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Other Articles of Interest:

Islam, Muslims and the Moral Imperative: A Post Ramadan Challange

Some aspirations of the global Muslim community are purely optional; participating in the Olympics, seeing who can build the biggest masjid, and holding star studded fundraisers. Others are crucial responsibilities to which we are perpetually obligated. Assuming the Islamic moral imperative is a responsibility from which Muslims cannot escape. In the scheme of the modern global civilization, the Muslims peoples are obligated to be beacons of morality and guidance for the world. Now before some of you chuckle, sigh, or gasp, let me explain. Allah has unequivocally declared:

“Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity.”3:104.....read more here

Islam American Style

Since the tragic events of September 11th, Muslims in America have been expressing their patriotism and Americanism to more varying degrees than in the past. Virtually every Muslim organization and community has not failed to make others aware of or to tout their American-ness. And rightfully so... many of us are Americans. Some of us were born here and others are naturalized citizens. Many of us who aren't American citizens, certainly aspire to be. It is no doubt that the process of normalizing Islam in America will be a tedious one. So here we are attempting to define ourselves as true Americans while holding on to our Islamic heritage and values. Defining Islam is one thing; however, defining American culture is a somewhat more complex pursuit. Some would argue especially those not raised in America that there is no American culture. I disagree. While it is true that our culture is an ever changing amalgam of ideas, values, cuisines, styles and ideologies, some imported and some born of this soil, there is a national consensus of sorts of what is considered to be distinctly American in the modern age.......read more here

An Urgent Petition to Allah

“I am suggesting that we suspend all appeals for a moment, and appeal to the One who hears all prayers, who knows all events and who has power over all things ..”

I am heartbroken that we are witnessing so many trials and atrocities committed against Muslim and non-Muslim peoples and we are seemingly helpless to stop it. We are protesting, begging, appealing, and threatening boycotts, writing letters to politicians, and asking the creation to help us, feed us, accept us, love us, tolerate us, befriend us, be just to us, to listen to us, send aid to us, to dialogue with us. Yet, the destruction continues unabated.....read more here

Confronting Islamophobia

Islamophobia has a diabolical, sinister ring to it. You can almost picture a young Muslim mother sending her child off to public school; "Now son, remember to drink your milk, look both ways when you cross the street, don't forget to say your prayers on time, and be sure to watch out for any islamophobia!............ read more here

Civil Versus Islamic Marriages

It is painfully clear that more and more often, the sacredness of marriage has been replaced by an almost casual indifference to its sanctity. Civil and Islamic marriages have taken on connotations of real and make believe. A person will say: "lslamically I'm married to so and so but legally I'm still married to so and so." Or they will say, "We are married in Islam but we are not legally married." Too often a person will display a prima fasciae disregard for a civil marriage as if it doesn't matter because it's not "Islamic"..... read more here

Mixing Politics in Muslim America

The catastrophe that is happening in Southern Lebanon is of a magnitude that for a moment, it will draw some attention away from the other tragedies affecting the Muslims peoples where innocent lives are haplessly swept away and where despite protest, posturing, begging and kicking, shows no sign of abating......... read more here

Racial Politics in Muslim America

With all that is going on regarding post September 11th alarms and false alarms, mass detention of Muslim immigrants, new policies in immigration and islamophobia, is it now an appropriate time to address the race issue amongst Muslims in America? Some would say no, that it is an issue better shelved until a later time. On the other hand, ignoring the problem or denying its existence may only exacerbate the current immigration dilemma. Many immigrant Muslims find themselves caught between two forces of east and west. While desperately wanting to become whole Americans, to be an accepted part of the melting pot in the tradition of the Italian, the Irish, the Polish, the Jews, and others, many of them have found that newly gained citizenship or a shiny new green card, does not guarantee acceptance......read more here

The Rage Game

Anyone who hasn't capitalized on the recent malicious caricature portrayal of the Prophet

to express their outrage, promote their organization, get their name in the paper, pontificate the loftiness of Islamic ideals, start a membership drive, do a little political posturing, or to open dialogue, or defend the Prophet

has missed their opportunity. The issue has now officially become a non-issue. There was no fatwa or official sounding consensus of scholars declaring cessation of protest. On the contrary, the media puppeteers, knowing what motivates Muslims to action, simply turned off the cameras and directed them to another venue. Muslims are well trained to tailor their activity on the basis of subliminal media directives, and it looks like we were duped again. In other words ladies and gentlemen, we've been had. Or as al-Hajj Malik Shabaaz (Malcolm X) used to say, bamboozled, hoodwinked, flimflammed......read more here

What the Salaf Say About Sufism

"He has succeeded who purifies himself" (Qur'an 87:14).

Let us first of all define what a sufi is:

Sufyan al-Thawri explained: One who follows the path of tasawwuf, "He who gazes at the Real in proportion to the state in which He maintains him" (Bundar). They wore wool (suf): "I found the redress of my heart between Makka and Madina with a group of strangers people of wool and cloaks" (ashâb suf wa `abâ'). [cited from Khalaf ibn Tamim by al-Dhahabi, Siyar A`lam al-Nubala' (Dar al-Fikr ed. 7:203)]......read more here