As American Muslims, should we stand with the Pilgrims or the Indians?

Since Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War, Americans have celebrated a November Thursday as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise. Since 1970, a Native American group in New England has observed this same day as a National Day of Mourning. They are descendents of the indigenous Wampanoag Indians who encountered the Pilgrims that landed at Plymouth Rock. Each year at Plymouth Rock itself, the group - along with hundreds of allies - mourn the theft of their lands and food by the Pilgrims, and the enslavement and subjugation of their ancestors. At the same time, they also look forward to an America filled with justice and freed of brutality.

So, should American Muslims give thanks and praise the Creator, or should we mourn on this day? We should both give thanks and remember the past. We should stand in earnest compassion with the Pilgrims and in genuine solidarity with the Indians, helping each in their needs. As the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "A person should help his brother whether he is the oppressor or the oppressed. If he is the oppressor he should prevent him from doing so, for that is his help; and if he is the oppressed he should be helped against oppression."

As Muslims, we should always be thankful and truly grateful for all that we have. Although things could be better, things could also always be much, much worse. We should be mindful of the distance we need to go - as individuals, as a community and as a country. As America marks a Day of Thanksgiving, let American Muslims also commit ourselves to both an unfailing gratitude and to the struggles for racial & economic justice and peace.

Let's make this a day of thanksgiving and remembrance of our heritage as American Muslims. Let's recount the warts and all, so we can better understand our role in America in these remarkable times.

This Thanksgiving, let's remember the Muslims who arrived in America in the hulls of slave ships after crossing the Middle Passage. After all, Malcolm X did say, "We didn't land on Plymouth Rock; Plymouth Rock landed on us!" Historians estimate that a quarter of African slaves brought to America were Muslim. When Alex Haley traced his Roots, he traced them through Kunte Kinte to a Muslim village in West Africa. Historian Sylviane Diouf has eloquently described this experience in her book "African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas". Let's give thanks for those lifted out of slavery, and for the dignity in struggle of the late Rosa Parks and her generation.

Let's remember the vision of religious pluralism of our Founding Fathers. According to James Hutson, chief of the Library of Congress' Manuscript division, the Founding Fathers - especially Thomas Jefferson & George Washington - "explicitly included Islam in their vision of the future of the republic". Thomas Jefferson was more proud of his effort to pass Virginia's landmark Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom in 1786 than he was of his presidency. (Some say a future president would be similarly more proud of his stint as the manager of baseball team in Texas.) In his Autobiography, Jefferson praised the Virginia Statute's "mantle of protection," which included "the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo and the Infidel." Let's give thanks for the religious freedoms we enjoy.

Let's remember the hand of friendship extended by the Sultan of Morocco, who made Morocco the first country to recognize the independence of the United States. Isn't it amazing that it is a Muslim land that has that honor? The 1787 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Morocco and the United States stands as the basis for the longest unbroken treaty relationship between the US and any foreign country in the history of the Republic. Let's give thanks for those sincere efforts at peacemaking and bridge building in our time.

Let's remember the great American landmark, the Washington Monument on the Capitol Mall in Washington, DC. It was completed in the 1880s in part with the gift of funds from the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul, who as Caliph was also the figurehead leader of all Muslims. The Sultan's subjects included the populations of today's Middle East hotspots: Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. If you go to the Washington Monument, you can see the Sultan's commemorative plaque inside the Monument, which features a specially commissioned calligraphed poem in the Arabic script for the American people. Let's give thanks for wisdom, foresight, and small kindnesses in our leaders, communities, and families.

Let's remember the first American colonial conquest & occupation in the Muslim world which occurred during the Philippines-American War in the early 20th century, a war in which about 1.4 million Filipinos died. General Pershing accomplished in 10 or so years what the Spanish couldn't in 400 years. Fresh from fighting the Sioux at Wounded Knee, Pershing helped conquer the Muslim Moro peoples of the southern Philippines. The Colt .45 Gun, which was the standard issue handgun of the US Armed Forces until 1985, was invented specifically for the conquest of the Muslim Moro peoples. In one fateful siege, the Battle of Bud Bagsak, American troops killed 2000-3000 Muslim men, women, and children. Let's give thanks for those Muslims and Christians in the Philippines and around the world who are today breaking barriers and working for a new dawn free of oppression, exploitation and hate.

Let's all remember our own shortcomings, and give thanks for the infinite mercy, forgiveness, and love of our Creator.

Let's give thanks. Let's pray and work for a future of peace, justice, and nonviolence.

"Hmmm, sounds like such people simply want to exploit our economy and social resources; sounds alot like reverse colonialism to me."

Hmm, sounds like reverse Bin Laden to me :)

re: "Colonialism is the military/economic and social conquest of a place without invitation for the express benefit of the conqueror."

All my life I've learned to grow a strong sense of resentment at European colonialism. But sometimes I wonder, didn't our own Muslim forefathers colonize half the world? It was probably just more successful in the long run (except in Spain), but we could say it was colonialism nonetheless. You could argue that the Arab Muslims weren't doing it for the sake of "the express benefit of the conqueror," but what is beneficial is purely subjective. When the white man colonized Africa/Asia, he thought he was doing the "natives" a lot of good.

In any case, my point is, there's a lot of nuances to these issues, and we've gotta handle it with care.

I'm also interested to learn to what extent we can go in defining a culture as more or less Islamic. Saudi Arabia celebrates a National Day on 23rd September and Pakistan celebrates an Independence Day on 14th August -- I would like to know how/why 4th July, or even Thanksgiving, can be any less "Islamic" than these holidays.

"Never have the armies of the North brought peace, prosperity, or democracy to the peoples of Asia, Africa, or Latin America. In the future, as in the past five centuries, they can only bring to these peoples further servitude, the exploitation of their labor, the expropriation of their riches, and the denial of their rights. It is of the utmost importance that the progressive forces of the West understand this."
Û Samir Amin

Whatever land a holy person stands on is holy land. Intention is everything. People (Muslims) who live in holy lands and go on commiting sins and living for dunya are not suddenly made holy for living in holy lands. Nonetheless, the exposure to holy land and other holy people do
have a profound effect on checking behavior and keeping people from
falling into greater problems. The real bad apples tend to leave, looking to maximize their share of dunya. Holy people, even if
subjected to harsh governments and difficult economical situations are protected because of their intentions. Like the birds, Allah is providing for them.

Muslims who are not rock solid in their belief and intentions are going
to suffer adverse affects from the constant exposure to non-Islamic
cultures - or keeping the company of other people whose tendencies are
towards the life of this world as opposed to holy people who understand that their riz is from Allah and they need not chase after it.

We are seeing the adverse effects of cable television throughout the
Middle East, it is destroying the culture, increasing crime, breaking families and changing the entire fabric of the economy. No one gets up before 11 to open their store anymore because they are up all night watching television.

The Muslim world at some point started believing that material goods, titles, jobs, advanced secular education and technology was the answer to their problems. They could not be more mistaken. Dr. Robert Crane
resenltly wrote an article, "Why Are Muslims the Dregs of the World, Mere Scum at the Bottom of the Barrel?", it mentioned how few Nobel Peace Prize winners there were in the Muslim world - as if that was the goal - to win a secular award - to be more like them to follow their way and their example.

Muslims need to return to a simplified, natural holistic way of life. They should learn a simple craft or trade. Parents who send their children to Shaitons headquarters - Universities - are tossing their kids to the wolves. They draw you away from Islam. This does not mean be ignorant, it means the knowledge you run after will not benefit you other than to increase your bank account. As Muslims we need training in how to loose our dentity - to realize we are nothing - then and only then do you become something.

I could elaborate on this and likely will in the near future. For the most part the Muslims are on a course that should read. WRONG WAY!

FC,

Let's start with something very basic.

A, B, C, D

That should be enough for today. :)

Arafat,

You bring up a lot of interesting points. That colonization debate definitely is nuanced. I was just objecting to another Muslim claiming that Muslims in the West are practicing reverse colonialism.

Yeah, excesses by Muslim rulers are plenty and you could call many colonialists but there was definitely a difference. From the beginning, the Prophet (SAWS) sent out notices to the rulers of the great powers to embrace Islam and to allow for its spreading in their dominions. Needless to say that was rejected which led to conquest.

What was the nature of that conquest? I would argue it was much more benign(generally) than western colonialism. Why? because the issue was more the rulership of Muslims and the ability to have Muslim presence in the culture and less on establishing an economic and social stranglehold on the colonized territory.

Eg. In Egypt, after its conquest, the vast majority of people were Christian Copts and Coptic speaking - it wasn't until centuries afterward that these Copts became Arabized and Islamicized. One account I had read said that Coptic was still the language of use for large areas well until the 10 century - some 300 hundred years after conquest. I'm not as well-versed in this early Egytian history but that is how I remember some of the accounts.

This contrasts to what the Spanish did in the 15th century - I mean they had the political and military power overall of Spain - but they went further and decided that social engineering/colonialism was necessary by expelling Jews and Muslims. You could take a look at what Leopold II did in Belguim - the unbievably extractive nature of the colonialism there.

You could argue that these are isolated cases and that not all western colonialism was bad. And I would say yes that's true. But Islamic conquest/colonialism was in general more benign than the western one from the early conquests to Ottomons.

You could define a culture as Islamic if it's majore values/beliefs/practices conform to Islam. Needless to say, not everything will. National Day/Independence Day are not Islamic nor are Thanksgiving/4th July. But you can choose to celebrate what you will.

My objective with regard to this article was not to decree or forbid Thanskgiving as un-Islamic, it was to say please don't associate/relate it to Islam. If that was not the intent of the author, then I apologize but that was the impression I got.

I would agree with Friendly Combatant's point in that Muslims in America need to establish ALTERNATIVE lifestyles and institutions to the mainstream. By being consumers in the same system and financing the same corporate products and working for the same, basically Muslims are part of the problem. The problem that has forced Bush Inc. to attack Iraq and the Middle East in general in search of cheap oil.

One day, a typical Amreekan Muslim friend of mine, with a castle in the suburbs and a Minivan et al, calls me up and excitedly starts telling me about the Amish people in Pennsylvania. And what they do and how they live. At the end, he goes, we need to meet these people and tell them about Islam. Take them to a mosque and show them what they are missing. I could nt stop laughing at the irony. We need to take the Amish in our gas guzzling SUVs to the local palace we called Mosque and show them this is Islam, which they should be practicing???? Or should they drag us in their horse carts to their simple life and cottage industries and tell us this is the Islam you all harp about, but we are practicing????

The average Amreekan Muslim aspires for the same goodly life the average American does. Then what does America need Islam for???? The average American Chrisitian may very well ask, you drive the same cars, live in the same houses, send your kids to the same schools, buy goods from the same stores, watch the same media, your mosques look like churches and hold the same functions, then why do you complain when our government behaves the way it does??? It is only trying to preserve our way of life which you yourself want to live????

>>Muslims need to return to a simplified, natural holistic way of life. They should learn a simple craft or trade.

Well, that's not such a good idea when the countries around you crave the advancement of technology and can use it to wipe out the simple-life people in, oh about, 5 minutes.

Yeah, I don't think the author was trying to associate/relate Thanksgiving to Islam. If anything, it is the people who decry Thanksgiving as un-Islamic that like to use Islam for the purpose of arguments. Someone remarked that the Friday khutbas at almost every masjid before and after Thanksgiving necessarily talk about how for Muslims every day is Thanksgiving. Well, guess what. Sure enough, I go to jumu'a today and that's exactly what I hear: for us Muslims, every day is a day to be thankful. Yes, of course. Honestly, it's really not much different for Christians, or Jews, or others - they too believe in being thankful every day. I mean, why make it such a big deal? What's this perceived threat that seems to be bugging us Muslims? Why do we have to be so defensive? Can we not just stop making a deal deal of all this holiday talk and discuss something like how to become better Muslims? And that's where I think this author is admirable, because he points out how an American Muslim may take note of this holiday (after all, we do get school/work off, don't we?) without fear of sinning. Yes, whether one wishes to "celebrate" or not is his/her own business, but there's no reason to collectively feel guilty or threatened, to the point that we must begin ranting about how every day is thanksgiving.

Sorry if I made an issue out of the colonialism thing, because that's not so relevant on this page. Nevertheless, I don't think it's important to debate Muslim versus European colonialism. It's just important that we be aware of perspectives, and how that can change things. A consequence of Muslim "colonization" was some degree of Arabization of nearly half the world. We may see it as a good thing, others may not. On the other hand, I'm sure there are many in "the West" (or even in "the East") who believe that European colonizers brought us at least something good, like English and French education. (Now, Friendly Combatant above probably believes that they also brought us "Shaiton's headquarters - universities," even though some scholars like George Makdisi believe that the idea of the university partially grew out of the medieval Arabic madrasah).

>>My objective with regard to this article was not to decree or forbid Thanskgiving as un-Islamic, it was to say please don't associate/relate it to Islam.

Aren't these two things nearly the same? If you want somethin to be NOT associated with the whole way-of-life Islam, isn't this just a round about way of saying you think it is un-Islamic?

And, I'm not trying to browbeat you, just to show you that maybe your concept of the Islamic way of life seems to conflict with that of your host-country and can have some adverse consequences for your future. So, you said your culture is more Islamic but then say "What is not better is the economic/social and gov't situation". To me, if the economic, social AND political situation is messed up, then that means the culture is: 1) inherently too weak to affect people; 2) just the culture of your household and not the culture of your parents' country, 3) The culture simply isn't as Islamic as you think.

BTW, Canada has definitely beat the US in terms of cleanliness and overall pleasantness of living, except for Hudson Bay, though ;-)

>>The average Amreekan Muslim aspires for the same goodly life the average American does. Then what does America need Islam for????

did you miss the part about Islam telling people to worship the one God?? I think sometimes we get way too infatuated with using Islam as a Marxist-like ideology. We mistake Islam as being a solely social ideology and completely ignore the spiritual aspects. So, even people in SUVs who "are riding with bin Laden" deserve to know and have the opportunity to worship Allah.

But Asif, I don't understand your point. If you really think the Amish are doing our job of being pious, then why does Bush Inc. continue to exist? I'd also be very happy to learn how you propose I live our "alternative" lifestyle. Please manufacture different cars (or horse-cart, whatever you prefer), different houses, and different stores, and then we can think about it.

I also don't understand why you keep assuming we MUST stay in America? If you don't want to be a consumer in the same system and finance the same corporate products, then isn't it kind of bigoted to make money out of this system? It's really like taking over someone's farm, eating off of his crops, but then wanting to build my own house on that farm coz I don't want to live with you coz you're different. And sorry, I don't want to plant crops on your infidel farm either, coz I don't want to finance the system. And yet I continue to live off of your farm, coz sorry but my farm back home is economically/politically messed up.

Huh.

Now I'm not one for "assimilation," whatever that means. But I'm open to ideas and critical thinking, and I also believe the starting point for all should be to not be bigots.

OmarG, you hit on the nerve man! It's seriously about time we remember that Islam has something to do with worshipping Allah. It's not all about Bush Inc.

Ibn El-Arabi said it best,

"There are three forms of knowledge. The first is intellectual knowledge, which is in fact only information and the collection of facts, and the use of these to arrive at further intellectual concepts. This is intellectualism."

"Second comes the knowledge of states, which included both emotional feeling and strange states of being in which man thinks that he has perceived something supreme but cannot avail himself of it. This is emotionalism."

"Third comes real knowledge, which is called the Knowledge of Reality. In this form, man can perceive what is right, what is true, beyond the boundaries of thought and sense."

"Scholastics and scientists (and immigrant Muslims) concentrate upon the first form of knowledge. Emotionalists and experientialists use the second form. Others use the two combined, or either one alternatively."

"But the people who attain to truth are those who know how to connect themselves with the reality which lies beyond both these forms of knowledge. These are the real Sufis, the Dervishes who have Attained.

Now that being said, we could begin a fruitful discussion on the benefits of modern day Universities and technology.

Muslims can not use fire to destroy their enemy, so all firearms are out. It is not our swords that defeat our enemy it is Allah and our pure hearts and the fact that before we have entered any conflict our egos have been completly controled. If not, it is murder. Most "Muslims" have no idea what power a real human being posses and what tools Allah has provided them. You are all stuck in your mind, not able to see - let alone experience these things. Jedi knights times one-hundred. You never want to have to face a real Muslim in battle. Jet fighters would flee a real Muslim. But you do not understand the level of a real human being and the power they may posses - so you run after dunya and stay distracted in theis temporary illusional world.

Such foolish people to trade something so great for something so little.

Universities train you to be in the mind - really to stay trapped in the mind. They are businesses that package and label you for sale to industry. They make and keep you as the slaves that you are - never seeing what it is to be a real himan being. I am a doctor, I am a lawyer, I am a scientist - your egos love your titles.

To be a real Muslim you must strip yourself from all of these notions of self - your heart must be emptied so it can be expanded and filled with real understanding. But y'all so busy thinking and pondering and building your identities that you will never see the truth.

Sad and pathetic and you will be lost on the day that this all becomes clear to you.

If one of you understands this, I'll be happy.

We shall delve further to the core of this discussion, very much related to the article itself, and that is about Muslims separating or integrating within the American mainstream

Arafat writes:
ÏI also don't understand why you keep assuming we MUST stay in America? If you don't want to be a consumer in the same system and finance the same corporate products, then isn't it kind of bigoted to make money out of this system? It's really like taking over someone's farm, eating off of his crops, but then wanting to build my own house on that farm coz I don't want to live with you coz you're different. And sorry, I don't want to plant crops on your infidel farm either, coz I don't want to finance the system. And yet I continue to live off of your farm, coz sorry but my farm back home is economically/politically messed up.Ó

Well said, my friend. Let us explore this further. It was not that along ago, there were no white folks (and their black farm animals) up there in America. Tomahawk Îbeat youÌre a** with my axeÓ Indians ruled the plains. The white folks originally came as refugees from continental Europe. But soon took over the entire continent and displaced the Indians. Why? Perhaps because their way of life was superior to that of the Indians. Over time, America has evolved into what it is today. At home, the record of freedom and individual accomplishment of Americans is enviable and second to none. Their system of things allows man to live in dignity and security. Things work there, plenty of food to eat, clean roads and fair marketplaces with little corruption, an open media, you name it, its there.

But, there is an ugly underside to this whole squeaky clean civilization. And that ugly side is slowly slowly coming out into the open. America is basically becoming a warlord, a warmongerer. There is big talk of humanity and compassion and democracy, but America only exports Weapons of Mass Destruction, and only to places from whence it can get something back in return. Its behavior in the Middle East is downright shameful in its crudeness of self-interest and lip service to democracy.

Over time, the system is going to fall apart. Some say, was the gas price to triple today, the American way of life will disappear today. Which is a very flaky lifestyle if it is so dependent on such a minor commodity fluctuation. And I believe it. And the evidence is for all to see. The Attack on Iraq is surely outrageous, for a so-called Ïcivilized nationÓ to go against all other nations of the world and take it upon itself to attack another country in the modern age where everything is out in the open, it is remarkable in its crudeness. Is there any doubt in anyoneÌs mind, that if Iraq did not have crude oil, and neighbors with much more of the same, America would have bothered??? With China noow beginning to hog up world resources, suddenly the Americans feel the pressure of escalating commodity prices.

And if you look at the American lifestyle, you see why America is turning into a ugly monster. On any average day, count the number of cars in rush hour parked bumper to bumper and see how many have more than one occupant inside. On any given day, count the passengers on all the planes in American skies, and you shall find 2/3rd of them would not have bothered with the flight had the ticket price been twice as much, ie. their trip is really frivolous and a phone call would have served the same purpose. But they chose to fly, stay at a hotel, rent a car and eat out, etc etc etc. And so it is true, if gas cost $5/gallon, how many cars will GM produce and how many planes will Boeing manufacture. Surely the economy will shrink, as people learn to stay at home and carpool with their family members, never mind strangers!!!!!!!!

The whole point of this essay is this. Every society aspires to be civilized, to allow dignity and justice to the masses. The Americans have achieved that by creating a consumerist society at the cost of being brutal overseas and keeping the prices of imported commodities cheap. 9/11 is just the beginning of many more 9/11s as people rebel against such imperial overlordship. America has to repress and manipulate and connive abroad if it is to maintain law and order and civility at home. Because cheap oil is all they have, they do not have principles and morals, they did away with those centuries ago before coming from Europe. Once the oil is gone, there goes the civility.

It is, theoretically, we Muslims who have real civility and morality (I donÌt see it ;-), but IÌm repeatedly told a the mosque that it is we who have it, ha ha ha). Supposedly, it is us Muslims who now have the superior lifestyle to the so-called American lifestyle, which is going to displace them, like they displaced the Indians 300 years ago. Which is why we are here!!!! ÏTo conquer the AmericasÓ (from an old Tosdisos brand TV Ad). So the question is this, what lifestyle is it??????

If we live like Americans (ASSIMILATE), then what solution did we bring to AmericaÌs disease. Belief in One God???? What does that mean in practical terms???? Sounds great, but it is just a slogan, how does it translate into practical lifestyle???? If practically, we live the same lifestyle as the Americans, are caught everyday in rush hour one man one vehicle, travel year round taking advantage of cheap flights, watch the same reality shows as them, live in the same palaces as them, educate our children the same way as them, buy the same advertised brands as them, then whither tawheed???

I am not suggesting Seperation per se. I have nothing against assimilation. Suppose I "assimilate" and treat all the people in my building as family. Take an active interest in their affairs and visit them often and help them out. That is Islam right!! The problem is this. Most of them partake of alcohol, wear horrribly revealing clothes, sexes intermingle left, right and center, solve all their worldly problems with bank loans!!!!! How is one to bond with ones neigbours when most of the basic needs in life, sex, food, earning etc are satiated, if not thru outrright haram, then atleast from questionable means and methods, islamically speaking??

It is precisely why many Muslims in the West segregate. And try to form communities of Muslims and hope they can attract the odd wary Westerner into their own fold by showing a model community. Because assimilating only exposes themselves to debauchery and compromising situations, day-in day-out.

I suspect that it is a refined sense of right vs. wrong, prohibited vs. permitted, halal vs. haram, that distinguishes Muslims from "Westerners" in general. The average Westerner's life philosophy is "mind your own business" and unfortunately that is not good enough for Muslims. Once St. Paul did away with the halal/haram in God's religion, that was the point where Islam came in and created an indivisible chasm.

It is this that is supposed to rescue America from itself. Without divine prohibitions, man tends towards the self-destructive.