blog

When Muslims Have a Sharp Image Problem...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:52:54 +0100

Here is an interesting request from Maureen Dowd who wants the Saudis to open up Medina and Mecca's holy sites to non-Muslims. Tough times call indeed for radical measures, and this is probably one measure Muslims should debate more seriously. This could help at a time of a sharp image crisis to bridge an important gap between Muslims and non-Muslims, particularly for those with a dying curiosity to learn more about Islam. As Dowd said, "In the end, I did see the hajj. When I got home, I went to the Imax theater at the Smithsonian and bought a ticket to “Journey to Mecca.” I was surprised when the movie said that the Kaaba was built by “Abraham, the father of the Jews” — a reminder that the faiths have a lot to learn from each other." We can't afford to be too closed even in our most sacred spaces.

Documentary on Veiled Muslim Women

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:50:33 +0100

Veiled Voices is a rare look into the everyday life of three Muslim women in Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. It's an insightful departure from the exhausted cliche rampant in mainstream media of veiled women=oppressed women. These are religious leaders in their communities who are taking on challenging tasks to preach to other women in mosques and at home. Below is a clip from the documentary which will air on Colorado Public Television tonight at 9. This is quite similar to some of the arguments raised in Saba Mahmood's important book on the women's piety movement in Egypt.

Bin Laden Should Face an Islamic Trial

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:36:41 +0100

Well here is a more than reasonable thought. Shouldn't Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Turkey or any other Muslim country where Al-Qaeda has struck since 9/11, be leading the search for Bin Laden and his lieutenant, Al-Zawahiri. Dr. Fadl, a well-known scholar of Islamic jurisprudence and jihad, thinks both men should face an Islamic trial because they've caused enough suffering to Muslims and sullied the image of their religion. I think that's an excellent idea and I hope it gains some traction soon. Obviously, capturing Bin Laden is more political than logistical, but imagine what a public trial of Al-Qaeda would do to an internal debate about jihad in Islam. I think that would be the best public spectacle of the century.

Arabic or English in U.S. Mosques

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:02:25 +0100

Here is an interesting article in today's edition of the Washington Post about what language to use for Juma' (Friday) prayer in American mosques. I don't understand why this should still be an issue. If the point of sermons is to help people reflect, then why do they have to be in a language most don't understand and are only attached to symbolically? This got to be one of the reasons many see the Juma' sermon as a mechanical ritual instead of an inspiring and uplifting experience.

Pay Attention to What's Really Happening in the Muslim World

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:15:09 +0100

I recently read an interesting article by Newsweek's international editor, Fareed Zakaria, in which he echoes much of what many observers have been saying about jihadism and the Middle East. A debate has raged in the Muslim world about what constitutes Islam after 9/11, but much of that reflection has gone unnoticed in the West. Zakaria sums up very well the need to pay attention to Muslim civil society, including the media, if we're serious enough about combating jihadism.

Yallah Underground

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:39:17 +0100

I've devoted this blog to revealing new and for the most part promising trends in Muslim media in the hope of challenging the reductionist views some in the West hold of the contemporary Muslim world. I know that for some people these voices don't matter much in the face of a violent extremism that shows no regard for human life and respect for dialogue. But this attitude is precisely what keeps these progressive voices from making a bigger difference in their communities because we think of them as exceptions to the rule and not the rule itself. The biggest challenge facing the world today is how to empower these voices beyond the occasional quirky headline in the paper which is clearly meant to 'balance' the incredible focus on terrorism and extremist Islam. I'm tired of hearing the same question again and again: where are the moderate Muslims? Well, pay attention because they are everywhere, and frankly the media are failing them and their public by not seeking them out. In our project on Muslims in the Mountain West, we're finding an incredible number of what you would consider a moderate Muslim, but many of them have never been approached by journalists. although we'll have to agree on what exactly defines moderation when that question gets asked, as in the words of Tariq Ramadan in a recent column about this topic, "...So what exactly are we discussing? Religious or theological practices? Political positions? Proclivity towards violence? Animosity towards the west? What do we mean when we brand someone a "moderate" Muslim? In the video below about an interesting movement in the Arab world called Yallah Underground, are the youth behind this cultural movement moderate because they listen to rap music, dress in jeans and the women are unveiled? Are they moderate because they speak in the language of modernity? Are they moderate because their religion is invisible? We have come to a point where we want moderate Muslims to be exactly what some in the West want them to be: an extension of the Western modern, whatever that means. In fact, inherent in this incessant call for moderate Islam to reveal itself is a desire for Muslims "to be just like us," to think like us, to dress like us, to have a sense of humor like us (remember the cartoons), in short to cease being different from us. We must clarify the language we use to have a constructive debate about what really is happening inside the Muslim world; otherwise, this conversation is purely one sided.

Muslims Who Saved Jews

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:37:32 +0100

Here is a story we seldom heard anywhere. After a talk I gave this past Saturday in Carbondale, Colorado about who speaks for Islam, I was approached by a fascinating photographer, Norman Gershman, whose work has been featured in the United Nations and well-known museums around the world. His latest exhibit and book are about Muslim Albanians and Kosovars who provided shelter to Jewish families at grave peril to themselves during WWII. I've been reading the book, Besa: Muslims who Saved Jews in World War II, and it's an excellent, moving account of a hidden piece of history everyone should read about, particularly Muslims and Jews today. I wish we had a Steven Spielberg to popularize this story too. Gershman's work is eloquent, penetrating and a refreshing reminder of our common humanity. You can hear him speak about these courageous Muslims in the video below.

Inside Islam Series Expands Debate

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:52:03 +0100

I've been listening for the last few months to an extremely interesting series on Islam from Wisconsin Public Radio in Madison. Inside Islam, a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin at Madison and WPR's program, Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders, has featured great guests rarely invited by traditional media, including secular and religious artists, novelists, scholars, comedians, bloggers, journalists, and activists. They have certainly set an excellent example for how the discussion of Islam can go beyond the security issue. This week they're featuring Qantara.de, a dynamic web portal that allows Muslim and non-Muslim Germans to have a frank dialogue about Islam from a diversity of perspectives. The radio series' upcoming broadcasts include a variety of topics: Islam and science, Muslim women artists and writers, images of the Prophet Muhammad, and faith conversion stories. Here at the University of Colorado at Boulder, we're working to emulate this worthy effort by creating a radio series on Muslim issues in the Mountain West. If you can help in any way make this happen, please get in touch with me. The media in the region think the number of Muslims here is not significant enough to warrant such special treatment, but why can't the Denver Post or Colorado Public Radio for instance do a series on Islam in Colorado or the Mountain West? Official estimates put the number of Muslims in the Denver Metropolitan area alone at 20,000, and our research is revealing some interesting historical connections between Islam and the American West. It's simply a matter of will; the compelling material is abundant.

Tariq Ramadan Can Now Travel to the US

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:48:52 +0100

For almost six years the Swiss intellectual, Tariq Ramadan, had been barred from entering the United States, but no more. Thanks to a direct order from President Obama and Secretary Clinton, Ramadan will no longer be denied an entry visa. This is a major victory for critical debate. I'm sure requests to speak at conferences are already pouring in. I saw Ramadan speak at the last American Academy of Religion conference in Montreal and you can disagree with his ideas, but he's a great, constructive debater.

Does the World Really Need a $1.5 Billion Skyscraper?

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:06:16 +0100

As I watch the devastating pictures of Haiti and read about the horrifying stories of people left to scramble for food, shelter and dignity, I can't help but think of the ritzy extravagance of Dubai and its recent rejoicing over the world's tallest skyscraper which cost more than $1.5 billion (that's the happy story. The sad story is that more than 1,000 workers died while building it). I can't resist asking the obvious question: how much of this money could have been used to help the poor around the world, not just the Muslim poor? But the answer to this question is not as clear cut as some may have suggested. Don't go making sweeping judgments about the absence of Muslims in providing aid just because none of the relief organizations listed on your CNN screen had the word 'Muslim' in their title. In fact, Islamic Relief USA has raised more than $800k from mosques around the country, the Red Crescent has been working closely with the Red Cross immediately after the earthquake hit, ISNA (the Islamic Society of North America) set up a special relief fund for the victims of the earthquake, Morocco sent two planes with 24 tons of food and other help supplies, Turkey sent 3 cargo planes with search-and-rescue teams, the United Arab Emirates also sent tents and tons of emergency supplies, and many other Muslim-majority countries have pledged millions of dollars to rebuild Haiti. So, what is the problem, you may ask? Well, I'd like to see Muslim relief organizations, governments, and philanthropists mobilize their resources with the same intensity reserved for the afflicted when they are Muslim. Giving should always be disinterested, but in these apocalyptic times, Muslims suffer from an image problem they need to restore rather urgently. They must be seen at the helm of any relief campaign around the world regardless of ethnicity or religion. Instead of racing with Vegas for the next architectural madness, race with the community of world relief to help the poor and alleviate the pain of millions of people who have no food, no shelter, and no future while you happily ski in the scorching desert. Your image problem is one of moral values that await more public display; not height records that must be broken. And if the emirs of Dubai suffer from delusions of grandeur, I hope they can boast soon about who has mounted the biggest and most enduring relief operation known to mankind.