Is It Me or Is It the Media?

Muslims in the Media: Some suggestions for fair-minded journalists

 At the outset, and before I start the discussion on presentation or misrepresentation of Muslims in the media, I feel obliged to acknowledge and thank all the great journalists who have gone out of their way to be fair in representing Muslims.  I have personally met or communicated with some these great journalists.  Being fair to Muslims is not an easy task in the prevalent commercial media culture where “if it bleeds, it leads” has become the motto of some commercial stations.  

The problem of Muslim misrepresentation in the media is multifold. 

First, like any normal human, journalists are not immune to personal and societal biases. Second, like most Americans who admit to having little or no knowledge of Islam (about two thirds, according to a recent poll), some journalists (yes, even those covering the Middle East and religion reporters) may suffer from lack of knowledge about the faith and people.  Third, the commercial culture of “sensationalism” forces many journalists, including the copy editors and page designers, to sensationalize the news, the headlines and the coverage to get more viewership or more hits.  Last, the lack of or the unavailability or unwillingness of Muslims to contact or educate the journalists has contributed to misrepresentation of Muslims.  In some cases reluctance by the Muslims to be quoted by name or photographed in an article or video story – creates obstacles for well-intentioned journalists from getting a complete picture of Muslim issues.

Here are a few very interesting findings from Gallup polls, released early 2010:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/125312/Religious-Prejudice-Stronger-Against-Muslims.aspx

• Islam elicits the most negative views among all religions. P4
• Almost 2/3^rd (63%) of Americans say they have “very little” or “no knowledge” of Islam.
• “Islam is not only the religion that is the most frequently mentioned in television in the US, but also a significant share of this knowledge is negative. P9
• While 14% of statements about religion on TV news referred to Christianity, reference to Islam accounted for 36% of all statements analyzed by Media Tenor between Jan and Aug 2009. P9
• In addition, the tone of statements about Islam (40%) was twice as likely to be negative than statements about Christianity (20%).
• Furthermore, Media Tenor’s analysis shows that 2/3 of TV coverage about Islam associates Muslims with extremism.  P9
• Gallup’s findings suggest that it is the observed behavior of fringe elements that may shape Americans’ unfavorable attitudes toward Muslims. P9
• More than 4/10 (43%) of Americans admit to having prejudice towards Muslims. P4
• The US media often portrays Muslim women as victims.
• In a survey of photographs of Muslims in American press, nearly 3/4 (73%) of women were depicted in “passive” capacities, compared to less than 1/6th (15%) of men.
• In photographs of Middle East, the role of victim is the most frequently cast for women. P10
• Women were 6 times (42%) more likely to be portrayed as victims than men (7%). P10
• Those prejudiced towards Jews are 32 times more likely to be prejudiced towards Muslims. P12
• Those who do not know the name of Islam’s holy book are twice as likely to say they have no prejudice. P17
• Counterintuitive: Those who know the name of prophet of Islam are more than twice likely to report prejudice. P14
• “This suggests that feeling “a great deal” or extreme prejudice toward Muslims is not borne out of the absence of any information about Muslims, but rather arises from being exposed to negative media coverage of Islam and its followers.” P14
• Those who attend religious service more than once per week are less likely to have prejudice towards Muslims.
• “This finding further suggests that Americans’ default position, absent of any information, is to have no prejudice and that extreme prejudice is learned.” P17
• Americans are more twice as likely to express negative feelings about Muslims as they are about Buddhists, Christians, and Jews. P4

Ten Suggestions for Fair-minded Journalists

1. Avoid Double Standards

Many Muslims feel that quite often they and their religion are not represented fairly.  As I mentioned in a previous article (Just a Terrorist or an Islamic Fundamentalist), if a Muslim happens to commit terrorism, he is often called an “Islamic Terrorist,” or an “Islamic Fundamentalist.” http://engagemn.com/2007/09/27/just-a-terrorist-or-an-islamic-fundamentalist/

However, the man who shot and killed George Tiller was just called a “gunman”; the church shooters are just “attackers,” and Eric Rudolph is a “fugitive serial bomber,” or merely “anti-abortion extremist.” There is no mention of their religions or the motives behind their actions.

Most headlines did not even mention the word “Jewish” when they reported about the Jewish Defense League (JDL), an organization considered terrorist by the FBI.

As it was brought to my attention by an African American friend, just a few decades ago when a white man robbed a bank, he was called a “John Doe the bank robber,” but if it was an African American man, he was called the “black bank robber.”  Over the last few decades journalism, has come along way in the right direction.  We do not hear African Americans being called “Black robbers” or “Black rapists” nor do we hear the phrase “Jewish terrorists.”

However, Muslims are still being called “Islamic terrorists.”  To many Muslims this is a clear case of double standards.

Much to their credit, the White House and the Pentagon have dropped the use of offensive phrases such as “Islamic Fundamentalist,” “Muslim Terrorist,” “Jihadists.”  It is about time for the journalists to stop using these terms as well. These are counterproductive and offensive to many Muslims.

Singling out Muslims for the use of this type of derogatory terminology reinforces the notion that, “Islamophobia is the last bastion of hate and prejudice still accepted in America.”

See examples [1], [4], & [5].

2. Avoid Sensationalizing the Headlines and the News

Since most reporters do not pick the headlines or the titles for their articles, many copy editors and headline writers could benefit from some education in this regard as well.  Many times, very balanced and fair articles and reports are tainted by bad headlines, using inappropriate terminology mentioned above. 

This may make for a sensational headline, but terrible journalism.

See [2], [3], and [9].

3. Terminology is Important – Muslim vs. Islam

People are not “Islams” and not “Islamics;” the people are Muslims.  Please don’t call a radical Muslim a “radical Islam.”  Just like a radical Christian group leader would not be called “radical Christianity,” it is wrong to call an individual Muslim “radical Islam.”

If one insists on using improper terminology, the proper wording would be “Muslim extremists,” and NOT “Islamic extremists.”

And while we are at discussing this, Islam and Muslim are both pronounced with a ‘soft’ S. It is not pronounced as “Izlam” and “Mozlim,” but a soft s, as in Lisa or Krista.

Even though I usually don’t mind an average person calling me “Islam,” or “Islamic,” I have higher expectations from reputable papers, reputable stations and reputable journalists.

How about the term “Islamist”?  Well, if you have ever used the term “Christianist” for similar groups among the 2 billion Christians, I think you have every right to use the word “Islamist.”  Otherwise, I would avoid this term. It is confusing, and most people cannot tell the difference between ‘Islamic’ or ‘Islamist.’

See [5], & [1].

4. Jihad is NOT “Holy War”

The renowned Muslim scholar Dr. Jamal Badawi has challenged audiences at a number of his presentations: If they could find the equivalent phrase to “Holy War” in the Quran, then he would give them 1 million dollars.  The equivalent term in Arabic would be “harbul muqadasa” which does not exist in the Quran or in Islamic terminology.   There are a large number of articles written to explain jihad, so I won’t belabor the point too much.

Jihad means to strive and to struggle. Charity, child birth, raising children, pilgrimage, resisting illicit temptations, and speaking the truth in front of a tyrant ruler were among the things that Prophet Muhammad (p) called “jihad.”

Just like “crusade” which can have a very positive connotation in the West (e.g., a crusade against poverty, crusade against drugs …), Muslims use “jihad” with positive connotations.  Calling terrorists “Jihadis” would be giving them an honorable title in the mind of many Muslims.  See [8] and [9].

5. Cover both sides

Generally, when someone like Eric Rudolph commits terrorism, a reporter would go to a Christian authority (a pastor, a priest, or a professor) to get a counter-argument to Rudolph’s claim that he wants to blow up abortion clinics in the name of Christianity.  Quite often the same courtesy is not given to the Muslims. And yes, Muslims and Muslims leaders do condemn terrorism.  If you cannot find an imam to come on camera, please let us know and we can find you a number of imams and leaders.

I was impressed with a CNN reporter who after reporting on the views of Anwar al-Awlaki, also interviewed another imam in the same city (Imam Jawahiri Muhammad) who condemned the views of Al Awlaki as un-Islamic.

6. Avoid psychological conditionings:

Remember Pavlov and his drooling dogs?

On countless occasions, millions of Americans have watched clips of bombs blowing up and then the very next frame is a picture of Muslim women with scarves walking down the street or Muslims worshippers prostrating to God in a mosque or the sound of Adhan (the call to the prayer) saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Great). 

Unknowingly, the viewer is conditioned to associate terrorism with Muslims and Islam.  I know this may not be intentional on the part of the journalist, but the effect is clear.  Sometimes I think if I were in the shoes of my neighbors and watched all these clips, I would be scared of Muslims, too.

7. Avoid generalizations and stereotypes

Looking at the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world, we just have a few things in common: We are all human. We believe in the One God, the Creator of the world, and we believe in Prophet Muhammad as God’s last messenger and prophet. Other than that, we differ in many ways. Our cultures, customs, clothes, habits and even religious practices and political views vary.  We are not a monolithic community.

Here in Minnesota, our community is made up of janitors, cab drivers, intellectuals, doctors, brain surgeons and rocket scientists. About of 1/3 of the community is made up of converts.  We are one of the most diverse communities you can find.

8. We are more than the three-minute news clip

A great local journalist, Kerri Miller of MPR, hosted a show where she invited Rep. Keith Ellison and Eboo Patel.  When questioned about all the negative news coming from the Muslim world, Eboo asked: What do you think people around the world would think of Minnesota, if they only watched the first three minutes of each of our evening news clips for a year?  Faithful to the motto of “if it bleeds, it leads,’ people would only hear about the murders, rapes, robberies and occasional election issues. All the great things that happen in Minnesota would not be covered. 

Here in the US, we only get to see the first one minute of news from people that make up one quarter of the world population.   There is more to Muslims than these clips show us.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/10/05/midmorning1/

9. Fair coverage

The Muslim community is not asking for extra favorable coverage, just fair coverage.  Just like you cover Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Chinese and Hmong holidays and others, it would be great for you to also consider covering Muslim holidays. 

I am sure some of you might not be familiar with these holidays.  The month of Ramadan, the holiday after Ramadan (Eid al Fitr), Pilgrimage, and the Eid after pilgrimage are the main holidays for Muslims.  Just like the “human interest” stories of other communities, it would be great to have some human stories from the Muslim community. 

With an estimated 150,000 Muslims in Minnesota, this should not be difficult to find.  When the norm is to show how bizarre and outlandish are the Muslim practices and beliefs, it would be great if a few stories also focused on similarities.  

Similarities could be at the human level, at the family level, individual passions, and yes even beliefs.  Most people do not know that Islamic beliefs are very similar to Jewish and Christian beliefs.  Muslims believe in the same God, the Creator of the universe. Allah is the Arabic name for God, and millions of Christian Arabs pray to Allah everyday.  So next time instead of saying “Muslims bow down to Allah,” which to most readers sounds as if Muslims bow down to some imaginary deity or some “moon god,” you can simply say “Muslims prostrate to God.”

Muslims believe in Adam and Eve, Abraham, Noah, Moses, David and Jesus (peace be upon them all).  Jesus is exclusively called the “Messiah” or the Christ in the Quran.  His name is mentioned 25 times, and more often than the name of “Muhammad.”  The name of Virgin Mary is mentioned more often in the Quran than in the Bible.  Even the terrifying “Sharia” has a lot in common with what the Bible teaches.

10. Talk with us, not just about us

One of the reasons the EngageMN project was started was because many of the founders and contributors felt that there were a lot of talk, discussion and analysis of Muslims, without any tangible input from the Muslims.  As the EngageMN statement explains:

“Minnesota Muslims are finding themselves voiceless, discussed, defined, categorized, psychoanalyzed, talked at and talked about without a serious attempt at inclusion.”

http://engagemn.com/about/

I know this trend has started, thanks to NPR, MPR, MSNBC, CNN local papers and others, but it would be great to include more Muslim voices as part of the conversation.  More often the only Muslims on the screen (particularly movie screens) are the terrorists and the extremists.  Obviously, the terrorists make the news more often, and it is much harder for the moderates to make the news.  The problem with “moderates” is that, by definition, they are moderates.  Unfortunately, moderation and normalcy does not make it to the news.

Still, it would be great to include some moderate voices to balance the extremists.  With all the attention and the spotlights focused on the extremists, there is no surprise that most Americans wonder “Where are the moderate Muslims?”

So when the moderates condemn terrorism, please cover that, and when you talk about terrorists, please also mention the condemnation of terrorism by moderates.

You, as fair and ethical journalists, can help the American public hear the voices of moderate Muslims.

Your work makes a world of difference

In a climate where two thirds of Americans admit to having little to no knowledge about Islam, the information communicated in the media makes a huge difference in how the public treats their Muslim neighbors, coworkers, and just the Muslims they see in the mall.

When one quarter of the population holds “extreme prejudice,” two thirds is scared of Muslims, and Islamophobia, discrimination and prejudice against American Muslims is on the rise, it is not the public’s fault.  What is reported and how it is reported makes a big difference in people’s perceptions and how they treat their neighbors.

Suggested Readings:

I think it is reasonable to expect most reporters and journalists who write or report on religions, terrorism, the broader ’Middle East” and local Muslim groups to have some basic knowledge of the religion of Islam and the people who follow it.

Some renowned non-Muslim scholars such as Karen Armstrong and John Esposito have written a number of great books on Islam and Muslims which might be a good place to start.  Also, Muslim authors such as Suzanne Haneef (What Everyone Should Know about Islam and Muslims) and Yahya Emerick (What Islam is All about) have very informative books.  As I suggested to a columnist who would often get the facts wrong when it came to Islam and Muslims, the minimum requirement should be The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Islam.  All jokes aside, it is a very good and informative book. See [6] and [7].

From my minimal research of the Civil Rights era, it is clear that journalists played a crucial role in the fight for civil rights.  While some fanned the flames of bigotry, prejudice and segregation, many fair-minded and unprejudiced journalists rose above bigotry and, by the power of their pens and their ideas, made America a better place for all Americans.  Today, we honor many of these journalists, and for others we wonder why they could not see the evil caused by their words.

After all, what you report, how you report it, and what you decide not to report shapes the opinions of millions of people.  Your work can make our world a better place for everyone–or the opposite. 

As Americans, we have great faith in you and your work in informing us and in educating us.

- – - – - – - – - -

Examples of not hard to find, but here a few prominent cases:

[1] “French trial opens for 8 suspected of staging robberies to finance Islamic terror operations”
http://www.startribune.com/world/112808979.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiUTownd

[2] Christiane Amanpour moderates a special ‘This Week’ town hall debate.  “Should Americans Fear Islam?”
 http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/town-hall-debate-americans-fear-islam-christiane-amanpour-11787545

[3] “Suicide Bomber Meeting”

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/mosque_holds_open_house_feb_25_2009

[4] “Man on Trial Testifies He Killed Prominent Kansas Abortion Doctor”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/01/28/man-trial-testifies-killed-prominent-kansas-abortion-doctor/

[5] “Son of Radical Islam Leader Killed in FBI Shootout Caught in Canada”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2009/10/29/son-radical-islam-leader-killed-fbi-shootout-caught-canada/

[6] Suzanne Haneef’s What Everyone Should Know about Islam and Muslims.

http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Should-About-Islam-Muslims/dp/0935782001/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293962620&sr=8-1-fkmr1

[7] Yahya Emerick’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Islam

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Understanding-Islam/dp/1592572723/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293962687&sr=1-1

[8] Explanation of Jihad by Gallup.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/7333/jihad-holy-war-internal-spiritual-struggle.aspx

[9] “German Court Allows Boy to be Named ‘Djehad’ — Meaning ‘Holy War’”

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2009/09/02/german-court-allows-boy-named-djehad-meaning-holy-war/

By Tamim Saidi, Engage Minnesota

Originally published in the Saint Paul, Minn., Pioneer Press, January 6, 2010

I fully sympathize with those who are sincerely concerned about terrorist attacks. As I heard of the attempted terrorist attack on the Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, I had flashbacks of my recent flight home to the United States from Amsterdam. I could only imagine how worried and frightened our family would have been in that plane.

But as I hear the calls for profiling people like me, an American Muslim with darker skin and an unfamiliar-sounding name, to prevent terrorist attacks, a few names and faces of terrorists come to mind: Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, Richard Reid, Jose Padilla, Paul Hill and Adam Gadahn.

These calls for profiling Muslims based on their names and ethnicities are as ridiculous as calls for checking IDs on all Hispanics and stopping all black motorists. If the true reason for profiling is increased security and not harassing American Muslims, racial and religious profiling is counterproductive for two reasons:

First, the law enforcement agencies need the cooperation of American Muslims to prevent attacks. Profiling causes resentment and mistrust. Second, terrorists like those above will be overlooked going through security lines.

I am sure al-Qaida would be delighted to hear that only those with darker skin and Muslim-sounding names are scrutinized and harassed so they can send other operatives who do not match those characteristics, jeopardizing my family’s security and yours.

If al-Qaida could force the United States to discriminate against its own citizens and violate all the principles that make America a great nation, it has already achieved half of its objectives.

Tamim Saidi is an American Muslim and an active member of the Muslim community in Minnesota.

By Tamim Saidi, Engage Minnesota

Tamim Saidi

Immediately after the teacher introduced me and before I had finished my first sentence, I noticed a hand raised high from a young man who asked, “Why is your God better than my God?”

I was rather surprised by this question so early in the presentation, as I had planned to talk about the Islamic understanding of God around the middle of my presentation.  I tried to explain that Muslims believe in the One and the only God, the Creator of the universe–the same God that Jews and Christians believe in.  I further explained that Muslims believe in the same God that the Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him (p) believed in.  We worship the same God that spoke to Moses (p) and we pray and prostrate to the very same God that Jesus (p) prayed to and prostrated to; the same God that created Adam and Eve and the same God that saved Noah (p) from the flood.

So my God is your God and your Creator is my Creator, even though we might explain God in different terms.  Understanding this could have saved thousands of lives, and could have helped people of different faiths grow closer together.

“Not angoor, not aynab, I want grapes!”

While in college, a classmate and I were walking to the library after taking a test.  As the topic turned from the class material to the teacher, I realized that my friend and I had opposite ideas of our teacher.  In my opinion, the teacher was fair, nice and easy going, but my friend thought completely the opposite and he used some vulgar terms to describe the very same woman.

I realized that if each of us had described the same teacher, without mentioning her name, to a third person, the person would have thought that we were talking about two very different people.  I think, quite often, different people explain God in very different ways, which may cause many to think they are talking about different gods.

This reminds me of a Persian poem I had read in middle school.  The poem discussed three individuals, speaking three different languages, who had collectively found a pot of money.  Each person wanted to buy something to eat with that money.  So the first person, speaking in English, argued that he wanted to buy grapes. The second person, speaking Persian, said “No, I don’t want grapes; I want ‘angoor.’”  The third person, speaking Arabic, said “I neither want grapes nor angoor, I want aynab.”

As the argument turned louder, a fourth person, who could speak all three languages, came to the rescue.  He realized that all three wanted grapes but were using different words for the same thing.   I think many times we can argue angoor or grapes even in speaking the same language.

“But don’t you guys worship Allah?”

Yes, we do.

Just like when Spanish-speaking people say “Dios,” or Germans say “Goth” when referring to God, Arabs say “Allah.”   Twenty million Christian Arabs pray to Allah everyday. The Arabic Bible says “Allah” when talking about God.  In Hebrew, one of the words used for God is “Eloh” from which “Elohem” comes. And Jesus (p) speaking Aramaic said “Alaha” when referring to God.  So understanding a bit about Semitic languages might help demystify a foreign-sounding name.

Allah is an Arabic term for God, and Muslims believe Allah is the personal name of the One God, the Creator of the universe.  Some have said that Allah is taken from “Al illaha,” which means “The God.”  So unlike one perception revealed in a recent poll, when Muslims say Allah they are not referring to a “moon god” or some other Arab idol; they are talking about the God.   The Qur’an urges people to not worship the moon, but the God who created the moon and everything in existence.

According to the Muslims’ last holy book (Muslims also believe in Torah and Gospel are revelations from God), the Qur’an, God says tell the “People of the Book,” a respectful term used for Jews and Christians, that “Our God and your God is one and the same, and it is unto Him that we [all] surrender ourselves.” Qur’an 29:46.

The Qur’an urges all believers to affirm that they will not worship anyone but the one God.

In His address to young Muslims in Morocco in August 1985, Pope John Paul II said

“Christians and Muslims, we have many things in common, as believers and as human beings…  We believe in the same God, the one God, the Living God, the God who created the world and brings his creatures to their perfection.”

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1985/august/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19850819_giovani-stadio-casablanca_en.html

In his book, A DEADLY Misunderstanding, former congressman Mark Siljander, a self-proclaimed “Conservative Republican congressman and Evangelical Christian” (p. xi) and someone who was dubbed “one of the biggest Jesus freaks ever elected to Congress” (p. 13) focuses on the very same issue, that Allah is the Arabic name for the God who created the entire universe.

So Who Is Allah?

In Islam, theology is straightforward, such that a four-versed chapter was revealed to explain this question.  Chapter 112 of the Qur’an states:

In the Name of the God, the Infinitely Compassionate, the Infinitely Merciful (an opening prayer in all but one of 114 chapters of Qur’an)

Say, He is God, the One and Only. God is Eternal and Needless of everything, He was not born and he does not give birth, and there is nothing like unto Him.

In Chapter 2 verse 255, God explains about Himself:

Allah! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, the Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permits? He knows what (appears to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He wills. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory).

In Chapter 59, verses 23-25, God says:

Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah. (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him.

He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colors). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

Not a Male God

Even though the Quranic verses use the pronoun “He” for God, Muslims do not believe that God is a male god, or a man.  Muslims believe God is the Creator of men and women, but God is beyond genders and transcends all other human characteristics as well.  Actually, one of the reasons why many Muslims insist on using the name Allah is because it is a singular name which does not have plurals, and it is a genderless name.

Muslim scholars have agreed that it is not possible for us to understand the Infinitely Great God.  Despite our amazing intellects, it is not possible for us to fully comprehend God. God is Infinitely Great, but our intellects are finite.  No finite container can hold the Infinite.

As Smart As a Computer?

Sometimes I see some parallels in how we, as humans and the creation of the Almighty God, understand our Creator, Fashioner, Designer and Programmer and how our computers understand us.  Now of course this is not to say that we are like a computer nor that God is like a human.

God is not like a human, and according to Islamic theology, there is nothing like unto God.  But here is a parallel that I see:  I consider my computer, Shiba (short for Toshiba) extremely smart and amazingly good at calculating, checking, and so on. Despite having a very smart “brain,” Shiba understands about me, its owner and programmer, only as much as I allow her to know.

If I tell Shiba that I am a male and my last name is Saidi, then the next morning she will say “Good Morning, Mr. Saidi.”  She understands that it is morning, I am a male and that my last name is Saidi. But if I decide to tell her my weight and date of birth, she will know how old I am and how much I weigh.  If I allow her and give her the necessary input she will know how I appear and could even draw a three-dimensional figure of me, but only if I allow her to know more about me.

Despite her great thinking and ultra-smart brain, she needs input to know and recognize me.  I believe there is a strong parallel between this analogy and our brains’ understanding of our Designer.  We need divine inspiration and revelation to know about our Creator.  Shiba’s brain is not like my brain, neither is my computer’s eye (camera) like my eyes. But still there is a parallel. So to understand our Creator, we need more than our super-smart brains, we need revelation.

Leave the Ass Behind!

There is an ancient and very interesting Muslim understanding, perhaps another analogy or another parallel about understanding God. It is said that, when visiting a King, a peasant will have to ride his ass or horse (or, in our times, his Avalanche or his Honda) to the door of the castle, then leave his ass behind (or park his Avalanche), and meet the King on his own.  Even though our super-smart brains are designed to get us pretty far in understanding our Lord; at a certain point, it cannot get us any closer to understanding the King of kings. So we have to check our brains at the door of the castle. At that point, our heart and our intuition might get us a bit closer, if allowed by the King.

Thus God is beyond our imagination, and better than the best of the best that our super-smart brains can envision.

There is a verse in the Qur’an, the last revelation from God, which says that in the Hereafter there will be certain people who believed in God and obeyed God, and submitted their will to His. Their faces will be bright and joyous for being able to see God.  I hope you and I will be among those people.

In Chapter17, verse 110, The Almighty God says:

Say (to people): “Call upon Allah, or call upon the Most Gracious: by whatever name ye call upon Him, (it is well): for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.

But as long as you believe in the ONE God, the Ultimate Creator of the entire universe, and what we discussed above, regardless of which beautiful name we call upon God, that is the same God that the Muslims believe in and worship.

A Muslim scholar had said that when we comprehend that we cannot comprehend God, that’s when we have comprehended God.   I am sure that at the next stages of our lives, in this world or in the hereafter, we will have a better understanding about God.  Until then, let’s see if we can work on translating “aynab” to “grapes” so that people can live in peace.

Tamim Saidi

By Tamim Saidi, Engage Minnesota.

I vividly recall the first couple of years that I fasted as a young teenager.  All I could think about was food.  Even when I took a daytime nap, I dreamt of food.  Ramadan follows a lunar calendar, and when it falls in long summer days like this year, abstaining from food and water becomes more challenging, but Ramadan is not merely about food and water.  For practicing Muslims, it is about righteousness and God-consciousness. It is about making one a better person and a better Muslim.

 Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught the Muslims that “God is in no need of someone abstaining from food and drink if they do not abstain from evil deeds and evil words.”  In a different narration he said that there are some who get nothing out of their fast except for hunger and thirst – implying that if they do not abide by good moral character, there is no value in their fast.  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught us to not only abstain from food and drink during the day in this beautiful month, but to also abstain from saying, listening to, looking at, and doing all things inappropriate.

 Thus, for practicing Muslims, the fast of Ramadan is not merely a fast of the stomach, but a holistic fast of the tongue, eyes, ears, limbs, heart and mind.  The fasting person is to control not only his/her actions and deeds, but also his/her thoughts and desires. Therefore, Ramadan is the Month of Self-Discipline.

The Last Prophet, peace be upon him, told Muslims to avoid arguments and disputes in Ramadan even when confronting verbal abuse, swearing, or physical provocation.  In such situations, he commanded us to simply say: “I am fasting,” and to not reciprocate the argument or verbal abuse. This makes Ramadan a Boot Camp Month for practicing Muslims.  A month to train me and another 1.5 billion Muslims around the world to stay away from back-biting, arguments, lies, cheating, dishonesty, miserliness, envy, covetousness and greed.  This is also the month that urges Muslims to be extra generous in giving for the sake of God.  Muslims around the world give billions of dollars in charity to the poor and the needy, to the beggars, the orphans and the widows in need.  Thus, Ramadan is the Month of Generosity.

 For Muslims, this is also the Month of Qur’an, the last revelation from the Almighty God.  Muslims focus on their spiritual relationship with the Creator of the Universe.  They read His (Muslims believe God is beyond gender and not a male god) last revelation and reflect over its meanings and objectives.  I have found myself reading more from the Qur’an during Ramadan than any other month.  In spite of reading the entire Qur’an on a regular basis and numerous times over the years, every Ramadan I come across verses that seem like I have never read before. 

Moreover, Ramadan is Community Month.  I see more of my fellow Muslims in this month than in any other month.  Most masjids (mosques) offer free food for people every night.  It helps the community members catch up with each other and strengthen their bonds.   I also meet hundreds of my fellow MN Muslims in functions and fundraising dinners.  Most Minnesota Muslim organizations hold fund raising dinners and raise money to support schools, mosques, scholarships, education efforts, relief efforts and so on.

This is also Family Month.  I get to have more meals with my family in Ramadan than in any other month in the year.  We wake up together early in the morning, this year around 4:30 a.m, for suhoor (pre-dawn meal), and I make every effort to be with my family and friends for the “breakfast” meal (the ending of the fast at sunset), making sure we break our fast together like we started it together. This is very special for us.

This is the month that helps me realize that: Yes, I can live without coffee, and: No, that extra afternoon snack is not necessary.  This is the month that helps us have more self-control and self-discipline, which leads to more self-esteem.  This is the month that helps me better understand our reliance upon God. So this is the Month of Reflection.

Fasting in Ramadan helps me reconnect with the poor and the destitute.  Without food and water for almost 16 hours a day, I can feel a small fraction of the pain of starving people around world and around the state. I realize that even though I look forward to a meal at sunset, there are millions of people, including young children, who sleep with empty stomachs.  So if I can spare a few dollars and be generous enough to feed a few hungry people, I can look forward to the Infinitely Generous God sparing me difficulties in this life and in the Hereafter.   Ramadan helps us be more sympathetic to those in need.  This makes Ramadan the Month of the Poor.

Ramadan is also the Month of Spiritual Re-awakening.  I have found that in Ramadan, doing good deeds is easier and comes more naturally.  I have seen countless Muslims who are generally not practicing become practicing Muslims during this month. Muslims who smoke give up smoking, and those with other bad habits can drop those habits easier in Ramadan.

Ramadan is considered the Month of Mercy, Forgiveness and Salvation.  So to earn the Mercy of God, God urges us to be merciful to one another.  To earn His forgiveness, God urges us to forgive one another; and to receive Salvation we need to believe in God and to be good to one another, particularly to those in need.

As the main objective of fasting in Ramadan is to achieve piety and righteousness, the saying of our beloved prophet, Jesus, peace be upon him, in the Bible, “Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness” has an all new meaning for Muslims.

As Ramadan is considered a month in which prayers are accepted by God, I pray that God grants us all His Guidance, Mercy, Forgiveness, Blessing; and the best of this life and the Hereafter.

Tamim Saidi

By Tamim Saidi, Engage Minnesota

Tamim Saidi

Based on my many conversations with Minnesotans about Islam, one of the most frequent criticisms I hear is the so-called “oppression of women.” As Muslims, we acknowledge that there are some Muslim women who are oppressed. But this oppression is not because of Islam, the religion, but rather because of cultures, traditions, politics, ethnic or tribal codes conduct or simply an individual’s desire to have dominion over another individual.

In a previous article I attempted to distinguish between the religion, Islam, and the culture of its followers, Muslims. One of the points I made was that just as it is not fair to blame Christianity for the non-Christian practices of various Christian groups, it is not fair to blame Islam for non-Islamic practices of some Muslims.  Unable or willing to distinguish religion from culture, many people end up blaming Islam for un-Islamic practices.

In the 6^th Century CE Islam, via the teachings of Qur’an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (p), elevated the status of women to a much higher degree than ever imagined.  As such, it is particularly distressing to see the religion that was then the “liberation movement for women.” now unjustifiably criticized for “oppressing women.”

In times when baby girls were being buried alive and women were traded like animals, the Prophet Muhammad (p) banned these practices and gave women rights previously unheard of. He (p) gave married women full ownership of their wealth and assets.  He (p) said that mothers have four times more rights regarding their children, than fathers (see my article “Mothers in Islam”).   He (p) urged husbands to remember their responsibilities to their wives, including the obligation to provide kind and gentle treatment along with food, clothing and shelter. In his last major sermon before his death, he (p) commanded Muslims to “Treat your women well.”   He (p) said:  “The best of you, in faith, are those who are the best to their wives.” 

The prophet Mohammad (p) did more than simply proclaim platitudes however; he (p) lived what he (p) preached. He (p.) was a model of piety and good behavior. Although it was the norm during those times for a man to hit his wives and children, the Prophet Muhammad (p) never struck or abused his family. He (p) did his own chores around the house, including mending his clothes.  He (p) consulted with his wives and treated them with love and respect.  And yes, like prophets before him, such as Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon and others, peace be upon them, Prophet Muhammad (p) had multiple wives whom he treated equally.  Clearly, if Muslim women are abused or oppressed today, it is not because of Islam – it is in spite of Islam.  In most cases, it might be due to cultural practices and understanding, and weakness of human nature.

Spiritual Equality & Women’s Involvement

The Qur’an, the Muslims’ holy book, and the last revelation of God, states that “The best among you in the Sight of God is the most pious of you.” From this verse, and a number of other references, Muslim scholars have concluded that men have no superiority over women for merely being male, and vice versa.  Superiority is defined exclusively by piety – not by gender, not by race, and not by physical appearances.

To site an obvious example that many Minnesotans can relate to, let’s consider a historic woman, the Virgin Mary (p), and a historic man, Pharaoh. In the Qur’an, Mary (Mariam, in Arabic) is called the “Most honored woman of humanity.”  No Muslim would ever argue that the man, Pharaoh, was more honored in the “Sight” of God than the woman, Mary.  Since she displays the highest state of piety, Mary (p), a woman, has a much higher place in Islam than Pharaoh, a man; in fact, she definitely has a much higher degree over billions of non-pious men. I do not think any Muslim would argue that a woman of good character who accepts God, prays, fasts, performs charity and, performs pilgrimage, has a good character and honors her duties to her family has a much higher standing in the Sight of God than a man who does none of these things.  The mere fact of being a male does not make one better in God’s Sight. Thus, both men and women have equal opportunity to be loved by God and to be admitted to highest levels of paradise, by God’s Grace and Mercy.

Muslim women have been an integral part of Islam since its beginnings. Early Islamic history attests to the contributions of many Muslim women, in different aspects of the society. Khadijah, the wife of Prophet Muhammad (p) was the very first Muslim. She accepted the message of the Prophet and relinquished her great fortune to support Islam.

Years after the death of Khadijah, Prophet Muhammad (p) married Aisha, who was a known for her piety and keen intellect. As a Muhadditha (narrator of prophetic traditions) and a faqeeh (scholar), she was a scholar in her own right. Uncharacteristic of women of her time, Aisha would not sit quietly when a man would misquote a prophetic tradition.

There were even women who fought in battles to defend the Prophet (p) and Muslim communities. Sumaiya, who was tortured and killed by Makkans for defending her faith, is known as the first Muslim martyr.

The tradition of women’s involvement in their faith and communities continues on in our modern society. Countless Muslim women worldwide work tirelessly to make their communities and the world a better place. A number of Muslim majority countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Turkey, have had women leaders and prime ministers. By contrast, a woman president still seems like a far away dream for millions of Americans.

More recent examples of Muslim women leaders include Ingrid Mattson, a Canadian born Muslim convert who serves as the President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). ISNA is one of the largest national Islamic organizations in US and Canada, and an umbrella organization for many Islamic centers and mosques, including the Islamic Center of Minnesota in Fridley, and the Columbia Heights masjid. Many of Minnesota’s Islamic organizations, including the Muslim Students Associations (MSA), benefit from the leadership and service of their dedicated women volunteers. And it is truly refreshing and inspiring to see Farheen Hakim, a Muslim woman who chooses to wear hijab (the traditional scarf worn by many Muslim women), run for public office including the post of the Mayor of Minneapolis. Finally, even a quick look at the authors and editors of EngageMN.com attests to the integral participation and dedication of Muslim women right here in Minnesota.

It is noteworthy that Islam does acknowledge the differences in genders, not just in physique, or anatomy or physiology, but also the different psychologies of both genders.  The author of the book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus made millions of dollars pointing to some of these differences.  Islam sees the outwardly stronger physique of men as not just a gift but as a responsibility and liability, and assigns men to the responsibility to be the protectors and sustainers of women.  In Islam, it is the responsibility of the husband to provide for the family.  A wife does not have to pay for the “bills” or for the food, even if she has an income.

Hijab – The modest dress

Quite often Minnesotans ask me, “Why do women have to wear scarves?” Modesty is an important aspect of Islam. The Qur’an asks women to be modest by wearing their scarves so that they will be “recognized and will not be harassed.”

But it is not only the Qur’an that encourages women to cover their heads. The Bible states, “every women who prays or prophesiseth with her head uncovered, dishonors her head… if the women be not covered let her (hair) also be shorn (shaved off).” I Corranthians 11:5-7.

Covering the hair is not only an Islamic practice.  Christian women of different countries cover their hair.  Many South America Christian women, as well as African Christian women (mostly older women) still cover their hair during Sunday services. Women visiting the Vatican cover their hair, as did First Lady Laura Bush when she visited the Vatican.  Russian women, Jewish women, Hindu women, and women of many more backgrounds cover their hair.

To single out and attack Islam for advocating modesty and then to frame that custom as “oppressing women” is wrong-headed and completely inaccurate. Modesty, after all. is not only an Islamic tenant. In fact, the overwhelming majority of religions endorse and urge modest behavior. Lest we forget, the mother of Jesus (p), the Virgin Mary (p) also wore a scarf.  I have never seen any image of the Virgin Mary without a scarf.  Mary (p) is considered as the “most honored” woman of humanity in the Qur’an, and I think most Christians would agree with this description.

As modest as nuns

In the footsteps of the Virgin Mary, many nuns of various religious orders wear head coverings of sorts, including scarves, and loose fitting clothing. This is very much the way many Muslim women dress.

Some time back I heard of a small study that evaluated observers’ perceptions of Muslim women in scarves.  Although I was not able to find the details of the study, it has made sense to every Minnesotan with whom I have shared this story.  The researchers selected a random group of Americans, and then separated them in two groups.  To Group A they showed a picture of a nun wearing a scarf and her lose fitting clothing.  To Group B they showed a picture of a Muslim woman wearing a scarf and loose fitting clothing.  They asked both groups about their perceptions of the women in the pictures and to describe their feelings about them.  [I understand that there may have been some small variable such as the Muslim woman may not have been Caucasian, or she may not have been wearing all black attire.].

Although both women were wearing scarves that covered their hair entirely, as well as loose fitting clothing, the findings were astonishing.  Overall, Group A, which was shown the picture of a nun, had very positive perceptions.  They described her as “a woman of God,” “dedicated,” “helping people,” “making a great sacrifice,” “woman of high spirituality,” and other very positive descriptions.  Many in Group B, which was shown the picture of the Muslim woman, had opposite descriptions.  They perceived the person as “oppressed,” “uneducated,” “backwards,” and a number of other negative descriptions.  Even though both women, the nun and the Muslim woman, were essentially dressed the same way, the observers took away radically different impressions of the two.

Most Minnesotans are fascinated by this study.  The Muslim woman may have been one of the thousands of American Muslim women who are physicians, nurses, lawyers, teachers, engineers or other highly educated professionals.  But unfortunately because of her attire, the observers had entirely skewed perceptions of her.  Clearly this study makes it clear that our untested perceptions have much to do with us and our backgrounds rather than with the person herself.

So by making modesty a regular practice for both men and women, Islam has made it clear to men that women are their spiritual counterparts, and not a sexual commodity to be bought or sold.  Islam urges the societies to honor and value women for who they are, for their piety, righteousness, intelligence, integrity, lofty characters, efforts, accomplishments and the sacrifices that they make as a mother, a sister, a daughter and a member of the community, and not based on how “sexy” she looks. 

So the next time when we see a Muslim woman wearing a scarf, let’s assume that she might be the doctor who will save our lives, or the nurse who can comfort our pain, or the lawyer who will defend our rights. Let’s see her as a teacher, who shap.es our kids, or a respected and devoted mother who instills compassion and respect in her children, or a treasured wife who meets life’s challenges head-on with her beloved husband.  Let’s remember that she is an immensely cherished daughter, a precious member of our community, and perhaps, a person with a very lofty position in the Sight of God, Almighty.  And finally, let us all remember that God loves all of us.

Tamim Saidi is an American Muslim and an active member of the Muslim community in Minnesota.

By Tamim Saidi, Engage Minnesota

There is a great deal of love and respect for mothers in Islam. Over 1400 years ago, one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) asked him who the most deserving person of his kindness and his companionship was.

The Prophet (p) said, “Your mother.”
The man asked, “Then whom?”
He said, “Your mother.”
The man asked for the third time, “Then whom?”
The Prophet (p) said, “Your mother.”
The man asked for the fourth time, “Then whom?”
The Prophet (p) said “Your father.”

It was after becoming the father of three-year-old twins as well as a 19-month-old toddler that I began to understand why the status of the mother is three times that of the father.

Over many months of pregnancies and the years after that, I have witnessed the difficulties that my wife has gone through for our kids: the pains, the sleepless nights, and the worries. I have also witnessed her unimaginable love for them. This is just a hint of why Islam has such a lofty place for mothers, right after God and God’s messenger.

Al-Tirmidhi, a prominent Muslim scholar, relates that a man wanted to take part in an expedition with Prophet Muhammad (p). The Prophet found out that his mother was still alive and said: “Stay with her, for Paradise is at her feet.”

Bukhari, another prominent scholar, relates that the Prophet (p) said that “God has forbidden you to be undutiful to your mothers.”

In a number of places in the Qur’an, the last revelation of God, God Almighty commands the believers to “revere the wombs [rahm, in Arabic] that bore you.” Muslims scholars have mentioned that rahm is the root word for rahma, which means compassion. Also it is very significant to note that one of God’s 99 attributes is “Al-Raheem,” the Infinitely Compassionate. So the immense love and compassion of the mothers is only a glimpse into the Infinite Love and Compassion of the Almighty, and there is a connection between the two.

In another places in the Qur’an, it is stated, “We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him.”

Islam makes it clear that the parents have an un-recompensable debt over their children, which no amount of love, service, or gifts can repay.

I have been truly blessed that my mother has given us the honor to live with us. And now that I have my own children, my mother’s place is even higher in my mind and my heart. I can only imagine how much pain she endured for me over the years, how many tears she shed for me and how much she still worries about my well-being.

After seeing the difficulties that my wife has gone through for our children, I am not jealous of my wife’s lofty position with them. After all, our mothers are our avid advocates, and they truly love us unconditionally. It took me thirty-some years to begin to understand why Prophet Muhammad (p) said, “Paradise is at the feet of your mothers.” So I hope and pray that my children and I can love, serve and celebrate our mothers every day of the year, not just single out one Sunday out of the year.

By Tamim Saidi, Engage Minnesota

Even a quick and cursory review of Islamic teachings and a quick visit to local mosques prove that Islam condemns racism and tribalism and promotes equality and brotherhood of humankind. This equality of humankind in front of God has attracted many people to Islam, including Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and countless others.

God Almighty says in the Qur’an, the last revelation of God, in Chapter 4, verse 1:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاء وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا

“O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women; Be conscientious of God, through whom you demand your mutual rights, and (reverence) the wombs (that bore you): for Allah ever watches over you.”

In Chapter 49, verse 13 of the Qur’an, God Almighty says:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

“O human beings! We have indeed created you of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another [not to despise each other]. Surely the most honorable of you with God is the one among you who is the most deeply God-conscious (most righteous). Surely, God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.”

In the above two passages, it is made very clear that human beings are part of a universal brotherhood originating from Adam and Eve, and the best and the most honorable in the Sight of God are those who are more righteous and more God-conscientious. So superiority comes not from race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, property, wealth, etc, but through piety.

Of importance is that these verses are addressed to the whole of humanity; so not just the Muslims but everyone can benefit from these verses. Interestingly enough, the Qur’an never mentions “races,” but talks about one human race, from the one original human, from the One God, the Creator of the Universe.

It is by the Mercy and Wisdom of God Almighty that we look differently. Can you imagine how boring the world would have been if everyone looked like each other?

In his last sermon, when he knew that he will not be with the Muslims the following year, the last prophet of God (peace be upon him) shared a few brief words with the thousands who had gathered to listen to him. In this sermon, which in its totality is about 500 words, he (P) reminded the Muslims of the most essential issues of being a Muslim, including:

“All mankind is from Adam and Eve; an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab … any superiority over an Arab; also a white, has no superiority over black nor a black … any superiority over white except by piety and good action.”

Thus racism, tribalism, nationalism, ethnic discrimination, or considering oneself superior over others in any other way, is haram (forbidden) in Islam. They are unacceptable, and NOT permissible.

Superiority comes through God-consciousness. God-consciousness is in one’s heart, and those who are God-conscientious do not consider themselves superior over others.

‘Part of my family’

Even in the desolate deserts of Arabia in the 6th Century, the close companions of Prophet (P) were from diverse backgrounds. They were whites, blacks, Persians, Arabs, Christians, and Jews who had become Muslims. Among them were Bilal al-Habashee (Bilal from Ethiopia), Suhaib Ar-Romee (Suhaib from Rome), and Salaman al-Farisi (Salman from Persia). This, by itself, is proof of the universality and diversity of the religion of Islam.

The Prophet (P) had said to Bilal, a former slave, that he heard Bilal’s foot steps in Paradise, an honor that could make many of the Arab companions envious. The companions treated Bilal, Suhaib, Salman and others of different background like their own brothers. The Prophet (P) was reported to have said, “Bilal is part of my family.”

The Prophet (P) taught that God does not look at your colors and your physical appearance, but that God looks at what is in your hearts and what you do. So it is not our race, but it is our actions and intentions that are important. He (P) also forbade pride in one’s ancestry and looking down upon others. He (P) said, if any person has an atom’s weight of pride and arrogance in his or her heart, that person will not enter paradise (unless it is cleansed by repentance).

Not just racism, but in the Qur’an, God Almighty even condemns derision of others. The Qur’an forbids one group from ridiculing another, because the group being ridiculed may be better than the ridiculer.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَومٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَى أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاء مِّن نِّسَاء عَسَى أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُنَّ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِ بِئْسَ الاِسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِ وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

(49:11) “O ye who believe! Let not some men (group) among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor let some women laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: And those who do not desist are (indeed) wrong-doers.”

Racism is a disease

If we were to imagine the humanity as one body, as the Prophet (P) had mentioned, racism is like a disease in this body. In this analogy, each person can be analogous to a cell, each tribe analogous to a tissue, and a race analogous to an organ. Thus racism can be seen as an “autoimmune” disease. The term refers to a disorder that for generally unknown reasons, and perhaps a virus, one part of the party – the immune system – considers another organ or tissue (joints, or spleen, etc.) as an “outsider” and attacks it and tries to destroy it. As medicine has advanced, some common diseases including diabetes and arthritis are thought to be of autoimmune origin. Racism, like autoimmune diseases, can make the larger lifeform ineffective or even can cause fatal problems. Racism is a disease of “selfishness” in which the superiority goes beyond race, ethnicity, and nationality.

So where did humanity acquire this disease?

The Qur’an records the first incidence of racism in human history as the time when the Satan rejected God’s order to bow to Adam. Satan declared that because he was made of superior substance to Adam, therefore, “I am superior over him.”

Arrogant racism can be seen as a satanic disease. Unfortunately, just like undetected diabetes or early-stage arthritis, many people do not realize that they have acquired the disease.

I believe racism is a curable disease. It can be cured by what following what the prophets of God, including Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them) taught us about the love for the humanity and brotherhood.

It can be cured when we see our friends, neighbors, colleagues and fellow humans as our brothers and sisters in humanity. It can be cured when we see past the color of their skin or the accent in their vowels. It can be cured when people of faith begin to ask themselves, “Could it be that this person of different race or ethnicity might be closer to God than I am?” The Prophet (P) taught that, “You are not a believer until you want for your brother what you want for yourself.” Who in their right mind would want for their brother, even if of a different race, to be discriminated against?

As for the Muslims, every pillar of our faith teaches brotherhood among races, ethnicities and groups.

Shahada (Declaration of faith in the One God and in Prophet Muhammad) makes all Muslims brothers. During Salat (the five daily prayers), Muslims of all races and ethnicities stand shoulder to shoulder to pray with each other, and the Imam (the leader of the prayer) may be of a different race or ethnicity. In Ramadan, the month of fasting, Muslims of all races and ethnicities fast together and break their fasts together. They eat together, stand in prayer together and celebrate together. During Hajj (pilgrimage), Muslims of all races and ethnicities from all corners of the world come together on level ground to answer the call of their Creator.

One of the most important lessons of Hajj for me was that it is neither my race or ethnicity nor my property or wealth that would make me superior in the sight of God Almighty; it is only my faith and my good deeds that benefit me. It was not until his trip to Hajj that Malcolm X fully understood the brotherhood of all races in Islam. That is a lesson that many still need to understand.

Tamim Saidi is an American Muslim and an active member of the Muslim community in Minnesota.

By Tamim Saidi, Engage Minnesota

As an American Muslim, when I see the issues and events about Islam that get treated as “news” in the mainstream media, it bothers me that so many are portrayed as “problems with Islam,” the religion, when they are in reality problems of culture, traditions, politics, superstitions, and tribal or ethnic codes of conduct of some Muslim-majority region. I think most Americans would agree with me that it would be unfair to judge a religion (whether Islam, Christianity, or any other religion) by the practices it does not condone.

The religion of Islam does not condone – and it actually condemns – practices such as dishonorable “honor killings,” racism or tribalism, oppression of women, banning women from obtaining an education, and many other un-Islamic practices that make its way to the sensationalized news. If a Muslim, or a Muslim-majority region, practices these despicable acts, it is not because of Islam, but despite Islam.

On numerous occasions some authors and “pundits” have wrongly attacked the religion of Islam for the cultural practices of Muslims in certain places in the world. Polls have shown that about 70 percent of the American public acknowledges being unfamiliar with Islam. Thus it is not a surprise that most Americans cannot distinguish Islamic religious practices from cultural practices by Muslim-majority countries.

There are certain areas of overlap: A people’s religion influences their culture, and culture influences how they practice their religion. But in Islam there is a clear distinction between the two.

In order to explain the differences between Islam and culture, I think it will be useful if you could imagine a Catholic family in Minnesota, a Catholic family in South America, a Catholic family in Italy, and a Catholic family in Africa.

Although these four families have the same religion, they will have different cultures. They will eat different types of food and will listen to different types of music. Their style of clothing will be different and, of course, their languages will be different. More than likely, they will have certain cultural and traditional practices that are not derived from Catholicism. I think the same would be true for Protestant families or Jewish families in different parts of the world.

In the same way, Muslims from different parts of the world will have varying cultures even though they share the same religion. For many Muslims, as with people of other faiths, their cultures play a strong role in their lives. Looking back, my country of birth, Afghanistan, and its neighboring country Pakistan have cultures that, when viewed from a global level, seem very similar to each other. But when I was forced to flee Afghanistan as a teenager and live in Pakistan as a refugee, I experienced culture shock. I found the culture and traditions to be very different from what I was accustomed to. As I was explaining this phenomenon to a friend who was born in South Dakota, he shared that he had “culture shock” when he moved from South Dakota to Minnesota. He also reminded me that the culture of Minnesota is different from the culture of Texas, and the culture in San Francisco is different from the culture in New Orleans.

Not Everything Done by Muslims is Necessarily Islamic

Many of the countries that are commonly called “Islamic countries” – which in reality are merely “Muslim-majority countries” – practice an amalgam of Islamic practices and pre-Islamic/non-Islamic practices. More than 10 centuries ago, when Islam became the predominant religion of the part of the world that today is Muslim-majority, those countries already had very distinct and very patriarchal cultures, as many remain patriarchal today. After embracing the religion of Islam, many of these cultures, including the culture of my ancestors and the culture that I grew up in, abandoned some of the pre-Islamic cultures and traditions , but they hang on to many others.

As a young boy growing up in Afghanistan, like many people in Afghanistan, I wrongly presumed many of these cultural practices to be “Islamic.” At certain times of the year we cooked certain types of food and distributed them among the poor. On certain days, many visited the graveyards and the shrines, and prayed for the deceased, and some asked the “spirits of the deceased” to pray to God for them. These practices are performed by Muslims and are given an Islamic dimension, for instance by the reading of a passage from the Holy Qur’an, etc. Yet these practices are not Islamic practices.

So then, what is an Islamic practice? Islamic practices and beliefs are those that have roots in the Qur’an (which Muslims believe to be the last and unchanged revelation from God) and the Sunnah (traditions) of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Any belief or practice, even if common among some Muslim – majority country, which does not go back to the Qur’an or the Sunnah , is not an Islamic belief or practice.

Just as it is unfair to judge Christianity for un-Christian and inappropriate actions of some who call themselves Christians, it is unfair to judge Islam by un-Islamic and inappropriate actions of some who call themselves Muslims. Just as every action of every Christian is not necessarily based on Christianity, every action of every Muslim is not necessarily based on Islam.

Just as I have urged my Muslim brothers and sisters around the world not to judge America by what they see on their TV sets on “The Jerry Springer Show,” I want to urge my American brothers and sisters not to judge Islam by the tabloid and cultural news that finds its way to their TV sets.

Tamim Saidi is an American Muslim and an active member of the Muslim community in Minnesota.

By Tamim Saidi

Being an American Muslim in a post 9-11 world, I was paying very close attention to the trial of Eric Rudolph and how the local and national media portrayed him. To me it was obvious that his case showed a case of double standards by some in the media.

I think it is very clear to most Americans that when a Muslim, among the 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, happens to be a terrorist, he is generally portrayed as an “Islamic terrorist,” “Islamic militant,” “Islamic fundamentalist,” or an “Islamist.” I have become very sensitive to these terms, as they imply that his religion, i.e., Islam, fundamentally supports terrorist actions.

Muslim organizations in the U.S. and around the world, including the highest-ranking scholars in the Muslim world, have condemned terrorism and the killing of innocent civilians in the name of Islam. The list of reputable scholars include the imam (spiritual leader) of Ka’bah, the holiest mosque for Muslims, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia; and scholars from Al-Azhar University, Egypt, one of the most reputable Islamic universities in the world. Other scholars were most other corners of the world, including Pakistan, Indonesia, Yemen, Jordan, etc., have also condemned terrorism. Despite an unprecedented effort by Muslim leaders and scholars to go out of their way to condemn terrorism, Islam is often associated with and blamed for the actions of deviant Muslims.

However, Eric Rudolph, the man who carried out the fatal bombings at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, bombing of a Birmingham women’s clinic, as well as the bombings of gay nightclubs, was not called a religious fundamentalist, or religious militant, or religious terrorist. Instead, it appeared that most writers spent ample time and coined creative phrases for him such as “militant anti-gay,” “anti-abortion extremist,” “anti-government extremist,” and “fugitive serial bomber.” I had to read a number of articles before I could find any mention of Mr. Rudolph’s religious affiliation or a religious motive behind his actions. It was the rare article in which he was linked to a “white supremacist Christian Identity movement,” and the “‘Army of God,’ a group that advocates killing abortion providers.”

I would say, and I think most American Christians would agree that Erich Rudolph man is not a representative of the Christian religion just as the members of Jewish Defense League (whose terrorist attacks were prevented by FBI in December of 2001*) are not representatives of Judaism. Thus Christianity and Judaism should not be associated with their actions. Likewise, any Muslim who breaks the fundamentals of Islam by killing innocent people, even in the name of Islam, is not a representative of Islam, and thus the religion of Islam should not be associated with his devious actions. Calling terrorists who happen to be Muslims “Islamic fundamentalists” or “Islamic militants” is not only a way to insult the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world, 99.9 percent of whom are peace-loving people, but also helps legitimize the terrorist groups. I am certain that journalists are well capable of coining a much more creative phrase than “Muslim fundamentalists.” How about: “anti-American-foreign-policy-extremists”?

Tamim Saidi is an American Muslim and an active member of the Muslim community in Minnesota.