On Friday February 15, 2019, the Imam of my local masjid passed away.  I had been videotaping his khutbahs for the past year or so, and I've started a Tumblr blog to share them.

Please visit:

https://imammuhammed.tumblr.com

Wasalaam,
Ashraf

The flame metaphor

More than any other religion, I think Islam indulges man's faculties for metaphor.
In our most sacred source, The Quran, God (Allah) says to his prophet,
"He it is who has bestowed upon thee from on high this divine writ, containing messages that are clear in and by themselves - and these are the essence of the divine writ - as well as others that are allegorical."

I hope this will allow me to indulge in a metaphor. I think of Islam as a flame, a flame made up of millions of tiny particles of light and flame moving upwards in one direction. Breezes may blow and draw the particles off course, but it is always regained, always upward. We souls, all move towards that one direction, yet some of us are nearer to the center hotter and brighter while others gather around the periphery seeking to gain protection from its warmth, yet unable or unwilling to dwell within the heart of it. But like particles, each individual plays a valuable role, however deep their commitment. Those who burn brightest are only able to exist, to blossom, under the protection and insulation of those who choose the fringe. Like heat and light, there is a gradual transition between true belief and great doubt, and all degrees are not only natural, but desirable. It is when the flame gains control of its direction that it burns best.

Did you know Muslims created the flash mob?

I am sure you have seen 'flash mobs' on Youtube, or in commercials, or maybe you have been lucky enough to have one suddenly break out around you.  If you haven't, or don't know what a 'flash mob' is, here is the Wikipedia entry:
Flash Mob

You can see examples of them here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo

and here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds8ryWd5aFw&list=PLB9F4EA872CFF3908

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_2TBmI8Jws&list=PLB9F4EA872CFF3908

But really what is a flash mob? It is a group of people from varying walks of life coming together at a specific time and place to execute a specific, synchronized physical performance.  As others have said, a flash mob creates excitement, unity and gray area between the performers and the audience.  There is one such 'happening' that occurs 5 times a day, around the world, and has been happening for nearly 2000 years... Muslim prayer.

A musical recitation rings out (the call to prayer), seemingly random people drop what they are doing and converge on a pre-agreed location (the masjid), then, in perfect synchronization, they all execute a specific physical performance to a soundtrack (the imam), then at it's conclusion they all disperse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNX-aMopnJo

Fascinating.

My islam, part 2

I make certain basic assumptions-- before even approaching the Quran. First, that God does exist in some form. That the universe has both randomness and order, but the order is an order of magnitude greater than the chaos. What I mean by that is that even the most seemingly random events when viewed from a great distance take on a sense of order that is a basic principle that not only orders most human sciences, but also all of creation. When I think about the word, "Islam" I think not only about the literal meaning, submission, but also what could be meant by that, to what are we submitting? to God? to God's will? to God's laws? or to God's creation? and what are we submitting? Is it our bodies? our minds? our intentions? our possessions? The seemingly obvious answer, which is also the most widely accepted is that we are submitting our souls to God, but then that seems almost intuitive, our souls belong to God, so how could they not submit to God. It is our actions that we submit by our intentions. I try to take a more comprehensive view. What is the religion? What is God? If we accept that the Quran or other scriptures contain the word of God, thank it becomes evident that religion, as God describes it, is simply a path to return to hiim. so then, what does it mean to submit to a path? I immediately think of the Buddhist metaphor of an arrowing flying towards a target. It's path is straight and true,, as God describes the path of the righteous, and the arrow travels along it without wavering or bending, the arrow could certainly be said to be 'submitting' to its path. I think also of a river running to the sea. It pushes and pushes against obstacles to find the straightest and easiest path to the sea. It may take millions of years, but eventually, the water will wear down any obstacle and create the ideal path. And over time, the river's flow eventually becomes straighter and truer as it erodes the obstacles. I imagine myself as a stone in the river, submitting to its flow, submitting to the force that moves it irreconcilably to the goal. That movement doesn't only move the stone forward, but also pushes the stone against other stones, sometimes violently, which eventually smooths the stone, making it even smoother and rounder. Just as we are refined , defined and perfected by the obstacles in our own lives, by the people we meet and conflict with. Yet we move inexorably towards spiritual perfection.

A first step towards thinking about Islam

I cannot help but think of my faith as rationally as possible. Muslims may believe that their book, the Quran, is the word of God and a fitting first principle, but there is enough of man's hand in even that, that I cannot help but consider the even more primary gift given to us by our creator: our minds. We are, philosophy and observation tell us, a consciousness perceiving all else. All existence may well be nothing more than our imagination, but we know for sure that we exist. I think, therefore I am, as Descartes said. If this can be accepted, that our minds are our most primary given, than we must also accept that it is necessarily our greatest tool in perceiving even the divine. If you believe, as I do, before even rationalization, than you know that our minds too must be God given. Once you accept that, I can begin to make my case...

To all Muslims and friends of Muslims, now that we have made our point about Park51 not being a mosque' about it not really being on ground zero, etc. Let's finally deal with the unsaid question: Why should there be a mosque at Ground Zero? I don't mean the realities of the local Muslim population or even the symbolism for the US as a truly democratic and free country, but in the deeper sense, what does it do for Muslims to have a mosque in this place that has such an immense shadow across the Islamic world. Why within the unofficial "Remember 9/11 Heroes" district should there be a mosque and Islamic cultural center?

i think it is precisely where a mosque should be. Why do people go to pray? If you read the words of most prayers, it is mostly to either ask for forgiveness or to find peace. That is what they will be doing in that building, the Muslims who come there, looking for peace. What kind of peace do you find in a crater? Do victors really celebrate in the trench? Where else can Muslims be reminded of their responsibility and obligation for peacemaking and bridge building than on the site of contemporary Islam's greatest shames. Just as I would welcome former 'good Germans' to make a pilgrimage to a concentration camp to seek redemption, I would hope that Muslims the world over will come to this place and witness just how large the consequences are of allowing others to define our faith.

For while I do not find the majority of Muslims complicit, at least not more than imperialist policy is complicit, I think that the very structure and culture of global Islam is at least one of the causes of not only 9/11, but of the Taliban, the revolution in Iran, the armed intifada and a host of other past and chronic problems in the Middle East and the world. 9/11 was the result of Muslims allowing the spread of a doctrine of rage and ignorance in their homelands without confronting it directly, and even naievely funding it. We have turned our backs on the women of Islam by not challenging regressive cultural norms, and have fostered the growth of an angry, disaffected, idle army of young men unprepared to face the modern world with anything more than insecurity, shame, a holier than thou attitude and complete lack of concern for human life. I can remember the very wholesome all-American Muslim groups I joined being unable to refuse appeals from the very groups that funded the revolution in Iran.

Muslims with consciences must stand up to the extremist forces that have taken control of our institutions and congregations, because they have become our public face. We cannot have people who condone violence of any sort in our institutions. We cannot have them as Imams, we cannot have them as teachers, we cannot have them as political leaders. We cannot have people with advanced degrees in Islam condoning female genital mutilation, or honor killing, or even polygamy any longer. We must put these practices in the past.

Every other conglomeration of individuals, from dog breeders to universities, to facebook users has found reliable methods for seperating the genuine article from the tainted formula... why can't Muslims? Why can't we require a seal of modernity from our clerics and our speakers? I want to know: do you support polygamy? X do you condone the killing of innocents? X Do you allow women to be educated and join the work force? check

We can no longer allow people to lead us in prayer who pray for the death or injury to other human beings, whoever they might be, and whatever they might have done. This is not the message of peace and forgiveness we know Islam to embody, nor is it the image of Islam we want our children to learn, nor is it the Islam we want the world to see. After all, we are to be a beacon of good intentions and good actions, that is our role as Muslims.

It is only by building places like Park51 that we can begin to counter this. We need places for Muslims to gather and discuss our religion openly, without influence or pressure from anyone. We need to build community and consensus amongst all Muslims to make choices for our community. We should be praying in places that remind us of our responsibility, our fallibility, and our place in the larger world. It is only a first step, but we NEED a mosque near ground zero.

Who is the Quran speaking to?

Recently I came across this article: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=5258

where I read the following:

"Then there may be instances of ambiguity in address as well. Sometimes, a verse would apparently address the Prophet (pbuh); however, in reality the address would be directed at the Muslim ummah. Similarly, an apparent address to him would actually be directed at the leadership of the Quraysh or to the People of the Book. Examples of such addresses abound in the Qur'an. Thus it is essential that this differentiation be made with full caution, and it should be fully ascertained as to who is the actual addressee. Without this, the real purport of the Qur'an cannot be grasped.

"Third, general and specific verses should be differentiated. There are many places in the Qur'an where the words are general; however, the context testifies with full certainty that something specific is meant. The Qur'an uses the word (people), but it does not refer to all the people of the world; and many a time they do not even refer to all the people of Arabia: the word refers to a group among them. It uses the expression (on all the religions), and it does not refer to all religions of the world; it refers to (polytheists) but they do not refer to all those who are guilty of polytheism. Similarly, the words (And from these People of the Book) do not refer to all the People of the Book of the world. It mentions the word (man) but it does not refer to mankind."

This is important in understanding the Quran as not only a timeless scripture, but also a record of specific events at a specific time in history.  If this is true, then is it all relevant to us?  And if some of the Quran is not relevant to us, then how can we see it as a perfect book? How can we think the supreme being would be so lazy.

But I don't see it that way.  Think of a classic book, let's say Huck Finn.  Does the very important and ALWAYS relevant message that you should treat people equally become less true because the story takes place in the past...? No.  And on the other hand, does a reader need to embrace the archaic lifestyle, morals and pastimes of the characters of the story to feel that the message of it speaks to them...? No.

So if we know this to be true: That literature is a powerful way to teach society, an intimate whisper into the heart of a reader, and we know that God is speaking to us through stories and metaphor, both of which are necessary elements of literature, then why can we not see certain parts of the Quran AS literature? Not reportage, not commandments, but actually literature, with all the open endedness and personal interpretation that is suggested by that.

I think even in the Quran, God warns us against taking things to literally... and more importantly he warns us against forcing our interpretation on others:

"Now those whose hearts are given to swerving from the truth go after that part of the divine writ
which has been expressed in allegory, seeking out [what is bound to create] confusion, and seeking [to arrive at] its final meaning [in an arbitrary manner]; but none save God knows its final meaning. Hence, those who are deeply rooted in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole [of the divine writ] is from our Sustainer - albeit none takes this to heart save those who are endowed with insight.
(Sorry, I believe in quoting full verse references to avoid misinterpretation.)"

I don't understand why Muslims cant agree to simply leave each other alone. Why didn't God tell us that? Why didn't his message say, "don't kill other people for their beliefs" Well he didn't, but he did tell us to be obedient, and gentle, and kind, and over and over and over: forgiving. He said there is no compulsion in religion and yet we are constantly trying to compel others to share our beliefs. It is well known that Islam was revealed to the first believers in stages, to allow them to gradually come to deeper piety.

Today, I joined my sister and her kids to build some support for her organization, Muslims for Peace. The purpose behind the organization is to show to the world, that there is a majority of Muslims who are peaceful. We set up a table at the MLK day event sponsored by local Brooklyn politician, Kevin Powell. It was very interesting. Very few Muslims there, but as the audience was primarily African American, they were very sympathetic.

I am a Muslim. I know that saying that invites all kinds of preconceived notions for non-Muslims... I can accept that. In my lifetime, Muslims have generally made a negative impression on non-Muslims, and its to be expected that they would be wary of me. The same as if someone comes up to me and says, "I am a Christian" Its not that I have anything against Christians, but if someone comes out and says it, you wonder why... what is the territory they are trying to own... pro-life? born-again? clean living? and is their point to be expository or exclusionary?

So I can imagine non-muslims going thru the same thought process, but the difficult part of this process is that I don't fit into any of their preconceived notions. I am not foreign, I was born and brought up in the United States, and consider myself American. I am not socially conservative, or anti-semitic, or anti-western. So, then, why describe myself as Muslim? what does it mean to me to be muslim?

Well, first and foremost, I believe it. That's right, as incongruous and unlikely as it may seem, I really truly believe that there is a God, and that he is the God described, as Allah, in the Quran. And before we get into the whole proof of God argument, let me just say, I don't rationally believe it, I have faith in it. And my faith is so strong, and so much a part of me, that it is pretty much unshakeable, come what may.

But that's not why I tell non-Muslims that I am a Muslim. In this country no one really cares what you deeply believe, only how you act upon it. And to all external views, i am no different than any other person of my generation. I don't drink, and I don't eat pork, but that's not so unusual either in this day and age.

For me, I like to tell people I am a Muslim simply to counteract their preconceived notions. To say, "you look at me and make certain assumptions, but you don't guess that I am a Muslim"

Now, an even more tricky situation is telling other Muslims that I am a Muslim.

How much longer are we going to be expected to put up with the Patriotism police? Now that pretty much everyone with a brain has realized how complicit, if not downright guilty, the government is for 9/11, can't we all agree that there are many ways to show ones' love for our country. Some of us think the love must be blind, some of us think greed is patriotic, some of us think that its our responsibility to make sure our country is a force for good in the world.

The following is a poem I wrote in 1984, soon after returning from a long train trip to Kerala in India.

I went for a clackety-clack-click rumble train trip,
tripping, rolling, clackety-click-clack
swaying,
Going my way, north, to Delhi, from Kovalam.
I met some
foreigners, four, fast, familiar, friends.
They had to Kovalam
come clackety-click-clack to fun,
and run,
in the sun,
to get undone,
under the clackety-click, high sun in the Kerala sky,
their clickety-clack lives melting, bleaching,
as they go beaching,
always reaching
for the clickety-clack secrets of the Indian villages,
stopping just short of pillages,

(they leave those clackety-clack to their brother tourist
who seeks the pitiful poorest
of the poor.
to cure their first world clickety-clack blues.
Blackened, blended, they fuse and use the peaked power
pulsing-- ping! zing! through the wires clackety-clack
But call them hypocrites or call them liars,
you'll clackety-click see their fires,
"Our wealth and waste are ours alone,
if they want some, they can get their own!")

Clackety-click
clickety-clack
And so we bitch as we roll back,
to Delhi
to home and all that Coke,
It's such a joke,
a jest, a jive,
for us to assume such a live,
living for just some day, and not too long,
in this way, as they do,
as they clackety-click pass away
behind the train, into the night,
and we clickety-clack, move off, in light,
illuminated and luminesced,
all hardships are clackety-click, recessed
beyond our beds, our berths, beyond.

They lie there sick
clickety-click
they eat their rice and onions
with lots of spice
and pick from their hair
the tiny lice
that crawl and creep
and scritch and scratch.
clackety-click
clickety-clack
But we go back.
Home.

Being a Muslim in the United States is such a complex experience. I think its similar to
how person's of Japanese origin must have felt during WWII, when they were considered
to be the enemy, merely because of national origin. However, for Muslims, there are not really
any recognizable ethnic traits, so the reaction is delayed.

For those of you who have not yet experienced it, the reaction can range from benign curiosity,
to slight discomfort, to outright abuse. I've been fortunate that most of my friends, acquaintances and colleagues
are open minded and tolerant, so there are only the usual misunderstandings that I have to deal with.
However, I have had people tell me to F**k off back to Iran. I had a client who sent an anonymous letter to
the FBI about me. My wife, who immigrated here from Europe, but looks more eastern than I, gets all sorts of
odd and unfriendly reactions.

What is most disturbing though, are not the one-on-one interactions, but the weirdly surreptitious
anti-Muslim sentiment that is becoming institutionalized, particularly in the Federal Government. I would
recommend everyone to find and watch the documentary, "whose children are these?" about hardworking immigrants
who come to this country, make a home, raise a family, contribute to society and government and then
are treated like criminals simply because of their religious beliefs or national origin.
http://www.nycmaharanifilms.com/whose.htm

I seem to remember a time when living in the United States felt very different than it does now. I'm not sure its true, since I was much younger than, and perhaps its just the nearsightedness of aging. It could also be because I wasnt then living in New York City, with its fevered sense of desperation. I was still in the relative suburbs, outside of the always staid District of Columbia. But anyways, the difference of attitude in this country is so marked that it is palpable.

As I remember, people used to be friendlier. People smiled at one another. Car jacking didnt exist and only insecure white ladies locked their doors. I remember being left on the sidewalk with a stranger while my mother ran into a shop at the age of four. And, I was perfectly safe. Did that really happen? Am I looking on the past with rose colored lenses? I could have dreamed it up, but didnt there used to be an oil crisis, when people waited in lines for gas, and the whole country became obsessed with saving energy? What happened to that? What happened to all the solar panels on schools and government buildings? Didnt all cars used to get over 20 miles to the gallon? Wasn't gasoline less then a dollar a gallon? Didnt everyone say they were going to drive less if it went aboe a dollar a gallon? Do we?

I recently read two of John Updike's Rabbit trilogy, Rabbit Run and Rabbit is Rich. Rabbit Run is great. A young man coming to terms with his changing life. But Rabbit is Rich was so much more fascinating because it was about a time that I can remember. I was in Grade School. I remember Carter, and Toyota, "oh what a feeling", and the recession. I remember people who saved money, people who lived in their life savings. I can even remember a tennis trend and platos retreat! Would you go to a place like Plato's Retreat now? With AIDS? With Porn Stars getting sick? One thing that's less remembered about the sexual freedom of the seventies, is that it was just plain friendlier. Being stoned was definitely better for us than being high on coke, crack, or heroin, or methodone. Looking to get laid made us nicer than trying to trade online does. Screwing was nearly as good as the gym and alot less judgemental.

Even in one of America's darkest moments, the hostage crisis, I felt safer and less anxious than I do today. Today we are supposedly the world's only superpower, but we feel threatened by tinpot dictators. Today, we are the world's wealthiest nation, but we are impoverished by our debt and deficit. We are the most powerful marketplace, but we use protectionism and unfair tariffs on those who threaten our hegemony. Most personally affecting has been the change in the country's attitude towards its immigrants and especially to those who are Muslim. We were under attack by a fundamentalist Islamic Republic, with huge popular support, and yet I don't ever recall hearing anyone cry for a crusade. Now it seems Islam and the Muslims have become the new Soviet Union... which is making me reconsider my views on the Soviet Union... if the Political System and government disinformation system hasnt changed too much, then was the Soviet Union really inscrutable, or was it just unbelievably stupid policy wonks who couldnt understand it. Could a guy like Paul wolfowitz or John Ashcroft have made it that far in the seventies? Didnt all the politicians speak better too? In full sentences? And remember how much of an effort Carter made to pronounce the Arab and Persian words... he'd been in the Navy for god's sakes!... while today the only public mouth attempting correct pronounciation is on TV at 11:30 at night! opposite comedians! who get better ratings! does any of this make any sense?

Progress no longer seems the correct term for what is happening in this country. I've just turned 38, and I feel a similar national sense that our best years are behind us. We are acting long in the tooth: hoarding wealth, spreading discontent, becoming intolerant, eating without pleasure, collecting useless status objects, wearing too much jewelry, too much makeup and way, way, way too much flab. Wasn't there a time when every fast food restaurant had a salad bar? I do remember that right, don't I? It could be that I am confusing the Roy Roger's fixins bar for a salad bar... but I think it was true. I think you used to be able to get regular size at the movies. I definitely remember a yogurt craze. When did healthy food become uncool again? Why is the food industry acting like they've only just now learned that fat is bad for you? Why is the public letting them?

As I watch this happening, I keep thinking that I must have slept through some kind of dramatic event that changed everything. I mean I can see how Reaganomics is probably responsible for the financial woes of the country, and I can see how the hostage situation, followed by the Lebanon War, followed by the Libya thing, followed by the Salman Rushdie thing, followed by the first Gulf War, followed by the first World Trade Center bombing, followed by the USS Cole, followed by 9-11 made Americans deservedly scared of Muslims. But you could probably find that more Muslims in the world were with us than against us back then....

When i heard that 77 billion dollars are going to be spent to "prosecute" the war in Iraq, i was just floored. If the US government could find 77 billion in the midst of a recession to fight an unecessary war, why didnt they spend it on solving the Palestinian issue. I have to say, 77 billion would go a long way towards creating infrastructure, jobs, and stability in the occupied territories. For god's sake, even if we gave the 77 billion to the Israelis just to give up their claims to the west bank and golan heights, it would be worth it... Solving the Palestinian issue, essentially relieving Israel's obligation to be the perennial bad guy, would probably do more to end international terrorism of the Islamic radical sort than taking knocking out Saddam ever could. Look at Egypt, we got the type of leader we wanted there, but has it stemmed the terrorist tide? no. its not the governments of these countries that are funding the terrorists, and its not the armies that are joining al-quaeda training camps. It is the poor, uneducated, misinformed youth who see the daily misery of the palestinian people as a personal affront to them.