An American Muslim Journal

Countering homegrown radicalization: Muslims Must Reclaim the Mosque as a Center of Religious Life

The news of so many home-grown terrorism schemes and plots being uncovered in the U.S. over the past two months is very disturbing.  The men who stand accused of these plots are not so different from me in age, religious observance and socio-economic status but their outlook on life seems incomprehensible to me.  With all due respect to some of our nation's dedicated American Muslim leaders and institutions who continue to downplay the problem, I do think the problem within our community is more dire than we are willing to state publicly.

When we discovered that British Muslims were responsible for the London bombings several years back and that they were born and raised in the U.K. there was a concern in the U.S. about something similar happening here.  With the exception of Hizb-ut-TahrirI could not think of any other Muslim organizations who were openly hostile to America and the West, and since, at the time of the London bombing Hizb-ut-Tahrir was long gone from the local scene (it had been many years since we had to endure their shouts and taunts in the mosques), I felt confident that the radicalization that took place among the London bombers could not happen here.  After all, we American Muslims are far more integrated into American society and comfortable with our identity as American Muslims.

CIVIC INTEGRATION: A BULWARK AGAINST RADICALIZATION

Even before 9/11 but certainly afterward, American Muslims stepped up their efforts to develop and execute strategies for civic integration into American society.  Unlike most other places in the world, the United States' affords many freedoms which empower American Muslims the ability to become "American" on their own terms.  A lot of us are taking advantage these freedoms to carve out our own unique American Muslim identity. 

The youth and the young adults seem to be the greatest beneficiaries of the freedoms.  Unlike places in Europe and even in a Muslim majority country like Turkey where public expression of one's Muslim faith is increasingly being curtailed, in America the freedom of religion still means something, and that allows American Muslim youth to develop a well integrated and stable identity. 

I see this process of integration taking place among the youth in mosques all over northern Illinois.  My own mosque in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, the Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs (ISNS), is a good example of this positive development. 

This seamless melding of American and Muslim is particularly noticeable during congregational prayer.  In my mosque you see the youth lining up for the afternoon prayer with us at the end of Sunday school.  These kids are wearing their Bears and Bulls jerseys and the other trendy fashions.  The shoes, left just outside of the mosque's prayer hall, pretty much run the gamut of Air Jordan's to Transformers and Barbie brands and so on.  During breaks in between Sunday school classes kids will sneak out of the building to shoot some hoops or throw a football around.  This is level of integration is free form and perhaps due in large part to our consumer culture and the pressure to conform and be like everyone else.

Here in Illinois we have some very thoughtful and talent youth organizers who understand the challenges faced by American Muslims.  One youth organizer who rarely gets much attention but is doing outstanding work is Amal Ali.  Ms. Ali is the youth organizer for the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago(CIOGC) and she has both the academic training and hands on experience in the field of youth work.  Over the years Ms. Ali has been a personal mentor to scores of young American Muslims and through CIOGC she has developed programs to help build young American Muslims' self-esteem through retreats that feature mentoring, spiritual nourishment and tough physical challenges that blend individual courage with team efforts.   She works with the Muslim Students Associations in the Illinois universities and colleges to help build leadership skills and again, to provide mentoring from young American Muslim professionals and highly respected spiritual personalities that promote positive and constructive integration while also instilling a commitment to serve humanity.

These integration efforts are not just for the youth.  Again, CIOGC has played an important role in promoting civic integration.  Under the leadership of Dr. Abdul Malik Mujahid and now with Dr. Zaher Sahloul, the American Muslim community is effectively developing healthy interactions with civic and philanthropic boards and with elected leaders.  In May 2009 CIOGC took nearly 500 American Muslims from northern Illinois to Springfield for a day of common good advocacy.  CIOGC partnered with Faith in Place and Protestants for the Common Good to develop a common good agenda that went beyond Muslim "special interest" issues and addressed the environment and the inequities of Illinois' public education funding system.  I was there for this event and it was amazing to see the sense of empowerment among every age group from high school through senior citizens!

The idea is to forge an identity that allows American Muslims to be comfortable being American and Muslim.  Seeing and feeling the reality of civic integration is instrumental in building a positive sense of self among American Muslims.  That positive sense of self, that healthy American Muslim identity, is what empowers American Muslims to be passionate about the many injustices visited upon Muslims throughout the world with a sense that they have the power to do something about it within the system.  Civic integration empowers American Muslims to understand the tools and resources available to them and sustains hope that they can make a difference in a meaningful way.  In essence, civic integration can arrest the feelings of hopelessness and fear, and in the absence of these two emotions, American Muslims may be inoculated from radicalization.

NOT EVERYONE IS KEEN ABOUT INTEGRATION THOUGH...

Many American Muslims support civic integration, but there are individuals, groups and even mosques that pride themselves on their lack of integration.  It is not uncommon to hear an Imam shrieking during a Friday sermon about the sinfulness of befriending Christians and Jews.  Some American Muslims use our mosques and our communications tools to promote shallow Muslim supremacist ideas.

Groups like Hizb ut Tahrir are returning to the mosques and promoting a shallow message of top-down theocratic world domination and selling that simplistic notion as the answer to all the ills and suffering faced by Muslims through out the world.  Other groups are less public but equally resistant to integration.  Within our mosques we have co-religionists who are intolerant of others who do not accept other's understanding of Islam.  Reason and freedom of conscience have no place in such people's outlook.  I have had many unsavory encounters over the past 15 years with these types of American Muslims.

Their favored tactic is to attack the sincerity and genuineness of another's faith in Islam.  For example, when I disagree with a point of view or a particular interpretation I am accused of deviating from the Quran and Sunnah (which, in my view, is tantamount to an accusation of apostasy).  This extremist approach has a chilling effect on some mosque administrators.  Rather than cutting off the extremists from institutional power, they are allowed to participate in mosque governance and often times they impose the "hecklers' veto" on programs and projects that do not comport with their particular religious understanding.

BRINGING MORE AMERICAN MUSLIMS INTO ORGANIZED RELIGIOUS LIFE IS ESSENTIAL

As we grapple with concerns over the radicalization of American Muslims it is critical that we recognize that we need American Muslims to be more involved in organized religious life.  At first blush it may seem counter-intuitive, but organized religious life is the best means of inoculating American Muslims from the extremist ideologies proliferating on the internet.

The five young American Muslims who recently traveled to Pakistan in search of jihad were largely radicalized via their exposure to violent extremist propaganda and e-fatwas extolling the merits of terrorism.  Where was their mosque's youth program when it was needed most?  Many mosque youth programs focus on apolitical issues in part because of the presence of the extremist voices that impose the "hecklers veto" on thoughtful discussions.  The educational forums offered by mosques rarely discuss socio-political or civic aspects of American Muslim life as well.  Again, this is due in part to the extremists' "hecklers veto".  As a result, many American Muslims, the vast majority who espouse mainstream and healthy Islamic values, feel either uncomfortable in mosques or feel that the mosques simply do not offer them anything useful (outside of Friday and Eid prayers).  Research on the American Muslim community suggests that only a fraction (perhaps as little as 5%) of American Muslims are affiliated with a mosque.

The isolated religious existence, while protecting American Muslims from the vocal minority of extremists within the mosques, can also become an incubator of extremism as well.  Maj. Nidal Hassan is one recent example.  While he attended the mosque for prayers on a regular basis, Nidal Hassan was not very actively engaged in an American Muslim community environment.  His spiritual and religious outlet came via the internet and blogs and electronic bulletin boards.

Done right, a mosque can provide a wholesome and nurturing environment that promotes an authentic application of Islamic values and creates a community life that supports a healthy Muslim self-image.  But to do it right, a mosque has to be an open and welcoming environment.  Women must be made to feel welcome.  The programming has to be engaging.  It has to be in English (except for the ritual prayer).  The imams who lead the spiritual life of the mosque should be well attuned to and positive about American culture because, at the end of the day, that is the culture of the vast majority of the 6 to 7 million American Muslims today.  The religious education for the youth and the the adults needs to be tailored to an American point of view in order to be effective.  The mosques must serve as a social safety net for a range of issues ranging from unemployment, hunger, substance abuse and domestic abuse.  And of course, there must be a social component within mosque community life (particular for the youth) as well.

SHIFTING PRIORITIES, BEING MORE BOLD

American mosques are largely funded by domestic contributions from American Muslims.  Since Islam forbids interest-based transactions, American mosques are purchased and built with cash.  And the mosques in America are being built in more and more places and existing mosques are expanding all the time.  I suspect that 90% of mosque donations are used to maintain physical structures and to fund expansion projects.  The vast majority of American mosques are also run and administered exclusively by volunteers.

American Muslims need to shift their priorities from bricks and mortar to programming and human resources.  Beautifully titled prayer halls with traditional domes and ornate chandeliers and exquisite Quranic calligraphy adorning the walls are not the antidote to radicalization.  In fact, these things are not even the answer to bringing more American Muslims into the mosque.  And yet, we continue to channel millions upon millions of dollars to support these types of projects.

All the while, mosques have no budgets for youth organizing, hiring trained professional youth workers and counselors, or for attracting more American Muslims to pursue careers as imams and Islamic spiritual leaders.  There is little money allocated to programming to create meaningful and engaging activities for American Muslim youth and young adults.  These are, however, the things that mosques need to spend on in order to create the kind of mosque-centric life that will help counter the radicalization being promoted on the internet and even within our mosques through the unregulated and unstructured study circles and discussion groups held in mosques but without much oversight by mosque administrators.

Moving forward, American Muslim leaders and administrators must be bold.  We have to stop kowtowing to the extremists within our community.  We lament the need to defend Islam and ourselves against the violence perpetrated by our co-religionists, but what we should really be angry about is how mosques have allowed the intolerant behavior of some extremists to stifle ideas, projects and programs that would create a more welcoming environment in our mosques.

If mosques will not provide thoughtful programming and an environment conducive to building a wholesome Muslim community, then American Muslims need to go the route of the Mohammed Webb Foundation in the western suburbs of Chicago.  The Webb Foundation is organization that provides a lot of the civic, social and educational programming in an open and welcoming environment that mosques should be providing but often do not.  We know what our priorities ought to be, and now we need to act boldly in pursuit of them!

ONE VIOLENT EXTREMIST IS ONE TOO MANY

It is true that the vast majority of Muslims, in America and throughout the world, are peaceful and faithful people committed to living an Islamic life of peace and justice.  And in the face of bigots and Islamophobes who viciously malign Muslims and Islam as violent, we are right to point to the billion plus Muslims who categorically denounce violent extremism as a solution.

We must, however, hold ourselves to higher standards.  One violent extremist is one too many.  In a community of 6 to 7 million American Muslims the handful of individuals accused of plots of violence is not even 1% of our community but its still unacceptable.  As American Muslims we have an enormous obligation to the rest of the world.  It is not about American Muslim "exceptional-ism" but rather, it is a simple matter of resources and opportunities.  We have the freedom and the resources to do much good for Islam and for the cause of justice at home and abroad.

We hamstring ourselves by allowing our co-religionists to succumb to the hirabi creed promoted by Al Qaeda and other violent extremist groups.  There is too much at stake for us to allow this to continue.

Switzerland, Muslims, Minaret Ban: Islamophobia or something else?

The The New York Times this morning reported that Switzerland is poised to impose a ban on the construction of minarets.  Minarets are a common architectural feature of mosques serving both an aesthetic and functional purpose.  Minarets are commonly used as symbols of Islam as well.

Why are a majority of Swiss voters supporting a ban on minarets in their country?  Why is there an anti-Muslim movement in a country thought to be tolerant?  Why is there such a misunderstanding of Islam among the advocates of the proposed ban on minarets? 

Of the 7 million people who live in Switzerland approximately 300,000 are Muslim.  Most Swiss Muslims are immigrants from Turkey, Bosnia and Kosova.  Switzerland is home to the United Nations humanitarian agencies.  Switzerland is famous for its international neutrality.  With 4% of the Swiss population claiming Islam as their religion and given Switzerland’s history of tolerance it is disturbing to see Swiss opinion turn so negative towards a large religious minority within Switzerland.

The existence of an anti-Muslim movement is no longer surprising (it is still disturbing of course).  All it takes is a small handful of bigots to create a group.  But in the case of the Swiss, the minaret-banning legislation is poised to pass and that suggests popular support (at least of the voting public).  This development should be troubling to anyone who values religious freedom and values free societies that support religious pluralism.

According to the same NY Times story an opinion poll from earlier in the month found that 37 percent of Swiss were in favor of banning minarets, 10 percent were undecided and 53 percent were opposed to it.  Assuming for the sake of discussion that the poll was scientific and accurate, it appears that at least a few people who publicly said they were opposed to banning minarets had a serious change of heart in a matter of a few weeks.  Another possibility is that some Swiss harbor anti-Muslim sentiments but they are not comfortable voicing these bigoted opinions in public.  A third possibility is the confluence of a generally low voter turnout and a higher than normal turnout from the supporters of the minaret-ban legislation.

What is fueling the anti-Muslim movement in Switzerland?  Are Swiss Muslims doing something to fuel the bigotry?  Are Swiss Muslims integrating into Swiss society?  Do Swiss Muslims work with Swiss of other religious affiliations for issues of the common good?  Is the fact that only about 11% of Swiss Muslims are citizens a factor?  Is it difficult to become a naturalized citizen in Switzerland?

What do you think is driving Swiss citizens to curtail Muslim rights in Switzerland?

Are we at war with Islam? Only according to extremist, warmongering radicals

Have you noticed how extremist, warmongering radicals all see Islam at war with America?  Al Qaeda and its spawn certainly promote this belief.  And so too do extremist, warmongering radical Americans. 

That's right: extremist, warmongering radical right-wing Americans go to great lengths and leave no idiotic conspiracy theory that supports their warped worldview untapped in trying to convince themselves that Islam is evil and that all Muslims are openly and secretly trying to kill all non-Muslims.  It is about time we exposed these violence-prone fanatics who deceptively wrap the Stars and Stripes around themselves to mask the mix of Christian Identity, White Supremacy, Dominionism and xenophobia.

You know who these folks are - they are the people you see at rallies and protests, they are the screwballs who call into right-wing talk radio and lace their anti-Muslim diatribes with "God Bless America", "Amen" and "Yee Haa" and they are the entertainers pretending to be pundits and journalists on Faux News and on America Right satellite radio and are on the donor rolls of extremist Christian leaders like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham.  They are the people shaving their heads and putting bedsheets on their heads and getting swastikas tattooed on their bodies.  They are the people bombing abortion clinics, killing doctors, going on shooting rampages against anyone who is not White and who target non-Christians with gun violence and random thuggery.  They have the blogs that rightly decry Al Qaeda organized violence and then go one indict every other Muslim for good measure.

These extremist Americans have more in common with Al Qaeda than with the rest of America.  Instead of allowing Americans to close ranks and deal with the fanaticism of Al Qaeda together, their hate ideology is extremely effective in keeping American Muslims off balance and consistently in a defensive posture.  Instead of spending time rooting out extremism, hours and hours of time is spent by American Muslims telling America who they are and what they believe.

Eight years ago American Muslims recognized that they would have to make the case for Islam as a religion of peace and for themselves as patriotic and loyal Americans.  For eight years American Muslims have been talking in interfaith gatherings, wearing the American flag on their lapels, blasting out press releases condemning terrorism committed by their co-religionists throughout the world and contributing day after day as productive citizens in all walks of life.

Today it is clear that American Muslims cannot do it by themselves.  They need the help and support of the rest of America.  They need the help of everyday Americans who know American Muslims as neighbors, co-workers, friends and classmates.  Do the math and you will understand why, in the face of a frenzied and high powered smear campagin by American extremists within this society, 6 million American Muslims cannot possibly share their aspirations, hopes, their hospitality and their love of America with the other 300 million Americans by themselves.

Americans need to unite against extremism.  American Muslims need to get out of their comfort zone and continue condemning terrorism and violence committed in the name of Islam.  The rest of America needs to rally behind those American Muslims who have stepped forward to speak truth to power and confront extremism within their own community as well as against the vicious bigotry of fanatical, righ-wing extremist Americans.  This is the need of our time and all Americans of good will need to do their part.

American Muslims, Veterans Day 2009, Ft. Hood Massacres and Islamophobes

The Ft. Hood murders made this year's Veterans Day a lot more meaningful than in years past.  This year I made a concerted effort to use this day (which I had off for the first time in about 8 years) to think about our veterans and to teach my children about the sacrifices our veterans make to serve and protect our society.

VETERANS DAY SPENT FOCUSING ON VETERANS - A FIRST

Over breakfast I talked to my kids about what they know about Veterans Day.  We talked about why we need a military and that the men and women in the military have families just like ours, and the big diffference is that the member of the family in the military is sometimes gone for a year or more and that their lives are at risk whenever they are working.

The concept of being away from family seemed to make an impact.  One of the challenges I've had in our family is being away a lot at work and they seemed to use that as a point of reference.

After breakfast we headed over to the local Veterans Day service.  We just made it in time.  My high school's band was at the service - which was remarkable because school was off today so these kids put on their uniforms and came out together when they could have remained at home.  They received a well-deserved round of applause for their commitment.

It was a decent turn out.  I have not been to a Veterans Day service in my hometown before so I cannot say whether it was bigger than usual.  When you take out the veterans, the first responders and the elected officials, the gathering was made up of about 50 or so senior citizens.  The people who turned out for this service are the same folks who come to the 9/11 remembrance every year (which is a service at which I speak annually so I have gotten to know that crowd).  Outside of the high school marching band my kids were about the only people there under the age of 18 years.

I'm glad I took my kids to the service.  Afterwards we visited the veterans memorial in our town.  The Marine Corps flag was at half-mast in memory of a local Marine who had died and was being remembered.  A young Marine Corps recruiter was at the service and my kids had a chance to meet him, shake his hand and say thank you.  As we walked back to the car we passed by two veterans who were at least 70 years old each.  Both were dressed in their military uniforms.  We took a moment to say hello to them and to thank them as well.

I was really pleased with my daughter later this afternoon.  As we left the library my son complained to me about not being able to see the Astro Boy movie.  We were not able to fit the movie into our schedule because we had attended the veterans day service.  Without a single word from me my daughter said "it's the least we can do to go and say thank you when they are dying to protect us - I think the movie theaters should be closed on Veterans Day."  I was very proud of her.

AMERICAN MUSLIM LEADERS OVERWHELMED & DIVIDED ON VETERANS DAY

Throughout the day I followed my emails on my blackberry.  With one crisis on top of another - dealing with the Ft. Hood murders' implications for American Muslims, the recent words of praise from an extremist imam (Anwar al Awlaki) for Nidal Malik Hasan's alleged homicidal rampage, a GOP-Illinois press release calling on a major immigrant rights organization in Illinois to cut its ties with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) over allegations of CAIR's alleged links to Hamas, the arrest of two Chicago men just a few weeks ago on allegations of terrorism, the shooting death of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah by the FBI in Dearborn, Michigan and the other arrests of American Muslims in Chicago, Dallas, Colorado and Massachusetts all alleging terrorism - the local leadership seemed to be overwhelmed and divided on how best to move ahead.  And as if this were not enough, it was discovered yesterday at a well-known hate group called ACT! for America (led by radical Islamophobe Brigette Gabriel) is planning to hold a "discussion" on radical Islam in St. Charles, Illinois on Saturday, November 14.

The emails went back and forth with well-intentioned and highly capable community leaders debating whether we should be speaking out and apologizing for the crimes and sins of other Muslims and whether it is tactically advisable to confront the Islamophobes in St. Charles and so on.  It is obvious that the confluence of multiple crises is beginning to seriously tax the largely volunteer administrations of American Muslim institutions in Illinois.

Still, despite the many challenges being confronted the the American Muslim community, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) did issue a thoughtful and timely statement for Veterans Day on behalf of Illinois' American Muslim community.  This was absolutely critical.  Had CIOGC missed this important opportunity to speak about the sincere sentiments of Illinois' Muslim community, the Islamophobes would have seized the oversight as an example of American Muslim disloyalty.  Here is what CIOGC said this Veterans' Day:

The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago today asked fellow citizens to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the armed forces- in wartime and peacetime- in any capacity.
 
“Today we pay tribute to those who protected our freedom and our nation; we honor their legacies and their loved ones,” said Dr. Mohammed Zaher Sahloul, the Chair of the CIOGC. “We pray for all innocent victims of war and ask God Almighty to help us ending eight years of continuous senseless wars that added a lot of stress on our veterans, many of them returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with deep, long lasting physical and psychological injuries”.
 
The Council also expressed its support for a newly established fund by the Islamic Society of North America and the Texas-based Freedom and Justice Foundation, to assist the victims of the families of the Fort Hood tragedy. Recognizing the important sacrifices made by our soldiers and their families, it is imperative for all Americans to join hands in supporting those affected by this tragic incident.
 
"Two members of the armed forces lost their lives in the Ft. Hood tragedy are from Illinois, James Pearson from Bollingbrook and Francheska Velez from Chicago. We join their families in grieving their loved ones during the Veteran Day and we ask God Almighty to heal the wounds of the injured and bestow His solace and patience on the families of the victims and on our nation” said Interim Executive Director Kiran Ansari. "We are calling on all mosques and faith partners in Illinois to show support for the victim's families by contributing to the Fund."

Donations may be made to:

"Fort Hood Family Fund"
c/o ISNA
P. O. Box 808
Plainfield, IN 46168
 
Donate online at:
www.forthoodfamilyfund.com

ISLAMOPHOBES FLOODING THE INTERNET NARROW-MINDED, HATEFUL & IGNORANT CHATTER

It is indeed their right to blather on and on with their Islamophobic hysteria, but I do not have to like the bigots who spew this nonesense.  Plus, it is very hard to hear the outlandish lies and gross errors in describing Islamic beliefs and doctrines by some members of the media and many extremists in the blogosphere.

Today Mary Kate Cary published a very smart blog entry entitled "Muslim Leaders Need to Condemn Violence" and in her blog post Cary writes that she was asked if she thought Islam is a religion of peace and she said she did not think so.  Her reason for thinking so?  Here it is from her own blog:

The reason I don't think Islam is a religion of peace is that I am not aware of a single Muslim cleric stepping forward to denounce acts of violence committed in the name of Islam. This has happened over and over, and yet the mainstream Muslim leaders—presumably peaceful religious leaders who are not radicals—never step forward to call for an end to murderous rampages and terrorist acts committed in the name of Islam.

Cary suggests that Muslim religious leaders have not condemned terrorism.  She is wrong and she could have saved herself the embarrassment of appearing ignorant and lazy by doing just a little bit of online research.

In 2005 the Fiqh Council of North America issued a relgious ruling (a fatwa) against terrorism.  The statement was widely circulated to the national and international media at the time.  In part the ruling states:

The Fiqh Council of North America wishes to reaffirm Islam's condemnation of terrorism and religious extremism.
 
Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram - prohibited in Islam - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not “martyrs.”
 
The Qur’an, Islam’s revealed text, states: "Whoever kills a person, unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land, it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a person, it is as though he had saved all mankind." (Qur’an, 5:32)

The text of the ruling appears on websites of many major American Muslim institutions and on Muslim blogs.  How Cary missed this is difficult to explain.  Perhaps she doesn't know about Google.

In May 2008 the Islamic seminary Darul-Uloom Deoband in India issued a ruling (fatwa) against terrorism as well.  According to The Times of India the ruling, signed by Darul-Uloom's grand mufti Habibur Rehman, 

asserts that "Islam rejects all kinds of unjust violence, breach of peace, bloodshed, murder and plunder and does not allow it in any form".

This was a very talked about ruling because Darul-Uloom Deoband is a major scholarly center for Muslims from India and Pakistan (which together account for at least 1/3 of the world's Muslim population).  Again, how did Cary miss it? 

In addition to these two examples there are countless statements by American Muslim institutions denouncing terrorism and condemning the targeting and killing of civilians.  These statements are posted on the websites of major American Muslim organizations.  They are sent to reporters throughout the media from U.S. News & World Report to the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, and everything in between.

Mary Kate Cary, a University of Virginia alumnus, is a professional political speech writer.  Most of her blog posts over the past several months seem to be about politics.  This recent foray into religion seems to be a relatively new undertaking for Cary.  As such, it may be that she is not an Islamophobe but rather a very uninformed journalist who really screwed up a blog post. 

If that is the case then she should write a mea culpa soon.  Clearly there are a lot of bigots who read her blog.  The comments were just disgusting.  Hopefully Cary does not not identify with the bigots who read her blog and hopefully she has the guts to set the record straight.

Working normal hours, doing normal things

Last night I sat in bed, laptop on my lap and my little 19 inch TV tuned into Monday Night Football (yes, that’s right, I don’t have a cool flat screen 1080 DLP 50 inch in my bedroom).  It was about 8:45pm.  I watched the Broncos-Chargers game until the final seconds.  I checked my email, sent a few text messages, visited Facebook and read Google News.  I did some writing too.  It was a relaxing way to end the day (hopefully I’ll do a little more of the same tonight!).

Earlier in the day I wrapped up at the office at 4:30pm and quickly headed off to catch a train home.  I wanted to see my kids.  Throughout the day I thought about each of them – something unique from the past weekend.  For example, for one it was the excitement of new presents from a birthday.  For another it was a 5 year old child’s rendition of Top 40 song from the radio.

Unlike the very recent past, I was home by 6:15pm, I was in the kitchen as dinner was prepared, I ate dinner with my family, helped (ever so slightly) with the clean up and with getting the kids to bed (again, ever so slightly).  Not bad (or at least not as bad as not being around at all)!

I am grateful to God for all of it.  So, why am I thinking about all of this now?

Mainly, I am thinking about it because a lot of it is new.  It has been a long time since I was last able to sit in bed at the end of the day and just relax.  Eating dinner with my family every night is a new thing.  Being home while dinner is being prepared was, heretofore, unheard of (actually preparing dinner may be asking a for too much) and having the luxury to daydream about my kids is a treat I haven’t indulged in for a very long time.

Why am I able to enjoy all of these new luxuries?

I recently changed jobs.  My previous position in the nonprofit sector was a 24/7 gig with a lot of stress.  I loved my work, but on balance it was time to move on.  So move on I did and land a new gig.  My new position has a more manageable schedule.  Again, thank you God!

One thing I’ve noticed about the change is how protective I’ve become of my time.  Before, it was a foregone conclusion that I’d have little time for recreation, for family and for sleep.  Now, I find myself guarding these things zealously!

In just the past few weeks I’ve passed on many events and meetings involving everything from politics to interfaith relations to social services within the Muslim community.  The next several weeks are filled with events as well.  Will I attend any of them?  I may but right now there are no guarantees.

It’s not that I do not care about the issues and topics being discussed and worked on in these meetings.  I do care about most of them.  However, going forward I want to be more thoughtful about my religious and civic engagement.  Whatever I choose to become involved with cannot take away from my time from the things that matter most – my kids.  That is one benchmark. 

Another benchmark is that my volunteerism has to be more thoughtful.  Because I value my time and have a much greater appreciation for its value, I want my volunteerism to be more constructive.  I want it to be focused and I want it to be used to build something meaningful.

Over the last decade and a half I’ve been a serial volunteer without focus.  I’ve volunteered in so many different endeavors but many of them are unrelated to one another.  For example, back on New Year’s Day 2007 I got a call from someone at the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC).  This person wanted me to come to the office that evening for “a very important dinner meeting of key community leaders to discuss strategies for increasing civic engagement  by American Muslims.”

On that particular new year’s day I dropped the bowl games to head downtown for the meeting.  Looking back, I know that meeting was called simply because the CIOGC had to fulfill a grant requirement by a date certain and they needed to have a quota of people who served on mosque or Muslim service organization boards!  I was not invited to the meeting so much as I was invited to be meat (i.e., meeting filler).  What a waste of time! 

Appreciating the value of my time more now, I want to be sure that I spend my volunteer hours more wisely.

If the number of hours I have to volunteer are less plentiful now, then where do I want to spend them?  I’m still working this out in my mind.  I am leaning towards interreligious dialogue and interreligious advocacy and action for the common good.  I’ll give my mosque a fair amount of time but beyond the mosque my commitments will be given sparingly.

I realize that I may be becoming the kind of person I recently held in contempt.  I used to bristle when friends declined invitations to “important meetings” because of some social engagement or another. 

I still think some of those meetings were important and some of the reasons for declining my invitations were lame (but I’m not naming names!).  At the same time I also realize that many of my friends were probably not sold on why I wanted them to come out and spend their precious free time on one of these “important meetings.”

For now I will still go to “important meetings” from time to time even when I’m not planning on taking an active role in the effort or cause for which the “important meeting” is being convened.  I know that sometimes (perhaps many times) I’m being invited as “meeting meat” and not as a “meeting participant” and that’s just fine!  I’ll go, fill some space, maybe learn a bit and then leave guilt-free and obligation-free!

In the absence of a lot of extraneous obligations I will hang out with my kids, watch my two favorite football teams – the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Chicago Bears – and maybe read some interesting books and do a lot more writing!

A Patriotic American-Muslim

Three years ago I wrote an essay entitled “What’s there to celebrate this 4^th of July?”  It was a personal reflection of my life in America starting from childhood  to adolescence and through young adulthood.  My focus was on things that are wrong in our country – the torture, the bigotry and erosion of civil liberties.

Thankfully my outlook has changed.  There is so much we need to celebrate this 4^th of July.  For me birthdays and anniversaries are a time to look back, to reflect and to plan for the future.  That is precisely what I’m doing this 4^th of July.

 

In looking back I see kindness triumphing over hate.  Growing up in Hoffman Estates, Illinois in the 1970s my family was one of only a small handful of non-white, non-Christian families in the area and the only such family on our block.  We endured racial epithets like “sand nigger” and “camel jockey” walking to Churchill Elementary School and during one particularly nasty week in 1979 we were bombarded with prank calls and our home was vandalism.

 

But the neighbors to our right and to our left were different.  They were extremely kind.  Both families were White, Christian, working class folks and they treated us to smiles, friendly waves and from time to time some small talk on the front lawn.  It was nothing big but today, standing in the shoes of my parents, I understand the value of having good neighbors.

 

From elementary school I remember my 4^th grade teacher, Ms. Mueller, and the kindness she showed me as I tried to adjust in my class.  My most vivid childhood memories begin in the 4^th grade.  I was the only “Junaid” in my class (gasp!) and it made me feel awkward.  It didn’t help that I was also the only non-white student in the class and that a classmate derisively referred to me as the “Puunjaaab”.

 

I began using a nickname and signing my homework with it.  My father was concerned about this and I presume he spoke to Ms. Mueller about it.

 

One day Ms. Mueller sat down next to me in class and quietly whispered to me that I should be proud of my name.  She related to me and said that her last name was not so common either and that we should both be proud to have unique names.  I’m not sure if it was the message or just the kindness with which it was shared with me, but it is a memory that has stayed with me all my life.

 

Today I reflect back on these moments in my life as a father and as a community servant and I realize that every step of the way, even when it got really ugly (i.e. the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Beirut Marine-barracks bombings) there were always good people who reminded us through their deeds that, on balance, Americans are a welcoming and kind people and that America’s ideals of pluralism and equality and justice are truly valued and that America continues to strive to live up to these ideals.

 

There are few places in the world today where I can enjoy the freedom to raise my children to be good Muslims within a good Muslim community where they can see firsthand God’s commandment for the nations and tribes of mankind to come together to know one another being played out every day across the country.

 

Three years ago I was focused on combating Islamophobia and defending Muslims and Islam against the slanders of bigots and the crimes of criminals acting in the name of Islam.  It was and is important to do this, but a single-minded focus on these negative events can be hazardous to one’s outlook.

 

This 4^th of July and hopefully for many holidays to come I will use the anniversary of our independence to teach my kids about the freedoms they enjoy.  I am going to point out the mosques, the churches, the synagogues, the Jain center, the Buddhist temple, the Shinto center and the Hindu temple right here in our local neighborhoods to illustrate the religious diversity and tolerance we enjoy.  We will share meals and conversations with our neighbors and I will point out to my children in the quiet moments just before they doze off to sleep following a frenzied and hot day spent in the backyard that we are blessed to live in a community and in a country where people of all colors and religions and nationalities can be friends if they want to be.

 

Looking ahead on this 4^th of July holiday I know that I’m going to have to do more as a community servant to insure that the lessons I want to teach my kids are real.  The diversity, peace, tolerance, understanding – the common good in this world - doesn’t just happen.  We need to work hard to make it a reality.

 

Happy 4^th of July!

 

(This essay first appeared in the July edition of the Chicago Crescent and can also be found on the website of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago).

Chicago Is Once Again the "First City"!!!

This essay first appeared in the Chicago Crescent, a monthly newspaper printed by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC), a federation of over 50 mosques and Muslim institutions in Illinois.

 

by  Junaid M. Afeef

 

In the coming years, more so than Little Rock or Crawford over the past 16 years, Chicago will be in the world’s spotlight thanks to President-Elect Barack Obama.

This is great news for the local Muslim community.

 

Chicago Muslims are a wonderful example of a racial and ethnically diverse religious community.  Muslims in America and throughout the world are grappling with the challenge of forging a united community across immutable characteristics of race and ethnicity.

Chicago Muslims have developed a framework for organizing ourselves to work more effectively with one another and as a unified community when interacting with the broader community.  Muslims all over America are struggling to develop similar models.

 

Chicago Muslims regularly come together to organize and mobilize around important public policy issues affecting the broader community.  Community organizers in Chicago and across the nation are eager to engage with community’s that can organize large and diverse groups around a common cause.

The new attention to Chicago is an opportunity to showcase all the good that we do.  But the higher profile brings challenges as well.

Islam and Muslims will continue to be a popular target in the media and a convenient scapegoat in some policy circles for the foreseeable future.  Terrorists will continue to threaten our security, and bigots will continue their campaign to malign Islam and marginalize Muslims.

 

Our community may be more scrutinized and what we do badly or things we fail to do may impugn the reception, understanding and reputation of Islam and Muslims in the broader community.

 

The election of Barack Obama as our next president has a profound impact on us.  Our community must rise up to these challenges.

 

First, we need strengthen the bonds of brotherhood among our many mosques and Muslim institutions through personal, one on one, relationships between the leaders and among the general membership.  We have come a long way in this regard, but we still have a ways to go.

 

Next, we need to develop strategic plans for our institutions and collectively as a community.  Muslim institutions cannot grow and thrive without constantly thinking about their strengths and weaknesses and without regularly evaluating the opportunities and the threats that exist now and in the foreseeable future.

 

In part this strategic thinking involves addressing hard questions of leadership succession planning, revisiting commitments to bricks and mortar investments versus human resources and utilizing our considerable Zafat funds domestically for the support and growth of local Muslims.

 

In 2009 the Council will offer an expanded set of capacity building and institution-strengthening trainings and seminars to help our member institutions.  We will utilize the resident expertise of our member institutions first and whenever necessary, we will also go outside of the community as well.

 

We will continue the “Coordination Meetings” of community organizers to facilitate cooperation and an exchange of best practices and resources among the men and women from across the region who are working on the same or similar issues.

 

The spotlight is on Chicago Muslims.  I am confident that we will shine.

Muslim Americans in Spotlight at Democratic Convention

The American Muslim Democratic Caucus will be hosting a Luncheon/News Conference on Monday, August 25, 2008 at the Democratic National Convention.

According to a media advisory from Mustafa Tameez of Outreach Strategists,

"This major function is the inaugural event of the American Muslim Democratic Caucus at a national convention. It will not only salute approximately 50 Muslims attending as delegates, but it will highlight the growing importance of this voting population. In addition to those noted above, it is anticipated that many office holders and other party leaders will attend this first-ever event."

The event's co-hosts are the first two Muslim members of Congress:

1.    Congressman Keith Ellison (D) Minnesota and

2.    Congressman Andre Carson (D) Indiana.

Obviously, these two individuals are the most high profile Muslims within the Democratic Party.

Another prominent Muslim within the DNC is Malik Mujahid.  Imam Mujahid is a member of the DNC Credentials Committee (this committee is responsible for resolving questions regarding the seating of delegates and alternates to the Convention).

Imam Mujahid is an active member of the Illinois Muslim community.  He is the founder of Sound Vision, the largest Islamic multimedia company in the United States.  He is currently in his second term as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.  Imam Mujahid holds a PhD from the University of Chicago.

Also prominent among Muslim Democrats is Mustafa Tameez of Outreach Strategists.  He is based in Houston, TX.  He has worked closely with Houston's mayor and has led the current mayor's election campaign.  Tameez has been spotlighted as one of the most influential and up and coming young democrats in Texas.

***************************

Details on the event:

When:        Monday, August 25, 2008
                 11:30 am to 2:30 pm

Where:       Sheraton Denver Hotel
                 1550 Court Place
                 Denver, CO 80202

Ahmed Sharma: A U.S. Marine, An Arab & A Muslim...

Outstanding!

MTV's Gil Kaufman contibuted a story online on Ahmed Sharma, a New Yorker of Arab (Egyptian) decent who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Iraq.

It's good to learn about people like Sergeant Sharma.  He helps breakdown negative stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims.

Kaufman's story suggests that there are 15,000 Muslims serving in the U.S. military today.  I've heard larger and smaller estimates.  That's less than 1% of the total Muslim population in the U.S. (about .25%). 

I've read that the total active duty military personnel are about 1.4 million.  That means (given that there are about 300 million Americans) that .46% of Americans serve as active duty military personnel.

That means that Muslims are under-represented relative to the total American population serving in the U.S. Armed Forces (active duty).

There would be a lot of good that could come from more Muslims being in the military.  Like anything else, knowing someone on a personal or even professional level makes it a lot easier to understand them. 

Were American soldiers to know who Muslims (particular Muslims in America) truly are, I'm sure they would be better able to understand and distinguish their experiences with extremists and insurgents of Muslim backgrounds on the battlefield.

Right now is a very tough time to recruit Muslims to the military.  There are way too many stories about how Muslims are marginalized, second guessed and treated like second class citizens within and outside of the military and for young Muslim men and women this creates a barrier to joining.

For one thing, it's disheartening to be a true patriot and to have a great deal of love for your country and to nonetheless be looked at with suspicion because of your Islamic faith.  This is precisely what is happening all over the country.

Muslims and Islam are bashed regularly by politicians and the media.  Muslims and Islam have become convenient punching bags for pundits and politicians seeking to elevate their own careers on the backs of regular, everyday Muslims in America.

This shortsighted and possibly dangerous strategy will only lead our nation to more suffering.  In addition to to making it difficult to recruit  quality Muslims into the military ranks, these flawed strategies will worsen our nation's position globally in the long run.

In a world where 1 out of every 4 people is Muslim and where Muslim numbers continue to grow as a result of higher birth rates and due to increasing religious conversions, it should behoove American leaders to capitalize on the strong, patriotic, multilingual and well educated Muslims by reaching out to them and creatig an atmosphere where they are made to feel welcomed.

I've met a few Muslim servicemen over the years.  It's amazing how strong their faith and patriotism are: the folks I've encountered are devout Muslims, they love America but they will not become apologists for terrible American policies at home and abroad.

There are aberrations like U.S. Army Sergeant Hassan Akbar who killed two servicemen and wounded many others in a grenade attack in Kuwait on the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Sgt Akbar's case has been used by Islamophobes across the country to suggest that Muslims in the U.S. military are disloyal.  The honorable service of men like Ahmed Sharma help dispel such vicious and false allegations of disloyalty.

Sgt Sharma also mentioned that there are those within the Arab and Muslim community who will not accept him because he served in the U.S. military in a war against a Muslim majority country.  I do not doubt that there are arabs and Muslims in the U.S. who think this way.

However, I do not believe that the majority of Muslims in America view military service as a negative or bad quality.  In fact, I think Muslims in our country are keen to meet and learn more about Muslim soldiers' service to our country so that we can take their stories to our friends and neighbors and hold them up as great examples of the Muslim community's contribution to America.