A bit of an old topic, but still relevent if you ask me. Comments from others in red:
I would like to start off by saying that I really cannot agree with anyone who does not think that the Pope intended to insult Muslims and Islam. As one academic said, the question should not be "Did the Pope do something offensive?" it is clear that he did, the question however should be "why and how could a man with so much power and influence be so careless especially at a time like this?" Just as, the question should not be "do Muslims have a right to be offended?" The answer is clearly "yes"...the real question should be, "are the methods and means that some people are using to express their feelings correct and in accordance with their Islamic beliefs?"
Now, in response to some comments:
Quote: I don't understand how the pope has offended moslems, he wasnt even talking to any moslems that I know of.
When you say that the beliefs brought by a Prophet beloved by nearly 3 billion people are "evil and inhumane" and when you say that he spread this religion "by the sword"...it's kind of hard to deny that he was being offensive. I'm not sure how you can say that he wasn't talking to any Muslims because when you attack the religion and its Prophet you are obviously attacking those who follow the religion and those who love the Prophet. This same reality would be true for any religion and any Prophet. Perhaps this does not seem offensive to many people because they really believe that these sentiments are true, however they are highly offensive to Muslims (and educated people who know the truth about Islam and Muslim people even though they are not Muslim) not only because they are negative sentiments, but because they are 100% false. When you consider that the Muslim Empire was the largest Empire known to man at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and that this vast empire which reached from Saudi Arabia through Spain and Africa was created in only 11 years by a group of people smaller than the average elementary school class size, and when you also take into account that it is a historical fact that less than 500 people lost their lives during the creation of this Empire, it becomes overwhelming clear that Islam and the Islamic Empire were in fact the most peaceful religious and social revolutions/expansions in the history of the world. Non-Muslim, American historians like Karen Armstrong and Michael Hart (among many others) have created entire books dedicated to this subject and have proven with historical and scientific fact that not only was Islam not "spread by the sword" but its incredibly peaceful expansion was nothing short of a miracle, fueled only by the overwhelming message of tolerance and compassion taught by the Prophet Muhammad. It should also be noted that of those approx. 500 who died during this massive expansion, all but a few of them were soldiers. The Prophet did not allow anyone to fight with anyone who was not a soldier actively warring against them, he also did not allow people to be unkind to prisoners of war, he did not allow people to ransack conquered villages or towns and steal the wealth and homes from its residents, and Islam was never, ever, ever forced on the residents of conquered lands. If we look at religious history from a historic standpoint, Muslims and Jews did not ever force their religion on others, the legacy of "believe or die" was actually created and implemented by Christians and carried on through out history since the conception of the religion on through the crusades, and up until modern colonial times.
Quote: Moslems go round saying that Jesus is just a prophet! That is a really offensive thing to say if there are catholics in the world. Do you see catholics jumping up and down. WELL DO YOU???I thankfully havnt heard of any muslims where I'm from carrying on like hooligans like the rest of them..
Ok, let's compare apples to apples here. Saying "according to our religious beliefs Jesus (peace be upon him) was a beloved Prophet and not God or the son of God" is not an insult, this would merely be labeled as a difference of opinion. I have never seen any Muslims "carrying on like hooligans" because Christians have said, "According to our religious beliefs we do not feel that Muhammad is a prophet of God" why? Because again, that is merely a difference of opinion. Insults and differences of opinion are not the same thing. You are comparing apples to oranges Joe. If someone took recent events going on in the Catholic Church, like for example the huge cover up and scandal about the overwhelming number of Catholic priests who are involved in homosexual relationships or who are molesting children and used it to attack Jesus, this would be different. For example, if the head of Al Azhar, one of the largest Mosques and Islamic universities in the world said "Jesus clearly spread his religion by homosexual sex and taught that it is good to molest children" this would be comparable to what the Pope said about the Prophet Muhammad, however, not only has the head of Al Azhar never said anything like that, even Osama Bin Laden has never said anything like that! What is happening is that people are feeling that it is open season to attack Islam and thus to attack the Prophet of Islam. If a few people who call themselves Muslims do something violent, then it is supposed to be ok to attack the Prophet of Islam and say that he was violent. Not only is this not ok, it's not true. Muslims are not asking for the right to attack the beliefs and sacred figures of other religions, they are merely asking for others to stop doing that to them (to us).
Furthermore, your comment about there not being any "muslim hooligans" in your area brings up another key point. Do you see American, European, Australian, Saudi, Emirati, etc...Muslims rioting or causing violence because of this? No, you don't...and why is that? Because again, it is a fact that these acts of rage are always happening in countries where poverty, joblessness, lack of education, and extreme civil and foreign politic strife are running rampant. As Aline said, these riots are more so the political and socio-economic cries of oppressed and exhausted people; they are not the collective or shared sentiments of the global Muslim community.
Quote: I see here that everyone is afraid to criticise the religon of islam.
From a fact based standpoint, can we really say this is true? In one year there have been numerous comics depicting the Prophet Muhammad as an evil, terroristic, mad man...the Pope has felt comfortable enough to say offensive things about the Prophet Muhammad, and there is not a single day that I do not turn on the news, pick up a newspaper, or read email forwards where lies and attacks are not being directed at Islam and Muslims. Key news sources are still saying that the Quran says that if you blow yourself up or kill innocent people you get 72 virgins in paradise. No where in the Quran or in any aspect of Islam is this written, taught, or believed...yet even CNN and ABC have reported this to be true, obviously...they are not "afraid to criticize Islam" if they are not even afraid to tell flat out lies about it!
Quote: Has any one heard of heavens gate, some religons are just plain wrong. And according to my state laws I am entittled to my opinion and it is high time all these people saying no no islam is nice though never quote the koran to back it up; but all the extremist quote it always. to people attempting to defend islam by attacking others opinion how about offering some evidence from your texts to actually refute some of this behaviour!!!!!!
I would be MORE than happy to quote the scriptures of Islam for you:
From the Quran:
Chapter 2, Verse 62 "Those who believe in the Qur'an, and those who follow the Jewish scriptures, and the Christians and the Sabians-- any who believe in God and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."
Chapter 2, Verse 286 "On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear."
Chapter 21, Verse 107 "We sent you (Oh Muhammad) as a mercy for all mankind."
Chapter 49, Verse 13 "Oh humankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes so that ye may know each other, not that ye may despise each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you."
Chapter 5, Verse 8 "Oh ye who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do."
Chapter 42, Verse 13 "The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah -that which we have sent by inspiration to you- and that which we enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in Religion, and make no divisions therein."
Chapter 5, Verse 82 "The nearest among them in love to the Believers wilt thou find those who say 'We are Christians' "
Chapter 2, Verse 136 "Say Ye: 'We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to all Prophets from their Lord; We make no difference between one and another of them and we bow to Allah in adherence and submission."
Chapter 2, Verse 256 "Let there be no compulsion in religion, Truth stands out clear from Error"
Chapter 16, Verse 125 "Invite all to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for the Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His path, and who receive guidance."
Chapter 41, Verse 34 "Repel Evil with what is Good; then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate! And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint"
From the Prophet Muhammad:
"Allah is not merciful to those who are not merciful to others "
"The Merciful One (Allah) shows mercy to those who are themselves merciful to others. So show mercy to whatever is on earth, then He who is in heaven will show mercy to you "
"The strong man is not the one who is strong in wrestling, but the one who controls himself in anger "
"Make things easy and do not make them difficult, give good tidings and do not make people run away."
"You should be humble so that no one boasts over his neighbor nor anyone oppresses his neighbor. "
"Woe to him who tells lies to make people laugh -- Woe to him -- Woe to him "
"Visit the sick, feed the hungry and free the captives"
"The Muslim who meets with people and endures any harm they may do is better than he who does not mix with them and does not endure any harm they may do"
I could go on forever...
Quote: Theres been tons of reigons that has demanded killing and even child sacrafice, prostitution and even suicide to meet up with spaceships.
I would hardly call it just or reasonable to call the world's second largest religion, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion which preaches worshipping the same God as Christians and Jews and instills the same values, people, and stories as the original scriptures of the Christians and Jews comparable to people who demand child sacrifice, prostitution, or suicide. Interestingly enough, Islam brought a stop to female infanticide, prostitution, and suicide.
Quote: I think maybe muslims really are nice people and that their religon is turning them bad.
If this isn't an oxymoron than I don't know what is. Muslims are "nice" because of their religion...being "muslim" is not a race, it's a religion. To say that "muslims are nice but their religion is mean" is ridiculous. The kindness, hospitality, acceptance, and tolerance that Aline is speaking about come directly from the teachings of Islam.
Quote: In my country they urinated all over a cross and put it on display as art in art gallery. Now tell me which is more offensive.
This whole "they" thing is a red flag to intolerance. Let's all stop assigning group guilt and face reality. Who exactly are "they"? The "thems" and the "theys" are the you's and the me's...And if someone did urinate on some thing deemed sacred to another person this is very clearly not supported by Islam at all, this is the stupid act of an individual, not a global act supported by the religion of Islam and all Muslims. Let's make our scope a bit broader.
Quote: What we need is to love our fellow man as ourselves. which christians fall far short of. But at least it is written there.
The Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad clearly preach (and have applied) loving and respecting fellow man...for you to assume that only Christianity teaches such things does not show a lacking in Islam, it shows a lacking in your knowledge of Islam. And to close with another saying from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):
"Allah does not look at your shapes or your colors but He looks at your hearts and your deeds. Creatures are the dependants of Allah and the closest among them to Allah are indeed the most useful to His dependants."
Friday, December 22, 2006
Why do we become terrorists?
This is in response to some comments/questions made regarding Islam and the terrorist movement, the quotes are from a friend directing some comments and questions at me. Her comments in red.
Quote: I think there seems to be an incorrect belief that all Muslim societies are Muslim states - that is that the law and government of the society is based in Islam.
This is a correct statement. Not all nations who have a predominantly Muslim citizen base are governed by a Muslim government, or by shariah law. Egypt for example is a prime example of this. The vast majority of Egyptian citizens are Muslim but the government is extremely secular. To say that the government is not influenced by Islam would be unrealistic (just as all governments including America’s are influenced by the main religion of the population as well as the politicians). A small example of this “gray area” is that an Egyptian man or woman can not rent a hotel room with someone of the opposite sex unless they present a marriage license to the hotel (this is not only something relevant to Egyptian Muslims, the Coptic Christians in Egypt are against pre-marital sex also, based on the Bible), however in accommodating the large tourist industry in Egypt this rule is not enforced on foreigners. Another example of how Islam and a secular government are connected (in Egypt ) can be seen immediately when you enter the Cairo airport. As you are going through the border patrol area there is a huge sign which says that if you are bringing drugs in the country you could face the death penalty. Now, don’t get me wrong…I’m sure there are many Egyptians smoking hashish and doing God knows what else and if they are caught with a little hash on them they are not going to be put to death, however the Egyptian government wants it to be known that they STRONGLY enforce anti-drug laws. I credit this strong stance to being one of the reasons why drug addiction/trafficking is virtually non-existent in Egypt (compared to other countries). In Egypt you can buy any narcotic (any drug in general) from a pharmacy with out a prescription because no one even thinks to abuse drugs. Although Egypt has it’s major governmental problems (mostly due to a President who is more a Monarch than a President) I feel it is still one of the most socially successful Islamic/Secular nations. Turkey for example is the largest failure in my eyes. I asked my husband why Turkey has become what it has and he said that since the dawn of time Turkey has been invaded and occupied by various different ethnic/religious groups and has really had a very hard time establishing it’s own identity. For example in the Middle East, Turkey is always the country that just doesn’t “fit in” Their language is completely different, their customs are completely different, and the way they practice Islam is also different from the mainstream Arab/Gulf/North African people. I believe that it is because of this lack of a solidified, unified identity that a Muslim country could have a government which would in essence ban Islam from the lives of its citizens. What is happening in Turkey now is reminiscent of what happened to Egypt during the Nasser regime. To outsiders this time of mini-skirts, bobbed hair, and endless love story movies might have seen like the modern Egyptian dynasty but for Egyptians it remains a painful spot in their memories. Men on their way to morning prayers would be snatched by police never to be seen again, women who dressed Islamically would be threatened or taken to jail, holy mosques were used as sets in movies to make fun of Islam…Nasser tried to remove the soul from the Egyptian people and replace it with a Westernized one only causing a damage and confusion which is still palpable in Egypt today.
Quote: But I think it's crucial to distinguish between Islam the religion and political Islam as a governing principle in a state if we have any hope of understanding Muslim societies.
This is a very good point, although I’m not sure what the proper response should be. Often times people feel the need to try and “Americanize” or “Christianize” Islam in an attempt to defend it. I love being American and I respect Christianity very much, so what I am trying to say is not a dig on America nor Christianity, but what I am saying rather, is that it is kind of like the American/European/Christian ideals are viewed as the accepted standard and thus in an attempt to make Islam part of the tolerated mainstream often times people try to create similarities that are not actually there. There ARE myriad similarities between the true democratic principle and the Islamic views on government, but America’s beloved (and purely theoretical) separation of Church and State doesn’t happen to be one of them. I would be untruthful if I said that the Quran and the Sunnah (life of the Prophet) do not speak about Islamic governments, governments where the ideals and principles entrenched in the population are also entrenched in the actual government. I would also be remiss if I said that any “Islamic” government today is coming within a bazillion miles of actually executing the PROPER form of government as prescribed by the Quran and the Sunnah. And so, it is because of this reality that I think it is fair to say that “personal Islam” (the religion of a people) should indeed be distinguished from “political Islam” (as we know it in the world today) because very often the politics of “political Islam” could not be farther from the true Islamic model set forth for us in the Quran and through the life of the Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him).
Quote: And I think we also have to be aware that Muslim countries are as diverse as non-Muslim countries. Indonesia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Morocco, Bangladesh - these are all countries so different from one another as to give their citizens culture shock if they go from one to another.
This is extremely true. A great example of this is always when my husband and I go to Mecca. Mecca is in essence the center of the Islamic universe (the “Mecca” of Islam, if you will…LOL!!!) and yet when you are in Mecca the only similarity between any of the people there is that they all came to worship God. On one side of you there might be red haired, blue eyed Chechen guys (or ladies), on the other side there might be very tall, thin, onyx skinned men from Sub-Saharan Africa, in front of you might be a group of Chinese pilgrims, beside them a few Americans…some Australians over there…an Afghani over there…a Moroccan, etc…It is said in our holy texts that Islam was the first religion that did not come to a specific group of people, but that came to mankind and no where is this more evident than in Mecca. However, if we just take the Muslims in Mecca who come from Muslim countries they are as different as night and day. My husband can easily communicate with Americans, Dutch, Spanish. .even Germans…but he can hardly understand a word spoken by a Turkish or Moroccan person. Indonesian culture/language is completely foreign to him, as is Bengali, Ethiopian, or Sudanese. Even the way people practice Islam and their basic Islamic beliefs vary tremendously from country to country, which is why I try to only speak about things that I’ve actually seen for myself in Egypt or Saudi Arabia instead of speaking broadly about all “Islamic” countries because they can not be seen as all being the same. Failure to understand this is really very dangerous for the world’s Muslim population. Unless people start to realize that what might happen in Afghanistan has absolutely no link to what is going on in Egypt, or that what is happening in Sudan has absolutely nothing to do with what is going on in Saudi Arabia…and thus abandon this widely assigned group guilt, true understanding of Islam and Muslims is going to be impossible.
Quote: I was rather shocked to find out that Muslims have a great love and respect for knowledge.
During the great Islamic Empires dating back 1,400 years, up through the “Muslim Dynasty” in Spain, and continuing on until today Muslims have made prodigious contributions and innovations in the fields of literature, poetry, science, mathematics, and mysticism. Seeking knowledge and (respectable) forms of self expression have always been paramount aspects of Islam and our holy texts. Unfortunately another great misconception about Islam is that people think Muslims are uneducated and wearing blinders, they think that Muslims are forbidden from seeking knowledge and from learning new things, however this really could not be farther from the truth. The Quran says that ones religion should not be compulsory, and the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) has said that religion is not be compulsory but that seeking knowledge is, thus we can tell that the Islamic stance is that one must seek knowledge before making decisions related to religion.
Some quotes about seeking broad ranging knowledge:
“Seeking knowledge is compulsory on every Muslim male and Female” – Prophet Mohamed (PBUH)
“One who obtains knowledge and guides toward something good is like the one who does it” – Prophet Mohamed (PBUH)
“The rank of the learned believer is 700 times more than that of the mere believers, and the difference between the two ranks is the distance of the path of 500 years” – Ibn Abbas (companion of the Prophet)
“We set forth parables for mankind and none understands them except the learned” (Quran 24:42)
Quote: My question is why do you think it is that political and extremist interpretations of Islam, as we see, for example, in Afghanistan, have arisen, and how do you see their relationship with your Islam, if I may put it that way?
This question really is a challenging one for me because although I believe that I have an accurate answer, I have a terrible fear that the accuracy can be completely lost if I do not present my answer in the proper way. I don’t want to fall into the “we are victims it’s not our fault” mantra that can so easily arise when one tries to make a point on this subject, nor do I want to ignore certain realities in an attempt to avoid said mantra. I’ll do my best and hope I’m forgiven if I do a poor job in responding.
I think the proper answer to this question has three, four, maybe even five or more prongs. One of the problems people face when addressing this issue is that so often times they (we) only address one prong, focus on it, and neglect to address the other prongs needed in order to give others the full picture.
1.) The breeding ground for terrorism and extremism is where there is a massive of people who feel that their government has abandoned them. This can take many forms such as when a government turns a blind eye to problems of extreme poverty, mal-nutrition, lack of education, disease, etc…and can also exist in places where people feel “politically abandoned”. Let’s take the United States (since most of us can relate) for example. Many people are unhappy about the war in Iraq, a war that we’ve been told is to help fight the war on terror and remove Saddam from power. We’ve also been told that Osama Bin Laden is the most evil man on earth. Now…now, let’s fast forward a few years. Let’s imagine that the war in Iraq has finally ended and that Osama has never been caught. Let’s then imagine that our government releases Saddam, puts him back in place as leader of Iraq and spends a huge amount of money importing goods, vehicles, medicine, clothing, weapons, etc…from Iraq and even wants us to start adopting Iraqi culture. At the same time, Osama bin Laden is a guest of the White House and is seen shaking hands and sitting down to a warm meal with the American president. This “backwards reality” is what many people in the Middle East feel has happened to their government(s). Who was once the enemy is now accepted as a friend due to lack of power to stand up against them. The convictions, desires, and necessities of an entire people are ignored for fear of upsetting the enemy/friend. A sea of hypocrisy is formed and people don’t know truth from falsehood anymore. They feel stripped of their rights and they feel that the only way to be truly patriotic at a time when the government has abandoned the best interest for the country and its people is to become a vigilante. The intention which ignites the “vigilante movement” is often times a noble one…yet unfortunately once the fire as been started it is very easy for a vigilante movement to turn into an “extremist movement” and then a “terrorist movement”…
2.) People who feel abandoned/dejected/hopeless/filled with rage will often times seek out a group/activity to “throw themselves” into. Islam is often times seen as an “all or nothing” religion. Although we all have choices about how to practice and view our religion, based on the fact that there is no division between ones way of life and one’s Islamic beliefs it can be very easy to “poison the well” If you pollute one’s Islamic beliefs then you have also polluted their life. If you convince them that Islam is violent and hateful their entire lives will become violent and hateful…if you convince them that Islam is peaceful and just they will lead a life dedicated to peace and justice. This concept is not unlike practices used by militaries all over the world, including America. Soldiers are often young, starry eyed guys who typically are not leaving their mansions to go to boot camp. In order to make good soldiers out of them the Army has to convince these guys that they have a mission in life as soldiers, that there is an important job that only they can do, that the world will be destroyed if they do not take action, and that above all…they are fighting/killing/and being killed for a noble cause. When an American soldier dies…even if he died while bombing a school filled with kids in it, we still label him a “hero” because he was doing something for the greater good, he had a “cause”. I don’t really see too much difference between this and the extremism/terrorism that we are talking about. Insert “martyr” instead of hero, remove a government funding a war and insert a non-governmental group funding a war, and it seems very similar if you ask me. We in the West (myself included) are so entirely socially conditioned by the fact that we come from countries which essentially “dominate the world” that we have so completely detached ourselves from the notion that others have the right to stand up for themselves, that others have the right to wage war…We think that only our “causes” are the noble, just causes and that anything else must be evil or unjust…if we really allow ourselves to think about this point I think we’ll be shocked to realize that it is completely true. We take for granted what it means to be from one of the “Big 8” countries which essentially run the world…we forget that people outside of this elite group have the same human feelings, desires, and passions as we do…and that they also are entitled to rage against injustice. We also have detached ourselves from the reality that we have no idea how we ourselves would react if we were suddenly taken through a magic portal to the West Bank or Kandihar or even Riyadh or Dubai. We also don’t know how we’d react if after hundreds of years China came and decided that they owned Canada and tried to kick all the Canadians out. If the USA became home to many displaced Canadian refugees and if our neighboring country which we share so much culture, history, and religion with was now being occupied by people of a different country, culture, and religion…well who knows how that would affect our psyche over the years, let alone those of the refugee Canadians. We might feel that the USA should defend Canada and get China out of there...we might then realize that Russia is actually the one who put the Chinese in Canada and continues to fund them. At that point, we might want our government to go to war with Russia. If our government said no, we don’t want to anger Russia and continued to turn a blind eye while we and our friends and neighbors are suffering intolerably…hell, who knows what kind of behavior might emerge.
We have been so lucky. We should thank whatever higher power/force of nature we believe in because we have been so very fortunate to not know what it is like to truly have to fight for survival, to feel that all you have left are your convictions. This concept of being willing to die for our beliefs is completely foreign to most Westerns today, not because we are more “civilized” or less violent than anyone else…but because we have been lucky enough (even the poorest of us) to live a life of absolute privilege compared to much of the rest of the world. We have been given so many rights and unfortunately it has caused us to remove ourselves from the reality that others who don’t have rights are going to fight for them, and even more tragically…we have ignored the fact that through attaining our rights, we have unfortunately taken away the rights of many others.
We find it barbaric and animalistic that people would be willing die and kill in pursuit for their human rights or their religious rights…yet America was founded by people who were willing to kill and be killed in pursuit for their human/religious rights. We believe in “God given rights”…so do they.
3.) Terrorism takes on many forms. While thinking about how to answer this question I asked my husband about his feelings on this subject. I told him to give me his best answers while I played devils advocate. He said basically what I said above…and I responded by saying “Ok but lots of people are oppressed…look at south America, Africa, parts of Asia…why aren’t they becoming terrorists?”…My answer? Who says they aren’t? Terrorism is not merely a suicide bomber or a remote operated explosive device. Who is to say that the inner city shootings which happen every morning, noon, and night in every American city are not forms of terrorism? Who is to say that the drug epidemic plaguing our communities is not terrorism? Who is to say that the Bloods and Crips and every other gang in America is not a terrorist organization? Who is to say that the gangs, gorillas, and militias found all over South America, Asia, and Africa are not terrorist groups? The definition of terrorism is using violence and threats to cause fear and submission in others…if we stick to that true definition and not the definition that tells us that only Muslims can be terrorists…we’d see that all dejected and downtrodden people in all societies…all people who feel their rights have been stripped from them…all people who feel their government has abandoned them…as well as all GOVERNMENTS have resorted to terrorism.
I fear that this response has gotten way too long already and I don’t want to start repeating myself or getting too concentrated on one area with my answers so it’s best that I end it here for now.
Quote: I think there seems to be an incorrect belief that all Muslim societies are Muslim states - that is that the law and government of the society is based in Islam.
This is a correct statement. Not all nations who have a predominantly Muslim citizen base are governed by a Muslim government, or by shariah law. Egypt for example is a prime example of this. The vast majority of Egyptian citizens are Muslim but the government is extremely secular. To say that the government is not influenced by Islam would be unrealistic (just as all governments including America’s are influenced by the main religion of the population as well as the politicians). A small example of this “gray area” is that an Egyptian man or woman can not rent a hotel room with someone of the opposite sex unless they present a marriage license to the hotel (this is not only something relevant to Egyptian Muslims, the Coptic Christians in Egypt are against pre-marital sex also, based on the Bible), however in accommodating the large tourist industry in Egypt this rule is not enforced on foreigners. Another example of how Islam and a secular government are connected (in Egypt ) can be seen immediately when you enter the Cairo airport. As you are going through the border patrol area there is a huge sign which says that if you are bringing drugs in the country you could face the death penalty. Now, don’t get me wrong…I’m sure there are many Egyptians smoking hashish and doing God knows what else and if they are caught with a little hash on them they are not going to be put to death, however the Egyptian government wants it to be known that they STRONGLY enforce anti-drug laws. I credit this strong stance to being one of the reasons why drug addiction/trafficking is virtually non-existent in Egypt (compared to other countries). In Egypt you can buy any narcotic (any drug in general) from a pharmacy with out a prescription because no one even thinks to abuse drugs. Although Egypt has it’s major governmental problems (mostly due to a President who is more a Monarch than a President) I feel it is still one of the most socially successful Islamic/Secular nations. Turkey for example is the largest failure in my eyes. I asked my husband why Turkey has become what it has and he said that since the dawn of time Turkey has been invaded and occupied by various different ethnic/religious groups and has really had a very hard time establishing it’s own identity. For example in the Middle East, Turkey is always the country that just doesn’t “fit in” Their language is completely different, their customs are completely different, and the way they practice Islam is also different from the mainstream Arab/Gulf/North African people. I believe that it is because of this lack of a solidified, unified identity that a Muslim country could have a government which would in essence ban Islam from the lives of its citizens. What is happening in Turkey now is reminiscent of what happened to Egypt during the Nasser regime. To outsiders this time of mini-skirts, bobbed hair, and endless love story movies might have seen like the modern Egyptian dynasty but for Egyptians it remains a painful spot in their memories. Men on their way to morning prayers would be snatched by police never to be seen again, women who dressed Islamically would be threatened or taken to jail, holy mosques were used as sets in movies to make fun of Islam…Nasser tried to remove the soul from the Egyptian people and replace it with a Westernized one only causing a damage and confusion which is still palpable in Egypt today.
Quote: But I think it's crucial to distinguish between Islam the religion and political Islam as a governing principle in a state if we have any hope of understanding Muslim societies.
This is a very good point, although I’m not sure what the proper response should be. Often times people feel the need to try and “Americanize” or “Christianize” Islam in an attempt to defend it. I love being American and I respect Christianity very much, so what I am trying to say is not a dig on America nor Christianity, but what I am saying rather, is that it is kind of like the American/European/Christian ideals are viewed as the accepted standard and thus in an attempt to make Islam part of the tolerated mainstream often times people try to create similarities that are not actually there. There ARE myriad similarities between the true democratic principle and the Islamic views on government, but America’s beloved (and purely theoretical) separation of Church and State doesn’t happen to be one of them. I would be untruthful if I said that the Quran and the Sunnah (life of the Prophet) do not speak about Islamic governments, governments where the ideals and principles entrenched in the population are also entrenched in the actual government. I would also be remiss if I said that any “Islamic” government today is coming within a bazillion miles of actually executing the PROPER form of government as prescribed by the Quran and the Sunnah. And so, it is because of this reality that I think it is fair to say that “personal Islam” (the religion of a people) should indeed be distinguished from “political Islam” (as we know it in the world today) because very often the politics of “political Islam” could not be farther from the true Islamic model set forth for us in the Quran and through the life of the Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him).
Quote: And I think we also have to be aware that Muslim countries are as diverse as non-Muslim countries. Indonesia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Morocco, Bangladesh - these are all countries so different from one another as to give their citizens culture shock if they go from one to another.
This is extremely true. A great example of this is always when my husband and I go to Mecca. Mecca is in essence the center of the Islamic universe (the “Mecca” of Islam, if you will…LOL!!!) and yet when you are in Mecca the only similarity between any of the people there is that they all came to worship God. On one side of you there might be red haired, blue eyed Chechen guys (or ladies), on the other side there might be very tall, thin, onyx skinned men from Sub-Saharan Africa, in front of you might be a group of Chinese pilgrims, beside them a few Americans…some Australians over there…an Afghani over there…a Moroccan, etc…It is said in our holy texts that Islam was the first religion that did not come to a specific group of people, but that came to mankind and no where is this more evident than in Mecca. However, if we just take the Muslims in Mecca who come from Muslim countries they are as different as night and day. My husband can easily communicate with Americans, Dutch, Spanish. .even Germans…but he can hardly understand a word spoken by a Turkish or Moroccan person. Indonesian culture/language is completely foreign to him, as is Bengali, Ethiopian, or Sudanese. Even the way people practice Islam and their basic Islamic beliefs vary tremendously from country to country, which is why I try to only speak about things that I’ve actually seen for myself in Egypt or Saudi Arabia instead of speaking broadly about all “Islamic” countries because they can not be seen as all being the same. Failure to understand this is really very dangerous for the world’s Muslim population. Unless people start to realize that what might happen in Afghanistan has absolutely no link to what is going on in Egypt, or that what is happening in Sudan has absolutely nothing to do with what is going on in Saudi Arabia…and thus abandon this widely assigned group guilt, true understanding of Islam and Muslims is going to be impossible.
Quote: I was rather shocked to find out that Muslims have a great love and respect for knowledge.
During the great Islamic Empires dating back 1,400 years, up through the “Muslim Dynasty” in Spain, and continuing on until today Muslims have made prodigious contributions and innovations in the fields of literature, poetry, science, mathematics, and mysticism. Seeking knowledge and (respectable) forms of self expression have always been paramount aspects of Islam and our holy texts. Unfortunately another great misconception about Islam is that people think Muslims are uneducated and wearing blinders, they think that Muslims are forbidden from seeking knowledge and from learning new things, however this really could not be farther from the truth. The Quran says that ones religion should not be compulsory, and the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) has said that religion is not be compulsory but that seeking knowledge is, thus we can tell that the Islamic stance is that one must seek knowledge before making decisions related to religion.
Some quotes about seeking broad ranging knowledge:
“Seeking knowledge is compulsory on every Muslim male and Female” – Prophet Mohamed (PBUH)
“One who obtains knowledge and guides toward something good is like the one who does it” – Prophet Mohamed (PBUH)
“The rank of the learned believer is 700 times more than that of the mere believers, and the difference between the two ranks is the distance of the path of 500 years” – Ibn Abbas (companion of the Prophet)
“We set forth parables for mankind and none understands them except the learned” (Quran 24:42)
Quote: My question is why do you think it is that political and extremist interpretations of Islam, as we see, for example, in Afghanistan, have arisen, and how do you see their relationship with your Islam, if I may put it that way?
This question really is a challenging one for me because although I believe that I have an accurate answer, I have a terrible fear that the accuracy can be completely lost if I do not present my answer in the proper way. I don’t want to fall into the “we are victims it’s not our fault” mantra that can so easily arise when one tries to make a point on this subject, nor do I want to ignore certain realities in an attempt to avoid said mantra. I’ll do my best and hope I’m forgiven if I do a poor job in responding.
I think the proper answer to this question has three, four, maybe even five or more prongs. One of the problems people face when addressing this issue is that so often times they (we) only address one prong, focus on it, and neglect to address the other prongs needed in order to give others the full picture.
1.) The breeding ground for terrorism and extremism is where there is a massive of people who feel that their government has abandoned them. This can take many forms such as when a government turns a blind eye to problems of extreme poverty, mal-nutrition, lack of education, disease, etc…and can also exist in places where people feel “politically abandoned”. Let’s take the United States (since most of us can relate) for example. Many people are unhappy about the war in Iraq, a war that we’ve been told is to help fight the war on terror and remove Saddam from power. We’ve also been told that Osama Bin Laden is the most evil man on earth. Now…now, let’s fast forward a few years. Let’s imagine that the war in Iraq has finally ended and that Osama has never been caught. Let’s then imagine that our government releases Saddam, puts him back in place as leader of Iraq and spends a huge amount of money importing goods, vehicles, medicine, clothing, weapons, etc…from Iraq and even wants us to start adopting Iraqi culture. At the same time, Osama bin Laden is a guest of the White House and is seen shaking hands and sitting down to a warm meal with the American president. This “backwards reality” is what many people in the Middle East feel has happened to their government(s). Who was once the enemy is now accepted as a friend due to lack of power to stand up against them. The convictions, desires, and necessities of an entire people are ignored for fear of upsetting the enemy/friend. A sea of hypocrisy is formed and people don’t know truth from falsehood anymore. They feel stripped of their rights and they feel that the only way to be truly patriotic at a time when the government has abandoned the best interest for the country and its people is to become a vigilante. The intention which ignites the “vigilante movement” is often times a noble one…yet unfortunately once the fire as been started it is very easy for a vigilante movement to turn into an “extremist movement” and then a “terrorist movement”…
2.) People who feel abandoned/dejected/hopeless/filled with rage will often times seek out a group/activity to “throw themselves” into. Islam is often times seen as an “all or nothing” religion. Although we all have choices about how to practice and view our religion, based on the fact that there is no division between ones way of life and one’s Islamic beliefs it can be very easy to “poison the well” If you pollute one’s Islamic beliefs then you have also polluted their life. If you convince them that Islam is violent and hateful their entire lives will become violent and hateful…if you convince them that Islam is peaceful and just they will lead a life dedicated to peace and justice. This concept is not unlike practices used by militaries all over the world, including America. Soldiers are often young, starry eyed guys who typically are not leaving their mansions to go to boot camp. In order to make good soldiers out of them the Army has to convince these guys that they have a mission in life as soldiers, that there is an important job that only they can do, that the world will be destroyed if they do not take action, and that above all…they are fighting/killing/and being killed for a noble cause. When an American soldier dies…even if he died while bombing a school filled with kids in it, we still label him a “hero” because he was doing something for the greater good, he had a “cause”. I don’t really see too much difference between this and the extremism/terrorism that we are talking about. Insert “martyr” instead of hero, remove a government funding a war and insert a non-governmental group funding a war, and it seems very similar if you ask me. We in the West (myself included) are so entirely socially conditioned by the fact that we come from countries which essentially “dominate the world” that we have so completely detached ourselves from the notion that others have the right to stand up for themselves, that others have the right to wage war…We think that only our “causes” are the noble, just causes and that anything else must be evil or unjust…if we really allow ourselves to think about this point I think we’ll be shocked to realize that it is completely true. We take for granted what it means to be from one of the “Big 8” countries which essentially run the world…we forget that people outside of this elite group have the same human feelings, desires, and passions as we do…and that they also are entitled to rage against injustice. We also have detached ourselves from the reality that we have no idea how we ourselves would react if we were suddenly taken through a magic portal to the West Bank or Kandihar or even Riyadh or Dubai. We also don’t know how we’d react if after hundreds of years China came and decided that they owned Canada and tried to kick all the Canadians out. If the USA became home to many displaced Canadian refugees and if our neighboring country which we share so much culture, history, and religion with was now being occupied by people of a different country, culture, and religion…well who knows how that would affect our psyche over the years, let alone those of the refugee Canadians. We might feel that the USA should defend Canada and get China out of there...we might then realize that Russia is actually the one who put the Chinese in Canada and continues to fund them. At that point, we might want our government to go to war with Russia. If our government said no, we don’t want to anger Russia and continued to turn a blind eye while we and our friends and neighbors are suffering intolerably…hell, who knows what kind of behavior might emerge.
We have been so lucky. We should thank whatever higher power/force of nature we believe in because we have been so very fortunate to not know what it is like to truly have to fight for survival, to feel that all you have left are your convictions. This concept of being willing to die for our beliefs is completely foreign to most Westerns today, not because we are more “civilized” or less violent than anyone else…but because we have been lucky enough (even the poorest of us) to live a life of absolute privilege compared to much of the rest of the world. We have been given so many rights and unfortunately it has caused us to remove ourselves from the reality that others who don’t have rights are going to fight for them, and even more tragically…we have ignored the fact that through attaining our rights, we have unfortunately taken away the rights of many others.
We find it barbaric and animalistic that people would be willing die and kill in pursuit for their human rights or their religious rights…yet America was founded by people who were willing to kill and be killed in pursuit for their human/religious rights. We believe in “God given rights”…so do they.
3.) Terrorism takes on many forms. While thinking about how to answer this question I asked my husband about his feelings on this subject. I told him to give me his best answers while I played devils advocate. He said basically what I said above…and I responded by saying “Ok but lots of people are oppressed…look at south America, Africa, parts of Asia…why aren’t they becoming terrorists?”…My answer? Who says they aren’t? Terrorism is not merely a suicide bomber or a remote operated explosive device. Who is to say that the inner city shootings which happen every morning, noon, and night in every American city are not forms of terrorism? Who is to say that the drug epidemic plaguing our communities is not terrorism? Who is to say that the Bloods and Crips and every other gang in America is not a terrorist organization? Who is to say that the gangs, gorillas, and militias found all over South America, Asia, and Africa are not terrorist groups? The definition of terrorism is using violence and threats to cause fear and submission in others…if we stick to that true definition and not the definition that tells us that only Muslims can be terrorists…we’d see that all dejected and downtrodden people in all societies…all people who feel their rights have been stripped from them…all people who feel their government has abandoned them…as well as all GOVERNMENTS have resorted to terrorism.
I fear that this response has gotten way too long already and I don’t want to start repeating myself or getting too concentrated on one area with my answers so it’s best that I end it here for now.
My Scarlet Letter...
After being told for several years that I should write a blog I have finally caved...although my feelings against it still hold true; who the hell wants to hear what I have to say? What am I saying that is so different from what anyone else is saying? Blogs are for ego maniacs!!! However, I write so much on other sites, mainly on forums, that I decided that for now it might not be a bad idea to at least post some of my responses in hopes that I can one day actually learn how to blog properly. My first entry is a post I made in regards to the typical attack on Islam where I was accused of using propoganda to defend my stance. The attack I am responding to was quite personal in nature and basically my entire life was condemned based on the fact that I am a Muslim.
My Scarlet Letter...
Dear Google PhD’s,
After carefully reading through your in-depth posts I am bowled over by the amount of compassion and personal interest that you are taking in my life, I’m very touched.
The dictionary says that propaganda is: information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc. Interestingly enough this word actually has roots in the Roman Catholic church, dating back to 1622 when a committee of Cardinals was sent to supervise missionaries.
To throw the world “propaganda” around each time someone gives an argument that you don’t agree with seems like an abuse of the English language if you ask me. Each objective, historical point that I made was true and can be backed up with factual documentation. Each subjective point that I made was a matter of opinion and matters of opinion can not be considered “propaganda” unless the person is trying to pass opinion based lies off as fact based truths. None of that was taking place in any of my posts so I suspect that the careful usage of the term “propaganda” was aimed at hitting a dramatic high note and quite interestingly enough, by accusing an innocent person of propaganda for theatrical flair, I’d say the accuser thus becomes guilty of the accusation, no?
I am extremely shocked that someone who has never met me and who openly admits that their only knowledge of Islam comes from books published in America post 9/11 would decide that they have warrant to say that I chose to give up my liberty. Such a callus, defamation actually ran chills down my spine because it was a great illustration of how humans can very easily deem themselves worthy of planting poisonous seeds in the lives of strangers. Such people feel that after reading a book or two or watching a 20/20 segment or two that they are rightfully armed with enough wisdom and proper knowledge to accuse someone of something that might very well be diametrically apposed to everything the accused stands for. By giving breath or type to such venomous accusations the accuser is in essence solidifying the “guilty” verdict on someone and something that they truly have no right to even form an opinion about. This is actually a very common practice in propaganda, by accusing someone of something they are trapped in psychological quicksand, the more they try to defend the truth, the more people will assume they are guilty. I’ve been called subservient and silent, although I’ve clearly been one of the most outspoken and unrelenting with my opinions in this and myriad other threads.
It’s been said that “over there” I’m not free to speak my mind. Have you ever been “there”..by the way, just where exactly is "there" anyway? Perhaps "there" rests quietly some place between where the pilot in “The Little Prince” crashed and where “The English Patient” was filmed? Or maybe it is snuggled warmly between the infrared images of Baghdad and the shaking camera views of the West Bank? I’d love to know where “there” is. Perhaps we will find “them” “there”…I was born and raised for 24 years in the place that you consider “here”…in America, in North America, in the West, whatever “here” is to most of you. Although my longitude and latitude has changed along with my style of dress and certain rituals and beliefs in my life, I feel like exactly the same person that I was when I was a 10 year old Equestrian in New Jersey, or when I was a 17 year old blasting hip hop music out of the speakers in my first car, or when I was college co-ed pondering the realms of human existence while listening to Bob Marley. Just as my female friends who are 50 tell me that they still feel like the same person that they were when they were 20, only circumstances and conditions have changed…so too do I feel about my own life and my own spiritual/geographic journey. This daughter of college professor, globe trotting, hippies did not wake up one day and decide to change her name to “Ayesha Abdul Rahman Malik” and burn all her shorts and tank tops. My conversion and reversion to Islam has been a slow, careful, open minded ascension that started over six years ago. To think that I would suddenly wake up one day and decide that I no longer want to be a Muslim shows complete disregard for the way in which I became a Muslim and also shows a complete disregard for the roll that God’s hand has played in my life. The Quran says clearly that God guides and misguides whom he chooses, my accusers may not believe in this, but they would be remiss in neglecting to realize that I do.
What troubles me the most is that my accusers are demanding that I follow an abnormal course in my life. I am being told that if I have any regrets in my life it must be because my religion is horrible, although any other 24 year old would be told that regrets are normal rites of passage, that they build character and help us to define and solidify who we truly are. Anyone else who suffers any marriage problems or divorce is patted on the back and reminded of how common these things are among all couples and given pep talks to help boost their self esteem…but me, no…the demise of blessed union is already being predicted and the blame has already been put on Islam. When I look at this and many other sites I would have to search and search and search to find a single other Muslim, yet I can point and click my mouse blindly if I want to find what you call “hearts filled with tears”…yet if ever my heart becomes “filled with tears” it will be Islam’s fault?
We speak so heavily of this scary, horrid “there” place…as if there is no hope, no freedom, no joy in life “there”…yet, I highly doubt that any of these “there” experts have actually ever been “there” nor met “them”. Since now it seems that my “here” just might have become the “there” that folks love to speak about I would think that I have a more educated opinion on this dreadful place than people who take their “first hand” knowledge from second, third, twentieth hand information. What I see “there” are people filled with a passion and zeal for life. People brimming over with kindness, hospitality, and good humor. I see adults who can’t pass random children on the street with out stopping to greet and play with them, I see families who have not forgotten the meaning of family, and neighborhoods where you don’t have to lock your front door nor look over your shoulder when walking alone at night. I see a place overflowing with women doctors, lawyers, journalists, university professors, historians, and religious scholars…I see people who truly want to have the best life possible and do as much good as possible for their families, friends, and for humanity as a whole.
My husband happens to be one of those “horrible, scary” Arabs. Strangely enough this terrifying, woman stoning Arab fell in love with a loud mouthed, over bearing, dominant, politically obsessed American woman who comes from a family of nothing but strong minded and strong mouthed women. My husband and I have political debates on a daily basis (by the way our favorite topics to argue about are Israel, violence, different interpretations of Islam, etc…there are not topics that are off limits for us to discuss or for me to have a differing opinion about) and the one who always loses their cool and becomes too aggressive is me, not him. My husband, aside from my Mother and Grandmother is the biggest supporter of my dreams and he is always doing everything in his power to facilitate me obtaining those dreams. I was a Muslim for over five years before I even met my husband, my Islam has nothing to do with me being swept off my feet by a tall, dark, and handsome man who just happened to be a Muslim. If at this point the reader is urged to say “well that’s nice that you got lucky and got one of the few good ones” this would also be a gross inaccuracy. My husband is absolutely one of the best human beings I have ever met, but he is a typical Muslim man. My brother-in-law, my friend’s husbands, and all of the men in my husbands family and extended family as well as his friends are all laid back, open minded, highly educated, kind, gentle, morally driven men. The kind of men who will come home from the store and if the clerk accidentally gave them two of something and they only paid for one…lose sleep over this until they are able to return to the store and correct the error.
My husband is accused of wanting three more wives although he says on a daily basis that he can’t even handle one! My accusers act as if a non-Muslim woman is not in danger of not being “the only woman”. If we look at fact based statistics far more Muslim women are “the only woman” in their marriage than American women based on the huge amount of respect that Islam places on the union between husband and wife and the seriousness given to adultery. However, divorce is not considered sinful in Islam and if at any time the marriage is not working out for valid reason(s), both parties are free to end it. If my marriage (GOD FORBID) ended my life would not be unlike the lives of the millions and billions of other divorced women in the world, actually it would probably be better. There would be no ugly court hearings, no fear of custody battles, and no worry about not getting child support. I would continue to care for my children, my husband would pay for the children’s needs just as he did when we were married, and he would see them whenever he wanted. There is no talking bad about each other to the children or hating each other after marriage, in Islam it is taught that once the marriage is over you must treat each other with respect and courtesy. These Dr. Phil-esque episodic real life dramatics that are normal in many households are absolutely foreign to most Muslim households.
As far me having the right to chose to change my entire life, I absolutely have that right. My husband, his family, and my family have always left the door open for me to do whatever I feel is best for my life. My husband’s sister even once wrote my mother an email saying that she knows the stakes are high in my marriage based on me moving away from my family and starting a new life with my husband but that my mother should know that if I am ever truly unhappy with the life I had chosen in the Middle East both she and my husband as well as their mother would support me in going back to America. Her main concern was that if I was going to make such a decision I make it before any children are involved so to ease the pain and trauma inflicted on the children. This to me is more freedom, liberty, and respect of human happiness than any of my American, non-Muslim friends or family have received from their in-laws. My husband and I have already talked about all of the positive and negative possibilities that surround a “high stakes” marriage like ours and neither of us would do anything to cause any undue pain, suffering, or stress on each other or any children that me might have and unlike other people who might say things in the moment but then once something actually happens their actions deviate from the planned course, it is our faith and our desire to do what is right according to our love of Islam and our strong hope to please God which will keep us to our words, God willing. However, all thanks to God, I see our future as being blessed, bright, and happy…and as the Quran says “Among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your hearts. Undoubtedly in these are signs for those who reflect." (30:21)
As for those who are so "kindly" worried about me, perhaps you should spend your energy and concern on those who need it more than I do. My life does indeed consist of dangerous things, like snuggling my husband each night, laughing and playing with my students each day, hanging out with wildly opinionated and loud mouthed fellow Muslim American friends that are not at all hard to come by in Saudi Arabia…summers in Cairo spent at cafes on the Nile, afternoons at the country club, evenings spent in the warm embrace of a close knit family…so yes, I can see why you would be so concerned. However, I too an concerned. I am concerned about women who have lost all their sense of worth and dignity, women who have been so mind controlled and brain washed that they believe the only way for them to be “worth” anything is if they are the thinnest, most sexually desirable, young looking lady in town. Women who feel so inadequate that they maim their bodies at an attempt to achieve unattainable, plastic perfection, women who think it’s normal for men to cheat on them, give them STDs, have children out of wedlock, sleep with guys they just met at a bar, get molested as children, get date raped as teenagers, and get smacked around and emotionally destroyed as adults. I’m scared for all the girls watching MTV who think that Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are cool, who love to blast music which talks about them as b*tches…I’m scared for all the girls being raised in a society where status is achieved by who has the most material things or who the most men want to sleep with. I am scared that American girls think it’s feminine to be bad in Math and Science…these are the things that really worry me. So instead of wasting any time or energy worrying about me (I have a loving husband, mother, grandmother, sister-in-law, and friends to do that), perhaps you should look inside your own home; at your own daughter, niece, or granddaughter and focus some attention on the female hating war zone that they are growing up in. So as I commanded to prove that I have “nothing to fear”…so too do I command my accusers.
I have not given personal details about my life in a desperate attempt to solidify my argument, I have willfully chosen to do so because I have nothing to hide, I am quite proud and aboundingly happy with my life (all thanks to God) and thus I feel no harm or shame in sharing that reality with others.
Lastly, what disturbed me the most was the accusation that I do not submit to God but that I submit to men. Perhaps they don’t teach on Google that such a comment is not only hurtful, insulting, and inexcusable…but also unwarranted, unjustified, and untrue. I’ll accept ignorance as the apology.
I encourage all others who know what justice is to not be afraid of the new black lists being made for “muslim supporters”, or of the new McCarthy’s springing up left and right in an effort to scare and silence you. I have not been intolerant of anything save intolerance…nor am I guilty of saying anything other than the truth as I know it and so it is in the same spirit that I very proudly wear the scarlet “M” on my chest…
My Scarlet Letter...
Dear Google PhD’s,
After carefully reading through your in-depth posts I am bowled over by the amount of compassion and personal interest that you are taking in my life, I’m very touched.
The dictionary says that propaganda is: information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc. Interestingly enough this word actually has roots in the Roman Catholic church, dating back to 1622 when a committee of Cardinals was sent to supervise missionaries.
To throw the world “propaganda” around each time someone gives an argument that you don’t agree with seems like an abuse of the English language if you ask me. Each objective, historical point that I made was true and can be backed up with factual documentation. Each subjective point that I made was a matter of opinion and matters of opinion can not be considered “propaganda” unless the person is trying to pass opinion based lies off as fact based truths. None of that was taking place in any of my posts so I suspect that the careful usage of the term “propaganda” was aimed at hitting a dramatic high note and quite interestingly enough, by accusing an innocent person of propaganda for theatrical flair, I’d say the accuser thus becomes guilty of the accusation, no?
I am extremely shocked that someone who has never met me and who openly admits that their only knowledge of Islam comes from books published in America post 9/11 would decide that they have warrant to say that I chose to give up my liberty. Such a callus, defamation actually ran chills down my spine because it was a great illustration of how humans can very easily deem themselves worthy of planting poisonous seeds in the lives of strangers. Such people feel that after reading a book or two or watching a 20/20 segment or two that they are rightfully armed with enough wisdom and proper knowledge to accuse someone of something that might very well be diametrically apposed to everything the accused stands for. By giving breath or type to such venomous accusations the accuser is in essence solidifying the “guilty” verdict on someone and something that they truly have no right to even form an opinion about. This is actually a very common practice in propaganda, by accusing someone of something they are trapped in psychological quicksand, the more they try to defend the truth, the more people will assume they are guilty. I’ve been called subservient and silent, although I’ve clearly been one of the most outspoken and unrelenting with my opinions in this and myriad other threads.
It’s been said that “over there” I’m not free to speak my mind. Have you ever been “there”..by the way, just where exactly is "there" anyway? Perhaps "there" rests quietly some place between where the pilot in “The Little Prince” crashed and where “The English Patient” was filmed? Or maybe it is snuggled warmly between the infrared images of Baghdad and the shaking camera views of the West Bank? I’d love to know where “there” is. Perhaps we will find “them” “there”…I was born and raised for 24 years in the place that you consider “here”…in America, in North America, in the West, whatever “here” is to most of you. Although my longitude and latitude has changed along with my style of dress and certain rituals and beliefs in my life, I feel like exactly the same person that I was when I was a 10 year old Equestrian in New Jersey, or when I was a 17 year old blasting hip hop music out of the speakers in my first car, or when I was college co-ed pondering the realms of human existence while listening to Bob Marley. Just as my female friends who are 50 tell me that they still feel like the same person that they were when they were 20, only circumstances and conditions have changed…so too do I feel about my own life and my own spiritual/geographic journey. This daughter of college professor, globe trotting, hippies did not wake up one day and decide to change her name to “Ayesha Abdul Rahman Malik” and burn all her shorts and tank tops. My conversion and reversion to Islam has been a slow, careful, open minded ascension that started over six years ago. To think that I would suddenly wake up one day and decide that I no longer want to be a Muslim shows complete disregard for the way in which I became a Muslim and also shows a complete disregard for the roll that God’s hand has played in my life. The Quran says clearly that God guides and misguides whom he chooses, my accusers may not believe in this, but they would be remiss in neglecting to realize that I do.
What troubles me the most is that my accusers are demanding that I follow an abnormal course in my life. I am being told that if I have any regrets in my life it must be because my religion is horrible, although any other 24 year old would be told that regrets are normal rites of passage, that they build character and help us to define and solidify who we truly are. Anyone else who suffers any marriage problems or divorce is patted on the back and reminded of how common these things are among all couples and given pep talks to help boost their self esteem…but me, no…the demise of blessed union is already being predicted and the blame has already been put on Islam. When I look at this and many other sites I would have to search and search and search to find a single other Muslim, yet I can point and click my mouse blindly if I want to find what you call “hearts filled with tears”…yet if ever my heart becomes “filled with tears” it will be Islam’s fault?
We speak so heavily of this scary, horrid “there” place…as if there is no hope, no freedom, no joy in life “there”…yet, I highly doubt that any of these “there” experts have actually ever been “there” nor met “them”. Since now it seems that my “here” just might have become the “there” that folks love to speak about I would think that I have a more educated opinion on this dreadful place than people who take their “first hand” knowledge from second, third, twentieth hand information. What I see “there” are people filled with a passion and zeal for life. People brimming over with kindness, hospitality, and good humor. I see adults who can’t pass random children on the street with out stopping to greet and play with them, I see families who have not forgotten the meaning of family, and neighborhoods where you don’t have to lock your front door nor look over your shoulder when walking alone at night. I see a place overflowing with women doctors, lawyers, journalists, university professors, historians, and religious scholars…I see people who truly want to have the best life possible and do as much good as possible for their families, friends, and for humanity as a whole.
My husband happens to be one of those “horrible, scary” Arabs. Strangely enough this terrifying, woman stoning Arab fell in love with a loud mouthed, over bearing, dominant, politically obsessed American woman who comes from a family of nothing but strong minded and strong mouthed women. My husband and I have political debates on a daily basis (by the way our favorite topics to argue about are Israel, violence, different interpretations of Islam, etc…there are not topics that are off limits for us to discuss or for me to have a differing opinion about) and the one who always loses their cool and becomes too aggressive is me, not him. My husband, aside from my Mother and Grandmother is the biggest supporter of my dreams and he is always doing everything in his power to facilitate me obtaining those dreams. I was a Muslim for over five years before I even met my husband, my Islam has nothing to do with me being swept off my feet by a tall, dark, and handsome man who just happened to be a Muslim. If at this point the reader is urged to say “well that’s nice that you got lucky and got one of the few good ones” this would also be a gross inaccuracy. My husband is absolutely one of the best human beings I have ever met, but he is a typical Muslim man. My brother-in-law, my friend’s husbands, and all of the men in my husbands family and extended family as well as his friends are all laid back, open minded, highly educated, kind, gentle, morally driven men. The kind of men who will come home from the store and if the clerk accidentally gave them two of something and they only paid for one…lose sleep over this until they are able to return to the store and correct the error.
My husband is accused of wanting three more wives although he says on a daily basis that he can’t even handle one! My accusers act as if a non-Muslim woman is not in danger of not being “the only woman”. If we look at fact based statistics far more Muslim women are “the only woman” in their marriage than American women based on the huge amount of respect that Islam places on the union between husband and wife and the seriousness given to adultery. However, divorce is not considered sinful in Islam and if at any time the marriage is not working out for valid reason(s), both parties are free to end it. If my marriage (GOD FORBID) ended my life would not be unlike the lives of the millions and billions of other divorced women in the world, actually it would probably be better. There would be no ugly court hearings, no fear of custody battles, and no worry about not getting child support. I would continue to care for my children, my husband would pay for the children’s needs just as he did when we were married, and he would see them whenever he wanted. There is no talking bad about each other to the children or hating each other after marriage, in Islam it is taught that once the marriage is over you must treat each other with respect and courtesy. These Dr. Phil-esque episodic real life dramatics that are normal in many households are absolutely foreign to most Muslim households.
As far me having the right to chose to change my entire life, I absolutely have that right. My husband, his family, and my family have always left the door open for me to do whatever I feel is best for my life. My husband’s sister even once wrote my mother an email saying that she knows the stakes are high in my marriage based on me moving away from my family and starting a new life with my husband but that my mother should know that if I am ever truly unhappy with the life I had chosen in the Middle East both she and my husband as well as their mother would support me in going back to America. Her main concern was that if I was going to make such a decision I make it before any children are involved so to ease the pain and trauma inflicted on the children. This to me is more freedom, liberty, and respect of human happiness than any of my American, non-Muslim friends or family have received from their in-laws. My husband and I have already talked about all of the positive and negative possibilities that surround a “high stakes” marriage like ours and neither of us would do anything to cause any undue pain, suffering, or stress on each other or any children that me might have and unlike other people who might say things in the moment but then once something actually happens their actions deviate from the planned course, it is our faith and our desire to do what is right according to our love of Islam and our strong hope to please God which will keep us to our words, God willing. However, all thanks to God, I see our future as being blessed, bright, and happy…and as the Quran says “Among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your hearts. Undoubtedly in these are signs for those who reflect." (30:21)
As for those who are so "kindly" worried about me, perhaps you should spend your energy and concern on those who need it more than I do. My life does indeed consist of dangerous things, like snuggling my husband each night, laughing and playing with my students each day, hanging out with wildly opinionated and loud mouthed fellow Muslim American friends that are not at all hard to come by in Saudi Arabia…summers in Cairo spent at cafes on the Nile, afternoons at the country club, evenings spent in the warm embrace of a close knit family…so yes, I can see why you would be so concerned. However, I too an concerned. I am concerned about women who have lost all their sense of worth and dignity, women who have been so mind controlled and brain washed that they believe the only way for them to be “worth” anything is if they are the thinnest, most sexually desirable, young looking lady in town. Women who feel so inadequate that they maim their bodies at an attempt to achieve unattainable, plastic perfection, women who think it’s normal for men to cheat on them, give them STDs, have children out of wedlock, sleep with guys they just met at a bar, get molested as children, get date raped as teenagers, and get smacked around and emotionally destroyed as adults. I’m scared for all the girls watching MTV who think that Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are cool, who love to blast music which talks about them as b*tches…I’m scared for all the girls being raised in a society where status is achieved by who has the most material things or who the most men want to sleep with. I am scared that American girls think it’s feminine to be bad in Math and Science…these are the things that really worry me. So instead of wasting any time or energy worrying about me (I have a loving husband, mother, grandmother, sister-in-law, and friends to do that), perhaps you should look inside your own home; at your own daughter, niece, or granddaughter and focus some attention on the female hating war zone that they are growing up in. So as I commanded to prove that I have “nothing to fear”…so too do I command my accusers.
I have not given personal details about my life in a desperate attempt to solidify my argument, I have willfully chosen to do so because I have nothing to hide, I am quite proud and aboundingly happy with my life (all thanks to God) and thus I feel no harm or shame in sharing that reality with others.
Lastly, what disturbed me the most was the accusation that I do not submit to God but that I submit to men. Perhaps they don’t teach on Google that such a comment is not only hurtful, insulting, and inexcusable…but also unwarranted, unjustified, and untrue. I’ll accept ignorance as the apology.
I encourage all others who know what justice is to not be afraid of the new black lists being made for “muslim supporters”, or of the new McCarthy’s springing up left and right in an effort to scare and silence you. I have not been intolerant of anything save intolerance…nor am I guilty of saying anything other than the truth as I know it and so it is in the same spirit that I very proudly wear the scarlet “M” on my chest…
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