يا ايها الناس اتَّقُوا ربكم

US attitude towards Mubarak, Islamists and Israel

2011-02-02T16:25:00.001-05:00

US Admin preparing for post Mubarak Egypt, and the spectre of Islamism for Israel

http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/31/a_realist_policy_for_egypt
- Walt writes that supporting democratic change is the realist position to take. A domestically stable Egypt; makes for a better US regional ally and serves other US goals for the region- counterterrorism, headway into a two state solution to name a couple.
- With regards to Israel, Egypt would not venture to change their peace treaty with Israel anytime soon, as it lacks military parity with Israel itself, would likely be cut off from US funding. In the face of food shortage and unemployment, drastic foreign policy adjustments probably rank last on the list of priorities.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/opinion/02Halevi.html?_r=1
- This piece sheds light on Israeli concerns of a Muslim Brotherhood regime in the Post Mubarak era. While many argue that the US attitude towards Egypt is of high concern to Israel’s national security, I’d say that Israeli commentators/officials are overreacting.
- Piece claims that Muslim Brotherhood will seize power through a façade of cooperation; and call for the end of Israel. Isn’t this the kind of mistrust that led to Gaza after the 2006 HAMAS elections?
http://www.juancole.com/2011/02/why-egypt-2011-is-not-iran-1979.html
- Cole repudiates the monopolizing role MB would play in Egypt. Egypt is not Iran for several reasons, and he breaks down the different classes involved in both revolutions.
- I’m getting to pieces that directly address concerns of an Islamist take over; these are just appetizers!
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/02/how-the-white-house-approached-egyptial-turmoil/70646/
- A telling piece on the Obama administration’s handling of the revolution, and disowning of Mubarak. Obama will not directly influence the selection of the new regime, but will ensure that US interests (Israeli security priority 1) are met by it.
- The relationship of importance is the Military- the ‘caretaker of the state’ who is the major recipient of US aid. Ultimately, no regime cannot afford to take an anti-Israeli stance due to dependence on aid, intl treaties etc, and the Military presumably will make sure it will never get that far anyway.
http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=37443&tx_ttnews[backPid]=7&cHash=72961f54f9
- A series of scenarios of the post revolution landscape. Keeping with the theme, Islamists pose no threat of militancy, and are highly unlikely to break intl treaties.
- Dominant theme has been the presence of the military in preventing foreign infiltration, and maintenance of stability. Opposition parties are poorly funded/organized and Egypt is already a deep state making it likely that whatever regime emerges has to be with the blessing of the military.

analyses on today’s Tahrir Square clashes up next

Egypt 2011

2011-02-02T00:29:00.001-05:00

Starting 1/25/11 Egypt has been undergoing a popular revolt intending to end Hosni Mubarak’s 30+ year state of emergency rule. After days of demonstrations and violence against protestors, President Mubarak stated on 2/1/11 he will remain in power, amidst eruption of violent protests throughout the country. Several actors are involved- not in the least the Military, Mubarak’s successor Suleiman, Opposition leader elBaradei, Israeli security interests, the US, and of course the Egyptian people.

here are pieces that educated me on the subject

http://www.counterpunch.org/alamin02012011.html
- This piece sheds light on the April 6th Youth movement. The April 6th group organized the initial protests on January 25th, and thousands of others joined in the days that followed.
- Asserts Israeli security interests as the reason why the US has not directly disowned Mubarak. I disagree, US has implicitly left Mubarak, but for political interests elsewhere have not said so explicitly.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/01/27/egypt_s_struggle_for_freedom
- Yasser el-Shimy talks about the economic conditions and failure of Egyptian state to provide for its people.
- Talks about the growing number of participants from all ends of the spectrum. This revolution is real and will ensure Egypt’s future will not resemble the last 3 decades.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/world/middleeast/28mubarak.html?_r=1
- Article claims regime is in full control, no inherent danger of losing power. Will drag on civil unrest until people get exhausted and concede to regime.
- Civil society has been weakened over the course of 30 years and apart from protesting have no tools to call for change. What about the military? Onto the next article!
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-01-31/egypt-s-military-tightens-control-over-regime.html
- Mubarak makes deft moves in appointing Omar Suleiman as VP and Ahmed Shafik as PM; both ex military guys. Military is deeply entrenched in the government, retired officers hold gov positions, and have financial incentives.
- Essentially, the army is the key figure in determining the next face of Egypt.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/21fc84d6-2caa-11e0-83bd-00144feab49a.html#axzz1ClJ0PoiG
- Questions whether or not the inner circle chiefs will obey Mubarak or operate in self interest, (support protestors in ousting Mubarak fully). US behavior towards Mubarak functions as a gauge.
- Whether elBaradei and the opposition or Suleiman’s regime; the army will determine the face of post-Mubarak Egypt.
http://bostonuniversity.blogspot.com/2011/01/egypt-sentiments-vs-advice.html#more
- Norton gives attention to the variety of opposition parties and their stake in determining egypt’s fate. Notes Muslim Brotherhood still biggest opposition group.
- Muhammad elBaradei has been recognized as the representative of several opposition parties. expected to be involved in transitional talks.

9/13/96

2010-09-13T03:33:00.000-04:00

Maybe I was just a lost soul, trapped in time…

Livin in between life, and the cracks were blind

I discovered 2pac around 9 years old. Hearing ‘dear mama’ on the radio and seeing a music video that did not at all feature the man himself. I heard somewhere that he was in jail but I was too young to care or realize why. Over the next couple years before he died, several of his songs were radio hits. But like most folks of my generation I didn’t key in on him until he was resurrected from the dead through 1998’s Greatest Hits and Changes.

Going against the grain, I did hear all the tracks on Greatest Hits, but devoted most of my energies to learning his other albums. I was really moved by his ‘me against the world’ and ‘i will never understand this society’ attitude; it resonated with my figuring out who i was in my religion, family and community.

Words like ‘out on bail- fresh outta jail- california dreamin’ gave him the crown of the hip hop world, but I was stuck on lines like: 'what is it we all fear- reflections in the mirror- we can’t escape fate- the end is getting nearer’

It was peculiar how all his contradictions were on display. He surrounded himself with money, weed, women, and cars. Yet at the same time he rapped about an uneasiness with it all- and that intrigued me. For someone who’s life was cut at 25, I was taught well enough to expect very little intellectual contributions from someone so young. 2pac himself remarked his role as only being a spark for individuals who would change the world. Yet humans are not so simple to be summed up in one sentence.

Driven by my ambitions, desire higher positions, I proceed to make g’s

Eternally my mission, is to be more than just a rap musician

The elevation of today’s generation, if I could make them listen

It was in his charisma, his gift for dramatization and very real vulnerability that drew people to him. There was more to him than his music and his gang banging persona, he played the role of big brother, son, and self appointed savior of hip hop. The same man who wrote odes to his mother and his sister also penned the words envisioning the death of his east coast ‘rivals’. It was his inability to maintain so many masks that led to his tragic death.

I will always have him in my mind as the one who knew how fleeting this world was, one who was driven by his passions but could rarely reign it all in. He was a source for raw energy, but did not always use it in the best manner.

My attitude got me walkin solo, ride out alone in my lo-lo

Watchin the whole world move in slow-mo

For quiet times, disappear, listen to the ocean

smoke my ports, think my thoughts, then its back to coastin

I feel alot of people, myself no doubt included, get caught in the affairs of life. Among them are people aware of the fading world and striving to come to terms with the truth and whatever is after death. It scares me still that the ones who strive between the distractions of the world and the ever lasting truth are in danger of getting lost so easily- That I will meet my end, before I’ve truly come to terms with my creator.

I remember the day he died, it was on the back of a NY newspaper that my uncle brought over; I read the article and was so sad. How could the guy who wrote that song about his moms, get shot in the lungs and go out like that? I felt pity for him then, and even more so now as I’m approaching his age.

I will not tell you to go and listen to his music; in fact I would recommend against it. Getting to know his life and getting distracted in the world of hiphop are two separate matters. Take note however, that a generation ago, Tupac Shakur captivated millions- those who knew him while alive and many more now who knew him in death. Perhaps some of us will recognize 2pac as another sign for all that is strange with this world.

I will ask that you remember him in your prayers, because he was loved by so many. May God have mercy on him!

Meet me at the cemetery dressed in black

Tonight we honor the dead, those who won't be back

So if I die do the same for me, shed no tears

The American Muslim Scene 2010- Diversity in the American Muslim subculture

2010-08-16T11:30:00.000-04:00

Starting around 2006, it was starting to be cool to be Muslim, the Kiffayah was officially inducted into Hipster fashion, rappers like Lupe Fiasco were putting out songs called “Muhammad Walks” and a Canadian show called Little Mosque on the Prairie was getting noticed around the country.

Recently, shooting hoops in a suburban Long Island park, once the locals found out the Muslim kids went to pray, they responded, perhaps a little too mockingly “Assalaam alaykum”

To me, all these are signs of a growing stream of Muslims consciousness in the social fabric. Any publicity is good publicity. In this case, the more American Muslims are in the public eye, the less society will associate Islam with something from overseas and something a bit closer to home. I can only pray that it isn’t something terribly negative.

While a recent LA Times article on ‘Ramadan time Muslims’ may be unsettling for a Muslims who think the vast majority of Muslims are socially conservative and religiously orthodox; the inverse seems closer to the truth. The majority of Muslims, like folks of any religious tradition lean on to the ‘secular’ side of the scale, rather than the religiously conservative end.

Secular <---Socially Liberal---Moderate---Socially Conservative--->Orthodox

Hmm this scale can be applied to any religious tradition no?

As this fact begins to dawn on the orthodox self-appointed vanguard of Muslims in America; Islamic centers, organizations and community leaders can start to be more accepting of the existing Muslim punk music scene, or Fatiha the Muslim version of the LGBT. Accepting doesn’t mean agreeing with views or a position, but its more so an exercise in accepting differences in a vibrant civil society. Every immigrant community goes through this, and it is exciting to see the emergence of so many different stances and folks still identifying themselves as Muslim.

To end, I’d like to recommend two creative and humorous projects that lean towards the Moderate/Conservative end of things; but nonetheless are genuine expressions of an American Muslim subculture.

Ramadaning – Hilarious anecdotes of Muslims as they continue their spiritual journey of fasting in the American wilderness

30 Mosques – Follow two fellows journey through America as they visit a different mosque in a different state every day for the 30 days of Ramadan

The American Muslim Scene 2010 – Cordoba Center, New York

2010-08-16T01:00:00.001-04:00

salaam salaam its been too long!

We’re in the midst of Ramadan 1431AH/2010CE, and the landscape in America is seeing visible signs of an ever present Muslim population. The next few entries will be discussing milestones of American Muslims in the public sphere.

Politically, the drama couldn’t be any higher surrounding the controversial Cordoba Center- a proposed Islamic cultural center just several blocks away from Ground Zero. According to polls, close to 70% of Americans are against building the institution! What’s unfortunate is that many Republican politicians are justifying the unfounded and bigoted fears people are bringing to the table in regards to its construction.

The President came out strong in supporting the right to religious freedom, but had to back track and pick his words, in order to avoid any political backlash and not come off as picking sides in a ‘regional/local’ debate. It was refreshing however, to have Mayor Bloomberg thrust full support behind the project:

“This nation was founded on the principle that the government must never choose between religions or favor one over another. The World Trade Center site will forever hold a special place in our city, in our hearts. But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans if we said no to a mosque in lower Manhattan”

While the institution is cleared to be built, what remains to be seen is the social reaction towards an increasingly visible Muslim presence in the public sphere.

Loonwatch

2009-10-25T22:57:00.001-04:00

Its been a while, and many things going on with Muslims.

There's a website www.loonwatch.com which is pretty unique, the writers there are commenting on the seedy world of anti-Muslim rhetoric that exists in various media platforms primarily blogs.Its a much needed commentary site, and they try and tackle modern day polemical writers like the folks over at jihadwatch.

On October 21st, Geert Wilders controversial MP from the Netherlands came to Temple University much to the protests of various student groups on campus.This is the fellow that was behind the film Fitna depicting Muslims and Islam as the source of terrorism, violence and all the radical rhetoric high school teens dream of.Wilder's has gained a reputation as a staunch anti-Islamic figure, and it was David Horowitz of Jihadwatch linkages that sponsored him over at Temple.

Loonwatch noted an article prior to the event that Temple considered canceling the lecture, but in my opinion for the better (though i'm not part of campus/philadelphia city life) Wilders spoke and people were able to judge for themselves how off the mark he really is.

There was a movement to get him to stop speaking, and personal feelings aside, (i dont think highly of wilders at all- obviously) movements to stop him from speaking led to speculation and Temple apparently faced pressures to uphold the right to 'free speech' , even if it is xenophobic, and highly provocative rhetoric. Wilders was met with numerous protestors.

As the comments show, most people realize that this was a good exercise in hearing both sides, no matter how skewed and how negative one side can be.

Seeing first hand at BU, groups protesting against lectures made by pro-Palestinians or Iranians and me being on the other side as in "letting them speak" made me realize it not so much about taking sides on an issue that makes you a better individual, but respecting the right to have someone you disagree with express their discontent. Wilders is a flat out racist in my book, but the potential for a better situation played out; by allowing Wilders speak for 30 minutes, and having what it seems much more protestors outside his event, observers of the situation can conclude on their own, the worth of such a headline grabbing political event.

In the same way the KKK meets in public in NYC, people realize how absurd they are and generally let them assemble, knowing theirs is a futile cause. Jihadwatch, Wilders and the like have the right to believe what they choose when it comes to Islam, but when it comes to pressuring people into adopting their absolutist, axiomatic positions, then further using their resources to create a dangerously hostile attitude towards others, the line must be drawn.

Hats off to Loonwatch for being an alternative, and in the right way against their much more hostile counterparts.

Pangs of Hunger while Fasting

2009-07-18T16:27:00.001-04:00

"The spirit as well as the secret of fasting is to weaken the flesh which is Satan's tool for turning men back to evil. Such weakening of the flesh is never achieved unless a person reduces his food to the amount of food which he would have eaten in the evening if he were not fasting."

...

"Among the proprieties of fasting is that the person should not sleep much during the daytime but rather stay up so that he might feel the pangs of hunger and the flames of thirst and become conscious of the weakness of the flesh, with the result that his heart would be cleansed and purified."

-Taken from Ghazali's "Mysteries of Fasting" pp 27-28

The French do it again

2009-01-30T10:13:00.001-05:00

gotta love parker on this

Tony Parker Crosses Leandro Barbosa

Taken

2009-01-30T03:05:00.001-05:00

I started off enjoying this movie even though from the very beginning, it appeared simplistic and highly stylized. Liam Neeson is believable as a man with a dangerous past and one who is rarely unnerved. Maybe its because he'll always be Qui Gon Jinn and Raas Al Ghul to me.

But then I started reading into it and looking for subliminal messages. Here we have a well trained and highly successful CIA operative who retired while in his prime to spend more time with his teenager daughter. Something very heartwarming, cheesy and American-esque to it. Very similar to Rourke's role in "the Wrestler", but instead of seeing Neeson's past like Rourkes, we can only infer how dangerous he used to be.

Neeson expresses distrust and sensitivity to traveling abroad, telling his daughter that he is hypersensitive to the dangers of the world.

"If you see something, say something" anyone?

Of all places, his girl goes to France, the one European country, in social culture Americans are most critical of. While there, his daughter is kidnapped by Albanians, foreigners from further east.

Neeson does his best Bond and Bourne impersonation, disarming and resolving any dilemma that faces him. All without breaking a sweat. He drives nasty cars, utilizes his surroundings, and lifted straight from the Bourne movie trailers- communicates with a crooked French official by spying on him, while the Frenchmen and his cadre are clueless to his whereabouts.

The movie brings consciousness to the large prostitution ring and how girls are abducted and rarely ever found. But it proceeds to give a false sense of empowerment, a combat trained father searches out his daughter, and kills literally everyone involved with the abduction.

The Albanian man whom he interrogates, rightfully garners no sympathy. But Neeson's character electrocutes him until he confesses. Is torture really justifiable even when the suspect is complete scum? He then electrocutes him to death, giving the audience- myself included, a taste of true justice for a man who makes a living in a horrific human trafficking ring.

But seriously, torture appears acceptable when the suspect is clearly guilty, but how about when it gets gray? Did the movie really just try to desensitize me and make me justify torture?

True to cinematic form, the final antagonist is an arab. A seemingly wealthy shabab is seen bidding for sex slaves, and lo and behold the grand prize is an English speaking, Caucasian, young virgin.

She is scuttled off with two or three more women and it becomes clear that the shabab is a middleman for a much older, much more wealthier father figure. The final battle occurs on a fancy yacht, with Arab security guards armed with semi automatics and a penchant for dying quickly- Except for the shabab. Neeson finally has met his match. They trade blows, Neeson breaks his arm or gets shot, but he gets the better of the feisty Arab. First he shanks him in the heart with a broken wine glass, and then proceeds to castrate the man with his own trusty Arab dagger. You know, the one they all carry for a good "Michael Jackson Beat it" knife fight.

On the real- an insanely wealthy, harem loving Arab? Wielding a dagger? Takes a white woman? I wrote a damn paper on Christian-Muslim polemics dating back to the Crusades where the sole purpose was to vilify the Muslim other, and this has set the tone for European perceptions of the Orient for the last 700 years!

The second I heard al-shabab speak in Arabic, I gave up enjoying the movie.

Its not by chance that cheesy justice, status of torture and ill intended foreigners were the motifs of this film.

I'm also not hyper crazy to consider this as a huge Conspiracy to stereotype oil wealthy Arabs, or defend the use of torture against "suspected Muslim detainees" by its distributor 20th Century Fox ;)

At first glance this movie appeared high on "action", & low on "think". A fastpaced action movie with an actor who, amongst a younger audience is typecast as an all around hero. But the controversial themes it induces you to accept- ever so subtly, is enough for this writer to realize what's actually "Taken" is an audience member's prerogative of human sensitivities.

Obama's Inauguration or "how i learned to appreciate Human unity through Mobs"

2009-01-22T01:51:00.001-05:00

Pita: F--- obama please tell me u got close to jigga or diddy or even denzel or samuel jackson

Me: Ha ha. Would u really come to the capital of the strongest nation on earth to see the leader or a bunch of celebs

Pita: Jayz has done more for the country than obama so far lol

And so it went. January 20, 2009 a day in history. The air a bit nippier than expected, Barack Hussein Obama was ceremoniously inducted into the oh so rare office of President of the United States.

DC had a really cheery vibe to it; I arrived Sunday afternoon and was flooded with street peddlers selling everything from tshirts, posters, books, pins, hats and wristbands. If the world at large came out to Chinatown, nobody would be questioning a 7.2 Unemployment rate. Trading words with Mohammed Lameen a thirty-something Senegalese man by way of Raleigh, NC; i learned this whole inauguration bit was a good way to make some big bucks. Mohammed had a stand of obama shirts and watches alongside the hundred or so people waiting online to get into the National Archives. In the end I didn't buy the watch since it would have cut my weekend allowance in half, but me and ibba had a good convo with mohammed and continued on our merry way.

People were coming in from all around, I met a Republican out from Cali, people out from Chicago, New Orleans, and more than a few Europeans. Obama-mania reached far and wide. Roughly 1.5 million people showed up for the shabang and not everyone could make it out to the National Mall (including me) to witness obama's swearing in.

I tried dissecting the crowd; why were they there? why was i there?

ibba wisely said that "everyone is projecting their own hopes and aspirations onto obama, they think he will deliver on how they feel what is right"

Thus far, pita was right, obama hasn't done anything...atleast in the public eye.

Meanwhile his rap nemesis jigga jay z hails from 'do or die' bedstuy, owns the rocawear clothing line, owns the NJ Nets, cofounded Roc-a-fella records, and married beyonce - all enough accolades to consider him the one of the most successful rappers ever.

obama on the other-hand grew up in honolulu/jakarta, had a kenyan father and american mother, worked on improving Chicago's South Side, went to Harvard Law, served in the Illinois state senate and US senate pushing for healthcare improvements and welfare reform. His skilled rhetoric of hope and unity has effectively swept many off their feet and place much optimism in the fate of this nation.

Obama captured the hearts of all people, and we can't get enough of it!

As evangelical extraordinare Rick Warren gave the religious invocation, a woman behind me was praying out loud "God, thank you for Obama, thank you for hope" She was moved to tears, and I couldn't help but feel a little left out.

In his address, Obama tackled the bleary issues; housing and unemployment crisis and the hard months ahead, evils of an abusive corporate world, the war on terror, negotiating with despots, and building bridges with the Muslim world. There was alot to read between the lines, and i'm sure CNN between their coverage of Sasha and Melia's sleepover at the whitehouse can squeeze in an analysis. But i noticed people cheering when Obama uttered 'freedom' or 'liberty' indicating that people are avoiding hard realities, we just came out to feel good.

Unfortunately I missed out on the National Mall, but I found myself on Pennsylvania Avenue awaiting the Presidential Parade down to the White House. For an event that was supposed to kick off at 1430, they started after 1600. That's an hour and a half of restless people just standing and waiting on this bone chilling day. Heck we couldn't even leave the parade route without passing through security checkpoints. Basically if you left before the ceremony started, you would have wasted the 4 hours or more spent trying to get in line.

In those 4 hours I learnt alot. we chatted with our fellow mobbers- families, yuppies, old people, young people you name it. everyone was excited, and everyone wanted to bear witness to the spectacle. For me, i went in precisely to get a glimpse of the cross section of america. I found alot of black people, elderly family people, and twice as many young people. What did it mean for each of us? At the start of an unknown 4 hour queue, everyone seemed happy, chanting, singing, and trading jokes. 3 hours in, people start getting quieter, getting a little pushier. At this point it didn't matter how many people you slipped through, or what barriers you hopped, there was always 100 people in front of you.

Some were blatantly pushing others, while denying it completely. Rumors start spreading that the gates are closed, that what was previously access to the mall, was now access to only the parade route. If you caught a cop or a national guard, they'd all give conflicting answers. To me it felt like a cruel trick, a mass of well meaning people and here we were treated like cattle.

Do you suppose that most of them hear or understand? They are just like cattle. Indeed they are even more astray. 25:44

If it wasn't for the blatant inefficiency of the security, I think i would have enjoyed this alot more. Most of my inauguration day was spent standing and anticipating. It got colder even faster.

By the time Obama made it down to Pennsylvania and 9th, it was 1610. the man was walking down to the 2.2 mile stretch to the White House. For many this was testament that Obama was the real deal and he cared. And while I can't be helped to be warmed by the gesture, it wasn't enough to calm my shivering frame and sore feet. As soon as Obama left my line of sight, me and practically every other black person on the block booked it out of there. The only people left standing were elderly white folk, poor fools. enjoy your parade.

As i regained feeling to my hands and face over some mexican jumbo in a Qdoba (which surprisingly wasn't packed when i got there), i started wondering was my day worth it? The only thing I could remember was the cold and my swollen feet. I forgot about the previous day- an antibush rally in dupont circle, hearing some homeless people talking about a bright american future, signing a blown up constitution, walking along the national mall, taking in the capitol building, the friendly street pushers and a more manageable and less agitated crowd. This city, these people, these rules- lend us a common history, which for better or worse identifies us as the American people.

Obama Mubarak- may God grant him and all of us success.

Meccho - the case for the Global Muslim

2009-01-10T20:25:00.001-05:00

as some may have noticed my entries usually consist of things relevant to Middle East politics, Muslim history or Islamic culture.

I consider this current phase of world society as the awakening of the Muslim conscience. (i know...the Sahwa concept of the salafis in the 70's, sue me)

Its the first time that a group of Muslims are fully drenched in modernity after playing catch up during the Ottoman Era, playing colonialist victim until the 50s, dabbling with the -isms (social-ism, islam-ism, modern-ism) for much of the 20th century, with immigration happening concurrently. Now in this new phase, thanks to the coming of age of these immigrants, we are the generation of Global Muslims.

What does this mean? We're carving a niche to the world debate on an intellectual level: through scholars, books, politics, music, and culture.

Muslims have a lot on their mind: political legacy, religious legacy, cultural identity, all leading to the bigger question of what it means to be a Muslim today.

There's been a flood of thinkers who've written about it, and i've already mentioned Tariq Ramadan once; he gives a noteworthy idea of how the trajectories of modernity and Muslims are finally sharing the same path. Regardless of whether or not i agree with him, the fact that we are now considering this question and responding to it with a blend of western and traditional Muslim thought points to the existence of this "global Muslim"

I'm getting to meccho now fareed, hehe dont you worry.

So in this awakening of the Muslim conscience, we are finding a generation that is actively making their heritage visible and relevant to the intellectual, cultural, and political milieu of the world.

a buddy of mine launched this project at www.meccho.com. Its a social bookmarking site, similar to digg or stumbleupon.

It deals with events that are of interest to this budding generation of Global Muslims, and for anyone else interested in observing this emerging social group.

Current global affairs, a man named Barak Hussein Obama, a show called 'Little Mosque on the Prairie'- are all indications that this Muslim heritage is contributing to the milieu of the world, go on and get a glimpse of it at www.meccho.com

Surah Hajj 22:38-40

2009-01-04T02:29:00.001-05:00

Verily Allah will defend from ill those who believe: verily, Allah loveth not any that is a traitor to faith, or show ingratitude.

To those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight, because they are wronged;- and verily, Allah is most powerful for their aid

They are those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right,- for no cause except that they say, "our Lord is Allah". Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid his cause; for verily Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, able to enforce His Will. 22:38-40

Stop the Violence- Gaza 2008

2009-01-04T02:20:00.001-05:00

December 27th, 2008 - 30 Simultaneous Raids by Israel on the Gaza Strip. 230 Palestinian deaths

December 28th, 2008 - Air strikes continue, mobilization of tanks and troops on Gaza Border. 296 dead, over 900 injured.

December 29th, 2008 - Islamic University of Gaza attacked. 340 dead, 1400 injured.

December 30th, 2008 - 360 dead, 1500 injured.

December 31st, 2008 - Gaza tunnels to Egypt bombarded; 400 dead, 1600 injured.

January 1st, 2009 - Parliament building attacked, 417 Palestinians, 6 Israelis dead.

January 2nd, 2009 - Preparations for a ground invasion, bombing of boundary to clear landmines

January 3rd, 2009 - Israeli Air-Strikes at the Maqdana Mosque during evening prayers, at least 10 killed.

January 4th, 2009 - Israeli troops assault HAMAS fighters in northern Gaza

What next? If you're in the US send a letter to your elected officials- senators and representatives.

Locate them here: http://capwiz.com/adc/dbq/officials/

Here's a draft letter:

I am deeply troubled by Israel's attacks and pending ground invasion on the occupied Gaza Strip and request you to use the full power and influence of the United States to: 1) establish an unconditional and immediate cease-fire; 2) ensure complete access of humanitarian goods to the Gaza Strip and lift Israel's siege; and 3) hold Israel accountable for its misuse of U.S. weapons as required by the Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Act and international law.

Israel has killed at least 400 Palestinians on the occupied Gaza Strip since Dec. 27th. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has threatened that this is merely "the first stage." As of January 3rd, an Israeli air-strike targeted a religious site of worship, the Ibrahim al-Maqadna mosque with at least 10 deaths and dozens of injuries.

Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip are being carried out with F16 fighter jets, Apache helicopters, naval gunboats, and missiles all provided to Israel by the United States with U.S. tax dollars.

From 2001-2006, the United States transferred to Israel more than $200 million worth of spare parts to fly its fleet of F16's and more than $100 million worth of helicopter spare parts for its fleet of Apaches. In July 2008, the United States gave Israel 186 million gallons of JP-8 aviation jet fuel and signed a contract to transfer an addition $1.9 billion worth of littoral combat ships to the Israeli navy. Last year, the United States signed a $1.3 billion contract with Raytheon to transfer to Israel thousands of TOW, Hellfire, and "bunker buster" missiles.

Israel's war on the Gaza Strip would not be possible without the jets, helicopters, ships, missiles, and fuel provided by the United States. In view of the central role that the United States has played in arming and enabling Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip, I am asking you to:

1) Demand an immediate and unconditional cease-fire.

2) Ensure complete access of humanitarian goods to the Gaza Strip and lift Israel's siege. Israel's attacks come on top of a brutal siege of the Gaza Strip, which has created a humanitarian catastrophe of dire proportions for Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinian residents by restricting the provision of food, fuel, medicine, electricity, and other necessities of life.

This siege is a form of collective punishment and a war crime outlawed by the Fourth Geneva Convention. Article 33 reads "No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed.

Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited...Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited." As the occupying power of the Gaza Strip, under Articles 55 and 56, Israel "has the duty of ensuring the food and medical supplies of the population" and "ensuring and maintaining...the medical and hospital establishments and services, public health and hygiene".

Article 59 states that "If the whole or part of the population of an occupied territory is inadequately supplied, the Occupying Power shall agree to relief schemes on behalf of the said population, and shall facilitate them by all the means at its disposal...All Contracting Parties shall permit the free passage of these consignments and shall guarantee their protection."

As High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, according to Article 1, both the United States and Israel have a solemn obligation to "respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances."

3. Hold Israel accountable for its misuse of U.S. weapons. The United States cannot continue to transfer arms to Israel while U.S. weapons are being misused by Israel to commit grave breaches of international law and human rights standards. The Arms Export Control Act (Public Law 90-829) limits the use of U.S. weapons given or sold to a foreign country to "internal security" and "legitimate self-defense" and prevents their use against civilians. The Foreign Assistance Act (Public Law 87-195), Section 116, states that "No assistance may be provided under this part to the government of any country which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights".

The United States must initiate a complete investigation into Israel's misuse of U.S. weapons and hold Israel accountable for violations of U.S. law including applying the required sanctions specified in the laws cited above.

For more information check out:

http://gazasiege.org/index.html

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/index.php

Lo! Allah defendeth those who are true. Lo! Allah loveth not each treacherous ingrate.

Sanction is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged; and Allah is indeed able to give them victory;

Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned- would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty.

Surah Hajj- 22:38-40

Tariq Mehanna's letter from prison

2008-12-18T22:42:00.001-05:00

I had alluded to Tariq Mehanna in a previous entry; he's a brother from the Boston Muslim community in prison awaiting Trial on some charges of which i won't go into detail, but this article will.

So below is a letter that he wrote, and I pulled it from the people over at www.muslimmatters.org

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Recently, I wrote about the plight of our brother Tariq Mehanna, who was arrested by the FBI last month, and we hope and pray will be released on bail any day now, bi idhnillah. Please continue to make du’a for Tariq that he is released on bail very soon and does not have to return to prison.

I just received a very moving letter from Br. Tariq, which he requested that I post online to benefit others insha’Allah; I was deeply touched by his letter, and insha’Allah it will move the hearts of others as well. Br. Tariq also asked me to convey his salaam to all the brothers and sisters. I typed-up his letter and it is reproduced below. May Allah return Tariq to his family and clear him of all charges against him. Amin.

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17th of Dhu al-Hijjah 1429
December 15th 2008

Bismillah, was-Salamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa barakatuh,

My dear brother, Ahmad,

It was absolutely refreshing and reassuring to have received a letter from you, and the brothers and sisters from all over. You have no idea what a letter from the outside world means when one is here. The whole psychological makeup of prison is such that it is designed to remove your individuality, instead turning you into nothing more than an identification number. Everyone wears the same color prison uniform, eats the same food, is subject to the same regulations, etc. So to receive a message marked with your actual name on it, written specifically for you — this is a reminder that you are an actual person with an actual life and actual family and friends. So, having [so many] letters slipped under my cell door reminded me of how fortunate I am to have received support from people who mostly know nothing about me except that I am their brother in faith, and [these] letters never leave my side.

One thing I would like to point out is in regards to how many brothers and sisters, when writing to a prisoner or any other Muslim in need, will start off the reminder with ‘you already know this,’ or ‘I can’t say much you don’t already know.’ In Surat al-Hashr, Allah says in one verse: {”O you who believe, fear Allah and let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow, and fear Allah…“}.

So, the same injunction was made twice in the same verse to fear Allah. Imam Ahmad pointed out that patience is mentioned in the Qur’an over ninety times. So, there are certain concepts that have to be drilled into our heads constantly for us to truly understand and internalize and apply them properly in our lives. Reflect, also, how you have been and will continue to recite Surat al-Fatiha at least seventeen times everyday for the rest of your life. Shaykh ‘Uthaymin once pointed out that the Qur’an and the reminders it contains are such that every time you read some verse, you come away with a deeper meaning than the previous time you read that same verse! Now, in an environment such as this, the concepts of patience, tawakkul, etc. take on completely new meanings. So, every reminder boosts morale and strengthens resolve, and helps you look at the situation in the right light.

The greatest asset in here is the ability to remember Allah no matter what condition or situation I am in. When I was handcuffed and couldn’t use my hands to pray, when I was in solitary confinement and had no contact with human or book, when shackled by my hands and feet during the hour-long rides back and forth between court and prison hunched over in the dark, stuffy prison van, etc. — when all sources of material comfort have been taken away, it is then when you realize exactly how essential dhikr is to your sanity and survival. People here place so much reliance on the skills of their lawyers, the mercy of the judge, etc., but looking around at them all, I laugh at how easy it is for me to call upon the One who controls every atom in the universe compared with how hard it is for an inmate to get what he wants from those on the outside that he places so much reliance on, who are not always placing him on their list of priorities. Ibn al-Qayyim’s ‘al-Wabil as-Sayyib‘ contains great parables and expositions on the virtues of dhikr. But the reason I mention how helpul the act of dhikr has been here is to encourage you all on the outside to realize its true value and take proper advantage of it now, and not just if you happen to go to prison, because if you remember Allah in times of ease, He will help you in times of hardship, guaranteed! It’s the easiest act of worship!

I spend my time reading whatever I can get my hands on. Every Tuesday, the library cart is supposed to get some books to my unit, but they are extremely inefficient here when it comes to such services, and the cart has only been around once in the past few months. I picked up and completed a 700-page biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer (the so-called “father of the atomic bomb”) called ‘American Prometheus.’ It was quite a revealing story of how the man who essentially handed America the nuclear bombs by which she sought to bring the Soviet Union to its knees was blacklisted by the FBI and excommunicated the minute he voiced his opposition to the thirst of zealots in the administration to build even deadlier weapons. I also just completed a history of the Colombian cocaine trade that had its peak in the ’80s, and last night completed a book about the topic of celibacy as debated in the Vatican. There are also old issues of National Geographic Magazine floating around between inmates here, so I try to read those whenever one comes my way. I think they are popular around here because they contain more pictures than words . I had a copy of Yusuf Ali’s translation of the Qur’an for a while, but I had lent it to an inmate interested in Islam who was released on bail before he could return it to me. So, I’ve been relying on the Qur’an I have memorized when it comes to recitation.

Despite the fact that this is a maximum security facility and the restrictions are at times cumbersome, I really do not have much I can complain about. I have a place to sleep, three meals a day, and I can pray whenever I want in peace. I can think of millions of people around the world who cannot claim the same luxuries. On top of that, one sometimes needs a place like this to achieve clarity of mind. So, as the cliché goes, this has been a blessing in disguise in that I’ve been able to benefit from various aspects of incarceration that would ordinarily seem undesirable. I can only think of the countless imprisoned Muslims in the jails of tyrants around the globe and hope that if it is not Allah’s Decree to free them in the near future, that they taste the sweetness that Allah has placed them in prison to taste… May Allah free our sisters sooner than all…

I would like to end this letter by reminding all who read it to realize what you have been blessed with before it is taken from you: the warm hug of a loved one, the company of righteous people, the ability to see the sun and moon, a breath of fresh air, praying in a mosque, hearing the Qur’an recited, reading a good book of your choosing, taking a shower with clean water whenever you feel like, even something as simple as being able to open a door and walk out of a room! If there is one lesson that everybody can learn in here - be they Muslim or kafir - that is to take the initiative to appreciate the value of the luxuries you are blessed with before they are taken from under your nose. We hear this in every khutbah but one unfortunately cannot truly appreciate this advice until all these delights of life are out of reach, in actuality. (I highly suggest Cummings’ ‘The Enormous Room‘ in this regard, if you can find a copy, where he describes, in candid detail, life in a French prison camp stripped of all the material possessions that were once within easy grasp.) Indeed, prison only makes the Muslim stronger…

Was-Salamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh,

Your brother in the green jumpsuit,
Tariq Mehanna

Islamic history: Uthman ibn Affan pt. 2 - the siege

2008-12-17T14:25:00.001-05:00

To recap what had happened, alot of people have been grumbling about Uthman's nepotism in appointing governors, his lax rule, questioning his uses of the Muslim treasury, and keeping council with his kin rather than with more qualified individuals (namely Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, and Marwan ibn Hakam. Muawiyah again was the son of Abu Sufyan, the oppositional leader of the Quraysh during the lifetime of the Prophet (pbuh), and Marwan's father was the Prophet's uncle who violently opposed him, and sought to have the Muslims killed.) As you may guess because of these individuals' checkered families, the historians hone in on the narratives that express doubt on them because of their parents' dealings with Muhammad.

Moving forward, the people leading the charges against him come from three different parts of the Islamic domain; the Egyptians, the Kufans & the people from Basra. All of them converge on Medina intending to lay siege on Uthman to either have him resign or kill him.

'Uthman led the people in prayer for 30 days after the dissidents had ensconced themselves in the mosque. Then they barred him from the prayer, and their chief al-Ghafiqi led the people in prayer. The Egyptians, Kufans and Basrans submitted to him, while the Medinese dispersed to their walled compounds and stayed in their houses...The siege lasted forty days, and during this period the caliph's murder took place. The dissidents used arms against anyone who resisted them, though heretofore they had refrained from violence for thirty days.

A couple of things to note, the dissenters were outsiders. while obviously there were people in Medina who had quarreled with Uthman, they never resorted to taking arms against him or threatening his rule/life. The dissenters were the ones who fought and conquered territory, and the ones who governed over them were the Caliph's relatives or people he specifically appointed rather than people whom the dissenters preferred. When the siege was in action, and violence was imminent, Uthman kept warning of the precedent this would set; that dissenters can violently replace the unifying authority of the Muslims and replace him with whoever they pleased; the question of true authority would fragment the Muslim community.

In the dialogue that continues, Uthman agrees to the terms of the dissenters, promising to rectify the wrongs he committed against the Muslims:

Then they took Uthman to task for things from which he could find no escape. Recognizing these, he said, 'I seek God's forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance.' Then he said to them, 'What do you want?' They made a compact with him, and he said 'I regard this as valid.' They wrote out conditions to be imposed on him. Then Uthman obligated them to break no rod (loyalty or obedience) nor to withdraw from unity so long as he fulfilled their conditions or acted in accordance with what they required of him.

The Egyptians left satisfied with the terms, optimistic that Uthman would fulfill his word. However Marwan urged Uthman to recant his vows towards the dissenters, for what it seems to be save the pride of being the Caliph. This was the last straw and once the dissenters, other companions and the Medinese heard of this the final siege began.

Marwan said, 'You are as dear to me as my father and my mother! By God, I wish that you had made this statement before the people while you were still strong and invincible, and that I had been the first to be satisfied by it and to aid you in fulfilling it. However, you have said these things when the girth has reached the two teats and the torrent has overflowed the hilltops and when a humiliated man has submitted to humiliation. By God, to persist in an error for which you must seek God's forgiveness is better than to repent because you are afraid. If you so will, you may seek repentance without acknowledging error. The people have piled up at the gate against you like a mountain.' Uthman said, 'Go out and speak to them, for I am ashamed to do so.'

Marwan went to the gate... he said 'Why have you gathered here like looters? Your faces are deformed, and every man is holding the ear of his confederate! Whom are you after? You have come to snatch our power from us. Go! By God, if you mean us any harm, you will encounter something distasteful from us, and you will not praise the result of you opinions. Return to your homes, for by God, we are not men to be robbed of our possessions.'

Marwan now speaking on tacit consent of Uthman, reneges the meeting/agreements made between Uthman and the dissenters, depicting them as outsiders coming into take the rights/political power of the Caliph to whom it properly belongs. This in effect, reinforces the nepotism and lust for power that the dissenters initially accused Uthman being guilty of.

Then Ali came in a rage to Uthman and said, 'Surely you have satisfied Marwan, but he is satisfied with you only if you deviate from your religion and reason, like a camel carrying a litter that is led around at will. By God, Marwan is devoid of sense in regard to his religion and his soul. I swear by God, I think he will bring you in and then not send you out again. After this visit I will not come again to chide you. You have destroyed your own honor and you have been robbed of your authority.'

Ali's condemnation indicates that Uthman's hit the point of no return; even his closest and most trustworthy companions have denounced his decisions. Although Ali rebukes Uthman directly, Ali continues to visit/advise him while this last siege occurs. Uthman again promises to reform; but it appears too late.

Then Uthman said, 'Ashtar, what do the people want from me?' 'You cannot avoid doing one of three things... They ask you to choose between the following. You may turn their affairs over to them and say, 'This is your affair; choose whomever you will for it.' Second, you may have yourself punished. If you reject these two choices, then this band of men will kill you.' Uthman replied, 'As for my turning their affairs over to them, I am not one to remove a robe that Almighty God has placed upon me.'

So now, there are multiple narratives as to how Uthman died, and i will end by providing the shortest one.

Muhammad b. Abi Bakr came with thirteen men and went up to Uthman. He seized his beard and shook it until I heard his teeth chattering. Muhammad b. Abi Bakr said, 'Mu'awiyah was no help to you, nor was Ibn Amir nor your letters.' Uthman said, 'Let go of my beard, son of my brother! Let go of my beard!' Then i saw ibn abi Bakr signaling with his eyes to one of the rebels. He came over to him with a broad iron-headed arrow and stabbed him in the head with it... They gathered round him and killed him.

This is the shortest rendition of what happened. Tabari includes multiple narratives that existed at his time, with some obviously more elaborate than others.

Others recount how Uthman's house was burned down by the rebels, how one of his women were harassed, how the rebels went straight for the treasury-indicating their desire for wealth rather than a desire for justice. And of course, the narrations stating that Uthman was reading the Quran whilst he was killed.

The reason for these varying narratives is explained as any historiography would be, that different conscious or subconscious motives determined what was being said. To put in better words they are results of their environments. So if the general attitude towards Uthman was that he was wronged, then narratives of him being pious, and victimized dominated literature on Islamic history. If the sentiment was that Uthman was nepotistic than they would focus on his weakness and his inability to rule.

This was a very important point that I became aware of this year, starting to see a much more complicated picture of how and why we understand what the "authoritative" in Islam is.

What sets Tabari apart from the rest is that he chose to chronicle all existing narratives, hence why History of Prophets and Kings spans over 40 volumes.

Coming away with some lessons, about Uthman and the earlier history surrounding Umar ibn Khattab and what's to follow with Ali's succession; I've learned that there was a real concern over which people had the right to rule, and it boiled down to clan affiliations/proximity to the Prophet. The difference being that when one of these first four rulers accepted, people for the most part complied.

Uthman represents the real blow, because of his deliberate nepotism, and the growing influence of people like Mu'awiyah who were Muslims but exploited their lineage and cited it as justification for rule.

So i came seeking clarity, and i come away with sharper questions of succession, dealing with divergence of opinions, and competing versions of truth.

d-wade is the new filthy

2008-12-15T11:03:00.001-05:00

maaan i dont think i've been this hyped by one player's type of game oh since orlando tmac or philly iverson circa 2001. he's got hype; shoes, championship, killed the olympics; but he's still under the radar for me. forget bron, 2010 wade and bosh to NY!

i think i'm becoming kanye west, my blog as of late has been iterations of things i already like. ah, well i can gauge where i'm at now, 6 months later i suppose.

Islamic history: Uthman ibn Affan Pt. 1- charges against the caliph

2008-12-14T12:18:00.001-05:00

i'm reading The History of al-Tabari. Vol. 15, translated by R. Stephen Humphreys.

My aim is to deconstruct what happened during Uthman's reign that led to his killing, the lasting polarization of the community, and above all take away the romanticized picture i have of figures, events, and social norms in our Islamic history and give it a touch of reality.

So there's been alot of controversy over the governors Uthman appointed and the ones he had removed. (this is something i guess i already knew) But Uthman appointed men who were close in relation to him, rather than skill, or closeness to Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Mu'awiyah, the governor of the Syrian provinces, son of Abu Sufyan the chief of the Quraysh opposition against Muhammad, was quite outspoken in his legitimacy to rule by virtue of his lineage. This many people took issue with, and asked him to step down, and he inturn rejected the motion, informing Uthman about it.

Just to keep in mind, Mu'awiyah was the man who led the overall mission that conquered Cyprus and made inroads towards Constantinople.

so i'll jump into where Ali b. abi talib comes in and confronts Uthman about the rumbling going on with the people: purple is primary reading, green is me

the people assembled and spoke to 'Ali b. Abi Talib, and he entered "uthman's presence and said, "The people stand behind me, and they have spoken to me about you... Know, 'uthman, that the best of God's servants in His eyes is a just imam, one who has been guided aright and who himself gives right guidance, for he upholds accepted prescriptions and destroys rejected innovations. By God, everything is clear...the worst of men in God's sight is a tyrannical imam, one who has gone astray himself and by whom others are led astray, for he destroys an accepted prescription and revives a rejected innovation...I tell you to beware lest you be the murdered imam of this Community. Indeed it is said that an imam will be killed in this Community, and that bloody strife will be loosed upon it until the Day of Resurrection, and its affairs will become hopelessly entangled."

I paraphrased and cut out about 50% of the dialogue, but it is clear that Ali confronts Uthman and accuses him of being a corrupt ruler. He warns him that, a corrupt ruler, will only face the punishment of God, and the community, may resolve to rebel and murder him. This will essentially break up the Muslim state. He's exhorting him to fix whatever's he's done.

Note that Ali makes no mention of what the charges against Uthman are, and Uthman himself identifies the charges levied against him in his response below.

Then 'Uthman replied, "By God, I knew that people would be saying what you have said. But by God, if you were in my place i would not have berated you nor left you in the lurch nor shamed you nor behaved foully. If i have favored kinsmen, filled a need, sheltered an impoverished wretch, and appointed as governors men like those whom Umar used to appoint, then what have i done wrong?

Ali said, "I will tell you that everyone appointed by 'Umar b. Al-Khattab (caliph before Uthman) was kept under close scrutiny by him. If 'umar heard a single word concerning him he would flog him, then punish him with utmost severity. But you do not do that. You ahave been weak and easygoing with your relatives." "They are your relatives as well," answered uthman. Ali said, "by my life, they are closely related to me indeed, but merit is found in others." Uthman said, "Do you know that 'umar kept Mu'awiyah in office throughout his entire caliphate, and i have only done the same." Ali answered, "i adjure you by God, do you know that Mu'awiyah was more afraid of "umar than was "umar's own slave Yarfa?" "Yes," said Uthman. Ali went on, "In fact Mu'awiyah makes decisions on issues without consulting you, and you know it. Thus, he says to the people. "This is Uthman's command." You hear of this, but do not censure him. Then Ali left him, and Uthman went out on his heels.

Note Uthman, defends his own actions, at first showing himself as continuing the practices of his predecessor to the Islamic state, Umar ibn Khattab. Ali brings him back to reality, so to speak, and contrasts Umar's impartial and harsh way of keeping his governors in check with Uthman's laxness and leniency towards his kinsfolk. The following is Uthman addressing the crowd from his pulpit.

By God, you have surely blamed me for things like those which you accepted from Ibn al-Khattab. But he trampled you underfoot, smote you with his hand, and subdued you by his tongue, and so you submitted to him whether you like it or not. I have been lenient with you. I let you tread on my shoulders while I restrained my hand and tongue, and therefore you have been insolent toward me. By God, I am stronger than he in kinsmen, I have allies closer at hand, I possess more supporters... Nay but which of your rights are you deprived of? by God, I have achieved no less than did my predecessors or those about whose standing in the Community you have not disagreed. There is a surplus of wealth, so why should i not do as i wish with the surplus? Why otherwise did i become Imam?

Now, to the crowd, Uthman contrasts himself with Umar, citing that he is much more lenient to his governors than Umar ever was. He cites the strength of his lineage (he and the Prophet have a common link Abd Al-Shams in their ancestry, as does Mu'awiyah and his father Abu Sufyan). he invokes the strength and support of his lineage as his right to rule, and by account of it all, is telling his subjects not to question his authority and the nature of his rule, since he has not cheated them of their rights.

I will stop here, and continue in piecemeal until i finish this book.

Full citation: Humphreys, R. Stephen. The History of al-Tabari Volume XV The Crisis of the Early Caliphate. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1990.

changing faces

2008-11-17T00:17:00.000-05:00

almost a month since i last wrote. I've been busy mostly with school work but also with some interesting lectures on Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Middle East Colonialism, readings on wahhabism, sunni and shia religious tradition, shi'i communities in lebanon, iraq and iran.

i've been thinking about individuality and the external other, all leading to some kind of thesis about the presence of religious convictions informing political identity.

entries on some of the lectures to come thru inshaAllah. for now it'll be a train of thought.

president-elect obama
re-thinking sayyid qutb
Ed Husain and his book, The Islamist
the unfortunate case of Tarek Mehenna and how the tendency to quickly judge is a very hard habit to break off
The site of Jesus' baptism, bethany beyond the jordan
Religious tradition and its bad legacy
tropic thunder and the love of makin riches
"with my mind on my money and money on my mind"

You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or who says it. -Malcolm X

The Prophet said, "Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshipping in the mornings, the nights."

And what will make you realize what the true reality is? 69:3

food for thought- american politics

2008-10-20T01:54:00.001-04:00

A few pieces in the media recently caught my attention.

First, Saturday Night Live invited Sarah Palin to guest star on their show last night. In it, Tina Fey was doing a mock Palin press conference, and using the podium to mock the media and its interaction with the candidates over the course of the election, and more precisely revealing Obama as a much more suave and eloquent candidate than Mr. McCain. The second piece was a rap song by Amy Poehler as Palin, rapping about her candidacy: her unusual circumstance as governor of Alaska, her husband, Russia, and moose. All the while Sarah Palin participating and looking on as back up hype man from some early 90's rap video.

Second, was the Al Smith memorial dinner, both Obama and McCain had a chance to speak on the mic, and both dropped some pretty funny lines directed at each other's political party. While formalities remain strongly enforced, and much of the banter and outward displays of respect came off as false, there is something to be said about opponents being able to stomach either other in the same room.

Third, was Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama on Meet the Press. In it he brought up the most important question American editors and Muslim Americans have been asking since the campaign started: Is there anything wrong with running for office and being Muslim?

Maybe because i haven't gotten my much needed dose of political commentary from the King of American Politics Jon Stewart, but i was pretty impressed by the actions of these prominent political figures.

In the first piece, Palin came into the show knowing fully well that the American people (eh at least us east coast liberals) see her as grossly inexperienced, rural and quite ditzy. She came onto SNL whilst editorials and conventional wisdom stated the Republican Machine made a big mistake in appointing her as VP candidate. She knows as well as the rest of the Republicans do that they're likely to lose. But they can't completely give up, and this was indicated by what Palin said before Amy Poehler performed the rap piece. It seemed like Palin was supposed to perform the rap originally, and Poehler would do it in case Palin wasn't comfortable. Palin said something along the lines that if she did the rap, it would cross the line and hurt the campaign.

She was right.

It would have LONG TERM NEGATIVE effects on her image as a Politician. Can you imagine that in a country where a presidential nominee effectively lost the primaries because he let out an all to emotive "yeah!" during one of his rallies?

What then would happen to the career of a conservative, pentecostal, republican woman politician rapping about herself as "hot for teacher" and shooting moose in Alaska?

So she avoided the song, but by her very presence on the set, it revealed a sense of optimism for me, that maybe not everything about liberal democratic politicians is a dirty realpolitik game. (hmm too many loaded words, i'm trying to say that politicians are people too)

Second piece: normally I'm the first to say that Republicans and Democrats at the higher levels are the same poison with different labels, but the last 30 years (and some would argue since the 1950s) or so with the Republicans they're becoming dominated by neo-conservative ideology. Google Irving Kristol & the Godfather of Godfathers Leo Strauss for some insight into it.

Yet this dinner of partisan politicians, with their joking, fronts of cordiality demonstrated the maturity and the best of Westernized institutions of Democracy. The third world can't do it, and its because tolerance for opposing views and ideas is relatively lower compare to the first world. Let me be clear, this doesn't mean the first world is morally superior at all, its just that civilization here has gone in a direction where tolerance on the individual level is accepted, but at the level of social ideologies and notions of competing hegemonies (capitalism vs socialism, secularism vs. religiosity) the first world has made it clear what it will and will not tolerate.

This brings me to the third piece: Colin Powell endorses Obama for all the reasons we want to hear: he's got good rhetoric, he's got confidence, and he's highly intellectual. and the fact that they're both black actors. what the fruit? dave chappelle? hehe just makin sure i'm not boooring you, tim.

Powell comes out guns blazing at the republicans, he actually says the Republicans are being drawn too tightly into neo-conservativism and its skewing their view on what's right for the American people. thats exactly what Bacevich was saying, and he's still a conservative in the most honorable form of the word.

Powell drew attention to the whole "you can be anything but a Muslim politician" vibe that's been going on since people found out Obama's daddy was a moooslim from Kenya, and he lived in a mooslim country, and his first name is a variant of "blessing" and middle name is "good", both in arabic. He said head on, that there's nothing wrong if Obama was a Muslim and American, affirming that Muslims don't have some secret agenda and that indeed they are normal humans. For Powell to say that, it not only enhanced my view of him as a man of integrity (even after his role in the iraq debacle) but it really said something that not everyone who's influential is a slave to warped manifestations of real politik.

All in all, the three pieces gave a little silver lining in the clouds, and indeed God knows best.

See the links:

Palin on SNL

Al Smith Memorial Dinner

Colin Powell Meet the Press

Oh amidst all the feel good domestic politics, remember to stay balanced. isn't there a worldwide financial crisis?

KG, LJ, MJ, NBA

2008-10-15T01:11:00.001-04:00

often times, i equate my ups and downs with basketball. If i'm ever in class with you, and you find me staring not quite at you but in your direction, know that i'm visualizing passing the ball at your face or at your hands... I know. Don't criticize. Just take the rock and score the bucket.

Here are three clips from recent basketball memory that are hilarious, hype-worthy, and above all just inspiring.

The Big Ticket bein a nutter butter after winning some NBA gold:

Larry Johnson circa 1998, wearing his Islam on his sleeve after beating the Pacers on a 4 point play, his interview starts at the 6:20 mark. I remember this like it was yesterday:

Finally, best basketball commercial ever-made:

Ramadan 2008 - the quran tapes

2008-10-10T11:45:00.001-04:00

salaams folks. we'll keep this straight and simple.

Here are links to Taraweeh Salat (night prayers) from the Yusuf Masjid & Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center

There are 4 total files; each with 7 sound clips. Its like opening a Russian doll!

http://drop.io/boston_ramadan_2008/

http://drop.io/2_boston_ramadan_2008/

enjoy!

bacevich and the limits of American foreign policy

2008-10-09T07:07:00.001-04:00

a couple nights ago, professor bacevich lectured about the US needing to re-think their approach to foreign policy.

Since the end of world war 2, we've kinda been in a cold war mentality where our goal has always been to change the way others live. this is an extension of Wilson's famous 14 points for his vision of democracy/peace for the whole world.

Bacevich says that now, we should reconsider whether or not this "changing the lifestyle of others" is an effective policy to secure American security and foreign policy interests. It was effective for Germany and Japan after WWII, where both countries within 20 years became effective players in the market economy. But when it comes to the Middle East, Bacevich points out, forcing them to modernize will not help at all, in fact it will lead to more Anti-Americanism.

International Terrorism whether with or without religious impetus is a threat to US interests, but its true threat to American interests/world security has to be reassessed. Rather than the US adopting this Bush Doctrine of Open Ended War on Terror, Bacevich suggested that we conjure up an international police force that does James bond business and has a special ops wing that can study threats and nip them at the bud.

Much of what Bacevich said was no surprise, its been told before by most academics, but what differentiates Bacevich from the rest is that he's an American conservative. For me this means an American Patriot who has the best interests of this nation at heart, without necessarily entangling himself into the affairs of other states.

He stated pretty emphatically that Islam must conform to modernity (whatever that means) and that the US and other 1st world nations should assist in doing so. Reads kind of like a RAND report, where a pluralist, globalized tending Islam is in the best interest of the US in the MENA (middle east north africa) region.

This begs me to ask, what other trends of Islam are out there? I think most people (including myself initially) thought the only other option was this firebrand, revolutionary, Shariah only Islam (ie our stereotypes of Iran fulfilled). But upon further consideration and some parsing of report on political Islam in turkey, another brand of Islam that wouldn't be in the best interests of the west is a "transnational Islam". Think like the EU for MENA. What this would mean is that all the countries would be one economic/political bloc, with synching interests and better capability to play the open market for its own interests, rather than remain as the source of raw good and primary materials for the 1st world to play with. The biggest no no would be a Turko-Syrian-Iranian alliance and that would be a major no no for US, China & Russia due to geo-political concerns.

Call it what you like, North vs South, 1st world vs 3rd world, haves vs have nots; but this is what the conservative world view (in my perception atleast) boils down to. Its all about maintaining a free market world economy; in which the most capable nation-state is the one that can exploit (and i mean it in the economy 101 sense, not your colloquial "child exploitation" way) resources and yield a good standard of living and GNP.

A conservative state is essentially declaring every country for itself, if along the way you receive residual benefits (aid, growth of certain sectors) good for you, but in order to be the most successful, you can't rely on anyone but yourself.

I know this paints me as a complete socialist, because in principle it sounds terrible that every person should strive for their individual success and only care about the others when it can help you. Socialism does reflect a legitimate concern that people should value the general welfare instead of their own. But I am also trying to be real; and I understand the extreme efficiency, ingenuity and acquisition of knowledge that a capitalist world order has to offer. But there must be a balance.

Steering back to Bacevich and conservatives, his redeeming value is that he is through and through an intelligent conservative, he doesn't seem caught up in the socio-political wargame of the Neo-cons, "the clash of civilization" folk and what have you. Though he did drastically down play the Israeli Lobby and the actual impact of neo-conservative thinking and politicians on this nation; and the more i think he did it for pragmatic reasons; as in he was short on time. Here's to you Prof. Bacevich and sucks to my camera phone:

I'll end with this quote, which I am learning has quite a storied history as to who really said it:

If a man is not a socialist by the time he is 20, he has no heart.
If he is not a conservative by the time he is 40, he has no brain.

slingshot hiphop

2008-10-05T11:14:00.000-04:00

Just saw this movie from the Boston Palestine Film Festival called SlingShot HipHop, its a documentary on the emerging Palestinian rap movement.

This should be prefaced by the fact that me and timmy have been in an ongoing debate of the effectiveness for Music as a means to bring about change. I have been of the opinion that it doesn't really do much; that even though the music talks about revolution, social improvement, it hasn't really accomplished anything in terms of getting their listeners off their feet and doing something constructive. My limited scope of music genres and history backed up my beliefs.

Tim pointed out to me actually right before we saw slingshot that Bob Marley's music really mobilized and above all united the poor masses of Jamaica. Was this what i was looking for? I wanted to see an organized, centralized resistance movement courtesy of, or have a large role by music and musicians. so in that regard i was up on the fence about Marley and the Jamaican example.

this is hip hop and we're a nation... - KRS One

the walls in the overstuffed room were lined up with pac, marley, and che. on the shelves you'd find a mixup of snoop dogg and edward said, dmx and mahmoud darwish, eminem and malcolm x.

30% music

30% literature

40% reality

This was Arab Rap.

DAM the trio from Lyd, Israel an urban ghetto one compared to Chicago, were informed by both leading intellectuals as much as they were with the kings of hip hop.

They had lineups on their faces, gel in their hair, wore silver chains, but no tats. They lived and got along with their families; their parents encouraged them, the neighborhood kids loved them. and for what? They were rapping, first in english then eventually Arabic. No cursing but full of biting rhetoric and emotional anger, these boys were releasing their rage over living caged in society, no social mobility, no economic prosperity, no education, no freedom.

because they lack education and the ability to find work, kids in Lyd resort to pushing drugs, and just stagnate. These guys got into hip hop and use it as a sharply honed weapon, to vent their frustration constructively and artistically; providing a sense of unity amongst the millions of displaced Palestinian youths both in the Palestinian territories and inside Israel.

This is where music as a movement thrives, this is the example you were looking for Tim.

The rap movement in Palestine is divided by areas. Those in the '48 are the ones who live in Israel proper, those in Gaza are the refugees/prisoners from the '67 war, the same for the ones in the West Bank.

PR the trio from Gaza, because of their real status as refugees/prisoners are the voices that everyone in the movement pays mind to. They are the ones who's neighborhoods are bombed constantly and like a young Ibrahim said, the Israelis give you 5 or 6 seconds of notice to withdraw, then just like that its gone.

There's also a rising female movement, Abeer a talented R&B rapper represents not just the struggle of Palestinians against Israel but more so women against a male dominated worldview, one that flows in the Arab world, preventing women like Abeer to come out freely and express her art as freely as her male counterparts.

What makes these rappers similar to the American movement, is the dress, the flow, and most importantly the struggle. The enemy in America is the white man, the enemy over there, Zionism.

But after that, it diverges. The culture is a little different. There's no pretense of being "gangsta": showing no respect for others, no gawdy display of bling, no disrespect for women. Through it all there's much love and unity amongst the rappers and their crowds. Though impossible checkpoints and walls hold them back from seeing each other, what holds and brings them unity is this common identity, that they aren't just victims of powers they can't see, but they're all Palestinian.

on the radio we need to hear more local mc's

where you at? come on where you at?

this is the difference between mc'in and rap

rappers spit rhyme that are mostly illegal

mc's spit rhymes to uplift their people - KRS One

How do they stay in contact? Cell phones, chat, myspace. Things we use to supplement our communications with our people, they use as lifelines to stay in touch with theirs.

What is it that these arab rappers can do? They have the attention of the people, and they're slowly pulling them off the streets and from falling into the game (lupe), but then what? Making money and putting it back into the neighborhood seems to be the ideal. Informing the world through this rap-medium about their struggle is also another result. But that question still comes up, how can music alone bring about real change? It won't bring justice in an unjust world. But its the seed to something; a sense of pride, identity and unity, how it plays out from there, only God can tell.

In the footsteps of the Prophet - tariq ramadan

2008-10-04T10:44:00.000-04:00

I'm in a class called "contemporary voices in Western Islam" and every week it has been generating quite a bit of debate.

In it we've been reading various "western" works on issues relevant to Islam. So we're not necessarily studying "eschatology" rather "the role of women in islam". We aren't reading "sciences of prayer or purification of the heart" but "living as a minorities."

I wanted to point this out because it actually answers a question someone raised in class; why is it that we are focusing on issues of hijab and women's roles instead of Islamic history and etc. The aspects of Islam that are being discussed are the ones where Islamic norms come into contact with aspects of the west; hence studying the role of females, studying a minority bloc both politically and sociologically.

I just finished Tariq Ramadan's "In the footsteps of the Prophet." Ramadan is a Swiss born Egyptian intellectual, the grandson of the famous Hasan Al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The book is sort of Ramadan's personal confession in reconciling his Islamic heritage with existence in the era of modernity. The book's audience is the public both Muslim and non-Muslim living in the west. This is noteworthy because Muslims in the non-west wouldn't necessarily be dealing with the aspects that Ramadan brings to point, I would say they are dealing with internal issues like "upholding the virtues of Muslim character" and the others i mentioned above. Of the two components of his audience, I think he is really intending this as a guidebook for the Western Muslim, while at the same time functioning as an informative piece for the non-Muslim Westerner. He educates his audience by referring directly to the life and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This way, Muslims will agree on the authority; since Muhammad is ideally accepted as the universal embodiment of Muslim.

Ramadan's book gives a generic biography of the Prophet, and admittedly not exhaustive; he is selective on the details of Muhammad's life he elaborates on. These points are usually ones that have some sort of relevancy for his western audience. The single most important contribution of this book is that Ramadan derives Islamic axioms for Muslims today to find appropriate to follow.

For example, he focused on the interaction between Muslims and non-Muslims. Muhammad had sent approx. 100 Muslims to Abyssinia, to be under the protection of a Christian King, the Negus. Ramadan details how the Muslims dealt cordially and were dealt back cordially by their Christian hosts and that they lived in peace as minorities. This is parallel to Muslims living in Europe and the Americas, and is response to the "extremists" critique of some Muslims who deem it unlawful for them to be in "dar al harb" (land of war).

He goes at length describing Muhammad's relationship with his non-Muslim clan members and the Jewish tribes in Medina. in each of these instances Ramadan stressed Muhammad’s willingness and openness of working with non-Muslims, in both cases Muhammad's place immense trust in Pagans for being his guide in the desert, trusting them with plans of attack and mutual alliances. This is again an extremely relevant response to the rhetoric that "Muslims should not trust non-Muslims" (yall have seen the alleged bin laden tapes/statements)

Another important topic he deals with is Muslims questioning their own institutions of Authority. While Ramadan does not clearly define the institution that should be reformed, one can get an idea of it by his conception of what the authority should be. He seems to be calling for a pluralistic worldview, one that is tolerant of opposing views, one that is willing to compromise, and most importantly one that can accommodate challenges over time. He details Muhammad's compromising nature, in his flexibility with his enemies (see the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah) his willingness to consult with his companions (both male and female) on war strategy, communal problems, etc.

One can read this as a homage to the Prophet Muhammad. Ramadan extols him throughout the book, bringing to mind, quite frequently that Muhammad is the paragon of well tempered character. His sincerity, humility, sense of justice is what drew people to him, and what drew him to success. In painting this picture of Muhammad, Ramadan does a much needed humanization of Islam and Muslims. His work is appropriate in this sense; he educates people on Islam, albeit elements that he deems worthy. This selective biography is one of my critiques of the book, and the other one being this is really a gushy mushy sappy happy account of Muhammad and Islam. For a historically meticulous read on Muhammad and Islam, Ramadan openly acknowledges this isn't it. For his purpose; to inform the uninformed about Islam, and more importantly to give Muslims a renewed sense of identity and authority, he gives a compelling and endearing narrative of Muhammad. He does it quite quickly (200 pages?) and eloquently.

ibby you read this? holla in the comments

Eid at the Islamic Society of Boston's Cultural Center- Roxbury, MA

Entering the last 10 nights of Ramadan

2008-09-20T12:36:00.001-04:00

"They used to sleep but little of the night, And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness " [Noble Quran 51:17-18]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) used to strive hard (in worship) during the last ten days of Ramadan in a way that he did not strive at any other times. [Muslim, 1175, from ‘A'ishah]

"Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding." [Noble Quran 39:9]

"It is upon you to perform night prayer, because it was the practice of the righteous people before you. It is a means of obtaining closeness to Allah the Exalted, it erases sins, it prevents wrongdoings, and it drives away sicknesses from the body." [Narrated by Ahmad, Al-Tirmidhi, and graded sahih by Al-Albani]

Finally Zakat-Al-Fitr, is compulsory on all Muslims who have the means to do so.

Ibn Abbas reported, "The Prophet (Peace be upon him) made Zakah al-Fitr compulsory so that those who fasted may be purified of their idle deeds and shameful talk (committed during Ramadan) and so that the poor may be fed. Whoever gives it before Salah will have it accepted as Zakah, while he who gives it after the Salah has given Sadaqah." Collected by Abu Dawood

check out

www.ramadanreminders.com

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/observing_ramadan.html

on shia sunni methodology

2008-09-13T17:42:00.001-04:00

this is a summary of the salient points of Mortaza Matahhari's "The Fundamental Problem in the Clerical Establishment"

Both the Sunni and Shi'a clerical institutions are dependent on an outside force to receive their financial livelihood. They don't receive salaries as individuals in the workforce, rather they are a recognized institution of "clerics" that are paid either through the central government or devout followers.

For Sunni clergy, the government pays the clerical class and either directly appoint or influence Sunni scholars into positions of authority (grand mufti, president of al-Azhar, the turkish Diyanet). In effect, Sunni clergy can issue any fatwas as long as it pertains to religious matters but is powerless to say anything against "the encroachments and oppressions of the government" (p173).

For Shi'a clergy, there is a system of collecting the KHUMS (1/5 of an individual's net income) and appropriating half of it to the clerical establishment and the other half to poorer descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In this KHUMS system, observant Shi'a give their money directly to a scholar/intellectual whom they follow.

Thus the Shi'a clergy "do not need to abide by the wishes of their governments, but they are forced to act in accordance with the popular style and the opinion of the public and maintain the public's good will. Most of the corruption that exists among the Shi'a ulama is attributable to this" (p171).

Summed up the Shi'a ulama "is able to fight the oppressions and encroachments of the government but it is unable to fight the ignorant beliefs and opinions of the people" (p173).

This is a difference between the two sects that I haven't seen discussed enough by intellectuals on both sides. Shi'a intellectuals like Musa al-Sadr and Ali Shariati, & Ruhollah Khomeini all talked about the Shi'a tendency to be a viable political force against an oppressive authority. And obviously this is one of Matahhari's point in the article. But i want to see a discussion between both sides that first puts aside differences that divide them, and explore how the advantages of each can be combined to improve the social/intellectual/political potential of the collective Muslim ummah.

Shi'i in Iraq are the politically mobile force of the two, and both Sunni and Shi'a clergy agree that certain practices and beliefs in popular religion are unacceptable. Yet the Sunnis on the whole discredit Shi'a for practices that both clerical establishments deem to be wrong. I'm talking specifically about certain Muharram rites, like self-flagellation, the passion of Husayn etc. (comment me if you want to get into this) An issue like this, fuels the fires of mistrust of Shi'i by Sunnis.

The Shi'i clergy is a structured order, where the Shi'a faithful look in one direction for guidance and authority. Sunni clergy is decentralized and as a result have competing sources of authority. This fragmentation is what severely stunts Sunni Muslims in having a clear set of priorities. Is it a question of modernizing with the west? Or should we be focusing solely on reinterpreting our theology? What about modern sciences?

With the shi'i clerics they had this "questioning of priorities" phase through the 19th and early 20th century, resulting in prominent clerics like Ayatollah Burujirdi to lead a new attitude of combining secular/theological goals that by Khomeini's time many Shi'a agreed to. That's not to say all Shi'a clergy agree on this principle; Ayatollah Sistani of Iraq is really big on political involvement, and then there are difference of opinions in the Iranian velayit Faqih and with the decisions of supreme leader Khameini. Sistani's political activism is not something all shi'i ulama would agree with.

So there needs to be a balance of both approaches, sunnis contend that they are following the method of the Prophet in religious practice and belief and that the shi'i are off. Sunnis go to length in discerning authentic sources of traditions related to the Prophet. Shi's because of their autonomy from the government tend to be a watchdog and protector of the masses, but remain silent on popular religious practices simply because it will cause dissent in an already minority community.

For more informaton on the whole Sunni Shia Iraqi/Iran situation, check out Vali Nasr's The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future

day 3

2008-09-03T10:30:00.001-04:00

The last 3 days have been interesting. I haven't had any classes yet so i've been able to think with a certain degree of clarity.

Physically refraining from food is always the easier aspect of Ramadan. What I struggle with really is guarding my tongue, eyes, and ears.

To kick off Ramadan on Sunday night, I missed Taraweeh in the camii. Monday morning i awoke to the sound of the adhaan from my computer and missed Suhur. 2 strikes.

So it crossed my mind that i didn't begin Ramadan on the right foot. Alhamdulilah, though by the time i got to beantown things looked easier. I had iftaar with the BU bros so it was a good reunion. I then got to Roxbury for Taraweeh and Imam Basyouny is inextricably linked to Ramadan for me. I was feeling really tired, even though i spent most of the day sitting and taking naps on the bus. I got home, and the roomies and i decided we'd hit up Yusuf Masjid for Fajr from here on in.

So my roommate wakes us up around 415, and i'm like "uhhh this is naviwala from the 3buswell days" for those who care, naviwala my roommate 3 years ago would always wake me up to eat before Fajr, and i'd be dead tired, and he'd always be saying that i complained about being hungry/tired throughout the day, so i should fix it by taking suhoor. Its a good thing, and sometimes you may dislike something that's good for you, and love a thing that is bad for you. God knows, but you know not. 2:216 (to be completely honest i left out the first part of the verse: Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it) Look up the context if you're curious. Quran online

So we made it over to Yusuf Masjid, a church that was bought out and made into a Camii/merkez (mosque/cultural center). They hired two full time imams to offer the 5 daily prayers in addition to the Taraweeh. Our Imam is a brother named Mahmoud who's recitation is beautiful. Dude is unbelievable, mashaAllah.

I started to realize that standing in Taraweeh prayers over the course of 30 nights, where the whole Quran is recited outloud in 1.5 hour piece meals, is us witnessing the recitation of God's words for mankind. Similar to how bob costas announced that "we were witnessing something for the ages" regarding the olympic opening ceremonies. Again something about greatness that's so appealing that you don't have to know all the intricacies of a thing to appreciate it (but it most certainly helps, and the more you understand a thing the more you can empathize with it)

"You shall never attain true piety, unless you spend on others out of what you cherish yourselves, and whatever you spend - verily, God has full knowledge thereof." 3:92

I'm running out of nice photos to post, but i have a few left in the bank

Ramadan

2008-08-29T12:36:00.001-04:00

بسم اللاه الرحمن الرحيم

O You who have attained to faith! Fasting is ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you, so that you might remain conscious of God;

Fasting during a certain number of days. But whoever of you is ill, or on a journey, [shall fast instead for the same] number of other days; and [in such cases] it is incumbent upon those who can afford it to make sacrifice by feeding a needy person. And whoever does more good than he is bound to do does good unto himself thereby; for to fast is to do good unto yourselves - if you but knew it.

It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an was [first] bestowed from on high as a guidance unto man and a self-evident proof of that guidance, and as the standard by which to discern the true from the false. Hence, whoever of you lives to see this month shall fast throughout it; but he that is ill, or on a journey, [shall fast instead for the same] number of other days. God wills that you shall have ease, and does not will you to suffer hardship; but [He desires] that you complete the number [of days required], and that you extol God for His having guided you aright, and that you render your thanks [unto Him].

And if My servants ask thee about Me - behold, I am near; I respond to the call of him who calls, whenever he calls unto Me: let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might follow the right way.

2:183-186

Into the Wild

2008-08-21T12:38:00.001-04:00

Two years he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return, 'cause "the West is the best." And now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual pilgrimage. Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the Great White North. No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild.
Alexander Supertramp
May 1992

I saw the movie and have yet to read the book. But I did read the article that led to the book and it can be found here

The movie is a true account of the last two years of one Christopher McCandless, a twenty something college graduate Emory in ATL who decides to seek God and life's purpose out and away from human society. McCandless adopts the moniker Alexander SuperTramp and continues on his adventures out in the midwest, california, mexico and Alaska. McCandless was apparently influenced by Thoreau, Jack London, and Tolstoy; individuals who in a generic sense emphasized man to reconnect with nature.

There are many aspects that make up his story- an invigorating sense of wanderlust, rejection of society, a declaration of independence and a spiritual journey to find oneself. I believe the crux of McCandless was to find himself and a greater purpose; and the movie did touch on it, but not as much as the themes of going out on an adventure and becoming independent of the evils of society.

Most of the reviews and pundits (again I haven't read the book yet. The article, the movie, and google webhits are my references) on McCandless labeled him slightly immature, and lacking of common sense; because he cut off his family ties and because of the grave mistakes leading to his death. They seem to have focused on McCandless' desire to become independent of the world, without really detailing why. It was written off as youthful idealism, optimism and wanderlust. No doubt he was highly idealistic, but there is nothing wrong with that, and in my account there certainly nothing wrong with honestly trying to live out those ideals.

I was deeply impressed that in the opening scenes of the movie McCandless said "The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual pilgrimage" It revealed that McCandless believed that his journey would be to strip himself bare of everything and realizing his purpose. Spoken like ascetics and mystics that came before him.

On his hitchhiking adventures he met interesting people and his interaction with them revealed his noble, moral character. I mention this because I find it unique that we have a story of an adventurer who prior to starting his journey already believed in God and a common bond between all of humanity. In High School as the captain of the cross country team, McCandless told his teammates to keep running as fast as you can, leaving all the evils of the world behind you. Unlike other protagonists, (Siddartha in Hesse's novel) he did not have to plunge into a spiritual/mental low in order to raise himself later. As we see in the movie, McCandless rises in his solitude.

McCandless' upbringing in an affluent family, attending a frat school, his education on apartheid and injustice in Africa, and his penchant for reading all played a role in shaping his "personal reference"

The article actually noted that when McCandless was working on the farm in South Dakota he was remarkably honest, hardworking and pleasant to be around. The movie demonstrates him giving up his only chance to contact home in order to help and old man reconnect with his loved one. His selflessness and wider perception of the world was truly remarkable. The movie showed the conversation that he had with Wayne Westerberg, his boss and close friend on the South Dakota farm. McCandless reveals his confusion at the hatred that permeated common society, concluding peace can be found in the wild.

In a conversation with Ron Franz, a retired war veteran whom he meets, McCandless said:

But you're wrong if you think that the joy of life comes principally from human relationships.
God's placed it all around us, its in everything, its in anything we can experience, people just need to change the way they look at those things.

This revealed his insightful understanding of life; something that could only have been better explained by Christopher himself, had he remained with us.

Had McCandless survived we would be focusing on some deeper spiritual insight instead of a story about a boy who rejected society and sought independence by fulfilling his sense of wanderlust, and passes away in the process.

McCandless started with good fortune in Alaska, he arrived in April 1992 and survived until August 1992. He ate poisonous berries that severely weakened him, and this led to his eventual starvation which killed him.

McCandless kept a scant journal with him, notes he wrote in between lines of another book he possessed.

As a sign off to the world he wrote:

I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God Bless All! - Christopher Joseph McCandless

Hmm I may not have the full picture of the story until i read the book, so for those who have read, please do critique my view of Chrisopher McCandless.

American political satire

2008-08-19T22:46:00.001-04:00

In lieu of a real article, peep the comic strip:

Hmm I'll write a real entry at some point, inshaAllah

The Departed/The DeBarted

2008-08-07T11:33:00.001-04:00

If you like tales of deception, the city of Boston AND over-the-top yet witty Simpsons spoofs,

Take 20 minutes to watch this.

the rat symbolizes obviousness!

The Moral instinct -Ny times

2008-08-04T16:06:00.000-04:00

The Article

Read the article first. Its kind of hefty. But Professor Steven Pinker from Harvard is speculating how humans come to hold the morals that they do, leading one to infer, it is innate.

I'm going to pull out quotes from the article that resonated with themes from the Quran, making the case that axioms for morality justified through rationality, game theory or utilitarian purposes can just as well be justified through a Prophet claiming to have rules regulating human behavior in a scripture from God.

"Does God have a good reason for designating certain acts as moral and others as immoral? If not — if his dictates are divine whims — why should we take them seriously? Suppose that God commanded us to torture a child. Would that make it all right, or would some other standard give us reasons to resist? And if, on the other hand, God was forced by moral reasons to issue some dictates and not others — if a command to torture a child was never an option — then why not appeal to those reasons directly"?

I feel that in light of moral/philosophical questions that people ask today, people have not sought to find answers in Oriental traditions - Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism. What i mean is that when Religion and God are refuted say in Marxist Communism, its a rejection of the Western tradition of God, and not the tradition of God that MANY other people in the world hold to. The God as is revealed through the Quran, has laid out many dictates on what is permissible and impermissible.

As for going back to the quote, there was a tradition of the Arabs before Muhammad (peace be upon him) started preaching to bury infant girls. The Prophet banned this practice, and this verse was revealed in the Quran:

and when the girl-child that was buried alive is made to ask

for what crime she had been slain 81:8-9

...

[on that Day] every human being will come to know what he has prepared [for himself] 81:14

The other verses all deal with occurrences of the day of resurrection, which ultimately lead up to People being accountable for their actions.

"This throws us back to wondering where those reasons could come from, if they are more than just figments of our brains. They certainly aren’t in the physical world like wavelength or mass. The only other option is that moral truths exist in some abstract Platonic realm, there for us to discover, perhaps in the same way that mathematical truths (according to most mathematicians) are there for us to discover. On this analogy, we are born with a rudimentary concept of number, but as soon as we build on it with formal mathematical reasoning, the nature of mathematical reality forces us to discover some truths and not others. (No one who understands the concept of two, the concept of four and the concept of addition can come to any conclusion but that 2 + 2 = 4.) Perhaps we are born with a rudimentary moral sense, and as soon as we build on it with moral reasoning, the nature of moral reality forces us to some conclusions but not others.

the verses are self explanatory:

by the soul and He who shaped it

and inspired it with knowledge of evil and piety,

he who makes it pure has prospered;

and he will indeed fail who corrupts it 91:7-10

"In many arenas of life, two parties are objectively better off if they both act in a nonselfish way than if each of them acts selfishly. You and I are both better off if we share our surpluses, rescue each other’s children in danger and refrain from shooting at each other, compared with hoarding our surpluses while they rot, letting the other’s child drown while we file our nails or feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys. Granted, I might be a bit better off if I acted selfishly at your expense and you played the sucker, but the same is true for you with me, so if each of us tried for these advantages, we’d both end up worse off. Any neutral observer, and you and I if we could talk it over rationally, would have to conclude that the state we should aim for is the one in which we both are unselfish".

I'll equate patience and forgiveness to being unselfish:

The recompense for a crime shall be its equivalence, but whoever forgives and makes right, then his reward is upon God. He does not like the wrongdoers.

And for any who demand action after being wronged, those are not committing any error.

The way is only open against those who do wrong to the people, and are insolent in the earth wrongfully; there awaits them a painful chastisement.

But indeed if any show patience and forgive, that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs. 42:40-43

"The other external support for morality is a feature of rationality itself: that it cannot depend on the egocentric vantage point of the reasoner. If I appeal to you to do anything that affects me — to get off my foot, or tell me the time or not run me over with your car — then I can’t do it in a way that privileges my interests over yours (say, retaining my right to run you over with my car) if I want you to take me seriously".

Muhammad's contemporaries asked him to modify some teachings, and also doubted his veracity as a Divine Prophet:

And when Our signs are recited to them, clear signs, those who look not to encounter Us say, 'Bring a Koran other than this, or alter it.' Say: 'It is not for me to alter it of my own accord. I follow nothing, except what is revealed to me. Truly I fear, if I should rebel against my Lord, the chastisement of a dreadful day.'

Say: If Allah had so willed I should not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you. I dwelt among you a whole lifetime before it (came to me). Have ye then no sense? 10:15-16

Yeah so that's about it, I pulled the translations from this site

Peace!

Sultan Mehmet Fatih

2008-07-31T13:10:00.001-04:00

Okay so i cheated with my last post- i put up photos of Sultan Mehmet II, also known as Fatih meaning the "opener". He's known as that because in 1453 he conquered a little city called Constantinople and annexed it into the Ottoman Empire.

Now i didn't study all the Ottoman Sultans as well as i should have, i only read up on the ones that had relevant world impact and something about the nature of Fatih really stuck with me.

Even though his claim to fame was laying siege to Constantinople, his merit to me comes from his military prowess, uber-confidence at the very young age of 21.

in 1444, his father Sultan Murat II, willingly gave up authority to Mehmet when he was 12. Mehmet in turn ordered his father to lead the army in the "battle of Varna" and Murat complied. Murat kept the seat of the Sultan until he died in 1451, when Mehmet succeeded him at age 19.

He opened constantinople two years after that and did it in a quite interesting way. He had his naval fleet in the Sea of Marmara south of Constantinople and controlled a fortress/castle to the north blocking any access to the Black Sea. Constantinople was effectively "embargoed". The Byzantines controlled the Golden Horn and thus Mehmet couldn't actually get access to the city ports. He ended up transporting his ships overland which put him in position to take the heart of the city. He broke into the citywalls by employing the largest cannons constructed at the time.

Here's a fun 10 minute video courtesy of the History Channel:

I pulled this out of Wikipedia by a contemporary Greek historian, George Sphrantezes:

On the third day after the fall of our city, the Sultan celebrated his victory with a great, joyful triumph. He issued a proclamation: the citizens of all ages who had managed to escape detection were to leave their hiding places throughout the city and come out into the open, as they were remain free and no question would be asked. He further declared the restoration of houses and property to those who had abandoned our city before the siege, if they returned home, they would be treated according to their rank and religion, as if nothing had changed.

Here i'll stop with the historical junk and put in my reflections.

Imagine that in the present day! A human at the age of 21 has mastered military, strategic and practical world techniques to conquer one of the Gem cities of a Great Empire! This is nothing to do with a Muslim conquering a Christian capital, rather i'm talking about the caliber of Human capacity. Whenever I learn about a notable figure and discover their age i'm surprised at what they've achieved when i at the same age haven't really mastered any technique.

Someone much more contemporary that amazes me is Lebron James, or any of these guys in the NBA from the last 5years who are roughly my age and have reached a pinnacle of greatness. I think that observing greatness or something close to perfection is something anyone can enjoy, regardless of what is- music, sports, writing, science just because its beautiful.

Getting back to Mehmet Fatih, the district in Istanbul that bears his name also bears his namesake mosque and tomb.

I went and visited the fatih district with the one and only lotta chan and i loved the mosque complex and the neighborhood. When we got inside the camii (mosque) some dude swindled us into giving him money. I was really angry at the time, and i think i still would be if went back and he deceives people like that again.

Basically we were oohing and aahing at the mosque interior and i was taking my photos. This guy beckons to us, brings us to a side room and sits us down. He asks about where we're from, and asks us if we know the history of Istanbul. He tells us he's a history teacher, and in very generic terms tells us how Mehmet "opened" the city in 1453. He goes on to tell us how the Mosque underwent reconstruction thrice because of earthquakes and that Fatih is actually buried underneath the minbar(pulpit). He gives both of us regular tasbihs (rosary beads) and walks us to the door. He then drops the line that he's collecting funds for a school adjacent to the camii and that if we wish we can pay a little tribute when we leave. I'm like oh okay, and then he puts his hand out wanting money from us. I was reluctant to give so, and Chan quickly pulled out some loot. Dude now REALLY REALLY pisses me off by saying something along the lines "Oh you are a Muslim brother, you should give money to other Muslims" I just stared at him, not budging. Chan gives over money, and he asked for a specific amount, like 10 liras. Then he says not at me "Oh it is all right, he doesn't trust me, he does not have to give me money" Out of spite, and i knew that he achieved his goal of unsettling my duty as a Muslim i gave him 2 liras or something and walked away. I wanted to call him out, on the basis first of all for begging, second for judging my personal resoluteness to God, and thirdly for purposely manipulating my beliefs/emotions into getting money for himself. It killed me.

It doesn't really matter what he does with the money, that wasn't my concern. It is in our Islamic tradition to give away freely without putting conditions on those whom you give to. What matters most is the means in which you do something. Ends never justify the means. The means must be moral and must not hurt people. I know it easier said than done, but its still something we should strive for rather than disregard.

For an individual to approach us kindly, treat us with a little gift, then aggressively ask for tributes are not the right means. But God does know best, maybe i was blind by my own standards for righteousness and failed the lesson of giving freely.

Okay! i'll finalllllly end with a photo link!

Fatih District Photos

Goru Suruz arkadaslar!

Tineye

2008-07-31T10:27:00.000-04:00

Think google for images and that's what Tineye.com is.

They're in beta mode, and they are giving out invites to anyone who requests one on their website.

Its pretty cool.

I put in something like this:

Then found the full painting, and in higher quality like this:

BALLIN!

God the Absolute

2008-07-29T01:58:00.001-04:00

It appears in my extensive observation of people, (eh basically me) they prefer to hold on to something stable and unchanging, akin to the comfort of having your feet rest on solid ground.

So many folk put alot of faith in themselves and their ability to master any situation, and for many aspects of life "know thyself" works; you get out as much as you put in- studying for something or training for a sport. Acquiring and mastering skills leads one to believe that you are in control of your own fate.

However one's faith in themselves is temporal; many of our abilities fade with time. Your memory falters, your bones and muscles become tenuous (i heard moe use it on simpsons, sue me) and your disposition in life evolves so much over time, leading you to either give up and choose not to pursue the unspoken questions orrr you actually get it. You achieve peace/stability/insight/enlightenment where your natural disposition is no longer at odds and contradicts itself. And those who achieve something, atleast the ones i choose to pay any mind to, express belief in God.

What does this have to do with seeing God as eternal, absolute, and unchanging? Again, people like stability, they like to be conscious of it and hold it deep within the smallest recess of their heart, so that as long as this particular Stability isn't violated, their whole external reality can be in chaos and nothing can fluster them.

Do you know the story of Abraham's persecution in the fire? Here it reads:

Abraham said, "Do ye then worship, besides God, things that can neither be of any good to you nor do you harm?

Shame on you and on what you serve besides Allah; will you not then use your reason?

They said: Burn him and help your gods, if you are going to do anything at all.

We said: O fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham.

The Holy Quran 21:66-69

There is a back story to know, that Abraham questioned the nature of God; was He the idols his kinsfolk worshipped? or the sun? the moon? he concluded that God is beyond these temporal objects, and confronted his townsfolk over their idolatry and they had him burned. Alot of supplementary literature discusses how Abraham was not frightened and instead remained in a peaceful state of mind because of his faith in God. its important to note that Abraham was convinced that what he was doing was absolutely right. He was adamant in expressing his belief of the true nature of God.

Had a "non-believer in God" been put in Abraham's situation they hypothetically could have feared for their own life rather than die a martyr. Making God the personal reference rather than himself and then acting on it by calling out idolatry, Abraham did not fear the prospect of imminent physical danger.

This brings me back to my earlier point. if one holds something to be their source of stability (in Abraham's case it was God) their external reality can be in chaos (in Abraham's story being burned at the stake) all the while their disposition is that of tranquility.

If through personal growth you come to recognize certain parts of life as necessities and other parts as trivial, observe enough small patterns to make you realize there is a larger pattern; pay mind to the legacies of people who claimed to have found truth. These folk have an inner tranquility, explained as belief in God.

i didn't go into alternatives to God as a source of stability, but i think most of us can make our own list and identify when one replaced another. I remember when i was little i feared death so much, i wanted to go to disneyland because i believed nobody died there. after i grew up a little more it was my parents, and then for a looong while it was confidence in myself mixed with accountability to God, and so on.

If nothing made sense about God being a source of Stability, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said the following:

Sahih Muslim- The Book pertaining to Piety and Softening of the Hearts- Book 042, Number 7138:

Suhaib reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks God, thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation and endures it patiently, there is a good for him in it.

Cat Cam

2008-07-20T00:43:00.001-04:00

I'm sure its been thought of before; attach a camera to an animal and amuse yourself by submerging into its world view.

Check it out!

http://www.mr-lee-catcam.de/index.htm

muhammad ibn haytham

2008-07-12T01:42:00.001-04:00

This story was about a little shabab named Muhammad. he was 11 years old, and worked at the garage owned by his uncle. His father was locked up for criticizing the president of the country and soon enough his uncle came to be the father figure in his life.

Even though he was 11, Muhammad was in first grade. He failed twice. he dropped out of school at least 3 times. The only reason he kept going back was that his uncle kept forcing him to.

Muhammad saw no reason for going to school, especially when his grandmother and mother needed him; ever since his father was imprisoned, Muhammad had to work in order to provide for the women in his life. And now, work was becoming an apprentice to his uncle, the mechanic.

The first place he worked, his boss was not so nice. Muhammad would be beaten and this humiliated and took away his honor. If he was ever forced to go back, Muhammad would rather kill himself.

Before he started working, Muhammad used to dream of work. He was fascinated with getting things accomplished and now, now that he works, he no longer has the time to dream.

The boy used to dream of being a pilot, dreamt of flying with the doves, dreamt of going somewhere beautiful. Anywhere but home. Home was not beautiful. At home it was dangerous to go out on the streets. The war, the occupation did nothing to bring ease to their lives.

The men chatted that they don't want the oil. for all they care, let the foreigners come in and take it, just leave the people alone. Only the upperclass grew rich, new jobs and wealth it seemed was reserved exclusively for them. The working masses never won. Not before, and certainly not now.

Where did all the aid go? To the foreign bases, to the security force, and to the elite entrepreneurs and their foreign cohorts. It found a hard time getting its way towards neighborhoods like Muhammad's.

I'm seeking compelling narratives about the worldly struggle. No one documentary is better than another. Every story is a tragedy worth internalizing and is a call for humility. Its one thing to preach about injustice, its another to experience it. But for it to compel you to improve your own conscience, desire peace, and to hold a soft heart and all that is within your grasp accountable; that is the only effective change on yourself.

Muhammad's account is part 1 of 3 in this documentary. I didn't have time to finish it, so i can't elaborate on the rest. Prior to Iraq in Fragments, Longley also filmed Gaza Strip. The titles are self-explanatory, so go in and patronize your local library!

Our Lord! Lay open the truth between us and our people, for You are the best of all to lay open the truth! 7:89

words. speech. quiet.

2008-07-08T17:59:00.000-04:00

The Prophet said, "The real patience is at the first stroke of a calamity."

Patience means observing first and reacting later.

I've been thinking about my running mouth lately. I talk way too much. (no this won't be some self inflicting confession) In fact alot of people talk too much. (i also don't want this to be a condemnation of everyone i know)

Rather, i've realized that alot of people talk about meaningless things. Almost as if to fill the airwaves with sound, because silence is far more discomforting than sounds abuzz in the air.

i was out visiting my cousin last week and bhabi mentioned that most people are afraid of silence. People always need to be distracted, but from what? Themselves.

Then this weekend, i was on a little roadtrip with some boston boys and someone mentioned that most people need to talk or they just can't cope. I wanted to put this to a test...who better than myself to try a little experiment on?

I was the designated driver and once everyone fell asleep i was debating whether or not i should listen to music, or sing to myself to pass the time. I observed that i was really inclined to pushing the knob for the radio or to start singing out myself. Just anything, an escape of the human voice. Strange. I caught myself many times. After i seemed to have controlled my voice, i found myself tapping the steering wheel, my foot etc. I was pretty amazed that my subconscious relented finally when i felt a bit drowsy and started reciting to myself.

I tried justifying the failure to resist speech by first believing i'd fall asleep if i didn't, and if i had to talk it may as well be something useful and not mindless jargon.

At night on the way home i tried the same thing, (ibby this was the reason i asked you to not talk to me and to go to sleep, hahaha not cuz i hated you). This time i found myself talking alot in my head, keeping my mind busy with one thought after another, one plan before the first one went thru and so on and so forth until i got home.

It is difficult to become calm with yourself. I can say though i've found success at times through prayer. becoming calm is essentially detaching myself from the troubles. and there sure are troubles.

In calling for myself to be quiet, i'm calling for becoming in tune with one's self. What being in tune means is that you become more observant of the recurring patterns of this dunya, something as simple as traffic signals, to something a bit more complex, like the emotional and intellectual range and reactions of people.

I'm afraid of losing my ability to see the Universal Truth. When i talk or preoccupy myself with useless fodder i really do not get closer to Reality. At these times i grow aware of how deceptive life is, and how attractive making money and indulging in pleasures can become.

So i learn from this

Sahih Bukhari Volume 8, Book 73, Number 47:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should not harm his neighbor, and anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should entertain his guest generously and anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should talk what is good or keep quiet.

and then i close with this:

When those youths took refuge in the cave, they prayed: "O our Sustainer! Bestow on us grace from Thyself, and endow us, whatever our [outward] condition, with consciousness of what is right!" 18:10

salam shalom peace

rumi revisited

2008-06-10T15:06:00.000-04:00

last i discussed this, i was in konya, visited rumi's tomb and watch some mevlevi's engage in semah.

now i'm reading "The Rumi collection" edited by Kabir Helminski.

I've read short love couplets and poetry by rumi and know of his life in passing.

to recap, rumi was born in afghanistan and moved around with his father, who was an alim/scholar. he was invited to konya by alauddin (seljuk ruler/governor) and his father set up a school there. His father died shortly, rumi became the respected teacher at a young age of 22 i believe, and he was highly intelligent and well received.

He meets the mystic of the age, Shams of Tabriz and from there Rumi began exploring mystical routes to loving God. He went away and studied for 9 years and returned and amassed a great following.

He had some huge tomes that were taught to his students, and when he died, as previously mentioned his son, sultan valad formed the mevlevi order after his death.

okay so i'm not gonna comment on Rumi yet, because before when i only read bits and pieces of him and commentary i didn't like everything he put out.

so far the collection has things i like and things i dont. Its focusing moreso on the spiritual and the improvement of one's self to fall into the unending and all-encompassing love of God.

But what used to tick me off about sufism/mysticism/asceticism is the explicit pronouncement by the media/people/in general.

according to my sister and cousin and i do agree, sufism was a movement without a name and loaded with meaning, and now it has taken on a name and lost all meaning. (i think william chitick said this in his book on sufism, tunon back me on this)

i'll end with the lines from rumi that sparked this entry.

Human beings have three spiritual states. In the first, a person pays no attention whatsoever to God and worships anything- sex, money, rank- but God. When he starts to learn something deeper, then he will serve no one and nothing but God. And when he progresses in this state he grows silent; he doesn't claim: "I don't serve God," nor does he boast: "I do serve God"; he has gone beyond these two positions. From such beings, no sound comes into the world.

perception and own constructed realities

2008-06-04T11:57:00.001-04:00

i had a dream the other night, in which i discovered how what you think is a cold objective reality, is nonetheless a projection of your understanding of a given situation and the environment.

i can't specifically remember what the dream was, but it was much more superior to the one last night, where i dreamt i was re-evaluating the main ideas in matrix. there is purpose beyond your physical existence, something neo accepted, and something which agent smith and cypher couldn't.

everything is about constructing your own reality. If you are to your core a very negative person, defined as only responding to that which you can physically detect and hold accountable then your actions will manifest accordingly. on the other hand if you can take things in stride, and choose to believe that there is more meaning to outward physical actions and that it effects (maybe your spirit) yes your actions will also manifest the same, but it causes you to consider other factors before making a choice. Its no longer because you will see an immediate result, to indulge your whims.

i think i'm still learning to make decisions that will not affect me now, but rather have an impact in the unforseen future, be it physical or the metaphysical reality.

"What a difference there is between two kinds of actions - an act whose pleasure passes away but its (ill) consequence remains and an act whose hardship passes away but its reward stays." Ali ibn Abi Talib

realist perspective

2008-04-24T22:06:00.000-04:00

so chomsky spoke today about the "american empire"

He started off by telling us about the founding fathers and their aspirations for America to be an empire, much like the Roman empire, simply because as former Englishmen this is what the founding fathers were exposed to.

He cited washington, jefferson and quincy adams frequently in their aims to consolidate and expand the geographical size of America. This he says is the origin of the "bush doctrine" of pre-emptive strike.

The need for security of a nation state is solved by continually expanding territory and pushing the "other" (native americans, rogue nationalistic states) to the brink, to the state of extinction. (i glamorize, but what can i say i'm a liberalist at heart)

So then he artfully cites alotta instances in American history much of which everyone should know, monroe doctrine, President jackson and the acquistion of florida, 1898 with the acquisition of Cuba, along with Hawaii, the Philippines, panama etc.

He brings to mind the historical lens that one should always keep in mind especially in this "modern era" -> lets say westphalia 1649 onwards. that Nation states survive by expanding and indoctrinating other lands (south america, South East Asia, Far East, and the Middle East) into the capitalist market system.

He also mentioned Woodrow Wilson who because of his absolute brilliance and notions on how the world should operate will always make me honor him with fear. Basically Wilson in 1907 said off the record (ie not a newspaper or media outlet) that an empire (or America specifically) needs to constantly exploit resources in order to prosper, this means indoctrinating through colonization different geographical regions into the capitalistic market economy. and this cannot be achieved without the use of force.

next is cold war business, long story short... us has two regions spheres of interest, south america, and far east (china japan etc) World War II comes to an end, europe leaves a void in all its colonies, India, Indochina, South America. United States gradually steps in and take control of these areas, instills capitalist market economy system.

Domino Theory, NSC 68, Kennan's Long letter, all according to Chomskey reveal a deep paranoia in the United States administration in their quest to grow and maintain stability as an "empire". This is nothing new, Keylor taught us this in ir 350. What's noteworthy is that people are not aware of this, as a result of government propaganda. I'll just leave it at that. Government propaganda. Chew on it.

So Vietnam was so important because of this very Domino Theory, that if a rogue independent Nationalist State got its wish, it would not be in the capitalist market economy (did i use this phrase enough?) that world elites (America and reconstructed Europe) have reaped much revenue from.

Therefore it was crucial to suppress any "independent national movements" but at the same time support any ones that were in line with US interests (ie November spring of Yugoslavia) and other USSR satellite freedom movements.

By all accounts Vietnam was a victory for the US, Tet offensive is kind of misleading to the naive casual citizen, yeah we suffered casualties, but we also wiped out the Vietcong resistance, or virtually did. We learned that ho chi minh was a master of the 3rd 4th stage of war, where in order to win this asymmetric war, ho chi minh played on the emotions of the war weary, American public. Ho chi minh had some good connections with media folk and Tet offensive really demonstrated to the world that these Vietcong were not giving up, and fighting them was just resulting in American Casualties.

So this somehow brings us to Iraq... resource rich country, US needs to secure region for stability. US is playing it very carefully, not looking to destroy the land resources, and also deliberately making sure the picture of Iraq doesn't look out of hand. Hmm so a couple months ago, when the US gave its assessment of Iraq getting better seems to be pre-empting any actions that would say otherwise.

And just as abruptly Chomsky ends his lecture and opens to q & a.

wrd was i mad nervous about pumping out a new entry. But its done Alhamdulilah.

friday morning feelings

2008-01-25T08:21:00.001-05:00

shh! its really subtle. I couldn't almost tell, but in the moments where i'm in between life, i feel a void. A semi forgotten past. Of course i miss turkey, but this is coming from my current conidition, where i feel like i'm jumping back to march 07, as if nothings changed or improved on me. Almost as if i compartmentalized the last few months and put it on the top shelf for later review. I have a fear of being the same as before i left, and that's whats really grieving me.

I went back to working in photonics, and it seriously just Grossed me out. What am i doing? How can i be doing the same mundane work?

So let me identify some differences that i like to believe have occurred.

Now at the very least, i stay up after Fajr, reading, hw-ing, listening. I tried this during the summer, but it was sporadic. Alhamdulilah. So far so good.

I'm trying hard to be honest and not mean to people. Also trying to reconnect with people that i haven't seen in a while. This'll be an ongoing story. I am growing aware of unnecessary tension/borderline hostility within the group of people i call friends. Takes a step back from the lesson i learned that "take the good leave the bad, especially with people, or else things wont get done"

I'm trying to make a conscious effort to eat healthy, because i didn't do that towards the end of my sojourn. But basically just more fruits and fluids.

I feel a bit more relaxed about life, not that I have a clearer understanding of the future, but as Yasir manifested it in words to me yesterday, "not letting the fear of failure holding you back from doing things" really generic and cliche, but coming from that dude it holds tremendous weight.

This thread can only improve with pictures.

Afiyet Olsun!

Effendim?? is that even right?

pics courtesy of Sasha.

He will say: Ah, would that I had sent before me (some provision) for my life! 89:24

Glimpsing origins of Christianity

2008-01-21T12:05:00.000-05:00

First long weekend in Boston, its nice to be back.

I'm taking a course called from Jesus to Christ the origins of Christianity, primarily to see what data exists on the man and the movement that bears his likeness and has the largest constituency in the world. I'm working through "From Jesus to Christ" by Paula Fredriksen.

So far, I'm only at the introductory sections of all my readings, we haven't discussed the life of Jesus yet. More so we're focusing on how we know what we do about him through the Christian lens.

There was an emergence of the first Gospel in 70CE approx 40 years after the death of the man in question. The book I'm reading refers to the anonymous man who compiled this as a "creative editor" combining oral traditions both in Greek and Aramaic along with source "q" the earliest known source of narrations of Jesus. This thing is known as the Gospel of Mark.

Next we delve into the Gospels of Matthew and Luke both of which take into account Mark, the Hebrew Bible and local traditions.

John is markedly different from the first three in content, and its supposed that this Gospel was produced from a different set of traditions.

I'm assuming you can infer the story i want to be said about Christianity. If not I'll paint it clear here: Our earliest sources of Jesus, the 4 gospels have been compiled by writers who combined oral traditions perhaps containing or not containing true sayings of Jesus. Other gospels were then put together incorporating local traditions and beliefs, and especially done so when the Holy Roman Empire adopted Christianity as its official religion.

I dont think that everything produced is inaccurate about Jesus, I'm sure that some of the stories we attribute to him are genuine.

But keeping in light of theuniversality of religion, and what God had ordained through Prophecy, certain doctrines of Christianity are incongruous with the other monotheistic faiths. Notion of Original Sin, Salvation through Christ, and of course the Trinity.

Almost everyone agrees that Jesus was a Hebrew, preaching more so about character reform and the way we treat our fellow man. This is seemingly the true nature of religion, as i learned in turkey, through observing Muslims and Christian relics of the past. Religion is more so harmony and establishing good, Godfearing communities.

I haven't said anything profound yet, basically reemphasizing my beliefs about the sanctity of the Unity and Uniqueness of God, and that it appears to me Christian doctrines violate that.

What doesn't sit well with me is the nature in which the sources of Christianity were compiled, in another book i'm reading "Introduction to Christianity" by Mary Jo Weaver, she explicitly states that Christian doctrine and beliefs tended to form an amalgam (who thought we'd see this word after the illadvised DC-Marvel Comics mashup of the 1990s?) of regional religions with core principles of Christianity. The book went on to say that the notion of a Savior dying and resurrecting is prevalent in older pagan religions.

I bring this up because Jewish and subsequently Islamic theology did not incorporate these notions into their belief systems. Both promoted a notion of Uniqueness and unity and accountability of the self towards God.

I remember last year that a friend of mine, who was a Minister, remarked something along the lines that Christianity is not the only religion to have incorporated indigenous religious systems into their beliefs. He brought up that Islam was also allocates room for PreIslamic Animistic Arab rituals. I thought of the Hajj and how people prior to Islam circumambulated around the Kaaba and the existence of the Black stone as an integral piece of the house. Yet when it came to core doctrine, the Monotheistic stance Israelites took against Pharaoh distinguished them from Idol worshippers, Muslims differed from the other Arabs because of their emphasis on the only one God and discarding other idols and deities.

This idea of one God is integral to the other part of religion (the other part being the harmony of the community) and while you and I can testify to the success of Christianity in promoting a cohesive community structure, my questions lie in the doctrine of God and the role of Jesus.

When Jesus came with Clear Signs, he said: "Now have I come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the (points) on which ye dispute: therefore fear Allah and obey me.

"For Allah, He is my Lord and your Lord: so worship ye Him: this is a Straight Way." 43:63-4

boston and reflecting time

2008-01-17T08:43:00.000-05:00

salaamalaykum everyone.

i came back saturday. Haven't given much thought to writing how i felt the last few days.
I'm driven to write now, because i fear that i will forget the people and the experiences that made me the last four months.

different convos, different people will bring up different aspects of the story.

my folks have been kept busy for other things, and do i dare announce it in the public sphere?

ADIBA dont bE MAD! ADIBA M ALI my big (but physically little) SISTER is GETTING MARRIED!!! MashaAllah. Mad exciting for our family, cuz its a change from the lull of the kids growing old and away from the family,and something like this brings up all back together. I'm looking forward to seeing all the family in may, and just getting together for good times. This whole story of the marriage plays a minor part in my turkish experience.
So most of this was occurring with me abroad, and from an outside perspective, you'd think i'd be kinda ticked off that decisions were made without me.
but a lesson i learned in particular was that life, reality always endures, and it all boils down to how you interact with it. Always, theres two roads to take: the "simple" road in many cases means rejecting what's before and maintaing the status quo. but the "steeper" road is the one where its challenging you to improve or modify your thinking.
But he makes no haste towards the path that is steep.
and what will explain to thee the path that is steep? 90:11-12

This is so scattered, but i'll continue. I've chosen to see my experience in Turkey as great. I always enjoyed my time there, the people i met especially, the exposure to a different set of ideals in life.

when i was there, it just made perfect sense that we are individuals and societies, civilizations are so small. people come and go, rules and laws are the same, they change with time. there's a bigger picture that i cant see in its entirety, but i am all too aware of certain details of it (ie my life). But i just grew aware of this bigger picture, larger than life purpose. I didn't return with an existential view, thats taking the low road. Believing that there is nothing more, or that we dont have the signs or tools (religion) to perceive things greater than what we perceive. I'm confident that operating with faith in God will open more doors towards understanding and being happy.

my last cuma in ankara.

performance at konya

2007-12-18T01:41:00.000-05:00

cant embed youtube clips?

Whirling Dervishes

tazeen, ptricky, and all you other mevelevi heads this is aaalll about you

sema - human being in the universal movement

2007-12-16T07:04:00.000-05:00

so now we're on our way to the mevlana cultural center to see some people practice sema.. aka whirling dervishes.

the evening opened up with traditional turkish music, with rumi's poetry intertwined into the lyrics, or just songs paying homage to him.
It felt as though it went on longer than needed, because most of the group was nodding off and the intermission was much needed.

After the intermission, we shuffled back into the room, and the lights were dimmed, and initially 8 men and their leader emerged. Traditional music was being played, and these men circled each other and saluted each other at specific intervals either 3 or 4 times.

After this, more men came out onto the stage and got into line. The line had to passed by the leader individual who "gives the permission to whirl". Then in a really eye opening manner, they just started whirling.
Its an eye catcher for sure! I studied their hand motions, their tilted heads, their feet, their proximity to each other, and the one individual who seemed to be inspecting them.

Certain individuals seemed to be going faster and more fluidly than others. There appeared to be one young boy whom everyone noticed, because he was shorter and moved much faster than the rest.

Normally, I'm not the one to support things that i cant rationally explain to my brain, but by spinning round and round there was a visual sensation of harmony, and when things are in harmony it usually means peace. So i was impressed by it.

I looked more into the details of the sema (the whirling aspect) and revolutions are a fundamental nature of existence be it atoms, the earth around sun and etc, so it is fitting for man to whirl around and share a commonality with all things with the conscious effort of his mind. Its some sort of journey towards perfection.

So they spin counterclockwise, like the earth around the sun with right hand upwards receiving blessings from God, and left hand face down transmitting that to earth.

The last phase was the recital of a verse from the Quran 2:115 Unto God belong the East and the West, and whither over ye turn, you are faced with Him. He is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.

I came out of this event, reflecting that there are so many approaches to fulfillment in this life, and while this was the flavor of the moment for me, it wasn't something i wholly understood and therefore not too inclined towards.

I most certainly respect the fact there are individuals are trying to bring themselves closer to God, but i did not like all the appurtenances to this. Like i wrote in the previous post, this allegiance or deference to Mevlana as i perceived it, snags alot of people. A few months earlier i was listening to an NPR broadcast on Rumi's poetry, and it just appeared to me people are more touched by the man himself than what he preached. I think this applies in many fields, sports, traditional religious figures, and musicians, but it should not be.
What also makes me hesitant is that on first glance and second glance many things don't seem to be congruous with what I've learned traditional Islam to be. Why venture down a path by saying something that may appear blasphemous, only to reveal the same truth at the end? Is it necessary?

Ah i must go, but this is my konya experience enjoy some pics here, better ones on facebook and hopefully a video if youtube works.

mevlana

2007-12-16T03:35:00.000-05:00

December 2007, the month when Mevlana celaleddin Rumi was born is being observed by UNESCO as the 800th Anniversary of his birth. Theres a month long celebration going on in Konya, where Mevlana is buried and i happened to go there this monday.

http://www.mevlana800.info/index.html

off the bat you can notice that Konya has a different vibe, i might be exaggerating since its been implanted in my head that Konya is the most "religious" city in Anatolia. But the one thing that was noticeable were the amount of young kids going in to the mosque, in contrast to atleast here in Ankara.

When i mean young i'm not talkin about kats like me; 20's teens etc. I'm talkin like 4th 5th 6th graders.
One of the first places we went was to see Mevlana (Maulana)'s tomb. It was a museum now, actually Ataturk closed its functions as a temple/mosque and re-opened it as a museum. So as our group guide Ahmet was giving the 411 on the museum, what you'll find inside and etc. I sat on a bench in proximity to the group.
There were four kids, sitting as well. You know automatically I assumed them to be wise talkers, but we got to talking, they asked where i'm from, i responded, i told them that i'm actually a student in ankara, then they asked me how do i like turkey, and then they asked me if i was Muslim. When i replied in the affirmative they asked if I memorized Quran ( i couldn't tell if it was that or if i liked the Quran) but i just nodded and said "evet" then they explained to me one of their friends, he seemed to be a bit younger has been going to "madrasa" for 2 years.
Somewhere in the conversation i realized that this is Turkey, these kids are honest and really really friendly. Unlike some kids in Ulus (eh the gypsies) who are pretty coarse and just want money, most turkish youth i encounter are really straightforward, and i keep forgetting that its usually us elders that aren't honest.
Soon enough one of the guards saunter over, and they started telling him about me, and then the guard looks at me says something in Turkish, after i respond he says "Do you know english?" And i'm like "chhhhhh yeah!" So now i tell him my story, the kids start asking me some questions through him, mainly about the rest of the group who was still standing nearby about where they're from and etc.

I soon leave them and join the group to enter the masoleum/museum. You walk in, and the ambience is sufi music, i mean like a flute/reed or something. There are tombs laiden on the left and the right, and in the front of you. It struck me extremely odd that we were in a burial chamber. The deceased were followers of Mevlana sect (which was formed after Rumi died by one of his students and his son). Then if you walk straight to the end of the corridor and look to you right, there lies the Tomb of Rumi. Photography wasn't allowed anymore so i felt i should honor the rule. It was a huge tomb, and people were gathered around it, and it appeared as uttering du'as. I stood there for a good 5 minutes, observing the details of the tomb, with its ornate arabic designs, the platform it was places on, the drapery and etc. I was able to read some verses that were written over the walls and etc. But i could not help but think, all this for a deceased person? When that thought consumed my other thoughts i had to walk away.

The museum continued and had a lot of Mevlana's divans (in layman's terms books he wrote) There were also olddd Qurans. Man and i mean oold. They had apparently one of Uthman's Quran. We're talkin the man who compiled our book in the order as we know it today Uthman. When i perceived that direct connection to a man who i knew much more about than Rumi, i was almost moved to tears and just walked along. Kian the man that he is took a picture and we booked it outta there.

So after that we toured an old Seljuck madrasah, which was impressive because it had old artifacts, like doors, and symbols from older anatolian civilizations. Museums put so much on display from the past that its mindboggling to me that people used this stuff in their daily lives.

After that, we went across the street to the Aladdin Mosque, and it was an impressive wide hall. We happened to chance their during Mahgrib and we were all takin photos, Kian was right next to me and we just looked at each other and discussed for about 10 seconds of offering Mahgrib or doing it later (since we be travelling) and both instinctively just opted to do so. My train of thought went wow Adhan, Iqama and then offer prayers. Thats what it is, that what its supposed to be. I mean prayer is to be offered whenever it comes in, and the whole purpose of the call to prayer is to come to the prayer, and we were in the front line taking photos, so what an injustice it would have been if we didn't offer it?
After Mahgrib, the Imam spoke to the group through our guide, saying he was happy to see us, and that we came to see Islamic customs.

After that we had some free time, most people opted for food, but kian, nahila, teresa and I decided to follow up on a mosque we saw a little ways down the street. We trekked our way there, and SubhanAllah. This Mosque was just amazing. The ceiling was intricately detailed, the hall was so big, and it had such an aura of calmness. We ran into this Afghani brother, who is studying Shariah law and speaks Arabic, Turkish and Farsi and a little English. He was soo friendly, and it was nice to meet this brother. After me and Kian were finished ooohing and aahing and taking photos, we met up with the group and headed over to the Performance Center to see the whirling dervishes.

Ahhhh i am sooo short on time, this is the crux of the typical Konya trip but i will continue it later inshaAllah.

who do u believe in?

2007-11-30T20:59:00.000-05:00

who do you believe in? i put my faith in God, blessed cuz i'm breathin. Even though its hard, that who I believe in before i'm leavin, i'm askin the grievin who do u believe in? -tupac

Today I will play the part of the philosopher.
this means starting a record of accountability from what i can observe.
I dont believe in anything. My disposition is based on what i've been taught through books, through those who have asserted with genuine confidence of truth, through the intangible that my faith in God has brought me to. The only thing I'm convinced of and believe in is that my very self cannot identify the things it believes in through its own experiences. I am at the ebb and have been here for some time, similar to the approach "that the glass is half empty".
If i re-examine my progress over the last 4 years i could either have improved from the previous year with a constant desire to keep improving or have diminished with a constant desire to keep improving. How can i be convinced of what is right, what is truth?

In writing the previous paragraph i tried as hard as possible to separate thoughts formed on what i believe in from thoughts that are raw and existing without modification. I'm not good at it. Thus ends my tenure as a philosopher.

It started with researching Wahhabism & Islam in the context of Sa'udi Arabia. It also started before that, when some vague inarticulate thought expressed through emotions informing me I don't understand why i live, and don't understand the premise and manifestations of emotions.

I seek refuge in Allah the most high from Shaitan.

Basically Muhammad Ibn Sa'ud and Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab in 1745 came to a mutual understanding and rapproachment that one would support the other; the basic concept of friendship and the components its comprised of; mainly defending one another, and respecting the other's decisions.
Sometime down the road, (actually it was very early down the road) Abdul Wahhab, and then his son stepped away from their relationship with the Sa'uds, (Muhammad Sa'ud passed away first) but his lineage obviously endured. So Wahhab didn't renege on his agreement, rather he chose the path of the quiet nonpolitical pursuer of the truth. Forward to 20th century, Ibn Sa'ud (the ibn Sa'ud who founded the Kingdom we know today) revives the alliance, and forms the state of Sa'udi Arabia circa 1932? On the promise that he would uphold the law of the land, Islam, through one way of interpreting it, the way as prescribed by the descendants of Abdul Wahhab who were shaykhs and qualified scholars.
But Ibn Sa'ud had to factor in the presence of a Non-Islamic order prevailing the world, and in this moment it was the British who occupied Iraq, and held sway in the eastern Gulf states. Ibn Sa'ud in choosing to accomodate and court a non-Wahhabi actor, specifically by limiting the territorial expansion of his Kingdom, irked his soldiers, the Ikhwan who perceived this as an act driven by unfaithfulness in Islam. Sa'ud takes them out and by 1930. The real reasons (ie an explanation from the mouth of Ibn Sa'ud) for doing so cannot be known. What we know is that Ibn Sa'ud had come to agreements with the British, that in return for military aid and $$ for developing the state, Sa'ud not interfere with British interests. One might even say this was a friendship, that comprised of components of defending one another and respecting ones decisions.
So we ask who is right? Which friendship is better? Ibn Sa'ud placed a priority on establishing a state that would prosper and participate with the world at large. But for what purpose?

According to intellectuals like Mawdudi and Qutb, the purpose of life is Islam. What is Islam? the truest expression of man making decisions to obey God's decree. One may ask/criticize the circumstance that there are many paths to obeying God's decree (referring to divisions within islam). But at the same time it is clear to avoid sin, enjoin good, not to steal fornicate or engage usury, hold to honesty and justice and being mindful of God.
It is clear to the men mentioned above, that the world order is not operating under the best option of two decisions. Hence the world is operating under the weaker option of "ignorance".

But the question of reforming against the will of the actors involved arises. its not a question, actually its logical that if something is imposed, it will not operate properly until the notion of imposition is replaced with open acceptance.
Hmm i'm just rehashing what i've already known.

I am working through "Ibn Sina on Theology" this wasn't my intention specifically, rather my intetion was to find answers to uncertainty. He builds on a foundation of logic that is all too new to me, a wiki entry on syllogisms and scrutiny and rehashing of his sentences has dominated the thicker part of the night.

What i can say about all this are points that I admire about him. His determination to absorb and articulate knowledge of everything that was there to know, and the discipline he used to approach it, starting with greeks who knew it before him, and improving and discovering new knowledge. MashaAllah.
Because of his understanding of a variety of subjects, and the legacy that he has left on the world, i am determined to follow his train of thought as he is explaining it, and to see if that indeed really moves me to believe in something of my own accord. So the reason why I read books, memorize this or that, admire individuals currently and in history, is because their reputations their consequences have touched upon "good" I realized a few weeks ago, that my level of iman is still simple.In imitating something that i have observed in other people as genuine piety, i am working towards that. It is best to obey something that is good, even if you dont understand it yet.

Have you considered him who calls the judgment a lie? That is the one who treats the orphan with harshness, And encourages not the feeding of the indigent. So woe to the worshippers Who are neglectful of their prayers, Those who (want but) to be seen (of men), Yet refuse small kindnesses! 107:1-7

Eid

2007-10-21T03:49:00.000-04:00

wake me up when september ends.

Oh and September has ended.
Eid was last week, the weather is less hospitable, and pile on the school work.

A note on Istanbul, I loved it, I stayed about 4 days and saw most of the tourist venues but that city just fills you up, makes you whole.
I met some cool people and got to know other students in our group a little better.
For my housing, I stayed with some Muslim brothers in their flat not too far from Sultan Ahmet, they were friends of a friend. Salah had a friend in Istanbul who actually went away for Bayram, but he recommended us to stay with a bunch of his buddies, whom none of us have ever met or known. When we met up with Zacharia he was the friendliest dude and I thought him and Salah knew each other for years. I discovered Saturday night that Salah just met them as I did and it really really surprised me. Zacharia, Mehmet, Aziz and Kenan were extremely hospitable from giving us a room to sleep in, to furnishing us with towels, shampoo whatever, inviting us for breakfast, and most importantly giving us their company. All 4 of them go to school/work and they were around our age so it wasn't really awkward.
Again that whole Turkish hospitality/Muslim solidarity moment really shined on me and I wonder if I could pay back these guys for being so genuine.

One thing you pick up in Istanbul is the sense that this city is so old, so storied, welcoming, but keeping a distinct Turkish identity. You'll hear the adhan for Mahgrib from every direction because there lies a mosque in almost every direction.

The more I think about it, I think I enjoyed Ortakoy the most, it was a little bazaar district underneath the Bosphorous Bridge and had this Baroque-esque Mosque constructed in the 1800's.
The sellers there were maad friendly, they preferred my company and my story rather than selling me their wares.
It was an inhospitable day, recovering from the rainfall from the previous night, it was a little windy and overcast, yet all people young and old were kicking it, probably because it was the last day of Eid.
I went into the Ortakoy Mosque for prayers and I was really held in awe; the place was all white and the lighting from the windows gave it a really pristine atmosphere. It was a small hall (in comparison to others) but nonetheless made a statement.

There was a khutba about the end of Eid, and we scored some free Turkish delights so that's always a plus.
Its funny non-Muslims are always floating in and out of Mosques both here and the Sultan Ahmet area. Its something I've never seen before, in America or in Bangladesh. In America because the architecture isn't something to be wowed with, and Bangladesh well unless your Bengali or a social worker or a free spirit I dont think you'll be coming there too often.

I got to thinking about how even if we can control the day to day events of our lives, the bigger picture is really out of our hands, you can make a supplication to God and if you are observant can see the results of that fulfilled or replaced with more insight or something even better.
9th grade was the first time i learned about Istanbul, and something about Ottoman impact on world history. I remember Mr. Edwards, our Global Studies teacher talking specifically about the Hagia Sophia, and stressing how magnificent and old it is. I think he may have gone their with his wife, i'm not sure, but the important thing is that his description of it and Istanbul made me really curious and at the time kind of depressed because it was something completely out of my league. I have this ego/pride factor where I feel like I know everything and up to that point, I was thinking its impossible for me to travel around freely let alone to Asia. It made me actually kind of angry/sad and that was leading up to my "keep it real" phase, where I tried my hardest to keep my life and all relevant events in perspective and work for nothing short of Paradise. Young Religious people are much stronger in their beliefs and subsequent actions.

Anyhow, I put that in the back of my head along with a list of everything else I wanted to do in the world, and my day to day development took away from my naivety, i think i absorbed some aspect of the statement "whatever happens, happens... who ever falls dies... we fresh outta time living blind so we all ride"
The mentality that you keep on moving forward, not to stop and get frustrated over little issues, because our time to achieve our goals is limited.
How does this tie into Turkey?
I was sitting one day at work, looking through the study abroad catalogue driven by an impulse to leave Boston for something new; specifically i wanted enlightenment, seeking that in a country where people are in conflict or coming to terms with their Faith, to learn something from people where their beliefs place you on one side of an issue or another. A few months later I'm in Turkey, and Istanbul re-enforced my own beliefs in God (simply put: my supplication from 7 years ago answered) and the notion of sincerity and even a little lesson on patience.

Recite unto them the story of Noah, when he told his people: O my people! If my sojourn (here) and my reminding you by Allah's revelations are an offense unto you, in Allah have I put my trust, so decide upon your course of action you and your partners. Let not your course of action be in doubt for you. Then have at me, give me no respite. But if you turn back, I did not ask for any reward from you; my reward is only with Allah, and I am commanded that I should be of those who submit. 10:71-72

late ramadan reflections

2007-10-06T16:47:00.000-04:00

we're running into the 24th nite of Ramadan here in Ankara. 3 weeks ago I was new to this place and had different expectations than what i've experienced. Needless to say, its been good, Alhamdulilah.
I've managed to keep my fast all except for one day, where I ran a fever and was sweating like krazy, and InshaAllah the next week should be fine.
I've kept up some of my personal goals, in terms of reading and I hope of keeping my cool.
I've managed to meet many different levels of practicing Muslims, to sincerely devout, to the moderates, to the not so practicing ones. All of them revealed a sense of kinship through common practices and cultural identity.
I've tried my best to be charitable, and I think this was the toughest, I've observed that i still suffer from selfcentered ness.

The big issue is dealing with doubt, in all aspects, if I can achieve my goals, to the Macro issues of whether or not what I believe in is worth my effort.
I think the biggest learning asset is in observing and interacting with people of different beliefs and different lifestyles, plus holding onto a set of core principles you won't betray. For me the core principle was along the lines of: Remain steadfast and be good
Its been drilled into me by my mama growing up and of course it is what sticks out most to me in my understanding of Islam.
So like I've mentioned in other posts, I've heard from Turks and non-Turks who don't practice religion too much, but all tend to have a commitment or an inclination towards being well natured.
I've heard from more practicing ones, and seen more practicing ones applying teachings from the Quran in their behavior with me. This has left the biggest mark on me, because I can see and understand, and empathize with their reasons for being Good.
This Ramadan I was able to devote more time to reading and gauging my thoughts on my role as a Human in life and where it will lead me in the hereafter.
I think what convinces people of the veracity of the Quran is that it speaks so matter of factly and directly about the consequences for good and bad behavior. Couple that with any knowledge you might have of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and context of the verses revealed and it sits easy with you.
So what has been ticking me off as of late are the scholars, skeptics, and objective Islamic experts. To me unless proven otherwise Objectivity is always viewing something with a predisposition of doubt, not ambivalence, but doubt and undermining that which is under scrutiny. So from the getgo you have a rough idea of what to expect when you read works from this perspective. To quote Ahmadinejad from Columbia "the audience has already been vaccinated and deprived of the opportunity to judge for themselves"
A lesson learned from the scripture, is that the Prophets mentioned said that they did not come to seek a reward or compensation from the people, rather their reward is with Allah, and they have only come with a warning because people have gone astray
I'm learning that its very difficult to swallow one's ego and accept good advice from someone else. Someone here at ODTU mentioned to me, "you know what, if you don't like someone but they say something that is truly valuable, just take what's good and leave the rest"

Lets switch up the colours shall we? Tonight was a good evening, for Iftaar me and a few other folk went out to some restaurant and I had SEA Bass Filet....mmmmm good! I really enjoy the food here, its not spicy, its full of flavor, and the portion is not too much and not too little so i can eat and be content. Then we went out for some icecream at a dessert place and that was decent but the company is what made the evening enjoyable.
Afterwards i caught Taraweeh at Kocatepe, it was bustling outside and in the bazaar next door, and i'd say the prayer hall was at 40% capacity.
After prayers I went into the Bazaar, looking for some english books. I FINALLY picked up a Mus-haf and a few other things. One vendor discovered quite easily that I was a foreigner and gave me a complimentary book on Ramadan, its a 64 page HQ book on Ramadan featuring essays and pictures by Muslims originating from Turkey.
I'll end with pictures.

history and what it teaches about the role of man

2007-10-04T19:25:00.000-04:00

So at least 3 of my classes have come into full swing, arabic, middle east and world affairs and turkish.
Thus far, the ME class is the most interesting. The procedure for texts is as follows: the professor makes copies of the textbook, and submits it to the copyroom of the department, students then pay anywhere between 10-20 Lira for a whole semester's worth of text for that class. So I've been reading up about the state of the Ottoman Empire/Muslim Ummah in the 19th century, by W.L. Cleveland. I dont have the title of the book on me.

It dawned on the Sultans in the 1800's to actively pursue a modernization agenda in order to preserve the survival of their state. Firstly, Europe (France, England and Russia mainly) were making strides in taking control over Ottoman provinces/finances through war and trade capitulations/relationships with the Sultan and merchants.
Egypt was invaded by Napoleon early but eventually replaced by British occupation, Russia interfered as much as possible on behalf of the Orthodox Christians within the Empire and the rise of nationalism within the Balkan states.

Cleveland attributes the general decline to basically two reasons; break down of the Military and the insertion of European capital. Europeans started trading with the Ottomans actually reaching out to them. Capitulations were trade immunities granted by Istanbul to European countries in order to promote trade with Europeans. (ie French traders weren't subject to Islamic law for violations, rather they fell under their country's jurisdiction AND EXEMPTION FROM TAXES) This was the weakest part of the reading, because Cleveland doesn't explain why the sultan used capitulations to stir up commercial exchange, instead of going straight in and trading, the given explanation of just "granting special privileges to build up relationships" just doesn't make sense. The capitulations started in 1536 with France, and at the time there were minimal/no abuses by French traders within the empire. Regardless as Europeans gained more clout in Istanbul, Ottoman lands became a source for raw goods exports, and Europeans in turn would export finished products with those raw goods. This led to deficit/inflation within the empire, and this in turn resulted in not being able to maintain the janissaries (the elite army) and the general army. Without a strong military couple with the succession of inept Sultans, decentralization occurred, provincial governors became more autonomous diverting taxes and power from Istanbul.
I am learning that without a military a country is NOTHING, its funny but the world does operate on hard politics and realism.
And so in the 1800's this Tanzimat or reform movement started, first by modernizing the Military, training them with French hirelings and technology, creating a new bureaucracy based on Europe by sending Ottomans to Europe, and reforms and creation of different ministries within the bureaucracy. But by this time Ottomans were not on a level playing field with Europe, Europe it seemed was so far ahead technologically and economically that it would not be in their best interests to have the Ottoman Empire on par with them. Again the big players England, France and Russia played the "Eastern Question" game, what to do with the sick man of Europe the Ottoman Empire?

They resolved not to dismantle the empire, because they wanted to avoid disputes and potential war with each other over territory, thus they played the diplomatic game of spheres of influence, with Russia casting its shadow in the Balkans, eastern Anatolia, and Iran. England playing its game in Egypt, and the Middle East area.

Europe really got them by landing them in debt, which lead to loans, which led to interest, which led to some provinces like Egypt having 60% of their revenue dedicated to loan payments. Any movements towards economic sophistication (nationalization, industrialization) were generally shut down. Muhammad Ali the Egyptian governor, had a brutal yet effective reformation program for the province by reforming the army, nationalizing trade sectors, disregarding capitulations and harshly putting the peasant class to manual labor was seen as a threat to British interests in Syria/Jordan. The Brits preferred an Ottoman administration to Muhammad Ali because of their influence in the economy.
So Lord Cromer the eventual British Governor of Egypt intervened to organize Egypt's revenue crisis, they had defaulted on their loans towards England and this was the justification for direct British control. Cromer stopped all the economic and educational reforms instituted by Ali and his successors, but did get the country out of debt if that means anything. Actually it doesn't. White Man's burden indeed. Its a microcosm of the whole attitude that the West brought to the third world, "serve our own interests, and if in the process it is something good for you, we'll endorse it, if not, lets never make it a conscience part of the issue"

This is my problem with the current situation in the world, the powers that be don't really behave with good intentions. There is such thing as being Good, and committing to principles that are right, be it in your personal actions towards yourself, and towards others. From what i know about Plato theres an ideal of "good" that exists that we have to strive for, and from what I have learned from God is that He tests us to see who would behave the best and have a commitment to good. So its not impossible, don't be a downer, and fatalistic. We were taught better. There so many things that come into play, my mind falls into illusions; why commit myself to striving for Good, what is good? Its difficult for me to remain steadfast on principles I have once so strongly believed in.

My son, be steadfast in prayer, enjoin justice, and forbid evil. Endure with fortitude whatever befalls you. That is a duty incumbent on all. Do not treat men with scorn, nor walk proudly on earth: God does not love the arrogant and the vainglorious. Rather let your stride be modest and your voice low: the most hideous of voices is the braying of the ass. 31:17-19

follow up on the iran deal and other things

2007-09-29T19:27:00.000-04:00

the ahmedinajad thing was a few days ago, and i've kinda lost interest in writing anything more about it, also cuz maa doesn't like it when we talk sensitive issues, but at the same time there is immense wisdom in restraining one's tongue, especially when stopping yourself from bashing others.
so on that note, i've said what i really wanted to, that is, there are too many double standards when we criticize/condemn/vilify others, and it makes us completely dishonest.
"Give full measure, when you measure, and weigh with even scales. That is better and fairer in the end" 17:35

So lately i've been listening to Muhammad Jebril and MashaAllah he's in Boston again this year, I wasn't ready for it the other years and i guess this year either, but its cool. I'm glad that ISBCC is doin their thing and has the Masjid open. (long story short, we've been workin on a multi million dollar islamic center since 2004, we finished it this year after many bumps inthe road, SubhanAllah)

so tonight i caught some balkan/folk/gypsy concert at ODTU, the man goes by the name of Goran Brecovic- he was a new sound to me, and pretty impressive. It seemed to simple though there were many instruments involved; trumpet, trombone?, french horn, guitar, drum and two vocalists. The best way to describe it is that funky element in SKA that makes SKA, ska. Catch 22 and Sublime seem to capture a bit of its essence. But what was great about it, that like jazz or something everything seemed to frenetic yet in harmony.
Those were the positive things, negative- it was odd to see a packed stadium, packed field of people of all age ranges jumpin up and down going krazy for music, Truly man is ungrateful to his Lord, and to that fact he bears witness to it by his deeds (100:6-7)

I feel like i may have wasted time tonight, as i do many times without realizing, because at many points it dawned on me that we're in the last half of Ramadan and i'm sitting/standing listening to guy perform/sing that gives me no benefits except for the moment. I mean i'm not rejecting music as a whole, but people were deriving joy/happiness from the most simplest form of expression and to many it was not understandable.
I'm starting to grow aware of what is useful and what isn't, or it feels that way. The belief in accountability and our time to death has been coming into my mind lately, after a loong time. SubhanAllah.

What are some things i learned from the Quran last few days? That its pretty difficult to do what's right in the face of your peers/family/society. Mary dealt with all the accusations and the stigma of being outcasted for birthing Jesus (pbuh)
Haroon (pbuh) couldn't say anything to his people when his bro went to the mountain and the Samiri guy made the hollow golden calf for all them to idolize.
Yet hopelessness is not a characteristic worth keeping, it goes against progression or "true modernity"
There are all these guidebooks on being a successful/happy individual (why good things happen to good people) and retaining a view of hopelessness/bitter sarcasm just isn't constructive. The existence of two choices, between looking at the glass half full or looking at it half empty means something. The former results in a better environment for yourself and others.

I'm sleepy.

iyak aşamlar

ahmedinajad at columbia

2007-09-25T04:34:00.000-04:00

haven't watched it yet, been running to and fro from class, but heres a link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ybd57BaaUpU

all the articles thus far have hinted at how RUDE and i feel disrespectful President Bollinger of Columbia has been. Seems like alotta the questions posed to Ahmedinajad were all mindless rhetoric, "why do you deny the holocaust" - uh he didn't he and his camp have said numerous times its about reviewing what went down, and the how this unfortunate events is so tied to Israel and Palestine.
Joe Lieberman went out to say he shouldn't even be here because of the blood on his hands.

Umm America? Afghanistan, Iraq? Heck even us laying low during Serbia's ethnic cleansing period (mind you we went in 1999, when the genocide has been going down since eh 1992ish?)

Again like what happened with Ambassador Zarif last year at BU, theres always double standards & i think more so with this event a refusal to listen.
So the AP press article talks about the questions posed by the President Bollinger, quotes by protestors, and then says Ahmedinjad quotes the Quran and often did not answer questions simply and followed up with more questions.

oh well, i think i'll have more constructive things tonight after i watch it, inshaAllah.

simpsons clip

2007-09-24T03:41:00.000-04:00

ahaha this is so clutch.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ATrWto2hDm4

thoughts before class

2007-09-24T02:59:00.000-04:00

This weekend was pretty fun i guess. Actually nothing extraordinary, but may as well write something.

One thing about Turkey which i haven't mentioned is that you get to meet a TON of people from all over the world and all of them have preconceived notions about the US or have unique spins on life, similar but different view of God and of course all the same great food taste! haha.

Thats 3 days in a row i missed Suhoor. Fun. But no worries I think i eat more than enough at dinner to make up for it.

On Thursday we ran into a debacle for our residency permits. This thing enables us to come in and out of the country several times without question. Usually all the students applied for a single entry visa so this Residence permit is important to being able to travel to neighboring countries and come back.
So there was about 20 of us plus one host student who would take us to the appropriate government building. We ended up at the head police quarters, went through the whole security shabang and formed a queue (they use this like water here!). It took us about 40 minutes for everybody to file their paper work, and we were then on our merry way.
As we were waiting, some lady came up and offered us tea and biscuits, which is really funny/cool/normal, they're just walkin around with trays of tea.
i diverge, but our host student is soon made aware that we were at the wrong office, and that these people shouldn't have filed our paper work. Great! So where to now? We deduce that we have to go to some DMV like place another 20 minute ride down. So we get there and its about 12 o clock. We form the queue all 20 of us, and then someone loudly informs us that the workers are going on a lunch break and will be back at 1! haha a Muslim country, during Ramadan, taking a LUNCH break. Oh ironies.
So we were reduced to waiting an additional hour, and by the time it was all said and done, our bus brought us back to campus at 3. But some interesting things is that even though these people were maybe stingy about break, they were really friendly when filing paperwork, some officers started yelling at the others and pointing towards me. He gets up and starts rolling out the Turkish. I find out that he thinks I'm Turkish or Pakistani, and when he finds otherwise kinda just sits back at his desk. I find it amusing that anyone of color can be assumed to be Turkish, happens to Kian alot and some other kids.

When we got back, me and bryce quickly resolved to hit up the pazar and pick up some essentials. I picked up some fruits, and other assorted food items from the grocery store next door.
Ughhh we (it was turkish for most of the xchange students) had class at 530, but our teacher let us off early. But these later afternoon classes wont cut it for me.

For dinner we had a motley crew (muhaha) me, frank - american guatamalan, unal - turkish german, marc and marcos - german german and bryce - american something. everyone brings something funky to the table. well maybe not the germans, theyre always finding themselves having a laugh in german to the exclusion of everyone else. its kinda funny. so i guess us americans ended up doing the same.

Friday was my complete off day, i woke up and went to jumah, which upon learning about the state ruling religion, everything makes sense; the fast khutba, the seemingly ritualistic motions everyone has, and of course the reason why Taraweeh is short and sweet, you cant build a relationship with Islam if its fed to you fast, and broken, and in big group sessions. You will notice at the mosque no one really has individual devotion time, even sunnahs everyone kinda does together, group dhikrs and etc.
But after jumah, i walked around a bit and got to know the neighborhood a little better. Three grocery shops next to each other, and one across the street. Each seemed to have its loyal customers. The last one was clearly the most expensive, and had books cds and etc in it.
After that i found a little park and was chillen out on the bench next to like maybe 10 old fogies who were having some sort of discussion. One man approached me and started askin me questions, i tried my best to answer him, and then he went back to his group and i sat for a bit longer. It was nice, it was the first time that something in Turkey reminded me of home.

Friday night we somehow ended up playing bball, me daria -swedish turk, james - british brit, and 3 other kids one from lebanon, philistine and a turk from adana. Afterwords we just chilled out had tea and played checkers at Sunshine since none of us could really remember how to setup the board for backgammon.

Saturday saw the performance of the Carmina Burana by the presidential symphony. It was really impressive. 2 lira was the admission price, and they had us seated at the stadium. I couldn't guage how many people were there, but there was ALOT. So i learned that the Carmina Burana is a set of German pagan poems from the 12-13th century and a man composed it in 1935-36. Its most famous piece is "o fortuna" that is instantly recognizable if you youtube it or something. But what was impressive to me is everything, from the coordination, to the different styles, chorus, orchestra, band, piano, to the two soloists. All sung in Latin i believe. At night i ran into Nur a deen the lebanese chap and we had dinner and joined up with the Germans Marc and Marcos. Hahah Nur a deen drops a line like "oh i hate the us and iran, but you know who i like? Hitler" hahahah and Marc was like ehhhh politically incorrect politically incorrect

So here it was interesting to learn other people's perspectives. Noor only said it to get a rile outta the Germans. and the Germans seem pretty sensitive maybe, not quite the word. But talking to Marc he's saying that Hitler left a terrible legacy on the German people, and this stigma is very alive in the minds of the Germans.

yeah hmm i'm runnin short on time. Sunday bryce comes a knockin at 11 and was headin over to the bazaar, he's like some kids from angola will meet up with us at sunshine. We go to sunshine and theres like 8 or 9 germans waiting too. Hahah this weekend was totally shaped by the Germans. Its interesting you would think the Americans are the most cliquiest, but so far i've found the Italians and the Germans always hanging out together, i mean its not bad at all, everyone chills with them, but they are always found together. The German language seems like its too fun and chattin in english is just a let down, so i can see why.

Anywhoo we go to the pazar me and unal split the cost of pots and pans and plan on makin pasta that nite.

But before that, a few of the kids wanted to have iftaar at kocatepe masjid, so we decided to meet up for mahgrib. it was me, lata-u.s. but finnish? robert-irish-british (kinda reminds me of timmy), mel-turkish-british, erin-canadian calgarian (yeah bret hart), and bryce. Like i said this line was HUGE. Mahgrib came in at 650ish we didn't get food til 730ish. On line we met up with these two azeri-iranian kids from ODTU. Again their thoughts are revealed: they were saying they thought Muslims in America dont fast or practice. People have funny views of the states. Noor the lebanese (theres another noor from tanzania) is of the opinion that the US has infinite resources especially money, and he's right of course. The azeriis alluded to the same. Well we ate dinner, which was good, but the portions were small, but mind you they are feeding alotta people.

afterwards we caught dessert at this place reminiscent of Finales in Boston, but much more relaxed and the prices (5 to 7 Lira) were commensurate with the size of the dessert. Since it was kinda late, they offered only variants of Cheesecake and not icecream.

Then i trekked home and we cooked pasta. Finished at around 1130 ate until 1230. Dang didn't sleep til 2. No wonder i didn't wake up at 430. Now here i am, i just uploaded pics on fbook, and am about to leave for class.

salaam shalom peace.

the answer to the question we seek

2007-09-22T03:31:00.000-04:00

wikipedia coming through in the clutch

Sunni Islam, the majority religion, is now controlled by the Turkish government through the "Department of Religious Affairs", and is state-funded. However, Islamic views which are deemed political are censored in accordance with the principle of secularism.

"what is anything?"

2007-09-17T08:43:00.000-04:00

the weekend has just passed me by. On Saturday i stayed in worked on an essay and some application things. that evening i stayed in, me kian and a couple of his buddies had dinner at the cafeteria. nothing really notable, except the food is extremely greasy. sunday was our trip to Lake Eymir, I have some pics posted, but in a nutshell it was a well maintained park exclusively for ODTU personnel. It was there sitting around or walking around i started wondering what am i doing? What are we as people headed for? What am i heading towards? I was trying to live in the moment and enjoy the bright day and etc. but something felt amiss. When we returned i had dinner and read before i went to sleep. Today i went down to kizilay to take care of some finances, and as i was sitting on the dolmus drowning the outside world through my headphones i remembered what Mohamed (who came here last year) told me, ask yourself "What is anything?" It was such a Matrix-y/absurd moment, i was going downtown for mundane things, my stomach was empty, and i'm hearing the Quran. We continue towards our personal ends, yet so many personal and unique goals actually fits in a pattern. I shrugged it off and decided to find a camii because Duhr was awfully close. I made a little diagram in my detective book of where i had to go and i followed through with it. The original map i referred to was a tourist map and neglected to mention the 5 or 6 blocks between me and my destination thus confusing me. SubhanAllah however when i perceived the Camii,
the Adhan sounded off and again i just happened to wander to my destination. In the same exact fashion the other night, where i was reluctant to go to the Mosque, but i found myself already there. This is what i am questioning. Do we have absolute control? I can will certain things at certain points in time, but most of the time all the intricacies are taking care of themselves. SubhanAllah. An empty stomach makes you think different. It makes you desperate, making you want to find an answer right NOW. hmm.

camii 3

2007-09-14T16:28:00.001-04:00

salaam

so i just got back from Taraweeh prayers. In case it wasn't known i've been looking for a mosque that suited my mood and would complement the spirituality i was seeking. The third night seemed to have worked.

To start off, today's fast was difficult (i think i alluded to this in the last post) and i broke my fast alone, but i really really enjoyed my meal. I was thinking to myself how awesome it is the sensation of taste, seriously, why did i enjoy eating so much? Like my body needed it for sure, but mentally why was i so satisfied with every bite and every flavor exploding in my mouth. I felt like that scene in Ratatouille where all the flavors came together in Remy's mind/mouth and was just fireworks. Awesome.

So after i finished eating and prayed Mahgrib it was around 810 -815, Isha prayers from what i assumed would start roughly around 830. Thus leaving me 15 minutes to get to whereever i had to be. Earlier today and yesterday i was resolved to hit up the Mosque outside the SunShine Cafe gate, but as it grew late i was growing reluctant. SubhanAllah i'm not aware how but i ended up going with ease. On the way there i bumped into two middle aged men who were also going to the Camii and discovered that one of them worked at METU as a secretary.
The sight of the Mosque in moderately high in the sky was a sight to me, the Minaret had lights all around it and just looked kool. I walked inside and a sort of tranquility overtook me. This was much more different the last time i was here, the mosque was dark and i had just missed the Jamat for Mahgrib, making this place feel lonely and unused.
But this time i walked into the Prayer hall and there was about 150-200 people in and about 70% full. Immediately you can tell that these constituents weren't upper class or as Cosmopolitan as the ones down in Kocatepe. They seemed to be working class Turks, laden with beards and kufis, and mellow outfits. Something about the authentic atmosphere moved me. As i had indirectly suspected, the Imam would not be doing a Juz a night and offered the same few ayahs for 20 raka. yet this time i accepted it and felt much more focused in my offerings.
Sitting next to me was a little kid about 5-6 yrs old and his father maybe in his 50's to his left. the boy was mimicking his father's every move. The father son dynamic can be expressed in variety, but this one was so simple and direct; the young boy watching his father and his father instructing him on how to pray. The boy was attentive and strived to complete everything with attention and this seemed so noble.

On my way out of the mosque, i was stopped by the man, Osman and me him and his companion Ferrat were walking back. As i was about to head towards METU, Osman asked me to come over for tea, and if yall know me i dont refuse when offered free things obliged, feeling very humbled that a man in his 40's would treat me to such kindness. So we walked into his flat, and was welcome at the door by his son; 8 or 9, his wife, Ferrat's kids, and Osman's niece. I was shown into the living room and told to sit back and relax. I was soon offered tea, cookies and baklava. Mind you nobody really knew english and of course my level of Turkish is less than respectable. But with the help of his niece- a highschooler and Osman's broken english i was able to convey some of my family background, what i study and etc. His little son was funny, because everytime Osman spoke in English he and all the other kids would start laughing. I sat for a little while longer, and left about a halfhour after i got there.
Osman showed me to the front of the house, his whole family gave me salaams and i returned them. I left feeling again very humbled by Turkish character and hospitality.

helloo weekend

2007-09-14T12:59:00.000-04:00

salaams

so its friday nite, day 2 of ramadan is in the books. i was actually extremely hungry today, i think yesterday it didn't effect me because i was really pumped the whole day. classes were cancelled, and i went to the bazaar and bought some stuff (pistachios, dates, walnuts) and some cold cuts from the grocery store.

we had iftaar/dinner in the dorm (me and kian) and then i went to taraweeh prayers held on campus. its off on the far side of campus and was quite a trek (20 minutes)? the imam was chill, and i believe he was turkish but couldn't speak english. so we ended up conversing in arabic.

i was accompanied by two grad students of pakistan origin who befriended kian when he got here, so they were kinda my guides. at taraweeh here there was about 12 people and the Imam was not following from the start to end.

okay i think i dwelt long enough on this topic. Today we had Turkish class, and i think i'm getting comfortable with the language; in the sense i can feel the right way to make sentences and etc. thats the one thing i enjoy about languages you can feel your way into expressing yourself. Personally i think english is the hardest to express my self, probably because i know it more complexly than my other languages and its my ideas themselves that are hard to conceive of and then explain.

i feel blessed that i know a few languages, but aside from english they're enough for me to get along in daily life. like i said english is the language my mind breaks things down in. i thought for some time it was bangla, but thats only in the context.

Alhamdulilah i'm so full. This weekend i hope to see a bit more of Ulus (the old part of Ankara) it retains an authentic Turkish identity untainted by Western/modern culture. (ie no malls, but plenty of cheap imported goods, but the people are poorer, speak less english and the like)

shalom.

Ramadan and the search for Islam

2007-09-12T18:11:00.000-04:00

بسم اللاه الرحمن الرحيم
merhaba! na haber? çok iyilik? طيب

ُall right enough of me showing off the capabilities of Windows XP

Tonight was the first night of Ramadan, my roommate Kian and I went downtown to Kizilay in hopes of offering 'isha and taraweeh prayers at the Kocatepe Camii

It was a relatively cool night, but if i remember last year, the start of Ramadan was met with an uncomfortable chilliness.
When we entered the prayer hall, the big "world light" was illuminated and so were its 32 satellites. It looked pretty cool, but i was excited much more at the prospect of hearing a Turkish Qari and observing the nuances of prayer and procedure.
So when we got in the Sheikh was giving a lecture on "Ramzan", Suhoor, Iftaar and the Prophet (these were the words that i could discern) and at 9 the Adhan was heard and we shuffled in line for prayers. We offered 'Isha and all its Sunna prayers, and then got prepared for Taraweeh. The Imam who had a strong voice MashaAllah suddenly switched paces and recited at LIGHTNING speed, I was caught off guard and even disappointed when I realized that we didn't start from the 1st Juz. It dawned on me that indeed its a big city with alot of people and it might not be apt for reciting the whole Quran. But other thoughts ran through me, we offered 20 Raka in rapid fire succession stopping at every 4 and sending Salaam on Muhammad (pbuh) in liturgies that everyone but me and Kian seemed to know. I can't help but think:

Or a little more; and recite the Qur'an in slow, measured rhythmic tones 73:4

I wasn't angry, or disappointed nor really shocked, Islam sadly in the Muslim countries i've been to (eh here and Bangladesh- my experience isn't really that colorful) is relegated to just practices. For real, I want to know what the Sheikh had said in the Khutba for the better part of an hour prior to prayers. In all, Isha Taraweeh and Witr wrapped up in approx 50 minutes. I mean I'm not blaming the establishment, the Mosque or anything, afterall if i want spirituality and to gain closeness to God, i have to seek it myself through private prayers, meditation, reading and being aware of my thoughts and decisions.

So switching it up, the initial Turkish kids i met on campus were for the most part "secularists", i mean it in the friendliest way because afterall these people have been the utmost helpful to me, made me laugh, found me food, and were thoughtful in ways that can only humble you when you experience it. Asking them about religion, mostly all believe in God, but are turned off by organized religion in general. With Islam they see the Islamist parties/advocates as an entity that will deprive them of their freedom of choice, their freedom to have fun and etc. But they recognize that people do practice it but it isn't the most suitable choice for them. That in itself is quite admirable, or maybe because they're young, they don't really care if one practices or not.
The problem it seems is that religion is for the old people, that it is an archaic practice/vocation for people who have no other means of coping with life. This conception is common i guess everywhere, and the solution is to actually define true religion and have people learn that as the correct definition.

What say ye on the terms of religion? This is what i find:

And they have been commanded no more than this: To worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to establish regular prayer; and to practise regular charity; and that is the Religion Right and Straight 98:5

Lo! those who believe and do good works are the best of created beings. 98:7

And away from it shall be kept the one who guards most against evil.
Those who spend their wealth for increase in self-purification,
And have in their minds no favour from anyone for which a reward is expected in return,
But only the desire to seek for the Countenance of their Lord Most High;
And soon will they attain (complete) satisfaction. 92:17-21

So there is a major worship component - have faith, act on it through devotion, that devotion being prayer. But the second component and its very trite the notion of good works - through regular charity and seeking reward only from God. This is indeed religion, just a disposition for good vibes.

So this being Ramadan aka the month of charity I pray that me and my readers (dayib hehehe) attain this end. Also prayers, sincere prayers, its something i want because its something i'm lacking.

Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest thing in life without doubt. And Allah knows the deeds that ye do. 29:45

hasta luego amigos.

assalaam alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatu

Merhaba!

2007-09-10T16:31:00.000-04:00

Merhaba!

benim adim işrak!

all right that's the extent of my Turkish... for now. So its been one week since i stepped foot into a country so very rich and full of history, people, and food.
My delay in blogging was caused by the lack of internet/adapter in my room, things we expect to be automatic in the good ol US are as easy to come by.

As the plane descended into Ankara, you could see the hills and hills of Ankara, making you think that you landed in the middle of no where. Actually Ankara is in the middle of nowhere, landlocked, arid and scorching, yet with a population of 4 or 5 million. Krazy.

I was welcomed with a hushed silence in the airport, all the passengers minding their own business and not even rushed, the people were scant; the only sense of urgency was whether or not i knew what i was doing.

i was met at the gate by one of the host students, a grad student who had been waiting for me roughly 40 minutes. 3 other students had arrived and they had been waiting in the parking garage.
In the van we introduced ourselves, there was me the lousy american, Gergö from Hungary, Lennert from Holland and Loa from Denmark. The ride to campus was an awkward silence mixed with awe at the new sights. Also the blistering heat made it feel like an overdrawn intro to some movie, where the characters are heading into the biggest adventure of their lives. We touched down to campus and unpacked.

My room was separated from the rest and i was alone. But nonetheless it was good, i washed up a little, unpacked my things and met up with the group. Our host student Orça took us out to eat, offering me my first but certainly not last cup of turkish tea. We sat at the Sunshine Cafe, the hangout spot for METU students. Dinner that night was at the student center overlooking some edge of campus. Campus was full of trees but the brutal heat just sucked the fun out of it. I had döner all the while being overly paranoid of getting sick... my experience in bangladesh isn't one easy to forget. (another story...but not worth telling)

Since its been a week, i'm just going to paraphrase doing all this in intricate detail with a retrograde memory is kinda whack.

So the next day, the 4 of us plus our host plus 2 other host students alef and aesha all went down to Kizalay aka red crescent aka downtown aka city center. There i had my first taste of Turkish life/culture/people whatever. The city was not as crowded as i had expected, i figured it to be something like Dhaka where literally people are running the streets like ants on sugar, here it was busy but not congested. Kind of like North End or downtown Manhattan, crowded but tolerable.
We ate Simit, more tea, and chatted. everyone tryin to get to know each other, askin random questions. Maan i can tell you right now, i was thinking i'd never get the hang of this place, the street system which is actually really simple had me so confused at first.
We headed over to what is turning out to be my favorite place the Biggest Mosque in Ankara. I have some pics uploaded but the interior shots were kinda poor quality.

Hmm next day, we started orientation, my host student bengisu took us out to kizilay again and i felt like i got a better grip of the city. again it was the same deal we eat we look around and we head back to campus.

Ataturks masoleum whoo, that was something else. that's gotta be a separate entry. My thoughts on Turkey developed from that, a discussion with two grad students over a pickup game, and my sociology class today.

that leads up somehow to the weekend, one of the host students (mind you all these kids are 18-19) are takin us 20-23 year olds out to their haunts... Otku takes us to his neighborhood which was a very peaceful, suburban upper class area and brought us to the best restaurant in town. The place was pricey for turkish standards, but nonetheless a good experience. I've learned that Turkish attitudes and hospitality is most generous, starting with language and going with behavior.

Somewhere in all of this i stumbled to the near by masjid outside of the campus, the Pazar (which btw sells food, clothes, utensils and everything you can ever need, for the cheapest price) and other foreign Muslim kids. I have an early day tomorrow so i'm heading out. hope yall enjoy some of the pics on facebook.

güle güle

summer musings

2007-06-27T12:05:00.000-04:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

اسلام اليكم

finally back to writing in this, well i'm back in boston. I'm doing some work on Islamic thinkers and I'm continuing my job as a lab monitor/computer guy in photonics.

Which I am currently at, I'm also trying to study for the GRES, by cramming vocab.

So the weather as of late has been scorching, just the way i Like it. its odd though that we can control the climate of an enclosed area like its winter and once we step outside its hotter than anything i can imagine.

I finished up my work on sayyid qutb, this dude was all about social justice. That was the ends to which all nations, governments, leaders and people should strive for. It just so happens that Islam - the protocol of life dictated from God does exactly that, provide social justice. He says now the world is in a very delicate situation where mostly everyone is in a state of ignorance or جحليا therefore the muslims need to be the vanguard and resolve this issue by waging jihad at all levels against the hostile elements of the world. Once Islam's supporters teh Muslims; have prevailed, then can social justice for all be achieved.
Very idealistic, but we know how that all turned out with Islamic fundamentalism and the western scholarship attributing Qutb as the father of fundamentalism.

i'm maad hungry, i wanted to go to this seminar on singapore, but food is somewhat of a pressing matter, there are also two seminars i may go to the one at 5pm.

shalom salaam peace

khartoum

2007-06-04T09:46:00.000-04:00

whats the equivalent of blaxploitation for Islam and the Muslim world? I don't think orientalism fits perfectly, since we're talking about a media genre/phenomena, but its along the same thread. Of the two critiques I've read about this movie, neither mentioned the movie's failure to portray muslims as real people. Instead they painted us as subservient, emotional, irrational and dumb, and inclined towards violence. Fanatical would also be appropriate given the twisted logic of the Mahdi. Through this movie the Mahdi apparently does the bidding of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who is dead, but comes to him in visions telling him to strike fear in the hearts of all "Islam" and then reign supreme. All infidels will be killed.
What this movie failed to address, was how colonialism had done its worse to the Sudanese, who were deprived of money, food, housing and all the basic needs for people in society. This discrimination was lent a face with the British occupation of Egypt and its subsequent control over Sudan and Khartoum. Khartoum was once the intellectual center of the African Muslim Empire. Or am i thinking Timbuktu? I remember Khartoum has some significance. To understand the British is to read "the White man's burden" and attempt to empathize with the occupiers as they set order to the world with themselves yielding the most benefit.
So the resistance movement of the Mahdi was a nationalistic, indegenous movement against foreign invaders, who for the most part failed to improve life of the native people and in fact exploited their resources and disrupted the order of their daily lives. But of course its 1966 we're in Vietnam, African Americans are looking for civil rights and South America and Africa are undergoing waves of independence. So its logical for a Western movie to portray something from the past where the actions are noble and the cause is just.
other itty things, Khaleel the servant of our hero Gordan cannot fathom why Jesus would say turn the other cheek. Revenge and violence is in his very essence. But then again neither could Gordon, but Gordon was the only sympathetic figure a man lost between his ideals for a better world and the harsh reality of politics and resistance. The muslims were overjoyed for the support of the British and feared the Mahdi to no end. The Mahdi himself was fanatical, vowing to kill every Egyptian and those who oppose him. And the movie had the audacity to give these characteristics to the Mahdi. Astaghfiruallah. The prayer scene was awkward as was all the mini interactions between the Muslims and the West. Great movie for understanding the orientalist mentality. Charlton Heston delivers again as the hero of the white man.

Where's the movie telling about the misdeeds of the west? oh wait occupation 101, but that's taboo for now.

current observations

2007-06-02T18:18:00.000-04:00

I'm suffering from strep throat and watery eyes. Also, I feel frustrated/weak from sickness and from not doing anything the last couple of days. Call me emo if you please but this is fun ranting and raving. I am currently watching Motorcycle diaries chronicling Ernesto Guevera's journey through South America and what shaped him to become the iconic revolutionary that everybody reveres him to be. What appeals most is the dude stepped away from normal life and just traveled, not belonging to any place in particular though he does have a home somewhere back in Argentina. For a brief period in his life, he was free from the obligations, and the glaring pitfalls of everyday life. Various factors like society, customs, school, modes of thinking is what imprisoned him. Or me? or both? Being a traveler but also with a purpose, he set out to volunteer at a leprosy clinic because that's his vocational specialization. We all know what happens in the end; in a nutshell of nutshells the dude embraces marxism and dedicates himself to freeing people from the abuses of others in living their daily lives. Cuba, and i think venezuela. Call me the unqualified IR major. Thank you failed mind.
Weakness makes me much more impatient than usual. I even struggle to sit and read. I watched classic basketball games on stage6 divx and really identify with it because basketball when played well is perfection. I also watched the "all things d" conference that was highlighted with an interview of both steve jobs and bill gates, two of the most dangerous/influential people in the world. Dangerous because they affect so many aspects of our lives, movies, work, research, music, communication, photography. So with the PC they set the paradigm/protocol in how we conduct our "modern lives" through computers, through typing, through headphones, through chatting, through downloading. They have brought on the confrontation between piracy and the right to access useful media. All of it is capitalized so that money is being made and this in turn trickles down to so many aspects of economy. Gates specifically dreams software, this in turn drives R&D for hardware and also complements it. Jobs is more so emphasizing end user ease which he has so brilliantly allowed by putting together a company that researches right software and hardware. End use is such a simple phenomenon, that R&D behind it, in the innovation in all accounts and the discipline required to attain it is what Microsoft and Apple are so successful at.
They have created the most successful business model in the world because they incorporate the use of a variety of talents and skill sets, albeit alot are computer related but also a big emphasis on the nature of man. They are now at the level of telling us what technology should look like in the next 5 years. The initial step was convincing people that the PC is going to make our lives more efficient. Since that is now accepted we look to them to give us something better and are less likely to have to rationalize on it free of our current context.
So where does free enterprise come in? Does that even make liturgical sense? People on the whole will never opt for the free "bootleg" "badboy" path, unless you have strong charismatic leaders convincing people that this is the paradigm our lives should conform to. Underground means its deviant from the mainstream.

I'm reading Islam in China, Islam has adopted the terrain of all the lands it permeates into. Now American Islam must be something wholly different from the grievance mind set of the greater Muslim world but retain the essential values. Someone has to parse through the annals of Islam since Adam pbuh and be able to say entertainingly that this is Islam. This is needed for me, even though it is redundant since Muslims and myself believe in the effectiveness of Muhammad pbuh as the way of conducting life. Falling into this sentence is the folly of most of my brethern. How then do i conduct myself in western economy where banks laden with interest is a means towards greater education? Where shaking hands with women is commonplace? Music is bad? what are the core principles not to be violated?
Tawhid has many implications? Am I failing to confront reality? or am i accurate in critiquing the reality that Islamic doctrince has presented before me? All those who questioned had done soul searching and research. Me? disillusionment at some days. other days i am focused and not afraid to face my responsiblities. Kinda like now.

Narrated Ibn Umar (Radhiallaho anho):
The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said, "Every betrayer will have a flag which will be fixed on the Day of Resurrection, and the flag's prominence will be made in order to show the betrayal he committed."

Bukhari Vol. 4 : No. 411

Core principle- do not betray ideals, people that you have committed yourself to.

musical inclinations

2006-03-21T22:48:00.000-05:00

so going back to spring break, i want to reflect and say that it was a very good time for me to rest and refocus myself to finish off the semester on a good note, Alhamdulilah.
I have noted that my iman this year was at a relative low compared to last year, and in my weakened state, i wanted to bring it back.
Every year, i catch myself getting to caught up into little habits that i know if i refrained from would help me better in practicing Islaam. By the end of spring break, i arrived to the point where i had to give up listening to music so i can fill my head with dhikr of Quran. Nothing else, just straight up Quran. This cold turkey phase from music was different than other years, i just knew it would be.
It happened during the tail end of spring break; i was reading hadeeths and some Sunnah related to the Last Days and the Fitnah that awaits the Muslims.
This particular narration just straight up killed me:

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, "The Prophet said, 'Islam will become worn
out like clothes are, until there will be no-one who knows what fasting,
prayer, charity and rituals are. The Qur'an will disappear in one night,
and no Ayah will be left on earth. Some groups of old people will be left
who will say, 'We heard our fathers saying La ilaha illa Allah, so we
repeated it.' Silah asked Hudhayfah, "What will saying La ilaha illa Allah
do for them when they do not know what prayer, fasting, ritual and charity
are?" Hudhayfah ignored him; then Silah repeated his question three times,
and each time Hudayfah ignored him. Finally he answered, "O Silah, it will
save them from Hell", and said it three times. (Ibn Majah)

I totally saw it played out in my head, something so surreal that this religion, this quest for truth
would no longer exist, and it would start with the sole divine link we hold; the Qur'an. From that
point, i was just like "eff me being a loser and whiny and not being a Muslim, I just gotta grasp the
truth before its too late, and i fall into the oblivion that is this life"
Often times i feel like i'm struggling and just reaching to achieve enlightenment, but it is my
shortcomings through sins and inaction that tend to feel like a failure. But its not absolute despair,
I learned this explicitly at the Retreat, that the Lord is Most Merciful, and there is no reason to feel
complete and utter despair.
So fastforwarding from the break to now, i've given up listening to muzik, something i used to do when
waking up, changing, doing homework, exercising, heck even when i'm in the bathroom i just turn up my
woofer and feel the room reverberate to the sounds of people, who like me are lost and searching for true peace.
I replaced music with Quran, and started growing addicted to recitors and styles again, something i've
come to take for granted since i first discovered this world last year.
At points i'm just like "eff i can listen to a lil bit of muzik now and then" but I remember Erakat telling
us during the halaqa, that when we make du'a for something Allah tests us, and my test was giving into
the literal whispers in my head to listen to a song now and then to get me pumped up or whutever.
I have heard music fleetingly over the week, whether scrollin through imran's ipod one night, or hearing
something in zanda's car, heck i even played a song for Hersha cuz it was all up in his head. These little
incidents culminated into today, where i had the strongest urge to give in, after a week and change of listening
intently to quran, and not lyrics for a change.
I've made some interesting observations with this music redrawal. As i walk through the street, usually accustomed
to headphones in my ear, i would start singing songs that i haven't heard in ages, just the other day i sang all of
Waterfalls, some creed songs and the like. Nursery rhymes even came into my head.
The other interesting thing is i also unconsciously drift into quran recitation and during work on sunday,
i burst out "wa itha JAHEEM u suyiraat"- And when the Hell fire is Blazing.
I'm always astounded by the workings of the subconscious mind.

I testify to the Oneness of Allah, and submit myself fully unto him.

first entry- probably only one for a while

2006-03-19T23:14:00.000-05:00

hmm i only started this so i could comment on a friends blog.
periodically i might write... but i recommend yall to hit the Weary Wanderer's Bungalow
http://pub13.bravenet.com/forum/1102137225

an arena where everyone speaks their mind.

shalom.