Washington, DC

  For as long as I can remember, when faced with sensationalistic media coverage of terrorism that immediately blames Islam for the acts of Muslims, I have responded confidently that such connections are simplistic and untrue. With the 9/11 attacks, my religious identity became inextricably linked with my spokesperson self, and in recent years, I have found it increasingly difficult to distinguish between the spiritual and the controversial – to find the faith among social commentary.

I am sure the same can be said of many of us who are concerned about how Islam is handled by the media and perceived by the American public. In rushing to defend Islam, we often find our connection with Islam somehow reduced to soundbytes; Islam's principles are simplified to convenient factual tidbits. Islam is a religion of peace, jihad is largely about the struggle for inner purification, Islam gave women their rights well before any other civilization did, and so on.

One favorite that I myself have used many times is "a religion cannot be judged solely on the misdeeds of its adherents." We spokespeople try to distance Islam from the corruption and terrorism of some Muslims, insisting that the two cannot be conflated. Each time another Muslim commits a heinous crime and the media jumps on his/her Muslim-ness as an explanation for his/her actions, we spokespeople are quick to point out the logical fallacy of such an equation.

The task has become increasingly complicated as more and more Muslim criminals use Islam as their justification. Islam becomes part of the motive, and is itself put on trial—literally—in the case of prosecuted terrorists. Islam, as interpreted by some and colored by sociopolitical factors, can and has been used to motivate violence.

As of last week, it became even more complicated. Muzzammil Hassan, the founder of Bridges TV, a Muslim-interest network which aims "to foster a greater understanding among many cultures and diverse populations," confessed to the police that he had beheaded his wife, Aasiya Zubair Hassan. As the news accounts go, Hassan walked to the police station after killing his wife and informed the police that his wife was dead. The police went to the Bridges TV headquarters to find Hassan's wife lying decapitated in the hallway, having apparently died hours earlier. The potential motive? According to the victim's lawyer, Hassan's wife had recently filed for divorce after eight years of a physically abusive marriage.

The incident has shocked and horrified the community, and many commentators have rushed to again state that the acts of one crazed individual cannot represent an entire religion. There is no doubt that this statement is true. Regardless of whether Hassan was or was not a devout Muslim, his actions are not necessarily rooted in his religious beliefs. Emotions, mental illness, his baser self—all of these are surely at the root of his professed violence.

However, Hassan himself has complicated the Muslim vs. Islam distinction. Like many of us, he strove to be Islam's spokesperson, and he did it in a much bigger and more public way. As founder of a TV channel devoted to dispelling stereotypes of Islam, he placed himself in a position of power and influence. He set himself out as a representative for Islam, and now that very act of representation will serve to conflate his actions with Islam.

At the very least, what do his actions say about the spokespeople for peaceful Islam? How credible are the soundbytes when the spokesperson himself does not act on them?

"A religion cannot not be judged solely on the misdeeds of its adherents – or of its spokespeople." Fair enough, but the argument is beginning to feel a bit strained.

Further blurring the line between the actor and the religion is Hassan's choice to kill his wife by beheading her, thus invoking images of a male master punishing a female for violating his orders. Indeed, the incident has already been labeled an honor killing by a number of commentators, some of whom are careful to distinguish between domestic violence and the largely Muslim phenomenon of honor killings. Not only did Hassan fail to serve as a spokesperson for peaceful Islam, he also helped fortify some of the most extreme stereotypes about the religion.

Beyond the slogans

While Bridges may have been founded to bridge the gap between East and West and help bring about cultural understanding, Hassan's actions have made the road painfully longer and more tortuous. He has undermined the credibility of the very spokespeople who work to create a more positive image of Islam.

In exposing the hypocrisy of the spokesperson, though, Hassan's actions serve as an urgent call to all of us spokespeople to step away from the soundbytes and begin to live our religion again. Constantly caught up in the social commentary—the debates and blogs and conferences and, yes, TV channels—we need to delve deeper and take more seriously the task of representing Islam through our actions and character rather than the slogans and clichés.

It seems that the call is being heard already. Imam Mohamed Hagmajid Ali, the Executive Director of the ADAMS Center and the Vice-President of ISNA, issued an open letter in response to the Hassan incident, urging "fellow imams and community leaders to never second-guess a woman who comes to [them] indicating that she feels her life to be in danger." He points out that no woman in a healthy marriage would accuse her husband wrongfully, and that the credibility of her claims should thus never be doubted. Abused women should be given a safe haven, while the abusive spouses should be dealt with strongly and categorically. As the imam notes, "Our community needs to take strong stand against abusive spouses and we should not make it easy for them to remarry if they chose a path of abusive behavior."

He goes on to say that young men should be taught that terror has no place in marriage, and young woman should be taught to never accept and keep silent about marital abuse. And "[n]o imam, mosque leader or social worker should suggest that [the abused woman] return to such a relationship and to be patient if she feels the relationship is abusive."

The absolutism and specificity of the imam's words makes his message a call to action rather than a mere pep talk. He is not merely a spokesperson; he is setting the parameters of appropriate action and communicating a zero tolerance policy for domestic abuse. The shift is a critical one.

I personally know of other women in the ADAMS Center community who have approached the imam for help with domestic abuse issues and hope to see the zero tolerance policy translated into similarly concrete action for them, just as Muslim leaders across the nation and the world need to do that for their communities. A national event has already been planned for the Friday sermon on February 20, 2009, where imams across the nation are being asked to make clear that domestic violence will not be tolerated in our communities.

The Hassan incident beckons these imams, and all of us spokespeople for Islam, to take the offensive rather than merely the defensive—to go beyond the soundbytes to criticize the wrongdoers among us and eradicate the source of abuse.

Fine, let's lobby for the Shariah punishment for this, which is death contrary to the laws of some so-called "Islamic" states which give some men a slap on the wrist. Of course, all the "Shariah Now!" people will stop short of demanding this punishment for him, I'm sure...

I doubt this story would have received as much attention had the story revolved around Muslims. That being said, it's appalling that usual suspects are already working on exploiting this tragedy to attack Islam. The issue of domestic violence will once again be hijacked by those who are no friends of the Muslim community. Take the neocon idiot who posted above me for instance. No humility, no respect for the dead, just another excuse to babble the same old failed talking political talking points.

>Fine, let's lobby for the Shariah punishment for this, which is death contrary to the laws of some so-called "Islamic" states which give some men a slap on the wrist.<

You mean the banana republics and client regimes under your belt? Speaking of getting away with a slap on the wrist, it sounds a lot like the "punishments" meted out to war criminals whose invasion you were cheer leading for.

>Of course, all the "Shariah Now!" people will stop short of demanding this punishment for him, I'm sure...<

Rubbish, quit being a disingenuous simpleton. I will say this though, you're showing a heck of lot more "outrage" at this then the damage control you tried pulling when your comrades in the army raped and murdered 14 year old Abeer Hamza and her family in Iraq. Funny how the blood of one Muslim is halal and the others isn't...

Too bad it wasn't you on that floor... Most people with humanity would be more worried about the kids, but all your pathetic sorry ass excuse of a person cares about is neocons, Iraq, etc while completely missing the point. I dare you to take the Arab balls out of your mouth long enough to say all this at a memorial for her. I guess you would care more about the incident itself and not who's "hijacking" it (ignoring your own hijacking it) if she was Iraqi, or if she was X or Y. You're part of the problem which is why it should have been you and not her.

Some facts about true message of Islam and the apologetic slogans.

Islam is NOT a "religion of peace" in literary sense. It offers peace to people who want to live in peace with the Believers. If a non-Muslim community keep acting hostile to the Believers - the divine command is to make sure that that threatening non-Muslim community never lift its murderous hands on the Believers. During the Prophet's (pbuh) life - the Believers were forced to over 78 wars and military expeditions.The Prophet (pbuh) himself lead eight of them.

There six kind of Jihads mentioned in Islamic literature. The five are to prepare a Believer for the ULTIMATE Jihad - the miltary Jihad (Jihad fi sabi Allah).

Islamic Shri'ah punishments are much more human than the Jewish punishments ordered in Torah (The Old Testament), especially for the women - who are considered to be born in SIN).

http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/though-the-eyes-of-a-muslimah/

This crime is atrocious and should be condemned in the strongest possible terms, and should be a means to raise awareness of the injustice of domestic violence that pervades human societies. No doubt.

But let's not forget that a few weeks earlier a man in LA murdered his entire family. He belonged to a different religion (he was white). I don't see why we should treat either of these cases much differently. Both are abhorrent. Religion is only marginally relevant, as it usually is.

But let's not forget that a few weeks earlier a man in LA murdered his entire family. He belonged to a different religion (he was white). I don't see why we should treat either of these cases much differently. Both are abhorrent. Religion is only marginally relevant, as it usually is.>>>>>

Exactly. He was a white Christian so it was a tragic isolated occurence and a sign of the times. Had he been black, it would have ben because of his race, if he was Muslim, it would have been an Islamic honor killing.

Let's not forget that the lesson here is that in our Muslim communities, we ( = me and you, yes *you*) need to make a stand when we know or think a sister is being abused. Too often we just make up lame excuses why we shouldn't get involved or present even more lame bullsh-- about this or that foreign occupation. Yes, getting involved is messy, but guess what: if you and me don't get involved and stop it, then we end up with the sister's head on the floor near her body along with a couple of orphans. So, let's cut the sh-- about bemoaning the damned media and start bemoaning that this crap happens inside our own mosques everyday!

>>inside our own mosques everyday!

should read: "inside our own *communities* everyday!"

>Too bad it wasn't you on that floor... Most people with humanity would be more worried about the kids, but all your pathetic sorry ass excuse of a person cares about is neocons, Iraq, etc while completely missing the point.<

Looks like I struck a nerve. The point is that you're not a member of the Muslim community, Gumby. You're a white supremacist who despises Muslims, you've made that abundantly clear with all racist nonsense you've posted over the years. And of course this is all relevant since you're a neocon who's supported the mass murder of countless innocent Muslim men, woman and children, so why in the world would anyone think you're being sincere now, spineless liar and hypocrite?

>I dare you to take the Arab balls out of your mouth long enough to say all this at a memorial for her.<

Thanks for proving my point. Notice how he brings up Arabs, folks, not to mention the homosexual innuendo present in his posts. I guess you can't help it given all years you spent being "drilled" in the army. I dare you to give up your racism. I know you are still very bitter at being dumped by an Arab, I know you're upset that your feeble attempts to "woo" sisters on the internet via cyber stalking were equally as fruitless. I'm guessing domestic violence, in addition to a lack of personality and maturity played a major role in their rejection of you. Good for them, they can do better then trailer trash.

>I guess you would care more about the incident itself and not who's "hijacking" it (ignoring your own hijacking it) if she was Iraqi, or if she was X or Y. You're part of the problem which is why it should have been you and not her.<

Her nationality and location are unimportant. Violence is violence, which is why I highlighted your wholehearted endorsement of one case and feigned outrage over another. Whats your excuse, munafiq?
The fact of the matter is you tried to hijack the story for your own petty and sick political ramblings, as usual directed at the entire Muslim community with blanket attacks. You're doing exactly what the media does whenever a the word "Muslim" is involved. A woman has been murdered and you're dancing over her grave. If you were a man, you would be ashamed.

>You're part of the problem which is why it should have been you and not her.<

Threats? One can practically taste the bitterness and criminality in this statement. The end result of repeated humiliation.
I've always been a strong advocate of woman's defense, physical training, legal use of fire arms and all that. That should help deter the usual suspects(generally men who fit your racial profile, in American society), and if not you can join the likes of Jeffry Dahmer in a well deserved dirt nap.

bring it on, baby... you just tell me when and where, lol. But we all know you're just a loud-mouthed coward who twists facts and words to suit your own dementedly neurotic "I can't fit in and they won't accept me while I'm making as much money as I can as a quack!"

Put your money where your mouth is:
* volunteer your medical services in Palestine,
* volunteer to treat Abeer's surviving relatives free of charge in Iraq,
* or come see me; you know where I am.

>Exactly. He was a white Christian so it was a tragic isolated occurence and a sign of the times. Had he been black, it would have ben because of his race, if he was Muslim, it would have been an Islamic honor killing.<

Exactly. Can you imagine the feeding frenzy the scum would have gone into had Josepf Fritzl, the Polish beast who trapped and raped his own daughter in a dungeon for 24 years been Muslim. We wouldn't hear the end of it.
"Honor killings" are nothing but an attempt to present domestic violence as something foreign and exotic. They are as American as apple pie.
I'm undecided whether the following website is the work of a satirist or a racist isolated nut job(radical black Israelites, perhaps?) who basically does the same irresponsible thing as the mainstream media, except he turns it around on whites :

http://www.whitewatch.wordpress.com

drmaggot, why are you such a coward? why not reveal yourself if you think you're so tough. cowards like you often resort to deleting comments that call out on your support for taliban apologists in your cesspool of a blog.

why not take up on omarg's offer or be a loud mouthed coward?

bloody hack that you are.

>Put your money where your mouth is:
* volunteer your medical services in Palestine,
* volunteer to treat Abeer's surviving relatives free of charge in Iraq,
* or come see me; you know where I am.

eh, i doubt he would. he's too busy foaming his mouth while defending nitwit e-jihadis on forums such as 7cgen or islamicawakening. notice that he is not outraged over this at all, just like he is not outraged when his taliban fascists go around killing women and shias. it does not bother him one bit, yet he goes around defending taliban apologists such as khalid yasin. he's a hack, and a loud mouthed coward who refuses to reveal his identity because he knows he get his ass handed to him in real life.

Greetings and Salutations!

I heard through the grapevine that things are heating up here. We think that this incident is indeed an outrage. Inhumane and simply disgusting. Anyone who supports the decapitation of women must have serious mental issues.

Folks,

I have been to http://WWW.Whitewatch.Wordpress.com it is the biggest anti-white blog on the internet.

>But we all know you're just a loud-mouthed coward who twists facts and words to suit your own dementedly neurotic "I can't fit in and they won't accept me while I'm making as much money as I can as a quack!"<

Well, aren't you bitter? That was a perfect description of you, spineless neocon. Don't be jealous and upset that I actually did something usefull in school unlike your wasted life in the army. But this isn't about you, or your failed relationships, or your racism, or your hypocrisy. A woman has been brutally murdered and you're trying to gain traction using her death to push your political agenda. Very low, even by your standards. Tell me, as an outsider what is your opinion of the human race?

>or come see me; you know where I am.<

Actually I don't, nor do I care. What exactly is it that you do again? Fellate for gas at the pump? As for charity work, been there, done that and continue to do so. But if you can arrange a visa for me to go to "israel" for charity work in the occupied territories I'll be grateful. Your neocon kneepads indicates that you have connections. I can understand your need for a physical confrontation after the humilation you've endured online after being exposed so many times. Trust me, it would not be in your favor.

> why not reveal yourself if you think you're so tough. cowards like you often resort to deleting comments that call out on your support for taliban apologists in your cesspool of a blog.<

Its called having standards, "hazarajat." Your comment was deleted for its rampant stupidity and slander. You're welcome to eat as much of Robert Spencer's feces as you wish, but you're not going to do it on my blog. Your obnoxiousness tells me the only cesspool is the one between your ears. Sheikh Khalid Yasin is not a Taliban sympathizer, nor is he an extremist. I don't where you got that from, but my advice would be to lay off the chronic or whatever you're freebasing. In fact I think extremist Shia like you have far more in common with the Taliban loonies. That is assuming you're who you claim to be.
Taqiyya is big nowadays.

>why not take up on omarg's offer or be a loud mouthed coward?<

I don't see an offer, all I see is neocon prostitute posturing b/c he can't escape his own hypocrisy. This isn't high school, sonny. If you're so hard for the Taliban, go join a death squad, Uncle Sam and the Iranians can help you with that.
But all is not lost, I'm sure theres a Motel6 where you can consumate your e-love with omarg. Remember to use protection, army boys tend to carry quite an assortment of STDs. But all jokes aside, stay on topic, grow up or leave the discussion to the adults.

Yo, Dr Madness!

I am just entertained by how you think you know me simply through some demographic attributes. But you can't even get that right, because you insist on asserting I was in the Army when in fact everyone knows I was a Marine. But hey, we shouldn't let simple mistakes of fact like that to disrupt the steady stream of cheap entertainment coming from all that cowardly hot air you blow while sitting on your arse.

TheOnion.com hasn't been very funny this week, so we in the office are relying on you for some comic relief. Don't let us down, man!

Oh, and before I give my attention to those more deserving this morning, I do need to take this time to fulfill my Islamic obligations to my Muslim brother (I thought I was going to choke on that one...). You having a hard-on for another male is both unhealthy and un-Islamic. So, come on down here and join our fight club so I can cure you of that in short-order. You'll thank me for it later; I'll even go easy enough on you so you can put that crackerjack-box of a medical degree to good use on yourself, lol. Come on, show us you actually have a pair!

This thread is really happening. Hey Omar, check out http://www.Whitewatch.wordpress.com You'll enjoy the level of satirical humor there. Don't let Dr. Madness irritate you. Everyone knows in the internet community that he has removed your peanut sized testicles and donated them to "Ripley's Believe it or Not". At first they thought they came from a hamster. But getting down to business, I have skimmed over the comments left buy Hazarajat, AKA "Lost in Cyberspace" and OmarG AKA "Mr. I can't score with Arab Women because I am True Pole Polisher". Dude, Dr.M has neutered many foes and is hailed as a hero internationally. So please show some respect to the man who takes on everyone with a dirty hidden agenda.
You posted:

"You having a hard-on for another male is both unhealthy and un-Islamic. So, come on down here and join our fight club so I can cure you of that in short-order. You'll thank me for it later."

So how exactly do you propose to cure someone of homosexuality when you have been rejected by a woman for such reasons. Hmmmmmmm, I wonder if she found out that you are indeed a prick who never left the closet or the San Francisco bath house for that matter?

For those of you who are not familiar with us. We are Napoleon II, viva la France.

>I am just entertained by how you think you know me simply through some demographic attributes. I was in the Army when in fact everyone knows I was a Marine.<

The army and marines being two different services of cannon fodder is irrelevant to this conversation. Most people don't know nor do they particularly care.

>TheOnion.com hasn't been very funny this week, so we in the office are relying on you for some comic relief. Don't let us down, man!<

Not a problem. I didn't know you had an office at the local drive through car wash. Who says 6 years at community college didn't pay off?

>You having a hard-on for another male is both unhealthy and un-Islamic.<

Really? As I recall you're the one who started speaking of "hard ons" and other lovely expressions. I know getting back stage passes and bum rushes in your line of work is a given but really you should keep your deviance to yourself. Its unislamic, unhealthy and rather disgusting.

>So, come on down here and join our fight club so I can cure you of that in short-order. You'll thank me for it later; I'll even go easy enough on you so you can put that crackerjack-box of a medical degree to good use on yourself, lol. Come on, show us you actually have a pair!<

LOL! You know if you weren't such a hypocritical self-contradicting racist and neocon tool, we could have struck up a friendship. Fight club huh? Sounds like "The Balding, 30-something, Cheetos-Eating in My Mom's Basement While Beating Off to Internet Porn Institute for the Defense of America, Free Enterprise, and Western Civilization" to me.
This "pair" you keeping harping on about..would those be the extra chromosomes in your pedigree?

Oh, and Napoleon II, as funny as your comments are, you're on the fast track to being banned so I'd tone it down if I were you.

I can safely say that I was the first person who commented on the absolute significance of Aasiya Zubair Hassan's murder through a broad email list I maintain. http://www.liaquatali.com/2009/02/bridges-tv-owner-killed-his-wife.html

As I predicted, all kinds of "busy-talk" has started from all sides. Muslim-haters are taking it as an opportunity to malign Islam and Muslims, and Muslim leadership, as I expected them to do, is trying to either "defend" Islam, or trying to diffuse the significance of the murder. Some Muslims are trying to address the domestic violence through a "secular" approach.

The chatter will continue. However, I am again the first to suggest that in the Muslim context, the crux of the domestic violence, as to how it is handled today, and will be handled in the future, by Muslims and their institutions, revolves around how verse 4:34 of the Qur'an is interpreted.

Here are three most popular English translations of the verse:

Yusuf Ali Translation: Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).

Pickthal Translation: Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.

Shakir Translation: Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great.

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