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).

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?

The notorious Neil MacFarquhar recently wrote an article in the NYT about Muslims turning to homeschooling - with the now-typical negative slant, making it seem as though the only reasons for which Muslim parents choose to homeschool their children is to prepare their daughters for a lifetime of servanthood in their husbands’ households or to protect them from ever reading books about pigs.

As someone who has been homeschooled for years (since grade 6), along with my brothers, MacFarquhar’s article irritated me quite a bit - first there’s the obvious insulting insinuations against Muslims (making us seem isolationist, oppressive against women, etc.); and then there’s the total disregard for how homeschooling is a viable education option for not just Muslims, but many nonMuslims as well, for both moral/ religious and academic reasons. In fact, it’s been recorded and reported that homeschooled students do just as well as, if not better than, those who attend public or private schools. Colleges covet homeschoolers; this report from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education mentions that homeschooled students have parents with higher education, achieve high grades and are more likely to be enrolled in a grade or two above the rest of their public/ privately-schooled peers.

AlHamdulillaah, one of the sisters interviewed in the article has responded strongly and eloquently, pointing out the obvious distortions, manipulations, and outright lies evident in Mr. Farquhar’s piece of trash (as well as answering some questions people may have about homeschooling, like the whole “socialization” issue). (Hijab flutter to UmmZaid.) (more…)

It’s hard to see what all the fuss is about.

Firstly, isn’t Harvard University a private university? The gymnasium is therefore its property. If one really believes in private property (and many people don’t) then one must also believe in the right of an owner to exercise absolute control over that property based on whatever criteria he or she may decide. If Harvard University, or the owner of any other gym or swimming pool, decides to ‘discriminate’ against men by disallowing them access during certain times of the day, then they should have every right to do so; and, likewise, if they wanted to ‘discriminate’ against people whose first names start the letter ‘P’, they should have every right to do that too.   All property owners — whether home owners or the owners of businesses — should have absolute sovereignty over their property and how it is used. This is on the proviso, of course, that they must accept the social and economic consequences of their decision (and in the case of some of the examples that might be extreme embarrassment, public humiliation and/or boycotting).

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Do Hadith have chains of narration unlike Quran?

The Quran was required to be memorized word for word, down to items we can not explain. We do not label verses of the Quran as weak or follow a chain of narration.

Response: Actually, the Quran has chains too. It is the highest form of mutawaatir transmission.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi writes in his book, An Introduction to the Sciences of the Quran, “The primary method of transmission of the Qur’aan has always been and always will be oral. Each generation of Muslims learns the Qur’aan from the generation before it, and this chain continues backwards until the time of the Companions, who learnt it from the Prophet (saw) himself. As ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab stated, ‘The recitation of the Qur’aan is a Sunnah; the later generations must take it from the earlier ones. Therefore, recite the Qur’aan only as you have been taught.’ This is the fundamental principle in the preservation of the Quran.

Also it should be noted that while different companions did have written copies of the Quran, it was not compiled into one mushaf until (more…)

It’s taken me a couple days to absorb this editorial in last Thursday’s Chronicle. I get a fair number of bigoted or hateful comments on this blog, and I usually presume that they’re made out of ignorance. Sadly, some people get their understanding of Islam from individuals and organizations who present the religion through a plainly biased filter. I know that. My goal with The Straight Path is to provide a more accurate viewpoint to people who haven’t had access to an informed understanding of Islam. (more…)

YouTube Direktvideo link

Musharraf’s response was in two words: pathetic and arrogant. And I think anyone with the slightest objectivity would agree. I know Mushi has had his moments. But on this one, he got pwned!!

On the Romney front, this article by Juan Cole on Alternet is a must-read. For instance, Cole points to a recent op-ed by Naomi Schaeffer in the Wall Street Journal, where Schaeffer stated: (more…)

No doubt by now you have heard of Aqsa Parvez, the 16 year old girl who was killed by her father, allegedly over the removal of her hijab.

Needless to say, we are all shocked, horrified, and saddened. Yet I, for one, am also angry. Inevitably, the first thing that seems to be expected of us is a condemnation of this man’s actions. And so here it is, my condemnation: What happened to Aqsa Pervez was WRONG, was not an “honour crime” but was, like all such crimes, dishonourable. It was, without a doubt, unIslamic. Nothing in the Shari’ah says that a girl may be killed if she removes her hijaab.

But you know what’s even sadder? My condemnation is not purely sorrowful. It is tinged - more than tinged, it is stained - with anger at those who demand such a condemnation from me. Why, why, WHY is it that whenever someone who is Muslim, or has a Muslim-sounding name, does something… it’s automatically blamed on Islam? Every time I’m expected to condemn something done by a Muslim, I want to demand in turn that all Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Wiccans, Communists, Germans (on behalf of the Nazis), and Caucasians apologize and condemn every single crime committed by those who belong to their religious or ethnic group. (more…)

This is a campaign to bring all Americans together, liberals and conservatives towards a common cause: keeping, what Tom Hayden calls, the most dangerous candidate, out of the White House! If you don’t like George Bush’s policies, then you should know that Giuliani is far more of a threat to world peace than Bush ever was.

If you don’t have time to read the post, then just read these 6 points to get the gist:

1. All Americans can agree on this, regardless of your political leanings. Rudy is not a true conservative, and he is definitely not a liberal. He jumps into any camp that befits his political expediency.
2. He is a one-issue candidate: 9/11. He has exploited this tragedy beyond human decency and using it to cover up his lack of solid credentials and qualifications to be an effective President.
3. He has surrounded himself with the neoconservative clique that is bent on world domination via unilateralism.
4. His team consists of the same people responsible for the Iraqi war and will likely take us to war in Iran soon if Giuliani takes over.
5. His neocon team are constitution-phobes and Islamophobes. They will hastily discard constitutional rights of people in the name of “protecting” Americans.
6. His team is more right-wing and more hawkish than even the right-wing Likud party of Israel, and will make every effort to destroy any chance of achieving lasting peace in the Middle East.

If you care, you should read further: (more…)