The Shriners: From Racism to Philanthropy

profanity is powerful, it behaves differently from other types of language. It gets encoded differently in the brain. It’s learned differently. It’s articulated differently. It changes differently over time. And that lends it the unique potential to reveal facts about our language and ourselves that we’d otherwise never imagine” (https://time.com/4474754/profanity/).

So how, you might ask, does this affect us as Muslims? As many Muslims are immigrants from lands where English is not the dominant language, the shock effect of swear words, used frequently in the media and in our children’s slang, is not as jolting to their senses as it is to those who were raised here. The use of profanity has stealthily but so effectively invaded English that today this type of language is seldom censored anywhere.

The increased use of profanity is causing us to lose our language — and perhaps more. God commends, “And speak to people good words” (17:53) and “Tell My servants to say that which is best” (2:83). Husna, Arabic for beautiful, good or best, is used in both verses. And God further instructs, “O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule other people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule other women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by offensive nicknames” (49:11) [italics added for emphasis].

With just one definitive syllable and a cacophony of dueling consonants, swear words hit the air hard and fast, like a battery of quick blows. These words are stored in the frontal cortex, which is linked to emotion, whereas ordinary language resides on the left side of the brain. Perhaps most powerfully, God states about the frontal cortex, “But no! If he does not desist, We will certainly drag him by the forelock — a lying, sinful forelock” (96:15-16). Considering that the deniers of His favors and disbelievers will be dragged into the Fire by their frontal cortex, one might reflect on how this applies to their use and choice of language as well.

Like much of the dominant culture that clearly is in opposition to religious teachings, morals, ethics and behavior, Muslims are left to make the hard choice to integrate or live outside these culturally acceptable mores.

It is interesting that the Quran does not directly address vulgar language; however, Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made his opposition to it clear in numerous hadiths. Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud reported the Prophet said, “None has more self-respect than God, so He has made obscenities unlawful” (“Sahih al-Bukhari,” 4847), while another relates, “The Prophet was not one who would abuse (others) or say obscene words” (“Sahih al-Bukhari” 5970), “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe” (“Sunan an-Nasa’i,” vol. 6, book 47, hadith no. 4998) and “Verily, the servant may speak a single word for which he plummets into the Hellfire farther than the distance between East and West” (“Sahih al-Bukhari” 6112, “Sahīh Muslim” 2988).

As Brian Palmer writes, “These anti-obscenity provisions appear regularly in the Hadith, making Islam the sole Abrahamic religion with a clear prohibition in its sacred texts on obscene language” (https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/08/religion-and-profanity-is-it-sinful-to-swear.html).

Meanwhile, pardon me when I wince. ih

What started out as a huge party-club with distinct racism toward the Arab/ Islamic world has now assumed the role of charity and volunteerism

BY S. M. GHAZANFAR

There are many U.S.-Arab/Islamic cultural connections: language, architecture, foods, music, furniture, fashions and carpets — as well as, of course, the historic civilizational-intellectual links, including the transfer of knowledge.

However, one rather interesting connection pertains to the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, formed as a secret society in 1870 and identified with the Freemasons, known simply as the Shriners. And this relates to their historic racism toward the Arab/Islamic world in particular, and toward non-Whites in general.

The Shriners present the Arab-Islamic world quite distinctly, although in a perverse fashion, with their bright red MoroccanTurkish fezzes (with an inverted crescent, topped by a sword), elaborate buildings that mirror mosques (now called temples) and contain Arabic inscriptions of exact Islamic phrases.

From their very beginning, members dressed like medieval Arab/Muslim men, and the order pretended to be part of a secret society whose lineage they traced to Makka. Their gathering places (“mosques”) adopted names such as Mecca, Medina, Al-Koran and Al-Malaikah. In addition to printing documents in Arabic and organizing parades that included camels and elephants, members consumed generous amounts of alcohol during their gatherings.

The group began as an orientalist playground for partying and drinking, the mainstay of early Shriner events.

Shriners would typically mimic Islamic greetings, such as “Salam-o-Alaikum.” Their parades continue around the country even today. At a 1900 parade in front of the White House, President McKinley stood at attention as the Shriners’ imperial potentate addressed him in Arabic and greeted him with “AssalamoAlaikum.” At another parade in 1921, President Harding spoke told the Shriners “Wa-alaikum as-salam.” In 1923, he adorned his head with a bright red fez as he watched the Shriners’ parade. Presidents Harry Truman and JFK delivered speeches from the Shriners’ Syria “mosque” in Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh structure looks like a mosque, with the Arabic

Shriners Hospital for Children — Lexington, Ky.

UNTIL RECENTLY, SHRINER PARADES PRESENTED ARABS AS DISTINCT “OTHERS,” AS SWORDSWINGING DESERT NOMADS DRESSED IN THE BARE-BODIED BEDOUIN GARBS, WITH MARCHING CAMELS AND SCANTILY CLAD HAREM GIRLS — ALL THAT ONE IS ACCUSTOMED TO SEEING IN HOLLYWOOD MOVIES.

inscription La ghalib il-Allah (There is no victor but Allah) rimming its top. In fact, newcomers from the Islamic world often mistake it for a genuine mosque. Another “mosque” is Atlanta’s famous Yaarab Shrine Temple, with its distinct, centralized dome in front, as well as several internal manifestations. Incidentally, Yaa-Rab means “O God” or “O Allah.”

However, the most famous one is Los Angeles’ Al-Malaikah “mosque,” which has hosted numerous Oscar, Emmy and Grammy ceremonies. From its architecture and other representations (e.g., depictions of Muslim men on camels, next to palm trees, and next to mosques with minarets and domes), this “mosque” seems straight out of the “Arabian Nights.”

Until recently, Shriner parades presented Arabs as distinct “others,” as sword-swinging desert nomads dressed in the bare-bodied Bedouin garbs, with marching camels and scantily clad harem girls — all that one is accustomed to seeing in Hollywood movies. Obviously, their parades in recent years have been quite different and a bit more “politically correct.” One can see their gradual transformation on Youtube videos. Yet a considerable Arabic/Islamic-based nomenclature remains. For example, their governing body is called the “Imperial Divan.”

And what comes to mind as a huge surprise is this. The Shriners’ best-known sports facility is the Medinah Country Club, located near Chicago. The club’s main gate tells visitors as they leave, “Allah be with you.” And along with its Islamic domes, arches and turbaned statues, it contains a lake named after the Prophet’s (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) first wife, Khadija (radiy Allahu ‘anha). Clearly, the Shriners saw Arabs/ Muslims through an “orientalist” prism — a denigration and “commodification” of a people, as the late Edward Said would say, one that clearly reflected the “us vs. them” mentality. Yet for good or bad, the Shriners’ history and various manifestations at least helped introduce the idea of Arab/Muslim culture to Americans.

However, in more recent decades, the Shriners have gradually transformed their identity; obviously there has been pressure from our demographic diversity. It has now mutated into a civic-service organization. What started out as a huge party-club with distinct racism toward the Arab/Islamic world has now assumed the role of charity and volunteerism, as well as a sponsor of sports events, including the famous Shrine Circus. Even their parades have abandoned the racial exposition of the Arab/Islamic world.

This welcome transformation has legitimized the Shriners in the larger American culture, notwithstanding their racist past. ih

Dr. S. M. Ghazanfar, professor emeritus, University of Idaho, founding director of International Studies Program, 1988-93, University of Idaho, is author of several books and almost 200 professional publications. He has a global reputation as a scholar; he has received numerous honorsand awards and contributed to 2003 PBS series on “Islam: Empire of Faith.”