Slavery and Islam: A topic that should have been settled 1500 years ago, but it did not

There is a tremendous amount of Islamophobia out there.  A lot of it is a result of genuine racism, vicious xenophobia, political posturing and regular good-old mean spirited people. But some of it is also avoidable if some Muslims do not carry on living like extreme idiots in some cases, and like racist bigoted hateful people who just use Islam to cover up for their evil spirits with a facade that tricks simple-minded Muslims as much as it confuses many non-Muslims in a way that make islamophobia more tolerated.

Muslims in hostile world - Part 2: How should Muslims handle it

[This is part 2 of a sermon I gave in September to a local mosque.  Part 1 was posted before on this blog]

A primer on anger management and conflict resolution, the Quranic way

The tough times we face should teach many other lessons as well.  Lessons that have always been spelled out in the Quran, but that many of us may have not felt the need to put them to good use frequently.

Hate against Muslims is abundant, vocal and malicious. It may even make life impossible in the US for some of us. Hate comes in many forms and for many reasons: sometimes just out of ignorance and fear, and that is something we can help resolve.  In other cases, it is out of greed, and out of envy: and that is not easy to resolve.

But either way, God has given us clear instructions and examples in the Quran on how to handle these situations. If we like to use modern day jargon, He offers us “a comprehensive anger management and conflict resolution program”.  And it is a pretty good one.

So, let us take a look at what God has for us on that topic.

When the words of God are insulted, what should we do?

“And, indeed, He has enjoined upon you in this divine writ that whenever you hear people deny the truth of God's messages and mock at them, you shall avoid their company until they begin to talk of other things.” (4:140)

وَقَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ أَنْ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ آيَاتِ اللّهِ يُكَفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلاَ تَقْعُدُواْ مَعَهُمْ حَتَّى يَخُوضُواْ فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ

 “Whenever you meet those that indulge in [blasphemous] talk about Our messages, turn your back upon them until they begin to talk of other things …”  (6:68)

وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ الَّذِينَ يَخُوضُونَ فِي آيَاتِنَا فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّى يَخُوضُواْ فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ

And what should we do next? Should we respond to an insult with an insult? Would the “eye-for-an-eye” approach be useful? Should we say something nasty about something dear to them, be it their beliefs, or what they may worship and associate in worship with God?

God does not seem to like that approach.  He instructs us succinctly (in 6:108) not to revile “those [beings] whom they invoke instead of God, lest they revile God out of spite, and in ignorance.”

وَلاَ تَسُبُّواْ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ فَيَسُبُّواْ اللّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ كَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّهِم مَّرْجِعُهُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

And even non-insulting arguments with those who hate us, insult God and insult us, has to be done in a special way: actually, in the most kind of ways.

And do not argue with the followers of earlier revelation otherwise than in a most kindly manner - unless it is the ones that are bent on evildoing - and say [to them]: "We believe in that which has been bestowed from on high upon us, and that which has been bestowed upon you: for our God and your God is one and the same..." (29:46)

وَلَا تُجَادِلُوا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْهُمْ وَقُولُوا آمَنَّا بِالَّذِي أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَأُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَإِلَهُنَا وَإِلَهُكُمْ وَاحِدٌ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ

So, they insult us and yet we MUST respond by trying to show them what may make us and them feel closer rather than highlight what sets us apart from them.

But that gentle soul approach is not always guaranteed to work, and God was aware of that when he asked us to use it.  He even tells us why it does not work in some case:

كَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّهِم مَّرْجِعُهُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

“…to EVERY nation”, God informs us, “We have made their own doings appear goodly indeed”. (6:108)

But that is not for us to resolve, as God proceeds in that verse (in 6:108) to tell us that “In time, unto their Sustainer they must return: and then He will make them [truly] understand all that they were doing.”

So, we were meant to be different from one another,

God tells us in 22:67, “UNTO every community have We appointed [different] ways of worship and belief, which they ought to observe.”

This is part of His plan for Mankind, not a design flaw.  And if we cannot convince the others to follow our way, we still need to learn to live and let live; to coexist in a diverse and often contentious world.

He informs us in 25:63 that the best of us are those that handle this diversity and contention without arrogance, or aggression

وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا

For, [true] servants of the Most Gracious are [only] they who walk gently on earth, and who, whenever the foolish address them, reply with [words of] peace;

Our job is not to force them to believe one way or the other, but in the words of the Quran, our job is

“… to convey this Qur'an [to the world].  Whoever, therefore, chooses to follow the right path, follows it but for his own good; and if any wills to go astray, say [unto him]: "I am only a warner!"(27:92)

وَأَنْ أَتْلُوَ الْقُرْآنَ فَمَنِ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَقُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ

So, we should not get broken-hearted when they opt not to do it our way.  They have turned away from better person than you or I will ever be: they turned away from our Prophet, pbuh. And God showed him how to handle that:

“…if they turn away, say: "God is enough for me! There is no deity save Him. In Him I have placed my trust...” (9:129)

فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَقُلْ حَسْبِيَ اللّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ

But handling rejection and hatred is not easy.  Still, God has drawn a clear line, and expects us not to cross it ,: no excuses accepted, as detailed in this verse:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّامِينَ لِلّهِ شُهَدَاء بِالْقِسْطِ وَلاَ يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَى أَلاَّ تَعْدِلُواْ اعْدِلُواْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَى وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ إِنَّ اللّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

“O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of anyone lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious.” (5:8)

God also is the One that created us, and he knows we are tempted to ‘repay injustice with injustice’, so He makes us an offer that is hard to resist:

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى - فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَى

“But unto him who shall have stood in owe of his Sustainer's Presence, and held back his inner self from base desires”, (in our case: greed, anger, vengefulness amongst others), “… Paradise will truly be the final destination!” (79:40-41)

And we need more than just to avoid being unfair towards them.  God tells us to show them ultimate kindness, using the Arabic word ‘berr’, the extreme kindness we are supposed to treat our parent with.

لَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ

“As for the unbelievers that do not fight against you on account of [your] faith, and do not drive you away 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.” (60:9)

And for the really evil ones: should we pay them in kind, or punish them if we can? Should we forgive?

Look at what God asks our Prophet to do, under a more adverse situation that ours:

وَلاَ تَزَالُ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَىَ خَآئِنَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّنْهُمُ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاصْفَحْ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

“… and from all but a few of them you will always experience treachery. But pardon them, and forbear: verily, God loves the doers of good. (5:13)

In another verse, the divine wisdom teaches us that forgiveness is not a tactical ploy, but rather a strategy of a very high yield in the end:

وَلَا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ

“But [since] good and evil cannot be equal, repel thou [evil) with something that is better - and lo! he between whom and yourself was hostility [may then become] as though he had [always] been close [to you], a true friend!” (41:34)

Above all, we should always remember the verse 7:199 that has been described as the most comprehensive and most succinct of Islamic moral code- crafted in just seven short words in Arabic.

خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ

MAKE due allowance for man's nature, and enjoin the doing of what is widely known to be right; and leave alone all those who choose to remain ignorant."

I hope that I have managed to deliver few points about the Glorious Quran and its timeless teachings that can help us today as much as it helps the Prophet pbuh, and his companions over 1400 years ago.

Our primary goal as Muslims is to learn God’s words.  And who is better at teaching us those than God Himself in an easy to understand and clear Book that he promised to preserve from deviation, and corruption, and to make easy for us to learn.

وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ

“Hence, indeed, We made this Qur'an easy to understand and easy to bear in mind: who, then, is willing to take it to heart?” (54:40)

This book is not only easy, but it also details the message of what he wants from us.

وَلَقَدْ جِئْنَاهُم بِكِتَابٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ هُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

“For, indeed, We did convey unto them a divine writ which We clearly, and wisely, spelled out - a guidance and a grace unto people who will believe." (7:52)

  All we need is to invest the time in reading and contemplating it, trusting that it is sufficient to guide us to the right path.

Referring to the Verses of the Quran, God says: 

“These are the signs of God which We recite unto thee (Muhammad) with truth. Then in what fact, after God and His signs, will they believe?” (45:6)

تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَ اللَّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ

I would like to conclude on a joyous note. 

Look at us:  living in a non-Muslim country, a small minority, with little material power.  Yet we are entitled, by law, to be treatment as equals, and we do not have to accept anything less. A minority with little outreach and with difficulty engaging the public at large: yet, God avails to us people in the media and amongst the public, of different faiths, and sometime of no faith at all, that would take our cause to heart, and defend us as if we where their own people.

We should thank God for those blessings.  But, we should also promise ourselves, that whenever and wherever the tide turns in our favor, we should treat the others the best way they treated us and no less

In fact, if we heed God’s teachings, we should treat them better than they treated us:

“… when you are greeted with a greeting, answer with an even better greeting, or [at least] with the like thereof. Verily, God keeps count indeed of all things.” (4:86)

وَإِذَا حُيِّيْتُم بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيُّواْ بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَا إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَسِيبًا

Let us not be of those defrauders that He threatened with woes on the Day of Judgment

وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ - الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُواْ عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ -  وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَو وَّزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ - أَلَا يَظُنُّ أُولَئِكَ أَنَّهُم مَّبْعُوثُونَ

“WOE UNTO THOSE that deal in fraud-

Those who, when they are to receive their due from [other] people, demand that it be given in full

But when they have to measure or weigh whatever they owe to others, give less than what is due!

Do they not know that they will be raised from the dead, and that they will be called to account?” (83:1-4)

May God guide us all to the right path.

Khaled

Part 1 of this sermon:

•  Muslims in a Hostile World - Part 1: positive lessons from Islamophobia-filled season

Muslims in a Hostile World - Part 1: positive lessons from Islamophobia-filled season

[This is part 1 of a sermon (delivered on in September 2010), that I put together for a local mosque.  Part 2 will be posted soon and it is about what the Quran teaches us on anger management, and conflict resolution]

These are very turbulent times for American Muslims.  We are reminded daily how many fellow Americans hate us.  But we are also blessed to see many Americans that do not hate us, and moreover, they come to our rescue more efficiently and more visibly than we do ourselves.  We should be grateful to them and also to God for availing them to us in these tough times.  God has told us in His Book, about such people, non-Muslims, who are up-right people, that stand up for the truth as they see it, even if it means being against people closer to them than Muslim Americans are.

لَيْسُواْ سَوَاء مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَآئِمَةٌ يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللّهِ آنَاء اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ

“They are not all alike:”.  God tells us (in Surat Al-Imran), “ among the People of the Book there are upright people, who recite God's messages by the night, and prostrate themselves [before Him].” They “… enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and compete with one another in doing good works: and these are among the righteous.” (3:113-114)

Those good people upheld an important moral commandment: bearing witness to the truth, no matter in whose favor it is, or against whom it is. God repeatedly taught us that in the Quran:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاء لِلّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَى أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالأَقْرَبِينَ فَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ الْهَوَى أَن تَعْدِلُواْ وَإِن تَلْوُواْ أَوْ تُعْرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا

 O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for the sake of God, even though it be against your own selves or your parents and kinsfolk. ……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!  (4:135)

And while we should thank God for extending help to us through those people, we need to learn from that example. In many instances, unfortunately, we fail to fulfill that glorious commandment. We should pray that we, as a community, mature enough and consult our religious conscience more often when we feel the wrong doings and injustices committed by fellow Muslims against non-Muslims or against other Muslims wherever that may be: either here, in Europe or in places Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya or other unlucky places in the world wherever some so-called Muslims commit atrocities against other Muslims or against non-combatants of any kind.

وَإِذَا قُلْتُمْ فَاعْدِلُواْ وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَى وَبِعَهْدِ اللّهِ أَوْفُواْ ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُم بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

“And when you voice an opinion,”, God tells us (in 6:152), “ be just, even though it be [against] near of kin. ... This has He enjoined upon you so that you always remember.

So, when you wake up on a Friday morning to find out that Friday worshipers in a Shi’a mosque have been slaughtered in our name, or that an Ahmadeya mosque in Pakistan or a church in Iraq, has been bombed, or that a school for children in Russia has been seized – all done in the name of freedom for Muslims - , please remember to bear witness to the truth only, the way God told us to.

Do not feel afraid or awkward criticizing and standing up against our own friends, next of kin or just wrong-doing Muslims anywhere in the world.  We owe it to God to bear witness to the truth in a way that pleases Him.

Khaled

St. Louis Muslims - Where Are You?

This week has been a bit busy. Monday evening I received an email about Daniel Pipes, a pseudo-'intellectual' who represents the ugliest face of Islamophobia in the USA. Pipes was coming to speak in front of the 'esteemed' conservative student club of Washington University. This is the same group that hosted the Islamofascism week at WU several months ago.
The email was a 24-hour notice of a gathering of protest outside the conservative students meeting with Daniel Pipes, their prophet of hate and doom. By all measures, the anti-hate gathering was a success attended by 65-70 students, faculty, and non-WU visitors in support of American Muslim. That crowd was similar in size of not a tad larger than those who attended the pro-hate meeting (according to some students who went inside to count the pro-hate attendees).
That sad news is that, despite the circulation of emails to many Muslims with large email lists, and to a lot of friends and relatives of the Muslims involves in organizing the anti-hate meeting, only a handful of Muslims were there.

Yes, it was a short notice.
And, yes, it was a Tuesday evening.
But it was a Tuesday evening and a short notice for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Yet, we ended up with a significant majority of non-Muslims on a cold Tuesday night, protesting against a anti-Muslim hate monger.

An equally frustrating story can be told about Wednesday evening. West county Democrats Club held a showing of an award winning documentary about the torture of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo bay at the hands of American troops, with implicit approval of the 'higher-ups' in the military and executive chain of command.

The notice was circulated on many emails list for a couple of weeks prior to the event. The event itself was held in a hall that is a 2-minute walk from the largest Islamic center in St. Louis on Weidman Road.

The yield: 25 West County non-Muslim Democrats Club members, and 5 Muslims.

O Muslim brothers and sisters in St. Louis: WHERE ART THOU?
And will you PLEASE expand you comfort zone a little bit so you may show some interest in helping non-Muslims who want to help you?

Khaled

• Richard Silverstein is a progressive Jewish Journalist that I like and respect. He posted an excellent piece on Daniel pipes yesterday on his blog, Tikun Olam.
• The documentary shown by West County Democrats is a must see: Taxi to the Dark Side.

My gratitude goes to:

• organizers of the anti-hate rally at WU (The WashU Peace Coalition, The Muslim Student Association, The PRIDE Alliance, Safe Zones, WashU College Dems, Students for a Democratic Society, and Amnesty International)
  
• and to West County Democrats for their support of justice for all.

'Hussein' may end up being a popular middle name after all

Is something wrong with being a Muslim??
We all know by now how the dirty republican-initiated email campaign against Barack Obama tried to use his middle name, Hussein, as part of their scare tactics. Many Muslims and even non-Muslims, felt he should have been more forceful not only denouncing using his Muslim middle name as part of a scare tactic, but also making it clear that he would have been as happy, as proud, as American even if he were a Muslim. Basically, declaring that nothing is wrong with being a Muslim.
He did not come out personally saying it that strongly and most Muslims are familiar with the realities of life in the public arena especially when you want to make it to the oval office. SO, they are not holding grudges against him.
But something good is still likely to come out of the horrible 'smear attempt' using his own middle name against the Democratic presidential nominee. Their dirty tactics may have backfired!

A lot of Obama's fans and supporters are younger, more diverse, more tolerant and inclusive than many of the traditional 'hard-core conservatives' whose claim to conservatism is not their fiscal and governmental ideals, but their exclusiveness, xenophobia and racism.

The New York Times online today had an article titled Obama Supporters Take His Name as Their Own.

Emily Nordling has never met a Muslim, at least not to her knowledge. But this spring, Ms. Nordling, a 19-year-old student from Fort Thomas, Ky., gave herself a new middle name on Facebook.com, mimicking her boyfriend and shocking her father.

Out of support for Obama, and I think as they believe that inherently nothing is wrong with having a Muslim name, some younger people are adopting Hussein as a middle name. As a Muslim, I really admire what they are doing. They do not only talk the talk -- they also walk the walk.

“I am sick of Republicans pronouncing Barack Obama’s name like it was some sort of cuss word,” Mr. Strabone wrote in a manifesto titled “We Are All Hussein” that he posted on his own blog and on dailykos.com.

The result is a group of unlikely-sounding Husseins: Jewish and Catholic, Hispanic and Asian and Italian-American, from Jaime Hussein Alvarez of Washington, D.C., to Kelly Hussein Crowley of Norman, Okla., to Sarah Beth Hussein Frumkin of Chicago.

It is one thing to say that it is a shame to pick on someone because of their Muslim name, but it is a whole different ball game when you put yourself literally on the same fire line that they face. I am certain many of those brave young souls are expecting getting hard time from their families, teachers, and even others they may not know.

Jeff Strabone of Brooklyn now signs credit card receipts with his newly assumed middle name, while Dan O’Maley of Washington, D.C., jiggered his e-mail account so his name would appear as “D. Hussein O’Maley.”
Alex Enderle made the switch online along with several other Obama volunteers from Columbus, Ohio, and now friends greet him that way in person, too.

This is not the first time non-Muslims have walked the extra mile in Muslim's shoes. Nearly two years ago a young Muslim student was harassed on her university campus for wearing the Islamic head cover (Hijab) and her scarf was pulled of her head by some racist Islamophobic idiots on campus. In support of that young lady, non-Muslim young women decided to have a 'Wear a Hijab to School' day. They put themselves on the line to see and feel for themselves what a Muslim woman may go through facing bigotry sometimes on daily basis.

Unfortunately that also reminds me of how we, Muslims, sometimes hide our affiliation with Islam as if it were a spot of shame. Many workers in public venues 'abbreviate' their Muslim names for the 'convenience' of their customers. And we all know Muslims with 'anglicized' nick names used in work places. I have seen Muslims that are regular at mosques, yet would not dare to have a car sticker that says 'Muslims Denounce Terrorism'.
A good friend of mine was chastised by attendees at his own mosque when he tried to take some pictures at an event we organized at a St. Louis mosque for an online report on the event. Mature adults Muslim who happened to be in the general direction of where the camera was pointing was afraid of having his face among the audience in a public event at a mosque he attends regularly.
Incidents like those, and the fear that some of us live in, motivated me to call for a community wide Muslim Visibility Campaign that was the beginning of my online effort a year ago. Like most of our Muslim community based campaigns, it did go far (see here for a report on the kick off event that ended being the one and only event.

Sorry for digressing. Any way, back to NYT article:

Some Obama supporters say they were moved to action because of what their own friends, neighbors and relatives were saying about their candidate. Mark Elrod, a political science professor at Harding University in Searcy, Ark., is organizing students and friends to declare their Husseinhood on Facebook on Aug. 4, Mr. Obama’s birthday.

My great respect goes to those young and old non-Muslims who are willing to take a stand for what they believe in.
And one more time I will pray for our community to mature, and maybe one day we can do that too.

Khaled

Links:

• Obama Supporters Take His Name as Their Own - The New York Times.
• 'Muslims denounce terrorism' - the campaign logo. (I still have many of those sticker if any one is interested!!
• Muslim Visibility Campaign - A little essay I wrote on the need and rationale of a community wide Muslim visibility effort.

Responses to comments from a conservative reader (Part 2 or 2)

For those of you who do not follow the Civil Religion Blog where I post on Islam, some of the comments from a very conservative reader warranted lengthy responses from me. I will post the comments and my response here (split as 2 postings). If you like to make a comment, please put it on the PD site for everyone's benefit.

Interesting response. First, if Islam is supposed to be so aiding to the poor, then could you please explain why God gave the Middle East most of the world’s oil? These so-called Muslim sheiks then should be sharing their wealth with the less fortunate, such as all those poor Muslims in Africa that have to risk their lives getting to European countries because they are starving. Why don’t those rich oil sheiks help those in Algiers and Somalia etc. rather than building themselves more castles, such as Saddam even, and all their worldly goods. What you say and what I see are not the same things. Second, so Republicans support pre-emptive war as a policy? Really? Have you heard of Vietnam or Bosnia, Kosovo, or WWI (Pres. Wilson). My don’t you have a selective memory.
If I recall, Pres. Bush went to war in the Middle East because the US was attacked on 9-11 by Muslims. Remember that event? And lastly on this point of attacking Republicans, could you please tell me why every murderous conflict going on in this world is Muslims killing Christians and others? Bottom line, why are Muslims killing people all over the world if it is a religion of peace? I don’t see any other religion with this problem of terrorizing the world.

Comment by A CENTRIST -- April 19th, 2008 at 12:48 pm

Here is my response:

Thanks for describing my answer as ‘interesting’.

- You asked why rich Muslim oil sheiks do not give enough to poor Muslims and Africans IF Islam - supposedly, as you put it - promotes social justice.
My cynical response was going to be: may be because they save money to buy billions of dollars worth of planes and ammunition from our weapons manufacturers as Bush asked them to during his last visit to our friends in the Gulf (remember that one?).
Or I could say: I will tell you if you tell me why Catholic priests sexually abuse children, or why the pious catholic Eric Rudolph committed his horrible terrorist acts, or why Timothy McVeigh did what his did on Oklahoma. Hope you get my point now.
And when it comes to money, the tremendous wealth of the Catholic Church and the Vatican is beyond dispute. Why the fancy churches, gold and artwork when money is needed for the poor children of God everywhere? The verses on rich people in the New Testament are obvious to everyone. Why aren’t most Christians taking the vow of poverty?
My TRUE answer is not the cynical one. It is this: may be because you and I do not know how much money they give that is not made public, or more likely, .may be because they are not very good Muslims, that are selfish, and want to rul otherse and get rich, but not obey the word of God.
You seem to deny that Republicans have pre-emptive war as a policy. I suggest looking into what has been called Bush Doctrine, and the latest changes in our Nuclear Stance policy regarding first use of nuclear weapons.
You provided a list of wars that you called pre-emptive (Vietnam, Kosovo and WWI) and blamed it on Democrats. Many will dispute the ‘pre-emptive’ nature of at least some of the wars you listed, but I was talking about the current policies, not those of past administrations. I was not talking about past political trends in Muslim community, but the one that is relevant now.
You state “Bush went to war in the Middle East because the US was attacked on 9-11 by Muslims”. I can only say, you are wrong. We went to war in Afghanistan because the Taliban helped few thousands Muslim extremist establish a base (Al-Qaeda) there. The Iraq war had nothing to do with 9-11. Most Americans and even many Republicans accept that now
You generalization that “Muslims” attacked US on 9-11 will not get an answer from me. It just goes to show how pre-judging clouds the perception of even simple facts.
You followed with the horrible statement (emphasis mine) ”… could you please tell me why every murderous conflict going on in this world is Muslims killing Christians and others? Bottom line, why are Muslims killing people all over the world if it is a religion of peace? I don’t see any other religion with this problem of terrorizing the world”.
Statements like these are not only hateful but lack any knowledge content. You have the right to make them but I would not waste energy responding to them.
I will leave it up to others to respond to that it they feel like it.

Comment by Khaled Hamid -- April 20th, 2008 at 5:18 pm

Responses to comments from a conservative reader (Part 1 or 2)

For those of you who do not follow the Civil Religion Blog where I post on Islam, some of the comments from a very conservative reader warranted lengthy responses from me. I will post the comments and my response here (split as 2 postings). If you like to make a comment, please put it on the PD site for everyone's benefit.

Dr. Hamid, I have another question. You spoke a lot about the First Amendment, freedom of speech. I am very disturbed lately with CAIR trying to silence voices that they say spread Muslim hatred. However, in this country we are supposed to have freedom of expression, yet CAIR doesn’t seem to agree. As far as I can tell, what these people are saying is an honest assessment. I find this extremely disturbing. Again, if they don’t like it here in America, perhaps even if they are Americans, why don’t they move to the Middle East where they won’t have to tolerate so-called hate speech.

As a Christian Catholic, we are attacked on a regular basis not only in the main stream media,
but also by such wonderful people as Bill Maher on HBO. As much as he makes me puke with his religious hate speech, as an American I understand that he has the right to mock my religion and I have the freedom to choose not to listen to him. If enough people agree, HBO will cancel his show. If not, then so be it. I don’t care what he says.

The Post-Dispatch regularly attacks the local leader of my faith, Archbishop Burke. They would never speak about Muslim leaders like they do about him. Most of us Catholics just take it all in stride. Many that have more character than I, just refuse to purchase the PD. That’s just the way America works.

Comment by A CENTRIST -- April 19th, 2008 at 1:13 pm

And here is my response:

A Centrist:
I will not debate every article, book and person that does not like Islam or does not understand it, and expresses it in the vast cyberspace,. You need to do you homework studying Islam if you care to know anything about it. I do suggest a very reasonable translation of the Quran with great commentary by M Asad called the Message of the Quran (http://www.amazon.com/Message-Quran-Muhammad-Asad/dp/1567441386). It is your choice whether to seek understanding Islam better or, alternatively, to select what reinforces some other held beliefs about Islam if you think you already know the truth.
I have come against Muslims and atheists who hold opinions about your own religion (Christianity in general, and Catholicism in particular) that are similar to your attitude towards Islam. None of them made any effort to understand Christianity from neutral sources or from its original scripture before agreeing with every thing negative they hear about it. I hope you are better than they were.
There position was “Christianity is a horrible religion and nothing can change that because is the a fact. Period”. Think about it for a second from their point of view: Crusades, Protestant vs. Catholic massacres, intra-European wars, colonization of the Africa, Asia, the New World, near extermination of aborigines in many places, largest scale of slave trade in history, apartheid and racial segregation states not to mention two World Wars (and possibly a third if some of our current leadership have it their way) Not to mention IRA in northern Ireland, ETA in Spain, or Genocide in Rwanda (with the recent conviction of catholic clergy in genocide by the courts there).
Actually, even Nazi regime still counts as Christian for some people, I will leave it up to you to find their arguments and judge how valid it is about the Church and Papacy complicity with the Axis forces in WWII.
The links between Racism in the south of USA and in apartheid South Africa on one hand, and the Church on the other hand, (at least some churches) mount, in some people’s minds, to a solid historic proof that Christianity - in the core - supported those horrible regimes.
Of course I can tag along Serb and Croat atrocities in Bosnia, Army of God in central African nations, Lebanese Phalangist Christian massacres in Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps , etc. Before accusing me of being selective, I will tell you I am being selective, so you can see how bad your religion would look like if one wishes to be selective.
What to you is defined as a religion of love and peace is to others a religion of hegemony and White domination.
I do NOT subscribe to such opinion; neither does 99% of my Muslim community. Most of us understand that religion is one of many factors that shape history and politics. And when it does, is it a minor factor, dominated by economy, human greed and human desire for a sense supremacy material and moral, even if it is a fake one.
I happened to agree that Christianity is a religion of love and peace, NOT because you said it, but because I did my home work learning about it, not from Hagee, Falwell, Paterson Jim Crow law or from the opinions of the abundant zealots. I learned it from original scripture (in proper historic context) and from Christian friends and non-friends that I see around me every day.
Can you count 5 or 10 Muslims you know personally? If you can, have you tried to reach out and talk to them? Not to preach them, or convert them but to KNOW them?
And just to cover of the points you raise:
- CAIR is not against the first amendment, the same way Anti Defamation League is not against it. But, this is country where there are laws against hate, libel and slander.
Asking the courts of law to assess whether these laws apply in certain situations is NOT restriction of the freedom of expression.
- If someone accuses you in public of being a child molester because you are Catholic, do you consider that as actionable slander? If a school near you refuses your participation in their activities because you are Catholic, and they are worried about their children, what would you do?
- You mention that your friends ‘who have character more than you’ (in you own words, not mine) boycott the PD for its criticism of the local Catholic leadership. CAIR public campaign against Michael Savage and his hate speech got many decent people to boycott him and not advertise on his show. That is NOT violation of the first amendment. It is actually an exercise in it (the freedom of assembly part), by recruiting people with the same sense of decency to stop something that is indecent simply by not funding it with ad money. And, let me quote you verbatim again: “ that’s just the way America works”.

Comment by Khaled Hamid -- April 20th, 2008 at 5:45 pm

The tough life of a 'terrorist' turned 'Zionist'

The phenomenon of jokers and clowns like Waleed shoebat, Kamal Saleem and Zachariah Anani and the recently famous new-born ex-Muslim Magdi Allam, is very amusing. And and time goes by, more and more is becoming known about the intricacies governing the metamorphosis from being an ex-terrorist, or more frequently ex-nothing, to being a symbol of courage and hope for the enlightened world.

Once you announce your intent on becoming an 'ex-Muslim' , the world opens its arms to welcome you as if you were a long lost child. Past sins are instantaneously forgotten and you become the darling of freedom-loving, democracy-promoting defenders of the Western Civilization. And, on the spot, you are pronounced a world expert on something that confuses the heck out of the civilized world: Islam, and the 'Islamist Terrorist' mind set.

Of course, there are some provisos:

• First: you need to have been born a Muslim (ex-converts need not apply - see second proviso for explanation).
• Second: You must be able to claim that you were raised by evil people that fed you hate for the Jew from the moment you took your first breath (converts to Islam are usually lacking this important qualifier, hence, they need not apply - see first proviso).
• Third: you must be able to show your undying love for the State of Israel, and your conviction that there is nothing called 'legitimate resistance to Israel'. The evil Arabs should surrender to the will of God. Being righteous means not resisting what Israel wants.
• Forth proviso is sort of optional. You get bonus points if you convert to Christianity. It makes you more appealing to the Christian Zionist folks. Note: Conversion to Judaism is a demanding process, and is a move that has not been tried in the arena of ex-terrorists before. Play it safe, and stick with Christianity if you are in the market for a new uniform - I mean faith.
  

A lot of practical tips can be learned from the lives of the great ones. A nice collection of facts about that unique 'life form' known as Waleed Shoebat was published yesterday in the Jerusalem Post. Excerpts (in italics) are presented below, with my added headings.

Poor baby - He lost his innocence early:

When he was 16, says Walid Shoebat, he was recruited by a PLO operative by the name of Mahmoud al-Mughrabi to carry out an attack on a branch of Bank Leumi in Bethlehem.

But fear not for him. He now make a lot of money and for a good cause.

Shoebat is sometimes paid for his appearances, and he also solicits donations to a Walid Shoebat Foundation to help fund this work and to "fight for the Jewish people."

He also made some political connections:

Now he and two other former extremists are set to appear along with US Senator Joe Lieberman, Ambassador to the US Sallai Meridor and other notables at an annual "Christians United For Israel" conference in Washington in July.
Last year, Shoebat spoke to the BattleCry Christian gathering in San Francisco, which drew a reported 22,000 evangelical teenagers.

His ignorance and amnesia of what he did were not an impediment to his success

Asked whether word of the bombing made the news at the time, he said, "I don't know. I didn't read the papers because I was in hiding for the next three days." (In 2004, he had told Britain's Sunday Telegraph: "I was terribly relieved when I heard on the news later that evening that no one had been hurt or killed by my bomb.")

Shoebat could not immediately recall the year, or even the time of year, of the purported bombing when talking to the Post by phone from the US. After wavering, he finally settled for the summer of 1977.

His uncle and wife do not even know what he is talking about, but that is not an impediment either.

The uncle and his wife both said firmly that there was no attack on Bank Leumi [as he claims].

Incidentally, half his blood is American blood.

The uncle, interviewed at his home, said he remembered little about his nephew, because Walid left for America at the age of 16, and because his American mother always kept a distance from the rest of the family.

And he cares a lot about the Jews.

He argued that Israel should retake the Gaza Strip and rehouse Jews there, regarding Gaza as Jewish by right. "If a Jew has no right to Gaza, then he has no right to Jaffa or Haifa either," he said.

He also knows what is good for the Jews better than the Jews themselves.

"The Jews are not aware of the true threat," Shoebat said. "They are still fighting dead Nazis. It is easy to fight dead people. But they don't have the will to fight the living Nazis, the Islamic radicals."

He is a multi-tasker: He can enlighten Americans while defending the Jews.

He told the Post he had set up his Walid Shoebat Foundation to educate Americans as to why the US should support Israel. Shoebat said the foundation had reached out to over 450 million people.

Despite all his efforts to make the world a better place, there are those who simply find faults with him. Every prophet has their doubting Tom, I guess.

A New York Times report last month on the Air Force Academy event, headlined "Speakers at Academy Said to Make False Claims," noted that "Academic professors and others who have heard the three men speak in the United States and Canada said some of their stories border on the fantastic, like Mr. Saleem's account of how, as a child, he infiltrated Israel to plant bombs via a network of tunnels underneath the Golan Heights. No such incidents have been reported, the academic experts said. They also question how three middle-aged men who claim they were recruited as teenagers or younger could have been steeped in the violent religious ideology that only became prevalent in the late 1980s.

Yet, there are those who want to tell him how much they really value his effort to save humanity, and they let their wallets do the talking.

The Times said the three men were to be paid $13,000 for the Air Force Academy event.

And they do not let minor details get in the way of great charitable work

Asked by the Post whether the Walid Shoebat Foundation is a registered charity, Shoebat replied that it is registered in Pennsylvania. [But] The Pennsylvania State Attorney's office said it had no record of a charity registered under this name.

Oops! another lapse of memory. I guess it is not easy being an ex-terrorist superhero trying to save the world.

Questioned further, Shoebat said it was registered under a different name, but that he was not aware of the details, which are handled by his manager.

And if the whole ex-terrorist life story was a fantasy, it was for a good cause.

If the Bank Leumi bombing claim is unfounded, it is unclear why Shoebat would have wanted to manufacture a terrorist past. True or not, however, it has plainly brought him some prominence and provided him with a means to speak in favor of Israel and be paid for doing so.

So, I was wrong, not just one cause, but three good causes :

1. 'Some prominence': qualifying his prominence as 'some' is the under-statement of the year. He is more popular the Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak with American Jewish right wing nuts, and more than John McCain among the Zionist Christians.
2. Speaks for his favorite country, Israel: although it has been troubling me that many of those nut cases of ex-terrorists and ex-Muslims, despite of their great love for Fundamentalist Jews and Israel and their unlimited desire to "fight for the Jewish people", they convert to Christianity instead of Judaism. Yet fundamentalist Jews are their most ardent supporters! Interesting, but see note on forth proviso.
3. "be paid for doing so": Well, we all have to earn a living some how. And $13,ooo for a few hours of ranting nonsense in front of the Air Force cadets is not bad money at all.
   

Prominence, money, and a chance to fight for God's chosen people from the comfort of his own charity organization. He does not even have to give up pork, or to honor the Sabbath.
Boy, some people do have it all.

Khaled

Excerpts are from an article in the Jerusalem Post. There is a lot more interesting facts their, so click below to read the full article.

The Palestinian 'terrorist' turned 'Zionist'- Jerusalem Post

Fitna: Duch for 'Garbage': by Richard Silverstein

By now the whole world knows about about the stupid propaganda production 'Fitna'. It is to some extent heart warming that the responses so far from non-Muslims have been predominantly non-supporting of the fear-mongering message of that piece of trash (see many reports on my Khaled's Online Finds).

I liked the nice sentiment and a brief comment I found on Tikun Olam web site by Richard Silverstein. His description of the author's face as 'smug' it exactly what goes on in my mind every time I see the face of that person. He look full of him self, happy to be in your face, and in the spotlight (although a less glamorous shot of him can be found here). But forget about the smug face, I wanted to share some of Richard's comments with you (Click here for the full posting).

Fitna: Duch for 'Garbage' - by Richard Silverstein

"Yes, I know Geert Wilders’ anti-Muslim diatribe, Fitna, has been watched by 400 zillion YouTube viewers. That must make it right, right? Wrong. I watched the first minute or so at the behest of a very nice fellow who’s been helping me upgrade my Wordpress installation. As soon as the first panel from the Koran was displayed on screen quoting a verse that threatens death to all and sundry and was followed by the 9/11 plane flying into the World Trade Center, I knew what I was in for. That was enough for me. Do I hear Islamophobia, anyone?"

"... Every religion contains messages of hate, intolerance and violence. Every religion contains message of love, hope and grace. If we condemn Islam and say it is all bad then let’s condemn every religion and say they’re all bad every one of them. I don’t believe this proposition. I make it just for the sake of argument."

And, as any educated person knows, hand picking verses and sentences out of context from any book, holy or not, and super-imposing them on images that has a lot of negative emotional associations is the oldest trick in the textbook of brain-washing methods. It has always surprised me that Muslims have been getting the this kind of nonsense about Islam thrown in their face all the time without responding in kind. Putting together a 15-20 minute 'movie' that has images of what has been happening in Occupied Palestinian Territories, in Lebanon, in Iraq, in Abu Ghraib, etc, then impose on them some of the abundant Biblical verses promoting violence and harsh measures against whole towns and communities, could be a small weekend project for a high-schooler with any of the simple and free video editors. But, Muslims 9as countries and larger communities) have not resorted to these dirty techniques so far mostly because our respect for the Old and New Testament, out of respect for the People of the Book, is a religious obligation for us.
Of course, if any of us would make such movie, 'hate-monger', and 'anti-Semite' will be tattooed on their face forever. Certainly, the movie maker will NOT be on CNN, Fox, BBC, FrontPage Magazine, or Jerusalem Post as experts on Christianity or Jewish radicalism. And it is also unlikely for them to be invited to the Air Force Academy in Colorado, and get paid to enlighten our military personnel (see below).

Too bad the fundamentalist and propagandists on the other side do not have that kind of restraint. For a couple of years now, Muslims had to endure the fallout of the movie Obsession, promoted by the Ex-Muslim Ex-Terrorist current-propagandist/Christian/Zionist opportunist by the name of Shoebat . The stupid, and immoral, 'movie' has been paraded as The proof of what Islam is about. It has been routinely and repeatedly shown in synagogues and churches all over the country, and the idiot behind it has been the darling of right wing media and bloggers, and fundamentalist Jews and Christians for a while. He is paid thousands of dollars just to show up. Few months ago he was actually paid to 'lecture' about radical Islam in the Air force Academy in Colorado. The air force men and women of the world's only superpower are getting their indoctrination fix from and ex-terrorist who was raising money for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) after his movie showing in a St. Louis synagogue two summers ago.
If that is not stupid, then what it?
Khaled

Links:
Fitna: Duch for 'Garbage' - by Richard Silverstein

[For those interested in the Ex-terrorist story, do you own Google search. I do not feel like linking to his stupid web site from here. If you search Google using Shoebat and Air force Academy you will hundreds of link of the event I mentioned in the last paragraph. The link below is one of them]
Paid Bigot's Including Walid Shoebat Teaching Religious War At U.S. Air Force Academy

Hooliganism, under the pretense of patriotism.

FBI investigates bomb threats against a local mosque.

I would like to apologize to you all. This is not the kind of post I normally like to write, but the circumstances of the last 2 trying days made it seem necessary.

Last Tuesday was like any other workday until I received a call that the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Washington DC has notified the FBI that two right wing hate sites had comments inciting violence again a St. Louis mosque. A press release was distributed to national media and contained some samples of the hate filled comments, and explicit reference to violence against the Islamic community Center in south St. Louis, MO, with threats of shooting, using dynamite and a plan to "drop bombs from a light plane". The hateful violent threats were posted comments on 2 websites (Little Green footballs, and Gateway Pundits).

These tirades followed a fear-mongering and less-than-insightful article about the new Minaret constructed at that Islamic center. That tiny bit of news was enough for the hooligan-spirited macho fans of those sites to respond with hundreds of hateful comments against American Muslims and their devilish plan to take over America. The knights of the little green footballs and gateway pundits were coming to the rescue of Christianity and the Western Civilization with their brilliant plans for appropriate response (i.e., vandalism, shooting, bombing, etc) commensurate with the magnitude of the crime committed - building a tower for a small mosque after getting all the required permits.

The following morning, the Post-dispatch printed an report by Tim Townsend on the incident and about the progress of the FBI effort thus far. That was followed by a torrent of hate and Anti-Muslim emails sent to the Post-Dispatch for their criminal participation in the CAIR-led conspiracy against the USA. The defenders of Western Civilization also started putting anti-Muslim comments on a truly nice and informative article by Ryan Miller on his Middled blog as they searched my name and found a reference and an interview with me (amongst other St. Louis Muslims) on his blog.

I know that sounds comical, but they are really upset that the Post Dispatch and the local CBS affiliate KMOV, reported that the FBI is investigating a bombing threat against a St. Louis target.

'CAIR’s propaganda also made it to the local CBS affiliate, KMOV, where they uncritically label LGF an “anti-Muslim site” at CAIR’s bidding: FBI investigating threats made against mosque in St. Louis.'

I guess they may see that threatening to bomb a mosque is an act that should be awarded a medal, not investigated. Any media reporting to the contrary should, in their little green minds, be treated as an act of treason not an exercise in the freedom of expression. As for Ryan Miller, his major sin is that one may get the impression after reading his article that Muslims may not all be terrorists. How blasphemous of him.

The good news is that while the little ones (green footballs, pundits or otherwise) carry on with their hate-spreading activities, the FBI will continue investigating, and Tim Townsend will continue the great reporting we are familiar with, and as far as I know, Ryan Miller has already moved on with a new posting of a beautiful and very thoughtful response to the critical comments.

But it cannot stop there. We, Muslims and non-Muslims, need to realize that the serious threat to all of us may not only be coming from the outside. It is also coming from the inside, and it is not from the American Muslims. It is from the hate-filled minds that are incapable of understanding the beauty of diversity and coexistence. It is from the minds of the ignorant, the racist, and supremacists that can never see any possible good in someone that has a different look, a different dress or a different religion. People with such minds that are intellectually lazy and empty. And like all fanatics, they live in closed circles - physically or emotionally- of like minded people, and for them ignorance of the outside is bliss.

We, Muslims and non-Muslims, need to make a goal of ACTIVELY endorsing civility, and expressing discontent with ignorance and indiscriminate hate.

• Please log on to those hate-filled sites, little greens and little pundits, and leave a rational comment on why you disagree with them, what you really think of them, and why they are a disgrace to the great tradition of this country.
• Please visit to the Post Dispatch Forum and leave a message of support for Tim Townsend, and reporters like him.
• Please visit Ryan Miller's Blog and show some support for the spirit of inclusiveness and understanding that he expresses repeatedly there.

And finally: PLEASE spread the word to colleagues, friends and family urging them to do the same. If we just watch from the sidelines, we leave the field to the Hooligans to set the standards for all of us.

khaled