segregation

the topic is: ethnic culture as a barrier to unity;
community;"a single brotherhood";"nations and tribes"

monem said:
"I think the barriers are coming down, and a lot faster than people seem to think. When I got married to Iman, I was among the few who married someone from Arab descent, however, I quickly realized that it is not the case. Infact, I would say the number is about 60-40; 60 being from the same culture. But again, you must define was same culture is. Because I consider myself American, nationally, and so does my wife, we eat the same food (except the spices), and we both want our children brought up as Muslims. I would say that this qualifies us as 'same culture'."

Well, monem, although i agree with you that barriers are coming down as we build bonds of friendship and marriage, let me set that aside for a moment...

any "same culture" is troubling to me. I don't think its reality.
and wherever it appears to exist it's only because we see from outside, ignoring the subtle varieties within. i agree with the few who say we can probably have lasting bonds if we share a common concept of humanity. going beyond any need for a same culture - to basically unite on a higher level.

so, what about islam and culture?...
call me selfish or backward, but I can't relinquish my particular culture in the name of a never-has-been/never-will "islamic culture". to me its all about "manifestations"...

-point of view #1: SIMPLE...
islam IS the culture. muslims following a "true" islamic faith and practice will lead to a pure culture that unites races, languages, etc, etc, blah, blah... sorry folks i don't believe we can start from scratch so easily. i've heard this sort of idea from several converts and folks in the "movement." some mistakenly believe they had separated themselves from their "jahiliyah" cultural realities when they became serious about islam. although they profess an islamic purity, i clearly hear their background shining through: indo/pak, or anti-colonialist, or american black nationalist, or hippie rejectionist of capitalism (any of these are relevent within a social context). i forget who said it "we are a sum total of our experiences" why live in denial? accept who you are. i think that you can be a muslim and still hold on to these aspects of your upbringing. which leads me to...

-point of view #2: COMPLICATED...
islam is an ideology with no particular culture. muslims build faith. which leads to islam manifesting itself from within their culture by cleansing some practices and creating new practices to fill any dull voids in life...

but our common faith of islam can unite us only if we're able to:
#1-really clense ourselves when we come upon some practice that causes concern; and
#2-accept and look beyond variations of foods, dress, language, etc. etc...
more eloquent smarter people have made this obvious point before...

actually i think some sorts of segregation are built-in to the american muslim experiance. based on the way we see america and how to live in it:

pick one:
-option 1 "its a melting pot you fool" assimilation towards a unity based on our common american-ness;
-option 2 "no its a salad bowl you idiot" no assimilation or integration. instead, a creation of alternative lifestyles that can exist side by side;
-option 3 "islamic state rules/kafir dogs burn in hell" no assimilation/integration/alternatives. only islam;
-option 4 "its all good"enough politics fellas. lets get the party started...

the above option we pick has more to do with the way we are naturally segregated by the american experience than any percieved language, ethnic, or race barriers. also, there's no one american cultural experience that binds us to each other. Some of us live in a suburban mostlywhite america, others in a mostly black/Afro-american/Bilalian or latin/chicano/hispanic urban america. Some of us distrust the establishment and its "so-called"democracy or find it against islam, others quite opposite. many don't care. some are busy indulging their hawa(desires)...

I don't need to be a sociologist, and psychologist to know that islam will have different cultural manifestations among individuals growing up in these american sub-cultures or political/economic conditions....

monem said: "So I think the barriers to friendship are not psychological, i.e. we are not, at least in our generation, racist, but economical. And we need to do something about this..........."

maybe. i'm sure some of us try to transcend. but racial barriers still exist among those growing up within the typical american sub-cultures. for example, even in our generation i've seen an interesting mix of anti-immigrant biases and subtle anti-americanism among many urban african american muslims i've met. it keeps some of them from fully accepting a flag waving hyderabadi sub-urbanite or arab corner-storeowner as a good muslim. if it is an economical barrier i don't think we can convert all to socialism or put our money into a community pot anytime soon. probably because we don't share that common concept of humanity yet.

peace and love.(confused more than ever)