Picture
Many of you might have noticed the wild debate that was sparked by Anas Ingar’s article on CMC’s niqab-burka ban idea. It was definitely a heated debate, and one that is very germane in the post 9/11 era.

I had previously written an article on just this issue, and in it, I was adamant that Rosie Dimanno was wrong to say that wearing the niqab-burka hurt Muslim women. I held that it was a personal choice that affects only the person wearing it. Though I agreed that many women are forced to wear it, I did not believe that banning it was the solution for ridding the world of oppressive religio-patriarchal abuse. I had thought that the facts speak for themselves: there has not been a significant increase in women in burkas being dangerous to others, nor has there been a large increase in tragic Aqsa Pervez-type cases. I had thought that it was plain to see that this situation harmed Canadian values in no evident way.

My debate with an intelligent blogger by the name of “Lawyer” (who, by the way, is not really a lawyer) revealed to me that it’s not so simple. It may seem obvious to me that the niqab/burka is not dangerous but Lawyer stated – point blank – that it was his/her opinion that it was. And nothing I said could convince him/her otherwise. And likewise: nothing she/he said could convince me to change my opinions.

It made me realize that “Canadian values” are not something that can be easily discerned. I thought freedom of choice and respecting minority multiculturalism were strong Canadian values. Lawyer held that being able to look at someone in the face and eye is a crucial Canadian value that is undermined by niqabis in voting booths and courtrooms (though no one has yet explained to me why you can vote by mail if that is really the case).

I realize that my opinion is only obvious to me because I define Canadian values in a different way than other people might. Damn this diverse country for having so many values to choose from! It is often said that Canada has no identity; the only thing we all share in common is that we know we’re not Americans. Though it’s a bit extreme, it is true in many ways. Canadian identity is something slightly more malleable and debatable than American identity. In the States, even if you’re not sure what American values are, you’re hella sure that you should NOT be arguing about them lest you be seen as unpatriotic, treacherous and, frankly, French.

My debate with Lawyer also highlighted something else very important. Democracy is a tricky little creature and perceptions matter a great deal. Democratic institutions encourage equality, and this empowers traditionally marginalized social groups. But it also stresses majority rule.

Lawyer demanded to know how I would feel about my precious democracy if the majority of Canadians voted for a niqab/burka ban. I guess I would feel exactly the same way about democratic institutions as I do: wary but optimistic. I still reserve the right to lobby my elected officials for what I feel is a bad decision. Not only that, I feel that the legitimacy of democracy depends wholly on the ability of minority groups to exercise such rights.

So it seemed then that Lawyer was concerned about tyranny of the minority and I was concerned about tyranny of the majority.

Majority rule is crucial and necessary for democratic institutions to work. But with any democratic institution, you have powerful minority groups that are able to sway political decisions. This may be a good thing and it may be a bad thing.

In Florida, the Cuban-American voting bloc is so strong that they are by the far the most important consideration the American government has in discussions about lifting the sanctions against Havana. When I went to Washington last spring and spoke with academics and politicians they were all unanimously clear on one thing, and one thing only: Cuba stopped being a foreign policy issue immediately after the Soviet Union dissolved. As well, the sanctions clearly aren’t working because Fidel is still kickin it. In fact, there are so many loopholes in the sanctions that you will find that more American investment gets into Cuba than almost any other country. But the government simply could not discuss removing the official sanction  in the last twenty years because the Cuban American diaspora just would not have it. This is, however, changing with the new regime and a new generation of Cuban-Americans.

This is an instance where a minority group holds weight on an issue in a kind of negative way. However, in Samantha Powers’ book America and the Age of Genocide, she talks about how Jewish-American lobby groups tried to pressure government to give a damn about genocides occurring in Bosnia and Kosovo, among other places in the world. This is an instance where a lobby group acted according to its morals despite the decision made by “the majority.”

I realized at the end of the debate that Lawyer and I would never be able to convince each other.  It is what it is. I still hold that we keep our political systems responsive and adaptive when we push them and force them to listen to us when we feel they are acting immorally. But again, who defines what it is immoral and what is not? At the end of the day, it might just be the guy who shouts the loudest, and certainly Muslims – members of the largest growing religion in the world – have that kind of clout. And for us to wield our power is great for us. But we have to expect and respect that many Canadians will see it as a selfish act on our part – an attempt to exercise the dreaded act of tyranny by the minority.
Picture
2 Comments
 
 
Picture
How many times do we see someone stressed, distressed and calling for help?! The media brings global problems to our homes and some have manifested right next door. Don’t be deaf and blind. They may not affect us right now, but they are an opportunity towards reward. Every small deed adds up.

Allah (SWT) declares, "By Late Afternoon, truly man is in loss. Except for those who believe and do right actions and encourage each other to the truth and encourage each other to steadfastness." (103:1-4), and "Do good so that hopefully you will be successful." (22:77)

Fulfilling the fardh is the first step. A Muslim stands up for what is right. A Muslim alleviates others troubles and sorrow.

245: Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah will relieve anyone who relieves a believer of one of the afflictions of this world, of one of the afflictions of the Day of Rising. Allah will give ease in this world and the Next to anyone who eases the hardship of another. Allah will veil anyone who veils another Muslim in this world and the Next. Allah will help His slave as long as His slave is helping his brother." [Muslim]

Take a stand, raise your voice, and put your foot down. Hear and answer the call.

Picture
Add Comment
 
 
Picture
Album cover: The Ecstatic. Released June 9, 2009.
There has always been a distinct difference between Islamic music and Muslims who make music. Legendary MC Mos Def seems to be carving a new category for himself somewhere in between. It’s certainly not nasheeds, but his religiosity oozes out at you in every track. He doesn’t hide his religion, but put it into perspective with other political, social and cultural phenomena existing in the world today. He is, at the core, a socially conscious rapper.

And he’s very, very good at it.

The track “Supermagic” begins with a speech from Muslim civil rights activist Malcolm X:

“You're living at a time of extremism, a time of revolution
a time where there's got to be a change.

People in power have misused it
and now there has to be a change and a better world has to be built
and the only way is going to be built is with extreme methods
and I for one will join with anyone, don't care what color you are
as long as you want change this miserable condition that exists on this earth."

And for me, this is the thesis of his album (The Ecstatic). Track after track, he reminds us that Islam is a political religion and so we must, as Muslims, be conscious and aware of the world around us.

In the track called “Embassy”, he begins with a friendly captain speaking to the passengers: “This is your captain speaking with some information on your flight...” The captain’s voice creepily morphs and mutates as he says: “Couple little facts here, I’m packing a colt king cobra, a 357 calibre fire arm... capable of.... putting a hole in human flesh the size of the Grand Canyon...”  His voice returns to normal as he finishes off:  “The Grand Canyon, which by the way is visible on the left side of the plane...”

It sent a chill up my spine the first time I heard it.

The tracks and beats he samples are eerie, and reminiscent of an old-time Persian or Punjabi movie.  Mos Def has one of the most recognizable voices in the music industry, and Slick Rick, who is featured in the track “Auditorium,” has one of the strangest.  Auditorium is probably my favourite track from the entire album and the most memorable part of it is Slick Rick singing about being an American soldier in Iraq:

“It's the patch. I'm a soldier in the middle of Iraq
We'll say about noonish,

comin out the whip and ookin at me curious
A young iraqi kid
Carryin laundry
“What's wrong G? Hungry?”
“No, give me my oil and get the **** out of my country!
And in Arabian, barkin other stuff till his mom's come grab him
And they walk off in a rush
Distrust
Feelin’ like I pissed on a wound”

Picture
Mos Def
My other favorites are  “Priority”, “Wahid” and “Quiet Dog Bite Hard.”

“Wahid” is probably the most overtly religious song on the album. Most of the other content reads more like a metaphor.  The lyrics are mesmerizing and overpowering, and really just prove why Mos Def is a cut above the rest in hip hop.

“Fret not, ghetto world, guess what?
God is on your side, the devil is a lie
The Empire holds all the gold and the guns
but when all is said and done
There's only La ila ha illallaaah”

"Quiet Dog Bite Hard" is particularly interesting in that it samples a speech by Femi Kuti, an award winning Nigerian musician that comes from a lineage of politically conscious artists (his father is forefather of the afrobeat genre, and human rights activist Fela Kuti). Nigeria is a hot bed of inter-ethnic and inter-religious civil war, and it’s really interesting and germane that he would choose to share Kuti’s words with the listener. One of Mos Def’s continuous projects is his attempt to empower black people around the world (we all remember his 1999 album “Black on Both Sides”). And Kuti, singer of “Blackman Know Yourself”, is an active member in the same project of making of black people aware of their potentials and their diverse histories.

It’s hard to go wrong with this album. You will learn something new with every track, and it will put issues in both a local Brooklyn/Bronx context, but also in a global pan-African context.

Picture
1 Comment
 
 
So we all know that as Ramadan starts so do the extended night prayers called, tarawih. When Ramadan started in the summer, I was quite motivated to attend those prayers in our local masjid. It was actually a really great experience and definitely memorable; especially since I had some of best friends praying with me, and my younger sister, Rafia. It was a pleasant, peaceful time (expect for the occasional disaster caused by a noisy kid).

I attended the majority of those prayers and noticed something quite peculiar.

Do we go pray tarawih for Allah, or just because it’s some type of fad?

I noticed that when the time of Isha Salah beings, the sisters' prayer room would be quiet empty; the salah would end, people would pray their sunnah and then once the Iman exclaims “AllahuAkbar” to commence tarawih, that’s when the room starts to get populated.

If you’re not praying your farz salah, which is the most important, then what’s the point of tarawih, which isn’t even farz for you?

I don’t want to be one to judge, as there could be people who may have gotten in to some business or gotten late. But every day, that is what I observed.

Anyhow, in the first few days of Ramadan, the sisters' room was so completely packed that, at one point, I was left praying out in the hall. As the days went by, fewer and fewer people came; only a few regulars. And then came the night of twenty seventh Ramadan: the day our masjid ended the recitation of the Quran during tarawih.

I was in complete shock when I saw the amount of people who turned up; ladies from God knows where with God knows how many kids (that’s another post on its own; those kids need a leash)! The place was so packed that there wasn’t even enough room to do a proper sajda.

Can you guess what the turnout was the following day?

Yup, not even close to a quarter of the day before. So is it a fad? Or are people just capitalizing on the right day to get the sawaab? Well, I guess it’s better than not praying at all.
Picture
1 Comment
 
 
The Canadian media recently published a number of articles quoting the Canadian Muslims Congress’ (CMC) demand to the federal government to ban the niqab and burka. They believe it to be oppressive and irrelevant to Islam.This is the same group that previously tried to ban the hijab from public schools.
Picture
“The group's spokesperson, Farzana Hassan, said the practice of wearing the burka and niqab is more rooted in Middle Eastern culture than in religious teachings. She added that there is nothing in the Qur'an that stipulates women must cover their faces.

She said the issue is one of public safety.

"To cover your face is to conceal your identity," she said.”
-CBC.ca

Without debating the religious authenticity of both articles of clothing, one can easily argue that banning these items is an insult to one's freedom of choice. Even if it is only a cultural expression, it is one that deserves to be protected. Imagine if we were to ban all cultural practices. Would Toronto still be the most diverse city in the world? What would happen to our image of being the most multicultural nation in the world?The Canadian culture itself is nothing, if not a fusion of the many different groups from around the world that have come to defines its various regions.

As for the identification concern that some may bring up, it is not a valid point because there are many articles of clothing such as hoodies, hats, and ski mask that impede identification. Clearly there have been more reported cases of criminal activity by people wearing such articles of clothing, over niqabs or burkas. If we banned these, can you imagine how much easier it would be spot a criminal in a surveillance video?

As for political purposes, keep in mind that you can vote by mail. So anyone who says its becomes a hindrance to you during election time is not fully aware of the laws they claim to be protecting.

CMC does not appear to identify with these Canadian values or Muslim values. They are not representing anyone and hold no authority to decide what a certain group should or should not be able to do. In my opinion, this seems like a publicity stunt, and nothing more.

Let them know what you think. Here’s there contact information.
E-mail: MuslimCanadianCongress@rogers.com
Telephone: (416) 473-2552
Picture
22 Comments
 
 
Picture
“Waking up a president in the middle of the night. This isn’t really something you do.”

-          Thorbjorn Jagland, Chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Oslo, Norway

The president of the United States of America was sleeping – probably a restless, fitful sleep, when he was awoken by Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary, to inform him that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize.
This decision has been met with applause, but also with harsh criticism and snorts of derision, from both liberals and neoliberals alike. 

According to the New York Times: "Normally the prize has been presented, even controversially, for accomplishment. This prize, to a 48-year-old freshman president, for 'extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,' seemed a kind of prayer and encouragement by the Nobel commitee for future endeavor and more consensual leadership."

“The question we have to ask is who has done the most in the previous year to enhance peace in the world,” the Nobel committee chairman, Thorbjorn Jagland, said. “And who has done more than Barack Obama?”

I understand where the selection committee is coming from. Obama has, in his first year, taken steps to change the trajectory of US politics in a way that was unimaginable in the height of the Bush years. He is pressing Congress for a new, more egalitarian health care system. He wants to build a strong state in Afghanistan, free of the Taliban and he is willing to negotiate with Iran and the DPRK, instead of dismissing them as rogue states. He is adamant that he wants a nuclear free world, and he is even beginning peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

Yes, he is being rewarded for his intentions and not his actions. But his intentions have had severe consequences on the entire state of world. Let’s not kid ourselves. The United States, despite crippling deficit, economic recession and paws in two wars, is still the world’s only superpower. No country rivals the United States. China is a very, very distant second. While the capital is wealthy, there are still large pockets of rural China that do not match the level of development on the other side of the globe. As well, the moral authority and the diplomatic clout that the United States has held since the end of World War II is unarguable. Realists alike will tell you that Russia, China and India are up-and-coming powers; but the US is still going to be the only superpower for a long time.

But this moral authority was on severely thin ice during the Bush regime. The damage Bush did to US international reputation and US legitimacy was devastating. And if anything, Obama has played a hand in helping to restore this legitimacy, brick-by-brick.
The neoliberal movement of the last thirty-ish years, which has stressed market dominance and small government, has played cruel tricks with our minds. Health reform in Canada seems to be moving towards some vision of privatization and Obama’s health plan is met with cries of fear; people claiming that they are going to lose “consumer choice” in their health care.

In Canada, we had always known that health care was a right. It used to be something untouchable by even the most conservative of Conservatives. It’s not a consumer choice, like handbags or shoes. It’s a right. As it should be. Keep in mind that one month in American ICU will probably cost you up to a million dollars. Be prepared to declare bankruptcy if you’re and uninsured sick person in the United States.

Obama’s desires to make these domestic reforms have reminded us Canadians how envious our neighbours to the South are of our lifestyle. Sure, we pay higher taxes, but we used to know that it was for something good. With the neoliberal drive to cut taxes and be more competitive, our politicians made drastic reforms in health care that have left us with long lines and long wait times.

On the international front, there was a kind of Cold War building between Bush and the Islamic world. And Obama was the Gorbachev figure in that scenario; he came in, waved the white towel of defeat, accepted US mistakes and extended a hand of reconciliation.

Even Ahmed Youssef, a Hamas spokesman, congratulated Obama. Though he did add the caveat that Obama still has to actually accomplish the goals he set out to achieve. 

And really, only time will tell what Obama actually accomplishes in the long run. The Republicans may be right: he may be all style and no substance. I am forced to admit then, that all style and no substance is what made me cry on Inauguration Day. I admit that all style and no substance is what made me hopeful that maybe the welfare state that existed in a ghost of Canada past is not totally dead.

The other matter at hand is the competency of the Nobel Peace Prize body. Even if Obama deserves it, there is suspicion that the Norwegian body is implicitly anti-Bush. Al Gore won in 2007, for his work on climate change (which Bush saw as a liberal myth), and Jimmy Carter won in 2002 for his efforts to find peaceful solutions to international problems, in an era when the Bush administration was out for blood.

It doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to see that the tactics of the last eight years (and even beyond that) did not do much to extend peace and security on a global level. But there is still evident prejudice on the part of the selection committee. Though Obama has helped to shift global opinions and usher in an era of optimism, he has not actually done anything substantial yet, to prove that he is really substantially different than the last decade. Is he moving forward on Darfur? Will the US policy on genocide intervention ever change? Probably not. He’s still a realistic politician, looking out for re-election. He’s just a better looking politician than the last few North America has seen. A veritable black Kennedy.  

Essentially my point is this: Obama is deserving of recognition. But the Nobel Peace Prize? Once awarded to the likes of Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela? Not just yet. And if Obama fails to follow through on this word, this prize will only serve to increase international disappointment and mistrust of politics.

German Chancellor Merkel and French President Sarkozy have both congratulated Obama on winning the award. He certainly did not expect to do so. In his acceptance speech, he said: ““To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honoured by this prize, men and women who’ve inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.” 

 But he added this: “...I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.”

 Let’s hope so.
Picture
2 Comments
 
 
Assalamu Alaikum,
I just started my first year in high school and I have a pretty good group of friends. We all go to the same Madressah together and we’ve all learned that backbiting/gossiping is wrong and that we shouldn’t do it. However, one of my closest friend’s in the group is constantly gossiping even though she knows it’s a sin. She says it’s a bad habit and that she can’t stop. I don’t know what to do...I know it’s wrong and I’m sinning by listening to her.

--Sumayyah, Grade 9

 

Picture
Despite how cool Blair Waldorf attempts to make it look on Gossip Girl, she too has learned that spreading rumors and backbiting is never a safe bet. Those who gossip are seen as untrustworthy, disloyal and unelegant. It's not the kind of reputation any classy young girl your age wants to have.

Let me just say I have the same problem with some of my friends. Although my friends and I haven’t gone to the same Madressah together, we have relatively equal knowledge of Islam.

What I learned from a Sheikh at a Path to Piety conference in regards to gheebat (as it is called in arabic) is that as long as you put in a good word for the person who is being talked about, then the sin will not be yours. For example, 

 Laila: Oh my gosh, do you know Bob from Math class? He’s so annoying. He’s always asking questions in class, and he never shuts up! Bob’s so stuck up, he totally thinks that he’s better than everybody. 

Saleha: But Bob is very smart. He’s helped me a couple times with my math homework. He's really patient.

In the scene that just took place, Bob was being gossiped about by Laila. However, instead of agreeing with Laila, Saleha immediately defended Bob by putting in a good word for him. This way, Saleha is not complicit in the sin. If this does not seem to help, then maybe you could provide your friend with some Hadith? I know it’s hard to approach these topics with friends, especially close friends, because you don’t want them to think that you are judging them. But think about the greater good and go for it. 

“Fear Allah and obey Him. Be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah. Then every person shall be paid what he earned; and they shall not be dealt with unjustly” (Al-Baqarah 2: 281) 

Two of the major destructive sins are backbiting and slandering. These two sins were forbidden by Allah through His Prophet because they spread enmity, evils and conflict among people and lead to destruction. They cause fighting between people of the same household, and between neighbours and relatives.

 Allah forbids these acts in His Book when He says, 

“O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, in deeds some suspicions are sins. And spy not neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah, verily, Allah is the one who accepts repentance, Most Merciful” (Al-Hujuraat 49: 12) 

This verse strongly forbids backbiting for Allah likens the backbiter to one who eats the flesh of his dead brother. If he would hate eating the flesh of his brother, he should also hate to have his own flesh eaten while alive by those backbiting and slandering him.  

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said, “Do you know what backbiting is?” They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He then said, “It is to say something about your brother that he would dislike.” Someone asked him, “But what if what I say is true?” The Messenger of Allah said, “If what you say about him is true, you are backbiting him, but if it is not true then you have slandered him.” (Muslim)

The Prophet(SAW) said, “The gossiper will not enter Paradise.”  

Hope this helps and may Allah make this easier for you. 
Picture
And
Picture
Add Comment
 
 
Picture
The Toronto Palestine ended with as big a bang as it began. Laila’s Birthday, the tale of an overeducated and overqualified cab driver in Ramallah, West Bank is about much more than the name suggests.

Laila’s Birthday tells the story of a day in the life of Abu Laila (directly translated as “father of Laila”, and his misadventures as a cab driver. But this day is not like any other: it’s his daughter’s seventh birthday and the uptight, middle-aged Abu Laila has been asked by his wife to come home from work early, and to bring a cake for his daughter.

At only 71 minutes, this movie is a dark comedy, made all the funnier by Abu Laila’s stoic and silent attitude. The entire film comes together in literally the last two minutes, bringing all the aspects of the day into the one perfect moment that is Laila’s birthday.  

The first thing we learn is that Abu Laila’s family is the jewel of his crown. He adores his daughter, and she too dotes on him. It is in moments with her that the audience becomes aware that he even has the ability to smile wide goofy smiles.

As the day goes on we learn that Abu Laila is a stickler for rules, which is highly unusual in a city that seems to be on the brink of falling apart. Even driving away after a car bomb explodes, he insists that drivers buckle up and refrain from smoking, as this is the law. This is the second time we see him smile his wide, goofy smile: when he his explaining his love for justice to an elderly passenger riding in his car.

And why shouldn’t be invest so much time into following the rules? We learn that Abu Laila used to be a judge in a friendly country, and was asked by the Palestinian Authority to return to his homeland to resume judicial work. However, as soon as he arrived, the bureaucrats in the PA changed, and there were no longer enough funds to keep him. He was forced to begin driving his brother in-law’s taxi. He returns to the Ministry of Justice every day, to demand, with dignity and grace, that he be given the job he was promised. And every day, he is told by ever-changing faces, to “come back tomorrow.”

The scene at the Ministry of Justice is particularly memorable, for its absurd hilarity. (“Can you move your taxi, sir? We have a truck driver delivering new curtains for the office.” “Oh, him again? Tell him it’s Abu Laila. He knows me; we met last month when he came to replace the curtains for the last guy who had your job.” )

All of this stress takes place under the watchful eye of the Israelis, who float above in the airspace and wait in the distance, at the checkpoints.

For me, it is of particular importance that Abu Laila chose to return to his homeland. It signifies that he was not forced to stay, and has someplace else to go. But it is love for his home that keeps him where he is. There are no actors playing Israeli characters in the film; the Israeli is meant to be something that is heard but not seen, to symbolize how the Palestinians live in a bubble.

He meets a recently released inmate from an Israeli prison and he also drives home someone who has lost her husband in a bombing. But this contrasts nicely with the other face of Palestine, the “normal” one: young lovers, normal shoppers and a wedding procession. What the rest of the world sees as a disaster scenario has become normalized and internalized by those who live in it.

On a harrowing quest to return a lost cell phone and get home to his daughter in time, Abu Laila’s story, like the story of Fadi and Muna in Amreeka, is both moving and hilarious.
Picture
Add Comment
 
 
Picture
My little brother recently turned four years old. 

He can say all his alphabets, count to 10, sing a handful of nursery rhymes, and when asked what languages he can speak, he proudly answers, “English and Spanish.” We have never spoken a word of Spanish in my household, mainly because we don’t know how to speak it! And surprisingly enough, if you ask him, he can speak some pretty good Spanish. We’ve had him checked out by professionals and it’s been decided that he’s a four year old genius. Not. Although I wouldn’t mind if I had a genius for a younger brother, turns out that my baby brother is learning Spanish the traditional way…through television!

Yes, the overweight, disproportionate, Dora the Explorer who appears to have Alzheimer’s and speaks to inanimate objects, has the power to not only teach my younger brother Spanish, but millions of other young viewers around the world. Not only that, but she also has a cousin, Diego, who now hosts his own show (and I have to admit, he’s a lot better than her!), who features on her show a couple of times. These explorers (who are thought to be refugees by most) do so much for the creative and curious minds of young children. They have to the power to make these little kids believe that they can not only learn a new language, but save baby iguanas from their inevitable doom. 

 We always hear that children are our future, our hope and our beacon of light. They are meant to change the world for the better and constantly be open to the concept of 'different'. Now I believe that is a lot of pressure for children who are filled to the brim with biases and prejudices and countless shades of grey. Who’s to say that they know the difference between right from wrong, justice from injustice? Can we proudly say that we are a good influence?Why is it that they (and when I say ‘they’ I mean the general population) believe in allowing our children and younger viewers to be aware of various cultures and be open to the concept of ‘different’, yet do not provide them with a variety of television shows? If there’s a Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go and even a Chinese version called Ni Hao Kai-Lan, then why can’t we have a Miriam the Muslimah? Or how about Haroon the Hajji? We don’t need to express our religious views to the children, but we can at least express our cultural values. We make numerous technological advances, we can pass the law to allow same sex marriages, yet we are unable to accept all religious values and morals equally. Adam’s World should be available on Treehouse TV—I shouldn’t have to go out and buy separate DVD’s, for God’s sake! 

Yes, Islamic culture is itself a debatable term. And being Muslim is not the same thing as being Spanish or Chinese. Muslims live in many different countries and communities, and it can be difficult to isolate much that unifies them other than the religion of Islam. However, secular academia does not acknowledge this distinction, since it views religion as one aspect of cultural anthropology and history. Islamic culture generally includes all the practices which have developed around the religion of Islam, including Qu'ranic ones such as Sala’at and non-Qu'ranic such as divisions of the world in Islam (Marshall Hodgson).

If I had the choice, I would love to see the show as a religious show, but in this day and age, that is highly unlikely to happen. I wouldn’t appreciate my child or brother watching a show that promoted a different religion. However, what gave me the idea for this blog was the fact that there ARE television shows out there shown on other channels that have high religious content.
Picture
“VeggieTales is a series for children's featuring anthropomorphic vegetables. Developed by Big Idea, the films convey moral themes based on Christianity, often compatible with Judaism, spliced with satirical references to pop culture and current events. It was adapted for television and began broadcast on Saturday September 9, 2006 through Qubo and the NBC network. As of 2009, the program is also shown on Gospel Music Channel. VeggieTales has also been released as books, music CDs and branded items such as toys, clothing and seeds for vegetables and flowers. Their aim was to produce children's videos which conveyed Christian moral themes and taught Biblical values and lessons.” (Wikipedia)

Although they originally started off as films/videos, they were able to broadcast it on television.Now, there is nothing wrong with the fact that VeggieTales was allowed to produce and air a Christian based television show, other than the fact that I would not want my child watching it on a public network. And many other people didn’t either. It showed that teaching about religion on public television is just unacceptable. Why? 

Think about the ramifications of producing an Islamic based television show. Many would be against it, the idea would be immediately vetoed, and we can just imagine the outrage for even thinking about producing it. These may just be assumptions, but think about the day and age we are living in. The Islamophobia people are experiencing, the fear they have of Muslim men and women alike. 

And, not surprisingly, television is the cause of all of this. It’s a well known fact that television is the number one influential source out there that can either make or break our children. Television has always made people believe that they are too fat, too stupid, too ugly, or too weak. There are messages out there that make people believe that some people are better than others, that some people are more superior. Unfortunately, religion has been dragged down with all the other stupidities out there. The anti-religion rhetoric is strong. 

Citizens are regularly bombarded with negative messages about Islam, and religion in general. You expect your children to grow up without any biases, to accept anyone and everyone no matter what their difference may be, yet you do not PROVIDE them with the resources for them to be open and understanding to religious groups. 

I admit we’ve come a long way since the first idiots who believed that white was pure and black was not, but by the mercy of Allah, although we cannot erase the mistakes we made back then, at least humanity has taken a step in changing the way we behave. But what do we have to say for ourselves to what we currently experience? To those Muslim sisters and brothers who dread going to school because they fear being ridiculed by others? What will we tell our Lord about how we helped our brothers and sisters in their time of desperation, the effort we made in changing the views on Islam, the sweat we poured in making our religion known? 

By the grace of Allah many of us have it extremely easy. We wake up and go about our daily business without even so much of a thought of fear for expressing our religious values while there are others out there who are fighting for their life just because of it. Some of us have not truly understood the meaning of Islam, while others have embraced it and fought diligently so as to not lose the meaning. 

We need to start small, and if we don’t, we’ll never achieve the goal we want. We need to make others aware of what Islam really is about, and reach out to outside world so that they can accept the different religious views that are out there. If television is the only option we have available, then so be it. 

Haroon the Hajji, here we come.
Picture
1 Comment
 
 
Picture
Asalamulikum All,

Yet another article from your friendly neighbourhood Goatman. Okay; maybe that’s not as cool as my counterpart. In fact, I’ll just stick to Anas.

With the rise in popularity of comic book heroes, you may have asked yourself: wouldn’t it be cool if there were Muslim superheroes? Well, fear no more; “the 99” are here to capitalize on the recent trend. In 2003, Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa developed “the 99” comic book, in an effort to combat the negative image developed of Muslims after 9/11. 

As a child, Dr. Al-Mutawa would spend his entire allowance on books. He dreamed of writing as a career but, due to pressure from his parents, was influenced to follow a different career path. He earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology but, unsatisfied, he decided to complete a graduate program in business at Columbia University in New York. The two realms combined have helped him form the Superhero cast for “the 99”. Now, Dr. Al-Mutawa is an award winning UNESCO author and the 2009 recipient of the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East, Dead Sea, and Jordan.

"The 99" writing team is made up of some industry heavy weights; people who have worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, such as Fabien Nicieza (X-Men, Cable and Deadpool) and Ron Wagner (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, The Punisher, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero).

The comic is based on 99 characters each holding a super power based on one of the ninety names of Allah (SWT) and each of them come from a different nation. The first comic, titled "Origins" is available online for free. Below is an excerpt from the comic's first page, which aptly describes its main storyline:
Picture
 
I am not an avid  comic book reader but I did find it interesting; especially how it dated back to the Abbasid Empire for the original source of power. If this is a post 9/11, post-Invasion of Iraq insired effort, I am not wholly surprised that this comic's storyline begins at the fall of Baghdad to the Mongols in 1258.

For those who don't know, Ihe National Museum of Iraq was the subject of a great deal of controversy in 2003, when it was discovered that invading forces had done nothing to protect the artifacts of the Cradle of Civilization. According to the writer Fernando Baez, this was Iraq's biggest cultural disaster since the first fall of Baghdad; which is the starting point of Al-Mutawa's storyline.

In 2003, one million books, 10 million documents and some 14,000 archaeological artifacts were lost in the US invasion. The BBC reported that the White House's cultural advisors had resigned in protest: "Priceless statues, manuscripts and other treasures were taken away in a wave of lawlessness following the collapse of the government of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad last week. 'It didn't have to happen', Martin Sullivan - who chaired the President's Advisory Committee on Cultural Property for eight years - told Reuters news agency. n a pre-emptive war that's the kind of thing you should have planned for,he said."

These artifacts did not just detail contemporary Iraq's history, but also the history of the world's first cilivizations in Sumer, Babylonia and Akkadia. Sumerian civilization spanned about 3000 years, from the 6th millenium BC to the 3rd. Sumer was the birthplace of many inventions that propelled the growth of modern cities; like the wheel, and written language.
 
The heroes do not pray, as they are meant to have universal appeal. And so far, based on sales, they do. The 99 has also teamed up on missions with the Justice League to save the world. The popularity of the comics has lead to the creation of its very own theme park in Jahra, Kuwait. It is the Middle East's first theme park.

I will surely continue reading to see where this comic series goes next.
Picture
1 Comment