hajj interrupted

Somalis’ Holy Trip Ends at Airport

Sheikh Abdirahman Ahmed of Abubakar As-Saddique, a large mosque in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis, and the mosque’s youth coordinator, who did not want to give his name, were not allowed to board a flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, but were not told why. The youth coordinator said others in a group that planned to make the trip — a hajj, or spiritual pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina– also were not allowed to board, but he did not know how many people were involved.

Mahir Sherif, a California attorney who represents Abubakar as well as other Somali mosques across the country, said there are many possible reasons why the men are on the federal Transportation Security Administration’s “no fly” list, which as of mid-August contained about 50,000 names. But he suspects that the reasons are linked to stories circulating in the Somali community that the mosque has been used to indoctrinate and train young men to return to Somalia — stories that Sherif strongly denied Sunday.

I haven’t been to this masjid and only heard rumors in passing about a Minnesota Somali returning to Somalia to become a suicide bomber.  

Earlier this year, my sister ate at a restuarant that was attacked in Mumbai last week.  In 2005, a hotel my husband was considering working for in Sharm el Sheikh was bombed.  It’s frightening when these international events hit close to home, and unfortunately, this is another such incident.

Don’t Worry, We’re Going to Do Something

Thought provoking post by Umm Zaid.

 I’ve sported the American Muslims Against Terrorism banner on the web probably since    Shaikr first made it.  But, what does that really mean?  I certainly don’t agree   with the actions of those who intentionally target the lives of non combatants.    Is it enough to talk the talk if you don’t walk the walk?

  I’ve had my brush with terrorism.  The husband worked at a hospital in   Sharm el Sheikh in 2004 and 2005.  He considered applying for an accounting   position at the Ghazala Gardens hotel, but instead left Sharm in May 2005.    Two months later, two bombs ripped through Sharm- one at the Old Market, and one at the Ghazala Gardens hotel.  Depending on who’s account you believe, 64 or 88 people lost their lives.

After seeing the the devastation, I flip through the photo album my husband had sent me.  There was a picture of him in front of the gates of the Old Market.  Now it lay in ruins, covered in the blood of innocents.  Egyptian, foreigner, worker, tourist, bombs are indiscriminate.

I can talk the talk, but can I walk the walk?  I don’t want to have to be a puppet, popping up to with the same old script, condemning the actions of yet another parade of idiots.  I won’t apologize for something I haven’t done.  But this is my community, perpetrating these awful crimes.  I won’t stand behind their actions, and my words clearly show that.  But what about my actions?  Doing nothing can’t help.

What is there to do?  I feel helpless.

Fear of the Muzzies and the Religion of Peace©

Obama Name Games Painful to Muslims

NPR covers some Pennsylvanian Muslims’ reaction to the whole muslim as a schmere re: Obama flap.

On a tangent, is anyone else sick of the “Islam is the religion of peace” bit?  It seems to me that this phrase emerged post 9-11, when the american muslim community was in shock and didn’t know how to respond to the increased, often negative attention their faith was given.  But here we are, several years later, and this phrase seems contrived and stale to me.  Shouldn’t we have had time to come up with something a little more descriptive, a little more accurate?  Islam is an increadibly complex religion, and this simplistic phrase doesn’t do it justice.

Islamophoboes have ceased on the phrase, and now everytime a muslim somewhere does something stupid and violent, they’ll be on their message boards crowing “look at this fine member of the religion of peace©.”  If I ever chose to engage these people (and my more recent response has been to steer clear of places where these kinds of statements are bandied about), my response is usually as such:

Islam is not a religion of peace.  It is a religion of balance that seeks peace.  Islam is the middle path.  We are not to vere off towards any extreme.  We are to be neither pacifists nor aggressors.  Islam allows for warfare, but it places strict guidlelines on it’s warriors.  Terrorism happens when muslims do not follow these rules.  They are not acting in accordance with the religion.  If they were, these incidents would not happen.

It saddens me that Islam is reduced to violent acts of those who have strayed off the middle path.  It saddens me because Islam is so much more than that.  Islam has had a profound impact on my life and my relationship with God.  For me, it’s all about the Rememberance of God.  Islam has given me the means and the encouragement to bring God into my everyday life, to thank Him, to praise Him, to worship Him in every act I do.  It’s not about killing people.  It’s about God.

Graphic-y goodness

I’ve sported the “American Muslims against Terrorism” Banner in message board signatures for quite some time.  I first put it in there when I was accused of not condemning terrorism in each and every post I made on that board.  Stick it in and wa’la, there’s instant condemnation, so we can move on and get to the point.

But it’s really more than that.  It’s a graphic reminder of the hadith of our beloved Prophet (saws) recorded in Sahih Muslim:

“Whoever sees an evil deed (committed), let him change it by his hand. If he is unable, let him change it by his tongue. If he is unable, let him change it by heart, and this is the weakest of faith.”

Putting a modern spin on it, let him change it with little pixels on the internet.  Sure, it’s not the most effective means of combating terrorism, but it’s definately a statement against an evil deed.

Which now brings me to the original point of this post.  Check out the awesomeness that the graphic designer behind the “Muslims against Terrorism” banners has come up with now:

*huggles new graphics*

The Bali jihadist now on a peace mission

From the BBC:

In fact Abbas, a weapons expert with close links to the regional Islamic militant organisation Jemaah Islamiah, was on his way to visit a group of old colleagues - militants serving time for a range of terrorism offences.

“These are my friends, my students,” he said. “I trained some of them… I’ve visited almost all jails where there are detainees in terrorist cases.”

But Abbas was not here to plot new attacks. Instead he had come to try to persuade his friends to follow his example and renounce violence.

“We should not kill civilians,” he said. “Today I realise some of my friends are misguided. My mission is to open their minds.”

For five years now, Abbas has been quietly co-operating with the Indonesian police as part of a remarkable “deradicalisation” campaign focused on the country’s jails.

For a good look at Islam in Indonesia, I recommend Civil Islam.  Also, one of my profs recently published Women Shaping Islam:  Reading the Qur’an in Indonesia.  While I haven’t read it yet, I assume it’s excellent.  Nelly did a lot after 9/11 to reach out to the Muslim community and worked to build bridges between christian (and non christian) students and their muslim neighbors.  She organized a visit to a local masjid a few weeks afterwards, held roundtable discussions with non muslim and muslim students, and put on a Christian-Muslim interfaith conference the following spring.

Challenge in the Local Paper

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/faith/16116652.html

Odds are there’s no ‘holy war’ in Qur’an

By JEFF STRICKLER, Star Tribune

February 29, 2008

Want $1 million? All you have to do is find a reference in the Qur’an to “holy war.”

The offer is being made by Jamal Badawi, professor emeritus of management and religious studies at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His only requirement is that the reference be in the original Arabic, not an English translation of the holy Islamic text.

Is that $1 million Canadian or American? “It doesn’t matter,” Badawi said. “It can be a million Canadian, a million U.S. or even a million euro [which would be worth almost $1.5 million]. I don’t have that much money, anyway. I’ve been making the offer ever since 2001. I’ve never had a taker, and I never will.”

Badawi was in the Twin Cities a week ago as part of a continuing effort to combat negative stereotypes about Muslims and violence, especially terrorism. He said that one of the biggest misconceptions he encounters is that the Qur’an promotes war, especially against those of different faiths.

“There is nothing in the Qur’an that says you should fight someone because they are of a different religion,” he said. “Just the opposite is true. In its writings on other faith communities, it encourages dealing with them with kindness and justice.”

The only time war is mentioned is in passages saying that believers can defend themselves from attack or oppression. Asked if a Muslim who sees the West as a threat could interpret that as an endorsement of a preemptive attack, Badawi said, “Humans have an inexhaustible ability to justify the wrong they’re doing. It’s no different than a Christian who is opposed to abortion using that as justification for bombing an abortion clinic. He’s not indicative of Christians as a whole. He’s a religious extremist, and the same term applies to anyone who plants a bomb in the name of their god. … The ends do not justify the means in Islamic philosophy.”

Badawi also mentioned the news media’s misappropriation of the term “jihad,” often using it as a label for Muslim aggression.

“It means to exert maximum effort, to strive to the utmost of your ability,” he said. “It is not a synonym for war.”

wo0t!

Update - statement from the Deoband website.  It starts off strong, but I’m disappointed that it specifically names terrorism of western governments, but does not name crimes done by muslim governments and organizations.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Why isn’t this front page news?

Deoband decry terrorism as unislamic

An influential group of Muslim theologians in India have denounced terrorism, saying it is completely against the teachings of Islam.

Their statements were made at a meeting held at the Darul-Uloom Deoband, a powerful Islamic school more than 150 years old.

Scholars from 6,000 religious schools attended the meeting

Not so happy with the Reuter’s India take on this:

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Darool-Uloom Deoband, a radical Muslim seminary said to have inspired the Taliban has denounced terrorism as against Islam, calling it an unpardonable sin, in an effort to distance itself from religious violence.

The Deobandis are radical?  Hardcore hanafis sure, but radical?

And the Times:

 Terrorism has been declared un-Islamic by scholars at a Wahabi madrassa, which some believe inspired the Taleban, according to a senior cleric.

In a declaration, as many as 20,000 leaders representing different sects of Islam also called on the Indian Government to ensure that Muslims were not harassed in the name of terrorism, Maulana Shaukat said. He was speaking from the 150-year-old Darul Uloom Deoband madrassa at Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, northern India.

The declaration said: “Islam is a religion of mercy for all humanity. Islam sternly condemns all kinds of oppression, violence and terrorism.”

Wahabi?  Do people even know the terms they’re throwing around?

 Browse related stories here.

What Happened to ‘Good’ Islam?

From Tariq Nelson:

I was told of an Islam that spoke of God’s Infinite Love and Mercy for His creation. I was told of an Islam that inspired people to make positive changes to their lives. I was told of an Islam that offers to serve others and offered solid solutions to problems. All of these things were attractive and this is the Islam that people were flocking to in the 1990’s. This is the Islam I accepted

Now all of those things are a “waste of time”. This new “Islam” is about hate, killing, rape and murder. I am told by a person visiting this site that I should be praising the daily carnage that I see on the news and to believe in wacky conspiracy theories and blood libel. (I have been accused several times by my co-religionists of being a spy and a closet Zionist)

Now I am told that I never understood Islam and that the things I mentioned above represent an “American” Islam and hence bidah (rejected innovation) and that I should accept this “real Islam”

Wish I could come up with something profound and constructive to add, but words escape me.  But if I had to pick someone to speak for me and my Islam, I’d chose Br. Tariq any day of the week.

“Those who have no mercy on other human beings (NAS), will not receive the mercy of Allah.” Bukhari

Note the NAS.  NAS, people, not Momineen, believers.  Have mercy for PEOPLE.

Salaam 100

‘Salam 100’ to promote Muslim dialogue with world

AMMAN: Jordan has formed a committee of 100 Muslim scholars to address through dialogue “critical issues” affecting Muslims around the world, a statement said on Saturday.

The committee, called “Salam (peace) 100”, aims to “enable peaceful debate and discussion, using the power of ideas as a means of calming conflict and finding a resolution to problems of the gravest importance.” The statement said controversies such as the 2005 Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), have “exposed the lack of intellectual leadership” in the Muslim world. This “must be addressed with the utmost urgency to prevent further rifts in human understanding. The committee proposes to conquer immediate and future fears and misapprehensions, which are so easily exploited by extremists of every kind.” The committee is headed by the uncle of King Abdullah II, former crown prince Hassan. It groups Muslim figures from around the world, including the director general of the Islamic Organization of Education, Science and Culture, Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, and former Yemeni prime ministers Abdul Karim al-Eryani and Haider Abu Bakr al-Attas.

It pledged to promote “a rational and equitable understanding of hearts and minds”. “We actively seek to address core disputes of international concern, to assuage anger, and to prevent unacceptable provocations”, the statement said. In 2004, Jordan launched an initiative known as the “Amman Message” in a bid to encourage fellow Muslims to reject extremism and embrace tolerance and acceptance.

Sounds promising, but it would appear this group has been around since last May. Why are they taking so dang long to do anything? Urgency? Phhhhh. Where is the flurry of papers, iniatives and plans? Googling “Salam 100″ turns up close to nothing.

Free our Talib

From the LA Times, who apparently know a bit about arabic noun declension.

Some will object that Lindh pleaded guilty knowing he could receive this sentence. His plea was entered, however, under what one can only call extreme duress. A poll of potential jurors in the Eastern District of Virginia at that time found that more than a third were ready to sentence him to death without even hearing the case against him. His lawyers cut the best deal they could, but Lindh has spent nearly a quarter of his life in custody for his foolish decision to pursue his religious convictions by aiding another country in its civil war. Without relief, he will spend another dozen years, at least, behind bars.

The concept of mercy spans testaments and faiths, and any system of justice requires the embrace of mercy for leavening and legitimacy. In this case, justice has been served by Lindh’s time in prison. Now Bush is uniquely positioned to grant mercy, for while many will long argue over the effectiveness if his war on terror, none question his commitment to it. By giving Lindh a commutation, Bush could prove that his war is, as he often and properly asserts, not against Islam but against those who seek to harm America. Lindh never sought to harm his country; he has served long enough. Bush should send him home.

Esquire magazine wrote an excellent piece last year that explores Lindh’s background, his conversion to Islam, his zealousness that drove him to Afghanistan, and his life at present in jail. Reading things like this, it makes me take a step back to examine my life. Lindh and I are almost the same age. We come from similar family backgrounds, and sought to escape the white mundaity that was suburbia, although his path to a turn mine didn’t before returning to Islam. Malcolm X peaked both our interests in Islam. And yet, he ended up in prison, not allowed to speak arabic, at the same time I was safely attending classes at University and flirting with the idea of putting on hijab, my big jihad. Granted, our similarities are probably only superficial, but it does make me ponder the choices I’ve made and where I’ve ended up.

I hope the brother has found some stability at last and that he can grown and mature in his deen. It’ll be interesting to see if anything becomes of his case.