Islamic Horizons November/December 2024

Front cover: Photo Credit: Raheem Jan. Design Credit: Crystal Habib.

Christianity’s Holy Land is Being Disappeared

We are one-quarter of the way through the 21st century. So, let’s take stock of where we stand as this issue goes to print.

The U.S. will soon have a new president. Does anyone wonder how Washington will be able to “spread democracy throughout the world” if Harris becomes president? After all, the top Democratic leaders threw Biden under the bus after their narrative collapsed, anointed her, and told the donors and party members to fall in line.

And what about Trump, who’s mired in criminal court cases and yet continues to be beloved by so many Rupubicans? He’s won his party’s endorsement three times and remains a force who can engender great enthusiasm among his followers.

The Genocide in Gaza continues, while Muslim rulers largely remain all sound and fury who do nothing or support Israel. Many of their citizens ignore their rhetoric; they’ve taken to the streets — even in Israel. This is also true in some Western countries, where ideology has trumped reality, and even among young Jews.

Palestine and southern Lebanon, which Israel has invaded once again, are burning. But so is Myanmar, a Buddhist nation that has been genociding its Rohingya Muslims for quite a few years. But isn’t Buddhism supposed to be the religion of peace? Maybe not any longer, for monks are involved in this onslaught, just as they were in the earlier anti-Muslim military campaigns in southern Thailand and Sri Lanka.

And then there are the Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang province, whose exact condition remains unclear, the oppressed Kashmiris in Indian-occupied Kashmir, and the anti-Muslim — so far still verbal and through “legal” covers — campaigns in Europe and North America.

This raises several interesting questions. Why are Muslims so hated, despised, and seen as “less-than”? How can they be genocided in broad daylight and the enabling genocidaires be immune to international law, pressure, and opinion? How

can the country that’s always proclaiming itself to be the democracy send $41.2 billion to Israel so far in 2024 [which does not include funds sent through various covert means] and state that it will invade the Hague if the ICC takes any action against its ally’s genocidal government? These questions demand some intelligent reflection and perhaps change on our part.

The largely peaceful overthrow of Bangladesh’s hated autocrat Sheik Hasina, along with Anwar Ibrahim’s recent ascent to power in Malaysia, are small points of light in our dark ummah.

Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, is concerned about Gaza: “The genocide in Gaza continues unabated, despite global concerns and condemnation. The situation in Palestine just does not concern the Arabs or Muslims… Palestinians are no[t an] expendable people. All those responsible … must be held accountable” (Dhaka Tribune, Oct. 3, 2024).

Reuters reported on Oct. 24, 2023, that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim joined 16,000 pro-Palestinian supporters to condemn Israel’s “barbaric” acts in Gaza: “It’s a level of insanity to allow people to be butchered, babies to be killed, hospitals to be bombed, and schools to be destroyed... it’s the height of barbarism in this world … We are with the Palestinian people yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

Anwar refuses to condemn Hamas, had spoken with Ismail Haniyeh, and calls for an immediate end to the bombardment and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor.

The end of the “we approve of genocide” Biden administration is near. Until then, people will be wondering 1) Who’s ordering the munitions to be sent to the Zionist occupation entity, 2) When will our Christian Zionists and their ilk lose their power, and 3) Why are the Western (at least historically) Christian nations so unconcerned with the destruction of their religion and savior’s homeland before their very eyes? ih

PUBLISHER

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)

PRESIDENT

Safaa Zarzour

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Basharat Saleem

EDITOR

Omer Bin Abdullah

ASSISTANT EDITOR Kiran Ansari

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Iqbal Unus, Chair: M. Ahmadullah Siddiqi, Saba Ali, Rasheed Rabbi

ISLAMIC HORIZONS

is a bimonthly publication of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) P.O. Box 38 Plainfield, IN 46168-0038

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ISNA Annual Convention 2024

A Premier Insight into the Evolving Muslim American Identity

BY ISNA CONVENTION REPORTING TEAM

Against the backdrop of a rising tide of racism, Islamophobia, and Tea Party fervor in Texas, the 61st annual ISNA Convention 2024 broke through as a beacon of triumph and hope, hosted for the first time in Dallas, the nation’s ninth largest city. Nearly 21,000 attendees filled the Anatole Hilton Hotel, packing the venue to capacity. Tickets were sold out, and many eager participants could not join. Beneath this sheer scale of the turnout lurks the growing maturity and influence of contemporary Muslim Americans, unknown to many.

While the breadth of the convention’s agenda provided a horizontal or relational view of the Muslim diaspora, the in-depth discussions in different sessions revealed the maturity of their identity.

A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE DIASPORA’S RELATIONAL DIMENSION

Eighty speakers and 30 moderators addressed 32 dynamic sessions, and 200+ volunteers ensured the seamless execution of all events. Together, this convention delivered an immersive experience to see, hear, feel, absorb, and adopt the spirit of an evolving identity: “The Muslim American: Forging Faith & Actions.”

This singular theme sought to recognize and engage each Muslim on an individual level and to counteract the criticism that too many diverse Muslim immigrants tend to dissolve too easily into abstraction (Islam is a Foreign Country: American Muslims and the Global Crisis of Authority Grewal, pg. 11).

Thirteen main, 18 parallel, 16 MYNA, and 8

MSA sessions, with a full-day workshop for Muslim chaplains welcomed these multicultural Muslims.

Robert Hunt (professor of religion, Southern Methodist University) received the 2024 Interfaith Award, and Yusuf Ziya Kavakçı (imam, Dallas Central Mosque) was honored with the 2024 Community Service Recognition award. Heartfelt tributes were paid to medical professionals who had served in Gaza. Presidential contender Cornel West was the keynote speaker for the luncheon and the Saturday night theme session.

A film festival featured captivating 3-D animated children’s movies to a documentary on the 2015 Chapel Hill shootings. The MYNA sessions with basketball tournament witnessed record-breaking youth participation, while the youth science fair garnered an overwhelming response. The ISNA Matrimonial Banquet provided a thoughtful space for potential spouses to reflect on the significance of family life. Their participation and commitments confirm seamless integration into American society without sacrificing or losing one’s Muslim identity.

The health fair offered everything from vaccination services to holistic wellness resources. A “Meet the Author” program brought emerging Muslim writers into the spotlight.

Around 500 bazaar stalls offering clothes, religious paraphernalia, housewares, charity collections, artworks, 3D innovations, and Islamic books represented a collage of the diaspora diversity.

DELVING INTO COMPLEX IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT FACTORS IN MAIN & PARALLEL DISCUSSIONS

A. Friday Fervor to Instill Self-piety and Global Awareness

The theme’s second part, inspired by Quran 18:107, paralleled the convention’s mission: to reflect deeply on all the crises facing Muslims and provide a shared framework for navigating the year ahead.

Friday’s first session focused on self-piety to transcend our mundane life to divine engagement through raising awareness. Rania Awaad (Stanford Medicine) spoke on murabbi (guardian or superior) that, in essence, means the being who connects one with God (rabb). She encouraged us to recast our soul as the murabbi — striving to transform everyday acts into divine worship to fulfill our obligation (51:56) as His khalifah (2:30). Our inaction, especially over Gaza or other communal crises, fails to fulfill our role of khalifah

Referencing the soul’s pre-existence (7:171), Faraz A. Khan (Zaytuna College) urged mindfulness of our spiritual rights to avoid being consumed by modern decadence. It echoed Awaad’s analogy of modern medicine, treating body parts in separate centers, whereas classical-era Muslim “well-being centers” offered holistic healing — addressing both physical and psychological — health at one place.

Abdullah Idris (ISNA president, 199397) elaborated on how the media lies and fabricates, making life and blood cheap and emotions numb. Only true knowledge and

Main Session

Sh. Yasir Qadhi at the Saturday night Main Session

Scouts of America at the IOICA Interfaith Banquet

righteous action can prevent that. He quoted 2:177 to illustrate that prayer is merely a means to connect with God, and its true essence should manifest in our actions.

Haifa Younus (founder, Jannah Institute) shared experiences from her Ramadan visit to Gaza, highlighting the the Palestinians’ resilience. The loss of his entire family couldn’t diminish the determination of an 8-year-old to volunteer at a hospital as training to become an orthopedic surgeon simply to help others. The devotion of a 10-year-old, who read the Quran for four hours straight beside his deceased cousin, far surpasses our practice of faith.

Calling out Israel as an apartheid state, Mike Peled (activist and author, and son of an Israeli general) noted that all negotiations would fail, for the apartheid system must be dismantled to end the genocide. He also praised student organizations on campuses for risking their lives and futures only to stand for truth.

Nihad Awad (co-founder and executive director, CAIR) urged us to engage with elective representatives, cease collaboration with Zionist organizations, advocate for Palestine, and facilitate the Boycott-DivestmentSanctions (BDS) movement. CAIR won two anti-BDS bills in Texas and offers free training and resource for all. Sh. Yasir Birjas (head, Islamic Law and Theory Department, Al-Maghrib Institute) explained that we are not helping to free Palestine; Palestine is liberating us.

Friday’s final session highlighted the balance between faith and action. Muzammil Siddiq (ISNA president, 1996-2000) emphasized two everlasting rewards promised: eternal life in paradise (18:107, 98:7, 31:8) and divine love (19:96).

Akram Nadwi (dean, Cambridge Islamic College) stressed the sincerity of intention and the eagerness to align our actions. Iesha Prime (director of women’s programs, Daral-Hijra Islamic Center) showed how to excel

Calling out Israel as an apartheid state, Mike Peled (activist and author, and son of an Israeli general) noted that all negotiations would fail, for the apartheid system must be dismantled to end the genocide. He also praised student organizations on campuses for risking their lives and futures only to stand for truth.

through the story of Umar al-Khattab, who secretly spent three nights at a Companion’s house to discover why the Prophet (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) called him a man of Paradise. Routine introspection like that can eliminate barriers in hearts that hinders our connection with Allah.

While we’re cautioned against judging others, Abdul Nasir Jangda (founder and director, Qalam Institute) said we must rigorously judge (introspect) ourselves. Zaid Shakir (co-founder, Zaytuna College) underscored that our actions should be motivated by the eternal Hereafter, rather than this fleeting world. The evening concluded with the conclusion of Surat al-Kahf, which Iesha Prime referenced to inspire sincere hope to meet with God in the Hereafter, influencing all of our actions.

B. Saturday Synergy for Systematic Identity Development

Saturday’s sessions centered on nurturing the highest aspirations for family, community, and society. The early morning discussion highlighted the family, both a test and a gift, the serves as the cradle for moral and spiritual growth. Emphasizing patience, forgiveness, and consultation (42:41-43), Zaynab Alwani’s (founding director, Howard School of Divinity) profound discussion hinted at the growing maturity of Muslim Americans. She stated that conflicts cannot be eliminated completely; we must learn to manage them.

Political and Civic Engagement Main Session From Left to Right: El-Hibri Foundation

President Farhan Latif, Emgage CEO Wa'el Alzayat, White House Liaison Mazen Basrawi, Muslim Public Affairs Council Founder Salam Al-Marayati

We must show respect, not as a duty, but as a fundamental principle to govern all familial affairs and transform family dynamics.

Rami Nour (public speaker, teacher, and translator of Islamic texts) elaborated on the parent-child relationship and principles from Imam al-Bukhari’s “Birr al-Walidayn: Being Dutiful to Parents” (Turath Publishing, trans. published, 2019). Waleed Basyouni emphasized instilling respect in daily interactions, and Imam Magid (ADAMS Center) suggested three key principles to strengthen spousal relationships: placing God in the center of all relationships, fulfilling the rights of others before claiming ours, and communicating with respect.

The next session focused on the integration and unity within the community and society to assess Muslim Americans’ identity maturity. Reminding us that God doesn’t change our condition until we change ourselves (13:11), Arsalan Haque (director, Taqwa Seminary) explained that Allah grants unity only when we unite ourselves and hold fast His rope of unity (3:103). He shared the story of Abu Bakr, who vowed to suspend financial support for his nephew, Mistah ibn Uthatha, for spreading slander about Aisha. However, upon learning the value of unity and kinship, he reinstated and increased the support. Haque mentioned that the Prophet’s grandson Hasan relinquished the caliphate to the less-qualified Mu‘awiya after six months to preserve the young community’s unity.

Building upon the same verse (3:103), Mohammad Ninowy (scholar, author, and medical doctor) explained that unity is not uniformity, and holding the Quran and Sunnah without imposing individual volition, or orthodoxy vs orthopraxy, is the ideal way to be united.

Conventioneers fill the main hall

Mohammed Faqih (imam, Memphis Islamic Center) explained that our unity fails if we don’t live it. Interestingly, the Quran mentions “failure” only four times, and each time for dispute and unity. Finally, Siraj Wahaj (author and leader, Muslim Alliance in North America) emphasized spreading love to foster Muslim unity.

Muslim Americans’ sense of belonging is being redefined by the participation of women and youth. Muslema Purmul (chaplain, University of Southern California; co-founder, Majlis) referred to God’s assurance that none of our efforts will be lost (3:195) and that everything will be evident in the Hereafter. Mufti Hossain Kamani (instructor, Qalam Institute) stressed on having a constant checkpoint to the Hereafter. Imam Nadim Bashir (East Plano Islamic Center) appreciated the women and youth’s visibility in the U.S., which is absent in many Muslim countries, and Yusuf Kavakçı talked about instilling respect as the core of all interaction. Most of the speakers focused on Hereafter and instilling respect – two distinctly defining factors in shaping Muslim Americans’ behaviors and engagements.

Despite the good intentions of both scripture and the Constitution, their followers often practice discrimination — a challenge that the Saturday evening session sought to address. Imam Wisam Sharieff (Al Maghrib Institute) reminded us that our human essence (uswaa) or soul has no color and that spirits are unilaterally the same but differ in character or behavior (49:13). Embracing faith means increasing that awareness and aligning our actions while integrating into the community or society regardless of our external, superficial differences.

Jamilah Karim (author, lecturer, and blogger) drew on the ethos of race and color in the African Americans’ fight against oppression and discrimination and engagement in politics. She compared Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-77; an American voting and

women’s rights activist) and civic rights fighters with Kamala Harris’ running for president.

Nihad Awad suggested that we become enaged, be politically vigilant, and to make use of the resources and training offered by CAIR.

The evening reached its peak with presidential candidate Cornel West’s passionate argument that the Palestinian struggle transcends politics and religion, standing as a fundamental humanitarian issue — a litmus test for our collective humanity. He invoked Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali’s legacies, urging the audience to leave a legacy of role models for future generations. West emphasized the critical need for “soul formation” — a profound, inner vocation, beyond profession. Every Muslim American, he declared, has a divine calling — and God does not speak to the cowards. Courage, therefore, is the Muslim Americans’ sacred duty.

Ingrid Mattson (ISNA president 200610) highlighted how interfaith efforts have ghosted us, while the media manipulates public perception with targeted narratives. Yet, she urged us not to give up, as many people are simply deceived while they are ready to step up. Mehdi Hasan (Zeto) distinguished hope from optimism: Hope requires action to bring about vision; optimism often lacks the drive to act.

Both Hasan and Yasir Qadhi (Muslim scholar, theologian, and director of Fiqh Council of North America), criticized the Democratic National Committee for not including a single Palestinian voice. Qadhi also exposed the international organizations’ hypocrisy, like WHO, which requested that Israel cease bombing at least to allow polio vaccinations. In conclusion, five key action items were suggested: we must evolve to show resilience; respect comes from God alone; all solutions and opinions must be rooted in scripture; our ultimate goal is not just to free Palestine or Al-Aqsa, but to establish the truth; and help and victory come from Allah.

C. Sunday Strategy for Honing Present Muslims’ Identity Sunday’s sessions offered three key tools for thriving as Muslim Americans: holistic well-being, education, and civil and political engagement. Wadud Hasan (founder, muraqaba.app) noted that true well-being cannot be achieved on autopilot mode, but current school systems often rely on outdated practices like detention and suspension

without integrating mental health support, child psychology, or mindfulness. Sh. Yasir Birjas reminded the audience of humanity’s inherent nature: impatient (70:19), anxious in hardship (70:20), and selfish in times of ease (70:21) — except for those who are steadfast in prayer (70:22-23). Imam Magid urged us to reflect upon the Quran’s guidance, which contains over 51 verses advocating for self-care and strengthening one’s connection with God. Rania Awaad emphasized the importance of practicing i‘tikaf (spiritual retreat) beyond Ramadan, as the Prophet did, thereby encouraging regular spiritual reflection.

Safa Zarzour (ISNA president, 202024) argued that the Muslim world’s crisis is rooted in education and emphasized on “Iqra” or Read (96:1) the first revealed word and an active command. To exemplify the vitality of education, the Prophet asked captives of the Battle of Badr to teach 12 children in exchange for their freedom. Muzammil Siddiqi further remarked that even though Makkah was plagued by evil practices, God’s first command was to read in His name. ‘Ilm (knowledge) paired with ism (Allah’s name) helps us advance despite our humble origins (96:1-5).

Habib Qadri (educator, author, and youth activist) outlined four key points: seeking morality from divine sources, not from trendy social media; developing a strong sense of belonging; taking the Prophet as the ultimate role model; and prioritizing Allah in all causes.

Tamara Gray (founder, Rabata) noted how Islam thrived when early Muslims traveled to Spain, Indonesia, and elsewhere. But this isn’t happening in the U.S. due to the four “D”s: dementia (forgetting their rich history), delusion (chasing fleeting trends), denial (refusing to embrace Islam holistically), and decadence (consequences of this neglect). The sole solution to these

CSRL Awardee Dr. Yusuf Ziya Kavakçı

Prof. Cornel West at the Saturday Night Main Session

maladies lies in “E,” education to tame the ego and attain the “peaceful soul” (nafs mutmainna; 89:27).

Regarding political and civil engagement, Salam Al-Marayati (founder, Muslim Public Affairs Council) recalled the Muslim community’s former political endorsements’ disappointments: supporting George W. Bush in 2000, only to experience the Gulf War and the Patriot Act; backing Barack Obama in 2008, but not meeting him until six months into his second term; and endorsing Joe Biden, which coincided with the Gaza crisis and legislation that suppressed youth activism. Both Salam and Mazen Basrawi (senior advisor, White House Liaison to American Muslim Communities) stressed the importance of political participation. Wael Alzayat (CEO, Emgage) highlighted the increased involvement of Muslims in politics, including a historic number of Muslim women running for local office. However, global Islamophobia and white supremacy persist.

In the final session, outgoing president Zarzour urged attendees to follow their hearts and avoid actions that incur God’s displeasure (61:2). Incoming president Syed Imtiaz Ahmad supplicated for God’s guidance to cultivate humility, integrity, and commitment. He encouraged everyone to seek His pleasure in all we do.

The convention also featured specialized panels by AMSET (Association of Muslim Scientists, Engineers, and Technology Professionals), engaging Muslims in discussions about AI’s role. A separate session, organized by The Islamic Seminary of American (TISA), Qalam, ALIM, Bayan, and Zaytuna focused on Islamic pedagogy. Other sessions delved into issues such as blasphemy laws and the Muslims’ role in addressing these topics. Throughout the 32 sessions, constant references to Surat al-Khaf (18:107, 18:110) and Ayat al-Birr (2:177), in the context of contemporary challenges, highlighted the growing perception of the Quran as an increasingly “American” text.

ISNA Convention 2024 was a tiny snippet of the latest thriving Muslim Americans, whose challenges loom large and whose struggles continue to define and redefine the conflation of faith and national identity. Only active participation can bring light to the path forward. ih

“It was a Transformative Experience” MYNA Helps Connect Youth to Islam

BY MYNA STAFF

This year’s MYNA programs at ISNA’s 61st Annual Convention were an unforgettable event. Thousands of youth from across the country gathered under the theme, “Unity in Faith: Journey to Victory.”

The program featured 17 engaging sessions, each drawing over 500 attendees, and covered critical topics of spiritual growth, unity, and overcoming challenges. Esteemed speakers included Imam Zaid Shakir, Mufti Hussain Kamani, Shaykh Abdulnasir Jangda, Shaykha Iesha Prime, Shaykha Haifaa Younis, Imam Mohamed Magid, and Dr. Yasir Qadhi.

leadership skills to the role of youth in social justice movements. Over the weekend, MYNA youth leaders also organized special activities, giving participants the chance to bond over shared experiences and future aspirations. The event truly embodied the idea of uniting hearts for a common cause and striving toward personal and communal victories.

The theme, “Unity in Faith,” resonated deeply with the attendees, emphasizing the power of collective effort, transcending cultural and personal differences, and fostering harmony within the Muslim youth community. “Journey to Victory” symbolized each individual’s personal and spiritual growth, a collective push toward overcoming internal and external trials.

The MYNA convention wasn’t just confined to the sessions; the MYNA booth in the bazaar was a hub of energy and excitement throughout the weekend. Youth from across the nation gathered to learn more about upcoming camps, leadership programs, and MYNA’s yearround initiatives. The booth was a space for connection and networking, where many attendees signed up for future programs and even reunited with old friends. Volunteers were busy sharing the impact of MYNA’s work, while merchandise and sign-up sheets flew off the tables, reflecting the enthusiasm of the crowd.

“The MYNA program was truly the highlight of the entire ISNA Convention,” shared Saleh, a program attendee. “Each session was deeply moving and incredibly powerful. It wasn’t just about learning facts—it was about connecting with our faith on an emotional and spiritual level.”

This sentiment echoed across the event, as attendees walked away feeling inspired and uplifted by the remarkable speakers and topics that resonated with the challenges and triumphs faced by Muslim youth today.

Beyond the inspiring sessions, the MYNA track fostered personal connections, provided space for networking, and encouraged meaningful dialogue. One participant, Amira from Chicago, said, “The lectures and workshops really helped me understand my role in building a stronger community. It’s about bringing our hearts together for something bigger than ourselves.”

The program also featured workshops that focused on a variety of topics, from practical

“The booth was an amazing opportunity to see how many people wanted to get involved,” said Ayman, an attendee from Texas. “It showed that we’re not just participants; we’re building a real, lasting community.”

As the MYNA program drew to a close, the energy and excitement in the room were palpable. The sense of unity and purpose fostered throughout the sessions left a lasting impression on both the attendees and the speakers, with several keynote lecturers noting how exceptionally well-planning and executed the MYNA track was.

“This wasn’t just a weekend event—it was a transformative experience,” said one participant.

With hearts full and spirits lifted, everyone left with renewed commitment to their faith and their communities. The powerful combination of spiritual growth, intellectual engagement, and communal bonding will continue to resonate long after the convention. ih

The ISNA Convention Reporters Team, headed by Rasheed Rabbi, included Tayyaba Syed, Maariya Quadri, Kiran Ansari, Tasnova Khan, and Tanveer Siddiquee

ISNA Elects New Board of Directors

P resident : s yed i mtiaz Ahmad, PhD (electrical engineering, University of Ottawa, 1967), a former ISNA-Canada vice president and ISNA president (1990-92), is an emeritus professor of computer information systems at Eastern Michigan University. In April 2015, the university awarded him its outstanding service award for being a person who most impacted that department and its students.

In addition to being chairman for the 1999 ISNA Convention and chair of the Canadian Islamic Trust Foundation, Ahmad was past president of the Windsor Islamic Association and the AMSET. From 199496, he served as dean of the International Islamic University of Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering. Ahmad was a past chairman of Islamic School Board of Toronto and a NAIT trustee for two years.

The author of numerous articles on Islamic topics, he has also authored and co-authored several professional books and technical papers.

Oceanstone Consultants, Oakville, Ontario, and manages Data Analytics at Pioneer Distribution. An ISNA-USA and ISNACanada member for 20+ years, Ahmed’s hobbies include reading, travelling, gardening, and advocating for youth education.

BOARD MEMBERS

a zhar a zeez , m B a , c U rrently CEO of Muslim Aid USA, has functioned as Islamic Relief USA’s top executive for 16 years.

A former two-time ISNA president, he is its current treasurer.

Other posts have included past president of the North Texas Islamic Council, founder and past president of Masjid Al Rahman (Islamic Association of Carrollton, Texas), and a member of The Islamic Seminary of America and NAIT boards.

Faisal Qazi , md, a PP ointed to the State of California Commission on Aging in 2020, was reappointed by Governor Newsom as of 2024. A former candidate for his local city council and a past DNC Delegate for Bernie Sanders (2020), he’s also a founding board member of the Initiative on Islam and Medicine.

Qazi co-founded and remains the resident of MiNDS (Medical Network Devoted to Service), based in southern California, that provides free specialty healthcare to those with neurological disabilities; it is now focused on health education. He served as the American Muslim Health Professionals’ president (2012) and co-founded HUDA Free Clinic (2003) as a resident-in-training in Detroit to provide healthcare services to an underserved area where healthcare was not readily available.

Vice President - Usa : m . Affan Badar, PhD, CPEM, is a tenured professor and former chair of Indiana’s State University’s Department of Applied Engineering & Technology Management and chair of the University of Sharjah’s Industrial Engineering & Engineering Management department (2016-18). In addition, he’s an ABET/ETAC commissioner and editor-inchief of an Inderscience journal.

He earned a BS in mechanical engineering (Aligarh Muslim Univ.), an MA in in industrial engineering, and a PhD in industrial engineering (Univ. of Oklahoma).

Before being elected to the ISNA board in 2020, he had served on it (2014-18) and on the election committee (2014-17).

He sat on Jahangirabad Institute of Technology’s operations management board (2014-18), was president of Islamic Society of Greater Indianapolis (2012-14), immediate past president of AMSET; vice chair of MET-India N.A.; IMEFNA board member; Al-Ilm Weekend School vice principal; and secretary, IAMC-Indiana.

isna V ice P residentCanada: Rafique Ahmed, MBA (University of Dhaka). He is also president of

m alika k han (Bs , U ni V ersity of Madras, India; MS, California State University at Fullerton) has been involved with the Muslim Community Association (MCA) board, the MCA Renovation committee, the MCA Women’s committee, the Senior Club of MCA Board, the CAIR SF Bay Area Executive Board, MSA and ISNA, and ISNA’s West Zone Conference Program chairperson.

In addition, she has helped establish mosques and Islamic schools, as well as organized fundraisers and other community events, worked as a precinct captain during presidential elections, and volunteered with local Congressmen and public officials.

samar a ra B i k at B i , B orn and raised in Syria, spent several years instructing third-grade students. She established the first Arabic-speaking Montessori school in Kuwait. Upon returning to the U.S., she volunteered at a weekend school and developed a robust Arabic and Islamic curriculum to serve her community’s needs. Katbi, who founded and currently serves as the Minaret Academy board’s chair, also volunteers with Sunrise USA, where she collaborates with organizations to support Syrian refugee children affected by the conflict.

Qazi is affiliated with Western University and the Univ. of California, Riverside, as an assistant professor of neurology. While helping to educate medical students, he maintains a private group practice at The Neurology Group, which is also a sponsoring institution for a neurology residency training program under his leadership.

His work has been featured in interviews to NPR, CNN, the LA Times, the Washington Post, the Orange County Register, the Voice of America, and PBS, as well in the form of columns in various journals. In 2016, Qazi was listed among the Best Doctors regionally and received Providence Health System’s Courage in Justice award.

Farhan syed, J d, has held various leadership positions, among them East Zone rep for MSA National; board member of CAMP Chicago, CIOGC, Al-Fatih Academy, Pearls Academy; member of ADAMS Center government relations committee; and ISNA East Zone rep.

yU s UF k ahloon , incoming MYNA president, is a Harvard freshman studying physics and electrical and computer engineering. He has been involved in MYNA since he was 11 years old. While growing up in Lexington, Ky., he also worked on magnet fabrication for neutron experiments at the University of Kentucky. ih

COMMUNITY MATTERS

On Sept. 13, by the Pathways to Peace (PTP) recognized Asma Inge Hanif, who has served needy women through her Mnisaa Shelter for the past 20 years, with an Exceptional Women of Peace Award.

PTP is an international peacebuilding, educational, and consulting organization dedicated to making peace a practical reality through both local and global projects. As an official Peace Messenger of the UN, it has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and works with the UN Centre for Human Rights, the UN Centre for Human Settlements, UNICEF, and other agencies.

This year honored the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace. This special anniversary was dedicated to women as individual and collective peacebuilders and their role and contribution in building a culture of peace.

This award recognizes Hanif’s 50+ years of service and dedication to helping others. As we go to press, she remains under 24-hour nursing care (for more than two months and counting), unable to return home due to the risk of sudden collapse.

ISNA Scholarship Committee Grants 25 scholarships.

Having completed ITS review of the 2024-25 ISNA Scholarships application, the committee and granted 25 scholarships for a total of $27,000.

The awardees are Amana Mutual Funds Scholarship: Arslaan Zahid, $2,500 • Dr. Abdulmunim A. Shakir Scholarship: 20 recipients, $1,000 each: Abdullah Munir, Abdullah Weaver, Asanti Mohammed, Ayaan Siddiqui, Behishta Ghaznawi, Bushra Ahmed, Doaa Mohammad, Fatimah Hussain, Hajaar Abdullah, Khadija Buke, Mahmoud Hayek, Mbathio Mbaye, Nour Almounajed, Ro-Suhana Hafiz, Sadien Hirzallah, Sk. Junain Zaheer, Sumayya Mohamed, Zahra Ronizi, Zarin Uddin, and Zaynab Abdusamad • The Hajja Razia Sharif Sheikh Scholarship: Sumaiya Shah and Sumaya Abuarqoub: $1,500 each and • Plainfield Muslim Women for a Better Society Scholarship: Isra Badar and Tiba Altower: $750 each.

The committee comprises Chair M. Affan Badar (PhD, CPEM, IEOM Fellow; professor and director of PhD in Technology Management program, Indiana State University, Ind.), M. Asim Ansari (PhD, chemistry professor, Fullerton College, Calif.), and Samina Salim (PhD, associate professor of pharmacology. University of Houston).

The Plainfield Muslim Women for a Better Society scholarship committee comprises Coordinator A. Nudrat Unus (initiator and manager, ISNA’s History Gallery Project since its debut at ISNA’s 50th Annual Convention (2013), Virginia); Amira A. Mashhour (PhD, former director of Program in Arabic, senior lecturer emerita, Indiana University Indianapolis, Ind.); and Zainab Laurie VanHorn-Ali (board member, Masjid al-Fajr, Indianapolis). ih

After years of student activism requesting increased resources for Arab, Middle Eastern, North African and Muslim students, in August a newly designated MENA cultural suite was finally opened, reported Yales News (Karla Cortes & Nora Moses, Aug. 27). Lena Ginawi is its inaugural assistant director. Chaplain Leenah Safi began her appointment as the University’s second Muslim chaplain,

In his December 2023 statement “Against Hatred,” former Yale president Peter Salovey had promised both of these changes.

Safi will work with Muslim chaplain and director of Muslim Life Omer Bajwa, who wrote in his announcement and introduction of Safi that she enters the role at a time when “the pastoral care demands have grown significantly for the Muslim Life Program.”

The MENA suite consists of two rooms. One serves as a kitchen and the other will be used as a social space, prayer space, and a study area. There are plans to build partitions for the differing uses of each room.

The suite has a designated space for events such as Ramadan or Eid.

by Hochul’s words and actions throughout the war in Gaza.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has appointed Mamadou Siré Bah (BA, Queens College ‘15), who previously served as senior advance associate in the attorney general’s office, as her office’s first director for Muslim American affairs. She hopes that this will improve her administration’s strained relationship with Muslim New Yorkers. Earlier this year, while addressing a Jewish audience, Hochul implied that Israel’s right to defend itself extended to the wholesale destruction of Gaza.

Interestingly, although, he was in the role by the end of June, Hochul’s office didn’t announce the hire publicly or issue a press release.

Saubirah Hack (president, the Muslim Democratic Club of New York), informed the City & State of New York that Muslim and Arab New Yorkers have been “outraged”

Dr. Khalid Qazi (president, the Muslim Public Affairs Council of Western New York) had spoken directly with Hochul and her staff about the absence of Muslims in her administration from the Buffalo area, which has a significant Muslim community. (Bah is from the New York City area, not western New York.)

Carolynn Sozen, a former council board member, also told the City & State that “it is incredible to know that Muslim-American voices are being considered and given proper platforms and channels in our government.”

Rahimjon Abdugafurov, (PhD, Emory ‘20), is Emery University’s new Muslim chaplain and director of interfaith academic partnerships.

He coordinates Muslim activities on campus; educates the Emory community about Islam;

promotes a supportive campus for Muslim students, faculty, and staff; and strengthens external relations with Muslim communities and organizations.

Previously, Abdugafurov served as a chaplain and associate director for religious and spiritual life at Macalester College (Minn.). Additionally, as a senior fellow in Emory Law School’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion, he was executive director of the Law and Islam Program and also a fellow at the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies. He is the former assistant rector at Uzbekistan’s Namangan State University

Abdugafurov’s research interests include women in Islam, Sufism, and Muslim relations with non-Muslims. As a research associate of the University of Sussex in the PEER-Network (Political Economy of Education Research), he studied the impact of Islamic discourses in women’s participation in higher education in the Ferghana Valley. Abdugafurov also holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from Vanderbilt University and has published on topics ranging from education to social issues in relation to Central Asia.

The U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Cindy M. Saladin-Muhammad as brigadier general, June 18, 2024, deputy commanding general, 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support)

Brig. Saladin-Muhammad is an alumnus of Rutgers University, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, the U.S. Army War College, and Temple University. She holds a joint BS in clinical laboratory sciences and toxicology, anMBA specializing in technology, a masters in strategic studies, and a doctorate in business administration.

She entered the U.S. Army in January 1984 and attended Basic Training at Fort Jackson, S.C.

Her awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster), the Meritorious Service Medal (2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Achievement Medal (3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters), the Good Conduct Medal, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (Silver Oak Leaf Cluster and 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters), the National Defense Service Medal (with Bronze Service Star),

Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago Marks Malcolm X Day

Despite his assassination in 1965 at the age of 39, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (popularly known as Malcolm X) remains one of the nation’s most notable Muslim leaders. This transformational figure has helped countless people change their lives by his own example. Affectionately referred to as Brother Malcolm, he has been revered as a martyr for challenging the status quo of injustice and oppression.

The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) hosted a memorial tribute to honor his life and legacy on May 19 at The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. Imam Abdullah Madyun of Masjid Al-Ihsan, who began the program by reciting Quranic verses, explained how becoming a martyr preserved Malcolm’s legacy far beyond his time.

The theme “Preserving Human Rights and Human Dignity through Truth and Justice for All” was designed to highlight Brother Malcolm’s life mission — championing the cause for human rights and social justice. A panel of experts focusing his bold manner of speaking to issues provided insights about how to effectively engage with the power dynamics in media and politics.

Salim Muwakkil (senior editor, In These Times magazine; host, the Salim Muwakkil Show, WVON AM) described

the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal (Silver Hourglass with “M” device),

how the powerful delivery of Malcolm’s words impacted the trajectory of his life when he encountered Malcolm speaking outdoors in his hometown of Harlem, N.Y. Clyde El-Amin (former college president; board member, Insight Hospital and at Inner-City Muslim Action Network co-chair) talked about Malcolm’ positive influence on himself during his formative years as a college student.

Kai El’Zabar (editor-in-chief, Chicago News Weekly) said, “A journalist doing any kind of reporting that involves investigation and research has to fact check.” When commenting on Malcolm’s assassination, Kai said, “From the work that I have done, there was an FBI [agent] who infiltrated the Nation [of Islam] and acted as a soldier of the Nation. And he was [the] person who led that attack.”

Ahmed Rehab (executive director, CIOGC) received the 2024 “Malcolm X El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz Courage Award” for his bravery and commitment in carrying forth Malcolm’s mission to champion the cause for human rights and social justice. Upon hearing that he would receive the award, Rehab’s immediate response was, “What a tremendous honor. Brother Malcolm is my inspiration for being so passionate about what I do.” ih

(Contributed by Imam Charles Muhammad)

the Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (2nd Award), and the Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon (4th Award). Saladin is also a recipient of the Order of Military Medical Merit.

L-R Aayshah Mirza, Kai El’Zabar, Clyde El-Amin, Ahmed Rehab, Salim Muwakkil, Charles Muhammad, Zulfie Khan, Mohammed Sarwar Nasir, Shereen Hussain.

Saladin is a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt and currently works as the director, business continuity, standards and training for global regulatory affairs and clinical safety at Merck & Co., Inc., in Rahway, N.J.

Zerqa Abid (founder, president, and executive director, MY Project USA) was awarded the 2024 Social Justice Award for Community Service by the Social Justice Committee and the Think Make Live Youth Board of Directors.

This award honors outstanding social justice trailblazers and leaders in central Ohio. Her unwavering dedication to our community and tireless efforts in advancing social justice have rightfully earned her this recognition.

Abid, who was born in Pakistan, earned a B.A. from the University of Karachi and graduated summa cum laude from North Carolina State University (Department of Communications, 2000). She has worked, among other things, as a small business owner and nonprofit founder and has served as a commissioner on the Greater Hilltop Area Commission (2017-21). My Project USA has expanded rapidly over the years with youth-related activities in the Hilltop neighborhood, including after-school programs, the Hilltop Tigers soccer program, and a youth center and food pantry.

In less than two years, she has built Ohio’s largest Muslim social services organization, which serves 100+ families every week. In addition, she is a founding member of and also served as campaign manager of Project Sakinah (2009-14).

The Islamic Society of Orange County (ISOC) in Garden Grove, Calif., announced Sh. Abdullah Misra as its new religious director. Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi will stay on as a senior advisor.

Toronto-born Misra, who was raised as a Hindu, converted in 2001 while studying at the University of Toronto, from where he completed a bachelors in business administration. He then traveled overseas in 2005 to study Arabic and Islamic sciences in Yemen, as well as Darul Uloom in Trinidad.

During his 12 years in Jordan, he focused on Islamic law, theology, Hadith sciences,

prophetic biography, and Islamic spirituality while working at the Qasid Arabic Institute as director of programs. He holds a bachelor’s in Islamic studies, authorization in the six authentic books of Hadith, and has completed one year of specialized training in issuing fatwas.

His other achievements include earning a certificate in counseling and a focus on religious obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and family/marital issues from an Islamic pastoral perspective; author of the Seerah Song — a 26-minute-epic song about the Final Messenger (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam); and being an instructor and researcher in sacred law and theology with the SeekersGuidance: The Global Islamic Seminary.

Centro Islamico celebrated its grand opening in Alief, southwest Houston, on Nov. 16, Click2Houston reported on Sept. 19.

Founded by Jaime “Mujahid” Fletcher,

A traveling exhibit centering Muslim voices, “Alhamdu | Muslim Futurism,” opened in Colorado Springs on Sept. 13. It will run through Jan. 11, 2025.

Abbas Rattani (M.D., M.B.E., founder of MIPSTERZ), a strong advocate for individuality and self-expression in minority communities, hopes for the former when his arts and culture collective for Muslim, Muslim-adjacent, and creative allies opened the exhibition at Colorado College’s Fine Arts Center.

The show, which takes up the museum’s entire second floor, features about 100 works that all revolve around five themes: imagination, identity, community, resistance, and liberation. These works, including paintings, photos, illustrations, installations, digital media, soundscapes, and virtual reality, are by artists who are commonly marginalized in contemporary art spaces, with a focus on Muslims, Muslim-adjacent artists, and allied artists.

this newly opened Islamic education and community center is creating a welcoming space for Spanish-speaking Muslims. The center is part of IslamInSpanish, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making Islamic education accessible to Spanish speakers.

Fletcher, a former gang leader who converted after a year of self-reflection, hopes the center will provide a space for Muslims like him to reconnect with their faith and culture. Wife Sandy “Sakinah” Gutierrez serves as its interior designer and COO of IslamInSpanish.

The center, whose design incorporates Andalusian art and architecture, pays homage to the Muslims’ historical presence in Spain. It features a prayer hall, a museum dedicated to that historical presence, and a community space. The 10,000-square-foot building also hosts Friday prayers in Spanish and English, making it a unique resource for Houston’s growing Latino Muslim population.

One of the center’s key features is its focus on education. The museum highlights 800 years of Muslim history in Spain in an attempt to dispel misconceptions about Islam’s global reach. In addition to its religious and educational offerings, the center has a café and a youth room designed to make visitors feel at home.

Works by five Gazan artists, who took cellphone photos of their pieces and sent them to Colorado Springs artists Lupita Carrasco and Felicia Kelly, who have developed friendships with Gazans via social media and decided to submit their works, are on display. One Gazan video artist, who escaped to Egypt, is included. The exhibit also contains three immersive installations: a visual musical one that plays on the concept of trance as meditation, another one that plays on the concept of prayer as transcendence and a portal into the metaphysical world, and “The Mirage,” an interactive installation that invites visitors to answer a question and watch as their answers change the work.

Rattani is a resident in the James Graham Brown Cancer Center’s Department of Radiation Oncology and an affiliated scholar of the University of Louisville’s Institute of Bioethics, Health Policy, and Law. ih

A work by Palestinian artist Walaa Ahmed (Courtesy of Felicia Kelly).

UN Creates Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day

To commemorate the 29th anniversary of the worst single atrocity in Europe since World War II, the UN General Assembly voted in July 2024 to establish the “International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.” This day honors the lives 8,000+ Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica who were forcibly taken from their homes and brutally executed by Serbian ethno-nationalist forces during the genocidal reign of former President Slobodan Milosevic.

the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicted Serbian ultra-nationalist Slobodan Milosevic for orchestrating crimes against humanity in both Bosnia and Kosovo.

The 66-count ICTY criminal indictment included charges of crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes committed during the mid-1990s Balkan wars in the former Yugoslavia.

(deputy superintendent, Monongalia County Schools) said just as school started on Aug. 19, that MHS agreed to let the school’s Muslim students use a room for Friday prayers. Pathan sees this as a sign of inclusivity, a validation of their presence in Morgantown. Elsarrat agrees with her imam.

“Making a Jummah prayer and expanding our community, it really makes us feel heard, and helps us with our Islamic beliefs and become a better community altogether,” she said.” ih

During the Kosovo War in 1999, the UN International Criminal Tribunal for

Morgantown High School (MHS) students have been granted a prayer space to pray together.

Sajida Elsarrat, an MHS senior and a leader of the school’s Muslim Student Association, said three years ago that MHS accommodated them with a space to pray. But in 2023, when she renewed the request, it was denied with little explanation.

“There’s a bunch of rules and stuff in Islam, and you can be influenced a lot by people, especially in a place where, like, they’re not, they’re not used to your religion,” Elsarrat, who has her eyes on college and a career in pharmacy, said.

Regular prayer is one of Islam’s five pillars, and the mid-day Friday prayer is a communal one.

“Since I started the MSA club, I’ve

The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World,” which opened at the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum on September 22 and will run until Jan. 5, 2025, spans centuries and continents of culinary history. The exhibition’s objects originate everywhere from Spain to South Asia. The very oldest ones, Curator Katherine E. Kasdorf says, date back to the pre-Islamic Sasanian Empire, which was located in Iran and part of present-day Iraq from the third through seventh centuries.

“The Art of Dining” originally began as a show at the Los Angeles

The 66-count war crimes indictment also included charges of the forced deportation of approximately 800,000 Kosovo Albanian civilians from their homes and the deportation and/or forcible transfer from Croatia of 150,000+ Croat and other non-Serb civilians during the Balkan wars. ih

gotten a lot of complaints saying, like, ‘We have school, and we can’t go to the masjid and then come back and continue school.’ So if it’s possible to, like, have it at the school,” Elsarrat said.

The students asked Nicole FausterBradford (advocacy director, CAIR) to intervene after a year of limited response from the school and county. They needed 20 minutes max on for their Friday prayers, during a lunch period when there are dozens of empty classrooms.

Vajid Pathan (imam and director of religious affairs, the Islamic Center of Morgantown) reached out to CAIR for their assistance. He met with Monongalia County Schools’ director of diversity to clarify any miscommunication. Although not directly involved, Donna Talerico

County Museum of Art. That exhibition, which closed in August, featured 12 objects from the collection at Detroit Institute of Arts, reported Anne Ewebank for Atlas Obscura.

Many of the objects, such as the 13th-century Iranian rooster ewer, combine beautiful design with utility. Paintings and cookbooks are disppayed alongside spoons and serving trays. “Some of the earliest cookbooks from the medieval period were actually written in Arabic,” Kasdorf says. “There’s a very long tradition of recipe books in the Islamic world.” ih

Iran (possibly Kashan). Rooster-Headed Ewer, ca. 1200. Underglaze-painted fritware. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from Founders Junior Council, Henry Ford II Fund, Benson and Edith Ford Fund, J. Lawrence Buell, Jr. Fund, 19894.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The IH article on aging Muslims is very important; I hope all American communities take this topic seriously. In 1994 I attended a Federal Highway Administration (the Federal agency which provides funds for highway/bridge construction to States; States contribute their funds too) training course titled “Designing for an aging population”…. Because Americans are living longer, some design standards were changed to cater to this growing section of the population. For example, street names’ lettering sizes were revised from 4 inches height to 6 inches heigh because as people age many people’s vision decreases. Some elders can be on as many as 25 prescription drugs.

For almost 20 years, an Arab majority congregation in Paterson, N.J, Masjid Omer, has kept a daily supply of large box of tea bags, sugar, and fresh milk so elders can hang out in the mosque all day. I always thought this was a very cool idea. What would retired people without hobbies do sitting at home day after day? Hanging out with others their age would help pass the day nicely. I had once read that retirement does not affect women, but it adversely affects men’s mental health (unless of course they have activities to keep themselves mentally preoccupied). I think every mosque should have at least a small room set aside for elders from fajr to isha with chai/coffee, comfortable seats, and a clean bathroom.

Misbahuddin Mirza, M.S., P.E.

Erratum

Due to a misunderstanding at our end, the byline for Ayse Sule Akinturk, author of Muslim Narratives in Newfoundland and Labrador, (p. 30; Sept./October 2024 issue) was misreported.

Her correct byline is “Coordinator of Muslim Narratives and Lives in Newfoundland and Labrador Project.”

We apologize for the error.

Social Media Positives

An Emeregent Role in Fundraising for Gaza

BY SANAA ASIF

In recent years, popular social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have emerged as powerful tools for raising awareness and supporting humanitarian causes worldwide. They’ve presented information that may not appear in traditional news outlets: supported the organization of demonstrations against foreign policy and illuminated protests against human rights violations. Currently, social media is also helping to raise funds for Palestinians suffering in Gaza.

THE ROLE OF TIKTOK

In November 2023, one month after the genocide started, a filter named FILTER FOR GOOD started making its way into young people’s TikTok feeds. Created with augmented reality (AR) effects — digitally-added objects, text, or images that enhance the real world seen through a phone, computer, or AR headset — by designer Jourdan Johnson (@xojourdanlouise), it allows users a free and easy way to donate to Palestinians. The more a filter is used, the more money it generates. Johnson has donated all the proceeds to Doctors Without Borders and to buy eSIMs for Palestinians to stay connected. While raising thousands of dollars,

this filter has also opened a new pathway especially for young donors. Thousands of TikTok creators started making videos, filters, and sounds to donate the proceeds to Gaza. Using the watermelon emoji as a symbol of support for Palestine became popular as well, so that videos weren’t flagged or taken down.

These methods made it easy to help those in Gaza. Filming a video with a filter or sound takes less than 10 seconds; however, it could help a family evacuate. This online activism also educated many TikTokers about the conflict.

The grassroots collective Operation Olive Branch (@operationolivebranch), a volunteer-led and global solidarity initiative with over 450K followers, soon became a main source of updates and information. Providing followers with easy ways to donate, receive updates on Palestinian families and gain knowledge on the war’s general history, it has raised awareness and gained support for Palestine.

Additionally, many Gazans have now turned to TikTok to raise donations directly. Palestinian families have created their own filters and sounds, and regularly post them on TikTok asking for contributions to their

GoFundMe accounts. Many TikTokers use this platform to donate directly to those accounts by interacting with their videos, using their filters, and creating sounds to help them generate money.

INSTAGRAM GATHERS SUPPORT

Many of these activism techniques are available on Instagram. Palestinian families and those trying to raise funds for organizations in Palestine turn to the reels feature, short videos similar to TikToks, to gain support. Instagram users interact with these videos to generate money for the creator, and often share these videos on their public stories to raise awareness and increase donations.

Instagram is also a central platform for journalists and press in Gaza. Bisan Owda (@wizard_bisan1), a journalist who has been documenting her life of displacement in Gaza, has accumulated over 4 million followers since October 2023. Her activism has reached many, and her account has allowed supporters to track her life and truly understand the conditions in Gaza.

Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza (@motaz_azaiza) is another key figure in spreading awareness via Instagram. Although he evacuated Gaza in January 2024, his work reporting under Israel’s bombardment gathered him over 17 million followers and an extremely large amount of support. His photos of life during the genocide have been shared in thousands of stories, bringing more support and awareness to the ongoing issue.

Let’s Talk Palestine (@letstalkpalestine), an organization dedicated to conveying accurate information about the conflict’s background, has almost 1 million followers. With posts such as Israeli Apartheid for Beginners, A Guide to Boycotting for Palestine, and numerous ways to donate to and support Palestinians, the account is a key player in educating Instagram users. Their broadcast channel contains daily updates on Palestine, allowing users to stay up-to-date.

Additionally, many such activist organizations establish their home base on Instagram. National organizations such as Hearts in Gaza Project, Operation Olive Branch, and Doctors Without Borders use it as a central point of their platform, by reaching a wide audience and directing them to their website via their accounts. One of these organizations, Watermelon Warriors (WW, @watermelonwarriors.io), uses Instagram as one of its main platforms.

HOW USING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS BENEFITS ORGANIZATIONS

Watermelon Warriors is a Palestinian-run nonprofit that works to distribute eSIMs in Gaza. Adan (who chose not to reveal her last name to protect her family in Gaza), one of the cofounders, explains how she partnered with a friend working in tech to build the organization.

“We grew up in Wisconsin and we went to the same undergrad. He started Watermelon Warriors (WW) because he has a tech background,” she says. Originally, WW was an organization that helped people advocate for Palestinians by sending letters to representatives.

However, a few months later Adan came across the eSIM initiative, which is a digital SIM that activates a cellular plan from a carrier without having to use a physical SIM. She decided to host a fundraiser in her community to purchase eSIMs for Palestinians, but soon realized that they were very expensive. “The previous eSIMs that I was purchasing were about 10 gigabytes with 30-day activation rates for about $65 each,” Adan recalls. “I was posting the progress, and my friend had reached out to me and said, ‘I have a tech background. I think we can do this more efficiently.’” The two friends collaborated to eventually build the organization as it is today.

Today, supporters can donate an eSIM to journalists, doctors, and civilians in Gaza for only $17. “We purchase the eSIMs, download the QR codes, and send our brothers and sisters in Palestine a photo of each QR code. We can do that through WhatsApp and Instagram,” Adan explains.

Although WW also has a website and Twitter and Tumblr accounts, Instagram has allowed them to reach a wider audience. “We just found that Instagram has the widest reach for us since we’re able to communicate with not just our distributors, but also people in need and are able to explain the process that way,” Adan said. “Our website is a good landing page for people to donate, but social media helps spread the word.”

WW currently has over 12K followers on Instagram and consistent post engagement. “We find that people share our posts [on] a lot of their stories,” Adan states. “We also found that a lot of people take our posts and then host fundraisers of their own within their communities. And they’re able to raise hundreds of dollars at a time to donate eSIMs, which has

Palestinian families have created their own filters and sounds, and regularly post them on TikTok asking for contributions to their GoFundMe accounts. Many TikTokers use this platform to donate directly to those accounts by interacting with their videos, using their filters, and creating sounds to help them generate money.

been really special. And we’re so grateful for it.”

The organization also prioritizes educating their supporters. “We’re trying to have more informative posts moving forward with historical information so people are able to educate themselves and share that information with others,” Adan says.

Most members of WW’s current audience are licensed professionals. “Doctors, teachers, community members, especially a lot of psychologists, have been reaching out to promote us and ask how they can help. We’re finding a lot of 30–50-year-old professionals willing to help,” Adan said.

Since Adan is based in Texas and her partner in Chicago, the organization relies heavily on volunteer support. “Our volunteers are all over the world — one in Germany,

one in Spain, obviously our distributors in Palestine, and then a bunch around America who, if they have a minute, will create a post for us and help us keep up a regular social media schedule,” Adan says. “So, it takes a village, and we’re so grateful for all the volunteers for even donating a little bit of time and effort to help us.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

Large social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have enabled users to donate to Palestinians, even if they may not be able to afford to donate money directly. Liking, sharing, and commenting on more than nine words on videos from the accounts of Palestinian families can generate money for their account and make their videos reach a wider audience. Using filters and sounds created to donate to Gaza can also help generate thousands of dollars and help evacuate families from the apartheid system. Additionally, sharing these videos and content on your public social media accounts can increase awareness and, potentially, donations. ih

Sanaa Asif, a senior at Hinsdale (Ill.) Central High School, is an avid reader and loves to learn and write about others and their experiences.

The CIA’s Insatiable Nostalgia for Iran

“Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.” — Sen. John McCain

BY LUKE PETERSON

In both academic circles and the halls of U.S. policymakers, the CIA’s carefully crafted August 1953 overthrow of the overwhelming popular and democratically elected socialist Prime Minister Mohamed Mosaddegh has long been an open secret. Working with British intelligence, the aggressive, young spy agency sought to replace Mosaddegh with a pliable local ruler who would acquiesce to U.S. demands in the region.

For its part, British intelligence wanted to protect the grossly unequal concessions the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company was garnering for London by exploiting Iran’s most prominent natural resource. At the onset of the Cold War, U.S. officials were in lockstep with this initiative and likewise petrified of the use of the N-word anywhere in the Global South: “Nationalize.” Mosaddegh’s stated plan, to win back the rights to Iran’s oil and use the profits to benefit the Iranians, was a clear red flag.

The coup, a masterclass in Western subterfuge, married Whitehall’s centuries-old colonial ambition with Washington’s nouveaux imperial aspirations. To carry it out, a young CIA operative named Kermit “Kim” Roosevelt (grandson of former President Theodore Roosevelt) used CIA offices in Tehran to seize control of the Iranian press by bribing its owners with crisp, new American bills, into circulating anti-Mossadegh propaganda. Roosevelt and his British allies then paid crowds of disaffected youth to loot business, vandalize mosques, and torch government offices while chanting pro-Mossadegh slogans. State police responded with enthusiastic aggression in a summer-long series of street clashes, adding to the Western-generated atmosphere of general chaos in Tehran.

FROM DENIAL TO ADMISSION

This nefarious “Operation Ajax,” as the operation was called, would come to stand as a perfect demonstration of how the CIA and its sister agencies could overthrow “unsavory” or “uncooperative” (read: socialist) global leaders.

However, the CIA refused to acknowledge it for the next 70 years. Few public officials ever even mentioned this anti-democratic putsch, and those who did were often rebuked for doing so. In 2000, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright admitted the CIA’s “significant role,” and Barack Obama, in his 2009 address — his first one as president — in Cairo described the CIA as responsible for the “overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government.”

Both of them were heavily criticized by the U.S. press at the time of their public comments. Still, despite these admissions, the CIA remained mum on the operation while closely guarding thousands of files on the four-day operation in its Langley, Va., headquarters.

Then, in October 2024, in a stunning reversal, the CIA publicly acknowledged its role in a new podcast called The Langley Files. In what can only be described as a counterintuitive new agency initiative aimed at “transparency” in communications with the American public, CIA officials went so far as to describe the U.S. intelligence actions in Iran in 1953 as “undemocratic,” publicly acknowledging what was already long known throughout the Middle East and within the Beltway.

As the coup had profound ramifications in Iran’s politics, economy, and culture, this confession amounts to an admission of official meddling in Iran’s internal affairs, thereby charting a path that included irrevocable negative consequences.

In August 1953, ostensibly responding to this violence, the venal young ruler Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi officially dismissed Mossadegh while on holiday in Rome. Some suggest that CIA operative Donald Wilbur dictated this decree to the intellectually limited Shah word-for-word. The Shah went on to nominate Fazlollah Zahedi as the new prime minister, a hand-picked U.S. asset, and ensured that Mossadegh would live out his days in political isolation — he eventually died under house arrest in 1967.

When asked about this shift the CIA’s public stance, an unmoved representative of Iran’s U.N. delegation downplayed it, “The U.S. admission never translated into compensatory action or a genuine commitment to refrain from future interference, nor did it change its subversive policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Rather, according to Iranian officials, the new CIA position amounts to nothing more than a statement of the obvious, “the inception of relentless American meddling in Iran’s internal affairs.” They also dismissed the agency’s attempted mea culpa.

WASHINGTON LOVES A WEALTHY DICTATOR

Seventy years after the fact, the delegation might have a point about this meaningless posturing. During his brief tenure as a beloved political leader (July 21, 1952–August 19, 1953), Mossadegh spearheaded a wide range of socioeconomic policies designed to improve the lives of hand-to-mouth Iranians nationwide by nationalizing the country’s oil resources to pay for these social programs — a truly revolutionary decision that flew in the face of the decades-long colonial legacy of stealing Middle Eastern resources.

Worse still for Iranians, the coup elevated the Shah to a level of unconstrained power, which he used to arrest and silence Mossadegh’s most vocal supporters, even to execute others in the most infamous Evin Prison. And while the Zahedi government was gleefully signing new concessions with British and American oil companies, the Shah was doubling down on domestic repression, accepting more funding and guidance from the CIA. A new player, Israel’s Mossad, also helped establish the secret police force known as SAVAK, which would become notorious.

and his ill-considered economic policies that fueled the masses’ potency. After a year of mass demonstrations, state police shootings, crackdowns, and still more demonstrations, in January 1979 the cancer-stricken Shah and his family fled Iran, thereby paving the way for Ayatollah Khomeini’s return and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The connecting thread from the beginning to the end of the Shah’s regime was the 1953 CIA coup, invoked as often as any other policy by opposition groups throughout Iran as justifying this brutal, self-serving ruler and his corrupt regime’s overthrow.

ARE INHABITANTS OF THE BELTWAY CAPABLE OF LEARNING FROM THE PAST?

Will the CIA and the rest of Washington learn anything from this ill-fated initiative and what it eventually led to? Signs point to “No.” After the Shah died in Egyptian exile, his family relocated to the U.S, where his son Reza calls himself the Crown Prince of Iran. Under this lofty title, he founded the National Council of Iran, an exile opposition group that seeks to undermine the current Iranian government and using right-wing support within the U.S. to do so.

When asked about this shift the CIA’s public stance, an unmoved representative of Iran’s U.N. delegation downplayed it, “The U.S. admission never translated into compensatory action or a genuine commitment to refrain from future interference, nor did it change its subversive policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Writing for The Guardian on Dec. 16, 2009, Masoud Golsorkhi noted that five career CIA officers, led by Major General Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf (father of the general who would oversee Baghdad’s obliteration during the first U.S. Gulf War) who “trained virtually all of the first generation of SAVAK personnel” (“Iranian men in hijab,” www.theguardian.com/). The Shah would use SAVAK to brutally enforce his criminalization of criticism of the state in addition to censoring books and films, banning opposition parties across the political spectrum, and, most memorably for those Iranians who lived through it, to imprisoning, torturing, and executing political opponents without mercy.

The Shah also delighted in amassing vast amounts of personal wealth along with billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. military hardware. But when the 1970s fluctuations in global oil consumption disrupted state income (his “personal bank account”), Iran faced a rising national debt, runaway inflation, and massive rural-to-urban immigration. Enter Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a professor of philosophy and a theologian from Qom who had been exiled in 1964 after speaking out against the Shah. From exile in Iraq and then Paris, he was able to motivate Iran’s youth and working classes to resist the regime. Anti-government demonstrations began citing the Shah’s corruption, violence, and complicity with the occupation of Palestine, given his increasingly close ties to Israel.

In the late 1970s, Iranian public opinion began to swell due to the Shah’s dependence on the U.S., his close ties with Israel,

As a result, Pahlavi has built up a substantial network of rightist supporters within the Beltway from his base in Great Falls, Va., including the so-called lobbying group the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUDFI). With Pahlavi’s support, the NUDFI acts as an anti-Iranian, anti-Palestinian front that uses the money it receives from arch-conservative Israeli and the U.S. interests to intimidate pro-Palestinian activists and any others who criticize the idea of renewed Iranian-Israeli cooperation.

In April 2023, Reza and his [Iranian] wife Yasmin visited Israel, where they were warmly received and hosted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel. The Iranian monarchists’ support from Israel and its right-wing U.S. allies — evident in their close ties with pro-Israel lobbies in Washington and reliance on media support from Tel Aviv-aligned outlets — has exposed their lack of legitimacy and credibility, as well as their disregard for the Iranians’ democratic aspirations.

Their movement is reminiscent of the kind of retrograde monarchism and ahistorical adulation of the Shah’s regime. As such, it’s now common to see this American Shah’s supporters waving the monarchy’s flag and praising Israel and Netanyahu at pro-Israel rallies nationwide and elsewhere. These same supporters are fond of distributing completely fallacious canards, such as roving gangs of mullahs arresting and brutally torturing anyone who doesn’t kowtow to them as they pass by and other such absurdities.

Will the overt public ties between the dead Shah’s brutal past and Netanyahu’s arch-right regime lead to another U.S.-backed, neo-imperial coup in the Middle East? If Washington can usher in a new era of non-interference this coming November, hopefully the mistakes of its imperial past and militant present might be avoided. Only time will tell. ih

Luke Peterson received his Ph.D. from the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at The University of Cambridge — (King’s College). His new book, “The U.S. Military in the Print News Media: Service and Sacrifice in Discourse,” has been published by Anthem Press.

U.S Military Build-up in the Mediterranean

The “Liberal” Biden Administration Shows an Unchecked Pro-Israel, Pro-Military Bias

BY LUKE PETERSON

As the Biden administration comes to a close, the ruling Democratic Party’s elite seek, as many outgoing administrations have done, to make their mark on the current political dynamic in the Middle East. Between Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and its spread into the West Bank and its ultimately inconsequential exchange of projectiles — though with Hezbollah, there seems to be ample opportunity for a visionary, liberal American presidential administration to have a positive impact in the Middle East.

It can use the traditional methods such as applying diplomatic pressure, offering carrots as well as sticks to end the open warfare, and, maybe most critically, to sanction all regional actors for their countless violations of international law. This applies particularly to Israel, given its ongoing genocidal campaign in Palestine coupled with its three-quarter century-long military occupation and political negation of Palestine. Surely a visionary U.S. administration characterized by bold leadership, a clear but realistic vision about a peaceful future in the region, and enough political will could accomplish some, or all, of these goals.

BIDEN’S LEGACY IN THE MIDDE EAST

Unsurprisingly, the Biden administration has enacted none of those policies, possibly because vision, boldness, and clarity remain in desperately short supply. Instead of insisting on humanitarian relief — the short-lived and wildly laughable “humanitarian pier” notwithstanding — Biden and his team of so-called experts have relied on tired, demonstrably ineffective tactics to advance a global militant

agenda. The most glaring losers in this maddeningly unoriginal strategy are perhapsthe Palestinians, Washington’s respectability, and the rule of international law. The winners are likewise familiar: the bloated U.S. defense contractors and Tel Aviv’s neo-fascist military regime top the list.

Perhaps the most obvious sign of the Biden administration’s “anything but peace” agenda came in late October, when Pentagon officials dispatched two Carrier Strike Groups from the U.S. Navy — the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower group and the USS Gerald R. Ford group — to the eastern Mediterranean. This decision added roughly 12,000 American soldiers to the already 30,000 military personnel stationed at the U.S. bases across the Middle East, itself a small part of the network of the nearly 200,000 American soldiers deployed on foreign soil at the time of this writing.

Each carrier strike group contains a massive aircraft carrier named after a former president (ironic that Eisenhower publicly warned Americans about overreliance on the military-industrial complex), along with several other warships and four fighter squadrons each. Brad London, writing for CNN on Jan. 2, reported that a U.S. Navy spokesperson described this massive amount of seaborne tonnage and a nearly incalculable destructive power as “the most adaptable and lethal combat platform in the world.”

This policy decision wasn’t designed to deescalate regional violence, but, as articulated by various Biden administrative spokespeople, to support and bolster Israel’s destructive oeuvre in Gaza while simultaneously intimidating Hamas allies in Yemen, Syria, and southern Lebanon. After Hezbullah’s recent launch of rockets

into northern Israel, it remains to be seen how effective that particular strategy has been. In any case, adding fuel to the fire, the outgoing Biden administration greenlit still more military aid and fiscal transfers to Israel.

Since the Hamas-led retaliatory attack against Israel in the first week of October, Washington has provided $12.5 billion worth of military materiel via legislation that passed easily during Spring 2024. These monies have been granted on top of the standard U.S. military aid package in the current fiscal year, itself totaling $3.3 billion a year as part of the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program. In sum, this largesse accounts for roughly 15% of Israel’s annual military budget, a number that has only grown following the “liberal” Biden administration’s recent generous aid packages. It is no hyperbole, then, to assert that our tax dollars are literally killing Palestinian civilians in Gaza just as much as the indiscriminate bullets and bombs gleefully unleashed by Israeli soldiers are (www.cfr.org/article/ us-aid-israel-four-charts).

Much of the guaranteed U.S. annual aid sent to Israel is conditional, though, and must be used to purchase new materiel (e.g., tank shells and artillery, airborne bombs, rockets, and small arms and ammunition) or maintenance from Lockheed-Martin, Raytheon, Northrup Grumman, and other U.S. defense contractors. Furthermore, rumors have circulated that Biden and his ilk are determined to transfer an additional $18 billion worth of military equipment before he leaves office — a military package said to include 50 F-15 fighter aircraft. Another set of contracts will guarantee cooperation in the R&D of “missile defenses” between the two countries to the tune of $500 million per year.

Nor are these arrangements even legal, according to the letter of the law within this country’s own rules for the distribution of weapons. According to the latest revised version of the 1997 Leahy Law, the U.S. cannot supply military equipment to any state or non-state actors that are violating human rights (www.justsecurity.org/96522/ israel-leahy-law/). In mid-October, as the indiscriminate nature of Israel’s assault in Gaza became known, the Biden administration issued a fatuous call for restraint, instructing Israel to “observe international law” — an obvious indication that their use of U.S. weapons is illegal. In May 2024, an administration investigation concluded that it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel was using U.S. weaponry in a manner “inconsistent with its IHL [International Humanitarian Law] obligations.”

Disappointingly, though certainly not surprisingly, the rhetoric from the Biden administration’s last days has been anything but balancing. As its devastating aid packages have proved, history will certainly not record the legacy of this mercifully soon-to-be-gone “statesman” as one of either peace-making or even remotely approaching evenhandedness.

The infrastructure for these agreements has long been in place, as Raytheon manufactures Tamir missiles for Israel’s Iron Dome missile system. Both countries’ defense industries and, critically, military manufactures are so deeply intertwined that it’s often difficult to distinguish the national interests at work in these series of political and militaristic cooperatives.

The resultant boom for the U.S.’s military industries is, therefore, nothing new. Cloaked under the banner of “support for our allies,” these industries have been pouring weapons into Israeli warehouses for decades, a policy that is exempt from any acrimonious party lines within the U.S. political landscape. And as shown above, Israel often uses this aid money to purchase these no-strings-attached stockpiles — a glaringly obvious loophole in the subsidy system doled out to domestic industries that are, in this case, creating ever more murderous weapons of war.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THAT PESKY LEAHY LAW?

In these initiatives, then, the Biden administration has proven itself the equal of any war-mongering Republican predecessor. Thanks to the self-proclaimed Zionist Biden, Israel now possesses more U.S. weaponry and more guarantees for future access to weapons than ever before. Biden has thereby made U.S. war industries more stable and more lucrative than any president, all while bafflingly maintaining a politically leftist ideological position.

These findings clearly indicate that any U.S. administration that transfers weapons to Israel during the genocide violates international law, which bans the transference of arms to parities committing war crimes, and this country’s own self-imposed sanctions for the same. And yet only days after this investigation came to light, the Biden White House vowed to continue sending military assistance. Clearly, as various pundits have alleged, Israel is exempt from the Leahy Law, despite its long history of using U.S. weaponry as it wishes.

Tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel are stationed in the Middle East at the time of this writing, ostensibly with a “peace-keeping remit,” as if soldiers wearing the Stars and Stripes on their uniform can legitimately claim to be a neutral anywhere in the region. Disappointingly, though certainly not surprisingly, the rhetoric from the Biden administration’s last days has been anything but balancing. As its devastating aid packages have proved, history will certainly not record the legacy of this mercifully soon-to-begone “statesman” as one of either peace-making or even remotely approaching evenhandedness.

Unfortunately, neither of his successors seek to promise more hope. As a result, the tradition of U.S. interference in the Middle East’s internal affairs will remain the same as it has been for generations: as a partial actor sustaining its own military industry and imperial designs at the cost of tens of thousands of Muslim and Christian lives year in and year out. ih

Luke Peterson received his Ph.D. from the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at The University of Cambridge — (King’s College). His new book, “The U.S. Military in the Print News Media: Service and Sacrifice in Discourse,” has been published by Anthem Press.

The Bible: Teaching Antisemitism for 2,000 Years (According to the U.S. Government)

“You

killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. (Acts 3:15)

BY KHALID MATTHEWS

It is a long-established fact that the U.S. government’s offices work as hard, or even harder, for Israelis than for American citizens. The result of this divided loyalty, obvious since the Johnson administration began gifting Israel with military aid packages just ahead of the Six Day War, is the facilitation of Israel’s full military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, Syria’s Golan Heights, and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula (returned to its pre-war status via bilateral negotiations during 1979-82).

Stephen J. Green iIn his “Taking Sides: America’s Secret Relations with a Militant Israel” (Amana Books, 1987), showed that U.S. pilots flew covert missions on Israel’s behalf prior to their unprovoked, multi-pronged attack against Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. These flights provided up-to-the-moment intelligence for Israeli military planners, who used it to catastrophic effect in Egypt, Syria, and Jordan-controlled Palestine. Not even the

naked Israeli attack on the U.S. naval vessel

USS Liberty, which killed 34 American sailors aboard a reconnaissance vessel, ended this cooperation. Since then, this political, military, and economic alliance has seen hundreds of billions of dollars funneled into Israeli coffers at the expense of the American taxpayer each year since the American-aided Israeli conquest of what remained of historic Palestine.

The next phase of that cooperation entails an assault on American values at home, as pro-Israel Jewish groups increasingly push for categorizing Biblical teaching as antisemitic doctrine. This effort stems from years of well-funded lobbying by Israel apologists on Capitol Hill who recently secured the passage of a federal bill in the House of Representatives in May 2024, euphemistically entitled The Antisemitism Awareness Act. This would require all federal government agencies, most importantly the Department of Education, to adopt the

International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism as the official one.

From a standpoint unbound by decades of funding and servitude to Israel, the IHRA definition is broad to the point of absurdity. Ben Sales, writing for www.jta.org on Jan. 15, 2021, provides it: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” Read literally, this definition might conclude that any opposition to collective Jewish action, whether doctrinal, faith-based, or political, as in the actions of the self-proclaimed Jewish state, would be considered antisemitic.

Beyond that, any opposition to “non-Jewish individuals” who hold in common the values of “Jewish community institutions and religious facilities” could be considered antisemitic — even if the supposed victims were not Jewish. Whoever the supposed target of this sweeping and generalized definition is, clearly the IHRA, and now even the U.S. government, intends that any speech or action broadly classified as “Jewish” is protected, and thus any criticism of them could cause an American citizen to run afoul of the federal government, potentially leading to charges of “hate speech” and/or the highly damning one of “federal antisemitism.”

HOW THIS AFFECTS THE BIBLE

But what of the Bible, a document held sacred by the vast majority of Americans today? Would its language not be subject to this new federal statute as well, rendering it a censorious document? Many commentators, leery of the broad spectrum of protection granted to Jewish groups under the IHRA definition, have answered “Yes” to each of

Antisemitic stained glass in Brussels Cathedral.

the above questions. Specifically, Biblical passages referring to Jesus’ capture and condemnation, as well as his divine nature — faithful Christians, after all, consider him the Messiah and son of God — have been called into question as potentially violating this new, expansive statute.

Other Biblical passages depict Jesus or the Apostles as condemning recalcitrant Jews for their failure to recognize the divine nature of Jesus and for maintaining their commitment to old scriptures and traditions. A few of the potentially offending passages are given here:

◆ “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His [Jesus’] blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified” (Matthew 27:24-26).

◆ “Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well” (Acts 4:10).

◆ “I know your tribulation and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who claim to be Jews and are not, but rather are members of the assembly of Satan” (Revelation 2:9).

◆ “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee” (Revelation 3:9).

Certainly by most readings, the above passages qualify as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews” and thereby violate the new federal statute. What punishment will be meted out to Church officials when they read such passages during their sermons? Does the new House bill give the federal government cause, even the duty, to act to prevent such speech?

WHERE IS THE CHRISTIAN PUSHBACK?

Meekly, a few politicians are pushing back against the idea, now codified in U.S. law thanks to the power of the many Israel lobbies, each cloaked as “Jewish advocacy agencies,” that the Bible is the anti-quintessential antisemitic tract. Sen. Roger Marshall (R.-Kan.) has publicly suggested that the bill goes too far in legislating this

idea: “Religious leaders back home are very concerned about some of the language in that bill, that it pushes against what the scripture said. Obviously as a born-again Christian I believe that the Holy Bible is the word of God. I think that we’re not supposed to alter the word so I’m just guessing the House overlooked something” (www. kansascity.com/news/politics-government/ article288246510.html).

whether those people are religious or not. I further object to any federal classification system or censorship manual that proscribes official definitions of concepts and ideas. One only need to flip through the pages of George Orwell’s classic work of dystopic (non?) fiction “1984” to see that such rigid control over thoughts and ideas leads precipitously to ruin under totalitarian diktat.

I also vehemently object to the selec-

Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” — the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

While I believe that the senator gives the House and its membership far too much credit, offering that they “forgot” something in the course of the bill’s passage, his point bears examination. Are Christian Americans now supposed to alter their doctrines and scripture in line with language authored by a powerful special interest group advocating from a different faith-based background? Less salubrious congressional members like accused child trafficker Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) concurred with Marshall’s assessment via X, suggesting that “Antisemitism is wrong, but this legislation is written without regard for the Constitution, common sense, or even the common understanding of the meaning of words.” He then went on to put a finer point on it, “The Gospel itself would meet the definition of antisemitism under the terms of this bill!” (Lauren Sforza, https://thehill. com/, May 1, 2024). Is the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 anything more woke-ism run amok at the federal level of governance?

To be clear, I hold, as nearly all rational people do, that condemning an entire people for the actions of a few is a racist absurdity,

tive application of this type of protective language that seeks only to spare one particularly influential minority group from “harm” while allowing the vast majority of other marginalized populations to sink or swim based upon their own fortune and without concomitant federal protections around language, public treatment, or any other considerations.

Predictably, in a government paid for by special interest groups, a cursory examination of so-called campaign donations into the coffers of the same federal officials who passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act might reveal the true motivations for this bill’s passage, unsurprisingly demonstrating that cash rather than any concern for the Jewish people (a perfectly laudable motive) is the true mover on Capitol Hill. Using the federal government’s power to offer protection to the highest bidders, however, smacks much more of concern for the rhetorical bottom line of lawmakers than it does of any interest in any group of marginalized citizens. ih

Khalid Matthews is a scholar of world religions. He lives and works in the United States.

The Hold of Christian Zionism on American Evangelicals

Israel is not a “normal” nation, but a core element in Christian eschatology

BY JAY WILLOUGHBY

On Oct. 7, 2023, Christian Zionism once again raised its ugly head in the U.S., this time in the guise of the Biden administration. Despite being a self-professed practicing Catholic for his entire life, he seems to have concluded that he can remain as such while violating its core values, such as “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12), “Be merciful” (Luke 6:36), and “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other” (Ephesians 4:32).

As this issue goes to press, Al Jazeera reports that Israel has killed 41,000+ people, including 11,000+ children. According to Bragi Guðbrandsson (vice chairperson, Committee on the Rights of the Child), “The outrageous death of children is almost historically unique. This is an extremely dark place in history … I don’t think we have seen before a violation that is so massive as we’ve seen in Gaza” (Sondos Asem, www. middleeasteye.net/, Sept. 19). There is surely a staggeringly high number of even more dead in the omnipresent rubble.

Perhaps Biden believes that no Palestinian Christian children exist, or that if they do they are “less-than” and therefore unworthy. One wonders if he has even heard of Bethlehem-born Rev. Munther Isaac (academic dean, Bethlehem Bible College), who pastors Bethlehem’s Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church and Beit Sahour’s Lutheran Church. He states that at times the Christians were a majority; however, many of them left, either willingly or not, during the final days of the Ottoman Empire; the British didn’t allow them to return. Israel has only followed London’s example.

Rev. Isaac relates that, from what he has read, the Palestinian diaspora contains 500,000 or more Christians, and that close to 170,000 or 180,000 more live within historic Palestine — close to 130,000 of them in Israel; close to 45,000 in the Occupied

Territories and West Jerusalem, and 900 to 1,000 in Gaza. He notes that 17 years ago there were maybe 3,000, but that the blockade made life so tough that they left whenever they could (https://catholicoutlook.org, March 25, 2024).

Biden and the rest of us should watch the “Rev Munther Isaac says Palestinian Christians are under attack; that the West Bank is not livable” and “Christian Palestinian delegation describe ordeal of living under Israeli military occupation” available at www. newarab.com/video/. Christian Zionists and perhaps Western Christians in general appear to be unfazed that Jesus’ birthplace and Christianity’s homeland might one day contain no Christians. This unconcern might be generational, but it also reveals the power of ideology over the world’s largest religion.

DEFINITION AND A LITTLE HISTORY

In her “Christian Zionism: Navigating the Jewish-Christian Border” (Cascade

Books, 2015), Faydra Shapiro (founder and executive director, Israel Center for Jewish Cristian Relations) writes, “In their [Christian Zionists] reading of the Bible, God has decreed a special role and status for the Jews sealed in an eternal covenant, together with a promise to restore them to their land. Thus, Christian Zionists see their own solidarity with the Jews and the modern nation of Israel to be paying homage to the God of Israel.”

Genesis 12:3 records Yahweh as saying that He will bless/curse those who bless/curse Israel. Christian Zionists contend that this statement is eternal and unconditional. In short, Israel can ignore its supposedly divine mission or not. Denise Bruno’s Aug. 22, 2024, article for the Times of Israel summarizes Israel’s mission as “to help the world see who God truly is: loving, just, merciful, and holy.”

According to Richard D. Land, writing for www.christianpost.com/ on March 23, 2015, “we are also admonished to support the Jews

if we want to be blessed individually and collectively as a nation.” Just an aside to the Biden administration, Land also states that “If we really care about Israel, we are compelled to tell her when we believe she is acting wrongly or contrary to her self-interest.”

PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI HISTORY DIDN’T BEGIN ON OCT. 7, 2024

In fact, according to Netanyahu, it began thousands of years ago. “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. And we do remember.” According to Exodus 17:8-16, the Amalekites ambushed the Hebrews after they left Egypt. An enraged Yahweh swore, “I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven” and “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

One should ask who the Amalekites are today, for “Forty-seven percent of Israeli Jews said in a poll conducted last month that Israel should ‘not at all’ consider the ‘suffering of the civilian Palestinian population in Gaza’ in the next phase of fighting. Casting the enemy as Amalek reinforces that attitude” (Noah Lanard, www.motherjones.com, Nov. 3, 2023). Lanard uses the following formation as his subheading: “His [Netanyahu’s] recent biblical reference has long been used by the Israeli far right to justify killing Palestinians.”

Rabbi Jill Jacobs (head of T’ruah, a rabbinical human rights organization) notes that “rabbis generally agree that Amalek no longer exists, and that references to it do not provide a morally acceptable justification for attacking anyone.” She further asserts that historically it has been seen as a metaphor commonly understood as to “stamp out evil inclinations within ourselves.”

And yet, she continues, “it remains common for Israeli extremists to view Palestinians as modern-day Amalekites.” For example, in 1980, “Rabbi Israel Hess wrote an article that used the story of Amalek to justify wiping out Palestinians. Its title has been translated as “Genocide: A Commandment of the Torah,” as well as “The Mitzvah of Genocide in the Torah (Ibid).

WASHINGTON’S BLINDSPOT

According to www.jewishvirtuallibrary. org/, from 1949-2023 the U.S. has given Israel $160,552.96 billion, $112,277.10 billion of which has been for “military”

— the chart’s category — aid. Of course that figure has now increased by a quite a few more billions.

The Biden administration announced Friday that it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel violated international law using U.S. weapons in its military campaign in Gaza (John Hudson et al., www.washingtonpost. com/, May 10). Perhaps the administration also believes that the best way to “mow the grass,” à la the Zionist entity, is to kill off the mothers so they can’t produce the next

Stanley L. Cohen, an attorney and human rights activist who has done extensive work in the Middle East and Africa, identifies an often overlooked fact: “In accordance with international humanitarian law, wars of national liberation have been expressly embraced, through the adoption of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 (pdf), as a protected and essential right of occupied people everywhere.” Israel has not signed it; the U.S. has signed but not ratified it.

Genesis 12:3 records Yahweh as saying that He will bless/curse those who bless/curse Israel. Christian Zionists contend that this statement is eternal and unconditional. In short, Israel can ignore its supposedly divine mission or not. Denise Bruno’s Aug. 22, 2024, article for the Times of Israel summarizes this mission as “to help the world see who God truly is: loving, just, merciful, and holy.”

generation and to slaughter as many children as possible before they have a chance to reproduce.

Or maybe this is Netanyahu’s version of the Great Replacement theory so beloved by certain Americans. After all, as Arnon Soffer (professor of geography, Haifa University), points out in the Times of Israel, “When the number of non-Israeli nationals is taken into consideration, it leaves the Jewish proportion at between 46% and 47% of the total” (ToI Staff Aug. 30, 2022).

Maybe they’ve taken Josep Borrell’s (foreign policy chief, EU) Oct. 13, 2022, comment — since apologized for — to heart, “Most of the rest of the world is a jungle, and the jungle could invade the garden [Europe]. The gardeners should take care of it, but they will not protect the garden by building walls … A nice small garden surrounded by high walls in order to prevent the jungle from coming in is not going to be a solution. … The gardeners have to go to the jungle” (https://audiovisual.ec.europa. eu/en/video/I-231375).

As University of North Texas professor Elizabeth Oldmixon remarks, “When we talk about the Holy Land, God’s promise of the Holy Land, we’re talking about real estate on both sides of the Jordan River. So the sense of a greater Israel and expansionism is really important to this community” (Philip Bump, www.washingtonpost.com, May 14, 2018).

Bump mentioned another interesting statistic found by The LifeWay poll: 80% of evangelicals believed Israel’s creation was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy that would bring about Christ’s return. A 2003 Pew Research Center poll revealed that about a third of Americans hold this view, while more than 60% evangelicals agreed.

Moreover, “What kick-starts the end times into motion is Israel’s political boundaries being reestablished to what God promised the Israelites according to the Bible,” Pastor Nate Pyle told Newsweek in January (Cristina Maza, www.newsweek. com/, Jan. 12, 2018). The previous month, President Trump had recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and ordered the embassy

moved there, much to the delight of countless Evangelicals.

A MAJOR CHRISTIAN ZIONIST VOICE

Evangelical pastor John Hagee (founder, John Hagee Ministries; founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel), is “America’s most prominent Christian Zionist [known] for his controversial and violent views.” After all, how could he not be after making such a sensational statement [recorded by NBC] during the Nov. 14, 2023, “March for Israel” on the National Mall as “‘God sent a hunter’” and that Jews were killed “‘because God said my top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel.’”

This was not just an offthe-cuff remark spoken in a moment of enthusiasm, for in a 1999 sermon he declared, “God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land” (He apologized almost a decade later, saying that “I grappled with the vexing question of why a loving God would allow the evil of the Holocaust to occur…I regret if my Jewish friends felt any pain as a result.”) (Henry Carnell and Sam Van Pykeren, www.motherjones.com/, Nov. 14, 2023).

These comments reveal what really drives Christian Zionism: “Evangelicals believe that the rebirth of Israel is hastening not just the second coming of Christ, but a particular kind of second coming, one that includes fire, fury, and war that will consume the Jewish people ... Evangelicals support Israel to hasten the apocalypse, while Israelis ... humor the Evangelical community and milk that support for tourist dollars and political power” (David French, www. nationalreview.com/, March 22, 2019). ih

Jay Willoughby, former Islamic Horizons copyeditor, has retired to the Virginia Home for the Permanently Bewildered.

And You Thought Russia Interfered in America’s Internal Affairs

The Zionist entity demands strict mind control in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

BY UMBERINE ABDULLAH

According to the fully documented

New York Times article “Israel Secretly Targets U.S. Lawmakers With Influence Campaign on Gaza War” of June 2, 2024, Israel’s Diaspora Affairs ministry earmarked around $2 million for targeting U.S. lawmakers. Hundreds of fake accounts using OpenAI’s ChatGPT posed as Americans calling them to fund Israeli military operations. Several Black Democrats, like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y. $829,835) – till November 2023,

the second-largest recipient — Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga., $926,846), and (“AIPAC’s Most Dutiful Rentboy” [www.edrants.com/])

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y., $1.57 million: www. opensecrets.org/) received AIPAC funds and obediently maintained an understandable silence.

An X user wrote, “And where does Israel get its money? This is just the empire stealing from the republic, feeding the outposts, then doling out the colonial plunder amongst its parliamentarians.”

“We have a major, major, major generational problem… all the polling I’ve seen, ADL’s polling, ICC’s polling, independent polling, suggests the issue of US support for Israel is not left and right, it is young and old… We really have a TikTok problem, a Gen Z problem.”

The NYT cited Meta’s claim to have identified a network of 500+ fake accounts traced to Israel that posted pro-Israel messages on Instagram and Facebook. FakeReporter, which exposed the network, stated that the posts were aimed at the social media accounts of at least 128 U.S. lawmakers. Among those on the list shared with POLITICO that weren’t previously known are Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Reps. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) (Joseph Gegon and Maggie Miller, June 5, 2024, www.politico.com/news).

Rolling Stone says that David Saranga (director, Israel’s digital diplomacy bureau) believes the team’s online messaging has largely been a success (Miles Keene, Nov. 10, 2023, www.rollingstone.com/).

Sharon Zhang wrote, “The accounts were disguised as concerned American students and constituents and cited articles by fake websites called Non-Agenda or UnFold Magazine, for instance, that copied and reprinted articles with a pro-Israel bent

from news websites like The Wall Street Journal or The Jerusalem Post. Many posts were written by ChatGPT, as owner OpenAI confirmed, and Meta has claimed to have worked to disrupt the campaign” (https:// truthout.org/, June 5, 2024).

Zang added, “Israeli officials contracted a Tel Aviv political marketing firm called Stoic to carry out the campaign, according to sources and documents cited by Haaretz and the Times. It was sold to participating Israeli tech firms as a war propaganda effort, saying that they could become ‘digital soldiers’ and ‘warriors for Israel’ amid Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.”

Ido Stossel, a veteran political activist in Israel. In 2018, he was part of “Local Leadership — Changing the Equation” (aka “Local”), established to create a network of elected officials in local authorities. Both Meta and OpenAI blacklisted them. OpenAI reported that Stoic used its generative artificial intelligence models to produce content for influence campaigns against Hamas and

Qatar and for Israel and the Histadrut (Omer Kabir, www.calcalistech.com/, June 3, 2024). The report added, “The services offered … include a campaign management system (possibly similar to Elector’s system); political research about political opponents and their campaigns …; and a system called Stoic AI, which according to the site, is “the best generative AI content creation system specifically designed for issue-based campaign malmanagement teams, PR companies, and any users that need their content to interact with the fast pace of current events online.”

Soon after buying Twitter, Musk was summoned to Israel to be shown propaganda props like a baby crib (when no baby killing is found) and made compliant (“Elon Musk, under fire for antisemitism on X, visits Israel and tours ravaged kibbutz with Benjamin Netanyahu”, Philissa Cramer Nov. 27, 2023, https://www.jta.org/).

France’s Thierry Breton, EU commissioner for internal market, warned Musk that the EC has indications that the platform is disseminating illegal content and disinformation and reminded him of the Digital Services Act’s terms.

X users, rejecting the official state narrative, have noted that X is a company not an EU colony, that “Nobody voted for you. You don’t represent anyone. Sit down,” and told Breton that he has “no legitimacy to enforce regulations in EU ... We are free citizens, and we have the right to free speech. If you are not aware of that, maybe [it] is time [for you] to quit.”

Musk, who attended Netanyahu’s July 27 speech to Congress at his invitation, took the Netanyahus to his factory in Fremont, Calif., and treated them to an exclusive spin in the yet-to-be-released the electric pickup “Cybertruck.” There, Netanyahu supposedly told Musk, “I hope you find within the confines of the First Amendment, the ability to not only stop antisemitism ... but any collective hatred of a people.”

Reportedly, Musk noted that he received more pushback from Tesla employees about this meeting than “anything else I’ve ever done” (“Benjamin Netanyahu asks Elon Musk to ‘roll back’ antisemitism on X”, Brian Fung and Hadas Gold, CNN, Sept. 18, 2023),

MANY X USERS ARE FED UP

Despite all such lying, subterfuge, and Musk’s strict pro-Israel enforcement, American X users are beginning to understand certain things.

Increasingly, one sees comments like the one quoting the late Rep. Jim Traficant (d. 2014, D-Ohio), “AIPAC owns both Houses of Congress with total power.” Other users proclaim that “Joe Biden is AIPAC’s alltime fave! $4.2 million pay-for-play Joe’s received” • “True American ‘patriots,’ like former Congressmen Paul Findley (R- Ill.) and Jim Traficant (D-Oh.), do not exist anymore. Congress is awash with puppets dancing on Zionist strings! How scandalous and humiliating is that?”

And, to continue, “Any clapping Seal in Congress who accepts AIPAC cash is not a true American. It’s that simple.” • “The king of England ruled the colonies for 150 years. Things change when the people have the will. Our enemy is a small cabal of kabbalists and bankers. Netanyahu’s speech gave us the names of every treacherous congressman. AIPAC boasts about the traitors it elects. Vote them out.” • “best congress [AIPAC] money can buy.”

Expressing disdain at Congress’ fawning over Netanyahu, one said the House members have been reduced to chants like “‘I am only a worthless goy’ ... ‘Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer relative’ (sung to the tune of the famous hotdog ad) ... ‘Please Bibi butt*** me next’ ... and many more fun slogans.’”

A GENERATIONAL SHIFT

The “chosen” strategy seems to be losing some of its charm: “It’s a pervasive disease and symptomatic among those who consider themselves ‘chosen’ above all others.”

The age-old “antisemitic” marketing tool is also full of rust: “What ARE we to do? Great question. Haven’t you ‘noticed’ that anything and everything they don’t agree with is somehow ‘anti-semitic’”? The @RealCandaceO interview with @Rabbi_Barclay was telling, “The definition of anti-semitism mutates (changes) over time. It’s always changing!”

Others have stated “Hate to break it to you but fascism is definitely already here.”

• “The Zionists are the ones leading the McCarthyism. They have the banks, the media, the western governments, all the tech, and run all the intelligence agencies. They did 9/11 btw. It will only get worse from here. New false flag casualty event soon. It’s their only play.” • “They’re [Nazis and Zionism] literal polar opposites. One wishes to rule its own national collective with dignity and honor, while global Jewry wishes to rule us and weaken us all no matter where we are.”

• “Money is more important than the lives of ‘human animals’ I suppose.”

The American political setup is offering no let up. One X user lashed out: “I am so disgusted by the Bidens and the Democrats. After all, they are no better than Republicans. They are even worse. After all, Democrats and the Bidens are/do exactly what they accused the Republicans of (accepting foreign funding, lying, cheating, islamophobia...).

Other users have denounced the war industry — “Absolutely, the true beneficiaries are those who profit from the creation of pain, death, and suffering — the military-industrial complex” and the porn industry [as the work of the Jews], not only as directors, producers, but as “actors.”Mint Press’ Kit Klarenberg reported on March 28, 2024, that during November 2023, the following a leaked recording of Jonathan Greenblatt (CEO, ADL) appeared online: “We have a major, major, major generational problem… all the polling I’ve seen, ADL’s polling, ICC’s polling, independent polling, suggests the issue of US support for Israel is not left and right, it is young and old… We really have a TikTok problem, a Gen Z problem.”

Ironically, due to the Zionist behavior, even the heavily maligned Hitler is getting positive mentions.

ENTER TIKTOK, YET ANOTHER “NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT”

Promptly, on March 13, U.S. lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to force TikTok’s foreign owner, ByteDance, to sell up or face a ban, alleging that it is a Chinese Communist Party-controlled national security threat and very popular app that could be used for surveillance and manipulation — if it isn’t being used as such already. Ironically, even Chinese government documents show the company is 60% owned by foreign investors, including many in the U.S., while 20% is in the hands

of its own employees, including thousands of Americans.

Despite this, the monolithic narrative of this supposedly CPC-run spying app maliciously taking over the phones of young Westerners has a long history. During a January 2024 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) — a $4.5 million AIPAC recipient whose 2013 Senate bid was AIPAC funded — subjected Shou Zi Chew (CEO, TikTok) to a relentless McCarthyite grilling on his loyalties and relationship with the CCP. Chew’s repeated polite assertions that he was a patriotic Singaporean married to a U.S. citizen did nothing to soften Cotton’s bullying and xenophobic tirade.

According to https://moderndiplomacy. eu/, Cotton consults AIPAC’s leaders before making any decision and is paid to indirectly impose their stances on senators and key House members.

A report by Lowkey (Kareem Dennis), a British-Iraqi hip-hop artist, academic, and prominent pro-Palestine advocate, found that Proofpoint, an Israeli company with close links to the country’s military and security services, is now being trusted by media companies around the world to filter their emails and protect them from phishing scams and hacking. Headquartered next door to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, its vice president of cloud security products was previously a section commander for the IDF’s notorious Unit 8200, an intelligence group infamous for its connections to the Pegasus spying software and blackmailing of Palestinian activists.

[Editor’s note: In January 2011, Marcus Dysch writing for The Jewish Chronicle about the involvement of Lowkey in the Palestine Solidarity Campaign commented: “One expert studying anti-Israel activity described the increasing influence of performers such as Lowkey as a “potential nightmare …” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowkey.)]

Nevertheless, Proofpoint has managed to secure deals to filter the emails of several of the world’s top media organizations, including The Washington Post and CNN, as well such Middle East-focused universities as London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (The Mint Press, June 10, 2022).

Some change seems on social media, but it remains to be seen if such people will vote out their compromised legislators. ih

Umberine Abdullah is a freelance writer.

Green Mosques and an Eco-friendly Environment

A road map for new a mosque with the spiritual value of green

BY UZMA MIRZA

“Earth has been made sacred and pure and a mosque for me.” (“Sahih Muslim”)

Green is a holistic approach to making a living building a place concerned for the health, well-being, and mind-fullness of all communities.

A road map highlighting concepts and the importance of building a green mosque will shed light on three key points: 1) Why is a green mosque an Islamic imperative?; 2) How do we design it as a living system (i.e., a sustainable or a zero-energy building with its occupants’ health, well-being, and mindfulness in mind?); and 3) Shedding light on some of God’s Beautiful Names as vital ingredients in our vicegerency, resulting in building a green mosque or retrofitting an existing one.

THE ISLAMIC IMPERATIVE

Earth’s unique biosphere sustains and protects all life. It’s the home in which we supplicate and do our dhikr (remembrance) and charitable work. Its landscape is the mosque’s walls, the sky its ceiling, and its surface the sacred ground upon which we prostrate to God in daily supplication. Earth and the universe are the canvas and sanctuary for all His creation, a sign of His mercy for which we should be thankful and stride with humble patience. This includes the creation of ourselves.

However, as an ummah we are breaching this trust bestowed upon humanity as its vicegerent (6:165). Furthermore, Islam is the faith of balance, the middle way that emphasizes this balance. Amazingly, the

predominant color in our environment is green, a hue that falls in the midpoint of the color spectrum of visible light at 520570 nanometers. Hence, this makes green the value of the middle or a balanced value.

CYCLES IN THE NATURAL WORLD ENVIRONMENT

In one cubic foot of soil, the waste of one is the food for another. This is God’s beautiful and efficient cyclical creation — and we’re hurting, polluting, destroying, or placing it in zoos, including our own health and existence. Cycles in the natural world are a great sign that the natural world’s operations — hydrologic, carbon, phosphorous, energy, rock, nitrogen, and spiritual — are cyclical. Likewise, the lens of human economics

needs to be reviewed with lifecycle costs vs initial costs.

This is giving rise to Zoonotic diseases, or wildlife-to-human outbreaks, as SARS, AIDS, Bird Flu, and West Nile Monkeypox to Covid-19.

Human activities and behaviors are contributing to an increasing number of disasters across the world, putting millions of lives and every socioeconomic gain in danger, warns a new UN report. “And there

communities to live. It’s a revival of green imams and leadership in all mosques, a contemplative place that uplifts, is inclusive, and empowers people to sow diverse and merciful vicegerents for future generations that hold fast to the diverse unifying rope of God.

The U.S. Masjid. The mosque reaches its maximum capacity during the Friday congregational prayer and the two eid prayers, coupled with Ramadan’s tarawih prayers. The Friday prayer’s combination of high

Today, such widespread unsustainable human activities as warfare, injustice, oppression of human and animal communities, and humanity’s proximity to wildlife ecosystems are being exacerbated by wildlife and human trafficking, natural habitat destruction, unjust wars, and climate change.

is no creature on Earth or bird that flies with its wings except (that they are) communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing…” (6:38). Neglecting our stewardship results in environmental and human disharmony and unbalances the scale (mizan): “Corruption has appeared on the land and in the sea because of what the hands of humans have wrought” (30:41) and “O you who believe, do not betray God and His Messenger, and do not knowingly violate your trusts” (8:27).

REVIVING A SUNNAH-BASED MOSQUE DESIGN

A green mosque building, also called a “common sense economical design,” revives the Prophet’s sunnah. Historically, mosques were always inclusive places, like desert oases, that served a community’s travelers and those of its religious, educational, social, and mental well-being and charitable needs. They also contributed to economic growth. Across the centuries, planting trees and gardens, as well as pursuing knowledge, were hallmarks of Islamic architecture. It’s a revival of our stewardship to counter unsustainable human activity, preserve Earth’s other communities, deter a spiritual death of oneself and future generations, and to safeguard the God-given rights of other

density, high midday temperatures, and large interior volume causes thermal issues.

One factor that supports the serenity and solemnity of worship is the worshipers’ thermal comfort. Unfortunately, many mosques fail to provide such an environment. Their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems don’t necessarily address this problem due to several factors, among them the intermittent use of buildings. Consequently, new issues related to high energy consumption arise. Given that thermal comfort is often not achieved when buildings rely solely on natural ventilation, passive and active strategies must be employed that keep lifecycle cost vs initial cost in mind while reducing the mosque’s carbon footprint.

Reducing the Ecological Footprint. Our footprint is expanding at a rate that causes resource depletion, for our demands on nature and ourselves continues to increase and thus harm both of them. This is the only metric that compares the resource demand of individuals, governments, and businesses against Earth’s capacity for biological regeneration (Global Footprint Network). Reducing embodied carbon (EC) includes greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), whereas EC includes the amount of GHG emissions associated with the extraction, pollution, transportation, installation, and end-of-life

stage of any product in a building or of the building or of the building as a whole… EC is an essential aspect of design and construction (Architectural Record, Sept. 2024). Reduce Carbon Footprint. This expansion is a component of our ecological footprint. Currently, our carbon footprint is 60% of our ecological footprint. Resource usage focuses strictly on the amount of greenhouse gases released due to burning fossil fuels and thus causing climate change (Global Footprint Network - Ecological Footprint Calculator). Currently, if everyone lived like an average American, we would need about 4 to 5 Earths (Ecological Footprint - Global Footprint Network).

Buildings, the country’s largest source of energy consumption, are responsible for 40% of total energy use, 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, and 75% of all electricity use (NREL 2023); 65% of our waste output; and 12% of water usage (Green Building Alliance). Roughly half of all steel produced is for the construction sector (IEA). Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, where air quality can be up to five times worse than outdoors. Globally, buildings are responsible for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions. The world is on track to hit 3°C and are already up 1.2°C (AIA 2021 Report). Globally, 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are in constructing and operating buildings, including upstream power generation (CLF- Carbon Leadership Forum/UN Environmental Program 2017). ih

[Editor's Note: Part 2 of this article will appear in the Jan/Feb 2025 issue]

Uzma Mirza a registered/licensed architect and is LEED AP BD+C certified member of the ICC and AIA, andthe ISNA Green Initiative Team. That team includes Huda Alkaff, Saffet Catovic, Nana Firman, Uzma Mirza, and S. Masroor Shah (chair).

Realizing a Vision: The “Teaching Palestine Toolkit”

Elevating Islamic Education through ISLA’s Teaching Palestine Toolkit

BY SAMAR MAJAIDEH

Creating the “Teaching Palestine Toolkit,” which explores Palestine’s history through Islamic values and principles, has been an incredibly fulfilling journey. The goal was to develop an innovative educational resource that deeply engages educators and learners with this land’s history and culture. Rooted in Islamic values and principles, it’s designed to surpass traditional educational methods by offering a comprehensive and meaningful exploration of the Palestinian narrative.

The ongoing genocide in Gaza has moved millions of Muslims and compassionate individuals worldwide to show solidarity and support for Palestine. We have an amana (trust) to expose propaganda and disinformation, counter mainstream media narratives, and correct educational texts. Being originally from Gaza, I feel an added layer of responsibility and a deep connection to this project based on the transformative power of education. It’s a privilege to spearhead this initiative, dedicating my expertise and energy to bring it to life and promote it within Islamic educational institutions for implementation and continuous improvement.

Although the toolkit is still in the research phase, its projects and programs are guided by rigorous research. The focus is on ensuring that it meets K-12 classrooms’ unique needs and bridges the gap between research and practical application. By thoroughly understanding the educational environment and integrating feedback from both educators and learners, we aim to create an impactful and relevant resource.

This project is part of a broader initiative to capture and teach about various pain points and oppression situations within the ummah and beyond. The Islamic Schools League of America (ISLA) began with Palestine due to its profound significance in Islam and to Muslims, its over 75-year-long struggle, and the historic pattern of imperial and colonial forces attempting to control it,

from the Crusaders to the present day. This toolkit aims to honor Palestine’s enduring legacy and bring its rich history and current realities into the educational discourse.

One of its main objectives is to strengthen Muslim students’ faith and identity and revive a sense of ummatic connection, underscoring the principle that if one part of the ummah bleeds, we all bleed. By sharing stories that exemplify perseverance, courage, and contentment with God’s decree, we remind students of the sacrifices made by the Companions. These narratives serve as powerful teaching moments for educators to utilize in their classrooms.

Each of us can show support while witnessing the ongoing heart-wrenching atrocities and fight feeling helpless. Everyone has a role to play and needs to be creative and strategic in activating it to stand on the right side of history.

It’s a privilege to lead this effort, knowing that each small step in education can contribute to a larger movement toward justice and understanding. Together, we can leverage our collective skills and resources to create a profound impact by ensuring that Palestine’s story is told with the depth, respect, and authenticity it deserves. This toolkit is not just an educational resource; it is a testament to our commitment to truth, solidarity, and the relentless pursuit of justice.

VISION AND MISSION

The vision is to elevate Islamic education by using Palestine’s history and its significance in Islam as a central case study. It aims to interweave core Islamic values, among them justice, perseverance, and dignity, thereby strengthening students’ faith, identity, and connection to the global ummah.

Its mission is to give educators a wellfounded collection of resources for teaching about Palestine’s past and present, grounded in an Islamic worldview. This underscores the importance of an informative and transformative educational approach to create a more informed, empathetic, and socially responsible generation.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The toolkit’s guiding principles ensure that the educational material is both comprehensive and deeply impactful. These principles include:

Ju stice. Emphasizing fairness and equity in understanding Palestine’s historical and current realities.

P erseverance. Highlighting the Palestinians’ resilience in the face of adversity to teach students the importance of steadfastness and endurance, reflecting on the struggle’s spirit, and encouraging the learners’ own resilience.

Dignity. Upholding the respect and

honor of all individuals involved in the Palestinian narrative. This fosters empathy and respect for all people.

Empathy and Compassion. Cultivating empathy and compassion by presenting the human stories behind the Palestinian struggle so students can understand the Palestinians’ lived experiences.

C ritical Thinking and Inquiry. Encouraging students to engage critically with the material, question sources, and explore different perspectives to develop analytical skills.

COMPREHENSIVE COMPONENTS

The “Teaching Palestine Toolkit” is built on research and curation, resource evaluation and integration, and training and dissemination.

they aligned with educational standards and met the stakeholders’ needs. This involved organizing the materials logically and making them accessible and relevant for classroom use. The goal was to create a seamless experience for educators so they could easily integrate the materials into their teaching.

The toolkit includes interactive maps that show the historical changes in Palestinian territories, video interviews with Palestinian families sharing their personal stories, and detailed lesson plans that align with educational standards for history and social studies classes.

The integration process also involved ensuring that the resources were structured in a way that encourages critical thinking, empathy, and a commitment to social justice.

Together, we can leverage our collective skills and resources to create a profound impact by ensuring that Palestine’s story is told with the depth, respect, and authenticity it deserves. This toolkit is not just an educational resource; it is a testament to our commitment to truth, solidarity, and the relentless pursuit of justice.

Research and Curation. We prioritized conducting thorough research and learning the stakeholders’ insights. Focus groups with middle and high school teachers revealed their views and if they had integrated it into their classrooms, their plans to do so soon, and the expected challenges and limitations.

Interviews with principals and school heads, as well as a gap analysis, gave us some insight into making the toolkit effective and relevant. Consulting seasoned educators, Islamic school leaders, and those directly affected by the Palestinian struggle enables the toolkit to provide a well-rounded educational experience.

The curation process involved carefully selecting and organizing these resources to create a rich content. The research component involved a thorough process of gathering comprehensive and accurate resources.

Resource Evaluation and Integration. The gathered resources were subjected to a thorough evaluation process to ensure

By presenting the materials in an engaging and user-friendly manner, the toolkit fosters a deeper understanding of Palestine’s historical and current issues.

Training and Dissemination. To maximize the toolkit’s impact, educators received comprehensive training and ongoing support in the form of relevant workshops, webinars, and interactive sessions. They practiced facilitating discussions about sensitive topics related to Palestine and participated in interactive webinars on using the included digital tools to create engaging lessons.

EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

The toolkit’s underlying philosophy provides an educational experience that is both informative and transformative. It encourages participants to explore the intersections of history, culture, religion, and socio-political dynamics, thereby fostering a comprehensive understanding of the Palestinian narrative.

By addressing the participants’ emotional well-being, this holistic approach promotes

a balanced approach to sensitive subjects, thereby enabling users to navigate emotional landscapes and acknowledge the human aspect of the Palestinian experience.

A lesson plan might include students analyzing primary sources, such as letters and diaries from Palestinians, to understand their personal experiences. This could be followed by a reflective exercise of discussing how these stories make them feel and how they can support justice and peace.

The “Teaching Palestine Toolkit” shows that understanding Palestine’s complex issues requires a holistic, empathetic approach rooted in justice and understanding. It is designed to enlighten, engage, and empower users to acquire a nuanced understanding of Palestine and instill core Islamic values. Through this toolkit, educators can nurture informed, empathetic, and socially responsible students who are deeply connected to their faith and committed to global justice.

Our well-researched, carefully curated collection of resources aims to fill educational gaps, counter misinformation, and provide a comprehensive view of Palestine. This transformative educational journey stands as a powerful tool for educators, opening their students’ minds and hearts and empowering them to advocate for justice and peace.

Imagine a classroom in which students use the toolkit to create a multimedia project that showcases Palestine’s history and culture — maybe creating a digital timeline of key historical events, producing a short documentary featuring interviews with Palestinians, and organizing a community event to share their findings. Such activities not only deepen their understanding of the subject, but also foster a sense of connection and responsibility toward global issues.

The “Teaching Palestine Toolkit” embodies a vision of education that is dynamic and deeply rooted in Islamic values. It serves as a comprehensive resource for educators seeking to provide their students with a rich, informed, and compassionate understanding of Palestine, its people, and its significance in the broader context of Islamic and global history. Through this toolkit, educators are empowered to inspire their students to become advocates for justice, peace, and understanding in an interconnected world. ih

Samar al-Majaideh, Ed.D., is project director, and research project manager at the Islamic Schools League of America (ISLA).

A Gem Awaits its Due

Growing Muslim Workforce at JFK Yearns for Prayer Accommodations

BY MISBAHUDDIN MIRZA

As the sun struggles to rise over a slumbering New York City, Bibi Khan, a Guyanese American Muslim, arrives for work and walks deftly toward JFK International Airport’s Terminal 4. It’s Ramadan, and she has just started her fast. Entering the brightly lit terminal, she passes the donut store, takes the elevator to the fourth floor, walks past the seemingly unending rows of airline counters with background walls of brilliant display screens using the latest nanolumens technology and finally makes a sharp left just before the TSA security check-in. Here, in the small multi-faith chapel, are rows of prayer mats laid out facing the qibla. She offers her fajr prayer and then heads to work at Delta Airlines’ security, where she has been employed for over five years. “This mosque is a blessing for me. If this wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be able to offer my daily mandatory prayers,” said Khan.

Terminal 1 also has a small prayer space set aside for Muslims.

Imam Essam Mahmoud, a Cairo native who leads prayer services, is part of the four-member JFK Masjid Board. Mahmoud,

who has an undergraduate degree in accounting and a master’s degree in hotel management, has worked for 15 years as a load controller in Swissport, Egypt Air, Kuwait Airlines and Caribbean Airlines. During Ramadan, a few Muslim airport employees sponsor a daily iftar which is open to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Four prayer rooms are set aside in Terminal 4 for Catholics (Joseph, Father Cezariusz Jastrzębski), Protestants (Rev. Romeo K. Dabee), Jews (Rabbi Dr. Ari Korenblit) and all other faiths, respectively. The first three chapels are always deserted. Father Cezariusz’s

weekly congregation sometimes manages to get up to five attendees. But record Muslim attendance has made the fourth chapel burst at its seams.

Time magazine’s August 21, 2015, article by Tanya Basu stated, “Meet the Worshipers at America’s Busiest Airport Mosque’’ stated “The JFK International Islamic Center is part of a larger chapels area at JFK’s Terminal 4, which was built in 1955 to house a general Christian place of worship. It was remodeled in 1966 to include Catholic, Protestant and Jewish prayer spaces, and in 2001 a separate multi faith room was built to meet rising demand for a prayer space for the terminal’s Muslim, Hindu and Sikh travelers and workers, nearly a decade after the United American Muslim Association first proposed the idea. Services were intermittent and run by volunteers at first, but when [Ahmet] Yuceturk joined as the prayer space’s first full-time imam [also chaplain with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey] in 2008, the room became a full-fledged mosque. Since then, attendance has risen steadily, with Muslim airport workers spreading the word.”

MUSLIMS OUTGROW SPACE

A lot has changed in the intervening nine years. The weekly jumma prayers see a huge congregation exceeding 150 people. You see Muslim airport workers walking briskly to the Terminal 4 mosque. The mosque operates inside the approximately 25 ft. x 25 ft. multi faith room. The airport’s Muslim workforce has now grown to a point where the worshipers can barely fit in this space. The flexible wooden divider between men and women has to be shortened on Fridays, thus cramming the women into an even smaller space. It’s said that during Ramadan, the congregants overflow into the adjacent corridor. The diverse array of Muslims congregating for Friday prayers is simply amazing. M. Aminul Islam, a Bangladeshi American, has

Muslim worshippers have some concerns and comments about some of the hardships they face.

For example, they’ve pointed out that they have to compete for scarce space with several other religions’ worshippers whose loud music interferes and disturbs their prayer services, while the three seldom-used neighboring chapels stand empty.

Friday Jumah prayers at JFK International Airport’s Terminal 4 “multifaith” room.

PHOTO: MISBAHUDDIN MIRZA

worked with Smarte Carte — a company that rents luggage carts to travelers – for two and a half years. Mohammad Mridha Jasim, another Bangladeshi American Muslim, assists travelers with disabilities. Muslim airport employees of various ethnic backgrounds stand shoulder to shoulder, united in acknowledging the Creator’s sovereignty and unity.

The Muslim worshippers have some concerns and comments about some of the hardships they face. For example, they’ve pointed out that they have to compete for scarce space with several other religions’ worshippers whose loud music interferes and disturbs their prayer services, while the three seldom-used neighboring chapels stand empty. They also feel the need for a dedicated bathroom with a foot washing sink for their pre-prayer ablutions, that commuting to the

mosques in either Terminal 4 or Terminal 1 is sometimes quite difficult due to the schedule of AirTrain (the shuttle between terminals) and the associated walking time during their limited lunch break.

Given the acute insufficiency of prayer space, they would like a larger area to meet the growing community’s needs, or at least on par with that allotted to the Christians and Jews. As an interim measure, they suggested granting permission for temporary use of

those three chapels during the peak times of Friday afternoon and during Ramadan.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is currently spending a massive $18 billion on building new terminals and upgrading other airport facilities. Hopefully they will have the heart to listen and cater to the needs of its Muslim airport employees by providing a spacious dedicated mosque with a bathroom in each JFK terminal. ih

Roel Huinink, President and CEO of JFKIAT, the company that manages Terminal 4 at JFK International Airport, shares Ramadan Iftar with Muslim airport employees.

PHOTO: COURTESY BOARD OF JFK MASJID, INC.

Imam Essam Mahmoud, JFK International Airport Terminal 4, NY.

PHOTO: MISBAHUDDIN MIRZA

The Challenges of Practicing Islam Without Arabic

Muslims Must Learn at Least Some Arabic

BY CARISSA LAMKAHOUAN

The Arabic language is, of course, intimately intertwined with Islam since the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in Arabic.

Muslims offer their five daily prayers in Arabic as well as many of the supplications they recite when leaving the home, beginning and ending a meal, or before going to sleep. Additionally, all of Islamic knowledge of the Prophet’s sunnah and authentic hadiths is in Arabic. Memorizing the Quran in Arabic, with proper pronunciation, is a goal for scores of Muslims and a source of blessing in both this life and the hereafter. With so much emphasis on speaking and

understanding Arabic, it’s no wonder that many non-Arabic speakers, including firstor second-generation Muslim Americans or converts, might feel unsure about the quality of their everyday practice of Islam. They may even wonder if they’re receiving the full benefits of their prayers and duas if they occasionally bungle the Arabic pronunciation or sometimes use their native tongue to communicate with God.

Consequently, many non-Arabic-speaking Muslims strive to learn the language, at least to the extent that they can understand what they’re saying in prayer or when they recite the Quran, even if only when reading the shortest of verses.

MUSLIM PARENTS PUTTING IN EFFORT

This also may be a goal for Muslim parents who speak Arabic but, because they are raising their children in the U.S., have found them lacking in the language, particularly when it comes to reading, writing and understanding the text.

To remedy the situation, they may enroll their children or themselves in a weekend or full-time a Islamic school, online or in-person Quranic academies, or in sessions with private tutors.

Hafsa Saad is one such tutor. Based in Pakistan, this married mother of one works as an online private Quranic teacher for English speakers of all ages. She has 13

years of experience teaching many students, including those in the U.S.

“I am teaching a lot of kids in America,” she said. “Many of them start in their early years and, masha’ Allah, they are learning more quickly than the adults.”

As a non-native Arabic speaker herself, she said she understands firsthand the desire to learn and to understand the language. She explained the reasons to pursue this education go beyond the everyday practice of Islam.

According to ISLA’s 2021 data, approximately 300 Islamic schools operate in the U.S. and are educating 50,000+ students. There also are a smattering of Islamic colleges, including Islamic American University (Michigan), Zaytuna College (California) and the American Islamic College (Illinois).

Sabiha Gire has experienced non-Arabic-speaking Muslims’ need for language lessons as a community liaison Houston’s Al-Noor Mosque. She said the mosque

Muslim American converts can face the same challenge as non-Arabic-speaking Muslims.

Because they don’t read, write, or speak the language, it makes it that much harder to ensure that their children will.

“We love the Prophet so much. He spoke in Arabic and Allah taught him in Arabic, so we want to speak it too,” she said. “When I say things in my own language (Urdu), it sounds different (than how it’s meant in Arabic) and it makes it hard to relate to. Saying certain things in Arabic, like Bismillah, makes my practice better and deepens my connection with Allah.”

That desire to relate to and connect deeply with Islam is, Saad believes, why so many Muslim parents seek out Arabic and Quranic teachers for their children, especially those growing up in non-Muslim countries where Arabic is not the mother tongue. Those parents can’t rely on Islamic studies and Arabic being taught in school, and many fear their children lose out on crucial lessons as a result. This situation may be especially tough for those parents who enjoyed and benefited from that type of childhood education.

MOSQUES PLAY THEIR PART

To fill in the gaps, many mosques around the U.S. offer after-hours or weekend Islamic-language lessons and/or Quran classes. Full-time private Islamic schools have popped up as well, with many earning full accreditation, including the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Council of Islamic Schools in North America (ISLA).

serves a large immigrant population, including people from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, as well as India and Pakistan.

Gire said that in addition to trying to acclimate themselves to the U.S., many immigrants have taken advantage of the mosque’s weekend and after-school religious and Arabic-language programs, which are available to children and adults alike. She said that about 80 students attend Sunday school there, while about 20 parents take adult classes. The weekday sessions draw another 25 children, “mostly from our immigrant community.”

Muslim American converts can face the same challenge as non-Arabic-speaking Muslims. Because they don’t read, write, or speak the language, it makes it that much harder to ensure that their children will.

Ryan Siddiq, a convert from Connecticut raising two children, has felt that struggle. With no multi-generational Islamic knowledge to pass on to her children, she and her husband chose full-time Islamic school for their son and daughter. She said the choice was important, despite the high price of private school.

“I wanted them to grow up learning what Arabic they could and learning Islamic manners,” she said.

For Siddiq’s children, the learning has been slow but steady, with them learning how to pray in Arabic and memorizing

several surahs. However, they do not speak Arabic fluently and, with no Arabic skills of her own, Siddiq worries how much of the language will stick as they grow older.

Saad said she understands that even when people take advantage of Arabic-learning resources at their school or local mosque, instilling Arabic into non-native speakers living in an English-speaking country is no easy task.

In these cases, Saad recommended focusing efforts on learning and perfecting the Arabic of the five prayers and important duas first, but also listening to Quranic recitations for the serenity it can bring to the heart and mind. The Quran, when read and recited in melodic Arabic, can be a source of calm, peace and inspiration for its listeners.

For those who are set on reciting in Arabic themselves, Saad encourages reading from a transliteration, even if you have lessthan-perfect pronunciation. “The Quran is a miraculous book, so we have to read it, even if we don’t understand it, so that we may get the blessing,” she said. The Quran, read via translation in one’s own language, can also be an excellent way to connect with the faith. ih

Carissa Lamkahouan is a freelance journalist based in Houston. Her work has appeared in newspapers and magazines locally and internationally, including AboutIslam.net, The Houston Chronicle, Inventors Digest, WhyIslam.org, Animal Wellness and The Muslim Observer.

Mindful Matchmaking

Workable Marriages Require Patience and Understanding

BY SHABNAM MAHMOOD

Finding a spouse is one of life’s most significant decisions. With the advent of technology and globalization, this process has also evolved. While the mere mention of arranged marriages may offend Western sensibilities, Muslims have traditionally relied on someone trustworthy, like parents, extended family, or community members to help them in this quest.

Unfortunately, forced marriages have given this practice a negative connotation. But such marriages aren’t permitted, for Islam invalidates any nikah that has only one party’s voluntary consent.

In many cultures, arranged marriages are a significant part of the heritage — often meant to protect family wealth. This doesn’t mean the individual has no rights or say. In fact, involving others increases the probability of finding relevant information and helps verify the prospective person’s character.

The criteria for selecting a spouse may include profession, age, socioeconomic status, and family background. Islam prioritizes religious commitment and moral integrity in this search; however, religion is often the last item on the list.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari (founder and chief-Mufti, Darul Ifta, Leicester, U.K.; teacher at Jamiah Uloomul-Quran Leicester) points out, “Islamically, marriage negotiations can be initiated, or marriage can be proposed by either of the two parties. Similarly, there is nothing wrong with a daughter (or son) suggesting a suitable and righteous person to the parents, provided it is done with decorum and observance of Islamic guidelines.”

“Well, in my case, I didn’t even know my parents had chosen a bride for me until my father told me about my upcoming marriage,” says retired teacher Ahmed Khan. “I met my wife [Sakina] the day of my wedding. I was the oldest of seven siblings working in my uncle’s shop while attending school. It was a different world back then.

We didn’t question our parents because it just wasn’t done.”

Khan, married for 54 years and raising five children with his wife, chuckles as he recalls how his relationship with his wife has evolved. “It was about six months before I could tell her I liked two spoons of sugar in my tea, and she told me she liked one. But we were teenagers and grew up together. She has made me very happy. I pray I’ve done the same for her.”

The 72-year-old grandfather of nine has witnessed significant changes. “Nowadays, there’s more communication with children. Some of my grandchildren have had arranged marriages, and some selected their own spouses. I feel, however, that these modern methods with websites lack human connection, and may make it easier to have a fake identity or details. Our job as parents is to guide our children according to our deen and the world we live in. The rest is up to Allah.”

TRADITIONAL METHODS VS. MODERN EXPECTATIONS

Future spouses can also meet during weddings and other communal events. This approach allows finding someone within the same cultural background, which can be important for living according to shared values.

For example, Turkish families pay close attention to the görücü — when a family visits another family to find out if the latter’s daughter will marry their son, the former observes the ceremony of being served coffee. The potential bride will serve salty, spicy, or extra-sweet coffee to test the intending groom’s manners and let him know that marriage isn’t always sweet. If he can drink the salty coffee without showing displeasure, he’s believed to have a good temperament.

In Arab cultures, during the tulba ceremony the groom and his family visit the bride’s family to ask for her hand. If agreed upon, the parents read from the Quran and begin wedding preparations.

For Urooj Hussain, her daughter’s proposal came when the groom’s mother saw her at a family event. While her daughter was still in college, she married with the certainty that she would continue her education. She too is a little skeptical about finding spouses through apps, for “These methods can be convenient, but overwhelming. Endless swiping and the idea of speed dating can feel more like a job hunt than a search for a life partner.” However, she also acknowledged that in contrast to the older generations, Gen Z is more open-minded and welcoming to other cultures.

And then there are the rishta aunties (matchmakers). Matchmaker Momina Mahboob says she has played a crucial role in preserving religious and cultural values. Clients fill out a contact form, which helps her suggest matches. She agrees that parents set very specific criteria that make it difficult for their children. During her 25-year career, Mahboob has noted, “Before, people looked for a good person with future goals, but now there is no khuloos (sincerity). People didn’t shop around this much before.”

Admitting her unfamiliarity with other ethnicities and schools of thought, and contending that marriage is a sacred trust, she deals only with Indian or Pakistani Hanafis. She adds, “I can’t play with someone’s future, so I will stick to what I know.” Her experiences as a daughter-inlaw and mother-in-law keep her grounded.

“Everything seems like a fairytale before marriage. Afterward, people realize life has ups and downs.” She’s optimistic for the younger generation — if parents keep their expectations reasonable.

Sameer Khan, a community counselor, agrees that parental pressures are a significant issue. Parents, he says, have certain and often difficult expectations. Having children from previous marriages can also be challenging. When pursuing a potential bride, the lady told him she would agree only if her children approved of him. “She wasn’t looking for a husband; she was looking for a father. I can’t take their father’s place.”

Khan says social media plays a massive role in marriage trends. “People look at influencers making good money or people having these lavish lifestyles and decide I want that.” he adds, “I have clients who want the boy to have everything [right] now that took the girl’s father 30 years to achieve. It’s unrealistic.” Parents are putting children under undue pressure, making it hard for them to find good prospects. He believes his male clients have the disadvantage of meeting these impossible criteria.

MATRIMONIAL EVENTS

Some youth today opt for halal speed-dating — matrimonial events held by the community. ISNA hosts a large matrimonial event at its annual convention and smaller ones with regional and educational conferences too.

In many cultures, arranged marriages are a significant part of the heritage — often meant to protect family wealth. This doesn’t mean the individual has no rights or say. In fact, involving others increases the probability of finding relevant information and helps verify the prospective person’s character.

“While it takes significant courage to attend these conferences, leaving one feeling vulnerable, we usually have a great turnout of more than 500 registrations,” said Tabasum Ahmad (team manager for conventions and conferences, ISNA). “Attendees are looking for that ‘click,’ that compatibility. They should set a realistic limit of people to choose from and pick the best candidate.”

Ahmad suggests that parents should know their children’s criteria and act accordingly. ISNA, which just provides the platform to connect, doesn’t collect information about how many marriages result from these events.

PREMARITAL COUNSELING

Fatima Azfar, who grew up actively participating in the masjid and community with her family, confidently discussed the marriage proposals she received with her parents. However, she admits saying “No” did make her feel some guilt, although she never felt pressured by her parents. Later, her current mother-in-law met her aunt through a community organization. The families set the initial meeting. Initially, her parents rejected the proposal after seeing lifestyle differences: she was raised in the U.S., and he in Pakistan. But as the discussions progressed, more commonality appeared.

Fatima met her husband with their families several times before getting engaged. As the wedding approached, her mother suggested pre-marital counseling. It seemed to answer some uncertainties. After filling out forms for ICNA Relief Family Services Counseling Services, Sheikh Omar Haqqani (Islamic Center of Wheaton, Wheaton, Ill.) arranged a session that highlighted the obstacle-creating issues and brought them

closer together. Marrying a month later, they have now been together for three years.

Premarital counseling should be more widespread in the community, for it can help strike a balance among religion, secular life, and cultures as well as help couples understand each other’s expectations for children, money, and careers — all under the guidance of experts.

Muniba Hussain was never inclined to date, for she knew she wanted to get married, preferably after college. However, she received a good proposal much earlier. Initially, the conversations were only between the adults because her mother wanted to shield her.

Challenges arose after the engagement. Upon her mother’s suggestion, they attended pre-marital counseling a few months before the wedding, during which they discussed the issues. Doing so gave them the tools to nurture and grow their relationship positively. Premarital counseling, she says, is a new phenomenon in her generation, but is definitely worth a shot.

During her engagement, Muniba felt she couldn’t connect with her fiancé, as he wasn’t her mahram. At 20, with a little more skill and maturity, Muniba had her nikah, after which the couple spent quality time together and bonded.

As the variables of marriage are diverse, it’s essential to understand that both parties’ intentions should align with Islamic principles and that the potential bride and groom be aware of their true motivations for getting married. Remember: It’s okay to seek assistance and have a trustworthy individual help you sort out prospects. ih

Shabnam Mahmood is an educational consultant.

The Islamic Games

Preparing Worldclass Muslim Athletes for Tomorrow

BY MISBAHUDDIN MIRZA

The light drizzle had cleansed the air enough to allow the rising sun to brighten up the sky into a fairytale blue. A steady stream of vehicles packed with enthusiastic sports contestants, along with their families and friends, streamed into the grounds of St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen, N.J. The borough, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area, is a commuter town of New York City.

Smoke rose from the BBQ grills firing up to grill kababs and burgers. Parents lined up to buy their early morning coffee while volunteers directed participants and teams toward their venues.

Electronic display screens, timers, equipment, and umpires were ready and waiting to start the games exactly on schedule. Salaudeen Nausrudeen (founder and president, Islamic Games of North America) constantly walked around calmly between the various hosting locations. The Uzbek teams appeared to be winning all the martial arts medals. Girls from all over the world competed vigorously in events from basketball to track & field and taekwondo, and boys’ teams competed in games from soccer, basketball, volleyball, and football to martial arts.

Teams from New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Delaware, and Massachusetts participated. Held on June 8-9, this event featured 32 basketball teams, 71 soccer teams, 12 volleyball teams, 8 cricket teams, and 12 flag football teams, all of which competed fiercely to win trophies and medals. There were individual events for males and females in table tennis, martial arts, track (100, 200, and 400 meters), pickleball, fitness course, arm wrestling, and other categories.

Nausrudeen, a Guyanese native, grew up in New York City and currently lives in Orlando. An avid fitness enthusiast, he rides 75 miles per week and is involved in weekly basketball and fitness training events. During his high school years in New York, he started “Mujahid,” one of the first organized Muslim basketball teams that traveled across North America to participate in tournaments and build connections with communities and athletes.

INCEPTION OF ISLAMIC GAMES

In 1989, he created the Islamic Games to provide a platform for Muslim athletes to meet, compete, learn, and celebrate each other. In 2006, the Islamic Games was rebranded and relaunched in New Jersey, where male and female athletes of all ages participate annually.

He says that sports are halal, healthy, and encouraged in Islam. The development of sports programs, leagues, academies, and

Two young contestants in the martial arts competition square off.

Enthusiastic soccer team from the Mimar Sinan Mosque team.

Uzbek Boys U14 Soccer teams celebrating at their trophy presentation ceremony.

Salaudeen Nausrudeen, founder and president of the Islamic Games.

Talking about these challenges, Nausrudeen says there was a dearth of sponsorship from Muslim companies and brands; insufficient women’s participation at the community/masjid level; a lack of efficient and professional sports infrastructure in Muslim communities; and a lack of funding for schools and communities to send teams and athletes.

teams in Muslim communities across North America revealed a need to develop a platform that would bring them all together to showcase athletes and teams and to celebrate their accomplishments.

According to Nausrudeen, “The Islamic Games today has grown to an event that is beyond the athletic skills. It is a grand display of diversity and unity with more than 40 different nationalities, 30 Muslim schools, 5,000+ male and female athletes of all ages, 400+ teams, 200+ events, 1,000+ games, and 200+ partners in four cities across the USA and Canada.”

The participants in these New Jersey games were natives or descendants of natives from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, Guyana, Indonesia, Bosnia, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Sudan, Egypt, Palestine, Kenya, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Morocco, Algeria and Afro- and Latino-Americans. This year, the Islamic Games were held in Dallas, Chicago, and Brampton (Canada).

A team of directors and event managers, as well as about 80 volunteers, manage the event,

which costs each location $75,000+ to host. These expenses are primarily met through sponsorship, registration, and other fees.

Talking about these challenges, Nausrudeen says there was a dearth of sponsorship from Muslim companies and brands; insufficient women’s participation at the community/masjid level; a lack of efficient and professional sports infrastructure in Muslim communities; and a lack of funding for schools and communities to send teams and athletes.

Future plans include adding badminton, pickleball, cycling, 5K, swimming, archery, and other sports; expanding to more North American cities and globally with international partners; and providing support, training, and resources to communities, along with leagues to grow and develop their sports program. ih

Misbahuddin Mirza, M.S., P.E., is a licensed professional engineer, registered in the States of New York and New Jersey. He served as the regional quality control engineer for the New York State Department of Transportation’s New York City Region. He is the author of the iBook “Illustrated Muslim Travel Guide to Jerusalem.” He has written for major U.S. and Indian publications.

Winners of the Girls Soccer 14+ Category, Jaffery Juniors from Hicksville, NY, Celebrate.

The First Quranic Museum

Dr.

Nagamia’s

Quranic Collection and Priceless Quranic Manuscripts are now on Display

BY RABIYAH SYED

It may come as a surprise that Rolling Meadows, a Chicago suburb and home of the Nagamia Institute of Islamic Medicine and Science (NIIMS), houses a museum of rare copies of the Quran. This initiative springs from Husain Fakhruddin Nagamia’s (d.2021; founder, NIIMS) love of the Quran.

Nagamia (chief emeritus cardiovascular thoracic and cardiac transplant surgery, Tampa General Hospital) wore many hats during his career: past president of the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA); member of the ISNA Founder’s Committee; founder and chairman, the International Institute of Islamic Medicine (IIIM); and a founding member of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AMFI), which seeks to achieve 100% literacy and universal education for India’s minorities.

NIIMS was founded as the International Institute of Islamic Medicine in 1992, a

branch of IMANA. In 2019 it became NIIMS and dedicated itself to researching the history of Islamic medicine. As an avid historian, he took many trips and held conferences both here and abroad to share and spread Islamic medicine’s legacy and history.

THE NAGAMIA INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC MEDICINE AND SCIENCE

Alia Hirzalla (M.A., Graduate Theological Foundation, Mishawaka, Ind., ’16), NIIMS’ executive director, conducted an informative tour of the branch’s origins.

She states that Muslims have been instrumental in both scientific and medical discoveries and developments. NIIMS is displaying historical drawings from Muslim scientists depicting the human body (Figure 1).

A great deal of research has gone into documenting their contributions. Many of Nagamia’s lectures and workshops, all given to educate people about Islamic

science, have been uploaded to its website.

A large amount of research and information compiled under Nagamia’s supervision has been released in Mahmood A. Hai and Mubin Syed’s “The Contributions of Islamic Civilization to Medicine” (2023). Hirzalla remarks, “[With the book we hope to] show how Muslims contribute to history.”

NIIMS also has other gems to offer: a library full of new and old books on many subjects, as well as calligraphy classes in which individuals and groups can participate. “With all this effort, this is our goal: to help people know more about us and learn about Islam,” Hirzalla said.

As part of that mission, a special place was created — the Quran Museum, a hidden gem nestled in this complex.

THE QURAN MUSEUM

The Quran Museum, an extended branch of NIIMS, is

located in a building donated by Nagamia. Unfortunately, he passed away before its opening.

The museum, beautifully designed by Illinois-based Turkish architect Suheyb Kayacan, displays many well-preserved Qurans, some dating as far back as the 1600s, from around the world. Many were acquired and donated by Naim Dam (founder and CEO, Hema-Q Inc.), whose medical startup has curated these artifacts from auctions worldwide for the past 30 years.

All of these incredibly interesting artifacts help paint an image of Islam’s past, more specifically a historical chronology of how the Quran was inscribed over time.

The tour highlights the importance of how and why the Quran was put into written

The museum, beautifully designed by Illinois-based Turkish architect Suheyb Kayacan, displays many well-preserved Qurans, some dating as far back as the 1600s, from around the world. Many were acquired and donated by Naim Dam (founder and CEO, Hema-Q Inc.), whose medical startup has curated these artifacts from auctions worldwide for the past 30 years.

Museum Founder: Husainuddin Fakhruddin Nagamia, M.D.

script. Hirzalla, explaining its history of preservation, states that this was initially done via memorization in the hearts and minds of the Prophet’s (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) Companions. Some of its text was written on animal skins and other materials. Later on, specifically during Caliph Abu Bakr’s riddah wars (632-33) against rebellious Arabian tribes, some of which were led by rival prophet claimants and led to the martyrdom of many Companions. Abu Bakr entrusted Zayd ibn Thabit with compiling the complete Quran.

This copy remained with the caliphs until Caliph Uthman ibn ‘Affan entrusted various Companions with transcribing and sending copies of it to all Muslim lands. After that, he standardized the text and ensured that there were no wrongful recitations by ordering all stray compilations to be burnt.

Hirzalla points out that “400 languages have already died. For example, hieroglyphics, the Egyptian writing, can be read in our language… but no one knows how it used to be pronounced [or read before].” This, she explains, is why the Quran was written down in its original Arabic form: to prevent mistakes due to Arabic becoming a lost language and to make it easier for non-native Arabic speakers to read it.

One displayed piece (Figure 2) is from when the Quran was first written without harakat (diacritical marks). “This piece was written in [Kufic script]. An Arabic speaker can read it very easily… but other people [that haven’t learned or grown up with the language] cannot. It’s gonna be hard for them. They may misread it,” she says.

The next piece was from the time of Caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib She relates how Abu al-Aswad ad-Du’ali (d.688) — one of the earliest, if not the earliest, Arab grammarians — at first refused but finally agreed to revise and add the harakat. She explained that the Quran’s whole meaning changes when its verses are read incorrectly. Upon realizing this after seeing two people reading the same verse differently, he agreed to do so.

“He took his students and told them to put [a red dot when he made different sounds. For example] when he made the ‘ah’ sound, the students were to put a dot on top of the letter,” Hirzalla explained. Other sounds, including the ‘e’ and the ‘o’ received a red dot underneath and next to the letter respectively. Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi (718-86) replaced the red dots [with specific diacritics called harakat]. Interestingly, what makes these pieces more exquisite is the use of gold and saffron as writing embellishment material. “All these pieces are handwritten. If you see anything gold, it is pure gold. Anything you see in red [the red dots on the paintings] are in saffron, and that’s why they are still vibrant in color till now,” she said. As you move through the tour, you begin to see the evolution of the Quran’s script into the style that we have today.

When these items were purchased and donated, NIIMS brought experts to test them to help date and gather more information on each one. Experts examined the type of paper, the material used (such as different ink and gold), and the writing style to help identify when they were written and their geographical origin.

Among the displayed manuscripts is one from 16th-17th century China. Interestingly, when this copy was inspected, it smelled of smoke, as if it had been in a fire, indicating that it was most likely saved from burning. Other exquisite artifacts include the first translated Quran from the late 1700s.

With such rare and old objects, special precautions must be taken to help preserve them. The room has to be specially cleaned and kept at a certain temperature. In addition, regular room lights must be turned off and special lights used to illuminate the room.

The museum offers group tours and holds a calligraphy workshop. It offers much insight into a part of Islamic history that people don’t always hear about. Everyone should visit this hidden gem. ih

Rabiyah Syed, a senior at Naperville Central High School, loves photography and hopes to join the medical field in college.

When a Mosque Has No Value

Are Mosque Leaders Clear About Their Reason for Being?

BY NADIA B. AHMAD

In recent times, we have witnessed a troubling trend within some mosques and Islamic institutions: The prayer mats are turned toward Makkah, but the hearts and minds of certain leaders and imams seem to be oriented toward the political powers in Washington and Tel Aviv. This misalignment reveals a profound betrayal of the very principles upon which all mosques were/are founded.

Traditionally, these sanctuaries of truth, justice, and spiritual growth are meant to be bastions in which the oppressed find solace and the ummah’s voice resonates against

injustice. However, when their leadership fails to fulfill such duties, they reduce the mosque to a hollow shell, transforming it into a place where the congregation is subtly coerced into complicity through silence.

In short, these leaders are betraying Islam’s core teachings. When a mosque’s leadership cannot oppose injustice, the institution becomes purposeless. In the eyes of many, it transforms the congregation into mere sheeples — sheep that follow the leader without question. This analogy, though harsh, underscores the gravity of the situation. Our mosques are meant to be

places of enlightenment, where the faithful gather to pray and seek guidance, support, and inspiration to live righteous lives. When this mission is compromised, the mosque’s value is profoundly diminished.

Islamic teachings are clear about the sanctity of life and the imperative to uphold justice. Supporting the killing of the innocent, including one’s own kin in faith, is considered a grave sin and strongly condemned. Here’s how Islam categorizes those who support such acts:

➤ Disbelievers. Supporting the killing of innocent people, especially fellow Muslims.

Such actions can strip a Muslim of his/her faith. Quran 17:33 states, “And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except for a just reason.” This directive underscores the sacredness of life and the severe consequences of unjust killing.

➤ Polytheists. Although this category specifically refers to associating partners with Allah, supporting unjust killings is also seen as a severe deviation from monotheistic principles, as it involves disregarding divine commandments on justice and compassion. In this form of spiritual and moral polytheism, allegiance to political power supersedes allegiance to divine justice.

➤ Hypocrites. These people may outwardly support the Muslim community while secretly endorsing or supporting acts that harm it. Supporting the killing of fellow Muslims fits this description. Quran 4:145 warns us about these people, “The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire; no helper will you find for them.” Hypocrisy undermines the community’s integrity and erodes trust.

➤ Sinners. Those who support or commit murder are committing a major sin. Islam strictly prohibits taking innocent lives, and those who support such acts must repent sincerely. Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The most grievous sins are to associate something with Allah, to kill a human being, to be undutiful to one’s parents, and to bear false witness” (“Sahih Bukhari” 6675). Supporting the killing of people cannot be taken lightly.

➤ Oppressors and Tyrants. Supporting the killing of people is a form of oppression and tyranny. Those who endorse such violence are warned that “Indeed, Allah does not like the oppressors” (3:140). Islam teaches us to stand against all forms of physical, emotional, and spiritual oppression.

➤ Arrogant and Prideful Individuals. Arrogance can lead individuals to justify the killing of others because their cause or perspective is “superior.” However, Quran 17:37 states, “And do not walk upon Earth exultantly. Indeed, you will never tear Earth [apart], and you will never reach the mountains in height.” Arrogance blinds individuals to the value of life and the importance of humility.

➤ D eniers of the Day of Judgment. Supporting the killing of people indicates a lack of belief in accountability and the afterlife. Quran 83:1-6 warns, “Woe to those who give less [than due], who, when they take

a measure from people, take in full. But if they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss. Do they not think that they will be resurrected for a tremendous Day — the Day when humanity will stand before the Lord of the worlds?” Belief in this Day is central to maintaining ethical behavior and accountability.

➤ R ejecters of Prophets and Their Messages. The prophets’ teachings emphasize mercy, justice, and protecting innocent lives.

offered but the spirit of true submission to God is absent.

This crisis of leadership reflects a larger problem: The decision of certain Muslim leaders to betray the ummah by aligning with those political powers that perpetuate injustice and violence against Muslims worldwide has caused countless innocent people to be injured or killed in the ensuing conflicts. When Muslim leaders fail to condemn these injustices, they lose their

This crisis of leadership reflects a larger problem within the ummah: The decision of certain Muslim leaders to betray the ummah by aligning with those political powers that perpetuate injustice and violence against Muslims worldwide has caused countless innocent people to be injured or killed in the ensuing conflicts. When Muslim leaders fail to condemn these injustices, they lose their credibility and the trust of their communities.

Supporting the killing of fellow Muslims is a rejection of these teachings and therefore condemned. Quran 57:25 says, “We sent aforetime our messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance, that people may stand forth in justice.” Upholding justice is a fundamental aspect of prophetic teachings.

Quran 5:32 explicitly states, “Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land — it is as if he had slain humanity entirely.” This verse underscores the gravity of taking an innocent life and equates it to killing all of humanity. Therefore, supporting such killing, particularly of fellow Muslims, severely violates Islamic principles. Those involved are warned of severe punishment in the afterlife unless they sincerely repent and seek God’s forgiveness.

The mosques must reclaim their role as centers of moral and spiritual leadership, where justice is championed and the oppressed find their voice. When leaders fail to uphold these values, they render the mosque purposeless, reducing it to nothing more than a building where prayers are

credibility and their communities’ trust.

We must ask ourselves: Are we planning for the hereafter, or are we merely content to live forever in this world at the cost of our souls? Our answer will determine the future of our mosques and communities. We must hold our leaders accountable and ensure that our mosques are places in which Islam’s true spirit is upheld. This includes standing up against injustice, speaking out against oppression, and protecting the innocent.

A mosque that does not oppose injustice has no value. Its leaders may turn to Makkah in prayer, but if their hearts are aligned with Washington and Tel Aviv, they have lost their way. Muslims must demand better. We must insist that our mosques and their leaders adhere to Islam’s bedrock principles of justice, compassion, and truth. Only then can we reclaim our mosques’ true purpose and value.

We are done with the Zionists in our midst and those who cry for Palestine but stand by the deceptively labeled “Abraham” Accords. No Justice. No Peace. ih

Nadia B. Ahmad, a PhD candidate at Yale University and an original signatory to Drop Emgage, is a law professor based in Orlando, Fla.

Sohaib Sultan’s Legacy Lives On

Muslim Chaplains Reflect and Renew Companionship in the 2024 Suhaib Suhba Retreat

BY RASHEED RABBI

Eighty Muslim chaplains, making Islam visible in U.S. institutions b eyond mosques, gathered along with their families and their families to attend the Sohaib Retreat from August 1-4. This second retreat, organized by the Association of Muslim Chaplains (AMC), invited chaplains to “unplug, unwind, and recharge” in New Mexico’s natural beauty (www.associationofmuslimchaplains.org/amcretreat).

Initially, skeptical about holding a retreat in sparsely populated New Mexico, all my doubts vanished as our bus wound through the peaks and valleys of the rugged mountain bed, sculpted from the uplift of the Rocky Mountains, to welcome us into a distinct wilderness that hosted Dar al-Islam in Abiquiu.

Born from the visionary mind of Princeton’s first Muslim chaplain, Sohaib Nazeer Sultan, this event reiterated his commitment to strengthening the bonds of faith. During Covid-19, he longed for a retreat where his colleagues could reconnect and reaffirm their mission to enhance others’ connection with God. After succumbing to cancer at the age of 40 in 2021, the inaugural retreat, held in 2023 by AMC in his honor, became a testament to his legacy. This year’s gathering saw a larger participation and a deeper purpose.

The retreat opened by reading the epilogue from his “Mantle of Mercy: Islamic Chaplaincy in North America” (Templeton, 2022), titled, “We are not competitors, but companions.” Here, he urged chaplains to be fellow travelers on a sacred journey, united in their service to God. Their true calling is to embody the spirit of awliya’ (protectors of souls) for one another (41:34 and 9:72-73). This shared mission offered practical tools to safeguard the souls entrusted to their care.

On Thursday in the open terrace of

Dar-al-Islam, Ch. (Chaplain) Nadeem Siddiqi (chaplain in local prisons and at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville MSA) reaffirmed Sultan’s enduring impact on his colleagues. His words from the epilogue filled the void left by Sultan’s untimely departure and forged an unbreakable connection among the chaplains. Many were meeting for the first time, and yet each soul sensed a profound trust and immediate bond rooted in a shared purpose of reaching God.

After isha prayer and the recitation of Surah al-Kahf, the chaplains found themselves drawn into a striking parallel. Just as the surah’s youths had sought refuge in a cave, the chaplains were here to escape the world’s chaos and rediscover life’s true purpose: serving God by serving others. Like those youths, united by their unwavering faith in one God, the retreat attendees gathered to claim their companionship in attaining God’s pleasure.

Companionship blossoms where friendship takes root and Chaplain Kaiser Aslam (Rutgers University) offered a Quranic framework during his Friday khutbah. He presented ten Quranic attributes that define

the comprehensiveness of friendship and urged us to embody them: al-wali (protector of soul; 41:34); sahib (companion, 81:22); sadiq (truthful; 26:101); bitana (true counselor and helper; 3:118); walijah (9:16, intimate enough share deepest secret); qareen (43:36, constant companion, like two angels on our shoulders) not a khadul (25:29, disappear during the time of need); a khadhan (4:25, longing friend); khalil (25:27, a friend who we desperately missing during his/her absence), and, finally, rafiq (4:69, the highest friend whom we fully rely upon anything at any time).

Shaykh Hassan Lachheb, Ph.D. (president and founder, Tayseer Seminary) showed how we can employ each of these friendships for the Prophet (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). He led a group reading of Shaykh Yusuf ibn Ismail al-Nabhani’s book “Muhammad: His Character and Beauty” (Al-Madina Institute, 2015). He explained how to be sadiq in approaching sirah, which sheds light on the backdrop of the Quranic revelation or to be a bitana, walijah, or a qareen to affirm the shahadah’s second clause. His commentary transported us to the Prophet’s era and evoked an unrestrained love for him by being a khalil, khadhan, or rafiq

He emphasized the importance of three simultaneous connections with the Prophet: spiritual, intellectual, and personal. Reading surahs al-Kahf and al-Mulk nightly, engaging in pre-dawn prayers, and participating in post-dawn dhikr and dars mirrored the Prophet’s practices, thereby fostering a spiritual connection. Reflecting on the analogies found in these surahs and the Prophet’s sirah strengthened our intellectual understanding. Finally, reading the shama’il fostered a deeper love for him.

Somatic healer Sheikh Hakim Archultta (Hikma Wellness) urged us to carry the

torch of the Prophet’s light. While sharing Prophet’s light with others is the best way to honor him, it’s also an effective path to discover inner pent-up emotions for self-healing. His short workshops enabled us to read the unspoken language of human bodies and connect with those in deep pain who struggle to express themselves.

The connection circles, poetry programs, and games led by the retreat co-chair Ch. Jaye Starr (staff chaplain, Michigan Medicine) and Ch. Siddiqi helped forge deeper bonds and reflect on the hardships chaplains have faced this year. Ch. Sakinah Alhabshi’s (St. Luke’s University Health Network) majlis sama’ — a speed-reading session with reflections on Muhammad Abd al-Hayy al-Kattani’ “The Khulasa: Summary of Imam Abu Isa al-Tirmidhi’s Ash-Shama’il al-Muhammadiyya” (Turath Publishing, 2021) on Friday night sparked a yearning to connect with the Prophet on a deeper level, leaving us with hopes of seeing him in dreams.

Beyond these names, countless chaplains toiled tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure their peers’ convenience. Ch. Asheq Fazlullah (Villanova University and Interfaith Philadelphia) coordinated everyone’s bus ride from Albuquerque airport to Abiquiu. Ch. Muhammed Aslan’s (University of Chicago Medicine) Turkish tea and Ch. Adnan Rokadia (Pratt Institute) Desi tea fueled our energy and warded off fatigue.

AMC President Ch. Joshua Salaam, Ph.D. (Duke University) was found washing dishes on multiple occasions along with Chs. Amina Khan (Atlantic Visiting Nursing Hospice), Ibad Wali (Religious Freedom USA), Jafer Yasar (Collins Correctional Facility, New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision), Imam Adnan Rokadia (founder and executive director, Nafahat; chaplain, Pratt Institute), and Asim Billoo (University of California San Diego), and his daughter Umaimah. Doing so without complaint exemplified the power of genuine connection and embodied the silent symphony of service for others.

Childcare included sessions adjacent to the chaplains’ programming with stories, lessons, and craft projects around the 99 Names of Allah — all organized by Ch. Jaye. Volunteer shifts were taken by Chs. Seher Siddiqee (UCSF Children’s Hospital), Afia Kaiser (Rutgers), Najiba Akbar (Wellesley College), Nilofer Ali (independent consultant), Asim Billo (San Diego Medical C enter), Lauren Schreiber (co-founder

and executive director of Center DC), and Azleenah Azhar (Islamic Association of Raleigh). Ch. Asim and Ch. Sandra Labadia (Methodist Health System, Irving, TX) led gender-separated morning workouts and hikes through Abiquiu’s cliffs. Hiking while engaging in dhikr together was a profound experience, feeling like a spiritual ascent towards the Divine. Capturing these precious moments for posterity was Ch. Usama Malik, whose camera documented the retreat’s many blessings.

Unfortunately, in 1989 geopolitical challenges and financial constraints left this grand vision incomplete. They sold all but 1,500 acres. Only five families remained. Since then, Dar-al-Islam has been widely used as a retreat center. Spending four days in Dar-al-Islam felt like living Nuruddin’s dream and breathing life back into his vision.

The initial funding came from Saudi businessman Sahl Kabbani and Abdullah Omar Nasseef (former secretary-general, the World Muslim League). The bulk of the

Born from the visionary mind of Princeton’s first Muslim chaplain, Sohaib Nazeer Sultan, this event reiterated his commitment to strengthening the bonds of faith. During Covid-19, he longed for a retreat where his colleagues could reconnect and reaffirm their mission to enhance others’ connection with God. After succumbing to cancer at the age of 40 in 2021, the inaugural retreat, held in 2023 by AMC in his honor, became a testament to his legacy.

THE HISTORY OF ABIQUIU

Rafaat Ludin, the center’s executive director, shared Abiquiu and Dar-al-Islam’s captivating history. It was founded by Nuruddin Durkee, a former founder of the Lama Foundation. During his peacebuilding project exploring the Abrahamic religions, Durkee and a team of 20 researchers traveled to Palestine, where everyone embraced Islam. To enrich their Islamic knowledge, they traveled to Makkah, where Nuruddin and his wife, Nora Durkee, met Saudi businessmen and royals.

With their support, their vision of an autonomous Islamic village took shape. In 1978, they purchased approximately 8,600 acres of land in Abiquiu and hired the world-renowned Egyptian architect Dr. Hassan Fathy, author of “Architecture for the Poor” and recipient of the French Literature Award, to design the village. Using Nubian architectural patterns found in Egypt and northern Sudan, a 30,000-square-foot mosque, school, library, community center, hotel, and residential neighborhoods were developed for 1,000 people.

start-up funds were said to have come from the Riyadh Ladies’ Benevolent Association of Saudi Arabia, and several daughters of the late Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The retreat reached its celestial climax on Saturday night with the stargazing Ch. Sidra Mahmood (Williams College). The campfire crackled to the rhythm of nashids and surah recitation. Stars cast a mystical glow upon the gathering. In Dar al-Islam’s quietude, Chaplain Sohaib and all the chaplains grew so intense that each connection felt like a star, burning brightly to realize the Prophet’s last words” “O Allah bring us to the highest of companions.” As I returned from the retreat, I carried that starlit sky with me—each star representing a true companion (sadik and sahib), the highest friend (khalil and rafiq), guiding me on the path toward God. ih Rasheed Rabbi, an IT professional with an MA in religious studies (Hartford Seminary), is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry from Boston University. He is also the founder of e-Dawah (www.edawah. net); secretary of the Association of Muslim Scientists, Engineers & Technology Professionals; and serves as a khateeb and Friday prayer leader at the ADAMS Center. In addition, he is a certified Muslim chaplain at iNova Fairfax, iNova Loudoun and Virginia’s Alexandria and Loudoun Adult Detention Centers.

Our Final Outfit

Do You Have One Ready?

BY NAYAB BASHIR

Ornamental, protective or symbolic. Throughout a lifetime, we pursue so many different clothes. From a baby’s receiving blanket to their school outfit, from graduation robes to wedding gowns, our clothing serves as a symbol of who we are.

People judge and recognize position, prosperity, taste and culture from one’s outer garments — only for an estimated 150,000 to die every day and leave it all behind. In Islam, the millionaire and the beggar are both shrouded in two yards of white fabric, without any differentiating embellishment or qualities. No embalming and no fancy casket — just the bodies that God gave us wrapped in a kaffan (shroud) returning to the soil. “Verily it is We who give life and death; and to Us is the final goal” (50:43).

There is only one thing we can take with us — our deeds.

Schools and Sunday school lessons, Friday khutbas and Quran classes all skim over this verse: “Every soul will taste death. And We test you, O humanity, with good and evil as a trial, then to Us you will all be returned” (21:35).

You might be surprised to know that many Muslims don’t even own a kaffan This indicates a blind spot in our Islamic

knowledge. While there are some exceptions, the average Muslim focuses on memorizing passages, attending prayers and observing fasts and pilgrimages, but avoids the one guaranteed companion of life — death. But this understandable avoidance shouldn’t be resisted or ignored. All Muslims should know how to perform the salat al-janazah (the funeral prayer), ghusl mayyit (ritual washing of the deceased) and wrapping the kaffan. Many North American Muslim communities are now established enough for p eople to live in peaceful ignorance or denial, because local mosques can take care of such matters. Some have a donation box for funerals, as well as a funeral home in the back corner, tucked out of sight — and for some, out of mind, until one sees the black hearse parked at the masjid entrance before jumma begins.

LESSONS FROM PALESTINE

Recent times have given the kaffan a different significance. The genocide in Palestine is being broadcast on social media by a few brave journalists, and the kaffan seems to have become a daily sight. It is heartbreaking to witness, however, that while the watermelon has become the sign of Palestinian resistance, the kaffan is a sign of Muslim resilience.

The brave Palestinians have shown us that this worldly life is not the end all for Muslims, but rather a temporary passing place on our way to our final home. The tawakkal (reliance on God) and faith of Palestinians carrying their loved ones is unfathomable to those giving in to this world’s temptations, for Muslims believe that the martyrs will “on the day of resurrection come with a color like the color of blood and a fragrance like the fragrance of musk” (“Sahih al-Bukhari” 2803, “Muslim” 1876).

The Israeli oppressors also frequently mock the kaffan. First, when the only aid allowed in was trucks full of kaffans; second, when videos showed the occupiers holding and tossing around shrouded dolls; and more recently in clothier Zara’s ad campaign, showcasing shrouded mannequins carried among ruins. Such mocking is futile, as the kaffan’s status is elevated even further – as a final identifier of the martyred wearer’s Muslim identity.

Technically, a kaffan is a useful purchase. It cannot go to waste because we will all need it one day — sooner or later. Why, then, are we so resistant?

WHY THE AVOIDANCE?

According to Missouri-based psychiatrist Dr. Naazia Hussain, people generally avoid things that cause them discomfort. In her experience, it’s natural that people like to tune out negative feelings. Death is associated with sadness at the very least, and at the most it can be associated with trauma and complete devastation. So, it’s easier to ignore it until we have no choice.

This avoidance, however, leads to unpreparedness, and thus when death hits a family, it can become very chaotic for those still living.

Even among Muslims, who are guided by a culture that has a clear understanding of death and a concept of an afterlife, people still struggle to think about it enough to prepare for it. In her work with patients from a broad religious, social and economic background, Hussain has found that avoiding difficult emotions doesn’t serve us; rather, facing them and preparing for different scenarios can be empowering.

“Preparation can bring a sense of peace and calm around the scary unknown,” she noted.

Sana Siddiqui (social media coordinator, CAIR Missouri; mother of two) underwent open heart surgery three months after her

first child was born. After almost a year of looking forward to dressing up her baby in cute outfits, wanting family pictures and mother-daughter outings, she found herself on bedrest, unable to hold her infant daughter for an entire eight weeks.

Speaking to how it affected her outlook on life and preparing for death, she explained that “being confined to an ICU bed instills a profound awareness of the lack of control we have over life’s twists and turns. It prompts a reflection on the importance of gratitude towards the Creator for every aspect of existence.”

Ehsan Beg offers hajj and umrah travel services but has been volunteering with ADAMS for 30+ years. He offers his services 24/7. “They can even call me in the middle of the night,” he said. “When someone dies, it’s not just the kaffan or the ghusl. People are just overwhelmed. They don’t know or remember anything.”

Beg receives phone calls from across the country asking for guidance. “We need to help people be better prepared. Nobody takes the initiative until something happens within their own family.”

He and his wife offer free classes through

It is a very humbling experience to see how we return to our Creator. All those designer handbags, precious jewelry, fancy cars and homes are left behind.”

While growing up, death was “consistently” avoided. She also has a difficult time attempting to discuss it with her own young children. Their eyes well up with tears, and she understands why her own mother never engaged in the discussion.

Her sister-in-law, however, has a kaffan hanging in her closet and considers it a constant reminder of this world’s temporary nature and of the Hereafter’s eternal nature. This inspired Siddiqui to enroll in classes on how to perform ghusl and learn its immense virtues. The recent passing of a cousin close in age also prompted her to further focus on educating herself on death. The association of death and old age is the first myth she untaught herself.

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

A great aid to the community comes in the form of volunteers and organizations being educated and prepared to guide the rest of us. For example, the ADAMS Center in Sterling, Va., provides information on funeral homes, informs the community of the loss, shares janaza timings and asks for duas. They assist with zakat committees for families unable to pay for a funeral and burial, as well as help coordinating ghusl, providing a kaffan and arranging salat al-janazah. ADAMS also follows up with the family after the funeral if they need any assistance.

the organization, three to four times a year, on how to perform ghusl on a fake body. The entire group hears the overview together, and then men and women separate to learn the washing process. They often perform demonstrations at conventions too. “We need more classes across the nation, and we need people to learn what to do and to be prepared.”

A Muslim funeral home, if you have access to one, will provide you with everything you need. However, you cannot count on having access to one, as the number of Muslims in North America is rising faster than the number of funeral homes, with some states only having one.

Even if you live close to one, you could be out of town or state when you need to assist someone who has passed away. Being prepared, volunteering and founding such organizations should be a community priority.

In this age of information, with so much available to us through the internet, it’s easy to find out the steps of ghusl, kaffan and burying the deceased according to Islamic principles.

“But how many people actually study these things?” asked Nida Ahmad, who volunteers with the funeral arrangements for women at her mosque in a Chicago suburb. “Google can be a great resource when used carefully, but washing and

shrouding a dead body is another experience. It can seem daunting at first, but I promise it gets easier.”

Given that this a volunteer position without fixed or planned hours, a pool of trained volunteers is a must so that at least a few are available when someone dies. A certain number of people isn’t needed to wash and shroud a body, but it is ideal to have a few close family members and some trained volunteers to explain the steps.

“In Islam, the modesty and privacy of an individual is kept in high regard even after a person has passed away,” Ahmad explained. “It is a very humbling experience to see how we return to our Creator. All those designer handbags, precious jewelry, fancy cars and homes are left behind.”

Like everything else, kaffans are now available on Amazon, so consider getting one with your next order. Reach out to your local mosque to see if they need volunteers for these final rites. It may not be something everyone is comfortable with at first. However, it is important to understand another Muslim’s right upon us. Perhaps we have a right upon ourselves as well, not only to educate ourselves but to also prepare ourselves for our coming time. ih

Nayab Bashir is a literature aficionado with an English literature degree to prove it.

From Quotas to Carnage

The Fall of Sheikh Hasina and a Nation’s Reckoning

BY ANIME ABDULLAH

The savage carnage during the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s fascist regime in July 2024 was beyond belief. Thousands of young lives from infants to college students were brutally snuffed out. While media reported, “so far 1,000 people have been killed” (Nurjahan Begum, www.deccanherald.com/world/, Aug. 29), hundreds were yet to be accounted for. Bangladesh was teetering on the brink of catastrophe, as Hannah Ellis-Petersen reported “on 5 August, as almost 1 million people began to defy police barricades and an onslaught of tear gas to march towards the prime minister’s residence … the army chief … gave Hasina an ultimatum: leave now or likely be killed at the hands of the masses. She jumped on a helicopter with her sister and fled …” (www.theguardian.com/ world/, Sept. 8).

The preceding scene was a spectacle of brutality. Countless martyrs’ bodies, dreams, and futures were hastily buried in unmarked graves to conceal the gruesome reality of fascism ( https://x.com/ZulkarnainSaer/ status/1818222697786098084), and death registries were removed from hospitals to obscure the true extent of cruelty (www. themirrorasia.net/, July 24). Thousands more vibrant, promising young lives were assaulted and permanently disabled. The perpetrator? A state-sponsored atrocity carried out by a ruthless, power-obsessed regime hellbent on remaining in power.

spent sleepless nights glued to social media, scrolling through harrowing updates, praying for an end to the violence.

Yet there was one exception!

Standing atop a mountain of corpses, bathing in their blood, and inhaling their dying breaths, Hasina Wajed remained untouched and unmoved. Fulfilling her insatiable desire to cling to power, she sought

disproportionately benefit the mostly party supporters (Shahidul Alam, www.himalmag. com/, July 25). Thus, a tribute to veterans became a backdoor for party loyalists to secure government jobs.

to unleash more military force on Aug. 5 before she cowardly fled to India, thereby destroying a 15-year dynasty, abandoning all complicit Cabinet members, and leaving behind a nation in utter ruin.

A LITTLE HISTORY

The suffocating stench of these deaths sickened humanity. Their blood-soaked images of corpses strewn into the streets were seared into the country’s global diaspora memory. The heart-wrenching cries of grieving families reverberated across the Atlantic. Millions of Bangladeshis in the U.S.

More appalling was the revolution’s seemingly trivial and non-political spark: the 1972 job quota system. It was designed as a temporary recognition for the 1971 war veterans, who constituted less than 0.25% of the population. However, 50 years later, Hasina’s staggeringly corrupt administration drafted a controversially long list that added tens of thousands fake “freedom fighters” (Star Digital Report, www.thedailystar.net/, Sept. 4, 2021) and expanded the allocation 120-fold through a 30% quota to

The Bangladesh Awami League (BAL), which led the 1971 war, long seized the role of sole spokesperson for the nation’s war sentiment. Over time, as Helen Regan of CNN reported, this legacy was weaponized to create a single-party democracy (www.cnn.com/, Aug. 6). On Nov. 2, 2014, Aljazeera noted that the BAL government executed several Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and other opposition figures, via a controversial kangaroo court, by labeling them “war criminals” (https://defence.pk/threads/). Millions of opposition parties’ members were imprisoned as “religious extremists” to silence dissent. Indeed, the legitimacy of both the trials and convictions remains controversial. This continued exploitation created a societal cult and left ordinary citizens too terrified to speak out, lest they too be labeled “traitors.” However, the students remained defiant. Their protest, ongoing since 2008, gained momentum in 2018. Desperate to quell that unrest, Hasina overstepped her authority and abruptly canceled the total quota system. While the protesters sought a revision, abrupt abolition of all quotas seemed to be a ploy. They were proven correct when the Supreme Court reinstated those quotas in July 2024, claiming that “justice takes its own course.”

However, the pervasive lack of transparency in thousands of cases for murders, crossfire killings, and harassment of innocents had already exposed the judiciary’s complicity. Odhikar’s Bangladesh Annual Human Rights Report 2023 notes that the courtrooms still echo with the anguished cries of the families of the 900+ forcibly disappeared individuals (www.omct.org/). Aware of a phony judicial “independence” designed to deflect the government’s responsibility while secretly advancing its agenda, the students continued to protest the job quota system.

Students’ non-political and non-violent protest could easily have been addressed

through dialogue and discussion. But these didn’t exist in the Hasina administration’s “democracy.” Opting for force over dialogue, it responded with derogatory remarks and threats and unleashed its militant student wing, the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), to brutalize the demonstrators with police backing.

THE USUAL TACTICS BACKFIRE

These tactics were not new. For 15 years, BAL has systematically silenced dissent, eroding democracy bit by bit, and cementing its autocracy. The tipping point came when an unarmed student named Abu Sayeed trusted the administration and raised his hands in surrender to avoid violence; he was gunned down in cold blood. Disbelief etched on his face as his body shuddered after the first shot. He tried to stand, but another bullet came, and then another, and yet another — all from close range.

Sayeed was not alone. Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho, another unarmed student, was shot in the head while offering water to fellow protesters. Within days, hundreds of students met the same fate (Rebecca Wright et al., CNN, Aug. 12, 2024).

These televised murders damned a rogue government that had lost its legitimacy long ago. Its common opposition-crushing pattern, now evident (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=FGPyMoWKVvo), reignited the rage connected to past massacres, among them the August 2013 killing of madrasa students in the name of Hefazat-e-Islam extremists (https://archive.nytimes.com/ india.blogs.nytimes.com) and the 2009 killing of 57 high-ranking Army officers in the name of the paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles mismanagement (www.dhakatribune.com).

On top of these, Hasina’s demeaning tone and cold disregard for these fallen citizens, not even pretending to show remorse, laid bare her government’s deep-rooted fascism.

Ali Riaz, a professor at Illinois State University, aptly stated on Aug. 5 that Hasina’s regime embodied “the arrogance of autocracy” (www.wglt.org/local-news) that numbed and blinded the government to the nation’s pain and the pulse of its younger generation. Without addressing grievances, the BAL government doubled down, shut down the internet and mobile networks countrywide, deployed border forces and the military, and imposed a curfew. On July 18 it issued a “shoot on sight” order (https:// thediplomat.com/).

The government’s attempt to justify the killing by branding these students as “Razakars” — a term loaded with the highest treachery, referring to collaborators with Pakistan during the 1971 War of Independence — backfired. Unarmed citizens from all walks of life joined the students in solidarity, and the peaceful quota movement morphed the veteran quota-based protest into a broader challenge to the government’s authority. It split the nation into two factions: BAL loyalists and those seeking justice.

Although the context could be different, these dictators’ futures may not differ. Ousted for corruption, injustice, and inhumanity, Hasina’s exile was met with widespread joy. Even sweets were distributed (https://businesspostbd.com/ and The Times of India), which mirrored the celebrations following her father and family’s assassination on Aug. 15, 1975, for similar dictatorship and fascism (https://www.daily-sun.com/). It wouldn’t be surprising if the BAL is eventually banned or if Hasina faces execution by the

Sheikh Hasina is not the only one responsible for these irreparable losses. All those who stood by silently, turned a blind eye to looked the other way as illegal and undemocratic actions unfolded, and/ or ignored the killings in 2009, 2013, and the random casualties in between — are equally culpable and complicit in her actions.

THE RECKONING ARRIVES

The quota movement, while justified, turned out to be merely the tip of the iceberg. The perceived injustice of guaranteeing jobs to pro-Awami League supporters was further exacerbated by rising inflation, a dismal job market for university graduates, and rampant corruption. On July 19, tone-deaf Hasina even boasted of her office helper amassing $40 million and traveling only by helicopter (www.himalmag.com/)!

Most of the banks are “owned” by influential businessmen and ruling party leaders, a reality that allowed the BAL government to smuggle in $150+ billion over the last 15 years. According to https://dailyindustry.news/ (Aug. 7), 70.9% of households reported being victims of corruption, and 40.1% had paid bribes to receive any service. The price of essential goods thus skyrocketed, pushing the people to the brink. Deprived of expressing their discontent through free elections, as the Election Commission scandal had unveiled widespread electoral fraud, the people took the streets. Unlike a typical political defeat, however, the regime’s collapse and Hasina’s cowardly escape drew striking parallels to that of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (2021) and Sri Lanka’s Gotabaya Rajapaksa (2022).

very “kangaroo” court system she established. Indeed, history seems to have its own way of serving justice to those who abuse power.

In the background looms the larger geopolitical involvement of U.S.-China to disrupt India’s influence. As these global power plays will continue to shape the political landscape, the region will continue to witness the rise and fall of governments, the grief of parents waiting for their martyred children, the longing of one spouse waiting for his/her brave spouse, and the sufferings of orphans bearing the scars of loss.

So, this is a moment of reckoning. Sheikh Hasina is not the only one responsible for these irreparable losses. All those who stood by silently, turned a blind eye to illegal and undemocratic actions for years, and ignored the killings in 2009, 2013, and the random casualties in between are equally culpable and complicit in her actions. Every life lost, every drop of blood spilled, matters. Let our collective conscience awaken to hold every government accountable (4:135). Our religious ruling makes it a fard stance, —no matter who stands in its way, even a Nobel laureate like Muhammad Yunus, the chief of the current interim government. ih

Anime Abdullah is a freelance writer.

A Liberation for Bangladesh, a Lesson far Beyond

Another Tyrant Falls. The next one will be …?

BY RAUDAH MOHD YUNUS

As a Malaysian who has frequented Bangladesh over the last 15 years, there is a huge soft spot in my heart for this country. Over more than a decade, I’ve come to love its people, food, culture, and language. I can even speak some Bangla! — well, basic Bangla that is probably equivalent to the fluency of a 3-year-old Bengali kid. This gradual familiarization with the country’s culture and people has led me to become somewhat well-versed in its history and politics.

From its 1971 war of independence to the recent mass student protests that finally liberated Bangladesh from Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic grip, my concern for the country and its future is very similar to the feeling I had developed for Egypt. Having spent six years studying medicine at Alexandria University, I had seen both good and evil, reveled in the Mediterranean’s relentless beauty,

enjoyed street foods like kushari, ta’miyya, and the ful-falafel sandwich, and made unforgettable friendships with the locals, from classmates to my apartment building’s bawwab (doorman) — all while witnessing horrendous atrocities primarily committed against students and young people.

Despite the widespread political suppression and a palpable climate of fear, Egyptian youth took to the streets every now and then and were often met with tear gas and bullets from the nation’s special police forces known for their brutality.

WHEN THE DESIRE FOR CHANGE OVERCOMES FEAR

Universities were and, are still are, the focal points for peaceful protests and political uprising. In Alexandria University at least, there were numerous clashes between students and the special forces on my campus

and a lot of news about medical students being arrested or someone’s father or brother being imprisoned for me to remember. Such was the heavy price they paid for speaking the truth and demanding something better.

There were days when I had to squeeze between protesters and the security personnel just to get through the university main gate and get to my classes on time. I often felt remorseful for being unable to stand with my classmates or help amplify their voices. Thus, I was mostly a bystander trying to make sense of Egypt’s political complexities with my young and naïve mind.

Given my earlier acquaintance with Egypt, encountering Bangladesh gave me a distinct sense of déjà vu. Dhaka’s supercrowded streets and impossible-to-navigate traffic reminded me of al-Qahirah al-Zahmah (Cairo the Crowded). My favorite scenes of green paddy fields and children splashing in ponds along the Dhaka–Brahmanbaria rail line often led to memories of the peaceful life in rural Egypt, where farmer families work hard to make ends meet.

Some of their children made it to the country’s prestigious medical schools only to be bewildered by the marginalization of poor students and the favoritism shown to their upper-class peers. What’s more, they were treated harshly if they ever challenged the authorities.

Indeed, millions of Bangladeshi youth shared this same experience. Universities, those supposed centers of learning and intellectual development, turned out to be a nightmare. Many of these innocent students soon learned that these were places of discrimination, suppression of democratic voices and movements, and outright brutality by political forces such as the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of Hasina’s Awami League party.

All these bring back memories from my days in Egypt. On one sunny day, my friends and I were strolling in the famous Abu Qir Park when a car suddenly pulled up next to us. A young man jumped out and asked where we were from. When we told him were we Malaysians, he started pleading for advice on how to get out of the country and find better life opportunities. Taken aback by his sudden emotional plea, all that I could gather from him was trauma, pain, and anger. The man represented the anguish of millions, all of whom felt betrayed by their country.

Bangladeshi youth were no different. The high out-migration rate of young people, along with a severe brain-drain phenomenon, testified to their collective frustration, especially those with education and skills. These precious gems would be more than happy to serve the country — given the right treatment and opportunity. Alas, Sheikh Hasina and her colleagues were more interested in ill-gotten wealth and power than investing in their fellow countrymen and women!

wonder how many Bangladeshis shared the same fate and fled abroad to avoid torture and death.

FINALLY, THE “IMPOSSIBLE” HAPPENED

During July 2024, Bangladesh’s streets erupted in violence. To be more accurate, the country was gripped by mass student protests sparked by a discriminatory job quota system. The initially peaceful protests were

The protests grew wider and more intense, to the point that police and army officers refused to use further violence to quell the gatherings, despite their “shoot-on-sight” orders. On Aug. 5, Hasina fled to India after a 15-year misrule that has deeply scarred the nation. A wave of shock, relief, and joy swept over Bangladesh and beyond. It was a moment of triumph and liberation!

An ever-present vibe I observed and picked up through conversations with people living in Dhaka and rural areas was fear and intimidation. University students frequently spoke of BCL members’ bullying and physical aggression, whereas regular families spoke of kidnapping, forced disappearances, and looting of properties by the Awami League’s officers and supporters. As most of these atrocities were committed with impunity, ordinary people were often too scared to voice their genuine views or make any political demands because they know too well the consequences.

Back home in Kuala Lumpur, every now and then expatriate Bangladeshi friends informed me that someone they knew had escaped to Malaysia after speaking out against Hasina’s misrule and corruption. As such, I have seen how these forced migrations caused intense suffering and tore families apart. Some of these victims spent years in hiding, moving from one place to another. Some even died in exile, never seeing their loved ones again. These stories came from my very own personal encounters; thus, I

met with violence and attacks by security forces and thugs linked to the ruling party. Protesters were deterred by bullets and tear gas; nearly 1,000 died, and a still unknown number died later on due to their injuries.

Among the resistance icons was Abu Sayed, a 25-year-old student from Rangpur who was shot point-blank several times by the police, despite standing with his arms open to show that he intended no harm to those around him.

To aggravate his family's grief, Sheikh Hasina subsequently staged a two-minute drama of “deceitful compassion” by inviting his family to her office, hugging his mother and shedding tears, and promising her a proper investigation and justice. Of course, theis eventful meeting was full of photographers to make sure the drama was well-captured and memorialized so that the whole nation would be made aware of Hasina’s “empathy and benevolence.”

Nonetheless, as violent crackdowns continued, Bangladesh’s students defied death, persisted, and found their resolve strengthened by the oppressor’s increasing brutality.

On July 18, the government shut down the internet and all communication networks, deployed the military, and imposed a national curfew.

The protests grew wider and more intense, to the point that police and army officers refused to use further violence to quell the gatherings, despite their “shooton-sight” orders. On Aug. 5, Hasina fled to India after a 15-year misrule that has deeply scarred the nation. A wave of shock, relief, and joy swept over Bangladesh and beyond. It was a moment of triumph and liberation!

Three days later, 2006 Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, founder of the microcredit Grameen Bank and yet another victim of Hasina, arrived in Dhaka to lead the interim government. There was a mixture of emotions — hope and joy, along with sorrow and grief for the martyrs who had given their lives but could not witness this spectacular victory.

Thirteen years ago, on Feb. 11, 2011, Hosni Mubarak was ousted following 18 days of intense protests throughout Egypt. His 30-year autocratic rule ended after Egyptians, who could no longer tolerate his brutal, corrupt, and undemocratic government that served the vested interests of the elites and the Western powers, rose up. Similarly, Hasina’s 15-year dictatorship and oppression ended with the revolution of young people who could no longer endure political injustice and a socio-economic discrimination that favored the few at the expense of the many. Egypt’s political landscape has taken different turns and directions since then. But we pray and hope that Bangladesh’s liberation will be a reason to celebrate for a very long time.

Watching Bangladesh’s political scene unfold, I can only pray hard that this liberation brings lasting peace, justice, and prosperity to the millions of Bangladeshi youth who risked their lives to fight for a better future. May this liberation protect and uplift the oppressed, poor, and destitute – from the rickshawwallas (rickshaw drivers/owners) who illuminate Dhaka’s vibrant streets to political refugees living in exile and away from their loved ones.

This defining moment is a lesson and reminder to all the corrupt and tyrannical regimes out there. In particular, Bangladesh’s revolution is a warning to the genocidal Israeli regime that its day of reckoning is coming soon. ih

Raudah Mohd Yunus, a public health specialist, is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Milwaukee’s Medical College of Wisconsin.

The Rohingya Tragedy: Nothing Has Changed

One Doesn’t Usually Associate Genocide with Buddhists

BY RAUDAH YUNUS

On Aug. 25, 2017, the Myanmar military — infamously known as the Tatmadaw — launched a “clearance operation” against the Rohingya ethnic minority in Arakan (renamed Rakhine in 1990), which eventually killed almost 7,000 people and forced another 700,000 into neighboring Bangladesh. That exodus created the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, which to this day remains a “hell” for the Rohingyas, as they have neither been accepted for local integration nor offered safe repatriation.

military ousted Nobel Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi (who was deemed complicit in the genocide) and took over the country.

the other hand, suffer from “double victimization.” First, they were in a vulnerable state prior to the coup, because their “statelessness” and the ongoing discrimination and killing perpetrated upon them to which many in the country turn a blind eye. The nationwide protests and movements further shadow their suffering and make their plight less visible. There seem to be other priorities now for the nation — people have to unite and defeat the military and, hopefully, restore its long-last democracy.

Second, post-coup, the situation for the Rohingya only gets worse. Now they are trapped in a highly complex battle. The military, which has been involved in the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya — is now forcibly recruiting Rohingya men and youth, through intimidation and kidnapping, to help them fight the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine armed group.

An unknown number, perhaps several thousands, have escaped to other countries like India, Thailand, and Malaysia through dangerous land and sea routes. We heard numerous heart-wrenching stories of boats capsizing, people drowning, and unaccompanied children crossing borders after witnessing their parents’ brutal murder.

The bloodthirsty junta then turned on its own people. In February 2021 the

The coup immediately led to nationwide protests and civil unrest. Ethnic groups and civilian forces began taking up arms to fight against the Tatmadaw. Today, more than 3 million people have been displaced, about 30,000 houses and villages destroyed, tens of thousands killed, and 18 million placed in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

No doubt, civilians pay the heaviest price in such violent conflicts. The Rohingya, on

Given the pre-existing ethno-religious tension between the Rohingya Muslims and the Rakhine Buddhists, Rohingya conscription into the military to fight the Rakhine fighters only aggravates the hatred and mistrust between the two groups. Such complexity is further compounded by reports saying that the Arakan Army is doing the same to Rohingya men and youth. To make things worse, there are now allegations that Rohingya armed groups are trafficking Rohingya men from refugee camps in Bangladesh and “selling” them to Myanmar as fighters.

Despite a January 2020 International Court of Justice (ICJ) order directing Myanmar to “take all measures within its power” to prevent the commission of genocidal acts as defined in the Genocide Convention, the world hasn’t seen any meaningful change. What began as an ethnic cleansing against one ethnic minority — the Rohingya — has only blown up into a

Inside Rohingya Refugee Camp at Ukhia in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Indonesia, Thailand, and other ASEAN countries should support Malaysia in this effort. Perhaps it’s time to re-visit the “non-interference” principle often cited as the main barrier to pressuring Myanmar.

full-scale barbaric war against the whole nation. In 2023, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the U.K., and later on the Maldives, filed a joint declaration of intervention to reinforce the allegation made by The Gambia, with the backing of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), against Myanmar in November 2019.

WHAT’S THE OUTCOME?

The last thing we heard was the ICJ order to Myanmar to submit its response to The Gambia’s reply by Dec. 16, 2024. It’s been almost 5 years since The Gambia defied the global silence and bravely initiated a case against Myanmar at the ICJ. Unfortunately, justice has not been served and the Rohingya continue to die, enshrouded in a nearly global silence.

Moving forward, two global events deserve mention as they may prove critical to the Rohingya’s future. First, Bangladesh’s much-celebrated liberation from Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year autocracy on Aug. 5, 2024. Second, Malaysia’s upcoming role as ASEAN’s chairman in early 2025.

Bangladesh’s acceptance of the mass influx of Rohingya refugees in 2017 was an extremely benevolent gesture, especially as the country itself was struggling with widespread poverty and socioeconomic problems. However, its Hasina-led government was perhaps never really serious about helping the Rohingya. Their ambivalent attitude towards the crisis became apparent when Hasina forcibly relocated 36,000 Rohingya to the previously uninhabited and cycloneprone island of Bhashan Char, and when she called the Rohingya a “threat to the security” during the 2019 Dhaka Global Dialogue.

In contrast, Bangladesh’s current government, led by Chief Advisor (and interim Prime Minister) Muhammad Yunus (founder of the microfinance Grameen Bank that gives small loans to the poor without requiring collateral), not only announced in his first policy address that he will support the refugees, but has initiated discussions with the UNHCR on the possibility of their safe and dignified repatriation. Moreover, Bangladesh recently expressed its wish to join ASEAN – a request that, if granted, can

have a bigger impact on the block’s role and policy in addressing the crisis in Myanmar.

MALAYSIA AND THE OIC NEED TO STEP UP

As ASEAN’s chairmanship rotates annually, Malaysia will fill this role by 2025. As one of the five major hosts of Rohingya refugees worldwide, Malaysia has always been outspoken about this crisis. Recently, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged ASEAN to speak up and hold Myanmar’s military leaders accountable for their human rights violations. In fact, Anwar, who became prime minister in 2022, is one of the Myanmar military’s most vocal critics. Assuming the ASEAN chairmanship in 2025 will offer Malaysia a much-needed opportunity to drive meaningful change and prove that Anwar is serious about resolving this issue.

Indonesia, Thailand, and other ASEAN countries should support Malaysia in this effort. Perhaps it’s time to re-visit the “non-interference” principle often cited as the main barrier to pressuring Myanmar. After all, the Rohingya issue can no longer be viewed as an “internal affair” because the crisis has brought waves of refugees into other ASEAN countries and beyond, with all of the related socioeconomic costs.

The OIC has been actively assisting the Rohingya with respect to international advocacy and humanitarian assistance. But it can play a larger role and intensify its efforts; it should not become complacent just because the case is now in the ICJ pipeline. Finding more strategic allies, the OIC must persistently push for reforms and remind the world that the Rohingya’s fate seems to have fallen into limbo. Most importantly, OIC member states need to take a step back and pause to assess their sincerity. The often-chanted slogan of “global kinship” that imams and scholars in Muslim societies preach from the pulpit every Friday must be manifested in dealings and actions. And the first to embody this spirit should be the Muslim leaders in all spheres.

In no way do we undermine the suffering and pleas of Myanmar’s people, who are courageously resisting the military and fighting to restore peace and democracy. But true democracy and justice cannot be achieved without fair and equal treatment of all – including the Rohingya. ih

Raudah Yunus is a public health researcher, writer and social activist. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Forty Years of Being Muslim

A Journey with Dr. Tamara Gray

BY TAYYABA SYED

January 2025 marks a special milestone: 40 years since Shaykha Tamara Gray accepted Islam. Dr. Gray, EdD, is the founder, executive director, and chief spiritual officer at Rabata. Spending time reflecting as the big day approaches, she feels that it’ll be a full-circle moment for her. As a new Muslim in the mid-1980s, she searched and yearned for ways to learn about Islam.

“To be a Muslim woman at that time was a frustrating experience,” recalls Gray, who grew up in Minnesota and returned there in 2012, after her studies and work in Damascus, Syria. “In the 80s, we didn’t have access to learning. The books written about Islam or Muslim women used English that was riddled with rough language and mistranslations, or the tone was derogatory. Going to the mosque was frustrating too. You didn’t feel like part of the community. Converts really struggle with culture, and I experienced that in those early years.”

She remembers the day very clearly, standing at the corner of Grand and Snelling Avenues in St. Paul and pleading with God to send her the people and community she needed to both sustain and grow her faith. She didn’t know how much longer she could do this on her own.

MOVING TO SYRIA

Her supplication was answered shortly thereafter — she met a woman who had studied in Syria and was willing to teach her. In one week, she had scripted 100+ pages of notes on Islamic subjects like fiqh, sirah, and tazkiya (purification of the soul). This inspired her to pursue further studies in Syria under the tutelage of more women like her first teacher.

“I met women there who had memorized the Quran, mastered the ten qiraat (methods of recitation), received certification in the books of hadith and were serious yet joyful about their faith,” she shares.

“They had deep daily worship, were continuous learners who taught what they

learned to their communities, held professional titles/careers, and simultaneously had a healthy family life. People we would call ‘superwomen,’ but they are embodying the example of the Companions …

“This is the true culture of Islam, and I am grateful to have met them and witnessed what we can be for Allah in this life. Yes, we can stretch ourselves with the abilities and blessings Allah has given us. My initial intent was to save my faith and not lose it; it quickly changed to wanting to share it with whomever I could.”

Over the next few decades, Gray did just that by advancing in her Islamic and secular studies and excelling professionally. She holds a doctorate in leadership (University of St. Thomas, ’19), a master’s degree in curriculum theory and instruction (Temple University, ’91), and has spent 20 years studying traditional and classical Islamic sciences,

Quran, and Arabic in Damascus. She also worked in education for 25 years before moving into the nonprofit world.

In 2012, Gray took a temporary leave from her job and returned to the U.S. with the intention of only being away for five months (from the civil war). While she was here, some of her students arranged a tour for her to meet with North American Muslim women. In one month, she gave almost 70 talks and met hundreds of them. But, she noticed something concerning: Many of them were facing great struggles, especially with faith.

“It was like nothing had changed in the 20 years I was away,” Gray notes. “These women wanted to go to jannah but were dealing with bitterness and ignorance on how to practice their faith.”

RABATA IS BORN

That fall, she offered a pilot course on the Companions. Over 150 women registered for this life-changing online class. This quickly led to the inception of Rabata’s educational program Ribaat, which now offers 125 courses with 2,000+ students per semester worldwide. Rabata’s mission is to create positive cultural change through creative educational experiences for women, teenaged girls, and children.

Gray believes that when you are a Muslim woman, you’re not talking about Islam, but living a Muslim life. According to her, we should be magnets for people to come to Allah and bring goodness wherever we are, which requires us to be intentional in everything we do and have an akhira perspective.

“It is women who carry forth culture, and a lot of what we do and offer at Rabata is what I needed when I started on this path to Allah,” says Gray. “When I came back to the U.S., I met so many women (nonverts and converts) with that same need. Rabata may just be the result of someone’s answered du‘a like Damascus was for me. I wanted to bring what I gained there and share it with women here through Rabata: give it forth and give it out.

“As I have been doing final assessments with our most recent graduates [41 to date], they keep sharing how grateful they are. When we say we are trying to ‘create positive cultural change,’ that penetrates women’s personal lives through confidence in their faith. They tell me that thanks to Rabata, they are working differently in their communities now and raising their families better.”

Gray believes that when you are a Muslim woman, you’re not talking about Islam, but living a Muslim life. According to her, we should be magnets for people to come to Allah and bring goodness wherever we are, which requires us to be intentional in everything we do and have an akhira perspective.

unique lifestyles and cultural choices. Rabata helped address their feelings of being alone and uninformed regarding money matters.

In June 2023, Rabata received the twoyear Healthy Connections and Social Impact grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation. This opportunity provides Rabata the support to curate intergenerational programming for the state’s Muslim women to be connected to one another to reduce social isolation and, in turn, lead healthier lives.

“We had to think outside the box,” she shares, “and get even more creative in bringing about this positive cultural change.” Rabata has organized sports and physical activities like boxing, skiing, golf, Pilates, and yoga in a safe and healthy communal environment. The yoga classes even drew an intergenerational group of women and girls to Rabata’s headquarters and cultural center (RCC) in Arden Hills, Minn., every week.

They also initiated a financial literacy program, as many local Muslim women expressed interest in learning how to manage finances compatible with their

Not only are women bettering themselves through such educational experiences, but they are also finding community in-person and online. Rabata provided a virtual learning and spiritual platform many years before Covid-19 hit. However, during the pandemic they opened Masjid Rabata for women to gather online to worship and be together in a safe, digital space. In 2023 alone, this online masjid held 200+ gatherings and hosted 21,000+ attendees globally throughout the year.

“Living in Syria meant I was not online,” says Gray. “Therefore, I am not a digital native but a digital immigrant. Online teaching was so new to me, but I believed in the idea that being together virtually is still within ‘Allah’s space,’ where we can exchange knowledge, emotions, and our state of being. It is not the same as watching a video, but [is] actually ‘sitting together’ even if we are physically apart. Digital time is real time, through which we can still bring real benefit and value to our lives.”

Considering this, Gray is the resident scholar for the Ribaat Academic Institute, teaching multiple classes online and in-person. Aside from Rabata, she is also a faculty member at The Islamic Seminary of America, serves on the board of the Fiqh Council of North America, writes academic articles as a senior fellow at the Yaqeen Institute, and has authored her award-winning book “Joy Jots” (Daybreak Press, 2014) — a collection of 52 weekly essays that take the reader through a year of seasons. She has also helped translate the late Syrian scholar Dr. Samira al-Zayid’s “A Compendium of the Sources on the Prophetic Narrative” (Daybreak Press, 2018).

BALANCING IT ALL

Among the pushbacks she has received since moving back to the U.S. is that she is “doing too much.” Aside from diligently doing the work of deen, she is married: three adult children, two grandchildren, and nearby parents and siblings. When asked how she balances everything, she mentions that it’s more about continuously recentering ourselves around God rather than trying to balance it all.

“Every week I ask myself what the big goals are that I want to reach this week,” she shares. “What am I working towards? It’s not just thinking about work but my whole life. How am I making time for my family? I like to be at my granddaughter’s soccer games and will move my schedule around if need be. It is all about improving relationships, continuing to grow and developing ourselves for Allah.”

In an era where Muslim women struggle to be recognized for their scholarship, qualifications, and seniority in Muslim spaces, it’s refreshing to find Shaykha Tamara Gray is remaining steadfast in her vision of creating a rising tide of female Muslim scholars, teachers, and community stewards in every digital and local neighborhood in the world. ih

Tayyaba Syed, a multiple award-winning author, journalist, and Islamic studies teacher, conducts literary and faith-based presentations for all ages; serves on Rabata’s board of directors; and is an elected member of her local school district’s board of education in Illinois, where she lives with her husband and three children.

Halal Isn’t the Same as Kosher

Similarities, Differences, and Challenges Exist Between the Two

BY MOHAMMAD ABDULLAH

Many people think that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are very different. In fact, however, they have many shared beliefs, customs, and traditions. For example, they consider Abraham (‘alayhi as salaam) a prophet of God and believe in philanthropy, cleanliness, and each other’s religious dietary laws (kosher and halal [Editor’s note: Christianity has no dietary laws]).

Quran 5:5 refers to Jews and Christians as the People of the Book, for they have a special place in Islam because of their similar beliefs, “This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you, and yours is lawful unto them” (5:5).

However, much has changed over time. Today, only about 24% of Conservative Jews say they keep kosher in their homes (Pew Research, May 11, 2021). According to genesissteakhouse.com, for the kashrut (ritual suitability), they regard their wines as kosher and are encouraged to consume kosher alcohol on special holidays and occasions such as Shabbat, Hanukkah, and Passover. There is even a tradition of giving infant boys a few drops of wine as a blessing during their circumcision ceremony. Hence food items and drinks, despite displaying the kosher symbol, may contain alcohol and therefore are not halal.

Halal and kosher are based on the principles of each faith’s dietary laws, along with the specific slaughtering methods to identify allowed and prohibited animals, and how they should produce and handle certain foods.

The requirements of halal are embodied in the Islamic concepts of halal (the permitted life practices), tayyib (pure, wholesome), and haram. Kosher (Hebrew: “fit and “proper” or “properly prepared”) foods comprise meat, dairy, and pareve (all other kosher foods, including fish, eggs, and plant-based foods). Trief corresponds to haram. In olden days, some staples in both religions’ were pareve, such as falafel and hummus. Todays, although

such products might count as kosher and halal in theory, they may not always be so in practice (Culinary Schools.org).

Kosher and halal also describe a wide range of foods and beverages, but in this article we are focusing more on meat.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Before going any further, some background information can be useful to consumers and food manufacturers.

In the old days, people knew how local animals were raised, blessed, and slaughtered. Today, our food comes from the global marketplace. The global demand for halal and kosher products continue to rise primarily due to population increases, urbanization, and increasing income, despite some countries banning the relevant slaughtering methods as “cruel.”

As globalization continues, food producing companies compete via producing more products in less time and at cheaper costs. This has resulted in the use of vertical integrated farming, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations are becoming the predominant method of food animal production, and slaughtering and processing establishments are using faster production lines.

Much has changed in the past half century, including the workings of certification

organizations. In the absence of large, dedicated halal slaughtering and processing establishments, Muslim countries continue to import meat and poultry products from non-Muslim countries that produce halal meat and poultry products on an as-needed basis. The complexities of modern food manufacturing and international trade have caused importing countries to require halal certification.

Individual halal and kosher certification organizations, not the USDA or some other national body, certify halal or kosher meat and poultry products. In the U.S., its logo is applied only after the animals have passed the USDA’s ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections and received the “USDA Inspected and Passed” stamp. This indicates that the product is wholesome, prepared in sanitary environments, properly packaged and labeled, and is fit for human consumption. The halal and kosher certification organizations’ logos go beyond those steps by certifying that all of the relevant religious requirements have been met as well.

However, the certification industry is self-regulated and certification requirements vary from organization to organization. Thus, no overall entity has the authority to enforce uniformity, verify traceability, and hold a producer to account.

For example, according to ResearchGate. net (June 2023), halal certification and labeling are abused. Ab Talib et al., says that “most of the companies implement halal certification for the competition with their rivals, not for the motivation of the assurance of halal food authenticity. Therefore, a clear understanding of halal certification system is needed” (www.researchgate.net/ publication/281456640).

A nearly similar situation exists in the kosher certification sector. An article in the oukosher.org (June 7, 2005) states that, “there are number of different kosher certification organizations, each known as ‘hechsher’ and comes from a different Jewish organization or rabbi. Many food products that

were never-before kosher certified are now appearing with kosher symbols. An unfortunate side effect of this proliferation has been an increase in the number of products that are misrepresented to the public as being kosher certified” (oukosher.org>articles).

For example, as far back as 1925, the New York City Department of Markets estimated that 40% of the meat sold as kosher in the city was actually non-kosher (https://www. cato.org/; Fall 2013).

The March 20, 2024 issue of the “Cornell Chronicle” states that “in the United States

complete loss of sensibility. Curiously, so much emphasis is placed on using pre-stunning methods (captive bolt gun, electrical, and CO2 gas), while neither they nor halal and kosher methods are completely free of stress or pain (Religious Exemption is No Bar to Animal Welfare, Islamic Horizons, March/April 2018).

Other similarities are that animals with cloven (split) hooves and/or those that chew their cud are allowed, animals with fangs are prohibited, and consuming pork and blood is prohibited in both.

However, the certification industry is selfregulated and certification requirements vary from organization to organization. Thus, no overall entity has the authority to enforce uniformity, verify traceability, and hold a producer to account.

slaughtering methods face the same set of challenges.

CHALLENGES

The Independent (U.K.) headline on June 22, 2009, said, “End ‘cruel’ religious slaughter — “Beasts should be stunned before their throats are slit, Jews and Muslims are told.” Lancashire (U.K.). on Oct. 26, 2017, became the first council to ban un-stunned halal meat in state schools (www.theguardian. com). On Feb. 27, 2019, the EU’s highest court ruled that halal and kosher meat cannot be labeled organic if the animal wasn’t stunned before being slaughtered (https:// forward.com>food).

Jews account for roughly 2% of the total U.S. population. Yet, some 40% of packaged foods and beverages in a typical supermarket are certified kosher, while Muslims account for about 1% of the U.S. population and have relatively less impact on American markets.”

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN HALAL AND KOSHER

The most singled out similarity — animals must be alive, not stunned, prior to being slaughtered — is the reason for banning these slaughtering methods in certain European countries. The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (1958) and similar laws elsewhere require that animals be stunned before slaughter. However, animals slaughtered in accord with religious dietary laws are provided “a religious exemption.” Nevertheless, some groups and politicians target these methods as “cruel” in the belief that they cause pain to animals.

Both methods consist of completely draining the slaughtered animal’s blood by a swift, deep incision with a very sharp knife on the throat, cutting the esophagus, trachea, jugular vein, and carotid arteries of both sides, but leaving the spinal cord intact. This results in a profuse instantaneous bleeding and loss of blood, which ensures a quick drop in blood pressure to the brain and an almost

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HALAL AND KOSHER

And yet their many small differences cause them to diverge in profound ways. For example, kosher slaughtering (shechita) is carried out by a shochet, trained in the laws of kashruth, whereas any able-bodied Muslim man can be a butcher; camels and rabbits are halal but not kosher – they chew the cud but do not have cloven hooves; sea animals that have no fins and scales are prohibited (Deuteronomy 14:3-10), whereas in Islam they may be consumed; the shochet is required to make one blessing when doing a day’s worth of work, whereas a Muslim butcher must say the tasmiah before killing each animal; the Jewish inspectors (bodeks) examine certain organs, including blowing up the lungs to see if they will hold air — if they can, the meat is kosher, and glatt kosher (it’s lungs must have no adhesions or lesions, which could indicate a hole in the lung and make it unkosher) meat must be soaked and salted to rid the carcass of blood — not so in Islam; kosher prohibits meat and dairy pairing; halal does not.

Furthermore, an animal’s hindquarters isn’t considered kosher because it contains forbidden fats and the sciatic nerve. Removing this nerve is time consuming; Islam doesn’t require this. However, both

In 2017 and 2018, two of Belgium’s three regions banned slaughter without stunning, saying that it was cruel to animals. According to Cnaan Liphshiz, “Jewish leaders in Europe say the EU is not only banning some methods of kosher and halal slaughter, but also telling them how to practice their religions” (www. timesofisrael.com/, June 29, 2021). On Feb. 15, 2024, Europe’s top rights court ruled that bans of ritual slaughter in parts of Belgium can stand, amid fears that other countries will follow suit (www.timesofisrael.com).

KOSHER ISN’T THE SAME AS HALAL Kosher and halal carry a different meaning and spirit. While some kosher products can be halal, halal products cannot be kosher unless they are certified kosher. Furthermore, Judaism comprises various sects and the variant authorities in the U.S. certify kosher based on extremely liberal to extremely conservative rules (www.genesisstakehouse.com>).

In terms of Quran 5:5, one must understand that preceding the permission is a reiteration of “All good things have been made lawful to you.” This indicates that if the food and beverages of the People of the Book include things prohibited to Muslims, then the latter should avoid them.

Consumers should carefully read the ingredient statement on the halal- as well as kosher-certified products, acknowledge the differences to ensure respect for individual beliefs, and work together to preserve the “religious exemption” — a good example of non-interference in religious matters in a multi-religious society. ih

Mohammad Abdullah, DVM, who retired after serving 29 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the agency that regulates the meat industry, is the author of “A Closer Look at Halal Meat from Farm to Fork” (2016).

CULTURE

Learning Islamic Calligraphy in North America

Renowned Arabic Calligrapher Josh Berer Continues the Tradition

BY NAJIA SHUAIB

Josh Berer, initially interested in graffiti, got his formal exposure to calligraphy during one of his college Arabic classes. When the professor played a video of a calligrapher writing the Arabic alphabet, the written word immediately spoke to him, and he became determined to learn the craft by himself. He has never looked back.

English-German on one side, and Hungarian-Russian on the other, born to a mother who was a professor of Islamic art history, Berer seemed destined to become an Islamic traditional artist.

Among a few handful practitioners of Arabic calligraphy in the U.S., Berer graduated in Arabic and Islamic studies (University of Washington) and completed his Master’s in Central Asian languages (Indiana University). His timeline goes like this: a 2005 venture to major in Arabic at the university level, a 2007 move to Yemen to study Arabic full-time while taking beginner’s calligraphy sessions, and a 2009 trip to Istanbul that eventually turned his interest into a real passion.

During his stay in Istanbul, a chance meeting with one of the calligraphy world’s most respected voices changed the course of his life. He said, “Josh! If you’re serious about this art, look up [America’s master Islamic calligrapher] Mohamed Zakariya when you get back to America.” Upon return, Berer packed up his bags and moved to the District of Columbia to be a full-time apprentice under Zakariya’s guidance and teaching. His 18-year journey, traveling through four countries and three languages, finally culminated in July 2020 when Zakariya awarded him an ijazah (master calligrapher’s license) in the Thuluth and Naskh scripts.

EXHIBITIONS

Josh has exhibited his work extensively. However, two experiences stand out as remarkable in his memories. First, the Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial of 2022, where he exhibited alongside some of the most engaging and creative Arabic calligraphers working today, including Yemeni master calligrapher Zeki al-Hashemi, one of his earliest

mentors. Driving across the UAE and visiting calligraphy festivals spread over three of the emirates was quite an experience for him.

The second was the Reed Society for Sacred Arts show “Living Line, Living Legacy,” which showcased the works of Zakariya and his graduated students Nihad Dukhan (professor of mechanical engineering, University of Detroit Mercy), Elinor Aishah Holland (a New York-based freelance lettering artist), Nuria Garcia Masip (a Spanish calligrapher of Arabic calligraphy), Pablo Khalid Casado (a Spanish master calligrapher), Manzar Moghbeli (a noted practitioner of Nasta’liq), Deniz Öktem Bektaş (an internationally recognized and classically trained Arabic calligraphy artist), and Berer himself — an exhibition by an extremely honorable group of calligraphers about which, he says, he was honored to be a part of.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Berer shares some great insights about learning Arabic calligraphy in this country. After starting his journey, he soon realized that “here in America no tools or readymade supplies could be bought, so anything required must be made from scratch, at home. This requires a fair bit of innovation, alongside the traditional strategies, as the means and proper materials are not always available.” So, one must improvise. He also had to learn the fundamentals of the other, related art forms: the dyeing of paper, making of ink, paper marbling, etc. “That comes slowly, over time, and through much experimentation and waste.”

His first lesson with Zakariya will always be a captivating memory. He began with the traditional Ottoman curriculum by writing a du‘a (Rabbi yassir wa la tu‘assir [O Lord make it easy and not difficult]) and the first half of the alphabet’s letters in the Thuluth and Naskh scripts. Zakariya cut two reed pens for him, one for each script, and wrote the lesson out with added measurement dots in red, while Josh carefully watched the master’s hand movements. The assignment was to attempt to copy it and bring it back the following week.

In the next session, he would correct his lesson to attempt it again. That practice continued week after week until it was written more or less perfectly, as are the letters. This system has reliably taught calligraphers for 500+ years.

After the rest of the alphabet, he needed to practice a long series of prescribed

With Hasan Celebi, shaykh of all calligraphers.

phrases, verses, and hadiths before getting his Ijazah in 2020. Berer is currently preparing another ijazah piece for the Taliq script, the most difficult style to master. Given this reality, students are often advised to wait until one is an accomplished calligrapher before embarking upon it.

WHY HE PURSUES CALLIGRAPHY

Discussing the responsibilities to preserve this sacred art in North America, Berer elaborates openly, “I work an extremely analog job in an extremely digital world. I cannot preserve traditional calligraphy techniques if the next generation of artists is not interested in learning them.” He and other North American traditional Islamic calligraphers are trying their best to produce quality work and continuously writing or speaking about these processes on different platforms. However, he believes that the next generation must be interested in learning this sacred art.

He admits that working with these techniques isn’t easy. It also takes a lot of steadfastness and resolution to keep practicing. But in the end the ultimate reward is producing decent art pieces by following the path of great masters, working days and nights to keep this sacred art alive, and leaving a good legacy behind to inspire future generations — a long hard road with no shortcuts, but it’s worth the effort.

Berer has also done extensive graphic design for clients to produce calligraphy for digital applications (e.g., websites and logo design, etc.) in the past, but now prefers to handle just the calligraphy portion and then pass it on to a professional graphic designer who can integrate it into its final context. He thinks that instead of consuming his time on the computer, he should focus more on calligraphy.

He adds that there is limited exposure/ knowledge of traditional Islamic arts in the U.S., but there is also tremendous public curiosity and interest, which means that “when people go looking for someone who can practice these arts, they often end up in contact.” Although a relatively small group of artists is practicing these traditional arts in North America, everyone is very supportive and helpful. He believes that the future of Islamic art in the U.S. depends on what Muslim Americans want it to be. “The Muslim community is still young in this country, and the arts are often less of a focus for younger

He believes that the future of Islamic art in the U.S. depends on what Muslim Americans want it to be. “The Muslim community is still young in this country, and the arts are often less of a focus for younger communities when it comes to where to direct resources.”

or direct them, and see very few inspiring examples around them. It isn’t anyone’s fault, he says. There’s just an absence of guidance. But there is a large degree of interest in learning Islamic traditional arts, and that must be encouraged and nurtured. “This means bringing in artists from outside to conduct workshops, as well as a strong will in students to travel and learn languages to pursue this form of art. It also means parents willing to support their children in non-STEM career paths as well.”

In a detailed piece of advice for interested people, Berer recommends looking at what they’re hoping to get out of it and the level of commitment (both time and money) they’re ready to devote. “For those just looking to get their feet wet and see how it goes,” he suggests taking an online course with the Deen Arts Foundation can be a great start. “For those interested in devoting a little bit more to it, several organizations or individuals are offering two-week summer traditional art tours of Istanbul.

“They arrange visits to the studios of calligraphers, tezhip (ornamentation) artists, paper marblers, and bookbinders across the city for workshops and lessons. These tours help [one] to get acquainted with the city and its art scene. Staying an additional two weeks to make personal contacts with the calligraphers and artists one met along the way can prove to be very beneficial in the long run.”

Istanbul is a vibrant, international community of people who have moved there to learn the Islamic arts. After a month of doing art there, one can make sufficient contacts and formulate a path to move forward as an apprentice student of the classical arts, even from abroad.

For those interested in a career change or a life devoted to the traditional Islamic arts, Berer highly recommends either pursuing a degree program from Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University (Istanbul) or from the Kings Foundation School of Traditional Arts (London). He also suggests that moving to Istanbul for three or five years to apprentice with a teacher full-time can make this journey quicker, smoother, and more fruitful. ih

communities when it comes to where to direct resources.”

As a result, interested budding artists often face difficulty in finding the right resources for guidance, people who can help

Najia Shuaib is a multifaceted freelance writer, visual artist, calligrapher, and Arabesque designer with a deep passion for Islamic traditional art. Her career has been dedicated to exploring the art, architecture, and archaeological history of the Middle East and Southeast, West, and Central Asia. She is now turning her attention to North America’s Muslim artists and the rich Islamic art collections featured in its museums.