Akram's Razor - Reflections on Islam, Muslims & America

The Ta'leef Collective

Followed a link from someone's Facebook page to the Taleef Collective website and watched some of their videos. Judging by the brief interviews there, the Taleef Collective looks like an innovative community initiative that strives to create a social space that appeals to and meets the needs of American-born Muslims, and which doesn't reproduce all the religiously unnecessary and/or culturally out-of-place practices and hangups that make many immigrant-run mosques in American less hospitable than they could be to new and younger Muslims.

They're all very thoughtful, and it's fascinating to hear frustrations and concerns that you  assumed only you to be guilty of harboring voiced aloud, and by up and coming community leaders.

For example, I really cracked up at how the brother in the clip below points out how absurd it is that ungrounded young American Muslims--whether  converts not--engage in what one might call "moral hypochondria." He captures the absurdity of the dynamic wonderfully, describing it as not only a disease, but a disease we pretend to have. The example he gives is of an American-born person who presumably leads a normal, integrated life in American society that leads him or her to regularly interact with all manner of people but who suddenly becomes a prude about dress once they're in the masjid. This sort of almost comical cognitive dissonance arises at least partly, I think, out of the tendency of some converts and American-born Muslims to overcompensate for their lack of an Islamic cultural background  by neurotically aping the mores (often imagined mores) of people from Muslim-majority cultures.

Here's part of the description of the project from its website:

Ta’leef Collective began as Zaytuna Institute’s Outreach program in 2002 and was born into an independent organization in 2005.  Ta’leef Collective provides the space, content and companionship necessary for a healthy understanding, embrace and realization of Islam. We serve seekers actively interested in Islam and converts to the faith, assisting them in realizing a sustainable conversion to and practice of Islam, and a healthy, gradual integration into our greater Muslim community. Ta’leef Collective also strives to reengage the growing number of disenfranchised and often marginalized Muslim young adults.

It looks very exciting. I sure wish stuff like this had been happening when I was coming up.

 

REFLECTIONS with Amir Sulaiman from Mustafa Davis on Vimeo.

 

 

On the likelihood of mistaking a pile of kale for a chicken sandwich

A disturbing example of a small business getting sued by a corporate giant over ridiculous trademark infringement claims, and by a company that prides itself on being in touch with family town values.

They cease operations on the Sabbath--Chick-fil-A proudly advertizes its policy of closing on Sundays for religious reasons--but go for the jugular against, as Anderson Cooper cleverly sums it up, "a little guy with a squeegee."

So, I guess all the companies, organizations and church groups that spoof the iconic "Got Milk?" ad campaign are to be sued, too?

How many people even know what kale is, anyway? I think I've encountered it a half dozen times in my life.

Muslim leaders need to put the lot religious minorities high on the agenda before it's too late

The rapid decline in the security of Christian communities in the Middle East in recent years pains and alarms me beyond measure. For just one example--and from what I understand yet worse trends are being seen in Iraq--consider this heart-breaking depressing statistic about Egypt  ("After Egypt’s Revolution, Christians Are Living in Fear" - NYTimes.com):

COPTS represent approximately 10 percent of Egypt’s population and are the direct descendants of the ancient Egyptians. Yet, sensing danger while everyone else in Egypt and in the West was busy celebrating the fall of Mr. Mubarak during the much-heralded Arab Spring, 93,000 Copts have already fled Egypt since March. In light of the events in Maspero, it is thought that another 150,000 Copts may leave their ancestral homeland by the end of 2011.

Emphasis added. I doubt that most influential Islamic religious leaders in the region approve of the persecution that is driving Christians to emigrate, but perhaps feel that they have "bigger fish to fry"  and therefore table this important discussion.

Yet, if Pakistan's steady slide in sectarianism and instability since Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto established in the mid-1970s the now time-honored Pakistani tradition of relentlessly chipping away at religious minorities' rights and dignity in order to gain short-term support--The word "hudna" seems very apt--from hardline Islamists is any indication, I doubt those leaders could be more wrong.

As this fine piece by Abdul Malik Mujahid ably illustrates, the Quran's message regarding diversity is--in utter contrast to the hateful rhetoric of known-nothings, whether among the Islamophobe peanut gallery or knuckle-dragging Muslim fundamentalists--strikingly embracing of pluralism. Religious diversity is repeatedly discussed in an explicitly approving manner in the Quran, and one verse even makes it clear that enduring religious differences are part of the divine plan:

Unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that which Allah hath revealed, and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come unto thee. For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way. Had Allah willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ.(5:48)

Emphasis added. (And, yes, I like my scripture rendered KJV-style!)

Furthermore, elsewhere non-Muslim houses of worship are declared protected territories because they are places where, as in the case of  mosques "Allah's name is remembered." In fact, they are explicitly placed under the same rubric as mosques.

Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty - (22:40)

Note as well how this verse makes it crystal clear that Muslims are required to militarily defend--i.e., declare jihad--all houses of worship. How much more clearly can it be said?

I wouldn't want to be these people who "defend" Islam by laying siege to churches on the Day of Judgment.

Something beautiful is being lost before our eyes today. Not unlike the cause of Desegregation and Civil Rights in America a generation ago, defending non-Muslim minorities isn't just the right thing to do--I'm convinced it's critical to the successful transition of these societies to democracy and rule of law.

I pray that mainstream leaders put this at the top of the agend before Christians become an exotic bird in the Middle East and everyone is the worse for it.

Why Occupy Wall Street deserves respect, even from conservatives

A lot of the criticism directed at Occupy Wall Street--even from the Left--concerning their lack of a concrete platform or unified message at this point is very wrong-headed when you think about it. That expectation is elitst (and, depending on your politics, quite hypocritical), as it assumes that a democractic movement is only legitimate if it's run from the top down. Democracy is supposed to be about citizens debating and building a national consensus, not obeying orders from activists who have everything figured out for them. So OWS deserves a lot more respect than it's getting in the media. This is democracy in action, we've just forgotten what that looks like.

Sage advice for new Muslims

There's a great guest post on Imam Suhaib Webb's website with advice for new Muslims. 

12 Tips for the Convert Muslim

The tips are deceptively simple and very profound.  And many of suggestions are ones we all would do well to remember, myself most of all.

I love #9 ("Find Muslim friends and avoid severing ties") in particular. So balanced and wise, yet accessible. Here it is in its entirety:

9. Find Muslim friends and avoid severing ties

“On the Day of Resurrection Allah Almighty will proclaim: “Where are those who have mutual love for My Glory’s sake? Today I shall shelter them in My shade where there is no shade but Mine.”
-The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Muslim)

Saying “As-salamu ‘Alaykum” ( “Peace be upon you”)  to people you see on campus or at the grocery store is a real blessing in Islam. It immediately lets people know you are Muslim and they usually will be happy to return the greeting and hopefully share a few words with you. Doors of friendship will be opened and you will meet lots of people. Try and spend some time with Muslims when you can. It is beneficial to remind yourself that you are not the only Muslim on the planet and you share your religion with almost 2 billion people around the globe.

Also, don’t sever your friendships with your non-Muslim friends unless they are constantly partying or using the list of major sins as their weekend to-do list. You can be a light to your Christian, Agnostic, Jewish, or Atheist friends. You never know who Allah (swt) will guide, and showing that you are living an ethical life can encourage these people to learn a little about Islam or change their mind to having a positive view of the religion.

I'm tempted to repost all of them here, but I'll refrain and instead send you their way.

Not to dwell on the negative--it's a wonderful sign that these sorts of things are being openly discussed on  major fora--but I have to ponder how different things would have been had these simple but profound insights had been posted in every North American mosque over the last 3-4 decades. A phenomenon I observed at times in the 1980s and 1990s was an open-minded, spiritual person being drawn to Islam due to reading and then having the misfortune of getting their religious instruction from closed-minded people who were influenced by some hardline strain of Salafism, the Ikhwan, or whatever.

Sometimes, the qualities you most liked about these thoughtful, brave seekers would seem to steadily disappear under the weight of such dreary indoctrination, a tragic dynamic that reminds me of the age-old dilemma in Judaism over conversion (in a nutshell: the bar for righteousness is lower for a Gentile since he has to observe 10 rules in his life instead of the 614 that apply to Jews; ergo, if you're not careful, you might take a righteous Gentile and making him into a  unrighteous Jew).  After years of struggle to integrate such a sterile, rigid framework into their lives, these people would often eventually burn out and sometimes leave Islam (or should I say "Islaam"?) entirely.

A lot of needless strife and heartache would've been avoided or at least mitigated by issuing every new Muslim a memo with these tips. Then, more would have had the confidence not to throw their God-given common sense (e.g., the hardwired presumption that family is family, regardless of religious affiliation) out the window because some seemingly knowledgeable Muslim tells them common sense is haram and throws a bunch of pseudo-scholarly citations at them to "prove" their dreary, life-denying point.

I's sad that one even feels these affirmations of common sense, family and personal authenticity need to be made. But in some cases you do, of course, so I'm glad they're being articulated openly. Soon enough, such neurotic obscurantism will be consigned to the dust bin of American Islamic history.

A TED talk on, umm, the Quran, infidels and houris.

 Self-described agnostic Jew Leslie Hazleton--who blogs at The Accidental Theologist--reflects thoughtfully on her encounter with the Quran. Not your typical TED fare.

I loved her quip that the Quran is very flexible and open, except to those whose minds are inflexible and closed. So true, profound and admirably succinct.

 

Marriage, motherhood, & the Nuclear Option

There's a wonderful post on Imam Suhaib Webb's website on the need for the Muslim community to recognize that, as important and noble as traditional family roles are, there is an infinity of ways that Muslim women may achieve their spiritual potential and serve their Lord.

Here's an excerpt from Maryam Amir-Ebrahim's Wifehood and Motherhood are Not the Only Ways to Paradise:

Allah (swt) did not create women for the sake of wifehood or motherhood. This is not our first goal, nor our end goal. Our creation was to fulfill our first and most important role—to be His SLAVE. As He tells us in Surah Dhaariyat (Chapter of the Winnowing Winds), “And I did not create the jinn and humankind except to worship Me.”

Worship comes in such a variety of forms. Being a housewife (a.k.a. domestic engineer!) can be a form of worship. Being a stay-at-home-mom can be a form of worship. Being a working wife and mother can be a form of worship. Being an unmarried female student can be a form of worship. Being a divorced female doctor, a female journalist, Islamic scholar, film director, pastry chef, teacher, veterinarian, engineer, personal trainer, lawyer, artist, nurse, Qur’an teacher, psychologist, pharmacist or salon artist can each be a form of worship. Just being an awesome daughter or house-fixer upper can be forms of worship. We can worship Allah (swt) in a variety of ways, as long as we have a sincere intention, and what we do is done within the guidelines He has set for us.

Unfortunately, however, that is not the message our community is sending to single sisters – both those who have never been married, and those who are now divorced. When I speak to many women and ask them about the ways they want to contribute to society and the ways they want to use their time and abilities, a number of them will tell me that they have no idea and that they’re only going through the motions of school or work while they’re waiting for Prince Muslim to come along and with whom they can establish parenthood.

However, Prince Muslim is not coming along quickly or easily for many awesome, eligible Muslim women. And for some, he has come along, and he or the institution of their relationship turned out to be more villainous than harmonious. Single and never married or divorced — very capable and intelligent Muslim women constantly have to deal with the pressure of being asked, “So…when are you getting married? You aren’t getting any younger. It’s harder to have kids when you’re older.” [MORE]

I'd love to see what this author has to say about the insecurity too many Muslim men (and their matchmaking mothers, for that matter) in the USA manifest when considering highly educated and professionally accomplished women for marriage.

I think a bona fide crisis is brewing within the Muslim community in North America in this arena, as far too many wonderful, dynamic and by any sensible standard highly eligible American-born Muslim women are struggling to find partners who are comfortable with their achievements and quite reasonable and halal expectation that they remain engaged in professional life after marriage. These are women who should be getting eagerly snatched up like top NBA draft picks, but instead they're often being left out in the cold over petty, stupid Old World hang-ups. It's madness.

I see striking parallels with the situation in which educated African-American women--whose difficulties in finding suitable partners have gotten a lot of MSM coverage of late--find themselves. Some observers have even argued that for reasons of chemistry and long-term viability these women are better off giving up on Black men and focusing their efforts on landing a white husband with a kindred socioeconomic background.

That's a line of thinking I've heard discouraged young Muslim women apply to their own situation as they ponder the Nuclear Option, marrying a non-Muslim.* The trend is already well underway, I believe, as I've heard the laments for over a decade and can count half a dozen cases just off the top of my head in my own social circle of Muslimahs throwing in the towel and going Ahl Kitab.

For those that don't know, though the Quran does not directly address the matter either way, most Muslim scholars consider it forbidden for Muslim women to marry a non-Muslim. Thus, such marriages are  controversial within the Muslim community (a fact that sometimes leads to pro forma conversions by lovestruck but theologically unconvinced suitors).

Not that I am or aspire to be anybody's faqih, but I am not convinced it is indeed haram under all circumstances. It's a terrible idea in my book in most cases for a host of reasons, but I think there are situations where it makes sense and should therefore be an option for those who need it.

And, whatever one thinks about it, it must ultimately be the woman's decision, anyway. She's the one who's going to spend the rest of her life with the guy. And it's not like the community is likely to gallantly swoop down to her aid when an ill-conceived union with a man with whom she had nothing in common other than religion that was foisted on her inevitably comes crashing down.

A meth lab gets busted in the Shire

I don’t care how irrelevant it is it, I simply must share this delightful photo.

The Law has finally caught up with the Seven Dwarfs.

Amish jailed by Kentucky judge over warning triangle fine non-payment (The Guardian, 16 September 2011):

Eight Amish men have been jailed by a judge in Kentucky for non-payment of fines after refusing to fix reflective orange warning triangles to the back of their horse-drawn buggies.

The unusual suspects, whose mugshots have been published online, were arrested for misdemeanours. A ninth man was arrested but not jailed.

The group hail from the stricter Old Order Swartzentruber sect and objected to the bright triangles on modesty grounds, saying they were barred from wearing or displaying anything bright or colourful.

[MORE]

Note the interesting, more spiritual notion of “modesty” alluded to in the last paragraph.

American Muslim statement on the 10th anniversary of 9/11

Wajahat Ali has posted (after, characteristically, spearheading the drafting of) a statement signed by a number of prominent Muslims--plus myself-- on the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 tragedyon HuffPo called "A Muslim American Declaration." Please check it out. I think it came out very nicely.

Iris scans and citizenship in India

Here’s a some interesting news about a technology project in India. What I find most interesting is the way the technology (an iris scanner) could challenge age-old hierarchical social relations that subordinate the individual to the group.

Here’s an excerpt from Scanning 2.4 Billion Eyes, India Tries to Connect Poor to Growth (The New York Times, Sept 9, 2011)":

Across this sprawling, chaotic nation, workers are creating what will be the world’s largest biometric database, a mind-bogglingly complex collection of 1.2 billion identities. But even more radical than its size is the scale of its ambition: to reduce the inequality corroding India’s economic rise by digitally linking every one of India’s people to the country’s growth juggernaut.

For decades, India’s sprawling and inefficient bureaucracy has spent billions of dollars to try to drag the poor out of poverty. But much of the money is wasted or simply ends up trapping the poor in villages like Kaldari, in a remote corner of the western state of Maharashtra, dependent on local handouts that they can lose if they leave home.

So now it is trying something different. Using the same powerful technology that transformed the country’s private economy, the Indian government has created a tiny start-up of skilled administrators and programmers to help transform — or circumvent — the crippling bureaucracy that is a legacy of its socialist past.

“What we are creating is as important as a road,” said Nandan M. Nilekani, the billionaire software mogul whom the government has tapped to create India’s identity database. “It is a road that in some sense connects every individual to the state.”

For its proponents, the 12-digit ID is an ingenious solution to a particularly bedeviling problem. Most of India’s poorest citizens are trapped in a system of village-based identity proof that has had the perverse effect of making migration, which is essential to any growing economy, much harder.

The ID project also has the potential to reduce the kind of corruption that has led millions of Indians to take to the streets in mass demonstrations in recent weeks, spurred on by the hunger strike of an anticorruption activist named Anna Hazare. By allowing electronic transmission and verification of many government services, the identity system would make it much harder for corrupt bureaucrats to steal citizens’ benefits. India’s prime minister has frequently cited the new system in response to Mr. Hazare’s demands.

The new number-based system, known as Aadhaar, or foundation, would be used to verify the identity of any Indian anywhere in the country within eight seconds, using inexpensive hand-held devices linked to the mobile phone network.

It would also serve as a shortcut to building real citizenship in a society where identity is almost always mediated through a group — caste, kin and religion. Aadhaar would for the first time identify each Indian as an individual.

Emphasis added.

I don’t know how comparable this is, but I seem to remember an attempt in Russia to create a national ID card running foundering due to widespread anxieties that a computer chip in the card fulfilled prophecies in the Book of Revelation about the “Mark of the Beast.”