After her tragic death, her father Abu Shoiab wrote up this beautiful article. I’ve asked his permission to post it on our website.

Nabihah My Love

But a Person is With the One Whom They Love

Even before we start to write about this glimpse into the life of our dear daughter, it is necessary to purify our intentions, hence the reason for the delay. This must not be for Shuhrah or fame or some Nahiha fan club, but it must be for, as Allah has said, “Ya ayyuha ladhina amanu itaqullaaha wabtaghoo ilayhil waseelah” (Oh you who believe fear Allah and seek out the means of approach to him). Great effort and attention must be paid in trying to purify our intentions and knowing precisely why we are doing this. It may be a wake up call for a lazy or sleepy Muslim. It may help someone to realize how short and fleeting this life is; how precious it is that we must take every opportunity to do good, no matter how small, and we must seek every opportunity to invite people to Allah and use all the resources available to us in that cause, even if that means the life and death of our dear baby.

How do we begin to describe the love of our life? If Allah had given us someone for one or two years and took her away, it would have been easier because of her short life. Or if she had been married with children and away from the home it would have softened the loss. But our baby girl was in the prime of her life, just at the age of marriage, and the decision is with the Lord of the universe. As our Prophet (SAW) said at the moment of his death, when he was given the choice to go or stay, “Balir-rafeequl-’alaa, Balir-rafeequl-’alaa - certainly the highest companionship, certainly the highest the companionship.”

It was late 2004 when Nabiha discovered a non-healing ulcer on her tongue which became exceedingly painful and was preventing her from eating. In March 2005, she had her first operation for the removal of the ulcer and a biopsy, which showed a presence of malignancy. In retrospect, when a Muslim is faced with the news of cancer, he begins to think of the options available to him. Seeking treatment and medical care is encouraged in the Sunnah (called: “at-tadaawee - seeking treatment”). So over the next two years, we followed the full gamut of treatment of up to seven or eight surgeries together with radiotherapy in far away India, a return there for a review, then on to chemotherapy back in Trinidad. Despite huge setbacks, we were to see the Hand of Allah in everything that challenged us. He tested us but walked us through to the very end. Allahumma laka wa minka; O Allah to you and from you. Laa malja’a minallahi illa ilayhi; There is no refuge from Allah, except in Him. (more…)

Before I get too far and people wrongfully accuse me, I wish to be clear that I am indeed very much in favor of free speech and very thankful that I do not have to be afraid of what I say in this country. This though does not detract from what many people feel is an abuse of this great privilege of ours in America and elsewhere.

Case in point was the absolute bipartisan insanity over the supposed depiction of the Prophet Muhammad (saas- may the peace and blessings of God be upon him) that divided the Muslim and non-Muslim West. On one side, some enraged Muslims wrongfully lashed out at society in various riots, acts of terror and general acts of mayhem. To be fair though, far more Muslims expressed their disapproval through peaceful demonstrations and actions designed to educate the public in general on who the Prophet Muhammad was and why we love him so dearly.

On the other side too there were those in the non-Muslim world who defiantly proclaimed their right to depict the Prophet in any way they wished – insulting or not – as guaranteed by the freedom of speech. Again, to be fair though, a large number of other non-Muslim Westerners disagreed with this position as voiced to me by one airplane seat-mate of mine who was visiting the US from Denmark. She reported to me that on the contrary, a number of surveys in her country had shown a majority of Danes were unhappy with their government’s position and felt there was very much a difference between freedom of speech and respecting someone else’s feelings.

Seeing the obvious support for the freedom to insult and disrespect that seemed to predominate – at least as portrayed in the media – I was thus quite surprised two months ago to read about how a number of outraged Catholics in Austria succeeded in having a sacrilegious painting of the Last Supper removed from Vienna’s Roman Catholic St. Stephan’s Cathedral museum. They were no doubt appropriately offended by the so-called “work of art” by celebrated Austrian artist Alfred Hrdlicka which depicted “a homosexual orgy” of the Apostles as Hrdlicka described it. This homo-erotic version of Christ’s Last Supper immediately came under fire by Church patrons to the museum as well as across the Christian world where bloggers in both Europe and the US rightfully decried the painting as a “blasphemy” and “desecration”.

Instead of invoking the almighty right of freedom of speech though, something amazing happened - the museum respectfully took down the painting at its Cardinal’s request just over a week after the ‘Religion, Flesh and Power’ exhibition had opened. Cardinal Schoenborn, the archbishop of Vienna, said through a spokesman regarding his decision, “This has nothing to do with censorship, rather corresponds with the understood “reverence for the sacred”. He continued, “It is also an act of respect towards those believers who feel this portrayal offended and provoked them in their deepest religious sensitivity.”

As Muslims who believe in the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, we have a great love, admiration and respect for the Messiah, Jesus the son of the Virgin Mary (saas). Just as we were offended by the sacrilegious depiction of our beloved Prophet Muhammad in newspaper cartoons, we are equally offended to the highest degree by any portrayal – visual, written or otherwise – of any of the great Prophets of God. As a Muslim, I am still horrified that although the Last Supper painting was removed there continue to be other works of “art” that remained in that display like that of a Crucifixion picture showing a soldier simultaneously beating Jesus and holding his genitals.

So in conclusion, although it appears to me to be a double standard, I am very pleased to see that freedom of speech was not abused to keep such a piece of trash masquerading as art in the Cathedral museum. I also hope this will lead to further discussion and reflection in the Western world regarding a delineation between freedom of speech and “reverence for the sacred” so that we may truly become a global civilization that respects all of its members.

YUM-O! By now you have probably heard that a Rachael Ray ad has been pulled because it featured her wearing a distinctive black/white Palestinian headdress. Kind of hard to miss as it was all over Digg and at some point yesterday on the front page of CNN. Before getting to my own comments, let me recap some of what is being said in the blogosphere:

• See the ad and some good recaps here.
  
• Good article from Newsday that includes this quote - “People have hidden agendas and they somehow associate the kaffiyeh with Islam and terrorism,” said Habeeb Ahmed, president of the Islamic Center of Long Island. “It’s not a religious symbol. … How can a piece of cloth be a symbol of a terrorist identity?”
• The Michelle Malkin article that started it all.
• A proposed costume change for Rachael Ray.

Let me start by expressing my anger at Michelle Malkin, not for being a biased neocon hack creating fictional drama and passing it off as relevant social news (that’s to be expected), but for ripping off my coinage of the term “Rolled up Couture” for her own “hate couture.”

The actual story here, to me, is ridiculous. I’m not sure why everyone is getting on Rachael Ray’s case. Many people wear this, or scarves similar to it. I remember seeing an And1 streetballer wearing the same thing during a game, but he was never accused of supporting terrorism. The Dunkin Donuts official statement even says the scarf was just picked out by the stylist. Based on negative reactions to the commercial, you might assume that Rachel Ray had the scarf wrapped around her head and face, while reading the script from a piece of paper and shaking her finger.

While the debate of whether Dunkin’ Donuts should have pulled the ad or not has been hashed out in the blogosphere, one thing that many people are ignoring is the potential fall out from this disaster. I have, therefore, taken it upon myself to outline for America just a few ways how this milestone event in our history may affect our future.

1. Everytime Rachael Ray says “EVOO” on the Food Network, the CIA will need to investigate it to make sure its not a hidden message to Al-Qaeda.
2. Urban Outfitters will notice a sudden drop in their quarterly profit outlook.
3. .. So will White House | Black Market, a place famous for “for its sleek lines, and its focus on white, black, and other variants of the two colors” (Let’s just hope they don’t incorporate red).
4. A reverse endorsement war will break out between Nike and Adidas to prove they are not the official tennis-shoe for terrorists.
5. Economic crisis as a result of the inevitable American boycott on rice - a signature food of terrorists (and communists too).

While the Dunkin Donuts debate may rage on, one thing is for sure: America is one black and white piece of cloth closer to defeating terrorism, and with people like Michelle Malkin hard at work, it is only a matter of time before we take down one more scarf, and maybe this time we can get Emeril, Mario Batali, or Bobby Flay (have you seen his hair?? I think he has IRA ties).

The American then asked, ‘But what do you do with the rest of your time?’ The Mexican said, ‘I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll in the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, Señor.’

The American scoffed, ‘I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York, where you would run your expanding enterprise.’

The Mexican fisherman asked, ‘But Señor, how long would this all take?’ To which the American replied, ‘Fifteen to twenty years.’

‘But what then, Señor?’ (more…)

Hijaab

This article published in the Slate by Andrea Useem, titled “Loving and Leaving the Head Scarf,”is a personal and anecdotal analysis of women and their journey towards - and away from - hijaab. I personally found it unique in that though the emphasis is more on those who stop observing hijaab, the author does make a point of mentioning why she and others wore it in the first place, and includes Allah’s commands regarding it in Surah an-Noor and al-Ahzab. Nonetheless, it seems that despite knowledge (and acknowledgement) of its obligation, many women still choose to remove the hijaab because they feel that the only reason they’re wearing it is to fit in with the rest of the community; or that other Muslims’ judgement of them based on hijaab (whether they wear it or not) took away from its real meaning and thus rendered the observation of hijaab insincere and to be re-evaluated.

Some may say that it’s better for a woman who, despite knowing the obligation of hijaab, still doesn’t wear it purely for the sake of Allah but rather moreso to fit in, to take it off… but recalling verse 14 of surah al-Hujaraat (The desert Arabs say, “We believe.” Say, “Ye have no faith; but ye say, ‘We have submitted our wills to Allah,’ For not yet has Faith entered your hearts. But if ye obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not belittle aught of your deeds: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”), I’m inclined to think that once it’s been established that Allah has ordered something, you do it - whether or not you’re entirely convinced of your own sincerity. Again, a question: would it not be better for someone to continue wearing the hijaab and struggle with it and related personal issues, than to remove it completely because it’ll relieve her of those issues she’s dealing with?

Personally, I say that once you have acknowledged the commands of Allah, then that’s it: you should be wearing it no matter what others say or how you look at it. If you’re rebellious enough to take off the hijaab, surely you can be rebellious enough to fight against whoever or whatever it is that’s making you want to take it off! However, this attitude is based on the assumption that the reason for wearing hijaab has been conviction in the orders of Allah - to wear it for His Sake for the reasons that He explained to us. I guess it’s different for those who wear/ wore it just because they’re told to or forced to, as an expression of rebellion or conformity, or to work out their identity issues.

Furthermore, what can we say of the intention/ sincerity of those who wear it as an expression of rebellion (or conformity, as the case may be)? Can we say anything about them? Should we say anything about it? Or should we instead be more understanding that an individual’s personal circumstances change and their emaan fluctuates, which is then reflected in their actions?

I’m sure many of us have heard stories of those who have just accepted Islam, or just started practicing the Deen fully, were immediately pushed to wear the hijaab and did so out of pressure - only to take it off later. Such anecdotes make me feel sad, yet a bit confused also: on one hand, I don’t want to be harsh and judgemental (the same attitude that caused such damage in the the first place); on the other hand, I’m fully convinced that hijaab is waajib upon women and that to not wear it is a sin. Wisdom is required to handle such a situation if we’re faced with it (either within ourselves, or with a family member or friend).

If we look at this without focusing specifically on hijaab, we can see what the main point is: that of intention and sincerity.

Has anyone here gone through(or is going through) such a struggle with hijaab and related issues of faith, rebellion, and identity? How did you get through it? What was the final outcome?

Say what?

You can check it out for yourself. You lucky American Muslims have your very own Mecca! It has nothing on the Saudi version, obviously, but perhaps it is worth a visit if you’re in the area. Imagine living there? That would be one awesome postal address for a Muslim!

Anyway, after being a little more specific with Mr G. Maps, (”Take me to Mecca, Saudi Arabia - please”), I was soon gazing down upon the dusty streets of Makkah Al-Mukkaramah - and with a few sweeps of my right index finger (more…)

As the date for the procedure came closer, I started doing more research and found that the procedure is a lot more serious than my doctor had led me to believe. If you can stomach it, search “endoscopic surgery” on youtube (as I did) and you’ll see that the doctor goes into the nose, alters the shape of the deviated septum, then makes her way up into the sinuses, re-shaping and excising portions of them along the way, with the goal of clearing inflamed sinuses and making more room for air to pass through them. It looked disgusting and painful. I spent the week prior to the surgery trying to decide if my symptoms really warranted this surgery. I even had a dream in which the doctor carved tunnels through the inside of my face. By the morning of the surgery I was very, very nervous. (more…)

What about Islam and Jihad?

The term jihad is a loaded term with multiple and conflicting meanings. It was used for the Afghan resistance, and since then for every struggle involving Muslims fighting resistance and liberation as well as extremism and terrorism (Bosnia, Kosovo, Chechnya, Kashmir, Bali, Gaza, etc.). The Bin Ladens, along with many non-Muslims ironically, conflate jihad with a Muslim holy war against unbelievers. But many observant Muslims will deny that link, but point to the Crusades as the origin of “holy wars.”

To most Muslims, jihad implies honor and sacrifice for others, even when interpreted military, it comes with many conditions, including the writ against targeting civilians. Using jihad and terrorism as synonyms is wrong and counterproductive, and the meaning of Jihad to Muslims is much more nuanced than what many Western commentators invoke.

Religion & Politics: Yesterday and Today

While people find linking of religion and politics in Islam as being peculiar, it belies history throughout which politics and religion have been linked. Judaism’s King David and King Solomon conquered and settled at the behest of God, Christianity’s kings and emperors were crowned by the Pope and fought crusades for expansion. Hinduism’s kings upheld “divine order” and used the doctrine of dharma to support the caste system.

In recent decades, religion has been used in wars of liberation and for terrorism throughout the world: Muslim Bosnians, Christian Serbs, Catholic/Protestants Irish, Muslims and Jewish fundamentalists in Israel/Palestine, etc.

Religion and Suicide Terrorism (more…)

Non-Muslims tend to get even more excited about prom than their grad ceremony… girls are picking out dresses, dates, and flowers while boys try to work out the nerve to ask out so-and-so to the dance. The whole school is buzzing with juicy gossip, posters plastered all over the place, and the hype is dizzying. And our young Muslim brothers and sisters? They watch from afar, sometimes contemptuously or pitying or even totally uncaringly, but many times with twinges of envy and guilt as they wish they had something that exciting to look forward to.

I’ve heard suggestions that Muslims have their own alterna-proms: segregated 100% halaal events where young Muslim grads can have the “grad night party experience” for themselves. In fact, I think several masaajid and Islamic centres already organize such events. However, I was wondering - why the need to have our own version of something that’s based on haraam-ness from beginning to end? Why are we so eager to imitate the kuffaar in something which even many of them dread (horror stories of wet grads and date rapes abound every year)? Are we that caught up in the culture, without the confidence to be proudly and Islamically non-conformist? (more…)

*Amad is taking over for Chapter 3 and 4. Cross-posted on Dailykos & Streetprophets

See important notes on survey methodology at the bottom of this post.

The so-called “war against terrorism” has been raging for more than six years, yet the author argue that Muslim extremism and violence continues to spread and grow all over the world.

The Osama bin Ladens of the world have turned a once-popular jihad – a struggle in Afghanistan against Soviet occupation supported by the Muslim world and the West – into an unholy war of suicide bombings, hostage taking, and broad-based terror.

In parallel, Islamophobia has increased sharply, while anti-Americanism sentiments surge on the Arab and Muslim streets. The West is galvanized by terrorist attacks and suicide bombings in Iraq, Israel, etc. while the Muslim world is galvanized by invasion of its lands, abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and images of civilian deaths and destruction caused by Israel, in Gaza and Lebanon

Against the backdrop of this bleak world situation, the West desires stable, secular democracies in the Muslim countries it deems as “supporting terrorism”, believing this to be the ultimate measure of victory in the “war against terrorism”. But a number of challenges exist in this battle of hearts and minds, and data is ever-important to understand the people we wish to move.

[What] doomed the United States during the Vietnam War was that it knew almost nothing about its enemy [Former Secretary of Defense McNamara in an interview]

The Vietnam War was believed to be part of the “domino theory” in preventing monolithic communism, similar (more…)