The premise of the new book Mother of the Believers by Kamran Pasha is a familiar one: the book is about one of the most beloved wives of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Aisha. There was a book last year that was released under much controversy, Jewel of Medina, which focused on Aisha’s relationship with the Prophet (peace be upon him).

The book is told from Aisha’s perspective under the guise of writing a journal for her nephew Abdullah as a way to recount the events of her life. We are there from her birth, her childhood as part of the persecuted group of Muslims, the migration to Medina, her marriage to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and so on and so forth. Pasha touches on many of the significant events that are representative of the time of the Prophet (pbuh) while including a cast of characters who are familiar to many Muslims. However, while Kamran Pasha has obviously spent a great amount of time researching the life of Aisha, Mother of the Believers is not exactly a book I would recommend for those who wish to learn about Islam due to the manner in which this book is presented and the lack of true understanding of the religion that may come from reading Pasha’s novelized account.

Pasha telling the story from Aisha’s eyes and as a form of communication to her nephew doesn’t work too well here. First of all, there are too many scenes without Aisha in them where the first person point of view can’t even come into play, never mind the fact that there would be no way she would be able to relate these scenes to her nephew in her journal. Second, if Aisha is writing with the her nephew as the audience in mind, there would be no need to explain the Islamic concepts that she does for the benefit of the reader. I mean, why should she have to define such terms as hadith for someone like Abdullah? I realize that many may look at these as minor grievances, but these alone made this book hard for me to digest.

In addition to the aforementioned contentions, the actual topic of this book did not sit too well with me. In the Author’s Note in the beginning of the book, Pasha writes “My intention in writing this novel has been to give Westerners a glimpse of the richness that exists within the Muslim historical tradition and invite all my readers to learn more about Islam and draw their own conclusions.” That is definitely noble. Yet, despite these intentions, I’m still not quite sure how I feel about the novelization of the most revered Prophet for Muslims and other people that are held in high regard, like Aisha herself.

The reader may come away from this book without being able to distinguish what was real or not. One may believe that some of the more fantastical elements that Muslims believe happened are the work of Pasha’s imagination while thinking other events and pieces of dialogue are true when it’s something that Pasha added to give more color. It is not up to the author to add his own elements to true accounts (for Muslims anyway) that may end up misrepresenting the actions of historical figures or even Islam itself.

In the end, I don’t believe that fictionalizing these religious icons is in the best interest of one who wants to learn about Islam. I understand that not everyone may agree with me and that’s fine, but hopefully if someone really wants to learn about the religion, he or she will go to a different source.

Also check out:
Kamran Pasha recently wrote an article about the controversy that he expects to face with his new book.

Check out Irfan Rydhan’s new blog called: “Al Mihrab: The Place of War” about Architecture, Media, Islamic Activism, Muslim Art and other cool stuff here: Al Mihrab

Also if you are in the San Jose/Campbell areas, be sure to check out Channel 15 this Friday Feb. 27th at 3:30pm for the special episode of “The Muslim Round Table Telvision Show” about “American Muslim Views on the Obama Presidency.”

Peace

Irfan

MediaAndIslam.com in association with Jam-Productions would like to interview American-Muslims on camera to get their opinion, views and comments on the the election of Barack Hussein Obama to the Presidency of the United States.

Interviewees will have an opportunity to discuss this historic event as well as share their hopes and dreams for the future of Muslims and other minority groups in the United States and the rest of the world.

The interviews will be edited down into a 30 min. video which will be shown on local TV in San Jose, CA as well as on the internet, InshaAllah.

On-camera interviews will take place on Saturday Jan. 31st between 10:30am and 12:30pm at the PACC (Pakistani American Culture Center) located at:

4423 Fortran Court, Suite 160
San Jose, CA 95034

Please rsvp to irfan@mediaandislam.com

Slate has an interesting article about members of different minority groups capability to become President of the United States of America – So When Will a Muslim Be President?

In the article, journalist Mark Oppenheimer runs through the chances women, Mormons, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, gays and lesbians, atheists, Hispanics, and East Asians. In terms of Muslims, Oppenheimer states that a secular Muslim probably has a better chance of becoming president, although if the candidate were too secular, then some Muslim organizations may not back him/her.

Check out this article of hypotheticals.

FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) has created a report on the top 12 Islamophobes in the Media who have a record of smearing Islam and Muslims for their own political gains. Check the link here: smearcasting

Imagine being conditioned to believe that you represent the best of everything and anyone or anything remotely associated with you can have a share in your glory as long as they worship you.  Now imagine suddenly facing the harsh reality that what you have been conditioned to believe is mostly ego inflating propaganda with little if any basis in truth.  In the wake of this kind of revelation, what would you do?  Would you continue to go along with a belief that you know in your heart is wrong?  Or, would you take a stand and attempt to change for what you know in your heart is right?  Except for those with hardened hearts, these questions confront and baffle many decent Americans today and overcoming this dilemma is America’s greatest challenge. 

Along with this “looking out for number one” attitude and a declining interest in helping those less fortunate, the American people have adopted pit bull personalities.  Can you remember when maintaining a low profile in our society was preferred over pompous, brash and in your face attitudes?  To be cool, calm and collected back then meant you were qualified, confident and stylish without the antagonism, barbarianism and undesirable personality traits displayed today.   Now it’s all about projecting the bad, “gangsta” or hardcore image, which some people go to any lengths to identify with, because on one hand they want to fit in and on the other, they want to stand out and be noticed.  Although the terms liberal and conservative are misleading, even so-called conservatives identify with certain aspects of these “gangsta” personality traits and images because appearing to be tough is the popular thing to do and while they are reluctant to promote hardcore attitudes in their own communities, they profit from backing and promoting these attitudes in other communities. Newspapers, television, radio, movies and almost all forms of media and commercial advertisement uses and promotes hardcore language and images today.  To be “cool” now means “there is no shame in your game,” people boldly perform ridiculous displays of arrogance and ignorance in public without hesitation, while others applaud in admiration.  These displays stem from serious psychological conditions like low self esteem, inferiority or superiority complexes and rebellious desires to go against the natural grain of civilized behavior. 

At the grassroots level, graffiti, slang language, tattoos, piercings, bling bling, obnoxious hair or fashion designs and even unnecessary cosmetic surgery, demonstrates a personal need to be noticed; to destroy or upset the norm or natural order; and depending on insecurity levels, to fulfill the need for what is known in psychological terms as reference group identification.  At the other end of the spectrum conservatives have the need to be noticed as the people in control, so they usually end up turning a profit from marketing the pit bull mentality and all that is associated with it.  They promote pride and arrogance while building their legacy on the backs and ideas of others. They also have a deep fear of losing their controlling edge, so they must instill fear in others to maintain manipulative power.  Americans strive to be different but no matter how unique we think we are, popular trends in attitude make us appear to be the same, and arrogance is the trait that most Americans have in common.  Many believe that the attitude is what makes America great and to a certain extent that may be true depending on how one defines greatness, but it is also true that the attitudes of American people have caused other great nations to lose respect for America’s global leadership.  This is why politicians keep saying we need to regain world respect and restore confidence in America as a global leader.  The bottom line is that won’t happen until the American people become more aware and responsible for their attitudes and actions both domestically and globally.  We need to change our attitudes, get our priorities straight, quit falling for anything, standing for nothing and understand that talented or not, there is more to life than trying to be an “American Idle.”
   

Unfortunately, most Americans regardless of their social, economic and political status are in denial about being conditioned with a false and unnecessary sense of pride stemming from the inflated American ego.  Thus, many are unaware of the fact that this condition has produced an epidemic of psychosomatic disorders that tend to glorify, popularize and endorse inhumane and uncivilized behavior as being the “American way.”  To state it plainly we are a spiritually, mentally and physically sick society, steered away from the natural and healthy development of human interaction and pushed towards the cold hard world of technology, automation and robotics, which in many ways adversely effects our ability to successfully navigate through the myriad of current issues.  For example, the days of “service with a smile” in America are over.  American businesses are so obsessed with turning profits you can’t even interact with a live person on a business phone call.  All of the conglomerates, takeovers, dummy corporations, prompts and message services makes it impossible to connect with a live person competent enough to address your concerns.  Reliance on electronic technology in the corporate world these days, is usually directly related to the term ”downsizing,” which reduces the number jobs and places less emphasis on customer service.  If a mistake is made, once it is in the system you are just out of luck, the chances of correction or resolution are slim to none!  As a result, those who are able to retain employment must adopt quick fix attitudes to keep up with the computerize pace and that leads to a lack of competence in the work place, making transactions more cumbersome, confusing, time consuming and often still requires filling out papers and standing in long lines waiting to speak with a live person.  In addition, belligerence runs so rampant in our society, people actually avoid doing business face to face and would rather close a deal with the click of a mouse or push of a button than with a hand shake, further illustrating our need to get a grip on reality.   There is no question that in the short run, productivity can benefit from modern technology making more happen easier and faster.  However, in the long run if technological development and human development are not balanced, the imbalance stifles creativity, jeopardizes independent thinking and actually renders people incapable of exercising common sense. 

Technological communication methods used by the media to disseminate propaganda for manipulation and mind control are essential for a minority of people to control the thinking and behavior of the majority.  Political campaigns are notorious for taking advantage of these methods and contributing to this mind boggling illness.  In fact, they depend on the people’s psychological vulnerability to spread the disease.  Those able to intelligently recognize symptoms and rationally diagnose conditions, at least have a chance to begin a healing process.  Others simply remain in the infirmary of ignorance and arrogance, clinging onto distorted ideas of American patriotism.  Now that we are in the throes of another “deathbed” presidential election, previously mentioned psychological conditioning becomes even more evident.  With the American people being relegated to a WWE (World Wrestling & Entertainment) or ‘Ultimate Fighter’ mentality, the campaign trail is like a pre-game sports rally or a hyped-up Hollywood production with top flight marketing and promotion.  Candidates who have access to the most money gain the greatest access to the media and are given the best opportunities to win.  Real experience and knowledge of the issues are overshadowed by personality and marketability because contrary to what most politicians say, for them, it’s not about serving the American people, it’s about winning and controlling people.  American’s tune into campaign attack ads as if they were award winning soap operas and although they may not vote, they don’t want to miss one entertaining episode of campaign drama.  On the surface, focus appears to be on the issues, but politicians and their backers know that the American people are mesmerized with entertainment so they use the media to entertain and manipulate public opinion.   

Senator Obama was labeled a “nobody” and accused of not being experienced enough to serve in the Oval Office, yet after all of the media hype that George W. Bush received, he is living proof that you do not have to be the most qualified or experienced candidate to become Commander and Chief.  Now Senator McCain further demonstrates his many years of experience being out of touch with the American people by introducing Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate!  Aside from being connected to big oil, she is a little fish in a little pond, who hasn’t busted a grape in serving the broad cross-section of American People, but she is herald by the media as the second coming of Christ because of a pit bull speech that really didn’t address anything.  This is a good example of how the media takes a tough talk, “gangta rap” attitude and makes a desperate political ploy appear to be an overnight success.  Common sense would tell us that drawing a comparison between yourself and a “pit bull” might be appropriate if you were campaigning to become the mascot of a soccer team, but as an attribute to your qualifications for upper echelon government and world leadership, it is an insult to intelligent voters who are serious about the upcoming election.  In today’s promotion oriented and personality worship style politics anyone who can raise money and delivers an entertaining speech, even if it shams and speculates on the issues has a good chance of getting elected, because the American people have been conditioned to support things based on entertainment value.  It is clear from the campaign hullabaloo spearheaded by the media, that under the present circumsatnces, neither politician nor proletariat can present a failsafe plan that can guarantee any success that we might witness in the near future.  The number one reason being, America is in so much disarray right now, it is unreasonable to think in terms of any overnight victories.  Yet, the politicians keep promising and grabbing at straws while the media looks for opportunities to instigate, fabricate and sensationalize stories that will increase media ratings and keep the people duped.      

Although both Democrats and Republicans claim vast philosophical differences, for the past eight years, there hasn’t been much difference in practical application for the majority of American people (or minority if you rely on media polls).  Politicians campaigning for Presidential elections have always expressed the need for change, acknowledging that we cannot continue to follow the leadership and direction of those traveling the same path that led us to our current predicament.  Both hyped and realistic polls show that most Americans agree with the need for change, especially regarding the issues of education, energy, health care, economy, foreign policy and a host of other problems which have developed or escalated under the current administration, very little emphasis is placed on the need for the American people to change their attitudes and behavior.  Unless we overcome the plummeting digression of human values we cannot expect to be effective in bringing about real change!  The ironic thing about this debilitating syndrome is that governing officials and political leaders are harping on and on about physical issues, but not really addressing psychological and attitudinal conditions in their rally for change.  It’s like offering people who have robbed banks all of their lives opportunities to be trained as legitimate bankers, but when they complete the training and go to work, they end up embezzling from the banks because they were never trained to get the criminal element out of their system.  History shows us that Europe decided to reduce her criminal element by expelling undesirable citizens under the auspices of offering them an opportunity to start over in a new land (America).  However, shortly after landing, the undesirables casted out of Europe immediately began to commit crimes upon the indigenous people of this country or so-called (American) Indians.  We are often reminded of the great philosophical principles that America was built upon, yet we refuse to openly acknowledge the fact that generations of Americans have contradicted those principles in practice and continue to reflect the attitudes of those early settlers.     

For quite some time now the “New World Order” under American leadership has been infested with corruption.  Hardened criminal (covert) activities committed by the higher ranks in corporations and government are kept under wraps and are more difficult to prosecute even though they usually have devastating effects on larger numbers of people.   While the smaller crimes for individual or personal gain such as perjury, steroids, adultery and minor fraud, sometimes referred to as “cheating” offenses, receive exaggerated media hype, more convictions and more severe punishment.  Religion, which is supposed to be our moral base and usually our last hope for salvation against this kind of practice, has succumbed to the mandates of the State and been enshrined in mockery, providing only superficial influence in society.  The Constitution and Bill of Rights, once revered as the foundation for setting precedence in American jurisprudence now serves mostly as theoretical reference material to assist in manipulating the law for deviant purposes.  Governing officials, lawyers and courts are more concerned with image, process, plea bargaining and profits than real justice.  An article entitled “Con Game,” featured on Forbes.com, stated that America’s prison industry, which has its roots in slavery, is a multibillion dollar enterprise designed to keep the inmate population growing for the exploitation of cheap labor.  It seems to me that what trickled down from the Ronald Regan era was more corruption, prisons and prison mentalities.  Yet, some people see that period of time as a highlight in American leadership and refuse to acknowledge the role that leadership played in orchestrating the sequence of events leading to today. 

Once again to keep the election game afoot, the current administration has to sell us that infamous bridge to nowhere, but the American people must be advised that win or lose, the objective of this administration is to retain power and control.  So, as we near the election, we see gas prices droping a little, hear talk about bringing a few troupes back from Iraq, economy bail out ideas are being introduced and anything to sell the people on the idea that it took eight years for the current administration to clean up the mess made by the previous administration and things are just now starting to turn around.  Yeah right!  All we have to do is stop and think, how can we expect politicians, who represent the special interests of an elite minority of the American people, who have a history of knowingly and willfully profiting from initiating legislation that disenfranchises the American majority and writes off the outcomes of their atrocities as “collateral damage,” to all of a sudden be in touch with the needs of America’s majority population, change their positions on the issues, give up their profits and pass or support legislation that clearly benefits the majority of Americans?  I don’t think so!  In reality, we know from experience that this will not happen.  Regardless of the party, those identifying with the policies of the current administration are too arrogant and there is too much at stake for them to change!  It’s time for American people to wake up, study the history, be realistic, change your attitude and cast a conscious vote for the candidate who you think can best understand your needs and is therefore best qualified to represent your interests both domestically and globally!     

Shahed Amanullah blogged on Beliefnet about the Republican National Convention and Muslims. He writes about McCain’s focus on ‘radical Islamic terrorism’. Check out the post:

Looking at the RNC through Muslim eyes

Throughout history, Empires and Dynasties have fallen when the desire for power and control at all levels of society becomes uncontrollable. People become ignorant, arrogant, insensitive to the world around them and basically uncivilized in their thinking and behavior. Corrupt practices within the leadership, covertly takes precedence over establishing moral fiber, justice and basic human rights, manifesting “dog eat dog,” “get over any way you can” attitudes amongst the people. Today’s America, dubbed as the world’s sole “Super Power,” boldly promotes her idea of democracy in theory, but her practice obviously displays the aforementioned signs of a nation falling at an accelerated pace. So much damage has been done trying to maintain this “Super Power” image, that it will take several conscious government administrations to get this unconscious America on the right track. In political debates, legitimate issues such as moral responsibility, education, social justice, health care, economy and the environment are used strictly as platforms for election, yet the candidates usually appear clueless as to how they will really deal with these issues. In addition, the media’s pre-occupation with seeking out and exposing the skeletons (and there are many) in the closets of candidates has become a prime source of entertainment, which completely overshadows the issues. In view of the current trends in American politics, the upcoming Presidential Elections will be a “crap shoot” any way you look at it.

When it comes to practical plans for implementing legislation that is supposed to address and meet the challenges of real human service issues, most Americans are not able to distinguish fundamental differences between Republicans and Democrats, because in reality, human services are not a priority in today’s political arena. Therefore, the media’s emphasis on launching or responding to personal attacks during campaign debates simply distracts people from focusing on the real issues. To engage in this sort of debauchery works in favor of candidates who try and cover-up their weak platforms by creating confusion and making mockery of the real issues to boosts media ratings. This age old psychological trickery is designed to promote arrogance and ignite the popular WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) mentality existing amongst many Americans who believe they are superior, and like to give off the impression that they welcome a good fight. Unfortunately, this sort of blind patriotism is usually supported by people of lower economic and social status, who are being manipulated and are unable to see that regardless of the outcome, they are always on the losing end when it comes to collecting the so-called booty, winnings, prizes or benefits.

When you consider the evolution of world views stemming from the experiences of an increasingly diverse population, which is impacted by today’s domestic and global events, awareness supersedes rhetoric. In other words, “talk is cheap,” but change is inevitable. We can recognize, appreciate and learn from the true leaders of the past, but we also must acknowledge that we are in a different era and a different America. From what we have witnessed thus far in the campaign debates of both parties, some candidates are boasting about their experience in government and their ability to lead America into a brighter future, just as G.W. Bush did before he was put into office. Like G.W. Bush, their experience also ties them to governmental decisions leading to the lies and deception responsible for America’s current domestic and global situations. Candidates of both parties are all talking about change, but the ones promoting their leadership capabilities and administrative experience have adopted and endorsed the existing bureaucratic policies, procedures and unethical practices, which limits their ability to fully comprehend the current needs of a broad cross section of America’s diverse population. Their dedication to the corporate model and lack of “hands on” and “grassroots” experience causes their visions of change to be somewhat unrealistic for the majority of conscious Americans. As a result, when we look past race, gender, religion, personality worship and all the other distractions, which are designed to turn focus away from the real issues, the idea of putting an outsider in the “White House” is a gamble that most people seem willing to take at this point. Who knows, instead of the usual “snake eyes,” we might get lucky and actually elect a President who is sincere, passionate and dedicated to resolving real issues!

It was gracious of Senator Obama to make a conscious effort to maintain composure and integrity while campaigning to become the democratic nominee for the presidency of the United States of America. Now that he is the Democratic Nominee, the attacks that he endured during the primaries will certainly intensify. This is cause for alarm because even though Senator Obama won the nomination, he was forced to jump through hoops that briefly steered his campaign away from the issues. In fact, he and his camp believed it was absolutely necessary to put the issues on hold and retaliate or respond to the pressure of media hype and instigations, drawing more attention to the subjects of race and religion. Although a general concensus of the public seemed to approve of the way Senator Obama handled attacks, he ultimately decided to leave his church of twenty years, which depending on perceptions sends mixed messages to supporters. While succumbing to this kind of divide and conquer tactic can be viewed as an opportunity to overcome adversity, it is also viewed as a victory for those who are not willing to accept change. Consequently, many die-hard Republicans and conservative Democrats continue to demonstrate that they will stop at nothing to keep the pressure on. We can only hope that as Senator Obama gets closer to the Oval Office, he isn’t forced to distance himself from his “grassroots” constituency all together. Today’s politicians and their media allies (the Bush Administration is a prime example) are always looking for an angle, an edge, a psychological steroid, to maintain the upper hand, keep the money rolling in and simutaneously improve ratings. To them, it’s all about control, no matter how unethical the idea may be, their modus operandi is to just do it, make sure it’s profitable, keeps the masses entertained and cover it up!

As we head towards the presidential election in November, we can expect more of the same corruption, underhanded politics and manipulative hullabaloo from descendants of the same handful of power mongers who have been in control throughout several decades of ineffective administrations. It is obvious that the honorable traits in human character are no longer a priority or appealing to people in our regressive barbarian society. The ironic thing is many un-informed Americans are so caught up in the hype, that they refuse to accept the reality that the “America they once knew is no more.” They are in denial, gullible and partial to anything resembling old patriotic themes. It makes no difference to them if policies and practices are unjust or how foolish they look and sound, they just know that the House has always been “White” and they have a deep fear of change!

Dawan Muhammad AbduMuqaddim

Co-Chair SBIA Media Committee

Cross Cultural Consultant AMICC

As issues arise in Muslim communities, we are reminded of our duty to do what Allah (swt) has prescribed in Qur’an and accept the responsibility of Khalifah which Allah has bestowed upon us. Under the banner of Khalifah Consciousness we become more aware and are able to overcome the affects of deep psychological conditions that prevents us from acknowledging issues within and around our communities that need to be addressed. The following blog is an example:

Qur’an Conference promotes Unity of Humanity

Under the leadership of Imam Abu Qadir El Amin, the Muslim Community Center of San Francisco, California, is to be commended for producing one of the most enlightening conferences for people seeking to be more consciousness of religious Prophecy, the current times in which we are living and leadership for future generations. Held April 19^th and 20^th at the Masonic Auditorium and attended by predominantly Muslim African Americans, San Francisco Muslim Community Center’s Qur’an Conference is an annual event dedicated to spiritual awareness and guidance through the understanding of religious scriptures. Although the scholarly presenters referred to revelations from various collections of Scripture, the message overall focused on Creation Science and the completion of human evolution according to Scripture. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of understanding that the Qur’an and original Arabic language is a Blessing from God and our most reliable source of authentic scriptural information, referring to, correcting and upgrading the valid scriptures that were produced from earlier Revelations. Many viewed the event as an educational celebration for those who believe in and worship One God! Most of the religious faiths or paths were mentioned and acknowledged in past, present and future context as part of The One God’s Creation and Plan for the evolution of human beings. The chronological history and specific role of Muslim African Americans was referred to as a sign in scripture pointing to the establishment of Islamic leadership in the west and paving the way for Immigrant Muslims to build communities in America. Throughout the event, human evolution, brotherhood of humanity and righteous leadership was explained and supported with scriptural content.  All speakers were unified and in line with the principle tenants of the Islamic way of life.

The first day featured presentations by young and upcoming Islamic leaders such as Imam Zakee Madyun from Jamatul Salaam of Oakland. Imam Sulaiman Hamed, a young Islamic scholar born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Imam Sulaiman received local training from Sheikh Abdur Ra’oof Nasir and Imam Faheem Shuaibe, before attending Abu Noor University in Syria. His father Naazim Hamed and mother Saliha Hamed (Peace Be upon Her) were leaders in Muslim communities throughout the Bay area for over 40 years. Sister Shahidah Sharif, also a student of Abu Noor University gave a dynamic presentation on sincerity in religion and the contributions of women in Al-Islam. Next up was Imam Usama Cannon an instructor at the prestigious Zaytuna Institute, who introduced some valuable tips to understanding Arabic grammar. The highlight of the day was the historical overview of Islam in America delivered by Sister Gloria Karim and her husband Imam Darnell Karim, the renowned Arabic Scholar. These two Muslim pioneers from the Chicago area were childhood classmates of Imam W. D. Mohammed, who now leads the largest community of Muslims in America. Sister Gloria’s parents were early followers of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and her grandparents were early followers of Fard Muhammad, who led a group of about 25,000 Muslims in America during the 1930’s. Imam Darnell Karim closed the program with some etymology of Arabic language in Qur’an, reiterating definitions and deeper meanings from Imam Mohammed’s teachings and pointing out Qur’an references and relevance to the times we are living in now.

The second day was reserved primarily for the highlight of the whole conference, Imam W. D. Mohammed! However, prior to him speaking, we heard briefly from Dr. Hatim Bazian Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley; Abdullah bin Hamed Ali another resident Islamic scholar with Zaytuna Institute; Imam Haazim Rashed of Sacramento; Imam Sulaiman Hamed; Imam Darnell Karim and Imam Abu Qadir El Amin, who also led the escort of Imam Mohammed to the stage. Their spectacular entrance was accompanied by the wonderful sounds of an African percussion ensemble featuring Muhammad Ali, Naim Shabazz and Rashid Ali. The group’s performance contributed to an already heightened spiritual atmosphere brought on by the mere presence of Imam Mohammed. As the excitement settled down and Imam Mohammed began speaking, he reflected on some history; the mission of his father, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad; how black theology and the attempt to prefix everything with the word black has had and continues to have a counter-productive impact on African Americans today; and he cautioned us about trying to hold on to American values or ideals that are dead.

Not known for his participation in or commentary on politics, Imam Mohammed acknowledged his American heritage, the Constitution, some of America’s great leaders and to the amazement of many in the audience, he even voiced his love and respect for the values and leadership of Ronald Reagan, but after explaining why, quickly said “those days are over.” He referred to G. W. Bush as the end product of a long decline in American leadership. “We are living in the conclusion of the great issues for man in Scripture; it’s very hard to find a leader who can inspire the American people today. Many are saying President George Bush is a disappointment and it seems as though he doesn’t care.” Imam Mohammed also pointed out that moral degradation, wanton and willful disregard for human and civil rights, increase in crime and prisons, blatant resurgence of discriminatory practices and rampant destruction are clear signs that “the America we once knew is no more.” “We have reached the end of an era.” He said, “It is a new day” and alluded to the idea that Barack Obama could be the best hope for restoring decency and dignity in America. Imam Mohammed, following his theme “The Religion of Originality (Fitrah) & Muslim Identity,” connected government, politics, education, science, business, commerce and cultural issues confronting America today to religious Scripture. Periodically interchanging the name Allah with the word God he referred to Torah, Bible and Qur’an, balancing the signs of despair with signs of hope.  He encouraged all people to trust in Allah (God), His Prophecy and conduct their lives according to what is prescribed in Scripture. While acknowledging the validity of earlier Scriptures, he emphasized that the most complete and authentic source of Revelations from God is The Holy Qur’an.

After a very competent article covering the second day of this magnificent event written by Matthai Kuruvila appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, a few Muslims in attendance and some who did not attend circulated electronic media expressing their concerns about a divided Muslim image due to the lack of Immigrant Muslim support. But, this is nothing new, because we know that even before 911, Immigrant Muslims were more concerned with being accepted by American society than Muslims with a deep history in the American experience. The desire to assimilate into western culture over the desire to establish Islamic tradition has caused division amongst Muslims globally and can certainly cause division in America. We should remind ourselves that there is a difference between Immigrant Muslims and Muslim Immigrants and a difference between African American Muslims and Muslim African Americans. The difference is in how Muslims perceive themselves! A reasonable percentage of Immigrant, American and African American Muslims have adopted American lifestyles that are predominantly influenced by Christianity and are promoting what they consider to be a more democratic brand of Islam. Once the Americanization process is in motion, it conjures up old habits and practices (including the undesirable ones) and lodges them into the subconscious mind. As a result of desparately trying to fit in with popular American trends, many of these so-called democratic Muslims buy into the media’s promotion of negative images and stereotypical propaganda, especially when it comes to African Americans.  The arrogance and petty bourgeois attitudes inherited along with these trends, leads to the discriminatory belief that Muslim African Americans are inferior when it comes to Islamic scholarship, so the bourgeois Muslims choose to distinguish and distance themselves. Some are even embarrassed when they receive invitations to participate in events produced by Muslim African Americans. Yet, what we learned from the Islamic Scholars speaking at the event is, Qur’an Conferences are for all Muslims and all Muslims can benefit from understanding the specific role of Muslim African Americans in Islamic history, which for those who understand is revealed throughout Al-Qur’an in past, present and future context! In addition, we all know that The Qur’an’s reference to the unity of humanity or brotherhood of man closed the door on racial discrimination in Al-Islam. Qur’an Conferences such as the one produced by the San Francisco Muslim Community Center provides opportunities for all Muslims and righteous people of Scripture to share in a victory over The Shaitaan El Kabir (Big Devil) and his shaiteen (little devils) by coming together to gain a deeper understanding of religious Scriptures.

Dawan Muhammad AbduMuqaddim

Cross-Cultural Media Consultant, AMICC

Co-Chair SBIA Media Committee

Popular social networking website Facebook has gotten caught up in the Mideast Conflict. How? When residents of settlements situated within Palestine entered their settement, Facebook listed them as living in “Palestine.”

Because of the uproar that this default designation caused, Facebook now allows residents of settlements the option of choosing either “Israel” or “Palestine” as their country.

The following statement is just enough to break your heart:

In a posting on a Facebook page used by settlers, Channah Lerman wrote: “Be aware! Should you restore the cities of Judea, Samaria (the West Bank) … people will get more enraged than they are already. Palestine is not a country.”

Check out the article – Facebook gets entangled in Middle East conflict