Islam and the Cultural Imperative

Hi all,

Here is the latest article we used, from last night’s book club meeting:

http://www.nawawi.org/downloads/article3.pdf

It is a paper from the Nawawi Foundation titled, “Islam and the Cultural Imperative”  by Umar Faruq Abd-Allah.  It discusses the need of cultivating a Muslim American identity, and how to feel at home with Islam in your own skin and your own culture.  With our group, we brainstormed what steps would constitute having a better Muslim American identity, and here are some points we came up with.

- Using English instead of Arabic in Islamic settings

- Making our Mosques more American.  Any American should feel welcome and at home when they enter our Mosques.  When they enter a Church, for example, Women are not asked to go somewhere so they have to see from a TV screen and write their questions on note cards.  The language used there is not Arameic, but it is understandable.

- Removing a purely literal understanding of the religion, but being more flexible and understanding time, place, culture, context

- Removing superficial understanding of Islam.  True Islam is much deeper than just dress and appearance, nor should anyone be judged based on those factors.

- Tolerance of peoples’ faults and especially our differences, and not being judgmental.

- Challenging gender roles: women not going to mosques.  Women should be encouraged to come to the Mosques here, where Muslims are a minority and Women need the support.  Just as there are sometimes areas for women with children, there should be an area for men with children, too, since in this country both men and women often share in looking after the children.

- We should fight against a patriarchal and male-dominated Muslim society.  Women should be encouraged to take leadership positions.

I feel there are a myriad of issues that we couldn’t even think up.  What else do you think?

After this talk, we decided that we have a problem in our community.  The problem is that the community is not discussing or attacking these issues.  In the paper, the author notes that if we don’t tackle the problem of a lack of identity our community will be in ruins.  The generations after us will be the ones to bear the fruits of our labor or the consequences from the lack of it.

We decided that for now, our goal will be to start dialogue with  different people on how to further our understanding of this problem and try to find some solutions.

Dunia

 

 

An invaluable book for the immigrant Muslim

Dear all,

This book is invaluable for all Muslims to read about the history of Islam in America, and especially all Immigrant Muslims, who tend to think Islam came with them in the 1950’s-1960’s (which, yet again, I heard during the Eid Sermon).

It is called “Black Pilgrimage to Islam” by Robert Dannin.  I just finished it, and it left me in awe – mostly because the historical rhetoric of Islam in America from the perspective of the Immigrant Muslim community rarely talks about Islam pre-1950’s, where the spread of Islam had a crucial impact on the indigenous Muslims.   One could argue that these early black Muslims had the biggest impact on Islam in America today.

This is a nice review: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3812/is_200303/ai_n9229164/

Dunia

Urban Possibilities

I just watched this yesterday.  I’ve been volunteering at a food pantry for a few weeks now, and had been kind of saddened that all we do is give them food when they need solutions rather than temporary fixes.  I had been thinking: how can we help to empower the homeless/hungry and help solve their problems for the long-term?  Then I saw this!  I’m thinking to meet up with them…

“American Muslims” by M.A. Khan

Dear all

In our book club we just started the book “American Muslims” by M.A. Khan.  We finished Tariq Ramadan’s “Radical Reform” of which I hope to rewind and post the notes on that soon.  We had our meeting last night in which we discussed chapters 1 & 2 of Khan’s book.

Here are just some interesting points we picked out:

7 million Muslims in America are divided into 3 distinct but sometimes overlapping communities with the same numbers

• Afro-Americans who brought Islam to America from Africa centuries ago
• Middle East communities how started to come even before the second World War, but in large numbers after the end of the War
• South Asians who came towards the end of the 20^th century
• and then the (newer) white and hispanic converts.

“In the west, the combination of liberalism, democracy and respect for diversity in conjunction with prosperity, present a real challenge to Islam.  If it can be demonstrated that Islam is not only relevant but also necessary for a good and virtuous life in spite of the attendance of democracy and freedom, then Islamic values will be truly globalized.”

We need to ask ourselves: would the West want/need Islam?  What will show them why it is so necessary?

M.A.Khan comments that the U.S. in particular is part-beast part-human.  Its values (as written in its Constitution) are so humane and so in-line with Islam, but the way it goes and inhumanely treats innocent others (ie. war in Iraq) does not seem to fit within its ideal.

The goal of American Muslims is to demonstrate to the rest of the world the relevance of Islamic values to a modern/postmodern society.

Given the fact that the present Muslim world remains deeply antagonistic to change and reform, the hope of Islamic revival and reform is transferred to the Diasporas in the relatively freer environment in the West.  The role of Mujaddid in the present century falls on the American Muslim community, which is best suited in terms of opportunity and ability.

There is a reason why the Muslims are here in America.  I think the Muslims have to rise to the challenge to confront the real problems that do exist in our country, because in spite of it being democratic and so on, there are still so many issues at hand.  The # of homeless people is larger than many other countries in the world, with for example, 90,000 homeless in L.A. on any given night.  There is destruction of the family structure.  Abandonment of the elderly.  What else?  Problems are endless.

There are many more issues he discusses, especially in Chapter 2, related to the division between the immigrant and indigenous Muslim communities and the set-back (which I think we can all agree) it has done to our Muslim community, but you can pick up the book and read it, too

We also particularly liked this quote at the end of Chapter 1:

“Think big. Think ummah. Thing bigger. Think humanity.”

Dunia

Visit with a Pastor

Dear all,

Last week I attended my first advisory board meeting for the Inland Valley Hope Partners.  They run 4 food pantries in the Inland Valley (San Dimas, Ontario, Pomona, Claremont) and a homeless shelter in Pomona.  It was held in Ontario’s First Christian Church and afterwards I took a tour with Pastor Frank of his Church.

The church could fit about 1,000 people.  I asked him how many come to his congregation and sadly, he said about 50-60.  He said the people that initially opened the church were a big congregation but not anymore.  I wondered why the attendance has gone down.

Firstly, there seem to be no young people for some reason.  I am not sure why Christianity (or is it religion?) is not attractive to young people.  What is missing in making it adaptable and relevant to the new generation?

Then this weekend I was reading “Road to Mecca” by Muhammad Asad, in which he describes that as a whole, the West has abandoned God, and since that has happened, they have been struggling to fill that void with something else – with anything spiritual to fill that vaccuum.  Christianity was not enough to keep them holding on.  I wonder why that is.   I would think that during this time of economic struggle that the churches would be filled with people…  I would like to hear a critical assessment of this if anyone has it…

The Pastor he was telling me that in his church they are open and welcoming to all in terms of acceptance into their religion.  They did not seem to have a strong intellectual base for the Christianity that he practices – for he was telling me that they accept all religions that believe in God, but each person believes that the leader to emulate is different (be it Jesus, or Muhammad, or Buddha) but that that is okay.  He said that the differences were Cultural, so if you come to the Church as a Muslim, you could, but the songs might get tiresome since they sing of Jesus, and the images of Jesus on the windows might be offensive.

I felt that this idea and thinking was truly very good-hearted, but lacked some strength and most importantly, focus and direction that we as humans need.

He also told me, and I thought this was funny, that they have this image that Muslims are all extremely devout in their religion.  I suppose, for Muslims in which Islam has entered their hearts and solidified that is very true, but I told him for the most part humans are humans and you will find all ranges of practice.  Then he laughed and said, “Yes, well I supposed if every Muslim gave their 2.5%, no one would be poor on this earth.”

He asked me about the Islamic Center in Rancho and which sect of Islam it is.  I had to do a double take, because I never really think about what sect the Mosque I am going to is.  Especially in Ramadan, we hopped to different mosques almost every few days – ranging from Azusa to Fontana to Mission Viejo to Irvine to Rancho to Pomona.  I said, “It is a Sunni Mosque and since most Muslims are Sunnis (what? 98% or something) you will find the majority of Mosques on the same beliefs.”  Then he asked what about Sufism? And I never thought that some would wrongly think it is a sect of Islam, for they are Sunnis.

I felt, after that, that the majority of Muslims as a whole are very united in their belief and practice, as compared to Christianity.  Whereas before, looking only at the Muslims, one might feel that they are divided, but that is not really so.  Muslims are really very united in our purpose in life, our end goal (Paradise & Pleasing God), our belief in the Judgement, our belief in Muhammad, peace be upon him.  We are very united in our intellectual bases, our way of life, for if you enter almost any Muslim home or Mosque in the world, you will find the greeting of “Assalamu Alaikum” (peace be unto you) and you will find your people praying in the same way.  Then I felt that there is a true brotherhood and spirit of Islam that is really different.

However, you will find our Christian brethren very strong in their charitable applications of their religion, in helping others, in running the food pantries and the homeless shelters, in clothing the poor.  In these things, I am very honored to learn from them.

Dunia

There is no God but God

The other day, I was reading Sayyid Qutb’s “In the Shade of the Qur’an” commentary on the chapter Al-Anaam, Surah 6 in the Qur’an.

He wrote something in the intro that struck me and I’ve been contemplating about it for a while now.

He said that at the time of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, different Arab lands were ruled by tyranny by other non-Arabs (the Byzantines and so on.) and that if he pushed his movement as one of Arab nationalism to remove the tyranny of the others, he could have been immediately extremely successful!  He could have had all of Arabia to have “got his back” so to speak.  But he didn’t do that, because Islam is not a religion based on nationalism.  If Arabs ruled, they could still be tyrannical, and tyranny is tyranny no matter what color or shape it has, and it is always wrong.

He could have also propelled Islam as a social movement – primarily caring for the sick, the poor, and the orphans and catering to serve their needs to help society from that angle.  However, he chose not to, because doing just that would not be enough.  It is not enough to try to help people with their worldly needs, without helping to turn them to God.

He chose to spread the words “La Ilaha Illa Allah”, that There is no God but God.  The reason for that was that these words force out the arrogance in people and allow them to humble themselves to God.

What does this mean?

It means that if anyone were to end up eventually in a leadership position, it would immediately mean that this person must humble himself to God.  If there is no God but God Himself, then that leader cannot imagine himself as Lord.  This removes tyranny from leadership.  There is no point in striving for leadership without changing this within people’s hearts.

In social works, if a person proclaims “There is no God but God” then the person carrying out the social works will have no arrogance on the people getting the charity.  He or she will do it out of reverence to God and in fulfilling God’s command.  The person receiving the charity will proclaim that “There is no God but God” and will plead to God to help him or her, and thank God when he or she gets sustenance.

The key to success is to proclaim There is no God but God, by doing so, you are saying that you are not the Lord over anybody, rather it is only God who is Lord.  We have to humble ourselves and by doing so, we will have a good relationship with each other and, God willing, peace on earth.

Sayyid Qutb said it in a much better way, and you can read his chapter, but I wanted to express it in the way that makes sense to me.  Maybe when I open his book again I can write it more clearly

I was just thinking about this concept with respect to our efforts living here.  Does it help if we just help with charitable causes?  What’s the best way to do it, when people are not as receptive to listening to our message?

One more day of fasting, here we come….

Dunia

Canned Food Drive

Hi all,

Saturday our local mosque (Islamic Center of Inland Empire) held a canned food drive for Inland Valley Hope Partners.  Hope Partners has 4 food pantries in the area and they distribute food to over 5,000 people every month.  I am planning to join them in their work on a regular basis and this was the first step!

We collected food in front of Ralph’s, a local supermarket chain, and asked individuals to buy from a list of canned foods to give to the hungry.  Some people were standoffish, but most people were very receptive.  All in all, we collected about ten full carts of food.  One man bought 4 bags and one family bought 16 items.

It was so hot that day…over 100 degrees…and while fasting was hard.  But imagining all the homeless people living under that sun, with no food or drink, and it will snap you back into reality real quick.

I got two “God Bless you sista!”’s which was nice.  One person said, “Hey there are Arabs here??”  LOL…was not sure what to make of that…

Dunia

My first visit to the Senator’s office

Salaam all,

So I am back after a long spiritual vacation (ha. ha. im so spiritual now…um not.)  Anyway, I’ve been busy with a few things.  Last week I visited our senator’s office with a group of people from AMHP (American Muslim Health Professionals) to discuss healthcare issues with one of Senator Boxer’s field representatives.  I went along for the ride to really gain from the experience personally, as I really don’t have a strong handle on all that is going on with health care reform.

I found that:

1) It is SO easy to talk to these people, and they are bombarded with random people contacting them all the time to talk about all kinds of issues. They expect it.  I admit, I never called a senator’s or governor’s office for ANYTHING before, even when asked by muslim orgs…I was shy.  Never knew what to say or how to say it…

2) To make an impact, you need numbers.  To get numbers, all you need is to have people make a quick 2 second (literally… seconds) phone call or write up a quick note.  You say, “Hi, I am so-and-so and I support a public option in health care”.  Then the interns at the phone say, “Public option? Okay!” and they take down a tally of different opinions and give the Senator statistics every day.  At the end of the day it is mostly about statistics.

3) Sometimes the official in office does not go with the majority opinion if they feel it is truly wrong.  For example, if for one particular day there are Mexican-Americans displayed protesting something on TV, the Senator may get a bajillion calls that day from white people saying they ‘hate those darned immigrants’ and protesting immigration…but it doesn’t mean the senator will go with their opinion because it may not be truly justified.

4) I learned Senator Feinstein has more clout than Senator Boxer   So if you can convince the former you’ll make much more of an impact.

5) I felt that visiting does make more of an impact – even if not on the senator – on the field representative him or herself.  He or she may say, hey, I got a group of Muslims today in my office…can you believe it? MUSLIMS that care about an issue that is not just about civil rights for themselves! 

Dunia

Invisible Immigrants, Old and Left With ‘Nobody to Talk To’

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/us/31elder.html?em

Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Indian men, members of the 100 Years Living Club, gathering at a shopping center plaza in Fremont, Calif., to discuss the news from home and the issues of the day.

Health care reform

Dear all,

Here are some notes on the latest lecture from www.leadingthechange.net on Health care reform.

–

The current health care system cannot be sustained. It is too expensive and is broken.

Basis for Islamic Civic Engagement

-         Al-Shahada (witnessing) – we are witnesses to our religion by being engaged.  It is a concept that leads to faithful engagement.

-         The “Khilafa” concept – it is a responsibility from Allah

-         A Prophetic call for justice, reform and renewal of our societies

-         Based on Islamic Universal Values:  civic conscience, promotion of justice & goodness

-         Humility & Cooperation – getting to know someone and embracing these people as extensions of yourself.

General Principles

-         Health care reform is part of our Islamic traditions and our history

-         Basic Islamic principle: Preservation of mental and physical health: both individual and collective (government)

-         Access to health care is a fundamental right of all citizens

-         Deliver to citizens whether they demand it or not

-         The access is not solely based on budgetary issues, rather on the right given by Allah

-         When the cost is prohibitive, it becomes a societal responsibility

-         Islam stresses the need of seeking treatment of every disease.  The Prophet says, “For every disease, God created a cure.”

Role of Government

The Prophet (May Peace be upon him) said: Beware, every one of you is a shepherd and every one is answerable with regard to his flock.  The Caliph (leader) is a shepherd over the people and shall be questioned about his subjects (as to how he conducted their affairs).

Historical Perspectives: Health care in Islamic history

-         had health care access to all

-         Hospitals in Islamic civilization and history are so well documented

-         From mobile clinics to non-urban areas

-         They were serving all people irrespective of color, religion or background.  They were run by government rather than Mosques – in cities such as Baghdad, Mecca, Damascus.  Mecca is interesting because it has to deal with the people of Hajj.

-         Separate wards: Patients of different sexes occupied different wards.  So did those with different diseases.

-         Only qualified physicians were allowed by law to practice medicine

-         The hospital was also a place for educating medical students, interchanging medical knowledge and developing medicine as a whole.

-         Proper records of patients:  For the first time in history these hospitals kept records of patients and their medical care

-         Science & profession of pharmacy developed to an outstanding degree.

-         Islamic hospitals were models for medieval hospitals built later in Europe.  They were rather medical schools to which those seeking advanced knowledge, from the East and West, attended.

-         Healthcare access is a God-given right to all people.

Health care reform: How to get involved

What is needed from the Muslim community?

Contact your elected officials – members of congress and senators.  Tell them you support health care reform.  Write letters or make phone calls.  For every one call they get supporting reform, they get 10 calls against it.  There is really a strong push against it.

There are ways to get involved organizationally.  Through Health care for America Now (healthcareforamericanow.org).  Can get involved by signing up for their updates.

Can get involved as an individual by telling your story.

Replace your weekly halaqas by an open forum talking about health care reform.  You can talk to him to get someone to come and talk to you about health care reform.