Why Black American Muslims Don't Stand for Justice...

First, I have to admit I know very few African-American Muslims and know very little about the African-American-Muslim community.

I recently stumbled on this blog which I must say has a whole bunch of thought-provoking posts and provides much-needed insight into the Black Muslim community.

Below are excerpts from a popular post:

Taking the lead in a resurgence of civil rights activism is a tightly-knit coalition of Black radio personalities (Micheal Basden, Warren Ballentine, and Sharpton himself) and church leaders, who’ve been raising public awareness for the past year about these disturbing incidents.

And then a question occurred to me: How is it that pork chop, chittlin-eating preachers were able to corner the market on civil rights struggle, and how did a religion that teaches its followers to “turn the other cheek” and “love those who spitefully use you” become identified as a viable force for racial and justice in this country? At the same time we the Muslims, inheritors of a pure scripture which commands the doing of justice in the here-and-now, are left totally out of the picture.

After twenty years of the immigrants’ controlling the Islamic agenda in America, by the year 2000 Blackamericans had clearly taken the “back seat” when it came to community issues. Having taken up this knotty and controversial question of why “Blackamerican Muslims don’t stand for justice”, we’ve learned that one of the most important factors in our failure to develop and maintain a community activist, social justice tradition has been the overwhelming dominance and influence of the immigrant Muslim community.

However after having looked at this issue from all angles, its also becoming clear to me that immigrant dominance does not fully explain why Blackamerican Muslims don’t stand for justice. The record reflects that the immigrant organizations’ power-play for control of the “Islamic” agenda in America met little to no resistance from Blackamerican Muslims. The question then is why.

It was certainly expected that in attempting to explore this question we would invite the usual criticisms that always tend to impede any type of serious and frank discussion of Black community issues, especially when viewed in the context of Islam’s universality. Unfortunately, in the minds of some confused individuals “Blackamerican progress” and Islam are mutually exclusive thoughts. Because of the ‘teachings’ of the past decade or so from certain imams and du’aat - even Blackamerican ones - we now see that any talk of Blackamerican Muslims showing concern for their own community immediately provokes shrill accusations of “nationalism” or of “dividing the Muslim community”.

And what is so tragically ironic about it all is that at the same time these people raise the ugly specter of “nationalism” - being unable to advance even a cogent definition of the term - they will in the same breath utter the completely absurd statement of “I’m not Black, I’m not African American. I’M JUST MUSLIM”. However they are not able sustain the delusion of being a racial and ethnic tabula rasa (blank slate) for very long, and waste no time reinventing themselves into the mirror image of a Saudi, Sudani, Pakistani, or what have you.

Before you rush to make a judgment, take a deep breath and go through some more posts on the blog and the blogroll to really get an idea of what our brothers are going through.

Hijrah thoughts

Hijrah literally means migration. Although most migrations are life-changing events in people's lives, there was one migration that changed human history forever: the migration of Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his companions from Makkah to Medina. This event was the biggest turning point in the history of Islam and so was chosen as the starting date of the Islamic calender (hence referred to as Hijri calender).

Why was hijrah so life changing? Like all migrations, it provided the opportunity for a new beginning. There was no way for the dawah (call to Islam) to continue from Makkah because thirteen years after it had started, the arrogant Makkans were still determined not to give our beloved Prophet and his followers the chance to practise their faith and call to the truth. The only option therefore was to leave Makkah, the holiest city on earth, to a new land in hope of finding a supportive community and a chance to practise and call to Islam freely.

Just because the hijrah of the Prophet happened 1429 years ago doesn't mean the need for hijrah is over.

The journey in itself has a wealth of practical and spiritual lessons to be learnt.

If you are going on a hijrah (whether it's a physical migration or a migration away from sin and towards Allah), make sure you have trustworthy friends to support you through this journey.

Tawwakul: do your absolute best to plan your hijrah and take all necessary precautions and provisions. Then put your trust in Allah and rest assured that He will protect you.

Why didn't Allah (swt) just send the Buraq to take our beloved Prophet from Makkah to Medina, like it had taken him from Makkah to Jerusalem? It would have saved everyone a lot of trouble. Then again, whose example would we have followed on our hijrahs? The Prophets journeys for dawah (to Taif, to Medina, and to battle fields) had to be practical examples for humanity. His Isra and Miraj trip was a different story - a journey for the greatest human being only.

What did the Prophet first do when he got to Medina? i) Build a masjid- a house of Allah and a corner stone and focal point for the Muslim community. ii) Build the brotherhood amongst the first Muslim community- the traders and slaves of Makkah and the farmers of Medina. iii) Sign a peace treaty with the non-Muslim inhabitants of Medina assuring them of mutual support and protection.

The sacrifices of the Prophet's companions who left Makkah were endless. Not only leaving their homes but their wealth and loved ones behind, they obediently followed the Prophet's orders. Home was where the Prophet was. They were Muslims before they were Makkans.

My favourite hijrah story is that of Suraqah ibn Malik(may Allah be pleased with him)which happened before he accepted Islam. Hearing that there were two travellers that looked like the Prophet and Abu Baker on the long route to Medina, he followed them in hope of getting the reward from Quraysh. Everytime he got close to the Prophet and Abu Baker his horse would stumble and fall.

Finally he realized that this truely was the Prophet, protected by Allah, and that he would triumph over his enemies. He called out to the Prophet asking for a letter to guarantee his security and in return he would conceal what he knew of the location of the Prophet. The messenger of Allah not only gave him the letter he asked, but also promised him the bracelets of Chosroes, the Emperor of Persia. This man who is secretly fleeing from the persecution of his people is promising the bracelets of Chosroes! What faith he must have in the promise of Allah!

Many years laters, after the death of the Prophet and during the time of Umar ibn Al Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), upon the return of the Muslim army which conquered Persia, Suraqah was summoned and given what he was promised. Umar and the rest of the companions of the Prophet who witnessed this occassion wept...another promise of their beloved comes true. He was no longer physically with them but he was still there showing them the way.

Join the "Virtual March"

This is a movement about change, as individuals, as a country, and as a global community.

Our mission is to use the strength of numbers to urge our government to join the rest of the world in addressing global warming, and urge business to start a new industrial revolution of clean energy that reduces our dependence on oil.

Source: http://www.stopglobalwarming.org

...and a "Happy Blue Year" to all

While I don't share Michael Moore's enthusiasm towards the Democrats, I must admit the results of the Iowa caucus were a very welcomed surprise (we need more of those!). Below are excerpt's from Moore's thoughts sent out on his mailing list:

January 3, 2007

Friends,

There was no doubt about it. The message from Iowa tonight was
simple, but deafening:

If you're a candidate for President, and you voted for the war, you
lose. And if you voted and voted and voted for the war -- and never
once showed any remorse -- you really lose.

What an amazing night, not just for Barack Obama, but for America. I
know that Senator Obama is so much more than simply the color of his
skin, but all of us must acknowledge -- and celebrate -- the fact that
one of the whitest states in the U.S. just voted for a black man to be
our next president. Thank you, Iowa, for this historic moment. Thank
you for at least letting us believe that we are better than what we
often seem to be. And to have so many young people come out and vote
-- and vote for Obama -- this is a proud moment.

With all due respect to Senator Obama's victory, the most important
news out of the caucus this evening was the whopping, room-busting
turnout of Democrats. 239,000 people showed up to vote Democratic
tonight (93% more than in '04, which was a record year), while only
115,000 showed up to vote Republican. And this is a red state!

Bottom line: People have had it. Iowa will go blue (Happy Blue Year, Hawkeyes!).

Fasting in Winter

It is reported from Abû Hurayrah – Allâh be pleased with him – that he said:

"Shall I not point you to comfortable proceeds?"

People responded,

"And what is that o Abû Hurayrah?"

He replied,

"Fasting in winter."

The Arabs used to refer to matters which were relatively easy to gain as being cool. In this narration, the relative ease of fasting in winter and its consequent reward is likened to acquiring war proceeds without the heat of violence.

It is reported from 'Umar – Allâh be pleased with him – that he said: "Winter is booty for the devout worshippers."

It is reported from 'Ubayd b. 'Umayr – Allâh have mercy on him – that he said, "It used to be said when winter came: O people of the Qur`ân, the night has become long so you can pray (more) and the day has become short for you to fast." (Abû Nu'aym, Hilyah Al-Awliyâ`.)

As with other experiences in this world, the Salaf used to be reminded of the hereafter when experiencing cold weather: It is reported from the famous worshipper Râbi'ah – Allâh have mercy on her – that she said, " I have never heard the adhân except that I remember the caller who will announce the Day of Resurrection, and I never see the falling snow except that I imagine the flying pages of the records of peoples deeds (on that day), and I never see swarms of locusts except that I think about the Great Gathering on the Last Day." (Ibn Al-Jawzî, Sifah Al-Safwah Vol. 2 p433.)

(hijab tip - Huda Shaka` and Sayings of the Salaf)

Video Complete!

I blogged a few weeks ago about a sister who was working on a project titled "I wish they knew," remember? She wanted to help American Muslims convey the things they wish people knew, to the world.

The good news: the video is complete!

The better news: you have one more opportunity to help this sister out. Watch the video, and then check out the message from her (included below) detailing how we can help her.



Dear friends,

As some of you may have heard, LinkTV is hosting a film contest. The theme is "the muslim experience," and I have entered three films. To win, I really need votes (preferably high ones) so I am asking you to please take a few minutes (registering only takes a minute) and vote for the following films:

"Bassem is Trying"

"A Land Called Paradise"

"The Sleeper Cell"

Registering is easy, even though I know everyone hates doing it. Right under the video, there is a link that says "log in" to vote. Then just click on "Join link tv," follow the directions, and return to the links to vote!

Please vote NOW - the deadline for voting is very, very close. (and you don't want to forget, do you??)
. . .
Each of these films, with the exception of "The Sleeper Cell" (which was my first film made years ago), was made for this contest on a tight deadline. A Special thanks to everyone who helped out to get these done on a tight deadline.

Please be sure to vote! For each film that wins, $1000 will go to an orphan sponsorship program through Islamic Relief.

So please take the time to vote, and forward this email to your friends and family! Feel free also to post relevant links to any possible blogs...

Thank you,

Lena Khan
Director


PS If you have reached this far in the email and you enjoyed the third film, please take a moment to pray for Yousef (Joseph) Epperson, who played the lead role in "The Sleeper Cell", was kind enough to play the part, and who died earlier this year.

Republic of Lakotah- The New Lakotah State
Are people aware of what is happening with the Lakotah State? They are legally separating themselves from the U.S. to become their own sovereign nation. It is very exciting and way past due in my opinion. Who wants to move to the Republic of Lakotah? Watch the video below for an explanation of the need to separate. Russell Means makes parallels with the West Bank and invites all to move to the Lakotah State.


Republic of Lakotah
http://www.republicoflakotah.com/

1/1/2008

Notice to All Foreign Governments and Private Owners of Real Estate within the Republic of Lakotah

TO: The United States of America; The States of: Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska; The County and Municipal Governments Operating within the Republic of Lakotah; and
All Private Owners of Real Estate within the Republic of Lakotah
Lakotah, through its government, have appointed representatives to withdraw from all the treaties with the United States of America.

Lakotah, through such representatives, have formally withdrawn from all agreements and treaties with the United States of America. The reinstitution of our freedom and independence is found in law.

Lakotah has reclaimed sovereignty as a nation and over its traditional lands.
Despite many years of repeated bad faith on the part of the United States government towards the Lakotah People, the Lakotah hold no animosity toward the American people, most of whom have had no part in the actions of their government. We wish to deal with the American people in good
faith and in a win-win manner.

While we have the right to impose liens on all of the real estate in our country, we prefer to come to resolutions with you all with out resorting to such measures. Accordingly, at this time, we are only declaring liens on real estate held by governments foreign to the Republic of Lakotah, but not on
real estate held by private parties.

The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties substantiate this freedom.

Lakotah welcomes the opportunity to meet and discuss this matter. We are in the process of scheduling meetings and will issue public invitations. Should you desire input with regard to scheduling these meetings, please contact us at the above.

Russell Means, Chief Facilitator
Provisional Government
Republic of Lakotah

Powerful Drawings

I believe these drawings are by an artist who goes by the name Latuff. I've had them for a while and thought I'd share them. I'm sure most of you have seen them, but I'm also sure others haven't. They are very powerful drawings with a powerful statement and meaning behind them. They represent the universality of the Palestinian suffrage and suffrage in general. I won't impose my interpretation, I'll leave that to you, but I hope you enjoy them and can use them for different projects.

Whats the Caucus Ruckus?

Today is the Iowa Caucus. Many people know the buzz of the caucus, but what the HECK is this Caucus ruckus?

Some questions I got leading up to today- democratic process, but what role does the caucus play, doesn't seem to democratic when my candidate doesn't make it? Why the heck are we even thinking about voting now? Or, how about this one, Caucus, is that a sexual term?

Caucus- in loose definition- means a gathering of people, like minded to decide on something. Islamically this process can be understood as coming together for the purposes of Shura. In our democracy, the caucus is coming together to decide on a "party candidate"- Republican or Democrat.

Unfortunately, we only have a two party system. In that system each party's candidates go head to head in the states in order to get the national party's bid for the Presidential nomination. Now in a state like California people who are on the fringe have a better chance at getting the nomination. For example- Kucinich would probably get enough votes from this state to buoy a legitimate campaign, as would an extremist nut case like Tancredo (who is no longer running) because both of them would be able to get the party die hards to come out and vote in an election- the caucus.

At one point these caucuses- correct me if I am wrong- were actually held by Congressional and legislative representatives of either party to elect a party presidential nominee, which to me is not all that DEMOCRATIC, however that began to change as the methods of communication and travel changed.

The reason why we don't normally get the fringe as nominees is because of the Post-Civil War structure of the parties. Again correct me if I am wrong- after the Civil War the nation being split in two needed mending and the South literally had to be cemented back together with the Union. In order to do that the political parties had to take into account what Southern politicians demands were. One of these brilliant idea's was to put together the caucus process so that the Southern states would weed out and present the presidential candidate for party consideration.

That are so many things to criticize about the process but for general history this explanation should suffice. Here is what happens in Iowa and the caucus itself:

Its not the normal primary election California and many other states use. If you want to know how it works, check out this link (What Happens at the Iowa Caucus). These "gatherings of the neighbors" basically elect delegates who would vote for a certain candidate at the national convention- which means they aren't voting for the candidate but rather delegates to represent the nominee of choice.

Why is this whole process important?

For starters read the evolution of the Iowa Caucus at NPR to really get an understanding of the process. However, for a general understanding here is the gist- Iowa is make or break for any presidential nominee. When we have up to eight candidates running, how does one person decide between any one of them? Iowa basically brings the zoom focus on the winners, they become the people you want to dissect. When the primary comes around to your state and you wish to participate, you have a clearer idea of who you want to vote for because since the early primaries the hot seat of media attention has been focused on the winners, often times leaving the losers to drop out and leave the race.

Now if you want to examine the criticisms of this process- aside from the "this is haram brother because it is not part of the Sharia" or the "we don't vote because it is a kufar system" analysis- check out these books:

• Hull, Christopher C. 2007. Grassroots Rules: How The Iowa Caucus Helps Elect American Presidents. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press.
• Squire, Peverill, ed. 1989. The Iowa Caucuses and the Presidential Nominating Process. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
• Winebrenner, Hugh. 1998. The Iowa Precinct Caucuses: The Making of a Media Event. 2nd ed. Ames: Iowa State University Press

And for all the Brown Coats this tid bit fact was really nice to learn about, preserve our minority history!

The origin of the word "caucus" is debated, although it is generally agreed that it came into use in English in the US. According to some sources, it comes from the Algonquin word for "counsel," cau´-cau-as´u, and was probably introduced into American political usage through the Democratic Party in New York known as Tammany Hall, which liked to use Native American terms. (from wikipedia under "caucus" search)

The "Kingdom" Strikes Again!

Saudi Arabia's most popular blogger, Fouad al-Farhan, has been detained for questioning, an Interior Ministry spokesman confirmed Monday. It was the first known arrest of an online critic in the kingdom.

Farhan, 32, who used his blog to criticize corruption and call for political reform, was detained "for violating rules not related to state security," according to the spokesman, Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, responding to repeated requests for comment with a brief cellphone text message.

Farhan's Dec. 10 arrest was reported last week on the Internet and has been condemned by bloggers in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Bahrain. The Saudi news media have not yet reported the arrest, but more than 200 bloggers in the kingdom have criticized Farhan's detention, and a group of supporters have set up a Free Fouad Web site.

Full Story: Washington Post