islam awareness week and MSA @ UT

I was asked about the origins of Islam Awareness Week at UT. I'm glad I was asked. I finally get to tell our story. But I feel hesitant to speak about my role for fear that my façade of humbleness will shear at the anchor bolts. here goes... for us at UT, IAW started way back in Fall 95 and I was its coordinator for its first few years. but the real origins go back further, what follows is based on legends and exagerated truth: I believe our IAW's roots lie with the first among the american born/raised muslim generation to enter college back in the late 80's, (folks like Asim Ghafoor Sahib). Those were the dark ages of MSA. Up till the mid-80's MSAs were more than campus clubs, they did community activities. But after masjids were built and the community activities shifted, the MSAs were left with nothing to do. A few students (members of international islamic movements) kept the orgs alive on most campuses with the simple OLSP (One Lecture Per Semester) formula. But wait, the ground was rumbling, some of the freshman american muslim youth had been community activists since high school (taking part in MYNA-Muslim Youth of North America). And now, desiring to be active on campus they joined the MSAs and by 1991-92, some of them had become officers. An OLPS MSA was boring, these kids wanted more (when do they find time to study??). I think it was some of these students in the mid-west that did the first “Islam Week” in 1990-92. and because most of the young activists around the country knew each other, the idea spread. By 1992 these american youth had revived MSA-National (Muslim Students Association of United States and Canada) and commissioned the “Ad-Hoc Task Force for the Establishment of Islam Week” which eventually evolved into today’s MSA Islam Awareness Week Task Force. (asad blows the dust off of his moldy “MSA Box”)*. The task force decided in late 1992 that “if 50 different MSAs conducted Islam Weeks at the same time, we could go from addressing issues concerning Islam in the Cincinnati Enquirer to USA Today, ABC News, and so on...In addition, coordinating Islam Weeks creates the much needed interdependency between MSAs.” So, all affiliate MSA's were told about it and “Islam Week – a resource book” was available at the MSA national convention (held with theISNA annual convention) I still have a copy of that first draft manual. It quotes the objectives taken from a U of Cincinnati Islam Week Proposal: “1) To present Islam; its teachings, applications, culture, and civilization... 2) To expose and educate school teachers... presenting Islam, clearing up misconceptions, and explaining the needs and rights of Muslims... 3) To foster collective work among the different components of the Muslim community... through joint sponsorship... Each local organization can play a significant role. 4) To maximize the participation from every member of your MSA through events that require particular talents and interests not found in many MSA activities. At the same time, MSA workers should be exposed to Islamic organizational work and leadership principles. 5) To reach out to “unknown” Muslims on your campus and invite them to become part of the community... 6)To fully cooperate with other MSAs across North America who have conducted similar events and the Continental MSA office with the intention of eventually having a continent wide Islam Awareness Month Insha’Allah...” It also quotes from a U of Illinois Islam Week Proposal: “One may ask, but why in a week? Well basically, it appears that by having an Awareness Week, it becomes a sort of official, formal, ‘hey it must be something important’ kind of event, which could lead to some curiosity, if not genuine interest in finding out about this thing called ‘islam.’ Thus the average Joe U of I, ‘leave me alone, I could care less’ will Insha’Allah be attracted to find out what everyone is talking about – Islam Week! In addition, think about how much attention national campaign projects, designed weeks and months with a particular theme get. During Black History month…all recognize the rich history of African-Americans. Many follow-up projects result. Whether its African studies Departments at universities… or documentaries about the civil rights movement, all gain credibility and steam from the month.” ... - Basically, for the early young activists that created the idea, it came down to “if others can do why not us”, and by 1994 it was officially named Islam Awareness Week and it was becoming a reality on a national level. Now... BACK IN TEXAS... there was no IAW in the wild west when I arrived in Fall 94. The MSA at UT was classic OLPS (OK fine, maybe we had a newsletter a few years before, or did some prison dawa, and many Palestine and Bosnia rallies). I credit to Rizwan Jaka and the rest, they did take OLPS to a higher level, they could’ve written a book ‘Zen and the art of Lecture organizing”. Our MSA worked like machine, when it came to our Big lecture per semester. (Shaikh Quick in Fall 94 and Imam Jamil in Spring 95 were awesome) but we were ready to evolve. I had come to austin from miami, where my sister and friends at UM were planning their first IAW that semester. I had also been a member of MYNA and attended the ISNA conventions - there was a buzz around doing IAWs. all of my friends at various MSAs were exchanging e-mails of what they were planning. And it wasn't until a year later, Fall 95 that I coordinated our first at UT. I was selected VP of our MSA, and since Mairaj (the prez) had little experience, i was in charge, the big dog, noombro uno muchacho. Of course everything wrong that happened that semester was his fault (stemming from his “6th Street is Haram” fatwa at welcome dinner 95. nice move bro) IAW was just one of the many events we planned for Fall 95. we created a list of events at our Beginning of Semester “I can’t wake up that early on Saturday” Fajr Meeting: #1 - HIGH PRIORITY -“We Must Do” Events included: Prayer on West Mall (never happened); Campout on the Capitol (never happened); PeaceNet (died a quick death at UT); Islam Awareness Week; Daily Dawah Table; Annual New Student Welcome Dinner; Establish the MSA office; Establish weekly halaqas (evolved into the legendary Cookie Halaqas); Late Jumma; Weekly Meetings open to All; and a Sports Event (Zeyn and Asif’s Basketball Tournament - Zeyns life has never been the same since). #2 - MID PRIORITY -“We Should Do” Items included: MSA Shirts, Caps, etc (happened a year later); Pool / Bowling Tournament (ie Zeyn Patel Night); Voter Registration Drive (never happened); Knowledge Competition (never happened); Homework / Old Test Collection (never happened); MSA 1995-96 Scrapbook (happened a year later); and a Picnic (turned into a Bar-B-Q after a Lecture by Shabir Aly. #3 - LOW PRIORITY -“We Could Maybe Do” Items included: Nutrition Classes by RAYFlex (never happened); Quranic Memorication Competition (never happened); and Paintball Jihad (happened 2 years later)... We didn’t let this list stop us from organizing other things: Dawud Adib Workshop (that was Mairaj flirting with Wahhabism); Islamic Relief Presentation on Chechnya; a Sisters’ Dinner; Qiyam ul-Layl-1; and Qiyam ul-Layl-Strikes Back... looking back at it, that Fajr Meeting where we decided that IAW and weekly halaqas will be a priority, (taken along with whatever happened during Hussam and Riz’s time that established our Dawah Table and Weekly Meetings), laid the foundations of MSA UT as we know it. Keep in mind that all of the above was just in Fall 95!!... (I won’t go into all the Texas M’s Intrigues of Spring 96.) I was told by the lady that used to guard the Office keys that no other group seemed more active! our MSA’s history is amazing... Anyways, back to IAW: ...Before that exhausting semester of greatness, I used to be a simple helper. i used to design flyers once in a while. and on a couple of important occasions, at our dawah table (which needs a history of its own to be written by Monem), I would display the handicrafts I had bought on recent trips to Pakistan. Now I (and/or Mairaj) had placed me in charge of our first IAW. I incorporated all the goals from the various resource manuals i could find (and my own love of Muslim history, art, and culture) to create a vision of an event that I saw as a CELEBRATION of Islam and Muslim Culture. Aside from simple opportunities to pass out flyers, I wanted to show that Islam was much more dynamic and beautiful than anyone thought. So, I wanted it to be BIG. Bigger than all those other awareness weeks out there (BLACK, LATINO, ASIAN, GAY, etc). I wanted to pack it with events. The resource manual from 92 had a flyer from U of Cincinnati which showed that they did an event every day. I thought that was great, for those who weren’t able to make it to one event, I could say "howdy, don't stress yall, there's something tonite too! And don’t forget our beautiful cultural exhibit, its runnin all week, you can’t miss it! just head towards the sounds of music as soon as you enter the Union!” SO... We (the IAW committee) planned one event each night plus 2 daytime events and a big opening or closing dinner (which never happened), everything was to be free. here's the events we did: our lectures included: one of our national leaders, Imam Siraj Wahhaj speaking on Liberty and Justice for all…; one of our texas leaders, Imam Qasim Ahmed on the Universality of Islam; one woman speaker, Mary Ali on Women in Islam (I don’t remember who suggested her, but she wasn't impressive); and a local student speaker, Usama Aziz on the Quran – (he had quite a following); we also had a free Movie; a Culture Fair on West Mall with student group participants; a Human Rights day where I posted up gruesome pictures of Muslim victims of oppression while Asim Ghafoor and Rehan Jalali made fiery speeches on West Mall; and lets not forget my center piece for IAW, my week long culture exhibit (Open every day from 10-3). It was an expansion of my past Dawah Table exhibits with additional contributions from other students.; I had even planned for a lecture by Dr. Abou El Fadl (I was in his Quran class and knew that he could speak on Justice in Islam - but it never happened)... - The previous MSA@UT generation had established a culture of co-sponsoring the big lectures with the Texas Union, Student Government and Office of Dean of Students. For example, to raise the thousands of dollars needed for the Imam Jamil lecture the previous semester, Rizwan Jaka (past prez) had dragged me around all over campus to various meetings. He gave me a taste of what needed to be done. we assigned volunteers to do various tasks and we (like those before us) dragged younger students with us as we went to submit our proposals for funds. Various campus sources gave us most of the close to $4000 we needed to pull of our first IAW. While some of the lectures had poor turn out, and the daytime events seemed sloppy, Imam Siraj and the daily cultural exhibit was a big hit with our volunteers, with the Union staff, and all who went to see it (though I did get a couple of complaints from conservative activists about my music being a part of the exhibit.) ...In the end, Alhamdullilah, our IAW was received as a successful event. Due to family and school reasons I decided not to be an officer the following year, but I stayed on as IAW coordinator. I was givin an opportunity to refine my vision for the event and improve upon the mistakes that we made the year before. My refinements over the next few years led me to create a planning guide which some other MSAs now use. We learned our lesson from our first IAW, and In 1996, we did fewer lectures and added: the Sounds of Islam Concert; a mini mosque (which I was asked to design and build with some local brothers for separate dawah purposes); Jumma on South Mall; and a Calligraphy Exhibit; our Culture Exhibit grew to include the Discover Islam Posters... that Culture Exhibit introduced the beautiful sounds of Raihan and Yusuf Islam’s latest offering... The next generation of MSA officers added a Poetry Reading and College specific talks... IAW will continue to evolve and its focus will change as organizers change, maybe even its relevance. For me, IAW was just an excuse to share with everyone my love of muslim arts and crafts, and history. I guess I felt like I was alone in seeing its beauty and wanted some company. I can’t describe how much joy I felt every time someone asked about a handicraft object in the exhibit and I got a chance to tell them about the region, its people and their art. I always ignored MSA-National’s corny themes (“Islam a Mercy for Humanity” or whatever) and instead encouraged the Arts in our IAW, because a thought from Seyyed Hussain Nasr’s book on Islamic Art and Spirituality has always guided me. it is relevent to minority life in America. it proved its truth to me after the response I got from our first culture exhibit. He said that when trying to tell others of the greatness of Islamic civilization, no amount of apologetic talk can match the results of showing them a single example of a masterpiece of Islamic art. Out of all the events we’ve done over the years in IAW, and all the press releases we've sent out, nothing got press coverage like the calligraphy exhibit we did in 97... I've learned that i don’t need a masterpiece, even my box full of over the counter handicrafts gave people a glimpse of the glimmers of beauty that linger on from our glory days. peace and love.

a non-violent high moral ground

A friend of mine said this regarding the terrorist acts commited by muslims in Palestine: "...it is difficult to talk about without being in that situation... seeing your close friends, family, neighbors, little children getting abused or killed. I think that would awaken a rage in anyone, especially when the world has not done anything about it..." ...- True. it definately would awaken a rage, but... his words suggested that those acts are OK. that non-violence need not be advocated and/or will not work. that, the Palestinian's tactics should not be criticized as unjust because they are excusable. some go as far as to say that they are allowable. a few make them required.... so, is this how it works: considering that we MUST support any part of our ummah that suffers, we should excuse and/or support their violent reactions.... and the only reason i would not support them is because i've been influenced by THE MAN who's world i've sold out to; and THE MAN always thinks HE knows better than all of us poor folk out here suffering. How arrogant of THE MAN to define the moral high ground.... - NO! i like to think of it this way: my argument has nothing to do with being opposed to suicide in particular. its about being militant vs. being non-violent... the King vs the X... the Mahatma vs skinney brown men swinging fists and axes.... - Can we say that MLK or Gandhi did not experience the suffering and the rage? NO! i've heard Gandhi-lovers say that non-violence is not passive resistance it's an active engagement with the enemy using universal teachings of love not hate. his method was clear and has been applied by people of all religions throughout the world. I hear, Gandhi's efforts brought the British to there knees. why can't we analyze his approach as an option in Palestine. i've recently come to learn: one of Gandhi's greatest supporters was a practicing muslim. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan - aka Badshah Khan (king of khans), i'm reading a book about him right now. a noble and pious non-violent warrior who, aside from ridding his land of British occupiers, desired his muslim pathan people stop killing each other over every petty dispute. he wanted to show them that there is more to being human than a violent code of honor. he was a muslim freedom-fighter that could've let rage guide him. but he didn't, and is now considered by some pathans as a noble champion of pathan independance. also... we complain that the media doesn't tell us the whole truth. and we somehow tend to think that because we know some people who fight in the resistance, we have a clearer picture. but maybe we fail to see the other efforts which are also going on and could be supported. maybe there is a group of non-violent palestinians who have a better solution. hamas/PLO/jihad/PLFP these are about political affiliation, only a few speak of spiritual affiliation. we rarely hear of the few muslim activists who choose none of the above, they want independance and affiliate themselves with a universal higher moral ground. i say "universal" because almost all scriptures and philosophies believe in that love is greater than hate. and muslims believe that god's mercy is greater then his wrath. peace and love.

unsettled state of being

Dr. Abou el Fadl wrote some beautiful words recently: "What an unsettled state of being when the mind thunders with longings, as the eyes crave to be filled with beauty.""Are we dwellers in the ruins of a dead civilization bewailing the lost memories, or are we the inventive architects of history? Are we the refuse of bygone historical experiments, or are we a part of the timeless truth etched in the conscience of humanity? Are we an ongoing revolution liberating human beings from their primal fears, or are we simply a mindless reaction to the deconstructions of modernity?" "I can understand how a people constantly under siege, and a people kept away from the Conference because of the demands of survival, lose the temperament that would cradle their search for beauty. But regardless of the reasons, I cannot understand how without such a temperament, a nation can be “given” so that it will transcend itself, and give to all of humanity." "But pillared in place by impenetrable fogs of confusion, I wrap myself in shields of patience, and in an unwavering belief in the illuminations of beauty. I long to dismantle this arrogant edifice in perfect submission to the primordial beauty, for can the mundane find a greater liberty than in its submission to divinity?" "free-willed decision to migrate to You in full dignity. I long to submit my strength not my weakness, bonded by love not undone by fear. God, bless me and bless my people with the magnanimity of love, and the strength to long, and cure me from the desolations of despair and distortions of fear."... well, ... - i want to apologize to my scholars and friends. i'm desprately trying to evolve beyond simple minded activism. I've been an activist at leadership positions since age 15 and in moments of frustration and foolish arrogance, i say things that have no meaning. the scholarly writings of Nasr, Murad, and Abou el Fadl(the philosopher, the sufi, the faqih) give me the strength to keep evolving. a few years ago i would not have understood the ideas in thier books, or the things that their students say and write. but i do now and i would'nt change one word, i wouldn't want them to dumb anything down. their words are all extremely meaningful to me... to heck with the stupid masses. my own journey to be able to understand profound words of insight had little to do with the scholar and all to do with my own state of mind. and i was glad to have scholarly books available for me to read and contemplate upon. it's said that we all have different roles to play in our society... Let the individual decide his or her own role and let's back off each other. a spark was lit a year and a half ago in me, and it was not by any inspiring lecturer, book, or event. it happened when i took a step back and looked at what was going on around me at the time. with RUMI by my side, i started an examination of myself and my own role in my surroundings, i was abolutely not expecting the longings for beauty that then began to take hold of me. while i long for a world in love with god, i pray to god that my own "unsettled state of being" does not end anytime soon.

thats poo as in poo-poo

i'd pass it around, but my stash is runnin low. my supplier in candy-haaar got nailed by a daisycutter. dude...my posts start out "normal" - i swear. but then i get mustt and in my haal, i'm no longer in control. yeah, i'm in the car, but i can't feel the road baby...i fasten my seat belt and step on the GAS anyways! by the way, i found it interesting that in my emotional response to communal riots i did not distort any facts and ended up finding a great example to reinforce amina wudood's analysis. she seemed to me to be stating in scholarspeak exactly what i wanted to say. also, i've heard her speak and she not a dynamic speaker either, its probably why she appears to want others to speak to the masses.

where are the scholars?

If my goal is to stop potential violence, the rage, the hate... to shine some divine light upon the darkness of ignorace...I think i must try to REACH the REAL audience, both the haters and the ones who will REACT to that hate with anger. Different forums for different people. I think the EXPERTS Must hold open introductory level events (free lectures at masjids instead of ballrooms for Muslims). For years i've wanted great scholars like Seyyed Hussain Nasr, Abdul Hakim Murad and Dr. Abou el Fadl to give talks to those uninitiated. Primarily because some of their devoted students fail to do a good job (sometimes a follower/disciple come off as a weirdo). ...an EXAMPLE: When i was an officer at MSA-UT i wanted to introduce my fellow muslims to the great teachings of orthodox sufism (which i believed to be one thing that can neutralize rage and take us closer to perfection) but the scholar i invited for an introductory talk entitled "the Lover and the Beloved" failed. I did all i could to get people to him, but he failed to capture them with his message. then there was students like Zaheer and Mustafa(Steve) who also spoke about sufism at an informal MSA cookie halaqa, they FELT the beauty of the qasidas they recited, but the audience did not, they too failed to capture the audience. (i praise their efforts)... but we must succeed, i'm tired of failed attempts. we must keep islam from being JUST a vehicle for rage, and our experts can probably give the BEST introductions to the sciences that make islam beautiful. but they must connect with their audience. even if its just on a small informal scale. why don't they do more? they should visit more masjids... so many opportunities are wasted at masjids, and MSA's? but maybe they already are doing this. maybe there are so few of them that there presence is not felt everywhere... - when it comes to the topic of theology or law, or dealing with injustice and rights in the face of oppression, its a subject the MASSES need an introduction to, aside from scholarly lectures at universities, exclusive AMILA retreats, or pricey MSG/Deen Intensive camps attended by those who already care. preeching to the converted. I hear that Dr. Seyyed Hussain Nasr doesn't even go to his campus jummah prayer. While I was in Austin, i didn't see Dr. Abou El Fadl at our late jummah. But, I will give them both credit for having students that ARE active. But like i said, We need the Experts to Give some good intros. Dr. Abou El Fadl has some great teachings for our time and place... but, it doesn't help when he or his students become overly critical of the preachers and activists (Hamza Yusuf or Siraj Wahhaj) that the masses listen to. You know what, "sidi hamza" and "imam siraj" connect with an audience. the masses love'em. the listening masses are the spreaders of beautiful teachings of love OR angry messagers of violence. if neither our experts, nor their students are able to connect with the masses, they should at least try to get their message to those leaders that the masses DO listen to. Has anyone presented Imam Siraj with "Speaking in Gods Name" and sat down with him to explain who exactly Dr. Abou El Fadl is, his teachers, his background? what he thinks about the book's arguments? and if he has any questions? Imam Siraj is one of our biggest and BEST leaders, and he's open minded too, its a shame if we dismiss him in our struggle against ignorance. for me, its not about islam as a social/political movement to replace the west. it IS about educating people about the nuances of the Way, which may help them understand better the Beauty of Allah in these times of difficulty. considering our ummah's defeated condition, i don't want my brother's or sister's rage-filled actions to be a cause of their suffering in the next world. How can i get my message to them? i want to tell them: "things are going to get worse bro, but there is something i learned from my heritage that helps me control myself, my rage, and it is something that is FROM... NO -its THE ESSENCE of the teachings of our Divine Beloved. its complicated but here's an intro etc.etc.blah.blah" Dr. Abou El Fadl's Tafseers, Fog of Self Deception, Building A Partnership With Allah and other halaqa tapes are AWESOME, i wish i had been there to benefit, six whole years ago, i can't see why they didn't taken place openly, our "liberal" MSA would have gladly publicized it as we did our arabic classes. Fine, maybe that was not the time... What about now? Is NOW the time? peace and love.

india smells like poo

here's the news item: http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/02/28/india.train/index.html
...let me summarize: about 50+ people dead in india when train carloads of hindu nationalists were set ablaze by angry people (maybe muslims). its the same hindu nationalists that have a list of historic masjids to be replaced by hindu temples. they believe that its an effort to re-establish temples that existed on those spots centuries ago. for those of you who aren't indian, here's some background info: WE indian muslims consider OUR destroyed masajid to be "shaheed." with such a mess after their first strike in Ayodhya, the government has prevented the construction of the temple to RAMA that the extremeists want to build on its site, as well as any other masjid's martyrdom, for fear of massive riots. but the temple's construction goes on (thousands of craftsmen off-site busy carving pillars). WE indian muslims believe that it can go up overnight cuz there are thousands of hindu volunteers ready to help and the police won't get in there way. this is why any hindu nationalist calls for a rally in Ayodhya are signs of trouble and violence.
...I visted several masjids that are on their hit-list. in Mathura, next to an existing temple for Krishna, there is a masjid Aurangzeb built over the ruins of an earlier temple to Krishna (as in Hare Rama Hare Krishna). Which itself, i read, was built over the ruins of a Buddhist structure.
...There is only one route to that masjid and the local hindu population park cows and water baffalos along that route. There was even feces all over the steps that lead to the gateway. Once there, I had to go through metal detectors and they frisked me before i was allowed to proceed, police were lounging around everywhere. I was interrogated when they saw me sketching. among the only two other non-police there, one was a hindu dude with a robe and marks on his forehead following me around. While i can understand the police "protection of the site" and was not angered by it, scraping poo off my shoes had me ticked. I wasn't there during a prayer time, but i wonder how many muslims want to go through all the trouble to pray there if there is a more peaceful alternative... An empty masjid sure is easier to demolish... If it was only as easy as saying "please don't blame me for something my ancestor did, and since you already have a temple right next door can't we all just get along. cuz destroying a centuries old mosque will only lead to feelings of hostility and frustration within a minority and could lead to violence and blood shed."... Go on, Rally in Ayodhya, but beware of the mess that you create. ***warning: read the rest at your own risk, it includes language that is intentionally designed to offend... here's the bigger picture: the militant extremist hindu's want sympathy. i find it hard to feel sympathy for anyone who creates an atmosphere of hate, then portray themselves to be innocent victims of aggression. that percieved aggression of the muslims is only being a reaction, a natural HUMAN frustration that reaches a limit, TRUE it must be controlled by the rational ability that God has given us. But, I'm not perfect, and this atmosphere of hate is a hinderance in my path to perfection. if my family is harassed, my movement is restricted, and on top of that my masjid is desecrated - can you blame me? of course i'll be a reactionary! and i will NOT apologize for it. my frustration goes beyond the point i can control with my love powers. it ozzes out as anger. my anger reaches the point where my hand becomes a fist and rises into the air. put RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE into that boombox, baby. push play and i will unleash my frustrated fist upon those who frustrated it... now we will dance in our cyclone of violence.... complicated discourse of islamic law or cosmology has lost it relevence to me at this moment (oh my beloved scholars, you failed to motivate my simple frustrated mind). its not about me having freedom. hell, its not even about my islam anymore. it IS about that damn hater hindu nationalist and me, it IS about my reactionary fist in his or her ugly face, my dirty-poo shoe kicking his or her ass, my rage does not discriminate... CONTROL yourself Asad, control is good, control is right... PART TWO: who's to be blamed for the carnage, and be punished by tribunals? The Haters? Those who React? Or those who failed to spread great teachings of love or justice before this whole mess began, those who failed to inspire a new generation of lovers of justice? Are we working to neutralize the root of the cycle? or will we sit on our buttox and complain about injustice (or stand on street corners holding stupid signs)? sometimes its government actions at the root but sometimes its also the beliefs and practices of a majority of the citizens, which a government only reflects...Nationalist Hindu cow-piss lovers frustrate my Indian Muslim family, white christian fundamentalist republican Israel-lovers frustrate immigrant American Muslims and african-americans. How will YOU (concerned/confused individuals affected by an atmosphere of hate) neutralize the creators of that atmosphere before MY RAGE is unleashed?By Dawah? By Love? By Education? By Politics? HOW?? Whose answer is best? I don't know...

keepin it platonic

about platonic friendship. i've now read more than a few classical books on muslim love theory, here's my observation. we can be compassionate to all, but if we seek real friendship, our scholars say that friendship and love are related. there is muhabat-love, which all muslims should believe in. it's gereral and can exist between all who cleanse their hearts of greed, pride and conceit. it has nothing to do with sexual urges. it has everything to do with being a beautiful person. but your inner and outer beauty attracts a beholder of beauty. lets not forget ishq-love, which some say is good, some say bad. the fire of ishq-love can ignite when one beholds beauty. the philosopher says that isqh-love seeks physical union. the mystic says ishq-love is an affair of the soul seeking a spiritual union. Didn't Al-Ghazzali say that love is an attachment between hearts. the heart, the soul, the spirit, the self, different names of that inner light. i was just an innocent by-stander when your terrorist thighs struck me down. after your beauty has lit my flame and the fire rages within. you can try to say: "just control your self, bro." to which the heretic-ashiq-lover will respond: "What Self?? You FOOL, My self exists NO-MORE! How can i control that which belongs to GOD, that Divine breath which gives life to this lump of clay. Didn't al-Ghazzali say that love emenates from my heart. Didn't al-Ghazzali tell me that i have more than one self? Didn't he say, to deny the others and let the Divine self shine through. Mine eyes, they say, are My windows to that soul. They have gazed... and witnessed a manifestation of HIS Divine Terrorist Beauty... (you think yo mama gave you those terrorist thighs)??? And Now you speak of CONTROL."HUSH asad HUSH!!! You have spoken too much!

groopies

about the hamza yusuf "groopies" and leaders/followers. In my journeys, i visited the graves and witnessed the devotees of Jalaluddin Rumi in Konya, Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer, Ali Hajweri in Lahore, Bahauddin Zakaria in Multan, Shabazz Qalandar in Sewan, Nizamuddin Awliya in Delhi. It is said that love is a blindness. sometimes in our passionate attachments to great scholars we lose our ability to see their and our own human deficiencies. but this issue must be handled delicately. i thank allah for giving me intelligent and articulate friends like usman and mathew and mairaj who took part in a much needed discourse on this subject on the muslimdisc list.

images of the prophet

just got back from one month in the land of my ancestors. a land famous for its miniature paintings. about pictures of our beloved prophet?!? aztaghfirullah! i've read much on and seen many persian miniatures, but... Some of the mi'raj pics are among the most beautiful works of art i've seen. They reflect MY civilization's ability to absorb the beauty of parent civilations as well as a desire to inject color and intricate geometric designs into our great book-based civilization. the artform probably came into existance because Mongols embraced islam but did not arabize themselves. plus, YOU try telling a Mongol or Turk warlord "images are haram." He'd slice off your head, then commision the paintings anyways. your poor severed blood-dripping head at the gates of the beautiful palace serving as a warning to other self righteous scholars trying to command good and forbid evil or brave souls trying to score iman points by speaking up to a tyrant. i don't know whats worse: Oppressive/Progressive Il-khanid, Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal princes sidelining sharia scholars, but sponsoring imaginative, unique, beautiful art and images of our beloved prophets in their poetry and history books (prophet Yusuf and Zulaikha was a favorite subject) or hyper-sensitive Muslims and idealistic activists ignorant about muslim history and art running around saying "there is no images in islamic art" or "we did not do what the christians did," ignoring centuries of our figurative art. maybe its a product of movements founded by arab or arab-wannabe activists who dismiss the history and contributions of non-arab muslim peoples producing a bunch of deluded followers. I can understand efforts to keep images of the prophet out of new productions. fear of iconization and all, but, its a shame that Non-muslim scholars seem to know more about our civilization than we do. we look like fools when they reply that those images of our prophet were from books produced BY MUSLIMS.

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)

Shaykh Wanabi Jama'in al-ashiq ibn as-Siddiq goes to UT

i'm a miami floridian
so how the HELL did i end up in TEXAS??
if you're curious... after a stint in community college, in 94 i had to choose where to finish my architecture degree.

choice #1 UF, gator country
familiar faces and a familiar architecture program,
a continuation of the same world i was in
with familiar east coast muslim activism.

Damn, it could've been an easy ride.
(no what ifs asad. NO WHAT IFs!)

choice #2 UT
all i knew was the hype i'd heard from the only people i knew there.
-only dude i knew #1-Mr.Texas Rehan Jalali, a childhood buddy i hadn't seen in ages.
-only dude i knew #2-Adil "Florida", a cat i'd met for a brief moment in orlando while organizing a muslim youth sports tourny, he sent me info about the acrhitorture school and hyped up the honeys..uh..i mean..AWESOME MSA. no...it was Rehan who hyped up the honeys!
just kidding, the honeys had nothing to do with it.
no...i discovered them on my own at orientation.

I choose the unfamiliar place half a continent away because UT had better architecture facilites.(a better looking building with nice bathrooms!!) LORD HELP ME...Give me strength to look beyond a beautiful appearance! UF would've degreed me in 97. right now i'd be designing mansions on miami beach.
DAMN YOU TEXAS! DAAAMN YOOOU!!
aaAkh THUUU...I SPIT on you for making my life and my worldview complicated.

I can't be a simple muslim architect with superficial views about "islamic art" because of you.
I can't be a Naive "Can't we all just get along"Activist because of you.
(no what ifs asad. NO WHAT IFs!)
Before you i knew NOT...

of complicated "DISCOURSES" or "METHODOLOGIES" or ahadi and mutawatir or usuli and ahl al-hadith. Thank you Dr. Abou el Fadl.

of an idealistic "VISION" for america's muslims and those irrelevent global islamic movements. Thank you MSA VISION CAMP 96. and all our vision meetings that followed.

of confusing Cosmic Sacred Geometry or wierd arabic words like Muqarnas and Ablaq in Islamic Design and global Islamic House architecture. Thank you Dr. Kahera, Shirazi, Carol Bertram and all of UT's classes in islamic art.

of the Fact that some of us are not Ready, and some Ahead of our Time when it comes to TRULY DYNAMIC Muslim Community Activism. Thank you JAMA'Fest 99 crew and Houston.

Before you, Texas, i KNEW NOT of true ugliness
-hatred and the absence of love in our hearts,
that much activism designed to unite WILL fail.
cuz many of us are YET UNABLE to love another.

How do i ignite the fire of love?
LOVE...that ROOT of BEAUTY/UNITY/UNION/Closeness...
Thank you UT-MSA sisters 99/2000, you shattered my simple view of reality and turned my eyes toward a world of lovers-

after an ugly week of hatred at the end of my MSA career Rumi and Hafez became my guides. so here i am trying to bring my thoughts together on a search for true beauty and with a longing to be afflicted by the disease of love... wanting freedom from the shackles of my passions. here in miami working with my father as a building inspector, architecture degree incomplete, reading and thinking more than i ever did before...

on a discussion list (muslimdisc-all thanks due to goose all mighty) where i can continue a VIRTUAL college night of sitting in a living room at 3am - discussing with my brothers and sisters: the meaning of life, the problems of the world, our ummah, or deep philosophy. (like after dinner at Adil Florida's apt.) i look back to that choice between UF and UT...
Alhamdulillah!
peace and love.

about the media

my brother, is a journalist.
from him i learn that...
1-a reporter will gather the facts
2-sift thru the facts to find an "angle" for the piece to be written.(lets face it...they are writing a story that needs toengage a reader, please an editor, sell a newspaper,push a hidden agenda, who knows...i'll let theconspiracy theorists sort it out)
3-those FACTS that back up the chosen angle will make it into the story (and give someone there moment of fame), and those that don't only live on in the memory of the one who will forever cherish the day that"DUDE, i was interviewed by CNN!!!"

an exemple:
since sept.11 my brother has been running around talking to the local reporters and helping them cover the muslims. yesterday he spent most of eid holiday helping with a piece on the celebration. he gathered quotes from kids, imams, leaders, and added a lengthy quote from the sermon. stressing the fact that it was an uplifting non-political, spiritual message about the holiday. he also went into the subjects of the moon sighting controversy, and all sorts of facts about EID ingeneral and the way Muslims celebrated it.

BUT...after submitting his material to the MIAMI HERALD reporter assigned to write the piece, and reading the article she wrote, He learned a valuable lesson: EID is not a holiday like Christmas or Kwanza and will not get typical Holiday coverage in the MIAMI HERALD like the others get. From the Editor on down, the article was probably chosen to be part of the larger Sept.11 coverage. And since the imam she happened to interview mentioned something about the firebombing incident in Cali and his EID Khutba spoke of Muslim suffering abroad...

HER CHOSEN ANGLE: feelings of FEAR among Muslims at Holiday time!?!

chosen from among my brothers contribution to her set of included facts: a single sentence from our imam's excellent khutba that happened in some way to fit into her angle. (this is why you run around complaining about being misquoted in the press) as frustrated as my brother was last night, he didn't blame her for what even he had been taught in school to do.

she had no knowledge about islam or muslims and was just assigned to cover an event and write a story about it. after reading her article my brother backed of from educating her too much about islam for he would lose credibility as a reporter and tread into the territory of a lobbyist.

so...How many muslims dying in Afghanistan??? Does it fit into the current "angle" our media reporters and editors may be ALLOWED to publish or release in this time of war propaganda??What must WE do to get Non-Muslim Americans (this includes the media) to think of us as Beautiful Human Beings and not just some stray facts that can be ignored or hidden from view?

But...we must also work on becoming those Beautiful Human Beings that we pretend to be.
peace and love.

pan islam

Reason #2 for old school loyalties: Pan-Islam...

Its interesting that in the midst of the colonization of muslim lands, jamaluddin afghani and khalifa abdul hamid were trying to take advantage of islam’s built-in call to brotherhood for their own reasons, independant of each other at first. until the khalifa incorprated afghani into his own program of rallying muslims to help defend the empire from a political European threat.

both were sincere efforts of pan-islamism, crafted as a defense against a foreign effort to "divide and conquer." The efforts of both the khalifa and afghani ended up influencing allama iqbal in india and the ikhwan in egypt, whose thoughts carry on to this day.

But, I believe the original fight was lost in the 1920's and we failed to accept our defeat.

Rather than to put the defeat behind us and move on to rebuilding, most of our leaders and movements keep fighting as if colonization is still the threat. Maybe it is, OR maybe they’ve failed to deal with the new political, cultural, economic dynamics of our world.

Any conflict occurring during this transitional period is reacted to in the only way we know how (instinctive pan-islamism): CALLS TO A MUSLIM WORLD COMMUNITY TO HELP RESIST FOREIGN AGGRESSION. Nevermind that the muslim world community back then had no Muslim or Secular Nation States. Back when Pan-islam became part of our ideology, it was still the age of empires and kings. The threat was something you can see and touch, not like Jerry Springer or BaBewatch on Satellite TV or INTERNET PORN.

I don't know how much we're influenced by pan-islamic ideology as crafted NOT by our Prophet(s) but by a khalifate that lost its struggle in 1924.

we’ve reached absolute bottom when we don’t even know right from wrong anymore.

I say...
If the war is over...
there is no more enemy.

The last few generations failed to address the new reality. The struggle now is to find ourselves after a devastating defeat, in our time the enemy is our own selfish desires. Our generation isn’t trying to defend a great civilization. Maybe that great civilization is dead and we should build one from a state of nothing.

Lets build our new abode of peace with a foundation of Love. Our building blocks can be the Best of the Beautiful Muslim Cultures that have made it across to this new land and the handful of scholars that can reconnect us to the methodologies of the Masters. A “global village” may complicate things at times but it can also be a source of knowledge and inspiration.

Then again, maybe the war aint over.
If the right wing conservatives are trying fight us, why should we put down our defenses.
if they have taken on the mantle of our old enemies from the crusades, and want to drop bombs and destroy us in the name of "democracy", what do we do but defend ourselves.

peace and love.
(i'm still confused)

global village

Some say that are not concerned enough about our neighbors in general and american muslims living in poverty. I agree that We should be. American muslim's are often more concerned for the refugees and/or the poor of India, Pakistan, Sudan, Kashmir or Palestine or whatever other troubled region close to where they immigrated from. Why?

i think its for two reasons:

1-that “global village” some say we live in.
2-our lingering pan-islamic resistance to “the west.”

A few months ago I had a thought...
its unfair when ignorant Americans want new Americans to choose between allegiance to USA or their former nations.

I’m a citizen of the world!
Why the Heck not!
Our presidents speak of “New World Order,”
our economic gurus adwokate a “global economy” and orgs like WTO.
New technology and communications help maintain extremely close ties to other nations. Our Indian and Arab American parents and friends aren’t like the Irish, Italian, German Americans who arrived earlier this century and weren’t able to keep in touch or participate in what was going on in Europe the way that Bosnian and Turkish Americans can these days.

Examples...
#1-last month, Colombia won a soccer match, dude yall should’ve seen the flags and spontaneous rallies of joy here in Miami, where its not uncommon to have a flag from Latin America or the Caribbean waving right below old glory on car antennas.

#2-for the past few years Paki's can get the latest Junoon album in local ethnic grocery stores or watch Prez Musharraf come on the PrimeTV Satellite channel and
tell us what Pakistanis in America can do to Uplift their Economy. or our Indians watching the latest Bollywood Hit Film on B4U channel

#3-those I-rane-e-yan Shee-yite Fundy Terrorists who
voted in an “election” back home without leaving LA.

I love it!!

I can be extremely proud of and linked with my Indo-Pak Muslim Heritage while also being a proud citizen of THE nation that makes it easy for the decendents commoners and peasents to raise their status of living.

In this new smaller world, I hope there’ll be more of US and not those fools trying to pass English Only laws.

What??...
So You live in the Border States or Miami and can’t speak ez-pane-yo-lez or fed up with all those "chups" in Chinatown or running around in Hollywood action fliks
these days, Tough!! Deal with it, Expand your WORLDview!!

So...
I can understand my Ohioan Kashmiri American Muslim Sister’s Dad loving his Motherland and raising funds for victims of aggression. I'll donate because the
cause is Right...

Or my Texan Palestinian American Muslim Brother and his "Halaqa" group rallying to change some unjust laws that affect him. I'll march with them to show my support for justice...

TRUE, maybe these political struggles aren't about ISLAM (Allah will protect the Deen despite us)...BUT, the struggle IS against things UNISLAMIC.

but beware of those pesky Memons and their Universal Brotherhood of Shady Businessmen. A network out for global domination, more powerful, intricate and
dangerous than Al-Qaeda or Freemasonry, I tell ya.

my thoughts on pan-islam in another post...
peace and love.

Confused In Miami

This is the first time I am sharing my views with many of you.
Things are good here in Miami. Alhamdulillah
It's an interesting time to be a Muslim activist.
Even though I'm not very active these days. We're all trying hard to understand what being an "American Muslim" REALLY means. But, It's sad that some groups are going on with the usual activism as if Sept.11 was JUST another time to respond to Hate Crimes and a dawah opportunity.

I found myself agreeing with both Abou el Fadl and Hamza Yusuf and am still going through an intense "introspective pause." But it seems to me that those who are taking the time to look inward and reflect are those who aren't already indoctrinated by "the movement" or blindly critical of it:

-Salafi/Wahhabi groups are still ranting about "Haram"
-Hamza Yusuf "groopies" are still organizing more deen intensives to preserve islamic "tradition"
-"Mujahiddin" supporters are still defending suicide attacks
-Secular muslim still continue to critize "fundamentalism"

Where is the introspection?
I don't see it.
except in a very small group of us.

I don't expect the average muslim to become an instant philosopher. And now I won't expect the average activist to philosophize either, cuz their "shaykh" or amir is seem to have done it for them.

After much reading and reflection, i've come to this conclusion.
any group that does NOT stand up for God's universal principles of Love,
Justice, Truth and Human Dignity; and instead speaks the language of HATRED is suspect to me, this includes:
-the US and Britian - who claim to Hate "Terrorism"
-the Taliban, Wahabbists - who Hate fellow Muslims/women
-and any other "ISLAMIC" movements who hate "THE WEST"

One friend told me that Suicide attacks that kill civilians are wrong in America, BUT..In Palestine...etc, etc, etc

Also, most reps of the american branches of various movements condemnded the Sept.11 attacks and said "Islam means Peace," while their own supreme leaders in India or Egypt or Arabia, or wherever, were running in the streets chanting "Down with America!","We Declare Jihad"

and "the movement" expects non-muslims to NOT think of jihad as "holy war."
regardless how much you say:
"No No, Jihad REALLY means..."
your actions say otherwise.

ITS SAD BRO's and Sis's,
we don't see the ideological or methodological inconsistency in our thought and actions, but the Media and non-Muslims do!
and when they call us out and report about it we send out the usual reactionary
responses and blame them for stereotyping and misrepresenting Islam.
it makes us look like fools who can't think straight.

But...
I guess Muslims ARE fools who can't think straight.

We lost touch with our rich intellectual and cultural heritage and the scholars of that heritage who searched the sources, philosophized, debated, and wrote about the Divine revelation that is there to protect our souls.

I told that friend that we shouldn't be like secular communist fighters or desesitized american techno-warriors who use inhumane tactics to destabilize there opponents,

I would rather fight a war in a dignified and principled way and lose than to be an unjust barbarian driven by Hate and wipe out my enemy with suicide attacks, as in Israel that kill innocents, or with cluster bombs dropped from above, as in Afghanistan.

But man, its hard to say this to a friend who has seen his family or friends killed by the Indian or Israeli War Machine. I won't pretend to understand oppression or what drives them to use the unjust logic of suicide attacks. At the same time, I won't say that it's all good in the name of Allah. I pray that Allah gives
them patience in this time of struggle.

For the moment my activism is centered around giving presentations on Islamic Art for local MSA's. Other than that, I am extremely reluctant to work with most groups. I'n not even sure that groups consistent and coherent in thought and action exist.

peace and love.

al hadid

first...last...hidden...manifest...all knowing Allah!
for me, that whole sura (Chapter#57 al-hadid/iron)
is VERY powerful.
it had a major effect on me about 8 months ago...

before i came back to miami,
i was living alone in a small apartment in austin.
i'd started reading thomas cleary's "the essential koran."
its a clean translation of the most spiritual verses.
i was reading it everyday after fajr.
i'd also started drawing islamic geometric designs.
each drawing took hours. sometimes days
each drawing required full concentration...
no tv...
no one else home...
no distractions...
no class tomorrow...
so, i started drawing a complicated one. a brainbuster.
i totally lost track of time...
til the alarm went off at dawn...
usually i was half asleep at fajr time.
but not this morning, man...
after i stoped concentrating on the design.
i was wide awake and my mind was TOTALLY clear.....

it was a very peaceful morning.
the weather was cool those days so i kept my windows open and my a/c off, i could hear the birds sing outside every morning...
so...
i prayed... started to read qur'an...
and got to sura al-hadid!
i'd never read this entire surah in english before.
i couldn't stop reading...
one verse pulled me to the next....
each adding to the power of the message.
when i got to the end i read the surah again.
it was just as powerful the 2nd time.
i closed thomas cleary's translation and went to my bookshelf and grabbed my other translations. i flipped frantically to the sura and read it again.
after i was done i just sat there for a while.....
i was in awe....
before this experience, i would SAY that i believed the Qur'an to be the word of God. i had been taught to believe that from childhood. but THIS was the first time i really BELIEVED that what i'd just read was Allah's Word...
i just sat there for a while,
sayin "Glory be to Allah"
subhanallah.
first...last...hidden...manifest...all knowing Allah!

got god

a modern scientist only believes in reason, can the existance of god be proved using only rational arguments or empirical evidence, i'm sure any mention of the words "soul" or "faith" will not satisfy. most athiests are like this too, they want proof that doesn't contradict logic and their 5 senses. I suck at logic so i'll refer to
IBN RUSHD(a classical muslim scholar from 1126-1198)
he may have answer to the question of god using sound logic....

now... a person who is seeking spiritual peace (not proof) wants to hear a concept of god that explains "why" and "who". many people are turning to hinduism and buddhism because they can find an internal peace in those concepts of god. they NEED to hear the word "soul" and "faith" and "love". We all want an UNSEEN that makes sense:

i say Love exists...
you know...
that feeling you would get if your mom died...
now...lets call that place within us that is able to love, the soul...

sure, love may simply be a product of the brain that is unique to each individual...

but, lets say its more than that, lets say love is universal
...that it is one.
(that i love my mom the same way you do).
so...if our love is the same, and it not a product of the brain but arises from someplace else, the soul, then our souls should also be similar.
now...if something is similar it must be created that way.
our soular essenceseses should be one...
am i making any sense???

i believe in loving souls. i can't believe something like loving souls can happen by chance, but i CAN believe that there is an unseen force out there that makes our unseen similar souls in all their groovy loverability.
so...I say, there's got to be a creator!
a creator who made them the same way...
to be able to love that creator the same way.
SO...THERE GOT TO BE A DIVINE CREATOR,
call him by whatever name you want.

BUT...and this is a big but...
how can he create souls and then let'em roam around hate'n
not living up to their potential lovliness or loverhoodness?
this creator obviously didn't want us all happy all the time.
this creator should at least open up the hearts of people now and then and let them become master lovers who can guide the rest of us??
now... maybe sent us guides who taught us how to love him.
master lovers like Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad
ok ok...i can't PROVE they communicated with the love master himself.
but they sure knew a thing or two about love!
and they said he is Alone, One, Absolute, Eternal, etc.etc.
and that he is closer to us than our jugular vein.
So... The Creator is Here...
He's speaks to us all the time...
but he is using the hidden language of Love.
and We can only know him through our soul because only our soul is able to understand the language and appreciate the awesome power of love.
So... THERE IS A GOD.
HE IS ONE AND HE LOVES US.
the writings of the classical muslim scholar Imam GHAZZALI tell me that love is the foundation of islam.

conclusion...
most of us are only muslims because we were born muslims, Alhamdulillah. but, we don't know our concept of god. i read, and try to be aware of my surroundings. hoping that the answers will come!!