Thank You Gen. Colin Powell ...

As it appeared in Yahoo News - http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20081021/pl_mcclatchy/3078971

Muslim soldier fought for America and his faith

WASHINGTON — "Joe the Plumber" was only one of two Americans injected into the presidential election this past week. The other was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan , whom former Secretary of State Colin Powell invoked in his endorsement Sunday of Barack Obama .
Khan was a 20-year-old soldier from Manahawkin, N.J. , who wanted to enlist in the Army from the time he was 10. He was an all-American boy who visited Disney World after he completed his training at Fort Benning, Ga. , and made his comrades in Iraq watch "Saving Private Ryan" every week.

He was also a Muslim who joined the military, his father said, in part to show his countrymen that not all Muslims are terrorists.

"He was an American soldier first," said his father, Feroze Khan . "But he also looked at fighting in this war as fighting for his faith. He was fighting radicalism."

Khan was killed by an improvised explosive device in August 2007 along with four other soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter while searching a house in Baqouba, Iraq . He's one of four Muslims who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and are buried in Arlington National Cemetery , where 512 troops from those wars now rest.

About 3,700 of the U.S. military's 1.4 million troops are Muslims, according to Defense Department estimates.

Khan, a child of immigrant parents from Trinidad , was 14 when the Sept. 11 attacks happened. Feroze Khan said he remembered his son watching in stunned silence: "I could tell that inside a lot of things were going through his head."

Three years later, Feroze honored his son's request and allowed him to enlist him in the Army . "I told him: 'You are going to the Army .' I never said there is a war going on in a Muslim country. I didn't want him to get any ideas that he was fighting (against) his religion."
Feroze kept his fears for his son's safety to himself.

His son was assigned to the Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Lewis, Wash. , deployed to Iraq in 2006 and fought on Baghdad's Haifa Street , a Sunni insurgent stronghold.
His tour was extended as part of the surge of additional U.S. forces to Iraq , and he called or messaged home often until he was deployed to restive Diyala province, where he was under fire too often to contact home regularly.

But he prayed every day, his father said.

One Sunday morning, his son sent an instant message: "Hey Dad. Are you there?" Feroze Khan was out, and he saw the message when he returned.
A few hours later, his ex-wife called. Soldiers had knocked on her door in Maryland . Their only child was dead.

A few minutes later, soldiers appeared at Khan's door. "I guess it helped that I knew beforehand," he said. "There are no words to describe it."

Kareem Khan was a month from finishing his tour when he was killed.

On Sunday, Powell said that Khan's sacrifice and service had swayed him to discuss the way that Muslims have been portrayed in the presidential campaign, and the contention that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is a Muslim.

Obama "is a Christian," Powell said. "He has always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, 'What if he is?' Is there something wrong with being Muslim in this country? The answer is no. That is not America." He added: "I am troubled that within the (Republican) Party we have these kinds of expressions" suggesting that Obama is a Muslim, and that if he is, he likely associates with terrorists.

Powell said that he felt strongly about the issue after he saw a photo of Khan's tombstone in the New Yorker magazine . In the black-and-white picture, Khan's mother is resting her head on her son's tombstone. On each side of the stone are flowers, and in between is a copy of the Quran. On the face of the tombstone is a crescent and star, indicating that the soldier buried there is a Muslim.

"He was an American," Powell said.

Thank you for the kind words ...

theelementary said:

I wasn't sure which post to comment on first; the whole idea of your blog is brave and hopeful and I am moved by your determination to make the world better.
People are scared by what they do not understand. It comes across as hatred but everything comes down to fear of the unknown. That's why I love books and reading so much- even if I can't travel all the time I can still explore new world and investigate things that are a puzzle to me.
I will most definitely be reading your blog regularly. 
As for this post, it struck me as incredibly sad that anybody should have to live like that in America (or anywhere, for that matter, but since I've come to live here I've seen so many changes and they're startling in how they seem to creep up on you until you don't recognise the place you called home. I don't like to fly anymore. My husband is from India, I'm from Ireland; America is our home and we have family in other parts of the world- but our joy of flying has been slowly erased.
This is an admirable blog.

I sincerely appreciate your kind words and the sentiment with which they were written.  I hope that I continue to earn them.  Sadly, I have not been able to write as much as I'd like, but I suppose that's life in America ... work, work, work.  I will try to do a better job of posting more regularly, in the hopes of keeping readers, like you, engaged.

As for my post, life in America has dramatically changed since 9-11, particularly for Arabs, for Muslims, and for poor "brown" people from other countries that are sadly mistaken for Arabs or Muslims due to, again, ignorance on the part of the racist.  Given that you mentioned your husband is Indian, I am pretty certain he's experience a rough situation or two.  =)

Hopefully, we will be able to encourage folks to read and seeks knowledge to combat prejudice.  Thanks again for taking the time to write me - it was most appreciated and I am most humbled by your comments.  I hope to continue to hear from you.

Flying While Arab

Sadly, in a post 9-11 world, flying while Arab (FWA) has become an issue.  I use the term "Arab" loosely as it is really is anyone who's "brown" or has an Arabic or Muslim name.

When people see me, they aren't sure what I am.  Some people think I'm just a white girl, others think I'm Latina; I've even gotten Greek or Italian.  Rarely do people guess, on the first or even second try, my ethnic heritage.  

I travel a lot.  My family is spread out in different states and, of course, the "homeland."  I also travel quite a bit for work.  It is always the same look I get when I hand over my boarding pass accompanied by my ID - one of sheer surprise.  

The TSA agent is sometimes smiling and sometimes straight-faced and bored looking, but when they see my name, it is always the same reaction.  A cartoon-like double take.  Then I always see them glance at my left hand to see if I'm wearing a wedding ring.  As if the only way I could have the name in front of them is if I married into it!  

They stare me down with elevator eyes, make all sorts of markings on my boarding pass, and tell me to "have a nice day."  I would say I'm about 50/50 for the "random" screening.  An extra body search.  An extra search of my bags.  Sometimes they even ask to see my ID again.  As always, I conduct myself in a polite and peaceful manner and pretend to not mind these extra searches in the least.  After all, I have time.  It's not like I have a plane to catch or anything.  =)

Last week though, something happened to me that has NEVER happened to me before.  I actually travel with a pocket sized version of the Qur'an.  I have had this Qur'an since 2000 and I have traveled with it - every flight I've ever taken in the past eight years - since then.  I've been all over America, Canada, Central America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East and never had much of an issue ... but not this day.

My bags are on the x-ray machine and I've been chosen for an extra body search.  I'm moved over to the side, waiting for a "female assist."  She pats me down and waves me on.  I go to collect my bags and the x-ray tech asks me. "Do you have anything organic in your bag?"

What an odd question, I thought to myself.   

"What do you mean, sir?" I said.

He answered, "There is something about this size of an organic nature in your bag."  He used his two hands to make a fairly small rectangular shape to demonstrate what he was looking at.

I thought about what was in that bag.  "Perhaps, it is the power source for my laptop?" I said.  That was the only thing I could think of that was that shape.

"Nope, it's organic," he repeated.

"I have no idea, sir." I said.  

"Bag check," he called out.

A tall, skinny, lanky, white male came over.  He had glasses and a full strawberry blonde beard.  "Hello, ma'am ... I gotta take a look in here.  Please bring the rest of your things and follow me."

"No problem, sir," I replied.  I grabbed my other bag, put on my shoes, and followed him over to one of those little, silver metal tables.  

He started digging in my bag.  "Are you a Texan?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered.  "But, I don't live here anymore; though I am trying to get back here as fast as I can."

He smiled, "Yeah, I lived in a couple of other states, but there is nothing like Texas," he stated with pride.  He was still digging around for the "organic" object.  He didn't seem to find what he was looking for.

"Where did you grow up?" he continued to initiate small talk while trying to find the mysterious object in question.

"Dallas, " I answered.

"Ah, well, you seem to have done alright for yourself."  He was starting to look concerned.  "Are there any other pockets in this bag?"

"There are outer ones on each side," I answered.

He pulled out my pen and gum from one of them.  "That's not it," he said.  He began to look puzzled.  Then he started in on the other pocket.  He pulled out this small book.  it was my Qur'an.  "Ah ha!" he said as if he'd just struck gold!  "This was probably it.  Whatchya readin'?" he asked as he began to turn the book over to read the title.  His eyes got so wide I was almost worried.

He looked me up and down and then began putting things back in my bag.  The man who had been polite and cordial up until now just completely shut down.  I gave him a half-hearted smile and said, "Don't see too many Texans with Qur'ans, do you?"

He simply shook his head no and continued to throw everything into the bag at a faster pace.  He zipped it up, as if he couldn't wait to have me out of his sight and, without a word, he handed it back to me.  

"Thank you, sir.  Have a nice day," I said.  But before I could get the entire sentence out, he had turned his back to me and started walking away.

What had I done to deserve that?  I suppose, given his position and the environment he could have made things worse for me, but we were being kind to one another and then it was as if a wall was erected.  Why the fear?  He just searched my bag for God's sake!  There was nothing in there that was dangerous.  Nothing but a book!  A few pages of paper instilled so much fear in this man.  Why?

I love Texas.  I love Texans.  I love southern hospitality.  I don't blame this man for his fear or even his hatred.  As someone who lives between what feels like two worlds, I can see both perspectives.  If I was bombarded with hateful propaganda every day and having it passed off as factual news stories and I had no other point of reference, who knows what I would think or how I would act.  I'd like to think I'd react better and not judge but one cannot say, with certainty, until they find themselves in a situation.

What I don't understand is why we choose to be ignorant.  It is a book.  Even if you don't think it is the word of God, what would be so terrible if you READ it?  It's just literature, right?  At least then you'd see that the news lies.  You could read verses in context (and hopefully properly translated) and draw your own conclusions versus having the "establishment" tell you how to think and feel.

Why does it seem easier to hate what we do not know or do not understand?  Why is "ignorance bliss?"  Do we really choose darkness over light?

GET EDUCATED.  STOP THE HATE!

The Origins of Arabic

Thank you for your comment anonymous.

Anonymous said...
Interesting post. I always wondered how the keypad symbols related back to Arabic letters. One thing though: I don't think that Arabic originated from Sanskrit. Its from a totally different linguisitc family: Semitic vs Indo-European.

My sources on this particular post was Wikipedia (granted not always the "best" source) but from what I know of the language, it seemed accurate. Here is some additional information about the history of the Arabic language:

http://www.indiana.edu/~arabic/arabic_history.htm

The Semitic language family is a descendant of proto-Semitic, an ancient language that was exclusively spoken and has no written record. This relationship places Arabic firmly in the Afro-Asiatic group of world languages. Specifically, Arabic is part of the Semitic subgroup of Afro-Asiatic languages. Going further into the relationship between Arabic and the other Semitic languages, Modern Arabic is considered to be part of the Arab-Canaanite sub-branch the central group of the Western Semitic languages. Thus, to review, while Arabic is not the oldest of the Semitic languages, its roots are clearly founded in a Semitic predecessor.

Aside from Arabic, the Semitic language family includes Hebrew, Aramaic, Maltese, Amharic, Tigrinya, Tigre, Gurage, Geez, Syrica, Akkadian, Phonoecian, Punic, Ugaritic, Nabatean, Amorite and Moabite. While a majority of these are now considered "dead" languages, either entirely obsolete or used only in religious practice, Arabic has flourished. The reason for this is inextricably linked with the rise of Islam and, more specifically, Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an.

I hope that helps clarify a little bit. My apologies if I passed along some incorrect information. I write with the best of intentions.

Please keep the comments/questions coming. I will try to do better in responding in a more timely fashion.

This is NOT my America!

"It is a sad day, when you need to leave the United States of America in order to be 'free'." - Abdallah Al-Arian (Sami's eldest son)  

"It is sad really.  My mother is a Palestinian refugee.  My father is a Palestinian refugee.  And now, the United States of America is making us (their children) refugees too." - Sami Al-Arian's daughter

I don't want to live in an America that falsely accuses people of being terrorists and then AFTER years in prison, a lengthy trial, and NOT GUILTY verdicts on 51 counts of BS charges the government will not let him go.  He is still in prison!  ALMOST FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR NOTHING!  

An America where Habeous Corpus is suspended.

An America where the Patriot Act is an excuse to rip away our civil rights one by one.

An America where the government abuses its power via "Executive Decision."

An America where we wrongfully imprison innocent people.

An America where we actually hold "political prisoners."

An America where there are NO RIGHTS, NO FREEDOMS that are guaranteed!

An America where you are "... with us or against us."

THIS IS NOT MY AMERICA!

I am a statistic!  I am one of the 8,000 people that the FBI contacted "requesting" an interview post 9/11.  Of those 8,000 Arab-Americans and Muslim-Americans that were rounded up like cattle, stripped of our rights, American citizens or not, by the FBI, CIA, NSA, etc. NOT ONE OF US has been convicted of any crime, much less convicted of a terrorist act!  NOT ONE!  

And as painful as that experience was for me, I am one of the "lucky" ones.  I am not Sami Al-Arian.  While the government maybe taping my phone conversations and maybe even tagging my e-mails or even this blog ... I am NOT Sami Al-Arian.  My anger here banks on sheer rage!  Bush has turned America into the MOST HATED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!

Which country has:

-Nuclear Weapons?

-Nuclear Reactor Programs?

-Military forces occupying foreign lands?

-Political prisoners for years without being formally charged with any crimes?

-Political prisoners taken to countries with no extradition treaties and no laws against torture?

-A government who spies on its own citizens? 

-A government who suspends the rights of its own people to "protect" them?

-A government who violates international laws?

-A government who violates the 4th Geneva convention?  Iran?  North Korea?  The entire "Axis of Evil?"  NOPE!  THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!

Bush has turned this country into those countries we're allegedly fighting because of a conflict in our "ways of life" and for "freedom."  Ironic isn't it?  Not only is this 1984 because our government lies to us and strips us dowto protect us from ourselves, spy on us, and dehumanize others - but this is 1984 because we've become the very thing we "hate."

Our government is terrorizing its own citizens by using the "fear factor" to make us think we need to give up our civil liberties in order to be safe.  The American government has become "Big Brother."  We can stop it ... we have to stop it!  Raise your voice ... write Congress and ask them to free Sami Al-Arian!

Read about this remarkable man and his amazing family and his BS case .... 

http://www.freesamialarian.com

And read about the documentary made about his case and the fact that this man should be FREE!  He is innocent!  He was found innocent by a jury of his "peers."  A Palestinian, Muslim was found not guilty by a majority WHITE and non-Muslim jury POST 9/11 in America on ALL 51 counts and yet, he still sits in prison because he refuses to lie and give the government ammunition to wrongly accuse others!  This man is a hero!

http://www.usavsalarian.com

Be active in your world!  Make America realize its potential!  Make America great again .... SAY SOMETHING, WRITE SOMETHING, BECOME POLITICALLY ACTIVE.  Stop being a sheep.  Stop being a follower.  Start having some sort of say in your country!  "Stop bitching, start a REVOLUTION!"

Spread Peace, Love, & Understanding

We're all struggling to find a level of understanding (it seems) in a post 9/11 world.  It helps, I think, to spread positive things (love vs. hate - tolerance vs. difference) and this was light and its sentiment was appreciated by me, so I thought I would share it. 

For most of you, I am the "token" Arab-American or Muslim friend you've got.  I have tried to be open to questions and honest with answers and I have tried to live a good life, to be a good person, to be a good Muslim, and to be a good human being.  

I can only hope that by simply KNOWING me, you've learned that the actions of a few extremists do NOT speak for the 1.5 BILLION Muslims worldwide and more importantly do NOT represent the religion of Islam.  Any mistakes I make in life are my own.  They do not represent God and they do not reflect upon Islam.  I am human.  I do screw up from time to time!  =) 

We need to get away from focusing on the differences between us and start to realize that what we have in common (culturally, religiously, etc) is far greater.  Help me, please, by educating those that do not have access to anything other than bombardment of negative (and in my opinion, one-sided) news coverage.

Education = Understanding

Please help me pass it on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbcmPe0z3Sc

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did and I hope that if you ever have a question, as a friend, you'd be comfortable enough to come and ask me.  I promise to do the best I can to answer.

Arabic Words Written in English Characters

Thank you for your comment tatortots71. Here is the "quick reference" guide to Arabic letters that do not have English counterparts and, therefore, are represented by numbers.

2 = eh' (sounds a bit like a cute/light hiccup)

3 = ein (hard, deep, guttural)

5 = kh (hard, back of the throat)

7 = ha (hard, deep, guttural "h")

' = used as a verbal "pause" within a word

I, truly, have NO idea where this system came from or who or how it was invented, but it is fairly common when writing Arabic words with English characters.

Just to give you a little background on the Arabic language. We have 28 letters (not much more than the 26 in English). However, like most languages that originate from sanskrit, the "vowels" are represented by characters above and below the consonants. These are in addition to the 28.

Arabic has a few that do not exist in English and there are a few in English that do not exist in Arabic. For example, there is no "P" in Arabic. So, when you visit the Middle East, you'll probably hear people say "Bebsi" for Pepsi and "Bizza" for pizza. My personal favorite is "beoble" for "people." You guys get the idea. =)

If you'd like additional information on the language of Arabic (in the "SEMITIC" language family ... btw), I found Wikipedia to be a decent source on this particular topic and you can read more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_language

I hope that helps. Please keep the questions coming.

Jum3ah

Today is Friday, the "holy day" for Muslims. I am in a new city, helping a friend of mine, and while they were at work I decided to find a masjid (proper Arabic for "mosque") and go to Jum3ah (when writing an Arabic word in English - numbers are used to represent letters that do not exist in the English language: 3 = "ein") or Friday Prayer. Fortunately, there was one within WALKING distance of their house - which in America has NEVER happened to me. I was so happy! 

I took a walk and ended up there very early because it was closer than I thought. The masjid was still locked up! I saw a brother walking in, he was African-American and his name was Ali.

"Assalamu alaikum, sister," he said. "Come, come. You can enter through this door. Where are you from?"

I answered.

"I used to be on the police force there!" he said.

"What do you do now?" I asked.

"I am a US Marshall," he said with this bright grin on his face. "Ironic, isn't it? A Muslim, US Marshall."

I had to laugh. He led me through the masallah (where prayers are conducted) to the area where men and women can make wudu'.

Wudu' is a ritual that Muslims perform to wash up before prayer. Cleanliness is of the utmost importance in Islam. Especially given that Muslims believe that when they stand together to pray, they are literally, standing in the presence of God. I made my wudu' and came back to the masallah.

"Assalamu alaikum," said a gentlemen dressed like an imam. (An "imam" is the Muslim title for our religious leader - much like "priest" or "rabbi" or "father"). It turns out he was. He was an older gentlemen, probably right around his 50s. He looked like such a kind soul.

"This sister is visiting us," said brother Ali.

"Welcome, sister," said the imam.

I thanked them both for their assistance and making me feel welcome and went to take advantage of being there so early by reading the Qur'an.

Masjids have a male and female prayer section. I was in the woman's section and then I hear a polite knock on the door. I look up and its the imam. "Assalamu alaikum, sister. Then in Arabic, he says, "Do you speak Arabic?"

"Yes," I answered in Arabic.

"Where are you from?" he asked.

I told him and then I asked "and you?"

"Syria," he said. "Would you like some tea?"

"Please." I answered.

In my head, I was smiling and thinking, "Where are all those critics now? The ignorant ones that say Arab men treat women badly or say that Islam doesn't respect women or treats women as second class citizens ... where are they? Why can't they witness an ARAB IMAM make me tea!"

He left and timidly re-appeared a few moments later with a light knocking on the sister's entrance with the hot tea.

"Please, come and drink," he said.

I closed the Qur'an I was reading, got up and sat with him outside. We sat and talked about where we were from, about our lives, our families as Muslims started to file in for Friday prayer.

"Assalamu alaikum," they would stop in and say.

"Wa alaikum assalam," we would answer and then go back to our conversation.

He was a very kind, gentle spoken man. The congregation was not huge, but large enough given where I was in America. It was nice because no nationality was dominant. Indians, Malaysians, Indonesians, Pakistanis, all types of Arabs, white American converts, African American converts, Latino converts. It was amazing!

They were a tight knit community as well. Everyone calling out the other and giving salaams by name and they made me feel most welcome.

It was a great day! A day that broke through the stereotypes I attempt to break through every day I walk out of my front door and here, in this little community, you could see the "truth" with you own two eyes. It was refreshing.

I hope that, should I visit my friend again, I will have the opportunity to visit this masjid again. I truly felt the presence of God there - in the purest form. Several people looking past their own cultures to come together as one "ummah" (Arabic for community) to worship and praise the one God in unison. Not as black or white, Arab or non-Arab, man or woman ... but as one voice - the central theme of Islam.

Thanks for your comments!

Islam does not "designate" someone with the phrase, "Prophet." God gives them that "title." So, I suppose, to answer your question this is not a man-made process and therefore is nothing like Catholics and canonizing saints and nothing like Mormons either.

It is said, and widely accepted in Islam, that there were THOUSANDS of prophets. Given that there is a verse in the Qur'an that states that "God sent a prophet for every tribe on Earth."

There are only 28 listed, by name, in the Qur'an.

Of those 28, there are 5 who are "heavy hitters" as they were also "messengers" in addition to their prophethood. These 5 are Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohamed (pbut). These men came down with "books" that made the most changes to the world and added to the message that preceded their own.

Notice I say "ADDED." Each message (text) was revealed to correct the people or remind them of the message of those past. None of the prophets came up with a "new" message. Mohamed reiterated the message of Jesus. Jesus reiterated the message of Moses. Moses reiterated David and David reiterated Noah (pbut).

Does that answer your question tatortots71?

Note: (pbut) = peace be upon them - said after prophet's names as a sign of respect in Islam

As for "Hadith," it is another source important in Islam. The Qur'an is believed, by Muslims to actually BE THE words of God. God revealed these verses to the Angel Gabriel (may God be pleased with him) and the Angel Gabriel took those words to the Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) to deliver to the people. There is a verse in the Qur'an that states that for everything not found in this text or for any clarification for that which the people didn't understand, they should look to their prophet (Mohamed (pbuh) in this case) for answers.

Those answers to questions and a living document of how the prophet Mohamed (pbuh) lived his life, so we could emulate him - as he is our teacher, were recorded. Those records are called "Hadith."

After the prophet Mohamed (pbuh) died, unfortunately people tried to take advantage to restore "tribal traditions" that Islam had eradicated by stating "I heard the prophet say ..." Obviously, those sayings were untrue. To me, this seems to repeat the history of what I believe "Saint" Paul did to the message of the prophet Jesus (pbuh).

For hadith, the person who reported it (meaning the source) is just as important as the words itself. In the sunni tradition, "Al-Bukhari" and "Muslim" are the two strongest sources and therefore held in high regards as true "hadiths" or sayings or actions of the prophet Mohamed (pbuh). Shi'ite tradition have their own sources as well. Other hadith reported by obscure people are considered "weak" or not well supported and therefore, might be false.

So, as Islam teaches, one must ask questions and conduct research before just following blindly.

Becca, I hope that answers your question.

Please, anyone out there, PLEASE keep asking questions! Together we will all learn something new and hopefully have a better understanding of one another.

How about we start from the beginning?

Since the hope is that I will help educate people on Islam, I have been thinking where does one start? Given that my hope and is to show people that we have much more in common than we have in differences, how about we start with the very first man, and first prophet of Islam - Adam (pbuh)?

Just a note - as a Muslim - we hold all prophets with the utmost respect. This is shown by saying "Peace Be Upon Him" after we state their names, which is notated in writing with "(pbuh)."

I am sure I'll need to take this in parts, given that this story is the beginning of several things. It is the beginning of:

1) Mankind (first man, first woman)
2) Life on this Earth
3) The "fight" of good vs. evil

For the most part, the "story" is the same between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. God created Adam (pbuh) from dust/clay. He breathed life (the soul) into Adam (pbuh). Adam (pbuh) had something that no other creation of God's had - the ability to reason, which equals free will.

(Hadith - Sahih Al-Bukhari)
"God created Adam from a handful of dust taken from different lands, so the children of Adam have been created according to the composition of the land. Therefore, from mankind we have white, red, black, and yellow ones; we have good and evil, ease and sorrow, and what comes in between them."

(Qur'an - 38: 71-72)
"Truly, I am going to create man from clay. So, when I have fashioned him and breathed into him his soul created by Me, then you (angels) fall down to prostrate to him."

So far, all three monotheistic faiths are on the same path.

Help a Brother Out!

Today's entry is more of a reminder that God works in mysterious ways than a "lesson."

I had a horrible day yesterday! I got some bad news on a personal note and then as I was reeling from that, trying to process the information, I got a phone call. It was United Airlines, telling me my flight home for the weekend, my father's birthday, has been canceled!

I was on the phone, trying everything in my power to get on another flight. I finally got one, but from an airport far, far away. Instead of being thankful that I was going to be able to go home, I got upset about the money it would cost me to take a cab there. Sadly, we find ourselves caught up in the material things too easily.

The cabbie came and picked me up. We exchanged plesentries, but my head was in my hands. I was upset and my mind was going a mile a minute. I called my mother and left her a message to inform her of my flight changes. He must have heard me say "Assalamu alaikum ..." or perhaps he assumed, because I was speaking Arabic, but he said "Are you OK, sister?"

I raised my head from my hands and looked up at him, a bit surprised. He said, "You are Muslim, right?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Can I tell you something, sister?"

"Sure," I answered.

"I can say this to you because, as a Muslim, you will understand what I mean. I was just talking to my brother and telling him that I was worried about my business. Today has been very slow. A few dollars here, a few dollars there. He reminded me that I should be thankful, so I said 'alhamdulilah' (Arabic for Thanks be to God or Thank God). I hung up with him. A few minutes later, I got the call to go pick you up and here you are, going a far distance." He grinned and then his face lit up as he continued, "And your a sister giving to your brother."

I felt foolish. I smiled back at him and whole-heartedly replied, "Alhamdulilah."

"I am sorry that you had a rough day sister, but there is always a reason. Today, it seems that I am your reason. You had to go down your rough path today in order for you to be in the position to help me now. And who knows? Maybe there is something bad that is going to happen and God averted your course, so you would not meet with whatever bad thing. Now insha'Allah, everything will be fine for the both of us."

I couldn't stop smiling, sheepishly, but smiling none-the-less. "You are right, brother, thank you for reminding me of what is important and of God's mercy."

As I got to the airport, finally, I was no longer upset about the money. In fact, I decided to exercise another one of Islam's lessons - giving to those in need. I handed him more than enough and like a true brother, he thanked me and didn't bother counting it. He just said "alhamdulilah" and put the cash in his pocket.

He helped me with my bags and wished me a safe journey. "Remember sister, this life is merely a test for the true believers. God tests you because he loves you."

I wanted to cry. I felt a huge, emotional release, and suddenly things didn't feel so heavy. "Thank you brother, for reminding me of what's important. God sent you to me today, as the sign I needed."

He seemed happy with this statement of mine. "He sent us to each other. Assalamu alaikum."

"Wa alaikum assalam."

And with a kind wave of his hand, he was gone. The feeling in my heart, however, is still with me, and I hope it never leaves.

There is NO Compulsion in Religion

To me, this is one of the most fundamental and important lessons in Islam:

Qur'an (2:256) "There is no compulsion in religion, for the right way is clear from the wrong way. Whoever therefore rejects the forces of evil and believes in God, he has taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way, for God is All Hearing and Knowing."

Islam is NOT the "religion of the sword." In the verse above, God states that you cannot force someone to believe or force someone to practice. Again, the only thing you can do is lead by example. SHOW people the "right way" from the "wrong way" by your own actions and hopefully, other's watching you will say "I want to be like that." Is that not the only way to truly lead?

Power hungry people, whether that be Bin Laden, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Pat Buchanan, some "mufti", those people take the words of God, from whatever book and twist it to meet their own agenda.

One must educate and read these texts, themselves, and use their own brains to decide and interpret what God meant and then apply it to one's own life. I am not saying all religious leaders are evil, as those above are usually exceptions, but we as followers are responsible too. I think we've forgotten that.

Read, educate yourself, practice yourself, and then you'll educate others in society by your actions. Be the best you can be on all levels - that is all God asks of us and that's all I ask of myself.

Why Write?

I write in an attempt to dispel stereotypes.

If anyone out there is reading this and has a question about Islam or "Arab" culture, please post it and I'll do my best to answer. There are no "stupid" or "offensive" questions.

I am a strong believer in the fact that we learn by challenging what we are taught and told to accept. I want this to be an open forum where any question can be asked. I believe your curiosity will allow me to further educate myself, because I am sure that I will not always have an answer and may have to do some research of my own.

One of the greatest summaries of Islam I've ever read is found here:

http://www.spiritual.com.au/articles/religion/islam_ffares.htm

There are a couple of things, that I'll chalk up to writing style (word choice, etc), that wouldn't be the way I'd put it - but over all it is a great start!

The prophet Mohamed, who was illiterate himself, spoke very highly of the importance of seeking knowledge.

(Hadith)

"A Muslim who meets with others and shares their burdens is better than one who lives a life of seclusion and contemplation." (Muslim)

This means one who shares knowledge is better than one who simply worships God in a vacuum. It is not enough to pray in a corner night and day. This is not what God wants of us. Honesty, yes. Loyalty, yes. Devotion, yes. Faith, yes. Do nothing else with your life, but worship Him, no. Muslims (and good people in general) are taught to lead by example.

My "burden" is that terrorists hijacked Islam on 9-11. This is my meager attempt to help set the record straight.

Islam is not a religion of:

- Hatred
- Seclusion
- Racism
- Genderism (is this a word? eh, ya'll know what I mean)
- War
- Violence
- Terrorism
- Extremism

The word "Islam" stems from two Arabic root words:
1 - "aslama" - which in English can closely translate to "submission" or "surrender"
2 - "salaam" - which in English can closely translate to "peace"

So how can a faith, named after submitting or surrendering oneself to God Almighty, alone, be evil? What "warrior" or "war monger" or "terrorist" is taught to submit?

Being a "Muslim" means "one who submits or surrenders to God."

Islam is a guide to live one's life. It teaches moderation and discipline. Yes, there are verses that deal with the topic of war, but they are often taken out of context or mis-translated entirely.

And, if we are to be fair, there are several verses in Psalms (the Book of David - which Muslims believe in and adhere to), the Torah (the Book of Moses - which Muslims believe in and adhere to), and the Bible (the Book of Jesus - which Muslims believe in and adhere to) as well.

We have to view things, not only in context, but research why these verses were revealed. Most of the time, those versus served a specific purpose to that time and should serve as a historical marker - NOT A ROAD MAP for today!

I'm sure I'll be writing more on these topics ... but we'll save that for another day.

Interfaith Prayer Service and Vigil for Palestinians

I needed to go show my support, however futile my efforts might be. Knowing that I'd feel sympathy, pain, frustration, and sadness for the state of mankind - I was dreading it.

I got into my car and ended up at a building that most people (these days) would say a Muslim wouldn't enter - a church. The interfaith service included a Rabbi, a Reverend, and an Imam. The Imam was stuck in an airport due to security issues with his name, imagine that in a post 9-11 world. The hosting Christian congregation were sheepishly asking the Arabs they didn't know, "Excuse me, are you Muslim?" They were trying to find someone to speak in place of the Imam.

"Yes, I am," I answered, "why?"

"Could you help us out? The Imam won't be able to make it. He is stuck in an airport. They won't let him fly."

I smiled sheepishly. "Isn't there anyone else? An elder?"

"We will keep asking around," he said. "But would you consider saying a few words?"

"If there aren't any other options, sure" I said.

I was nervous. Not because of speaking in public, I'd been doing that since I was in secondary school, but because my accent in Arabic, especially Qur'anic Arabic, is not perfect. I know this may seem silly, but I guess I am just a little bit shy about reciting what Muslims believe to be the actual words of God and not doing it correctly.

Another Muslim sister came to me, she was Palestinian. She was an older woman, probably in her mid to late 50's. She was short, stout, and had a kind round face - made all the more noticeable given that she wore a hijab (head scarf) and glasses. She smiled at me and said, "I'll find a verse to recite if you handle the message portion." She had an accent in English. It seems we had similar concerns.

"Is there no one else?" I asked again. "I don't feel that I am qualified to address these folks, especially given that the other speakers are a Rabbi and a Reverend."

"Do your best," she said, "that is all Allah (Arabic for God) asks of us and that is all any person can ask of you."

I felt slighly ashamed of my reluctance. "You're right sister. I will do my best."

On the program, I jotted a few notes and was thanking God that I used to compete in extemporaneous speech.

The service began, I'd say there were about 150 people in attendance. Jews, Christians, Muslims .... Arabs, Jews, Whites, Blacks, Latinos, and Asians ... all sitting there as human beings for a common cause - to end the occupation of Palestine and the specifically the suffering in Gaza.

Time seemed to fly by and then it was our turn. The sister took the mic first, reciting this Qur'anic verse (49:13):

(translated here)

O mankind! We created you from a single pair - Of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other not that ye may despise each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted with all things.

"It is a beautiful verse and most relevant to our gathering today," I started my message with. I would be lying if I said I could remember, verbatim, my speech. After all, none of it was planned. What I do remember, is that I spoke about focusing on our likenesses versus our differences.

"We are all children of Adam and we are all descendants of Abraham and we're all following an Abrahamic faith. We all believe in the prophets and books of Dawood (David) and Musa (Moses) and we're all tailoring our prayers in order to be respectful and mindful of the other's in this room. We can only hope that other's outside of this church will learn from our example today. The lessons and morals that bind us, far out weigh the thoughts and practices that divide us and yet, we tend to explore our differences with a magnifying glass."

I spoke of Palestine, the American government, and having a strong voice and raising it to speak out against the human rights violations and the crimes that violate international laws and UN Security Council's laws. I spoke for freedom and the right to life, liberty, and property. I spoke from my heart and yet I tried to hold back the anger I felt - the frustration that made my voice shake as I was on the verge of tears.

I thanked those there for doing what they felt was right - for speaking their minds and hearts and for being tolerant. I thanked them for their voices and for their presence. I thanked them as my brothers and sisters in faith of the one God we all worshiped. I ended with "Assalamu Alaikum. Shalom Alahom. Peace be with you."

The Reverend spoke after me. Then we sang a hymn. Then we headed to the Israeli Embassy to protest. As I was walking out of the church, the Rabbi and Reverend stopped me to thank me for stepping up to speak. "I think you missed your calling," the Rabbi said. You were very informative and passionate but you managed to stay respectful and inclusive of the other's in the room ."

"Thank you, sir," I answered. I could feel the blush rise up to my cheeks. He smiled, "Shalom" he said. "Salaam," I answered.

One can only hope that today is just the beginning. That people will continue to try to focus on what is right and righteous in a manner that unites us as mankind versus divides us into nothing more than races and creeds and tribes.

One God. One voice. One kind. One world. We are all people of the book.

Peace be with you.