And among His Signs are these...

"And among His Signs is the creation of the Heavens and the Earth, and the difference in your languages and (the difference of) your colors. Surely, there are Signs in this for those who know." - Surah Ar-Rum (30:22)

As we know, Allah (SWT) repeatedly asks us to use our intellect to ponder upon His signs in this World. God commands us to use our understanding and logic to find the lessons within His creation and it is the duty of Muslims to study and reflect upon His words.

In my opinion, one of the most beautiful things about the Ummah today is the variety of backgrounds from which we come. I've caught myself on several occasions, marveling at the diversity of the people present for Friday prayers at any given masjid in America. Apart from the obvious differences in appearance, one can hear an array of languages being spoken. In the times before and after prayer, countless languages from Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Somali to Yoruba, Malay and (obviously) English can be heard. Though Muslims yield from just about every part of the World -- the beauty of the Muslim identity in America is that many of us, although from different ancestral backgrounds, can be united under the shared identity of Muslim Americans.

In his last sermon the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) stated:
"All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab and a non-Arab has no superiority over an Arab; also, a white has no superiority of a black and a black has no superiority over a white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every other Muslim and that Muslims constitute one brotherhood."

We have a duty, as American Muslims, to ensure that this brotherhood is maintained within our community. A common, and unfortunate, trend that is often seen in our masajid is separation based on cultural identity. Some masajid are primarly Arab, while others are primarily South Asian, Bosnian or Indonesian. By creating this separation within our community, we often alienate other possible contributing members of our community. We should also be careful not to alienate new Muslims by invalidating those Americans whose families have been in the country for a greater period of time. The cultures of Irish-American Muslims or African-American Muslims (not to be confused with those who recently migrated from Africa) are just as legitimately "Muslim cultures" as an Arab or Pakistani Muslim American, and they should not be made to feel otherwise.

Understandably, it must have been much more comfortable for preceding generations, and recent immigrants, to associate primarily with those of shared background. The natural comfort of common language and cultural practices undeniably caused the split in the community we see today. Alhamdulillah, however, our new generation of American-Muslim adults is mostly fluent and comfortable in English, and therefore able to effectively communicate across subcultural lines. Thus, we should be able to easily avoid separation from one another based on culture or heritage. There is much to be learned from Muslims of different backgrounds. One can hope that by creating these diverse communities it will be easier to differentiate between legitimate Islamic practices and purely cultural traditions.

The creation of Humankind by God into several different cultures and races speaking many languages is a lesson to humanity on the acceptance of one another regardless of differences. We must look to our diversity as a beautiful feature of the Ummah, celebrate our unique backgrounds and learn from one another.

Ramadan Kareem!

Imagine having iftar in the White House... More than 200 years ago!

 

The following is an article from a site managed by the United States Department of State. It's linked below:

Thomas Jefferson's Iftar

“Ramadan,” said President Obama at a White House iftar dinner in 2010, “is a reminder that Islam has always been a part of America. The first Muslim ambassador to the United States, from Tunisia, was hosted by President Jefferson, who arranged a sunset dinner for his guest because it was Ramadan — making it the first known iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago.”
The dinner to which the president referred took place on December 9, 1805, and Jefferson’s guest was Sidi Soliman Mellimelli, an envoy from the bey (chieftain) of Tunis who spent six months in Washington. The context of Mellimelli’s visit to the United States was a tense dispute over piracy on American merchant vessels by the Barbary states and the capture of Tunisian vessels trying to run an American blockade of Tripoli.
Mellimelli arrived during Ramadan, and Jefferson, when he invited the envoy to the president’s house, changed the meal time from the usual hour of 3:30 p.m. to “precisely at sunset” in deference to the man’s religious obligation.
Jefferson’s knowledge of Islam likely came from his legal studies of natural law. In 1765, Jefferson purchased a two-volume English translation of the Quran for his personal library, a collection that became, in 1815, the basis of the modern Library of Congress.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html)

Read more: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/inbrief/2011/07/20110729153019kram0.3508199.html#ixzz1U6VBFCe8

Where is the Love?

I recently had the pleasure of attending a lecture by John Esposito at my university in which he mentioned the necessity of re-humanization of Muslims in the eyes of the average, non-Muslim American. Dehumanization is defined as making an individual "less human by taking away his or her individuality, the creative and interesting aspects of his or her personality, or his or her compassion and sensitivity towards others." Since September 11th, some of the western media has been spewing negative images and information about Muslims. Whether its the secret Muslim sleeper cell next door in the show "24,"  the fallacy of using small minorities to represent the whole, or blatantly Islamophobic news coverage, these negative depictions have served to dehumanize Muslims in the eyes of many. Re-humanization is the process of undoing this harmful propaganda and showing the world that we are simply humans with similar hopes, dreams and love for our lives and families.

Hateful and inaccurate images and stories have served to depict Muslims in the eyes of some as an almost inhuman "other." Those who haven't had the opportunity to get to know a Muslim on an individual basis may find it easy to believe that Muslims are a blood thirsty population who hate freedom, deny women basic liberties, commonly practice polygamy and want to kill all infidels. The reality is, however, that this could not be further from the truth.

What most Muslims are really like...

Song by Muslim Country Singer, Kareem Salama of Oklahoma

It's time to represent ourselves!

We need to bring back the right to represent ourselves and stop letting others falsely represent us. Only the average Muslim woman can say what it feels like to be a Muslim woman, and so she needs to speak up. Only converts, or reverts, can tell you why they chose Islam, so it's time for them to let their stories be heard instead of believing stories about "radicalized" converts representing the majority of those who have turned to Islam. Muslims in America must stop letting others speak for them, and be their own voice.

"No Man (or Woman) is an Island"

It is natural for many Muslims in America to feel misrepresented and misunderstood, and thus, isolate themselves from mainstream society. Many shy away from interactions outside of their community in order to resist scrutiny. Some Muslims still only feel comfortable socializing amongst themselves, as if by avoiding the public eye, negative perceptions will somehow cease to exist. Basic psychology will tell us, however, that avoidance behavior only perpetuates problems that will ultimately evolve into full-fledged phobias.  This complacency is a disservice to the Muslim community and the rest of the humanity.

The wonderful thing about most Americans is their open-mindedness and desire to learn. Many misconceptions are perpetuated by lack of exposure to Muslims and continuous misinformation. I'm not suggesting that Muslim Americans apologize for the acts of the violent, extremist minority -- for that is as irrational as demanding apologies from all white Christians for the actions of the Ku Klux Klan -- but I'm saying that we should not be content with only socializing with other Muslims. It's time for us to get out there, talk to our neighbors, get involved in everything from parent-teacher organizations to local government,  and play active roles in community organization. We should not give up our values or our communities at all, but promote understanding by showing our way of life, and connecting with others on a simply human level.

By showing who we truly are, we can build bridges, establish understanding and create long-lasting friendships. In the Qur'an, Allah (SWT) has commanded us to actively do good unto our neighbors. In this country, our neighbors are Americans.

"....And do good unto your parents, and near of kin, and unto orphans, and the needy, and the neighbor from among your own people, and the neighbor who is a stranger, and the friend by your side, and the wayfarer...." (Qur'an 4:36).

Here is a link to a website that I think does a splendid job of this:

My Best Friend is Muslim

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., "Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"

A Very Brief History

Not Exactly New Here
 
They say you don't know where you're going until you know where you've come from. In fact, a wise philosopher once said "If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development." - Aristotle. Thus, I decided it would only be appropriate to very briefly discuss the history of American Muslims before we begin to examine who we are now. Seeing as how I'm not a scholar in the subject, I will be quoting from a book used in University classrooms (cited below).

Muslims have been in the United States for longer than many of us would imagine. There is evidence of Muslims in America from as early as the 1530s. An African explorer named Estevanico was also known as "The Moor". (Curtis, 5). A Moor is a name that was commonly used for Muslims of North Africa and Spain. By the end of the 16th century, names like "Omar, Amar, Ali and Ramadan commonly appear in Spanish Language colonial documents" (Curtis, 5).

Islam had already spread through West Africa by the time of the West African slave trade. Naturally, many of the first Muslim Americans were brought over as cargo on slave ships.

 Caption : "Captured in West Africa around 1730, Job Ben Solomon was brought to British North America as a slave traveled to Great Britain as a free man, and returned to his native Senegal in 1735." (Curtis, 66)

Caption: "In the 1820s Omar ibn Sayyid (c. 1770-1864) was celebrated by white Carolinians as an African convert to Christianity, though he may have secretly continued to practice Islam until his death." (Curtis, 66)

Caption: "Omar Ibn Sayyid, an African American slave literate in Arabic, rendered Sura an-Nasr, the Chapter of Help, from Qur'an 110:1-3 c. 1857. These verses may be translated as follows: 'When the help of God comes and the victory/ and you see people joining the religion of God in crowds/ Recite the praise of your lord and pray for God's forgiveness/ He is always ready to forgive.'" (Curtis, 66)

African slaves, however, were not the only early American-Muslims.

Caption: "Alexander Russell Webb, former U.S. consul to the Philippines and the first prominent white American Muslim convert, spoke on behalf of Islam at Chicago's Parliament of Religions in 1893." (Curtis, 66)

Caption: "African American women have been converting to Islam since the 1920s. These women, who were members of the Ahmadiyya movement of Islam, donned both stylish hats and colorful veils to cover their hair" (Curtis IV, 66).

Caption: "Malcolm X, an iconic figure of the 1960s, was at the center of national debates about civil rights and black power. First a member of the Nation of Islam, he declared his allegiance to Sunni Islam in 1964" (Curtis, 66).

The 20th century saw an influx of Muslim immigrants from all over the world, including Arab and South Asian countries. It is easy to see the beginnings of the diverse Muslim American population in the picture of the Muslim Students Association of Southern Illinois University in 1966.

Caption: "Members of the Southern Illinois University chapter of the Muslim Students Association, pictured in the 1966 SIU yearbook, were from diverse racial, ethnic and national backgrounds. The chapter, which was led by Linda Clark, a white woman, conducted weekly Friday prayers, produced a monthly newsletter, and celebrated Ramadan on the Carbondale campus." (Curtis, 66).

This entry does no justice to the fascinating history of Muslims in the United States. For more information, I would like to recommend the book "Muslims in America" by Edward E. Curtis IV.

Curtis IV, Edward E. Muslims in America: A Short History. 
      New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.