Mohamed Elibiary is a national security expert advising the homeland security enterprise and Texas-based Muslim community leader. With more than a week past the Boston Bombings, public emotions are beginning to subside. But many Muslim communities are still left dealing with their fear of a backlash or hate crime at ... Read More »
There's nothing wrong having distaste towards things Allah (SWT) doesn't like, but be careful of turning someone's flaws into a cause for unchecked hatred. I recall Shaykh Yusuf Estes once telling a friend, "How can you call them to Islam (meaning non-Muslims, but even Muslims constantly require daw'ah) if you hate them?" Read More »
Surprisingly (as is not usually the norm with these type of targeted attacks) the majority of immediate public reaction exchanged over social media and online forums was not of reactionary animosity directed towards Buddhism and the Buddhist community as an entity, but rather a collectively-acknowledged finger of disapproval pointing in the direction of another sort of minority - the minority of radical trouble-makers representing the very anathema of what Buddhism entails. Read More »
Muslimmatters is hosting a khutbah drive- please pledge to host a khutbah addressing domestic violence and abuse in your masjid or musalla. A sample sermon by Shaykh Joe Bradford, originally published on his blog, has been attached for your ease. If you are not a khateeb, please request your imām ... Read More »
We’ve all been there at least once. In the corner of a dusty and briyani-debris ridden floor. In the windowless basement. On the second floor, inaccessible balcony with frosted viewing windows. In the front room of a house, with boarded up windows and a tv projection. In a barren false room with a tv projection. Behind a curtain. Under the stairs next to the janitorial closet. Behind a wall. In the room across from the morgue. In the back, past the garbage collector, up the fire escape, down a long hallway, up the narrow stairs, and finally into a room that doubles as a classroom and has 20 screaming Sunday school kids. Read More »
Messaging Failures Lead to Tipping Point for Islam in the U.S. As American Muslims we can afford to listen to the concerns of our fellow countrymen. If we continue to dig in our heals, we may win a civil rights battle and lose a opportunity to truly dissipate fear. We can create the type of change that people so desperately sought during the 2008 elections by building bridges and increasing dialogue. Read More »
A rudimentary lesson in any PR crisis management campaign is to monitor the news about you and address the concerns, esp. in this day and age of lightening fast social media. But CI seems much more interested in flaunting the support that comes their way rather than scrubbing the media to find concerns that need responding to, an imbalance that must be corrected. Read More »
"Do not prevent the maidservants of God from the mosques of God" (Hadith). What we have to understand is that women are not prevented from praying in the mosque only by words, but also when they are not afforded reasonable access. The female companions of the Prophet (S) enjoyed this access during his lifetime. In order to open doors of spiritual opportunity for our sisters, it is, therefore, sometimes necessary to put aside our preferences. Read More »
Some still argue that the Friday Khutbah should be in Arabic even when the vast majority don't speak Arabic! In this post, you'll find a short debate between one who favors this opinion and one who doesn't think it's a good idea. Read More »
The Friday after my Penalty Box post was published, I went to salat'l-jumu'ah at a hotel. The usual space was reduced by a third due to a scheduling conflict with another group's event. I wish I had a better picture to show you because despite the impromptu nature of the setup, it was one of the best setups that I've ever experienced. I was struck by a few things that made my heart overflow with thankfulness and happiness and my eyes overflow with tears: Read More »
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