Yoginder:
You had interviewed Rabbi Gordis on importance of dialogue several years ago, I continue to refer to that article uploaded on the website foundation for pluralism, and now this work of Maulana Nadvi on dialogue is an eye opener. I am pleased that the original is in Urdu; its major consumers. Indeed, the Muslims of the subcontinent will be further served if you could translate a few articles in Urdu, Bangla and other languages.
Mike Ghouse
www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
To be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker, one who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; that is indeed the purpose of religion, any religion. Mission statement
How and Why Muslims Should Dialogue With Others
By Maulvi Syed Nikhat Husain Nadwi
(Translated from Urdu by Yoginder Sikand)
There is no room for coercion in Islam. Islam appeals to people’s intellect, their minds, their sense of logic and reasoning in order to stress its claims. This principle can lay the basis for good relations between Muslims and people of other persuasions. Islam is not opposed to Muslims establishing social, economic or educational relations and bonds with others. This is why, from the early days of Islam onwards, Muslims have had these sorts of relations with others. The fundamental basis of such relations, as Islam understands it, is to jointly work against oppression and for establishing justice and peace. A second basis is the Islamic belief that all creatures are members of the family of God, and that, hence, they must be served. The third theological basis of inter-community relations and dialogue in Islam is the duty to respect the rights of all human beings.
Islam insists that there can be no compromise on its ideological principles, such as faith in the one God, prophethood, and the Day of Judgment. Besides this, there can be dialogue and discussion on all issues. Dialogue should also take a practical form, such as Muslims working together with others for constructive purposes, helping them or taking their help. Islam exhorts Muslims to respect others on the basis of their common humanity. It stresses social justice, peace and struggling against oppression, and for this Muslims can indeed join hands with others to work for a better world for everyone. This is a very important form of inter-religious and inter-community dialogue.
When two individuals are together, inevitably they start talking to each other. Without this, they cannot understand one another. If dialogue and interaction are so indispensable at the level of two individuals, how much more important it must be at the level of two or more cultures and religions! Obviously, unless members of different religious or cultural communities dialogue with each other there is no way they can truly understand one other. It is completely unreasonable to expect that cultural and religious communities can live in isolation with each other and not feel the need to understand each other’s beliefs, practices, issues, concerns and problems. Such isolationism will spell doom for the whole of humankind. It is also a form of escapism, and, undoubtedly, a reflection of obscurantism. The future of humankind critically depends on people of different communities understanding each other and jointly struggling for a more just and peaceful world, to work towards ending illiteracy, poverty, war, conflict and disease wherever these may be found.
The fundamental foundation of productive and sustainable dialogue is for religious and cultural groups to first understand each other properly and, on that basis, to come closer to each other. For this purpose, it is necessary to study in detail about other’s cultures and religions, their languages, histories, beliefs, practices and traditions directly, from their primary sources, in an unbiased manner. This should also go along with efforts to devise means to work together with other communities to solve their problems and address their concerns. Only in this way can cultures come closer to each other.
Typically, human beings people do not understand the truth or usefulness of a matter unless they see themselves as benefiting from it. Thus, inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue must provide tangible benefits to people, such as helping them solve their problems or mitigating or ending their conflicts. No one’s wounds can be healed or their empty stomachs filled simply by preaching to them about philosophical niceties or lecturing to them about ideological issues. This cannot tear down the walls of hatred that divide people. People have to see direct benefits accruing to themselves from dialogue for them to appreciate its importance. Hence, the most productive form of inter-religious and inter-community dialogue is to understand the causes of conflicts and differences between different religio-cultural groups and then involve people from all parties to dialogue together to jointly work out solutions, which will benefit the parties or communities involved in the dialogue. Similarly, they can work together for their common interests, including on economic, political, and social issues. This effort can start at the local level and then go all the way up to the national and international levels, too.
When seeking to initiate inter-religious or inter-cultural dialogue, it is crucial not to start with negative issues, because this is a sure way for dialogue efforts to fail. Rather, the focus should, as far as possible, be on positive issues and a constructive agenda. Likewise, it is not proper to seek to initiate a dialogue by harping on past events or grievances. Instead, the focus must be on the present, for the aim of the dialogue is essentially to improve the present conditions of, and relations between, two or more communities, not to harp on the past.
For such dialogue to succeed, partners to the dialogue must be willing to make sacrifices. They must be tolerant and broad-minded. They must take into account other people’s sensitivities and emotions and always be conscious not to seek to trample on their rights. Successful dialogue requires that partners be genuinely committed to work for peace, freedom, justice and good relations.
Another principle that must always be kept in mind when thinking about or engaging in dialogue is that to consider any other culture bad or to label it so is not proper. Islam forbids Muslims from abusing the deities of polytheists. This is so because this might provoke them to react in a similar way. This Islamic teaching suggests to us that Muslims must not abuse or vilify other cultures or brand them as enemies.
The rapidly changing world of today requires that all cultures must reconsider their ways of relating to each other, and work together for peace and prosperity for all. In our own country, India , home to numerous different religious and cultural communities, dialogue for this purpose is extremely necessary today. Unfortunately, the different religious communities in India know little about each other. This has given rise to numerous misunderstandings, which, in turn, continue to fuel conflict and violence. Very few Indians belonging to one community have studied, in a dispassionate and detailed manner, the religion, customs, beliefs, traditions and world-views of other communities living in the country in order to properly and dispassionately understand them. There are extremely few Muslims who have studied Sanskrit, the language of the Hindu scriptures, so that they could directly read and understand the Gita, the Puranas, the Ramayana, the Vedas and so on. Hardly any Muslims have studied the Pali language in order to read the Buddhist scriptures. There must be almost no Muslims who have directly met and interacted with Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religious leaders. Probably no Muslim has visited, or stayed for a while in, Hindu religious schools and other such institutions and their pilgrimage sites so as to directly understand them.
The same holds true in the case of all the other communities in India . There are hardly any Hindus who have read the Islamic texts, and have met, interacted and exchanged views with Muslim ulema. The distance between Hindus and Muslims has become so wide now that the doors of Hindu gurukuls and Muslim madrasas are closed to other communities, and both of them are characterized by a heightened sense of fear, insecurity and defensiveness.
All this so alarmingly suggests how distant the various communities of India are from each other. In fact, hatred between many of these communities has rapidly escalated in recent years, making the task of dialogue particularly difficult. Yet, dialoguing is an urgent task that must be taken up at all levels and as widely as possible. Dialogue is not the task only of our religious leaders and organizations, although they have a very crucial role to play in this. They must interact with their counterparts in other communities so as to create a climate of trust and dispel mutual suspicions and misunderstandings. This sort of dialogue is indispensable for the peace and prosperity of our common homeland. The different religio-cultural communities of our country also need to dialogue and unite to struggle against the baneful impact of many aspects of the dominant Western culture that is now playing such havoc with our cultures and mores.
Inter-community dialogue is indispensable to promote the unity and prosperity of our country and its traditional cultures. In this regard, I wish to point out that a major hurdle in this regard, and a cause for much acrimony, is the tendency of some people who, just because they are in a minority, insist that they have accepted the country’s political system and Constitution only out of compulsion, and claim that the moment they are able to gather enough power they will refuse to accept the Government and the Constitution of the land. This attitude has, in fact, become a major cause for concern throughout the world. Extremists, no matter what their religious identity, who espouse this view will not hesitate to use every means to capture power in the hope of thereby bringing about the Revolution of their dreams. Naturally, others will not take lightly to this. That is why conflict, force and violence must be avoided. We need to struggle against these authoritarian tendencies, and, through dialogue, work to ensure that all people get the same rights and opportunities to live and prosper. This is the only way out for global, as well national and local, peace, welfare and justice.
(This is an edited version of translation of extracts from Maulvi Nadwi’s Urdu booklet, ‘Muzakirat Ki Zarurat’ (‘The Need For Dialogue’ (New Delhi: Institute of Objective Studies, 2005).
Showing posts with label Pluralist-Mike-Ghouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pluralist-Mike-Ghouse. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Perez to Azerbaijan
Peres leaves for Azerbaijan, KazakhstanDialogue is the hallmark of civil societies, where they resolve the conflicts by sitting down with each other, face to face and lay things out on the table.
The Muslim Neocons (Necons are insecure extremists of all faith labels) in Azerbaijan seem to match with the Christian and Jewish Neocons who do not want to talk with their adversaries. Who do you make peace with if not the adversary? To be a peacemaker is to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill.
I hope the majority of Azeri's see sense in building goodwill with other nations, and I sincerly hope the majority of Israelis ask their leaders to bring peace. It pays to resolve the issues and move on to live in peace and security. Let Hamas be a partner in the dialogue and start the process.
Mike Ghouse
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President Shimon Peres on Sunday embarked on what his office terms "historic visits" to the Muslim states of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
President Shimon Peres.
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski
SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region World The visit to Azerbaijan is the first official visit by a high-ranking Israeli dignitary.
Although Beit Hanassi put an embargo on publicizing the visits prior to his departure, reports that the visits were to take place began appearing in the media of both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as well as media outlets in other countries more than a month ago.
Not everyone in Azerbaijan is happy about Peres's arrival. According to various Internet reports, some of the elders of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan have protested the visit.
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"We are against the visit of the leader of the criminal Zionist regime and we express our protest against the invitation, sent to him. We demand categorically that the Azeri leadership cancel this visit," says a statement, released by the Nardaran believers.
"The Israeli president's visit to Baku will damage Azerbaijan's international image as a Muslim state and will be an insult to the Islamic world," the statement continues. "Building ties with the Zionist regime, hostile to the Muslims, could damage Azerbaijan as part of the Islamic world. We urge the government to prevent the visit as a sign of respect for the Islamic religion."
Foreign Ministry officials in Baku attribute the statement to meddling by Iran.
According to the Pakistan Daily, Peres will be in Azerbaijan "to consolidate energy and military ties with Baku which began in 1992."
The visits by Peres are intended to upgrade Israel's relations with both countries, each of which prides itself on having treated its Jews well and as having served as a haven for other Jews during World War II.
Peres is scheduled to travel with a large entourage, including Industry, Trade, and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer; National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau; Science, Culture, and Sport Minister Daniel Herschkowitz and Defense Ministry Director-General Pinchas Buhris, along with several CEOs of Israel's defense industries and 60 heads of major companies.
In Kazakhstan, Peres is slated to be the guest of honor at the Third Congress of leaders of World and Traditional Religions, where he is to deliver the keynote address.
He is also scheduled to hold meetings with President Nursultan Nazarbayev, whom he has met on previous occasions and whose singing voice, leadership and hearty personality he has publicly praised at various Kazakhstan functions in Israel. He is also expected to meet with other prominent Kazakhstan officials.
The businesspeople accompanying Peres plan to participate in a bilateral business forum in Astana. As part of the forum, cooperation agreements on peaceful space exploration and in areas of foreign policy, as well as on a Kazakhstan-Israel business forum, are expected to be signed.
Azerbaijan's priority fields for cooperation with Israel are agriculture, management of water resources, medical training and hi-tech. As in Kazakhstan, agreements are expected to be signed between the three ministers and their Azeri counterparts.
The visits to the two Muslim countries are a collaborative effort between Beit Hanassi, the Foreign Ministry, the Israel Export Institute, and the Israel Manufacturers Association.
In addition to the meetings with Azeri and Kazakh officials, Peres is expected to meet with members of the Jewish communities in both countries. In Kazakhstan - where Jews have lived for centuries - he is scheduled to attend the inauguration of a new synagogue.
He will also use the visits as a platform to make Israel's policies and aspirations for peace better known to that part of the world.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245924942092&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Democratic Faiths
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/06/democratic-faiths.htmlTo be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker, one who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; that is indeed the purpose of religion, any religion. Mission statement
The following article “Democratic faiths” is an excellent piece on roots and sustenance of democracy, however, the author exhibits his inadequacy and bias in his research.
One of the most powerful sentences that has life altering effect on one is “finding the truth is one’s own responsibility”. It was a turning point in my life doing research on Qur’aan (http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/), and that beautiful verse comes from Bhagvad Gita. If our feelings, opinions and actions towards others are based on the sayings of our Parents, Pastor, Pundit, Imam, Rabbi or clergy, then we have to realize that they are not going to be responsible for the pangs of our conscience in our solitude. Hence the responsibility to find the truth falls squarely on each one of us, to find salvation from malice and ill-will.
It is ironic that the author flips the very words that Prophet Muhammad had said in his last sermon “No wonder that democracy does not find any foothold in nations that discriminates between believers and non-believers, men and women, masters and slaves and even slaves white, brown and black. “ The Prophet had said nearly the same words and added "No man is superior to the other; all are equal beings in the eyes of God." The author has failed to understand and distinguish between religion and the people. All religions including Islam came into being to make us better beings and create better societies. Most of the people get it, and some don’t.
The Muslims around the world are waking up and figuring out the effects of cold wars, the power struggles of nations to control the resources and extricating themselves from these tentacles. It is time for Muslims to wake up and figure out how to bring sustainable democracies in their nations. While the majority of Muslims want the democratic form of governance which is indeed rooted in Islam, they have been unable to speak up against their rules, we Americans also have experienced that since 2001. The Saudi King made a statement that his subjects are not ready for democracy. Is that the faith he has in his people? No one is eternal and immortal, except the continuance of human race and it is our obligation to bring sustainable governance, where people are continually involved in its checks and balances for harmonius co-existence.
Nearly 2/3rds of Muslims live in democracies and about a 1/3rd under monarchies and dictatorships. The largest Muslim majority nation Indonesia is a successful democracy and the 2nd Largest Muslim population lives in Democratic India and the third and fourth largest Muslim majority nations (Bangladesh and Turkey) are also democracies. There are several more democracies out there. It is a shame that democracy has not reached every nation in Asia, Africa and South America, let alone Muslim Majority nations, the author has failed to identify this.
The freedom movement began with India’s freedom in 1947 and since then more nations have become free from colonialism and gone democratic than the recorded history of humanity. Among the Muslim majority nations, dictatorships began with Shah of Iran in 1952 and in 1956 with Ayyub Khan in Pakistan, and for the first time the Muslims clergy had their say in the governance of a nation was in Iran in 1979 since the fall of Ottomon Empire.
The author flaws the religion of Islam instead of finding the causes and cures. Democracy has its roots in Islam. The Prophet could have easily declared his successor and appointed Ali – who was the most qualified in every possible way to run the leadership, the only disqualification was Ali was his son in law and a cousin – and the prophet did not want it to become a dynastic rule, instead he desired the people elect the one with consensus. There is good research done by Dr. Abdul Aziz Sachedina on in the form of a book, the roots of democracy in Islam.
Author’s bias comes through when he subtly claims superiority for Hinduism and Christianity and shows his ignorance about Islam or rather Prejudice against Islam.
This is not how you build peaceful societies by creating bias against another faith. One has to find the truth, point the specific errors and not generalize it to suit one’s bias.
Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker and a Writer. He is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television network discussing Pluralism, Terrorism, India, Islam, Peace and civic issues. His comments, news analysis and columns can be found on the Websites and several Blogs listed on his personal website http://www.mikeghouse.net/
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Democratic Faiths
by J. Ajithkumar
General elections, whether rigged, manipulated or impartial, are the most vital and visible signs of life in any functioning democracy. Be it presidential or parliamentary, democracy has been widely accepted as the nearest form to minimum acceptable governance embodying the vital elements of liberty, human rights and equality that are beyond-bargain parameters for dignified human existence. The harsh reality that many world nations are still suffering from greedy monarchies, military dictatorships and religious theocracies makes a mockery of all our claims of progress in this 21st century. There are several reasons for the flourishing or floundering of democratic institutions in different parts of the world. The latest elections in India and Iran provide a very good opportunity to look at some of the reasons for the sustainability of democracy in the current world.
Though various forms of democracy are under trial in different nations, we can easily notice that it is showing signs of survival only in certain environments. The very spirit of democracy, especially in countries offering universal adult franchise, seems to be compatible only with certain types of people and faiths. The strengthening or weakening of democracy as a form of government among 200 odd nations with 6 billion people gives some clear indications about the real faith of democracy. One can also draw very good conclusions about the thought process, mentality and behavior of the people, nation and faith of those who prefer essentially democratic arrangements for governance. In contrast we can also get glimpses about why certain faiths are incompatible with democracy. There must be underlying reasons for both.
Conceding Spirit
Enough and more clues about the reasons for success or failure of democracy in different nations can be obtained by analyzing the happenings in their recent elections. In the last one decade we have seen presidential elections in USA (2000, 2004, 2008), general elections in India (2004, 2009) and different types of elections in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal. It will not take much effort to prove that the 2000 election in USA, 2009 elections in India and Iran were neither impartial nor fair. All these elections have been rigged in one form or another. Rigging of elections need not always be in the form of duplicate voting or over printing of ballots or even false counting of votes. It can be in the form of manipulating the tools for elections, including the election commissions that conduct the elections, or even by hijacking of mandate obtained in any election. In India the popular mandate in 2009 elections in favor of a particular political formation has been hijacked by installing an ˜unelected leader.
No election is perfect and the success of any democratic arrangement emanates from the spirit and willingness of contesting parties to accept defeat. Only if equanimity exists to accept defeat or victory on the part of each and every contesting party, prior to any election, can the democratic process end conclusively. Extreme contrasts in this regard are provided by the reactions of an erstwhile Indian Prime Minister as against the current stance of the ‘defeated’ Iranian leaders in the recent elections. “Our party may have been defeated but India has won†were the famous words of a statesman like Vajpayee when he got defeated in 2004. And Al-Gore and Advani went many steps further when they conceded defeat in elections which they have morally won for furthering democracy in their own nations. The fact that these leaders had the support of their followers (in India it is in hundreds of millions) shows the general characteristics of their faith. However, the unhealthy trend of certain families hijacking the rule under the guise of electoral victory in successful democracies is another factor that merits the attention of all those who value genuine democracy.
Basic Incompatibilities
There are certain basic incompatibilities between some dominant faiths and the essential spirit of democracy. The bare minimum belief that is needed for any favorable thought on democracy is the concept of equality of human beings. To accept anyone becoming the nation’s ruler, its majority must strongly believe that all of them have equal rights (even if they are not equals in every sense) and hence eligible to rule. In the case of genuine communism and theocracy, this concept of equality is non-existent. If workers are more equal than others in a communist setup, it is the rights of clergy to be more than others in a theocratic arrangement. No wonder that democracy does not find any foothold in nations that discriminates between believers and non-believers, men and women, masters and slaves and even slaves white, brown and black. The exhibition of universal brotherhood by hugging, singing, praying and preying together are only skin deep rituals in such societies.
Conceding equality to others is easy to preach but difficult to practice. It needs a strong underlying principle to accept equality as a natural concept. In Hinduism it is easily available in their belief of having the very same God present in everything animate and inanimate. And in Christianity it is provided by the belief that all are born as sinners. But having the very same starting point does not provide a good reason for considering other competitors as equal in the subsequent race for living. The belief that all are made by the same God does not automatically confer equality on everyone. Products can be of different value even if they are manufactured in the one and only producing company. It is difficult to consider them equal but there is no harm in having brotherly feelings that can subsidize, promote or confront the enemies together.
In very general terms it is easy to conclude that democratic process succeeds only amidst some of the world’s dominant faiths, and fails miserably in the case of others. The current turbulence in Iran and successful transformation from monarchy to a democratic republic in Nepal provide living examples for this argument. And in Pakistan, democracy has failed to make any foothold even after 60 odd years of free rule. In Iraq and Afghanistan it has miles to go before we can conclude that it is acceptable. There is a great message to humanity coming out of all these. It is about the misery and turbulence that awaits us if one of those undemocratic faiths comes to dominate the world. Silence of graveyards will be the only sign of equality that will be present among all nations then. Only by considering and respecting all others as our equals can we nurture democratic principles and that requires nothing less than the acceptance of same God’s presence in everything.
June 28, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Muslims speak out against Harassment of Minorities
Muslims speak out against Harassment of MinoritiesBy Mike Ghouse
The Talibans have begun harassing Ismaili Muslims in Pakistan. They would not spare any one and will not be satisfied until the last person left obeys them. If this trend is not checked and criticized, they may think that they have the approval from the Muslims. They don't.
They need to know clearly and loudly that their ideology has no currency among Muslims and above all, their cruelty is not Islam, not one bit.
We must also acknowledge that only 1/10th of 1% of a group resorts to extremism, including Muslims. It has nothing to do with religion, it has everything to do with their insecurities, fears and inabilities to dialogue and co-exist.
A few thousand Talibans left in Afghanistan and Pakistan do not value a billion and a half Muslims who differ with them, you don’t mean a thing to them . When they usurp a little power, they take the steps in policing and compelling you to conformity. Please remember that God is about justice and he has not signed a deal with any one behind other people’s back. We have to find peace on our own, it is our individual and collective responsibility. We cannot have peace if we don't contribute any towards it.
Since the late 50's, minorities under Muslim labeled governments have not lived a life of freedom and peace. They are afraid of the majority and shamefully, we the members of the society are letting it happen. However, we have to acknowledge, what Islam says is one thing and what Bully Muslims (in our behalf) do is the other. Mind you, the bullyism is not exclusive to Muslims, you'll find them in every faith, culture, race and nations, Islam is no exception.
The persecution of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan is a living example; they cannot even say "As Salaam u Aliakum" or call their place of worship a Masjid. The epidemic has now crawled over into Bangladesh and Indonesia as well. Did the Pakistani lawmakers even pause to think about the legitimacy of Hudood Laws? Some thirty years later another Avatar of Zia ul Haq employed the same strategy of fear and got the Patriot Act passed here in the United States. Both the laws are a stain on the civil societies.The Clerics in Malaysian government attempted
to ban usage of the word "Allah" by Sikhs and Christians, how dumb can they be? No one has copy rights to any word of God, they belong to all mankind. Muslims don't own the Qur'aan either, it belongs to any one who seeks wisdom in it, just as other holy books. Did those clergymen know the verse “Alhamdu Lillahi Rabbul Aalameen?” God is the lord of all universes – they should know it, they recite it at least 50 times a day.How many of us stood up to defend (Islam ) the rights of Minorities? The bully rule was in place in Pakistan with no major protest. The loud mouths (1/10ths of 1%) still defend the draconian, non-Islamic Zia ul Haq rules with the label of Islam on it. It is much like labeling the meat as the oxymoron phrase "Halal Pork". Have the Pakistani Muslims spoken against it? We are supposed to stand for justice, aren't we? Isn’t that what makes us Muslims?
Take it easy, we Americans are no different, we let Bush run all over us during the last six years, we did not even have the guts to speak out for the first four years, not even the rattish Senators and the congresspersons.
There is a request floating around asking the Ismaili Muslims to share their religious practices or have access to their place of worship. At one time I believed that it was a good idea to share it and put things to rest, but would that stop the inquisition? How do you expect the Minorities to share their practices, and why should they? To be persecuted while the majority shamelessly watches it?
Until you and I stand up for Justice, stand up for the rights of all human beings, including the minorities in either Sunni or Shia majority governments, we have not lived our religion nor have we contributed towards world peace, which is the purpose of Islam. The words used by the Prophet to describe one aspect of this stance was "Jihad" and the other is the inner struggle to be moral and to be righteous.
Those few among us, who who jump up and down pointing at the injustices done by the people of other faiths, nations and cultures, please know that our morality is not dependent on what others do or not do. We have to do our duty and leave it to God to give guidance to all.
Let the minorities among us have the freedom to share what they want and we should defend that right. Insha Allah, let's begin that with you and I. Will you stand up? Better yet, should others stand up for you when you are threatened?
Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims
Shia Muslims believe that the spiritual leadership of Islam was passed on to Hazrat Ali at Ghadir Qum, when the Prophet was returning to Medina from his last sermon. They also believe that the Prophet had assigned the spiritual leadership (Imamat) to Hazrat Ali pointing towards him when the verse “the Deen is complete now” was revealed. Furthermore, the Shia believe that the Prophet used the word “Aal” meaning family in his last sermon. The Shia Muslims beleive that the Prophet (pbuh) had said that he is leaving the book and his Aal for us to follow.
Ismaili tradition is a branch of the Shia tradition, where one believed the 12th Imam was taken by God, and the Ismaili's believe that the imamat continued down to Aga Khan, the current Imam.
Neither you nor they can judge who is a Muslim or not, that is the prerogative of Allah. However, most Muslims agree that on the Day of Judgment your ID will be simply Muslim and not any prefix or suffix, but more importantly, were you a good human being to God's creation?
The other important value of Islam is freedom. This may come as a rude shock to some Muslims that even the innocuous asking "that I am fasting are you?" "It's time for Salat" are subtle compulsions and Islam does not believe in compulsion. Prayer is between Allah and the individual and not the responsibility of a government or other being.
No one will come to your rescue on the Day of Judgment; neither your clergy nor the prophet would give you a free pass, it is your responsibility to earn it through good deeds.
It would be nice to be a part of the congregational prayer, it has its own beauty and the lord listens to the congregants who come together in peace to do the peaceful thing. There should be no compulsion or even suggestion. Let the individual do his or her duty, it is not you, not me that is going to have to respond to God, it is the follower. If you can recall that the Prophet even told his daughter Fatima that she ain't going to get a free pass to heaven, because she is his daughter, she had to earn it on her own. Prayers should remain one’s choice and no one should compel the other.
As Muslims, we do not have the time to do the Ijtihaad, the consultative decision making process on issues of the day. As a result we Muslims have been reduced to rituals, rather than the spirit. It is time to believe in the prime value of Islam; freedom.
Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker, Writer, Moderator and a Blogger on Pluralism, Interfaith, civil societies, Terrorism, Peace, Islam and India. A conflict mitigater and a goodwill nurturer. He is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television networks offering a pluralistic perspective on issues of the day. His comments, news analysis and columns can be found on the Websites and Blogs listed at his personal website http://www.mikeghouse.net/
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Mike, I am no Islamic scholar, but I must say this. Every religion, Islam no exception, has its own sect(s).But, it's most unfortunate Islam is the only religion under which its minority sects have to live under constant fear of persecution and discrimination in Islamic countries where they too should have equal rights and opportunities as any other Muslim.
Within thirty years of Muhammad's death Muslim Community was involved in a civil war that gave rise to the several sects into which Islam remains divided to the present day. The civil war began with the murder of the Caliph by the tribesmen, and ended with the restoration of imperial unity under a new dynasty of Meccan Caliphs, ruling from Damascus, but it left deep divisions within the community. The largest group was composed of those who recognized the authority of those political chiefs who were able to maintain it, by force of arms if need be. This was the origin of the majority party, called Sunnis or followers of Sunna (practice) of the Community at large. Opposed to them were two dissident groups: one which maintained the sole legitimacy in the headship of the Community after Prophet's death of his cousin and son-in-law 'Ali and his descendants, and held that the Community had erred in electing Abu Bakr and his two successors.-these were called Shi at Ali ( 'partisans of Ali) or Shi'a; the other which rejected both the Sunni and Shia positions and maintained not only the right of the Community to elect its own head but also its duty to depose him if he were found guilty of sin-these were called the Kharijites.(Khawarij) od 'Seceders'.
Ismailism - the branch of Shiism noted for its esoteric philosophy and regards Hazrat Ali as the legitimate successor to the Prophet. After Ali's assassination Islam was divided into Sunnite and Shiite sects.
The Shia believe in the five pillars of Islam, as do Sunnis, but categorize them differently. Shia beliefs include the following:
Theology of Shia (Usul al-Din)
Tawhid (Oneness): The Oneness of God
Adalah (Justice): The Justice of God
Nubuwwah (Prophethood): God has appointed perfect and infallible prophets and messengers to teach mankind the religion (that is, a perfect system of how to live in "peace" ("submission to God"))
Imamah (Leadership): God has appointed specific leaders to lead and guide mankind - a prophet appoints a custodian of the religion before his demise
Qiyamah (The Day of Judgment): God will raise mankind for Judgment
Ismailism is based on Sufism which escaped almost wholly from the Sunni madrasa. Ismailism is the pursuit of spiritual experience by bodily discipline and esoteric intuition. It is resistant to any kind of systematic and exoteric treatment. Under the belief and guidance of their Imam-of-the-Time Shiite law and theology developed independently of the Sunni community esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an and bring their Imam into the direct connection with the Active Intellect and confer on them a divine authority, which Sunnis reject. The Shia Ismaili Muslims, or Batinis ( followers of the esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an) The Qur'an is the word of Allah, which every Muslim must follow, but its commands can be hard to interpret. Therefore, Ismaili Muslims believe their Imam-of-the-Time, Aga Khan is spiritually blessed and empowered to interpret Qur'an.
I have attached herewith Aga Khan's interview on Islam, which I thought might satisfy many a Muslims quest for knowledge.
Aga Khan's Interview on Islam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htx0MkvJzxo
Hasni Essa
Islam for Pluralism
# # #
#
Date: Friday, June 19, 2009, 6:09 AM
Mike,
I had sent you urdu version of this news other day. Here's in English.
It's so terrifying to imagine what's going to be the future of Pakistan , and fate of minority Muslim sects, if Taliban were to take over Pakistan . According to this news Taliban has threatened Ismaili Muslim Community, which as you know is one of the most prominent Muslim communities whose spiritual leader is Aga Khan lV. His grand father Aga Khan lll was one of the founders of Pakistan , who was responsible for establishment of the All-India Muslim League which lead to the creation of the predominantly Muslim nation of Pakistan . Aga Khan lV has been a great benefactor of Pakistan , who built Aga Khan University Hospital which is a first-rate private academic institution which aims to empower the developing world through quality education, patient care, research and service.Without Aga Khan's beneficence and generosity Pakistan indeed would have been any third world country hard pressed for development.
Let us all pray and help Pakistan to be strong, and not become victim of Talibanization.
Hasni Essa
Islam for Pluralism
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Islamic and Inter-Community Relations
Islamic Perspectives of Inter-Community Relations
Mr. Yoginder Sikand is doing a phenomenal work of translating material on Islam from Urdu to English, there is a wealth of information out there that he is translating. Following is the work of Maulvi Yahya Nomani into English.
One after the other Muslim scholars are dusting off mounds of anti-social attitudes towards non-Muslims plugged in over centuries with no basis in Qur’aan. A lot of work is being done in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Egypt, United States and several other places. Aga Khan the spiritual leader of Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims has captured the essence of co-existence in Islam and has established an institution to bring out the aspect of co-existence that Qur’aan is all about.
I have written quite a lot on the subject of Pluralism and indeed and one such article is about community relations: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2009/04/are-muslims-part-of-american-story.html.
Our organization, the World Muslim Congress was founded on the verse 49:13 http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/WorldMuslimCongress/Articles/Mission-Statement.asp of Sura Hujurat and has over 800 articles in archives, most of them dealing with co-existence.
Mike Ghouse
http://www.worldmuslimcongress.com/
# # #
Islamic Perspectives of Inter-Community Relations
Maulvi Yahya Nomani
(Translated from Urdu by Yoginder Sikand)
The issue of what Islam has to say about inter-community relations is one about which much misunderstanding exists. Anti-Muslim propagandists claim that Islam preaches hatred for non-Muslims, and that the Quran is a menace to world peace. They go so far as to argue that world peace is simply impossible as long as the Quran exists. In order to back their propaganda, they have deliberately twisted and misinterpreted certain verses of the Quran. Many people with little knowledge have fallen prey to this poisonous propaganda, which has been aggressively spread on an enormous scale through the media.
At the same time, we must also admit that some Muslims themselves entertain misunderstandings and extremist views about the issue of relations between Muslims and others that are based on a completely wrong interpretation of the Quran and the Sunnah, the practice of the Prophet. This calls for a detailed study, so that misunderstandings, wrong interpretations and extremist views about Islamic teachings regarding relations between Muslims and others can be countered.
It is true that Islam stresses that Muslims, here understood in the sense of true submitters to God, are distinct from others in terms of their religious views and ethical virtues. It cautions them from imitating others, especially their religious symbols and rituals, which Islam does not accept. It is also true that Islam strictly forbids befriending enemies of the faith and those who conspire against Muslims. At the same time, however, Islam exhorts Muslims to relate to other non-Muslims with softness, good manners, gentleness and love.
Respect for the Human Race
Islam teaches that all human beings, irrespective of community or race, are children of the same set of primal parents, and, so, are bound together by their common humanity. As the Quran states:
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you.” (Quran 49:13).
This basic Islamic teaching about the whole of humankind being children of the same parents stresses the need for consciousness of our common humanity and of us being brothers unto each other. This is why, according to a hadith report, the Prophet would, after finishing his prayers, supplicate with God, saying, ‘O Allah! Sustainer of myself and of everything! I bear witness that all human beings are brothers of each other.’
According to the Quran, human beings are creatures worthy of respect:
“We have honoured the sons of Adam […]and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of Our Creation.” (Quran 17:70)
This clearly indicates that Islam regards human beings as deserving respect, love and concern on the basis of their humanity. A hadith report well illustrates this teaching. Once, the Prophet was present along with some of his disciples when a funeral procession passed by. The Prophet stood up. Seeing the Prophet stand out of respect for the dead man, some of his companions informed him that the man had been a Jew. But, the Prophet responded, ‘Was he not a human being?’ After the Prophet, some of his companions, too, followed this example of his, as is related in the books of Hadith compiled by Bukhari and Muslim.
In another hadith report, the Prophet exhorted his followers to relate with kindness to all creatures thus:
‘God is merciful to those who are merciful. Deal with mercy towards creatures on earth and He in the heavens will be merciful towards you.’ (Sunan Tirmidhi, 1924; Sunan Abu Daud, 4941).
This hadith report very clearly expresses a basic Quranic teaching. The Quran states that the true path to salvation is through showing mercy and love to others:
“And what will explain to thee, the path that is steep? (It is:) freeing the bondman; Or the giving of food in a day of privation to the orphan with claims of relationship, or to the indigent (down) in the dust. Then will he be of those who believe, and enjoin patience, (constancy, and self-restraint), and enjoin deeds of kindness and compassion. Such are the Companions of the Right Hand.” (Quran 90: 12-18)
This is the path of salvation—not simply to be kind-hearted, but also to participate in the mission to promote, in practical terms, kind-heartedness and compassion for others. Such are the steps on the path to salvation. Islam does not restrict good behaviour simply to other human beings. Rather, it insists that Muslims should behave in this way with all living creatures. Thus, according to a hadith recorded in the Sahih of al-Bukhari, the Prophet said, ‘There is merit (sawab) in behaving well towards all living creatures.’
The Bond of Nation/Community (Qaum)
Islam recognizes a certain sort of brotherhood and feeling of oneness among members of the same community/nation as an established fact. This is expressed in the Quran in the form of various prophets, such as Hud, Saleh, Shoeb and so on, addressing the non-Muslim members of their communities as brothers, and, in this way, accepting a relationship of nation- or community-based brotherhood between Muslims and non-Muslims belonging to the same nation or community. When these prophets of God preached His message to their own people (who were not Muslims, or ‘submitters’ to God), they addressed them as ‘ya qaum’ or ‘O my people’, appealing to their hearts and reminding them of the common bond of community that they shared with them. This clearly indicates the sort of concern and love that Muslims should adopt when addressing their non-Muslim compatriots and in seeking to cement bonds with them.
The importance of how concern and love should infuse relations between people belonging to a common race or nationality, despite their religious differences, is evident from the fact that the Prophet Muhammad cared for the (the then non-Muslim) Egyptians just because the mother of the Prophet Ismail (Ishmael), son of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), was from Egypt. The Prophet instructed the Arabs to remember this ancient racial tie, saying that they would soon conquer Egypt and that he wanted them to deal with the Egyptians kindly because they had the right to protection (haq-e zimma) and because their racial ties with the Arabs demanded this.
Kind Behaviour Towards Non-Muslims: Some Examples
Various Islamic teachings and Sunnah or practice of the Prophet indicate the kindness and concern that non-Muslims deserve from Muslims. The Quran mentions that needy non-Muslims are deserving of the financial assistance of Muslims, and that, therefore, they should be helped. In the Surah Al-Baqara of the Quran, God says that guiding others to the faith is not the work of human beings, and that God guides whom He wills. The Quran adds that we must not refuse to help a needy person simply because he or she refuses to accept Islam. It says that we shall be rewarded for whatever we spend in God’s way:
“It is not required of thee (O Messenger) to set them on the right path but Allah guides to the right path whom He pleaseth. Whatever of good ye give benefits your own souls and ye shall only do so seeking the "Face" of Allah. Whatever good ye give, shall be rendered back to you and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly.” (Quran 2:272)
This verse indicates that while providing financial help to others it is not necessary to distinguish between those who accept Islam and those who do not. In other words, all needy people are deserving of such help.
Elaborating on this verse, the noted scholar Imam Ibn Jareer Tabari wrote in his Tafsir-e Tabari that the verse commands Muslims not to deprive non-Muslims of charity. He was of the view that this was how numerous companions of the Prophet and those who came after them in the next generation understood this verse.
This was also the practice of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. Thus, as mentioned in the Kitab al-Kharraj by Abu Yusuf, the Caliph Umar sent a letter to his governor, instructing him to provide for his poor and needy non-Muslim subjects from the wealth of the Muslims.
Reconciliation and Kind-Heartedness
Islam stresses kindness towards relatives, especially close relations, so much so that it says that God declares war against he who does not fulfill his responsibilities towards his relatives (Masnad Ahmad 1684; Sahih al-Bukhari 5987-5989). It also declares that those who sunder their relations with their relatives will have no place in heaven (Sahih Muslim, 2556).
Kindness towards and reconciliation with relatives applies to all relatives, Muslim as well as non-Muslim. It is their right. Islam seeks to cement relations, not to destroy them. Thus, non-Muslim relatives have all the rights over a Muslim, so much so that the Quran lays down that if a Muslim’s parents are not Muslim themselves, and even if they seek to pressurize their Muslim son or daughter to abandon Islam, they must be treated well under all conditions, although one should not yield to their pressure. As the Quran puts it:
“And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command) "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal. "But if they strive to make the join in worship with Me things of which thou hast no knowledge obey them not; Yet bear them company in this life with justice (and consideration) and follow the way of those who turn to Me (in love): in the End the return of you all is to Me, and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all that ye did.”(Quran 31:14-15).
The mother of Abu Hurairah, a companion of the Prophet, used to say bad things about the Prophet, but Abu Hurairah tolerated this. When he complained about her behavior to the Prophet, the latter prayed for her, rather than expressing hatred for her. Because of this, she was guided (Sahih al-Muslim, 2491).
The mother of Hazrat Asma bint Abu Bakr was a polytheist. In the wake of the Treaty of Hudaibiyah between the Muslims, led by the Prophet, and the Meccan pagans, relatives from both sides were able to meet each other. At this time, Hazrat Asma’s mother came to Medina to meet her, bringing along with her some gifts. Hazrat Asma thought of reciprocating this gesture by giving her mother some presents when she was returning. However, she hesitated for a bit, not sure if Islam allowed for Muslims to present gifts to their non-Muslim relatives. Accordingly, she approached the Prophet and asked him if she should seek to strengthen her ties (silah rahmi) with her mother. In reply, the Prophet said she must, and instructed her to give her gifts. (Sahih al-Bukhari 2602; Fath al-Bari).
Some commentators have claimed that Hazrat Asma’s mother had come to Medina because she was in need of help. But, the fact is that she was a well-off woman, and Hafiz Ibn Hajar and other scholars have written that she herself had brought gifts for her daughter. Thus, it could be that she wanted to restore her bonds with her daughter that had been earlier sundered. In other words, Hazrat Asma’s giving of gifts to her mother appears not to have been an expression of help to a needy mother, but rather, a way of expressing and fulfilling her duty of familial love.
Other Social Relations Between Muslims and Others
While Muslims have been forbidden to engage in such relations with non-Muslims that might undermine or destroy their religious distinctiveness, Islam stresses that Muslims must relate with concern, and a high standard of morality with non-Muslims in order to create a better society. Treating neighbours kindly is such an important Islamic teaching that in the corpus of Hadith, narrations relating to the Prophet, it has been said that not abiding by this teaching can sometimes even lead to the danger of one’s own faith being taken away. The Prophet thrice proclaimed that he who is a source of discomfort to his neighbour is not a true believer (momin) (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6016).
One’s neighbour, who deserves exemplary treatment, can be a Muslim or a non-Muslim, and the above-mentioned principle applies in both cases. This is well-illustrated in the following story. One day, a goat was slaughtered in the home of Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar. When he returned home, the first thing he did was to ask if some of the meat had been sent to the house of his Jewish neighbour. ‘I have heard the Prophet stressing the importance of kindness towards neighbours’, he said (Abu Daud, 5152).
One aspect of the life of the Prophet, which serves as a model for Muslims to emulate, is that even if an enemy is in great trouble one should supplicate for him with God. On the one hand, the Prophet would beseech God to punish bloody oppressors, but, on the other hand, we see the Prophet helping the Qureish of Mecca, who stiffly opposed him, when they were faced with a severe famine. In that critical situation, Abu Sufiyan, the Qureish leader who had stridently opposed the Prophet, came to him. Invoking their relationship, he said that the Quraish, the tribe that the Prophet himself belonged to, were dying, and requested him to beseech God. The Prophet prayed to God, and because of his prayer the situation was cured (Sahih Bukhari, 4824).
It is said that if a Jew present in the Prophet’s congregation would sneeze, the Prophet would do the same dua, ‘May God give you guidance and improve your condition’, for him as he would for a Muslim (Sunan Abu Daud 5040). Because they were so fond of this dua, some Jews would pretend to sneeze, but the Prophet still do this dua for them. In the Masannaf Ibn Abi Shiba, the Masannaf Abdur Razzak and the Sahih of al-Bukhari, there are numerous narrations about the Prophet making dua for non-Muslims. This clearly shows that Islam exhorts its followers to deal kindly with people of other faiths.
Commensality or eating together has great importance in building relationships. The Prophet used to invite non-Muslims for meals. Expressing concern for the oppressed and distressed, irrespective of religion, is something basic for good social ties, and the Prophet Muhammad also abided by this. He would visit the homes of non-Muslims when they were sick, to enquire about their health (Sahih al-Bukhari 5657). The Prophet also gave gifts to non-Muslims, and courteously accepted the gifts that they presented him with, as has been recorded in the books of Hadith. It is said that a non-Muslim ruler sent the Prophet a beautiful silken cloak, which the Prophet accepted (Sahih al-Bukhari 2616). He gave it to Ja‘afar bin Abi Talib, saying that he should send it to his ‘brother’, Najashi, the Christian ruler of Abyssinia, who had helped the Muslims (Masnad Ahmad 13214). The Caliph Umar sent a valuable cloth as a gift to a ‘polytheist brother’ of his, and the Prophet knew about this (Muslim 2068). The ruler of Aila sent the Prophet cloth and a mount, which were put to use (Sahih Bukhari 3161). At the time, when the Prophet was departing from this world, he instructed Muslims, especially their leaders, that delegations of guests (who were generally non-Muslims) that would come to them should be given presents while departing, as he himself had done (Sahih al-Bukhari 3053, Sahih al-Muslim 1637).
From these references to the shariah and the Sunnah, the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, it is clear that Islam stands for humanitarianism, love, concern, compassion, large-heartedness and good behaviour with people of other faiths, in general. That is to say, if a person who follows another faith is not an oppressor or an enemy of Islam or a conspirator or is not waging war against Muslims, Islam considers him or her worthy of help and solidarity and stresses respect for his or her humanity.
*
(This is a translation of excerpts from Yahya Nomani's Urdu book, al-Jihad [Lucknow: Al-Mahad al-Ali Lil Darasat al-Islamiya, 2009. Yahya Nomani works with the Lucknow-based Urdu Islamic monthly, al-Furqan)
Mr. Yoginder Sikand is doing a phenomenal work of translating material on Islam from Urdu to English, there is a wealth of information out there that he is translating. Following is the work of Maulvi Yahya Nomani into English.
One after the other Muslim scholars are dusting off mounds of anti-social attitudes towards non-Muslims plugged in over centuries with no basis in Qur’aan. A lot of work is being done in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Egypt, United States and several other places. Aga Khan the spiritual leader of Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims has captured the essence of co-existence in Islam and has established an institution to bring out the aspect of co-existence that Qur’aan is all about.
I have written quite a lot on the subject of Pluralism and indeed and one such article is about community relations: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2009/04/are-muslims-part-of-american-story.html.
Our organization, the World Muslim Congress was founded on the verse 49:13 http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/WorldMuslimCongress/Articles/Mission-Statement.asp of Sura Hujurat and has over 800 articles in archives, most of them dealing with co-existence.
Mike Ghouse
http://www.worldmuslimcongress.com/
# # #
Islamic Perspectives of Inter-Community Relations
Maulvi Yahya Nomani
(Translated from Urdu by Yoginder Sikand)
The issue of what Islam has to say about inter-community relations is one about which much misunderstanding exists. Anti-Muslim propagandists claim that Islam preaches hatred for non-Muslims, and that the Quran is a menace to world peace. They go so far as to argue that world peace is simply impossible as long as the Quran exists. In order to back their propaganda, they have deliberately twisted and misinterpreted certain verses of the Quran. Many people with little knowledge have fallen prey to this poisonous propaganda, which has been aggressively spread on an enormous scale through the media.
At the same time, we must also admit that some Muslims themselves entertain misunderstandings and extremist views about the issue of relations between Muslims and others that are based on a completely wrong interpretation of the Quran and the Sunnah, the practice of the Prophet. This calls for a detailed study, so that misunderstandings, wrong interpretations and extremist views about Islamic teachings regarding relations between Muslims and others can be countered.
It is true that Islam stresses that Muslims, here understood in the sense of true submitters to God, are distinct from others in terms of their religious views and ethical virtues. It cautions them from imitating others, especially their religious symbols and rituals, which Islam does not accept. It is also true that Islam strictly forbids befriending enemies of the faith and those who conspire against Muslims. At the same time, however, Islam exhorts Muslims to relate to other non-Muslims with softness, good manners, gentleness and love.
Respect for the Human Race
Islam teaches that all human beings, irrespective of community or race, are children of the same set of primal parents, and, so, are bound together by their common humanity. As the Quran states:
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you.” (Quran 49:13).
This basic Islamic teaching about the whole of humankind being children of the same parents stresses the need for consciousness of our common humanity and of us being brothers unto each other. This is why, according to a hadith report, the Prophet would, after finishing his prayers, supplicate with God, saying, ‘O Allah! Sustainer of myself and of everything! I bear witness that all human beings are brothers of each other.’
According to the Quran, human beings are creatures worthy of respect:
“We have honoured the sons of Adam […]and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of Our Creation.” (Quran 17:70)
This clearly indicates that Islam regards human beings as deserving respect, love and concern on the basis of their humanity. A hadith report well illustrates this teaching. Once, the Prophet was present along with some of his disciples when a funeral procession passed by. The Prophet stood up. Seeing the Prophet stand out of respect for the dead man, some of his companions informed him that the man had been a Jew. But, the Prophet responded, ‘Was he not a human being?’ After the Prophet, some of his companions, too, followed this example of his, as is related in the books of Hadith compiled by Bukhari and Muslim.
In another hadith report, the Prophet exhorted his followers to relate with kindness to all creatures thus:
‘God is merciful to those who are merciful. Deal with mercy towards creatures on earth and He in the heavens will be merciful towards you.’ (Sunan Tirmidhi, 1924; Sunan Abu Daud, 4941).
This hadith report very clearly expresses a basic Quranic teaching. The Quran states that the true path to salvation is through showing mercy and love to others:
“And what will explain to thee, the path that is steep? (It is:) freeing the bondman; Or the giving of food in a day of privation to the orphan with claims of relationship, or to the indigent (down) in the dust. Then will he be of those who believe, and enjoin patience, (constancy, and self-restraint), and enjoin deeds of kindness and compassion. Such are the Companions of the Right Hand.” (Quran 90: 12-18)
This is the path of salvation—not simply to be kind-hearted, but also to participate in the mission to promote, in practical terms, kind-heartedness and compassion for others. Such are the steps on the path to salvation. Islam does not restrict good behaviour simply to other human beings. Rather, it insists that Muslims should behave in this way with all living creatures. Thus, according to a hadith recorded in the Sahih of al-Bukhari, the Prophet said, ‘There is merit (sawab) in behaving well towards all living creatures.’
The Bond of Nation/Community (Qaum)
Islam recognizes a certain sort of brotherhood and feeling of oneness among members of the same community/nation as an established fact. This is expressed in the Quran in the form of various prophets, such as Hud, Saleh, Shoeb and so on, addressing the non-Muslim members of their communities as brothers, and, in this way, accepting a relationship of nation- or community-based brotherhood between Muslims and non-Muslims belonging to the same nation or community. When these prophets of God preached His message to their own people (who were not Muslims, or ‘submitters’ to God), they addressed them as ‘ya qaum’ or ‘O my people’, appealing to their hearts and reminding them of the common bond of community that they shared with them. This clearly indicates the sort of concern and love that Muslims should adopt when addressing their non-Muslim compatriots and in seeking to cement bonds with them.
The importance of how concern and love should infuse relations between people belonging to a common race or nationality, despite their religious differences, is evident from the fact that the Prophet Muhammad cared for the (the then non-Muslim) Egyptians just because the mother of the Prophet Ismail (Ishmael), son of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), was from Egypt. The Prophet instructed the Arabs to remember this ancient racial tie, saying that they would soon conquer Egypt and that he wanted them to deal with the Egyptians kindly because they had the right to protection (haq-e zimma) and because their racial ties with the Arabs demanded this.
Kind Behaviour Towards Non-Muslims: Some Examples
Various Islamic teachings and Sunnah or practice of the Prophet indicate the kindness and concern that non-Muslims deserve from Muslims. The Quran mentions that needy non-Muslims are deserving of the financial assistance of Muslims, and that, therefore, they should be helped. In the Surah Al-Baqara of the Quran, God says that guiding others to the faith is not the work of human beings, and that God guides whom He wills. The Quran adds that we must not refuse to help a needy person simply because he or she refuses to accept Islam. It says that we shall be rewarded for whatever we spend in God’s way:
“It is not required of thee (O Messenger) to set them on the right path but Allah guides to the right path whom He pleaseth. Whatever of good ye give benefits your own souls and ye shall only do so seeking the "Face" of Allah. Whatever good ye give, shall be rendered back to you and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly.” (Quran 2:272)
This verse indicates that while providing financial help to others it is not necessary to distinguish between those who accept Islam and those who do not. In other words, all needy people are deserving of such help.
Elaborating on this verse, the noted scholar Imam Ibn Jareer Tabari wrote in his Tafsir-e Tabari that the verse commands Muslims not to deprive non-Muslims of charity. He was of the view that this was how numerous companions of the Prophet and those who came after them in the next generation understood this verse.
This was also the practice of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. Thus, as mentioned in the Kitab al-Kharraj by Abu Yusuf, the Caliph Umar sent a letter to his governor, instructing him to provide for his poor and needy non-Muslim subjects from the wealth of the Muslims.
Reconciliation and Kind-Heartedness
Islam stresses kindness towards relatives, especially close relations, so much so that it says that God declares war against he who does not fulfill his responsibilities towards his relatives (Masnad Ahmad 1684; Sahih al-Bukhari 5987-5989). It also declares that those who sunder their relations with their relatives will have no place in heaven (Sahih Muslim, 2556).
Kindness towards and reconciliation with relatives applies to all relatives, Muslim as well as non-Muslim. It is their right. Islam seeks to cement relations, not to destroy them. Thus, non-Muslim relatives have all the rights over a Muslim, so much so that the Quran lays down that if a Muslim’s parents are not Muslim themselves, and even if they seek to pressurize their Muslim son or daughter to abandon Islam, they must be treated well under all conditions, although one should not yield to their pressure. As the Quran puts it:
“And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command) "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal. "But if they strive to make the join in worship with Me things of which thou hast no knowledge obey them not; Yet bear them company in this life with justice (and consideration) and follow the way of those who turn to Me (in love): in the End the return of you all is to Me, and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all that ye did.”(Quran 31:14-15).
The mother of Abu Hurairah, a companion of the Prophet, used to say bad things about the Prophet, but Abu Hurairah tolerated this. When he complained about her behavior to the Prophet, the latter prayed for her, rather than expressing hatred for her. Because of this, she was guided (Sahih al-Muslim, 2491).
The mother of Hazrat Asma bint Abu Bakr was a polytheist. In the wake of the Treaty of Hudaibiyah between the Muslims, led by the Prophet, and the Meccan pagans, relatives from both sides were able to meet each other. At this time, Hazrat Asma’s mother came to Medina to meet her, bringing along with her some gifts. Hazrat Asma thought of reciprocating this gesture by giving her mother some presents when she was returning. However, she hesitated for a bit, not sure if Islam allowed for Muslims to present gifts to their non-Muslim relatives. Accordingly, she approached the Prophet and asked him if she should seek to strengthen her ties (silah rahmi) with her mother. In reply, the Prophet said she must, and instructed her to give her gifts. (Sahih al-Bukhari 2602; Fath al-Bari).
Some commentators have claimed that Hazrat Asma’s mother had come to Medina because she was in need of help. But, the fact is that she was a well-off woman, and Hafiz Ibn Hajar and other scholars have written that she herself had brought gifts for her daughter. Thus, it could be that she wanted to restore her bonds with her daughter that had been earlier sundered. In other words, Hazrat Asma’s giving of gifts to her mother appears not to have been an expression of help to a needy mother, but rather, a way of expressing and fulfilling her duty of familial love.
Other Social Relations Between Muslims and Others
While Muslims have been forbidden to engage in such relations with non-Muslims that might undermine or destroy their religious distinctiveness, Islam stresses that Muslims must relate with concern, and a high standard of morality with non-Muslims in order to create a better society. Treating neighbours kindly is such an important Islamic teaching that in the corpus of Hadith, narrations relating to the Prophet, it has been said that not abiding by this teaching can sometimes even lead to the danger of one’s own faith being taken away. The Prophet thrice proclaimed that he who is a source of discomfort to his neighbour is not a true believer (momin) (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6016).
One’s neighbour, who deserves exemplary treatment, can be a Muslim or a non-Muslim, and the above-mentioned principle applies in both cases. This is well-illustrated in the following story. One day, a goat was slaughtered in the home of Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar. When he returned home, the first thing he did was to ask if some of the meat had been sent to the house of his Jewish neighbour. ‘I have heard the Prophet stressing the importance of kindness towards neighbours’, he said (Abu Daud, 5152).
One aspect of the life of the Prophet, which serves as a model for Muslims to emulate, is that even if an enemy is in great trouble one should supplicate for him with God. On the one hand, the Prophet would beseech God to punish bloody oppressors, but, on the other hand, we see the Prophet helping the Qureish of Mecca, who stiffly opposed him, when they were faced with a severe famine. In that critical situation, Abu Sufiyan, the Qureish leader who had stridently opposed the Prophet, came to him. Invoking their relationship, he said that the Quraish, the tribe that the Prophet himself belonged to, were dying, and requested him to beseech God. The Prophet prayed to God, and because of his prayer the situation was cured (Sahih Bukhari, 4824).
It is said that if a Jew present in the Prophet’s congregation would sneeze, the Prophet would do the same dua, ‘May God give you guidance and improve your condition’, for him as he would for a Muslim (Sunan Abu Daud 5040). Because they were so fond of this dua, some Jews would pretend to sneeze, but the Prophet still do this dua for them. In the Masannaf Ibn Abi Shiba, the Masannaf Abdur Razzak and the Sahih of al-Bukhari, there are numerous narrations about the Prophet making dua for non-Muslims. This clearly shows that Islam exhorts its followers to deal kindly with people of other faiths.
Commensality or eating together has great importance in building relationships. The Prophet used to invite non-Muslims for meals. Expressing concern for the oppressed and distressed, irrespective of religion, is something basic for good social ties, and the Prophet Muhammad also abided by this. He would visit the homes of non-Muslims when they were sick, to enquire about their health (Sahih al-Bukhari 5657). The Prophet also gave gifts to non-Muslims, and courteously accepted the gifts that they presented him with, as has been recorded in the books of Hadith. It is said that a non-Muslim ruler sent the Prophet a beautiful silken cloak, which the Prophet accepted (Sahih al-Bukhari 2616). He gave it to Ja‘afar bin Abi Talib, saying that he should send it to his ‘brother’, Najashi, the Christian ruler of Abyssinia, who had helped the Muslims (Masnad Ahmad 13214). The Caliph Umar sent a valuable cloth as a gift to a ‘polytheist brother’ of his, and the Prophet knew about this (Muslim 2068). The ruler of Aila sent the Prophet cloth and a mount, which were put to use (Sahih Bukhari 3161). At the time, when the Prophet was departing from this world, he instructed Muslims, especially their leaders, that delegations of guests (who were generally non-Muslims) that would come to them should be given presents while departing, as he himself had done (Sahih al-Bukhari 3053, Sahih al-Muslim 1637).
From these references to the shariah and the Sunnah, the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, it is clear that Islam stands for humanitarianism, love, concern, compassion, large-heartedness and good behaviour with people of other faiths, in general. That is to say, if a person who follows another faith is not an oppressor or an enemy of Islam or a conspirator or is not waging war against Muslims, Islam considers him or her worthy of help and solidarity and stresses respect for his or her humanity.
*
(This is a translation of excerpts from Yahya Nomani's Urdu book, al-Jihad [Lucknow: Al-Mahad al-Ali Lil Darasat al-Islamiya, 2009. Yahya Nomani works with the Lucknow-based Urdu Islamic monthly, al-Furqan)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Women Friendly Mosques
Don't miss this conference listed below.
It is good to see inclusion of the topic "Developing Women and Youth Friendly Mosques"
However, I did not see any women speaker names in this program; and I know it is an oversight, and hope it is. We need to make a conscious effort to be inclusive, at least in the USA. Women need to make sure nothing will be done without their partnership.
Asra Nomani, Dr. Amina Wadud and several other women have gone through the painful process of standing out and calling for the change. As men, several of us have condemned those demeaning shameless demonstrations against these women. One of them condemned them to hell - as if the Master of the day of Judgment had turned over his role to them. The men should know that, they recite the Maliki yomiddin phrase at least 50 times a day from Sura Fateha and that they cannot condemn anyone to hell, it is God's business.
I would suggest women who have the resources to be there, to please be there.
Mike Ghouse
World Muslim Congress
The American Muslim Studies Program (AMSP) at the
The American Mosque in the 21st Century
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU), Georgetown University, cordially invites you to attend: A ONE DAY CONFERENCE ON
Georgetown University --- Copley Formal Lounge
37th & O St., NW – Washington, DC 20057
Thursday, February 19, 2009 -- 9 AM – 5 PM
Since the early twentieth century, the Muslim communities in the USA have been establishing mosques in various parts of the country. With the passage of time, these mosques have assumed new functions and roles. They have been transformed from places of worship to community centers, to schools, and finally to forums for Muslims' involvement in public policy issues. They have also become the backbone of the fundraising drives of the American Muslims for local and international projects. In a post-9/11 era, however, mosques and Islamic centers have received extra attention, and sometimes scrutiny, from law enforcement agencies, media personnel and policy makers. The question is how these mosques and Islamic centers can be equipped to face the new challenges and demands of the 21st century? A group of academics, architects and religious scholars will address these issues.
The Conference is FREE and open to the public. However, seating is limited.
Please register before February 15, 2009 at: http://www12.georgetown.edu/sfs/rsvp/index.cfm?Action=View&EventID=2196
Contact: Adam Holmes at ach64@georgetown.edu or 202-687-8375. For more info, visit: http://cmcu.georgetown.edu
Cosponsored by Helping Hand for Relief and Development
_________________________________________________
08:45 AM: Registration/Coffee
09:15 AM: Introductory Remarks by John Voll and Zahid Bukhari, Georgetown University
09:30 AM: Panel 1 – Mosque, Community and Society
Sulayman Nyang, Howard University, "Mosque and Society"
Imam Mohamed Magid, ADAMS Center, "Mosques and American Religious Landscape"
Ihsan Bagby, University of Kentucky, "Statistical Overview of the American Mosques"
Khalid Blankinship, Temple University, "Historical Footprints of the American Mosques"
Chair: Iqbal Unus, Fairfax Institute
11:15 AM: Break
11:30 AM: Keynote Speaker, Muzammil Siddiqi, Islamic Center of Orange County, CA, "American Mosques: Future Trends'
12:30 PM: Break for Lunch and Zuhr Prayer
01:30 PM: Panel 2 – Space, Design and Function
Riad Ali, MuslimGuide.Com, "Evolution of the American Mosques: Space and Functionality"
Mazen Ayoubi, AIC, "Designing the American Mosques; Balancing Tradition with Modernity"
Christopher McCoy, McCoy Architects, "Mosque and Church in a Neighborhood: A Comparative Perspective"
Imam Khalid Griggs, Community Mosque, "Urban and Suburban Experiences of American Mosques"
Chair: Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, Georgetown University
03:15 PM: Panel 3 – Education and Empowerment
Altaf Husain, Howard University, "Developing Women and Youth Friendly Mosques"
Imam Amir Mukhtar Faezi, Baitul Ilm Academy, "Educating the Community: Problems and Prospects"
Louay Safi, ILDC, "Effective Leadership and Good Governance"
Imam Johary Abdul Malik, Darul Hijra, "Making Mosques Financially Sustainable"
Chair: Imam Yahya Hendi, Georgetown University
05:00 PM: Closing Remarks by Sulayman Nyang, Howard University
It is good to see inclusion of the topic "Developing Women and Youth Friendly Mosques"
However, I did not see any women speaker names in this program; and I know it is an oversight, and hope it is. We need to make a conscious effort to be inclusive, at least in the USA. Women need to make sure nothing will be done without their partnership.
Asra Nomani, Dr. Amina Wadud and several other women have gone through the painful process of standing out and calling for the change. As men, several of us have condemned those demeaning shameless demonstrations against these women. One of them condemned them to hell - as if the Master of the day of Judgment had turned over his role to them. The men should know that, they recite the Maliki yomiddin phrase at least 50 times a day from Sura Fateha and that they cannot condemn anyone to hell, it is God's business.
I would suggest women who have the resources to be there, to please be there.
Mike Ghouse
World Muslim Congress
The American Muslim Studies Program (AMSP) at the
The American Mosque in the 21st Century
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU), Georgetown University, cordially invites you to attend: A ONE DAY CONFERENCE ON
Georgetown University --- Copley Formal Lounge
37th & O St., NW – Washington, DC 20057
Thursday, February 19, 2009 -- 9 AM – 5 PM
Since the early twentieth century, the Muslim communities in the USA have been establishing mosques in various parts of the country. With the passage of time, these mosques have assumed new functions and roles. They have been transformed from places of worship to community centers, to schools, and finally to forums for Muslims' involvement in public policy issues. They have also become the backbone of the fundraising drives of the American Muslims for local and international projects. In a post-9/11 era, however, mosques and Islamic centers have received extra attention, and sometimes scrutiny, from law enforcement agencies, media personnel and policy makers. The question is how these mosques and Islamic centers can be equipped to face the new challenges and demands of the 21st century? A group of academics, architects and religious scholars will address these issues.
The Conference is FREE and open to the public. However, seating is limited.
Please register before February 15, 2009 at: http://www12.georgetown.edu/sfs/rsvp/index.cfm?Action=View&EventID=2196
Contact: Adam Holmes at ach64@georgetown.edu or 202-687-8375. For more info, visit: http://cmcu.georgetown.edu
Cosponsored by Helping Hand for Relief and Development
_________________________________________________
08:45 AM: Registration/Coffee
09:15 AM: Introductory Remarks by John Voll and Zahid Bukhari, Georgetown University
09:30 AM: Panel 1 – Mosque, Community and Society
Sulayman Nyang, Howard University, "Mosque and Society"
Imam Mohamed Magid, ADAMS Center, "Mosques and American Religious Landscape"
Ihsan Bagby, University of Kentucky, "Statistical Overview of the American Mosques"
Khalid Blankinship, Temple University, "Historical Footprints of the American Mosques"
Chair: Iqbal Unus, Fairfax Institute
11:15 AM: Break
11:30 AM: Keynote Speaker, Muzammil Siddiqi, Islamic Center of Orange County, CA, "American Mosques: Future Trends'
12:30 PM: Break for Lunch and Zuhr Prayer
01:30 PM: Panel 2 – Space, Design and Function
Riad Ali, MuslimGuide.Com, "Evolution of the American Mosques: Space and Functionality"
Mazen Ayoubi, AIC, "Designing the American Mosques; Balancing Tradition with Modernity"
Christopher McCoy, McCoy Architects, "Mosque and Church in a Neighborhood: A Comparative Perspective"
Imam Khalid Griggs, Community Mosque, "Urban and Suburban Experiences of American Mosques"
Chair: Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, Georgetown University
03:15 PM: Panel 3 – Education and Empowerment
Altaf Husain, Howard University, "Developing Women and Youth Friendly Mosques"
Imam Amir Mukhtar Faezi, Baitul Ilm Academy, "Educating the Community: Problems and Prospects"
Louay Safi, ILDC, "Effective Leadership and Good Governance"
Imam Johary Abdul Malik, Darul Hijra, "Making Mosques Financially Sustainable"
Chair: Imam Yahya Hendi, Georgetown University
05:00 PM: Closing Remarks by Sulayman Nyang, Howard University
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Our Mission, Eboo Patel, Rashad Hussain
AA,
A few good news items for Muslims to rejoice, while the Gaza tragedy continues
1. The Mission of World Muslim Congress
2. Obama appoints Ebrahim (Eboo) Patel to his inter faith council
3. Rashad Hussain to be Deputy Associate Counsel to President Obama
4. Sania Mirza first Indian woman to capture Grand Slam title
Mike Ghouse
http://www.worldmuslimcongress.com/
http://www.worldmuslimcongress.org/
http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/
Our Mission
To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker, one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of humanity. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; Life and Matter.
We are driven by the Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware."
Our Mission
Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain peace for the humankind with a firm grounding in commonly held values. We cannot have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace. We believe what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world, and vice versa, to sustain it.
Indeed we aspire to promote goodwill amongst people of different affiliations, regardless of their faith, gender, race, nationality, culture or any other uniqueness blessed by the creator.
Goals
Our short term goal is to understand different faiths and let the values of Islam be understood as well. So we may know one another.
Our Long term goal is simply to bring the realization that the purpose of all religions is to bring peace and tranquility to an individual and further create balanced relationships between the individual, society and the environment. Learning about other faiths need not imply infidelity, but rather the search will enrich one's own faith, it reaffirms the idea that the intent of every faith is to "fix" the individual as an active working and participating spoke in the wheel of life. Most people get it and a few don't.
Islam defined
The essence of Islam: Justice for every human being under one Creator (Universe is the only creation we know). The Qur'aan starts with the word "God of Universe" (not necessarily Muslims) and ends with "Humankind" (and again not Muslims). As such it is understood that God, the cause behind creation of life and matter belongs to all of us. No one owns him (her or it) nor does one group has an exclusive favors over the other. The creator will offer equal opportunities to all and will not sign a deal behind one's back with the other.
Obama appoints Ebrahim (Eboo) Patel to his inter faith council
Washington: The US President, Barack Obama, on Thursday appointed an Indian American to his new advisory council on inter faith relationships.
Eboo S Patel, founder and executive director of the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Corps, would be a member of the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
The council announced Thursday it would have 25 members, who will be appointed for a one-year term. However, fifteen members to the council were announced today.
The announcement came after Obama signed an executive order establishing the new faith-based council.
This office will work on behalf of Americans committed to improving their communities, no matter their religious or political beliefs, Obama said.
Joshua DuBois, a former associate pastor and advisor to Obama in his US Senate office and campaign Director of Religious Affairs, would lead this office.
"Joshua understands the issues at stake, knows the people involved and will be able to bring everyone together from both the secular and faith-based communities and from academia and politics around our common goals," he said.
EBOO PATEL, Founder and Executive Director
Eboo Patel is the founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit working to build mutual respect and pluralism among religiously diverse young people by empowering them to work together to serve others. He is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation. Eboo holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. He writes "The Faith Divide", a featured blog on religion for The Washington Post and has also written for the Harvard Divinity School Bulletin, the Chicago Tribune, The Clinton Journal, The Review of Faith and International Affairs, The Journal of College and Character and National Public Radio. Eboo serves on the Religious Advisory Committee of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Committee of the Aga Khan Foundation USA, the Advisory Board of Duke University's Islamic Studies Center, and the National Board of the YMCA. He has spoken at the TED Conference, the Clinton Global Initiative, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and at universities around the world. Eboo is an Ashoka Fellow, part of a select group of social entrepreneurs whose ideas are changing the world; was named by Islamica Magazine as one of ten young Muslim visionaries shaping Islam in America; was chosen by Harvard's Kennedy School Review as one of five future policy leaders to watch; and was given an honorary doctorate from Washington and Jefferson College.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znm71XGPsng&feature=related
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/aga-khan-a-man-of-vision-inspiration-by-eboo-patel/
"…we cannot make the world safe for democracy unless we also make the world safe for diversity" - His Highness Aga Khan, May 15, 2006
Sania first Indian woman to capture Grand Slam title
http://www.newsonair.com/news.asp?cat=sports&id=SN1682
Sania Mirza on Sunday became the first Indian woman to capture a Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open mixed doubles trophy with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi. The Indian wild card pair crushed Andy Ram of Isreal and Nathalie Dechy of France 6-3, 6-1 in just 55 minutes at Melbourne.
This victory came a day after India had found a new singles Open champion in Yuki Bhambri, who lifted the junior title, thus capping the country's campaign at the first Grand Slam of the year on a high note.
It was Sania and Bhupathi's first Grand Slam title together. They had ended runners-up last year. The win also gave Bhupathi his seventh title in mixed doubles overall and second at the Australian Open, following his 2006 triumph with Martina Hingis.
--------------
Australian Open triumph would boost Indian tennis: Sania
http://publication.samachar.com/pub_article.php?id=3558868&navname=Sports%20&moreurl=http://publication.samachar.com/presstrustofindia/sports/presstrustofindia.php&homeurl=http://sports.samachar.com&nextids=35588683558869355887035584113558871&nextIndex=1
Amanpreet Singh
New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) The feeling of creating history has started to sink in and Sania Mirza, who today became the first Indian woman Grand Slam winner, says the way the new season has started, Indian tennis is definitely in for some good time ahead.
The 22-year-old Hyderabadi ace said she is not only "enjoying" the moment of but also hoping that this feat of her, together with Mahesh Bhupathi, will further provide fillip to the game in the country.
"It took a few minutes to believe (that I have won my first Grand Slam title). It's great to be a Grand Slam winner. I am at the airport and enjoying the moment. It's a dream come true," Sania told PTI from Melbourne as she prepared to flying home back.
Sania reckoned the last few weeks have been amazing for Indian tennis and it all started with the rise of Somdev Devavrman who reached final of Chennai Open.
"Of course it was a great start with Somdev, then Yuki won yesterday and we won today. It's great to beginning to the year and I hope Indian tennis gets more fillip from these feats," she said.
Sania looked much more impressive this year and she combined excellently with Bhupathi throughout the tournament. Asked if that was the reason behind their success, the tennis ace said, "We have always complemented each other's game. Last year also we had reached the finals and it's not a joke to reach that level.
"But yes, my game has improved and I am much better physically and it always helps," she said. PTI
Rashad Hussain to be Deputy Associate Counsel to President Obama
As-Salaam Alaikum
I just came to know that Rashad is our home town kid, right here from Plano,TX. He is the son of Br. Akbar Hussian. Rashad's mother is a very well known doctor in our community, Dr. Rokeyya Hussain.
Was-Salaam
Ayaz Malik
http://makkah.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/rashad-hussain-to-be-deputy-associate-counsel-to-president-obama/
President has named Rashad Hussain to be Deputy Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Hussain recently served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to that, he was as a Law Clerk to Damon J. Keith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hussain served as a legislative assistant on the House Judiciary Committee, where he reviewed legislation such as the USA Patriot Act. Mr. Hussain earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his Master’s degree in Public Administration and in Arabic & Islamic Studies from Harvard University, and his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal
A few good news items for Muslims to rejoice, while the Gaza tragedy continues
1. The Mission of World Muslim Congress
2. Obama appoints Ebrahim (Eboo) Patel to his inter faith council
3. Rashad Hussain to be Deputy Associate Counsel to President Obama
4. Sania Mirza first Indian woman to capture Grand Slam title
Mike Ghouse
http://www.worldmuslimcongress.com/
http://www.worldmuslimcongress.org/
http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/
Our Mission
To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker, one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of humanity. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; Life and Matter.
We are driven by the Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware."
Our Mission
Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain peace for the humankind with a firm grounding in commonly held values. We cannot have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace. We believe what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world, and vice versa, to sustain it.
Indeed we aspire to promote goodwill amongst people of different affiliations, regardless of their faith, gender, race, nationality, culture or any other uniqueness blessed by the creator.
Goals
Our short term goal is to understand different faiths and let the values of Islam be understood as well. So we may know one another.
Our Long term goal is simply to bring the realization that the purpose of all religions is to bring peace and tranquility to an individual and further create balanced relationships between the individual, society and the environment. Learning about other faiths need not imply infidelity, but rather the search will enrich one's own faith, it reaffirms the idea that the intent of every faith is to "fix" the individual as an active working and participating spoke in the wheel of life. Most people get it and a few don't.
Islam defined
The essence of Islam: Justice for every human being under one Creator (Universe is the only creation we know). The Qur'aan starts with the word "God of Universe" (not necessarily Muslims) and ends with "Humankind" (and again not Muslims). As such it is understood that God, the cause behind creation of life and matter belongs to all of us. No one owns him (her or it) nor does one group has an exclusive favors over the other. The creator will offer equal opportunities to all and will not sign a deal behind one's back with the other.
Obama appoints Ebrahim (Eboo) Patel to his inter faith council
Washington: The US President, Barack Obama, on Thursday appointed an Indian American to his new advisory council on inter faith relationships.
Eboo S Patel, founder and executive director of the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Corps, would be a member of the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
The council announced Thursday it would have 25 members, who will be appointed for a one-year term. However, fifteen members to the council were announced today.
The announcement came after Obama signed an executive order establishing the new faith-based council.
This office will work on behalf of Americans committed to improving their communities, no matter their religious or political beliefs, Obama said.
Joshua DuBois, a former associate pastor and advisor to Obama in his US Senate office and campaign Director of Religious Affairs, would lead this office.
"Joshua understands the issues at stake, knows the people involved and will be able to bring everyone together from both the secular and faith-based communities and from academia and politics around our common goals," he said.
EBOO PATEL, Founder and Executive Director
Eboo Patel is the founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit working to build mutual respect and pluralism among religiously diverse young people by empowering them to work together to serve others. He is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation. Eboo holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. He writes "The Faith Divide", a featured blog on religion for The Washington Post and has also written for the Harvard Divinity School Bulletin, the Chicago Tribune, The Clinton Journal, The Review of Faith and International Affairs, The Journal of College and Character and National Public Radio. Eboo serves on the Religious Advisory Committee of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Committee of the Aga Khan Foundation USA, the Advisory Board of Duke University's Islamic Studies Center, and the National Board of the YMCA. He has spoken at the TED Conference, the Clinton Global Initiative, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and at universities around the world. Eboo is an Ashoka Fellow, part of a select group of social entrepreneurs whose ideas are changing the world; was named by Islamica Magazine as one of ten young Muslim visionaries shaping Islam in America; was chosen by Harvard's Kennedy School Review as one of five future policy leaders to watch; and was given an honorary doctorate from Washington and Jefferson College.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znm71XGPsng&feature=related
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/aga-khan-a-man-of-vision-inspiration-by-eboo-patel/
"…we cannot make the world safe for democracy unless we also make the world safe for diversity" - His Highness Aga Khan, May 15, 2006
Sania first Indian woman to capture Grand Slam title
http://www.newsonair.com/news.asp?cat=sports&id=SN1682
Sania Mirza on Sunday became the first Indian woman to capture a Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open mixed doubles trophy with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi. The Indian wild card pair crushed Andy Ram of Isreal and Nathalie Dechy of France 6-3, 6-1 in just 55 minutes at Melbourne.
This victory came a day after India had found a new singles Open champion in Yuki Bhambri, who lifted the junior title, thus capping the country's campaign at the first Grand Slam of the year on a high note.
It was Sania and Bhupathi's first Grand Slam title together. They had ended runners-up last year. The win also gave Bhupathi his seventh title in mixed doubles overall and second at the Australian Open, following his 2006 triumph with Martina Hingis.
--------------
Australian Open triumph would boost Indian tennis: Sania
http://publication.samachar.com/pub_article.php?id=3558868&navname=Sports%20&moreurl=http://publication.samachar.com/presstrustofindia/sports/presstrustofindia.php&homeurl=http://sports.samachar.com&nextids=35588683558869355887035584113558871&nextIndex=1
Amanpreet Singh
New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) The feeling of creating history has started to sink in and Sania Mirza, who today became the first Indian woman Grand Slam winner, says the way the new season has started, Indian tennis is definitely in for some good time ahead.
The 22-year-old Hyderabadi ace said she is not only "enjoying" the moment of but also hoping that this feat of her, together with Mahesh Bhupathi, will further provide fillip to the game in the country.
"It took a few minutes to believe (that I have won my first Grand Slam title). It's great to be a Grand Slam winner. I am at the airport and enjoying the moment. It's a dream come true," Sania told PTI from Melbourne as she prepared to flying home back.
Sania reckoned the last few weeks have been amazing for Indian tennis and it all started with the rise of Somdev Devavrman who reached final of Chennai Open.
"Of course it was a great start with Somdev, then Yuki won yesterday and we won today. It's great to beginning to the year and I hope Indian tennis gets more fillip from these feats," she said.
Sania looked much more impressive this year and she combined excellently with Bhupathi throughout the tournament. Asked if that was the reason behind their success, the tennis ace said, "We have always complemented each other's game. Last year also we had reached the finals and it's not a joke to reach that level.
"But yes, my game has improved and I am much better physically and it always helps," she said. PTI
Rashad Hussain to be Deputy Associate Counsel to President Obama
As-Salaam Alaikum
I just came to know that Rashad is our home town kid, right here from Plano,TX. He is the son of Br. Akbar Hussian. Rashad's mother is a very well known doctor in our community, Dr. Rokeyya Hussain.
Was-Salaam
Ayaz Malik
http://makkah.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/rashad-hussain-to-be-deputy-associate-counsel-to-president-obama/
President has named Rashad Hussain to be Deputy Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Hussain recently served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to that, he was as a Law Clerk to Damon J. Keith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hussain served as a legislative assistant on the House Judiciary Committee, where he reviewed legislation such as the USA Patriot Act. Mr. Hussain earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his Master’s degree in Public Administration and in Arabic & Islamic Studies from Harvard University, and his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal
Friday, February 6, 2009
Obama speaks at prayer breakfast
Obama speaks at prayer breakfast
The world is going in the right direction now, this is what God wanted all of us to do, to mitigate conflicts, nurture goodwill, accept each one's uniqueness and co-exist in peace. Following Jesus means that, submitting to Allah's will means that, surrendering to Krishna means that and every faith subscribes to this this idea.
My prayers for Obama to live a long life and be the catalyst for a positive inclusive change. Amen
Mike Ghouse
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remarks of President Barack Obama
National Prayer Breakfast
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
Washington, DC
Good morning. I want to thank the Co-Chairs of this breakfast, Representatives Heath Shuler and Vernon Ehlers. I’d also like to thank Tony Blair for coming today, as well as our Vice President, Joe Biden, members of my Cabinet, members of Congress, clergy, friends, and dignitaries from across the world.
Michelle and I are honored to join you in prayer this morning. I know this breakfast has a long history in Washington, and faith has always been a guiding force in our family’s life, so we feel very much at home and look forward to keeping this tradition alive during our time here.
It’s a tradition that I’m told actually began many years ago in the city of Seattle. It was the height of the Great Depression, and most people found themselves out of work. Many fell into poverty. Some lost everything.
The leaders of the community did all that they could for those who were suffering in their midst. And then they decided to do something more: they prayed. It didn’t matter what party or religious affiliation to which they belonged. They simply gathered one morning as brothers and sisters to share a meal and talk with God.
These breakfasts soon sprouted up throughout Seattle, and quickly spread to cities and towns across America, eventually making their way to Washington. A short time after President Eisenhower asked a group of Senators if he could join their prayer breakfast, it became a national event. And today, as I see presidents and dignitaries here from every corner of the globe, it strikes me that this is one of the rare occasions that still brings much of the world together in a moment of peace and goodwill.
I raise this history because far too often, we have seen faith wielded as a tool to divide us from one another – as an excuse for prejudice and intolerance. Wars have been waged. Innocents have been slaughtered. For centuries, entire religions have been persecuted, all in the name of perceived righteousness.
There is no doubt that the very nature of faith means that some of our beliefs will never be the same. We read from different texts. We follow different edicts. We subscribe to different accounts of how we came to be here and where we’re going next – and some subscribe to no faith at all.
But no matter what we choose to believe, let us remember that there is no religion whose central tenet is hate. There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know.
We know too that whatever our differences, there is one law that binds all great religions together. Jesus told us to "love thy neighbor as thyself." The Torah commands, "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow." In Islam, there is a hadith that reads "None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." And the same is true for Buddhists and Hindus; for followers of Confucius and for humanists. It is, of course, the Golden Rule – the call to love one another; to understand one another; to treat with dignity and respect those with whom we share a brief moment on this Earth.
It is an ancient rule; a simple rule; but also one of the most challenging. For it asks each of us to take some measure of responsibility for the well-being of people we may not know or worship with or agree with on every issue. Sometimes, it asks us to reconcile with bitter enemies or resolve ancient hatreds. And that requires a living, breathing, active faith. It requires us not only to believe, but to do – to give something of ourselves for the benefit of others and the betterment of our world.
In this way, the particular faith that motivates each of us can promote a greater good for all of us. Instead of driving us apart, our varied beliefs can bring us together to feed the hungry and comfort the afflicted; to make peace where there is strife and rebuild what has broken; to lift up those who have fallen on hard times. This is not only our call as people of faith, but our duty as citizens of America, and it will be the purpose of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships that I’m announcing later today.
The goal of this office will not be to favor one religious group over another – or even religious groups over secular groups. It will simply be to work on behalf of those organizations that want to work on behalf of our communities, and to do so without blurring the line that our founders wisely drew between church and state. This work is important, because whether it’s a secular group advising families facing foreclosure or faith-based groups providing job-training to those who need work, few are closer to what’s happening on our streets and in our neighborhoods than these organizations. People trust them. Communities rely on them. And we will help them.
We will also reach out to leaders and scholars around the world to foster a more productive and peaceful dialogue on faith. I don’t expect divisions to disappear overnight, nor do I believe that long-held views and conflicts will suddenly vanish. But I do believe that if we can talk to one another openly and honestly, then perhaps old rifts will start to mend and new partnerships will begin to emerge. In a world that grows smaller by the day, perhaps we can begin to crowd out the destructive forces of zealotry and make room for the healing power of understanding.
This is my hope. This is my prayer.
I believe this good is possible because my faith teaches me that all is possible, but I also believe because of what I have seen and what I have lived.
I was not raised in a particularly religious household. I had a father who was born a Muslim but became an atheist, grandparents who were non-practicing Methodists and Baptists, and a mother who was skeptical of organized religion, even as she was the kindest, most spiritual person I’ve ever known. She was the one who taught me as a child to love, and to understand, and to do unto others as I would want done.
I didn’t become a Christian until many years later, when I moved to the South Side of Chicago after college. It happened not because of indoctrination or a sudden revelation, but because I spent month after month working with church folks who simply wanted to help neighbors who were down on their luck – no matter what they looked like, or where they came from, or who they prayed to. It was on those streets, in those neighborhoods, that I first heard God’s spirit beckon me. It was there that I felt called to a higher purpose – His purpose.
In different ways and different forms, it is that spirit and sense of purpose that drew friends and neighbors to that first prayer breakfast in Seattle all those years ago, during another trying time for our nation. It is what led friends and neighbors from so many faiths and nations here today. We come to break bread and give thanks and seek guidance, but also to rededicate ourselves to the mission of love and service that lies at the heart of all humanity. As St. Augustine once said, "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."
So let us pray together on this February morning, but let us also work together in all the days and months ahead. For it is only through common struggle and common effort, as brothers and sisters, that we fulfill our highest purpose as beloved children of God. I ask you to join me in that effort, and I also ask that you pray for me, for my family, and for the continued perfection of our union. Thank you.
The world is going in the right direction now, this is what God wanted all of us to do, to mitigate conflicts, nurture goodwill, accept each one's uniqueness and co-exist in peace. Following Jesus means that, submitting to Allah's will means that, surrendering to Krishna means that and every faith subscribes to this this idea.
My prayers for Obama to live a long life and be the catalyst for a positive inclusive change. Amen
Mike Ghouse
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remarks of President Barack Obama
National Prayer Breakfast
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
Washington, DC
Good morning. I want to thank the Co-Chairs of this breakfast, Representatives Heath Shuler and Vernon Ehlers. I’d also like to thank Tony Blair for coming today, as well as our Vice President, Joe Biden, members of my Cabinet, members of Congress, clergy, friends, and dignitaries from across the world.
Michelle and I are honored to join you in prayer this morning. I know this breakfast has a long history in Washington, and faith has always been a guiding force in our family’s life, so we feel very much at home and look forward to keeping this tradition alive during our time here.
It’s a tradition that I’m told actually began many years ago in the city of Seattle. It was the height of the Great Depression, and most people found themselves out of work. Many fell into poverty. Some lost everything.
The leaders of the community did all that they could for those who were suffering in their midst. And then they decided to do something more: they prayed. It didn’t matter what party or religious affiliation to which they belonged. They simply gathered one morning as brothers and sisters to share a meal and talk with God.
These breakfasts soon sprouted up throughout Seattle, and quickly spread to cities and towns across America, eventually making their way to Washington. A short time after President Eisenhower asked a group of Senators if he could join their prayer breakfast, it became a national event. And today, as I see presidents and dignitaries here from every corner of the globe, it strikes me that this is one of the rare occasions that still brings much of the world together in a moment of peace and goodwill.
I raise this history because far too often, we have seen faith wielded as a tool to divide us from one another – as an excuse for prejudice and intolerance. Wars have been waged. Innocents have been slaughtered. For centuries, entire religions have been persecuted, all in the name of perceived righteousness.
There is no doubt that the very nature of faith means that some of our beliefs will never be the same. We read from different texts. We follow different edicts. We subscribe to different accounts of how we came to be here and where we’re going next – and some subscribe to no faith at all.
But no matter what we choose to believe, let us remember that there is no religion whose central tenet is hate. There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know.
We know too that whatever our differences, there is one law that binds all great religions together. Jesus told us to "love thy neighbor as thyself." The Torah commands, "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow." In Islam, there is a hadith that reads "None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." And the same is true for Buddhists and Hindus; for followers of Confucius and for humanists. It is, of course, the Golden Rule – the call to love one another; to understand one another; to treat with dignity and respect those with whom we share a brief moment on this Earth.
It is an ancient rule; a simple rule; but also one of the most challenging. For it asks each of us to take some measure of responsibility for the well-being of people we may not know or worship with or agree with on every issue. Sometimes, it asks us to reconcile with bitter enemies or resolve ancient hatreds. And that requires a living, breathing, active faith. It requires us not only to believe, but to do – to give something of ourselves for the benefit of others and the betterment of our world.
In this way, the particular faith that motivates each of us can promote a greater good for all of us. Instead of driving us apart, our varied beliefs can bring us together to feed the hungry and comfort the afflicted; to make peace where there is strife and rebuild what has broken; to lift up those who have fallen on hard times. This is not only our call as people of faith, but our duty as citizens of America, and it will be the purpose of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships that I’m announcing later today.
The goal of this office will not be to favor one religious group over another – or even religious groups over secular groups. It will simply be to work on behalf of those organizations that want to work on behalf of our communities, and to do so without blurring the line that our founders wisely drew between church and state. This work is important, because whether it’s a secular group advising families facing foreclosure or faith-based groups providing job-training to those who need work, few are closer to what’s happening on our streets and in our neighborhoods than these organizations. People trust them. Communities rely on them. And we will help them.
We will also reach out to leaders and scholars around the world to foster a more productive and peaceful dialogue on faith. I don’t expect divisions to disappear overnight, nor do I believe that long-held views and conflicts will suddenly vanish. But I do believe that if we can talk to one another openly and honestly, then perhaps old rifts will start to mend and new partnerships will begin to emerge. In a world that grows smaller by the day, perhaps we can begin to crowd out the destructive forces of zealotry and make room for the healing power of understanding.
This is my hope. This is my prayer.
I believe this good is possible because my faith teaches me that all is possible, but I also believe because of what I have seen and what I have lived.
I was not raised in a particularly religious household. I had a father who was born a Muslim but became an atheist, grandparents who were non-practicing Methodists and Baptists, and a mother who was skeptical of organized religion, even as she was the kindest, most spiritual person I’ve ever known. She was the one who taught me as a child to love, and to understand, and to do unto others as I would want done.
I didn’t become a Christian until many years later, when I moved to the South Side of Chicago after college. It happened not because of indoctrination or a sudden revelation, but because I spent month after month working with church folks who simply wanted to help neighbors who were down on their luck – no matter what they looked like, or where they came from, or who they prayed to. It was on those streets, in those neighborhoods, that I first heard God’s spirit beckon me. It was there that I felt called to a higher purpose – His purpose.
In different ways and different forms, it is that spirit and sense of purpose that drew friends and neighbors to that first prayer breakfast in Seattle all those years ago, during another trying time for our nation. It is what led friends and neighbors from so many faiths and nations here today. We come to break bread and give thanks and seek guidance, but also to rededicate ourselves to the mission of love and service that lies at the heart of all humanity. As St. Augustine once said, "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."
So let us pray together on this February morning, but let us also work together in all the days and months ahead. For it is only through common struggle and common effort, as brothers and sisters, that we fulfill our highest purpose as beloved children of God. I ask you to join me in that effort, and I also ask that you pray for me, for my family, and for the continued perfection of our union. Thank you.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Lifting the Veil on the Niqab
Lifting the Veil on the NiqabThe following article on the subject is fairly well written.
Agree with most of what Tarek has said, but if a woman wants to wear the Hijab or Niqab (face mask), let her, it is her life and her body; she should have complete freedom to choose. Its time to think in terms of freedom, and not fall into the trap that wearing Niqab is oppression or regression. Why does one have to conform? It is about what she wants to cover or uncover, let the issue be a pro-choice.
One comment I have heard that makes a lot of sense is “if she had told the court that she is not comfortable with the open face in presence of media or such..." it would have been more acceptable as opposed to referencing to religion. Then we have two choices - some Muslims think it is religious, most others don't... should it not be a woman's choice?
My late wife never wore any Hijab, except the covering at the Mosque... one day she said she is going to wear the Burqa... that stopped me in my tracts and resisted my own resistance to it. Who am I to "tell" her what to wear or not?
Mike Ghouse
WorldMuslimCongress.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 5, 2009
Lifting the Veil on the Niqab
There is no requirement in Islam to cover one's face -- the niqab is the epitome of male control over Muslim women
By Tarek Fatah,
The Ottawa Citizen
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Life/Lifting+veil+niqab/1254516/story.html
Barely a week goes by when my religion, Islam, does not face a fresh round of scrutiny. If it is not a suicide bomber blowing himself up in an Iraqi mosque screaming "Allah O Akbar," it is news that an imam in Malaysia has declared the practice of Yoga sinful. If it is not a Toronto imam defending suicide bombing on TVO, a Muslim woman writes a column in a Canadian daily, advocating the introduction of Shariah law in Canada.
But the one topic that rears its head in almost predictable cycles is the subject of a Muslim woman's supposed Islamic attire. Whether it is swimming pools or polling booths there is no escape from the repeated controversies surrounding the face mask, better known as the niqab, or the burqa.
The latest incarnation of the niqab controversy surfaced this week when a Toronto judge ordered a Muslim woman to take off her niqab when she testified in a case of sexual assault.
The woman invoked Islam as the reason why she wanted to give testimony while wearing a face mask. She told the judge, "It's a respect issue, one of modesty," adding Islam considers her niqab as her "honour." Her explanations were rejected by the judge who determined that the woman's "religious belief" was not that strong and that in his opinion the woman was asking to wear the niqab as "a matter of comfort."
But all of these arguments are premised on the acceptance of the myth that a face mask for women is Islamic religious attire.
Humbug.
There is no requirement in Islam for Muslim women to cover their faces. The niqab is the epitome of male control over women. It is a product of Saudi Arabia and its distortion of Islam to suit its Wahabbi agenda, which is creeping into Canada .
If there is any doubt that the niqab is not required by Islam, take at look at the holiest place for Muslims -- the grand mosque in Mecca , the Ka'aba. For over 1,400 years Muslim men and women have prayed in what we believe is the House of God and for all these centuries women have been explicitly forbidden from covering their faces.
For the better part of the 20th century, Muslim reformists, from Egypt to India , campaigned against this terrible tribal custom imposed by Wahabbi Islam. My mother's generation threw off their burqas when Muslim countries gained their independence after the Second World War. Millions of women encouraged by their husbands, fathers and sons, shed this oppressive attire as the first step in embracing gender equality.
But while the rest of the world moves toward the goal of gender equality, right here, under our very noses, Islamists are pushing back the clock, convincing educated Muslim women they are sexual objects and a source of sin.
It will be difficult to pinpoint what went wrong, but most of Canada 's growth in niqabi women can be traced to one development in 2004, when a radical Pakistani female scholar by the name of Farhat Hashmi came to Canada on a visitor's visa, to establish the Al-Huda Islamic Institute for women.
Maclean's magazine reported in July 2006 that she had "established a school where she lectures to mostly young, middle-class women from mainstream Muslim families, not only from across the country but also from the U.S. and as far away as Australia ."
In October 2005, the Globe and Mail ran a story on Dr. Hashmi quoting a 20-year-old Muslim woman as saying, "I agree with Dr. Hashmi that women should stay at home and look after their families." This student was so impressed with Dr. Hashmi's sermons that she convinced 10 of her friends to enrol in the course that involved wearing the niqab, leaving the work force and embracing polygamy.
In the Globe piece, 18-year-old Sadaf Mahmood defended polygamy and the burqa saying: "There are more women than men in this world. Who will take care of these women? It is better for a man to do things legally by taking a second wife, rather than having an affair."
While the rest of Canada sleeps, the Islamist agenda, funded by the Saudis and inspired by the Iranians, continues to make its presence felt. The vast majority of Muslims look on in shock, unable to understand why this country would tolerate the oppression of women in the name of religion and multiculturalism.
The woman who was denied her burqa in court is a victim. She is merely a puppet in the hands of those who wish to keep women in their place. First she suffered the trauma of the alleged sexual assault, which was then compounded by the controversy about her niqab. She could have asked the judge to not let her face her alleged attackers, and that would have been a fair request.
But when she invoked Islam and said hiding her face would be an act of religiosity, she became a voice not for justice, but for those who wish to sneak Shariah law into our judicial system. This should be stopped.
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CIVIL DIALOGUE
The people in Dallas are making an effort to understand and clean their own hearts first, when we are free from bias, it would be easy to share that with others. Islam teaches us in so many ways to "respect the otherness of others" and it is time we find simple practical ways of doing it.
