Amid a surging fear of Muslims -- Islamophobia -- in our nation, it is time for all of us to improve our understanding of Islam and our relationships with Muslims -- if not because it is right to do this morally, then because it is in our best interests nationally.
The fact is that we live in a world alongside one and a half billion Muslims, and regardless of the desire of some on the fringes of society, our Muslim neighbors are not going anywhere. A failure to understand this population and its religion is bad enough. Choosing to intentionally demonize those who follow this religion and provoke the anger of the Muslim people qualifies not just as insensibility but insanity.
General David Petraeus, the current commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, seems to be the type of person who would have a good sense of how the Muslim world perceives the rising level of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States. Just as importantly, he would see the impact of that rhetoric on the men and women serving in the U.S. military abroad.
Here is a solid chunk of reality. In an unprecedented move last year, General Petraeus asked the American people not to participate in or support burnings of the Quran and anti-Muslim rhetoric because of the potentially harmful impact of such behavior on our military personnel in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
And, there is more. The United States has committed a tremendous amount of resources to Afghanistan, not just money, but the lives of our sons and daughters. So, why, in the name of all that is reasonable, would U.S. citizens spew antagonizing suspicion and anger at the very people on whom our government is expending our most precious resource in an effort to form a partnership of peace? Are we hoping that our vitriol somehow will be miraculously transformed into a message regarding a desire for essential collaboration, cooperation, mutual respect, and understanding? With Pakistani attitudes toward the United States at an all-time low, our denunciations are intensifying a growing hatred toward us. Is that in our best interest?
We are not the only people in the world with an interest in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Other governments with non-American agendas are biding their time to see how the U.S. continues to respond to Islamic-oriented countries. China, for example, sees in Pakistan the possibility of a delivery system that could bring vast new sources of energy to its people. Why are we positioning ourselves as hateful people who want our Muslim neighbors to find allies other than us?
Whatever your scriptures of authority may be, if you have any at all, the U.S. Constitution calls for all American citizens to recognize the dignity and worth of all people and summons us to live as civil peacemakers in this world. No exemptions exist for Muslims. Patriotically applying the priorities of our Constitution to the present situation could enable us to see the remarkable opportunity that we have to increase the spread of democracy and to forge alliances that can make the world a better place in which to live.
We now know that the warning from General Petraeus was rooted in a reality that we can ignore only at the peril of exposing our troops to more hatred and endangering lives. When last autumn's threats by a few Americans to burn a Quran segued into this past spring's burning of the holy book of Islam by those same people, we watched in horror as a riot of response broke out in Afghanistan and eight United Nations workers were killed along with at least four others. What was the helpful point of that action? What was the promise of Christianity purveyed by such behavior?
Actions always have consequences as do spoken words, but they do not always have to be negative. As we approach the tenth anniversary of September 11, we will do well to ask what actions we can take here at home -- individually and collectively -- that will have a positive impact on those around us and those on the other side of the world.
The two of us have made the choice to move beyond talking about each other or talking with each other to instead engage each other in a manner that can change in us -- and hopefully in others also -- perceptions, nurture mutual understanding as well as respect, and return us to an appreciation of religious diversity. Respecting the religious freedoms of others, even those with whom we disagree, does not require anyone to set aside their own faith. Both our respective faith traditions and our common citizenship compel us to find ways to live together with peace, justice, and goodwill.
Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy is the President of Interfaith Alliance and an organizer of the upcoming "Faith Shared: Uniting in Prayer and Understanding." Ambassador Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University and author of "Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam."
Islamophobia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mosque Controversy: Does America Have a Muslim Problem? - TIME
'My Fellow American': Short Film Offers Platform for Combatting Islamophobia
Islamophobia: Increasingly Ordinary and Therefore Most Terrible
To the will of God; to open past limited ego.
For that matter, I asked one of the more active posters on this forum (a sufi to boot) the following straightforward questions.
1. The Pakistani constitution makes it illegal for Hindus, Christians and other non-Muslims to become President or Prime Minister of Pakistan. Should this law be repealed?
2. Ahmadiyyas in Pakistan can be imprisoned for 3 years for saying "Salaam alaikum" or otherwise "pretending to be Muslim". Should anti-Ahmadiyya laws be removed from the Pakistani penal code?
3. Should the blasphemy laws that are being used to persecute religious minorities be removed from the Pakistani penal code as Sherry Rehman and other courageous people have proposed?
4. Should Muslims have the right to convert to another religion if they choose to? (It is illegal in "moderate" Malaysia and a capital crime in many Muslim countries like Afghanistan and Sudan.)
Each of these questions has a simple yes or no answer. I have not received an answer in spite of 4 attempts.
Inside, the editors had the decency to interview an actual Islamic studies professor, but the questions were, to my eyes, sooooo retarded. (Is it kosher to make fun of retard questions?) The standard 'Western' concerns of 72 virgins, inherent violence, Jihad, the misconceptions about women's rights, and a whole bunch of crap that has nothing to do with the transcendence that I experience when i put my forehead on my prayer rug, the humility, the debt I feel I owe to my Creator for the blessings that I once prayed for that I have now received, the struggles that I have overcome, the struggles I now face, and the struggles that my children will overcome, all to gain the favor of the Source of all life. I am not afraid of Skeptic magazine challenging Islam to a logic duel; I do feel pain, however, when i see the damage done to apparently reasonable people by the rampant ignorance of a biased media that has manufactured a Muslim menace (google that phrase to receive a lovely pdf).
Followers of the religion of truth prove time over time they’re not trust worthy to be part of the civilized world.
Sufism is actually as rigorous, philosophically, as anything out of India, I'm pretty sure -- or, at the very least, it can hold its own; ditto Kabbalah.
And the deeper philosophical exegis from the masters of these paths is equivalent or (usually) vastly superior to, the greatest of the Western philosphers.
My point: the closed-minded, faith-based, dogmatic approach is the tip of the iceberg in all traditions (though with a good majority of the adherents), in terms of philosophy and logically-consistent system-structures -- and of the Abrahamic traditions, both Judaism and Islam have richer philosophical and intellectual cultures and traditions than Christianity (which still has a stronger philosophical and intellectual tradition than many people may realize -- some of those Jesuits and Middle Ages mystics went pretty deep).
My inverse question would be:
Why do North American (U.S. & Canada) seem to be able to so seamlessly adopt to our views, and why do they overtly state that our systems are more in harmony with the true vision of Islam, than their home countries?
My guess is that there are a variety of factors at play in both cases -- but if Islam was inherently anti-tolerance for non-Muslims, I wouldn't think Muslims would adapt to our culture, so easily, in terms of tolerance.
And I don't think the Quran would contain verses like this:
Those who believe in the Quran, and those who follow the Jewish scriptures¬, and the Christians and the Sabians; any who believe in God and in the Last Day, and work righteousn¬ess, shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
~Quran 5:69
Or this
Let there be no compulsion in religion.
~Quran 2:256
Intertainment music is prohiobited and fatwas prove it and even your new favorite imam Dr Tahir ul Qadri (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pFDVl3rV7I&feature=related) agrees on that. The link you provided doesn't contain any fatwa or teaching regarding sining ... strangely it is just about your favorite sufi band.
Music and Singing: A detailed fatwa
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=1786&CATE=142
The case with music and unlawful singing is the same. It has been decisively prohibited in Shariah, as the evidences mentioned further along will show. Yet there are individuals that are not ready to believe that it is Haram.
. You shpw dualitites and that is a sign of weakness and disagreement but a fatwa surpasses all.
"Do Re Mi" was originated by Muslims around the Mediterranean well before the Renaissance. I guess all those Muslims musicians never watched YouTube.
Please.
If music is really so haram in Islam --- somebody should probably let the Muslims know.
You seem to think Pakistan is "all Shariah-y" - right? Let's use it as an example.
Do they have more music than just Junoon, there? Hey - they do:
Strings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkyXqxbMotw
Zoe Viccaji
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXI8TlY_n-g
Call
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-ExN9C6p1I&feature=related
Billy X
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s11XcEX-o4g&feature=related
Overload
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBBQQ6dGhGc
They even have Fashion Models - on runways, and everything:
Pakistan – Fashion Models on Catwalk – Lahore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ1OA2RkoYI
Kinda of like .... a real country ... that doesn't match up to people's prejudiced ideas about it.
"Hm."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW_Aberb2to
I wonder - how is that possible? What is the single entity called "Islam", being criticized? Salafism? Sufism? Sunni views? Shia?
One of the biggest issues I have with criticism of Islam and/or Muslims, it that by criticizing either one of those -- spiritual systems / teachings, and/or the people who practice them, much of Islam, or many Muslims are wrongly criticized -- because there is no one "Islam" to receive the criticism.
Criticizing "Islam" is like criticizing "Christianity".
"Christians should support gay marriage." (I bet the Christians who are gay, especially if they're married, would find that statement interesting.)
Or even Americans.
"Americans need to stop maligning Muslims."
(As an American who doesn't malign Muslims -- I don't "resemble that remark.)
The key, to me, seems to be:
If you have a criticism --- be *specific*.
That can literally make the difference between criticism and bigotry.
Just my opinion. I hope it's useful.
Most people who speak of criticizing Islam aren't criticizing the fact of religious belief itself, but rather, facets of the teachings of Islam as interpreted by certain groups (which they often project onto Muslims as a whole), based on the facts that they feel these beliefs threaten non-Muslims.
Both the projecting of the beliefs of small groups of Muslims onto all Muslims, and the suggesting that "this verse here", "means x, and means American Muslims are planning to do y" .... is just significantly messed up, in my opinion.
It's a few million times more likely, in my opinion, that simple bigotry, rather than protection against threat, will be the result of that type of approach -- and that American Muslims, who, in general, are just regular citizens like other religious and non-religious Americans, alike -- will be on the receiving end of prejudice for no good reason whatsoever.
And I'd say: if you're against prejudice, pay close attention to the overall discussion.
You don't need to be religious (I'm not, for instance) to be pro-fact and anti-prejudice.
These are some of the results of political correctness toward Islam, coming soon to a city near you:
"Victims say that officers in the borough of Tower Hamlets have ignored or downplayed outbreaks of hate crime, and suppressed evidence implicating Muslims in them, because they fear being accused of racism."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8570506/Police-covered-up-violent-campaign-to-turn-London-area-Islamic.html
---
There have been inappropriate charges of Islamism and terrorism that have produced unfair treatment of peaceful Muslims.
At least one African American Muslim was thrown out of a plane because of the way he was dressed up (in the so-called Muslim garb).
There have been other cases in which the Muslims were discriminated against mainly because they were Muslims and someone got nervous and considered them terrorists or Islamists.
So ignorance goes both ways.
A simple statement of belief that true Islam does not seek political control over each and every country where Muslims live would help. It should not be difficult for Muslims to convince non-Muslims that American Islam favors separation of religion and state:
http://www.aifdemocracy.org/
If that reform also managed to marginalize statements similar in tone to "I have been commanded to fight unbelievers until all religion is for Allah alone" and statements like this one by Zawahiri on the doctrine of Enmity and Loyalty, published in "The Al Qaeda Reader":
"The Lord almighty has commanded us to hate the infidels and reject their love. For they hate us and begrudge us our religion, wishing that we abandon it.... There is a firm bond between loving the Lord, befriending the believers, and [waging] jihad in the path of Allah. Kindness and fair -dealing with those infidels who are not hostile toward us are not the same thing as friendship, which is forbidden."
p.63
Koran 60:4:
"We disown you and that which you worship besides Allah. We renounce you. Enmity and hate shall forever reign between us--till you believe in Allah alone."
--then I think we would see a drastic reduction in the prevalence of Islamic domination conspiracies.
60:4 is giving an example about Abraham and the hardship he faced with his village and family.
"Indeed, 'you have had a good example in Abraham and those who followed him, when they said unto their people: "Verily, we are quit of you and of all that you worship instead of God: we deny the truth of whatever you believe; and between us and you there has arisen enmity and hatred, to last until such a time4 as you come to believe in the One God!" The only exception was Abraham's saying to his father "I shall indeed pray for [God's] forgiveness for thee, although I have it not in my power to obtain anything from God in thy behalf." [And Abraham and his followers prayed:] "O our Sustainer! In Thee have we placed our trust, and unto Thee do we turn: for unto Thee is all journeys' end."
True Islam seeks those who are in power and control and are managing the affairs of a society at all levels to reflect the higher qualities of the self, such as selflessness, love, respect, forgiveness, humility, justice, fairness, sharing, not doing unto others what one wouldn't want done unto oneself, etc.
it may well be that God will bring about [mutual] affection between you [O believers] and some of those whom you [now] face as enemies: for, God is all-powerful - and God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
As for such who do not fight against you on account of [your] faith, and neither drive you forth from your homelands, God does not forbid you to show them kindness and to behave towards them with full equity: for, verily, God loves those who act equitably.
God only forbids you to turn in friendship towards such as fight against you because of [your] faith, and drive you forth from your homelands, or aid [others] in driving you forth: and as for those [from among you] who turn towards them in friendly protection; it is they, they who are truly wrongdoers!
That's from memory so I might have skipped a word or gotten the order wrong but if you look him up you'll find the article he wrote where he said that.
I respect Reverend Gaddy.
Thanks; Faved.
“Not only did he start, you know, the Islamic Revolution in Iran, but it was more importantly an Islamic revolution. … All Muslims now … celebrate the revolution of Iran just because of its more of an Islamic uprising,” said an American Muslim attending the event.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/183152.html
Such "citizens" of America have zero intention of becoming part of American culture in any sense beyond the legal sense.
They are unwelcome colonists for Islamic culture, in my opinion, and should not be living here.
It seems like quite a leap of logic to call any of the people interviewed "colonists".
For instance, the quote rendered above has words that might sound scary to some, but the young woman who uttered them seemed (to me) to simply be "waxing enthusiastic" about her religion; I've seen and heard young Christians and Jews say similar-sounding things.
I did have the thought that some of the comments seemed fairly "anti-U.S.", considering the event happened *in* the U.S. -- but as several of us have discussed at length, before -- we're (Americans) big proponents of free speech, here.
If Free Speech is big enough to allow for Terry Jones, I'd say it's big enough to allow for Muslims who want to honor the memory of Imam Khomeini.
Am I 100% comfortable with their opinions, personally? No. Do their opinions concern me, as an example of Islamism? No.
For me, it's a bit like my feelings about (literal, actual) Socialists, or Communists, in the U.S. -- I may not agree with them, but they don't seem like a threat.
Ditto these Muslims.
There was a time not so long ago that the term "South Asian Islam" was in currency, and in fact is still utilized. This reflected what emerged for Muslims in the Indian subcontinent where Hinduism and Islam came into contact, something that did not happen elsewhere. So, in the subcontinent, the styles of dress, the traditions of song/dance, how closely one mingled with the "other" etc. were different than elsewhere.
But, then came the idea that Islam was monolithic, specifically Arabic in look and feel... but Saudi being a place which has had scant contact with any outside of its own ways. There came pressure worldwide to conform to this "Original Islam". We know the story from there...
So, it is not at all strange, or un-Islamic that there could also be an American Islam.
I've had the impression that Islam on the sub-continent is quite a bit different than it is elsewhere, but I've never heard the term South Asian Islam, before now.
I think a lot of Muslims are resistant to the idea of (say) an "American Islam", mostly because such a term seems to imply something different to Muslims than non-Muslims --- namely an attempt to divide Islam in some way that's contrary to Islam's essential teachings (which, per what you wrote above, isn't an entirely correct perception, I'd say).
Muslims in India, and to an extent in Pakistan (I don't know much about Bangladesh, but would presume it's similar) seem to have largely adopted some of the more positive traits of Indians (which, of course, historically includes what is now Pakistan, and Bangladesh, as well), overall - politeness, relaxed open-mindedness, etc. ... that seems to often be markedly absent, for instance, among certain Muslims in the Arab world.
Obviously, per ongoing discussions, there are many exceptions to these positive qualities -- but there do seem to be some general qualities among South Asian Muslims, that are somewhat distinct, and positive.
Some people have theorized that one reason there is such a difference between American Muslims and European Muslims, is that immigrant Muslims in the U.S. are primarily South Asian, and middle-income/professional, whereas immigrant Muslims in Europe are primarily Arab/Turkish and lower-income.
On the one hand it is said that Islam is not monolithic, but on the other hand statements denouncing the concept of "American Islam" are also made, sometimes by the same person. I see this as a result of too much Saudi influence, the concoction of "Original Islam" as an attempt by Saudi to be "Islam's Vatican" (such statements have been made by SA officials).
I have heard Irshad Manji describe how once in a talk she gave, a zealous Saudi Muslim called her South Asian flavored Islam as 'not real Islam'. This problem will have to be sorted out. Either every Muslim in the world will be convinced/coerced to dress, think and act as Saudis, or there will be diversity of the sort I described. I'm pretty sure it won't be the former, but the road to that I cannot see clearly. Any thoughts about that?
- We chose not to get any money from the Saudis, and this was before 911, and decided that it would be built exclusively through the local, private contributions. That is why it has taken so long to build the mosque, which will be ready later this summer after like 25 years of collecting funds privately from private citizens.
- Amazingly, some local Hindus and Christians and Jews have also contributed to the mosque, though their numbers are small.
- Our local Imam speaks fluent Arabic and English (with no accent). All of his Friday sermons are related to personal and collective piety and how we should be charitable.
- Every time there is a natural disaster somewhere, whether the Muslims are effected or the non-Muslims are effected, he urges us to contribute to help them out. He urges us to be charitable more when the victims are non-Muslims, as was the case in Haiti a few years ago.
I pray that these few examples will be helpful to you in understanding how I, my family and the local Muslim community live.
I didn't include examples of my wife who has many non-Muslim friends and they absolutely love her for her kind and gentle nature and how much caring she is.
This is an awesome, real-world overview; much appreciated.
Faved.
If someone can point out anything that I, my family or our local community has done in the construction of our local mosque that is discourteous to the non-Muslims or we have done anything to impose the Shari'ah on the non-Muslims or to control them, please let me know and we will try to modify our behavior and actions.
Many thanks,
- Since we don't have a son, we have modified the rules pertaining to my inheritence to make sure that my daughters get equal share. This is done by making a will, which overrides what the Qur`an has stated in matters of inheritence of a person after his death.
- My in-laws have two daughters and they have done the same.
- Actually, we all want to distribute our wealth to our daughters in my life-time, as my in-laws have done.
- This fairer distribution of inheritence to girls is still according to the Shari'ah except that it utilizes the injunctions pertaining to a will.
- I have always gone out with my non-Muslim friends and it doesn't bother me that I am the only one not drinking alcohol or eating pork. As a matter of fact, I have sometimes bought alcoholic drinks for my friend, and I don't consider it to be against the Shari'ah simply because keeping a friendship and peace overrides the injunction that is usually cited that a Muslim should not sit with those who are drinking.
- We have been building a mosque here locally for more than 25 years. We went through the proper purchase of the land and the zoning requirements, all according to the local laws.
(Continues to Part 4)
- I would not wash my feet in the basin of the washroom and would just wipe wet fingers on my socks or shoes. I would use as little water for washing before the prayers as possible and would always wipe the counter dry.
- When I travel, I never pray with all the body movements that are required of us (bowing, prostration, etc.). I would offer my prayers sitting in a chair or the seat on the plane and the person sitting next to me would never know that I was praying. This would be out of respect for the non-Muslim traveling fellows.
- If I was not able to pray at work, I would make up the missed prayers of the day at home in the evening.
- During Ramadan, I would fast only if it wouldn't impact my work. Otherwise, I would pay money to a needy in lieu of fasting.
- I dress like everybody else and so do my wife and my daughters.
- Just like my daughters, nearly all of my friends where I live are non-Muslims and they come here as they please. We invite some of them for lunch or dinner some times.
(Continues to Part 3)