater the importance you bestow on these mavericks, the less inclined we are to listen. Dialogue is a two way street; Muslims like to be talked to not talked down to. If this is understood, it will be a lesson well learned.

More Pressing Issues

2005-08-09T19:06:00.000-04:00

So, my beloved American umma. Still think that hijab, woman-led prayer and dating are the most pressing issues of our time?

Here's a little reality check. Subhan'Allah, when people think it's okay to attack pregnant Muslimas then you know we are in trouble. Any justice for this sister, insha'Allah, will happen and the criminals will be punished accordingly. But this is a big reminder that some people still habor sick notions about Muslims and people of color.

"Our Lord! Pour down upon us patience and make our steps firm and assist us against the unbelieving people." Surah al Baraqah, Verse 250.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/9/05) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on law enforcement authorities to treat an assault this morning on a Virginia Muslim woman as a hate crime.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported that a 23-year-old Muslim woman, who is 8 months pregnant and wears and Islamic head scarf, said she was out for her morning walk in Arlington, Va., when three white men in a pick-up truck began screaming anti-Muslim and racist slurs at her. According to the victim, the men shouted, "You terrorist b*tch, go back to your country. . .You n*gger b*tch." (The woman is African-American.)

The truck drove away and then returned as the woman continued on her walk. One of the men, who was wearing military-style clothing, allegedly got out of the vehicle and began shoving the woman and preventing her from moving away. During the assault, he shouted, "You terrorist b*tch. . . We're going to kick you're a*s. . . you're nothing." The other men then called the attacker back to the truck and it sped off."

We believe these types of incidents are the direct result of the growing level of virulent anti-Muslim rhetoric Americans are exposed to on the Internet, in newspaper editorial pages and on radio talk shows," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "Our nation's political and religious leaders must begin to challengeIslamophobic hate-mongers."

They're At It Again

2005-08-09T18:15:00.000-04:00

A little Progressive dissident bird told me that at the ISNA Conference on the Labor Day Weekend, there is going to be an "alternative" Jumu'ah prayer probably led by a female imam over a mixed congregation. I am assuming this because male imams don't seem as rebellious or controversial as a female imams. When the PMUNA held a Jumu'ah at their Toronto Mosque, they didn't get the media attention or protestors they wanted. I mean, how many female-led prayers can you sell to the media before it gets stale?

Insha'Allah, this is a rumor or they will change their minds because personally, it's just a little sickening. Ya see, I was under the impression that if you don't like a particular group and the way that it does things then maybe you should leave it? Or how's this for an original idea...start your own instead of trashing those who disagree with you.

The Muslim Fest in Mississauga, Canada was mocked in two articles by writers for MuslimWakeUp.com. They mocked it because they did not allow female singers or human representations in their art exhibit. Despite their thumbs down, last year's 1st annual Muslim Fest was a smashing success where Muslims and non-Muslims had fun. They also had the gall to write some tripe under the headline of Women Not Allowed when referring to the festival's prohibition on female singers. I swear you can't win with these people.

I wonder if Muslim Fest did have female singers in skimpy outfits singing about love would they lash out and accuse the organizers of sexual exploitation. Now female speakers are not banned or female vendors. And as evidenced by moi, after being accepted graciously by the Exhibit board, this Southern-fried Muslima artist was not banned. If you want female singers, pull out your Umm Khuthum, Beyonce and 'em, and Feyrouz and leave the festival planners out of it.

But like I said, if you don't agree with their agenda, don't go. Or better, have your own group. Have your own festival with like-minded Muslims who don't mind making salat with those who don't believe in God or who think that scrapping the Qur'an and liking briyani makes one a Muslim. I mean, you're getting tons of dollars from the Harvard Pluralism Project to hold your "Islamic Conferences." Why not have them foot the bill to a poetry slam on the Sex and the Umma section and have Muslims wax proudly on their "first time" while our sisters in Iraq are being sold into prostitution?

You already have a conference planned for November in Atlanta, Georgia. Why go to the ISNA conference where your message has fallen on the deaf ears of Muslims who confirm and believe in the shahada in their hearts? I swear that it must be a clever trick of the shayateen to keep us distracted by this nonsense rather than address the issues at hand.

Yes, let's talk about why women should be singers in Islam (as if there aren't any). Let's talk about hijab and how it's preventing Muslim women from reaching their potential instead of those silly things like poverty, illiteracy, hunger and war. It's nice cozying up to neo-cons and RANDies who give you the funds you need rather than lead a real anti-globalization movement against Western imperialism.

A friend pointed out that these people are like (not are, mind you, but like) the kufar and munafiqeen during the Prophet's time (sallalahu alayhi wasalaam) who claimed that all they wanted was to do was good but at the same time they were causing fitnah and division. According to the Bible, it quotes 'Isa (alayhi wasalaam) as saying that such folks are like white washed graves but they contain every imaginable filth inside.

"We just want to help. We just want to open up the Muslim community and have dialogue. We just want self-examination and self-reflection. We just want to wake and shake this umma up. We just want to progress."

Progress to what?

Oh, I forgot...the lizard hole.

Sheikh Ahmed Hussein Deedat 1918 - 2005

2005-08-08T16:47:00.000-04:00

Ina lilahi wa ina lilahi rajioen.

After a Lifetime of Serving Islam, Sheikh Deedat Dies

Muslims Mourn Sheikh Deedat

Farewell Ahmed Deedat

Fatwa: Defending the Transgressed by Censuring the Reckless Against the Killing of Civilians

2005-08-06T13:00:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

From Sheikh Muhammad Afifi al Akiti of Oxford, with an introduction and glossary by Sidi Hajj Gibril Haddad.

Defending the Transgressed by Censuring the Reckless Against the Killing of Civilians

PMUNA Debate on Tarek Fatah and Progressive "Takfiring"

2005-08-04T20:43:00.000-04:00

The PMUNA Debate blog takes on the inconsistencies of Tarek Fatah

"Fatah, has a deliberate propensity to make wild unsubstantiated allegations, just a few examples: on the NPM list he has called officials of mainstream Muslim organizations snakes, supporters of Taleban, having connections with Ben Laden. And just about anyone who disagrees with him on Canadian religious court controversy, he insists, wants to impose "Sharia on Canada."

and

The Current "Takfir" on Irshad Manji by Omid Safi, chair of the Progressive Muslim Union of North America

"Omid Safi says in his cyber fatwa: I am quite fed up with her, and frustrated by the way that she pitches herself to everyone from Fox News (which is quite infatuated with her) to very right wing Zionist organizations.

As usual, Safi exposes his double standards: he has no problems at all, and infact encourages the appearnces of his own people on FOX news, and right wing anti-Palestinian organizations."

Both are solid articles and "must-reads."

Marxists and Avari/Nameh

2005-08-04T20:29:00.000-04:00

Salaam alaikum,

Haroon Moghul over at Avari/Nameh takes a look at Muqtadar Khan's resignation letter and the steady collapse of the self-proclaimed Progressive Muslims of the PMUNA.

Hijacking Tragedy

2005-07-20T23:15:00.000-04:00

Last year I wrote a piece on the collaboration of Neocons and “progressive” Muslims in the war against Islam. I received some negative comments demanding “proof” despite those cited in the post. Well here it is, 2 weeks after the tragic events in London. While responsible Muslim organizations in the US and UK were calling for calm and patience, Ahmed Nassef wasted no time claiming that the culprits had be Muslims. In fact, he said that no evidence was needed to reach such a conclusion. Not to be outdone, the ever imaginative Tarek Fatah announced that this was all thanks to Muslim extremists, the type who beat him up when he was a college student back in the 1960s. The poor fellow certainly knows how to hold a grudge. What could have given them the impression that Fatah was a Marxist?

Humor aside, why would these two men make such statements before even most of the world’s media? Are they so eager to counter the insidious right wing lie that Muslims didn’t condemn 911 or are they merely trying to get some free PR? But wait, the culprits have been identified as British Muslims, so in retrospect they were right, correct? Sure, but keep in mind that dead men tell no tales, even if they leave a ton of documentation which miraculously survives multiple explosions, the sort of which took numerous lives that infamous day. And we haven’t even factored the Netanyahu pre-warning yet. Call me a skeptic if you will, but in a world of imperial preemptive crusades, mythical WMDs, phony elections, the Downing street memos etc , is it really a stretch to disbelieve what we’re being told ? I, for one am not buying it anymore.

So who benefits from all this? Certainly not the Muslims, that’s for sure. British Muslims unlike their American counterparts are highly organized and a political force to be reckoned with. They had nothing to gain from this tragedy. After being discredited, neocons have now received a lifeline. Proggies have also stepped up to the plate. There are now renewed calls for attacks on Iran and Syria, as well as Islamophobia. Both groups vehemently deny that the war in Iraq could have anything to do with this. In their opinion, any deviation from the official plot is an act of delusion, the stuff that conspiracy theories are made of. Unfortunately for them these questions aren’t going away, and its not only Muslims, but many non-Muslims who are demanding answers.

Let there be no room for confusion, we Muslims condemn ALL terrorism ALL the time, unlike those who cheerlead the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, woman and children in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet cry foul when one of their own falls. Let there be no confusion that we condemn ALL acts of torture, unlike those who refer to such acts as “fraternity pranks.,” yet decry acts of retaliation which these same crimes yield. Its high time for Muslims to stop entertaining hypocrites, liars and those who don’t mean them any good. Its time to speak the truth no matter what anybody thinks.

The status of Progressive Meetups

2005-07-20T22:22:00.000-04:00

I received the following email this morning from the people at Meetup.com :

(The Meetup Group you joined, The Chicago Progressive Muslim
Meetup Group, hasn't had an Organizer for some time and has
been closed.

Since meeting others who share your interest in Progressive
Muslim is important to you we've added you to the Progressive
Muslims Notification List. That means you'll get an email when
new Progressive Muslim Meetup Groups start near you.)

Apparently theres only so much coffee and irrelevence our friends in the pro-regressive movement can stomach. Look for more media stunts to fill in the void.

Women Friendly Mosques: A Note

2005-07-10T17:30:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

To clarify, for our readers' benefit:

Shahina Siddiqui, the principal author of the recent "Women Friendly Mosques" initiative that was released jointly by three organizations (not solely by CAIR) also wrote and published on the issue of masjid access and fairness long before Asra Nomani did. Many are unaware of this fact, possibly because Ms. Siddiqui's original research is not widely available (and certainly not from one of the big publishing houses).

As far as we know, until Nomani took up the issue, the editor of this blog, Umm Zaid, and Shahina Siddiqui were the only two in North America who had written about and been published on this specific issue (in 1999 and 2001, and in 2001, respectively).

CAIR's release of this paper (not brochure), then, is not "Jamal Come Lately" but rather, an example of an organization obstensibly dedicated to civil rights teaming up with two long term, established women's and family's rights groups, Women in Islam (headed by Aisha Adawiya) and Islamic Social Services Association (which Ms. Siddiqui works for) to address an issue that had already been discussed and talked about by at least two of those organizations.

On: Collectively Speaking

2005-07-10T17:01:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

There seems to be a wee bit of confusion over what this blog is. Or rather, who we are.

Living Tradition represents the viewpoints of four individual people with their own views and opinions: Abdur Rahman Squires, AJ Suhail, Kelly Izdihar Crosby (Risama), and Dr. Max. The editor is Saraji Umm Zaid, whose main goal is to mess around with the template. Our individual posters often post observations and / or comment on publicly available material that they believe will be of interest or use to our readership.

We do not collectively "promote" anything unless it is published under our collective editorial voice, as "Living Tradition." For example, we recently posted a translation of Sheikh 'Ali Goma'a's fatwa on women-led prayer, in order to make that opinion more widely available to people who may have not known where to find the translation.

We do not always agree with one another. We have different perspectives on different issues. We're okay with that; we hope you are too. (Not that there's much you could do about it if you weren't...)

Totally Boring Tech Stuff

2005-07-08T18:32:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

People using MSIE, Mozilla, Firefox, Opera, and Safari, can you go to a post below, click to read the comments and tell me if the formatting is messed up? I am seeing the comments area (the part where you read, not where you post) all wrong. I don't know what is causing it.

I hate fiddling with Blogger's pre-fab templates b/c I always manage to mess them up. Maybe I can find / make an original template w/ graphics and then upload the graphics to another server, that way we can ... you know... give me an excuse to make a new template.

Tarek Fatah and the Canadian-Islamic Court Controversy

2005-07-04T20:59:00.000-04:00

Who is Tarek Fatah?

According to the blurb on the PMUNA website, Tarek Fatah is a founding member of the Muslim Canadian Congress and lives in Toronto, Canada. Born in Pakistan, Tarek Fatah was a student leader in the sixties and early seventies; twice being imprisoned by successive military governments. A biochemist by education, Tarek started his career as a journalist with the Karachi SUN in 1970 and later went on to be an award winning investigative reporter for Pakistan TV.

(I just wanted to insert the blatant fact that many of the members of the PMUNA are not Islamic scholars. They are mostly journalists with no classical training in Islam. Many of them have not even taken classes on Islamic studies within a Western university.)

Since coming to Canada in 1987--after a ten year stay in Saudi Arabia--Tarek has been active in politics, serving in Ontario Premier Bob Rae's staff and running for the Ontario legislature in 1995. He is host of the Muslim Chronicle TV show since 1996, which airs Saturday nights on CTS-TV. Tarek is also a frequent guest on many TV shows and has written for the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, TIME Magazine, in addition to the online magazine, MuslimWakeup.Com.

Tarek and his friends set up the Muslim Canadian Congress after 9/11 to counter the growing influence of fundamentalist Muslim organsiations. The MCC is a grassroots organization of activist Muslims in Canada who believe, among other things, an end to the gender apartheid practiced by some Muslims, and a separation of religion and state around the world; including Muslim countries.

Let’s talk about the the Canadian Muslim Congress and it’s efforts to fight religious family courts in Canada. Some of the goals in the mission statement of the Muslim Canadian Congress are as follows:

The Muslim Canadian Congress is a grassroots organization that provides a voice to Muslims who are not represented by existing organizations; organizations that are either sectarian or ethnocentric, largely authoritarian, and influenced by a fear of modernity and an aversion to joy.

Okay, the above statement is very arrogant. Only the Muslim Canadian Congress can bring happiness and joy to the Muslim Canadian masses?

Here is how the Muslim Canadian Congress defines what is a Muslim, which isn’t very different from the PMUNA. We are an organization open to all Muslims who agree with our mission statement. We define a Muslim as any person who identifies himself or herself as a Muslim.

So, none of that La ilaha ill Allah stuff counts here.

We believe that fanaticism and extremism within the Muslim community is a major challenge to all of us. We stand opposed to the extremists and will present the more humane and tolerant face of our community.

“Muslim” extremism is a threat to all of us, Muslim and non-Muslim, but is it the only threat that exists? What about the evangelicals in America who seek to shred the Constitution a little? They spend a lot of time with our current president, who just happens to be the most powerful man on Earth. Aren’t they are threat, too? What about those who are so fanatical about gross capitalism that they will do anything to make more money while others suffer. Extremism is not just a religious disease. And the whole “humane and tolerant” face of our community, only the MCC can do that? Not CAIR-CAN? It’s not as if the remants of the Taliban live in Missisauga.

We look forward to building communities free from the ravages of racism, intolerance, ignorance, disease, and poverty, and where religion becomes a force of joy, enlightenment, democracy, peace and bridge-building, rather than hate, oppression, war and division. We support the aspirations and dreams of the peoples of the developing countries throughout the world.; a dream of dignity, democracy, freedom from poverty and political oppression, and a just and lasting peace. To achieve this and resist the steady re-colonization of the developing world, we will work closely with like-minded groups in building an anti-imperialist movement.

What Muslim, what human being, doesn’t want this? Who doesn’t want a world free from bigotry, oppression, hatred and poverty? Some of us just feel that in order to achieve this, we don’t have to abandon religion but rather live with our beliefs while respecting the beliefs and lifestyles of others.

But here is the part that I want to focus on...We believe in the separation of religion and state in all matters of public policy. We feel such a separation is a necessary pre-requisite to building democratic societies, where religious, ethnic, and racial minorities are accepted as equal citizens enjoying full dignity and human rights enunciated in the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

So, because of the aforementioned objective, Tarek Fatah and the Muslim Canadian Congress is fighting against the establishment of religious courts in Canada. Even though they claim that no religious group should have their own court, they tend to focus on Islamic courts rather than religious courts of Jews, Christians and Ismailis, whom have had their own systems for years. They have only begun to make an uproar over Sharia but have tended to leave their criticism of other courts to themselves. How convient.

From the details of their website, they don’t want Islam to influence secular governments or secular ideologies but they are quite content with the reverse. They currently sponsored a women-led prayer on July 1st and are supportive of gay marriage. So, they are okay with Islam, as long as they can bend to suit their desires and interpretations. It's okay for secular governments to tell Muslims (it's never any other religious group) how to pray, how to select imams (always women), what to believe and how to dress (France, Tunisia, Turkey). Last time I checked, seperation of church and state (or mosque and state) goes both ways.

He even has a blog tracking his battle against the Islamic family courts at www.muslimchronicle.blogspot.com. Out of all the responses to his blog, there was only one person who challenged some of his opinions. So far the commentor’s claims have been left unanswered. (bold emphasis mine)

Heathen Chemistry said...

Hey Mr. Fatah!

I too wrote something about this issue that you may want to hear about. Also, I am not someone with a political/religious agenda like the articles on your blog (christian science monitor talking about sharia?? A bit too bias??) My thoughts are posted in my blog, but also I am attaching it here!

The Law of The Land

Well, through my journeys it seems that in order to improve the legal system one must challenge it. Through challenging it, legal system is strengthened and this provides a more fair and just system. Recently, Ms. Marion Boyd (former NDP minister) has stated that it is possible for a family arbitration system based on Muslim principles to be used in Ontario as long as all parties involved consent to this legal system and it isn't contradictory to Canadian Law. This to me seems feasible, and I have nothing against such a system being set up, as long as there are checks and balances to keep it from going out of control. Heck, even the Canadian Jewish Congress supported Boyd’s decision, if only different faith groups could unite on other issues.

But on a serious note there are still those who oppose it, primarily Tarek Fatah (a well known NDP supporter and the President of Canadian Muslim Congress) and Alia Hogben (President of Canadian Council of Muslim Women). I am not sure whether they oppose only laws based on Muslim beliefs or the concept of religious arbitration all together. I mean Fatah has stated that he practices Sharia (laws based on Muslim beliefs) and he has stated that he doesn't support two tier legal systems (counterspin, 2004). I respect his views I have nothing against people who don't like the idea of having two tier services. What I do object to is the assumption that all forms of Sharia are inherently unjust. Well, to be honest Muslim’s in the modern era have had many problems implementing a legal system based on their beliefs, and in my opinion it is primarily based on a mixing of cultural traditions and due to authoritarian regimes that use Islam as a means to oppress others.

Therefore based on my understanding of Islam, I can honestly say that this legal system has the possibility to work in Ontario as long as there are checks and balances.Now the question arises of the misuse of Sharia... It is possible, but like I said before if there are checks and balances then there shouldn't be a problem. Also, two important things should be pointed out now, the first is that Sharia is already practiced (unofficially) in Ontario. There are religious leaders giving legal opinions on various issues, with the set up of a centralized court, there will be a more public and transparent form of Sharia being practiced, instead of it happening in an unregulated environment, with the potential for misuse. The second point is that the Islamic Institute of Civil Justice (the organization pushing for an arbitration court) is primarily made up of men and women who were educated in the Canadian legal system and are themselves moderate Muslims.

The most well known members of this organization are Syed Mumtaz Ali (first Canadian lawyer to swear on the Qu'ran) and Faisal Kutty (Son of scholar Shaykh Ahmed Kutty). Therefore it seems like it isn't the Taliban who is coming to Canada, it is just a group of regular Muslims who want the same rights that are given to the Jewish, Catholic and Ismaili communities.Overall, there I am not opposed to having people have their own laws to govern themselves, as long as those laws are just. However at the same time I do encourage the critics to continue their crusade against the establishment of this court, because it is my hope that their opposition will improve and strengthen the Muslim legal system and hopefully Muslim law in Canada will be a beacon of hope to all Muslims around the world!

Well, if a secular non-Muslim can see the possibility of these two systems, religious and secular, co-existing in harmony, why can't some of us Muslims see that? Why can't Mr. Fatah and Mrs. Hogben see that. You know what, this post needs a "Part 2" because there's just too much information for this one entry.

Muqtedar Khan resigns from the PMUNA

2005-07-03T01:11:00.000-04:00

Well...can you blame him? He joined looking for dialogue and progress. Instead, he received insults. I don't think I could have endured those public attacks for as long as he did but patience is a virtue. Maybe his more reasoned outlook could have brought some common sense to the table but, they felt it was better to attack him than to engage him as a human being.

It's a sad commentary on the state of affairs in the American umma. It's all the more proof to show that when the American government is finished with its designs on the Muslim world, the PMUNA will be discarded, disbanded and ignored by the media whose attention they so desperately seek.

Are those cracks I see in the foundation? Words in italics are my added emphasis. All thanks to the folks at the PMUNA Debate.

Dear Omid (Safi)

Assalamu Alaykum,

Lately I have found the environment with Progressive Muslims Union extremely oppressive, abusive and hateful. I have found both PMU and MWU extremely intolerant of difference and disagreement. This is the only Muslim group where people who believe in the teachings of the Quran are ridiculed and those who express ambivalence about it even about the existence of God are celebrated.

But lately the culture of takfir and the absolutely lack of basic adab and simple etiquette that is becoming a defining characteristic of PMU has become suffocating. I have been extremely critical of many Muslim organizations, specially ISNA, AMSS and CAIR organizations that are routinely ridiculed by PMU members who feel that they are morally superior to all Muslims -- both in private and in writing but have never, ever been abused by any of them and most importantly never ever been made to feel that I do not belong. It should not be a great loss to PMU.

Even though I was member of the advisory board for a year, I was never consulted even once on any of its decisions. The advisory board never met even once and we never even had a single meeting with the executive committee. It is a sham anyway.

My close interaction with PMU has taught me three things, (1) that clearly I am not sufficiently indifferent to the teachings of Quran and the traditions of the Islamic heritage to be a "good Progressive Muslim"; (2) I was too gullible to believe in its empty claims of openness and tolerance for different perspectives. And (3) I have also learned that I am completely opposite in nature to most of the members of PMU. For example I believe that a rational argument precedes the moral judgment.

PMU is operating with a set of moral principles randomly acquired from Marxism and/or postmodern cultural trends and is treating them as absolutely moral truths, and are now looking for arguments [hopefully with some Islamic content] to justify them. PMU members unleash fanatical rage when this is questioned and resort to abuse, distortion, false accusations as a substitute to argument.

I can understand, sympathize and participate in exercises of Ijtihad that seek to reassess "human understanding" of Islam. I have been advocating this for over a decade. My website Ijtihad was launched in 1999. But not to observe Islamic values after recognizing them as such to me is a sin. I cannot for example in good conscience approve of alcohol consumption by those who acknowledge it as forbidden. To demand that I do so in order to remain a member of the community is exactly the kind of oppression that I though we had come together to fight. I have been very prolific in presenting my views and opinions on myriad things Islamic or otherwise and hence there is very little about my politics that can be claimed to remain unknown. So when PMU invited me to join the advisory board, it was with full knowledge of my positions, so why the uproar now over my refusal to toe the party line.

I have never, ever, hesitated from expressing my views and dissenting with any majority in every organization that I have worked with. But, the extent of intolerance that I have experienced from members of PMU has been shockingly unexpected and unprecedented. I have come to this sad realization that PMU's moral claims on social justice and tolerance and the "big tent approach" are shallow and indeed false. PMU is just another organization as intolerant and closed as any in our society.Please liberate me from the oppressive and intolerant culture of PMU and accept my resignation from the advisory board with immediate effect.

Your Brother in Islam

Muqtedar Khan, Ph.D.

Women Friendly Mosques: Risama's Review

2005-06-29T16:32:00.000-04:00

Salaam alaikum,

After reading the 18 page document, I must say that Sister Shahina Siddiqui has done a wonderful job in capturing the best plans for masjid reform in North America. The suggestions offered in the paper are sensible, respectful of everyone's needs and adheres to the Qur'an and Sunnah. She received feedback and nasiha from many mainstream scholars such as Dr. Umar Abdullah, Dr. Jamal Badawi, Dr. Ingrid Mattson and Dr. Amina McCloud. The reason why I mention them is that the PMUNA has made the claim that they are the only ones pushing for masjid reform and only progressives such as Omid Safi and Asra Nomani have fully fought for it.

Let me state that if anyone had published any writings on the subject, long before the "Take Back the Masjid" controversy in Morgantown, Virginia, it was the editor of this blog. Her essay, "Make Way for the Women," was published in the Beliefnet book Taking Back Islam in 2001. Muslim Wake Up.com and the subsequent fitna that they have launched against other Muslims in America did not begin until late 2003.

How do I know? Well, before I took my shahada in February 2004, I had studied Islam on my own for about 3 to 4 years. I used to go to Beliefnet.com (oy, the mistakes I made on the Path) to research stuff on Islam and I found the book Taking Back Islam. This was before Asra Nomani started making frequent appearances on the website. Before her, Asma Gull Hasan and Michael Wolfe wrote most of the articles. Is the PMUNA patting itself on the back for pushing CAIR and other Muslim orgs. into finally answering their demands? Sure, but from this document, I doubt that Sister Shahina is advocating the type of change that they want.

On page 16, paragraph 3, she writes, "It is also important to note that we do not advocate that women lead a mixed gender congregration in prayer at a masjid." She suggests that by giving Muslimas their right to be involved in masjid activities, education, management and services, this is how women can become active, empowered individuals. These are some of the basic rights of women in the mosque outlined in the paper as follows...

1) access to main prayer hall where they can see and hear the imam or scholar

2) invitation for activist and scholarly Muslim women to give talks and lectures

3) at least 2 women serving on the masjid board

4) educational services geared towards women

5) opportunities for professional men and women to contribute to the growth and maintenance of the masjid

6) information and representatives available for non-Muslim women seeking more information on Islam

7) women entering and leaving the mosque through the main entrances

8) designated play areas for children

9) involvement of women who do not have Muslim men to represent them in the community (ex: single, divorced, widowed Muslim women)

10) standards of modesty upheld for both men and women

11) accessibility of masjid to the handicapped

And as an artist (hee) I liked her mentioning that the mosque should be aesthetically pleasing to its members (page 14, paragraph 9). We must take care of our houses of worship. All members should feel welcomed. RAND and many others would like nothing better than for us to continue down this path of regression until Islam has no influence in this country. These changes are extremely important for our youth, who are seeing these unfair practices which may push them away from Islam into the larger secular humanist society.

Will this report work? Allahu 'alim but it is good to see ISNA, CAIR, ISSA, and Women in Islam dealing with the issue at hand. And with the new website Salat-O-Matic, mosques that are unfriendly are now recognized for the masajid-going Muslims. A muslima now knows where and where not to go for Jumuah. Dr. Maxtor's concerns about our mainstream orgs. bowing to the PMUNA is justified and reasonable. But if CAIR and others can offer this reasonable approach as opposed to the nonsense of the Morgantown masjid and the dubious PMUNA, we will all better off with no hard feelings.

CAIR promotes Women Friendly Mosques

2005-06-26T15:43:00.000-04:00

In another post, I'll do a short review of the publication and how this could impact the American Muslim community.

A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said today it plans to distribute a brochure supporting the religious rights of Muslim women to mosques throughout the United States. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the 28-page publication, called "Women Friendly Mosques and Community Centers: Working Together to Reclaim Our Heritage," is designed to educate Muslim community leaders about the right of Muslim women to equal access to and participation in community activities.

It was published through a collaborative effort of the Islamic Social Services Associations (ISSA) and Women in Islam (WII). To download a PDF copy of the brochure's text, go to:
http://www.cair-net.org/pdf/intro.pdf http://www.cair-net.org/pdf/text.pdf

Using references in the Quran, Islam's revealed text, and the traditions (hadith) of the Prophet Muhammad, the publication's authors call for improvements in women's access to mosque facilities, greater participation of women in mosque program planning and development of a mosque governance structure that allows women and youth to have input in decision-making.

The Prophet Muhammad is also quoted as saying in his final sermon: "The rights of women are sacred, so see that they are maintained."Specific recommendations in the "Women Friendly Mosques" guide include:
* Make available designated space for women in the main prayer hall of mosques.
* Invite women to organize community programs, introduce speakers, offer dua (supplications) during educational programs, moderate panels, and direct question and answer sessions.
* Ensure that women are represented on governing boards of mosques and community centers.

"We hope Muslim religious and community leaders will study and adopt the recommendations in this guide as part of a nationwide effort to help restore the rights that Islam has granted to women for more than 1400 years," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.

Muslim Actvism Towards Christians

2005-06-26T15:38:00.000-04:00

Uh, I got this article kinda of late. :)

(COLUMBUS, OH, 6/17/05)

On Saturday, June 18, representatives of the Ohio office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OH) and members of the interfaith community in central Ohio will help clean fire damage at Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Columbus. The church was gutted by an accidental fire several weeks ago.

WHAT: Muslims Help Clean Fire Damage at Ohio ChurchWHEN: Saturday, June 18, 8 a.m. to Noon
WHERE: 1097 Camden Avenue, Columbus, Ohio

CONTACT: CAIR-OH, Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras, 614-989-5916, E-Mail: ahmad@cair-ohio.com

CAIR-OH's participation in the clean-up effort is part of the group's national "Muslims Care" campaign designed to promote volunteerism in the American Muslim community.

Connecting Muslims together ?

2005-06-24T16:19:00.000-04:00

Thats the tagline for the popular "Naseeb" website. This "Muslim social network" has nearly a quarter million members. The website is the brainchild of Silicon Valley entrepreneur Monis Rahman, a self-professed progressive Muslim, and friend of Ali Hasan of "Muslims for Bush" fame.
The content on Naseeb is what troubles me though. Positive softball interviews with charlatans like Irshad Manji, Amina Wadud and Stephen Schwartz are to be found amongst a plethora of poorly written articles. Oh there are some decent articles mind you, but these are clearly in the minority. Indeed Naseeb has a very strong pro-regressive bias. Its defenders may say that the views offered are merely a reflection of the diverse opinions of North American Muslims. Really ? Is Irshad Manji a Muslim ? How about that neocon Schartz character ? What about Ali Hasan, whose response to the desecration of the Holy Quran is "I support Bush"...Who do the editors of Naseeb think they're fooling ? Can anyone honestly say that these people reflect the opinions of Muslims in North America, let alone the Islamic world ? I didnt know that Muslims only existed online.
Now I'm not saying that the RAND corporation is behind any of this, but its rather obvious that a comfort zone has been created and promoted for those on the extreme left end. It goes to show that there are some Muslims who have retreated into their own world of online delusion while the rest of the us try to make it in the real world.

More Mukhtar Mai Activism

2005-06-20T20:41:00.000-04:00

Small things that you can do for abused and suffering sisters (and brothers) in Islam

* Raise Awareness within your community--post articles of Mukhtar Mai's story at the masjid if you can. Place them on the bullentin board or hand them out after Jumah with your imam's permission. Ask your imam to give a talk or khutbah about her and how her rights as a Muslim woman are being violated. Tell Muslims within your community about her and others like her.

* Please e-mail the ambassador to Pakistan, the Honorable Mr. Jahangir Karamat. Or you can write them a letter (a polite but firm letter) to3517 International Court, NWWashington, DC 20008If you can afford it, you can call 1-202-243-6500And here's the e-mail addy info@embassyofpakistan.org

*On Muslima Rights, Sunni Sister and I will soon have a letter posted for writers to use to send off to "involved politicians" and other influential persons who can change Mukhtar Mai's situation. We'll post it as soon as it is completed. Please be on the lookout.

WAIT A MINUTE!!! I just did some research that I found from this article. NOW READ THIS. 'There was an international outcry. The actual request to keep Ms Mai in the country allegedly came from the Pakistani ambassador in Washington, Jahangir Karamat. In the end, Ms Mai never made it out of her village, much less to the airport."Okay, I am really mad now. You can read the rest of the article here.http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/061505WA.shtml

*Okay, ummm...let's see if we can get ISNA to invite Mukhtar Mai to speak at one of their conferences. Please follow the above directions if you want...Mailing Address:Islamic Society of North AmericaP.O. Box 38Plainfield, IN 46168, USAPhone & Fax:Phone: (317) 839-8157Fax: (317) 839-1840There's also there the contact link..http://www.isna.net/contact/

***Just to let you know, I got tired of waiting for the Embassy because I'm just impatient like that. I called them on my cell phone and saved the message with someone who offered salaams on the answering machine. Eww. "Islamic" Republic of Pakistan? Okay, if you say so.

***Continue to make dua for our umma and let's pull ourselves out of this Jahili state that we are in.

***Any other ideas are very welcomed. If the article that I wrote about Mukhtar Mai is not published with Islamicity then I'll just it here on my blog.

Some news on Iman Muhanna Muhammad

Insha'Allah, a prominent newspaper in New Orleans will allow me to write an article about her. There distrubition must be about 50,000 plus readers and they are the most popular freebie mag. Liberal-ish on certain things. Maybe they'll like my writing samples. Keep making dua for her family. As you can imagine, they are having a difficult time dealing with her death and the deaht of her unborn child. Let's show them that we have not forgotten about them.

Islamic Restoration

I will start a new series of article on various blogs as to how we can restore our communites and build a new Islamic society in America where Muslims are allowed to live with their Islamic and Western traditions without conflict or contradiction. Most, if not all of the articles, will be centered on the masjid as an institution. It is the focal point of our community and the strength of the masjid plays a key role in the growth and vitality (or collapse and destruction) of the American umma. Let's stop worrying about hijab, sex and kilafah for a while and get our communities in check first. But let's get ourselves in check, too. Let's change our condition so that Allah ta'ala can bring about change allover.

And Speaking of Hard Working Muslims

2005-06-17T14:38:00.000-04:00

Peep this article. Emphasis mine.

MUSLIMS STRIKE AT SPOUSE ABUSE
Kristin E. Holmes, Inquirer, 6/17/05

The veil shrouding spouse abuse in Muslim families is being torn away by local mosque leaders - putting them at the forefront of efforts by American Muslims to stem domestic violence.The clergy council known as the Majlis Ash'Shura of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley has adopted a tough policy of public shunning of Muslims who abuse their spouses or abandon their families.Under the initiative, adopted last month, offenders will go on a list circulated among area Muslims. They will be banned from future marriages in communities that adhere to the policy.

Fellow Muslims will be discouraged from patronizing any businesses they own." We need to take a public stand," said Imam Isa Abdul-Mateen, secretary of the Majlis Ash'Shura, an association of 30 imams. "We want people to know that this will not be tolerated."In coming months, the council will address issues such as the criteria for putting names on the list and safeguards to protect spouses who step forward.

Domestic violence appears no more prevalent in Muslim communities than elsewhere, but Islamic advocacy groups and others have tried to push the problem into the open.With the new policy, Philadelphia leaps over other Muslim communities that are just starting to confront the issue, said Maha Alkhateeb, project manager of the Peaceful Families Project, a Virginia-based nonprofit that addresses domestic violence among Muslims.

Glamourous Causes

2005-06-17T12:12:00.000-04:00

Salaam alaikum,

I was encouraged to write this entry in a response to another post written for another blog on the e-mail campaign for Mukhtar Mai.

"The problem in Pakistan is that NGOs have become so fashionable -and they've taken the place of those old style large scale "charity balls" where "high society" people gather for some feel good events. So, because of this there is a lot of resentment building against them from villagers, and working class folks in the cities. There are some good groups --- but their voices get drowned --- real community based groups don't have a lot of funds etc." (emphasis mine)

It seems that some causes are more glamorous than others.

For example, Sarah Eltantawi, board member of the PMUNA, demanded to know how CAIR, Women in Islam Inc., ISNA, INCA, Zaytuna, MPAC and MWLUSA felt about the issue of women leading prayer. None of them to my knowlegde have answered her demands and I think I know why. The reason might be that these groups are promoting causes that they feel are worth their time and money and that women-led prayer is not a high priority for them as it is for the PMUNA. Moreover, maybe women-led prayer and a hijab-free society ain't a major concern for most Muslims.

CAIR is busy doing dawah power by giving away free Qur'ans in hopes of pushing back the tide of anti-Americanism/anti-Islam since the Qur'an/Gitmo riots. On top of defending the civil liberties of Muslims, they have also launched a summer campaign of community activism focused on health care, youth activities and community outreach. In my community, many Muslims are really tackling the issue of health care for the uninsured so these are causes worthy of our attention.

Women in Islam, Inc. supported a trip to Eastern Europe to help and council the thousands of women who were raped by Serbian soldiers during the Yugoslavian war. Sexual abuse and exploitation is a worthy cause.

ISNA has a spousal abuse network to help Muslim families escape their situation. They have decicated years of work to interfaith dialogue. They've also developed a network for Muslims to come together on all social planes--spiritual, economical, and cultural. INCA has functioned in the same manner.

Zaytuna is dedicated to the promotion of traditional Islamic scholarship in America. Isn't spiritual and religious growth a major cause and concern for Muslims? Maybe if we were more educated in Islam, our communities would not suffer from the anti-Islamic problems of sexism and racism.

MPAC has put forth its efforts to get Muslims more involved in politics and MWLUSA has attented UN conferences to promote women rights in Muslim countries.

So aren't these goals worthy of attention by the media? Don't you think that MWU and PMUNA should give credit where credit is due? I am not saying that you should join these groups but you have to admit that they are working for Muslims. I've never heard Hamza Yusuf go on television and say that our masajid are filled with women-hating extremists. I've never heard Ingrid Mattson, promoting her book across the country, saying that America is the only country that can give the Muslim world freedom. Tell that to the Iraqis and Afghanis and to Amnesty International which has condemned the Bush Administration for its horrible abuses at Guantanamo Bay.

It's not that Muslim Americans aren't concerned for our communities. It's not that we don't care. We just have a bad habit of championing unpopular, boring causes like poverty, literacy, health care, and the safety of the our people within this country. It's hard to sell to the Americans the idea that Muslims are forward-thinking people unless they champion one thing--sexual freedom. It doesn't matter if you are running a center for battered Muslim women or a soup kitchen. That's not sexy. But writing and talking about sex, especially Muslims talking about sex, gets the media's juices flowin'.

That's the major reason why MWU and PMUNA have been chosen by America to be the mouthpiece of the American umma. Because in this sex saturated culture, where we are using it to sell something as boring as white rice, the PMUNA is speaking the language of this post-feminist, moral relativist society. Sister Aisha who is pushing for masjid reform within the boundaries of Shari'a gets no help at all. And Brother Ali who spends four hours patrolling his community in an effort to fight drug dealers is ignored. The Muslims who are doing the real work and who are tackling the real problems, are left with little attention and no funding. Insha'Allah, those noble Muslims will get their reward in Jennah.

E-Mail Plea for Mukhtar Mai

2005-06-12T14:20:00.000-04:00

I sent this out to some folks so we can raise awareness, please make dua for our sisters in Islam.

Some of you may be familiar with a Sister named Mukhtar Mai. She is a Pakistani woman from the rural village of Meerwala. In June 2002, because of a rumor stating that her 14-year-old brother had been seen with a girl from a rival tribe, the tribal council of Meerwala called him before the tribal court to stand for his "dishonor" to the girl's family. Mukhtar Mai plead the case for her brother and they excused him.

But under the un-Islamic tribal laws of her village, they ordered that she should be raped to restore the honor of the offended family. Four men took turns while raping her in front of a cheering village and she was left naked and thrown into the street with nothing but a shawl to cover her as she walked back to her village. Many times she had contemplated suicide but it was her family and friends that convinced her not to take her life. But instead of giving up, she decided to fight back.

Last year in 2004, over 150 women were raped under the order of the Panchiat court, a village system of law that goes against the secular laws of Pakistan and the divine laws of Islam. You see, Mukhtar Mai is a teacher of Islam. So she is well versed in her rights as a Pakistani woman but just as knowlegable about her rights given to her as a Muslim in the Qur'an. The local imam of her village used his standing in the community to speak out against the injustice. With his help, the reputation of her attackers was being maligned as men who had violated her Islamic rights. Her attackers assumed that she would be too ashamed to tell the police what had happened to her but with the encouragment of the imam, her friends and family, she filed a complait with the police and alerted the attention of the local and international media.

Because the Pakistani government had felt the international scrunity of 9/11, they wanted to prove that they were on the side of law and order. The tribal elders and the volunteer rapists were charged and subject to hang for their crimes and Mukhtar Mai was given a $8,000 in compensation. She has used the money to build a school in Meerwala to educate the young girls whose education is often denied. President Musharaf offered her a house in the city and all the trappings of luxury but she decided to stay in her village to help her people. But the charges were overturned against the rapists this year.

Brothers and sisters, the Qur'an and Sunnah is the rock that she is standing on and she has made it very clear to journalists that she fights from an Islamic standpoint, not against it. In March 2005, the Islamic Shari'a court stepped in and overturned the appeal and ordered that that her attackers be tried for their crime and had them arrested. Prime Minister Sauhkat Aziz offered her protection but she refuses to leave Pakistan and she is determined to stay with the people she loves.

But just yesterday, June 10th, the Lahore High Court went against the Shari'a court and released her rapists from prison. Her case has been appealed and is going to the Pakistani Supreme Court but she is in tremendous danger from people who want to restore the "honor" of the men who attacked her. They may kill her, rape her and find some other gruesome way to punish her for speaking out. Please make dua for our Sister Mukhtar Mai and others like her because prayer is the biggest and most powerful weapon of the Muslims.

Please write a letter to the Pakistani embassy here pleading her case.
Mr. Janangir Karamat
3517 International Court, NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-243-6500
info@embassyofpakistan.org

Her case has received so much attention that
her website has exceeded it's bandwith
but you can see the older one at http://www.mukhtarmai.com/Mai'sTragedy.htm.
You can also get frequent updates by checking out these websites...www.izzymo.blogspot.com
www.sunnisisters.com/sunnisister
by checking the Iman Muhanna/Mukhtar Mai section

National Open Mosque Day in the UK!

2005-06-05T20:24:00.000-04:00

Salaam alaikum,

Allah ta'ala knew that this idea was kinda floating around in my mind. Lo and behold, I get an e-mail from a friend telling me about National Open Mosque Day in the United Kingdom. It's a wonderful opportunity to get the community involved in dawah and education.

We Americans really need to steal this great idea from our British Muslimeen. I wonder if Canada has a similar event? But we can really promote this idea in the States. Many people are very curious about our masajid. They want to know what Islam is all about. The reason why people are so suspicious of us is because we haven't invited them into our places of worship to see that Islam is a living faith of normal people who want to please Allah ta'ala.

Any takers? Any Brits who read this entry, could you pop a small report into the comments area and tell us what it was like on Open Mosque Day?

Here's a little info...
http://ukim.org/MosqueOpenDay2005/participation.htm

CAIR Summer Activism and Dawah Power

2005-06-02T23:33:00.000-04:00

It's amazing. I don't know how these guys can take a horrible event like the Gitmo/Qur'an Desecretion riots and turn it into an opportunity for dialogue and dawah. When they offered to give away free Qur'ans for the asking, I had to admit that I was skeptical...even cynical. But there are just some people who know how to turn a tragedy into an opportunity. I received this e-mail today and some of you probably did, too.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/2/05) - CAIR today said some 5,000 people have requested free copies of the Quran since the launch of the group's "Explore the Quran" campaign on May 17. Calls are coming into CAIR's Washington, D.C., headquarters at the rate of one-per-minute since the publication of an article on the campaign in today's USA Today newspaper.

"Getting the Holy Word Out"
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2005-06-01-koran_x.htm
CAIR's campaign is designed as a positive response to the recent controversy over desecration of the Quran. Those who have requested free Qurans include a police officer who works with the Muslim community, Christian religious leaders who wish to explain Islam to their congregations and Americans of all faiths who just wish to learn more about Islam's revealed text.

Combining religious tolerance, education and peace initiaves into this wonderful effort can only garner one response...Masha'Allah.

Oh and uh, they also launched a summer initiative to promote community activism. You can read about here at Muslims Care and at Progressive Muslims. They already have great events in the works such as health fairs, blood drives, fitness days and free medical services for the uninsured.

Whither Progressive Islam?

2005-05-30T17:34:00.000-04:00

Not necessarily.

Actually, we can do away with the labels because all they do is set up boundaries and cause conflict. With the shenanigans of the PMUNA and MWU.com, many Muslims shrink back from using the word "progressive." Not because of the word itself but because of the baggage that comes along with it. Not too many Muslims want to be associated with the media antics, the badly written porn or slams on Islamic activists. In fact, unlike the PMUNA counterpart, we would rather work with other groups for the improvement of our communities rather than following through with the RAND report.

They (the unofficial spokepeople for the enlightened, progressive Islam) have let us down tremendously. They can pull a fast one on unsuspecting non-Muslims but we educated Muslims know better. Then again, their Islam was never for us in the first place so we shouldn't feel too bad. Who wants to rub shoulders with anti-Palestinian activists or former RAND employees?

Not me and I don't think you want to either.

So what do we do? How do we empower ourselves as a community? How do we get a chunk of this media that so desperately wants to paint the picture of the liberal, non-practicing Muslim as good verses the believer, the mu'min as the evil, al-Qeada-loving terrorist?

How do we become more progressive as Muslims?

Well, it depends on your goal. Is your goal to sell books or to be accepted by Allah subhana wa ta'ala? Is it to be accepted by the ignorant neo-cons who bomb innocent civilians or is it entry into Jennah? When you speak, defend or write about Islam, is because you want glory for yourself or do you want to glorify your Lord? If you've answered in the latter, then, insha'Allah, we are on the right track.

God has commanded us to establish and teach others Islam but we haven't done as good of a job as we could have. In fact, some would argue that we (American Muslims in particular) are still in the pioneer phase though there are 6 to 8 million of us. Where's the local Islamic newspapers and magazines? Where are the charitable Islamic organization established in your neck of the woods? Where are the women's clubs, the men's clubs, youth groups, etc? Where is Islam in America beyond ISNA, ICNA, MAS, CAIR? What about small local groups working within their own communities?

Here are some better questions. What are you doing? Do you write, design websites, build houses, cook well, design clothing, speak well publicly? Are you using your God-given talents to serve God? I know some of us are thinking that 9-11 will blow over and that with time, Americans will get over it. Well, that's just wishful thinking. September 11th is still fresh in my head and if we don't get to work (I mean really get to work) we might live in a nation that will not be so accomindating to our religious beliefs.

At least 25% of the American population thinks that our masajid and organizations should be monitored for terrorist activity. Call me paranoid but the rhetoric that we are hearing, and Muslims that are speaking for us in the media...doesn't it remind you a little Judeophobic Germany before the rise of Hitler? We shouldn't be too naive to think it can't happen to us.

So get busy. Be progressive, but not in the PMUNA way. Write articles to your local newspaper. Start a women's group to address the gender injustice that goes on in some of our masajid. Invite your neighbors to the masjid so that they can see average, ordinary Muslims living Islam. Start a website or a newsletter (No, I'm not letting the website/newsletter idea go). Put on a food drive, art show, cultural fair, lecture, or interfaith dialogue session. Don't be afraid. There's no where to hide away. The PMUNA and MWU aren't afraid to spew all kinds of muck. You're armed with the truth so why should you remain silent.

Please give us some feedback about your Muslim community and what you guys are doing for God and Islam. May Allah ta'ala strenghten us.

Islamicity Article on Iman Muhanna Mohamed

2005-05-21T13:38:00.000-04:00

Salaam alaikum,

Our dearly departed sister, Iman Muhanna Mohamed, has gotten some of the recognition she and her family deserves. Islamicity, the most popular Islamic e-zine despite others making that claim, was kind enough to publish my article.

It's not much but insha'Allah, the Muslims of America will know who she is and what she meant the Muslims of New Orleans. Our ethnicities, religious leanings and politics might divide us, but you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn't want to live a world free of war and violence. I hope this will wake us up so that we can focus on what really matters--the safety, securtiy and peace of our communities.

You can read the article here entitled "The Real Issues for Women."

The Powder Keg of War

2005-05-18T21:45:00.000-04:00

By Risama, with Umm Zaid

"There go dem crazy Moozlims again! Getting all riled up over the Kore-ahn!"

Really?

Is that the only reason why Muslims in Afghanistan might have rioted? I don't know about you but hearing about a Qur'an being flushed down a toilet didn't really surprise me. How could it when we already know about allegations of sexualized abuse at Gitmo? Or what about G.I. Jane and her cohorts' idea of fun--random acts of sado-maschocism? Whether the story of the desecration of the Qur'an is true or not, we know that these things are taking place in Iraq, Afghanistan and Gitmo. So why is the American media treating these riots as if the possible desecration of the Qur'an is the only thing that could possible have Muslims in some countries (particularly Afghanistan) ticked off?

Because, see, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, is saying that he believes the allegations of the desecration of the Qur'an are not the primary reason for the rioting in Afghanistan. Myers says that a report from U.S. Army Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, who is the commander of the Combined Forces in Afghanistan, indicates that the political violence has nothing to do with the Newsweek blurb. Instead, both are saying (as are many others) that the violence has more to do with the ongoing political reconciliation process than the allegations from Newsweek.

So, the question really becomes why isn't anyone in the American media reporting on myriad of other reasons why the Afghans might be rioting? Why isn't anyone reporting on what General Myers, and General Eikenberry, who's actually on the ground over there, believe is going on? Not a single major media outlet has reported on Eikenberry's report or Myer's comments. Not a single one. How ironic is it when a branch of our own federal gov't is willing to report on these developments, but the corporate, profit driven media is not?

Why doesn't anyone point out that all the other protests around the world were peaceful? How is it that one instance of violent rioting in one place -- Kabul, Afghanistan -- is being represented as "unrest" and "violent rioting" all over the Muslim world, when no reports of violence have been connected with any other demonstration?

And why is the nature of Newsweek's retraction being misrepresented by the media? Newsweek is saying now that some say the allegations are not credible, and that their source may have misquoted which report he read it in, not that he didn't read it, and not that the government did not publish the allegations in any report. But that's not what CNN, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and the rest of them want you to believe. They're making lots of money off of the false image of Mozlems around the world going berzerk over this story and killing one another. The truth might hurt their bottom line and other things -- just as it did with the false allegations of WMD that they all faithfully and unquestioningly reprinted in the fall of 2002 and the spring of 2003.

So why are people calling upon the editor of Newsweek to resign for allowing this story to go to press? They claim it's because the story was directly responsible for the deaths of 15 Afghans during rioting, but no one calls for the editor of Newsweek or any other publication to resign after they reprinted the false allegations of WMD made by the Bush and Blair administrations that caused some Americans, Britons, Australians, and others to support the 'Iraq invasion and has led directly to the deaths of more than 1600 American soldiers, 180 coalition troops, 236 foreign civilians, and an estimated minimum of more than 21,000 'Iraqis, as well as the wounding (physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally) of more than 12,000 American soldiers and untold numbers of 'Iraqis.

Furthermore, this is not the first time that allegations of the desecration of the Qur'an by US forces in charge of Muslim prisoners has surfaced. Similar allegations have been reported in the American and Muslim media since at least March of 2003. Yet there have been no other reported large scale demonstrations and no violence directly attributed to these previously reported claims.

Everyone else around the world, particulary in the Arab world, is seeing the daily carnage in Iraq. Muslims are being fed a steady diet of murder, bombings, rapes and explosions. While our American media is scared to show the hundreds of flag-draped coffins of our American dead, many around of the world are hearing stories of gang rape, mosque desecration, child prostitution, and every other horror story you can imagine.

Yes, desecrating the Qur'an is a tremendous sin but the American media cabal must be foolish if they think that that is the only thing that has any Muslim anywhere rioting. Automatically, the accusations are being made that Muslims place religion above human rights. I do believe that with so much anger and injustices left unchecked, people who are disrespected and abused on a daily basis will rebel in the most violent and desperate of ways (ex: the widespread rioting and looting that occurred in Los Angeles and elsewhere across the United States after the Rodney King verdict, rioting that left 58 dead and more than 2300 injured in Los Angeles alone).

The possible desecration of the Qur'an was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back for a group of people in Afghanistan. If this imperialist attack against "Third World" lands continues unabated, so will the growth of senseless acts of violence from those who are so disenfranchised, frustrated, and desperate that they end up destroying their own communities and hurting, even killing, innocents.

It all makes me think of a verse of the Qur'an:

"O you who believe! Be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with justice, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice.Be just: that is next to piety, and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do."(Al Ma'idah, 8)

It would be wise for us to reflect on these words.

What Defines a Muslim?

2005-05-15T13:23:00.000-04:00

I had to write this post in response to the comment left on Dr. Maxtor’s entry on Hussein Ibish. Appartently, the poster believes that we are guilty of bashing the PMUNA because they have a different interpretation or definition of what it means to be a Muslim. The commentor incorrectly pointed out that our major beef with them is that they do not follow our line of thinking.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

There are many sects and pseudo-sects claiming that they are the righteous followers of Allah subhana wa ta ‘ala but making the assertion means nothing if you don’t follow the established criterion. Yes, Islam has established criterion to determine who and who is not a Muslim. Of course, to be a Muslim is to state and believe with all sincerity that there is no God but God and that Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) is His messenger. The PMUNA seeks to eliminate even this distinction amongst other established beliefs and obligations. Why would someone want to call him/herself a Muslim but reject the shadada is a mystery to me but it seems to make sense in their world. There is also an established belief criterion known in this formula as,

“Amatu billahi wa mala-ikatihi wa rasulihi wal youm ul akhiri wal qadri, khayrihi wa sharihi min Allahi ta’ala wal ba’ith be’ed al mowt.”

This phrase is the seven main beliefs or Iman ul Mufassal.

“I believe in Allah (praise is due to Him alone), His angels, his books, his messengers (may they be blessed), the Last Day, Measurement (sometimes translated as pre-determination or destiny), both the good and the bad are from Allah the Exalted, and in life after death.”

This is not the rules and standards established by the writers and editor of Living Tradition. This was established in the earliest days of Islam, as the example of our Prophet (may God bless him), all for the glory of Allah subhana wa ta’ala. Unlike the PMUNA, we have the Qur’an and Sunnah as our foundation, whereas they are following 20th century secular humanist values and cafeteria-style, new-age spiritualism.

While we find the aims, objectives and interpretations of the Progressive Muslim Union very problematic and lacking in any substantial, authentic Islamic tradition, that is not our major and only concern with them. If that was the case, we could just easily go after Qadianis, Ismailis, 5% percenters and members of the Nation of Islam. The problem is that Muslims who do not fall in line with their agenda are labeled as fanatics and extremists. The PMUNA has no problems cozying up with those launching violent and decisive policies against Muslims overseas. They invite well known neo-cons, who actually think that bombing of Iraq and Afghanistan are “good” things, on to their board of directors. They go on television and the internet attacking other Muslims groups and organizations who don’t agree them, even going as far as impersonating well known Islamic-American activists as some kind of a sick joke.

Hey, you have to call a spade a spade. The truth is supported and documented through every entry of this blog. Our purpose is to point out their hyprocrisy and corruption so that everyday Muslims can know who is behind this fitnah and how to keep these people from creating further division in the umma.

Or maybe we’re just uptight conservatives who can’t hang.

Allah ta’ala knows best.

On the latest media stunt...

2005-05-13T20:23:00.000-04:00

Hussein Ibish is not your typical “progressive” Muslim. He actually has a real background in civil rights, in addition to solid credentials in the Arab-American community. Unfortunetly as an ardent secularist, Ibish has internalized the “progressive shahada” that states that a Muslim is simply anyone who claims to be one. This is what being an “organic” member of the community means in his view i.e. having a soft spot for hummus or biryani is enough to make you one of the gang.

The focus of this post is not Mr. Ibish himself, but a couple of articles he recently wrote for MWU regarding Kamal Nawash, of “Free Muslims Against Terrorism” (FMAT) fame, and his planned "anti-terror" rally this weekend. Nawash is rightly exposed for the charlatan that he is: a disgraced former member of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), a failed politician, and, worst of all, a lowly opportunist selling himself to Zionists, Christofascists, and pretty much any outfit which is hostile to Islam and Muslims in order to promote himself.

In the first article, Ibish presents what he calls the good, bad and the ugly of new Muslim groups to the reader. The bad being FMAT, the ugly being the neocon Center for Islamic Pluralism, and the good, of course, being the Progressive Muslims Union of North America (PMUNA). While the information on the first two groups is relevant and informative, Ibish performs a whitewash of his own organization, the PMUNA.

He states that the PMUNA has received no funding whatsoever from the notorious Rand Corporation, whose report calling for “civil democratic Islam” should be required reading for all Muslims. (ed. note: There is no proof that PMUNA has received funding from this outfit. However, as noted earlier, Aiman Mackie, who is on PMUNA's board of directors, has worked for Rand in the past, and MWU, the mouthpiece of PMUNA has steadfastly remained silent on "Civil Democratic Islam"). However, he also claims that PMUNA is "transparent and straightforward," when past events and inquiries have shown that this isn't exactly the case. He also uses the example of Daniel Pipes calling him names to bolster PMUNA's credibility, as if all of us aren't considered "the bad and the ugly" by Pipes.

The report, by Cheryl Bernard, wife of Muslim neocon Zalmay Khalizad openly calls for creating divisions within the ummah, and for the pitting of “progressives” against practicing Muslims. Interestingly enough, MWU has an interview with Bernard, a disgustingly flattering puff piece where no real questions are asked. At one point, it seems as if Nassef is asking her for tips.

Maybe there's no cash involved as Ibish states, but encouragement is a 110%. Has it ever crossed Ibish’s mind that there might be something odd or amiss about Nassef’s appearances and statements on FOX and other neocon-friendly media outlets slamming Muslim civil rights groups? You don’t have to be a detective to figure out that Nawash is simply doing what the MWU topdog has done, and continues to do so.

In his follow up article, Ibish gives us an exhaustive list of those who have “endorsed” Nawash’s little march. It's quite informative and rather amusing too, reminding me of all the anti-Muslim propagandists in Europe and the US who gave Amina Wadud their collective blessings in leading phony Friday prayers. My concern is why Nassef is being excluded from this list, considering that it was he who gave Nawash the red carpet treatment in the past on MWU. Does Ibish know that his boss at PMUA gave Nawash a free ride ?

While I feel that Ibish is ignorant on matters of religion, I’m fairly certain his heart is in the right place. It’s a pity this can’t be said for the majority of those identify themselves as “progressives.”

Dr. Lings: Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raji'un

2005-05-12T18:41:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

The venerable scholar, poet, and academic Dr. Abu Bakr Siraj ad Deen Martin Lings has passed away.

Hardliners in Search of Moderate Muslims

2005-05-06T21:36:00.000-04:00

Hardliners in Search of "Moderate Muslims"

Risama's Thoughts on Muqtedar Khan's Article

2005-05-05T00:06:00.000-04:00

As someone mentioned in the last entry, Khan’s recent criticism of MuslimWakeUp.com is a little weak. He does make some valid points but he is also a board member of the Progressive Muslim Union. I get the feeling that he wants to express his point of view but also protect his position on the board. I have edited and inserted my own thoughts within the article. I also highlighted some comments that I thought were very problematic. You can read the whole article at his website.

KHAN: Muslimwakeup.com [MWU], a very popular Muslim e-zine has definitely enriched and shaken up the American Muslim public sphere and is also being noticed by Muslims overseas. Along with the book Progressive Muslims, edited by Prof. Omid Safi, Asra Nomani’s mosque protests, and Amina Wadud’s leading of Friday prayers, MWU is easily one of the key Progressive Muslim moments in the history of American Islam. Thus MWU has clearly carved a place for itself in the American Muslim public sphere.

RIS: I have to disagree. I think that MWU.com has carved out a place within the American mainstream media, but they haven’t made any significant changes within the American Muslim community. The Progressive Meetups in most cities across America do not get off the ground. New Orleans is a good example of this. Dr. Max wrote a scathing review of one meeting he was fortunate enough to attend. But as far as for the foundational efforts of building schools, interfaith and charity work, it’s the average Muslim who does not have the media connections to get any credit for his/her work in the community.

KHAN: Before I make my arguments, I would like to state in the interest of disclosure that I am connected with both the Progressive Muslim movement and with Muslimwakeup.com. I am on the advisory board of PMU and several of my articles have been published by MWU in the past.

RIS: As I stated before, that might all change once they decide that Khan’s dissent is a liability. The PMU/MWU can dish out criticism but as they have proven in the past, they obviously can’t take it.

KHAN: This article should be read as advice from someone invited formally to sit in an advisory position and be read and engaged in the spirit of constructive criticism. I am essentially reporting, with some analysis, the criticisms of MWU that I receive. There are other nasty and eminently false allegations being made by some mainstream Muslims about MWU being a conspiracy of Rand Corporation and Neoconservatives in the US. I ignore them. There is no room for rational discourse with those who subscribe to conspiracy theories. For them their own imagination serves as evidence and it is irrefutable.

RIS: Oh how I wish that their connection to the RAND Corporation was just some horrible nightmare! But what else I am supposed to think when one of their board members, Aiman Mackie, is a former employee of the RAND Corporation. There’s also the fluff piece on MWU.com with Cheryl Bernard where they let her run the show. No tough questions about the RAND report for the woman who is arrogant enough to think that she can change Islam. I wish that the PMUNA were a bunch of plucky Muslims with really strange ideas about Islam rather than an arm of the puppets who are manipulating foreign and domestic policy to change Islam and to divide Muslims.

KHAN: The conclusion that I can draw from all these debates and discussions is that while majority of Muslims sympathize and may even endorse the agenda of Progressive Muslims (1) seeking gender justice, (2) struggling for social justice, (3) advancing a moral inclusivist theology, and (4) opening the doors of Ijtihad for reinterpretation of Islam in the contemporary context, they strongly oppose the method and style of MWU. I repeat, most American Muslims seem to sympathize with the causes that underpin the philosophy of Progressive Muslims, but they strongly disapprove of MWU’s style. This raises the question, will MWU in the long run undermine the very movement, the Progressive Muslim movement that it seeks to promote.

RIS: Okay, I can agree that their style, if you can call it that, is appalling but I don’t think that’s why many Muslims are put off by them. Islam already promotes gender and social justice so why is any reinterpretation needed for something that can already be used for good. The Qur’an admonishes us to care for the poor, oppressed, and weak so why do we need ijtihad when we can simply start living according the Qur’an and Sunnah? I think Muslims are put off by the MWU because they want to “change” or “reinterpret” Islam when many of us believe that Islam is fine the way it is. All we need to do is to learn it and practice it in our daily lives and then we will see improvement within our communities.

KHAN: Style--There are several aspects of style that seems to bother average Muslim readers. The tendency to immediate mock and ridicule prominent American Muslim leaders and organizations – a song that calls Siraj Wahhaj a f*g is often cited. Most people have no problems with criticism, but they object to the complete lack of Islamic adab. Regardless of what ploy MWU editors may use to defend this – “oh it is under the section satire, or humor “ – the distasteful content speaks or rather stinks for itself. This is not the Islamic way.

RIS: I second that. Don’t mess with the shayukh, imams and teachers who have been establishing the deen of Islam long before Islam was a blimp in the media radar. They could imitate the Sunnah by getting their point across with adab but they aren’t exactly pro-Sunnah anyways.

KHAN:--Islamic content: The manner in which many articles on MWU approach debates on Islamic theological issues are also an issue with many readers. Remember these are not complaints from fans or regular readers. These are complaints from most mosque related mainstream Muslims who have visited MWU once or twice to gauge what progressive Muslims are up to and have been turned off.

RIS: Not exactly. The aforementioned complaint has been made by those who were frequent readers of the e-zine, myself included.

KHAN: The most commonly cited examples of this flaw in MWU articles are Hussein Ibish’s responses to Hina Azam and Louay Safi. They are read as insulting and above all completely and absolutely devoid of any Islamic content. They seem to be written by someone who knows nothing about Islam and on a more scary level, does not really care for Islamic sources at all. Many Muslims also seem to recall that Ibish had declared on national TV that he was an agnostic and did not practice Islam or something to that effect. I agree with the traditional Muslims’ argument that Progressive Muslims are methodologically weak, essentially because the progressive Islamic jurisprudential tradition has yet to begin.

RIS: But Farid Esack is considered a progressive Muslim scholar so what’s all this stuff about progressive jurisprudential tradition not having any beginnings? And if they care to start a progressive madhab of sorts, why put a self-proclaimed arch-secularist on your board. No one on the PMU has any training in Islam outside of the American university structure so obviously, the creation of progressive “fiqh” is not one of their concerns.

KHAN: Sex--This is a source of great contention. Many Muslims have a problem with the discussion of sex itself, others have a problem with how some prominent Islamic personalities have been dealt with in some of this sex columns. I think the sex columns do more to establishing the personality of MWU with their fan base and may not directly undermine the progressive Muslim movement as long as they do not seek to reform theology through fictionalized discussion of sex.

RIS: The sex column DOES undermine the progressive Muslim movement because it portrays as them as sexually immature adults who think that placing scholars in their erotica is the height of wit.

KHAN: Intolerance--This is the irony and tragedy of the Progressive Muslim Movement, that it is accused of intolerance. Most Muslim readers argue that MWU while preaching loftily for tolerance and inclusion are vociferously intolerant towards Muslims who disagree with them.

RIS: BINGO!

KHAN: Progressive Muslim Union and Muslimwakeup.com do not have any formal relationship.

RIS: I refuse to believe that Mr. Khan is that naïve. It is no coincidence that some of the writers of MWU.com are on the PMUNA. Or that many of the contributors of Omid Safi’s book Progressive Muslims have written for MWU.com. The fact that Ahmed Nassef is on the PMUNA establishes the connection whether Mr. Khan wants to acknowledge that or not. Or let’s put it like this. Amina Wadud is a board member of PMUNA. Amina Wadud’s prayer service was promoted by MWU.com. Ahmed Nassef is the editor of MWU.com. His media consulting firm promotes the media stunts and books of Asra Nomani who is a contributor to MWU.com.

Nomani’s pseudo-feminist struggle against the Morgantown masjid has been covered by MWU.com. Asra Nomani has a group called Daughters of Hagar where Saleemah Adbul-Ghaffur, former managing editor of Azizah Magazine, is a member. Saleemah Abdul-Ghaffur is also a member of PMUNA.

Sarah Eltantawi, former member of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, is a Daughter of Hagar, MWU contributor and PMUNA member. Michael Muhammad Knight, imitator of Ibrahim Hooper (CAIR), taunter of Siraj Wahhaj, and friend of Asra Nomani, is a frequent writer for MWU.com and a member of the PMUNA. Mohja Kahf, erotica writer for MWU.com is a member of PMUNA. Subhan’Allah, do you need more proof?

Iman Muhanna Mohammed & Mukhtar Mai Updates

2005-05-04T17:40:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

At the Sunni Sister blog.

Updates on Iman Muhanna Mohammed & Mukhtar Mai

Muqtedar Khan Questions MWU

2005-05-04T14:03:00.000-04:00

Is MuslimWakeUp.com undermining the Progressive Muslim Movement?

That is the question that Muqtedar Khan is asking from his website, ijtihad.org. My question is this, "Isn't Mr. Khan still a board member for the Progressive Muslim Union?"

Do I see mutiny in the ranks? Be careful Mr. Khan. You know what happened last time you dared to question their motives.

The Silent Non-Movement

2005-05-02T23:05:00.000-04:00

For those of you have been with us since the beginning of this blog, you might remember us mentioning the blossoming of a particular non-movement. The reason why we can’t call it a movement is because it has no self-appointed leaders or specific headquarters. It does not require membership fees to join or hold affiliations with larger umbrella groups. And while they do not have a specific agenda laid out on a sleek website, they, nonetheless, have a goal of bringing the blessings of Islam to the world.

This non-movement operates under the probing eyes of the American government which has decided to violate its own much tooted right of the “separation of church and state.” Under the auspices of the RAND Corporation, fundgelicals, right-wingers, extremist secularists, radical feminists and rabid Zionists, they have decided to join hands for this one moment in history to see about the alteration, assimilation and subsequent destruction of Islam. But the non-movement continues to grow. While the MWU-PMU crew holds press conferences, the members of the non-movement silently meet in mosques, homes and yes, sometimes coffeehouses. While the progressives have meet-ups (ie: hook-ups), these silent folks have Qur’an and Arabic classes.

They understand that having a bachelor’s degree in Islamic studies, or being raised in a Western country, does not automatically give you de facto leadership of the umma. They are not afraid to admit that they don’t know everything and they are willing to seek knowledge from those who know despite the accusations that going to a learned person with a beard or in hijab is intellectual backwardness. This non-movement is sweeping the globe. It’s tired of racist rhetoric against the West as much as it is tired of blind admiration of the West. It is not afraid to say that America is successful in many aspects but in others, there is much room for improvement. The members of this non-movement are not afraid to challenge the ideologies of today for if your measure any of them against Islam, you will find them severely wanting.

It is because of the non-movement that Civil Democratic Islam and Progressive Islam will fail. Learned Muslims don’t care too much for arrogant media stars who have just recently decided to start taking part in “helping the umma.” Some of us have been in it for years, striving against the gender injustice with the Qur’an and Sunnah before they even thought of female imams. Some of us have taken time to learn the deen and ask Allah subhana wa ta’ala for understanding. The deen of Islam will be established in America and around the world whether I, you, or anyone else likes it or not. Those two million odd pilgrims in Mecca each year are not there not their health—at least not their physical health. Cheryl Bernard can write as many reports as she wants to; they make for good reading and a good laugh. Irshad Manji can continue touring the world looking for a few good fatawas so that one day she could join the ranks of other famous apostates for who many Muslims have forgotten and only our enemies seem to care about.

The non-movement is silent but effective. I have seen with my own eyes reverts and converts who could care less about what anyone thinks, they just want to be nearer to their Lord. We will continue to do dawah, build masajid, create schools for our youth free of drugs but filled with taqwa. But as Asra Nomani has pointed out in a review by our own Living Tradition editor, and what RAND and PMUNA have made clear, is that this is going to be a long, hard battle.

They scream about the influence of Islam in government but when the government decides to step into the masjid, there’s nothing but silence in their corner. Who knew that the biggest enemies of the American umma would be other Muslims? Ahmed Nassef wants the FBI to check our houses of worship for terrorists. Michael Muhammad Knight, while claiming to be so gay-friendly, calls anyone who doesn’t agree with him a “f$gg*t.” Why so many people are enamored with this group with their obvious hypocrisies really boggles the mind. The non-movement is not about slogans, media stunts, slander, second-rate erotica or press releases. It’s about establishment. It’s about establishing Islam as a force for positive change in the community so that when people look at us, they see success, integrity and honor. They see people of faith putting their money where their mouth is by giving to the poor, fighting against oppression, and yearning for Jennah. We haven’t made it there yet but are slowing waking up to those who want to put us to sleep.

Muslim Wake Up! Ummah Wake Up! Wake up to the Akhirah!

Wake up to The Reality! It’s time to join the non-movement!

It’s time to purify our hearts and prepare for Yaum al Qiyamah.

It’s time to strive for Islam in America.

Standing Alone in Morgantown: Thoughts & Impressions of Nomani's Latest

2005-04-30T21:06:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

It was originally going to be a book review, except for two problems. One is that I do not have the book on hand to refer back to (for page #s and quotes and the like), and the second was that I was unable to complete the entire book in the time that I had. Still, I had some thoughts and impressions that I came away with and wanted to share them.

Asra Nomani is a breath of fresh air in the genre of "progressive Muslim" writing. Don't get all up in arms over that. Nomani is a gifted and engaging writer, even if I don't agree with most of what she says. The One Who Created her endowed her with a talent that she has put to use. As I was reading her latest book, I got the impression of a writer who enjoys communicating her ideas and things she's witnessed with people. Her style is fresh and fast paced. I've read other "progressive Islam" books and articles over the years and have found that they generally tend to fall in one of two categories: stilted, amateur prose or pretentious, psuedo-intellectual muckity muck.

For that reason alone, her book was much easier to read than the writings of people like Asma Gull Hasan or Muqtedar Khan. I was also pleased to find the text refreshingly free of the fifty cent words and references to European philosophers that fill some other "progressive" writings and lead so many to believe that the movement is elitist and classist. Nomani is a down to earth person trying to reach other down to earth people.

My other impression based on the book is that Nomani comes off as achingly sincere in her search for the heart of Islam. The Nomani who is portrayed in the book is desperately searching for something. The problem is that Nomani also reveals herself to have about as much knowledge about Islam and the community in the US as the average journalist does. Going by what she writes of herself in the book, this is a woman who chose to put herself outside of the community and has held little interest in getting to know it until professional and other obligations forced her to. I also cringed at the constant name dropping in the book, particularly that of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl and his widow, Marianne. I've noticed it in other articles and editorials Nomani has written, and at one point in the book I found myself thinking, "OK. You knew Daniel Pearl. I get it." Nomani does the same with other individuals she's met along the way.

As a reader, I wondered if she didn't drop these names to bolster her own credibility. After all, she can't point to a resume of Islamic education, or years of community involvement. By her own admission, she didn't even really start getting involved in the Ummah until three years ago. So it seems as though Nomani uses the names of people like the Pearls and other more established Muslim activists as part of an attempt to sell herself to readers as a credible activist. I don't know why she gets the amount of attention she does from mainstream media sources, but I can guess that her connections with other journalists, coupled with a willingness to go to supply the press with sensational stories plays a large part in it. And too, her book company has a PR department and they're not afraid to use it.

But for a regular Muslim woman like myself, instances of Nomani's ignorance about mainstream organizations, about Islamic practices, and other things left me wondering why I should be expected to let Nomani speak for me? I do not agree with everything the ISCAIRNAMASPACs of the world do (nor would I ever join any of these organizations), but at least they have established track records of working for and with the Muslim American community to point to.

On a similar point, and related to some of her recent public actions, she refers to several Muslim Americans in the book as "Martins and Martinas," as in Luther. In fact, Luther is invoked several times in the book, as he has was in the "99 Precepts" stunt she pulled at Morgantown masjid just before the book came out (cough cough cough). Nomani and her friends in the "prog" movement and the mainstream media want to paint a picture of an Islamic reformation, one that deliberately ignores history and reality. If Luther were here today, of course, he'd have nothing nice to say about "Islam's Martin Luther" (nor she of he). The Reformation in Europe set into motion roughly 200 years of war, persecution, and witch burnings. The Europe that emerged from the Reformation became the cradle of Communism and Socialism and left much of Western Europe and North America with a Cafeteria Christianity that is often watered down and that spawns further sects and schisms every time Bob disagrees with Revered Joe's Scriptural interpretations. Why would Muslims want to go down that lizard hole?

Second, if there has been a "reformation" movement in Islam, and a "Muslim Martin Luther," then he came at the end of the 18th century, his name was Muhammad Abdul Wahab. The "Wahabiya" reformation has caused some of the same problems that the European reformation caused, namely persecution, extremism, and an ignorance of the diyn as traditional methods and sources of knowledge were discarded or destroyed. One wonders if today's version of "progressive Islam" isn't anything more than a natural result of Abdul Wahab's "reformation," just as liberal Anglicanism and Unitarian Universalism were a result of the European Reformation. Who on earth would want to lay claim to the legacy of Luther in light of all that?

Nomani (and others who support side-by-side mixed gender prayer) uses her experiences at the three Sharif places as evidence that separation is un-Islamic. The problem is that the awqaf authorties at Makkah and Madinah have long said that separating 2.5 million pilgrims is logistically impossible, and so there is an expiation there. In addition to that, jama'at prayers there are separated into sections, and there are always seperate areas for women to pray, outisde of jama'at. Think about it. Have you ever watched five daily prayers, or Jumu'ah, or Tarawih from Makkah and seen women praying side by side with men in any part of the Haram or Masjid an Nabi? I'm also not sure about the claim that Haram Sharif is completely mixed, as I have never seen a prayer broadcast from there where men and women were praying together. Hajjis and others can tell me if the logistic problems that the awqaf directors refer to are women praying wherever they can in the masajid during tawwaf or outside of prayer times (say, greeting the masjid).

As a Muslim reader, the fact that Nomani decides not to use her journalist's skills and connections to speak to the administrators of the awqaf or find out why things are differently there shows an intellectual dishonesty and a willful ignorance. I felt that she wasn't trying to get me, her Muslim reader, all of the information that was available to her, and I felt that she was trying to mislead her non-Muslim readers into thinking that the 'ulema haven't had the slightest idea what they're talking about for the last 1400 yrs (which is, naturally, a common tactic in particular "proggie" circles). When Nomani writes that she is willing to go to the NYT, WSJ, CNN, etc. to "expose" Morgantown and publicly castigate a community that has largely rejected her efforts, but she is curiously unwilling to do the same to find out information about Islam or Shari'ah that might make her uncomfortable, what one is left with is a glaring double standard.

As I went further into the book, the sincerity became an issue for me. Nomani does seem to yearn, but as she rips into conservative and mainstream Muslims like Ibrahim Hooper for not paying enough attention to her or the issues she discusses with them, she turns a blind eye to the very bad behavior of particular individuals she references in glowing terms (a young man who is known for impersonating the aforementioned Hooper chief among them). Can you really complain about conservative Muslims saying nasty things about someone if your own friends do the same? It comes across as "Do as I say, not as I do."

And then yesterday, friends pointed me to a letter that was published in the Dawn last week. Nomani has written in her first book, and said on several other occasions, that she is a direct descendant of Allama Shibley Nomani of Pakistan. Now, however, Allama Shibley's own granddaughters are saying that this is not true.

Progressive Muslims of Morgantown's Meetup lists Sohail Sultan of North Nazimabad, Karachi, Pakistan, as a member, but there's two problems with this. One is that anyone can log into Meetup and join as a member with any name they choose. You can join Knit-Wits of Terre Haute Meetup as William Shakespeare. So I wouldn't say that his name on their roster is any proof of her claim of direct descent from Allama Shibley. Anyone who knows anything about Allama Shibley's family could go online and log in and join the Meetup under that name. It's even possible that Asra Nomani herself has nothing to do with the Meetup site, although I doubt it, since I've read at least one report of the Progressive Muslims of Morgantown's meetings written by Nomani.

The second is that the very letter sent to the Dawn repudiating Ms. Nomani's claim of kinship was written by Sohail Sultan's wife -- Momna Sohail Sultan, the youngest granddaughter of Allama Shibley. Why would Mrs. Sultan write a very public letter with such strong words as extremely embarassed," and "in no way connected to the Shibli family" if her husband is a member and supporter of the group?

Reading that letter yesterday, coupled with the problem of her double standard and her being a journalist at the WSJ tarnishes her sincerity for me. The WSJ is a reputable paper, no doubt, but outside of matters of finance, it's not one that I would consider a reliable source. And Nomani was not a financial writer.

Finally, I was extremely uncomfortable with the talk of lawsuits and lawyers at the end of the book. Nomani hints that she is gearing up to file a First Amendment lawsuit against the Morgantown Islamic Center, saying that they have violated their non-profit status because they are denying her her First Amendment right to worship by insisting on a balcony for women. For Muslims, and for Americans in general, the mere idea should be extremely troubling for a few reasons.

What a lawsuit of this nature would do is call upon a jury or a judge to render a verdict on Islamic practices - in essence, get a branch of government involved in matters of religion, and decide for Muslims what is and isn't acceptable. It is ironic that Nomani seems to approve of one branch of gov't violating the First Amendment rights of Morgantown (and other) Muslims in the name of the First Amendment.

A lawsuit like this would help put a crack in the wall separating the government from religious practice, something that the Religious Right in our country has been trying to do for years (see last week's prayer rally for fundagelical Christian judges for an example). After masjid balconies, what would be next? Rules about proper dress in the masjid? And after Muslims, then what? Rules about who can and can't take communion in an Orthodox church? Would Orthodox Jews be expected to stop separating men from women in the synagogue?

And then one wonders why Muslims should be held to a tougher standard than others. After all, no one has sued the Roman Catholic church for "restricting the right" of women to lead masses. Or the Southern Baptist Church for refusing to ordain homosexuals. When one enters what is essentially a private insitution (after all, mosques and churches are not public squares), doesn't one agree to abide by a certain standard of behavior set forth by the administrators or owners of the institution? A Protestant can not enter a Catholic church on Sunday and begin to preach or witness the worshippers for his religion. Why, then, should a woman be allowed to disrupt Friday prayers -- or be condoned for attempting to force an entire community to bend to her will?

The second major problem with her hints at a forthcoming lawsuit is that they are done in light of the Rand report and several other steps taken by the gov't to change what Islam is or teaches. To my memory, Nomani says nothing about the Rand report in her book, much less that she supports enacting it, but as with other friends of hers, everything she is saying and doing follows exactly what Benard suggested.

The objective of the report, and of the "change Islam" cabal in the government is to divide and conquer Muslims. What sort of Muslim would willingly play along with that? I guess that it's the same types of Muslims that went along with the colonizers -- people who saw some power, money, or other benefit in it for them, regardless of the consquences for the Ummah or the nation. And what sort of self-professed political liberal would play along with a game promoted by the Religious Right and the neocon cabal? Their politics and goals are only odious when it comes to 'Iraq or trying to put prayer in schools, but it's okay when it's Islam? Yuck.

Despite her engaging writing, her pleasant manner, her seeming sincerity and eagerness, it was the double standard and the lawsuit business, combined with the publicity hound activities in the press, that put me off Nomani -- more than her ideas about Islam. I don't see hope in this vision that Nomani sets forth for the American community. I see a future where Muslims and others would find their religious beliefs and practices subject to government approval, and where Muslims who don't goose step are persecuted and isolated (as they have been among the so-called "Wahabiya" reformers). It's not a future I want for my children.

The Straw Men of the PMU

2005-04-25T04:51:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to write something regarding Hussein Ibish's response to Dr. Hina Azam's outstanding and generally well-argued article A Critique Of The Argument For Woman-Led Friday Prayers, but I simply haven't had time. Due to this, a more Rested Heart has beaten me to the punch and done a fine job at that:

The Straw Man and the Progressive Muslim Union

While I think there are some assumptions and other serious flaws that undermine Ibish's attempted refutation, especially for those of us who value the eternal more than the temporal, it seems that my points in this regard will have to wait for a later day, insha'llah.

Before closing, I'd like to mention that the other day I read the comments of a self-professed liberal Muslim who said that they were yet to read a convincing argument that woman led prayer is not allowed. I'm not sure if going through life putting the cart before the horse whenever it suits your own fancy necessarily classifies as self-delusion, but it certainly could. Self-delusion is a scary thing because one is inherently unaware that one is suffering from it. I pray that Almighty God protects us all from that...

Article: The Trouble With 'The Trouble With Islam'

2005-04-21T13:04:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

Stanford student on the problem with Irshad Manji and the status of Muslim organizations at Stanford U.

The Trouble With 'The Trouble With Islam'

PMUNA Debate Blog

2005-04-20T17:04:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

Has some interesting new stuff. Mosey on over and check it out.

Progressive Muslim Union of North America Debate Blog

(Funny that both PMUNA Debate and LT picked up on the US News report. Hope others do too).

Article: US Gov't Spends Millions to Change Face of Islam

2005-04-20T16:32:00.000-04:00

Salaam 'Alaikum

Anyone who doesn't believe that the gov't is pouring tons of money and time into the so-called "reformist" movement "within" Islam is naive or blind or both. Anyone who thinks the Rand report was a nice piece of reading, but that it has nothing to do with current so-called "reformist" movements or gov't spending and activity is naive, blind, or a liar.

US News & World Report Hearts, Minds, and Dollars : In an Unseen Front in the War on Terrorism, America is Spending Millions...To Change the Very Face of Islam by David E. Kaplan

"In at least two dozen countries, Washington has quietly funded Islamic radio and TV shows, coursework in Muslim schools, Muslim think tanks, political workshops, or other programs that promote moderate Islam. Federal aid is going to restore mosques, save ancient Korans, even build Islamic schools. This broad engagement with Islam has raised questions about whether the funding is legal, given the constitutional line between church and state....

"But the breakthrough finally came last summer, sources say, when the NSC began reworking the White House's National Strategy for Combating Terrorism. In 2003, officials had released an earlier, public version of the document, but there is a larger, classified edition that includes annexes dealing with key objectives, among them terrorism finance and winning the war of ideas. Staffers rewrote the ideas section with bold, new language and fashioned it into a strategy called Muslim World Outreach. Aimed at strengthening the hand of moderates, the plan acknowledges that America has done poorly in reaching out to them. But it goes one big step further, stating that the United States and its allies have a national security interest not only in what happens in the Islamic world but within Islam itself, according to three sources who have seen the document. It further states that because America is limited to what it can do in a religious struggle, the nation must rely on partners who share values like democracy, women's rights, and tolerance. Among those partners: allied Muslim states, private foundations, and nonprofit groups.

Approved by President Bush, the Muslim World Outreach strategy is now being implemented across the government. But it has stirred controversy. "The Cold War was easy," says a knowledgeable official. "It was a struggle against a godless political ideology. But this has theological elements. It goes to the core of American belief that we don't mess with freedom of religion. Do we have any authority to influence this debate?" The answer, for now, appears to be yes. "You do it quietly," says Zeyno Baran, a terrorism analyst at the Nixon Center who advised on the strategy. "You provide money and help create the political space for moderate Muslims to organize, publish, broadcast, and translate their work....

"One solution being pushed: offering backdoor U.S. support to reformers tied to Sufism, a tolerant branch of Islam... (see related article, "The Enemy of my Enemy," about US gov't funding designed to gain the support of Sufis).

"Also on the grants list: Islamic think tanks that are fostering a body of scholarly research showing liberal Islam's compatibility with democracy and human rights."

Of course, this is an article that refers to Radio Sawa and Al Hurra TV as "bright spots," when the truth is that al Hurra is the least watched Arabic-language channel in the ME (everyone knows what it is) -- "reaching viewers" and having them actually watch and believe what you air are two different things -- and that while Sawa's music selections are popular, people literally turn the volume down or turn the radio off altogether when the news comes on (I've actually witnessed this first hand). So take what is beneficial and truly informative from it.

Iman Muhanna Update

2005-04-19T22:57:00.000-04:00

Salaam alaikum,

So far all leads to Iman Muhanna Muhammad's murder are cold. Some suspected that the murder may have been tied to a brother-in-law who was in line to possibly replace Yasser Arafat after his death. The reward sum has been raised to $45,000 dollars which is particularly high since better leads have been offered for lower sums in the past. Insha'Allah, justice will be done. La howla wa laa quwatta illa billah.

Reflecting on the Prophet (sallalahu aleyhi wa salaam)

2005-04-17T23:51:00.000-04:00

It’s Rabi’al Awwal. This is the month that some Muslims take the time to reflect on the life and message of our Prophet Muhammad (may blessings and peace be upon him). As Muslims who love him and hope for the day we can see him in Jennah, it is very upsetting to hear lies, accusations and slander launched against him to this very day. Some of it is from ignorance but much of it is from anger and jealousy. So many refuse to recognize that he was the best of creation and an example for all mankind. I won’t get into whether or not the Mawlid is halal or haram. You can research and find fatawas on that yourself. But I think few us would argue that reflecting on the Prophet (sallalahu aleyhi wa salaam) is a bad thing.

If we think that the beating that we are taking in the media is bad, think about all the horrible and nasty things that were done to Habib'Allah. He went from a man with respectability and honor to a man whose character, sanity and manhood were totally debased by his enemies. Not only did he suffer to bring the message of Islam into this world but his family and followers did as well. But through it all, from his fall to his rise, he remained fair and obedient to Allah subhana wa ta’ala. He didn’t care what people thought of him because of his fear and devotion to Allah subhana wa ta’ala.

The days ahead look very frightening but this is not the time to hide. This is time to take up spiritual arms and to cloak ourselves with the Sunnah. Remember how the enemies plotted against him time and time again and he was victorious? So many people have slandered him and slandered Islam and yet Islam continues to grow. Muslims are everywhere imaginable and in places wouldn’t suspect. Allah subhana wa ta’ala is amazing. As Muslims in the West, we must first and foremost change ourselves and stop taking our cues from the worst of this culture. We have to continue to work, study, make dua, give in charity, guard the prayer, and wage war against the nafs. Let us show our neighbors that Islam can offer a viable and sensible alternative to this society which is so enamored with glamour, sex and conspicuous consumption.

We are and will continue to be attacked from within and outside of the umma. The RANDies of MWU/PMUNA will launch all kinds of media tricks and outlandish accusations just to get us to fall in line with their agenda. They will set up the psuedo-clashes of progressive vs. regressive, liberal vs. conservative and religious vs. secular. What will they do next? Allahu alim. I have some thoughts on that but I don’t want to give them any ideas since they are aware that this blog exists and that we poke holes into their theories time and time again.

Please take some time to study the Sirah and Hadith. Let's try our best to make the Messanger (sallalahu alayhi wasalaam) proud and to make Allah subhana wa ta'ala happy. This world is distracting with all of its responsibilites wiht our families and friends, but remember that Allah subhana wa ta'ala is the goal and Allah subhana wa ta'ala is closer to us than our jugular vein.

Community Reform Spotlight: Yan Taru

2005-04-10T00:58:00.000-04:00

We at Living Tradition, are always advocating that Muslims put their words to action. So often, this society is all about fluff and no substance. We want to shine a light on those are active and working to improve their communities for the sake of Allah subhana wa ta’ala. A sister dropped a message in one of my blogs and I was led to a very wonderful website.

It is http://www.yantaru.org/ and we suggest that you check it out. It’s a Muslim women’s organization whose example is that of the great scholar, scribe and daughter of the Nigerian Sheik Usman dan Fodio. Her name was Nana Asma’u was under her father's reign as the leader of the Sokoto Caliphate, she educated numerous people within the land, teaching them the virtues of the Sunnah and the Qur’an. She was an excellent poet and teacher who created a class of female students called the yantaru. They have chosen this awesome woman as a role model for improving and empowering the lives of Muslim women.

If you check out their website, you will find a fashion contest for modest clothing for their clothing line called Taqwa (there's a idea for our Pakistani-Canadian beauty queens). They are also hosting a writing contest for literature and raise charitable funds through their clothing label and other sales. Please check out these sisters when you can.

Who needs a reformation?

2005-04-09T15:03:00.000-04:00

If I had a penny for every time I heard that “Islam needs a reformation with its own Martin Luther”…well you know how the rest of the line goes. Even if we ignore those who utter such words, such a proposition needs to be confronted and corrected.
I personally do not sponsor to the monkey-see monkey-do approach of many proggies who believe that the answer to all of humanity’s ills lies in a pre-packaged western one-size-fits-all solution. You definitely won’t find a solution feasting on a bagel and cup of frapachino at Starbucks.
Indeed, to demand a “reformation” in Islam following in the footsteps of the Protestant “reformation” of Europe reveals a blatant ignorance and arrogance about the history of that event. Were Muslims burning books in a bonfire ? Did they murder untold numbers of woman accusing them of witchcraft ? How about burning heretics at the stake ? Did Muslims initiate and execute murderous Crusades ? Certainly not, this in itself should be enough for a sensible person to reject calls for reformation. If I remember right, Muslims did not alter themselves or their faith to liberate Jerusalem, they united under the banner of Islam to expel the crusaders. So what explains the present ills of the Muslims ? The answer lies in what made the Muslims of the past victorious over their enemies despite overwhelming odds, an unshakable belief in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (s.a.w). It should come as no surprise that as Muslims embraced the dunya, the unseen help of Allah was denied to them. Indeed, the failures of the Arab and Islamic world today is nothing less than the absolute failure of progressivism whether it cast itself as Kemalism, Nasserism, Marxism, Ba’athism, Pan-Arabism, or any other imported and imposed notion of “progress.” You would think that anyone with common sense would ditch such failed systems of thought and governance by now instead of carrying on about religious reformation like a trained parrot in a cage.
Oh we’ve had our share of reformers, mind you. Under the guidance and protection of the British, Mirza Ghulam Ahmed declared himself a prophet to the Muslims of India, declaring all those who didn’t accept him as kafirs. To this day the Ahmediya cult enjoys a privileged status in England. Over in North America, Noble Drew Ali and Elijah Pool declared themselves as messengers of the Supreme. The NOI freely operates in the US, with neither its activities or theology under any real scrutiny. Cant let the “angry black mooslim” stereotype go to waste can we? One does not need a RAND corporation report to see that there have been numerous attempts by the enemies of Islam to create and promote schisms in the name of “reformation.” Today we have a new generation of “reformers,” a veritable gooftroop of charlatans, opportunists, and liars falling over themselves trying to jump on the moderate/progressive bandwagon. Whether it’s Pakistan’s bumbling semi-literate General-in-chief with his “enlightened moderation,” or the regressive definition for Muslims put forth by a group of pseudo-intellectual leftist extremists in cyberspace, “reformation” is in, common sense and honesty are out. And you cant have a good ol’ reformation without your very own Martin Luther, and there’s no shortage of candidates. The gamut runs from catamite Canadian supporters of terrorism to well to do academics who like to fancy themselves as “Muslim Kissingers.”
There’s plenty of talk about revitalizing intellectual thinking and grand ijtihad like schemes coming from the usual suspects. These are really just convenient buzz words and catchy phrases, which in reality bear little resemblance to their true objectives. Who says intellectual tradition and philosophical inquiry are dead within the ummah? Ever heard of the late Sheikh Ahmed Deedat? How about Dr.Zakir Naik, a man whose ability to debate and present facts has scared off the likes of Taslima Nasrin and other paper tigers? I could go on about the Maryam Jamilahs, Haroon Yahyas, Hamza Yusufs of this ummah but I think the point has been made.
Haskalah was defined as 18th century Jewish “enlightenment,” a movement amongst Europe’s Jewish elite to assimilate their community. Theodore Herzl, the founder of zionism even proposed the mass conversion of Jews to Christianity, in essence rejecting the “otherness” of Jews and the acceptance of their “Europeaness.” This defines a key part of zionist thought which identifies Judaism through race rather than religious affiliation. While Muslim proggies haven’t yet proposed religious conversion, they are following the same path of assimilation through appeasement. Perhaps they forgot what happened to Europe’s Jews.