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HTTP/2 200 content-type: text/xml; charset=utf-8 vary: Sec-Fetch-Dest, Sec-Fetch-Mode, Sec-Fetch-Site feedburnerv2: last-modified: Sun, 25 Jan 2026 23:13:28 GMT cache-control: no-cache, no-store, max-age=0, must-revalidate pragma: no-cache expires: Mon, 01 Jan 1990 00:00:00 GMT date: Wed, 28 Jan 2026 05:43:45 GMT cross-origin-opener-policy: same-origin content-security-policy: require-trusted-types-for 'script';report-uri /_/RaichuFeedServer/cspreport content-security-policy: script-src 'report-sample' 'nonce-w4yY_FrwHyI8iwOJ1oOZUg' 'unsafe-inline';object-src 'none';base-uri 'self';report-uri /_/RaichuFeedServer/cspreport;worker-src 'self' content-security-policy: script-src 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval' blob: data: 'self' https://apis.google.com https://ssl.gstatic.com https://www.google.com https://www.googletagmanager.com https://www.gstatic.com https://www.google-analytics.com;report-uri /_/RaichuFeedServer/cspreport/allowlist permissions-policy: ch-ua-arch=*, ch-ua-bitness=*, ch-ua-full-version=*, ch-ua-full-version-list=*, ch-ua-model=*, ch-ua-wow64=*, ch-ua-form-factors=*, ch-ua-platform=*, ch-ua-platform-version=* accept-ch: Sec-CH-UA-Arch, Sec-CH-UA-Bitness, Sec-CH-UA-Full-Version, Sec-CH-UA-Full-Version-List, Sec-CH-UA-Model, Sec-CH-UA-WoW64, Sec-CH-UA-Form-Factors, Sec-CH-UA-Platform, Sec-CH-UA-Platform-Version reporting-endpoints: default="/_/RaichuFeedServer/web-reports?context=eJzj4tDikmLw15BiEOLhmHjk2Wk2gQvvnjUxK1km5RfGJ5amZObrFpQm5WQWZ6QWFesCBXWLEjOTM0p101JTU4pTi8pSi-KNDIzMDAyNzPQMTOMLDAB7ERvN" content-encoding: gzip server: ESF x-xss-protection: 0 x-frame-options: SAMEORIGIN x-content-type-options: nosniff alt-svc: h3=":443"; ma=2592000,h3-29=":443"; ma=2592000 tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801Sat, 05 Oct 2024 02:35:31 +0000MuslimsIslamSpiritualitypoliticsWestern Culturewar on nafsAmerican IslamHumorsocial problemswar on terrorDivine Rememberancelife in Saudi Arabiaraising kidsMediaEast meets WestPakistanweb stuffcapitalismAbout MePalestineModernitydemocracyGood News PostShariahTalibanclash of civilizationsmarried lifeAfricaIslamic StateJihadObamaEgyptShababProphetic LoveChavezEnd TimesHumza's FashionQuranic discoveriesanti-SemitismhomeschoolingNaeem's BlogAn odd mix of Islam, politics, and off-the-wall news as seen by an American Muslim living in limbo.https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)Blogger421125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-3274216802698905270Sat, 12 Nov 2016 17:07:00 +00002016-11-12T20:07:25.697+03:00Trump and our misplaced fears<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Let’s jump right into it. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Amidst all this apocalyptic talk, I believe we are doing ourselves a great disservice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>We are allowing ourselves to be governed by our irrational fears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>I’m hearing talk of WWII internment camps, rise of fascism, and mass deportations. How are we any different with our extreme depictions of the future than the other side who rallied around an impending Armageddon due to guns being confiscated by big government, attacks by terrorist immigrants, and the replacement of the US constitution with Shariah law.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Breathe people. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Let us put things in perspective.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> America didn’t suddenly transform into Nazi Germany overnight. The vast majority of Americans still support womens/minorities/gay rights, acknowledge climate change, and even believe that immigration helps the country.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Trump did not win because of his hate-filled platform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>He won despite it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>It just goes to show you how frustrated people have become with status quo politics – which is exactly what Hillary stood for.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> At the same time, are we so naïve to believe that the sentiments publicly expressed by Trump didn’t exist in the minds and hearts of millions of Americans? Didn’t the racist police exist during Obama’s presidency? Haven't islamophobic incidents occured throughout the past 8 years? Weren’t countless drone attacks on Muslim countries overseen by Obama?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Some will counter that never have such vile remarks and beliefs been uttered from a presidential platform. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Are you suggesting that the likes of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and their neo-con cabal had any lesser vitriolic beliefs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>They led us into two devastating wars, instituted a surveillance state like no other, laid the groundwork for the 2008 financial meltdown, and so much more, but since they never expressed racist or misogynistic sentiments, our sensibilities were not sufficiently provoked. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> How odd.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Also, can I say that I feel a sense of chicken coming home to roost?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>No one batted an eye when the benevolent Obama expanded his executive powers, failing to reign in the NSA and the surveillance state. Obama apologists loyally turned a blind eye to their leader’s unflinching support of Wall Street. Democrats stayed quiet at the assassination of a US citizen (Anwar Awlaki).</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> So let’s get off our high horse in denouncing the unacceptable and repugnant when it spews from Trump’s mouth, but happily accepting when it’s packaged in the eloquent and soothing words of Obama. If you want to make the argument that the sky is falling, try not insulting our collective intelligence by claiming Trump’s victory is the catalyst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Obama’s eight years, as well as Bush’s eight before him, sure helped bring about our current state of affairs.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Speaking of Obama…</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Just like America didn’t get a racial panacea when Americans voted in their first Black president, she won’t get a racist paradise by voting in the first openly racist president.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>200 years of American history has shown us one thing, namely the system has been deliberately constructed to prevent major shifts in one direction or the other. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Obama’s two terms have shown us that one man does not a government make. Regardless of how visionary and full of hope his promises were, he was forced to work within the strict confines of the American government. And so too must Trump.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Yes, I do believe there will be a temporary spike in hate crime. Thugs and bigots will be emboldened to lash out and act upon their racist tendencies. In response, minorities will have to put up their personal defense mechanisms, in the same way Muslims do in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack carried out by their co-religionists. They will have to constantly look over their shoulders, keep their guards up, and hope for the storm to pass. Eventually common sense will prevail, irrational fears will subside, and the masses can go back to their viral videos and celebrity gossip.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Fear and all its associated, knee-jerk reactions have a necessary role to play in our survival. Sure there are times when vigilance and paranoia are necessary. But once we calm down and begin to use our rational faculties, I believe we will all see through the haze of political fog that is impeding our vision. And what we will see is that our fears and hatred are misplaced and our enemy is not a Republican or Democrat.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Our enemy is the 1%.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Our enemy is the military industrial complex.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Our enemy is Big Food, Big Pharma, Big Tobacco, Big Oil, and all other Big Industries.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Our enemy is crass materialism and its failed attempt to fill our spiritual void.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Everything else is distraction and a sideshow.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div> https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2016/11/trump-and-our-misplaced-fears.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-3344671192998229828Sun, 15 Nov 2015 02:13:00 +00002015-11-15T05:13:06.179+03:00Bill Maher finally gets it right<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="fullpost"> </span>Normally Bill Maher is a bigoted idiot who fancies himself as an educated liberal. He has a history of bashing Islam for having inspired the radicals and extremists, while often conveniently forgetting that Western aggressions have paved the way and tilled the soil for those perpetrating completely un-Islamic reactions.<br /> <br /> <span class="fullpost">Except <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/tv/bill-maher-reacts-to-paris-attack-why-do-they-hate-us/" target="_blank">this one time</a>. For once he connected the dots and (somewhat) admitted that a source of so much misery around the world is Western meddling in extremely unstable parts of the world.</span><br /> <span class="fullpost"><br /></span> <span class="fullpost">Let's hope and pray that others too come to their senses and instead of digging a deeper hole and channeling <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20151114-paris-attacks-president-hollande-act-war-islamic-state-group-terrorism-france" target="_blank">their inner Rambo*</a>, realize that less is more.</span><br /> <span class="fullpost"><br /></span> <span class="fullpost">*Speaking of whom, I think it should be mandatory viewing for everyone to watch the Rambo episode when he aids the Afghani Mujahideen. That just about sums up the complete confusion upon which American foreign policy is based. The West has no clue who to support when it comes to these lands of a thousand tribes, such as Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan.</span><br /> <span class="fullpost"><br /></span> <span class="fullpost"><br /></span></div> https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2015/11/bill-maher-finally-gets-it-right.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-1681536684810089362Tue, 11 Aug 2015 00:15:00 +00002015-08-11T03:15:19.520+03:00What to write about?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Yes, it's been quite a long time. My longest respite from blogging yet. I have my excuses. Leaving Saudi Arabia after 12 years and relocating the family to Islamabad would leave many a bloggers gasping for air. At the same time, it sure does provide for some good material. <br /> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> So what topic, dear reader, should I resuscitate this blog with? My musings on leaving Saudi Arabia? The challenges of living in Pakistan? Our inevitable move back to the States? Is Trump a bigger joke than even George W. Bush? Is Pakistan sports a bigger joke than those two combined? Android vs IOS? Coffee vs Tea?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I need some inspiration. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I need some motivation. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I don't need any more perspiration (friggin' humidity here is killing me!).</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> It's your call.</div> <span class="fullpost"></span></div> https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2015/08/what-to-write-about.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-3918317201532560579Sun, 10 Nov 2013 23:18:00 +00002013-11-11T02:18:55.389+03:00MediaModernityMuslimssocial problemsWestern CultureControlling our Narrative<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Let us all stop being manipulated. Let us stop our mouths from watering every time the bell rings. Let us stop being knee-jerk consumers of 24-hour news channels, internet crazes, and instant feeds.<br /> <br /> Let us begin dictating our own agenda. Let us decide for ourselves what is worthy of our attention. Let us raise the bar in inter- and intra-communal discussions.<br /> <br /> For every video showing a Taliban beating some lady, let us refrain from commenting at the behest of wider society. For every news story highlighting the plight of Saudi women and their prohibition from driving, let us turn our backs on outside forces dictating the relevancy of certain issues (and thus the irrelevancy of so many other). For every video of a Saudi beating an expat worker, let us avoid being goaded into an apologetic response merely to appease our host nations. For every nutjob Muslim highlighted for acting like a nutjob, let us stop validating the highlighters by psychoanalyzing the nutjob.<br /> <br /> Let us stop digging ourselves deeper into our hole by continuously answering, ‘When did you stop beating your wife?’ Just as we understand the idiocy in replying to that question, we must also understand the madness in responding to every sensationalized whoop and holler highlighted in our newsfeeds.<br /> <br /> We need to begin framing our own context and establishing our own position instead of responding to foolish viral videos and cultural phenomena that serve to only further substantiate prejudices and biases. Instead of fostering an enlightened alternative, we are only nourishing the degenerate beasts of shock journalism, snuff entertainment, and socio-cultural rubbernecking.<br /> <br /> Must we have an opinion on every shmuck getting her fifteen minutes of fame? Must we demean ourselves with water cooler discussions about the latest video phenom on Youtube?<br /> <br /> Or maybe we can choose the high-road and become prophetic, not only in our daily worship, but in our consumption of daily culture. Let us stop shrouding these instances of cultural flatulence in faux discussions of morality and ethics and instead, insist on meaningful conversations rich with substance and import, consistent with our agenda and beliefs. </div> https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2013/11/controlling-our-narrative.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-3078329629963962802Fri, 12 Jul 2013 19:48:00 +00002013-07-12T22:48:50.992+03:00EgyptPakistanpoliticsEgypt: I told you so<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">   <div class="MsoNormal"> </div> I’ll humbly join the chorus of know-it-all’s who are not so humbly declaring to the world that they predicted the unfortunate fate of ‘democratic’ Egypt. While the current turmoil and chaos is very saddening, it definitely is not surprising. <a href="https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2011/02/egypts-future-look-to-turkey-pakistan.html" target="_blank">Two years ago</a>, based on the experiences of Pakistan and Turkey, I envisaged such a scenario where the military would intervene. I must admit that Turkey has shown greater maturity and resilience in their standing up to the military, but Pakistan has remained true to form with the military still calling all the shots.<div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> Truth be told, Egypt has a long way to go before they can reach the depths of Pakistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>To reach such ignominy they would have to vote in a president, some sleazeball like El-Baradei, who would run the country for three years before stepping down under corruption charges, then return to power 4 years later before getting overthrown in a military coup, then go into exile in Saudi Arabia for 8 years, and then finally return and somehow ‘win’ elections to make him the leader of the country for the third time (I just summed up Pakistan’s current Prime Minister’s career arc). Yeah, Egypt has a looong way to go. </div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> Welcome to the big boy’s table, Egypt…where Pakistan has a monopoly on <a href="https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2007/11/day-military-dictator-crossed-my-path.html" target="_blank">adventures</a> in <a href="https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2007/09/personal-letter-to-nawaz-sharif.html" target="_blank">farcical</a> democracies.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> On a more serious note, I've read countless analyses of the situation in Egypt, but the most astute and comprehensive breakdown is <a href="https://www.tariqramadan.com/spip.php?article12927" target="_blank">this post</a> by Tariq Ramadan.  Well worth your time...</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <span class="fullpost"></span></div> https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2013/07/egypt-i-told-you-so.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-1764339322952915240Fri, 05 Jul 2013 19:37:00 +00002013-07-05T22:38:42.425+03:00homeschoolingraising kids30 million by Four<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> I recently listened to this very enlightening podcast episode by Lexicon Valley titled '30 million by 4'. It details a very interesting research that highlights the importance of engaging your young children in conversation. Anyone with preschool children would greatly benefit from the 20 minutes or so.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/lexicon_valley/2013/06/lexicon_valley_on_research_by_betty_hart_and_todd_risley_early_childhood.html" target="_blank">30 million by 4 podcast </a><br /> <br /> And I won't tell you what the title means...you'll have to listen to the podcast to figure it out. :-P<br /> <br /> </div> https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2013/07/30-million-by-four.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-6279002347770080592Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:32:00 +00002013-04-26T06:35:42.127+03:00American Islamclash of civilizationsEast meets WestMuslimsraising kidsWestern CultureWhen Muslims Intermarry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> I recently returned from a short two-week trip to the US and one of the more common discussions I had with family and friends was about the future of Muslims in the West. I plan on posting my thoughts in some upcoming posts, so let me start things off with a very real concern: Intermarriage.<br /> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> As Muslims being to assimilate and integrate, I find myself not so worried about some of the more recurring issues such as hijab or drugs or aqeedah – don’t get me wrong, they aren’t trivial, but they aren’t likely to result in offspring completely leaving the religion. On the other hand, the increasing rate of Muslims marrying outside our religion is just such an issue.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> What so many Muslims may see as an acceptable practice from the Shariah point of view (where in fact a man marrying a Christian or Jewish woman is sanctioned, as they are People of the Book), is in my mind a very dangerous practice that will all too often result in future generations essentially leaving Islam.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> As if the pressures of modern Western culture are not strenuous enough on a young Muslim, adding to the mix the life-long presence of a non-Muslim mother is, needless to say, very harmful. </div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> And so I found this <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/american-muslims-are-following-jews-when-it-comes-to-intermarriage/2013/04/12/1c23d352-97bf-11e2-b68f-dc5c4b47e519_print.html" target="_blank">Washington Post article</a> quite timely as it reinforced my recent concerns.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> One interesting discussion I had was with my brother-in-law, who suggested that if I wanted to study the future of Muslims in the West, I ought to look at the Jews when they first arrived to the US. At the time of their arrival, they had a most similar makeup to us Muslims, in that they had relatively high levels of religious observation, a formal law like our Shariah, and restrictions on intermarriage.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> And what I found was quite disturbing. When they first arrived in the late 19<sup>th</sup> century, Jews were intermarrying at a 4% rate. After nearly a century, their intermarriage has skyrocketed to nearly 50%. And this is from a religion in which intermarriage is strictly forbidden! </div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> And as a consequence, as more Muslim men decide to intermarry, Muslim women will be left with little choice but to follow suit. <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/12/2012122795639455824.html" target="_blank">This article</a> from Al-Jazeera documents this inevitable rise in women marrying outside the faith.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> Now some of you may be thinking, <i>‘How does this affect me or my children? They are being raised in a strictly observant household where intermarriage is not an option.’</i> That may be true, but can the same be said for two or three generations down the line?</div> <div class="MsoNormal">   </div> <span class="fullpost"></span></div> https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2013/04/when-muslims-intermarry.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-3770764433861090269Thu, 28 Mar 2013 03:02:00 +00002013-03-28T06:02:51.239+03:00About Meraising kidsAnyone there?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Hellooo...Anyone out there?!<br /> <br /> I'm really not sure why I haven't posted anything for quite some time. Sure, the kids are homeschooling which has kept me busy. Also, I have limited access to the Net during the day, so that's killed some of my momentum. Anyways, I recently returned from a short trip to the US and I feel the need to put up some of my thoughts.<br /> <br /> Let's start off with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21895704" target="_blank">this link</a> to a nice BBC article on the importance of boredom. I had written <a href="https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2010/05/joy-of-boredom.html" target="_blank">my thoughts</a> on this very same topic some while back.<br /> <br /> Anyways, sorry for the extended hibernation. I hope to get back to putting pen to paper and sharing some of my thoughts...</div> https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2013/03/anyone-there.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-1064879174892328942Sun, 02 Sep 2012 03:02:00 +00002012-09-06T05:42:46.617+03:00American Islamclash of civilizationsEast meets WestMediasocial problemsWestern CultureThe Western Muslim's Burden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> A few days ago, a friend posted the following video about the efforts of the Deputy Mufti of Turkey to improve the women’s prayer areas in Turkish Mosques:<br /> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JBNxQAfJBvk" width="420"></iframe><br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> My friend lauded the efforts as a positive development and at first glance it does seem like a commendable initiative. However, after thinking about it, I must disagree.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I won’t critique the overt Western bias in the newscast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Media in the West has an established agenda when it comes to covering the Muslim world – namely, the attempt to project Western liberal values onto a ‘backwards’ society. So when the news team who produced this short piece presents the female Deputy Mufti as a purveyor of some enlightened way and every other schmuck who questions her as an ignoramus, I’m not surprised.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And without sitting down and talking with the Deputy Mufti herself, I cannot possibly understand her motivations and rationales for leading this drive, so I’m not interested in criticizing her.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> My reproach is for all of us Muslims in the West, who may see such a project and, based on our Western values and beliefs, immediately judge it as being a positive development for our misguided brethren in the Muslim world. We feel at ease in imposing our ‘civilized’ interpretations of Islam upon the backwards Muslim societies, like some twisted manifestation of the White Man’s burden - let us call it the Western Muslim's Burden. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"> Afghanistan and the issue of female education is another example of the Western Muslim's Burden . We all started salivating when the West rang the bell calling for educating the young girls of Afghanistan.  I recall hearing khutbas and reading articles about the role of education and knowledge in Islam and how the Taliban's efforts against female education were antithetical to Islamic teachings. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"> And so without realizing that fundamental societal issues needed to be addressed first, great initiatives were undertook to quickly open girl’s schools. All this effort was misdirected and misspent with increased tension and strife between the US-backed government and the more conservative elements of Afghan society.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Let us not repeat such dog-and-pony shows across the Muslim world.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Look, I’m all for efforts to make North American and European Masjids more women-friendly. For too long, sisters have been huddled into basements, behind barriers, and up on balconies – the same sisters who are actively participating in their work environments, universities, and all other areas of greater society. The dichotomy between these two worlds is so great and contradictory that it is has become unsustainable. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Originally, during the first generation of immigrant Muslims in the West (from the late sixties to the early nineties), Muslim women were coming from societies in which female participation in Masjid affairs, and to an extent in greater society, was very limited. And so, Masjids were built and organized to simply maintain that social structure.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> As the first generation of indigenous Muslims grew up and this crop of Western-Muslims began to see the contradiction between the segregated role of women in the Masjid and the more egalitarian role of women in Western society, something had to change. And thus was born the movement to make the Masjids more women-friendly.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> This recent movement hasn’t arisen in a vacuum. The social context has defined it. Muslim men and women have become acclimated to a more liberal stance on women’s role in society, thus allowing them to embrace the concept of a Masjid more amenable to women’s participation.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> But can the same be said for Turkey? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> One needs to simply peruse the headlines to see that honor-killings and apostasy issues are still taking place in Turkey. <a href="https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/turkey-literacy-for-women/" target="_blank">Female literacy rates</a> as well as <a href="https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=turkey-needs-more-women-in-business-2011-09-30" target="_blank">employment rates</a> are low especially when compared to their Western counterparts. <a href="https://www.todayszaman.com/news-273620-.html" target="_blank">Governmental positions held by women</a>, <a href="https://www.cofeid.net/downloads/women-in-turkey.pdf" target="_blank">salary gap between men and women</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/26/world/europe/women-see-worrisome-shift-in-turkey.html?_r=0" target="_blank">number of women shelters</a> and other key indicators are similarly tilted against women. As much as the Turkish government may try to convince the world that Turkey is ready to join the EU, its people are still grounded in a more Eastern, traditional worldview.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Has the Turkish population internalized Western values, such as women’s rights, before initiating this project for women-friendly Masjids?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Now you may counter that removing the barrier or increasing women’s involvement in Masjid affairs are not exclusively Western values - that they are Prophetic values, as can be readily found in the Seerah of our Beloved Prophet (saw). Fair enough, but the social context of the Prophet’s time allowed for such practices (It could be argued that women in Muslim Arabia 1400 years ago were treated better than in most modern Muslims countries). It must be noted that in cases where the Prophet introduced concepts and ideas counter to prevailing social customs, such as abolishing slavery or prohibiting alcohol, it was done in a gradual manner so as not to upset the delicate balance of society.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> So, if our objective is to (re)introduce the Muslim world to liberal values that are native to our tradition, then we must seek to do so in a holistic, foundational manner, avoiding the headline-grabbing, West-appeasing initiatives that will do nothing to change society and may even result in alienating the masses.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div> https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-western-muslims-burden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-2027115967581763273Thu, 19 Jul 2012 01:54:00 +00002012-07-19T04:54:57.629+03:00life in Saudi Arabiawar on nafsDespising Ramadan in Riyadh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">  <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I have come to despise Ramadan in Riyadh. True, despise is a harsh emotion, but you may come to join me once you meander through the recesses of my mind…</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> It all started when we first arrived to the kingdom. We experienced our first Ramadan in a Muslim land – and it was exhilarating. Ramadan was no more a muffled observance by a religious minority – it was a proud experience causing greater society to unashamedly shout out its undying love for the One.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Ramadan ceased to be a state of aberration, with Muslims scuttling to their spiritual outposts in the scant Masjids dotting the American landscape, desperately seeking the company of fellow fasting Muslims. In Riyadh, the streets and shops were abuzz with a celebratory mood most deserving of Ramadan and every corner found a masjid alive with daily iftars and nightly prayers.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> It was simply intoxicating.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And as with all intoxicants, the high was short-lived, superficial, and extremely ungratifying.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> After almost ten Ramadans in Saudi Arabia, I’m convinced there is no real understanding of and even less appreciation for this sacred month. Ramadan has become a priceless painting collecting dust in the garage of a cultural boor. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> From the Mercy of the One who has no limit to His Mercy, we are presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. every. single. year. And this gift is squandered by the vast majority as they simply reshuffle their schedules and adjust their bodies to adapt to the various Ramadan ‘inconveniences’. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Ramadan is supposed to be the month of starving the nafs and feeding the heart. Instead, they pamper their bodies by sleeping all day and indulge their nafs by waking all night.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> All year long we have unjustly imprisoned our hearts. We’ve clothed them in the orange jumpsuits of dunya, blinded them with the black hoods of our passions, surrounded them with the walls of our desires, callously scoffed at their requests for (spiritual) nourishment, and severed all ties with their kith and kin (the people of dhikr). </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Yet, the Most Loving (swt) gives us a chance to undo all this damage beset upon our hearts. He has presented before us a succulent buffet of spiritual subsistence and invited our hearts to plunge into it. This, the month of the heart, has been carefully designed by our Lord to help us reenergize our enervated souls while wreaking chaos on our nafs. Allah (swt) has installed mechanisms to debilitate the voracious appetite of the nafs – no food, no drink, no spousal relations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Knowing our nature and its addiction to these fuels of the nafs, Allah has instated a month-long embargo as an aid to our developing an alternative heart-based energy; an energy that is infinitely cleaner and infinitely enduring.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And what do my bungling hosts do with this gem? Instead of restraining the nafs, they give it carte blanche throughout the night. Shops are readily available to fancy any and every craving. Restaurants are filled with those filling the vessels of their insatiable appetites. Social gatherings are rescheduled to the wee hours of the night. Coffee shops are filled with patrons chatting away the last thirds of the night.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Starve the nafs?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Nay, this month has become a celebration of the nafs!</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> It has been transformed into a toothless vestige that is now celebrated like other vile, commercial holidays.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Oh, how urgently our hearts are in need of the REAL Ramadan! </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> We have failed to realize the nature of our hearts. Like our bodies that we are so quick to titillate with every possible sensation, our hearts too need nourishment. They hunger for a provision that has Divine ingredients. They long to be entertained by passions and joys furnished by their Creator. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Yet, the one time of the year in which the most Merciful has laid out the red carpet, we spurn His favors, choosing instead to find alternative ways to suckle our ever-dependent nafs.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Sad to say, but Ramadan in Riyadh is catered for feeding the nafs, not the heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>What nourishment does one offer the heart with the endless Iftar buffets lavishly laid out at countless restaurants?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>What benefit do the accommodating shopping hours provide to the heart? What value is it to the heart spending all night laughing and playing in an istiraha*? What else but the nafs is fed from the special TV dramas and comedies featured in Ramadan?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Alas, in such an environment, replete with devices designed to anchor down our heaven-aspiring hearts, should not one despise it? Indifference is worse, no? I’ve tried for the past few years to no avail. Maybe you’ll suggest empathy; after all we should feel sorry for the misguided. But would you dare suggest empathy towards an abusive husband? I declare abusing the heart is worse.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Yes, scorn is most fitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Not for the people, but for the society. And I fear that my scorn would not be limited to Riyadh if I had but the chance to experience Ramadan in other Muslim lands.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> *<span style="font-size: x-small;">An Istiraha (trans. 'place of rest’) is a small enclosed park-like facility, usually rented out for an entire day (or night) by a few families. It usually includes separate sitting areas for men and women, an open grass area, a small pool, and a kitchen. Public parks are crowded, unclean, and not private, so an istiraha is the destination of choice for many families.</span></div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2012/07/despising-ramadan-in-riyadh.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-1737464325639060472Sun, 13 May 2012 21:10:00 +00002012-05-14T00:10:36.895+03:00East meets Westraising kidsWestern CultureThe Dangers of Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and the like<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> A while back, MuslimMatters had <a href="https://muslimmatters.org/2012/01/12/5-important-lessons-from-harry-potter/" target="_blank">an interesting article</a> about some beneficial teachings that could be gleaned from the Harry Potter books. Although the author did a commendable job in extracting positive lessons found throughout the series, it was nonetheless quite an unnecessary stretch, especially when there are countless more appropriate, less controversial sources for these same teachings. <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> To make matters worse, the ensuing comment thread found the proto-typical overly-simplistic Muslim approach of condemning the Harry Potter series as completely Haram based on its ‘glamorization’ of magic.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> As for me, I believe both approaches missed the boat on the real dangers found in the Harry Potter series and other books of this genre.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Let me start by saying that it’s not the magic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>I don’t believe for one second that young children will begin dabbling in sorcery or witchcraft upon reading Harry Potter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>I don’t even believe they will think magic to be inconsequential in our deen, as some commenters in the MM article alleged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Black magic will remain black magic – a completely forbidden act in Islamic teachings – and those who delve into it will do so whether they read Harry Potter or not.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Such fears are akin to a child reading the classic <i>Treasure Island</i>, chock-full of references of sailors getting drunk, and worrying about them wishing to get drunk – or at the least, thinking alcohol to be ‘no big deal’.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Maybe I’m being naïve, but I just don’t see that happening.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Similarly, I’m not afraid of my daughter picking up a bow and arrow and hunting down children in the neighborhood, Hunger Games-style. I think she realizes murder is bad.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> The real danger in exposing our children to modern-day popular literature is the more subtle, insidious messages found throughout these books. It’s these messages that affect the subconscious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>It’s these threads that change personalities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I’m more troubled by the disrespect Katniss, the Hunger Games protagonist, consistently shows towards her mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>I’m bothered by the selfish decisions she constantly makes with little regard for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>It’s the individualistic ‘me-myself-and-I’ attitude that is found throughout the Hunger Games series that worries me.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Look, I understand that modern Western literature is merely going to reflect modern Western values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>In essence, that’s where my grievance stems from. These books are exposing our children to foreign values and morals that are inconsistent with the standards my wife and I are trying to establish in our home.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Too many of us parents are so ecstatic that our children are reading (as opposed to watching TV or surfing the Net) that we aren’t paying attention to the subtle ideals promoted within these books. Many of the books targeting modern-day teenagers contain dominant streams of feminist notions, individualistic thought, and material gluttony while concurrently disparaging religion and tradition and disrespecting elders. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Unfortunately there is great dearth of modern English literature written for the today’s Muslim youth. That’s why I’ve basically relegated myself to sticking to classical texts which maintain a respectable sense of traditional values more in-line with Islamic teachings. Fortunately, my daughter has shown a great deal of interest in these books, but at the same time, she is a product of her times and is constantly tempted by the popularity of Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, and the like.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> It’s a fine line we’re treading here and I’m sincerely praying that an Islamically stable home and a pseudo-Islamic environment (living in Saudi) peppered with classical works and good, solid friends will be enough to temper the ill-effects of modern media.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2012/05/dangers-of-harry-potter-hunger-games.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-6591883822641368508Thu, 29 Mar 2012 02:36:00 +00002012-03-29T05:37:58.052+03:00American Islamclash of civilizationsdemocracyIslamic StatepoliticsGhannouchi on Islam and Secularism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I recently came across<a href="https://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=e7atvmcab&v=001Nj0eJ9UAEflHk6JXfjlFaFY4D_f0e-QIiin29JdAiQvycjTvN4UOhlSESYq33P0HMjbVqJ1k3UbER9O5IKZ6aa-aZtkFNhru67wuw4pvhk4GZRBH36vMQsG2Ibu4rufOgI0hE3o_YcR3SZcAd_BDRs14MF2aSWyG3Ea_gUvYaKpdQIIpfRKOn2--sn-u1XDKS8A0vXpcWfr4l8jxBbKyeQ%3D%3D" target="_blank"> this interesting presentation</a> on Islam and Secularism by Tunisian intellectual <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashid_al-Ghannushi" target="_blank">Rashid Ghannouchi</a>.  Tunisia is at a critical juncture, having just elected an Islamically-inclined party, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ennahda_Movement" target="_blank">Ennehda</a>, to power after having successfully staged their revolution that went on to spark the Arab Spring. And Ghannouchi is the intellectual head of this movement.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I have read some of his works written in years past when he was in exile and so I was looking forward to his perspective after having finally achieved a platform for implementing his vision. Unfortunately, I came away greatly disappointed in what I felt to be a grossly apologetic approach to synchronizing the paradox of Islam and Secularism.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I’ve taken snippets from his talk followed by my comments. However, in order to taste the full complement of flavors experienced in his talk, you really must read it from beginning to end.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> =-=-=</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“Secularism appeared, evolved, and crystallized in the West as procedural solutions, and not as a philosophy or theory of existence, to problems that had been posed in the European context. Most of these problems emerged following the Protestant split in the West, which tore apart the consensus that had been dominant in the Catholic Church, and imposed the religious wars in the 16th and 17th century. It was thus that Secularism and/or secularization began.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Secularism is not simply a set of ‘procedural solutions’. How could a set of mere ‘procedural solutions’ have been proposed to clean up the mess made by the religious wars of the 16<sup>th</sup> and 17<sup>th</sup> centuries? One needs only to look back at the embryonic stages of secularism and study the environment in which it was gestated to realize that the Reformation, the Renaissance, Enlightenment and other deeply philosophical events were key in the formulation of Western Secularism.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Europe needed an entirely different mindset and worldview in order to overwrite centuries of damage caused by the paternalistic Church. And thus, Secularism conveniently separated the over-reaching arm of the Church from the state and declared all religious matters divorced from the public realm.  No ‘procedural solutions’ could have ever achieved such a monumental paradigm shift.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> True, secularism has a procedural component, such as the significance of rule of law or the separation of powers, but to suggest that it isn’t a philosophy or that it doesn’t strongly promote and encourage a certain theory of existence (i.e. atheism) is patently incorrect.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“In the United States religious interference in the public domain is evident, despite the differentiation that exists there remains a significant religious influence. Their leaders' speeches are laden with religious content and references, and religion is debated in all electoral campaigns where it manifests itself in issues such as prayer in schools and abortion.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> To argue that the US intermixes religion and politics in issues of any substance is naïve.  The rare sprinkling of religion into the political realm is superficial at best.  The role of religion in core governance issues is nonexistent. The fact that religion is allowed a chair at the table of government is merely a PR ploy.  Only peripheral issues, such as abortion, contraception, and prayer in school, are regularly marched before the public (coincidentally during election season), so as to distract from the more vital issues such as social services , foreign policy, economics, etc.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“This will naturally lead to a diversity in interpretation, and there is no harm in that except when we need to legislate, at which time we are in need of a mechanism, and the best mechanism that mankind has come up with is the electoral and democratic one which produces representatives of the nation and makes these interpretations a collective as opposed to an individual effort.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Based on what is he able to declare that the best legislative mechanism that mankind has come up with is the electoral and democratic one?  With so many apparent abuses and failures of the democratic methodology, how can this be the best mankind has devised? It is folly at best, and disingenuous misrepresentation at worst, to suggest that a republic based on democratic procedures can most optimally yield a just and fair government. Have not centuries of this exact political experiment in Europe and the US proven that all democracies inevitably spiral downwards into the sewage of plutocracy and oligarchy? Why are we so in a rush to duplicate the failures of our masters?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“But if what is mean is the separation in the French sense or in accordance with the Marxist experience then we may engage in a dangerous adventure that may harm both religion and state. The total stripping of the state from religion would turn the state into a mafia, and the world economic system into an exercise in plundering, and politics into deception and hypocrisy. And this is exactly what happened in the Western experience, despite there being some positive aspects. International politics became the preserve of a few financial brokers owning the biggest share of capital and by extension the media, through which they ultimately control politicians.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> The speaker has failed to provide any alternate method by which a secular democracy can be employed without inevitably resulting in the above-mentioned negative after-effects.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“There is no value to any religious observance that is motivated through coercion. It is of no use to turn those who are disobedient to God into hypocrites through the state's coercive tools. People are created free and while it is possible to have control over their external aspects, it is impossible to do so over their inner selves and convictions.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> This is a typical red herring by the pro-secularism side and while I expect such misleading drivel from the likes of Bush, I am very disappointed to read it from Ghannouchi.  They paint a binary landscape in which complete freedom of religion exists solely in a setting where religion plays a minimal role in governance or religion and politics mix into a toxic potion resulting in coercion and compulsion by oppressive religious state authorities.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> No one is arguing for state interference in private religious matters.  No one wishes for the state to have control over ‘their inner selves and convictions.’ It isn’t a choice of absolute liberalism or absolute authoritarianism.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“The state's duty, however, is to provide services to people before anything else, to create job opportunities, and to provide good health and education not to control people's hearts and minds.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> What about creating a rich, fertile society in which man can fully express his humanity, which happens to be through adherence to the Quran and Sunnah.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“For this reason, I have opposed the coercion of people in all its forms and manifestation and have dealt with such controversial topics such as al-Riddah (apostasy) and have defended the freedom of people to either adhere to or defect from a religious creed, based on the Qur'anic verse that says: 'there is no compulsion in religion'.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Sadly he shows his limited understanding of the ideal mix between religion and politics when he restricts his samples to the media-mandated hot topics of veiling and apostasy.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> These are all straw men, propped up and consequently shot down by him to simply further his pro-secularism contentions. No sane advocate of combining religion and politics is suggesting that the state must force religiosity on its citizens.  Rather, the state must cultivate an environment conducive to carrying out one’s religious obligations while enriching one’s spiritual development.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“This is why Muslims consider Islam's proof to be so powerful that there is no need to coerce people, and when the voice of Islam proclaims 'Produce your proof if ye are truthful' this challenge is being proposed at the heart of the political and intellectual conflict.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Again, the argument isn’t about coercing citizens to observe religious rituals.  It is about enacting religious principles in state institutions.  It is about removing predatory capitalism from the economy.  It is about instilling a more just foreign policy, in line with the Quran and Sunnah. It is about educating the masses away from materialism and back towards a more spiritual worldview</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“The fact that our revolution has succeeded in toppling a dictator, we ought to accept the principle of citizenship, and that this country does not belong to one party or another but rather to all of its citizens regardless of their religion, sex, or any other consideration. Islam has bestowed on them the right to be citizens enjoying equal rights, and to believe in whatever they desire within the framework of mutual respect, and observance of the law which is legislated for by their representatives in parliament.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And all this can only be achieved via a secular democracy?  Is our intellectual capital so exhausted that we cannot even consider an alternative Islamically-anchored possibility?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2012/03/ghannouchi-on-islam-and-secularism.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-2162165113013014974Thu, 15 Mar 2012 03:36:00 +00002012-03-15T06:36:02.220+03:00IslamIslamic StateJihadSpiritualityDr. Israr vs Sh. Mokhtar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> During my college days, back in the early 90’s, I had the very fortunate opportunity to attend a weekend conference featuring both Dr. Israr Ahmed and Sh. Mokhtar Moghraoui.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>It was organized by TINA (Tanzimi-Islam of North America), a branch of Dr. Israr’s Pakistan-based Tanzimi-Islam movement. The 3-day conference was very small (around 20 attendees) and offered an extremely intimate environment whereby serious discussions and exchanges could be had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The organizers had Dr. Israr presenting his political philosophies while Sh. Mokhtar was asked to focus on the spiritual aspect of community development. <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> For anyone unfamiliar with Dr. Israr and his pro-khilafa movement, he preached an almost literal approach to the Prophetic model of state development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>He advocated for a grassroots movement by which a critical mass of devoted followers would accumulate, after which a confrontation with state authorities would inevitably ensue. At it's core it wasn’t a violent message, but one which called for Muslims to prepare for sacrifice if and when the need arose.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> But in our private sittings with Sh. Mokhtar, he was respectfully adamant in disagreeing with Dr. Israr’s approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Instead of the need for a revolution, Sh. Mokhtar believed in the need for an evolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>He insisted that revolutions only bring about fleeting change, while the Muslims are in dire need of an evolutionary change that is sustainable and enduring.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Years later, I’m convinced that both approaches are required.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>We need an evolutionary change to our spirits, but we need a revolution to initiate an upheaval to our crumbling status quo.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/12/18-1" target="_blank">This excellent article</a> over at CommonDreams succinctly states the steps we need to take considering the dire circumstances in which we find ourselves:</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“We are going to need a revolution. An energy revolution.  A social revolution. And a revolution in international relations -- waging war on climate change, instead of war on countries with the misfortunate of sitting on top of oil and other coveted resources. </i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>To achieve all this we are going to need to summon an unprecedented collective will to take back the public sphere, including the media, and we will have to re-imagine our democracy, our cities, our societies, and our daily lives.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I think Muslims have become too timid to discuss the need for a revolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Revolutions need not involved bloodshed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Revolutions need not result in outright chaos and anarchy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Revolutions can take countless shapes and forms.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Must we restrict ourselves to the ‘revolution within’? In the midst of all this global uncertainty, where are the Muslims to offer their Divinely-inspired solutions?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2012/03/dr-israr-vs-sh-mokhtar.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-2887890531881110353Fri, 24 Feb 2012 02:25:00 +00002012-02-24T05:25:52.352+03:00East meets Westlife in Saudi ArabiaYou Don't Know Squat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Recently I'm becoming more and more convinced of the wisdom behind squatting.  No, I'm not referring to the tactic used by the underprivileged where they occupy a piece of land or property, refusing to move until their demands are met. I'm talking about the more primitive form, referring to position when going to the bathroom.<br /> <br /> <span class="fullpost"></span><br /> I kept procrastinating on writing about this topic until I was reminded of it with <a href="https://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2010/08/dont_just_sit_there.single.html" target="_blank">this article</a> from Slate. You see, I've never regularly practiced squatting (I only used the flat toilets during long road trips here in Saudi) as I was raised using the standard toilet and so my body simply grew incapable of comfortably squatting. However, a while back the toilets stopped working in my office and I was forced to resort to the Eastern-toilets. And I must admit that everything stated in the Slate article is correct.  Without getting too graphic, let's just say that everything simply 'flowed'.<br /> <br /> <span class="fullpost"></span><br /> The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squat_toilet" target="_blank">Wikipedia page on flat toilets</a> lists a few of the health benefits. In addition to it being physiologically healthier, these toilets are environmentally safer. They don't require an obscene amount of water to flush with the more traditional toilets letting natural decomposition do most of the work (see: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanure#Humanure" target="_blank">Humanure</a>).<br /> <br /> <span class="fullpost"></span><br /> For those curious, here's a hilarious yet educational video on the Do's and Don'ts of squatting:<br /> <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dKkryfdtMNQ" width="420"></iframe> <br /> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dKkryfdtMNQ" target="_blank">YT link</a>) (<a href="https://americanbedu.com/2011/01/14/saudi-arabia-how-to-use-an-eastern-style-toilet/" target="_blank">h/t American Bedu</a>)<br /> <br /> <span class="fullpost"></span><br /> Finally, if you do decide to go down this route, you can look as happy as <a href="https://www.lillipad.co.nz/" target="_blank">this lady</a>!<br /> <br /> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2012/02/you-dont-know-squat.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-4675255501084749015Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:19:00 +00002012-02-07T06:19:51.823+03:00Divine RememberanceIslamQuranic discoveriesSpiritualityDangerous Deliberations and Dandy Discoveries<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">  <br /> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I find myself sitting in the hospital’s expansive lobby outside their waiting room, looking upon little Sarah recklessly stumbling around the open area. At first I’m amusing myself by watching Sarah amuse herself. Quite a boisterous character that little 2-yr old, I think to myself.  </div> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Just a few weeks ago, an elderly Pakistani lady, unable to resist temptations to squeeze her, snatched Sarah up as my wife was walking in the mall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>She continued to kiss her chubby cheeks until her twenty-something son, embarrassed by his mother’s antics, pleaded for her to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>And when my wife jokingly mentioned that she must have been attracted to our daughter due to Sarah’s Pakistani roots, the lady became even more overcome with joy and pasted her with several more smooches.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Ah yes, the joys of rearing irresistible Sarah.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Then my mind wanders back to the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>How long until they call Ibrahim’s name? What should I do? I should have brought a book along. Do I need to call anyone? Oh wait, why not open the Quran and recite a few verses.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> But the Shaytan immediately springs into action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Or is it my nafs? Sadly, I’m never able to tell the two apart.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> What an insincere act, I think to myself. After having exhausted all other options, only then you turn to the Quran.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> It’s actually more insulting to the Creator of the Quran to recite His words in such a disgraceful manner than to not read them at all. The Divine Words are not meant to be a last resort, an afterthought, option C or D.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> How pathetic that you haven’t opened the Quran all week and only now that you’re bored, you’re turning to these eternal words?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Don’t you dare offend your Lord by opening His book in such a wretched manner, I continue trying to convince myself. Better for you to go home, set aside the proper time, find the proper place, create the proper frame of mind, and recite the Holy Book with khushoo’ (sincerity and awe).</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Flustered by my confusing deliberations, I turn my attention back to Sarah as I discover her climbing all over the sofa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>What an easy life to be so carefree. Not a concern in the world. No worldly worries, no fiscal responsibilities, no internal struggles, no epic battles against the self.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And that’s when it hits me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>My cunning, despicable self has duped me once again. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I refuse any last-second whimperings from my nafs and quickly open up my Quran. I flip to the verses in Surah Yunus which my Quranic study group has recently reached and as I’m casually reading the verses with the translation, I get to verse 58:</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Traditional Arabic","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ</span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Traditional Arabic";"></span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Say: In the Bounty and Grace of Allah and in His Mercy – in this, then, let them rejoice! For it is better than all that they may amass.”</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I stop abruptly and repeat this verse several times over.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Ya Allah! What an incredible verse!</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> These most sublime words from *MY* Lord to *ME* resonate so deeply into my soul, carrying such a promising message of hope and love that I immediately commit them to memory.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Bursting with such…happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>What a soothing contrast to the oh-so-serious message often heard over masjid loudspeakers.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Let us be happy and giddy at the thought of our Lord’s favor and mercy. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Let us be full of exuberance and excitement.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Let us emanate cheer and bliss as we inhale Allah's benevolence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Let us joyfully exclaim and gleefully whisper the bounties of our Creator.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And while the verse specifically is commanding our beloved Prophet (saw) to say this to his followers, we are indirectly being commanded ourselves to spread these words of euphoria and jubilation.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Fal-Yafrahu (<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Traditional Arabic","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">فَلْيَفْرَحُوا</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Traditional Arabic";"><span dir="LTR"></span>) – then let them celebrate, be happy, rejoice.</span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Traditional Arabic";">What a kind and comforting thing for our Lord to say to us feeble humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Through all the harm we humans create, sustain, endure, inflict, and suffer, we are offered these compassionate words.</span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Traditional Arabic";">That His Grace and Mercy is so overpowering, so overwhelming, so awe-inspiring that the damage we humans combine to wreak - on ourselves, on our fellow humans, on our fellow creations, on our Earth, all of it - pales in comparison. So much so, that not only are we to patiently persevere or quietly suffer or uncomplainingly tolerate the difficulties of life, but we ought to, above all else, celebrate and rejoice and honor His infinite Grace and Mercy.</span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Traditional Arabic";">Wow.</span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <span>I'm left in sheer amazement as Sarah jolts me back to reality with a loud jovial scream as she frolics around the hospital lobby. On second thought, she and her toddler brethren don't have it as good as those of us able to taste the sweet, eternal joys of the Quran. </span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2012/02/dangerous-deliberations-and-dandy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-1735395132819803914Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:08:00 +00002012-01-21T10:08:18.581+03:00democracyMuslimsObamaPakistanpoliticsSpiritualityObama, Imran Khan, and the Materialistic Worldview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> When most of us hear the term Materialism we probably imagine fancy cars, expensive vacations, and credit cards maxed to the limit. Or the more philosophical amongst us will immediately think of the dictionary definition which states that reality is based only upon matter. But the materialistic outlook on life isn’t merely limited to worldly indulgences and matter-based philosophies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>It’s much more insidious when the materialistic worldview seeps into our subconsious. <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> More specifically, I’m referring to entire cause-and-effect mindset and how the entire human race has effectively embraced it as a fundamental doctrine. Science, the New Age god of the religiously disinclined, has stated that everything in this world operates on the cause-and-effect model. This isn’t limited to the laboratories, but has found its way in everything we say and do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Our sustenance comes not from our Creator, but from our monthly paychecks. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Our success comes not from our adherence to our principles, but from our efforts and struggles. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> We have becomes slaves not of our Lord, but of this materialistic worldview.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And so, when we decide to stand up and struggle for the truth in the face of tyranny and oppression, we find ourselves restricted to ‘proven’ tactics and ‘established’ movements. We must determine the odds of victory and evaluate the calculus of success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>We must choose pragmatism over idealism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>We must compromise and concede for that is the way of the accomplished high priests of the material world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Our models of success are no more founded on the anachronistic ways of the Prophets, but on the avant-garde techniques of today’s global leaders.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> So it is when we finally see a breath of 'fresh' air in our political worlds, we see cause for celebration. We have inexplicably convinced ourselves that political success can only come in the form of a political party that is born from the same decrepit system that has been plaguing and ruining our societies.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> The examples set forth by our beloved Prophets, we tell ourselves, are strictly limited to the spiritual realm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Any issues we may have with our political or economic existence must be dealt with tried and tested methodologies extracted from our textbooks and institutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>To suggest that the spiritual world can interoperate in the political is extreme folly. At least, that is what the secular materialists have taught us so effectively.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> We are so affixed to the cause-and-effect model that we have lost sight of the power of our Lord. With the 'unparalleled power' of our modern minds, an ark in the middle of the desert would be foolish, escaping from a ruthless army and fleeing towards the ocean would be mad, and 313 would never, ever defeat 1000. We have convinced ourselves (or have become convinced) that the only way to victory is by our efforts, not by our principles and beliefs.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Thus, instead of sticking to our principles and looking to our religion for guidance, we rejoice when political idealists such as Obama or Pakistan’s Imran Khan tantalize us with their flowery promises of hope and change. We naively see in them a means of rectifying our broken system. Instead of realizing that never did a Prophet make change from within the broken system, we blindly pursue success with political parties. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Would a Prophet ever submit himself to the evil machinations of modern-day democracy by leading a political party? </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> It matters not, for those Prophetic examples set forth in our Holy Book are to be read strictly for spiritual blessings, not for any practical application.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Sadly materialism is alive and well, even in the more spiritually inclined amongst us.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2012/01/obama-imran-khan-and-materialistic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-5783519791150674001Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:35:00 +00002011-12-18T18:35:34.718+03:00American IslamIslamic StateJihadpoliticsMoving Beyond Our Spiritual Jihad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Lampost Productions <a href="https://www.lamppostproductions.com/?p=3329" target="_blank">recently posted</a> an excerpt from Imam Zaid Shakir’s latest book, "<a href="https://www.newislamicdirections.com/store/item_detail/scattered_pictures_reflections_of_an_american_muslim/">Scattered Pictures-Reflections of an American Muslim</a>“. In the excerpt*, Imam Zaid highlights the misguided ways of the “Muslim Zionists”.  The term refers to those Muslims who have made the establishment of the Muslim Khilafa, by any means necessary, into their life-long goal.  The term Zionist is used pejoratively as a reference to the Jews who sacrificed all their Judaic principles and values in order to create the Zionist state of Israel.  So we find these Muslim Zionists casting aside core Islamic tenets, foolishly convinced that the means justifies the end, in the hopes of creating an Islamic state.<br /> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> While I wholeheartedly agree with Imam Zaid’s synopsis of this regrettable development, I do wish that he could have tempered his remonstration with a viable, holistic alternative.  It seems that he throws out the baby with the bath water when it comes to the role of Muslims in contemporary politics.  Are we to step back from the big stage of the political world and solely focus on reforming our selves?  Is the world of international politics and global economics so hopeless and vile that our only chance at success is to relocate into our ivory towers and focus on individual acts of worship? And if there is space for Muslim in modern politics, is it limited to the confines of the established political machinery (ie. voting, lobbying, boycotts, political parties, etc.)</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I recall seeing a similar approach (of avoiding feasible solutions) when it came to our scholars’ universal denunciation of terrorism.  Most Muslims realized that killing innocents while claiming it to be an act of Islamic Jihad was haram.  But no scholar ever offered a viable model on the role of Islamic Jihad in this modern day and age.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Similarly, Muslims throughout the world realize that the process of creating an Islamic society based on the principles of Divine Revelation must not violate those very same Islamic principles.  I think it’s fair to say that most Muslims reject the approach of the Muslim Zionists. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> But the question remains: How then can Muslims legitimately struggle to create a society based on the Quran and Sunnah?  How can Muslims live Islamically, not only on the personal level, but also in the socio-politico-economic realms?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Have we begun to embrace the Western approach to religion and politics as purportedly stated by Prophet Isa (as) <i>"Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's"</i>? Is the S-word (Shariah) becoming as difficult a topic to broach as the <a href="https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2011/04/yasir-qadhi-making-case-for-hijrah.html" target="_blank">J-word</a>? Granted, there may be no practical role for Shariah and Jihad talk in our lives, but what exactly is the legacy we will be passing on to the next generation? Last year, in the midst of the furor over anti-Shariah legislation proposed in various states across America, many attempted to downplay the role of the Shariah as strictly a personal code of conduct.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Slippery slope, meet Muslims in the West.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> To what end will we continue to emasculate and emaciate the pristine teachings of our dear Prophet (saw)?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> For the record, just as I do not believe the mere abolishment of riba and the establishment of an economic system based on the Quran/Sunnah would, by itself, usher in a period of universal Islamic justice and Divine pleasure, I do not consider the struggle for the Khilafa and its re-establishment as a panacea for the countless ills plaguing the Muslims. That being said, the economic and the political struggles are equally as vital to our worldly and other-worldly success as our spiritual and social struggles.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Are we to attain spiritual nirvana before we are allowed to initiate pro-Khilafa or riba-free movements?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I say not all this in some jingoistic manner, attempting to rile up the masses with faux calls for Jihad and what not. My concern is rooted in the abdication of our collective responsibility to these foundational principles of Islam.  While it is reasonable, even expected, that not every Muslim is capable of implementing the principles of Jihad or the struggle for a Shariah-based society, at the very least we must all commit ourselves to intellectually developing as well as preserving these ideals in a manner most pleasing to our Creator.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">* I realize that I am basing my conclusions on simply an excerpt from a larger book, so I may have to adjust my analysis based on a complete reading.</span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2011/12/moving-beyond-our-spiritual-jihad.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-3786131697391558165Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:03:00 +00002011-12-01T03:09:55.043+03:00life in Saudi ArabiaIdeal Picnic Weather in Saudi Arabia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/brnaeem2/Picnic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://sites.google.com/site/brnaeem2/Picnic1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> You all know the perfect picnic weather, right?<span>  </span>Bright, sunny day with a cool, gentle breeze.<span>  </span>Not too warm, not too cold. Colorful flowers dotting the landscape with an occasional fluffy, white cloud dotting the blue sky.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And if dark, gray clouds accompanied by a bitter, misty gust come rumbling across the sky, everyone packs up and goes scurrying for cover.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Well, not everyone.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Here in Saudi, where the scorching sun shines over the desert land for most of the year, a gloomy, dreary forecast – which most of the world despises - cheers up the locals and has them rushing out to the desert to snatch up prime picnic real estate.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> They get giddy when the forecast includes light showers and a deep chill.<span>  </span>When this type of weather strikes (which typically will last for a day or two), many employees call in sick, kids miss school, and college campuses are empty.<span>  </span>Most of Riyadh can be found picnicking out in the cool, wet desert.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> During my first six years or so, I used to get a real kick out of this phenomenon.<span>  </span>I would laugh to myself, <i>‘How in the world can one enjoy a picnic in such overcast, gloomy weather?’</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Only after having lived in the desert climate for almost 10 years have I begun to appreciate the citywide excitement when a cold, winter shower hits the area.<span>  </span>You see, it’s a rare occasion, which brings with it the blessings of rain - much appreciated and celebrated in this dry, arid land.<span>  </span>It is only in these rare moments that Saudis are able to bundle up, start up a nice, warm campfire, and enjoy the wet, misty air with a cup of Arabic coffee.<span>  </span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <span></span>And the occasional drizzle on their picnic is a source of joy instead of dejection.<span>  </span>The picnic temporarily relocates into the vehicle, or a tent for the more adventurous intent on camping out for the entire day, and everyone goes back out when the rain stops.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> The ideal location for such a picnic is anywhere water has collected, which is why you’ll find rain-induced lakes (really just glorified puddles) in the desert surrounded by jeeps and trucks, with people huddled around a fire and children playing in the sand.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Having grown up in Baltimore, I despised the cloudy, rainy weather and was overjoyed when I initially moved to sunny Saudi.<span>  </span>But it’s taken me almost 10 years to get over my honeymoon with the sun and now I too get “misty”-eyed (see what I did there?) when the weather turns gray and chill.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2011/12/ideal-picnic-weather-in-saudi-arabia.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-2825632404544769104Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:46:00 +00002011-11-24T06:52:28.503+03:00About Meraising kidsMy Girls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/brnaeem2/girls2.jpg?attredirects=0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://sites.google.com/site/brnaeem2/girls2.jpg?attredirects=0" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> Meet my two younger daughters, Ayah (left) and Sarah.  One will attempt to win you over with her charm.  The other will simply try to run you over.<br /> <br /> Guess which one is which.<br /> <br /> :-)<br /> <br /> <br /></div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-girls.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-6288796531937811409Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:58:00 +00002011-11-11T08:58:25.576+03:00Modernityraising kidssocial problemsDangers of (H)Over-Parenting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Ever since ever, I’ve been a strong advocate of old-school parenting – where the child is taught that the world does not revolve around him.  I strongly believe that a child ought to be taught to serve her elders, as a means of nipping in the bud any form of self-absorption or sense of entitlement.  And I’ve always considered it acceptable to allow a child to fall down and pick himself up on his own.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> That’s why I absolutely love <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/07/how-to-land-your-kid-in-therapy/8555/" target="_blank">this article</a>. I’m learning that parenting is a fine balance between expressing unconditional love for the child while simultaneously maintaining a level of indifference.  Crazy, right?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> The child needs to learn that the parents won’t always be there to save the day. And this requires us to force ourselves to turn away when they are going through painful experiences. Obviously, it doesn’t mean that I turn my back on them when they are in dire need, but I need to give them space to fall down and get back up:</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>Dan Kindlon, a child psychologist and lecturer at Harvard, warns against what he calls our “discomfort with discomfort” in his book Too Much of a Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age. If kids can’t experience painful feelings, Kindlon told me when I called him not long ago, they won’t develop “psychological immunity.” </i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“It’s like the way our body’s immune system develops,” he explained. “You have to be exposed to pathogens, or your body won’t know how to respond to an attack. Kids also need exposure to discomfort, failure, and struggle. I know parents who call up the school to complain if their kid doesn’t get to be in the school play or make the cut for the baseball team. I know of one kid who said that he didn’t like another kid in the carpool, so instead of having their child learn to tolerate the other kid, they offered to drive him to school themselves. By the time they’re teenagers, they have no experience with hardship. Civilization is about adapting to less-than-perfect situations, yet parents often have this instantaneous reaction to unpleasantness, which is ‘I can fix this.’” </i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Also I really believe that so much of this helicopter parenting, where the parents hover over the child, is about parents and their inability to create a life outside of their nuclear homes.  With the extended family having gone the way of the 8-track and box-set televisions, higher divorce rates leaving parents isolated, as well as social circles becoming smaller and smaller, too many parents have nothing but their children left as social outlets:</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>We have less community nowadays—we’re more isolated as adults, more people are divorced—and we genuinely like spending time with our kids. We hope they’ll think of us as their best friends, which is different from parents who wanted their kids to appreciate them, but didn’t need them to be their pals. But many of us text with our kids several times a day, and would miss it if it didn’t happen. So instead of being peeved that they ask for help with the minutiae of their days, we encourage it.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> As a homeschooling parent, I embarrassingly admit that I have my hovering skills pretty much in high gear.  My wife and I are constantly aware of our children’s state of being.  We are greatly involved in their daily activities.  But the greatest difference, I believe, between my style and that of my counterparts profiled in this article is my lack of constant approval.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I try to balance my ‘shabaash’ and ‘atta boys’ with ‘you’re work is terrible’ and ‘get out of my face!’</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>Meanwhile, rates of anxiety and depression have also risen in tandem with self-esteem. Why is this? “Narcissists are happy when they’re younger, because they’re the center of the universe,” Twenge explains. “Their parents act like their servants, shuttling them to any activity they choose and catering to their every desire. Parents are constantly telling their children how special and talented they are. This gives them an inflated view of their specialness compared to other human beings. Instead of feeling good about themselves, they feel better than everyone else.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> The old-school father in me has always felt comfortable in setting limits for my kids.  And with kids being kids, these limits are always being tested, but it’s essential that the parent be prepared to say no and simply walk away.  Tears may be shed and emotions will be high, but the principle always overrides these temporary fits of emotion.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> But the one place where I clearly feel I have fallen short is in giving my kids too many choices.  I am always waffling between giving them the ‘responsibility’ to make adult choices and forcing decisions upon them.  Am I properly balancing this act?  Not sure.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>As a parent, I’m all too familiar with this. I never said to my son, “Here’s your grilled-cheese sandwich.” I’d say, “Do you want the grilled cheese or the fish sticks?” On a Saturday, I’d say, “Do you want to go to the park or the beach?” Sometimes, if my preschooler was having a meltdown over the fact that we had to go to the grocery store, instead of swooping him up and wrestling him into the car, I’d give him a choice: “Do you want to go to Trader Joe’s or Ralphs?” (Once we got to the market, it was “Do you want the vanilla yogurt or the peach?”) But after I’d set up this paradigm, we couldn’t do anything unless he had a choice. One day when I said to him, “Please put your shoes on, we’re going to Trader Joe’s,” he replied matter-of-factly: “What are my other choices?” I told him there were no other choices—we needed something from Trader Joe’s. “But it’s not fair if I don’t get to decide too!” he pleaded ingenuously. He’d come to expect unlimited choice. </i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>When I was my son’s age, I didn’t routinely get to choose my menu, or where to go on weekends—and the friends I asked say they didn’t, either. There was some negotiation, but not a lot, and we were content with that. We didn’t expect so much choice, so it didn’t bother us not to have it until we were older, when we were ready to handle the responsibility it requires. But today, Twenge says, “we treat our kids like adults when they’re children, and we infantilize them when they’re 18 years old.” </i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And finally, I completely agree with this concluding statement:</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“In fact, by trying so hard to provide the perfectly happy childhood, we’re just making it harder for our kids to actually grow up. Maybe we parents are the ones who have some growing up to do—and some letting go.”</i></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> One more thought. Throughout my entire reading of this lengthy piece, I was overcome by the lack of spiritual discipline that exists for so many of these families.  I’m assuming that many of them may be church-going regulars, but sadly Christianity is completely lacking on this front.  One of the pillars of Islamic teaching is the constant battlefront we must maintain against our nafs.  And when this is a foundational teaching in the home, I’m convinced that many of these issues of narcissism, depression, low self-esteem, and what not can be better addressed.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /> <br /></div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2011/11/dangers-of-hover-parenting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-6543864409747012933Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:38:00 +00002011-11-03T06:38:28.958+03:00Spiritualitywar on nafsMy Obnoxious, Parasitic Friend<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Well, I wouldn’t necessarily call him my friend.  </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> An acquaintance perhaps. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> A colleague maybe.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Regardless, the fact remains that I’ve known him for a very long time and he’s always demonstrated terribly poor social skills in my company.  He consistently exhibits selfish behavior while rarely, if ever, willing to reciprocate my acts of generosity.  I’ve lost count of the number of times that I have taken this mooch out for a meal, allowed him company in our family outings, and provided him a place to sleep. His charming personality is such that I foolishly continue to bathe him with gifts while getting nothing in return.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I seriously doubt that he has any other friends besides me.  In fact, I know with certainty that he has no other friends, for no one else would tolerate his boorish behavior.  So while I realize I may be too accommodating of his unbecoming idiosyncrasies (to put it mildly), the poor soul really has no one else.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> But still, I shouldn’t excuse his disgusting attitude.  In our younger days, he went so far as to cause several run-ins between myself and my parents.  At the time, I was too immature to realize his failings, so I embarrassingly sided with him.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And it doesn’t stop there.  His unwelcome contributions have played a significant role in countless arguments I’ve had with my wife.  She can’t stand that I continue to socialize with him, but some relationships are awkwardly inexplicable and simply impossible to get out of.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And worst of all, I’m convinced this disgraceful little runt has played a direct role in damaging my relationship with Allah (swt).  He clearly isn’t the most devout of Muslims, as he is sadly lackadaisical in his worship while uncomfortably exuberant in his worldly endeavors. Unfortunately I have found myself accompanying him on one too many of his indulgent adventures.  While I’m adamant on drawing the line when it comes to clear Haram activities, he’s always keen to push those boundaries.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> He loves to eat.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> He loves to laugh.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> He loves to socialize.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Odd traits for someone who has no real friends.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Every time I tell myself that we must part ways, I find myself returning his phone calls and allowing him back in my circle.  No lie, but the last few Ramadans I’ve told myself that I’m going to purge myself of his distasteful company, sorta like TV or the Internet.  I semi-seriously joke with him that I’ll tie him up in the same way Allah (swt) ties up the devils. And every year, I last for the entire month without contacting him, plus an extra few weeks after, but just like the TV and the Internet, he inevitably returns to my life.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And here I find myself reading these pathetic paragraphs, wondering why in the world I continue to associate myself with this most ugly of beings.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I’m sure you’re wondering the same.  <br /> But don’t judge me.<br /> Seriously.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Because you may have an equally vile friend in your own life, who is more controlling, more obnoxious, more devious.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And worse yet, you may not even know about him.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> He is your nafs.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I despise mine, yet I continue our dysfunctional relationship where I grant him everything he desires, while he joyfully continues to sabotage my life and after-life.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I wish I could simply un-friend him ala Facebook.  (sigh)</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-obnoxious-parasitic-friend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-3922746977786655022Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:03:00 +00002011-10-27T07:03:40.896+03:00Divine Rememberancewar on nafsWestern CultureWhat He Said...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> As a follow-up to my last post on the struggle of squaring the two circles of our existence (worldly and other-worldly), I would like to point you all to a very similar post by blogger <a href="https://theshardulofallah.wordpress.com/about/">Shardul of Allah</a> titled <a href="https://theshardulofallah.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/life-revolving-around-work/">"Life Revolving Around Work"</a>.  He nicely captures my sentiments.<br /> <br /> Just not sure how he was able to read my post and then copy it 6 months ago!?  :-)<br /> <br /> <br /></div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-he-said.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-4755644744392382165Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:53:00 +00002011-10-18T05:53:25.615+03:00clash of civilizationsEast meets WestModernityProphetic LoveWestern CultureThe Prophetic Life vs the Modern Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">  <br /> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Recently I’ve been thinking about how completely discordant our modern lives are with the Prophetic model.<span>  </span>The more one tries throughout one’s day to earnestly adhere to the various acts of Sunnah, the more it becomes clear that life in the 21<sup>st</sup> century is quite inhospitable to the <b><i>ideal </i></b>Islamic way of life.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Before I continue, let me be clear here.<span>  </span>The Shariah has incorporated, by way of Allah’s Divine Mercy, mechanisms that tolerate and accommodate, throughout all time and space, the countless extremes found in human life. So I find nothing inherently anti-Islamic about life in the fast-paced Internet age we find ourselves in today.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> That being said, when I try to mimic the life of my dear Prophet (saw) in this day and age, the incongruity between the two becomes very clear.<span>  </span>My pace of life simply doesn’t afford me the luxury to dutifully carry out all the voluntary acts of worship.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> For example, most Muslims perform their five daily prayers void of the due reverence that the Prophet and his companions displayed.<span>  </span>From performing the Wudu with peace and serenity to attending congregational prayers at the Masjid to praying all the Sunnah/Nafl prayers, it would take at least 30 minutes for each prayer.<span>  </span>Now, who can afford two hours (not including Fajr) out of their busy daily schedule *solely for their prayers*?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Furthermore, what about the various Prophetic litanies, especially after Fajr and Maghrib, which would take an additional hour each day?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Then there is the Sunnah of staying awake from Fajr to Sunrise, reciting Quran/Dhikr, and finishing with the Duha salat.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And let’s not forget waking up for Tahajjud in the last third of the night.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Oh and then there are the Sunnahs of sleeping, such as sleeping immediately after Isha and reciting Surah Mulk and Ayat al-Kursi before sleeping.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I’ve mentioned some of the daily Prophetic acts of worship - acts which, in past generations, even the most casual of Muslims vigilantly maintained.<span>  </span>But beginning with our parent’s generation, I’m convinced that that number has dwindled down to only the select few.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> How can one possibly perform all these deeds while equally maintaining a productive role in 21<sup>st</sup> century society?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> How am I supposed to ensure my place in the first row of the masjid for every prayer? How am I supposed to stop whatever I am doing when the adhan is called, repeat after the mu’adhin, and then immediately rush to the masjid?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> What of visiting close relatives and the sick, as well as helping the needy?<span>  </span>When do I find time for other Islamic acts such as dawah, gaining knowledge, and teaching others?</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> In order to loyally observe all the above, I would need to drastically alter the way I live my life. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, would have to take a back seat to my adherence to the Sunnah – family, friends, work, play, rest.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I am coming to believe that the two - the Sunnah way of life and the modern life - are unconditionally irreconcilable.<span>  </span>In order for one to thrive, the other must be sacrificed.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Personally speaking, my only extended moments of adherence to the Sunnah way of life have occurred when I visited Mecca or Madina, where the entire day’s schedule revolved around worshiping Allah (swt).<span>  </span>Only when I have withdrawn myself from the modern life have I been successful in recreating a daily schedule even remotely close to that of the Prophet's.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Obviously, such an indulgence is not available to the vast majority, so we must make (major?) adjustments to our daily lives if we wish to faithfully imitate the life of our beloved Prophet (saw).</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I’m not simply referring to incorporating a handful of Sunnah acts into our daily lives.<span>   </span>In order to <b><i>holistically actualize</i></b> the Prophetic way of life, we have to adopt his <b><i>worldview</i></b> when designing and molding our lives.<span>  </span>This includes our priorities, our pace of life, our modes of entertainment, our sources of sustenance, our relations, and so on.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Where to begin?<span>  </span></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I’m open to suggestions.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2011/10/prophetic-life-vs-modern-life.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-8791636267753972529Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:55:00 +00002011-10-12T11:57:06.010+03:00Divine RememberanceSpiritualitywar on nafsLooking to Animals for Guidance – Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> We are constantly in need of reminders; for we humans, by our very nature, are forgetful.  The Arabic word for human is <i>Insan </i>which shares the same root as the Arabic word for ‘forget’ – <i>Nasa</i>.  Among the more eminent matters that we forget, our very Creator is at the top of the list.  That’s why it makes sense that we have been commanded to remain in a persistent state of divine dhikr. <br /> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Another distinguished topic in need of contemplation is our lacking relationship with our Lord.  No Muslim is taken aback by the news that she is a slave of Allah (swt) and is obligated to fulfill the commands of her Master.  We all learned this in our grade school years and try to remind ourselves at least 5 times a day in our scripted ritual prayers.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Yet we are constantly falling short in our duties and responsibilities towards our one and only Benevolent Sustainer.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> And so it is that Allah (swt) has created this world, not only with a utilitarian purpose designed for our carnal needs and desires, but as a universe bursting with signs (ayaat) reminding us of our loving relationship with Allah (swt).</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> With that in mind, let us examine two simple farm animals: sheep and horses.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> As we dawn upon the days of Hajj and the accompanying act of sacrificing a sheep, many Muslims around the world purchase their sheep a few weeks early.  They will feed it and care for it until that fateful day.  And in the run up to that moment, one amazing trait in this simple animal stands out.  Once the lamb realizes that you are its source of daily sustenance, that you are caring for it, that you are its provider – a special bond is created.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> The lamb will gravitate towards you.  </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I recently witnessed this phenomenon with my own eyes, while visiting a sheep farm here in Riyadh.  I asked the shepherd to catch a young sheep so as to allow my daughter to pet and hold it.  I expected him to chase after one of the smaller ones and snatch it up, but instead he gently strolled over to the larger group while making some strange calling noises.  Then when he began to walk back towards us, one of the smaller sheep followed him out of the flock.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Astonished by this little animal’s behavior, I asked him how he did this.  In all my previous visits, the sheep are so frightened by us that they all jolt at our mere approach. He explained that its mother was not feeding it sufficiently, so he began to manually feed the lamb himself. Naturally, he explained, it came to depend upon him and now responds to his every call. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> This relationship will continue so much so, that even if he were to lead this sheep to the slaughterhouse, it would willingly follow its master. No pulling, no dragging, no coaxing.  </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Complete and utter submission.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> All for what?  He merely provided the sheep with some food and it's now willing to follow him to the butcher’s block!</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> What then can be said of our relationship with our Sustainer?  From the moment we were in our mother’s womb, we have been beautifully provided for in a manner not even remotely comparable to the shepherd and the sheep.  Countless blessings, each and every day of our lives, from a Loving Lord Who asks for obedience, which in turn He will reward in the Hereafter with an even greater, unimaginable plethora of blessings.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Ya Allah!</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Are we no better than a simple lamb?  </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> The lamb repays its sustenance with complete submission, yet we humans repay our Ultimate Sustainer with negligence, apathy, disdain, rebellion, and even outright rejection?!  At the first sign of difficulty, the rights of our Lord are the first to go by the wayside.  Or maybe when life is smooth and everything is hunky-dory, we take all the credit while forgetting to express gratitude to the Source of all this happiness. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> How fickle we humans can be!</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Let us learn a lesson or two from those ‘dumb’ animals with whom we share this planet.<br /> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> </div>https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2011/10/looking-to-animals-for-guidance-part-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268156244556916801.post-8024534475798228151Thu, 06 Oct 2011 06:08:00 +00002011-10-06T09:10:03.453+03:00American IslamdemocracyObamapoliticswar on terrorThe Awlaki Killing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I won’t go into all the details as I believe the various talking points have been <a href="https://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/09/awlaki-illegal-or-legal/">discussed </a>and <a href="https://muslimmatters.org/2011/10/02/yasir-qadhi-nytimes-op-ed-an-illegal-and-counterproductive-assassination/">presented</a>.  Those of you who are regular readers will know where I stand on the issue.  For all others, I simply sat that he shouldn’t have been targeted.  He should have had his day in court.  </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> I would only add that Muslims should not be so quick to throw out the baby with the bath water.  While he may have adopted abhorrent views that are clearly antithetical to our religion, his previous works that brought countless young Muslims back to the folds of Islam should never be discounted or disregarded.  </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> On the subject of his more fiery political views that he advocated after his release from Yemeni incarceration, Muslims must be get a backbone and be willing to acknowledge the truth regardless of who says it.  He was very forceful in stating his views against the US Empire that some Muslims in the West were simply not comfortable hearing; and so this group felt no qualm in throwing him and his entire message under the bus. </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> That was unfortunate because there are too few Muslim voices out there with the necessary level of stinging criticism.  If only we Muslims had such a voice – courageous enough to denounce the Pharaoh of our day and disciplined enough to adhere to the Prophetic way.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> ----</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Despite all this mess of constitutional interpretations and legal wrangling over the targeting of an American citizen, what really upsets me is this tidbit of Obama’s unforthcoming approach to the whole process:  </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> </div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <i>“But the actual legal reasoning the Department of Justice used to authorize the strike? It's secret. Classified. Information that the public isn't permitted to read, mull over, or challenge. <br /><br /> Why? What justification can there be for President Obama and his lawyers to keep secret what they're asserting is a matter of sound law? This isn't a military secret. It isn't an instance of protecting CIA field assets, or shielding a domestic vulnerability to terrorism from public view. This is an analysis of the power that the Constitution and Congress' post September 11 authorization of military force gives the executive branch. This is a president exploiting official secrecy so that he can claim legal justification for his actions without having to expose his specific reasoning to scrutiny.”</i> [<a href="https://theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/10/the-secret-memo-that-explains-why-obama-can-kill-americans/246004/">Source</a>]</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> So not only is the supposed evidence against Imam Awlaki being kept secret and hidden, but now even the legal reasoning and jurisprudential methodology on which the case is built upon has become a state secret?!</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Wow.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> What a stretch.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> How much further can the government flaunt the very principles they are supposedly fighting for?  And to think, we all thought it couldn’t get any worse than Bush and Cheney.</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing"> <br /></div> </div> https://brnaeem.blogspot.com/2011/10/awlaki-killing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naeem:)2

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