http://www.altmuslim.com Global perspectives on Muslim life, politics, and culture en-us editor@altmuslim.com Copyright 2008 altmuslim.com 2008-05-09T23:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_imam_and_the_rabbi/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_imam_and_the_rabbi/#When:23:00:00Z On Monday, the 14th of April, I moderated a dialogue at the University of Delaware, with an Imam and Rabbi. The speakers at the event were Rabbi David Kalender, a senior Rabbi from the congregation Olam Tikvah in Fairfax, Virginia and Imam Muhammad Magid, the Imam of ADAMS Center in Northern Virginia and the Vice President of the Islamic Society of North America. It was enriching and frighteningly frank at the same time. The principal participants later confided to me that this was one of the more enlightening and candid dialogues they had engaged ever participated in. Muqtedar Khan 2008-05-09T23:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/religious_authority_extremism_and_the_amman_message/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/religious_authority_extremism_and_the_amman_message/#When:11:00:01Z Last week, I participated in the Doha Debates, on the motion "The Sunni-Shia conflict is damaging Islam’s reputation as a religion of peace." It was a timely topic; and a very time-sensitive topic, because it is a question that can only be asked now. Not because the Sunni-Shia divide is a new phenomenon: it is an old, historical schism that emerged as a political division, which then became religious. But it is now that the political has really caused it to be so monumental. I admit that, but I spoke against the motion in Doha, because the damage to Islam’s reputation is more about the sensationalism of the media, and focusing on Muslim violence in general, rather than Sunni-Shia violence. But the motion brought up another question for me. In the midst of the Sunni-Shia conflict that exists in some pockets of the Muslim world, what are we to make of what Islam is or what Islam is not? 2008-05-07T11:00:01-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/you_say_jihadi_i_say_extremist/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/you_say_jihadi_i_say_extremist/#When:11:00:00Z Since September 11, 2001, the war against terrorism has been waged on two fronts - a military one in Iraq and Afghanistan (look, more terrorists!), and a semantic one between governments, extremists, mainstream Muslims, and the media. The use of language on all sides simultaneously confuses, enlightens, and motivates foot soldiers in the battle. Control of the use of language - particularly the definitions that stick - can either be the key to influencing scores of people or an inconsequential exercise in vanity. In this "war on terror," it seems that people are as fixated with the terminology as they are with the tactics. Zahed Amanullah 2008-05-05T11:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/eavesdropping_on_an_interfaith_youth_meeting/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/eavesdropping_on_an_interfaith_youth_meeting/#When:11:00:00Z Eighteen teenagers jot down on colorful Post-It notes their one-word impressions of the eight religions listed on the poster boards in front of them. Some show no reservations as they work their way quickly down the list, while others hesitate to put down their thoughts for fear of appearing intolerant or ignorant. Is this a Bible study class? No, it's just another monthly meeting of the Arizona Interfaith Youth Movement - a safe, inclusive gathering to which youths of all faiths are encouraged to come together in dialogue, games, and of course, food. "What if I've never heard of this religion?" asks one of the teens. "That's OK - just write down the first thing that comes to your mind," I reply. 2008-05-02T11:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/home_grown_imams_fight_home_grown_extremism/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/home_grown_imams_fight_home_grown_extremism/#When:23:00:00Z While it is commendable and encouraging that the British government is making a concerted effort to work with Muslims to combat the scourge of radicalisation, its recent proposal to draft moderate imams from Pakistan indicates that there is still much to learn. Far from being breeding centres of radicalisation, mosques have failed to cater to British Muslims precisely by employing imams from "back home". The consequence of such actions has been the continued alienation of young Muslims, who increasingly cannot speak or understand their mother tongue, which is generally the first language of most imams. 2008-04-29T23:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/we_should_be_partial_on_the_side_of_justice/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/we_should_be_partial_on_the_side_of_justice/#When:23:00:00Z “One thing I’m going to say to you now, please make sure – and I hope you’re tape recording this – but please make sure you’re quoting me accurately. Don’t even for the basis of shortening something make me say something I haven’t said,” orders celebrated journalist Robert Fisk. “Because the biggest problem I have in journalism is being quoted or misquoted and then being asked to defend something I haven’t said. And when you’re putting it together, because you’re not going to use it all, try to make sure my counteracting points are there. So, if I call Ahmedinjad a “crackpot” keep it in, but make sure I’m also talking about Iran in general. Where I’m criticizing the Israelis, make sure I also criticize the Arabs.” The world’s most decorated foreign correspondent would have an equally brilliant career as a headmaster or drill sergeant. Wajahat Ali 2008-04-25T23:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_better_angels_of_our_natures/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_better_angels_of_our_natures/#When:11:00:00Z Rivalry seems to be hardwired into human nature. Whether we take the Darwinian view or the theological one, it doesn’t bode well for peace on earth, good will toward men. “Why can’t we all just get along” might be the mantra of human history, resounding through all political systems as well as belief systems, wherever they come into close proximity. Transcending rivalries with compassion and forbearance would then be a spiritual step toward conscious tolerance that all religious revelations have insisted on. With this in mind, for the non-Catholics among us the Pope’s visit to the United States was an opportunity to widen our mental telescopes and look beyond the fanfare headlines. It was an opportunity to take to heart the importance of interfaith respect in our increasingly fractious world. 2008-04-24T11:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/making_the_muslim_vote_count/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/making_the_muslim_vote_count/#When:11:00:00Z It is not generally understood by the American Muslim electorate that a very small group of voters can get what they want out of the American political system, providing that they know what they want and that they understand how American democracy works. There is much nay-saying among Muslim Americans who start out with pessimistic misconceptions based on the fact that we are very small in numbers. We are not. Actually, an argument can be made that Muslims, along with non-Muslim Arab Americans who see their interest not very different from our own, can squeeze out close to 4 million votes if they made a determined push to put every vote to use. We also predicate our voting patterns on the premise that the rest of the American electorate is hostile to our aspirations. In truth, they are not - they are simply ignorant. 2008-04-22T11:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/there_is_a_vast_majority_you_dont_hear_from/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/there_is_a_vast_majority_you_dont_hear_from/#When:23:00:00Z Lost in the ongoing news from Iraq is the fact that the pursuit of justice in the wake of 9/11 has fallen into obscurity, occasional videos from Osama bin Laden notwithstanding. Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, 30 Days) has taken advantage of this opportunity to make his latest movie, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? - though you'd be mistaken if you thought the movie was really about tracking the missing al-Qaida frontman. Where in the World is less about a man and more about the continuing gap of understanding between the average American and the average Muslim. Spurlock sat down with altmuslim associate editor Wajahat Ali to talk about experiencing life under occupation, struggling to keep up with the Ramadan fast, and finding tears of sympathy for the US in the middle of the Saudi desert. Wajahat Ali 2008-04-17T23:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/moments_of_clarity/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/moments_of_clarity/#When:01:28:00Z “If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” These words of James Madison, who served as US President from 1809-17, would now seem almost prophetic. If you were to believe your average columnist from the New York Post, America is at war with a foreign enemy represented domestically by millions of Americans who have some link to Islam. You would also read all kinds of justifications for American lawmakers to curb civil rights of some with a view to protecting the freedoms of others. The rhetoric is well-known to us all. Muslims flew two planes into the World Trade Centre in September 2001. Muslims blew themselves up and killed over 50 people in London in July 2005. Muslims are threatening terrorist attacks to disturb the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Irfan Yusuf 2008-04-17T01:28:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/islam_the_new_israel/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/islam_the_new_israel/#When:23:00:00Z A writer once said, "“I disagree with your opinion, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."” I agree with this philosophy, even having seen Geert Wilder’s film, Fitna. And while I disagree with many of his conclusions in the film, as a Muslim secure in my faith, I will defend his right to express himself and to be critical of my religion and my fellow Muslims. There is a sentiment popular among Muslims that Islam should be immune from criticism, constructive or otherwise - especially when it comes from non-Muslims. This sentiment is often the result of misplaced pride and the fact that, currently, Muslims have little else to be proud of. Regardless of the reasons, this defensive sentiment still comes as a shock to me. There has never been a religion, belief, philosophy, perspective or idea that has been immune from criticism. 2008-04-14T23:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/ive_got_to_put_this_character_in_a_movie/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/ive_got_to_put_this_character_in_a_movie/#When:19:29:00Z "The Visitor," one of the first great movies of 2008, was released in select cities this week and manages to portray Muslims as realistic, complicated, nuanced, and - for the first time in a long time - actually good looking human beings trying to live the "American Dream". Unfortunately, the Muslim characters in The Visitor have traded their dream for a nightmare, as the film highlights a paranoid, security-obsessed, anti-immigrant, post-9/11 world. Generally, tales of immigration, multicultural America, and "East meets West" culture clashes either immerse themselves in clichéd, cartoonish, stereotypical comedies or overt, bleeding heart, political slogans masquerading as plot narratives. Thankfully, Tom McCarthy, director of the runaway Sundance hit The Station Agent, creates a realistic, warm-hearted relationship drama about communication, redemption, and frustration. Wajahat Ali 2008-04-14T19:29:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_folly_of_attacking_iran/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_folly_of_attacking_iran/#When:11:00:00Z According to the White House, Iran and its controversial and opinionated President, Mahmoud Ahmadenijad, lead the next wave of "The Axis of Evil" in spearheading the nuclear annihilation of the United States. Despite a recent intelligence report released in December 2007 concluding that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program in 2003, a paranoid fear still lingers that Iran might acquire such WMD's and use them first and foremost against America. Iran's global image, undoubtedly and unfortunately personified by "shoot from the hip" Ahmadinejad, emerges as a reactionary, anti-Semitic, and militant theocracy strategically organizing a Shia majority power bloc in the post 9-11 Middle East. Wajahat Ali 2008-04-10T11:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/alarm_over_allam/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/alarm_over_allam/#When:11:00:00Z "It was the most beautiful day of my life. I was reborn. This was a radical choice, which has changed my entire past and has begun a new life. On that day, the Magdi Allam inside me, who believes unambiguously and unquestionably in the principles of liberty and choice, was reborn in the framework of religion." Such a statement is fitting for any convert to Islam, and if heard uttered by someone who has newly embraced Islam, smiles, feelings of warmth, and shouts of "Allahu Akbar" would fill the mosque or Islamic center in which they were uttered. Yet, there was no such adulation on the part of Muslims; no such feelings of warmth inside; no shouts of "Allahu Akbar." In fact, I am sure there were shouts of "La'anahu Allah" (may God curse him) all across the Muslim world, because the words quoted above were those of a Muslim who converted to Catholic Christianity. Hesham Hassaballa 2008-04-07T11:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/dialogue_of_the_deaf/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/dialogue_of_the_deaf/#When:19:42:00Z Last week in Europe we waited with bated breath for reactions to the controversial public showing of a film attacking the Qur'an produced by the Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders. This comes on top of trouble already brewing over the re-publication in several Danish newspapers of the notorious Muhammad cartoons. Over two years after the original publication, it seems we are back where we started, with protests simmering and sometimes descending into violence in various parts of the Muslim world. Underlying the myriad reasons for these events appears to be a fundamental inability of people holding varied positions to understand how the other side thinks and feels. We have here a dialogue of the deaf, although paradoxically both sides share the same motivation – fear. 2008-04-03T19:42:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/tradition_and_truths/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/tradition_and_truths/#When:01:12:01Z It used to be that the media (whether Muslim or non-Muslim) would cover Islam in reference to the well-known ‘three H’s’: hijab, halal and haram. It has now changed somewhat; now, the focus is on hijab, apostasy, shari’ah and hate (preachers of). Doubtlessly from the point of view of a religion that abjures intoxicants, this creates a rather unfortunate acronym. On the second subject, apostasy, there has been a renewed interest, if a rather uninformed one. In the Washington Post last year, the Mufti of Egypt, Shaykh Dr Ali Gomma’, made his own point of view quite clear: the renunciation of Islam has dire spiritual consequences, but not necessarily many worldly ones. When one considers that the majority of ‘medieval sunni Muslim jurists (fuqaha) have considered riddah (commonly translated as 'apostasy’), questions do arise. Has the Mufti, famous for his commitment to sunni orthodoxy become somewhat inventive? Or is the orthodox tradition (turath) of sunni Islam more complex than the media commonly supposes? 2008-04-02T01:12:01-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/men_do_cry/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/men_do_cry/#When:23:00:00Z The new MTV-produced movie "Stop-Loss" directed by Kimberley Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) could also be called "Deer Hunter" for the Generation-Y, post internet, digi-cam crowd. Following a string of commercially unsuccessful yet underrated Iraq war movies such as In the Valley of Elah, Rendition, Redacted, Lions for Lambs, and Home of the Brave, Peirce and company hope young, handsome actors accompanied by a contemporary soundtrack will entice the jaded, war weary audience dollar. Unlike some previous titles, Peirce's film manages to construct incisive and human character studies of Texan soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in this powerful albeit maddeningly inconsistent movie. Wajahat Ali 2008-03-30T23:00:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/who_speaks_for_german_muslims/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/who_speaks_for_german_muslims/#When:02:16:01Z A recent Islam conference in Germany has achieved its first concrete result: Muslim religious education will be introduced as a subject in German schools from next year. The move was agreed upon by representatives of the state and its Muslim population – in spite of what was sometimes a bitter controversy. A number of Muslim participants wanted to see a different kind of religious education – the sort of neutral education about Islam which half the German states already offer. The Federal Interior Minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, sees Muslim religious education as a clear signal to encourage Muslims to integrate into German society. But he quickly had to scale down his initiative after it became clear that there were many open questions and possible risks involved. 2008-03-27T02:16:01-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/do_good_works_engage_politically_and_get_involved/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/do_good_works_engage_politically_and_get_involved/#When:09:24:00Z Keith Ellison, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is the first African American ever elected to the House from Minnesota. Oh, he’s also the first Muslim Congressman in US history [the second Muslim American, Andre Carson, was recently elected to Congress on March 11]. By virtue of his racial and religious identity - a minority within a minority - Ellison bears the unenviable burden of representing one of the most misunderstood, feared and mistrusted identities du jour: Muslims. Ever since his election, notoriety chases Ellison often and unsubtly, most memorably after his 2006 appearance on Conservative commentator Glenn Beck’s CNN show, where the host asked Ellison point blank, “Prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.” With calm and patience, Ellison answered the question head on and reassured his constituents and the American public that his religious values do not compromise or lessen his patriotism. Wajahat Ali 2008-03-24T09:24:00-06:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/could_a_muslim_ever_say_that/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/could_a_muslim_ever_say_that/#When:14:33:00Z If anything, the timing was quite interesting (and suspicious). Just as it seemed nothing could stop Barack Obama from capturing the Democratic nomination for President, grainy videos of Rev. Jeremiah Wright - Obama's former pastor, spiritual guide, and mentor - were released showing him condemning America and spewing incendiary, offensive rhetoric from the pulpit. "The government gives them drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America'," said the Rev. Wright in a 2003 sermon. He then continued, "No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people." On September 16, 2001 - the Sunday after 9/11 - the Reverend said, "We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye." Hesham Hassaballa 2008-03-22T14:33:00-06:00