May Allah have mercy on her and allow her into paradise
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Classroom assistant Aishah Azmi
As you can probably tell, I am devoting today's blog to the raging debate over Muslim women wearing niqaab and kimaar. The debate started from comments made by a British politician, and a case with a British sister fighting to keep her position as a teaching assistant while continuing to wear kimaar and niqaab. Unfortunately, see lost her case (may Allah (SWT) reward her for her convictions in this life and next). Her story illustrates the need to establish and support quality Islamic education institutions in the west. It not only provides a strong foundation for future generations, they strengthen the local communities infrastructure by providing religious friendly employment.
Nevertheless, at this point you may begin to wonder what does that have to do with Muslims here ( I know many probably aren't wondering this, but this is for readers who are), but the answers is simple. No matter where we are in the world we are the Ummah of Rasoollah (PBUH). This means that we should not be concerned with nationality or tribalism (although many of us are still working through this). Also, because we have had instances here in the past where sisters wearing niqaab or kimaar has become an issue. What we do not want is to be placed in a situation where our ability to freely practice our religion has become eroded over time. First it will be no veils, then no hijabs, then what will be next? How will Muslim sisters be able to guard their modesty and not look like those who don't? Unfortunately, many non-Muslims appear to be intimidated by the mere appearance of someone who is modest. I believe that this is because it reminds them how much modesty is absent from their appearance. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. I think that it is funny how those amongst them that guard their modesty, like nuns, the Ahmish, or Jews who actually follow Judaism, don't decry the hijab and veil as tools of oppression or barriers to integrating into western society. I believe that at the end of the day, if you are a minority of any kind ( ethnic, religious, or cultural) you will never truly integrate into western society. Once more "They will not be pleased with you until you believe as they believe". Anything short of that only garners disrespect and ridicule in many cases. On the flip side of the issue, we could always use such discourse to educate non-Muslims about Islam.
On a personal note, I admire our Muslim sister who choose to cover. In today's world it makes them a lighting rod for the ignorant and misinformed in our society. It is easier for many Muslim men, especially those without Arabic names or beards, to appear as non-Muslim to non-Muslims. This is not the case for our mothers', wives, sisters, and daughters. They are the everyday face of Islam. Much respect due.
NEEDS ROOM TO GROW: Shazia Ali in Radio Ramadan's cramped sound studio.
Picture: Tim Hurst
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| Amir Sulaiman |
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I think that I am going to start a category called the stupidest idea of the week. Here is the first nominee. I have never heard of a scenario where having separate streets for different people solved a problem.....isn't this how the Bloods and Crips started? Have we learned nothing?
Keith Ellison has a chance to make history as the first Muslim to be elected to congress. I think that he is a good example of Muslim Americans. He is African American (contrary to popular belief, most Muslims in America are African American and not Arabs (I have a lot of love for all my brothers and sisters regardless of background), He is a convert (although I don't like that term), He left the nation of Islam to accept Islam as so many before him have done. Inshallah, he will end up like Barak Obama ( I know that he is not Muslim, but he seems somewhat fair and concerned about people) and not like Malcolm (laid out in the Audubon...no disrespect intended).
Islam, democracy in essence the same By Motiur Rahman Nizami Wed, 13 Sep 2006, 10:11:00 | |
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| Malaysia set to become a global Islamic financial hub |
 Kuala Lumpur, Sept 12: Malaysia has successfully issued more than 70 per cent of the Islamic bonds in the global Islamic financial market, amounting to USD 41 billion, making it a potential global Islamic financial hub."At the global level, Malaysia was the largest issuer of Islamic bonds in the world," second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop said. "The success that we have achieved has given confidence to several foreign bond issuers to issue their bonds in the Ringgit currency and in the country's capital market," he said here yesterday. Nor Mohamed said the government would continue to actively strengthen the country's position in order for it to become an International Islamic Financial Centre. "We are confident that with our efficient financial infrastructure and regulatory framework that supports the development of the Islamic capital market, Malaysia would be able to achieve this objective," he said. Towards this, more promotional efforts should be continued to be carried out, he said. The assets of Islamic trust funds meanwhile have reached almost RM9 billion. On the government's side, various incentives have been introduced to boost the development of the market, he said. These incentives are expected to bring in the participation of more foreign and local investors in the Islamic capital market, he said. Bureau Report |
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Morning Edition, September 12, 2006 · Sheikh Hamza Yusuf is one of the most prominent American Muslim leaders today, but he's not well-known outside the Muslim community. He's an American convert to Islam who has very publicly attacked American foreign policy. He has also denounced Islamic extremism, while defending Muslims against what he sees as prejudice.
Hamza Yusuf
Yusuf was born Mark Hanson in Walla Walla, Wash. He became a Muslim in 1977 and studied for 10 years in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and North and West Africa. He has traveled around the world, giving talks on Islam.
Yusuf founded Zaytuna Institute, which has "established an international reputation for presenting a classical picture of Islam in the West and which is dedicated to the revival of traditional study methods and the sciences of Islam," according to his online biography.
Laurie Goodstein, religion reporter for The New York Times, compares Yusuf's communication skills to former President Clinton's.
"He has that Clinton ability to focus in on whoever he's speaking to, look them directly in the eyes and make them feel like they are the only one in the room even though there might be 200 people in the room," she says.
John Esposito of Georgetown's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding says Yusuf has been working on a project to translate key texts of Islam that are important to the Muslim community and that may also be of interest to non-Muslims.
Esposito says Yusuf has "put a lot of time into the whole area of education [and] access to information... to kind of say, 'Here are the true sources of your faith. That's what you should be looking to. Look to the Koran. The Koran has space for Christians and Jews. And you need to remember and affirm that. You also need to look at our classical texts, rather than the texts that come from the extremists or the terrorists.'"
Being Muslim in America isn't what it used to be
A Muslim homemaker from the Los Angeles area, assuming authorities monitor her charity donations, has stopped giving to "any Muslim charity that touched my heart" and now contributes to less-controversial organizations.
In Sacramento, Calif., a young imam has broken with an ancient tradition among Islamic prayer leaders by shaving part of his beard to appear less threatening to non-Muslims.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, they say, increased scrutiny and suspicion have made them more cautious about expressing their faith. Other California Muslims have taken a different approach.
A 19-year-old hijab-wearing student at the University of California, Irvine, and others in her school's Muslim Student Union staged a program in May critical of Israel called Holocaust in the Holy Land. She also helps organize rallies and fundraisers to support Muslims that she believes have been unfairly targeted by federal investigators.
The experiences of the homemaker, the imam and the student reflect the transforming and sometimes contradictory effects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In the five years since the attacks, some Muslims have tried to be less visible, others more bold, as they live and work beside their fellow Americans.
"We are witnessing the creation of a new Muslim-American identity that is still a work in progress," said Zahid H. Bukhari, director of the American Muslim studies program at Georgetown University.
"In times past, it happened to African-Americans, Latinos, Jews, Japanese and Catholics; now, it's Muslims' turn to become part of the fabric of American life," he said.
Many who study U.S. Muslims say that, without the Sept. 11 attacks, it might have taken the extremely diverse, reclusive and largely immigrant community - an estimated 6 million to 8 million - another decade to enter the public square. The acts of terrorism on U.S. soil forced them into it, albeit under what some Muslims believe are the prying eyes of government, media and neighbors.
They speak of shifting to unlisted telephone numbers or obtaining post office boxes so they don't have to reveal their home addresses. Some have even stopped going to mosque prayer meetings.
"It's an amazingly exhausting job being Muslim in America these days, because we're always on," said Napha Phyukal Quach, a congregant of the Al-Fatiha Islamic Center in Azusa, Calif.
Zubeida Khan immigrated to the United States from India in 1977, under terms of a family-arranged marriage, to wed Iftikhar Khan.
Her husband went on to become a cardiologist. In 1998, the couple and their two sons moved into a spacious hilltop home 15 miles east of Los Angeles.
For years, "I was content being a housewife," said Khan, who does not cover her hair with a hijab but always dresses modestly, in long-sleeve blouses and long skirts or pants.
Then came Sept. 11.
"With people being arrested left and right and negative images of Muslims filling the news, I told my sons to keep a low profile," recalled Khan, 49. "But I also felt I had to step out of my home and into the real world to stand up for Muslims and tell people what Islam really stands for: peace, mercy, equality for all. Surrender to God."
Khan began inviting people who might help promote understanding - city officials, pastors and rabbis - to her home for face-to-face talks.
She joined the Muslim Public Affairs Council Foundation in 2003, and now serves as treasurer of its board.
"In becoming more assertive in the public arena, I've made a statement about who and what I am at a time when a few unreasonable radicals have hijacked public attention," she said. "We have to make it loud and clear to other Muslims and our communities that we stick to the principles of the Quranand the life of the prophet."
Marya Bangee, the student at UC Irvine, says she, too, is trying to embody the principles of Islam. But she is among those who take a more aggressive approach when engaging American society.
Civil rights have become a banner issue among many Muslim youths. Unlike their parents, many of whom came from countries where political activism could be dangerous, today's students know their rights, speak the language and know American culture.
Among Bangee's recent priorities has been campaigning on behalf of an Orange County, Calif., fundraiser jailed for two years because of his connection with a charity allegedly tied to terrorists. On July 27, a jubilant Abdel Jabbar Hamdan was ordered freed by a federal judge who rejected the government's claim that he was a national-security threat.
The next day, Bangee helped stage a town-hall meeting for Hamdan in Irvine. As more than 200 people filed into a sweltering auditorium, she said, "This event is a direct result of 9-11 and the subsequent government investigations of Muslim charities."
The investigations have resulted in the freezing of millions of dollars in bank assets and the closure of several Muslim charities.
"One of the mandates of Islam is that Muslims donate 2.5 percent of their assets to the poor and the needy," Bangee said. "But for us, it is more difficult than ever to get money to the people in places such as Palestine, one of the most pressing humanitarian disasters in the world.
"Our job now," she added, "is to put pressure on the government to make sure, insha Allah" - God willing - "that justice prevails."
A surge of concern about how to divert Muslim youths from radical influences has created a post-Sept. 11 demand for a rare commodity: English-speaking imams who understand American youth culture.
One such imam is Mohamed Abdul Azeez, the new prayer leader at the SALAM Islamic Center in Sacramento.
He's the kind of leader Mahdi Bray, executive director of the nonprofit Muslim American Society, had in mind when he observed, "We need imams who know that when our kids talk about Eminem, it's not chocolate candy, and 50 Cent isn't loose change and Usher is not going to take you to your seat."
Azeez, 30, was born in Egypt. He immigrated to the United States in 2000 with aspirations of establishing himself as a scholar. He took charge of the mosque in 2004.
The United States, he said, gives him the opportunity to continue studying Islam free of the cultural restraints of the Middle East. As Azeez put it, he can explore his faith "outside the box."
Shaving his beard was a break with a tradition calling on imams to take on the appearance of the bearded prophet Muhammad. "I may be the only imam in America who doesn't wear a full beard," he said.
"But I don't want to scare people," said Azeez, who sports a mustache and goatee. "There are just too many negative ideas that go along with Muslims with full beards these days."
Azeez encourages congregants to vote and to support civil rights organizations, backs women on the mosque's board of trustees and welcomes non-Muslim participation in religious activities.
Given that nearly everyone at his mosque has a relative or friend who has been visited by federal authorities, had a run-in with airport security or been called a profane name in public, Azeez also started a free lecture course called "Discover Islam."
At his mosque one day this summer, Azeez led prayers in Arabic and then addressed 150 worshippers in English, presenting them a challenge.
"Brothers and sisters," he began, almost scolding, "I still hear Muslim immigrants in the United States say, 'I am from Turkey, or Jordan, or Morocco.' They never call themselves Americans. ... They spend their entire lives in a nice house in the suburbs and taking advantage of a system without giving back.
"This is extremely dangerous, brothers and sisters," he said. "There is no shame in saying, 'I am a Muslim American and will help make this a better place for everyone.' "
Later, in his office, Azeez said, "People think I have answers for everything. I don't. Nor do I have a coherent picture of reality to share. I tend to give people hope."
Staring out the window, he added, "I have a few deferred dreams of my own, like learning to fly, or buying a rifle to go deer hunting with friends. But I can't do either of those things without worrying about being reported to authorities. Non-Muslims can do those things. We can't."
Stunning Mariyah Moten, 22, won the 'Best in Media' title - for being the most photographed and interviewed contestant - at the pageant in the Chinese resort of Beihai.
But furious Pakistani authorities say she did not have permission to represent the country, where many women only go out in public covered in a veil.
They are now threatening the model, who grew up in Pakistan but holds a US passport after she moved there eight years ago, with restrictions on entering her homeland.
"We have asked our missions in Washington and Beijing to investigate this because it is against our policy, culture and religion," senior Culture Ministry official Abdul Hafeez Chaudhry said.
"She is an American passport holder. She is an American national of Pakistani origin, so how did she get entry as a Pakistani?"
Moten, a student of hotel management at the University of Houston, was born and brought up in the Pakistani city of Karachi.
Mr Chaudhry said Pakistan - which does not hold beauty contests - might take the issue up with China, depending on the result of the investigation.
He also said the government might withdraw from Moten special privileges offered to people of Pakistani descent such as visa-free travel to Pakistan.
It found that girls of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin - 90% of whom are Muslim - have overtaken white boys in performance at GCSE, with a higher proportion achieving five good passes at grade C or above. Despite lower family incomes they are also rapidly catching up with white girls.
Black girls of African-Caribbean origin are not far behind and already outperform boys from their own ethnic group. The EOC said girls at 16 from all the minority communities have higher aspirations than their white contemporaries to progress to skilled jobs requiring degrees or long periods of training. Nearly 90% want to work full-time after leaving education, balancing employment with having a family.
But their ambitions are thwarted when they enter the labour market. They get lower pay and fewer opportunities to reach managerial positions.
One in six young Pakistani women is often asked at job interviews about plans for marriage and children, or the attitude of a husband or partner towards her going to work. One in eight young Bangladeshi and black African-Caribbean women face similar questions about their private lives, compared with one in 17 white women.
An EOC survey of 1,000 employers in areas of above-average black and Asian populations found more than 90% said there was a strong business case for employing black and Asian women. But more than 30% employed none and nearly 60% did not employ enough to reflect the area's ethnic profile.
Jenny Watson, the EOC's chairwoman, said: "The good news is that the next generation of ... black and Asian women have a lot to contribute to their families and to our economy. The bad news is that not enough employers are tapping into this pool of talent ... It's not only employers who miss out. We all do when young women's ambitions are dashed and we fail to build cohesive communities."
German state to teach Islam in public schools |
The Associated Press Published: September 5, 2006 |
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| BERLIN Public elementary schools in a southern German state will begin offering classes on Islam, and an education official in Baden-Wuerttemberg described the program as part of an effort to better integrate Muslims, many of whom are immigrants. Already 235 children have signed up for the classes, which will be taught in German following a syllabus drawn up by the state's Education Ministry and members of the Islamic community, state officials said Tuesday. Religion classes on Islam are also available to students in the states of Hamburg, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. The classes are part of a move to better integrate Germany's roughly 3.5 million Muslims, many of whom live in immigrant communities that have little contact with other parts of society. "Muslim girls and boys need to learn that their beliefs bind them to, not keep them from, our society," said Helmut Rau, a state minister in Baden-Wuerttemberg responsible for education. German pupils are required to attend religion classes, but usually have only Christianity and Judaism as their options. Those who do not choose to attend may take ethics classes instead. BERLIN Public elementary schools in a southern German state will begin offering classes on Islam, and an education official in Baden-Wuerttemberg described the program as part of an effort to better integrate Muslims, many of whom are immigrants. Already 235 children have signed up for the classes, which will be taught in German following a syllabus drawn up by the state's Education Ministry and members of the Islamic community, state officials said Tuesday. Religion classes on Islam are also available to students in the states of Hamburg, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. The classes are part of a move to better integrate Germany's roughly 3.5 million Muslims, many of whom live in immigrant communities that have little contact with other parts of society. "Muslim girls and boys need to learn that their beliefs bind them to, not keep them from, our society," said Helmut Rau, a state minister in Baden-Wuerttemberg responsible for education. German pupils are required to attend religion classes, but usually have only Christianity and Judaism as their options. Those who do not choose to attend may take ethics classes instead. |
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