Wearing your heart on your head

Hands-down one of the best articles about wearing hijab (jazaks Marya!)...whether you're trying to understand why women put it on or take it off this is the place to start. Chaudry not only captures a lot of the external and internal struggles Muslim women go through, she do so with amazing clarity and objectivity.

After months of struggling to understand why so many American Muslim women are taking off their headscarves, I have come to this conclusion: that women of all shapes and sizes, cultures, and religious denominations undervalue themselves. And, contrary to Western feminists’ romanticized notions that the stripping off of one’s headscarf is inevitably a moment of rebellion against patriarchal institutions, I have found that, a great deal of the time, when an American Muslim woman takes off her headscarf it is likely a moment of surrender to a combination of social, political, cultural, and self-imposed pressures. Rather than it being a triumphant moment in which she seeks to define her spirituality beyond the confines of her wardrobe, or seeks to distance herself from a construction of her religious identity that seeks to contain her, it is most likely a moment in which she becomes overwhelmed by the growing weight of a society that labels her as an oppressed terrorist and a religious community that labels her as particularly virtuous and likely socially awkward.

You see, if and when an American Muslim woman puts on a headscarf out of her own free will, it is a unique moment in which her private relationship with God is manifested in a very public way. Unlike prayer, fasting, or even reading the Qur’an, when a Muslim woman chooses to cover herself she is suddenly putting a piece of her religiosity on display. There is a saying that some people wear their hearts on their sleeves. Well, for an American Muslim woman who covers her hair as a personal choice, to some extent she wears her spiritual heart on her head. She bows her covered head in prayer five times a day in submission to God, and chooses to prolong these moments of prayer by keeping her head covered throughout the day.

Although women of many religions cover their hair - including Orthodox Jews and Catholic Nuns - the idea that a woman’s spirituality is a function of how many yards of fabric she wears is an interesting concept, and one that does not sit well with mainstream society. In fact, in insisting on an increased modesty, an American Muslim woman who covers offends many Western sensibilities. And, adding to her challenges, she is also placed under a heightened level of scrutiny by a religious community that imposes an unrealistic construct of virtue upon her. Her community suddenly expects her to adhere to rigid rules and regulations, and she is in turn both resented and loved by her community as she struggles to adhere to these mandates.

In the end, an American Muslim woman in a scarf really has only one place to go for solace, for strength, and for peace – back to God. The society that she lives in writes her off as complaisant to her own oppression and the community that she belongs to insists that her worth lies not in the personality that the scarf contains but in the scarf itself. In either arena she is reduced and the headscarf is misappropriated and misunderstood. As much as a Muslim woman’s headscarf is no one’s business but her own, the headscarf has become everyone’s business and is on everyone’s mind.

Continue here

PS: The next time you hear a brother giving a lecture to sisters on wearing hijab, make sure he's read this. Many of them have great intentions but have no clue what it's all about.

Abu Dhabi hosts classes for US Muslims

I'm not sure travelling to the UAE is the best way for US Muslims to gain basic Islamic knowledge...

Also, why is helping US Muslims more important than educating converts in the UAE?

Anyone heard of the American Congress of Muslim Youth before?

Would like to find out more about this, but for now, this article is all I know (excerpts below):

A delegation of 21 professional women is the latest group to come to Zayed House for Islamic Culture as guests of the Government-funded institution for a month.

“They are mostly converts or second-generation Muslims. Many Muslims in America do not learn about Islam when they are growing up, and they fall susceptible to many influences,” Khaled al Mazrouei, the head of Zayed House, said.

“Women are the first educators in society so we brought these women, who represent a wide variety of ages, backgrounds and professions – they are all community leaders – and we’re teaching them the moderate and true middle way of Islam.”

The women in the current group, who are attending classes in Arabic and Islamic studies, include a nurse, a university professor and psychologist, a motivational speaker and activist in interfaith dialogue, the director of a shelter for abused women and a university student.

Zayed House used to provide minimal services to Muslim converts in the UAE but last year it started programmes for Muslims worldwide.

In the spring it taught Arabic to a delegation of Malaysian government workers. In December last year, it taught Islamic studies and how to address the needs of Muslims in the West to a group of US imams.

The current programme is run in co-ordination with the Washington DC-based American Congress of Muslim Youth.

...

Educators at Zayed House found there are many issues the women were unclear about because of the conflicting information they heard at home.

“Some of the things they are not clear on is how to maintain ‘silat al rahm’ with non-Muslim family members,” said Mr al Mazrouei, referring to one of Islam’s most important social pillars, the ‘relationship of the womb’, or family ties.

“Does giving money to non-Muslims count as zakat? And what about giving blood?” Zakat is a charity tax that all Muslims must pay every year.

Dhul Hajj- Reminder of Ibrahim AS

The 10 sacred days are upon us again, and it feels like Ramadan just ended? Here is an amazing reminder from Imam Zaid Shakir, whose book "Scattered Picutre: Reflections of An American Muslim" I am currently rereading:

The story of Pilgrimage (Hajj) and the feast ('Id) that accompanies it focuses our attention on the story of Abraham AS. God mentions the origins of the Pilgrimage when He orders Abraham AS, "Proclaim the Pilgrimage to all of humanity; they will respond, coming (to the sacred House) on foot, riding every possible conveyance, coming from every distant path. (22:27) It is related that Abraham AS responded by saying, "My Lord! How can I call all of humanity when my voice will not carry that far?" God said, "Issue the call, and We will make your voice reach them." Abraham AS then stood at his station (Maqam) and proclaimed, "O People! Your Lord has established a house of worship, make pilgrimage onto it!" It is then related that God caused the mountains to bow low in humility, and Abraham's AS voice traveled to the far corners of the Earth. Every animate and inanimate creation, along with those who had been decreed to make the Pilgrimage until the Day of Resurrection, then proclaimed, "We are responding in your dutiful service, o God! We are responding (labbaykallahmumma Labbayk)!"

Now that you know the immensity of these 10 days, go and find out what you can do since you might be like me, watching from afar as the Brothers and Sisters answer Abraham AS call this year!

Muslims Barred From Picture at Obama Event

Obama wants to give Apartheid Israel more missiles. He wants Apartheid Israel to reign over an un-divided Jerusalem. Those however, are his policies abroad. He's so much better on the home front:

Two Muslim women at Barack Obama's rally in Detroit on Monday were barred from sitting behind the podium by campaign volunteers seeking to prevent the women's headscarves from appearing in photographs or on television with the candidate.

The campaign has apologized to the women, both Obama supporters who said they felt betrayed by their treatment at the rally.

"This is of course not the policy of the campaign. It is offensive and counter to Obama's commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton. "We sincerely apologize for the behavior of these volunteers."
...
In Detroit on Monday, the two different Obama volunteers — in separate incidents — made it clear that headscarves wouldn't be in the picture. The volunteers gave different explanations for excluding the hijabs, one bluntly political and the other less clear.
...
The men said the volunteer, a twenty-something African-American woman in a green shirt, asked if their friends looked and were dressed like the young men, who were all light-skinned and wearing suits. Miller said yes, but mentioned that one of their friends was wearing a headscarf with her suit.

The volunteer "explained to me that because of the political climate and what's going on in the world and what's going on with Muslim Americans, it's not good for [Aref] to be seen on TV or associated with Obama," said Koussan, who is a law student at Wayne State University.
...
When they said they were with Abdelfadeel, the volunteer told them their friend would have to take the headscarf off or stay out of the special section, Marino said. They declined the seats.

After recovering from the shock of the incident, Abdelfadeel went to look for the volunteer and confronted her minutes later, she said in an e-mail interview with Politico.

"We're not letting anyone with anything on their heads like baseball [caps] or scarves sit behind the stage," she paraphrased the volunteer as saying, an account Marino confirmed. "It has nothing to do with your religion!"

In most work and school settings, religious dress — such as Jewish yarmulkes, Sikh turbans, Muslim hijabs — is permitted where secular clothing like baseball caps is not.

"The scarf is not just something she can take off — it's part of her identity," said Marino.

Photographs of the event also show men with hats in the section behind Obama and former Vice President Al Gore, though not directly behind the candidate.

Source: Politico

OK. Alright. You say it was just a volunteer making a mistake? Rather, it was two volunteers. And doesn't the "oh my staffer/volunteer made a mistake" line sound familiar? Yes! That's the same cop out Barbara Boxer used last year to justify Islamophobic actions on her end.

I want to understand. I really do. Somebody please explain to me why we are even bothering with these particular politicians? For intelligent and informed activists, isn't this becoming an issue of self respect?

Update (06/19/2008): Obama Apologizes to Muslim Women for Treatment at Rally

Criticism of Government- Dissent

Criticizing the government is a difficult task, for not only adverse comments but reprisals and persecution is also feared. Muslims have been encouraged to speak out the truth and take a bold stand in such situations too. That is Jihad in the true sense of the word. A person about to embark upon a battle (in the cause of Allah) asked the Prophet SAW "What type of Jihad ranks highest?" The Prophet SAW responded, "Truth spoken out before an oppressive ruler".

-Mohammad Nejatullah Siddiqqi, Aspects of Islamic Economy

Something that I found through out Islamic history was this complecency toward oppressive and dictatorial rulers, and now governments. It never made sense to me but the more I read the more I understood that Islam prefers order in society so that people can perform the Sunnah without obstruction. However, it was clear to me that when one was unable to perform the Fard and the ruler/regime was at fault, then the government must be taken down.

I understood this due to the numerous hadith, some of which are listed below:

A Muslim is obliged to listen and obey whether he likes the commands or not, as long as he is not asked to sin against God. But if asked to sin he should neither listen nor obey.

and

Listen to your ruler and obey him as long as he leads you by the Book of Allah, even if the ruler be a disfigured black

and

obedience to rulers is not valid where a disobedience to Allah is involved.

That makes me think that criticism/dissent historically does not have a place in Muslim political thought? Yet its human nature to disagree. I found the quote above to be the first instance of developing an understanding on how political differences are dealt with outside the above hadith.

Happy May Day!

May Day occurs on May 1 and refers to any of several public holidays.[1] In many countries, May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, which celebrates the social and economic achievements of the labor movement. As a day of celebration, however, the holiday has ancient origins and can relate to many customs that have survived into modern times. Many of these customs are due to May Day being a cross-quarter day, meaning that it falls approximately halfway between an equinox and a solstice.
...
May Day can refer to various labour celebrations conducted on May 1 that commemorate the fight for the eight hour day. May Day in this regard is called International Workers' Day, or Labour Day. The choice of May 1st was a commemoration by the Second International for the people involved in the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago, Illinois. As the culmination of three days of labor unrest in the United States, the Haymarket incident was a source of outrage and admiration from people around the globe. In countries other than the United States and Canada, residents sought to make May Day an official holiday and their efforts largely succeeded.

For this reason, in most of the world today, May Day has become an international celebration of the social and economic achievements of the labour movement. Although May Day received its inspiration from the United States, the U.S. Congress designated May 1 as Loyalty Day in 1958 due to the day's appropriation by the Soviet Union.[4] Alternatively, Labor Day traditionally occurs sometime in September in the United States. Some view this as an effort to isolate American workers from the worldwide community.

Source: Wikipedia

Yes, this holiday also had religious origins. However, unlike Christmas or Halloween I'd say it has fully evolved. May Day has a no (or at least fewer) religious remnants while one might argue Christmas is still a very religious holiday. Further, it's current form serves a purpose greater than wasting money on costumes and potentially inflating your dentist's bill (i.e. Halloween).

If you're going to celebrate only one "Western" holiday, my vote goes to May Day!

Towards meaningful interfaith dialogue

Interfaith dialogues are tricky.

Some are a cover for 'missionary dialogue' and aim at promoting one faith over the others. It is easy for one to compromise his/her beliefs when taking part in events of this type especially if one does not have a solid understanding of his/her own faith.

Others are meaningless, superficial gatherings to exchange smiles and handshakes and pretend that all religions are created equal. Those are a complete waste of time, and I would go as far as saying they make a mockery of religions and their followers because they do not allow a true exchange of ideas.

Then there is a third type which is the truely fruitful one. Those are the dialogues based on respect, which seriously tackle the issues, stereotypes, misunderstandings...and create an atmosphere of trust and genuine love and understanding.

Of course, there are always the interfaith debates but those are a different story. My favourite comment on those is one I heard from Sheikh Yusuf Estes: Debates bring a lot of heat, but not much light.

Going back to dialogues, I think all interfaith dialogues, whether between faith leaders and scholars or student activists, fall into one of the above categories.

Having said that, I greatly respect the stance taken by American Muslim leaders towards the Pope's visit to the US and dialogue with the Catholic church. In order for this dialogue to be meaningful, it should be based on trust and respect and not attempt to cover the differences but rather help shed the light of knowledge and understanding on them.

Excerpts from letter by American Muslim leaders to Pope [emphasis added]:

"We have always sought and will continue to seek harmonious relations with our Catholic neighbors and fellow citizens. This requires that we engage each other in honest and serious dialogue that does not overlook real differences, but always remains respectful and truly sincere, and gives each side ample opportunity to express its views. Thus, we reiterate our commitment to actively work with the Catholic Church and American Catholics on all issues of common ground, whether it is creating justice for all, ending poverty, or preserving human dignity and human life. Should you wish to engage Muslim Americans in a serious exchange of views; the Muslim American community stands ready to participate."

For full text of letter and more coverage of Pope's visit, click here.

Also, check out John Esposito's thoughts on the Pope's trip here.

Islam's Symbol?

From a friend at CLUE:

The non-profit I work for, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (www.cluela.org) is printing T-Shirts, are we are trying to come up with a more representative symbol for Islam, rather than the historically inaccurate crescent and star. Controversy over symbols aside, does anyone have any suggestions/ideas??

Please send them to me in a quick email.

Suggestion in comments.

Finding God On Campus

Since my first encounter with a Muslim, my interactions with the Muslim Student Association and Muslims students at Cal State Long Beach never stopped. Not only by participating in their events, such as the annual Islamic Awareness Week, Fast-a-thon and Eid at the Beach Carnival, but also by having Muslim friends around me, I was able to ask random questions such as: "Are Muslims allowed to drink coffee?" or "Are Muslims allowed to put makeup on?" I was encouraged to further explore Islam by what I had seen, heard and learned from sisters and brothers of the MSA.

The society we live in today gives us access to many things, including things that have been religiously discouraged or prohibited. It is easy to compromise faithfulness to Allah, but not succumbing to these by using self-control and discipline will make one a better Muslim – one who submits to God.

Full Story: Southern California InFocus

That Darn Resolution

Did you all make a new years resolution? Hurry up you have a few hours before the new year comes in. You can begin your list and see how far you get?

Okay, so each year people make new years resolutions. I usually make them when the new years begin, sometimes people make them well before the new years and they take stock of what is going on with their past years resolutions.

I happen to be one striving to be a bit more orderly in how I approach life. This year I came up with some resolutions. I wanted to share my thoughts on them but thought I would like to ask what other Muslims are resolving to do this upcoming year, the year that ends in 8, a year of the Olympics..a year of many celebrations and sorrows yet to come.

Please share your thoughts. I will post mine according to the response and frankness people display.

New study on American Muslims

Surprise, surprise...American Muslims are your average 'mainstream' Americans:

Muslim Americans are highly involved in the political process, relatively affluent and educated, and resemble the average American in terms of party affiliation, education and family income, according to research by Jen’nan Ghazal Read, associate professor of sociology at UC Irvine.

Read aims to shed light on a community that has been the subject of intense media scrutiny since 9/11, yet is still relatively unknown. In a recent survey, 66 percent of Americans said they know “very little or nothing” about Islam, and 34 percent said they have an “unfavorable opinion” of the religion.

“Muslim immigrants are not any different from earlier immigrant groups who came to America – they are motivated by the same desire to integrate and achieve a better way of life,” Ghazal Read said.

Continue press release here

I found this statistic the most interesting:

Muslim Americans are registered to vote at higher rates than the national average, a significant statistic considering that many are immigrants to the U.S.

"I Wish They Knew"

Most Muslims would agree that as a whole we are misunderstood. While many view us as terrorists, those who do not believe this stereotype know nothing more about us than that that we are not terrorists. It is one of the largest problems facing Muslims today: everyone seems to know who we are not -- not who we really are.

So who are we? Well, here is your chance to decide. UCLA Film School graduate Lena Khan is looking for your help in making a music video about this very idea. The video will be compiled from these responses.

Want to help? Here's your chance:
Visit "I Wish They Knew" to find out how, ASAP!

BA program in Muslim youth work

How cool is that ?! Can you imagine the long-term difference a program like this would make in our communities? Having qalified, full-time youth workers in every Islamic center and Muslim community organization...wow.

Although the UK and American Muslim communities are very different in some ways (ethnic background, economic status, education,...), I think both can make use of programs like this. May Allah (swt) bless your efforts brother Sadek Hamid.

Excerpts of interview with brother Sadek below:

Basically the idea for the course arose just over three years ago with my colleagues at the religious studies department at the University of Chester. They also have a Christian youth work programme running there for the last four or five years. As you know, Christian youth work is quite an established field in the UK. One of the professors on Islam was talking one day with the lecturer in Christian youth work, Richard Turner. Richard said, “Look, when I drive through Muslim communities, I see a lot of young people hanging about on corners and not getting up to much. Who's working with these Muslim young people?” That was the origin of the course. A thought and observation turned into an intention to develop something parallel to Christian youth work.

I started at the university as a doctoral student in 2004 and my own professional background is in youth work. It was great timing, alhamdulillah, in that sense. It has taken us to where we are today, in terms of having a fully accredited BA undergraduate programme which is the first and the only one of its kind in the UK. As far as we're aware, it's the only one in the world.

I think the biggest challenge is that not so much a resistance to youth work as having a religious perspective, it's actually an understanding of youth work itself and what it can do for a community's young people. I think apathy is probably the biggest challenge we face in that people – not only parents but young people themselves. At the moment, our community is in the state of – it's a mixed bag, isn't it? I mean we do have, no doubt, the second or third generation, we have an element that's very successful, that's integrated, that's confident, vibrant – it's moving on and making a contribution to society.

Full interview at altmuslim

(Hat tip: Muslim Recovery)

Yay OfficeMax...time to contact JCPenny

CAIR GOOD NEWS ALERT #528
OFFICEMAX DROPS MICHAEL SAVAGE ADS OVER ANTI-ISLAM BIAS

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/15/2007) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today announced that OfficeMax, a leading office products retailer, has joined a growing list of companies that have stopped advertising on Michael Savage's nationally-syndicated radio program because of the host's anti-Muslim views.

CAIR recently reported that Savage, whose "The Savage Nation" airs on more than 300 radio stations nationwide, screamed attacks on Muslims, Islam and the Quran, Islam's revealed text, during his October 29, 2007, program.

To listen to Savage's bigoted statements, click here.

CAIR ACTION ALERT #529
ASK JCPENNEY TO FOLLOW OFFICEMAX'S EXAMPLE

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE. Hostile comments can and will be used by Savage to further defame Islam and Muslims.)

1. CONTACT JCPenney, today's featured "Savage Nation" advertiser. (Other advertisers will be featured in the future.)

As part of the ongoing campaign to ask companies that advertise on "The Savage Nation" to stop buying air time on that program, today's featured company is JCPenney. Please contact company officials to express your concerns about their support of such a hate-filled program.

CONTACT:

Mr. Myron E. Ullman
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer J.C. Penney Company, Inc.
6501 Legacy Drive
Plano, TX 75024
Tel: 972-431-1000
Fax: 972-431-9140

E-Mail:
jcpcorpcomm@jcpenney.com, jrae1@jcpenney.com, rvjohnso@jcpenney.com, psanc3@jcpenney.com, tmlyons@jcpenney.com, qcrensha@jcpenney.com, kparkhou@jcpenney.com, ovela@jcpenney.com, dbrossar@jcpenney.com

COPY TO: info@cair.com

Note: if we don't do our work and ask companies to take action against Savage's ridiculously ignorant and hateful statements, we can't complain about him still being on air next week. Using five minutes of your time will go a long way insha'Allah.

A letter from MPAC director to the Muslim community

As some Muslamics readers commented, let's keep the focus on the LAPD project and coming up with a wise, strong, united response to the situation.

Dear Friends,

As-salaamu alaykum. Last week, the Los Angeles Times published several articles regarding the Los Angeles Policy Department's recent announcement that they will be initiating a project which will essentially "map" Muslims in the Southern California area.

I would like to take this opportunity to clarify our position to you directly:


- MPAC does not support, nor has agreed to work with the LAPD on a "mapping" program. Deputy Chief Mike Downing misrepresented MPAC's position in his comments to the Los Angeles Times on Nov. 9th which stated that MPAC "embraced the program 'in concept'." This is simply not true. We have at no point embraced, supported or otherwise signed onto this vaguely defined proposed program.

- MPAC strongly opposes, and will work against any "mapping," profiling, or singling out of Muslims or any other community that could essentially be used by the LAPD's counterterrorism division to violate our privacy, civil liberties, and human rights.

- MPAC is committed to working with decision makers directly to get better decisions made -- be they in government, Congress, the media, interfaith, or Muslim community circles. We stand in defense of the Constitution and our core values as Muslim Americans.

- I, along with other Southern California Muslim leaders, will attend a meeting with LAPD officials on Thursday, November 15 to see complete information and to critically review the proposal before making any assessments or recommendations.

Thank you to all those who have contacted us with your comments, your feedback, and your concerns. We are seriously reviewing the known aspects of this so-called "mapping" plan and will issue our full assessment publicly after Thursday's meeting.

Sincerely,

Salam Al Marayati

Executive Director,
Muslim Public Affairs Council

U.S. Congress passes Ramadan bill

Edited post: I am withholding personal commentary on the ramifications of the passage of this bill. Take it as you wish. The original purpose of this post was for the general edification of Muslamics' readers, and I am going to leave it that way. Please feel free to comment.

* * *

110th CONGRESS
1st Session - H. RES. 635

Recognizing the commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commending Muslims in the United States and throughout the world for their faith.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 5, 2007

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas (for herself, Mr. MEEKS of New York, and Mr. KEITH ELLISON) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commending Muslims in the United States and throughout the world for their faith.

Whereas since the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, threats and incidents of violence have been directed at law-abiding, patriotic Americans of African, Arab, and South Asian descent, particularly members of the Islamic faith;

Whereas, on September 14, 2001, the House of Representatives passed a concurrent resolution condemning bigotry and violence against Arab-Americans, American Muslims, and Americans from South Asia in the wake of the terrorist attacks;

Whereas it is estimated that there are approximately 1,500,000,000 Muslims worldwide;

Whereas Ramadan is the holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal for Muslims worldwide, and is the 9th month of the Muslim calendar year; and

Whereas the observance of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan commences at dusk on September 13, 2007, and continues for one lunar month: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That--

(1) during this time of conflict, in order to demonstrate solidarity with and support for members of the community of Islam in the United States and throughout the world, the House of Representatives recognizes the Islamic faith as one of the great religions of the world; and

(2) in observance of and out of respect for the commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, the House of Representatives acknowledges the onset of Ramadan and expresses its deepest respect to Muslims in the United States and throughout the world on this significant occasion.

The Congress passed the resolution unanimously 376-0 on October 2,2007.

Disturbing & Sad (But Also Awkwardly Funny?)

"He felt dizzy, and next moment he stopped breathing"

A brother in South Orange County passed away. It seems that it was unexpected. I do not even know his name, but I pray for his forgiveness, ask Allah to make his soul at rest in the grave to provide for his family and replace their grief with stronger iman and the knowledge that one day they will once again be reunited.

Readers Choice Award

So me being famous is great an all, but HONESTLY, I am getting a bit disgusted by seeing that picture when my browser opens, I decided it was time for a new post.

I realized that Muslamics got the Times Online Faith Central recognition for being a Readers Choice.

Which is great considering that we have not been around for that long, that our posts are limited due to the fact that all of us are either a) students, b) young professionals in demanding jobs, c) totally overworked and stressed out and finally d) think we can change the world overnight and get frustrated when our mom's tell us that we can't stay out past 11 pm because she gets worried about us and all the drunk drivers out there! Yes, I think that covers many of our sensibilities.

But look, Faith Central also gave recognition to Muslim Matters which is an amazing site to catch some of the buzz going on within the Muslim community! In fact, my friend over at the God Blog got recognized as well!

Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week: Coming to a Campus NEAR YOU

I haven't decided what I think might be the recommended approach to this. Do we counter it with parallel events? Do we ignore it all together? Do we use it as motivation to put more work into our usual MSA activities?


A Student’s Guide to Hosting Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week
October 22-26, 2007

During the week of October 22-26, 2007, the nation will be rocked by the biggest conservative campus protest ever – Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week, a wake-up call for Americans on 200 university and college campuses.

The purpose of this protest is as simple as it is crucial: to confront the two Big Lies of the political left: that George Bush created the war on terror and that Global Warming is a greater danger to Americans than the terrorist threat. Nothing could be more politically incorrect than to point this out. But nothing could be more important for American students to hear. In the face of the greatest danger Americans have ever confronted, the academic left has mobilized to create sympathy for the enemy and to fight anyone who rallies Americans to defend themselves. According to the academic left, anyone who links Islamic radicalism to the war on terror is an "Islamophobe." According to the academic left, the Islamo-fascists hate us not because we are tolerant and free, but because we are "oppressors."

Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week is a national effort to oppose these lies and to rally American students to defend their country.

Schools to date at which the David Horowitz Freedom Center will be organizing Islamo-Fascism Awareness Weeks

1. Penn State
2. Temple University
3. Pace University
4. Arizona State University
5. UC Berkeley
6. George Mason University
7. Columbia University
8. Emory University
9. Georgia Tech University
10. UCLA
11. Dartmouth University
16. Depaul University
22. USC
30. Stanford
39. Cal State Northridge
109. Cal State Fullerton

For more information on the hate mongering campaign
and a full list of schools, visit: "Terrorism" Awareness