why i don't CAIR

tsunami relief... day before yesterday... i got a call on my cell. it was one of the leaders of the masjid on 183rd street. he asked me come to the masjid at 4:30pm. it was very important. there was to be a special prayer for the tsunami victims, some fundraising, "AND CHANNEL 10 IS COMING!"... so he said we needed as many people as we can get. he called me around 2 o-clock: "i know its short notice" he said... when i got to the masjid, channel 10(ABC) was there, so was channel 4(CBS), 6(NBC), 7(FOX) and 23 (Telemundo), all with the big telescopic antennas ready to broadcast. and the newspapers weren't left out. wow!!... what a turn out!... i entered the masjid and found... nothing... nothing was happening?!?... i figure this is what happened: CAIR had attempted to round up as many imams it could find on short notice and stage a salat al ghayb then line them up and have them say a few words. it was just a friggin media event. my first question to Altaf, the CAIR rep, was "why did we not do this at isha?, there are so few people here, why now?" i knew the answer before i asked, we'd get the 6pm newscast as well as the 11pm. SO WHAT!???!... at least it would be a real time when people come to the masjid to pray. not friggin 4:30 on a workday... Altaf knows the media here. he feels the media coverage wouldn't be as good. and this after all was a friggin media event. any sort of planning for meaningful action seemed to be happening randomly in small hushed circles of men standing around waiting for the salat to begin and most of it centered around these uncles thinking more about the media than the action itself. "why don't we have a fundraising dinner with $100 tickets if we get 200 people to come, and the media..." ... - i said that it was much more important that we do something where anyone who wants to give would be able to give. a $100 plate dinner will leave many people out. those 200 can be approached at any event and they will be more than happy to give the $100. i feel more and more that i am being seen as a crackpot by these leaders, they will eventually stop inviting me if i keep disagreeing with their stale ideas... O Allah give my patience!... eventually we have the salat al ghayb, the imams say their words, all of them said something to the tune of "test from God" Altaf passes out a very helpful list prepared by CAIR regarding charities that we can dontate to, and we mill about for 10 minutes waiting for maghrib salat, the media and the attendees are invited to have some tea while we wait.... i used the opportunity to approach a few news reporters. i'm not surprised to see that all of them are pretty blonde women. i tell them that i'm a teacher at the sunday school at this mosque and if they have any questions about the prayer or the mosque, i'd be happy to help them understand what they will be seeing during the prayer. the reporter from NBC wanted to speak to the imam after maghrib prayer ended. not knowing that people were starting the sunnah rakats all around her. the woman scrambled around the bowing and prostrating that was starting to happen all around her, returning to the back wall where it was safe. i told her that people are now doing some extra prayers and it would end momentarily. in the mean time she asked me a few questions about why i was here. how i found out about this. what i felt about the tsumani. i've forgotten what i said to her now. but i know what i didn't say to her. what was really on my mind!... this is just a friggin media event! peace.

falluja

some thoughts...muslim fundamentalism... a recent article said that it is:"...a reaction that came out of an Islam misshapen by modern political developments, many of them emanating from Western influences, outright invasion by British, French, and Italian colonialists, and finally theU.S.-Soviet clash that helped create the mujahadeen jihad in Afghanistan." absolutely! it reminds me... what scared me most when i saw video footage or read of the battle for faluja was that what our soldiers in iraq are facing is a real islamic resistance. in one scene it was not saddam loyalists that were fighting the occuping US forces, it was mujahideen. secular baathists don't yell "takbir" when a US soldier hurls a grenade to clear a hideout. those hiding out don't respond with "allahuakbar" before they die, unless they view themselves as mujahideen. While many in america speak of "quagmire" vietnam style, i see more"jihad" afghanistan style. it scared me because... i don't know where i stand.... a part of me wanted the mujahideen in that hideout to.....???? i don't like these thoughts.. i see that soldier hurling the grenade doing the job he is told to do. i see that soldier giving an interview saying how much he would like to succeed in helping the iraqis build a free society. i see that soldier speak about how he would much rather be helping build a school or something. i believe him. he is like my neighbors. he is the people i work with. i know that not all of our young men there are arrogant violent bastards. many are from the working class of our society, who enlist to better themselves, and/or defend our nation. they deserve my support. i want to give it to them. it is very easy for the non-american muslims to simply replace an old enemy with a new one. an old hatred of godless, islam cleansing, communist russians, expanding an empire. replaced with a new hatred of ignorant, islam cleansing, corporate americans, expanding another empire... i can't do that. i see the nuance... i can picture my nana hazrat (my mother's uncle, who is a major religious scholar in india). he is not a wahhabi, he is a hanafi, qadiri sufi. he went to baghdad often. i can picture him giving khutbas about how americans are violating the sanctity of the mosques of imam-e-azam abu hanifa, or ghaus-e-azam abdul qadir jilani. i can feel his followers develop a hatred of our occupying soldiers, some probably willing to join or support a jihad against us, fodder for some militants organizing an effort to recruit them... ignorant american journalists, ignorant policy wonks, ignorant generals... i don't care about a damn insurgent "sunni triangle", it's mainstream sunni world-wide waging a war against us that i fear... and i fear it becoming too late. i know how the last jihad against an empire went. it was no good for the occupiers or the inhabitants. muslim youth world wide were radicalized. ok... now i know where i stand!! i am left with only one conclusion: we need to pull out of iraq! immediately! i don't care what the iraqis do with their own land. they can kill each other in a civil war or establish a republic. i want to be able to say i don't give a damn....

ISNA convention

When it comes to the masses, the ISNA convention is perceived to be the only thing ISNA does. So it's important to address a problem when it is brought to light.

...There are many aspects of the ISNA convention experience; some are directly under the control of the convention organizers. The two most obvious are the logistics of the bazaar and the logistics of the sessions.

...There is a problem with the logistics of the sessions. It is a problem that has been repeated over and over for the past several years. I will state it in the form of the question of convention attendees:

“Why was this session not in the Main Hall?”

- It is asked when they are turned away from a session with a popular speaker being held in secondary hall, and find that the main hall is close to empty. It is asked when they think about how much money they spent to attend this convention and are denied the benefits unnecessarily.

...Regardless of what sessions ISNA may WANT the people to attend, to achieve its program objective, however noble that objective may be. The fact is that the vast majority of the attendees (non-activist adults and youth) leave with a raised level of awareness, knowledge, understanding, or devotion to Islam and/or the American Muslim community after listening to the dynamic popular speakers.

...SO WHY CREATE A SITUATION WHERE THEY ARE TURNED AWAY?

...I offer some constructive advise:

After the program is created, and rooms are assigned to each separate program, there must be a “reality check” The checker must look at every session in the Main Hall and ask him/herself:

“Is there any other session at this convention, at this time, that may need this main hall?”

...A simple swap would solve the problem most of the time. Really, we are only looking at three sessions a day. And the answer is obvious when you look at the list of speakers for a session.

...Compromise: Is it really a problem for ISNA to give the rights of any recording of that session to the organizers of that specific program? It only seems fair. ISNA should do it for the great good that comes from more people attending that session. MSA should give ISNA the right to broadcast that session on its web-cast. Everyone wins, especially the attendees.
I hope this problem is not symptomatic of a larger problem within ISNA of being more interested in what is good for itself rather than what is good for the Muslim community.

europeanizing muslims

i've been thinking much about this issue over the last few weeks. NPR has also been airing a series of great reports detailing the problem, country by country. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4182321 I want to use them in my islamic school class to discuss the issue with my students. I will use it to teach lessons about identity, of course, but also fear. I want to hear the muslims that appear in these reports and articles make a distinction between the issue of assimilating immigrants with a different culture and race; and the issue of dealing with a belief system that, while it may inspire an immigrant's culture, goes beyond culture and race. each issue may have separate ways to address it. but both revolve around the question of what is the basis of a person's identity.... Here's a reference to the colonial past. Colonialism changed the europeaness of the europeans. The colonizing soldiers, merchants, and civil servants started imported islamic beliefs and ideas into europe long before any muslim people came. So, its too late to have purity, and any attempt to purify will only make our society as "evil" as the "evil" we say we are trying to fight. attempting to purify we will only be feeding the beast that is at the root of the problem... I can see the choices the european govenments have to make: - the left desires to continue in the direction they were headed, transitioning from ethic nationalism to a more pluralistic, multi-cultural, secular, humane ideal. but each high profile crime committed by a muslim will make this harder. - the right wants to purify their land of muslims and go towards some mythical idealized past. but we all know where that can lead. - OR like america both parties can support some sort of "find them and kill them" militarized security state. where difference is tolerated as long as it isn't seen as a security threat. but sacrificing democracy and civil rights affects everyone in the state, just ask the americans who were trying to protest the free trade meetings here in Miami a few months ago... none of these choices are good. on the side i see an effort to sponsor and promote a domesticated version of islam. but isolationist conservative muslims will not trust it. especially if it involves acceptance of the unorthodox. by the way, i'd ask those who desire assimilation: why did the puritans not want to assimilate into native america? its probably the same reason why isolationist conservative muslims will not want to assimilate into secular america?... some poeple feel a need to establish a noble order, regardless of the way they are percieved by the natives of that land. is that bad? also, is a minority that holds power exempt from assimilation? Some arabs, turks, and jews are/were just as arrogant and proud and racist as some of the Europeans that ruled in the middle east, india or africa. so, this beast has now manifest as the issue of "assimilating muslims into europe". i don't know what will happen there or here... the beast is fear. the minority fears a loss of identity (or these days, death!). the majority fears change (or these days, death!)... - fear is a hard thing to overcome. and once it starts feeding a hatred it becomes an even more powerful enemy within... knowledge and understanding can fight fear. If not Islam, take a lesson from Darth Vader. we need Obi Wan teach the next generation... Not force, but "the force" will maintain a republic! Fear, Hate, Violence will only lead to the Dark Side my friends! peace and love.

annimated prophet

eid mubarak, eid marks the release of a new animated flick by the FineMedia Group: "Muhammad-The Last Prophet." they screened it in several theaters on this holiday. i saw it and only one of the kids i took started falling asleep towards the end, more because it was dark and after 9p.m. and not because of the film itself. i praise the intention and the quality of production. i think we need more of these films. and i hope the quality continues to improve. but i had some thoughts i want to share with yall. - thought 1: while essentially an animated version of "The Message" it has some differences. Hazrat Hamza or Hazrat Zayd are not shown this time around. and to make it easily digestable for kids, an anonymous companion is invented who basically narrates portions of the story to his child in a post-prophet muslim mecca. not a bad strategy. though it could have used a couple of cut aways where after an important event the child would ask the father a question and he would help the kid understand the lesson he learned through something the prophet said to them. that would have helped, since the prophet was not allowed to be shown. this should have been done especially for the battles. instead of sword fights where they show people killing. just because you don't show blood, does not mean its OK for kids, or they know whats going on. - thought 2: i want to find the producers and ask them why if the film is aimed at children, why not animate youth companions like Hazrat Sad, or Hazrat Zubayr or Hazrat Zayd or Hazrat Aisha? Why only Hazrat Bilal and not other important companions? i wonder if its because he was a slave that he is OK to be depicted. i hope not! i find it extremely offensive, that he is somehow not included in the undepictable class. whats up with that?!? and since when did Hazrat Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali and select others attain the same status as the Beloved Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon then all. maybe its because they are "those promised paradise," or"mothers of the believers," or "ahl-e-bayt" i don't know? why not show a young woman like Asma bint Abu Bakr helping her father and the prophet migrate? - thought 3: while i'm on the topic of undepictables, if the big conservative barrier of depicting humans in muslim art is already being broken, why not follow the example of those who broke this barrier before? why not depict the prophet with a veil over his face? why title the movie "Mohammad-the last prophet" when the prophet is not shown. the key topic is Islam not Muhammad. can this be considered false advertising? anyways... it wasn't all bad. my 7 year old cousin would recognise stories she learned in islamic school and blurt out exitedly: "hey, i learned about that!," especially with the whole spiderweb at the cave moment. there should've and could've been many more moments like that. it would've made for a much better movie. i give it 3 out of 5 stars. its a shoulda-woulda-coulda kind of film.

moonsightings

ISNA has some issues to deal with. people thinking they saw the moon is not a problem. there are always people who sincerely think they see it. its no problem to start one day before or after other muslims who have a difference of opinion. diversity is what makes Islam beautiful. just for fun...we could ask, who at ISNA gave the greenlight to declare it when there is still doubt? and why? It's a problem when an organization creates a policy and then doesn't follow through. here's what I think is going on... ISNA was poised in the 90s to make a shift. from a link in a global islamic movement to a service organization for the Muslim minority in America. and the creation of the moon sighting policy can be seen as part of that shift. i would like to believe that there was a desire to provide that service which all local masjids need, to help muslims practice one of the pillars of islam, through one body in order to take advantage of limited resources and a network of masjids... it's probably muslim unity that drives their actions. remnents of the idea to unify to establish an islamic state... on the other hand, ISNA could have evolved in the past few years, it's actions could be be driven by a different notion now, one based on the unity of a minority in order to ensure rights, or prevent isolation and retain an identity. But there is a pressure at ISNA to keep it from straying from the movement. That pressure manifests in its defense of wahhabism, its apparent desire to follow the Saudis on Ramadan and Eid for "Muslim unity", and its attempt to craft a program for youth recruitment. Maybe a day will come when it makes the shift. Until then we'll have more confusion at moonsighting time. peace.

i love hialeah

here's an event that shaped me into who i am. its one of the earliest earliest. from elementary school. abu dropped me off one day in his rolls royce. i don't remember exactly when it was, but i remember there being a point in my life when other children began refering to me as the rich kid. "bro, you got a rolls? are you rich?" i guess i became aware of wealth and what is expected of those who have wealth. i became aware of where i lived. i was expected to live at a certain type of house in a certain place. apparently it was strange for me "the kid with the rolls" to be living in this neighborhood. but i liked our house. i liked my friends and neighbors. i didn't want to see them as beneath me in any way. i never quite understood it.... a random thought: The U.S. is extremely race concious. there is much racism. it manifests in many ways. one of them is "white flight." as people of color start to live in any particular area the white people start leaving. well, the place were we live used to be white. the more spanish speakers that moved here, the more the whites people moved out. it is sad that many indo-pak immigrants also suffer from such bigotry. race and economic class blinds them also. they forget that they too are people of color.... so, anyways not only was i living in an area that was not appropriate for wealth. but it was also more hispanic. i like where i live. the more that my pakistani friends looked down upon hispanic americans and where i lived, the more proud i became of being from here. the city of hialeah.

MAS and the brotherhood

some thoughts on MAS(Muslim American Society). most of what i know is through people who were on the inside. i was not. MAS did not come from nowhere. from the outside it may appear that in the past few years chapters sprang up everywhere. but most of the ingredients for these chapters were already there. there was the secret stuff that we don't know about. and then there is stuff like national conventions held through MAYA and educational halaqas held through Peace Net. When the decision was made to come out. There was no more reason to work through MAYA or Peace Net. The leaders of MAS Youth Division are the same people who led Peace Net. They believe in something. They are organized. They are active. They always have been. most are good people. most are sincere. but they are sectretive. who knows what they conspire to do. the problem is that the MAS masses often don't know what the real agenda is. I wonder if a parent would let their child be involved in (and recruited through MAS Youth Division) if told that the child will be indoctrinted with the ideology of the "global islamic movement" crowd... if they knew beforehand that the child will come home with books which will reinforce US vs. THEM, Islam vs. THE Evil WEST, the need for Islam to be enforced in government, the need to purify Islam of innovations, etc. etc. and that the child will become someone who will defend and uphold wahhabism. That is why i think they are dangerous. The seeds for violence against WEST and considering other Muslims to be outside the religion are planted. Sure the Ikhwan are not as extreme as other Salafis when it comes to their actions. But they are Salafi. Salafi lite. They are moralists. But they are also a political movement. They take advantage of the social problems of the day. They feed the fears of the parents. and they use that fear to recruit young people into the movement. i say they are sincere because most do it unconsciously. most really believe their own hype. this doesn't mean that they are all conservative. some are more modern. there was an attempt to reform American Ikhwan. When the reform effort failed, there was a change in leadership in American Ikhwan. this all happened in the late 90's. it paved the way for the way MAS operates today.

a lack of comunication

sitting on the phone for a half hour to engage in a meaningfull conversation is great. but its difficult for me to do it often.... maybe for a relationship to develop there needs to be constant chit chat. lots of back and forth calling. or e-mailing. i guess it helps create an emotional bond between two people. flirting helps too. i don't know how to do it.... the problem is i don't talk much on the phone or e-mail. its just how i am. and when, in each conversation or e-mail i see an apprehensiveness to marriage, it makes be believe that i have a hard task ahead of me. my busy schedule of work and school makes time go by very fast. before i know it its friday. this last month was very busy. i have been out of town on three weekends... so it becomes very hard for me to spend time chit chating.... i have no problems with getting married. sure, i figured i would have to find out about my future bride before marriage. and she would have to find out more about me. but i didn't expect to have to counter pessimism. i've tried, but i doubt my abilities. but i am getting to know her.... i try to be optimistic. i try to envision success. but its very hard. i start losing interest if i see the most important ingredient, her optimism, is outside of my control. i start thinking that maybe i should back off, to give her more time. i think for a succesful relationship. both must start out optimistic about the outcome. we all know about the importance of the first impression. the first impression i got from our very first conversation about marriage was that she was pessimistic about marriage in general and each subsequent conversation only reinforced this. not a good sign..... i must admit that in the beginning i was ready. but her doubts are making me hessitate. this is one area in my life that i did not want hesitation. its a bad sign for me. i need reassurance from her that she wants marriage. that she thinks a marriage can be successful. i know we have to find out about each other. but its not good sign if the first thing she tells me is that marriage to a surgeon ends in failure. i have seen successful marriages to surgeons. i know its difficult, and i am open minded. but, she sees failure. so, until i am reassured about this critical item.... maybe this is the cause of my lack of communication. maybe it led to my pace slowing down even more than usual. i started waiting for her to contact me. i want her to want to do this. anyways, i do want to know more about her... her life; her likes and dislikes; what she lives for; what makes her happy; what makes her sad; what types of friends she has; her biggest accomplishments; her biggest dissapointments; we can spread this out over a series of phone calls and e-mails, deal with one at a time or all at once. what ever she wants.... anyways, we must find out about each other. but, i don't know if finding out about each other will help solve the big problem i'm facing. the problem is that she is basically going to be looking for something about me to like and then force herself to get into a marriage that she don't want. i will see many things about her that help me understand her, but will remain unsure if she wants to get married. i was the same a few years ago. i was unsure about marriage. i didn't know if i wanted it. but now i want it. i want to find the right woman. that right woman must also want it. then she must want me. maybe she is that person. it would be great if she is.

attraction+muhabbat=ishq

mahreen said: "i believe that loving someone is not in ur hands...u just fall in love and wen u do u dont think about the pros and cons of it...once everything is done then only the reality hits you and most of the time it isnt in your favor..and then it is very painful and it hurts.." ... ahh ishq. i see it as the coming together of attraction and muhabbat. by attraction i mean the desire to be near to or possess. by muhabbat i mean the willingness to sacrifice for. sacrify time, energy, money, everything. i can have muhabbat for my family and my friends. muhabbat requires selflessness. Though both are translated into english as "love", they are not the same. Ishq requires an attraction. who we are attracted to is not in our hands. I may meet someone and feel it, or meet someone and not feel it. i think it can be physical or emotional. emotional attraction is situational. where i might become attracted to someone after sharing an experience, being in the same situation. or i might not. it would be an attraction that previously did not exist. either way. it's not in my control. i've seen this type of attraction bring together opposites, throwing the compatible character issue out the window.... now, when an attraction is combined with muhabbat.... when i am ready to give up all, sacrifice myself for the person i am attracted to. i think that is when Ishq happens. Passion! It is the most intense form of love two people can experience. And it can be onesided. in fact it often is. Yes, it is soo powerful that if it is disrupted or breaks down, It hurts. pain at its end is probably a way of knowing that you loved that person. pain seems to be common to all types of love. Such is also the case with muhabbat. muhabbat that has no element of attraction also hurts when it comes to an end.... most of the time Ishq seems to end badly. i think because we are human and we can become selfish at anytime. Selfishness and Ishq is a recipe for disaster. But Selflessness and Ishq. Wow!... I think its definitely true, that Ishq is not in our control. because attraction is not in our control. It can go as fast as it appears. But does that mean that a relationship must come to an end? I say no. If a relationship based on muhabbat exists. there can be shifts of sometimes Ishq, sometimes No Ishq. No Ishq in the beginning does not rule it out later. A loss of Ishq in the middle does not mean it won't return later. Anyone I've been attracted to at any point in my life is someone I still care for them in some form or another. Considering that irresponsible Ishq can become such a powerful destablizing force. I guess marriage was constructed to keep society stable. And unlike Catholic Christianity. I like to think that Islam allowed for divorce, due to cases when no attraction happened or too much selfishness kept muhabbat from developing.

attraction and compatibility

we've been lucky here in miami, the hurricanes bypass us. we got winds and rain, some people lost power. basically we got very very wet...

when it comes to love, what i believe must be done is not necessarily what i do. it's what i strive for. its my ideal picture. on a more human level there is still the element of attraction and compatibility. but nothing is clear to me. compatibility can mean having common personalities, having common experiences, having similar family background. i have many things in common with mahreen. but what if compatible people are complimentary to each other. in which case it has nothing to do with similar character traits. maybe we are complimentary to each other, i don't know. the science of compatibility is quite complicated. its more like an art. :-)

my masjid and me

last friday... i backed up my friend's right as a member of the masjid association to speak to the leadership. i back up my friend as he passes out a letter by opposition board members who seek to rehire our old imam. some shmo approachs him in an attempt to intimidate him. that shmo has done it before. physical intimidation has been used before. membership forms taken out of hands as more people are sought to join of the association. people pushed, people threatened. i wasn't there at the time. - last friday... my conversation with my friend is interrupted by a goon. in an attempt to intimidate us. this goon starts to raise his voice at us. i reiterate our right as members to him. i ask him if he is a board member. i tell him, if he isn't, he better step off. a board member tries to diffuse the situation. i reiterate our rights as members to him as well. i've never spoken with disrespect to this board member. and i tell him that i don't intend to be disrespectful now either. i tell him that these people better backoff. i am a member. - last friday... this board member, who happens to be the cause of the imam troubles, now knows that i am a supporter of his opposition. the goons see me talking to him about my rights in a raised voice. they are his goons. the head goon approaches me in a threatening manner. my friend gets in the way, facing me, calming me down. the goon says "get your ass out of the masjid." my brother and others come running to calm things down. the goon, that bastard, pushes my brother to the side with a hand to the side of his neck. as they walk me away, i get in his face. i look him in the eyes. "YOU PUT YOUR HAND ON MY BROTHER!" they grab me and walk me away. someone whispers to me that the police are coming. so i sit down at a table. "this is my masjid. i will not leave. i will sit here and calm myself down." - last friday... after things are calmed down. the police arrive. the bastard is pointed out. battery is a misdemeaner. my brother can file charges later if he desires. he chooses not to right now. the bastard is given a warning. the first time they got away with abuse. this time they were warned. there better not be another. i do not get intimidated. i excersize my rights. - after last friday... i confronted the vice chair of the board. i told him that it was time for him to act. time to stop defending the actions of people who hurt members. who threaten those of us who volunteer at this masjid. i told him that he must defend us. time for him to be a strong leader. when spoke to him nicely he has dismissed my concerns. so the next time i was angryer. i was louder. it was in front of people who backed up my concerns. it felt good. i don't care what happens. he a weak leader. he is weak. he needs to be replaced. - before last friday... i was marginally involved in the politics of this masjid. now i find myself being invited to secretive meetings of the opposition. i find their political ploting tiresome. i say "go ahead and do what you want. you are the board and you must resolve your issues." but i am a member who has a bigger picture. should i work to create another organization that empowers the members? should i go to NAIT to take the masjid out of the hands of a disfunctional organization? it is dysfunctional if working within the system gets no where. if speaking out gets you hurt. if members are not given the right to remove crooked or incompitent board members. if this plotting opposition has to find loop holes to take action. if it fails to ask us members what we want out of our association. i'll do it. i tell them this... dysfunction sucks. what do we do? i hate politics. i hate violent bastard goons more. they are a source of rage in me. i love people who do good. i wish we can empower them instead of "leaders". the less leaders we have, the better we are. the less interferance with those who do good. the less they plot among themsleves. the events of last friday reinforce these ideas.

the peoples masjid

Our masjid in Miami is going through Imam issues. A few weeks ago I came to the conclusion that having a permanent Imam often accomplishes nothing. When it comes to prayers in jamat, I favor what I shall call the "dawat system". It can be seen in action at any party(dawat) when the praying folk notice that it is time. They line up and usually the one they feel is most worthy to lead is shoved forward. I'd love to see it in slow-motion. Its almost like a dance when the first choice resists."you lead!" - "NO! YOU lead!" - "Please NO! YOU!" - "OK, I'll Do it DAMN IT, Halftime's ending!"... I like the idea of the empowering worshipper. An ABD/slave with the freedom to choose. NICE! The only difficulty is the Friday prayer. I have an idea. I like the South Asian way of splitting the sermon into two parts. One before the Azan in the language of the people. One after the Azan, after a pause for sunnah. The one after the Azan is in Arabic and is usually a ritualistic repetition of one of the Prophet's sermons. Then the 2 rakats are performed. Technically only after the Azan does the Jumah prayer begin. I'll call this the "2 Khutbah Solution": The Arabic Khutbah only really needs someone who has memorized the ritual sermon, or at least can read it... It is a good way to honor the elders of the community to ask one of them to do this and then lead the congregation in the 2 rakats. We have tons of elders, we should have no difficulty finding different ones to honor in this way. Now... For those who desire a sermon they can understand. We would still have the pre-Azan sermon. I think any community member should be allowed to address the congregation about any issue they care about. Just check with the masjid administration if the slot for this week is open. If it is then you just got yourself 15 minutes before the Azan. The sermon could be given by MAN, WOMAN, MUSLIM, NON-MUSLIM, YOUTH, anyone. Groovy!... I can bring a rotten tomato or egg to throw at the speaker in case I find the pre-Azan sermon boring or stupid. I've wanted to do it to soo many self righteous khateebs. This way no harm comes to my prayer cuz technically it wouldn't have even begun... What do you think?... I'm absolutely serious about these ideas. From what I've read, the above innovations wouldn't be violating the prayer requirements, its simply a modification of existing tradition and we'd solve serious issues of community involvement and empowerment. VIVA LA REVOLUCION!! peace and love.

marriage is

any relationship i have with another person is intertwined with my understanding of religion... A friend of mine is a student of an american sufi scholar. A few years ago, at his wedding, his teacher gave an interesting khutba. He said that marriage should be seen as a means to an end, this is the only way to make it successful... What end? I didn't quite like the idea of that. Some friends of mine used to think that they should find someone that is better than them so that they would be improved through the marriage. I didn't like that idea. So when the scholar said that the spouse should be a means to an end, I remembered my friends. But, for the scholar, unlike my friends, the end was the end of all ends. The ultimate goal was to be in the company of the Divine Beloved. At the time I thought he was talking about heaven. Many muslims cherish the idea of being able to see God in heaven, and thats their reason to get to heaven. its their ultimate goal. But now... I think that statement: "in the company of the divine" can actually mean a whole lot more. if the meaning can go beyond heaven and hell and include our earthly life... The scholar said that misunderstandings and differences about worldly things always arise between people. But there is away that differences can be kept from becoming problems. Both partners must decide that a marriage is for a higher purpose. Both must agree on that purpose. Both must be willing to let go of self in order to not destroy the chance to achieve the highest goal. No goal is higher than to be a companion of a beloved, especially if the beloved is Divine. because those that love God, are said to recieve is love in return... become a beloved of the Divine. Divine Love is the ultimate love. That is heavy duty stuff indeed. Hey, I believe it exists. I want to have complete faith in this.... Now, how do you become a lover of the divine?... On one of the TV channels here they show West Wing all then time (a show about the US presidency), its one of the only things I watch on TV regularly these days, anyways, in one episode they said a line that is stuck in my head now: “Act as ye have faith, and faith will come” it might sound like hypocricy. But I think its a good kind of hypocracy. Why? There are things that faithful people do. I may not feel that I have complete faith yet, but I should force myself to do those things. Because... The idea is that my actions have an effect on other people. So, I may not care for that filthy poor drunk down the street. But what if I was him, I should WANT to care about him. SO, I should force myself to go buy a burger and give it to him. The more I do it, the more I begin to do it instinctively. So, I guess the same can apply to love in marriage: If I want to have a loving relationship with someone, I should force myself to do loving acts. In the end, Love is like Grace from God, it comes from outside of the self, it is not under my control. If it comes it comes, if it does not, then at least there are loving acts being performed and the world has a bit more beauty in it.... Now how does this relate to my understanding of the religion of islam? There is a saying of Prophet Muhammad that this religion has three aspects to it: islam, iman, and ihsan. Islam is submitting, commiting yourself to following "the way", the shariah. Iman is beileving, having faith in the unseen. Ihsan means beauty, Ihsan results from practicing Akhlaq. Akhlaq = selfless acts, manners, good relations. Akhlaq as the means to Love requires a belief in Love. Akhlaq is the way selflessness develops. The theory is based on actions. Selfless acts chip away at the ego. Less Ego = More Faith (in Love). This is the principle that drives me. It drives my actions and my social activism. It will also drive my marriage.... At the time that i heard that sufi scholar at my friends wedding, I didn’t understand islam this way. Maybe this is what the sufi scholar was telling us. After being a captive of Rumi and Hafiz for the past few years. After teaching Akhlaq to teenagers, I have a deeper understanding of what he might have been saying: 1-Make myself able to love through selfless acts... 2-Make another person the object of my selfless loving acts, eventually becoming a lover of that person... 3-Know that people have a divine spirit; Know that the soul is a mirror that reflects the divine; Know that God manifests His divine attributes through people; Know that by loving the person I am loving the divine as well... 4-Once I love him, Allah accepts me as a divine beloved..... i become a recipient of divine Grace, Peace, Mercy, and thus a manifestation of these attributes. Thus the other person is a means to the highest goal. And if one is mystical enough, and aware enough, one would realize that Loving the partner as a manifestation of the divine, would make that PERSON the highest goal. So when I say "I love you" I am simultaniously, and with full force, saying "I love you Allah" and vice versa. Majnun's Layla. Rumi's Shams.... All of the above is possible without going through the formalities of "marriage"... It can be said that the only way to really know and love Allah is to love another person. No type of love is higher than the type refered to as Ishq. Ishq is the intense feeling to attain union with a beloved companion. And I guess Muslims constructed marriage so that order can be maintained in the community, Ishq without some sort of control to protect the individuals and community was probably seen as a danger... So, the only thing I look for is, can the person be someone that I can love in this way. In the end it would be nice if the love was returned, but i guess it wouldn't be necessary. Now... As for the mundane aspects of marriage: A legal means of procreation; designed to safeguard lineage; designed maintain patriarchical order; designed to control human lust. Its simply a contracted relationship between two people. Three issues come to mind that would make it a happy one: attraction, compatibility, selflessness... my thoughts on these later

mosque - my proposition to fix it

With an understood of the Mosque in Miami's background, I will move onto my propositions to make it an ideal american mosque.

...Every social entity (every institution of society that involves more than one individual) faces the challenge of defining its leadership. The family, the neighborhood, the city and the various institutions corresponding to each of these social entities face this challenge. A community association for a minority is one such institution.

...For some, leadership implies ultimate level of service, responsibility for fulfilling a trust, or a shared goal. But leadership also carries with it notions of authority, power and control. For many it also brings privilege and prestige. Positions of leadership attract those who desire these things, both positive and negative. Enter the baggage of politics.

...Every social entity has to navigate through the failings of human nature, especially when addressing a problem. The test is whether it can do it without destroying itself. Maybe the destruction of that social entity is the only solution. Maybe a revolution can bring the desired effect. By revolution I mean a drastic change in the social entity coming from outside the entity. It is a viable choice if the means of solving a problem are corrupted. Means of change are said to be a part of MCA’s constitution. So, a study of solutions from within might be a possibility.

...These days, there is talk of membership, votes, and petitions. There is an underlying notion of the democratic rights of members; the idea that no one is above the law.

** - Here's An alternative vision for my mosque:

...I desire a more participatory, interactive, open and spiritual place of prayer; where no authorities exist to hinder an individual’s relationship with the divine; where no one sect, school of fiqh, or movement controls anything.

...The one thing that has kept this mosque from becoming a dominated by any one sectarian group is that it is run by a community association. But this has also been the thing that has kept our mosque from become a place of spirituality.

...It has not become part of a good community center because its leaders lack vision.

...**What is needed is for the mosque to become what the word implies. A masjid, a place for sijda. A place for prayer. Nothing more. All that is needed is a Muazzen who can make the call to prayer at the prayer times. No fulltime imam is needed. Those present for the daily prayers line up, simply nominate the most elder, most learned among them, or most willing, to lead the prayer. It’s a simple tradition. It takes place in most homes or gatherings when people pray in jamat. It works just fine.

...In an earlier study of mosques, I classified types of mosques based on the size of its congregation:

#1- the Jami – a place for the entire community to gather for Friday prayers; #2- the Masjid – a place in a neighborhood to gather for prayer; #3- the Musallah – a place within a larger entity designated for prayer; and #4- the Janamaz – a mat for personal prayer.

...Here’s a new classification of types based on the way they operate:

#1- the community center; #2- the place of refuge from the mundane; and #3- the place for propagation.

...At the moment we have a stand alone Jami mosque that functions as a place for propagation. For the mosque to function as a community center it must have a pious social service minded leadership. For it to be a place of refuge from the mundane it must evoke enough physical and emotional comfort to evoke spiritual awareness, it must have a certain atmosphere that enables a connection to the divine. For it to be a place of propagation that does not become dominated by one group or another, it must become more open, allowing teachers to teach, preachers to preach, and people to speak.

...While there are mosques that are only one of the above, there are others that function beyond, maybe because of some particular local dynamic. To be successful at one can be relatively easy, more than one requires organization skills and better leadership.

...Our local dynamic is that our mosque is run by a community association. Another dynamic is that people think of this mosque as a Jami for this region of South Florida. Yet another dynamic is that people of South Florida desire a community center for area Muslims and this property is centrally located and large enough.

...I think that our masjid needs to become a Musallah within a larger community services center. It can still function as a Jami for all Muslims south of the county line and north of NW 103rd Street. But it should not think of itself as a stand alone Jami mosque with a permanent religious authority. It has the potential to be something else that the community needs.

...A community center on that property would be the fulfillment of the founders of the original association that found this property. The current MCA has failed to achieve the goal. It has devolved into the equivalent of a failed state. The property does not belong to the MCA. If the MCA is allowed to continue, it must go through a tremendous amount of change. Or, it must be replaced with something better organized to succeed. If not, it must be abolished completely and the members and leaders of this minority community should be encouraged to integrate into the larger community. Anything would be better than what exists now and the damage it is causing.

mosque - history in miami

Here’s what I think happened to make the mosque what it is in Miami. A minority immigrant community felt isolated from the mainstream and looked for something to belong to. The causes of these feelings of isolation are debatable. Regardless, many joined a Muslim Students’ Association based out of the local colleges. For them, it was not a religious organization. A small group amongst them was indeed religious and coordinated prayers.

...As the community grew, more prayer space was needed. Eventually a house, then a larger property was bought to function as a mosque for the community. Just because the Association now ran a mosque did not change the nature of the organization nor those who belonged to the organization nor its leadership. It was still that minority immigrant community that desired something to belong to. The only change was the name, Muslim Communities’ Association.

...So what exists then is a community association that runs a mosque. When procedural, operational, or religious situations arise with the mosque a phrase is heard: “This is not how you run a mosque!” Of course, there are various notions of what a mosque should be. Usually the critics are not in agreement on that issue. Usually the critics do not understand the history of the community association. They forget its nature, they complain about excessive “ego” or “politics” or lack of knowledge or commitment to the religion.

...At the same time it is important to not overlook the fact that this association is not the same as it was in the past. Over the years, its regional, ethnic, and religious diversity has been lost. The Caribbean Muslim leaders left to start Nur al Islam in south Broward. Leaders and residents from south Dade left to start Masjid Nur. Most of this happened in the early 90s after a period of major turmoil. You can consider the MCA to be composed of leftovers. Run mostly by Panjabi immigrants who had nowhere else to go.

the mosque - a place of refuge

Islamic Movement folk have wanted their interpretation of Islam as well as the primary institution of Islam, the mosque, to become the center of the state as they believe it was at the time of the Prophet.

...In old world Muslim communities, mosques had evolved into spiritual and religious realms. They became places of refuge; places to find solitude; places to glorify the Divine. Once a week they also became a place of reminder and awareness. Educational activities shifted to Madrasas and universities. Political activities shifted to the Dar al Imara. Social services shifted into institutions of their own. Hospitals, Inns, Soup kitchens, etc.

...But here in the new world, there is a revivalists dream. A chance to revive an imaginary idealized past. A chance to make the mosque more. A place where political, social, and cultural events take place right alongside the spiritual and religious.

...There should be no more doubt about it. There is undeniable proof that part of that dream has come true. The mosque in Miami is the center of the community. But the revivalists don’t seem to be around to celebrate. Why? The fulfillment of this dream is not because of the success of any of their programs. It is because of immigrant and minority dynamics of life in Miami.

...But is this what Muslims in Miami really need? Will the baggage that comes with politics and the inevitable halal/haram conflicts over cultural events undermine the role of the mosque as a place of solitude and prayer? Will we need a new place of refuge?

Tradition is...

Tradition is continuity. Tradition is security.
Traditions free us to focus on the doing rather than the figuring out how to do.
There are Cultural Traditions, Political Traditions, Family Traditions

...Individuals settle in an area, Individuals become families

...Ways of eating food, ways of clothing bodies, ways of building shelter are developed using what is available within and what can be brought from outside using available means. A Culture and Economy emerge.

...Ways of interaction, ways of maintaining order, and ways of making sense of difficult questions evolve. Ideas about Power, Authority, Laws, and God emerge.

...Change is inherent. Some people get bored, others desire to exercise the intellect. Innovations occur. Some innovations challenge the culture, the economy, the power structure, and the religion. Desires for continuity lead to ways of dealing with change. Traditions emerge.

...Traditions are powerful. Smaller challenges may be absorbed and incorporated into the society. But, some change can only happen through revolutions from within or Conquest by another power. Traditions are so powerful that they can be carried from one land to another by individuals and families. Becoming the foundation for a new society’s culture, economy, power structure, and religion.

...What happens to these individuals and families when they dwell among those who have traditions that are different from their own? What happens to them when they become isolated from their own kind? What happens when they desire to pass on ways they have learned from their tradition to their children? What happens when they desire their children to succeed in this new environment with its own traditions? Tough questions, few answers, lots of opinions. Notions about identity emerge.

...Welcome to the new world. A society of immigrants. With its own unique challenges. Where innovation is honored.

...Tradition is continuity. Tradition is security. Tradition needs the child.
They must also develop the skills needed to take on the challenges of American life. American life unfolds in stages:
...Age 0-4:baby-the struggle to live; ...Age 5-7:child-the struggle to learn the basics; ...Age 8-13:"tween"-the struggle to learn good and bad; ...Age 14-17:teenager -the struggle to fit in / find identity; ...Age 18-24:young adult -the struggle to learn what to do with life; ...Age 25-32:young professional -the struggle to do; ...Age 33-45:professional -the struggle to be; ...Age 45-65:expert -the struggle to teach; ...Age 65-x:elder -the struggle to die good

...The beginning of one struggle does not mean the end of an earlier struggle.
Each struggle is a preparation for the struggle that follows.

.... - The life of the immigrant is caught between two pressures. Change and Tradition.
But change is inherent. In fact the immigrant is a cause of change.

...Premise: doing good deeds for others is the most important common social value
...Premise: only the parent has the right to decide what values will be taught to the child
...Premise: no child likes being the odd one out, requires confidence
...Premise: when a youth is empowered to do, builds confidence

...Parents teach and encourage the child to be and do good.
...Parents make child aware about “us” and “them” through tradtitions
...Youth face the pressures of finding a place in the social hierarchy of High School

...A youth does good deeds in the society
...A youth struggles to find identity

...A youth group to do good deeds together
...A youth group to support the struggle to find identity

...All youth groups should be local, relevent to the local community and local traditions.

loosing control

I don’t quite know what the cause is.
All I know is that I can loose control.

the past few years I’ve felt:
...Disgust
...Doubt
...Longing
...Sadness
...Fear
...And most recently Anger.
... - each feeling has an event that triggered it.

It scares me …Rage.
- But like the Hulk, "when it happens I like it."
...It feels good

...in the middle of a conversation
...if it involves something that saddens me, I may cry
...if it involves something that angers me, I may…

sometimes in the same conversation!
...what’s strange is that I’m aware of it when it’s happening
I try to regain contol. I do regain control.

... - I used to be in control all the time.

- I’d never cried in front of another person...Until...

- I’d never screamed at another person...Until...

- I like this new passion I seem to have.
But It scares me...
Losing control.

i can only hope

just thinking out loud...Meeting someone new… it’s all about the subtleties. That mystical thing known as… the first impression..... -Anything can lead to disaster. especially the things I have no control over: my face, my body, my voice, my style of speaking, my body language... -confidence can be observed… so can nervousness… so can desire... A mention>leads to... A picture>leads to... An e-mail>leads to... A call>leads to... A meeting>leads to... A glance>leads to... A smile… But do I get a smile in return? I can only hope.... - I start to doubt myself... Am I being to bold? Maybe the e-mail is a bad idea? Think of the alternative first meeting… A chance encounter at a relative’s house>leads to... A mention to my mother>leads to... A visit to your house>leads to... A serving of chai>leads to... A stolen glance>leads to... A smile... But do I get a smile in return? I can only hope.... -Different beginnings but the same ending… I can only hope.... Does a technical process begin after that…start with the interview... review the bio-data... call the character witness... assess the compatibility... compare with the ideal... -But I’m not hiring an employee!... Aren’t there supposed to be sparks? chemistry? romance? love? That’s what popular cultures says. right? So where do I begin? How do I start? Should I mention what i'm thinking to her?... -My gut instinct tells me to wait till a real meeting this summer. to keep it simple > don’t over think > just go with the flow. But I must start somewhere. I have an e-mail address. Maybe I send her an e-mail now. Maybe just copy and paste all of the above. And then wait for a response.... what will you do asad?