When I heard a Muslim children's magazine was being published in 2010, I admit my first reactions included the words, 'boring, bland' and 'I coulda done that!'
But, subhan'Allah, the Muslim flavoured Little Explorers magazine has melted that icy cynical thinking and developed my love for (1) Islam, (2) children and (3) Islam for children. And Little Explorer's isn't even for my age group.
Little Explorer's latest issue, 'The Adhan, a beautiful call', is a team effort from British Muslims under the supervision of global iconic Muslims, including sh. Navaid Aziz, imam Bilal Philips and life coach Zohra Sarwari.
I give my copies to my cousin aged 3 who loves to memorise the duas and sharp colourful images that remind her of Cbeebies, and my other cousin aged 8 who reads the stories, science activities and activity pages.
Thus, Little Explorers is the only magazine for young children, and for parents wanting to improve their children's Islamic education.
"Issue 4 is full of lots of exciting things to READ, LEARN and EXPLORE! so have fun exploring when you get yours! In this issue, We learn about the Adhan, we learn the Arabic Alphabet, we follow the adventures of Sarah and Adam as well as some great and fun activities and much much more! All of you also get a FREE, full colour sticker sheet to have lots of fun with."
Appraisal from Shaikh Navaid Aziz:
Perhaps we are the ones who are privileged by Little Explorers. May Allah bless this project and all others like it. Ameen. We have such a huge responsibility towards our future I pray that we can fulfill it.
EMEL is Britain's greatest selling and most profiled Muslim magazine. In this month's issue emel features an amazing 8 page spread on British women converts to Islam.
More articles in the full issue:
- Three Cups Of Tea - How Greg Mortenson is building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan
- Part 2 of the Imam Ghazali feature: The Importance Of Character
- Sharp and sophisticated Muslim attire for men: Modish Dasha
- Geek Shaykh - reviewing the Xbox Kinect V Playstation V Nintendo
emel online includes the main articles and features only so to get the full impact of each issue, subscribe and get a copy today! I did!
Feature: We Bear Witness
"A recent study put the number of Britons embracing Islam at 100,000 with two-thirds of them women. Sarah Joseph speaks to five converts about their journey to Islam.
Given the perception of Islam as a strange and foreign faith, I am intrigued by how many times converts tell me, “It was what I already believed in”, “It answered the questions that had always bothered me”, “It wasn’t anything new.” Whilst the change in faith may lead to some lifestyle shifts, the essence of the faith seems almost familiar..."
"I have experienced a lot of reactions from people when they found out that I became a Muslim. Confusion, happiness, incredulity, joy, outrage; but the reaction that I am most uncomfortable with is when a Muslim says to me, “You chose to be a Muslim. You are better than I am.”
I do not accept the idea of me being “better” in faith than someone else is. That’s really for God to decide. I know my own imperfections, and as I mull over them I know also that I cannot even console myself with “I try my best”. I know that my “best” can be better than it is currently. We should not judge another’s relationship with God – either to think theirs is better or worse than our own. Our duty is to our own relationship with The Divine..." →Continue reading Choosing God...
Diary of a Beardless Rumi - A Kiss from India
"It’s been a while since I made my last entry. That’s no excuse for a Spiritual Man because, as everyone knows, spiritual men have discipline gushing out of every hole in their body. But you should know this: if you want to get a spiritual experience then home is most definitely not the place to be.
For a start, people here make so much noise, and there are so many people. In the last year, Aboo’s four brothers have moved to the area. If my uncles aren’t in the house, then it’s my aunties, and if it’s not the aunties then it’s their sons and daughters. It is totally crazy the number of relatives that come in and out of our house. I’m afraid to lift up a toilet seat just in case a relative will pop out..." →Continue reading The Diary Of A Beardless Rumi...
Film review: To Be a British Muslim - A Muslim Who Lives In Britain, by Nadiya Tokalia
“To be a British Muslim- A Muslim who lives in Britain” - simply and beautifully put. Except that for many Brits, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, it is not so simple. Questions about British Muslims- their identity, meaning and purpose are something we encounter on a daily basis; 9/11, 7/7, hijab, niqab, faith school, Islamist, moderate, radical. This is the overwhelmingly stereotypical dialogue that we confront in the media and our conversations with our colleagues and friends... →Continue reading Brit Muslim...
In the name of God, compassionate & merciful
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Peace be with you السلام عليكم
Female Hip Hop duo Poetic Pilgrimage joined forces with Mozambican Hip Hop Activist Mohammed Yahya to bring you this hard-hitting political anthem 'Silence is Consent', addressing the failure of our so-called leaders throughout the world to serve and protect the people.
From Egypt to Tunisia, Yemen to Saudi Arabia, Somalia to Bahrain and everywhere else where injustices take place daily.
Produced by Beat Thief. Filmed and Directed by GlobalFaction.
I like this. It's hard hitting, frank; Poetic Pilgrimage and Mohammed Yahya aren't sugar-coating the state of affairs - someone is always responsible for the existence of oppressed people. What do you think? Slate or rate it in the comments section.
What:Passion Islam Media is a Muslim media organisation dedicated to raising awareness of the news' stories and issues overlooked by the mainstream press in the Western world.
The magazine is a daw`ah project that strives to inspire followers from any background, to challenge the misconceptions construed by mainstream media and to take action to build resilience and cohesion within our communities. Justice and information is essential part of Passion Islam message. The magazine is based in the Mill town of West Yorkshire, England, UK and has a staggering readership of 110,000+ across the UK and the world.
In this month, the FEBRUARY 2011 issue, {Passion Islam} features an editorial expose on the Arab states of tyranny, a report on the increasing number of UK converts to Islam and rare photos of an exquisite copy of the Qur'an.
Plus, Passion Islam's latest issue covers the following:
→ Shameful Terror Laws Remain
→ UK store boycotts illegal Israeli beauty products
→ UK rejects call for inquiry into Afghan war
→ Government moves to proscribe Taliban
→ UK and US hold anti-terror talks
→ ‘US hides war facts from its citizens’
→ Azerbaijani Muslims protest hijab ban
→ Ex-US defense Secretary accused of torture
→ ‘Israel poisoned Arafat with thallium’
→ SPORT: Liverpool could snap up Celtic wonder-Bhoy Islam Feruz
→ Featured: COMMERCIAL LOVE
→ Featured: Islam in Panama
→ Featured: Islamic Wills by 1st Ethical Charitable Trust
→ emailbox
And lots more inside!
Who: The magazine was founded by journalist Shakir Ahmed who, whilst working with several media organisations, felt the national Muslim voice was lost and refuted his first-hand experienced of injustice in the media, which told him 'you only see what they want you to see'.
Why: Passion Islam aims to give a better understanding of Islam to the wider society. The media have much to answer for when it comes to reporting stories about the Muslim community, and Passion Islam hopes to open up doors, allow a Muslim voice to be heard, and to help other Muslim organisations in dealing with the media.
In the name of God, compassionate & merciful بِسْمِاللهِالرَّحْمنِالرَّحِيمِ | Peace be with you السلامعليكم
How To Know If They Are The One?
Many young Muslims STRUGGLE to spot their potential spouse. So, how do you REALLY know if they are the ONE? Our hereafter (akhirah) will be greatly influenced by who we marry, do you agree?
In this Unique Marriage iWebinar:
- Baba Ali will share a NEVER HEARD before personal marriage experience!
- You'll see why it is a BIG MUST to ask your potential spouse relevant questions!
- Aaqib Ahmed, the founder of iPOET, will share his start up plans for the iMARRIAGE Project!
- And how iMARRIAGE aims to bridge the gap between Islam & culture through the wisdom of scholars!
1) Where is the iWebinar going to be? We'll keep you in the e-mail loop insha'Allah and after you register we'll send you the iWebinar ONLINE Location Link.
2) Will the iWebinar hosts be able to answer my Islamic Marriage Questions? Subhan'Allah, both brothers Ali and Aaqib are not Islamic Scholars, but we will handpick the most suitable questions to answer.
3) How can I support this iWebinar? Please share this post on Fb and Twitter, and encourage your friends offline to visit the registration page, and share that link with their contacts inshaAllah.
4) When I register through e-mail it says I need to print out the ticket, do I need to? No. But save that email. Once you register, keep an eye out for our e-mail in which we'll send you the online location link.
Special thanks to the official sponsors and iWebinar partners of "How To Know?"
Date: Sunday, March 13, 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM (GMT) Convert starting times to your timezone Venue: Online Speakers: Baba Ali (Ummah Films) & Aaqib (iPoet)
For questions or potential partnership queries contact: ipoet_dawah@hotmail.com
"And on the earth there are many tracts of land neighbouring each other." (Qur'an, 13:4)
God has caused the various regions of the world to differ from one another despite their closeness. These regions differ in many respects - in their configuration, in their colour, in their component elements, in their characteristics, properties and potentialities, in the produce which they yield and in the chemical and mineral deposits which are hidden under their surface. The variation and diversity thus found abounds in wisdom and leads to countless benefits. Let us disregard for a moment the benefits inherent in this diversity in respect of other species of creation and simply consider the benefits which accrue to human beings. In this regard it will be noted that there is a very close correspondence between the diverse interests and purposes of man and the diversity which characterizes the different regions of the world. The result of all this is manifest in the growth and flourishing of human culture and civilization.
It would be bold and rash for anyone to brand all this as the outcome of mere coincidence. On the contrary, common sense suggests that all this undoubtedly represents the careful and benevolent planning of the All-Wise Creator.
Ihsan adds beauty and excellence to cordial relations. No relationship can be established on measuring constantly whether one has fulfilled one's obligations. One should not be very particular about one's own rights, with a view to ensuring that one gets all that is one's due. Rather, one should be ever-ready to do favours for others. A strictly business-like relationship may work. However, this would be lacking in mutual love, gratitude, sacrifice, sincerity and warmth, which are so important in life. Doing good stands for excellent conduct, generous dealings, a sympathetic attitude, good manners, forgiveness and making allowances. One should be prepared to accept less than one's due and give others more than what they deserve. This point is eloquently made in the following hadith:
"O Allah! Let me maintain ties with him who severs these. Let me grant him his due that deprives me of what is due to me. Let me forgive him who wrongs me." (Mishkat)
In other words this character trait demands that one should give others over and above what is their due. More importantly, one should do good to him who wrongs one. For true believers are those who repulse evil with their good deeds.
Ownership is the decision to become the author of our own experience. It is the choice to decide on our own what value and meaning will occur when we show up. It is the stance that each of us is creating the world, even the one we have inherited.
This requires us to believe in the possibility that this organization, this neighbourhood, this community is mine and ours to create. This will occur when we are willing to answer the essential question, "How have I contributed to creating the current reality?" Confusion, blame, and waiting for someone else to change are defences against ownership and personal power.
A Subtle denial of ownership is innocence and indifference. The future is denied with the response, "It doesn't matter to me - whatever you want to do is fine." This is always a lie and just a polite way of avoiding a difficult conversation around ownership.
People best create that which they own, and cocreation is the bedrock of accountability. The ownership conversation most directly deals with the belief that each of us, perhaps even from the moment of birth, is cause, not effect.
MUSTAFA :: 'This was a very emotional film for me to make. I was in tears most of the time while cutting the footage together. I shot this footage while in Malawi and it was just as emotionally difficult to shoot as it was to edit. I wept due to the immense beauty of the images coupled with the very real hardship the film depicts. It pulls at the heart and makes one want to smile and cry at the same time… a sort of beautiful melancholy.
The young woman in this film is a 14 year old orphan girl named Sosi struggling to survive against unimaginable odds, with no parents to care for her. I decided to make the film more abstract to visually show an inward reality that I was feeling… and possibly to mask the sorrow by making it more dreamlike. My work is often as much about me as it is about the characters depicted and that's possibly why this film was so difficult to make. I have to get to a very vulnerable place in order to bring out real emotion and its not always easy.
I'm a visual director and I believe that some of the most potent stories can be told without the need for dialogue or explanation. I was curious how Amir would interpret the film and if he would understand what I was feeling when I made it. I was concerned that the words might take away from the serenity and subtleness of the story. When Amir sent me the poem [that night], I was once again in tears. His creative mind and sincere heart brought more out of the film than I was able to do on my own. He understood the message at an ever deeper level than I did. I originally named the film "BEYOND" to signify that whatever it is we were feeling while watching it, whatever it is we thought we understood… that the reality was beyond what our minds could fathom. After hearing Amir's poem I was so moved that renamed the film "SACRED."
AMIR SULAIMAN :: 'This was the most difficult write of all of the VisualVerses so far. When I finished, it was also the most satisfying. Alhamdulillah (all praise belongs to Allah). This poem is about this young woman but also about women in general. The poem revolves around a quotation for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (may peace and blessings be upon him) and his noble family.
Once a man came to the Prophet ﷺ saying,
"O Messenger of Allah! I intend to go on a military expedition, but I have come to ask your advice." He ﷺ said, "Is your mother alive?" He said, "Yes." He said, "Then stay with her, for the Paradise is under her feet."
The poem is also specifically about my mother. Watching this young woman walk a mile or so and walk back a mile or so carrying 6 or 7 gallons of water on her head, I knew without a doubt that mother would do the same for me. That made my heart proud and my stomach sick. I am proud to have such a mother and I feel sick that I have not striven appropriately to show my gratitude.
I say "in her breast is a thousand allegories/ in her limbs is a million other stories/ in her womb is God's Pride and Glory... Jesus Christ/ my paradise is at her feet". This is about women in general, but particularly the Black Woman as the womb of all civilization. In addition, since the creation of Prophet Adam (as), God has not brought forth a prophet or messenger (God's Pride and Glory) except that he had to pass through the private parts of a woman - be born. Our highest spiritual masters all came from a woman's lowest opening. Surely, in this are signs for those who consider. Prophet Jesus, for example, did not have a father but even he had a mother. This is why I mention him in particular. Then what is the appropriate honor given to these women, this noble creation, these prophet makers? Can we even measure or make a just estimation? I cannot. I can only say what my beloved spiritual master, has said, "Paradise lies at the foot of the mother".
Lyrics::
my paradise is at her feet
her soles make the dust sacred
her soul makes the dust sacred
what atlas carries on his shoulders
she carries in her arms
on her hip
her soles make the dust sacred
make the dust sacred
my paradise is at her feet
heaven help her
but heaven has
heaven has veiled her
like a bride
given away by her heavenly father
to man
but her holy matrimony
doen not match their ceremony
she was genuine
he was gesture
in her breast is a thousand allegories
in her limbs is a million other stories
in her womb is God's pride and glory
Jesus Christ
my paradise is at her feet
her soul makes the dust sacred
her soles make the dust sacred
my paradise is at her feet
her soles make the dust sacred
make the dust sacred
taken for granted
my tongue
taken by granite
my ego
an embankment
to prevent what are heart is saying
her
so simple, holy and naked
me
so silly, phony and vacant
what atlas carried on his shoulders
she carries in her heart
on her head
my paradise is at her feet
her soles make the dust sacred
her souls makes the dust sacred
What: Read With Meaning, the child-friendly blog by Mezba Mahtab in which unorthodox tools are being used to teach the Qur'an: Lego.
Mezba has taken an everyday toy and utilised these building blocks of playful education to teach Qur'an, photo by photo, verse by verse.
The Qur'an chapters on Read With Meaning include a photographic prologue for background information, high resolution photos of each verse and hundreds of Lego characters and scenic blocks to build a very realistic interpretation. It's fun and exuberant, yet balanced with enough literary detail for adults; this easy learning allows children in particular to feel as though the Lego is communicating with them and they can absorb huge amounts of 'ilm (knowledge) without getting bored.
I got in touch with Mezba to ask why she created the blog:
Tell us a bit about yourself:
"I was brought up in Middle East; I'm Bangladeshi-Canadian, in my mid-30s, and married."
Why did you create the blog?:
"What sparked my interest for this site was the realization that most muslims, including me, have no idea what the Qur'an verses we are reciting actually means, and about the context or relevance of any of the surahs to everyday life.
When challenged on a verse and what it purportedly means, we have no clue. That combined with the love of Lego and doing something constructive with my free time lead to the creation of Read With Meaning.
How often do you work on your blog and how do you recreate the verses with Lego?:
"I devote about 3-4 hours every Saturday (early morning) constructing and photographing the Qur'an section I want to feature in a post. During the week when I have some time to spare I think about how to depict a verse I am reading about or I read up on the tafsir of a section. My favourite post happens to be Surah Al Fil - The Elephant."
Surah al-Asr caught my eye because of the immensely creative interpretation of time, which otherwise can be difficult to visualise by the standalone ayaat (verses). Take a look:
Now is that cool, or is that cool? If our children have alternatives to video gaming and TV such as Read With Meaning, they will become the great active Muslims we hope them to be. All it takes is a great idea, determined planning and inspiring toys! Read With Meaning is regularly updated so check it out for yourself and be sure to leave Mezba a comment.
"They derive a variety of benefits and drinks from them (cattles). Will they, then not give thanks?" (Qur'an, 36:73)
Ingratitude consists in crediting someone other than the True Benefactor as the source of the bounty that one has received, or giving thanks for it to anyone other than Him, or expecting or seeking it from anyone other than Him. In like manner, using God's bounty in ways that do not please Him also amounts to ingratitude. Therefore, a polytheist, unbeliever, hypocrite or transgressor cannot be regarded as God's grateful servant merely because he verbally thanks God.
The Makkan unbelievers did not deny that God had created their cattle. They also did not content that any of their idols had a role in creating them. Yet they thanked their gods for the bounties conferred upon them by God, offering them sacrifices and invoking them for the bestowal of further bounties. This, therefore, make their verbal expression of gratitude to God meaningless. They were, therefore, branded as ungrateful.
"There are three types of dhulm: a type of dhulm that Allah does not leave, a type of dhulm that can be forgiven and a type of dhulm that is not forgiven. The dhulm that is not forgiven is shirk that Allah does not forgive. The dhulm that is forgiven is what is between a person and his Lord. And the dhulm that is not left is the dhulm between the servants [humans]. Allah gives them retribution from one another." [Ahmad]
Everything that Allah has forbidden is, in one way or another, a type of dhulm (oppression), while everything that He has ordered is a form of adl or justice. The greatest injustice is shirk (associating partners with Allah). The Prophet, peace be upon him, was once asked what is the greatest sin. He answered: "It is that you associate a partner with Allah while He created you." [Bukhari, Muslim]
Some of the common forms of dhulm that people commit towards one another are cheating in business transactions, denying one's debt to another, backbiting, killing one another, denying the rights of another and so forth. The one who commits dhulm to others must be especially fearful when he realizes that the supplication of the one he is wronging will be responded by Allah, even if that wronged person were an unbeliever. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Protect yourself from the supplication of the one who is wronged, even if he be a disbeliever, for there is no barrier for it [between he/she and Allah]." [Ahmad]
The benefits of daily prayers are twofold. The first benefit that daily prayer provides is a constant reminder throughout the day that we are God's servants. Each prayer is performed at a different strategic time so that no matter what we are doing or how busy we get, we are always aware that we either prayed a few hours ago or will pray again soon. This keeps the mind fresh and aware of our duty to God, and we become much less likely to want to break one of His laws. Who wants to cheat on a business contract when an hour later you are going to stand before God and ask for His favour and guidance? Only a hypocrite would be so brash (and God doesn't count their prayers on account of their duplicity).
The second benefit is that God forgives some of our sins each time we perform salat (prayer). If we are negligent in our duty and pray only irregularly, then we run a very great risk on Judgment Day.
Many concerned people get the impression that Islam is hard to follow. It's not as onerous as it sounds. A Muslim becomes used to the routine, and once you're used to something it doesn't become difficult any longer. The idea is that if you truly understand that God is real, you won't hesitate to take every opportunity to pray to Him.
Gaza's main source of water is Ground water. With it's high population density and a limited supply, water distribution is always a problem. The latest scientific studies have shown that up to 90% of this water is not suitable for human consumption. Dirty water condemns those who are forced to drink it to a disease-ridden life and often leads to a painful death.
Our friends over at Human Appeal International are aiming to build 6 purification units that will serve all 380 government schools in Gaza. This will provide more than 250,000 students with clean water and a path to good health.
HAI need us to help them, with our duas and donations, to implement this project:
1. You can read more about this project on their blog
2. Or, you can donate now via their secure website
The bringer of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is a great example of tolerance and keeping order. Many incidents in his life, his actions and reactions displayed kindness and concern for humans, regardless of who they were or what they did to him. The holy Prophet ﷺ was not an anarchist, he was kind and anxious for his people so he prayed for them even though they denied him, waged war, and believed in many gods which centred on their global market. We find this very much today too where kindness and sacrifice are replaced by materialism and a love of maintaining the economy.
The famous incident that took place in the valley of Ta’if is a prime example of patience and forgiveness taught by Islam. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ went to Ta’if to invite the people to believe in One God. He spoke with the leaders, but they rejected his call. He then turned to the people to give them the glad news of Islam, but this angered the leaders so they ordered the children to throw rocks at Muhammad ﷺ as he left. The people stoned him so badly that he bled profusely and his shoes were literally filled with his blood. According to authentic traditions, after he was able to escape their persecution, he made a heartfelt du`a (supplication) to Allah. In response, the Angel Jibril came to Muhammad ﷺ with the angel in charge of the mountains.
Jibil told Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that he was sent from Allah with this angel so that if he wanted, the angel would crush Ta'if with the two surrounding mountains. The Prophet ﷺ had a perfect opportunity for retribution but did he take it? No. In his great patience he replied not with violence but with the statement:
“O Allah, guide these people, because they did not know what they were doing.”
A decade later, the people of Ta'if embraced Islam. The people were not ready, they rejected Allah and His Prophet with the worse of reaction but the message that came to save them did not reply with greater violence or anger. That message of monotheism, patience, forgiveness, accountability and perseverance forgave the people of Ta'if, not only that, its messenger, the Prophet, made du`a for them. When was the last time you made du`a for your enemy?
This is one great example of a great man who literally rejected revenge and destruction upon his community. It was the compassion in him for rescuing his people that motivated him to take the higher path. He ﷺ never said that he was going to compel them into belief or condemn them for saying 'no'; but in fact he refrained from any and all evil thought, always hoping for the best for people, through effort, understanding and sacrifice.
What can we learn from the Egyptian Revolution? Well the short answer as to what to take away is just how much determined Muslims are capable of, even this late in the hour. I think this has opened everybody’s eyes that despite how weak our sense of self-worth has become we still have a spark in us. The giant has awoken. Our eyes have been opened to the reality of what we can achieve. And I think that is the biggest thing to come out of all this: dignity. It says that we are not just the neglected subjects of an American hegemony, nor are we just the enemies of Israel, nor are we just angry, but we are people and we are not limited by the simplistic outlook of ideology. I think that is exactly the sort of mentality that is needed to revive Islam today because it speaks to living Islam and that is what Islamic rule is about - it is not just about dying for Islam, but living it. It speaks of a courage and calm calculation that is remarkable to see spring into action.
There have been some weak statements from Hamza Yusuf's recent Sandala blog post, Imam Zaid's 'Game Over, We Win?' post and others, that really disappoint in terms of leadership and action. I don’t think we should be looking at Islamic scholarship for leadership in this regard anymore since they have their own issues to deal with and their hands are tied. I will say of course there is still speculation about the USA backing ElBaradei and the fact that this whole revolution is orchestrated by activists who were trained by the USA and that's something worth reading up on - so we should be taking it all with a grain of salt.
There is also a sort of resentment among Muslims that "this isn’t an Islamic revolution" and that it should be or else its a discredit or disloyal to Islam. Islamic political parties have a history of being unsuccessful in government and often just end up attracting trouble and violence. The Muslim Brotherhood I think realizes it can’t offer much and even if it were to come into power, it would be paralyzed and unable to help the Egyptian people, so that it would be better for them to back down somewhat and play it smart. It is naive to think that just because a group is an “Islamic” political party that it has some gold badge from God, when in reality they are just ordinary folk and can make mistakes. Allah doesn’t need an Islamic party to work though. I think this revolution is actually how it should be: most of the people are Muslim so what more do people want? People are praying in the face of water cannons, which is much more “islamic” than shooting off firearms and thumping Qur'ans, right? People are being responsible for their government, there is a civic responsibility there and real courage. They have the courage to correct what is wrong amongst themselves so I imagine it will bear fruit. God doesn’t punish people for trying.
Rebelling Against Ones Political Leader in Hadith?
There is the usual pattering of discussion saying that good Muslims should not rebel against their leaders. I think that is hogwash in this instance. Yes there are hadith that mention that, with the idea being to choose the better of two evils, to reduce bloodshed and chaos, but in this case, Mubarak is the cause of greater bloodshed. It’s safe to say there is more good in this protest than in not protesting. The lesser of two evils is protesting, and there is lots of good that has come out of this protest: organization and camaraderie in keeping the streets safe, protecting the museum of Christians and Muslims protecting each other when they pray - and that is how it should be in true Islamic values. And there is really no going back so its wishful thinking to think this can all just stop, and the only ones telling people to give - in are usually old people who don’t know any better, government thugs or people who are loyal to a certain Arab monarch.
The New Knowhow
If you are not following what is happening on a micro-scale, I suggest you should at the very least, take notes on how activism is operating in Egypt and online. If you don’t have a Twitter account, think about getting one. The major aspect of this revolution is that social media has facilitated the organization and speedy movement of information. Twitter and Facebook have conveyed information but also given the next steps of providing instant commentary on speeches and developments, the criticism, the new ideas, the inspiration from all around the world, the global solidarity are all part of this. Its the new way to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, foot-to-foot with your brothers in Islam. But some creative ideas have come out of this - Google helped Egyptians convey information using an international phone number in the event of the internet blackout and other Internet anonymizer services have been operational. There is also the use of open source documents listing the missing that is circulating.
There is a lot of innovation going on and I can’t summarize it all here, but its important to note all this because its a learning experience. We learn things from one revolution and carry it over into another revolution. I don’t need to really comment on how it might be hard to see a revolution happening this successfully, this quickly, in countries that have little access to Internet. The grass-roots mobilization provides a rubric for other countries and makes one think that if they are capable of this much in a few days, how much more are they capable of?
I think there is a lot to be said in this incidence about where Muslims are in the West. A number of things came to light. There is little Western Muslims can do in this event and little Islam can do for them politically. "Islam in the West" has become a victim of circumstance and really impotent and suffocated from helping our brothers. That is a harsh reality to face.
What we did see was Maajid Nawaz, a secular-bent Muslim who is all around hated by British Muslims, who turned out to have connections to the proposed transition Egyptian government because of the time he spent in Egyptian prisons when he was a radical. That says something about keeping good relations amongst all stripes and colours of Muslims. Islam as a political ideology is more often than not an insult to the religion, because it concentrates Islam amongst a few, which is unfair, distorted, and creates a resentment and victim mentality, rather than spreading Islam out amongst the masses, which is the empowering reality we see in Egypt today. We need to pause and rethink. We can operate as plain, old normal people do, right? Perhaps we can do more that way than we can by waving a shahadah flag.
We should realize that there is information and knowhow in the West that we can convey abroad via the Internet. Just because we can’t do much in terms of money and physical support doesn’t mean we can’t do anything at all. We can do lots via dua and a lot more intellectually via the web. There are books and articles on political activism in the West and techniques that can be shared abroad via the web. This is something that cannot and should not be ignored.
Intergenerational Divide and Cultural Patterns
The revolution in Egypt is carried out by the youth and that says something about the global, intergenerational divide that we are witnessing between a generation that came out of colonial rule, and a generation that never experienced colonial rule which has been reawakened to Islam - but wants to go further in their lives than just the local mosque. Bani Israel disobeyed Musa 'alayhi salam because they had a slave mentality, and Allah commanded them to wander the desert for 40 years, a period of time in which the old generation of slaves died and a new mentality took its place, one that would lead to political leadership and autonomy for Bani Israel. We are seeing a similar situation today.
A few other things I noticed: There seems to be a small divide among Muslims - some of the more indigenous, African American brothers are ignoring Egypt, whereas the immigrants whether they are Egyptian or not are watching closely, and I think that leaves something to be desired about closer brotherhood though I would give everybody the benefit of the doubt. Also the fact some Egyptians do not want to get rid of Mubarak because they see him as a grandfather figure, a war-hero and feel guilty kicking him out, really says something about how we venerate elders and how too much veneration can hurt us. It says something about the weakness of patriarchy in Muslim countries. And lastly, am I the only one who is reminded of masjid tyrants and the politics at the local masjid in all this?
Read more on current affairs, spirituality and American Muslims on Muslimology
lslamophobia:
Are sections of the British press increasing tensions within communities by publishing negative stories about Muslims?
John Waite investigates the link between inaccurate anti-Muslim stories and the increased membership of the English Defence League. The organisation, which claims to oppose Islamic extremism, has been inspired by one long-running story: the Winterval myth - the unfounded claim that councils are rebranding or renaming Christmas to appease Muslims. And it's threatened to visit any town or city that bans Christmas. So why are newspapers publishing distorted, islamophobic stories that provoke far-right extremists? Should the Press Complaints Commission impose tougher sanctions? Or do editors need to take more responsibility for the consequences of what they print?
A new service created by Google allows for tweeting without an Internet connection.
Speak2Tweet allows people with a voice connection to dial international telephone numbers and have their voice messages distributed as tweets. The hash tag #egypt gets added to the links. The project is a collaboration between Google, Twitter and the search giant's newly acquired company SayNow.
The service has been created for the Egyptian protestors without a connection to the outside world, According to reports, the last remaining Internet service provider in Egypt, The Noor Group, went offline Monday.
We hope that this will go some way to helping people in Egypt stay connected at this very difficult time, wrote Ujjwal Singh, co-founder of SayNow and AbdelKarim Mardini, product manager, Middle East & North Africa at Google, in a blog post.
The numbers are +16504194196 or +390662207294 or +97316199855. No Internet connection is required. There are already dozens of messages on the Twitter profile: {@Speak2Tweet}
'In the name of God', HayatCo Arts is carved out of Islam
What: HayatCo Arts, a handmade Islamic crafts business that began 20 years ago in Jordan and grew in the US.
Who: Originally founded by Idrees Al-Sweis in 1993, Brooklyn, New York, this highly skilled art of wood carvings eventually moved to Chicago in 1999 where the community pulled in greater popularity for HayatCo Arts.
I got the opportunity to interview the artist on what inspired him and how HayatCo models good Islamic business for Muslims by keeping the art "old school".
Tell us a bit about HayatCo. Who’s on the team?
"It started about 20 years ago in Jordan before I moved to New York. I did it as a hobby using different photos from the family that I wanted to kind of spice. But it became more of a business in 1995 to 1999. I moved to Chicago; stopped HayatCo for about 10 years to focus on my auto repair shop. My family kept telling me to get back into it so I started working more seriously on it about two years ago.
My family is pretty much the team. I named the company after my wife Hayat meaning life. So I wanted a name that means something to the art, and the Qur'an - as it's our life source as Muslims. My daughter does henna art and has become very good at it."
What inspired you to create this project?
"I was in a time were business at the repair shop was very slow and I felt very stressed over it. I needed something to help with that stress so I thought what other way to feel better than reading Qur'an through art. I can take a break from the stress of this world. Our Imaan (faith) is never constant, it's either getting higher or lower, so this project for me was a great spiritual uplifting trade that I loved and really wanted to get back into."
'In the name of God' - Tasmiyah
'Great' - Allah is the Creator and Mighty
How does the art process begin? Have you had any exhibitions?
"I see a font, calligraphy or design I like, and I think about developing it in my shop. I start drawing something on paper before putting it to wood. I'll get it ready, finalized and once finished it's placed in my basement display area for people to see.
I have been going to a lot Islamic conventions like ISNA, MAS, and ICNA. The feedback has been great!"
'Palestine' with bullet fence
'To Testify' - the Shahadah, declaration of faith
What makes Hayatco Arts different from other Muslim calligraphy artists?
"I don’t know of anyone that takes something as beautiful as Arabic calligraphy and recreates something completely new by transferring it to wood. And nobody else does this with only their hands from beginning to end - machines and laser cutters are used. This is just my small way to inspire other people Muslim or non-Muslim to get involved in crafts".
What do some of the various calligraphy mean in English?
"Each ayah (verse) has its own meaning [the names of God, chapters from the Qur'an]. I take different surahs or ayahs and add dimension through wood. They are all Allah words and therefore deeply respected by Muslims."
Do you believe that Muslims have a role to play in creativity and business?
"I think Muslims have always played a big part in art and business from architecture to beautiful mosques."
What 3 tips would you give to Muslims for starting a creative business?
Work as if you are doing it for yourself
Be honest with your self and others
Please Allah on all levels of your life
Muslimness would like thank HayatCo and its entire family!
