Islamic Horizons Jan/Feb 12

January/February 2012/1433 | $4.00 | www.isna.net

The SkinLess Project | Aboriginal Aussie Muslims | Women of the Revolution

Muslim Physicians on a Mission to Heal Trailblazing Athletes

Feeling Comfortable in Your Workplace Legal Marriage Matters

The Legacy and Role of African

American Muslims 50 Years for DC’s Masjid Muhammad Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement

Contents

Vol. 41 No. 1 January/February 2012 visit isna online at: www.isna.net

Cover Story 16 Muslim African Americans:

Past, Present, Potential

Horizons takes a look back at the legacy of Islam in the African American community.

22 The Nation’s Masjid Celebrates 50 Years

Diversity and interfaith work thrive at D.C.'s Masjid Muhammad.

24 Civil Rights and Wrongs

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Learning from the civil rights movement of the '60s to overcome the challenges of today.

Muslims in Action 27 28 29 30 32 33

The SkinLess Project The Conference for Palestine in the U.S. Student Leaders Convene for Justice Muslim Athletes Breaking Barriers Multi-Culturalism and the Muslim American Market A Model Student

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Politics and Society 34 Toward Economic Equity 38 Islam in the Office 41 Losing Liberty 42 Calling for a Faithful Budget

Around the World 44 47 50 51

On a Mission to Heal Indigenous Australians Find Serenity in Islam More than Just ‘Facebook Girl’ First Female Arab Nobel Laureate

Family Life 52 License to Wed

In Memoriam 58 Community Trailblazer

Mohammed Abdul-Munim

44 Departments 6 8 11 56 60

Editorial ISNA Matters Community Matters Reviews Food for the Spirit

DESIGN & LAYOUT BY: Gamal Abdelaziz, A-Ztype Copyeditor: Meha Ahmad. The views expressed in Islamic Horizons are not necessarily the views of its editors nor of the Islamic Society of North America. Islamic Horizons does not accept unsolicitated articles or submissions. All references to the Quran made are from The Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Amana, Brentwood, MD.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

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Editorial

Leading the Way

A

s a new year begins, one can only hope it is as eventful as the last. We reflect on the past, and hope for a better future. Though the American Muslim community has undergone its share of challenges—from hateful Islamophobes on the airwaves, to civil rights challenges in the courts—we have much to be optimistic about.

Muslims have garnered more exposure as leaders and effective, constructive community members. They have participated in the healthcare debate, broken into Hollywood, and taken a proactive role in the movement for economic justice. And much of the success of our community, and its resilience in dealing with obstacles in its path, is owed to the African American Muslim community.

Since the conversion of Malcolm X to Sunni Islam, and the legendary Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, who shaped one of the greatest centripetal movements in the history of religion in America, and even before, African American Muslims have laid the foundation for Islam in America. They defined, and continue to embody, what it means to be American and to be Muslim; for them, it is not even a question.

Professor Sherman Jackson once noted that one of the reasons rightwing critics shy away from bringing up President Obama’s race when questioning his “American-ness,” and resort to conspiracy theories alleging he is Muslim, is because it is no longer acceptable to separate being black from being American. You cannot question an African American’s loyalty to America simply because he or she is black; Jackson asserted that this was a result of the decades of struggle that African Americans endured to

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PUBLISHER The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)

“renegotiate” the American identity to be inclusive of them.

Now the same must happen for Muslims. And African Americans are lending their experiences to make that happen.

Yes, our Muslim communities are far from being fully integrated, both racially and ethnically. However, mosques like D.C.’s Masjid Muhammad, organizations like the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), and leaders like imams Zaid Shakir and Siraj Wahhaj have taken a proactive role in engaging Muslims from across the spectrum of race and ethnicity, those that are native born to the U.S. and immigrants, men and women. A highly-acclaimed film of 2011, “Moozlum,” written and directed by African American Muslim Qasim Bashir, and was well received by mainstream crowds. Muslim rapper Lupe Fiasco has also been vocal on issues from the occupation of Palestine to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Muslim athletes like Hamza and Husain Abdullah in the NFL and hijab-wearing fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad have integrated their practice of Islam with their sport, serving as role models to the younger generation of Muslims, thereby demonstrating that you do not have to compromise your faith to attain success in any field.

By continuing on this track and implementing the lessons of the past to improve our future, Muslim Americans of all backgrounds can remain confident that Islam in America will continue to flourish despite the obstacles posed by bigotry and Islamophobia. We must focus on strengthening our institutions and creating atmospheres that are inclusive to all, so that Muslims become a positive, progressive part of the American narrative.

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PRE SID ENT Mohamed Hagmagid Ali SECRE TA RY GENER A L Safaa Zarzour ED IT O R

Omer Bin Abdullah A ssistant Editor Deanna Othman ED IT O RIA L A DVIS O RY B OA RD

Susan Douglass (Chair); Dr. Jimmy Jones; Dr. Sulayman Nyang; Dr. Ingrid Mattson.

ISL A MI C H O RIZO NS

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ISNA Matters Citizenship Compatible with Faith Like other faith communities in the U.S., “we see no inherent conflict between the normative values of Islam and the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights,” said the resolution adopted by the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) in September 2011.

FCNA—the body of Islamic scholars—dismissed false accusations and Islamophobic propaganda, and said Islam promotes the sanctity of human life, dignity of all humans, and respect of human, civil and political rights.

Islamic teachings uphold religious freedom and adherence to the same universal moral values that are: accepted by the major-

ity of people of all backgrounds, and upon which the U.S. Constitution was established.

FCNA rejected the suggestion that there is a contradiction between being faithful Muslims committed to God and being loyal citizens. Islamic teachings require respect of the laws of the land where Muslims live as minorities, including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, so long as there is no conflict with the Muslims’ obligation for obedience to God. “We do not see any such conflict with the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The primacy of obedience to God is a commonly held position of

many practicing Jews and Christians as well,” the FCNA stated. “We believe further that as citizens of a free and democratic society, we have the same obligations and rights of all U.S. citizens. We believe that right of dissent can only be exercised in a peaceful and lawful manner to advance the short and long term interests of our country.”

Muslim Americans and American citizens at large, FCNA advised, should engage in objective, peaceful and respectful dialogue at all levels and spheres of common social concerns.

“It is fully compatible with Islam for Muslims to integrate positively in the society of which they are equal citizens, without losing their identity as Muslims (just as Jews and Christians do not lose their religious identity in doing the same),” said FCNA. “We believe that emphasis on dialogue and positive collaborative action is a far better approach than following the paths of those who thrive on hate-mongering and fear propaganda.”

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Attack on Religious Laws Violates Freedoms Dr. Mattson in New Role ISNA President Imam Magid expressed his appreciation for the Jewish scholars’ understanding that the attacks on religious laws, such as Shariah, rules that are practiced in private and not imposed on others, is a violation of religious freedom. At an Oct. 30, 2011 event, “Muslim and Jewish Perspectives on the Interpretation of Foundational Religious Texts,” Magid said, “It is an attack on the freedom of all faiths to practice their religion freely, and we look forward to continued work with the Jewish community to promote tolerance and protect religious freedom together.”

He added that the bigoted campaign in America that spreads fear and lies about Islam would like the world to believe that Muslims are naturally violent, that Islam teaches violence, and that Shariah law not only makes that violence legal but also requires every Muslim to practice it. Conversely, there are many in the Muslim community who believe that all Jews are naturally opposed to freedom of religion for Muslims. The 8

reality is quite the opposite, he pointed out, adding that is why ISNA leaders regularly engage with interfaith leaders to remove common myths about Islam and Shariah law and to work with them to promote tolerance in our local communities.

Imam Magid convened with Jewish and Muslim scholars, representing an incredibly diverse range of theological perspectives, to openly discuss both the Islamic and Jewish legal systems, the Shariah and Halacha, and debunk common myths that can feed both Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.The diverse range of scholars from the faith communities shared how they interpret religious law, and allowed for very candid dialogue among the various faith leaders.

Marshall Breger, professor of international law, said, “Anyone hearing Imam Magid’s forceful and impassioned call for mutual compassion and tolerance would be hard pressed to stick to the old canard that there are no Muslim partners for dialogue.”

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Former ISNA president and current Majlis member Dr. Ingrid Mattson has been appointed as the inaugural London and Windsor Community Chair in Islamic Studies at Huron University College’s Faculty of Theology.

Mattson, a Canadian, will build on almost 150-year tradition at Huron of open discourse between people of various faiths. She says Huron has “a remarkable history of critical inquiry and I look forward to building on this tradition by offering Huron students the opportunity to learn about a faith that more than 20 per cent of the world’s population practices, in an open and liberal environment.”

Mattson, who is currently serving as director of the The Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary, will begin her appointment July 1, 2012.

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Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

ISNA Leaders on Hajj

Can Jews, Muslims and Christians All Get Along?

On Arafat day, (L-R) Dr. Munaf Kadri, Ummah Clinic chairman; Arif Gosla, a hotelier; Azhar Azeez, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, and Abdul Wahab, chair at ISNA conventions.

ISNA and community leaders traveled as group for Hajj 2011, with travel operator Darel Salam. Among them were Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi of the Fiqh Council of North America), Shaykh Mohamed Salah, Imam Mongy, Imam Mohamed Cheblee, Qari Abdul Basit, Imam Abdul Hakim; Imam Kifah Mustapha; and Azhar Azeez, ISNA-USA vice president.

During their hajj, they gave lectures after every prayer and meals.

Azeez said tents for hajjis coming from North America were situated in a group. He added that efforts are progressing to establish hajj mission for hajjis

coming from North America. Mohamed K. Koshan, counsel general for the U.S. based in Saudi Arabia, spoke at the farewell banquet for hajjis hosted by Darel Salam.

Many North American students currently studying in Madinah University and Ummul Qura University volunteered with the group to assist hajjis, being fluent in both English and Arabic.

Darel Salam, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Toronto, has been serving hajj groups for the past 26 years, and was the largest hajj provider group from North America.

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FBI Urged to Eliminate Biased Training A September 2011 national security report titled, “FBI Teaches Agents: ‘Mainstream’ Muslims are ‘Violent, Radical,’” highlighted the FBI’s use of biased and factually inaccurate antiMuslim training materials. Many of the training materials stated that the more devout a Muslim is the more likely they are to be violent.

ISNA, working through the Shoulder-to-Shoulder campaign and other coalitions, stressed that factually inaccurate and biased intelligence products

are just as damaging as biased training materials. The campaign asked that

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

The second “Family of Abraham — Toward a Common Vision” event held in Nashville, held in November 2011, brought together Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, national director of ISNA’s Office of Interfaith and Community Initiatives; Rabbi Daniel Levitt of the Congregation Sherith Israel; and the Rev. Becca Stevens of Vanderbilt’s St. Augustine Chapel.

Syeed addressed the most serious conservative objections to Islam: first, that Islam is incompatible with democracy; second, that Islam is antimodern and hostile toward science.

He pointed out that ISNA leadership is democratically elected and includes women in prominent positions.

Syeed said Muslims embrace American pluralism, which includes rejecting anti-Semitism. He viewed that the Muslim experience in America could change opinion and ease conflict abroad.

Event moderator Irwin Venick pointed out that American Jews share with Muslims an immigrant experience and minority identity that create natural affinities of interest.

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while FBI reexamines its anti-terror training materials to remove discriminatory and inaccurate information; it also reexamined such information found in its public reports, which inform the practice of law enforcement officials across the nation.

In response, the FBI announced that, “strong religious beliefs should never be confused with violent extremism.”

However, in recent years, in addition to these training materials, the FBI and other federal agencies have produced materials that promote the same biased and inaccurate information used in the training materials in question.

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ISNA Matters

Fighting Poverty With Faith

More than 21 million American families living in poverty only have $31.50 a week to spend on groceries. Proposed funding cuts in Congress could slash their meager food budget even more. The SNAP (food stamp) program, which provides weekly food allowances to families in poverty through Congressional funding, is in danger of serious budget cuts that could hurt families in need.

Fighting Poverty With Faith (FPWF), a national interfaith coalition, works year-round to meet their goal of cutting poverty in half by the year 2020. The 2011 annual mobilization campaign, which

serves to eliminate the root causes of poverty, focused on protecting American families by urging Congress to withhold from cutting SNAP funding.

As an endorsing organization, ISNA worked year-round to prepare for this mobilization, connecting Muslim communities with their interfaith partners to host local events nationwide. During 2011, 35 partnerships formed nationwide for FPWF programs and ISNA leaders joined other partners in FPWF to kick off their annual campaign at a grocery store in D.C. White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen

ISNA Promotes Interfaith Dialogue at Doha ISNA leaders joined more than 200 interfaith leaders, scholars, and some elected officials from 60 countries and six continents for the three-day 9th Annual Doha Conference of Interfaith Dialogue in Doha, Qatar, focusing on building interfaith dialogue through social media.

The conference, held Oct. 24-26 2011, also focused on how faith leaders can work with their communities to make sure they are using social media wisely.

ISNA Secretary General Safaa Zarzour joined a panel of interfaith leaders from Britain, Iran and Egypt to discuss best practices for using social media to promote dialogue.

“People talk about everything on social media today; while they share what cereal they ate for breakfast on Twitter, we also hope to engage our communities in 10

more meaningful discussions using social media as our tool to reach them and get them together,” Zarzour said. “Whether it be a Facebook campaign to allow users to ask questions openly about other faiths and get honest answers to break down religious stereotypes, or a Twitter campaign to protect religious freedom, social media is an excellent tool to unite us.”

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Merrigan, and six members of Congress attended the kick-off press conference Oct. 27 to show support for the campaign.

Those at the kick-off followed the press conference with a trip into the grocery store to begin the Food Stamp Challenge and see firsthand what it is like to buy groceries for one week with only $31.50.

“God in His infinite mercy has given us stewardship of His earthly resources.

He has given us the responsibility to look after the needs of those who are poor and do not have access to those resources,” said ISNA National Director Dr. Sayyid Syeed. “The national budget is a document that represents our priorities as a nation. When we develop a budget that fails to support the members of our community who do not have the resources needed to survive, then we have set our priorities to support the suffering, pain and deprivation of our most deprived population. Making cuts to critical programs like SNAP could result in long-term suffering and an imbalance in the scales of justice for generations to come.”

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Confronting Discrimination ISNA President Imam Mohamed Magid joined Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez and other leaders from the government and interfaith community in D.C. to address post9/11 discrimination.

The Oct. 19, 2011 event, “Confronting Discrimination in the Post9/11 Era,” was co-hosted by the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and the George Washington University Law School.

After 9/11, there was a sharp increase in hate crimes and discrimination perpetrated in the U.S. against Muslims and people who “looked” Muslim to the larger community, such as Arabs, Sikhs, and South Asians.

This religious and racial discrimination is still a great challenge faced by these minority communities today.

The leaders at the event discussed the current civil rights challenges facing the communities and how the nation can best meet those challenges now and in the years ahead.

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Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Community Matters FBI Ordered to Pay California Shura Council The FBI must pay the legal fees of Muslim activist groups that sued the federal agency for access to its files, said a U.S. District Court Nov. 17 ruling.

Judge Cormac Carney said, while the financial sanction was not based on the merits of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California’s Freedom of Information Act case, it was to punish a government that chose to lie to its own judicial system.

“The court must impose monetary sanctions to deter the government from deceiving the court again,” Carney wrote.

After a nearly five-year court battle, Carney ruled in April 2011 that the Shura Council could not review additional records of FBI inquiries into its activities, but he berated the government for misleading the

court about the existence of the files.

“Parties cannot choose when to tell the court the truth,” Carney wrote. “They must be truthful with the court at all stages of the proceedings if judicial review is to have any real meaning.”

The ruling refutes the FBI’s claim that admitting the files existed would have compromised national security, noting the privacy of sensitive filings can be protected by the courts.

The Shura Council, which is composed of six Muslim American community organizations and five community leaders, had requested access to all records created since January 2001, including surveillance, monitoring and other investigations of the council.

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First Muslim National Food Drive

In just four weeks, between Sept. 19 and Oct. 14, Muslim students nationwide collected over 10 tons of food and hygiene products.

The national “The Can-Paign” (canned food drive) campaign was launched in summer 2011 by students from the University of South Florida chapter of Muslims Without Borders. MWB is partnering with Helping Hand For Relief & Development to secure direct shipment of supplies to the Horn of Africa.

This opportunity to send aid to the world’s most desperate region was one that could not be passed up, according to a representative from Muslims Without Borders.

It was adopted by more than 30 college campuses from Zaytuna College on the West Coast to Yale on the East Coast, snowballing into a movement to help thousands of starving people in East Africa. The leading campuses—Virginia Tech, USF, Rutgers and University of Maryland College Park—themselves raised over 2,000 lbs. of food each. The food was then delivered to regional HHRD regional warehouses from New Jersey, Maryland to South Florida.

MWB will repeat “The Can-Paign” each fall on campuses across America, the longterm goal of the project is to not just help those in need overseas, but to build regional food banks and foster interfaith here in the U.S. “The Can-Paign” is evidence to the fact that one idea can better the lives of people across the globe. MWB continues to organize students nationwide and is planning an ever bigger initiative for the Spring 2012 semester.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

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Social Service Group Holds Awareness Walk

Arab American Family Services, a nonprofit social service organization located in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, held a domestic violence and breast cancer awareness walk on Oct. 8 with more than 100 participants attending.

AAFS primarily serves an Arab-Muslim female audience and offers support in the areas of domestic violence, as well as public benefits, immigration, mental health and elderly services. They also sponsor outreach programs to build healthier families and communities. Domestic violence and health ailments are often “taboo topics” for many immigrant communities. Rather than seeing themselves as patients in need of treatment, many who experience domestic violence or have a health problem, such as cancer, choose to suffer in silence or not seek treatment at all.

Realizing the lack of education around the issues of domestic violence and breast cancer, AAFS sought to teach people that it is okay to talk about these issues. The purpose of the walk was to educate and raise awareness and to offer cross-cultural and interfaith solidarity in combating these matters, according to AAFS Executive Director Itedal Shalabi.

Leaders from the various faith communities came to speak about the issues at hand and lend their support. Ayesha Rahima, a local leader from the Muslim community, spoke about the need to educate our communities on health conditions and the need to seek treatment. Father Saleh, a priest from a local church, spoke about faith as a means of treatment to both domestic violence and handling health conditions.

AAFS plans to hold the Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence Awareness Walk again next year and hopes that each year the fight for a cure and a fight for empowerment continues to grow.

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Community Matters

Lifetime Service Award Dr Iqbal Unus, a former ISNA secretary general, a veteran of community service and leadership in the Muslim community, received the Life Service Award from the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Oct. 16, 2011.

Unus has served as the national president of the MSA of the U.S. and Canada in 1975. He was a key organizer of the transition of MSA to the Islamic Society of North America and has continued to serve ISNA in varying key positions over the past four decades. In 1994, as director of educational programs, he added the International Institute of Islamic Thought to his already extensive community service resume.

Unus, who has a Ph.D. in nuclear physics, has mentored and facilitated strategic planning at several community organizations and has also conducted training programs for community leadership nationally and internationally. He has served on the board of trustees of the Sterling, Va.-based All Dulles Area Muslim Society, serves on the board of

Amana Mutual Funds Trust, and has held several offices in the Association of Muslim Scientists and Engineers.

Unus is member of the executive committee member of Council of Muslim Organizations of Greater Washington, D.C. The event also honored: the imam of the Tennessee mosque featured in the hourlong CNN documentary, “Unwelcome: the Muslims Next Door”; Kulsoom Abdul-

Kashmiris Recall Day of Occupation

Syed Ali Geelani

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

The board of directors of the D.C.based Kashmiri American Council (KAC) issued an appeal Oct. 27, 2011, asking the international community to demand that India allow the UN Security Council mandated free and impartial referendum that grants the Kashmiris their inalienable right of self-determination.

“All those who believe in an inclusive, pluralistic global village that recognizes 12

Mohammad Yasin Malik

spaces for individual expression must seize the moment and petition for a referendum in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” said KAC, marking the 64th anniversary of the Indian invasion and subsequent occupation.

Kashmiris across the globe, following the call of their leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, carried out activities toward

lah, the Muslim woman weightlifter who CAIR helped win the right to compete in major competitions while wearing modest Islamic attire; Rais Bhuiyan, the Muslim partially blinded in a post-9/11 hate crime yet famously worked to have his attacker’s death sentence commuted; and the Muslim Community Center Medical Clinic in Silver Spring, Md., which offers free medical services to people without health insurance.

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raising awareness of the tragic plight of their people. India refuses to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions of Aug. 13, 1948 and Jan. 5, 1949—mandating a plebiscite in Kashmir administered by the UN. The U.S. is a signatory to these resolutions.

The KAC Board declared that India was a flagrant violator of international law, in particular reference to the mass graves, rapes, murder, and the forcible confinement of Kashmiri leaders, imprisonment, coercion and fear in violation of Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Board reiterated that Kashmiris only seek what has been afforded to Namibia, East Timor, Montenegro and Southern Sudan: a UN-administered, self-determination vote.

The Board urged both India and Pakistan to include the accredited leadership of Jammu and Kashmir in all future negotiations. Any Kashmir solution that fails to command the consensus of the 17 million Kashmiris is doomed, because only with Kashmiri participation, anything is possible; without it, nothing is, according to the KAC Board.

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Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

New NAACP Executive Member Phoenix attorney Mohammed W. Alzaidi has joined the executive committee of the Maricopa Country Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Alzaidi, a civil litigation attorney, is a member of the Arab-American AntiDiscrimination Committee and Arab-American Institute.

He also serves on the City of Phoenix Police Advisory board that communicates and gives recommendations to police departments when it comes to the Muslim community in Phoenix.

He is also a member of Arizona Trail Lawyer Association.

NAACP, founded 1909, is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most widely recognized grassroots-based civil rights organization.

Its more than half-a-million members and supporters, are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors. The NAACP’s principal objective is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group Americans and eliminate race prejudice.

The NAACP seeks to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through the democratic processes.

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Community Engagement Roundtable

Toward building partnerships and fostering meaningful relationships between various federal law enforcement agencies and the Muslim community, the Mosque Foundation, in conjunction with the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), hosted a quarterly meeting on Sept. 22, 2011 in Chicago. The meeting was attended by leaders from the community and several federal government entities.

Margo Schlanger, who heads the CRCL, a part of Department of Homeland Security, spoke on policymaking and training regarding civil right issues.

Robert Grant, FBI Special Agent-inCharge, apologized for the Islamophobic comments made at a departmental training, and explained that when authorities became aware of its content, they refrained from

hosting future seminars with the so-called “expert.”

Representatives from various federal agencies attended the meeting, including: FBI, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, among others. The roundtable was also attended by representatives from Muslim and nonMuslim community organizations, including Muslim Bar Association, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, Interfaith Youth Core, Mosque Foundation, Islamic Foundation of Villa Park, Islamic Center of Naperville, Council on AmericanIslamic Relations, and Muslim Women’s Alliance.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

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Indiana Physician Given Golden Hoosier Award

Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Malik, a retired physician, of Carmel, Ind., received the Golden Hoosier Award on Oct. 7, 2011, from Indiana Lt. Governor Becky Skillman and Michael Gargano, secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration.

Malik, among the 24 Hoosier senior winners, was recognized for his community service. For several decades, he has volunteered for all of the mosques and various interfaith organizations across the Indianapolis area, delivering sermons and speeches that foster interfaith understanding and peace.

The award, a collaboration between Skillman and FSSA that began in 2008, is considered one of the highest state honors given to seniors, and recognizes those who have never received a state award before.

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The Responsibility to Protect The Center for Global Peacebuilding [CGP] at Claremont Lincoln University hosted a Pe a c e bu i l d i ng Round Table on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), on Oct. 19, 2011 to explore how R2P has been used in the past and its potential in current conflicts, as well as the role of religion in preventive peacemaking.

Claremont Lincoln Prof. Najeeba SyeedMiller, founder and director of CGP, explored the faith-based responses that emphasize non-violence and mentioned the work of Muslim scholars who are concerned with the use of weapons that might affect noncombatants, which contradicts Islamic principles, reports Noor-Malika Chishti.

Dr. Glen Stassen, a professor in the field of faith and ethics, shared some faith-based practices outlined in the book.

Dr. Lako Tongun, associate professor of international and intercultural studies at Pitzer College, said the institutional capacity of the UN to implement R2P must be developed, and the public must be vocal in demanding this.

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Community Matters

Ibn Sina Award Honors Medical Pioneer The Chicago-based Compassionate Care Network (CCN) recognized Dr. Teepu Siddique with its Ibn Sina Award 2011 at its annual banquet on Nov. 18, 2011. The award— named for Ibn Sina, a renowned Muslim physician and philosopher, whose towering figure in the field of medicine dominated the stage of science for centuries—honors an individual or organization for their outstanding services in medicine.

Siddique, from the Fineberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, led a team conducting pioneering research in the field of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease). The team’s discovery could have

NEWS BRIEFS Obama Honors Mentor

President Barack Obama honored Shaik Jeelani of Tuskegee University, along with eight other recipients, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, on Nov. 15, 2011. They will receive their awards at a White House ceremony later this year.

The Presidential Award recognizes the crucial role that mentoring plays in the academic and personal development of students studying science and engineering — particularly those who belong to groups that are underrepresented in these fields. By offering their expertise and encouragement, mentors help prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers while ensuring that

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a role to play in other neurodegenerative diseases as well, including dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Siddique’s other passion in life is his study tomorrow’s innovators reflect and benefit from the diverse talent of the U.S. In addition to being honored at the White House, recipients receive awards of $25,000 from the National Science Foundation to advance their mentoring efforts.

“Through their commitment to education and innovation, these individuals and organizations are playing a crucial role in the development of our 21st century workforce,” Obama said. “Our nation owes them a debt of gratitude for helping ensure that America remains the global leader in science and engineering for years to come.”

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Longtime Activist, Leader Remembered by Community

Dr. Saidi Liwaru died on Sept. 18 at 67 years old in Omaha, Neb., and will be remembered for having served his faith, country and family. Embracing Islam more than 40 years ago, Liwaru was active in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He worked as a psychologist and educator and served as Captain in the U.S. Army as a behavioral psychologist. In 1984, he, along with his wife, authored “The Muslim Family Reader.”

As a community leader, Liwaru helped establish the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City and was well known in the Islamic community in Omaha, where he

of the works of the poet philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, who is credited with having conceived the idea of Pakistan and whose poetry to have been the inspiration behind the Iranian revolution that brought democracy to Iran.

From being the president of Iqbal Society in Chicago to being an articulate exponent of Iqbal’s powerful message to Muslims worldwide, Siddique focuses on educating young and old within the community, to understand Iqbal’s writings and message. He believes that the proper understanding of Iqbal’s poetry and philosophy can be liberating to the human spirit and can be helpful in the creation of just and peaceful societies.

Siddique volunteers as resident khateeb at Northwestern.

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was actively involved in dawah and interfaith work.

He is survived by his wife, 10 children, many grandchildren, and several great grandchildren, to whom he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather.

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IIT VP Presented Lifetime Achievement Award

The New Dominion Political Action Committee (NDPAC) presented its lifetime achievement award to Dr. Jamal Barzinji, vice president of the International Institute of Islamic Thought, at its annual conference on Sept.

25, 2011.

Barzinji was recognized for his leadership and accomplishments over a wide spectrum of activities in the American Muslim and Arab community, as well as in educational initiatives and endeavors locally and internationally.

The conference, attended by more than 300 leaders, activists and donors, included 46 Democratic and Republican politicians making their pitch for election or reelection to local and state offices. Also speaking at the event was former Virginia governor Tim Kaine, who is running for the U.S. Senate.

This “Candidates Night” dinner, a keynote event of the Arab American Institute for a number of years, is now organized by NDPAC.

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Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Muslim Doctor Joins State Board of Medicine

Dr. Mushtaq A. Sheikh of Elmira, N.Y., has been appointed to State Board of Medicine by the regents of the University of the State of New York for the 2011-2016 term.

As a member, Sheikh, a specialist in internal and geriatric medicine, becomes a part of the Office of Professions that governs the licensing of professionals. Sheikh is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

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Activist for Palestine Elected to National Organization

Kristin Szremski, American Muslim for Palestine’s director of media and communications, was elected to a three-year term on the steering committee for national organization the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

The U.S. Campaign is comprised of diverse religious and civic groups, all focused on ending the occupation of Palestine.

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Muslim Engineer Honored for Contributions

Enamul Hoque, American Association of Bangladeshi Engineers & Architects president, was honored with the John C. Park Outstanding Civil Engineer Award for his dedicated services 13 September 2011.

He was credited for some outstanding work, including restoration of the Salt River, dozens of landfills, and using innovative foundation for 310-ft. tall airport traffic control tower foundation. Also mentioned was his contribution to establishing most

modern geotechnical laboratories at Arizona State University, and providing help for EWB and educational facilities in third world countries.

The award was given to him by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Arizona Chapter.

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Canada Mosque First To Feed Needy Three Daily Meals

A mosque run by the Mississauga, ON, Canada-based Jamia Riyadhul Jannah (JRJ) became the first mosque in North America to offer three meals daily to the needy, starting Sept. 30, 2011.

The program launch was attended by community and civic leaders, such as Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion, Conservative MP Brad Butt, Liberal MPP Bob Delaney, and Mississauga Councilor Ron Starr.

JRJ, opened on Aug. 6, 2010, operates under the auspices of the Canadian Society of Peace and Relief (CSPR), a nonprofit organization formed in 2006. A food bank drive, family counseling, youth fitness and development program, and disaster relief programs are among the many community activities at CSPR.

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Islamic School Wows at Science Fair

Eman Schools, an accredited Islamic school in Fishers, Ind., made heads turn at the regional and state science fair awards.

Eman was also in the news when one of its 7th graders was a semifinalist for the Broadcom (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars) Masters — one of only 300 from the entire U.S.The 7th grader was the only Muslim in only five students picked from Indiana. His project

sought to determine if harnessing UV rays using a solar cooker could eliminate Vibrio Cholera.

In October 2011, Eman became the first Islamic school in Indiana with College Board privileges to administer the PSAT tests.

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Islamic Center’s Clinic Gives Screenings to Uninsured

A weekly, free health clinic in the Islamic Center of Tucson, Ariz., is providing help to the uninsured, irrespective of their faith. The clinic—the brainchild of Yahya Nomaan, 20, a pre-med student at the University of Arizona and the son of a pediatrician—is fostering interaction of the larger community with Muslims.

Nomaan and his father, Dr. Mohammed Nomaan, started the clinic in September 2011. The Islamic Center of Tucson offered its space, and local doctors from the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) volunteered to staff it.

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Nonprofit Offers Weekly Swim Lessons

The Fajr Memorial Foundation, which offers swimming classes for young Muslims, is currently holding weekly sessions in a facility located in Flushing, Queens. These classes are taught by a World Olympics Team instructor.

The Fajr Memorial Foundation, in Little Neck, N.Y., is a nonprofit organization that has been providing its services to the community since June 2011. It was founded by the Javid Family after the tragic death of their beloved daughter Fajr Javid in summer 2010. Fajr died of drowning. It is thus the mission of FMF to teach young Muslim boys and girls how to swim in a facility that will provide a proper Islamic environment.

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I m a m N e e de d The Islamic Center of Baton Rouge, Louisiana is seeking to hire a full time Imam.

The candidate must hold a bachelor degree in Islamic studies, be fluent in both Arabic and English languages, and preferably have some experience in Islamic centers in the USA. Haafidh Al-Quran is highly preferred.

Compensation package is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Please email a cover letter, a resume, and 3 letters of recommendation to ayat6236@yahoo.com or mail them to Imam Search Committee, P. O. Box 45298, Baton Rouge, LA 70895.

For further detail, please visit ICBRonline.org.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

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Muslim African Americans: Past, Present, Potential Can Muslim African Americans, with their unique vantage point from which to view developments in both the U.S. and the Muslim world, continue to make positive contributions to the betterment of both?

By Hakim Muhammad Rashid

T

he Muslim African American community is not a monolith. There is a tremendous diversity of background, perspective and opinion. Like the global Muslim ummah, however, what unites Muslim African Americans is Islam.

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One of the great myths related to Muslims in the African American community is that Islam is a religion with the preponderance of its adherents either currently in prison or recently released from incarceration.

I thought about that myth as I recently listened to a story about two young Muslim African Americans who were on opposite sides of a business transaction in a Middle Eastern country. Each represented his employer, bringing to bear skill sets they

Islamic Horizons  January/February 2012

had come. They saw themselves as evidence of this progression—a progression that has its roots in the presence of Muslim Africans in the Western Hemisphere before Columbus, the horrific enslavement of Muslims from West Africa in the U.S., and is currently manifested in the achievements of Muslim African Americans in all aspects of American life: from politics to education, from entertainment to Islamic scholarship.

We come from America, our roots are in Africa, and our worldview is Islam. We have, in Dr. Ali Mazrui’s terminology, a “triple heritage” that we believe not only strengthens America but also has a role to play in the strengthening of the Muslim ummah.

A Historical Perspective on Muslim African Americans

Imam Warith Deen Mohammed led a vast majority of Nation of Islam members to mainstream Islam.

Although there is evidence that Muslims from Africa traveled to the so-called “New World” in the centuries before Columbus, the permanent presence of Muslims of African descent dates from the period of enslavement that began in the 16th century.

Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick, a Muslim African American, the first American graduate of the Islamic University of Medina, has taught extensively on the presence of Muslims in the various explorations of the

Muslim African Americans have become involved in all aspects of the American political and legal systems.

had learned through their training at the world’s top institutions, and a broad array of multinational work experiences. Each staked out his position and represented his client in the best possible way. It was a heated interaction that demonstrated both their passion for what they were engaged in and a high level of skill. At the end of their day of negotiations, one in which a billion-dollar deal was at stake, these two, who knew each other from the U.S., got together for dinner and talked about how far their community

Imam Jamil Al-Amin

Americas. Allen Austin, Sylvan Diouf and others have clearly shown that a large percentage of the enslaved Africans brought to the “New World” were Muslims. They came primarily from West Africa and included members of many of the tribes that populated the coastal areas. There is evidence of the maintenance of Islamic traditions in artifacts, oral traditions and written documents.

Headstones from cemeteries, remnants of Quranic verses written in Arabic, and other artifacts document the strong presence of Muslims among the enslaved Africans.

A walk through America’s Islamic Heritage Museum in D.C. provides an enlightening

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

and inspirational look at efforts of enslaved Africans to maintain their Islamic identities.

Muslim names on slave registries, census and other records document the strong Muslim presence in the earliest communities of Africans in America.

Emergence of Orthodox Muslim African American Communities In the years before World War II, the descendants of enslaved Africans began to accept and practice orthodox Islam in community contexts. The excellent documentary “An Early History of Islam in Pittsburgh” provides an overview of early efforts to establish Muslim African American communities in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and other cities in the northeast U.S. It also provides insight into the historical relationships between African American Sunni Muslims, the Nation of Islam, the Moorish Science Temple, and the growing community of immigrant Muslims.

The Transition of the Nation of Islam - 1975 The largest mass conversion of African Americans to orthodox Islam took place under Imam Warith Deen Mohammed’s leadership after he assumed charge of the

Imam Siraj Wahhaj

Nation of Islam (NOI) in 1975. During his initial years as leader of the NOI, Mohammed both rejected and reinterpreted what his father, Elijah Muhammad, had taught his followers from 1933 until his death in 1975.

Mohammed rejected the NOI’s belief that God was a man (Fard Muhammad), that white people were “devils,” and that there was a “Mother Ship” hovering over the earth that would save the believers on the Day of Judgment. He taught them the correct Islamic orthodoxy that “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad [to whom the Quran was revealed] is his [final] Messenger.” He stressed the importance of prayer, fasting 17

Cover Story during Ramadan, and the other pillars of orthodox Islam. He also stressed the need for Muslim African Americans to see themselves as part of a global Muslim community, as evidenced by his adoption of the “World Community of Al-Islam in the West” as the organization’s new name.

Toward the end of his life, he stressed the decentralization of his organization, a clear recognition that his community would have to survive and thrive without a dependence on his personal leadership.

Imam Jamil Al-Amin and the Forging of a New Direction for Muslim Americans Imam Jamil Al-Amin, the Muslim African American leader known in the ’60s as H. Rap Brown, was instrumental in bringing groups of Muslims together that had historically held each other at arm’s length and viewed each other with suspicion.

His organizational skills, honed by his work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the civil rights movement, were brought to bear on America’s ethnically-fragmented Muslim community.

“Through the late 1980s, Al-Amin worked to forge close ties with the leadership of other immigrant organizations,” noted Dr. Ihsan Bagby in his article, “The Jamil Al-Amin Muslims Know,” where he talks about how Al-Amin’s work was instrumental in “the formation in 1993 of the Islamic Shura Council, which brought together for the first time the four major national Muslim organizations: the Islamic Society of North America and the Islamic Circle of North America—both mainly immigrant—and the two mainly African American organizations, Imam W. Deen Mohammad’s organization and Al-Amin’s group.”

In 2002, Al-Amin was convicted of murdering a police officer, a case that some Muslims believe was a classic frame-up. His work at unifying Muslims in America was aborted, but the spirit of his efforts continues to inspire a younger generation of Muslim activists who recognize that the strength of the Muslim American community ultimately lies in its unity.

Pioneers in Islamic Education In the area of education, Muslim African Americans have played major roles in the establishment of Islamic schools in America.

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The Muslim Journal: A Brief History

By Samana Siddiqui

T

he brainchild of Malcolm X, Muslim Journal began publishing in 1960 under the name “Mr. Muhammad Speaks.” The newspaper was originally intended to be a mouthpiece for the Nation of Islam and the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. It was an expansion from Muhammad’s weekly columns that were published in the “Pittsburgh Courier” dating back to the late 1950s.The Courier was the largest African Americanowned newspaper at the time. Malcolm X, always looking for ways to disseminate the NOI’s message to larger numbers of African Americans, pushed for the Nation to establish its own publication.

Despite being a vehicle for publicizing Elijah Muhammad‘s views, Mr. Muhammad Speaks, “was a paper that was unbossed, a spirit we inherited from Malcolm,” according to Samuel Bilal, a reporter for the paper since its early days, also serving as its assistant editor at one point.

Retaining its independence of thought and direction, Bilal said it became one of the leading African American newspapers of the time, reporting not only on civil rights issues, but struggles for self-determination around the world.

Part of its success was also due to its dedicated distribution system, with cleancut, well-dressed male members of the NOI selling the publication at street corners, in shops, restaurants, and other venues in African American communities across the U.S. According to Bilal, it was actually a requirement for male members of the NOI to sell a quota of newspapers. By 1975, he said the paper’s circulation was estimated to be between 800,000 and 1 million. That was also the year that the requirement for members to sell a certain number of papers was lifted.

In 1992, Dr. Zakiyyah Muhammad and I wrote the article, “The Sister Clara Muhammad Schools: Pioneers in the development of Islamic education in America,” where we described the transition of the NOI’s University of Islam system into a network of more than 40 full-time Islamic schools within W.D. Mohammed’s community. A

Originally, the newspaper was published bimonthly from New York City. After its first year, its headquarters were moved to Chicago. Today, its office can be found in a one-story office complex in Homewood, a south suburb of the Windy City. It publishes weekly, offering columns, news about events and issues concerning the African American Muslim community across the U.S., as well as information about Islam, health, education and more.

In 1975, the paper’s ideological orientation changed with the death of Elijah Muhammad. Under the leadership of his son, the late Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, the Nation joined mainstream Islam, and the newspaper followed suit, briefly calling itself the Bilalian News, then World Muslim News in 1981, until finally adopting its current name.

Today, Muslim Journal considers itself part of the Muslim American media.

“We are striving to put together and maintain our communication system, which is our working in solidarity and unity with what you have in the Chicago Crescent, Islamic Horizons, The Minaret, and so forth,” said Bilal, referring to some of the major Muslim media outlets in the U.S. today.

Bilal adds, like these other publications, Muslim Journal aims to offer non-Muslim Americans a clearer picture of Islam at a time when bias and stereotyping of Islam and Muslims remains common.

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Muslim African American former principal of a Clara Muhammad School, Dr. Qadir Abdus Sabur, was the first president of the Council of Islamic Schools of North America, an umbrella group that brought together representatives from diverse Muslim American communities.

Another Muslim African American who

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

made a significant contribution in the area of education was the late Dawud Tauhidi, a co-founder of the Michigan Islamic Academy, and director of the Crescent Academy International in Michigan. Tauhidi was the developer of the Tarbiyyah Project, a framework for Islamic education that infused the Islamic worldview into the curriculum in an innovative and engaging way.

The Scholars The rise of Muslim African Americans in the ranks of Islamic scholars received impetus with the increasing numbers of African Americans in Ph.D. programs in the 1970s.

Programs which focused on Islamic Studies also saw a surge in enrollment of African

most controversial figures in the Muslim world. She is the author of “Qur’an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective” and “Inside the Gender Jihad: Women’s Reform in Islam.”

In 1994, she delivered a Jumah khutbah in South Africa and, in 2005, led a mixedgender group in the Jumah prayer in New York City.

In addition to Islamic Studies, Muslim African American scholars have distinguished themselves in a variety of fields.

Dr. Abdul Alim Shabazz, a professor and endowed chair in mathematics at Grambling State University, has been a recipient of the National Association of Mathematicians Distinguished Service Award, an award for

Zaid Shakir

Americans. One example was the University of Michigan in the late 1970s, where Muslim African Americans including Drs. Ihsan Bagby, R. Mukhtar Curtis, Antar Ibn Stanford, Amina Wadud and others were all enrolled in the doctoral program in Near Eastern Studies.

Noted Muslim African American scholar Dr. Sherman Jackson is the King Faisal Chair of Islamic Thought and Culture at the University of Southern California. The author of numerous publications, including books, “Islam and the Blackamerican,” and “Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering,” Jackson is also a past president of the Shari’ah Scholars Association of North America.

Dr. Aminah McCloud is a professor of Islamic Studies at DePaul University. The author of several books, McCloud is the editor of The Journal of Islamic Law and Culture. She is also a Fulbright Scholar and the founder of the Islam in America conference at DePaul.

Dr. Amina Wadud is a Muslim African American who has emerged as one of the

Anwar Muhaiman

mentorship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Presidential Award for Science, Mathematics and Engineering mentoring.

Dr. Fatimah Jackson, a biological anthropology professor at the University of North Carolina, co-founded the first human DNA bank on the African continent. She is currently involved in research on the use of cyanide derived from the cassava plant to interfere with the development of the parasite that carries malaria. Dr. Amir Al-Islam, who currently teaches at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, has served as the director of Indigenous Muslim Affairs of the Muslim World League’s UN office, and as the secretary general of the World Conference on Religion and Peace.

A new generation of Muslim African American scholars is emerging and beginning to take their place in the emerging narratives concerning Muslims and the coming world order. One example is Dr. Intisar Rabb, who currently teaches on the law faculty at Boston College. She received her JD degree

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Timeline of Important Milestones 1937 Founding of the First Cleveland Mosque by Wali Akram 1938 Founding of the Addenu Allahi-Universal Arabic Association by Muhammad Ezzaldeen, Newark, N.J. 1945 First Mosque of Pittsburgh established by Muslim African Americans 1949 International Muslim Brotherhood founded by brothers who left the Addenu Allahi-Universal Arabic Association and relocated to Philadelphia. The IMB was later headed by Imam Nafea Muhaiman and renamed the Quba Institute.

1955 State Street Masjid established in Brooklyn, N.Y.

by Sheikh Daoud Ahmed Faisal.

1962 Darul Islam movement, among the most influential organizations established by Muslim African Americans who broke away from the State Street Masjid, was founded in Brooklyn, N.Y. 1964 The conversion of Malcolm X to orthodox Islam 1971 The Islamic Party of North America started in D.C. The party shifted its headquarters to Atlanta in 1976, and began some operations, including the purchase of land in the Caribbean in the late ’70s.

1975 The transition of the Nation of Islam into orthodox Islam under Imam Warith Deen Mohammed.

1980 The Darul Islam movement splits into two factions. One merges into the Jamaat al-Fuqra of Sheikh Syed Gilani; the other eventually becomes the National Community, headed by Imam Jamil Al-Amin.

2005 Founding of the Muslim Alliance of North America (MANA).

from Yale and a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton. Her dissertation, which was awarded a best dissertation award at Princeton, focused on the history and function of legal maxims in Islamic law.

Entrepreneurship Throughout the U.S., there are Muslim African Americans involved in numerous entrepreneurial activities. They own restaurants, limousine services, printing companies, clothing stores, bookstores, fast food franchises, and a variety of other businesses.

One of the best examples of Muslim African American entrepreneurship is Luqman Abdul Haqq, known in the entertainment world as award-winning songwriter and producer Kenny Gamble. He is the chairman of Universal Companies, a community development corporation involved in the revitalization of blighted areas of Philadelphia. In addition to the development of affordable housing, Universal has been a co-developer of several large mixed-use developments which include retail businesses and condominiums.

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Prominent Imams You Should Know Siraj Wahhaj: Former vice president of ISNA, board member of CAIR, Amir of MANA Anwar Muhaiman: Known as the first African American hafiz, graduated third in his class from the Islamic University of Medina, ompleted postgraduate training in Aqida, Tafsir, Hadith and Fiqh, founder of the Quba Institute in Philadelphia.

Zaid Shakir: Co-founder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, Calif., studied in Egypt, Morocco and Syria.

Talib Abdur Rashid: Imam of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood, a masjid started by an associate of El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, serves as the MANA deputy amir.

Faheem Shuaibe: Founder of the Sacred Life Project, a project designed to preserve and codify the language and worldview of Imam W.D. Mohammed.

is also an African American: Andre Carson of Indiana, who was elected in 2008. Carson, who reverted to Islam as a teenager, has come under heavy criticism from Tea Party advocates for suggesting that many of them want to see African Americans “hanging on a tree.”

He has also gained attention for saying the right wing posed a threat to national security.

The legal system has seen significant participation from Muslim African Americans.

Retired judge Adam Shakoor was a longtime district court judge and also a deputy mayor of Detroit from 1989 to 1993. Judge Sheila Abdus Salaam sits on the New York state Supreme Court. Judge Hassan El Amin is a district judge in Prince George’s County, Md. Judge David Shaheed is a superior court judge in Indianapolis, Ind. In 1997, Judge Zakia Mahasa, who currently is a circuit court judge in Baltimore, is believed to have been the first Muslim female to preside over

organizations and individuals committed to work together to address certain urgent needs within the Muslim community. These needs include the great social and economic problems that are challenging Muslim communities, especially in the inner city.”

Its founders included individuals who came to Islam via a variety of paths, including the Darul Islam Movement, the community of W.D. Mohammed, the National Community of Imam Jamil Al Amin, the Nation of Islam, and other organizations and communities. The amir of MANA is Imam Siraj Wahhaj, one of the most prominent imams in the American Muslim community.

Its general secretary is Ihsan Bagby, who played a major role in the development of education initiatives at the Islamic Society of North America, and has spearheaded research efforts related to America’s Muslim communities.

Universal also manages four public charter schools in Philadelphia, and has its own social services division, which offers job training, credit counseling, financial literacy and other human developmentoriented services.

Muslim African Americans in Politics and Law Muslim African Americans have become involved in all aspects of the American political and legal systems. In 1991, Charles Bilal, an African American, became the first Muslim mayor of an American city when he was elected mayor of Kountze, Tex. Larry Shaw, the CAIR chairman of the board, served as a state senator from North Carolina from 1995 until 2011. Keith Ellison was the first Muslim elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007.

An African American revert to Islam from Detroit who represents a district in Minnesota, Ellison took his oath of office on a copy of the translation of the Quran, once owned by Thomas Jefferson. Moved to tears during his testimony at the hearings on Muslim radicalization held by Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), Ellison denounced the hearings as “un-American.”

The second Muslim elected to Congress 20

Talib Abdur Rashid

a court in the U.S. Muhammad Ibn Bashir is a Muslim African American defense attorney and the author of “Raw Law: An Urban Guide to Criminal Justice.” Nikia Bilal, a Muslim African American who practices family law, is a partner in the Amal Law Group, the first all-Muslim female law firm in America.

The Muslim Alliance in North America Muslim African Americans have recognized the importance of developing an organization that prioritizes the needs of indigenous Muslims. The Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA) was formed in 2005 by predominantly Muslim African Americans who have been involved in building Muslim community life in America over the past four decades. According to its website, MANA is “a national network of masjids, Muslim

Dr. Sherman Jackson

Yes, the Muslim African American community has come a long way, but there is much further to go. We have seen the Arab Spring inspired by the American civil rights movement. We have seen Malcolm X inspire Muslims globally over the past four decades. And we are now seeing Muslim African American scholars, imams and entertainers inspire Muslims from around the world in the quest for an ummah that truly reflects the Islamic worldview. Muslim African Americans have a unique vantage point from which to view developments in both the U.S. and the Muslim world and will continue to make positive contributions to the betterment of both.

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Dr. Hakim Muhammad Rashid is an associate professor of Human Development in the School of Education at Howard University in D.C. He is a former visiting professor at Khartoum University in Sudan and a former Fulbright Scholar at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Cover Story

The Nation’s Masjid Celebrates 50 Years

D.C.’s Masjid Muhammad embodies diversity in the Muslim community.

By Zahra Cheema

I

n 1979, a then 18-year-old Talib Shareef walked into Masjid Muhammad in D.C. to take shahada. He was part of a larger group that four years earlier followed the Nation of Islam’s then leader Warith Deen Mohammed, as he transitioned from the Nation of Islam to mainstream Sunni Islam.

In 1975, Muhammad’s Mosque No. 4 was renamed Masjid Muhammad and, 35 years later, Shareef, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, was elected as its fourth imam.

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This year, Shareef and other members celebrated Masjid Muhammad’s 50th anniversary as the country’s first masjid built from the ground up by American citizens.

Constructed in 1960, it is also known as The Nation’s Masjid, because it is representative of the oldest Muslim community in D.C., dating back to the 1930s.

Historically, Masjid Muhammad’s congregation consisted primarily of African American Muslims, but that has recently changed.

“When I was there 30 years ago, it was predominantly African American, and you would almost say exclusive[ly],” Shareef says.

“If you go to Masjid Muhammad today, you will see a lot of diversity.”

Shareef Abdul-Malik, the mosque’s 19-year-old assistant imam, says that witnessing this diversity has taught him an important lesson of what it means to be Muslim.

“I learned […] that Al-Islam is not for a specific identity, it’s not for a specific race, or for a specific color or culture,” AbdulMalik says. “The religion of Al-Islam is for everyone, any human being who is trying to be decent and be upright. This religion is for them, no matter what color they are, no matter what background they come from.”

Abdul-Malik grew up attending Masjid Muhammad and received his elementary and middle school education at its associated school, D.C.’s Clara Muhammad School.

He currently attends Howard University, where he is president of the Muslim Student Association. Juggling many roles, including husband, Abdul-Malik exemplifies the mosque’s commitment to youth leadership.

As assistant imam, Abdul-Malik delivers the Friday khutbah once a month, attends events on behalf of the mosque, and assists community members.

Like many other mosques, Masjid Muhammad runs classes on Islam and dawah activities. However, it also offers unique services to its members, such as free round-trip transportation to the mosque for seniors, an active Muslim Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts program, and services for veterans. The mosque was instrumental in

Besides reaching out to other faith groups, community members reach out to those in need in the surrounding neighborhoods with social or material support, regardless of their faith.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

High-level Chinese delegation led by China’s Minister of State Administration for Religious Affairs visiting Masjid Muhammad.

establishing the Muslim American Veterans Association, a national organization serving veterans and their families.

Masjid Muhammad continues its involvement in interfaith work (which it began in the 1970s), and is a member of different interfaith groups, including the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.

In addition to reaching out to other faith groups, community member extend social and material support to those in need in the surrounding neighborhoods, regardless of their faith.

“Our community is known for supporting each other and helping others,” Abdul-Malik says. “People know that we deal with them justly, that when you walk into Masjid Muhammad, you are welcomed with open arms.”

Shareef says that this spirit of activism, which he learned attending Masjid Muhammad, inspired him to be active throughout his life, as proven by his many achievements in his military career and leadership roles in different Muslim American communities around the country and even internationally.

“That’s what made me be so active wherever I went,” Shareef says. “[I] was proud of the Muslim life, the Islamic life and was enthusiastic about sharing that and sharing its beauty.”

Shareef strongly believes that Muslims should share Islam with those around them by living and exemplifying it.

“Those who attend the masjid, they

should take what comes from inside the masjid to the outside,” Shareef says. “[This way], the masjid now becomes a symbol of the beauty of Islam because they’ve (neighbors and other community member) seen it in the people’s [lives].”

Shareef hopes more people can see Masjid Muhammad and other mosques around the country as positive institutions.

“It is our hope that people will want to go to neighborhoods where the mosques are

Imam Talib Shareef

because they know that Muslims are those who want a clean neighborhood, protected neighborhood, decent neighborhood, and they are going to contribute to its safety and productivity,” he says. “We’re hoping that that’s one of the things that mosques become a symbol of for people, so they don’t want to run from a mosque when they see it, but they want to live in a neighborhood around a mosque.”

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Zahra Cheema, a freelance writer, resides in Maryland.

In the name of Allah the most Beneficent, the most Merciful

THE ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL (IRFI), Is Sponsoring the Second International Conference On

Islamic Renaissance The Objectives of the Conference are to find practical solutions to the problems facing the Muslim Community in the 21st Century.

1. Submit Abstracts (300 words Max – Microsoft Word). Deadline: June 30, 2012 2. Notification of acceptance and invitation to submit full paper – in Microsoft Word July 15, 2012 3. Full Paper due: December 15, 2012. Lecture presentation will be only in PowerPoint Format.

If your paper is selected for presentation, IRFI will provide the boarding, lodging, and air fare expenses to Louisville, KY, USA.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Date: May 24 – 26, 2013 For complete details Visit our Website: http://www.irfi.org Email: irfi.1988@yahoo.com

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Cover Story

CAIR Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas speaks at an interfaith press conference about an anti-Islam bill that was introduced to the Tennessee legislature in 2010.

Civil Rights and Wrongs Learning from the civil rights struggles of African American Muslims

By Leen Jaber

O

n July 4, 2011, Michael Migliore, 23, packed his bags, grabbed his ticket and headed to Portland International Airport. Planning to visit family in Italy after graduating from college, he was stunned to find out that he was officially on the U.S. "No Fly" List and was not allowed to take his much-needed vacation. Not giving up, he drove to New York and took a ship to Southampton, England, which took seven days. About an hour before reaching the mainland, two British special agents barged into his cabin and detained him for more than 10 hours, five of which included rigorous interrogation, where Migliore did not have the right to remain silent, and in fact, doing so would land him in jail. His civil liberties were stripped and he was left feeling shocked and alone.

Having accepted Islam less than five years prior to the incident, he was astonished and horrified that he could be a suspected national threat.

“As a young Muslim, I feel that I have

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been unfairly profiled and I was not given due process,” Migliore says.

He is still unaware why these charges have been brought against him.

“I have not been given any direction on how to clear my name and to put an end to this nonsense that is taking place,” he says.

“I am not a dangerous person. I am strongly against terrorism, and I am not planning any terrorist attacks… I just want to go back to my normal life without having to worry

about the next procedure that is going to be moved against me, my family, or my friends.”

Migliore isn’t alone in being deprived his civil rights. In fact, nearly 50 years after Dr. Martin Luther King’s historical “I have a Dream” speech in D.C., demanding justice and equality for all Americans, Muslims and other minorities are still fighting to defend their civil rights. And after 9/11, Muslim Americans have found themselves, more than ever, the targets of civil rights abuses, hate crimes and Islamophobia.

“The biggest challenge for Muslims in America is the mainstreaming of anti-Muslim sentiments,” says Gadeir Abbas, staff attorney for the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations (CAIR). “Islamophobia has created a space for an infrastructure for stoking Muslims.”

Campus groups, think tanks, media outlets and academic journals are all a part of

Before Islam, there was a rough road. Blacks were denied human rights and dealt with a great deal of discrimination, oppression, deprivation and racial profiling,” Imam William Bilal says.

“Islam allowed us to feel a great deal of equality and justice.”

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

CAIR LA Deputy Executive Director Ameena Qazi explains a federal class-action lawsuit that CAIRLA and the ACLU of Southern California filed against the FBI for warrantless, widespread spying on the Southern California Muslim community.

this infrastructure. This gave way to groups such as Stop the Islamization of America, Act! For America and Jihad Watch. Ultimately, such hate against Muslims led to events such as the Park 51 Islamic Center controversy in New York City.

“Park 51 was the first instance that it was realized that people could use neutral laws to establish Islamophobia as an institution,” Abbas says. Park 51 opponents tried to use zoning and safety laws to block the center.

According to CAIR’s Civil Rights Report, hate crimes and Islamophobia were in decline by 2008. But this decline was abruptly disturbed at the beginning of 2009 and after the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

With accusations of the president being

Muslim or even sympathetic to Muslims, the nation found itself fearful of America being infiltrated and taken over by Islam.

Such misguided thought paved the road for the Islamophobic infrastructure that was created and initiated proceedings, including the Peter King hearings and “National Burn a Quran Day.” More recently, anti-Shariah bills have been proposed in more than two dozen states, attempting to ban Shariah law (Islamic jurisprudence) from the U.S., thereby criminalizing the practice of Islam in any way, shape or form.

In January 2011, such a bill was introduced in Memphis, Tenn., in response to the construction of an Islamic center in

CAIR-Oklahoma Executive Director Muneer Awad discusses the Oklahoma anti-sharia bill on the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Islamophobia is a very real and very prevalent threat. For as long as Muslims and Islam have existed, so has Islamophobia. The Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) struggled against those who had turned their back on him and his faith. Today, Islamophobes use the Internet, television and violent hate crimes to express their hatred.

But as the prophet taught us, there are effective and peaceful ways of dealing with Islamophobia and even preventative measures we can take to make the presence of Muslims in America a positive one.

The following are tips and guidelines put together by CAIR to challenge Islamophobia: 1) Be an example of the Islamic tradition of patience and reason.

2) Be an open neighbor.

3) Be active in community life.

4) Be active in political life.

5) Document and report acts of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim discrimination.

6) Confront Islamophobia in the news and entertainment media.

7) Write a letter to the editor.

8) Address Islamophobia on the Internet.

9) Confront Islamophobia from public figures.

10) Support local, regional and national Muslim organizations.

the suburb of Murfreesboro. After attempts to shut down the mosque’s construction, two state lawmakers, Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Bill Ketron and Rep. Judd Matheny (R-TN 47th Dist.) and their supporters drafted and proposed a bill that would make practicing Shariah law a felony.

The bill stated that if two or more persons engaged in activities dictated by Shariah law, they could face up to 15 years in prison.

“It breaks my heart to see the way hate is brewing in them,” says Dorothy Zwayyed, a Tennessee native at the helm of mobilizing her community to fight against the enactment of the anti-Shariah bill.

Zwayyed, along with the Muslim Rapid Response Team (MRRT), a Muslim community group serving to respond to hate crimes, Islamophobia and civil rights abuses of Muslims statewide, and the Tennessee Immigration and Refugee Rights Commission (TIRRC) held rallies outside the state 25

capitol building each time the bill went to the House of Representatives between February and May 2011. The battle was fought in court and in May, 700 Muslims and their supporters gathered on Capitol Hill in Memphis, making sure their presence was known and showing a strong stance against the bill.

Finally, a federal court declared the bill unconstitutional, and a watered-down version of the bill that passed does not limit Muslims in the practice of Shariah law, and ensures the freedom of religion for Muslims.

“It takes work and commitment to create a platform to actually make a change for the better,” Zwayyed says.

The victory for Tennessee Muslims made a huge impression, which led to the creation of the Muslim American Advisory Council, which is designed to work closely with the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security to teach federal and law enforcement agencies about Islam by abolishing stereotypes and taking an active role in their country.

The Tennessee experience and other similar events in other states show how far Muslims have come in the fight for civil liberties and how much has been learned from the African American struggle of the 1960s.

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“Dr. Martin Luther King was a great man.

He brought change and created the landscape for the laws that favored the African American community,” says Imam William Bilal, imam of the Masjid Mumineen Center for Progress mosque on Chicago’s West Side for five years. “Muslims have benefited from what Martin Luther King did.”

Bilal, who grew up in the 1960s and witnessed the mistreatment of minorities firsthand, explained how Islam liberated many African Americans.

“Before Islam there was a rough road.

Blacks were denied human rights and dealt with a great deal of discrimination, oppression, deprivation and racial profiling,” he says. “Islam allowed us to feel a great deal of equality and justice.”

Despite the many improvements, African American Muslims still struggle for equality in a way that is very different from first- and second-generation Muslim Americans.

“Our struggle, without question, is economical,” Bilal says, when discussing his predominantly African American congregation.

Discrimination and misconceptions about African Americans have not ceased to exist; in the workplace, in jails and in the

community, they still feel the pressure of racism in a way that is very different than other Muslim American communities.

Immigrant Muslim communities have learned a lot from native-born Muslim communities.

“Muslims that came from overseas have uplifted the African American community,” Bilal says. “True Muslims, not terrorists, have helped our community financially. They have taught us the Quran and the Arabic language.

It is a win-win situation.”

There is no doubt that America has benefited from the Civil Rights Movement.

And 50 years later, Muslim Americans fight for their rights in a way that was put in motion by brave Americans that were willing to stand up for a change.That very movement opened the door for all groups to have a place to express themselves fully without interruption by the government or anyone else.

The struggle is far from over, and Muslim Americans have found hope in transforming hate and fear into acceptance and justice for all.

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Leen Jaber is a freelance reporter from Chicago.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Muslims in Action

The SkinLess Project

Empowering and inspiring female leaders

By Manar Khalil

Maaria Mozaffar (middle) and the conference team

P

owerful and inspirational women have one thing in common: self-esteem. This was one of the topics The SkinLess Project discussed during their recent conference in October. With the tagline, “We are more than skin deep,” The SkinLess Project is an initiative focused on helping women of different races and backgrounds reach their highest levels of professional and personal potential.

Maaria Mozaffar, the founder of the project and a principal attorney, decided to held a day-long conference with 19 speakers focusing on a variety of topics concerning women.

Speakers included: Shadia Ashraf, outreach publicist for Central Asia Institute; Diane Overgard, CEO of 45 Degrees and founder of FindJoy; and Jane Ramsey, executive director of Jewish Council of Urban Affairs. These women spoke on panels that tackled a number of important topics, including the deconstruction of beauty, self-esteem, career strategies, aging, changing policy, faith and service, work-life balance and more.

“It was a pleasure for me to see diverse women listening to diverse women, taking notes and taking a whole day out just for themselves,” Mozaffar says. She received the help of close friends to aid her in the creation process of the project and the conference.

Ayesha Akhtar, the marketing committee chair, is the co-founder and research director of HEART Women & Girls, a non-profit

organization committed to helping build leadership and self-esteem skills through different programs in communities. She has been apart of The SkinLess Project since Mozaffar invited her to be a part of the team.

“We share similar goals, both professionally and personally, so it was a natural fit,” Akhtar says. Her organization spoke on the Deconstructing Beauty in the Media panel, which is a topic Akhtar is very passionate about. She said that after the discussion was over, the women felt inspired and that it sparked an interest for many.

Mozaffar created this project to cultivate power in the professional and personal aspect in women’s lives. After she had her daughter, Mozaffar realized that meeting every personal and professional obligation was more difficult. She created this project as a reminder to women that there is room and time to reach their personal and professional goals.

“To be able to tackle life’s issues and balance our lives is a big challenge for women.

We are the ones that pick up all the pieces when things fall through the cracks, we are amazing multi-taskers. I have to remind myself that every day,” Mozaffar says.

Asra Ali, the programming chair and a dentist in the Chicago area, has been a part of the project since her and Mozaffar both inspired to be involved in a group that supports women. She believes that the conference

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

was a great success and that every participant left feeling uplifted and encouraged.

“Whether it was implementing better balance in one’s life, time management, emotional, physical and spiritual health betterment, expert advise on enhancing one’s career, defining and streamlining one’s personal goals … there was something for everyone,” Ali says. As the programming chair, she felt that the day was filled with positive energy that brought a diverse group of women together.

Since Mozaffar’s job as an attorney teaches her to be guarded and brief, The SkinLess Project is a different atmosphere for her. As she started this project, she was mostly worried about how to spread the word about her new creation. She began to blog about her thoughts in order to get feedback about what most women would want to see in a project that serves them. Mozaffar was uplifted to see that women began responding to her thoughts positively. Social media helped her create a buzz about The SkinLess Project. She was ready to cater to the needs of women who were ready to be involved in a exciting idea.

Other than being a lawyer and CAIRChicago’s staff attorney, Heena Musabji is the Conference Sponsorship & Business Development Committee Chair for the project. She also began aiding the project since Mozaffar asked her to join the team.

As for the conference, Musabji says, “The October event helped define that The SkinLess Project was not limited in scope, but rather a movement. Women are each other’s greatest resources and, when we unite, great things happen.”

The conference helped the project team gain confidence for future events. They followed their October event with a conference in December, which featured Col. Jill Morgenthalera—war hero, congressional candidate, a mother and a wife. Mozaffar is excited and energetic about the coming future of the Skinless Project. The plans are to go on tour throughout the U.S. and even abroad.

“This first year is about reaching as many women as we can about The SkinLess Project, and share with them our (women’s) need to grow, collaborate and inspire together,” Mozaffar says.

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For more information about The SkinLess Project, visit http://www.skinlessproject.com.

Manar Khalil is a journalism student with a concentration in news reporting and writing at Columbia College.

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Muslims in Action

ISNA Secretary General Safaa Zarzour speaks at AMP Conference opening session.

Reinvigorating Activism for Palestine in the US

By Kristin Szremski and Deanna Othman

D

r. Hatem Bazian, chairman of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), expressed satisfaction that the the activist group is taking the lead in the broad-based coalitions being built across the country.

Bazian was addressing the 4th Annual National AMP Conference held in Chicago, during Nov. 25-28, 2011. More than 2,000 people packed the main banquet hall on Nov. 26 to bring The Conference on Palestine in the US: A New Era of Activism to a rousing and successful end.

The final session of the three-day conference, which featured Imam Zaid Shakir and Bazian, gave the audience a chance to learn about AMP’s quick growth from a relatively unknown volunteer group into the nation’s leading organization working for the cause of Palestine. In fact, AMP has 13 chapters nationwide.

“We hope people will take what they learned and use the tools they received, such as AMP’s free Power Point presentations, to become active in the cause for Palestine,” said Fadi Sahouri, AMP-Chicago chairman.

Participants traveled from all over the U.S., including from California, Tennessee, Ohio, Minnesota, D.C., New Jersey and Iowa. More than 120 college students took part in the Campus Activism Track and benefited from training sessions by notable activists such as Anna Baltzer, national organizer for the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, and

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award-winning journalist and author Max Blumenthal.

“We are so extremely pleased with the creative energy and spirit of cooperation that existed within this conference all weekend, especially between members of other faith communities and organizations,” Bazian said.

ISNA Secretary General Safaa Zarzour spoke at the conference in the session, “Islamophobia and Understanding the Opposition’s Strategy.” Zarzour highlighted the struggle of Muslims as a continuation to the Civil Rights Movement.

“We are not the first to face questioning of whether you can be a good Muslim and a good American,” Zarzour said.

He alluded to the prevalent “papal conspiracies” the Catholic community faced, and said Muslims must focus on building basic institutions, such as the family unit, schools and ensuring civic engagement and economic empowerment to overcome these challenges.

Archbishop of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem Atallah Hanna, the second

Palestinian to hold the position of archbishop in the history of the diocese, spoke on the need for Palestinian Muslims and Christians to work toward justice for all, as the Israeli occupation transcends religious divisions and is a concern for all people of conscience.

In a session on faith-based coalitionbuilding, the Rev. Loren McGrail of the World Council of Churches discussed her trip to Palestine after being inspired by the Kairos Palestine Document, which states that the Israeli occupation of Palestine is a “sin against God” and against humanity.

Considered a radical document by many, it calls on churches and Christians all over the world to adopt it and call for the economic and political boycott of Israel.

McGrail, who was stationed in Bethlehem, witnessed firsthand the tortuous waits Palestinians face at checkpoints to commute to their jobs, or even to receive healthcare.

“I decided not on my watch was any woman going to give birth at a checkpoint,” McGrail said.

McGrail recounted the story of Seham and Riyad, whose house and barn were demolished by the Israel authorities on Dec. 23, 2010.

The couple and their children lived in a tent donated by the Red Cross, next to a pile of rubble where their house once stood. Seham was later hospitalized after a miscarriage. She had walked 10 miles to the hospital after carrying a dead fetus in her womb for two weeks because she was unable to reach the hospital.

She believed the miscarriage was due to the fact she had carried heavy building materials in an attempt to rebuild her home with her husband.

McGrail said she immediately contacted a friend from England, who was able to get the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) to rebuild the family’s home and barn.

Lee Gargagliano, of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), also reiterated the need for people of faith to “work together to ensure all of our rights are protected.” He said it is particularly important for Jews to speak out to expose Israel’s “false moral ground,” especially because of the way it claims to speak for all Jews.

By directly confronting institutions that support Zionism politically, financially and ideologically, IJAN deters groups from “squelching calls for Palestinians’ rights,” he said.

“We want to liberate our culture and community from Zionism, “ Gargagliano said.

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Kristin Szremski is the director of media and communications for the American Muslims for Palestine. Deanna Othman is the Assistant Editor of Islamic Horizons.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Creating a United Front Youth collaborate at the first-ever Students for Justice in Palestine conference.

By Marwa Abed

O

n the weekend of Oct. 14, students from across the nation convened at Columbia University to strengthen the Palestine solidarity movement in America by promoting Palestinian rights, freedom and justice in light of Israel’s imposed apartheid.

Although only about 200 students from various campuses were expected to attend, more than 350 students from 150 universities flocked to the conference, and many more were turned down for lack of capacity. The events that took place that weekend made history as one of the largest, and first ever, National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Conference.

Historically, students have played an integral role in the shaping and strengthening of social movements. From the African American Civil Rights Movement to anti-Vietnam protests, students have been at the core of creating positive social and political change.

The students at the SJP conference collaborated to lay the foundation of the student-led structure and to create a network of mutual exchange and discourse. The students and their peers further worked together to give the movement momentum and to solidify a direction. The core proposals students agreed

were the most important to the movement included: to increase education on campus; to share resources; and to promote the movement for Boycott Divestments and Sanctions (BDS). Students at the conference were able to work together to democratically define and outline what it meant to be a part of SJP as a collective and what they expected from a national collaboration.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

The goal of this conference was to develop coordination and cooperation between the various student groups working within the U.S. on the issue of Palestine. To aid in the movement building, the conference was broken down into key workshops that aimed to foster political and skill development. All workshops were led and designed by the students and themselves.

The first-ever SJP was founded at University of California, Berkeley in 2001. In a span of 10 years, the organization has grown and gained strength. SJPs on campuses are met both with great admiration and respect for the amount of work they do—but also with great hostility. The conference itself was met by a protest of a few individuals holding signs claiming the conference promoted “Stealth Jihad” and that the attendees were supporting Hamas. The protesters, however, were very few; like any social movement, positive change is often met with resilience and ignorance.

The conference could not have taken place at a better time. Although the occupation of Palestinian lands began in 1948, the past year and the Arab Spring(s) have shown great strides in political and social change in the Middle East.

Drawing on a decade of experience in SJP activism, a decade of trial and error, and a decade spirited with passion and controversy, the National SJP conference only ushered in the next era of empowerment and coordination among campus Palestine activists in the U.S.

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Marwa Abed, a graduate of DePaul University in Chicago, is embarking on a career in politics, education and journalism.

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Muslims in Action

Breaking Barriers and Making Headlines

Observant Muslim American female athletes show how staying true to faith does not hinder success.

By Zahra Cheema 2010 Fencing World Championship finals with Team USA

W

eightlifter Kulsoom Abdullah and fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad have a lot in common. Both are practicing Muslim women, dedicated athletes and are making headlines and history as firsts in their respective sports.

Kulsoom Abdullah: The Weightlifter With her hands gripping the cold metal barbell seconds before she unleashes a surge of energy, Abdullah says, “Bismillah,” and throws 115 pounds over her head. She often stands out among her fellow competitors— not because of her petite stature as a 5’3 Pakistani American woman, but because of her hijab.

Abdullah, who has a PhD in electrical and computer engineering, started weightlifting a few years ago. She graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she is a visiting scholar, reached black belt in Taekwondo and was looking for ways to stay 30

strong. Inspired by a female weightlifter and blogger, Abdullah found a coach in Atlanta to train her in Olympic weightlifting.

“Commonly, people think it’s for men only, it’s not for women, or you’re supposed to only lift like 1-pound or 3-pound dumbbells, which is totally false,” Abdullah says.

Lifting significantly more weight than a few pounds, Abdullah trains five to six days a week as she gears up for competitions. She approaches her training like a science.

“I feel like an engineer sometimes because, with the weightlifting, I keep a log book of every work that I do every day and I use it to refer back to, and my coach uses it too,” she says.

Abdullah started weightlifting competitively in 2010, a year after her coach encouraged her to.

“I never really saw myself doing it to be an athlete that was competitive,” she says. “I was just doing it for fun and for health, and then, after about a year or so, I finally said ‘Okay, I’ll try to go to a weightlifting competition.’”

Abdullah made national and international headlines when she was denied participation in the National Weightlifting Championships in 2010 based on her clothing. International Weightlifting Federation rules stated that a competitor’s knees and elbows needed to be visible so that officials could determine if a lift was carried out properly. Abdullah’s way of dressing—with her legs, arms, and head covered—had never been an issue before at smaller competitions.

“I was pretty disappointed. It did make me sad and it affected my training, because I knew that it wasn’t a situation where they were not letting me compete; they were just saying you can compete, but you have to wear this,” she says. “There was still something in me that still wanted to keep training and I thought maybe there will be another way later, or something else I could try later.”

Abdullah persisted, with the help of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) advocating on her behalf. And in 2011, she became the first woman to compete in the National Weightlifting Championships wearing clothes that covered her arms, legs, and head.

Abdullah also received an invitation to join the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation as its first-ever female athlete, and, in November 2011, she represented Pakistan at the World Weightlifting Championships in Paris.

In the midst of all this recent attention, Abdullah sometimes finds herself questioning the unprecedented path she has chosen.

“I’m the only one I know that lifts; I’m the only Muslim in the gym, so sometimes I think ‘wait, what am I doing here? This isn’t something that other people are doing,’“ she says. “But then I have to stop myself and think […] just because it’s not fitting into some kind of a stereotype, or whatever it is, and just because nobody else is doing it, it doesn’t mean that I should try to doubt myself or that I’m doing something that’s wrong.”

From a religious standpoint, Abdullah does not feel that there is any contradiction in practicing both her sport and her faith.

“There’s nothing in Islam that says that you shouldn’t be strong,” she says.

Abdullah is aware that her position as a practicing Muslim female athlete makes her a role model. She takes this role very seriously and it is what motivates her to continue to break barriers for other Muslim women.

She hopes she can encourage more women to pursue a sport.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

“It just helps me to feel healthier and stronger,” she says. “[Some people] choose to run or they choose to play soccer. It’s just the thing that I chose to do.”

You can read about Abdullah’s journey on her blog, Lifting Covered at www.liftingcovered.com

Ibtihaj Muhammad: The Fencer

This was important for Muhammad, who always felt different growing up, especially when she played sports and chose to modify her uniform so that it covered her hair, legs and arms.

It was her mother who first encouraged Muhammad to try fencing when she saw a practice at the high school.

“She said, ‘You know I’m not sure exactly what that is, but when you get to high school I want you to try it.’ That following year when I got to high school, I tried out for the team and I’ve been fencing ever since,” Muhammad says.

Muhammad credits her parents, especially her mother, in helping her become the athlete she is today.

“If it wasn’t for my Mom, I wouldn’t have played sports,” she says. “My mom told us [her children], ‘I don’t know what sport you’re going to play, but you’re playing

photo credit: Bassam Tariq

State Department photo by Michael Gross

“I would encourage especially women, because I guess culturally it’s been discouraged—and I don’t know if it’s just because it’s considered masculine or whatever the reasons are—but I would encourage women to think about it,” she says. “I think it’s better to have this [female athletes] as a role model than to have the role model we have in the media now for females that’s definitely not healthy.”

Though Abdullah does not know how long she plans to keep competing, she knows that weightlifting will always have a place in her life because of the way it makes her feel.

The organization, founded by Olympian fencer Peter Westbrook, seeks to reach out to inner-city youth through the sport of fencing. It was here, among minority instructors who were former fencing champions, that Muhammad saw what was possible for her.

“That was the first time I even realized that fencing at an elite level was something I was capable of, when I had seen minorities who had done it already,” she says.

Muhammad inspires youth at the PWF for a few hours every Saturday morning as a fencing instructor. Her unique story as an African American Muslim woman fencer and Olympic hopeful is inspiring many others.

“I never thought in a million years that I would get this much press or have this many Muslim youth or African American youth looking up to me,” Muhammad says. “It gives me a sense of pride, a sense of honor.”

Muhammad is particularly excited to be a role model for other Muslim girls who aspire to play sports, because that was something she missed while growing up.

“We haven’t had a Muslim woman in the United States who’s been an athlete that our young, especially female Muslim youth, can look up to. I know as a kid

(Left) Abdullah and Muhammad, along with other

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

photo credit: Nicole Jomantas

Dressed in a white fencing uni- American-Muslim athletes, attended the Eid reception on Sept. 7, 2011 hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton form and mask, New Jersey native at the State Department in Washington D.C. (Middle) Ibtihaj Muhammad looks like Ibtihaj Muhammad visits the Islamic Society of Central every other agile-footed fencer. Jersey (ISCJ) with 30 Mosques in 30 Days crew. (Right) 2011 It is only when she removes her Fencing World Championship Bronze Medalist. mask that you can see that she is an African American Muslim woman. something when you get to that high school.’

Muhammad, the nation’s second-ranked That’s what she taught all of us.” female fencer, is a professional athlete and After high school, Muhammad was a 2012 Olympic hopeful. If she qualifies for recruited to fence for Duke University, the U.S. Olympic team, Muhammad will where she completed bachelor’s degrees likely become the first hijab-wearing Muslim in international relations and African and woman to represent the U.S. at the games. African American studies in 2007. She was Muhammad says that her hijab is one of a three-time NCAA All-American fencer. the reasons she was drawn to fencing as a After graduating, Muhammad decided high school freshman. to pursue fencing full time. She is the first “One of the reasons I became a fencer was African American Muslim woman to make the attraction to the long pants, the jacket, the U.S. World Championship Team, in 2010 and the mask,” she says. “Not only would the and 2011. sport not restrict my desire to dress modestly When asked about role models in her life, as a Muslim woman, but I also would, for Muhammad points to the instructors at the the first time in any sport, wear the same Peter Westbrook Foundation (PWF) in New uniform as my teammates.”

York City, where she started training in 2003.

I didn’t have that. I never saw a Muslim woman who played sports,” she says. “I would like for other Muslim youth to believe that playing sports is not contradictory to our faith, it’s not contradictory to our religion.

It’s definitely something that we’re all capable of doing.”

Muhammad plans to keep fencing until the 2016 Olympics.

“I really enjoy fencing,” she says. “It’s something that I love and I know that I can win an Olympic medal. It’s just a matter of getting there so insha Allah, make dua for me. I’m working on it.”

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Zahra Cheema, a freelance writer, resides in Maryland.

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Muslims in Action

Multi-Culturalism and the Muslim American Market Conference seeks to address needs of Muslim American consumers and promote entrepreneurs.

By Susan Labadi

A

ttendees of the 3rd American Muslim Consumer Conference (AMCC), held Oct. 29 in New Brunswick, N.J., were treated to a preview of DinarStandard’s “American Muslim Market: Business Landscape & Consumer Needs” analysis, presented by Rafi-uddin Shikoh, DinarStandard founder and CEO. Guest speakers from Wal-Mart, Best Buy, The Futures Company, as well as others in the audience from large mainstream companies witnessed the research that quantifies a special demographic opportunity with the Muslim American consumer.

While Hispanic and African American consumers are being recognized for their marketing potential, there is an underserved Muslim American market niche of about 7 million people with an estimated $200 billion in spending power. Dinar Standard’s study confirms previous work done by Gallup and Pew, and goes further in depth to show huge potential that awaits savvy companies who lead the way in inviting Muslim consumers

and including them in their multicultural marketing plans. One of the most relevant requests of the study’s survey respondents was to “increase ease and availability of Halal products.” Shikoh stated that this was “a call to the national retailers.”

Faisal Masood and Sabiha Ansari founded AMCC three years ago to understand and address the needs of Muslim American consumers and to promote entrepreneurs. They have seen tremendous interest in this conference and have brought a much sought-after gathering of those looking for opportunity and networking.

Ogilvy & Mather—the international advertising and PR corporation—was recognized for its 2010 presentation, “A little empathy goes a long way: how brands can engage the Muslim American Consumer.”

They were the recipients of the 2011 Multicultural Award, which is given to an organization that promotes diversity and is inclusive to all minorities in America.

In her acceptance speech, Nazia Hussain Du Bois, Ogilvy’s director of cultural

strategy, noted that the large uptake of marketing that is Muslim-friendly is yet to happen. Ogilvy, she mentioned in 2010, called for empathy; in 2011, she said, “We need companies and organizations to have the courage to step up, to listen to our needs and to change. To have the courage and the confidence to deal with the backlash that may occur.”

The “Muslim Lifestyle Market: Preserving Values and Shaping Identity” panel heard from Ibrahim Abdul Matin, author of the book “Green Deen”; Kamran Pasha, Hollywood screenwriter and director; Maria Ebrahimji, CNN Worldwide; and Fazal Bahardeen, Crescentrating.com.

As always, the highlight of the conference was the spectacular and informative Entrepreneur Showcase that was once again headed by Adnan Durrani, founder and CEO of American Halal Company and the famed Saffron Road success story.

On a guest panel with Durrani were Tariq Farid, CEO of Edible Arrangements, Haroon Mokhtarzada, co-founder and CEO of Webs. com, and Moose Scheib, CEO of LoanMod. com. They mentored and advised four candidates chosen from a pool of applicants for the opportunity to get some free publicity and business counseling. Companies selected to present were: Good Earth Potato, Salik Productions, Essential Health International, and Modern EID.

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Further details about the conference can be found at http://americanmuslimconsumer.com/.

Susan Labadi is project coordinator of the American Halal Association and editor of HalalConnect Magazine

Faisal Masood and Sabiha Ansari, founders of AMCC

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Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Najah Khan, pictured here at 15 years old, graduates as salutatorian of her class.

Keeping Your Eye On the Finish Line How a recent ISNA scholarship winner graduated high school at the top of her class in just two years.

By Meha Ahmad

W

hen we look back at our time in high school, we remember all-night cram sessions, impossible exams, oftentimes-crushing workloads, endless word problems and possibly a demanding extracurricular activity or two. Now imagine doing all of that in two years instead of four, throwing in 500 community service hours, running an online magazine, working with Iraqi refugees, and still finishing at the top of your class. It’s impossible, laughable even, to consider such a venture.

But that’s just what Najah Khan set out to do.

Now a 16-year-old pre-med student halfway through her first year of college at the University of Houston-Downtown (she plans on studying to be a brain surgeon, of course), the recent ISNA scholarship winner reflects on the road she chose and its impact on her life. She talks about the sacrifices made—from fitting meals during car rides to not finding time to get her driver’s license—the one regret she has when she looks back, and what she plans to do next.

Islamic Horizons: Where did you come up with the plan to finish high school in two years?

Najah Khan: When I was in the sixth grade, my sister Abeer was the one who

gave me the idea of the two-year graduation thing. She asked me if I thought I was able to do this; I told her I’d try.

IH: At such a young age, you’ve accomplished a lot. But what are you most proud of?

NK: What I’m most proud of really is being able to really [helping] refugees and victims [of abuse]. For me, it really opened my eyes and I felt like I really truly knew what Islam meant.

IH: All your hard work snagged you the honor of being the second highest graduate for your class. What was it like giving your salutatorian speech at graduation at just 15 years old?

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

NK: I felt very happy giving the speech.

When I was walking across the stage to give my speech, I looked at my mom and she gave me the biggest smile. And I felt like I was on top of the world because she was really proud of me.

IH: What was your motivation?

NK: I really wanted to be a doctor and work toward that. Also, my mom and dad expected a lot out of me and I didn’t want to disappoint them. Really, I wanted to see how far I could go, see how much I could learn and how much experience I could get. My sister Abeer helped me through a lot. She was my guiding light.

IH: Do you have any regrets?

NK: I guess maybe the only one is that I wish I had worked harder. I just wish I’d have done more things. I wish I had learned more about Islam and spread more awareness.

IH: I have to ask—when did you have time to sleep or eat?

NK: I had free time on the weekends; I would sleep in a bit and then go to community service. Sleep wasn’t as important to me as schoolwork and helping the community.

And I would eat in the car rides.

IH: Tell me about your social life. Did you still have time for friends?

NK: My friends were in everything I did, in my classes and projects. It’s not that I didn’t have a social life, it’s just that I was very focused on work, but I had a lot of friends in a lot of projects and stuff I worked in.

IH: So after all this, has college met your expectations?

NK: The college experience has been great.

I’m taking more science courses—that’s my main interest. I’m taking more biology and chemistry labs. When I came to the university level, there was such a vast difference; there were so many things I hadn’t done before, like attend seminars and symposiums.

IH: What do you hope to accomplish in the near future?

NK: I actually want to get my license soon! My parents take me to my university because I haven’t gotten my driver’s license yet. I want to get my license so I could spare my parents trouble.

IH: Looking back at all the successes and challenges, what advice would you give younger students?

NK: Don’t ever stray from your path. [...]

But don’t sacrifice things that are very dear to you, like your family. There’s always a balance; there’s always time for these things.

■

Meha Ahmad is the copyeditor of Islamic Horizons.

33

Politics and Society

Toward Economic Equity

Occupy L.A. gives a closer look into ‘leaderless’ movement.

By Tasbeeh Herwees

Khadija Syed at the Interfaith Sanctuary in the Occupy LA encampment.

What does revolution look like?

I

n Tunisia, revolution was a man on fire, ignited by the anger of several decades of tyranny. In Libya, revolution was a war that both ravaged and rejuvenated. In Egypt, revolution is ongoing, spilling out onto the streets of Cairo and Alexandria and bubbling up the throats of young demonstrators through chants and protest songs.

But halfway across the world, in California, a budding revolution of sorts has manifested itself into an encampment—part festival, part political insurrection, part commune—situated on the lawn of Los Angeles City Hall.

Hundreds of tents have been pitched on what once used to be City Hall Park. The grass that once blanketed the lawn is dead, and patches of dirt now peek out from the spaces in between the tents. Cardboard signs of all kind are sprinkled across the camp.

“Banks got bailed out, we got sold out,” one sign says. Another is scrawled simply with the word “Revolt.”

Such a scene is incongruous with the otherwise urban cityscape: as businessmen, lawyers and city officials rush past in suits and coats early in the morning, Occupy Los

34

Angeles demonstrators struggle out of their tents to the food tent, where they are served breakfast donated to them by supporters.

Like Occupy Wall Street before them, the Los Angeles occupiers, in protest of tumbling unemployment rates, corporate power, and U.S. foreign policy—only a few grievances on a long list—set up a permanent campsite around City Hall.

This is a marathon, and we’re going to be out here for years because our mission is to destroy the entire institution of capitalism.” —Paul, an Occupy L.A. demonstrator.

The encampment has evolved into a bustling microcosm of outside society—portapotties are stationed on each side of the building. A library of hundreds of donated books is set up on the North Lawn, next door to a tent labeled “People’s Collective University,” where volunteers offer a slate of instructional courses in a variety of subjects.

On the South Lawn, where the General Assembly takes place every night, there’s a media tent, where a small number of activists manage Occupy L.A.’s website, tweet updates, and arrange live streaming Q&As. The South side’s staircase has also become the de facto stage for musicians, spoken word artists, street performers and speakers. In one area of the camp, the People’s Print Shop will stamp any item of clothing with “99%” free of charge.

Occupiers with kids have a home at “Kid’s Village” where children have access to coloring utensils, paper, toys and a tent for naps.

The camp is constantly bustling with activity, and discussions about everything from the government to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are ongoing. The movement is “leaderless”—“We’re all leaders,” says one protester—so decisions are made en masse.

On one chilly Tuesday morning, the protesters formed a circle in front of the north entrance of Los Angeles City Hall. The topic of discussion? Money.

“We don’t have cops beating us,” says James, an occupier. “This could be our burden to bear.”

To express approval, people in the circle nod, raise their hands and wiggle their fingers in silent applause. The “cops” James is referring to are officers of the New York Police Department, who have been accused of using violent aggression against Occupy Wall Street protesters camped out in Zuccotti Park.

The burden, James says, is continuing the Los Angeles occupation of City Hall without money, but not because they don’t have any of it. The occupiers have been receiving plenty of donations through their website and at a donation tent set up on the North Lawn.

But Occupy L.A. isn’t an organization— at least not a registered one. Four of the occupiers have been storing the money in their personal bank accounts and volunteer

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

lawyers working with the protesters warn them this could leave the account holders liable for tax fraud.

The meeting this morning is an informal committee discussion debating the pros and cons of registering the occupation as a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization. James tells the committee about occupiers in Spain who have done away with money entirely.

“Personally, I feel uncomfortable with money,” James says, to more silent applause.

Many of the occupiers agree with him.

They don’t see how a movement that has been overwhelmingly anti-corporation can rationalize becoming a corporation.

Still, there are others who see it as a means to an end.

“I love the idea of no money,” says another occupier, Paul. “But this is a marathon, and we’re going to be out here for years because our mission is to destroy the entire institution of capitalism.”

Max Funk, who’s been listening to the debate silently, speaks up.

“I’m here for economic justice,” Funk says. “Whatever can enable us to come closer to that goal—which is paying for food, paying for porta-potties, paying for

educational resources—that’s having money.

Money is not evil, money is a device.”

Funk teaches economics classes at the North Lawn’s “Collective University.”

Other courses include instruction in art, philosophy, writing and even acting. The importance of knowledge is not lost on the occupiers, who attend Funk’s classes, and others, actively participating in the discussions that result. The discussions often echo the posters strewn across the camp.

“How do we decapitate capitalism?” asks one student in Funk’s class. Anti-capitalism sentiment runs rampant in the discussions had, but Funk shakes his head at the question.

“It’s not that capitalism is evil,” he says to the growing audience. “Injustice is evil.

Exploiting people is evil.”

Injustice is the keyword at Occupy L.A.: economic injustice, social injustice, political injustice. Though domestic issues lie at the heart of the occupiers’ anger, they are conscious of a global injustice being perpetrated by the same policies they rail against.

Though many are hesitant to compare the Occupy movement to the Arab Spring— “They’re getting killed for protesting,” explained one occupier. “At the most, we

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

get pepper sprayed.”—references to the Arab revolutions are visible everywhere.

“Arab Spring = U.S. FALL!!!” one sign says.

On the North lawn, the Yemen Peace Project, a nonprofit organization working to raise awareness of the Yemeni government’s brutal repression of all dissent, has arranged a mini-exhibit of activist photography of the ongoing revolution.

U.S. foreign policy, of course, is a major sticking point with most occupiers. At protests, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the subject of many chants and, despite recent controversy surrounding the Occupy Wall Street media team, which deleted a tweet in support of the freedom flotilla delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, the opinions of most Los Angeles occupiers skew proPalestinian.

“OCCUPY LA NOT GAZA” is scrawled on a sign taped haphazardly to a tent at the Occupy L.A. camp. Economic disparity in the U.S. is incomparable to the occupation of Palestine by Israel, but the forces fighting each share values: toward freedom, toward equality, toward justice.

■

Tasbeeh Herwees is a Libyan American journalist living in Southern California.

35

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Politics and Society

Islam in the Office: Challenges, Opportunities and Speed Bumps Muslims in the workforce find both smooth roads and dead-ends.

By Kiran Ansari

Syed Quadri

W

Sarah Kadir

hen Sarah Kadir’s coworkers hear something negative about Muslims in the news, they say, “But we know Sarah, and she is not like that.”

A project manager at Abbot Laboratories for more than 16 years—and one of the few Muslims in the company—Kadir of Glenview, Ill., often feels that she has to be the voice of Muslims and needs to always educate herself about current affairs in order to represent her faith.

“It puts a lot of pressure on you,” Kadir smiles. “While I try never to have a holierthan-thou attitude, I focus on improving my character traits such as integrity, honesty and hard work so that my work ethic speaks for me.”

Shahid Abdul-Karim agrees. He works in the business and government center at a national cellular company in Wallingford, Conn., and believes that, as the only Muslim in his department, he has ample opportunities to dispel myths about Islam. He has been fortunate to be able to adjust his Friday schedule to allow him to attend Friday prayers in congregation. During Ramadan, he uses his lunch break to read Quran at his desk and his coworkers know not to bother him.

38

Shahid Abdul-Karim

“I have never needed to preach Islam,” Abdul-Karim says. “I have just tried to set a good example. When they see me as a young African American man who has married early, gone back to school and doesn’t smoke or drink or go to wild parties, they have a different perspective about me and my faith.”

Kadir’s team has postponed some lunches for after Ramadan; her boss even asked her where he could purchase halal meat so that she could eat comfortably at his dinner party.

Abdul-Karim’s coworkers have even accompanied him to Friday prayer.

Aiming for middle ground That is not to say that every job doesn’t come with its share of challenges. For instance, several retreats and networking events revolve around drinking at the bar.

“As the evening progresses and the drinking begins, it is obvious how the jokes get cruder and the behavior gets very candid,” Kadir says. “I join my team for a soda and then excuse myself and they understand.”

There is always room to find a middle path if the intention and willingness don’t waver.

Take Syed Quadri’s example. Even though he is the only Muslim in the medical affairs

group at Bristol Myers Squibb in Princeton, N.J., he has been able to pray and fast regularly even while traveling extensively. On Eid ul Adha this year, Quadri happened to be in San Francisco for a conference, but he still managed to find a prayer hall close to the convention center for Eid prayer.

“I believe in silent dawah,” Quadri said.

“I try not to discuss controversial topics at work. Instead, I aim to set an example by being moderate and respectful.”

Quadri feels that, unfortunately, many young professionals entering the workforce tend to be on either end of the spectrum.

Either they are so shy about their identity that they just want to blend in with the wallpaper, or they are overzealous and want to stop everyone to tell them about Islam. He encourages them to always look for middle ground, because that is the basis of Islam.

Faisal Masood is the technology director at a major financial institution in New York, and founder of the American Muslim Consumer. Being one of the few Muslims at the bank has not deterred Masood from excelling at work.

“I consider myself lucky that [my

On the Lighter Side As a brand new medical resident in Cleveland, Sana Ansari got her picture taken for the “Residents Wall of Fame” in the hospital. The administrative assistant came up to her with a puzzled look.

“Dr. Ansari, can you please come with me?” the assistant asked. “There is something I wanted to make sure about your picture.”

Ansari saw that her eyes were completely closed due to the flash and she requested that they take her picture again.

“Oh okay,” the assistant said. “I thought it was a cultural thing to have your eyes closed in photos!”

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Being Muslim in Hollywood Best known for his roles in "Iron Man" and "Star Trek," Faran Tahir has encountered several occasions where he turned down a role because he felt the script was lopsided and portrayed one-dimensional characters.

“Whether it is a Muslim character or not, if it is pushing stereotypes, then I tell my agent that it is not for me,” Tahir said. “I do not have an agenda except for encouraging a constructive dialog. If we indulge in combative dialog, that’s when the walls start going up.”

He just wants to plant a seed in the director’s mind, hoping it might later germinate into something better.

Fasting has hardly ever proven to be a conflict with his work. He reminisces about a time when he was working in the theater and the stage manager set an alarm so that they could break when it was time for iftar and Tahir could have something to eat.

He prays in his trailer as regularly as his schedule permits and finds lots of opportunities to talk about Pakistan or Islam. However, he is conscious to listen to others in a dialog as well and tries to take out the time to learn about other religions, too.

Nuggets of Advice from Seasoned Muslim Professionals

Faisal Masood works at a major financial institution in New York.

employer] welcomes diversity and does not tolerate stereotyping,” Masood said. “My team members are very considerate. During Ramadan, they do not even bring in their coffee and bagels with them to our Thursday morning staff meetings.”

He feels that, at times, some companies may not provide prayer space or make other accommodations simply because no one has ever asked.

What about him?

Another challenge Muslims may face in the workplace is representing Islam when people that look and sound like you act differently.

Mehrunisa Qayyum worked for several years in the U.S. Senate and House Government Accountability Office before becoming

a freelance consultant and blogger (www. pitapolicy.com). She meets people of all faiths through speaking engagements and networking events and is careful not to blanket all Muslims together and make sweeping statements.

“It’s more of a tight line to walk when someone asks you why you do not drink when they know other Muslims that do,” Qayyum says. “I just say that not drinking is my choice and I am no one to judge others.”

Even though there was a meditation room in the Government Accountability Office, Qayyum preferred to pray in her cubicle.

“Ironically, a Turkish co-worker who admitted to no longer practicing Islam himself brought me a prayer rug as a gift

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

1. Do not lose your identity in an effort to please everyone.

2. Try to be a walking Quran so that you exemplify the character of the Prophet (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam); you do not need to preach.

3. Document everything—good or bad. It helps tremendously when you apply for awards or are up for a promotion. You need to prove that you are a qualified candidate because of your intellect, not because you are a minority.

4. In this era where news spreads by the nanosecond, do not say or post anything on social media accounts that can haunt you later.

5. Accept that there are variations in how people practice their faith—even within a faith.

6. Maintain relationships that you have taken time to establish with people, even if you may not work/study with them any longer.

7. Never think that volunteering at your mosque or another organization will take away from your career; in fact, it can add significantly to your personality development and add blessings in your work performance.

8. Engage in a constructive, non-combative dialog.

9. Don’t judge and don’t be judged. Be an equal partner in creating your image.

Don’t let others do it for you.

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Politics and Society

Your Legal Rights as an Employee Federal law makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against an employee on the basis of religion, race or national origin. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act guarantees your right to: 1. Reasonable religious accommodation: This includes wearing a beard, prayer breaks, hijab and going to Friday prayers.

2. Fairness in hiring, firing and promotions.

3. A non-hostile work environment: Your employer must ensure that you are not subjected to antiMuslim insults, harassment or unwelcome and excessive proselytizing.

4. Complain about discrimination without fear of retaliation.

When Faced with Discrimination on the Job

Excerpted from CAIR National www.cair.com

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Choosing your words wisely Oftentimes, workplace discrimination may not even be bigotry, but just illiteracy in Islam. It is then up to the Muslims in the workplace to educate their coworkers—but in a suitable fashion.

“The manner in which you ask for religious accommodation is crucial,” says Kevin Vodak, litigation director at CAIR-Chicago.

“You need to be prudent, review the policies and procedures, and speak with the human resources department at your workplace.”

He encourages Muslims to know that they have a right to seek accommodation (such as taking breaks for prayer) provided it does not place undue hardship at the place of business. [See sidebar.] CAIR-Chicago, as well as other chapters of the national organization, has intervened for several Muslims who have had difficulty with wearing the hijab or taking time off for Friday congregation prayers. In most cases, they have been able to reach an amicable solution.

even though she was fired, her fight helped pave the way for other hijab-wearing women to get a job at the department store.

As of press time, Saenz works with a luxury cosmetic brand at another high-end department store, but is still not allowed to wear the hijab. Her EEOC complaint is under investigation and she is planning to contact her local CAIR office.

“I have explained how a headscarf will not affect my talent as a makeup artist and I will still be able to provide the same level of customer service,” Saenz says. “But the management feels customers will not relate to me and I will not be able to sell cosmetics.”

Saenz says she will try to change people’s hearts, but much of it must be left to a higher power. “[A]t the end I always remember that it is Allah that changes hearts, not me. I may be good at representing Chanel or MAC Cosmetics, but I have to be good at representing myself,” Saenz says. “Chanel is not going to give me jannah; I have to earn it myself.”

■

Kiran Ansari, a freelance writer and editor in Chicago, has bylines in more than 30 publications including the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Parent magazine.

Struggling for the ‘real’ promotion However, when you hear of employees suing a company for not getting time off to break their fast or not being hired because they wear the hijab, you know that not everyone is blessed to have an inclusive work environment.

Reem Saenz of Dallas is one such employee. As a professional make-up artist, she was fired from her job at a leading department store after she told her manager that she was going to convert to Islam and start wearing the hijab.

“Why do you want to be like those people?” her supervisor asked. “I don’t think women in the Middle East dress to work like this; they aren’t even allowed out of the house.”

Even though Saenz calmly explained how millions of Muslim women work outside the home—even citing the Prophet Muhammad’s wife Khadijah, who was a very successful businesswoman—her efforts were futile.

“As a revert to Islam, my family did not accept me, and then I lost the job I was really good at—it was devastating,” Saenz recalls.

However, she did not give up hope. She filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and, Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

SPACE DONATED BY THE ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA

1. Remain calm and polite.

2. Inform the offending party that you believe his/her actions are discriminatory.

3. Report the discriminatory action in writing to company management.

4. Begin documenting the discrimination by saving memos, keeping a detailed journal, noting the presence of witnesses and making written complaints. Make sure to keep copies of all materials. It is important to keep a “paper trail” of evidence.

5. Call the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) at 800669-4000 or local county or state civil rights agencies to educate yourself about legal options.

6. Contact a local attorney who is licensed to practice in your state to discuss your case.

7. DO NOT sign any documents or resign without an attorney’s advice.

8. Ask for mediation.

9. Contact CAIR to file a report.

when he saw me in sujood on my coat on the floor,” Qayyum says.

Losing Liberty

The Patriot Act has institutionalized practices where innocent Americans are regularly targeted and monitored.

By Islamic Horizons Staff

O

ctober 2011 marked the 10th anniversary of the passage of the USA Patriot Act. On Oct. 26, a Muslim civil rights group, Muslim Advocates, released the report, “Losing Liberty: The State of Freedom 10 Years After the Patriot Act,” illustrating how the Patriot Act opened an era where federal law enforcement erodes America’s cherished freedoms and wastes precious resources.

In his forward to the report, former Sen. Russ Feingold—the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act—writes, “It’s a law that does not live up to our American ideals.”

Muslim Advocates suggested steps Congress and the president should take to amend the law and uphold the nation’s founding freedoms, which are guaranteed to all Americans, regardless of faith.

“When the American people find out how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act, they will be stunned and they will be angry,” says Senate Intelligence Committee’s Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). “We must guard against racism and ethnic discrimination against people of Arab and South Asian origin and those who are Muslim.”

Executive director of Muslim Advocates, Farhana Khera, discusses the Patriot Act’s sinister aspects.

“Today, the FBI can show up at your work, unannounced, to interrogate you about an article on political events you post on Facebook, or seize information about your calls, emails, Internet activity, and medical and banking records—all without a shred of evidence that you’ve engaged in criminal activity,” Khera says.

According to Khera, the decade since the passage of the Patriot Act has done little diminish the fear felt by many Muslim Americans.

“Muslim Americans fear expressing their political views or fully practicing their religion because it just might result in a knock on the door from the FBI or questioning by a federal agent the next time they return from

an international trip,” Khera says. “That’s not the America our founders envisioned.”

Following the passage of the Patriot Act, the FBI quickly targeted Muslims for intensive surveillance: In 2003, FBI director Robert Mueller directed the FBI’s 56 field offices to count the number of Muslims, mosques and Muslimrun charities in their regions.

The FBI also conducted allegedly “voluntary” interviews, resulting in the interviews of nearly 500,000 Muslim and Arab men during the period from 2001-05 alone.

[The Patriot Act] is a law that does not live up to our American ideals.”

—Former Senator Russ Feingold, the only senator to vote against the law.

In late 2008, the FBI codified these practices by modifying its guidelines for agents to allow massive racial and ethnic data-gathering and expansive surveillance of mosques and other religious and political gatherings, without evidence of wrongdoing.

Today, the FBI has 15,000 spies and informants, mainly targeting the Muslim community, and as many as 45,000 unofficial informants. (Ironically, FBI’s annual hate crime report released November 2011 shows a 50 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes since 2009.)

If a donor unintentionally gives to a prohibited organization or to a valid charity

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

that in turn gives to a prohibited actor, the government can freeze the good faith donor’s assets.

According to Gallup’s 2009 survey (see Religious Perceptions in America: With an In-Depth Analysis of U.S.Attitudes Toward Muslims and Islam), 22 percent of Americans say their opinion of Islam is “not too favorable” and 35 percent said that it is “not favorable at all.” Furthermore, 43 percent of Americans admit to feeling at least “a little” prejudice toward Muslims.

While 2 percent of the U.S. population is Muslim, they account for 25 percent of the total number of discrimination complaints against employers.

In a recent survey by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) titled, “Global Battleground or School Playground: The Bullying of America’s Muslim Children,” of 78 Northern Virginia Muslim children ages 12-17, 80 percent reported being subjected to bigoted taunts, epithets and harassment; 50 percent reported being called names in front of teachers and school administrators.

Muslim Advocates recommends: Congress amend the Patriot Act to require law enforcement to focus on actual threats, not law-abiding Americans.

Congress conduct a full public accounting of the use of the Patriot Act and all federal surveillance powers that target Americans based on their race, faith or political ideology.

Congress pass the End Racial Profiling Act that prohibits racial, ethnic and religious profiling by federal, state and local law enforcement.

The Department of Treasury and the Department of Justice issue agency orders providing protection from law enforcement scrutiny for good faith donors.

The Department of Justice increase and enhance its engagement with state and local law enforcement to ensure that all biasmotivated crimes are prevented, reported, investigated and prosecuted.

Founded in 2005, Muslim Advocates, a national legal advocacy and educational organization, serves to promote freedom, justice and equality for all, regardless of faith.

■

The full report can be read at: http://www.muslimadvocates.org/Losing_Liberty_The_State_of_Freedom_10_Years_After_the_PATRIOT_Act.pdf

41

Politics and Society

Calling for a Faithful Budget

religious obligation to protect these programs. As Muslims and people of faith, that obligation should feel even stronger.

Protecting those in need

Muslim Americans can help the national campaign to fight poverty with faith.

By Maggie Siddiqi

Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, director for the Office of Interfaith and Community Alliances at ISNA

M

uneer is a 21-year-old living with Down Syndrome in Washington. He lives with his retired parents and his older brother Noor, a full-time student.

Because of his condition, Muneer makes frequent hospital visits to have his surgicallyrepaired heart monitored, get routine blood tests and receive general care. Additionally, Muneer requires a very specific diet of liquid nutritional supplements. Because his brother is a student and their parents are retired, the family relies on both federal and state assistance to provide necessary care for Muneer.

“Without federal assistance, our family would have great difficulty in affording the proper healthcare and diet for Muneer,” says Noor, who is keeping an eye on Congress’s decisions around pending budget cuts.

He adds that losing federal assistance “would be further exacerbated by the continued cuts in the state budget, which provide essential benefits, training, and compensation to my mother and I as the primary caregivers for Muneer.”

42

Stories like this are not uncommon, and it is these stories that show not only the great impact that government programs like those supporting Muneer can have, but also how terrible it can be if these safety nets disappear. It’s because of stories like Muneer’s that people across the nation feel a moral and

The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that, without government assistance, the national poverty rate could increase to 28.6 percent.

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik is the outreach director at Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Fairfax County, Va., one of the wealthiest counties in America. And yet not all its citizens are protected from poverty.

“There are an estimated 100,000 people in the county that do not have enough food to eat,” Abdul-Malik says. “Muslim social services do case management to match individuals with federal government resources.

They tell people when they qualify for food stamps, and offer resources from their food bank in the meantime. They pay for transitional housing while people wait for housing assistance from the government. A fabric is woven together by zakat, sadaqa and federal programs.”

The Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “A man is not a believer who fills his stomach while his neighbor is hungry.” Many Muslims in the U.S. have taken on this challenge, establishing zakat (almsgiving) and relief organizations, local food pantries and free clinics.

They donate considerable money, time and expertise. Many of our communities do so much for those in need; yet there is still so much more we can do.

In these tough economic times, as our communities become more and more financially strained, government programs become increasingly important. Mosques, churches, synagogues and other houses of worship across the nation are receiving more requests for help since the beginning of the current economic crisis. According to a recent Gallup poll, approximately 1 in 5 American households with children currently suffer from food hardship.

“Zakat must be distributed to all who are needy, regardless of faith,” Abdul-Malik says, reiterating that zakat is only one piece of the help that people receive. “Budget cuts will have a community-wide effect. Without support for working people, they will erode the social safety net that has made America great.”

In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau predicts that, without government assistance, the national poverty rate could increase to 28.6 percent.

In the U.S., the federal government currently provides millions of Americans with

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

What’s happening right now in Congress

Maggie Siddiqi

resources like food, basic healthcare and social security for the elderly. One such program is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as Food Stamps, which helps nearly 45 million low-income people purchase food for themselves and their families. The program helps people get back on their feet by providing them with access to food during tough times, and the majority of them leave the program within nine months.

When our nation’s leaders undertake an effort to make our nation more fiscally responsible by reforming the budget, it is our responsibility as Americans to guide our nation’s priorities. It is our responsibility as Muslims to guide our nation’s leaders toward higher values — toward ending, not worsening, poverty; toward alleviating, not exacerbating, hardship; and toward lifting its people out of the oppression of economic injustice.

As God says in the Quran (3:104), “Let there become of you a community that shall call for righteousness, enjoin justice and forbid evil.”

We can and must call upon our federal, state and local representatives to protect those in need. As Americans, we have the right, and as Muslims, we have an obligation.

What ISNA is doing and how you can help The Islamic Society of North America has played a leadership role in this effort by joining forces with its interfaith partners to advocate for a just and compassionate federal budget.The Faithful Budget Campaign is composed of numerous national

religious organizations and holds regular prayer vigils on this issue outside the U.S. Capitol Building.

We have met with members of Congress and their staff to voice our concerns, and on Nov. 20, 2011, we held a prayer vigil outside the White House, while other vigils took place across the country, from Juneau, Alaska to Sarasota, Fla. The more Congress knows that the faith community cares about this issue, the greater the impact.

In October, we asked people to join the Fighting Poverty With Faith mobilization by challenging everyone, especially lawmakers, to live for one week on the average food stamp budget — that’s $31.50 per week.

Religious leaders and members of Congress — including Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) — took the challenge to prove to themselves and others how difficult it is to live off of such a meager amount. Moreover, they took the challenge to highlight how terrible it would be to cut SNAP or food stamps at such a critical time.

Around 35 similar events took place across the nation. You can still get involved by going to Fightingpovertywithfaith.com.

One of the most important things we can all do is simply pick up the phone and call our members of Congress. You can call (202)-224-3121 to reach your U.S. senator or (202)-225-3121 to reach your U.S. representative. You can also write to them, or write a letter to the editor for your local newspaper and mention them by name. Whether you agree with them or not, it’s important for members of Congress to know what their voters care about most.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

On Aug. 7, 2011, President Obama signed the Budget Control Act into law as a lastminute means of preventing the government from failing to pay back its debts. The law immediately cut $917 billion in spending, including a substantial amount of housing assistance for people in need. The law also established a “Supercommittee” of Congress members from both parties. The Supercommittee was tasked with figuring out how to cut an additional $1.5 trillion or more from the budget, or else trigger automatic cuts across the board while sparing some critical programs like Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Protection and SNAP. On Nov. 21, the Supercommittee announced that they failed to reach an agreement; automatic cuts are set to begin in January 2013. Half of these cuts would come from defense programs and half from non-defense programs, like low-income rental assistance or K-12 educational support. However, lawmakers in both parties want to write new laws that would partially or fully protect defense spending from cuts.

In order to do this, there is a strong possibility that they will seek to cut funding from programs like Medicaid and SNAP in order to maintain funding for the military.

No matter what solution Congress finds, cutting funding from those that need it most should never be an option.

Our nation’s current deficit is unsustainable and there is great good in fiscal responsibility. But there is a greater good in making sure that deficit control is done properly and not at the expense of the those who are voiceless. Congress cannot balance the budgets on the backs of the poor and we must not stand idly by.

The Prophet Muhammad once said: “Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.”

Surely there is no greater evil than the economic injustice of poverty and all that comes with it. As Muslims, we must continue to give charity when it is needed most, even when it is hardest to give. And just as importantly, we must speak out on behalf of those who need our help most.

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Maggie Siddiqi is the program coordinator for the ISNA Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances in D.C.

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Around the World

Dr. Khalique Zahir

Sudan to Palestine Medical Relief on a Mission

By Leena Saleh

C

holera outbreaks, famine epidemics, violent attacks and disasters, both man-made and natural, leave millions calling for help. Across America, Muslim doctors answer the call. Working in high-pressure and sometimes dangerous situations, they experience a very different work week. As the next generation of medical students enter the field, volunteer doctors encourage crossing borders and changing worlds abroad and at home.

“I feel that the healthcare system here [in the U.S.] is very insufficient and stressful,” says Omar Krad, an ophthalmologist in California. “To go on these trips is to give doctors an opportunity to go back to the fundamentals of what doctor-patient relationships should be: you have a problem, I can help you. [...] It reminds you of why you went into the field and you always get way more than you give.”

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Getting There: Funding, Preparation and Borders Before volunteers grab their superhero uniforms and fly to the rescue, experts advise that planning and extensive preparation will ensure the most effective trip possible. Volunteers at organizations like the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) and the Palestinian Children Relief Fund (PCRF) utilize fundraising, donations, and oftentimes their own finances, for obtaining equipment, supplies and travel expenses.

In preparation for a trip to the village of Nablus in the West Bank, Krad inquired about what instruments they needed in Palestine and what other ophthalmologists who had gone before had to say. After meeting two other ophthalmologists, Krad obtained donations coupled with borrowed and donated surgical equipment from other doctors, adding to a total of about $100,0000.

PCRF paid for their team’s flight and accommodations.

IMANA secretary Asif Malik, a pediatric anesthesiologist, and Khalique Zahir, a Virginia cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon paid their own flight expenses and upon arrival—carrying donated equipment worth more than $20,000—were accommodated with basic housing, transportation and meals by the Sudanese Islamic Medical Association. Both individuals are part of the Save Smile mission in Sudan.

Aside from transporting surgical equipment and medical supplies, having proper documentation is also important for medical missions. Malik and his fellow volunteers didn’t encounter trouble entering Sudan, as they carried a letter from IMANA. Similarly, Krad held a letter from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, inviting him and his fellow doctors to perform cataract surgeries, and was allowed entry into Palestine after brief questioning.

“Planning for these trips requires six months to a year,” says Malik. “Most people are very thankful that others are able to do this.”

Numbers Add Up Images of destroyed infrastructures, makeshift camps, and an endless number of vic-

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Dr. Omar Krad (right), is pictured with colleagues in front of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

tims splattered on television screens create a backdrop for a mission that is seemingly impossible.Volunteer doctors working long hours, depending on teamwork coupled with a consistent dedication to their cause has create a powerful impact.

Malik, Zahir, and a team of three physicians were located in a small dental hospital in Sudan, saw about 40 to 60 patients a day, and operated on up to 15 to 20 patients a day.

“In four and a half days, we completed 80 surgeries,” Malik says. “That is something remarkable.”

The team hopes to expand for a future mission.

“We’re hoping to take five or six surgeons on our next planned trip for Sudan in March 2012,” Zahir says. He says they can get over 200 cases completed with more doctors.

“In the U.S., that amount is done in less than a week, but in Sudan, it’s a staggering amount.”

In Nablus, Krad coordinated with a local Rafidia Hospital. The local ophthalmologists were put in charge of recruiting patients in need of cataract surgery. With only one operating room, a staff of four nurses, one or two local doctors, and a few volunteers, the doctors completed about 20 to 25 cases a day, completing a total of 101 cataract surgeries on their weeklong trip.

An Out-of-Office Experience An atmosphere of danger, the lack of large staffs, war zones, and limited space and resources all lend themselves to a volatile situation where doctors need to think on their feet.

“The best thing for someone interested in medical volunteerism is acquiring a highleveled skill set that you can adapt to different situations,” Malik says. “Being prepared is key.”

Labib Syed, a Baltimore radiologist, who volunteered for Gaza medical relief in 2009, learned the importance of improvisation.

When a patient needed a capitation with tubes to insert in the kidneys to divert urine, Syed and his fellow doctor scoured the hospital for a few hours looking for parts.

“We were sort of like machinery, trying to find pieces to build our own capacitor,” Syed says. “You try to improvise and do what you can. [...] You end up doing a lot of things that are out of the norm.”

With limited space and supplies, Zahir operated with other surgeons in the same room, an intentional set-up to allow surgeons to help each other.

“You could hop over to the next table and help out the surgeon beside you,” Zahir says. There would be around 40 people in the operating room at once.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Malik, who also shared space with his fellow volunteers, says that operating with other surgeons side-by-side allows a space not only for sharing supplies and knowledge but a sense of camaraderie.

“You have people who don’t usually work together who come together for the sake of the patients,” Malik says.

Knowledge is Power For many countries in need, a culmination of crippling factors prevent substantial and long-term healthcare, including access to equipment and education for locals, and—in regions where the political climate is further intensified—reception of outside aid.

Syed says that, like the case in Gaza, one of the greatest difficulties lies within destroyed infrastructures.

“Some of the countries had fairly decent medical facilities and equipment before the Arab Spring,” Malik says. “In Gaza, their fight was very dire because materials weren’t allowed in or out.”

Somalia suffers its own obstacles. ­ “It’s been completely forgotten and neglected,” says Ismail Mehr, vice president and chair of IMANA Medical Relief. “There was no one to help and no one willing to go because of the geo-political situation. Relief and aid was non-existent there.”

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Around the World

Disease wields its own blade on the people of Somalia.

“I met a mother there who consistently lost child after child within one week. Her children died because of the cholera outbreak and the lack of aid,” Mehr says.

Another hindrance is the U.S. embargoes which forbid the import and export of medical supplies and equipment, according to Mehr. Efforts to relieve such blockades include organizations in the U.S. working with the State Department, which inspects every move of Muslim relief organizations and Muslim affiliates in general.

“After 9/11 everything any Muslim organization does is scrutinized,” says Mehr.

In an attempt to alleviate effects of such blockades, the volunteer doctors make donating and educating locals a top priority.

In Sudan lives an eagerness to learn medicine, Zahir says, that is sometimes dampened by a refusal to grant students access to education abroad. General local doctors try to compensate by doing everything, including practicing specialties.

“Sudanese locals know the basics but not how to apply it,” Zahir says. “We tried to teach them techniques so they can care for their own people.”

“We have to be able to share what we do and know. We actually give lectures showing doctors from host countries how to perform surgeries,” Malik says. “The greatest thing we were able to transfer was knowledge.”

Examples include techniques such as using an infra-orbital nerve block to regional anesthesia of the face, a technique the locals have never seen, Malik says. Similarly, Syed in Gaza provided relief by teaching locals techniques they hadn’t seen before, like how to place a dialysis capacitor.

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“We need to train and educate the Somalian doctors because we can’t stay there forever,” Syed says.

Initially, relief addresses the disaster situation, but Mehr explains that they need to leave substantial foundations behind for long-term solutions. “We go for acute disaster situations but we try to leave something permanent in the form of hospitals, educations systems, etc.,” Mehr says.

“They don’t have an ophthalmologist on every corner,” Krad says. “I found helping them extremely rewarding. Even just 10 minutes after the surgery, they get the smallest ability to see again and they become so ecstatic. [...] They would yell out, ‘I can see! I can see!’”

According to Mehr, this type of work becomes almost “addictive,” in the sense that one realizes how much of a difference can be made in a patient’s life.

As Zahir sits in his medical office in Virginia, he looks at his memento from Sudan, a poster of all the child patients.

“I never thought I would go to another country and do this work where I didn’t know the language. I just lived life, played golf,” Zahir says. “Once you’ve been there, you can’t not go again. I spend my life doing surgery and oftentimes I forget what I do and then I see the difference I make and it’s astounding.”

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Leena Saleh is a freelance journalist from Chicago.

Transformations: Bodies and Lives Unlike patients who have consistent access to healthcare, many of the people in Sudan and Gaza suffer from extreme afflictions, which have reached advanced degrees due to lack of any medical aid.

“We operated on a patient who was 25 with a cleft lip; that is unheard of in the U.S.,” Zahir says.

“Parents didn’t recognize their own children once the cleft palate operation was over.

They were so appreciative,” Malik says.

“The most rewarding part of the work was creating a facial appearance, allowing the patient to function regularly, like allowing them to eat, talk, and drink,” Zahir says. After operating on am eight-year-old child who had a hole in his face, his parents failed to recognize him. His identity was only discovered after the father recognized the handwriting of the child’s name written across his chest.

“That was probably the most moving thing I’ve ever seen,” Zahir says.

In Nablus, patients with severe cataracts—making them practically blind— and accustomed to no healthcare, adopt the attitude nothing can be done and they must simply live with their affliction as a part of their life.

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Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Finding Sanctuary in Faith Indigenous Australians find serenity in turning to Islam.

By Peta Stephenson

I

ndigenous and Muslim communities have traded, socialized and intermarried in Australia for hundreds of years. From the early 1700s, Muslim fishermen from Makassar in southern Sulawesi, Indonesia made annual voyages to the north and northwestern Australian coast for trade; those visitors also left a lasting religious legacy. Despite the Australian government’s banning of the yearly Makassan visits in 1907, recent research by professor of anthropology Ian McIntosh confirms the existence of Islamic references in some north Australian Aboriginal mythology and ritual. In mortuary ceremonies conducted by communities on Elcho Island today, there is reference to Dreaming figure Walitha’walitha, an adaptation of the Arabic Allah ta’ala. While it is not correct to say that coastal Aboriginal people were or are

followers of Islam, according to McIntosh there is much evidence of Islamic influence in their belief in Walitha’walitha.

The first Muslims to settle permanently in Australia were the so-called “Afghan” cameleers, who did not necessarily originate from Afghanistan. While some came from Afghanistan, others originated from Baluchistan, Punjab, Kashmir and elsewhere. In Queensland and Central, Western and South Australia, Aboriginal communities brokered cross-cultural alliances with the cameleers, most of whom were devout Muslims, according to the work of Christine Stevens. Between the 1860s and 1920s, the “Afghans” provided the most reliable means of cartage and transport in the arid interior. During the many years the camel handlers worked the inland tracks, they developed trusting relationships with local Aborigines. Intermarriage was

common and today there are many Aboriginal families with surnames including Khan, Sultan, Mahomed and Akbar.

From the mid-1880s, an increasing number of Muslim “Malays” came to north Australia as indentured labor in the burgeoning pearl-shelling industry and also formed longstanding relationships with the Indigenous people they met. The term “Malay” does

The Indigenous Muslims perceive such a neat cultural fit between their traditional Indigenous beliefs and Islam that many hold that in embracing Islam, they are simultaneously going back to their Indigenous roots. not refer to the Malays of present-day Malaysia, but was used in 19th century northern Australia to refer to those from Singapore and Java, Timor, Kupang, Sulawesi and elsewhere in the Indonesian Archipelago. Most of the Malay-speaking pearl-shell laborers were Muslim, wrote Christine Choo. The industry wound down after WWII but many Malays who arrived there as young men in the late 1950s remain in Australia. A significant number married Aboriginal women and today there are many Aboriginal-Malay people in Darwin, Broome and elsewhere in northern coastal Australia.

The book “Islam Dreaming” retraces the long history of Islam in Indigenous Australia in its examination of the growing popularity

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

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Around the World of Islam among contemporary Aboriginal people through 50 people. Research has identified a broad spectrum of Indigenous identification with Islam, ranging from those with Afghan and Malay Muslim fathers or forefathers, but who are not practicing Muslims, to those with no Muslim ancestors, but who are strict adherents of the faith.

Speaking to the converted Muslim conversion is on the increase in Australian Indigenous communities. Between the 1996 and 2001 national censuses, the number of Indigenous men and women who identified as Muslim rose by less than 20 people (from 622 to 641 respectively). But by the 2006 Australian census the number had climbed by more than 60 percent to 1,014 people.

Some Indigenous Muslims perceive such a neat cultural fit between their traditional Indigenous beliefs and Islamic teachings that many hold that in embracing Islam, they are simultaneously going back to their Indigenous roots. They find cultural parallels in the shared practices of male circumcision, or even promised or arranged marriages. Interviewee Alinta believes that “Islam connects with [her] Aboriginality” because of a shared emphasis on gendered roles and spheres of influence.

“In Islam,” she says, “men have a clear role and women have a clear role and with Aboriginal people that’s how it was, too.” Several others commented on the similar attitudes that Muslims and Indigenous people have toward the environment. Interviewee Nazra notes that “in the Quran, it tells you very clearly don’t waste what is not needed … and the Aboriginal community’s the same, you know.”

Indigenous Muslims may be inclined toward Islam because, in the Australian context at least, it represents an alternative faith and ideology to the religious beliefs of their subjugators. The converts come from various Christian backgrounds, but this does not mean they all had a negative experience with Christianity. In her unpublished paper, Eugenia Flynn, for instance, claims that “unlike many Aboriginal people who, 48

rightly so, lament the interference of the Catholic Church in Aboriginal communities, I do not. My conversion to Islam is not a rejection of Catholicism as the religion of the Oppressors as it may be for some or many.”

Others were ambivalent or indifferent about Christianity, while some bitterly rejected it.

Indigenous Muslims are attracted to Islam because it does not subscribe to the kind of mono-culturalism the Christian missionaries imposed on Aboriginal people.

According to interviewee Shahzad, “Islam recognizes tribes and nations … It doesn’t just say ‘you’re Muslim, that’s it’. It says yes, all

believe that Islam offers an entire system that includes a strict code of conduct and a moral and ethical framework.

Sanctity and Modesty The hijab is perhaps especially pertinent for Indigenous women who have long been labelled wanton and sexually available. If veiling has a special significance for Indigenous women who continue to confront the image of the sexually promiscuous Black woman, a stereotype that has existed since the earliest days of colonization, the widespread practice of the forcible removal of Aboriginal children from their families also contributes to Islam’s appeal. Its emphasis on the sanctity of marriage and family is especially attractive to Indigenous women who want to provide their children with a sense of security and stability. They argue that freedom, for them, entails the ability to form families, given that the long history of racism and colonization in Australia has resulted in the break-up of their families, communities and social networks.

Peace and Stability

Muslims are the same, but it does recognize we belong to different tribes and nations, so it doesn’t do what Christianity did to a lot of Aboriginal people [which] was try and make them like white people.”

Indigenous people are alarmed and disturbed by the ongoing legacy of what Shahzad calls “a lot of the hurt of colonization.” Family breakdown, sexual and domestic violence, substance abuse, criminality and material, cultural and spiritual impoverishment is evident in many Indigenous communities today. The Aboriginal Muslims

Many Indigenous men seem drawn to Islam as it recognizes the importance of defined leadership roles for men in their families and communities, roles largely lost through racism and the ongoing legacy of colonization.

Islam helps Indigenous Muslim men deal with what Shahzad calls “the [psychological] burden” of living in white Australia as a Black man. Everyday, in subtle and overt ways, Indigenous people are reminded that they have few rights in [white] Australian society. As a small percentage of the overall Australian population (around 2.5 percent), this sense of powerlessness is ameliorated, to some extent, by the rights bestowed on men in Islam. Muslim men, as the head of the family, believe they have a divine responsibility to protect and maintain their wives and families and this, according to Shahzad, gives him “strength to be a man.”

A high proportion of the Indigenous Muslim men I spoke with identified themselves as more stable and calm after embrac-

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

ing Islam. Incensed by the long history and contemporary reality of racist subjugation of Indigenous Australians, they viewed Anglo-Australian people and society with contempt. Interviewee Sulaiman stresses that he considered terrorism before, not after becoming a Muslim: “I could very well have become a terrorist, without Islam, through the way I’ve been treated … Now if people are going to blame Islam, Islam actually stopped me from reacting against society. [Before becoming a Muslim] I was very much at a stage where I was ready to give up my life and I was going to go down with many people, just from the pain of growing up. This is just as an Aboriginal man without Islam. Islam came into my life and actually said hey, hey, cool down a little bit, it’s alright, justice will be served eventually.”

Embracing Faith in Prison Former inmate Rocky Davis was introduced to Islam through the life story of Malcolm X. Rocky, much like Malcolm X in his prehajj incarnation, initially explained away his criminal behavior by blaming it on white racist ideologies and policies. But, again,

in common with Malcolm’s experience, his rhetoric changed later. Rocky’s identification with Islam encouraged him to take full responsibility for the actions that landed him in jail. Embracing Islam brought about a dramatic shift in his self-perception, his view of the prison administration and white society more generally.

Indigenous Muslim prisoner Terry Sampson embraced Islam after he spent a year reading about and contemplating Islam before making the shahada in 2004, reporting that “ever since that day, my life started to change for the better,” and added, “I was once a brutal man, in part I still am. I have hurt a lot of people, and those acts of anger and aggression, I am deeply ashamed of.

But by the guidance of Allah, I have learned to control my anger and aggression, and I have gained discipline, obedience, tolerance, most of all compassion towards my family and fellow man.”

A lack of access to their culture, beliefs and traditions means that many young Indigenous people are denied a moral and ethical framework. But in embracing the Islamic moral code they learn self-discipline

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

and control, to take responsibility for their actions, value humanity and strive for peace and equality.

For Indigenous people whose inclusion in the Australian national community has historically depended on the denunciation of their Aboriginality, their membership in the international Muslim community, which not only tolerates difference, but is predicated on it, can be very empowering and affirming.

Through situating their Indigenous identity within a much larger global spirituality, interviewees no longer have to measure themselves against white Australian society. It is likely that the number of Indigenous Australian Muslims will continue to grow as they find that identification with Islam, of whatever kind, meets their spiritual and social needs— offering a buffer against systemic racism, a clear moral template, well-defined roles and entry to a global society that does not make assimilation the price of admission.

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Dr. Peta Stephenson, an honorary fellow at the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne, is the author of Islam Dreaming (University of New South Wales Press: 2010) and The Outsiders Within: Telling Australia’s Indigenous-Asian Story (UNSW Press: 2007).

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Around the World

“A

More Than Just ‘Facebook Girl’

Egyptian activist Esraa Abdel Fattah takes the revolution to the next level.

By Mehrunisa Qayyum

Door-to-door campaigning is necessary to reach beyond the 18 million out of 83 million Egyptians that have some idea of the complex electoral system and might not have access to new media.

50

politician should have the ability to analyze,” says Esraa Abdel Fattah right before receiving the Middle East Institute Visionary Award. Abdel Fattah is vocal, but remains humble. She has a sharp mind, but strikes many with her kindness in a crowded setting where dozens are vying for her attention. Abdel Fattah commands a crowd.

Perhaps that is how, in 2008, she successfully organized a group of textile workers to strike for fair wages in her native Egypt.

Her voice, online and offline, explain how she has been listed as No. 73 of the 100 “Most Powerful Arab Women” in the Arabian Business Magazine, earned Glamour Magazine’s “Woman of the Year,” received leading freedom and democracy NGO Freedom House’s “New Generation Democratic Activist Award,” and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year, which, fortuitously, was awarded to another Arab female activist.

Activist/blogger Abdel Fattah, who amassed more than 74,000 Facebook fans, earned more than just the title of “Facebook Girl,” so dubbed by her many supporters.

Although the first wave of the Egyptian revolution has subsided, Abdel Fattah has not sought early retirement. Instead, she now serves as the media director for the Egyptian Democratic Academy (EDA), a nonprofit based in Egypt.

“My role is to get participation,” Abdel Fattah says, because Egyptians already have the schooling. Door-to-door campaigning is necessary to reach beyond the 18 million out of 83 million Egyptians that have some idea of the complex electoral system and might not have access to new media.

“It’s not just developing leadership skills—we can’t have one without the other [citizen participation],” she says.

That is why EDA’s mission is to promote democracy, human rights, and freedom of opinion and expression in Egypt, to support youth organizations, promote new media tools for advocacy and support women, children and the disabled.

“This [Egypt’s revolution] was not simply a Facebook revolution,” Abdel Fattah says.

True, the regime had control over traditional media, like state newspapers and television.

However, she utilized all public spaces to project the April 6 Movement’s voice. Initially, she developed a Facebook page called “April 6th,” that represented a group of young

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

people demanding political change. Coupled with other social media tools, including Twitter, she engaged the Egyptian diaspora.

She also engaged offline by organizing on Tahrir Square. Abdel Fattah even linked back with traditional media. All three methods trace back to her activist roots. She describes her “first political school” as participating in the centrist liberal secular Ghad Party and its former presidential candidate, Dr. Ayman Noor.

Noor and his wife provided the analytical and practical aspects that Abdel Fatteh chose to emulate. She explains how she was encouraged by Mrs. Noor’s “strong soul to oppose” when her husband was jailed for five years.

Abdel Fattah is self-taught when it comes to mastering the Facebook options to leverage communication; she learned to develop a page by searching all “Q & A” pages and looking for tutorials online to develop a page that earned her the title “Facebook Girl.” She looks forward to reengaging with traditional media in Egypt, a country that houses the most Arab news publications in the world.

Abdel Fattah sees social media’s role as a complementary tool in the revolutions.

“New media will continue to impact Muslim society,” she says, which is why Abdel Fattah targets youth and trains them in media production, voter registration and election monitoring. EDA hosts year-round seminars and instruction for about 20 to 30 class registrants, who bring their laptops for her class, “Art & New Media,” where she teaches them how to design a page and how to use other tools to build support.

“Political parties should have their own pages… the activities of a party should be publicized for its members and non-members,” she says.

She has an important message for both Egypt and abroad: “Participate in political life.” Hence, she continues her activist role in “Tweet Nadwa,” a Twitter symposium that focuses on voter registration and education. As former Algerian ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi noted about Abdel Fattah in an event commemorating both her activism and analysis, “[Abdel Fattah’s] Visionary Award is a vote of confidence for the future.”

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Mehrunisa Qayyum, an international development consultant, has written for the GAO, Middle East Institute, AltMuslimah, Goatmilk and Kabobfest. She is the founder of the political economy blog www.pitapolicy.com.

Tawakkul Karman: First Female Arab Nobel Laureate

By Zeeba Anarwala

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year ago, no one would have guessed a 32-year-old mother of three from an isolated, conservative Arab nation would become a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The Arab Spring has brought this Yemeni journalist and activist onto the world stage.

But who is Tawakkul Karman and what’s her story?

For starters, Karman is the first Arab woman and the youngest Nobel Laureate in history. Karman’s activism began when she founded Women Journalists Without Chains in 2005 to help spread information about the Yemeni government’s abuse of journalists.

However, she gained international attention when she joined Yemen’s youth revolution in early 2011.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

In January 2011, at the start of the revolution, Karman was arrested on the charge of organizing an illegal public gathering and subsequently released within 36 hours after an outpouring of public support.

Surprisingly, Karman is a member of the opposition Al-Islah political party—a party many Yemeni youth regard to be just as ineffective as the current regime. The West regards the party as a hard-line Islamic party akin to the Muslim Brotherhood.

While some have called her “the mother of the revolution,” others claim Karman has “stolen” the revolution from the teenagers and twenty-somethings.

Kar man resp onde d sharply to this accusation, saying, “Our party needs the youth, but the youth also need the parties to help them organize. Neither will succeed in overthrowing this regime without the other.”

Karman says she is proud of the Yemeni people who protested peacefully when they could just have easily showed up armed to the teeth, as almost all families own a number of firearms. This shows their dedication to keep the protests peaceful and their honest intentions, she said.

Karman will share the 2011 prize with two Liberian women, splitting the reward about $500,000 each. Ironically, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh congratulated Karman on her accomplishment.

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Zeeba Anarwala is a freelance journalist based in North Carolina.

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Family Life

License to Wed Muslim couples need to weigh legal issues entailed by married life.

By Aneesah and Zarinah Nadir

L

ady of Justice may be blind, but when entering into marriage, our eyes should be wide open. In good times and bad, situations

arise in daily life that can strain even the strongest relationships. Are we prepared to deal with them? Life happens and we must exercise faith and reliance on God. But it

also behooves us to be proactive and arm ourselves with the appropriate education and resources to handle the unexpected.

There are many critical issues couples should consider before marriage. Instead, they are oftentimes more consumed with the planning of a wedding, buying the perfect dress, or worrying about who to invite than discussing those issues that have a long-term effect on the marriage. Along with a lack of preparation among Muslims for common marital issues—such as communication, finances, parenting and intimacy—couples are rarely equipped to address the legalities that arise out of married life. In America, it is important to understand ways the law impacts you as an individual, as a married couple and as a parent.

Identify and Acquire the Skills Healthy marriages require spiritual development, communication and relationship building skills, parenting skills, financial management skills, family health and wellness education, as well as opportunities to discuss mutual and divergent expectations.

Even seemingly trivial matters, like who will do the dishes, take out the trash and which in-laws will be visited for Eid, need to be sorted out. Views on halal meat, music and madhahab (schools of thought) need a fair discussion as couples determine their compatibility and how they will manage differing views on these subjects.

As part of the Islamic Social Services Association’s Sakinah Healthy Marriage Initiative, in partnership with the Muslim

One subject that receives little to no attention, but can have serious consequences throughout the marriage, is a couple’s understanding of the American legal system.

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Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Alliance of North America and other communities, key imams and community leaders nationwide have signed the Healthy Marriage Covenant that requires premarital counseling, advisement and education prior to the marriage ceremony. Still too few communities have the resources or have made the commitment to establish Islam-based marriage education programs. Moreover, not enough singles and families have made the commitment to seek the preparation and education necessary for a healthy marriage.

Understand your legal rights One subject that receives little to no attention, but can have serious consequences throughout the marriage, is a couple’s understanding of the American legal system. Most couples do not know that the American legal system has an impact on their marriage.

Nor are couples aware of their legal rights and responsibilities that are triggered the moment they say “I do.”

The reality is the law is a pervasive force always working for or against you; you do not have to be a bad person to be confronted with a legal situation. Prior to marriage, a couple should be cognizant of their legal rights and responsibilities as they journey through the marriage cycle, from courtship through marital dissolution by either death or divorce.

Islam requires writing our agreements, outlining inheritance wishes, and preparing our last Will and Testament (see Quran 2:240,180, 282-283 and 4:6, 11, 176). The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) is reported to have said it is not right for a Muslim with property to bequeath to pass two nights without having a written will with him (Bukhari).

Consider this The following scenarios are based on true stories embodying some of the legal issues that can affect the average Muslim family.

These couples never intended to face legal problems, but everyday events led to their involvement with the legal system.

Meet Hadia and Omar. After 15 years of marriage, they had to deal with the consequences of the husband’s unresolved criminal charge and immigration issues, which occurred even before the marriage. Eventually Omar was deported and Hadia made the difficult decision to leave her extended family behind in America, and follow him

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Situations When You’ll Wish You Had a Lawyer

The following is a list of some of the legal issues couples may experience throughout the life cycle of their marriage.

During the premarital phase, consider having your nikkah contract prepared as a prenuptial agreement with a family law attorney to improve enforceability. Properly executed prenuptial agreements seek to disclose the full nature of assets and debts.

The act of going through this process helps to open the door to discussing other sensitive, but critical topics.

If your new spouse is coming from overseas, you may need the help of an immigration attorney as they seek to complete their immigration visas for their new spouse.

Legal concerns during marriage may require the assistance of an expert in wills and estate planning, as well as real estate, immigration services

overseas with their four children to keep her family together. This was a legal issue.

Amy and Abdul, after several misjudged financial decisions, experienced their own brush with the legal system when an IRS investigation led to a lien on wages and the possibility of jail time.

Amira and Dawud, parents of two small children, were in the U.S. with no other extended family. One day, they narrowly escaped what could have been a tragic car accident and wondered what would have become of their children if they had both been killed. This, they realized, was a legal situation. They immediately set to prepare their last will and testament.

A young couple left for hajj, leaving their four-year-old behind with a relative. While away, both parents died and left no will in place. Who will now care for the minor child is a legal situation.

Mohamed and his wife decided they couldn’t hold it together any longer. A custody battle ensued to determine primary custody of their minor children. This is a legal situation.

During the course of their marriage,

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

and tax law. Issues like guardianship of minor children, the purchasing of an automobile, home ownership and real estate questions, business ownership, inheritance matters and estate planning, living wills and healthcare power of attorney, taxes and immigration services are typical.

Post-marital concerns like divorce, annulment, child custody, parenting plans and child support issues will require the expertise of a family law attorney.

Upon the death of a spouse, the assistance of a probate attorney will be needed to get your spouse’s will through the probate process.

Additional legal concerns may require a criminal law attorney for situations that arise when your spouse is currently or formerly incarcerated. A family law attorney may be needed in tandem with a criminal attorney in cases of domestic abuse.

Amina and Ahmad invested in a new business, purchased a home and other real estate.

Ahmad fell ill in the midst of the economic downturn. Even though Amina worked full time, the couple faced an intense strain on their financial situation. After missing one too many payments, their home was on the verge of foreclosure and the business was in trouble. The couple realized they were facing a legal situation.

Syed is a cab driver. One day, he was involved in an accident where he received a traffic citation and criminal charges. Due to the criminal charges, his cab was grounded and he was unable to work to support his wife and children. Syed realized he had a legal situation.

Sadia fell one day while carrying her toddler. The toddler’s femur was injured and she and her husband rushed the baby to the hospital. The hospital staff reported the injury to Child Protective Services as they are required to do. Not only is the couple worried about the health of their child, but now Sadia has been charged with child abuse.

Sadia is facing a legal situation.

Aside from these situations, Muslims 53

Family Life have also reported time and again about being questioned by law enforcement and sometimes detained or incarcerated as a result.

Get Legal Advice The reality is legal concerns can impact marriages and families in many ways. Not all legal situations are negative. It is important to seek legal advice for any number of situations, including the making of financial decisions, and before signing contracts, from purchases of a gym membership to the purchase of a house.

But, when a legal situation is more traumatic, many families are left emotionally challenged to hold it together in the midst of long, drawn out legal cases.

Wives and children may be left without the support of their husband and father in the event of incarceration.

Some legal situations ruin the family reputation and a once financially secure family may be devastated by court costs and emotional harm.

Just as one severe medical situation could devastate a

family’s budget, so too could one severe legal case. It is imperative that singles and married couples recognize the importance of their involvement with the legal system and prepare themselves to handle everyday legal situations—especially traumatic ones.

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Ask the Important Questions During the premarital phase, when you are getting to know your future spouse, it is important to ask about legal concerns that may affect the future marriage. Inquiring about unresolved debts, tax issues, previous incarceration, pending lawsuits, previous marriages, parenting plans for children from previous relationships, large business deals and immigration status are just some of the important issues singles will want to discuss before marriage. It is also essential

to know whether or not your state is a community property or separate property state.

Ownership of assets and liabilities for debts accrued during the course of the marriage by one or both spouses will be determined by this legal designation.

It is essential that couples know their legal rights and responsibilities. As Muslims in America, it is doubly important to understand how to use the tools found in the American legal system to secure our Islamic rights and responsibilities. Singles should become educated about their potential legal concerns before marriage and how they may impact the marriage. Ideally, everyone will have access to a law firm with attorneys who are experts in a range of areas couples will need advice about. Unfortunately, most

couples will not be able to afford the high hourly costs, which may present a barrier to legal access. Even consultation on a simple question may eat away any extra income a family has if they consult with attorneys at hourly rates of $300 (on average) or more.

In addition to pro bono legal service clinics provided by community lawyers, it is wise for couples to budget for the low monthly cost of legal coverage plans to address the myriad of everyday legal questions they will have throughout their marriage. A legal coverage plan allows couples to pay for high quality legal services at a low, flat monthly fee. Legal plans are becoming increasingly available through employee benefits and independent agents.

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Aneesah Nadir, MSW is a social worker and Zarinah Nadir is an attorney. Both are long-time community activists.

They are independent associates of LegalShield, providing legal coverage plans.

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Reviews Wham! Bam! Islam!

By Marwa Abed

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aif al-Mutawa, creator of the comic book series “The 99,” explores the lack of a positive narrative for Muslims, and explains why children need something to draw inspiration from in the PBS documentary, “Wham! Bam! Islam!”

Featured as an “Independent Lens” production, the film follows al-Mutawa in his quest to launch the series, part of a media empire that would include products and theme parks.

The film portrays the creative, financial and religious obstacles he encoutners. Al-Mutawa faces the challenges of sticking to his ideals, while at the same time making The 99 a lucrative business.

Much of the documentary, directed by Isaac Solotaroff, follows the financial woes of Al-Mutawa as opposed to an ideological discussion on religion and pop culture and the intersections at which they meet.

Al-Mutawa uses various superhero characters to emulate the 99 attributes of God, through their strengths and stories. With

‘Imam and I’

By Jay Willoughby

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n the words of the Rev. Bernard Wrankmore of South Africa, “Truth is not an abstract; it’s a person.” Surely this “person,” Imam Abdullah Haron (1924-69), was—and remains—well known, respected, listened to. But have you ever heard of him?

Do you know that the Muslim Judicial Council, which had asked him to join its ranks, said nothing about his death—a death that the owners of “Muslim News,” of which he was the editor, were hesitant to report? That his widow remembers the shaykhs telling her to “trust in Allah” and then going away; that his son recalls long years of estrangement from the community?

Daring to go beyond expressing only verbal outrage at apartheid, the imam knew that “the soul couldn’t be trapped by prison bars or dogmatic religious ideology.” And so

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the introduction of each character, a valuable lesson is learned.

The documentary explores how the comic book series was met both by great enthusiasm and controversy, even being banned in Saudia Arabia, under claims that the characters promoted the idea that humans can embody God’s attributes.

Through the exchanging of stories and allowing the Islamic narratives into the mainstream, we can broaden perspectives and build bridges, not only across faiths, but from the older generation of Muslims to the younger generation of faith-keepers.

In “Wham! Bam! Islam!” al-Mutawa says, “My problem isn’t fundamentalism or literal interpretations of Islam; the problem is when the noose is tied around those who don’t believe that way.”

He explains that it is not the job of every Muslim to go out into the world and reassure people of our normalcy, or to apologize on behalf of fundamentalists; however, it is the job of Muslims to engage with the world. They may find—shockingly—that the superheroes of the Muslim world want much of the same that a Kansas-raised Superman would.

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he never really had much of a chance with South Africa’s largely traditional, conservative and apolitical religious leaders.

Although officially appointed imam of Claremont’s Al-Jamia Mosque, at 31 Imam Haron was viewed as “too young.” His political involvement antagonized them, as did his lifestyle and his view of the mosque as a place for praying and for developing new leaders among young, alienated Muslims. For transgressing the ethnic and racial boundaries to make common cause with the blacks, he was denigrated in private as the “kafir” imam.

In the aftermath of the 7/7 London bombings, Khalid Shamis, the Haron’s grandson, a Londoner, wonders in this documentary what “drives the human soul against its own self for the greater good.” Perhaps the life of his non-conformist grandfather, a man who sought to marry his “deep spiritual commitment to self and community [with his] appreciation for the finer things in life,” holds some answers. It proves to be a journey of self-discovery.

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‘Memoirs’ defines country life with Quran’s verses

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n “Memoirs of a Hillbilly Muslim,” Linda “iLham” Barto—a country-slang talking, decorated Air Force veteran and black belt in karate—catalogs her journey from growing up on a farm to finding Islam, and learning that to accept one faith didn’t mean giving up all the faith she had before.

In the memoir, Barto writes, “I did not have to stop being a Christian in order to become a Muslim.

I simply added layers of light to the light I already had.”

Through sharp wit and deep reflection, Barto presents a novel that can teach people of all faiths a thing or two.

Growing up as a faithful Christian, Barto learned early in life to recognize what she calls signs from God, even if they came in strange dreams—including one that would lead her to take a trip to Tunisia that would change her life.

Through Barto’s stories and parables, we learn of her childhood growing up on a working farm sans indoor plumbing, to her time in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, lessons from her parents, brief encounters that left footprints on her memory, a backyard full of chickens and mayhem, and the unique stories of child-rearing that only a mother can possess, just to name a few. With every story, with every page, a little more of Barto’s beguiling journey and charming wit are brought to light.

It is a rare book that can capture the heart of the writer on its pages, but Barto’s memoir manages it.

Each chapter contains translated verses of the Quran juxtaposed with related verses of the Bible, as well as anecdotes of Barto’s own life that almost strangely fit the lessons of the highlighted holy verses. Reading it is like a bizarre jigsaw puzzle: separately, the verses and stories stand well enough alone; but when all the pieces are fit together, it makes for a highly amusing and wonderfully enlightening picture—one you enjoy, but never expected.

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Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Warner Against Self-Hurt

Short Takes

Against Smoking: An Ottoman Manifesto Ahmad al-Rumi al-Aqhisari. Trans. Yahya Michot 2011. pp. 108. HB. $16 Kube Publishing Ltd., Markfield, Leics., UK

Abu Hanifah: His Life, Legal Method & Legacy Mohammed Akram Nadwi 2011. pp. 160 pages. PB. $13.50 Kube Publishing Ltd., Markfield, Leics., UK Abu Hanifah was one of the greatest pioneers in the history of Islamic Law, particularly in legal reasoning. The Hanafi Legal School, he founded, has become the most widely followed among the world’s Muslims. Based on primary sources, this study also surveys the evolution of Hanafi legal reasoning (fiqh) in the Islamic world and assesses its historical distinctiveness.

Turks, introduced to tobacco by the Europeans in the mid-1600s, took to it. The permissibility of tobacco is a much-debated issue among Muslims; some jurists even liken it to alcohol in sinfulness and harm. Many fiqh scholars conducted campaigns against the problem. Among them was Ahmad al-Rumi Al-Aqhisari (d.

1041), a reformer and scholar from Anatolia, who considered tobacco haram. He is largely forgotten in his own country, but his influence can be traced as far away as India in the 19th century.

Michot re-introduces this lost voice from 17th-century Anatolia whose impassioned appeal to prohibit the use of tobacco is as relevant today as it was during the time when al-Aqhisari wrote this work.

Michot provides an introduction into the work (Risaleh Dukhaniyyeh) and an outline of the scholarly debates concerning smoking that occurred in Turkey in the 16th and 17th centuries. Al-Aqhisari, who based his call for prohibition of smoking on its harmfulness, cited the findings of then contemporary physicians in support.

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A Story of Success and Failure Islam in Victorian Britain: The Life and Times of Abdullah Quilliam Ron Geaves 2011. pp. 208. HB. $50 Kube Publishing Ltd., Markfield, Leics., UK Abdullah Quilliam (1856–1932) was the most significant Muslim personality in 19th century Britain.

Uniquely ennobled as the Sheikh of Islam of the British Isles by caliph Sultan Abdul Hamid II in 1893, Quilliam created a remarkable Muslim community in Victorian Liverpool, which included a substantial number of converts.

Geaves points out that Quilliam’s story highlights the problem of applying blanket statements like “Islamists” to currents of Muslim activism. Geaves notes that “the diversity of the Liverpool Muslim community a century ago had not yet been achieved in any mosque in Britain today.”

A practicing attorney, Quillam, however, had a mysterious ending. He lost his license to practice law after a botched case. In fact, he disappeared and reappeared under a French name, according to Geaves.

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Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Prophet Muhammad in French and English Literature: 1650 to the Present Ahmad Gunny 2011. pp. 320. HB. $45 The Islamic Foundation, Markfield, Leics., UK Gunny, a pioneer in the study of French and European literary and theological representations of Islam in the modern period, offers a survey of over 350 years, which is both a cross cultural history and a discussion of the intellectual changes in the representation of the Prophet’s life based on the examination of original published and unpublished manuscripts.

Seeking Peace: A Collection of Prophet Muhammad’s Words on Peace with God, Self, Family and the World Hazem Said & Maha Ezzeddine 2011. pp. 69. PB. $6.99 Ihsan Worldwide, Milford, OH The words and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) carry great wisdom that is deeply spiritual, beneficial and brilliantly practical. This slim book attempts to convey some of that wisdom.

Fatal Faultlines: Pakistan, Islam and the West Irfan Husain 2011. pp. 256 pages. PB. $19.99 Arc Manor, Rockville, Md. Many Americans often ask: why do so many Muslims hate us? Husain points out that there are two sides to every argument. While one may not agree with the other side it is imperative that one at least understand the mindset of people whose hearts and mind have been lost by the West, which includes the U.S. Husain gives a different perspective on world affairs and American involvement with the Middle East and the Muslim world.

Cosmopolitans and Heretics: New Muslim Intellectuals and the Study of Islam Carool Kersten 2011. pp. 288 pages. HB. $35 Columbia University Press, New York, NY Kersten examines three individuals and the controversy their work has produced: Indonesian intellectual Nurcholish Madjid, Egyptian philosopher Hasan Hanafi, and French Algerian historian Mohammed Arkoun. Grounding their reading of the Islamic tradition within modern, Western religious scholarship, Kerseten says, they counter narrow conceptions of a monolithic Islam with their cosmopolitan attitudes.

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In Memoriam

Community Trailblazer Mohammed Abdul-Munim 1934 – 2011

Open position – School Principal Pleasant View School (PreK – 8) — Full time Islamic School in Memphis, TN (for next academic year 2012-2013). For US citizens and permanent residents only.

Job Requirements and Qualifications: ✓ An advanced degree in Education or related fields with considerable experience in school administration/ leadership ✓ Excellent written and oral communication skills in English ✓ A good background in Arabic language ✓ Able to design, improve and assess academic and Islamic curriculum ✓ Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to connect with the community ✓ Demonstrate strong managerial and leadership skills ✓ Practicing Muslim with strong Islamic values Salary and Benefits: Salary and benefits will commensurate with qualifications and experience

M

ohammed Abdul-Munim, founder and editor of the popular New York-based biweekly Muslim American community newspaper The Minaret, died Oct. 7 in New York City after a long fight with mantle cell lymphoma. He was 76.

He also co-founded New York’s Muslim World Day Parade (in 1984) and worked to raise money for education. The Parade celebrated its 26th year this past September.

Abdul-Munim, who was born in (what is now Indian-occupied) Hyderabad, served as the Muslim Students Association East Zone Representative. He spent his life trying to find creative ways to serve the Muslim community and society at large. In 2000, his failing eyesight forced him to give up publishing the newspaper he founded in 1974.

Abdul-Munim had a passion for quality Muslim education, and wanted to see Islamic schools all over the U.S. With a desire to raise

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For more information about PVS please visit www.pleasantviewschool.com $10 million as endowment for this noble task, he established a nonprofit organization, Muslim Unity Foundation, in the late ’90s.

The Muslim Unity Foundation is an educational trust to help fund Muslim schools and provide scholarships to students who cannot afford to attend Muslim schools in the U.S. Abdul-Munim was also founder of the Muslim World Day Banquet, and the Muslim World Day Food Fair in New York City.

New York community leader Zaheer Uddin said the late Abdul-Munim was a “visionary.” A dynamic worker of Islam, Abdul-Munim wholeheartedly appreciated those who worked for Islam, adds Zaheer Uddin.

Abdul-Munim’s daughter Firdos Shircliff says, “His true love, after his family, was the community, and he worked tirelessly. As we were kids, we would go along with him and put up signs with him to advertise for the Muslim World Day Parade, and all of these things impacted us greatly.”

How to Apply: Please submit a cover letter describing your current and past experiences, resume and three letters of recommendations with contact information no later than Feb. 15, 2012 to: employment@pleasantviewschool.com or mail to: Pleasant View School Attn: Employment 1888 North Bartlett Road Memphis, TN 38134

His friends remember him as a tirelesss supporter of the community.

“He never ceased to try to find ways to do something for the community, up until the very end,” says Abdul-Munim’s friend, Aisha al-Adawiya.

He is survived by his wife, Jameelah, his children, Fatima, Feroze and Firdos and his grandchildren, Zeina and Zaid.

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Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

Food for the Spirit

The Myth of the Pump Cultivating cardio-spiritual health

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n a recent conversation, a Jordanian scholar of Quranic commentary raised a fascinating question: Why do God and His messenger speak so frequently about our hearts as physical organs and not simply as symbols for our emotion and conscience?

He mentioned the recurrent statement in the Quran that God has full knowledge of what is in our sudur, or chests. The scholar also mentioned the sound hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), “Truly in the body there is a piece of flesh which, if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is sick, the whole body is sick. Truly, it is the heart.”

Isn’t the heart just a mechanical pump; a four-chambered muscle that oxygenates our blood? Given the preponderance of Quranic and prophetic evidence, he said he was convinced that God and His Messenger were not merely speaking figuratively. Yet he wasn’t aware of any scientific evidence to support his intuition.

Further investigation reveals that the riddle runs even deeper. God also speaks of the heart in another surprising way. In Surah al-Hajj, He suggests that our hearts are capable of thought, asking, “Have they not traveled in the land so that they might have thoughtful hearts (qulubun ya’qilun biha)” (22:46). Doesn’t neuroscience teach us that the brain is the seat of thought, and not the heart?

As it turns out, recent scientific studies are beginning to show precisely what the

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Quran teaches: our hearts more than just mere pumps.

In her book “The Heart Speaks,” Mimi Guarneri, a cardiologist and former medical director of the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, describes a new understanding of the heart that is emerging: the heart is actually a powerfully influential second brain.

Research has revealed that the heart has its own nervous system, communicates with the rest of the body, and can even act independently. Indeed, she writes, “the heart has not only its own language but its own mind.”

Moreover, “heart rate variability” — subtle variations in our heart’s rhythm — encodes aspects of our emotional state that is then shared with the rest of the body through the heart’s incredibly powerful electromagnetic field, some 5,000 times stronger than that of the brain. The heart even influences the brain.

“Since the heart is the most powerful oscillator in the body, the rhythm set by the heart is capable of entraining other organs to oscillate in synchronicity,” Guarneri writes, in a passage that beautifully confirms the prophetic hadith. As a result, she suggests that, by changing our heart’s state, we can actually change the state of our whole body.

As Muslims we are privileged to have the guidance of the Creator of our hearts for knowing how best to care for them. Let us explore that wisdom.

In the Quran, God speaks of the importance of a sound heart (qalb salim). He warns that, on the Day of Judgment, it is the only thing that will benefit us (26:88-89).

What does a sound heart look like? How can we measure the soundness of our own hearts?

And how can we improve them given that we will all come up short?

From an Islamic point of view, just as our hearts can get clogged with physical blockages — cholesterol, plaque, etc. — so too can our hearts get clogged with spiritual blockages. Prophet Muhammad said that, every time we commit a sin, a black spot is deposited on our hearts. These spiritual blockages, like physical blockages, prevent flow into the heart. But whereas blood flows into the heart at the physical level, divine light flows in at the spiritual level.

As the great spiritual master Ibn ‘Ata Allah wrote, “Sometimes divine lights come upon you and find the heart stuffed with forms of created things, so they go back from whence they came.”

Of course, it is impossible for us to see these spiritual blockages, but we can see their consequences in our actions. Sound hearts generate sound actions, and diseased hearts generate diseased actions. To check our hearts’ health, we need look no further than our own deeds. One of the best ways to make this assessment is to get a hold of a list of the major and minor sins, as taught by the Prophet, and use them as a checklist for self-evaluation. How often do we perform them? Do we commit them with shame or with indifference?

Conversely, we can compare ourselves with the paragon of spiritual health, the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet loved to pray and called it one of the three things made beloved to him. Do we enjoy praying as the Prophet enjoyed it? Or do we get spiritually winded in our prayers and need to sit down?

In so doing, we should be aware of one of

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

the most vexing problems in the healthcare industry: patient over-confidence. Numerous studies, including the psychological report “Optimistic bias in cancer risk perception,” have found that the majority people believe their health risks are lower than the average individual — a mathematical impossibility.

The same likely holds true for our spiritual health. Some will unfortunately find out the hard way. Let us not be among them.

For many of us, the achievement of our great forbears might seem like a dreamt—the province of spiritual athletes. But we must not forget that, unlike our physical bodies— which are all different in their innate abilities—spiritually, we are on a level playing field. All of us are capable of achieving the highest spiritual levels if we are willing to make the effort.

From an Islamic perspective, there are two strategies for cleansing our hearts. The first and easiest is simply to keep dirt out in the first place. We should be always be careful with what we allow in through our eyes and ears, and the dirt we ourselves track about through our sins. Inevitably, some dirt will creep in. The most important tool for cleaning our hearts is repentance and worship.

WHAT SPIRITUAL TOPICS MATTER MOST TO YOU? Please help “Food for the Spirit” better meet your needs by completing a two-minute survey at: www.isna.net/foodforthespiritsurvey “The intent of all of these acts of obedience and actions of the members is the purification, improvement, and enlightenment of the heart,” Imam al-Ghazali wrote in “Ihya Ulum al-Din” (Book 21), summarizing the purpose of all our devotions.

As with physical messes, the best time to clean them is immediately; the longer they sit, the harder they can be to remove (though, of course, it is never too late). One particular practice the Prophet recommended is the remembrance of death: “There is a polish for everything that takes away rust; and the polish for the heart is the remembrance of God.” In developing our spiritual “routine,” we should recognize what holds true for physical

Islamic Horizons January/February 2012

exercise holds true for spiritual exercise: (1) Progress is built on dedication and consistency.

(2) Exercise, by definition, requires exertion.

(3) A buddy to encourage us, whether a friend or spouse, can be invaluable for maintaining our motivation. (4) It may be helpful to keep track of our efforts so that we can monitor our progress and derive inspiration from our successes. (5) Time is limited, so it may be necessary to reorganize our schedule or even to sacrifice our lower-priority activities. (6) It is possible to improve on one’s own, but often best if one seeks out a “personal trainer.” (7) Changes take time to manifest.

Throughout, however, we must remember that our meager efforts and inadequate worship do not in themselves merit anything. As the Prophet taught, we do not earn God’s favor through our deeds. Rather, they are a form of courtesy with God, a recognition of His lordship over us, and an entreaty that He might respond to them by bestowing His favors upon us. Moreover, our efforts themselves are facilitated by Him; they are gifts that should merit our gratitude.

May God grant us sound hearts, for as He says of our souls, “Prosperous is he who purifies it” (91:9).

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