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?

heretics

previously i wrote of my explanation of the existance of differences of opinion WITHIN islam; and, the various ways in which islam is practiced by Muslims around the world. Some want a criteria which muslims can follow to determine HERETICAL SECTS (groups with Mis-understandings of the fundamental beliefs of Islam, like finality of prophethood, concept of tawhid, etc.) And once we are able to determine who the Heretics are, we can take action to ensure that they are not mistaken for TRUE ISLAM and then, prevent the emergence of new Heresies to protect these core beliefs from corruption. (i don't know what it is about determining and labeling others as Heretics, maybe it compensates for the insecurities in the minds of some muslims about their own beliefs, allah knows best.) Good News! THIS CRITERIA EXISTS! There are several books that describe it, "Islamic Creeds" by Montgomery Watt gives a selection of these criterias of the "core beliefs and their order of priority" that some muslims desire. it is called "aqida" literature, and one of its goals is to designate sects to be outside of Islam. also, the "core beliefs" some feel should not be violated are also refered to as the"usul" of islam. there is no need to reinvent the wheel. for centuries, among muslim scholars it has been understood that if anyone violates the "aqida" or crosses the boundries established by the "usul" they can be considered outside of ISLAM. ITS BEEN DONE, the teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and Nation of Islam were determined NOT ISLAM by the scholars after thay consulted the aqida literature. In fact Dr. Sherman Abd al Hakim Jackson's new book is about the issue of what the USUL boundries are, it's a translation of a work by Imam Ghazzali. Those who feel the need to label people heretic should BUY IT, READ IT, UNDERSTAND IT. theres no need to even struggle through the complicated process. the books are already out there. just search for "usul" or "aqeeda of Imam at-Tahawi." Now a problem is that eventhough we (sunni muslims) have had the criteria for centuries, it did not stop the emergence of the Nation of Islam in America and the Qadiani in India. How these groups come into existance is a lot more complicated than just them simply misunderstanding or lacking knowledge about the core beliefs (although this could be the major reason, i don't know). and when it comes some people's desire of "safe-guarding against their formation." i don't know what to say, except that i believe we must never FORCE anyone to follow even the "core beliefs". The most perfect recent examlple of an attempt to safe-gaurd is the arrogance and oppression by the taliban in Afghanistan or the wahhabi movement in saudi arabia and their desire in the late 1700's to cleanse Arabia of what THEY DESIGNATED as anti-islamic beliefs posing as islam, they declared jihad against Muslims whom they considered Kafir and murdered many innocent lives in the pursuit of PURIFYING ISLAM. i know others who can recommend better books on the subject of aqida or about the issue of usul vs. furu. peace.

brands of islam

the following was said by a member of the Brodisc list: "how many brands of Islam should exist (Can somebody on this list, please, please answer this question!)? If one group does anything wrong, we as Muslims are going to get blamed for it."...Here's what i think about this statement: ---If there is only ONE Brand of Islam and a group of misguided fools from within it does anything wrong, the blamers will no doubt blame you anyways. Let's not worry about the blamers. we can respond to them, but let's not design our deen in reaction to critics. As a wanna-be believer I think "Brands of Islam" are good. a BRAND probably means one of two things: 1 -schools of thought/mazhab/sect; and 2 -i'll call it cultural manifestation or "flavor" I'll start by saying that, i believe, the deen, as taught by the Prophet, was/IS One - BUT, his companions understanding of it differed in various minute ways (hey, i don't blame them, they were human). don't misunderstand, The Best of the Sahaba knew what ALLAH and his NABI said and they passed it down to the next generation as they heard it, we have it recorded in Quran the many volumes of reliable hadith. But when it came to putting those same teachings into practice after the prophet's death, there were times when they differed among themselves. For example when they interpreted the teachings about leadership, the people of the Prophet's household "ahl al-bayt" formed their own understanding of that aspect of Islam. Basically...As far as schools of thought go, the earliest generations were not able to have ONE Islam. Aside from the whole shia/sunni imamate thing, there were those of the Kufa School with their view on the permissabilty of reason "ahl al-Rai" and how about those, the "ahl al-hadith", who felt that having the text of the revelation makes the use of reason unnecessary.... Now...what if there can be various interpretations of aspects of Islam other than just leadership or the use of reason? THIS surely leads to different "brands of islam" (where "brands" refers to other sects or schools of thought) each can support its own arguments with Quran and sayings of our beloved Rasul salatowasalam. not only can they have different interpretations on the practices (the WHATs and WHEREs and WHENs) of living as Muslims but also their own distict Ways of finding out what those practices ought to be (various rules for ijtihad - the HOW to get the WHATs)? ... *Coming up with yet another method "usul" or ONE BRAND, will NOT make the previous ones and the schlolars who practice them vanish.There will simply come into existance yet another "brand"of Islam.... I really have no problem with there being various schools of thought and them differing with one another, that is what makes Islam so dynamic, and it's history so interesting. if there IS a problem with this senerio, its simply a problem of the people's adab, good manners, and the ethics of disagreement, which the greatest scholars have always stressed (maybe not always practiced, but hey, I forgive them, they're human!) There are plenty of books about Ikhtilaf. This doesn't even include the difference between philosophy, mysticism, and theology. Just take a look at the Cultural Atlas of Islam by Ismail Faruqi, and definately read "Vision of Islam" by William Chittick and Murata, it explains the development of Islam through history quite well. We learn that these types of understandings overlapped each other. scholars participated in various types of learning, each with distict "brands" - schools of thought. Its Beautiful, the intellectual depth of Islam... OK... about the flavors of Islam, its cultural manifestion. What if... Some scholars go through the full procedure to come up with a new method of determining the SHARIAH, to unify the understanding of all muslims on the basics of islam, (or for a more humble reason like muslims being able to practice Islam in more meaningful manner as an American Minority)... OR What if... they do the required research into Quran, with full understanding: (ulum al Quran)-knowledge of language of the quran; -investigations into the occasions of revelation for the various suras and ayahs we have information about; -knowledge of the abbrogated and abbrogating verses; -investigations into what the great commentators of the past had to say about the various verses (tafsirs). And, aside from the Quran they investigate the life of the Prophet, his sayings (hadith) and characteristics (shama'il). And, aside from the example of the Prophet, they investigate the example of the earliest communities. And, also the work of the classical scholars and various schools of thought. (Usul al fiqh) And, also History, Psychology, Sociology, etc.... From all of these, the dilligent scholars figure out the basics of the Deen and craft the Mother Mazhab that is at the root of all Mazhabs, the one that unites them all under the banner of:"THE SHARIAH OF THE ONE TRUE ISLAM -cleansed of all baggage "There will still be the aspect of putting it into practice. There will be different Flavors, Unless this Mazhab advocates that we ONLY eat, dress, communicate -have language, travel, and work-earn a living exactly as our Prophet did, disregarding all regional considerations and technological developments. THERE WILL BE FLAVORS, even of this Mother Mazhab, as it is practiced in different parts of the world, not to mention the different parts of this country alone. we don't live in a vacuum, we interact with the natural environment and the local inhabitants. Its a part of Islam's great history: Spanish Islam, Chinese Islam, Indian Islam, African Islam, even a new American True Islam can have: -New Yorker True Islam -Southerner True Islam -California/Left Coast True Islam -American Heartland True Islam -Austin/Texas True Islam -South Beach True Islam... FLAVORS... OOOh Yeah! can't these all be considered "brands of Islam"?? (especially if they are packaged and sold properly) I'm all for regional adaptation of Muslim life. I'm not afraid of flavor and SPICE, No offence Rasulallah, but arab food IS BLAND!! SO, In Conclusion... yeah we have brands of islam. i think its a good thing. it makes islam relevant to different people in different places at different times. it also makes it easier to distinguish between people who are on to something good, and other who give off a bad vibe. i'm happy to identify myself as a Miami Muslim with bit of Austin flavor, a part-time follower of the Hanafite School of Fiqh, Maturidite School of Aqida, Ghazzalian Sufism and Rumi's School of Ishq, and the brand of activism as espoused by Jamil Al Amin in "Revolution by the Book". All of this is a part of MY Islam, and I doubt anyone can mistaken me for a Wahhabi. peace.

sectism izm skizm

i teach 13-15 year olds at two different weekend islamic schools. recently, kids at both schools asked me "what are the shia?" and "what is the difference between sunni and shia?" how to respond... before i respond to the kids, i need to be clear in my own understanding of the evolution of my muslim community. my own subject is architecture and i've read much history to understand its context, but i havn't studied sociology and anthropology, and i only skimmed through a translation of ibn khaldun's muqadima, i know there is more to it than what i write below. but, here's how i see it... two aspects: componants and interactions between them... aspect#1- understanding the individual components that make up the muslim community. (my design oriented mind thinks graphically, so in my notebook i've drawn diagrams -a circle to represent the componant and a point in the center to represent its authority figure) here are the components: listed as COMPONANT (authority figure) -1. PROPHET'S LIFETIME UMMA (prophet) -2. RASHIDUN PERIOD UMMA (caliph) -3. POST RASHIDUN TRANSITION rival CALIPHATES and SHIA revolutionaries -4. ABBASID PERIOD UMMA (ahl us SUNNA caliph, sufi shaykh, SHIA imam) -5. LATE ABBASID PERIOD (sultan) -6. MONGOL CONQUEST SULTANTES -7. EMPIRES (badshah) -8. PRE MODERN PERIOD (colonial governor) -9. POST CALIPHATE NATIONS (revolutionary leader)... aspect #2: how these components and branches within components relate to one another and interact with each other is more complicated. (graphically i have the circles that i described above overlapping each other in various ways during the different periods of our history.) ...of course many times the complicated social dynamics and interactions between individual human beings that make upour muslim community cannot be reduced into neat bubbles. if it were only that easy... ex. one of the girls in the class has a shia father and sunni mother.... so, knowing what i know about our history, what should i say to the 14 year old child that asks me "whats the difference betwen shia and sunni?" how much history do i share with them at that stage of there growth? and what means of communication should i use? my first instinct is to tell them a story of the key incidents that caused the split. then give them the very very basic difference between the two like i described above: shia placing the imam above all and the imam being a decendant of ali. i want to come up with a role playing exercize with problems similar to the ones that caused the spilt. and have them act out what they come up with as a solution, then compare their solution to the shia and sunni response. is this too much for them at that age? should i stop at the story? i don't know what to do. help.... peace and love.

thoughts of a synthetic muzlem

mairaj is one of my most thought provoking friends... in a discussion about organizing a women in islam conference he said: "my question to the social activists is this: how are going to go change the world, when you have very little of an idea of what you want to change the world into, other than a knee-jerk idiosynchratic intuition?" ...hmmm... i embrace my knee-jerk idiosyncratic intuition, its what makes me an american-muslim. i am not a simple follower who's got all the motions memorized, fearing and rejecting any deviatiation. i am not a scientist who works purely from reason and logic. Rumi awakened me to a healthy distrust of the intellect alone. my intuition is what makes me ME.... i am an indo-pak american-muslim i AM synthesis. everything i do will be systhesis. and to make sense of my world, i've quite conciously generated a classification of my society for myself. and i do try to accept knowledge from the various classifications which may contribute to a better understanding of the world i live in. but i have become more critical of the particular things i gain knowledge of, and i do understand that the knowledge i get is limited by the classificational(is that a word?) restraints of the particular source... mairaj said that "in order to synthesize the different strands of your experience into something that doesn't compromise or dilute the product, the inputs have got to be of nearly the same quality." he definately has a point, i will try to keep my synthesizational exercizes limited to within the classifications, of course realizing that my classifications could be flawed to begin with. a good systhesis is like the micheal brook and nusrat fateh ali khan album (its hard for me to stay abstract for too long), where two types came together flawlessly to create a beautiful new type. it can be argued that the purity of a unique original should not be tampered with because it is already beautiful, but we are dealing with human invention where nothing is pure and all is sythesis anyways, you just have to know enough history to prove it and gain enough knowledge to do it right.... mairaj said "At times we've got to let go of our past, regardless of the sentimental attachment we have to it, as this is what is in the best interests of our people and our religion." ...he's got a point, but who knows, maybe its destined by the stars for me to be unable to let go, i am a libra. i read a funny astrology book at urban outfitters (don't worry i said my shahadah again after i read it), it mentioned a difficulty of letting go of past loves. funny, i'm back to being a local youth group advisor again. and yes, it could be seen as problematic by some that a lingering love for activism and power (thats right, i'll admit it, i wouldn't mind having power, so what?) exists side by side with a new found love for seeking knowledge. but this particular struggle to help my community value its women is not about synthesizing in my own desires (wait, maybe it is and maybe i need to do it) and its definately not about synthesizing my classification of my society. its about communication - plain and simple. a civilization begins with it. and that is what i have a burning desire to establish. communication between my scholars and leaders and activists. i just want more love, is that so wrong?? peace.

knowledge power action

i want to exercise my pathetic intellect a little... during a discussion about organizing a conference on the subject of women's rights and islam, mairaj said: "...We need to get out of the habit of seeing a conference, or lecture, or anything else as something that will confirm what we already know... and as merely a vehicle for social activism. This comes from our obsession with power." ...ok, so there is a mingling of a desire for power in this desire for change. so what! we all have our faults? can't it be seen as a natural human desire arising in those to whom power has been made inaccessible? maybe arising out of our fitra nature that probably wants to worship allah without being oppressed - power is considered a major human attribute isn't it? and what if we really need a social change in this specific area right now (my neice is growing up fast)? true we also need intellectually stimulating conferences and dialogues to gain knowledge for the sake of knowledge. i'm down with that for sure. i'd love to see one on modern quranic cosmology/metaphysics; or how about theology in light of new empirical knowledge; and what about the emergence of an american usul al fiqh; or hadith criticism in light of modern research methods... we have all sorts of subjects out there in the intellectual world of islam that can use some more collective thought. i myself love history, i was hyped about going to the Rumi conference a couple months back, and if someone organizes something on Ibn Rushd, sign me up! but the subject of women in islam has got some major social baggage and a sense of urgency that comes with it, don't some things fall out of the realm of knowledge for the sake of knowledge alone? ...when it comes to the issue of women, don't we have enough knowledge already to be able to move on to dealing with some of that baggage of the here and now. for the sake of our community, for the sake of my neice or the girls in that islamic school class i teach. ...anyways, i'm finding it REALLY HARD to separate these things in the case of women's rights - knowledge for its own sake vs. for the sake of social change vs. a desire for power. plus, the potential for violent sectarianism exists on this issue: imagine marchs led by disgruntled women being physically confronted by the ignorant who fear what they do not know; or muslim women who take off the hijab being assaulted by renegade muslim activists and the majority of leaders giving the "we are totally against this vicious attack, but..." type of whack statements. this sort of sh..tuff is happening in muslim countries right now, and i fear it will happen in our generation in our own masjids to people WE know. am i wrong? ...maybe we really do need more intellectual studies, books, and scholarly conferences on this subject first, before we act. but, if we go that direction, when do we act? do i sacrifice the potential hijab crisis that these 12-13 year old girls in my class will face for the sake of more knowledge? do i consider it not my problem? true, i have no guarantee that this one act, this conference we organize, is going to lead to any actual changes. regardless, mairaj brings up a good point. and I really think there needs to be a survey prepared, for us to ask our scholars and leaders to help us activists figure this one out; to finalize the nature of the activity we should organize for them. maybe they are ready for action or maybe they want to add more to the knowledge we have on the subject before they/we act, it should be up to them, up to our invited scholars.... mairaj went on to say: "...Although the more I read, the more I realize that real revolutionary change in a society is intimately related to the quality and calibre of intellectual discourse supported by that society (regardless of whether it is seen as 'elitist'), and not necessarily connected to a sloganistic mobilization of the 'masses.' " ... OK, let me use a non-human example to figure this one out: the invention of the car brought about a real revolutionary change in society. but it would not have happened if the society did not allow for a revolutionary thought in a technological discourse among inventors, building a car is definately something different from a political or socio-economic revolution for a social cause like the issue of equality. (although indirectly cars did make major changes in the social structure of our urban geography which had an effect on the actual lives of the masses). anyways... history is filled with examples like this. if america did not encourage and reward invention, we would not have the car. i dizzy when thinking of the calibre of experimental thought and technological invention our society supports. maybe not as much as europe in some areas but a whole lot more than sudan or pakistan. i agree completely with mairaj.... i drift.... thoughts twist and turn... my lighting design class takes over my mind... refractory flourescent lamp reflector casings catalog#JT824332GFSA123EB8120FO735 wow.. to much for me to digest... soo much thinking... must take a puff....... exhale... i lose myself... oooh yeaaah.. thoughts of that mystikal dancing smoke... this majik hooqa is cookin'... rose flavor to delight my senses.... SNAP out of it asad!!! ...so i guess as invention needs a backdrop to happen. so too in dialogue for a social reform a backdrop must exist and maybe it does not exist in our muslim community? is that the first step? having the backdrop, the ideal environment where thoughts are flying in from the world of ideas into the world of reality? how will this state of affairs come to exist?... this ideal environment were people would be able to come up with new thoughts about a muslim civilization and these thoughts being accepted by... those who make policy decisions, those who do business, those who teach the next generation, those who run our mosques and madrasas? i for one do want an environment where we have developments in thought, regardless of them being intended to lead to revolution or purely for the sake of an advancement in knowledge. how will this happen? maybe the social activist or religious community leader has no role in this. who does? maybe this is the real goal for any event organized on the topic of women. not the topic itself. but a step in the direction of us having this open environment for thought. hmmm... my mind wanders off again... what is my social environment?: -#1 some can see us as a sub-community (muslim) of a community (innovative americans) which actually already has this environment and the reaction we fear may only be temporary... -#2 some can see us as a sub-community (american) of a community (defeated-ass muslims) where this mentality becomes a major problem for the development of thought... -#3 but i see us as a sub-community (innovative american) of a community (defeated-ass muslims) where our innovative setting and education can overcome most of the problems that cause the hinderance of thought among muslims in general... any way you look at it: our next generation will be more american. maybe we just need to keep the language of arabic, the identity of being a muslim, and instilling in our youth a desire to know the truth. the stage will be set. pick your issue and revolutionary thought will happen. SNAP out of it asad!... back to this women in islam event, bringing together the intellectuals who think about this subject and the preachers and leaders who set the stage for how muslims should think. can bring about a change in the muslim environment, opening it up in many ways. but here i am preoccupied with change again... mairaj said: "So even if we are pre-occupied with changing the world, at the cost of first trying to reflect upon it and understand it, we are all going about it the wrong way. This is purely a pragmatic consideration: what methods are most effective in initiating social change. Look at the heydey of any society and civilization, and you will indefinately find a constant -- an almost worshipful reverence towards the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake." ...i understand what he is saying, but what do i do? now i have a desire for there to be a reverence for a pursuit of knowledge in my community, great!, thanks a lot! now what? i WILL go on and advance my own knowledge, by myself, alone in the library or with a like minded friend. i will just do it, think it, say it, and maybe risk being turned out of my ignorant community. is there any use in trying to demonstrate to my imam or msa president or to my old-school activist friend that my Radical Muslim Thought Experiment is really nothing to fear? that it is in fact exactly what we need and we should embrace it, and just like there is no reason to fear me(a fellow activist and muslim), there is also no reason to fear the muslim thought experiments coming from others who are unknown folks with muslim names that we have never seen before in our community - will they listen? is it too late to get them to accept this sort of change? maybe it IS just a waste to worry about being accepted by the community to which i once belonged? leave them to their own designs and just concentrate on my radical thoughts and the 13-14 year olds in my islamic school class. these choices are hard as hell. especially for me.... for now i know what i want: i want an environment that can accept radical thoughts. i want power. thats right, so what! i'll make an attempt to get our leaders and preachers to embrace radical thought.

Radical Muslim Thought Experiment

i'm now at a commuter university and this place is boring. i want to start a discussion circle about muslim culture to try to rile things up down here. i've named it: RADICAL MUSLIM THOUGHT EXPERIMENT. i want to post up fliers all over campus with a list of outrageous topics, a time and place to meet, and see who shows up. the discussion circle would be a place to talk about anything you ever wanted to get muslims to think about but were afraid of getting shot by a ______. ...here are my ideas some topics this semester, would you come if you saw this list? #1-deconstructing ugly: discussing meanings of beauty, then seeing if it exists among muslims; #2-love movement and a heretic ghazali brother: discussing a concept of love based on classic persian muslim thought; #3-examining wahhabism salafism izm skizm: islam's protestant reformation or murderous extremism, you decide; #4-muslim jazz and black power islam: h.rap and other experiments in crafting an indigenous american islam; #5-identity crisis, serching for a nisbah: american-muslim, american of indian descent, or just al-amriki; #6-dude, this mullah sucks: leading a revolt against a local imam, the imam husayn's shia and ibn zubayr factor; #7-muslims and music, who says its against islam: listening to and discussing junoon, mos def, everlast, and islam themed songs; #8-mun kunto mawla, ali ul mawla: listening to, discussing and getting mustt mustt with qawali; #9-picturing rasul allah: idolatry and the issue of drawing images, discussing the fatwas and persian miniature paintings.

BRODISC

Recently many of us who are discussing an activity dealing with women in islam were asked to move the discussion elsewhere. the discussion is taking place on BRODISC. Usman started the "Concerned in Texas" list to get folks to discuss what the "heck" is going on with muslims post 9/11. We used it to share our outrage, to possibly make some sort of change, at least in our own thought. to discuss, if not to DO something about what was going on in our community. maybe people have Detailed Action Plans for doing something that may actually work. maybe a discussion turns to the"details" of a proposed plan. sometimes its extremely helpful to get comments from as many people as possible, even those who only have "2 cents" nothing more. i think he'll agree that these details are really just more "ideas". the beauty of the forum is that just one simple random post DOES have the power to turn any discussion towards a BETTER direction. But while discussing the women in islam event he said:"The details of this event or revolutions need not be discussed among the 70+ ppl here... The ideas to be disseminated is another thing altogether... thats the purpose of this forum." How do you define details? if its time, place, etc. i agree, a group of volunteers for any ones idea can move elsewhere to discuss THOSE types of details. But what else does "details" include? Is BRODISC yet another place for propogating ("disseminating") preplanned agendas and activities? for those who are clear with EXACTLY what they want to do and how to do it, to simply come and get suckers to join them? suckers from among the 70+ people. should our discussion be simply "i agree" or "i don't agree"? what about asking for a more democratic type exchange regarding a possible solution? aren't we bound to run into discussing certain "details"?he said: "Now having said that, if ppl want to discuss the details, thats fine.... up to you, as long as you think the discussion is relevant to the group in general..." again, i can see how a back and forth about event time and location can be moved elsewhere, and we can leave room in everyone's inbox for discussing more "ideas". but how am i to know what is relevent to this silent majority. i don't know them, only a few of us actually post what we think on the list. what if the only relevent people are the ones participating. Hmm... it seems relevent if a post gets a good response, which the women in islam event is getting. if anything really bothers any of the 70+ they should post their objection to the list rather than complaining to the moderator in private. i joined it because there were/are some great people on the list that have the power to go beyond talk. i don't know why others joined. when i joined we were discussing ideas that may lead to revolutions, so why should we cut the discussions short worrying about what a silent majority thinks is relevent or not? Maybe his intentions and methods for this list narrowed? if they have, i find little use for BRODISC. i'm not in it to participate in discussions about neo-con conspiracy posts that go nowhere, there are other things MORE "relevent" to muslim thought or civilization for me.

leading an event

a group of us were discussing organizing a conference on women and islam, when usman said:"...BTW, what did I tell you Monem... no one stepped up to take the lead on the conference... if only we could wager..."... - his call for some type of leader for this was hasty. it was a bad call. we have not progressed beyond the discussion stage. WHO NEEDS A LEADER to discuss - in the discussions so far we have not decided to do anything specific. what effort am i being called to step up and lead? an anti-wahhabi ISNA masjid revolution, a simple innovative conference, or a progression of the discussion taking place among a small group of texas activists? its still a discussion about a POSSIBLE event to solve a problem that was still under DISCUSSION, and it was just starting to pick up steam and get more focused. people DO step up when things are clearly defined and a call for action is made. someone made a bad vague call in the beginning and no one responded. it was made clearer by mairaj- AND WE RESPONDED. the call was made by monem to get volunteers to a general cause- AND WE RESPONDED. everything else is still under discussion. i believe, you made a call for the wrong thing at the wrong time. in the real world, when the time is right monem (as the isna dude) can appoint a conference chair, or the volunteers can nominate one among themselves. and from among the volunteers so far, there is NOT a single one of US who will back off from taking action for a good cause. I can make excuses too: "oh, i really don't feel like chairing THIS particular committee, cuz...my real passion is for doing...; or, i have other responsibilities like...; or, my time is limited due to..." etc etc etc. Many people WILL give valid excuses, but it only takes ONE in a committee of volunteers who will not! and he should NOT have put people in a position to say NO to lead something so vague. When no one comes forward, it only disheartens the folks that had volunteered to do something good only in its infancy stage. SOME of us ex-UT MSA volunteers and officers ACTUALLY have led and organized before and are READY do it again. peace.

upcoming topics

ideas for possible thinking out loud posts: post 1- "nice pants!" muslim courting rituals in america among the 2nd generation, my thoughts on the after-hours lobby culture of ISNA; post 2- "identity crisis" as an advisor to a local youth group, i would like to expand upon some ideas i have about the question of IDENTITY.

islamic erotica

dr. sherman jackson mentioned erotic literature in a talk about the need for american muslims to produce culture. many at the muslim student retreat he said this at had no idea what he was talking about, not having read any erotica (being the pious muslims that we are). i too have no idea what he was talking about, because i have yet to read real islamic erotica. i have a translation of a book attributed to the great classical scholar Imam Suyuti my library. it is simply perverted a european orientalist attempt to give his society lady readers (the same people who popularized the erotic arabian nights) some entertaining literature and gain points with the chicks who want an "experienced" man. it tells us more about orientalists and victorian england's high society than it does about imam suyuti's teachings on marriage-love and his islamic law of sexual positions, if he ever had such a thing. but it's all we have in english along with Ibn Hazm's "Ring of the Dove" and the work known as the arabic kama sutra "Perfumed Garden" translated by Burton (it's online). Some muslims find erotica offensive. ...there are those who say, "dude, i don't have to see it for my self to know [____](insert haram object) is wrong." i say you DO if you want to make a judgement about it. you can always say "i don't know, i've never seen [_____]." i say if we're dealing with the topic of producing "islamic culture" in a new context like america, we need to understand the things we make judgements about. we complain about some dude giving a fatwa about life in america without KNOWING the details right? so what's the difference here? I agree with dr. jackson, erotica should be a part of the cultural production of american muslims. I'm looking forward to it. I hope he's advocated this at lectures where open minded writers are present.

indigenization at the MSG camp

when my sister asked me if i wanted to go... i KNEW i wasn’t not going to get anything out of the lectures, but what the heck, at least i'd get to hang out with some texas friends or maybe i'd see some new young texas beauties and practice "lowering my gaze."... *O BOY WAS I WRONG!... no texan beauties... they had imports!! go NAFTA! i'm kidding... texans are beautiful, really. anyways, i took more notes at this camp then i have at any other. leaving little time for aesthetic analysis of nature. the ideas presented at the lectures were thought provoking. the thinking continued even in the breaks, moments for me to annoy those around me with any statement that didn’t make sense. i said it there and i'll say it again now:THESE SPEAKERS ARE INCITING A ...shut your mouth, the FBI is probably reading this! ... anyways, it was exciting to hear these ideas coming out of scholars in a position to influence other scholars. the speakers fed off of each others presentations, dr.mattson described the camp as having “synchronicity,” dr. abdullah said it was the best event like this he had EVER been to, i agree. in the end there was general feeling that we had elevated to another stage of consciousness, i sure felt it. Houston's MSG did every thing right and its members deserve praise, mashallah and jazaks... *the topics were not new... ISLAM IN AMERICA blah blah blah i’ll summarize 6 major topics i benefited from: and cuz i have way too much time’en, i’ll demonstrate my old school rhym’en... +CHRISTIAN UTOPIAN MOVEMENTS: yall know those bearded Quakers, but how about them celibate Shakers... dr.mattson spoke of lessons to learn, prove your loyalty or else you burn... - is there really a conflict between isolation and civilization? how long can a counter culture survive and what will happen to it if there is interaction with mainstream america? how long can you last without interaction? and what if you are perceived as a threat? just check out the failure of both american “Dar al Islam”s one a utopian dream, the other’s Imam Jamil in jail... +MUSLIM SLAVES: when dr.kahera speaks of the prominent muslim slaves, i look up at the projected black and white slide, its a face of a dignified muslim who escaped the cruelty of american slavery. dr.K is still silently looking towards his notes... we wait for him to continue, its an unusually long pause, he starts to speak and his voice breaks, he starts again and overcome with emotions... unable to continue his lecture, dr.K sits back down... the whole room is silent for a moment. my eyes tear up as i look at that image once more. may allah give us that much courage... +NOT ALL EARLY MUSLIMS WERE SLAVES alexander russell webb & THE IMPERATIVE OF CONFORMING TO BROAD SOCIAL AND CULTURAL NORMS: dr.umar abdallah definately lived up to the hype. an ability to bring life to forgotten moments in muslim history with examples that american muslims can use as lessons in this important time. he says we "indigenized" ourselves before (in China and Africa), we can definitely do it again, WE MUST! he also mentions that early immigrant muslims had started but the 1970’s influx of reformist islam saw the “folk” music and dance taking place in these early communities as haram and put a stop to it. he also encouraged the production of movies and historical fiction about these early muslim communities. ISLAM IS NOT FOREIGN!... +BLACK RELIGION, LIBERATION THEOLOGY AND IMMIGRANTS: dr.jackson helps us understand why "black american muslims" and immigrant muslims can't get along - we try to understand "black religion" and how the black american viewed "bourgeoisification" into "whiteness." he told us about the nation of islam "appropriating" elements of islam to make it a lack thing (non-foreign), and how elements of "whiteness" were appropriated to make it non-threatning to the average white american. and he mentioned that if there was no civil rights movement, immigrant muslims that now dominate wouldn’t be here... +CULTURAL PRODUCTION AND MUSLIM AESTHETICS: dr.K spoke about the “american mosque,” while dr.jackson told us about his opinion that american holidays may not be haram and that just because they are not haram does not mean we must celebrate them. his point being that scholars should know the difference between the usul/root and furu/branches and we need to allow for differences as we figure out how to live as minorities. we need to know the difference between the “descriptive” and the “prescriptive.” and we must encourage cultural production if we want to indigenize into this society. we discuss the notion of “ISLAMIC insert noun here” cuz traditionally there was no such thing. there was only the legal fiqh categories... +GENDER AND AUTHORITY IN ISLAMIC LEGAL DISCOURSE: wow. i wonder if ISNA knew what they were doing when they allowed dr.mattson to become a leader(VP) in one of our biggest muslim orgs. don’t let her small size fool you... she’s not gonna stand around and be a victim of a patriarchical muslim establishment. i hope the MAN don’t take her out before she has a chance to do some damage. she mentioned that islamic law traditionally deals with certain aspects of life and authority was not one of them (cuz you had patriarchy, the sultans, and a clear role of the ulema). but now we have democracy and decaying institutions... her message: WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO TELL ME I CAN’T ENTER THIS MASJID... *there was also a civics lesson on our constitution and other lectures that went “beyond the rhetoric.” its good when a lecture leaves you wanting more... *the closing message of the camp: between ANNIHILATION and ASSIMILATION lies INDIGENIZATION... you know the seriousness and complexities now. so DO IT before its too late! ...hmm, sounds like the intellectual foundation is being laid for a clear vision...

wasting time for Palestine

Here's the real reason for the previous post on beauty...
i came across ugliness again last week and i don't know what to do. when it involves a person or a group that i feel may bring harm to our community, how do i respond? should i respond? if i speak out about it, i risk alienating myself. others may start seeing me as an annoying troublemaker. does it matter if i see myself as only a beauty-maker? i'd be lying if i said i didn't care what others thought of me. i ache anytime i'm told "well why don't you DO SOMETHING rather than just criticize." thoughts of all the time and money i’ve spent DOING SOMETHING - allah (and my room-mates) know, i pray that i’ve done it for His sake. cuz if it was for recognition - i surely ain’t gettin any. this takes me back to a philosophy of activism. i want to get mine straight before i act again, i DON'T want any of my precious time wasted...time, my quest for beauty has changed my concept of time, i’m in no rush to just DO SOMETHING. i go where my quest takes me. in the mean time i exercise my right to speak (fulfill my level 2 iman) and give constructive criticism to those who are DOING SOMETHING? is that so wrong?...

maybe i’m really just rationalizing my lazyness? is anyone buying it?...

anyways.......
***if anyone's talked to me recently they know how frustrated i am with ineffective rallies. from gandhi and imam zaid shakir i learn that marches and protests may be a good form of non-violent civil disobedience and become a powerful and effective tool for change. BUT, only if there is a REAL form of civil disobedience involved (with all these activists running around, i'm sure we can come up with something powerful) that gets the attention of those who have the real power to give you the thing you demand (ok ok, we should make dua too, because it is only Allah that has REAL power).

...*don’t it feel good DOING SOMETHING, standing on a miami sidewalk on a saturday morning for three hours. no well crafted propaganda to hand to passers-by. no passers-by to hear us chant peaceful slogans: “oh jews, the army of muhammad is coming!” no really, how can i be an anti-semite, i am arab! so i can chant whatever i want “oh jews, we will defeat you like we did at khayber, the army of muhammad is coming.” screaming allahuakbar after these peaceful chants gives some psychological comfort in the handful of protesters that show up. i guess psychologically strengthening whatever real or imagined muslim unity that exists, IS something.

...*i see only flyers for -do something- rallys. where is the flyer for a national or local meeting of our intellectuals, leaders, shooyooks, whoever, to come up with a real strategy if this issue is so important for us. when i say this to people, they say: "sounds good, why don't YOU organize one-do something!" NO WAY? Am i the first one you heard this from? I don’t believe it? and here is my frustration. i do have general ideas on things we can do, but i'm still in the midst of re-educating myself about the palestine problem. trying to cleanse my mind of propaganda from either side to discover "truth." like so many other times in the past 2 years that i’ve purged my mind of the waste accumulated by years of islamic activism.

...**ok why not! i’ll put aside my personal search for a philosophy of beautivism for my “proactive” self-sacrifice, based upon a muslim understanding of aesthetics (grounded within our “tradition”) and DO SOMETHING. but the following questions are still clouding my vision when it comes to palestine, causing my hesitation to act:

#1 -what the hell was going on from 1948-1967, before the west bank and gaza was occupied? is it like the kashmiri struggle where its been a consistent fight since 1947? Ed Said speaks of arab nationalism giving rise to palestinian ideas of a state for themselves in the late 60’s. so, if they had given up palestine and become jordanians, egyptians, lebanese, isn’t this call to go back to an imagined palestinian nation unattached to any of the surrounding lands a concocted nationalist idea, similar to Israel itself? am i misunderstanding it? can someone please point me to literature about demands for a state of palestine by the leaders of the mandate years, and if it exists, which current palestinian leader or group is continuing it? or are they all based upon 60’s arab nationalism and late-80’s intifada?;

#2 -if israel’s existance is at issue, what is it based upon? the ottomans lost palestine in ww1. i’m sorry folks. the brits and french can do whatever they want, make agreements with whoever they want. they can craft a jewish state if they want, they also promised the arabs self rule, freedom from turk domination. gave them jordan, lebanon, syria, iraq. if we say israel has no right to exist, why not add these other states in our call. they all seem to have the same root. am i wrong? the arabs helped end ottoman rule, they aided in the european colonization. traded one colonizer for another. the history is so damn messy there that i feel that its not MY fight. they created their own problem. true. the fact that my country (USA) is aiding in the ugliness there makes it my problem. And the USA is a democracy, so i should do my part and pressure my representative, senator and president to stop aiding injustice. and if the zionist neo-conservatives in the media and aipac are my problem, i should help in stopping them. but palestinians over there have to do there part too. its hard for me to oppose zionism and get politicians and public opinion here to change if the arabs keep feeding them what they want - images of intentionally targeted dead jewish civilians (terrorism)...

*should i base my activism on whatever CNN decides is the story of the moment? man, pre-information age muslims had it good. no up to the minute images to rile up feelings and divert action from what IS possible to change, local ugliness i can replace with beauty. realizing the complications of living in a global community sucks. i stop watching tv and pretend that what i can’t see and touch doesn’t exist, maybe i should get me a shaykh who can think about these complex issues for me. zikring will get that fog to clear up too. that should help end my confusion. i sincerely ask: is it really that easy? does it really work? and ultimately is that what allah wants from me? my only problem is understanding where jihad comes in, where’s the struggle in this approach? i am struggling more right now in figuring out the truth than any time before in my life? should i turn this off because it is only leading me to more confusion?

ugliness and beauty

how do I deal with the stupidity of certain local muslims activists supporting the struggle in palestinian? what follows below is just me trying to get some thoughts straight. i write just to get the confusion out of my mind....

*bismilla... over the past year and a half, the more knowledge i seemed to gain of love and beauty, the more i "saw" the absence of it (possibly the other way around - things happened that opened my eyes to ugliness which caused me to understand beauty) or maybe i've just become delusional. anyways, forces of hate, anger, injustice, stupidity (ugliness) have become more visible in my eyes. and i become increasingly confused and frustrated whenever i can’t figure out how to respond, especially to the ugliness in myself... (manditory self criticism for desired effect of humbleness, negated by this parenthetical addition)....

**the architect in me is trained to design – create beauty. and the activist in me is trained to react and respond to ugliness. to fight it, eliminate it, and replace it with "beauty"....

*a thought: working as a building inspector, i AM responding to the ugliness of shody construction. so i guess, since i AM responding to ugliness i should relax. but why am i not satisfied, had the movement folks influenced me to the point that i no longer see being professional at my work as good enough? but wait: there is always ugliness to deal with outside of my chosen profession, at home, with friends, at my masjid....

*where do i begin to deal with that ugliness? HOW do i begin? do i have any business RESPONDING to other's ugliness if i'm a little ugly myself. i hear calls to do zikr and dua by folks all the time. can it really be that easy? i read that beauty can envelop my essence and environment by midnight crys to that Ultimate Beautifier. it worked for the Masters of our Way regardless of school of thought, it should work for me, right? i pause to make a dua for a clearing of that fog that blurs my vision (reference to abou el fadl’s fog of self-deception tape) and that whispering in my head that causes zikr hesitation. help me ya allah...

*while praying for that fog - that mystifying hooqa smoke - to clear, my thoughts turn to activism... is the beautiful simply the opposite or absence of that ugly thing/action/idea? maybe. or maybe just ONE small part of what APPEARS to be ugly is the CAUSE of its ugliness. and if i target that small part and tweak it a bit, i would be helping to beautify the whole. think of a nose job or liposuction. with cosmetic changes, is the ugliness still there? maybe the problem is a deformed skull that a nose job can't correct, it probably needs major skeletal re-construction. either way, isn't a little more beauty better then before, even if it is just superficial or major physical modification. no? i hear that oft-repeated statement "a real beauty is that which is beautiful on the inside" (hinting that the problem is not with what can be seen and felt, it exists in another dimension). so what a waste of time all that activity is if in the end it didn’t lead to "real" beauty...

***screw it, the uglyness is probably allah's will...
and i should use my time building my trust in allah,...
damn that fog...
clear already so that i may understand trust....
patience asad. patience!
watawasobilhaq watawasobisabar...

*forget this pathetic attempt at a philosophy of activism. i’ll get to the point...

american muslim future

the following is what i submitted to MSG as my vision for muslims in america 50 years from now: #1- muslim political empowerment: leadership voice starts to shift from immigrant leaders to converts like imam siraj, zaid shakir, hamza yusuf. 2nd generation immigrant’s children and african-american muslims become a visible part of established political parties, formulate clear opinions, and chose sides in established political issues: environment, homosexuality, abortion, religion (same issues – within the system). Some activists among them redefine the established political positions through selections from quran and sunnah working outside the system (same issues – outside the system). A couple among us start thinking about issues that existing political parties don’t address working outside the system (new issues – outside the system)... #2- america in general: young people turn to the third parties, race relations get better but gated communities create a bigger economic divide, education. it will lead to almost as big of a change as the urban to suburban shift changed race dynamics. and economic crisis grows as young drop outs are not able to find work in a more specialized and technical economy. u.s. corporate interests dominate global economic, political, and environmental policies. the reaction will grow. support of third parties will grow... #3- muslims in general: the divide between muslims who embrace western culture and rejectionists grow. various anti-west islamic movements gain a voice due to the resistance to american imperialism and find followers among those not able to understand how to function in new economic and cultural institutions. the society in which they live becomes indistinguishable from west because cultural institutions are dominated by those educated in the west and information/communication interconnectivity enabled by internet and satellite tv...

homeland mentality

i struggle to figure out at what point a minority mentality and tieing yourself to a piece of land can become an obstacle to a peaceful existance. very interesting how Sharon believed that the palestinians already have a state - Jordon. an article a while ago mentioned that some anti-israeli american jew had said WWI was manipulated by the zionists to get palestine. at the root of any jew's self identity is that he or she belongs to a dislocated people, a minority with a unique identity and a shared struggle to survive. that self identity seems to effect the choices made and the methods used in their survival struggle. a couple of days ago on PBS, i saw a documentary on the armenians. it appears that they also carry that oppressed, displaced unique people mentality. another example -gypsies. there are probably several others... hold up! - we have a complication - the jews got thier promised land (by shady zionist efforts), and armenians got thier homeland (through communists). now... having a homeland again, - shouldn't those who identify with that land return? and if they choose to stay in the host country, shouldn't they just admit that they really are no longer an outcaste people? shouldn't the no-longer persecuted armenians or homelandless scattered jews accept a new identity, a new reality and move on with life? ...lets put aside the fact than many probably don't move to the homeland because, lets face it, would you move to a place of bloody conflict or no jobs. ...but i'm not talking about the reality, i'm trying to understand meanings (hernalmanewrticks). ...another problem is those who already have home countries that they willfully left behind, discarded, brain-drained. they should be the last ones running around claiming to be anything-anything (pakistani-american, indian-american, etc, etc) but wait - african-americans and palestinian-americans don't quite fit into the above two models. the african-americans decended from slaves are oppressed and displaced, but unlike jews or armenians, when they arrived, whatever unique identity was there was tortured out of them until all that was left was a skin color (even that was diluted through rape). several have accepted the new reality and moved on.... and the palestinians, they too are an oppressed, and displaced group, but i think Sharon may be on to something. they do have a Jordon, a Lebanon/Syria. don't get me wrong, i think if your home is taken, you fight, regroup, fight, regroup, and fight again (three times sunnah). but if you lose that war, and a whole generation of the conquerors establish themselves on that land, you move on. i don't think you want your decendants to be like the jews or armenians, wandering the land. like a small group of muslims dreaming of what was and will be again some day when a mahdi comes to the rescue. i say integrate into the host country (which should allow you to integrate in the first place) or move to Jordon to be with your 3-generation removed cousin. Of course, i understand that some segments of Lebanese and Jordonian society don't allow the refugees to intigrate. That is a definately an issue that must be dealt with because it does not allow for progress. ...in india, my mom's mamo(uncle) a major north indian scholar, told me that he went to baghdad for some meeting. the arab religious scholars were going on about how palestine should be liberated. he (a hanafi/qadiri shaikh) said to them, yes i feel for the palestinian people, but you know i think we should liberate Mecca and Madina first. After those bastards who prevent little girls from escaping burning buildings are overthrown, the decendent of the Hashimi Shareefs of Hijaz (the current king of Jordon) can come rule in his grandfathers old territory. and the Palestinains can have their state in Jordon. wow, i thought it was a pretty good solution. everyone wins. the wahhabis would no longer be there to whip women at the Sacred Masjid, the King of Jordon should be happy, he now has a higher status and a more developed country. and the palestinians get to control the land they should rule. (through Lawrence of Arabia i learned how everything got mucked up, and its entertaining too). you know what, our liberal Muslim leaders lack the cohonez to do it on our own, and we don't demand such an overthrow of the tyrants over Mecca. instead we cry. instead we wait until Israel or the US offers us a similar solution and we will not accept it then because that will mean we are selling out the West or to the Jews. why the ---k does Mubarak come and humiliate himself at the white house? if we can't take care of our own business and must let Bush decide what we can or can't do, shame on us! we deserve to have bastards who allow girls to burn to death ruling over us. i've managed to become confused all over again.

grab a marshmellow

the following is an argument regarding the allowablity of eating gelatin derived from a pig, i think its weak: "...it is impossible to differentiate between a chemical derived from an animal source and the same chemical derived from a plant source or formed synthetically. What used to be animal fat, possibly even lard, is now a chemical compound that could have been made in a laboratory or derived from vegetable oil." ...this takes us out of the realm of unlawful things being lawful in times of necessity... with all the advances in science, if we know that the same chemical is available through something halal, why intentionally use it from something haram. or, after finding out that an ingredient came from a WILLFULL use of the haram, why continue to eat it, or make an argument to justify wanting to eat it. (its like placing the dead carrion in that lake yourself, pee in the lake yourself, and then offering me a glass, saying to me "hey bro, it got diluted." well, no thank you! i like my water filtered. some people say that we need to keep things simple, that islam is not about making things complicated. well, i think going to the level of chemical compounds in order to say that derivatives of pig (or alcohol) are ok is also guilty of getting into technicalities. hamza yusuf's tapes of "Food for Thought" are excellent. he describes the eating habits of the prophet and the companions. eat healthy, eat natural, eat pure. if folks want to make lists of things they found to be pork derived, more power to them, do whatever you want in your struggle to attain allah's pleasure, and if others want to ignore those lists, and instead go to the chemical level to justify eating skittles or starburst or marshmellows, i hope its not based on whim, hiding behind a common slogan: "islam says no hardship." peace.

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.