http://www.altmuslim.com Global perspectives on Muslim life, politics, and culture en-us editor@altmuslim.com Copyright 2010 altmuslim.com 2010-02-08T10:00:51-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/looking_for_the_human_aspect/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/looking_for_the_human_aspect/#When:09:00:51Z December 27th, 2009, marked the one-year anniversary since Israel began attacking and invading the Gaza strip. The invasion of Gaza lasted 23 days and killed over 1,400 Palestinians. The Gaza Freedom March, organized by the International Coalition to End the Illegal Siege of Gaza, aimed to mark the anniversary by mobilizing hundreds to enter Gaza from Egypt to end the blockade of Gaza, and was part of a broader strategy to end the illegal Israeli occupation. Over 1,400 activists gathered in Cairo in late December from 43 countries to participate in the peaceful march. However, in mid-December, after 6 months notice from the organizers of their plans, the Egyptian government announced they would not let the GFM proceed. 2010-02-08T09:00:51-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/what_would_muhammad_do/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/what_would_muhammad_do/#When:12:30:31Z Omid Safi is best known to many of us as being at the forefront of the Progressive Muslims movement, a movement that finds in Islamic spirituality a powerful voice for social justice and pluralism. In his latest book, Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters (Harper Collins), Safi explores the origins of that spirituality: the character and being of the Prophet Muhammad. For Muslims, the book is a refreshing call to return to our spiritual roots, an element of faith that these days seems to be lost in the constant social commentary we are forced to engage in about Islam. For non-Muslims, Safi's explanation of Muhammad as the bridge between humanity and the Divine, insofar as emulating him brings one closer to Him, helps explain the connection Muslims have to their Prophet. It helps others feel as devout Muslims feel. In a time when the Prophet is so deeply misunderstood, such an emotional bond can go a long way in healing interreligious wounds. Asma Uddin 2010-02-05T12:30:31-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/complacency_is_not_an_option/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/complacency_is_not_an_option/#When:08:00:52Z An army major at Fort Hood guns down fellow soldiers, five young men arrested after traveling to Pakistan to join radical elements, a coffee vendor charged in a New York terror plot and a terrorism suspect in North Carolina is arrested. Such headlines involving American Muslims ought to be a source of concern for the community. A recent scholarly report by researchers at Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill asserts that the number of American Muslims vulnerable to radicalization is small but not negligible. Since 9-11, 139 American Muslims have committed terrorist acts or have been convicted or charged with terrorism. Less than one-third successfully executed their violent plots, with a majority of these violent acts being committed overseas. Parvez Ahmed 2010-02-03T08:00:52-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_politics_of_islamic_governance/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_politics_of_islamic_governance/#When:12:00:15Z The next 10 years does not seem to bode well for the British electorate. At the European elections this year, only 22% of eligible British voters bothered to cast a ballot. Parliamentary expense scandals have generated widespread disillusionment. The European Commission predicts that in just two years, Britain’s national debt will increase to 88.2 percent of GDP, and that by 2020 could rise to 140 percent. Meanwhile, the politics of the far-right are becoming increasingly mainstream, even prompting the governing Labour Party and opposition Conservative Party spokespeople to co-opt their concerns on immigration, multiculturalism, and so on. In such potentially dire circumstances, the temptation to deflect problems onto the ‘Other’ – namely, black and ethnic minority groups, and particularly Muslims – will be greater. In this regard, British Muslims will have a particularly significant responsibility to engage fully in the British political system to promote social justice, public welfare, and government accountability. 2010-02-01T12:00:15-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_muslim_response_to_haiti/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_muslim_response_to_haiti/#When:08:00:51Z Haiti is experiencing unimaginable suffering from its devastating earthquake, with more than 150,000 dead and one to three million individuals displaced. Individuals, groups and governments from around the world have stepped in to do what they can. United by their religious tradition of charity, Muslims have emerged as effective partners in aid and relief work. The international effort to aid Haiti by individuals, Islamic relief organizations and the governments of Muslim-majority countries reflects a proactive generosity and empathy espoused by the Prophet Muhammad and the teachings of the Qur'an. Charity, in fact, is one of the five obligations for Muslims, and Muslim organizations have been working alongside other faith-based groups to fulfill this duty. Wajahat Ali 2010-01-29T08:00:51-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/let_god_be_god/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/let_god_be_god/#When:10:30:38Z Last November the Malaysian government refused to release 10,000 Bibles it had seized because they contained the word Allah to refer to God. The Herald, a publication of the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia, challenged the government's decision to ban for non-Muslims the use of the word Allah to refer to God. In December, a Malaysian court ruled that such a ban was unconstitutional. The court's decision provoked anger among some Muslims. The Times reported a speaker in a Kuala Lumpur mosque as saying, "We will not allow the word Allah to be inscribed in your churches. Heresy arises from words wrongly used. Allah is only for us." A few Muslims unfortunately went further and attacked churches, badly damaging some of them. Such actions are condemnable as they contradict normative Islam. Attempts by Malaysian officials to explain the logic behind the initial ban and why the government is now opposing the high court's ruling have been far from convincing. The best analyses point out this unusual move by the ruling UNMO government had less to do with theology and more to do with the ruling political coalition keeping control. Parvez Ahmed 2010-01-27T10:30:38-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/how_our_lawlessness_strengthens_our_enemies/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/how_our_lawlessness_strengthens_our_enemies/#When:11:00:18Z We have failed to even investigate torturers, yet we have prosecuted and imprisoned millions for lesser offenses. And we allow mass murderers the benefit of constitutional rights that we deny detainees at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. Until policymakers examine and fix these double standards, they will continue to undermine our foreign policy, as well as our domestic criminal justice system. We now know that the Bush Administration's torture policies proved horrendously counterproductive, in more ways than one: they eroded our allies' trust, undermined the ability of our non-state supporters to credibly defend our goodwill, generated bad intelligence in the form of forced - and predictably false - confessions, and undermined the morale of the professional interrogators who resisted their illegal (and idiotic) orders. 2010-01-25T11:00:18-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/technology_is_not_the_problem_human_relations_are/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/technology_is_not_the_problem_human_relations_are/#When:08:00:09Z The topic of security has drowned the airwaves since the Christmas Day attempted attack on the Northwest flight landing in the Detroit Metro airport. The issue has primarily been talked about from the perspective of technology. The discussions ensue and it seems that with all the intelligence we have amassed to work on the issue of terrorism that the simple issue of human relations has escaped the conversation. We, as a nation, can throw billions of dollars at technology and still not be safe. The issue seems not to be an issue of technology, but an issue of human relations. If we took that same stack of money and put it into experiential education learning about others and programs that bridge differences between people, our country would be safer than any amount of security through technology will make us. 2010-01-22T08:00:09-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/helping_solve_europes_identity_crisis/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/helping_solve_europes_identity_crisis/#When:11:30:14Z On 1 December 2009, the Treaty of Lisbon – the agreement reforming European Union institutions – was ratified, making the European Charter of Fundamental Rights (ECFR), a document that lays out the entire range of civil, political, economic and social rights of EU citizens and residents, legally binding. Europe's diverse citizenry is now–thankfully–better protected legally against discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. But the Treaty of Lisbon is no panacea to Europe’s current identity crisis. Europeans must also learn to live together. A recent EU-wide survey revealed disturbing findings in the level of discrimination that minorities face in their everyday lives. 2010-01-20T11:30:14-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/free_speech_martyrs/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/free_speech_martyrs/#When:12:00:36Z It’s clear that the supremacist ideology and shallow religious understanding espoused by Britain’s Islam4UK, its predecessor organization Al-Muhajiroun, and its acerbic leader Anjem Choudary are all cancers. Their potential to harm British society is one reason that Britain’s Home Secretary Alan Johnson decided last week to ban the small but vocal organization outright. But to fight such a dangerous disease requires a tough, nuanced strategy. That strategy requires British civil society to embrace, not erode, freedom of speech, and it also requires British Muslims and non-Muslims to recognize that challenging radical ideologies such as those espoused by Islam4UK cannot be done successfully until all quarters of civil society recognize their role in the struggle. Chipping away at the freedom of speech only emboldens Mr. Choudary and his ilk. The freedom of speech is a bedrock principle of Western and Islamic civilization but it is anathema to the cult led by Mr. Choudary. Junaid Afeef 2010-01-18T12:00:36-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/behind_the_glitz/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/behind_the_glitz/#When:12:30:41Z Over 160 storeys, it boasts the world’s highest swimming pool and perhaps as expiation also the world’s highest mosque. Its golf course requires over four million gallons of water a day. Last week, amid much fanfare, the legendary tower finally threw open its majestic doors to the public. Previously known as Burj Dubai the structure was renamed Burj Khalifa in honour of the Abu Dhabi ruler and UAE president who had bailed out struggling Dubai with a sum of billions of dollars. Envisioned and designed by a Chicago firm, the Burj is said to have been inspired by the vision of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Sky City which was to be built in Chicago. However, it was never realised as it lacked both the funds and labour. Neither of these were seemingly a problem in the construction of the Burj which employed thousands of labourers from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh for several years for its construction. Rafia Zakaria 2010-01-15T12:30:41-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/malaysias_monopoly_on_allah/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/malaysias_monopoly_on_allah/#When:11:00:41Z Over the course of the past week, nine churches in Malaysia have been firebombed by Muslim extremists who object to the Christian community's use of the word "Allah" in their prayers. The dispute came to a head on December 31st when the high court of Malaysia ruled in favor of Catholics using the word in the Malay edition of their weekly newspaper. What's particularly perplexing about this is that the Islamist political party PAS actually supports the right of Christians to invoke Allah by name, whereas the ruling political coalition UMNO is pushing for Allah to be reserved for Muslims only. This is essentially a classic case of an incumbent political party, after suffering significant setbacks at the polls, invoking religion as a base-rallying prop and exploiting and stoking religious tensions for pure political gain - reminicent of the Ayodhya issue in India whose repercussions on undermining religious tolerance continue to this day. 2010-01-13T11:00:41-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/visions_of_light/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/visions_of_light/#When:10:18:53Z I was born in Karachi, Pakistan, at a very young age. My beloved parents rode the huge wave that was the South Asian diaspora, landing here in Chicagoland, where I've been ever since. Thus, like many of my peers, I've been in a state of constant exile. On the South Side of Chicago, I'm a Pakistani. In the rest of Chicago, I'm a Southsider. In the rest of America, I'm a Chicagoan. In the rest of the world, I'm an American. That is today's "normal," isn't it? We are simultaneously, unintentionally local and global. Still, the most comfortable spot for me is a center seat in the anonymous darkness of a crowded theater on the opening night of a movie. As a child, my parents - new to this country - used to take me to the movies with them (rather than hire babysitters). The first movie I remember seeing was The Exorcist. I was about 3 years old. 2010-01-11T10:18:53-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/stories_of_separation/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/stories_of_separation/#When:10:00:07Z During the 2005 media debate in Ontario, Canada over the use of shari’a law in Ontario mosques for singles and couples seeking religious approval for divorce, the non-Muslim (and parts of the Muslim) public there reacted with alarm to the idea that private, extra-legal processes were being used by some members of the Muslim community. As a dispute resolution researcher for the past 15 years, I knew that, in fact, private extra-legal dispute resolution has been commonplace in matters of family conflict and divorce, regardless of religion or cultural identity. I set out to document the realities of the use of Islamic divorce in North America, in an effort to replace speculation and fear with a real picture of the practice of religious divorce in different parts of North America, and the experiences of those using these processes. I wanted to know how these processes actually worked in practice and how much are they were influenced by Islamic family law. 2010-01-08T10:00:07-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/public_trial_private_nightmare/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/public_trial_private_nightmare/#When:10:00:36Z Syed Fahad Hashmi, also known as Fahad Hashmi, has been imprisoned in Britain and the United States since June 2006. Hashmi is a graduate of Brooklyn College with a 2003 degree in Political Science and lived with his Pakistani family in Queens, New York. In 2006, Hashmi earned a master's degree in international relations from London Metropolitan University. Hashmi was known in his college years to be a political and outspoken student. On June 6th, 2006, Hashmi was arrested at London Heathrow airport when he was about to return to his family in the US. An American indictment charged him with material support of Al Qaida, and Hashmi was then held in Belmarsh, a Category A prison, located in London. Hashmi was then extradited to the United States after eleven months and has been held ever since in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan, under extreme measures. 2010-01-06T10:00:36-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_top_ten_good_news_stories_of_2009/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_top_ten_good_news_stories_of_2009/#When:04:31:26Z In terms of bad news, 2009 was a doozy for Muslims - the Swiss minaret ban, escalating violence in Pakistan, a number of terror arrests involving Americans, a resurging Al Qaeda in Yemen, the anti-Muslim protests in England, the disappointment with Obama and Palestine... ok, I'll stop now. For the eighth year in a row, we feel that highlighting some good news stories involving Muslims might give a silver lining to this otherwise dark cloud. Believe it or not, there are some stories out there that you may not have heard about - or perhaps didn't look at the way we did. Trends that show that things may not be as bad as we think they are and that we might - someday - get a handle on this whole clash within our civilization that always threatens to send us off the rails. With the decade of dread over, we now proceed with this year's top ten good news stories (See altmuslim's "Top Ten" lists for 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, and 2002.) Zahed Amanullah 2010-01-04T04:31:26-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/prophet_muhammads_promise_to_christians/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/prophet_muhammads_promise_to_christians/#When:15:32:13Z Muslims and Christians together constitute over fifty percent of the world and if they lived in peace, we will be half way to world peace. One small step that we can take towards fostering Muslim-Christian harmony is to tell and retell positive stories and abstain from mutual demonization. I propose to remind both Muslims and Christians about a promise that Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) made to Christians. The knowledge of this promise can have enormous impact on Muslim conduct towards Christians. Muslims generally respect the precedent of their Prophet and try to practice it in their lives. In 628 AD, a delegation from St. Catherine’s Monastery came to Prophet Muhammed and requested his protection. He responded by granting them a charter of rights, which I reproduce below in its entirety. Muqtedar Khan 2010-01-01T15:32:13-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/simple_cartoons_complicated_responses/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/simple_cartoons_complicated_responses/#When:13:30:48Z The publication of twelve caricatures concerning Islam and figures from Muslim history and tradition in the September 30, 2005, edition of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, ignited first anger and then violent street protests across much of the Muslim world. If contemporaneous news reports consulted by political scientist Jytte Klausen are accurate, two hundred people died and eight hundred people were injured in protests and riots stretching from Damascus, Syria to Peshawar, Pakistan to the northern Nigerian city of Katsina. Beyond the immediate human toll, the roiling controversy over the Danish cartoons left an enduring impression on both sides of the debate. On the one hand, those intrinsically hostile to Muslims qua Muslims invoke the reaction to the cartoons as evidence of Muslims’ inability to cohabitate with others. On the other hand, many Muslims saw in the unqualified Danish defense of free speech further evidence of European government’s discriminatory tilt, a hunch partially confirmed by the recent Swiss referendum vote to prohibit construction of minarets across the country. 2009-12-30T13:30:48-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/he_was_the_best_of_the_jews/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/he_was_the_best_of_the_jews/#When:13:00:15Z There are many stories that contemporary Imams rarely tell their congregations. The story of Mukhayriq, a Rabbi from Medina is one such story. I have heard the stories about the battle of Uhud, one of prophet Muhammad’s major battles with his Meccan enemies, from Imams and Muslim preachers hundreds of times, but not once have I heard the story of Rabbi Mukhayriq who died fighting in that battle against the enemies of Islam. So, I will tell the story of Rabbi Mukhayriq – the first Jewish martyr of Islam. It is quite apropos as the season of spiritual holidays is here. Mukhayriq was a wealthy and learned leader of the tribe of Tha’labah. He fought with Prophet Muhammed in the battle of Uhud on March 19, 625 AD and was martyred in it. That day was a Saturday. Rabbi Mukhayriq addressed his people and asked them to go with him to help Muhammed. His tribe’s men declined saying that it was the day of Sabbath. Mukhayriq chastised them for not understanding the deeper meaning of Sabath and announced to his people that if he died in the battle his entire wealth should go to Muhammed. Muqtedar Khan 2009-12-28T13:00:15-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/a_muslim_christmas_greeting/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/a_muslim_christmas_greeting/#When:17:47:47Z I always get a chuckle from hearing the cries of the "war on Christmas" from some people in our country. They claim that there are forces that are actively trying to extract "Christ" out of Christmas, making it a secular holiday. They may point to the fact that many people choose to say "Happy Holidays" to their friends and neighbors, rather than "Merry Christmas," out of political correctness. Yet, when someone tells me "Happy Holidays," it also gives me a chuckle as well. I know they mean well: they do not want to offend me if I am not Christian and do not celebrate Christmas. Yet, if a friend, colleague, or patient tells me "Merry Christmas," I would not be offended in the least. I would deeply appreciate it, because that person is wishing that I have a happy day on December 25. It is a very nice gesture. Hesham Hassaballa 2009-12-25T17:47:47-06:00