An American Muslim Journal

How about a christmas tree in our Muslim home!?

Hearing Bing Crosby singing “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” soothes me.  Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” puts me a festive mood.   Some co-workers decorated my office door with Christmas-themed wrapping paper and I think it looks very pretty.  Last Saturday we watched an old-school Rudolph cartoon featuring Red Skelton’s voice!  Tonight, as I head home for the Christmas long weekend I’ll take particular note of the extra friendliness and the random “Merry Christmas” greetings from passersby, and I will return the smiles and the greetings.

I confess - I enjoy the Christmas season.  It has its place in my life to be sure.  I never went out of my way to learn about Christmas but I know a decent amount about the holiday and the different ways my friends partake of it.  That comes from growing up with mostly Christian friends.

As much as I love the Christmas season though, I draw the line at adopting the holiday for me and my family.  I draw a line between enjoying the environment and wishing my Christian friends a joyous and merry Christmas on one side and adopting Christmas in my own home on the other side.  I am a Muslim and I am raising my children to be Muslims too.

Until this year the line between enjoying the sights and sounds of Christmas and bringing it into our home was never questioned.  That changed  when one of our Muslim neighbors put up a Christmas tree in their home.

As we pulled out of our drive way one evening earlier this month one of my kids asked me if we could have a Christmas tree.  The question didn’t phase me.  I had my answer and an explanation ready to go.

I told her very confidently: “Honey, we don’t put up Christmas trees because we aren’t Christian.  Christmas is a Christian holiday.  We celebrate our ‘eid’ celebrations .  Those are our Muslim holidays.”  I thought that was going to be the end of it.

My kids weren’t buying it.

“But Fatima and Muhammad have a Christmas tree in their house!” protested my son.  I looked over at my wife.  She nodded her head and pointed to our neighbors’ home as we drove by it.  There it was in their front room, brightly lit and clearly visible from the street.  A big, decorated Christmas tree.

“Well guys, they may have a Christmas tree in their home, but we will not.  We’re Muslims, and Christmas is a special holiday for our Christian friends” I said.

“Maybe Fatima and Muhammad aren’t Muslims” suggested one of my kids.

No!  That’s not the right attitude!  I don’t want them to be so judgmental, I thought to myself!  But I also want to make it absolutely clear that Christmas is not our holiday.

I made my best case to my kids.  I explained that we do not believe it is appropriate for Muslims to celebrate Christian holidays, but that it is important for us to wish our Christians friends well as they celebrate it.  I also told them that we cannot judge Muslims who choose to do things we think are wrong, because that is neither our right nor responsibility.  It is for God to judge us all.

I ran into my neighbor the other day at a party and we discussed her family’s Christmas tree.  She did not see any harm in having the tree.  The crux of her reasoning for having the Christmas tree is that Christmas is a secular American holiday, she wants her kids to see themselves as fully American and so they put up the tree for those reasons.

I respectfully disagree.

Christmas is a Christian holiday just like Eid ul Fitr is a Muslim holiday.   There are lots of Muslims who neither fast nor pray in Ramadan and do not attend Eid ul Fitr prayers on Eid day, and yet they celebrate Eid with food and family with all the vigor of more observant Muslims.  That doesn’t make Eid ul Fitr any less a Muslim holiday.  Similarly, just because some people celebrate Christmas as a secular tradition doesn’t make it any less a Christian holiday.

The other part of her argument - the one about having the Christmas tree so her kids feel more American - is also troublesome.  What does celebrating Christmas have to do with being American?

We are Americans and we’ve never had a Christmas tree.  I came to America with my parents 38 years ago and we’ve never felt the need to adopt Christmas in order to feel more American.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate the value of symbols.  Our family displays the American flag outside our home.  We display it proudly all year round.  The American flag, more than a Christmas tree, is symbolic of our identity as Americans.
 
At our home we use holidays like Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day as more than just a day off school or work.  We attend memorials.  We run in charity runs to raise money for wounded veterans.   These are some of the things that make us Americans.  In our family we make it a point on these holidays to focus on our identity as both American and Muslim.

My kids must understand that we don’t need to be like our Christian neighbors to be accepted by them.  I want my kids to be respectful of the religious values and holidays of their friends of different faiths and to be confident that their friends will do the same for them.  I want them to understand that this diversity is a hallmark of being American.

Some Muslim friends offered the argument that Jesus* is an honored prophet in Islam, and as such, celebrating the birth of Jesus is not at odds with our faith.
 
I do not disagree with either of these points, and yet I do not find this to be a persuasive argument.  My objection isn’t so much theological as it is practical.

In America Christmas is fun.  It’s pretty.  And it’s everywhere.  Our eid lights, decorations, songs and parties are fun and pretty too, but they don’t compare with the marketing power of Christmas.  If we adopt Christmas as one of our holidays (even with an overtly Muslim spin to it), it will quickly and permanently overshadow our Muslim celebrations.  This would be a tragedy.

But for those Muslims who are keen to honor Jesus by celebrating Christmas, I respectfully ask “What would Jesus do?”  Would he want his legacy to be a Christmas decoration?Charity and justice are cornerstones of Islam and Jesus’ life was full of acts of charity and justice.  To those Muslims who feel they must incorporate Christmas into their families I suggest they take their kids to a soup kitchen, pass out blankets to the homeless or find some other, sustainable way of serving the needy.

Our family is living proof that being well integrated in an interfaith community while also cultivating a strong American identity side by side with our Muslim faith is quite doable.

And so far we’re doing it without the Christmas tree!

(Merry Christmas to all of my Christian friends!  May this be a blessed time for you!)

__________________________________________________

*I've omitted the phrase "peace be upon him" after Jesus' name with the hope that Muslims will be mindful of saying this prayer each time they read his name.

Running with friends & fellow American Muslims on 9/11 to help wounded veterans

I wanted to do something meaningful to mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11.  It's a sad and sobering anniversary every year.  I find it hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

This year I'm running in a half marathon - the Chicago Half Marathon - on Team Red White and Blue to raise money and awareness for wounded veterans' re-integration.  Team RWB is a 501(c)(3) charity that focuses on connecting wounded veterans with civilians to help build bridges between the two communities in order to help wounded veterans reintegrate into civilian life.

I'm running it with a group of friends and co-workers and other Team RWB supporters.  Among this group are two others who happen to be American Muslims too.  We are not necessarily wearing our faith on our sleeves.  It just happens to be that a few of us are Americans and Muslims both.

If this does not seem noteworthy to you - that Muslims would be honoring this somber anniversary by doing something for American veterans - than I thank you.  I wish more people saw it this way.

There are a lot of folks out there, however, who seem to think the worst of Muslims, even their fellow Americans who happen to be Muslims.  There are a lot of folks out there who are not bigots but who harbor very negative views about Muslims because they've only seen the worst representatives of the faith.  I hope our efforts and other similar efforts around the country get noticed and serve as alternatives for those who wonder what Muslims really think and feel about 9/11.

Over the years I've spoken at commemorative services and attended interfaith prayers.  I'm doing some of those activities this year too.  Running in the half marathon is meant to be an additional and more challenging endeavor to mark the seriousness of this solemn occasion.

Please visit my fundraising page at firstgiving.com and the Team Red White and Blue website for more information!

Thanks!

Brawl Breaks Out at N.Y. Amusement Park Over Religious Head Scarves - TIME NewsFeed

Ola Salem, who was with the group, told the New York Times, "They said no because of my headgear. I said, 'It's not my headgear, it's my religion.'"

via newsfeed.time.com

This is embarrassing. This statement "It's not my headgear, it's my religion" is ignorant.

We all know that Muslims can be as trashy and stupid as any other faith or ethnic community, and we've all seen stupid people at mosque fairs getting into scuffles and acting thug-ish.

Shame on the police if they overreacted. That should be addressed. The trashy behavior of some of the participants should be called out and shunned as well. Don't let those among the Muslim group who acted abusively or in a disorderly way to hide behind other issues.

Gov. Quinn announces "Muslim American Advisory Council" in Illinois

From a press release dated 8/30/11 from Governor Quinn:

Governor Pat Quinn today named members to serve on the Muslim American Advisory Council, which will help ensure Muslim American participation in state government. Governor Quinn announced the new council during “Eid,” the close of the holy month of Ramadan.

“Illinois is a diverse state, which is one of our greatest strengths,” Governor Quinn said. “There are more than 400,000 Muslims and 300 mosques within our borders, representing various racial and ethnic sects of Islam. I want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity for input in how we address issues such as education, public safety and jobs, because the strategies may need to differ based on the history, culture and needs of different communities.”

Illinois has many boards and commissions.  The "Muslim American Advisory Council" could be an excellent vehicle to raise issues and concerns of the American Muslim community with policy-makers in Illinois.  Given the make up of its members, it could also help to bring together a very diverse (ethnically, geographically, theologically, etc) Muslim community in Illinois as well.

The people appointed to this commission/board have a responsibility to reach out to their respective constituents and get feedback on issues being considered by their advisory body.

It will require some initiative on the part of the appointees.  This should be more than just an honorific appointment.  Samreen Khan is to be applauded for spearheading this and making it happen.

GOP and Muslims are perfect together | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/31/2011

Memo to Republicans: Muslims are cultural conservatives, too. And if you can stop maligning them for a moment, they might move over to your column.

via www.philly.com

I think what Professor Zimmerman is saying here is partially true.  In my youth I was a Republican in large part because I believed that it was most consistent with my faith.  Some 20+ years later I understand my faith and politics differently and that has led me away from the Republican Party (their hate helped move me a long but I think I would have left eventually nonetheless).  If the Republicans can get over their bigotry against Muslims, then Prof. Zimmerman's prediction might come true.

I hope not.  Yes, I do want the Republicans to stop being bigots (anti-Muslim and anti- everything else they get whipped into a frenzy over), but I don't want my co-religionists and fellow Americans to flock to the Right.  That would be wrong.

For American Muslims whose faith guides their individual political choices, I think those politicians who can strike a balance between securing individual freedom while making sure that the vulnerable segments of our society (the children first and foremost but also the homeless, the mentally ill, the unemployed, the working poor and so on) are not left in the lurch, will be most attractive to us.

Social values - sexual preference, abortion, and so on - are important issues to me and to many American Muslims but to think that American Muslims (or Muslims across the world) have a unified opinion on these issues would be incorrect.  These are personal matters and personal choices that are between individuals and God.  I'm pro-choice but I would want my wife to have an abortion.  I believe that homosexuality is a sin but so too is pre-marital sex in Islam.  Again, these are matters between individuals and God.  Frankly, I don't want promiscuity and lewd behavior in public spaces whether its between heterosexuals or homosexuals, but it is not for me to judge others on the basis of their personal choices.  

Furthermore, we've got many more important public and societal issues that we need to address and fix before we can even have time to debate the sinfulness of private adult activities, behaviors and choices. Food insecurity, food deserts, the evisceration of our civil liberties, homelessness, un- and under-employment, discrimination, un- and under-insured families, the rapidly deteriorating environment, our over-dependence on oil and the impact of our country's overall lifestyle and our foreign policies that secure that lifestyle are all issues that demand our attention ahead of sexual preferences and abortion.  

I hope that American Muslims will come to look deeper into their faith and into their duty as Americans in order to avoid flocking to the Republican Party (assuming it eventually abandons its anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies).  Muslims in America and abroad are charged to work for the common good of their neighbors and of humanity, and today's Republican Party does not work for the common good.

______________________

To understand what Republicans and conservatives really want read George Lakoff's essay on Alternet (click here).

Dick Durbin holds Muslim rights hearings - Scott Wong - POLITICO.com

Durbin noted that King previously stated there are too many mosques in the country. And he pointed to comments by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a possible GOP presidential candidate, that the country is “experiencing an Islamist cultural-political offensive designed to undermine and destroy our civilization.”

“Some have even questioned the premise of today’s hearing: that we should protect the civil rights of American Muslims,” Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said in his opening remarks. “Such inflammatory speech from prominent public figures creates a fertile climate for discrimination. So it’s not surprising that the Anti-Defamation League says we face an intensified level of anti-Muslim bigotry.’”

via www.politico.com

Of course the right-wing nuts are going nuts over this hearing.  They hear "Muslims" and they can't help but freak out (hat tip for that Pavlovian conditioning to Faux News).

Here's a shot of some comments on Politico.com:

Wow!  The anger and hate is so strong!  And wrong.

The fact is that this was a civil rights hearing.  The American community it was focusing on today was the American Muslim community.  And fighting to secure the civil rights of each and every segment of our community helps to strengthen the civil rights of every citizen.

As such, I'm not so keen on POLITICO.com's headline about "Muslim rights hearings".  These were civil rights hearings focused on the rising bigotry against American Muslims.

Sen. Durbin deserves a lot of credit for taking the lead.  I also want to acknowledge Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for co-chairing this hearing.

 

King Hearing Falls Short, As Predicted says Investors Business Daily

Sheesh!  Even the Investors Business Daily is piling on Rep. Peter King for his pathetic hearings.  Make no mistake, I don't think too kindly of some of the IBD editorials (they sometimes like to slum in the gutter by promoting bogus charges against legitimate American Muslim organizations).  I'm pointing them out, however, because EVEN THEY berated Rep. King for the way he failed to conduct a meaningful hearing.

IBD wrote:

Reviews of Rep. Pete King’s opening round of hearings into “Muslim radicalization” are lousy...  King, the Republican head of the House Homeland Security Committee, deserves thrashing...  King didn't even come close to delivering what he advertised with his investigation, titled "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response"...  He said FBI agents and other cops working terrorism cases constantly complain about the lack of cooperation from the Muslim community. Mosque officials and other Muslim leaders actually encourage such resistance, he said...  Yet the seven witnesses King called to testify included no national law enforcement officials to back him up. Nor did he subpoena any of the offending Muslim leaders to address these allegations under oath.

Huh!  Imagine that!  And why, IBD, do you think that is?  Is it that Rep. King's staff lost the notebook with the names and numbers of all the many law enforcement folks that supposedly told Rep. King about the alleged lack of cooperation of American Muslims?  Hmmm?  No, I don't think that's it.  I think it's because that was a wild claim that Rep. King can't back up.

Orange County GOP Leaders Scott Baugh, Adam Probolsky not bothered by Deborah Pauly's Incitement to Murder

 
The response by Orange County's party leadership to Pauly's comments has been muted, even a bit disjointed. In an interview with a reporter, OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh defended Pauly's right to speak out, but was clearly uncomfortable doing it.

"We don't referee the content of what people say out at rallies," Baugh said. He added later: "In Democracy -- in a country with free speech -- at rallies a lot of things are said. I wouldn't read too much into it."

Adam Probolsky, a Republican pollster, activist and central committee member said it's simply not the role of the party to be regulating what its members -- or even its leaders -- say at public events. "The news of the day is not what makes up the activity of the day of the Republican Party," Probolsky said.

via www.voiceofoc.org

Oh really Scott Baugh!?  So it doesn't bother you that one of your fellow OC GOP leaders incited the crowd to murder innocent men, women and children?  Quite a spine you've got sir!

I have a question for Adam Probolsky - what, sir, does make up the activity of the day at the Republican Party in Orange County?  Cutting eye holes in white bedsheets, perhaps?  Churning out a fresh litany of lame explanations for the outrageous behavior of your leadership?  Or perhaps just gearing up to tear down American workers' rights to organize and bargain collectively?  Your mama must be so proud.

We American Muslims go through a ritual of apologizing every time a kook who professes to share the same faith as we do goes and does something dumb, violent or illegal.  We do it because we want to set the record straight that these folks are acting contrary to what our faith teaches us.  We do it because we want our fellow Americans to know that we abhor terrorism.  We do it because, by and large, Americans ask us to do so.

So why is it Deborah Pauly's colleagues in the GOP can't muster up an ounce of decency and just say "Yeah, Deborah's an idiot, a bigot and probably a criminal if that dopey OC DA did his job" and be done with it?

Come on Scotty Baugh!  I gave you the line.  All you need to do is put it on your letterhead.  I give you permission to use that line as your own - no attribution needed!

Maybe good, decent people in Orange County - especially the Republicans - should head out to the next OC GOP meeting on Monday, March 21, 2011 from 7pm to 9pm at the Hyatt Regency Irvine.  That might be a good place to dish out a little protest against Pauly's hate and bigotry (albeit with a lot more civility than Pauly showed when she scared the heck out of little children).

Scotty Baugh - would it be okay if folks came and expressed their displeasure with the way your colleague conducted herself and with the lack of spine you've shown in addressing it adequately?  I'm advocating a civil and peaceful presence.  Are you cool with that?  Write a comment here and let us know.

I can't help but wonder if the GOP of the early part of the 21st century is going to go down in history as the party of the new KKK.  Is that how you want to be remembered?  Ugh!  I wouldn't.

 

Salam Al Marayati: Blasphemy Laws Are Against Islam

Blasphemy laws or laws prohibiting defamation of a religion are incompatible with Islamic thought and philosophy. The concept of Defamation of Religions denies a person their free will to choose -- one of God's greatest gifts to humanity -- and deprives individuals of their right to free speech and expression. It also creates a climate of intolerance that can breed discrimination and violence.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Thank you Salam Al Marayati for writing this essay. I hope it gets circulated widely. This message needs to be shared.

I agree with your reasoning. I agree with your conclusion. It's because I so fully and wholeheartedly believe in my faith that I am willing to suffer the outrageous lies and insults that are unjustly levied against it and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).  To allow for blasphemy laws or laws that prohibit the defamation of religion is to somehow say that Islam cannot withstand criticism.  If our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) could endure it in his own lifetime and if the Holy Quran makes it clear that there is no compulsion in religion, then it would be a grievous error on our parts to allow blasphemy laws to exist.

While I think very highly of Salam Al Marayati, I do wish this same position was taken, explained and disseminated by Muslim scholars. Maybe they have said this and written on this and I simply haven't seen it. If that's the case, please share the writing with me so that I can share it with others.

These are matters of religious doctrine and while I don't need an imam or Islamic scholar to tell me what to think, I do believe that this understanding as articulated by Salam Al Marayati would be so much more persuasive if it came from a well known Muslim scholar.

Southwest apologizes to Muslim booted off plane - good for Southwest

 

(Reuters) - A Muslim woman who was booted from a Southwest Airlines plane because flight attendants found her behavior suspicious received a public apology from the airline on Wednesday.

Graduate student Irum Abassi was wearing a head scarf when she was ordered to leave a flight on Sunday before it took off from San Diego International Airport.

via www.reuters.com

Good for Southwest Airlines for apologizing in a timely fashion! It does them absolutely no good to have bigoted or ill-trained personnel on their flights.

It's amazing what narrow-minded (perhaps even bigoted) comments Ms. Abassi's experience and the subsequent apology are stirring up on the internet.  These people should be ashamed of themselves!

Here's a sampling:

Big deal. Southwest was trying to protect its passengers and I say good for them. I am sick of the crocodile tears and all of the rest from any member of a protected class in this country. And Muslims are the latest protected class, thank you misguided media/leftists.) Ms. Abassi’s fellow Muslims murder Christians every day all over the world. Jews are not allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia or to many other countries. Homosexuals are routinely jailed, tortured and murdered. I think Ms. Abassi should be grateful for the free travel coupon and that this is America. Tens of thousands of Japanese died a sudden and horrific death a few days ago. That was a tragedy. Ms. Abassi’s “trauma” was not.  via www.reuters.com

I say to Fing bad!! Muslims are the reason for the growing anti Muslim movement..Deal with it or leave via www.sigonsandiego.com

What a bunch of jerks!  This is the United States of America people!  We have laws and those laws prohibit the kind of discrimination that Southwest Airlines engaged in when it kicked Ms. Abassi off her flight.

We aren't going anywhere.  American Muslims are here to stay.  Period.  So deal with it.  We'll certain fight for our civil rights and liberties.  We can either live up to the ideals of America or become like the nations we abhor.