Gretshelle Rivera

Gretshelle Rivera

Sufism in the News

2/28/12

On February 24^th, 2009 BBC released a news article raising the question of possibly using Sufism as a means to quell Taleban violence in Pakistan. The author of that article describes a mysterious, drug laced background of a Sufi gathering before starting her story, making me already a little cautious of orientalism’s effect on the this article. Orientalism is a romanticized, timeless and inaccurate perspective of the East conjured by the West.  Reading further into the article, this description is given, “It's one o'clock in the morning and the night is pounding with hypnotic rhythms, the air thick with the smoke of incense, laced with dope… It's packed with young men, smoking, swaying to the music, and working themselves into a state of ecstasy. This isn't how most Westerners imagine Pakistan, which has a reputation as a hotspot for Islamist extremism” (Platt 2009).  Barbera Platt, the journalist, interviews a Sufi teacher named Ayeda Naqvi who goes into more detail about how the Sufis are more interested in “love and harmony… there were no swords, it [is] very different from the sharp edged Islam of the Middle East” (Platt 2009).  The Sufi achieves this harmony through Qawwali. Qawwali is religious singing that gets one into a state of remembering God and being closer to Him. Thus, Westerners hope to use the peaceful Sufi practices as a buffer against the more violent sects of Islam.

According to Platt, because of Sufism’s presence in Pakistan, which is a “hotbed for Islamic extremism,” (Plett 2009) utilizing the message of love and entranced meditation from Qawwali may be able to snuff out the violent teachings of the “strict form of Sunni Islam followed by members of the Taleban and al-Qaeda” (Plett 2009).  Sufism still thrives in this area so the Rand Corporation (an American think tank) asks if this form of non-violent Islam can be a defense against extremism. However, there is disbelief within the Sufi ranks that this idea would take much effect at all. Kamil Khan Mumtaz, a Sufi, recalls the atrocities of the militants done in the name of religion and believes that the idea of using Sufism to counteract Islamic radicalism is political at its core and not religious. “’The American think tanks should think again,’ he says. ‘What you see [in Islamic extremism] is a response to what has happened in the modern world.” (Plett 2009).  Why is the struggle primarily political rather than religious, and why would that lead Mumtaz to believe that using Sufism as a buffer would not work?

Naqvi still thinks that Sufism could play a vital role in formulating a more tolerant Islamic identity, “but she warns the dangers of Western support” (Plett 2009).  I can understand why, considering the infamous past of the West involving itself in the war in the East. Naqvi does not want her religion to be associated with the West and be seen as a weapon to fight against the orthodox Islam, though extremist in action.

The University of Georgia Virtual Center and Interdisciplinary Studies of the Islamic World (VCISIW) sponsors the web page on Sufism I used to compare to the BBC article for further research. It describes Sufism as a movement that did not exist before Islam. The religion seems to be a mixture of different doctrines in one, such as Greek Philosophy and Hinduism. “A cornerstone of mysticism is that true knowledge of God is achieved directly and the teachers of the Sufis, the Shayks, trace themselves back to the Prophet. Over the centuries this has led to a great deal of political conflict between mystics and non-mystics” (Baba February 28th, 2004). The conflict pertaining to mystics and non-mystics does point out the Sufi belief that Shayks have this direct link to the Prophet and perform miracles, Muslims believe otherwise. Also the practice of saint worship does not sit well with Muslims since no other being beyond God should be venerated. The Sufi message of love and peace permeates through their songs and their path of self-annihilation; according to Esposito this is called “Fana. (Esposito 2011)” By letting go of material possessions and following a lifestyle that is ascetic, one gains a more direct connection to God. Muhammad brought the Qur’an down to share with humanity and helped flesh out the Sharia (law) and the proper behaviors for the Umma (Muslim Community) and bring peace to the people within the Umma. The Sufi sect continues to spread peace through Qawalli gatherings and being active in caring for the community through Sufi centers. Though Sufism probably may not be used as a tool to overcome the Taliban in Pakistan, but maybe focusing more on the Sufi idea of not concerning the self too much with material prestige but on caring for the Umma as a whole would be bore effective. A reason to stop some of the tension and fighting would be the caring for the people within the Umma, this peaceful aspect of Sufism strengthens and brings the community together.

David Darby

Hajj – A first-person account of the journey

On November 5^th, 2011 the Los Angeles Times newspaper posted an article of a first-person account of a pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj. The experience described by the female according to her was breathtaking and the most heartfelt experience she has ever had. She also elaborates on the significant difference between the prayers at the Kaaba and during the Hajj. Muslims pray five times a day while facing the Kaaba, which is the holiest site in Islam. The prayer rituals consist of circuits of prayer which are called the umrah.

The Hajj prayer is a completely different prayer and what she expressed was that “I simply prayed from the heart. It was a liberating experience for me, to not be mandated to say such and such words at such and such time” (like for the five daily prayers). She comments on the feelings she experienced: “Hajj offered an opportunity for freestyle praying, something I had never done before at such length, or with such joy. I literally counted all the blessings in my life and found myself tearing with happiness, and gratefulness, over and over again”. The article goes into more specifics of what exactly goes on during the pilgrimage, what prayers are carried out, the most meaningful parts to her, and the locations of where the entire group stops to commence these prayer rituals.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-hajj-pilgrim-muslim-mecca-20111106,0,6854893.htmlstory

 

The day spent in prayer in the desert plain is considered the crux of the hajj pilgrimage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSPWGwFyd1s (Raw video – Pilgrimage to Mecca)

My personal assessment of this article is that hearing a first-person account of the actual pilgrimage really gives you a personal understanding into what he/she experiences as they go through every stage of the journey; this gives insight into the emotions felt during the journey and even the spiritual enlightenment acquired by those individuals.

But, as sacred and enlightening as the journey must be, how can one really remain in such a purified state (ihram) from the beginning of the Hajj to the very end? Aren’t there limits to the extent one would go to make such a pilgrimage? Having said that, because of the modern times we now live in, it appears that the success rate of those who actually carry out the entire Hajj these days is higher than it used to be.    


Also see: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/04/huge-hajj-gathering-comes-against-backdrop-of-arab-spring/?hpt=wo_c2

Zara Marvi

Zara Marvi

Discovering Muslim Americans During Ramadan

Last year, the month of Ramadan fell between July 31 and August 31, 2011. During this month, two Muslim Americans, Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq, traveled across the United States while fasting to “tell authentic stories about Muslims” and to “show what Muslim Americans and their lifestyles are like” over a span of 30 days in 30 states. On each day of the month, Ali and Tariq, stopped in one state and one mosque to break their fast, talking to the local Muslim communities. They documented their journey through a blog, which can be found here: http://30mosques.com/

The BBC posted an article and video on their website looking at aspects of Ali and Tariq’s 30 day journey. The article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14731025 and video: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14598842

Sawm (fasting) is the fourth pillar of Islam and is practiced during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The month is of importance as this was the time during which the revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet began. Throughout the month, Muslims are required to fast and are to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual activity, in order to focus on prayer and reflection. Fasting occurs from sunrise and fasts are broken after sunset.

The article pertaining to the journey looks at the diverse nature of American Muslims. It discusses the various differences and controversies within various Islamic communities that may not be known to the larger Muslim population and even to Americans. It gives somewhat of an insight into the way in which Ramadan is observed within these communities. There are specific topics that are addressed within this article that relate to stories about converts to Islam, homosexuality, and perspective of women. A major theme that these stories share is a greater sense of faith and reflection, one of the main purpose of fasting during Ramadan. These stories also give a deeper understanding of the religion that may not be normally viewed by others.

I find that the stories within the article are not something that would be normally expected. These specific stories may be used to illustrate that American Muslims do not portray the stereotypes depicted by the West. Ali and Tariq’s travels throughout the country during Ramadan and the stories that were told in this article paint a diverse picture of how Islam is practiced and portrays American Muslims as individuals facing struggles with their identity and faith. Although it is not explicitly stated, there is a sense in which Ali and Tariq’s journey also conveys the importance of understanding and evaluating one’s faith. It may be that their decision to travel to different Muslim communities during Ramadan, the holiest month of the year, would allow them to gain a better appreciation and understanding of their own faith. The month of Ramadan is a significant time when Islamic communities come together to pray and celebrate and this would enable these men to get a broader perspective of Islam and Ramadan. 

Erica Haworth

Shariah Law in America

On Wednesday January 11,2011, an editorial ran in the Washington Times discussing the invasion of America’s courts by foreign and especially Islamic policy:

            See: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/11/shariah-in-americas-courts/

and   http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/nov/21/sharia-law-dispute-goes-to-court/

“A panel of federal judges has ruled that states cannot protect their courts from jurists who base their decisions on international or Koranic law. On Tuesday, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals a federal district court order blocking implementation of an amendment to the Oklahoma constitution that sought to ban judges from using international or Muslim law as a basis for deciding cases. The amendment was approved in November 2010 by a 70 percent popular vote but has never been enforced.”

In the way that the referendum singled out Shariah Law, it was inevitable that the Muslim community would respond to the infringement posed on their first-amendment rights. “Plaintiff Muneer Awad, executive director of the Oklahoma branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), argued that the amendment infringed on his First Amendment rights.  The Council on American- Islamic Relations is the largest Muslim Civil Liberties organization in the United States, which is located in Washington D.C. on Capitol Hill. The CAIR was established in 1994 and is renowned as a promoter of Muslim civil human rights in the United States.

“Mr. Awad said Muslims support the way U.S. secular courts currently handle Sharia-related issues — by calling in Muslim scholars and imams as expert witnesses in such cases as wills and divorce decrees that specify the use of Sharia principles but by ruling themselves on the legal disputes.” Mr. Awad was reported saying, “Sharia is not a code of laws … it’s more of a guidance.”

Now the main question here is why was the Shariah Law directly included in the referendum? Sources do not precisely say exactly why the Shariah Law was included in the Referendum, but one could infer that it was due to an anti-Islam group. The Washington Times article reports, “The referendum was most notably supported by a nonprofit group that fights the threat of radical Islam. The group, Act For America (AFA), spent more than $60,000 in a campaign to pass the law, consisting of 650,000 automated phone calls informing voters of the law, and several weeks of radio ads.”

CAIR responded publicly to this referendum, “the lower court blocked implementation of the "Save Our State Amendment" based on arguments that it would unconstitutionally disfavor an entire faith and deny Oklahoma's Muslims access to the judicial system on the same terms as every other citizen.” CAIR also included that, "Appellants do not identify any actual problem the challenged amendment seeks to solve. Indeed, they admitted at the preliminary injunction hearing that they did not know of even a single instance where an Oklahoma court had applied Sharia law or used the legal precepts of other nations or cultures, let alone that such applications or uses had resulted in concrete problems in Oklahoma."

My personal assessment of this controversy is that the Muslim Community was wrongfully cast into this referendum, which was “unconstitutionally in disfavor of an entire faith”.  With this being said, however, I am personally opposed to any religious affiliation within the court of law.  Allowing religious laws to be applied in the court of law should frighten everyone. It is possible that having this be legal, any religious law could manipulate court rulings to a judge’s favor. We must also remember this is America, and our legal system is already protected from outside influences. America has a secular court system for a reason and that is to protect our citizens from external influences that could manipulate a secular courtroom ruling. Separation of church and state is crucial and should include every religion.  I feel that the actual referendum had good intentions of disabling religious law in the court of law to an extent, yet it specifically cast Shariah Law into the referendum, specifically targeting the Muslim community.

Analyzing this entire controversy, I feel that there is no need to pass an amendment such as this, when our legal system is already protected from such outside influences. This referendum is disguised as attempting to correct the court of law, yet in actuality it is discrimination against the Muslim community by anti-Muslim groups.

           

                       

Caitie Harrigan

Sunni and Shi’ite Differences: Who is “the Enemy”

By Caitie Harrigan

            On October 17^th of 2006, The New York Times ran an op-ed article titled “Can You Tell a Sunni from a Shi’ite?” by Jeff Stein. (See http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/opinion/17stein.html?scp=8&sq=shiite+muslims&st=nyt)  In this article, Stein argues that many government officials, several of whom he interviews, do not know the difference between the branches of the Muslim faith.  Stein questions how these government officials can do their jobs in the “war on terrorism” without knowing even the basic differences between a Sunni and a Shi’ite, or which group they are attacking in the different Middle Eastern countries.

            Although we have not covered the differences between Sunni and Shii in class, Esposito gives a detailed account of the split of the Shia from the Sunni (see Chapter 2).  Shi’ite Muslims believe that the first three caliphates were usurpers of the power that truly belonged to Ali, and that the Prophet’s family should be the rightful rulers of the Muslim community.  Instead of a caliph, the Shii invest leadership in the Imam, a divinely inspired leader who is infallible and sinless; who is not a prophet, though he must be a direct descendant from Muhammad’s family.  For the Shii, the Imam is the final interpreter of God’s will, as he is both a political and religious leader.

            The first interviews Stein presents are two with leading F.B.I. members, one of whom was F.B.I.’s spokesman and did not see the need to “memorize the collected statements of Osama bin Laden, or be able to read Urdu to be effective”—which Stein points out is not what he asked at all, as he only asked if he knew the difference between Sunni and Shi’ite.  The chief of F.B.I.’s national security branch, Willie Hulon, claimed that it is important to know the difference between Sunni and Shi’ite, but he was unable to correctly identify which group was in power in Iran at the time.  A Republican Representative, Terry Everett, also was unable to identify the difference, but Stein gives him credit that he did ask for him to explain what set them apart.  Finally, the last interview that Stein writes about in this article is with another Republican Representative, Jo Ann Davis, who headed the subcommittee in charge of C.I.A.’s performance in recruiting Islamic spies, and who did not know the difference between Sunni and Shi’ite.

            Although I think Stein has underlined a very important issue by exposing the ignorance of the government officials who are supposed to be knowledgeable about Islam as they have power in the war, I think it is critical to look at why Stein argues this information is significant to know.  Stein does not at all mention a need to know the difference between a Sunni and a Shi’ite to better understand their culture, their society, or their beliefs, which quite frankly might help to lead to a resolution of the war.  He outright says in the beginning of the article: “I’m not looking for theological explanations, just the basics: Who’s on what side today, and what does each side want?”  In fact, he states that knowing your “enemy” is the basic rule of war.  To me this translates as the need to know which group to kill—I guess at least he wants to make a distinction between the group rather than to kill all Muslims.

            Throughout this article, Muslims, Sunni and Shi’ite alike, are treated as objects and labeled as the enemy, not just by Stein but also by who he is interviewing: Willie Hulon says “‘It’s important to know who your targets are’” and Jo Ann Davis says “ ‘You’ve got to understand, and to know your enemy.’”  Stein also frames the tension between the Sunni and Shi’ite in what I would argue is a fallacious metaphor, calling them “Islam’s Abel and Cain.”  Although he may have just been going for a Christian parallel of brothers with conflict; by using Abel and Cain he is suggesting that one of them is to be punished by God and shall be cursed as a “fugitive and vagabond in the earth” (Gen. 4:12) and forever be marked as such.  

The image that was published with the article depicts two almost identical stern-looking male faces with beards that are connected by a turban.  Not only do the men look particularly mean or angry, but also by coloring one beard white and one black suggests a connotation of good and evil.  One could even argue that the only difference between the faces are the color of the beards, which is superficial and basically meaningless—suggesting the Sunni and Shi’ite divide is irrelevant.  In placing them in a vertical composition, it as if one is upside-down or has a backwards way of thinking, as they are connected by the head/brain.  The other point that is almost too obvious to mention is that there is no representation of women.

            I find that the ignorance of government officials who are more directly linked and with more power to the war in the Middle East to be extremely unsettling.  But the purpose that Stein has in this knowledge is not exactly my ideal, either—as he states he is not interested in religious differences, just who is where and in power of what.  Maybe if every citizen did “know our enemy,” as Stein states, deeper than the superficiality of political control, it would change the outlook on war.  Even though this article was written a little less than six years ago, I still believe it to be applicable in today’s time.  Perhaps we all need to get to know each other’s religion a little more deeply, especially since our current president has continued this “war on terrorism.”

Stephen Johnson

Stephen Johnson

Blog Post: Egypt detains Shia Muslims, crackdown on group continues

On February 5, 2012 the Egyptian newspaper, Bikya Masr, posted an article based on the recent arrest of two Shiite Muslims in Egypt. Both of the men were visiting the country to participate in the International Conference on Islamic Awakening and Young People when they were arrested in the Cairo International Airport for carrying “Shia books”. However, this is not the only incident in which the Shiite Muslim minority in Egypt has been targeted. There have been numerous accounts of Shiite Muslims, including one Australian man, being taken into custody for charges such as blasphemy and insulting tenets of religions. About one month before this article was published, the Hussein Mosque, built hundreds of years ago and important for Shiite pilgrimage, was closed by Egyptian officials. They feared that the majority Sunni Muslims found in Egypt would become enraged by Ashura celebrations, in which, Shiite Muslims mourn the death of Husayn ibn Ali.

To add insult to injury, Egypt’s Minister of Religious Endowments, Mahmoud Hamdy Zaqzouq stated that all mosque and religious institution can be monitored by the Ministry of Religious Endowments and from that, claims that there are no Shiite religious institutions in the country of Egypt. An Egyptian Shiite Muslim responds to this claim by saying, “We live under these conditions every day and most of the time I keep my mouth shut, but for our government to insist that we don’t exist is insulting and wrong.” This leads to the question, how can the government make such claims? Zaqzouq suggested that there were no Shia Mosque in Eqypt, yet as mentioned earlier, the Hussein Mosque, one of the most important Shiite mosque found in Egypt, was closed by Egyptian officials. This lack of acknowledgement for the Shiite community in Egypt by the government only adds to tension between these two groups.

One of the main questions that arises from this article is why does this turmoil exist between the Shiite population and the rest of Egypt? As briefly mentioned before, Egypt’s Islamic population is primarily Sunni. Conflict between these two groups can be traced back to their initial separation due to different beliefs on who should succeed the Prophet Muhammed. Sunni Muslims believe that Abu Bakr should have been the first Imam, while Shiite Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammed’s cousin, Ali, should have been the first Imam. As a result, throughout the history of Islam, these two groups have had an unstable and at times a violent relationship.

This behavior by the Egyptian government may be explained by its overall instability. One of the advertisements on the Bikya Masr website refers to the one year anniversary for the revolution against President Mubarak’s Regime. This has been the first time in over 20 years in which Mubarak was not the primary political figure in Egypt. Even when he was president, there were allegations that he was politically corrupt. Therefore, for the past 20 to 30 years Egypt’s government has either been unstable due to lack of leadership or led by political leaders that were viewed as corrupt. As a result, unjust acts such as the persecution of Shiite Muslims can occur with very little questioning.

This article shows the effects of Islamic law and culture on various aspects of a primarily Islamic nation. It also raises concern for the consequences of a religion becoming such a major part of a particular society and government. I believe the author of this article, Joseph Mayton, attempts to exploit some areas of concern that pertain to the Egyptian society and the resulting prejudice toward Shiite Muslims. 

Two students sent me links to a couple of interesting articles they found, so I thought I would share them with everyone.

Tammy Bah sent me an interesting article about a Saudi man being detained for tweeting about the Prophet Muhammad:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/saudi-writer-detained-after-tweets-about-muhammad/2012/02/09/gIQApsgW2Q_story.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost

I think it shows how diverse Muslims are in their approaches to their religion and highlights the difference between some Muslim governments and their citizens, in this case in Saudi Arabia.

Erica Haworth sent this post:

http://infidelsarecool.com/2008/01/top-10-quran-quotes-every-woman-must-see/

Again we see an example of reading the Qur'an out of context in order to satisfy an ideological point.  We have to be careful of what we find out there because a lot of it is simply wrong, and some of it is dangerous.

CNN recently ran this article about a number of Arab women who are working to change their societies and to improve the status of women in many Arab countries:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/03/world/africa/women-arab-uprisings/index.html?hpt=hp_c2