Two NPR Stories…

…two very different faces of the muslim ummah.

Exploring the Status of Muslim Women in Europe

Muslims Increasingly Choose Matrimony Networks

 I’ve only listened to the “behind the wall” story thus far in the European series, but it made me quite sad.  The marriage story, on the other hand, made me smile at the inguinuity of the american muslim community.

 Other NPR stories of note as of late:

‘Muslim Girl’ Magazine Marks One Year in Print

Bangladesh’s Largest Brothel

On location

One of the many awesome things about the growing islamo-blogosphere is that there are bloggers writing from all over the ummah.  Granted, my daily blogstroll is limited to the english writers, but there are plenty of english language bloggers “overseas.”  It helps me get out of my little midwestern muslimah paradigm and feel kinship to my brothers and sisters across the world.

One such blogger I frequent is Nzingha, an expat in Saudi Arabia, who writes with from an insider’s view on the story I mentioned  re: women driving.  Having been close to a few major news stories recently (the I-35W bridge collapse [dude, the bridge connects north and south Minneapolis, NOT Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and since I’m on a tangent, I daily commute across the Saint Paul to Minneapolis bridge, which is thank God, safe and sound] and Keith Ellison getting elected to congress [umm no, there were no jihadists chanting Allahu Akbar, just excited muslims participating in the political system]), I’ve noticed how journalists often twist facts, or just plain get things wrong.  It’s nice to have the perspective of someone close to the story to provide a different point of view.  

Also, I like the list of future headlines she would like to see, which highlight that the talking points so many westerners parrot about the status of women in Islam (omGosh, they can’t drive, they’re forced to cover, poor oppressed women) are not the real issues that muslimahs would like to address.

“Women Can Decide Their Own Medical Care In Saudi Arabia”
“All Saudis Can Choose to Marry Mate From A Different Nationality Without Bribes, Wasta, Or Begging Officials”
“Women Can Choose To Continue Higher Education Without Consent Of Guardian”
“Women Have Better Access To Legal System In Saudi Arabia”
“Women Can Divorce Husbands Without Years Of Wait And Torment”
“Widows Can Marry Without Fear Of Loosing Children”
“Divorced Women Retain Rights In Custody Of Children”
“Children Protective Services Granted Full Legal Authority- Zero Tolerance Of Abuse Initiated”
“All Child Molesters To Be Beheaded- Now Seen Worse Than Drug Traffickers”
“Rape Victims To Receive Respected Care And Protection”

The Etiquette of Disagreement

From Lampost Productions via islamica

by Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson

They came in fact to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal who used to say that if your nose bleeds then you have to renew your wudu. Imam Malik said that if your nose bleeds you do not have to renew your wudu. So they went to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and they said what if you were praying behind somebody and they have a nose bleed and they don’t renew there wudu, do you continue to pray behind them? And Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said, “How can I refuse to pray behind somebody like Imam Malik? I have daleel (evidence), he has daleel; I have solid daleel, he has solid daleel.” The companions of the Prophet (s) took different things from him and went out to the various parts of the Muslim world and they taught those different things in those various parts. All of them got what they taught from the Prophet (s) so Imam Malik has his point of view and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal has his point of view. This was the spirit of our pious ancestors, and this is what we have to get back to.

Should I stay or should I go?

Ah, yes, the insideousness of music, that I still have Clash lyrics running through my head, despite not being a huge fan?  But I digress…

Should I stay on message boards where the scholars I follow and the way I study Islam is banned?  I’m speaking specifically IslamicBoard.com and Islamway Sisters.  I’m shafi’i in my madhab, and potentially shadhili in my tariq, but the scholars I admire (like Sh. Hamza Yusuf and Sh. Nuh Keller) and the websites I rely on (like Sunnipath) are considered sectarian, and therefore are not allowed.

The whole problem with that scheme is that these two forums are in and of themselves sectarian - they promote salafism, but they bury their heads in the sand and refuse to acknowledge this fact.  Sure, they practice Islam, but they approach it in a salafi manner, just as I approach Islam from a shafi’i perspective.

I’m increadibly frustrated at the moment.  On one hand, there’s a lot of dawah opportunities on these sites.  On the other, can I really effectively do dawah if I have one hand tied behind my back?

I just want someplace to hang out online where I can be myself, sigh.

Ya Latif!

Just another statement?

We’ll see.  Printed it out to read on the bus ride home (in between the VA Suhba).  It does have quite a variety of high level shayook as signatures.  Can’t comment on the variety, as I’m not too familiar with most of the top salafi scholars today, but all my favorites are there.

 A Common Word Between Us

The influence of the ulema?

In recent years, members of our ulema have come out with quite a few statements and declarations that express opinions on living in the west, relationships between muslims and terrorism.   Unfortunately, I can’t see what effect these declarations have on the ummah.

I’ve previously blogged about the Salaam 100, and I’m sure that most blogosphere muslims have read the Amman Message.   On a more recent blog/online oriented level, we have the Sunni Unity Pledge.  These messages are all well and good.  In fact, I whole heartedly agree we should be making statements such as these.  But, what happens after the statement?

 Just today, I stumbled upon the Topkapi Declaration, which was signed last year at a conference attended by some of the biggest names there are - Sh. Ali Gomma, Sh. Qaradawi, Sh. Hamza Yusuf, Sh. Nuh, Sh. bin Bayah, Mufti Ceric, Tariq Ramadan, among others.  How did I find out about this document?  Not in some message board exchange about it’s implications, or even an old blog post.  No, I found it while looking at pictures of the Shayook at the Muslims in Europe conference. 

 We remain committed to working to ensure that the voice of the peaceful majority of Muslims overcomes that of the tiny minority who seek to promote distorted misinterpretations of Islam. We join our voices to those of scholars from across the world to say that we reject the cancer of terrorism. We pray for the guidance of those to whom extremism and violence may seem an attractive route.

Why isn’t this document more widely discussed?  Why haven’t we worked on some way to get this message out in our words and deeds? 

In quasi related news, check out this picture.  So much ilm in such a small space.

The whited out blob is Sh. Nuh, who doesn’t want to be photographed

Online Eid Event with Imam Zaid

 Click here to register.

Two Entries to Reflect on

Leaving the Deen by Writeous Sister Speaks

Trouble by Umm Zaid

 I’m floored by both, but I really don’t know what to say, except to make dua to Allah (swt) for guidance.

Upholding Faith, Serving Humanity

To watch when I get home - the Sheikh Hamza ISNA speech from which I quoted earlier.

Rope of Allah (swt)

Via Suhaib Webb

“All of the sectarianism that we see in the Muslim world we know has nothing to do with our religion …. Sectarianism is something that Allah (swt) and his messengers have despised… Hold together to the rope of God… that says that we are brothers. And lets not allow this sectarian poison to come into the American Muslim community…. The people from Al-Maghrib Institute and the Zaytuna institute, let’s put our hands together in an American Islam that recognizes diversity… and if we’re not about this were harming our religion, we’re harming our faith, and in the end we’re disgracing our messenger who came as a mercy to all of mankind.”- Shaykh Hamza Yusuf