CAIR versus Abercrombie and Fitch (A&F):

From Breitbart(hat tip to Michelle Malkin):

The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) announced today that it has filed an EEOC complaint on behalf of a Muslim woman who was allegedly denied employment at an Abercrombie Kids store in that state because of the applicant's religiously-mandated headscarf, or hijab.

The woman told CAIR-OK that a district manager claimed he could not hire her because her Islamic headscarf "does not fit the Abercrombie image."

Full Story Here.

If you think this was just an innocent Muslim girl trying to get a job....then I have some land in Afghanistan to sell you.  I am no fan of A&F, but I think they have the right to hire for the needs of the business.  But this isn't really about that anyway...this is about CAIR pushing the Sharia agenda on America!

Want to know a little about one of the co-founders of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations)?  According to the website Anti-CAIR, this is what Omar Ahmad, the Co-Founder said:

"Those who stay in America should be open to society without melting, keeping Mosques open so anyone can come and learn about Islam. If you choose to live here, you have a responsibility to deliver the message of Islam ... Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faiths, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth."

Look at me with a straight face and tell me that CAIR doesn't have an agenda?....It is interesting that most of these types of stories don't make the news, but they are happening in the heartland of America.....

We can't let our guard down with these radical, Western-hating, dangerous nutcases.

Tyson says No Labor Day Holiday:

Workers at Tyson Foods' poultry processing plant in Shelbyville will no longer have a paid day off on Labor Day, but will instead take the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in the fall.

A recent press release from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) stated that a new contract at the Shelbyville facility "implements a new holiday to accommodate the ... Muslim workers at the plant."

The RWDSU stated that "the five-year contract creates an additional paid holiday, Iidal Fitil, a Muslim holiday that occurs toward the end of Ramadan."

Eid al-Fitr falls on Oct. 1 this year.

Full story here.

Debbie Schlussel is keyed in on this story.  (If you haven't read a lot of her blog, do so...she has one-of-a-kind information on the issues of Dhimmitude, Sharia-creep, and Islamic actions in America.)

But the holiday is not the only troubling picture at Tyson.....from Schlussel's blog:

The union also claimed that in addition to the observance of the Muslim holiday, "two prayer rooms have been created to allow Muslim workers to pray twice a day and return to work without leaving the plant."

Mickelson said that Shelbyville's Tyson plant "does have a prayer room to accommodate the needs of Muslim Team Members."

"In addition to regular, non-paid breaks, all Team Members are allotted a seven-minute paid break," the Tyson spokesman said. "Some Team Members choose to pray during this time."

Just let that image sink into your brain...this is happening in America, in the South, no less! 

This troubles me on many levels.  Just the sheer thought that one of the biggest companies in America has slipped into such a Dhimmi status that the Islamic religion trumps all others.....I wonder if they plan to provide Bibles for Christians to read for 15 minutes a day while being paid or maybe rosary beads for every Catholic....

I mean when did Tennesse gain such a large Muslim population? and why?  They've had a large Christian population for 200 years....why the special accomodations for religion now?

Schlussel said it best:

It's ironic: a union giving up a paid national holiday tribute to labor and replacing it with a holiday honoring the most repressive and regressive religion on contemporary earth.

The United Dhimmi States of America. Tyson Foods is just a drop in the bucket compared to what we're gonna see.

My first question; is islamophobia, and anti-Muslim and anti-Islam hate speech synonymous with each other? Or are they two separate things, or three separate things? Because the people who make the anti-Muslim hate speech don’t sound like they are afraid of Islam or Muslims. Some of them even sound ready to fight. So I imagine they’re not islamophobes; just anti-Muslim and anti-Islam spokespeople. By the way, can we make up a nifty sounding name for the anti Muslim an anti Islam spokespeople? We are after all are Muslims, and Muslims don’t discriminate. We should be fair to the people that we’re doing this jihad against, and give them all trendy sounding nicknames. Maybe for the Islam and Muslim hate spokes-people, we could call them; ‘deen haters’, or something like that. Somebody please pass this suggestion.

I’m still confused about the meaning of the two terms; anti Islam hate speech, and anti Muslim hate speech. Are they synonymous? Because as far as Islam goes; ya gotta love it! But as far as anti Muslim hate speech, we have a lot of Muslims that do that against each other. Sometimes they do more than speech; Muslims have been known to bomb a market place, with innocent woman and children in it, or launch a grenade into a masjid upon unsuspecting worshippers. Is that hate speech, or is that just plain murder. So I guess my question is, since it seems that anti-Islamic hate speech is different from anti-Muslim hate speech, do we want to stop all types of anti Muslim hate speech, whether it’s Muslim against Muslim, or non Muslim against Muslim? Should we focus on anti Muslim hate speech that comes from non Muslims first? Or focus on the anti Muslim hate speech that comes from a Muslim? And just what do we mean by anti Muslim? Does that mean that if you say anything against a Muslim that sounds hateful, regardless of the reason that you said it? You’re guilty of anti Islamic hate speech?

Does someone who has a good reason to speak out against something a Muslim does, or is doing, fall in the category as an anti Muslim hate spokesman? Or is such a case an exception? By the way, is there an anti Islam/ anti Muslim hate speech manual? If it is, can somebody e-mail me one so I can catch up on the jargon of this jihad?

I was wondering something else; if the campaign to stop anti Muslim hate speakers from hate speech is successful, then how will we know who hates Islam and Muslims, and who doesn’t? This could become a big problem down the road, because if we stop the hate speech maker from making hate speech against Islam and Muslims, then all that hate is going to build up and express itself some other way. Americans do something called venting their anger. We express ourselves freely to get things off of our chest. After that, were okay, and everything’s back to normal. We’ve been trying as a nation to move away from hating too much, because you never know when you may need to work with that person, or live next to the person. So we try to let people say whatever they want to say, and if they want to keep on saying hateful things, even if it’s about Islam and Muslims, we just let them. Sometimes people need to say things to keep from doing things. If we stop people free people from expressing themselves, I don’t think people are going to take too kindly to that, and there is a very good chance it could backfire.

I was born and raised as a Muslim in America. There were many people who used to say hateful things about Islam and Muslims. We were the only Muslim family in our neighborhood in Philadelphia, in a section called Germantown. I remember a Muslim woman in Philly who hosted a radio talk show, I’m not going to mention her name but I hope she somehow reads this post. She invited me through a third party to be a guest on her show during the month of Ramadan. When I arrived at the station, we recognized each other as we both attended the same junior high school 12 or 13 years prior. The first thing she did when she recognized me was to apologize for making fun of me and my religion when we were teenagers in junior high. She said: “all the time that we used to laugh at you and think you were crazy with your prayers and your strange faith, you were following the truth, and I was in darkness”.

The Prophet had a neighbor who used to not only subject him to anti Muslim and anti Islamic hate speech on a daily basis; she used to throw excrement on him. The Prophet made no attempt at all to silence her anti Muslim and anti Islam speech. One day he noticed that she was not outside of her house cursing him. He inquired about her and was told that she was ill. Being that she was his neighbor, the Prophet visited her, asked about her health and that mention that he missed seeing her outside. His kindness (SAWS) affected her and Allah guided her to Islam. I guess that’s why the Prophet never bothered to wage war against anti Islamic, anti Muslim hate speech. It seems that there is no guidance in it.

I do have another question. Whose idea was this? Or what is the name of the consulting firm who came up with this ridiculous plan? Because I believe we should get a refund. I want to file a complaint. Who’s in charge of this campaign? I mean who’s the boss, the head honcho, the leader of the pack, the chairman of the board, the imam, or the Amir? Whatever his title is, American Muslims have the right to know who is leading the islamophobia campaign. Since CAIR is collecting the money for it, then CAIR needs to answer some questions. Because I am having trouble understanding how they are promoting civil rights, by trying to curtail peoples constitutional right, not to like Muslims. Notwithstanding, people are given the freedom by God to say what they want, and if they want to speak against Islam and against Muslims, who cares? That’s why we have a Lord to handle hate speech. “Let not their words grieve you; surely we know what they say in secret and in what they say openly”. 36:76 Even if somebody were able to silence all the public hate speech, it will still continue in private.

Another question; can someone tell me how do you know whether or not a person is an islamophobe? Because if people are afraid of you, they don’t usually say anything about it; they just bide their time, until they can do something about it. I’m just trying make sense of the strategy to make people not afraid of Islam and of Muslims, because if I is successful, we won’t have any way of knowing who is afraid of Islam and Muslims, and who is not? Unless we get a secret weapon to look inside hearts to find out who is afraid of the Muslim and of Islam. I haven’t looked that the polls lately but I didn’t see the one that said how many Americans are afraid of Muslims.

As a Muslim, I’m not afraid of Muslims. However, I’m afraid what the bogus, self serving; incompetent immigrant Muslim leadership would do, if we let them have some power in America. I hate the way immigrant Muslim leaders are attempting to take control of the direction of Islam in America without having the slightest idea of what they’re doing, and not even bothering to ask the Muslims who were here first, is this the right way to go about things.

I have another question, because if stopping most important thing that Muslims in America need to be concerned with, does it come before or after zakat and hajj? I mean is it fighting hate speech, give charity to the poor, and then make hajj? Or is it give charity, make hajj and then fight hate speech? Which is first? The economy is getting worse and people need to know how to budget their hate speech money. I'm just fascinated with this hate speech thing. In fact the whole islamophobia phenomena amazes me? It and actually frightens me how so many of us is going for this. But then I started thinking; maybe I'm just not getting it, and why I'm asking so many questions. If someone can help me out here, I will be very grateful.

In the meantime, how about stopping hunger, eviction, and power shutoffs? I’m the Imam of a community in Sacramento California that has poor people. So Instead of wasting money fighting Islamophobia, how about sending it to Masjid Ibrahim Islamic Center? We can make better use of it in ways that are truly legislated in our religion. What an idea!

Imam Luqman Ahmad

Masjid Ibrhim Islamic Center

3449 Rio Linda Blvd.

Sacramento, Ca 95838

www.masjidibrahim.com

abulaith.wordpress.com

]]> http://zacca.wordpress.com/?p=66 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:04:25 +0000 zacca http://zacca.wordpress.com/?p=66 To The Editors of the New Yorker:

It would be easy to critique a satirical cover, if there was one. One of the ingredients of true satire is it is to get you to believe the opposite in an irreverent way. Your cover failed. While it is understandable in this salacious newsentertainment industry to sell magazines, it is entirely possible to do so without racism.

Portraying Michelle Obama as a militant with an assault weapon and Obama as a Muslim, instead of a Christian, while a picture of the most wanted man in the world, bin Laden, is over a fireplace with a flag burning in it is at best predictable. But not from the New Yorker.

Until now.

Like so many before you, you have fallen to the depths of Vogue and others. Racism can be subliminal. This wasn't. The flagrant disrespect and regard for a Presidential candidate, the first African American one, is unconscionable. This new post racial phenomena, has not moved past racist dialogue but reintroduced it . By pretending it is only a few, you and others have in effect caused a wound to fester.

The most objectionable part of all, is the implicit notion that being a Muslim in this country is tantamount to evil, negative, un-American, and should somehow become satire. The vilification of any group by another is the quintessential hallmark of the "good old boy" America we know and love.

This election proves each day how "exciting " the process of selecting the leader of the "free" world can be.

Not for one minute do thinking people believe this was a mere bad call , or that the timing was happenstance. Not everyone will understand that even if you did mean it as satire , which it clearly isn't, you in effect are saying it would be off-putting, wrong, anti-American to be Muslim, if he were one. Somehow in all of this, the hate and fear that permeated the last Administration has seeped into the collective mindset of the masses and the MSM.

When a respectable (past tense) publication publishes racist propaganda under the guise of satire, it smacks of business as usual in America. It is abundantly clear that those on the left and right are having a very hard time coming to terms with an African American as a potential candidate. Also obvious is a woman who is not a simpering apologetic white gloved Barbie doll can be transformed into a stereotypical militant Patty Hearst cum Black Panther caricature. A future First Lady. You accomplished what you set out to do, those few Americans who choose to believe the lies you claim to debunk by this cover, are satiated. You have in effect, rubber stamped their prejudices and fears whether you admit it or not.

Congratulations to the editors of the New Yorker, you have joined the ranks of the fear mongers. Sales should do well, on the backs of those who are in the minority. You have also lost the respect of many who supported your, up until now, highly regarded "magazine".

Wake up, Denver Jews. Do NOT vote for Rima Barakat-Sinclair unless you can live with the sin of stabbing your Jewish brethren in their backs. Excerpted from Israel-Hating Republican:

Forty-eight-year-old Rima Barakat-Sinclair has been a resident of Denver since 1987. Never having held political office before, she is currently running as a Republican for a State House seat in Colorado’s Sixth District, which is heavily Democratic and features the largest per capita Jewish population in the state. With the self-identified aim of working “for better understanding among peoples of different backgrounds,” Barakat-Sinclair has participated in numerous “interfaith dialogues” to promote “more tolerance” and create “a stronger united America.” She pledges undying allegiance to such ideals as “upholding the Constitution,” defending “individual freedom,” promoting “small government,” enacting “prudent tax and spending policies,” “investing in our children,” guaranteeing “freedom of religion,” and recognizing “the sanctity of human life.”

Oh, and by the way, she is a Muslim activist who considers Israel to be a nation of bloodthirsty monsters who indiscriminately murder innocent Palestinian women and children for no reason other than to satisfy their own beastly compulsions.

While working as a contract translator for CNN in 2003, Mrs. Barakat-Sinclair was part of an interfaith delegation of Christians and Muslims who paid a friendly visit to Yasser Arafat at his Ramallah headquarters, where, since December 2001, Israeli troops had been keeping him under virtual house arrest in an effort to derail his terrorist activities. Favorably impressed by the most prolific Jew-killer since Adolf Hitler, Barakat-Sinclair would later reflect: “I know the accusations about him [Arafat] supporting terror, but he was so confined and surrounded that to me it seemed more like visiting a tourist attraction than visiting a head of state. It was very, very weird.” Arafat’s main message to his visitors, she expanded, was that he felt “robbed of his legacy” because “the peace process had not gone forward.” Added the star-struck woman, “He [Arafat] flirted [with me] a bit, in a very nice way, you know, saying, ‘I like your hair, your long braids.’”

Barakat-Sinclair was a key participant in an October 2005 conference sponsored by Sabeel, a Jerusalem-based organization that supports a “one-state solution” to the Arab-Israeli conflict, where Israel would continue to exist, but not as a Jewish state. Barakat-Sinclair led a workshop on the topic of the so-called “Right of Return” of those Palestinian refugees who (for the most part) voluntarily had left the region during the 1948 Arab invasion of Israel. At that time, the refugees sought out safe haven during what they anticipated would be a brief war that the Arab allies undoubtedly would win, and they fully expected to return to their homes within a few weeks -- once the fighting had stopped and the Jews had been crushed. Instead, the Arab armies were defeated. Barakat-Sinclair now calls for the re-admittance not only of the relatively few surviving people who were among those 725,000 original refugees, but also for the admittance of several millions of their descendants, a move that would transform Israel overnight into an Arab-majority state dominated by Muslims sympathetic to the aims of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

In a July 2006 interview with CBS television, Barakat-Sinclair stood truth on its head when she condemned Israel’s “imprisonment of five million Palestinians” who, for their part, were “trying to resolve this conflict peacefully.” Israel had responded to those peace efforts, she said, by engaging in “more and more land-grabbing,” by erecting a wall “literally imprisoning hundreds of thousands of people,” and by incarcerating more than “ten thousand prisoners,” including women and children, “for no reason.” “Israeli soldiers now are known to be just bombing and killing babies,” she added for good measure. (Click here for video of this interview.)

Four months later, Barakat-Sinclair charged that a “depraved” Israel routinely carried out “massacres” by means of “the regular use of disproportionate firepower against a trapped population in Gaza” -- thereby demonstrating “the level of contempt with which the Israel government views Palestinian lives.” She told tales of sadistic Israeli soldiers beating handicapped people, gunning down women and babies, opening fire on crowds of beachgoers, breaking into homes at night and murdering entire families in their beds, and riddling children with bullets while the youngsters were merely harvesting strawberries. Likening Israel’s “mass slaughter” of Palestinians to the horrors that existed under “slavery, [South African] apartheid and Nazi concentration camps,” Barakat-Sinclair said that Israel “has turned back the clock to the time of the barbarians” by engaging in “the systematic indiscriminate murder of civilians and the illegal collective imprisonment of a whole nation.”

“As Americans we must understand that the world sees the United States as a collaborator in this endless carnage,” says Barakat-Sinclair. “The F-16s that drop Israeli death decrees upon the Palestinians were ‘Made in the USA.’ We finance and enable the perpetrators to commit these crimes with impunity and in violation of our own laws.”

Just as Barakat-Sinclair places no limits on the lies she is willing to tell about Israel, so is she prepared to go to any lengths to avoid criticizing Islamic terrorists. Indeed she has claimed on the air that the Hamas Charter does not in any way call for Israel’s destruction. Yet that document decrees plainly, “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” The Charter further contains numerous calls for violent jihad to counter “the Jews’ usurpation of Palestine.”

Barakat-Sinclair also has defended Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi against his critics, calling him “a renowned Muslim scholar.” A disciple of the Muslim Brotherhood -- which Islam expert Robert Spencer describes as “the parent organization of Hamas and al-Qaeda” -- Qaradawi is a supporter of Palestinian terrorism who has been barred from entering the United States since 1999.

Barakat-Sinclair is a member of the Steering Committee of Muslims Intent on Learning and Action (MILA), an organization that seeks to increase Muslims’ involvement in the American political process. Her own current candidacy is a reflection of that mission.

To pass herself off as a conservative Republican, Barakat-Sinclair has had to resort to considerable deception. For instance, she falsely represented herself at the District Assembly as a pro-life opponent of abortion. Her duplicity on this issue eventually would come to light, however, when a researcher tracked down a quote where Barakat-Sinclair had told the Rocky Mountain News on August 14, 2004: “I would like to have a president who is pro-choice.”

Barakat-Sinclair’s opponent in the upcoming Republican primary (slated for August 12th) will be Joshua Sharf, a contract web developer whose professional career also has included work as a talk radio host, a financial analyst, and a defense and intelligence consultant for such projects as satellite systems and missile defense. In 2004 and 2005, Sharf served as an election judge, and in 2006 he was a delegate to the Colorado Republican state assembly. A blogger at his own View From a Height website and at Brent Bozell’s Newsbusters, Sharf is running as a traditional conservative Republican, and not, despite the overwhelmingly Democratic makeup of the district, as an identity candidate.

Sharf has accurately characterized Barakat-Sinclair as “a terror apologist, and an avowed enemy of Israel, with no credible conservative credentials.” “When engaged in anti-Israel propaganda,” Sharf observes, she usually goes by [the name] Rima Barakat. When engaged in broader political work, she goes by Rima Sinclair.…”

Taking a page directly out of the leftist playbook, Barakat-Sinclair has cast herself as a victim, dismissing Sharf’s criticisms of her affinity for Islamic extremism as evidence of her opponent’s Islamophobic bigotry. Complaining that “these attacks on me have intense emotions of hate and militancy behind them,” she laments that her detractors “hate my religion, my very being.”

In an effort to gain favorable press coverage for her political campaign, Barakat-Sinclair has turned to the Washington Report for Middle East Affairs, a project of the Council for the National Interest (CNI). CNI’s stated mission is “to restore a political environment in America in which voters and their elected officials are free from the undue influence and pressure of a foreign country, namely Israel.” Specifically, the organization calls for: “total withdrawal of Israel from all occupied territory”; “an end to all acts of aggression, provocation, and retaliation by Israel”; “American recognition of a totally independent state of Palestine”; and “an elimination of all unaudited U.S. aid to Israel.” In short, CNI is no friend of Israel.Barakat-Sinclair’s case is vitally important because it offers a vivid illustration of how a Muslim radical can effectively wage bloodless jihad against the West by infiltrating the government and gaining a platform from which to infect the entire body politic. Her strategy is wholly consistent with the plans that were laid out in a secret 1991 Muslim Brotherhood memorandum on “the General Strategic Goal…in North America.” Explaining that the Brotherhood’s mission was to establish “an effective and...stable Islamic Movement” on the continent, this document outlines a “Civilization-Jihadist Process” for achieving that objective. It states that Muslims “must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands...so that...God’s religion [Islam] is made victorious over all other religions.’”

Rima Barakat-Sinclair is the living embodiment of that strategy. Those who oppose this strategy must place their principles above party identification.

Even Americans knowledgeable about Europe's growing accommodation to the totalitarian ideology known alternatively as Islamism, jihadism or Islamofascism tend smugly to believe the same thing can't happen here. Think again.

As stupid as the efforts to convince us Europe is being taken over by Muslims are, there are in fact substantial number of Muslims in Europe. By contrast Muslims are a really small minority group in America. In fact they're not even the majority of recent immigrants. I mean it's one thing to take the Samuel Huntington route and get all bent out of shape about Mexican immigration into America. There in fact tons of Mexicans and a handful of national politicians of Mexican decent. I mean they had the 4th most viable Democratic Presidential candidate!

Of course I doubt the authors of this piece really expect liberals, moderates, and even conservatives with half a brain cell or no pre-existing bias against Muslims to believe there is some sort threat to America from Muslim culture. Rather this article is aimed at convincing the masses of anti-Muslim bigots to actively join the crusade against a small handful of Muslim-American organizations, such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), who have committed such offenses as conducting sensitivity training for the FBI. Surely the FBI has no ability to investigate if an organization like CAIR has terrorist ties or not, and needs a Washington Times columnist to clear things up for them.

What if I'm wrong and law abiding Muslims, despite their small numbers and the whole law abiding thing, are really a threat to me and my beloved country? I'm not really worried because we'll still be able to hire cheap Mexican day laborers to aid us in the struggle.

Props to Sabbah.biz

(Washington, DC - 3/26/08) -- In a meeting today with Department of Justice officials, civil rights advocates and community-based organizations called on federal prosecutors to honor their plea agreement with a former Univ. of Florida professor acquitted on terrorism-related charges in 2005. Dr. Sami Al-Arian agreed to a 2006 plea agreement with federal prosecutors on the condition that he not be required to testify against others and that he be released for deportation after the end of his current sentence.

SEE: Contact Department of Justice to Honor Plea Agreement for Dr. Sami
Al-Arian
(http://e2ma.net/go/1000695473/894544/32712693/goto:http://www.mpac.org/article.php?id=628)

Leaders from the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the American Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee, Muslim Advocates and AltMuslim presented a
joint letter to Department of Justice (DOJ) officials during the meeting
which states, in part:

"After serving five years of detention in a federal penitentiary, much
of it in solitary confinement, and being acquitted of all major
charges, no public interest is served by continuing to detain Dr. Al-Arian.
Indeed, the public interest is best served when our government follows
through on its commitments, preserves its integrity, and upholds the
legitimacy of our criminal justice system.

"We thus call on the U.S. Department of Justice to honor the terms of
the plea agreement and immediately release Dr. Al-Arian for deportation
on April 7, 2008 -- the day he is currently scheduled to have served
his sentence."

Despite the plea agreement, the Justice Department subpoenaed Dr.
Al-Arian to testify before another grand jury in 2008. Advocates are
demanding that the Justice Department uphold their promise and not to seek to
compel Dr. Al-Arian to testify against
others.

"The public interest is best served when our government follows through
on its commitments, preserves its integrity, and upholds the
legitimacy of our criminal justice system," said Executive Director Salam
Al-Marayati.

Dr. Al-Arian, a former Florida university professor, was arrested in
2003 on charges of funding terrorism. In December of 2005, a jury
acquitted Dr. Al-Arian of 8 of the 17 charges brought against him and was hung
on the remaining charges. In April of 2006, Dr. Al-Arian pleaded
guilty to a single non-terrorism related count of conspiracy and agreed to
be deported.

Despite the U.S. government's representation that Dr. Al-Arian would
not be compelled to testify against others, Dr. Al-Arian was subpoenaed
and jailed for refusing to testify against others. Even after a civil
contempt charge was lifted in 2007, the Justice Department again
subpoenaed Dr. Al-Arian to testify before another grand jury in 2008. Dr.
Al-Arian has rejected this latest demand to testify and is protesting the
contravention by means of a hunger strike. As a result of the strike,
Dr. Al-Arian was recently transferred from his Virginia prison to a
medical facility in North Carolina. He has lost nearly 30 pounds and is
extremely ill due to severe dehydration.

Founded in 1988, the Muslim Public Affairs Council is an American
institution which informs and shapes public opinion and policy by serving as
a trusted resource to decision makers in government, media and policy
institutions. MPAC is also committed to developing leaders with the
purpose of enhancing the political and civic participation of Muslim
Americans.

[CONTACT: Edina Lekovic, 213-383-3443, communications@mpac.org]

___________________________________

For Further Info on Sami Al-arian Case

Who is Sami Al-arian ?

See Also

Free Sami Al-arian

A Federal Witchhunt
Persecution of Sami Al Arian

Not Guilty, But Jailed for Five Years: Al-Arian's Third Hunger Strike Under Way

Dr. Al-Arian’s Third Strike

The Torture of Sami Al Arian

A Judicial Crime in Tampa
Sami al-Arian's Final Persecution

Islamic Spain had masjids a hundred times more beautiful than ours, however when the flames of religious sectarianism raged, then the masjids and madrasahs became deserted. Regrettably the Muslims did not invite the native non-Muslims of Spain to see the Truth of Islam, to warn them of the dangers of disbelief, with the result that religious violence subsequently consumed.

We are still earning our place in this country. We must leave an imprint on the host community of our usefulness. We must continue to demonstrate our existence here is beneficial. We must impart to them the lessons of humanity. We should demonstrate how noble and principled we are, and that there cannot be found more upright humans elsewhere besides you. We are to continue our struggle to establish our worth for Allah, Prophet Muhammed (SAW), and ourselves.

Remember we are guests here. We should attain mastery of Arabic and our national language and become proficient so that we can effectively propagate Al Islam. We must prepare writers and orators who can communicate effectively. While we distance ourselves from their religion, do not distance yourself from them.

African American Muslims, we must present a new pattern of life in this country beyond material gain. When we can 1) show our fellow citizens that we are worshippers of Allah and not wealth, 2) we do not bow before power but only before virtue, 3) we are compassionate humans concerned about our children AND the path of destruction non-believers have chosen for their children, we will then earn their respect.

Please strengthen your position in this country and earn your recognition. Display such noble character that you enslave the natives, then see how these people will stand to defend you.

May Almighty Allah grant us the ability to understand what is right; may He bless and protect us. Ameen.

(Based on the 1982 speech of Maulana Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi)

In December 2007, over 2,000 American Muslims were asked what they would wish to say to the rest of the world.

The video shows what what they had to say, to the sound of "A Land Called Paradise" by Kareem Salama.

A young Muslim boy chews on salad with difficulty: "Broccoli is my personal jihad" is his message.

"Would you be scared if I move to your city?" says a card held by a young bearded Muslim.

A black brother holds the placard "My forefathers were Muslim slaves." He throws away chains held in his hands.

A veiled sister holding shopping bags shares her secret with "I, too, shop at Victoria's Secret."

"I wear the head scarf even though my parents don't want me to." says another Muhajabah (veiled lady).

An interesting idea from a sister holding a dollar bill is "I write inspirational messages on dollar bills... in the hopes of helping someone."

Muslim Idea brought to our notice by
Sister Haleh Banani

Video Credits 
Producer & Director: Lena Khan
Associate Producers: Murad Aldin Amayreh, Fahmi F. Farahat
DOP: Murad Amayreh
Assistant Director: Rania Sultan
Camera Operator: Nader Nuru
Editor: Fahmi F. Farahat
Costume & Makeup: Mohammad Mertaban, Ferdaus Serhal
Production Design: Kellie Huynh
Grip: Abdullah Shamari, Victor Gonzalez
Production Assistants: Yazeed Ibrahim, Tim Lie, Albert Tampi
Special Thanks: Authman Apatira, Shireen Hakim, Jeremy Ellis, Gaith Adhami, Sood Saeed, Mustafa Eshanzada, Amir Shaibi, Frozan Matin, Amir Ali, Adam, Elsayed, Laila Amayreh, Gadeer Milbes, Gaby Laporto, Roohe Ahmed, Sara Hussain, Sonya Servin, Amrin Vazifdar, Rizwan Vazifdar, Ameer Ellaboudy, Fadia Moemen, Hisham Mahmoud, Nadia Aibani, Beenish Hasan, Paula Easton, Alaa Ellaboudy, Dawud Williams, Mumtaz Khan, Shagufta Khan, Guleimbesat Khan, Daniel Khan, Seenara Khan, Adam Motiwala, Sukaena Mithani

Music courtesy: Kareem Salama

But a couple things struck me:

Firstly, the episode begins by drawing a parallel between the terror threats in Europe to similar incidents in the US. In Europe, these were hatched and committed by citizen Muslims - not just Muslim foreigners, but Muslims who were born, raised, and radicalized within the particular European state. The fear is that the "homegrown" phenomenon will take root among African-Americans who convert in US prisons. They were essentially asking "Is Islam in prison something we should worry about?!".

I find this a stretch for 2 reasons:

1) The US does not come with historical colonial baggage like the European nations such as the UK and France, for instance. While the record of US intervention in Mid Eastern states' policies is quite poor (especially since the US-backed coup in Iran in '53), the US was not a state with a history of crusader armies, was not an empire that clashed with various Islamic empires through history (Fatimids, Ottomans, Seljuks, etc), or did not violently subjugate through mandates and 'protectorates' since late 19th c. (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, etc.).

The US has created bad blood, I would say more, with Mid Eastern states and their citizens, while W. Europe has a deep history of bad blood with Islam in general.

2) Muslims have had a tougher time integrating into Western European societies. Though the reasons are manifold and complex, I'll discuss just one. Post-Enlightenment W. Europe consistently upholds its position as the secular beacon of Western civilization. Islam is so integrated with the identity of societies of Muslims (especially foreign communities that have set-up in some of these states) that this rigorous secularism can be an affront to their culture. So, for instance, if that particular Muslim is a French citizen, born and raised in Paris, it does not mean she won't want to wear the hijab. Look at this issue in France today with the hijab.

In contrast, while Islam is still very misunderstood in the US (especially after 9/11), Muslims and Middle Easterners, in general, have integrated into US society very well. They are some of the most successful communities here and represent a huge mosaic of ethnic, linguistic, social, economic, and ideological differences. Because the US is essentially not a 'nation-state', its immigrant makeup has a peculiar ability to integrate immigrants into society well. [Though I am NOT saying it's perfect and without racism, that's for sure.] They face many of the same obstacles that other minority groups have faced before and after them. But for instance, since 9/11, a suspicion about Muslims in the US has bogged down the community as a whole who now have been placed center-stage in defending Islam against the criminals who continue to blanket their violence in the mantle of Islam. But the key here is they also face all the opportunity that other minority groups have faced as well. A great non-partisan study was done on Muslim-American integration by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a non-partisan policy group.

Secondly, the producers based this question of "Is Islam in prison something we should worry about?!" on the US v. James case of cons who converted to Islam in prison and hatched a 'terror' plot to cause havoc on some US targets. When one of them got out of prison he recruited a couple other young Muslims and while they were robbing gas stations to finance the intended operation they were apprehended and the plots unraveled. Of course the US administration jumped on this to claim a victory in the 'War on Terror'. It is sure that their plans would have caused havoc and death, and thanks to a dropped cell phone they were apprehended quickly.

But while the ringleader, Kevin James, was using Islam as an ideological justifier and motivator for these crimes, this should not cause paranoia over the large black Muslim populations within the penal system. In fact, religion often offers a refuge and peaceful guidance to correct one's life and help them make an attempt at rehabilitation. Many people turn to religion to change and just because many black inmates are attracted to Islam is not something to be scared of.

Though, as one who thinks deeply about Islamic issues I completely agree, and I think so would most Muslims in America, with the DOJ's assessment that there should be some universal guidelines for penal Imams (and other religious leaders) who lead their flocks in prison. Islam obviously does have the potential to be misinterpreted violently without proper education and guidance, and because the system is dealing with already violent offenders of society their interpretations should be molded to the modern mainstream interpretations of the majority of today’s Muslims.

But this is not particular to Islam only. Unfortunately misunderstanding of Islam breeds fear and a 'knee-jerk' reaction to point the finger at the religion rather than the criminal. But unsupervised Islamic teaching has the potential to stir up outside violence and gang affiliation just as this is true with all prison gang ideology like those from Nuestro Familia, Black Guerillas , or the Aryan Brotherhood, for instance. Prisons in this country house millions of people who are angry with society, often exponentially increased while in prison. If left unsupervised, like any other 'identity', Muslims can form gangs. Whether they use Islam to make attempts at justifying their violence or not, they are simply gangs just like the others. But this is not an issue caused by Islam. Islam is just a perfect scapegoat in today's society. By blaming Islam we are focusing on religious ideology as the cause, rather than focusing on preventing the crime.

I guess my conclusion after watching this program is that although there is no evidence that Kevin James was indoctrinated by an extremist Imam, this does actually highlight the need for more transparent oversight of prison religious leaders. Some sort of standardized curriculum created by a group of respectable Imams perhaps. This will insure that Islam can never actually be a misinterpreted ideology to violent convicts within the US correctional facilities. But I think it goes further, demanding better connections between the prisons and the outside main-stream Muslim communities in order to direct the often newly converted Muslim down the 'straight path' to rehabilitation through spirituality.

Let's not restrain a useful tool in rehabilitation because our misunderstanding of Islam has devolved into fear.

Following is a Khutba I created and delivered in my Muslim Students Association (MSA) last December. Although very simple, sensational and occasionally repetitive, it remains true to the observations and isolation I felt in Tunisia.

The Conquest of the Maghreb
Within 50 years after the Prophet’s (PBUH) death, a Sahabi, by the name of Uqba Bin Naaf (or Nafi), led the Muslim armies into North Africa. They crossed Arabia, passed through Egypt, and stopped in modern-day Tunisia at a place called Kairouan.

At that time, Kairouan was uninhabited and there was only wilderness. Because of its strategic location, however, the Muslim armies decided to establish a military base there. But there was a problem: the Sera tells that the progress of the military camp was constantly impeded by the attacks and pillaging of wild beasts. So one night the Emir, Uqba bin Naaf, goes into the wilderness, and he proclaims to the wild that he is a Sahabi-- a companion of the Prophet (PBUH)--and that the army here is spreading the call of Islam. So he continues and says that because they are doing the work of Allah the wild beasts must leave. In the morning, the Muslim armies no longer have the problem with the wild animals anymore, Subhan Allah.

The Great Mosque of Kairouan is the oldest Masjid in all of North Africa. It was hamstrung by the Tunisian government who stripped away its endowment under the facade of "institutionalization."

Tunisia Today
Last summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to visit and work in Tunisia. So I visited Kairouan and to this day, its rich history still draws thousands of people daily. But there’s a shadow or (to better describe it) a cloud looming over Kairouan as every other place in Tunisia.

Ninety-eight percent of Tunisians are Muslims, but after Tunisia received independence, a secular government took power and their first mission was to minimize the influence of Islam in the government and in the country.

So the first thing the Tunisian government did to undermine Islam was they attacked the Masjids by institutionalizing them. When they “institutionalized” the Masjids, the government took full ownership of the Masjids, and in doing so, they stripped away the fundamental rights of the Mosques.

For example, the government now stripped away the major endowments of the great Mosques (which was in the millions), they got rid of the old Ulama by disintegrating the Zaytuna Islamic University, the most renowned center of Islamic learning in the Maghreb, and they stopped all Islamic education in the Masjids. The most upsetting rule, however, was that they closed the doors of the Masjids, literally.

And to this day the Masjids are always closed except during a short time period for each Salaat. In fact, you know how people like to pray with long Surahs and perform the Sunnah and Nafl in the Masjid, Alhamdullilah. You will, however, not have this luxury in Tunisia. People will shamelessly ask you to leave the Masjid after the fard.

Reflections
Imam Ghazzali, in his landmark series, the Ihya Uloom Uddin, recommends an understanding of your enemy. Essentially an enemy will have a critical eye on you, so from them, in a way, you get an advantage – you indirectly understand your strengths and weaknesses.

Attacking the Masjids
Let’s apply this to Tunisia. The Tunisian government’s strict regulations on the Masjids are in response to their fear of the Masjids. They realize the Masjids are the pillars for our Ummah. They realize the Masjid is the nucleus of the Muslim communities. So if you want to destroy Islam, you divide and conquer -- you separate the Muslim from the Masjid.

So, Brothers and Sisters, people who abhor Islam realize the strength of our Masjids, but as Muslim youth in America, many of us are not connected with our local mosques nor do we realize the importance of the Masjids in our communities. So, insh Allah, this Khutba is precisely on this – the Importance of our Mosques.

The Importance of our Masjids
So, first, why should be active and attend our local Masjids? We can pray in congregation in the privacy of our homes, right?

But the Prophet (PBUH) says in Sahih Muslim, “The most beloved places to Allah on earth are the Masjids, and the most hated places to Allah on earth are the markets” (Muslim).

So the best place in the entire world is your local Mosque. Your local mosque could be cold from a broken heater or the roof may leak, but it’s better than Paris, Milan, or London. So if you want to become closer to Allah, pray at your local Masjid and be active in it.

Secondly, Allah blessed our Ummah with many things, and one of the blessings are our Masjids. The Prophet (PBUH) says, “No gathering gathers in a house from the houses of Allah, reciting the book of Allah and teaching it to one another, except that serenity befalls them, mercy envelops them, the angels surround them and Allah mentions them to the inhabitants of the heavens.” (Muslim)

So our Masjids are the storage-houses for Allah’s blessings on us. This is a very deep statement, and we need to look at Islamic history to truly grasp the wisdom behind this hadith.

The Fruits of the Masjid
For example, most if not all of the greatest achievements and fruits of Islamic society stem directly from our Masjids.

Case in point: The greatest universities of the Muslim world when the world didn’t have universities—like Al Azhar (970 AD, Cairo) and Al Zaytuna (864 AD, Tunis)—were initially Masjids. So, think about this, if Al-Azhar initially started off as a tutorial firm or something in Cairo, would it have a legacy as it does today? It wouldn't because it wouldn't be bestowed with the baraka and the blessings of a Masjid, and Allah knows best. So, Alhamdullilah, the epicenter of learning in Islam started at the Masjids.

When you look at Islamic history, you also realize that the most successful Islamic states had government centered in or around the Masjid. In fact, in Muslim Spain or Al-Andalus, the Juderia or the Jewish Quarter, was right next to the Mosque of Cordoba. The Jews in Muslim Spain were very powerful and influential, and they wanted to be in the heart of the political sphere, which was the Great Mosque. In fact, to this day, it’s amusing actually to see the gigantic Mosque with a Jewish community next to it – like an oxymoron.

Lastly when you look at the great luminaries in Islamic history, like Imam Ghazzali or Ibn Khaldun or Ibn Sina, whose achievements are comparable to western luminaries like Leonard Da Vinci, you realize one common ground: All of their lives were shaped or intertwined with the Masjid.

Sectarianism
A little advice on sectarianism. As American Muslims we are blessed with diversity. However we often use this as a reason to refrain from praying at our local Masjids. It’s very common to hear people, including ourselves, complain that a mosque is too Salafi, a bit Sufi, or Tablighi.

My advice is the following: Imagine yourself in Tunisia, where all the Salafis are in jails, the Sufis are persecuted, and the Tablighs are banned. Then imagine yourself entering the Masjid, and you realize you're in a Mosque but there's no soul in the Masjid. It lacks any color, any flavor...analogous to a hallow tree: It's empty inside. Wa Allah, you’ll have tears overflowing from your eyes.

So, brothers and sisters, be content with this diversity and May Allah prevent the theft of our Masjids in this country, insh Allah. So ignore all your excuses and develop a relationship with your local mosque, insh Allah.

And Allah Knows Best

I sat down to eat my freshly cooked curry and noticed on the T.V. that Mark Wingett from the T.V. drama ‘The Bill’ and Helen Fraser from the prison drama ‘Bad Girls’ had no life lines left in the quiz show “Who wants to be a Millionaire? Cops and Robbers”[i] They were asked in the typical uneasy style of Chris Tarrant, “In which city is the Prophet Muhammad buried: is it, Damascus, Mecca, Baghdad, or Medina”. Both actors waited, partially convinced that it was Mecca, but not sure although Mark during his mumblings did a great service for “Islamic Dawah” as voiced in his statement “I know that the Prophet Muhammad ascended to the heavens from Jerusalem because his foot print has been preserved there and Mecca is a holy place for Muslims, but its too obvious”. Alas after the mumbling and cross referring to Helen they decided to stop at sixteen thousand pounds. 

“Now which of the blessings of your Lord do you deny”[ii] came to mind as I witnessed this epiphany in the words of Mark. Indeed only a night had passed since the night of The Ascension and already it had had the ears of most of England’s population, despite our attempts of spreading ‘Peace’ (Islam) with words of ‘war’, which is the popular theme of today’s Islamic discourse. I realised as I glanced at my curry, this is what the propagation attempts in England amounted to.

Indeed, if one analyses how the majority of Muslims arrived in Britain and Europe, it is clearly seen that it was not due to a great upsurge in the pursuit of knowledge or education, rather it was only to achieve a financial benefit, and once they had received this, it should have led them back to their homelands. So they accrued a monetary benefit, at a cost of leaving their children being born in a foreign land and thus culturally misplaced. This misplacement has been brought about by a desire for the parents, (who are torn between their original place of racial origin and Britain).Unwillingness to accommodate the host culture within the Muslim ethos. This has in turn been exacerbated by the differences in colour, language and religion. These problems have led to a greater longing of the immigrant parents to return to their ancestral land and as a result they have mentally been unable to leave it behind. Due to these reasons, Muslims living in Britain today have become disenfranchised with their own dimension of British culture which combines the precepts of Islam with British culture. Historical observation of Andalusia in Medieval Spain, shows, ironically, Muslims who were consciously European and who also cultivated that identity. Not doing the same here has left Britain with Muslims being labelled according to their countries of origin, ie;  Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis etc, and thus lacking relevance in society.

Can Muslims make Islam relevant? This might be the leading question. Firstly Muslims must generate a common linguistic bond with the host faith. Indeed, Muslims have “estranged the use of our vocabulary in terms of our definition of the, All Mighty, Allah”. Traditional commentators[iii] point out that the ninety-nine names of Allah were not intended to limit the divine names to a particular number, but it was to designate ninety-nine distinct names from His Countless Names. If the Muslims embraced the word “God” it would show their connection with the Abrahamic tradition. At this point it is important to note that differences between the Abrahamic faiths have never been rooted in the name of God, but in the variation of law given to Muhammad and the earlier prophets. This is clearly explicated in the title given to The Qur’an as being The Criterion (al-Furqan)[iv] to adjudicate in correct belief. The Qur’an acknowledges openly that the ‘God’ of Abraham and the ‘God’ of Muhammad are one and the same[v].The Biblical word for God invoked in Hebrew by Moses and in Aramaic by John The Baptist and Jesus come from the same etymological root as Allah, and all three of the Semitic words used for God are equivalent except in pronunciation between the three[vi]. The modern day distinction has been created by Muslims, in that they think that the English word “God” is pagan or from a Trinitarian source.

The earliest documentation of the use of God is from the English poem ‘Beowulf’,  which dates from pre-Christian times and therefore does not refer to God as part of a "Trinity", but speaks “constantly of God’s grandeur, taking every occasion to praise God and thank him. “God” in its present form is the most common word for the Creator. This poem declares God’s oneness clearly and praises his wise and merciful supremacy in contra distinction to paganism. Indeed, Beowulf would have been used today by Muslims to supplicate to Allah, and the use of ‘Allah’ for God would have been used if Arabic was the known language. Unlike other religions Islam always allowed for indigenous practices to prevail as long as it did not take away from the understanding and belief in the oneness of Allah and the belief in his last Messenger. Islam came to seal prophecy, to close prophetic dispensation and positively add to what was already known about God by dispelling wrong understanding.

“in history, Islam showed itself to be culturally friendly and, in that regard, has been likened to a crystal clear river. Its waters (Islam) are pure, sweet, and life-giving but-having no colour of their own-reflect the bedrock (indigenous culture) over which they flow”[vii] 

Often we see how British convert Muslims embrace other alien cultures from abroad. We see how people begin practicing Islam and then start gradually losing their intrinsic characteristics and begin donning the garb of ‘the Muslim’ as though it was a ‘career change’. Although if one examines Islam, the way of ‘Peace’ as a world phenomenon, one can see whichever continent it traversed it attained a religious relevance without making a new culture. Islamic jurisprudence bolstered the gaps of understanding within the cultures it encountered. So in India, Islam looked Indian, Asian; in China, Islam looked Chinese, Asian; in Sudan, it looked North East African etc. It continued religious/cultural relevance without affecting the host culture.

The creation of a healthy British Muslim culture is what Britain yearns for. One which can pass ‘the cricket test’ and one that comes about itself through a conscious, clear, correctly directed awakening, “fanned” by religion and culture. Not an unconscious and confused culture produced from the suppression of the indigenous one. Islamic architecture can be seen to exemplify these sentiments as in Iberia (Spain), as reflected in the al-Hambra, in Byzantium (Turkey) as reflected in the Blue Mosque, in India as reflected in the Taj Mahal and in other numerous examples that have been preserved around the Muslim world. Furthermore in a similar way, culture enables us to be comfortable with who, where, and what we are without being frightened to express ourselves in the styles available, as one can see in buildings such as the Aston Webb building at Birmingham University. This was styled from a distinctly Moorish design that has a minaret at its central axis[viii], and shows distinct English features. What British Muslims are facing is a challenge to create an identity that is rooted in Britain much in the same way that Aston Webb intertwinned Andalusian and British design. Muslims need to escape from the cultural contradiction that is rooted in our racial origins.

Broadening their cultural horizons, Muslims should express their devotion to England by digesting British culture in the spirit of mercy and its trait in God’s nature. God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “People who show mercy to others will be shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Be merciful to those on earth, and he who is in heaven will be merciful to you.”[ix], which also can be seen in an English saying ‘Do to others as one would want others do unto you’.  “Mercy” is the stamp of God’s creation[x] indeed the principle “In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving” (Bismi-Llahi ‘r-Rahmani ‘r- Rahim) which occurs one hundred and fourteen times in all but one chapter of the Qur’an and twice in another is not exclusively for Muslims but extends to all believing, unbelieving, the upright, the immoral, animate and inanimate. God says “My mercy has vanquished my wrath”[xi] and, in a second reading: “My mercy takes precedence over my wrath.”, another verse reads: “God ordained mercy upon himself,”[xii] again emphasizing that mercy is a universal law (Sunna). The Qur’an states: “It is the All-Merciful who assumed the Throne,”[xiii] meaning that God designs the world and rules the universe in his aspect as the All-Merciful. As a result, “mercy is the stamp of creation and the ontological thread that runs through everything”[xiv]. 

“O Messenger of God, will we be rewarded for being good to animals?” The Prophet answered His companions: “Yes, there is reward in showing good to every living creature.”[xv] Moreover The Prophet on his day of conquest over Mecca “noticed a wild dog on the roadside nursing her litter and posted one of his Companions, Ju’ayl ad-Damari, to stand guard near her so that the entire contingent could pass without disturbing her or the pups. By any measure, it was proactive mercy that spelled the death of idolatry and paganism in Mecca.” Indeed he was given the title “Prophet of Mercy” (naby ar-rahma) and consigned merciless behaviour to Hell. 

The meaning of Mercy is to bring good to others, and mercifulness implicates “one’s desire to avert evil and harm”. This permeated the Prophet’s character in such an intrinsic way that a day did not pass when he did not exercise this attribute. While sitting with a companion in Medina one day, the Prophet stood up for a passing funeral procession of a Jew. This made all the companions stand and later enquire ‘O Messenger of God, it is only the funeral procession of a Jew.’ He replied: ‘Was he not a human being?’”[xvi] Islam did not come to deliver the chosen people and if this sentiment exists amongst any Muslim community it is an interpolation, which is found in other than Islam. Indeed the Muslim is the one who proactively spreads peace through a merciful disposition and from whom peace emanates. “In a faith like Islam, which teaches that a person may be condemned to hell for starving a cat, it goes without saying that acts of ruthless barbarity must be rejected and never given the aura of religious sanctity.” 

As is the case  of Arabic becoming the lingua-francá of Muslim Spain, dominating all discourses, today Muslims need to grasp the usage of the Biblical “God”, not only because this is the same God of Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the tribes of Israel, Moses, and Jesus but because it continues the same “intrinsic, historical merit”[xvii] .Speaking coherently will consequently create a common belief between the Quranic “God” of Abraham. As supplicating to Allah doesn’t prevent us beseeching His other Attributes, similarly we should not think anything different when calling on the English word “God” as one beseeches al-Rahman or al-Raheem. Theologically it would be more “precise to describe Islam as the religion of mercy”[xviii]. Mercy forms God’s most important relationship to the universe that He denies to those who withhold it from others. The Prophet said “I was not sent to bring down curses; I was only sent as a special mercy.”[xix] Dr Umar Faruq Abd-Allah of the Nawawi foundation clearly elucidates that Islam homogenised, resided and adjusted in every era, situation and surrounding with the universal norms of its law[xx].  The Western Renaissance grew from studying with Muslims in places such as the Andalucian Caliphal city of Cordoba. The present remedy for Muslims lies in a study of previous Islamic societies where understanding the reality and necessity of  inter-civilisational "contributions, encounters and borrowings” will initiate a revival to overturn the effect of present modern trends in co-existence.  

The 10th century Saxon princess and poetess wrote of Cordoba, the Caliphal capital of Al-Andalus, that it was “the ornament of the world.”[xxi] Little do we know that Islam had a European relevance and had an abode in the West which created one of the greatest societies that ever existed. Certainly we should take a page from the book of the fourteenth-century Moroccan world traveller Ibn Battuta, and travel more extensively rather than just visiting our countries of racial origin.By doing this we will bring better understanding to a British/European Identity. Can we make a leap into British/European relevance? Although Muslims number approximately two million and are the second largest faith population in the UK, it is a shame that the burial place of our Prophet is not known by the majority of British people. Is there a hope for us? Indeed there is, as Hroswitha could see and appreciate an ornamented beacon shining amidst the dark ages. Muslims in Britain need to create a similar society, that will accept the fact that the future is here and not in some utopian existence somewhere else. They must build on a strong rooted commitment to learn from past failures, “Haven’t they travelled the earth and seen how those before them ended up?”[xxii] With a clear identity underpinned with a strong belief in the divine will.

With a sigh of resignation, a fist pumped in rage, and both hands brought together in hopeful supplication, I humbly ask, "Will the Real Muhammad please stand up?"

By Wajahat Ali, June 22, 2005

	Scared to their seats

"Who here is petrified of Muslims," a Pakistani American Muslim man calmly asked the 90 or so assembled law students of UC Davis King Hall Law School for a special lunch time meeting entitled: "Minority Reports: Representing the Un-represented." (For lovers of irony: King Hall, named after revered civil rights leader Martin Luther King, counts 1% of all its 2004 incoming student body as African Americans). Given the stifling restraints of self-imposed politically correct nooses people choose to wear, I was not surprised when none of the enlightened raised their hands in response to my question.

"You all are excellent liars. You will make excellent lawyers," I replied.

"If I wasn't a Muslim American, and I was your Average Joe America, I would be terrified, petrified, freaked out of my mind about these fun-do-mentalist, terror-rist, extreme-ist, anti-Semitic, Women-hating, tali-boning, bearded, hairy, smelly, leering, oil guzzling, turban wearing, magic carpet flying, Sand niggers."

And those words, spoken swiftly, coolly, and calmly, connected like a brutal uppercut smashing (or at least partially revealing) their carefully constructed masks of racial "enlightenment."

These words did not sprout forth from the rage filled, Bile spewing gut of a knee jerking, reactionary loon - a standard description routinely used by "media experts" to publicly pillory any person guilty of "exporting" an unpopular sentiment. Rather, the rhetoric accurately portrayed the image I, as an American, would sincerely hold of 1.2 billion members of the human race in the year 2005 if television media, academic history books, Hollywood movies, and governmental rhetoric were my crash course tutorials on all things "Moslem" and "A-rab."

Let's do a summary, shall we? According to the FBI, CIA, and the 9-11 Commission report, 19 hijackers happened to have Middle Eastern backgrounds, 15 of them hailing from our oil-in-ally Saudi Arabia. In retaliation, we have liberated Afghanistan and Iraq, two "Moslim" countries, from evildoers, with Iran, Syria, and an assortment of other hostile, Muslim neighbors on the way. However, our commitment to the Wahabbi-based Saudi regime, mostly responsible for the dissemination of Muhammad Ibn al Wahhab's puritanical and re-visionary interpretation of Islam, remains firm and intact. Even though the administration eventually conceded Iraq had no tangible connection to the Twin Tower attacks, USA Today reported nearly 70% of Americans believed otherwise. I guess a Saudi is an Iraqi is an Arab is a Muslim... is a terrorist. Oh well, sucks for me - and 1.2 billion other people.

Furthermore, to bolster not only national security but also foreign relations with our Middle Eastern "neighbor", we hold detainees as "unlawful combatants" to bypass international laws and customs in Guantanamo Bay, which has been called the "Gulag of our times... in violation of international laws," according to Amnesty International. The administration and its henchmen scoff. The "liberal" media, including Newsweek, is so liberal that it prematurely and embarrassingly retracts its May 9th story at the commands of its superiors, in which it described the desecration of the Quran by interrogators who wanted to rattle detainees by placing the Holy Book in the toilet. (The Administration later conceded there were several valid reports of Quran desecration.) This was another "Spring time" musical for the haters. "Protests in the Islamic world," exclaimed the headlines! "Look at those barbarians: so violent, so angry!" complained the pundits. "Why do they react so violently? It's just a book! Jeez, do they take it that seriously?" asked the genuinely baffled reporters. A simple dialogue with any practicing Muslim with even the most elementary rhetorical skills would have revealed, that yes, Muslims do take desecration of their Holy Book seriously. However, I guess allowing an intelligent Muslim voice to emerge amongst the high-pitched, paranoid shrills and shriekings of non-Muslim "experts" would have been truly radical and "undemocratic."

And will the Real Muhammad please stand up?

But who needs Muslim voices when you have liberal and conservative pundits. Erudite and compassionate visionaries, such as Ann "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity" Coulter, or academic Bill "I wouldn't read the book (the Qur'an). And I'll tell you why I wouldn't have read "Mein Kampf" either," O'Reilly, who subtly equate the religious text of 1.2 billion people with the racist, supremacist ideology of one Adolf Hitler. In the lucrative world of Islam-bashing, it's comforting to know that even conservatives and liberals can set aside their differences to participate in this "Springtime for Haters" musical. For example, "pay for play part time liberals", such as Christopher Hitchens and Alan Dershowitz are heavily involved in this gig. Dershowitz, promoted as a renowned legal scholar and civil libertarian, wrote the pro "non lethal torture" book "Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat, Responding to the Challenge." Specifically, in a 2003 CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer, Mr. Dershowitz describes a civilized method of non-lethal torture, such as placing a "sterilized needle underneath the nail," which he concedes would "violate the Geneva Accords, but you know, countries all over the world violate the Geneva Accords. They do it secretly and hypothetically, the way the French did it in Algeria... I think we would want to do it with accountability and openly and not adopt the way of the hypocrite." At least we're openly torturing people now, instead of burying the reports behind the walls of Abu Ghraib; surely, this is a sign of progress. Furthermore, in his essay, "The Rules of War Enable Terror," Mr. Dershowitz declares "Democracies must be legally empowered to attack terrorists who hide among civilians." Does this include people of white skin color, such as Timothy McVeigh and members of the Militant Militia? Would Mr. Dershowitz allow this method on, say, Israelis caught spying on the US? Or is this special VIP treatment reserved solely for Muslim and "brown skinned" Americans suspected as terrorists? Even though I'm honored by the lavish attention, I'll respectfully decline this humble offer.

And will the Real Muhammad please stand up?

Perhaps we must seek the wisdom of Christopher Hitchens, who vociferously supports Bush's "War on Terror" thereby significantly ensuring a steady stream of Dead Presidents in his bank account and increased exposure and public visibility on television news programs. He laments the use of the word, "Islamaphobia," which I'm assuming refers to the irrational fear, ignorance and hatred of Islam and Muslims, which he argues is a "cheap propaganda tool" used by "soft defenders of Islam." Shhh, let's not tell Mr. Hitchens that last year marked the highest number of harassment, violence, and discriminatory acts against American Muslims ever recorded by Council on American Islamic Relations, with a near 70% increase in hate crimes over 2002, representing a three fold increase since 2000. Or, how about the story of Mr. Gagandeep Bindra, an Indian Sikh, who was called "Osama" and seriously injured by three teenagers found guilty of ethnic intimidation in 2004? And what do we say to an honorary Sikh priest, Rajinder Singh, who was attacked for wearing a turban in New York? I guess you don't even have to be a Muslim to get beat down like Muslim nowadays. I wonder what Mr. Bindra and Mr. Singh would say to the Hitchens of the world regarding the "cheap propaganda tool" of "Islamaphobia" which lead to their assault? I guess we'll never know because those voices are never heard.

And will the Real Muhammad please stand up?

The detractors will now predictably chime, "but look, we do allow Muslims to speak. We love Irshad Manji, see? Ha! Fie on you, you cantankerous rabble rouser!" Irshad Manji, like most info-tainment prostitutes, turns her tricks by playing the "pathology" game: where the token minority, aka "the good minority," is hired to absolve certain individuals, institutions, and accepted norms, which directly contribute to discriminatory practices and racism, by blaming the collective minority as responsible for its own inferiority. Irshad Manji, a self proclaimed lesbian feminist South Asian Muslim refusenik, (if you can say that 5 times in a row you get a cookie and a national book tour), wrote the scholastically inept, "The Trouble with Islam," offering her unsought wisdom on how to "reform" Islam. Considering she lacks even the most remedial credentials to be certified an "Islamic scholar," and that her book and politics have been shunned by the vast majority of the Muslim ummah (community), it is utterly not surprising that she, nonetheless, received the "Valor" award from the Simon Weisenthal Center, the "chutzpah" award from Oprah Winfrey, and feminist of the "21st century" award from "Ms. Magazine," for her brave, enlightened, and "liberal" approach to Islam. Her major reform, you ask? "The major reform for which I am calling," say Manji, is "all about questioning the divinity of the Koran. This is still the great unspoken taboo within Islam." This is perhaps a "taboo" because all Muslim scholars, both Sunni and Shiite, hold that believing the Quran as the uncreated word of Allah as revealed unto Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a crucial aspect of one's iman (Faith and beliefs). With paid henchmen such as Manji, the real Islam-haters simply sit back, light a cigar, and relax their feet as their Siphai army wages their "crusade" for them. Or, they can always rely on an "expert" on Islam, such as Pat Robertson of the 700 club, who says, with a straight face no less, that Muslims worship "a moon god." If Muslims are truly the "Phantom Menace" then all these characters must surely represent the "Attack of the Clones."

And will the Real Muhammad please stand up?

And so we roll on. With nearly 5-8 million Muslim Americans, you would think surely one reasonable voice, representative of at least most Moderate Muslims, would emerge? You would think... incorrectly. So what if Islam is the fastest growing religion in America, with the most rapid converts being African Americans and women? So what if over 75% of the Muslim community is not Arab, with the most populated Muslim country being Indonesia (note: not Arab), followed by Pakistan (note: not Arab)? Who needs their academic scholars, historians, or religious scholars when we have Bernard Lewis, the de facto "scholar" on all things Islam, Arab, and Middle East, who happens to be a white, Jewish European born in London and preserved by Princeton? Then, there's the The Arab Mind, the bible for the neocons on Arabic/Islamic behavior, written by Raphael Patai, another non-Muslim, European scholar who stereotypically generalizes that Arabs value "honor" above all things, and specifically feel "shame" through sexual humiliation. "At the institution where I teach military officers," retired U.S. Army Col. Norvell De Atkine writes in the book's foreword, "The Arab Mind forms the basis of my cultural instruction." With cultural instructions such as these, the successful interrogatory humiliation of prisoners at Abu Ghraib should come as no surprise.

And will the Real Muhammad please stand up?

So, we return to our modest meeting at UC Davis, where I rattled off some of these references and data to an audience that incredulously looked at me with skepticism for daring to mock their "understanding" of Muslims in America. However, the light bulbs began to click and the untrusting glances turned to nodding agreement when I brought it full circle in light of American history. In America, Muslims haven't always been the only "outsiders," the only obscurant anomalies magically appearing amongst the civilized masses, or the only fossil relics of a primitive backwards-Neanderthal mentality. I remind them of the 110,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans rounded up, profiled, and interned during WWII. I remind them of a time when racial tensions resulting in Congress passing the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, barring Chinese immigration for 10 years; then extended by the Geary Act for another ten years in 1892, and by the Extension Act of 1904. If I could revisit this speech, I'd tell the Asian American audience members to be careful and vigilante, because they're next. Check out the cover of the July Atlantic Monthly featuring a stern, black and white photo of a militant Chinese solider with the heading, "How we would fight China" by Robert D. Kaplan. The great challenge of the twenty-first century, according to Kaplan, will be figuring how to shape - rather than fall prey to - "China's inevitable economic and military rise." But never fear, or rather keep fearing, because it's not just those wily Asians or those oil guzzling turban heads or those crack addled black folk - there's more! Let's not forget 1798, where the Federalist dominated Congress passed The Naturalization Act, a law aimed at curtailing the citizenship and immigration of the Irish and French who were sympathetic to Republican politics. Last I checked, people of Irish descent are now considered "white," so the darkies weren't the only ones who suffered discrimination. I guess the history of racism in America is truly multicultural.

Unlike some of these groups, the Muslims, the Morlocks de jour, have yet to find a powerful voice to help educate the American public as to the realities of the Muslim American existence. Currently, I liken our condition to a puppet head placed on a media screen whose tongue is ripped out and whose strings are pulled by a sadistic puppet master joyfully assailing us left and right by both the "left" and "the right." The hard "Right" hates the Muslim because you aren't white or Judeo-Christian and you, representative of the 19 Middle Eastern hijackers, attacked America. The hard "left" hates you because you are part of an organized religion, have certain beliefs contradictory to radical feminist and gay ideologies, and are representative of the 19 Middle Eastern hijackers who attacked America. And you, the Muslim, the terrorist, the extremist, who was once the "Jap," and also "The Kike," and also a "Chink," and even a "Sand Nigger," can never win because you always have to prove your loyalty. Defend the validity of your faith! Defend the validity of your text! Defend the validity of the entire 1400 year history and actions of a brilliant Islamic civilization which gave us the creation of Algebra, the poetry of Hadrat Jalaluddin Rumi, the best selling poet in America, the Canon of Medicine by Avicenna used by Europeans for centuries, the mind of Ibn Khaldun, the founder of the philosophy of history and sociology, and most importantly the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), whose name in Arabic means "the most praised," and is shared by more people than any other name in the world today.

But in this game of modern day dodge ball, everyone looks for an easy scapegoat to hit and assail. The contributions of Muslims to the human race are rarely if ever mentioned. Instead, we get daily reports and images of an enraged mass of people, like the Orcs from "The Lord of the Rings," frothing at the mouth, inexplicably yearning to destroy America for no other reason save their hatred for all things "democratic" and "western" as outlined by their savage, backwards "customs" and "beliefs." Is it really surprising then to read the results of the Cornell Report, which revealed that 42 percent of "highly religious respondents [and 27 percent of all respondents] believe that Muslim Americans should register their whereabouts with the government at all times? Not surprisingly, 26 percent of these respondents were unfamiliar with the terms Allah and the Koran.

And so I awaken each day to find the Muhammad's gradually erased by the "Mo's," the Nasir's slowly replaced by the "Nas's," the Salims eradicated by the "Sal's," the Murads hiding behind the "Michael's." As I encounter the variety of "closeted DL" Muslims at the shopping malls, department stores, grocery shops, and other arenas of daily life, I am reminded of the Korean American "Tammy's" hiding behind her newly reconstructed eye lids, the African American "Tim's" masquerading under a surgically trimmed nose, the Iranian American "Ayeesha's" hoping to assimilate brilliantly with her fake blue contact lenses. And with a sigh of resignation, with a fist pumped in rage, and both hands brought together in hopeful supplication, I humbly ask:

"And will the Real Muhammad please stand up?"

Wajahat Ali, a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, is the writer of ”The Domestic Crusaders”, a two-act play about Muslim Americans with its showcase premiere at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre this July 15th. This article was originally published in Konch Magazine.

 But now that things have wound down some, I thought that I would do a personal post.

My eid this year was fabulous. The highlight of my eid was my non muslim family members calling to wish us "Eid Mubarak."  This is the first time that they have done so. We have truly come so far in understanding and tolerating each other.  I mean, when I first converted I was basically put out of the house. Now, years later we have built our relationship back up enough that they are comfortable participating somewhat in our holiday. It is a beautiful thing.

Another highlight was having my in-laws with us.  Eid in our medium sized community is not even close to the magnitude of eid in their home country.  I was really worried that they would be disappointed. So