Part 2 of this interview will be posted on the site on Friday.

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.

Now, Altmuslim has the entire apology here: An Apology. His letter is well worth reading because of the truth found within it. Here’s an excerpt:

I want to apologize to my Blackamerican brothers and sisters in Islam. I know that this apology may not mean very much; and I know that our American Muslim communities have a LONG way to go before we can have truly healthy political conciliation and de-racialized religious cooperation; and I know that I am not the one who is responsible for so much of the historical wrongdoing of so-called “immigrant Muslims”—wrongdoings that have been so hurtful, and insulting, and degrading, and disrespectful, and dismissive, and marginalizing, and often downright dehumanizing.

Altmuslim also has an article about the achievements of Imam WD Muhammad – The Imam Who Cares.

The conflict between church and state is commonplace in America and in spite of confusion and discomfort surrounding this great conflict, there is this vague concept of democracy that attempts to justify everything. Today, political ideas completely over rule religious beliefs and practices in almost every situation! Under the auspices of a particular brand of democracy, America has dispatched missionaries throughout the world with very little regard for the folkways, mores and religious traditions of the world’s indigenous cultures. As a result, people of all faiths must turn to their own religious scriptures and doctrines for guidance through this terrible dilemma. Repeated indulgence in religious scripture reminds us all that there is One God, who is Creator, Sustainer and Terminator of all things. While we may look different, speak different languages, follow different paths, perform different rituals and demonstrate different ways of bearing witness that there is only One God, declaring belief in The One God is at least one thing that Believers have in common. We worship putting our trust in The Creator of everything!  So, we ask ourselves the question, why is it so difficult for us to worship in peace?  An obvious answer is, leading a religious way of life today, is not popular or politically correct.  Many people subscribing to the “Big Bang” theory verses “Creation Science,” view religion as a belief system that causes problems for the mundane world, so people from strong religious traditions are playing with semantics, saying “I believe in God, but I’m not religious, I’m spiritual.” The Creator knows their intentions however, evidence of true Believers and Non-believers is revealed in their deeds and actions. On the surface and in principle, Believers and Non-believers acknowledge the different cultures and profess to support the right for people to worship The Creator in their own tradition, however, the fact remains that beneath the surface, a lack of respect and appreciation for differences continues to brew and emerge as discrimination.  Why?

Discriminatory practices, which have dominated thinking and behavior in America since the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, are based in fear and have now become institutionalized. People who are not strong in faith have a tendency to fear and dislike things that they do not understand.  America’s population and its “melting-pot” of cultures are increasing in diversity along with on-going discrimination problems that are more subtle, much more complex and vastly misunderstood. The influx of people coming to America from other countries, settling and raising families here, also heightens the level of fear amongst those Americans who feel that they have a greater stake in this country. On the other hand, foreigners, immigrants, refugees, etc., manifest a fear of not being accepted as legitimate Americans even though they may have been born in this country. Although they desperately try to assimilate into the dominant culture, they usually end up adopting habits that conflict with their own religious and cultural traditions. Consequently, modern American leaders attempting to uphold democratic ideals, continue to face on-going challenges of identifying and addressing old and new discrimination issues. America’s continuous struggles with race, gender, age, social, political and economic discrimination directly relates to religious interpretations and perceptions. The indigenous Indians, Asians, Africans and Latin Americans are just a few of what is known today as ethnic groups that have been persecuted and discriminated against over the years for attempting to practice their religious rituals in America.  After being physically tortured and terrorized, their souls were dominated by fear and their psyche confused and manipulated by “double standards.”  For the vast majority of the population, these conditions are lodged so deep in the subconscious mind that both perpetrators and victims are completely unaware of how they are being used by an elite few, who are seeking to control everything. The conditioning is so thorough that the “powers that be” can let their strategies and tactics be known and we still won’t get it.

For example, in old American movies (westerns in this case), Caucasians played both cowboy and Indian roles and usually somewhere in the films we heard the popular phrase “paleface speaks with forked tongue.”  Although this powerful message is camouflaged under the cloak of entertainment, when taken seriously, it is really warning us to watch out for “double standards,” which due to the advent of modern technology and the information age is more prominent and complex today than ever before.  Throughout the history of this country people practicing, endorsing or not speaking out against the use of “double standards,” have perpetuated discrimination and oppression to the degree that even religious scriptures have been altered to justify this diabolical practice.  The two edge sword of religious “double standard” wiled by manipulators is a major contributor to discrimination problems because it psychologically cuts through original cultural traditions and actually renders people fearful of being who they are. Through politically oriented language, media professionals in allegiance to their superior’s interpretation of the Constitution and their reporting oaths either knowingly or without awareness use this blade to manipulate, take advantage of and control the Believing masses.

There are many differences in religious paths and for those who believe that there is only One Creator, the paths all lead to the omnipotent One. However to begin comprehending America’s current discrimination situation, one simply must realize and accept the differences between Believers and Non-believers:

Non-believers follow and stay with concepts that support and justify their own limited abilities to conceptualize things, mostly from political perspectives, while Believers rely on an innate sense of right, wrong and justice that is refined by seeking divine guidance through studying legitimate religious scriptures and adhering to the natural laws of Creation Science.

The egos of Non-believer’s won’t allow them to submit to The Creator or recognize His signs, so their endeavors tend to go against the laws of nature. While Believers see submission to The Creator as the only natural path for all of Creation.

The interfaith movement promotes understanding and tolerance between different religions, focusing on the common ground and opening pathways to sharing. Differences in religious schools of thought or interdenominational ideology are insignificant in comparison to understanding the fundamental differences between Believers and Non-believers.

Dawan Muhammad, Co-Chair

SBIA Media Committee

Cross-Cultural Media Consultant, AMICC

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

Wilders initially tried to get his film broadcast in his country but none of the channels were interested. Despite the urging of the government to not broadcast the film, he searched for other means. At first, his attempt to broadcast it on the Internet was blocked as his webhost Network Solutions blocked him from putting the film on his site.

The BBC has an article about the film here, including a description of the film. Can I be honest? It sounds pretty unimaginitive. Sorry Wilders.

Check out the article – Most Muslims ‘desire democracy’

The results will be included in a book to be published next month titled Who Speaks For Islam? What A Billion Muslims Really Think.

The Muslims polled were also asked about how they felt about the 9/11 attacks. According to the article, “The overwhelming majority of those asked condemned them and subsequent attacks, citing religious reasons.”

“Given our intense current focus on terrorism, war, and rampant antiAmericanism—some of the most emotional international issues of the day—it’s vital to understand the true sources of these crises. Is Islam, in fact, the source of the problem, or does it tend to lie with other less obvious and deeper factors?” asks reporter Graham E. Fuller.

Long story short – no, Islam is not the source of the problem.

The website features only an excerpt of the article. For the full article, you either need to register on the site or read it while standing around in the magazine section at Borders during your lunch hour.

altmuslim review 025

This latest podcast, in which the editors Shahed and Zahed Amanullah say their aim is to release a new podcast once a month in 2008, includes an interview with Eboo Patel. I reviewed his book back in September. Check out the podcast folks!

Check out the article – Reading the Qur’an