Before I state my piece, let me be clear where I’m coming from. As a lyricist and producer myself, I appreciate raw talent, and there’s no doubt that Beyoncé has been gifted with it. I’ve been in this industry for eight years, and during this time, I’ve had my work featured on nationally syndicated television. I’ve had my songs licensed to the NBA and Discovery Channel. I have performed worldwide, both as the featured headliner and as a performer alongside celebrated artists like Mos Def (Yasiin Bey).
So when I say that I recognize and appreciate the talent of Beyoncé, I’m not just speaking from a place of arbitrary opinion. I know raw talent when I see it, and I won’t allow my personal and spiritual sensitivities to lead me to dishonesty such that I deny the obvious abilities of someone simply because they do not share my values.
So what I have to say reflects me and my soul alone, as well as anyone who sees in my words something that reflects their own.
Initial Thoughts on Formation
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I can’t stand with “Formation.”
I actually think there are far more of us who will end up losing our soul due to undisciplined sexual impulse than maybe anything else in this world after pride and shirk. For that reason I can’t stand with “Formation.”
Think you’re immune? I know I’m not.
I actually liked the video, which is even more why I can’t stand with it.
I convinced myself that the “conscious” messages justified the constant and blatant sexual imagery which allowed me to watch the whole thing. But I know better and I know God knows I know better. I tried to act like I didn’t notice what she was wearing and how suggestive she was moving because I’m all mature and stuff but I was lying to myself.
I’m a man and I sure as hell noticed.
Truth mixed with falsehood often comes in pretty packages, its poison tastes sweet, its venom destroying us in ways we can’t feel until it’s to late.
In some ways, it’s more deadly than pure evil because of its deceptive nature.
So the least I can do is acknowledge it for what it is and ask my Lord for guidance in hopes that HE forgives me and purges the falsehood from me.
I can’t stand with “Formation.” Not because I’m a saint but because I’m a sinner who’s scared of losing the ability to discern good from evil.
Scared of that road to the Fire paved with good intentions.
African-American Trauma, Sexuality and Resilience
The above statement was a short reflection I made about myself on my Facebook page in reaction to the new video by Beyoncé called “Formation,” released hours before her 2016 Super Bowl performance. During the Super Bowl, Beyoncé performed this song as an apparent tribute to the Black Panthers of fifty years ago. Since the video’s release, social networks have exploded with commentary on the video and performance, and to be quite honest the whole ordeal incited in me a protective instinct for Beyoncé and African-American females in general.
In addition to being a producer and songwriter, I’ve dedicated much of my time to volunteer work in predominately African-American communities. In this line of work, it’s difficult to not notice the lingering effects of our traumatic history, as discussed by Dr. Joy Degruy in her explanations of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome.
Since slavery and before, the African and African-American female body has been exploited, tossed around, pimped, prostituted, and dehumanized more than any other in human history. The remnants of that treatment remain all over the world, and women with melanin in their skin catch it the hardest. Our women were raped by their white slave masters, often right in front of their own husbands. Then they were torn apart from their families. Our women were separated from their children and often beaten to death in the fields. To ensure their deference to this brutal treatment, black men and women were psychologically manipulated into pacifying themselves through a white-centric, false version of Christianity, which continues to dominate modern African-American communities.
As racism has become more civilized and strategic, what has not yet occurred on any significant level is honest healing and reparation. The effects of our families being ripped from each other, combined with our own ignorance regarding our history and lineage, permeates and traumatizes black lives till today.
Our vulnerabilities from the past have allowed the media to infiltrate us with imagery and language that suggest that flaunting our sexuality is a form of dignity. This message is in direct contrast to the self-respect that submission to God instills in both men and women. However, the assault upon the African-American female body remains so pervasive that, in the name of cultural study, the media has no problem displaying completely naked African women on regular television, but they continue to blur out the bodies of other people or give the show an “R” rating for sexuality and nudity.
Yet amazingly, despite these traumatic experiences, African-American women have been so resilient in turning their pain into power. African-American women are the most educated group of people in America with regards to formal education and enjoy a full percentage point over Asian women. They are some of our nation’s top entrepreneurs, engineers, artists, and religious scholars. And the list goes on.
I Claim No Blanket Negativity About Beyoncé
If you noticed, in my initial Facebook post reflections, I purposely avoided using Beyoncé’s name and instead focused on how the video content affected me personally. As an artist myself (who also happens to be Muslim), I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of the blanket dismissal that people throw at artists, especially in the name of religion. I know how it feels to have your very faith and connection to God denied simply because someone follows the fiqh opinion that music is generally prohibited. And I don’t wish that unjust experience on anyone.
Thus, I don’t claim any blanket negativity about Beyoncé as a person. I’ve never met her, I don’t know what’s in her heart, and I don’t know what God has decreed for her life. I also know that I haven’t even attempted to invite her to my faith, so it’s unfair for me to hold her to my own standard.
“Racial Baiting” and Beyoncé’s Phenomenal Talent
As her black history homage during the Super Bowl attests to, from a worldly standpoint, Beyoncé is a phenomenal artist. Her legacy of overcoming tragic and seemingly impossible odds to finally becoming an international sensation as both a performer and activist deserves praiseworthy mention and mad respect. So I salute her for that. And not only as a fellow artist, but also as a fellow African-American.
Now that Beyoncé is taking a step towards openly acknowledging the social ills suffered by her people, it is not surprising that droves of white people (many who were former fans) are now opposing her. Even the former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, couldn’t keep quiet about the ire he felt at Beyoncé’s “racial baiting” at the Super Bowl. Boycotts and protests are being called with such fervor that one would think Beyoncé had become a black Donald Trump of sorts. One media outlet called the racial undertones of her performance “inappropriate.”
I don’t stand with these people. Their hypocrisy and vitriol, though predictable given their well-established systems of racism and white privilege, is too unreal to even properly express in words. The same companies who daily put millions into advertising sexuality and nakedness for alcohol companies, sports magazines, and even our children’s education are labeling “inappropriate” a historical reference in a performance based on a historical theme.
In other words, their complaint is that as a black woman, Beyoncé should only be allowed to be inappropriate in the way that her “slave masters” have deemed appropriate.
Public Sexuality As Dignity and the Cycle of Abuse
The problem with abuse is that the longer we are subjected to it, the more likely we are to take the baton ourselves and continue the cycle in our own lives. Both during and after slavery, white people recognized our God-given gifts in both intellect and physical strength and beauty, and they chose to suppress the former and exploit the latter. They codified laws to criminalize even the smallest signs of literacy and social progress or strength, and they pumped numerous financial and social resources into turning the bodies of both black men and women into commodities for their personal amusement and carnal enjoyment. Even the outrage that Beyoncé’s “Formation” video and Super Bowl performance incited in predominately white circles reflects remnants of this racist codification.
However, it is undeniable that today, we as African-Americans are having a difficult time breaking free from this self-degrading cycle ourselves. This battle is complex, as the shayateen are fighting us on many fronts. Thus, it is easy to celebrate victory on one front (i.e. Beyoncé’s public homage to black history) while ignoring the obvious assault to our dignity and self-respect on another (i.e. the use of the black female body as a sexual commodity).
As Muslims of all backgrounds and ethnicities join necessary movements that declare #BlackLivesMatter, we cannot ignore obvious messages of falsehood and indecency simply because our emotions make us inclined to root for the underdog.
Chances are, had the “Formation” video been performed by a Pakistani or Arab female entertainer gyrating her buttocks in our faces, we wouldn’t find as many Muslims eager to share it, regardless of its “conscious” message. This in itself is an obvious indication that the subliminal messages regarding the soulless, sexualized black female have devalued her even in the hearts and minds of well-meaning believers dedicated to supporting good causes.
This also is a sign of Muslims’ contribution to their own cycle of abuse as an oppressed minority.
The Conflict in My Soul
Lastly, my conflict in response to “Formation” lies mainly in my concern for the human soul, starting with myself. As emotionally supportive as I feel for any African-American, especially for a black woman who has overcome such impossible odds, I as a Muslim am commanded to a higher standard. And this standard traverses all races, nations, and circumstances. As such, regardless of my personal or emotional connection to a certain message or cause, my priority must be to the higher spiritual and dignified life that God asked me to adhere to.
And while I fail time and time again in this vein, I see a major danger where we start openly ignoring the standards that Allah has set for us such that we are now eagerly congratulating and disseminating major violations to our moral and spiritual code. I also can’t help but wonder if we’ve become so desensitized to black women being exploited sexually that we don’t see an issue when it is their bodies and dignities being sacrificed for “the cause.”
No doubt, sexuality is a beautiful gift from Allah. As such, it should be praised and enjoyed in all of the contexts that our Lord has granted us in marriage. However, sexuality is not for public consumption, for the male or female. As a Muslim, I would be doing my soul an injustice to deny this obvious fact just because the public sexuality comes in the package of a good cause. As a father, I would be remiss to teach my daughters the dignified codes of Islamic modesty, then turn around and shamelessly gawk at naked women and disseminate their sexually exploitive videos in the name of activism.
As an artist, I even dedicated part of my album “The Hoping” to speaking about the scars women face when being sexually exploited by their own men. And in my album “Soul Redemption,” I wrote the song Super Heroine (Mary) for the sole purpose of inspiring women to see their true beauty and dignity as reflected in upholding the spiritual legacy of Mary, the mother of Jesus (peace be upon them), who didn’t require the approval of a man to validate her worth.
How then can I stand with “Formation” while I know it goes against the heart of what I stand for in both my spiritual and professional life?
Final Note: Black Women Deserve Respect Too
Black women are as much a part of our world communities as white, Indian, Pakistani, and Arab women; and Allah does not allow us to disrespect or degrade any of them, let alone celebrate their degradation. In fact, in the Qur’an, Allah has charged us with protecting and caring for all women, and I believe that this is even more so the case for those women who have become so internally traumatized that they invite the degradation and sexual exploitation on themselves.
As such, I gently encourage all of us, male and female, to strive for something higher when we’re faced with assaults on our souls all around us. And I too rigorously examine my own self as I own up to the flaws in my efforts to protect the dignity of my sisters in humanity, as well as my own dignity in what I watch and disseminate.
If I’m truly about the love for my people and my faith, then I have to find ways to uphold a standard that protects the dignity of our women while supporting and championing their remarkable legacies, intelligence, and contributions to society at the same time.
This is where I stand with Beyoncé’s “Formation,” and where I stand with our own formation of a better spiritual and practical life for all of us on earth.
Khalil Ismail is an award-winning lyricist and artist and is a writer and producer for Zain Bhikha. Khalil’s work has been featured on the Islam Channel and British Muslim TV in the UK and the Discovery Channel in the US. He recently released “The Hoping” and the nasheed album “Soul Redemption” and is currently working on producing voice-only tracks and an interactive program teaching the names of Allah through his song “99 Names.” He is also the founder of Finding Peace Project, a community outreach organization. He is active in interfaith work in Baltimore, Maryland, and is currently working to bolster the programming for the American Islamic Heritage Museum in Washington, D.C. To find out more about him, visit khalilismail.com
#Culture1 month ago
Aaishah Animasaun
February 12, 2016 at 3:09 AM
Jaza kallah khair Brother :)
Very informative piece
latifah idris
February 12, 2016 at 3:36 AM
mashallah, wat a relieving note
Ibrahim
February 12, 2016 at 5:46 AM
My opinion….while the writing is beautiful, even eloquent, most of your article is inappropriate, offensive, unfounded, hogwash. About the only thing even remotely true…racism sucks, we should stand against it.
PS
I didn’t watch the video. Knowing there is such dessension regarding music, I stay away from 99.999% of all music. My non-muslim roommate/secular-filter, knowing my tolerance (or lack thereof) for porn, music and foul language, told me i wouldn’t get past 30 seconds of it even if i were willing to listen to the instrumental opening. There is NO justifying the listening and watching of such smut.
Sister in islam
February 12, 2016 at 3:00 PM
If this article had to be written, it should have been by a black muslimah. It’s important to know your place in a debate and what you as an individual can and cannot say because of powers hierarchies. It’s called intersectionality. That a man felt that he had the right to comment on a video about black womanhood made me feel wildly uncomfortable.
Muslimatu
February 12, 2016 at 4:04 PM
No, it’s called Islam and speaking the truth. He spoke the truth, and if that makes you uncomfortable according to some contrived feminist standards, then that’s a problem you have to face in yourself.
But please don’t seek to speak for other women. You don’t. As a Muslimah, I was extremely happy to read a Muslim man speaking the truth about the duty Allah gave him on earth.
And by the way, the post wasn’t ABOUT womanhood. It was about our shared responsibility for our souls as both men and women on earth.
Sister in Islam
February 13, 2016 at 3:11 PM
Dear sister, when did I say I spoke for all women? One of the first and most important traits we should take from our beloved religion is iqlaq (manners). I suppose how you talk to others isn’t an important Islamic trait to you, but I will try to respond to all your grievances with the civility you denied me.
1. This video was aimed at black women from the south who have in the past been made to feel ashamed of their appearance and of their southern heritage (i.e her stress on “bama”) It wasn’t targeted towards men or Muslims, and if she was acting in a “promiscuous” way by our standards it was in celebration of the cultural dances from her heritage. Twerking is a part of African culture. She is not muslim nor is anyone in this video. Why should we even bother to comment on it? The brother did not need to watch the video, he was not her intended audience. She made it clear she was targeting this video towards women in celebration of black (southern) womanhood. Why should we write reflections on a video for someone who isn’t Muslim? Cant we women just celebrate a non Muslim woman’s courageous stance on her culture and ethnicity? We live in a secular country where there will be vice all around. If you feel uncomfortable with ability to stay strong with your imaan, perhaps relocate to a muslim country. If I felt a video from a secular male singer might make me feel uncomfortable, I would not watch it. I think muslim women can enjoy Beyonce’s video as they enjoy all girls dance parties, belly dance parties, and henna parties in private.
2. Contrived feminist standards? Many people would argue the Prophet (pbuh) himself was a feminist. You don’t need to speak about feminism in a condescending manner. Without feminism you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go to school, have a career, vote, drive a car. All these privileges we now enjoy are because feminists fought for them.
May Allah’s blessings be with you.
Black Muslim Feminist
February 12, 2016 at 5:38 PM
Sister in Islam,
Our inability as black women to support and respect our men when they’re doing what is right and fulfilling their responsibilities is part of the reason our black families are falling apart.
Reading your comment made me wildly uncomfortable. I don’t understand how a black woman could criticize a powerful article supporting respect for black people simply bc of sexist, non-Muslim standards.
MuslimahFeminist
February 12, 2016 at 8:32 PM
Yup. I agree. This patronizing author masks his condescension by pointing out systemic racism, but at the same time chooses to police the sexuality of others. It is not his prerogative. The fact that Dahlia Mogahed actually endorsed this article is a reminder that we need to make our community leaders accountable. For god’s sake, read up on intersectionality. Read potent critiques by Dr. Yaba Blay, BlackGirlDangerous, etc. — all of whom point out the neoliberal capitalist edifice that undergirds Beyonce’s “formation”/revolution, without disciplining her body according to their standards of morality.
Dana
February 12, 2016 at 9:05 PM
Interesting. I liked the article but it did sound patronizing at times.
Khalil Ismail
February 12, 2016 at 9:29 PM
My Dear sister. I thought hard about not responding to this but in the interest of clarification for others who might follow your perception please note that after being approached to write this, I sought council and approval of the very African American women you seem to think I’m patronizing.
My intention was to go out of my way to say I don’t hold Beyoncé to my standard hence the quote “I don’t hold her to my standards.”
So no,
no policing.
You may not be privy to the board meetings that strategize on how to numb the masses utilizing sex, how advertising works , the intentional agenda of mass media etc… But I am and thus my duty to my lord is to tell the truth as best I see it and be a witness as commanded in Quran even against my own self.
The honest truth is,
this was not even an article I wanted to write due to its complex nature but after I was approached by one “sister” to write , it was an African American sister who encouraged me to do it this way and it was my respect for her intelligence and insight that pushed me along.
The whole point was to share a reflection of my own for others who are striving to police THEMSELVES according to a law they CHOOSE to adhere to, hence why I used myself as an example of failure as opposed to blaming someone else.
If stating the obvious and pointing out the hard realities that I’m surrounded by is what you mean by policing than maybe you have a point.
Maybe you’re saying I don’t have the right to even mention the contents of a video released to the public in an industry that I’m also apart of?
No benefit of the doubt for a brotha, just patronizing and condescending eh?
MashaAllah :)
M.Mahmud
February 13, 2016 at 5:20 PM
Publicly displaying awrah is sinful.
Karemah Alhark
February 14, 2016 at 6:57 PM
Wow, really? I think we need both males and females to make a stance on this. This isn’t some secret women’s club wherein only women should have a say so. Infact, it was done at half time of a predominately male dominated and attended sport. He has something to say and what he said was on point. Furthermore, Muslim women who have spoken out in opposition of this performance have been catching hell all over the place. Women who think this sh*t is cute, don’t want to hear anything but the glorification and praises of Beyoncé. This brother has every right to speak out. It was done at half time of a predominately male dominated and attended sport. He has something to say and has said what was needed to be said.
Muslimatu
February 15, 2016 at 7:29 PM
Sister in Islam,
First you tell a Muslim man he can’t speak about his own soul and share this inspiration with others. Then you call his reminder about OUR SOULS (not Beyonce’s) a “debate”?
When I disagree with you, you say I have no Islamic manners. Then you go on to defend a video by a disbeliever by writing a mini blog.
But you offered not a single sentence of support or understanding for Khalil Ismail, who is your brother in Islam.
So Beyonce’s message and video background are more beloved to you than your own Muslim brother’s. Wow.
And you actually believe YOU are displaying Islamic manners? You’re not even showing evidence of following Islam.
Time to correct
September 13, 2016 at 8:52 PM
This is the problem. Western feminism is a destructive force which corrupts womens hearts.
Black Muslim Feminist
February 15, 2016 at 9:18 PM
Sister in Islam,
Are you joking? lol. “Twerking is a part of African culture?”
So is wearing clothes.
So is Islam.
So is shirk.
So is…almost everything.
Africa is a continent full ofboth good and evil. Why defend only the evil?
But if “African culture” is your standard for right and wrong, did you know that respecting black men is also part of that culture? And NOT twerking?
Interesting how your argument chooses from both Islam and African culture only what suits you, all for the sake of tearing down a fellow black Muslim brother.
Why?
M.Mahmud
February 15, 2016 at 9:36 PM
What a boss response.
Muslimah scholar
February 16, 2016 at 4:12 AM
Sister In Islam, can you clarify from an Islamic evidence standpoint what the writer of this blogpost said that violated what Allah would be pleased with?
I do find it quite profound that you said you’d accept the article from a black Muslimah, but you’ve shown nothing but disregard for the Muslim woman who disagreed with you. Your position is eerily similar to the Safster commenter, who pretends to happily accept God’s truth if it comes from a woman. As I mentioned to Safster, a sincere heart doesn’t know gender. It desires only truth.
But your personal attacks on your fellow Muslim sister (accusing her of having no akhlaq) shows you’re not being truthful with yourself about your own claims. You cannot even accept a logical refutation without accusing someone of religious indiscretion (ie no akhlaq) because they disagree (quite effectively) with you.
I mirror the sentiment of another commenter: Your perspective made me (in your words) wildly uncomfortable.
Why all the praise and love for Beyoncé who is voluntarily committing open sin? Why no love, respect, or understanding for the writer and other Muslims here?
Time to correct
September 13, 2016 at 8:49 PM
Yet women comment on men all the time. Often in a rude, nasty and disrespectful manner. Western culture promotes a hypocritical, contradictory and obnoxious form of feminism. It is a destructive force. Please do not be consumed by this delusional ideology. I agree with the sentiments of Muslimatu below.
Miss Muslimah
February 12, 2016 at 3:11 PM
Check out my blogs.
I write poetry, short stories and Islamic posts!
https://islamicmusings.wordpress.com
https://ilhaamsjournal.wordpress.com
Shukran – Share the word!
Dana
February 12, 2016 at 8:59 PM
Yes yes yes. Jzk. Nicely analyzed.
Youssef Abdelwahab
February 12, 2016 at 9:06 PM
Jazak Allah Kheir
I appreciate this for many reasons. Thanks bro
Elizabeth Bala
February 12, 2016 at 11:03 PM
Thank you for this perspective, I honestly never thought about it that way
Umm Zakiyyah
February 13, 2016 at 1:08 AM
MaashaAllah, this was a very powerful, necessary reminder.
I was saddened to see some comments misunderstanding the entire point of the post. When I read this blog, I saw it as one man calling himself to account for protecting his soul and hoping to inspire others (both male and female) to protect their souls likewise. As Allah says in the Qur’an, “Verily, the reminder benefits the believer.” And alhamdulillaah, I found the reminder very beneficial.
However, even if we make this post about “intersectionality” or “womanhood” or “feminism” or any other label that it obviously was not, would everyone who’s looking through that lens come to the same conclusion? I think we all know the answer to that. Just as it remains very necessary for white people to speak against racism, it remains very necessary for men to speak against disrespecting women.
But if we’re unable to embrace these diverse approaches in striving for personal and spiritual betterment, then we’re part of the problem that we say we want to root out.
RedCloakedGirl
December 9, 2016 at 6:33 PM
Umm Zakiyyah you basically said what I was thinking. Thank you!
Safster
February 13, 2016 at 12:07 PM
Yeh but the point kinda is HOW white people choose to speak about racism, innit? If they want to start educating black people, or telling them why it might be better to do things differently, then thats patronizing and problematic. No one should tell black people how to feel about and respond to Ferguson anymore than they should be telling American Muslims how to deal with being Muslim in the US. That’s what the commenter means by ‘policing’. Despite all his disclaimers and all his attempts at being nuanced, his ‘protectiveness’ towards black women is condescending. And his assumption that Beyonce is a duped victim of a system (which she is very much a part of, in fact, and profiting from nicely!) is a way of victimizing her and robbing her of agency. But beyonce cares not whether you support or denounce her video, so to stand against it on the basis that its just too sexual is stupid. Thats your own issue, really. The fact that a music video with swinging black breasts is just too much says more about you than about the video. Have you spoken out against Nicki Minaj or whatsherface that black widow song woman, or JLo? Or Miley Cyrus or whatnot. Why choose to speak out against beyonce? Why is her video, a potent mix of a black woman OWNING her sexuality, asserting her strong femininity (against men, both black and white), and of a racialized politics, so agonizing for you? You could have chosen to like it or dislike it, but you chose to stand against it. Because it caused you sexual arousal. Really? And then you backtrack and say you didnt really want to write it, and attempt funnel the opinions through a black sister, dissociating yourself from your own choice. That strikes me as disingenuous. I am not a beyonce fan. As far as I am concerned Rihanna’s a far better model for black female sexuality and black power (consider ‘pour it up’ and ‘this is the new America’ together, though you may find the former far too much to handle). Really if as you correctly point out, black women have had to deal with their bodies being abused and used and represented by others, can you not see the possibility that powerful women are using their privileged stage to claim and own their sexuality, to reclaim precisely what’s been taken from them for generations and saying “we will make our own videos showcasing our bodies as we wish to, using the props we want to, and stuff you, we care not a damn what u think or feel about that” as truly subversive and radical? It is deeply ironic that a man should seek to police that (through moral head shaking). How is that at all different in principle to the Taliban or whoever policing womens bodies because of their potential to arouse them? Men, Muslim or otherwise, who can experience an expression of powerful, political sexuality only in terms of arousal, have a problem. If they do, that’s fine, but why oh why should they seek to impose their reading of something on others in moralistic, pedagogical, self-important terms? I would have been far happier reading this if it came from the black sister who pushed you to write it.
Muslimah scholar
February 16, 2016 at 3:43 AM
Safster, it appears you were reading a different blog than the one above? Where did the writer say he was sexually aroused? He simply said he noticed the sexual imagery.
Also, I’m not sure if you’re Muslim or not. And maybe you don’t realize this, but this is a Muslim-authored blogpost, written for a Muslim audience, about their souls. And if there contains in the article a beneficial reminder about our souls, what difference does it make whether it comes from a male or female?
Or do you believe God allows us to reject truth and guidance if it comes in a package we don’t prefer? Are you aware this is the reason many people rejected the prophets God sent them? Because they felt they had a better idea than God regarding who should bring them the truth.
As it stands, God decreed a man to write this beneficial reminder. And if you would accept it from a woman, then you’d accept it from a man too. Because a sincere heart desires only truth, and truth has no gender.
Sifs
February 13, 2016 at 3:28 PM
I am a Christian woman and an African and I can honestly say I appreciate this article and point of view. I must say that if we are to hold ourselves to the same standard as Christ set then indeed we will have to agree with the writer. I did not see anything patronizing at all…just a man trying to adhere to his faith and caution us in the blatant use of sexuality to sell everything from a ‘conscious’ message to toothpaste. So thank you, Sir, for reminding even me, a Christian, on conforming to a Higher standard that the one placed before us by the media. God bless!
Khalil Ismail
July 30, 2016 at 7:28 PM
Thankyou. You understood the objective!
Jessi
February 13, 2016 at 4:40 PM
Jazak Allah khair, brother.
Because of the powerful images and artistry, I enjoyed the video and song way more than I should have as a believer.
Thanks for knocking some sense into me. You made many very valuable points.
Tareq
February 14, 2016 at 2:51 AM
Salamualaikum,
Alhamdulillah the prophet peace be upon him was blessed with clarity and concise communication!
If we all revived this Sunnah surely there would be less online discussion.
If we listened and treated each other with respect then would there be the need to is discuss intersectionality?
Interesting article and interning comments section.
Tareq
February 14, 2016 at 2:55 AM
*interesting comments section!
I learned from them.
Review Your Site.
February 15, 2016 at 4:41 AM
This is far away extreme for me.
I just can’t believe it that a Muslim “Man” is posting such article. How can you justify Cleanliness when what surrounds it is “Dirt”?
Where did you find the heart to watch a “whole” clip of hyper sexual moves and exposes your “opinion on it”?.
It really pains me not on you but the “Editors” of this website.