instead of complaining

let me put my reaction in context. i cry when i think of the death and distruction the tsunami caused. my dua and charity will continue to be directed there for some time to come. i don't think i have to remind the people who know me of my activist history when i voice my opinions damn it... i don't complain about media. i don't think the media is as important as others think it is (i should say news media to be more specific). and i should say that i DO give local CAIR reps constructive suggestions when they make mistakes, and supportive compliments when they do good, i'm no rookie when it comes to adab... now... in reaction to my post, i was told: "do a similar event YOURSELF that's better! stop pointing fingers!" i care for my community and i HAVE done better events that got great media coverage. i like to think that i've earned the right to point ANY finger at ANY org... another thing i heard: "become part of the solution!? join em, work with them from the outside, whatever! but stop this ranting every time someone makes a mistake! its NOT helping!" This is the comment that i'm most tired of hearing! i spent several years working with MSA or volunteering with or helping local CAIR reps organize things for many many years. i spent the last few years trying to work with ISNA. and since 1996, i've organized or supported events for Islamic Relief. so tommorow, if i decide i want to rant about them, i will. AND... no one should call me to JOIN jamat-tabligh, jamat-islami, ikhwan, or some other group that i'm fundamentally opposed to. i don't care if it helps or not, i WILL rant about the reasons why i oppose them (if i have to). we should discuss mistakes that are made by muslims. we should share and discuss our unorthodox ideas. all i do is voice my frustrations (rants) once in a while. OK... i'm going to go chill out now :) peace and love.

why i CAIR not (part 2) media and stereotypes

one reaction to my post said: "I would like to believe that no organization or person would take advantage of such a disaster. Yes, CAIR *could* have done the salat al ghayb at a later time and possibly have the media come then." not could, SHOULD! i call a mistake what it is. not deny it and not defend it. i don't think i have to elaborate about all the reasons why i say it SHOULD have been done during a jumah prayer. its so obvious it boggles my mind why it would not have been done at that time. by the way, even though CAIR sent press releases about jumah, no media showed up. most likely because they felt they had already covered the story. indeed it IS a mistake to create media events when real events can be promoted for the same purpose... i was also told that "with all of the negative stereo-types and views of Muslims in America as heartless people, it probably made most sense to do it at a time when more viewers would be watching."... education is the way to dispell stereo-types, not TV news... about stereo-types: they come from generalizations made about a group of people based upon the actions one witnesses in a few. i guess the best way to counter it is to get people to see us as individuals, know a little about Islam (its basic history, its basic teachings), then let them make up their own minds. the real forum for this endevour is not media but education, and muslims really BEING good. sound-bites and quick images often easily get lost in all the noise. the understanding i want people to have is that: - there are individuals who call themselves muslim that do "this"; - there are individuals who call themselves muslim that do "that"; - and there are individuals call themselves muslim that do "other"... Islam may be the inspiration for all of them, but it is so much greater!... so we shouldn't make generalizations about Islam, about ourselves... we shouldn't fall into the trap of the society of the spectacle. believing the world of propaganda and the image machine to be reality.

why i CAIR not (part 1) real action

let me clarify, he who contacted me WAS honest with me. i was told that a tv news crew was coming. i try to give people the benefit of doubt. i just think that media events are not what we need to be doing. the false impression i got was all me. the organizers have nothing to do with me expecting MORE out of my leaders, and organizations that claim to speak for me. yes, local chapters are sort of independant, but some how, through CAIR, a local who used to be a social worker is now little more than a PR guy. i know him, he is very sincere, and i participate when he asks me. and hey, it would be great for americans to think islam and muslims are good. but, i want real good deeds to be the cause. the media should tell people about these good deeds, news of it will allow others to help the deed have a bigger impact. if in the process they change their mind about muslims, great!... think Habitat For Humanity, or the ACLU, that's real action. thats all i desire, real action, not media events. CAIR national encourages a mentality of media events, activism for the camera. i don't mean to imply that the particular media event was designed for CAIR's self promotion. but, i also don't deny that many activists in CAIR, just like ISNA and others, tend organize more events that are to sustain themselves then anything else. i hate this. the orgs with the means to get things done are the ones who DO the least, and TALK the most (as if conferences and press events are real action)! peace.