Tag Archives: Faith

Giving Thanks Through Action

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In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved

Life throws so many curves and gives us anxiety after anxiety. Although challenges are part of the human condition, it is—nevertheless—quite exasperating. Sadly, I hear so many stories of those who are down on their luck, who have lost jobs, who have no economic security, who live in war zones, and who are threatened each and every day. Then, I look at my worries and feel a bit ashamed at my anxieties.

And immediately, I thank the Lord God for His tremendous blessings.

But, that can’t be enough. I can’t be happy for myself upon the back of other’s misfortunes. There has to be more that I can do, that I must do. That is the essence of Thanksgiving. I am putting aside the nice, little (and largely false) children’s story of why we celebrate Thanksgiving here in America. It is the theme and purpose of the holiday that is most important.

Giving thanks is more than lip service. Giving thanks to the Lord is action; it is doing what you can to help those who are less fortunate than we are. In our society, in our world today, a culture of extreme selfishness has taken hold, and I have not been immune to that tendency. But, if one is to be truly thankful, then one must help those who cannot help themselves.

Here in Chicago, there is a turkey drive run by some Muslim friends of mine, where they are trying to raise money to distribute 750 turkeys to Chicagoans in need on the south side of the city. As it says on their website, “The likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allah’s ways [for good deeds] is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He wills. Allah is all-embracing and all knowing” (Quran 2:261). Spending our wealth for those in need only will increase our blessings, insha’Allah. I try to contribute what I can; it is the very least I can do to help this Thanksgiving. We must all try to help others, each one of us who can.

That is what it means to be truly grateful. That is the true essence of Thanksgiving.

This first appeared on Patheos, where I have started a new column, “An American Islam.”

Chicago Tribune: President’s Faith Should Not Matter

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In the Name of the Kind and Beautiful Precious Beloved Lord

Once again, the separation of church and state becomes blurred as another presidential election looms. As former governors Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman enter the Republican presidential race, the issue of their faith – Mormonism – once again enters into the fray.

The Gallup organization released a poll of Americans’ views on the faith of a President and found that 22% of Americans would not be willing for vote for a Mormon. Other findings show that 49% would not vote for an atheist; 7% would not vote for a Catholic, and 9% would not vote for a Jew.

There was no mention of how many would not vote for a Muslim, but I suspect the number would be disturbingly high.

Now, some of those numbers are a lot better: according to the study: “in 1959, the year before John F. Kennedy won election as the nation’s first Catholic president, 25% of Americans — including 22% of Democrats, 33% of Republicans, and 18% of independents — said they would not vote for a Catholic.”

Still, the question I have is: who cares? Who cares about the religion or faith tradition of a particular Presidential candidate?

During the 2008 election, a widely used “smear” against President Obama was that he was a “secret Muslim.” It was so pervasive that the Obama campaign was compelled to debunk that rumor by insisting that he was a committed Christian (for which he was also taken to task because of his former pastor).

Jon Huntsman has seen it fit to distance himself from his Mormon faith, seeing that it may not be very popular among Republican primary voters.

Yet, again, who cares? Why is the faith of the candidate even important?

Of course, many people’s faith and faith traditions shape their philosophies and worldviews, and there is nothing wrong with that. Most faith traditions have very good principles and values, and thus being shaped by one faith or another should not be a problem.

The criterion by which someone vying for public office should be judged is how well he or she will do the job they are elected to do, not the particular faith tradition they happen to follow, and that includes no faith tradition at all.

It is completely immaterial that Chicago’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, is Jewish; what matters is how well he serves the City and her people.

If a Muslim ever were to run for president, his or her faith should not matter at all, and it is wrong to “smear” someone – like President Obama – with the rumor that he is a Muslim or any other faith tradition.

The framers of our Constitution separated church and state for a good reason, and someone’s faith should not be part of the calculus of what makes an “acceptable” candidate for public office. That is what makes our country as great as it is.

A Royal Wedding…and Interfaith Harmony

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In the Name of God, the Kind, the Beautiful

I must admit…I did watch the Royal Wedding ceremony this morning. I was already working overnight, and thus, it was not difficult to open up a browser window and watch the ceremony live. Apart from the pomp and ceremony, as well as the history behind the venue and scenery, I was struck by the similarity of the Anglican liturgy and Muslim prayers.

Take this as an example:

Bless, O Lord, this ring, and grant that he who gives it and she who shall wear it may remain faithful to each other, and abide in thy peace and favour, and live together in love until their lives’ end. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all mankind, giver of all spiritual grace, the author of everlasting life: send thy blessing upon these thy servants, this man and this woman, whom we bless in thy name; that, living faithfully together, they may surely perform and keep the vow and covenant betwixt them made, whereof this ring given and received is a token and pledge; and may ever remain in perfect love and peace together, and live according to thy laws; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Now, as a Muslim, my “Lord,” as in my God, is not Jesus Christ. Yet, if you mean “Lord” as Master or Leader, then Christ – as Muhammad – is my “lord.” I always call both Christ and Muhammad with the honorific title of Sayyidina, or “Our Master.”

Yet, still, the glorification of the Precious Beloved Lord, my God and my Savior, my Holy King to Whom I shall dedicate my life, and my soul, and my love, was quite beautiful. Yes, as a Muslim, I did not accept the references to the Trinity, but still, I enjoyed the multiple magnifications of God throughout the ceremony. I also liked the reading by the Princess’ brother, which called upon us to love and help one another.

It is around this that we in the faith community can come together. It is around our common adoration of our Holy God; around our common love for the King of Kings; around our common love for the Gloried One that we all can rally. This is why the Quran says that, sometimes, a just war can be conducted: to protect our houses of worship, such as Westminster Abbey [emphasis mine]:

Permission [to fight] is given to those against whom war is being wrongfully waged, and verily God has indeed the power to help them – those whom have been driven from their homelands against all right for no other reason that their saying, “Our Lord is God!” For if God had not enabled people to defend themselves against one another, [all] monasteries and churches and synagogues and mosques – in [all of] which God’s name is abundantly extolled – would surely have been destroyed [ere now].And God will most certainly help him who helps His cause: for, verily, God is Most Powerful, Almighty. (22:39-40)

Yes, we have differences in beliefs – some of them stark and quintessential – yet, nevertheless, in all of our houses of worship, in all our liturgies and homilies, in all our readings and chantings, in all our prostrations and exhortations, “God’s name is abundantly extolled.” And it is His Name that is Most Beautiful, Most Gracious, and Most Worthy of honor and praise above all others.

Why not focus on this commonality, this common word and love between us? Shall we not heed those crazed and wild voices in the wilderness, crying out for us to hate and malign each other? Shall we not heed those crazed voices who find glee in our mutual guile? Shall we not heed those crazed voices who stop at nothing to divide us along lines of fear, hatred, and rancor?

Indeed, we must.

Black History Month: Reflect and Reunite

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In the Name of God, the Kind, the Beautiful

This is my regular column in the Chicago Crescent, a local Chicago Muslim newspaper.

Ever since the horrific attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, the American Muslim community has been under intense scrutiny and pressure. There are some in this country who will stop at nothing to characterize the American Muslim community as “foreign,” “other,” “suspicious” and “disloyal.” Consequently, all across this great nation of ours, American Muslims have been attacked, discriminated against and harassed. Muslim houses of worship have been the subjects of threats, hate graffiti and even acts of terror.

Many times, these attacks are “revenge” for acts of terrorism abroad, which makes absolutely no sense, because the overwhelming majority of Muslims the world over, not just in America, have nothing to do with the crimes committed in the name of their faith. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the victims of “Islamic terror” are Muslims themselves, and thus, it is neither right nor proper to terrorize a community which is already terrorized by the barbarians acting in the name of Islam. Now with N.Y. Republican Congressman Peter King planning to hold hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims and the “lack of cooperation” by Muslim leaders, it seems that the community is in for some rough seas ahead.

May the Precious Beloved Lord be with us all.
Yet, as we reflect over this sad state of affairs, we must ask ourselves the question: have other communities experienced such difficulties? Have other communities been the subject of marginalization, attacks, threats, and suspicion? Have other communities had their houses of worship attacked? Have other communities had to fight for their rights, just as American Muslims have to do so now?

The answer is an unequivocal yes.

One of these communities, whose history we commemorate this month, is our African-American neighbors. Ever since the founding of this country, African-Americans have struggled to gain equal rights. First, they had to deal with the scourge of slavery and the fact that this country had to fight a civil war to finally eradicate this horrific practice. Yet, even after emancipation, African-Americans faced serious discrimination and exclusion. It was not that long ago when African-Americans were not allowed to sit at the same counter, drink at the same water fountain or even sit in the same seat on a bus as their white compatriots. They were also subjected to systematic domestic terrorism at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan.

It was after decades of such abuse and terror that African-Americans finally stood up and said “no” and the civil rights movement was born and with much sweat, toil and even blood, they won many victories, including the right to vote without intimidation and the eradication of “separate but equal.” All Americans – including many in the Muslim community – have benefited tremendously from their sacrifice. We owe those knights of the Civil Rights Movement a tremendous debt of gratitude, for they fought not only for their freedom but for ours as well.

As Americans, but especially as American Muslims, we can never be heedless of this history. As we struggle to fight the forces of hatred who seek to marginalize the American Muslim community, let us reach out to the African-American community, who has already fought the good fight and who continues to fight this fight today, for racism against African-Americans has hardly gone by the wayside. Our two communities are natural allies, as we both face similar civil rights challenges.

And the first place we must start is within our own faith community.

As sad as I am to say it, there is a large rift between the African-American and immigrant Muslim communities here in the United States. This rift must be healed and this gap must be closed. We are all brothers and sisters in faith and our Prophet told us that “A white (person) has no superiority over a black (person), nor does a black have any superiority over a white – except by piety and good action.”

As we begin our outreach to the African-American community, let it first begin with our African-American Muslim brothers and sisters. In reality, the Muslim community must reach out to all communities who face discrimination and work with them to achieve liberty and justice for all. It is the demand of God: “O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for God can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily God is well-acquainted with all that ye do.” (Quran 4:135)

Let us not fail in this most important civic and religious duty. The future of our community, and our country, is at stake.