Showing posts with label East meets West. Show all posts
Showing posts with label East meets West. Show all posts

When Muslims Intermarry

Friday, April 26, 2013

I recently returned from a short two-week trip to the US and one of the more common discussions I had with family and friends was about the future of Muslims in the West. I plan on posting my thoughts in some upcoming posts, so let me start things off with a very real concern: Intermarriage.

As Muslims being to assimilate and integrate, I find myself not so worried about some of the more recurring issues such as hijab or drugs or aqeedah – don’t get me wrong, they aren’t trivial, but they aren’t likely to result in offspring completely leaving the religion. On the other hand, the increasing rate of Muslims marrying outside our religion is just such an issue.

What so many Muslims may see as an acceptable practice from the Shariah point of view (where in fact a man marrying a Christian or Jewish woman is sanctioned, as they are People of the Book), is in my mind a very dangerous practice that will all too often result in future generations essentially leaving Islam.

As if the pressures of modern Western culture are not strenuous enough on a young Muslim, adding to the mix the life-long presence of a non-Muslim mother is, needless to say, very harmful.

And so I found this Washington Post article quite timely as it reinforced my recent concerns.

One interesting discussion I had was with my brother-in-law, who suggested that if I wanted to study the future of Muslims in the West, I ought to look at the Jews when they first arrived to the US. At the time of their arrival, they had a most similar makeup to us Muslims, in that they had relatively high levels of religious observation, a formal law like our Shariah, and restrictions on intermarriage.

And what I found was quite disturbing. When they first arrived in the late 19th century, Jews were intermarrying at a 4% rate. After nearly a century, their intermarriage has skyrocketed to nearly 50%. And this is from a religion in which intermarriage is strictly forbidden!

And as a consequence, as more Muslim men decide to intermarry, Muslim women will be left with little choice but to follow suit. This article from Al-Jazeera documents this inevitable rise in women marrying outside the faith.

Now some of you may be thinking, ‘How does this affect me or my children? They are being raised in a strictly observant household where intermarriage is not an option.’ That may be true, but can the same be said for two or three generations down the line?
 

Friday, April 26, 2013 | Labels: , , , , , | 6 Comments  

The Western Muslim's Burden

Sunday, September 2, 2012

A few days ago, a friend posted the following video about the efforts of the Deputy Mufti of Turkey to improve the women’s prayer areas in Turkish Mosques:



My friend lauded the efforts as a positive development and at first glance it does seem like a commendable initiative. However, after thinking about it, I must disagree.

I won’t critique the overt Western bias in the newscast.  Media in the West has an established agenda when it comes to covering the Muslim world – namely, the attempt to project Western liberal values onto a ‘backwards’ society. So when the news team who produced this short piece presents the female Deputy Mufti as a purveyor of some enlightened way and every other schmuck who questions her as an ignoramus, I’m not surprised.

And without sitting down and talking with the Deputy Mufti herself, I cannot possibly understand her motivations and rationales for leading this drive, so I’m not interested in criticizing her.

My reproach is for all of us Muslims in the West, who may see such a project and, based on our Western values and beliefs, immediately judge it as being a positive development for our misguided brethren in the Muslim world. We feel at ease in imposing our ‘civilized’ interpretations of Islam upon the backwards Muslim societies, like some twisted manifestation of the White Man’s burden - let us call it the Western Muslim's Burden. 

Afghanistan and the issue of female education is another example of the Western Muslim's Burden . We all started salivating when the West rang the bell calling for educating the young girls of Afghanistan.  I recall hearing khutbas and reading articles about the role of education and knowledge in Islam and how the Taliban's efforts against female education were antithetical to Islamic teachings. 

And so without realizing that fundamental societal issues needed to be addressed first, great initiatives were undertook to quickly open girl’s schools. All this effort was misdirected and misspent with increased tension and strife between the US-backed government and the more conservative elements of Afghan society.

Let us not repeat such dog-and-pony shows across the Muslim world.

Look, I’m all for efforts to make North American and European Masjids more women-friendly. For too long, sisters have been huddled into basements, behind barriers, and up on balconies – the same sisters who are actively participating in their work environments, universities, and all other areas of greater society. The dichotomy between these two worlds is so great and contradictory that it is has become unsustainable.

Originally, during the first generation of immigrant Muslims in the West (from the late sixties to the early nineties), Muslim women were coming from societies in which female participation in Masjid affairs, and to an extent in greater society, was very limited. And so, Masjids were built and organized to simply maintain that social structure.

As the first generation of indigenous Muslims grew up and this crop of Western-Muslims began to see the contradiction between the segregated role of women in the Masjid and the more egalitarian role of women in Western society, something had to change. And thus was born the movement to make the Masjids more women-friendly.

This recent movement hasn’t arisen in a vacuum. The social context has defined it. Muslim men and women have become acclimated to a more liberal stance on women’s role in society, thus allowing them to embrace the concept of a Masjid more amenable to women’s participation.

But can the same be said for Turkey?  

One needs to simply peruse the headlines to see that honor-killings and apostasy issues are still taking place in Turkey. Female literacy rates as well as employment rates are low especially when compared to their Western counterparts. Governmental positions held by women, salary gap between men and women, number of women shelters and other key indicators are similarly tilted against women. As much as the Turkish government may try to convince the world that Turkey is ready to join the EU, its people are still grounded in a more Eastern, traditional worldview.

Has the Turkish population internalized Western values, such as women’s rights, before initiating this project for women-friendly Masjids?

Now you may counter that removing the barrier or increasing women’s involvement in Masjid affairs are not exclusively Western values - that they are Prophetic values, as can be readily found in the Seerah of our Beloved Prophet (saw). Fair enough, but the social context of the Prophet’s time allowed for such practices (It could be argued that women in Muslim Arabia 1400 years ago were treated better than in most modern Muslims countries). It must be noted that in cases where the Prophet introduced concepts and ideas counter to prevailing social customs, such as abolishing slavery or prohibiting alcohol, it was done in a gradual manner so as not to upset the delicate balance of society.

So, if our objective is to (re)introduce the Muslim world to liberal values that are native to our tradition, then we must seek to do so in a holistic, foundational manner, avoiding the headline-grabbing, West-appeasing initiatives that will do nothing to change society and may even result in alienating the masses.


Sunday, September 02, 2012 | Labels: , , , , , | 9 Comments  

The Dangers of Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and the like

Monday, May 14, 2012

A while back, MuslimMatters had an interesting article about some beneficial teachings that could be gleaned from the Harry Potter books. Although the author did a commendable job in extracting positive lessons found throughout the series, it was nonetheless quite an unnecessary stretch, especially when there are countless more appropriate, less controversial sources for these same teachings.

To make matters worse, the ensuing comment thread found the proto-typical overly-simplistic Muslim approach of condemning the Harry Potter series as completely Haram based on its ‘glamorization’ of magic.

As for me, I believe both approaches missed the boat on the real dangers found in the Harry Potter series and other books of this genre.

Let me start by saying that it’s not the magic.  I don’t believe for one second that young children will begin dabbling in sorcery or witchcraft upon reading Harry Potter.  I don’t even believe they will think magic to be inconsequential in our deen, as some commenters in the MM article alleged.  Black magic will remain black magic – a completely forbidden act in Islamic teachings – and those who delve into it will do so whether they read Harry Potter or not.

Such fears are akin to a child reading the classic Treasure Island, chock-full of references of sailors getting drunk, and worrying about them wishing to get drunk – or at the least, thinking alcohol to be ‘no big deal’.

Maybe I’m being naïve, but I just don’t see that happening.

Similarly, I’m not afraid of my daughter picking up a bow and arrow and hunting down children in the neighborhood, Hunger Games-style. I think she realizes murder is bad.

The real danger in exposing our children to modern-day popular literature is the more subtle, insidious messages found throughout these books. It’s these messages that affect the subconscious.  It’s these threads that change personalities. 

I’m more troubled by the disrespect Katniss, the Hunger Games protagonist, consistently shows towards her mother.  I’m bothered by the selfish decisions she constantly makes with little regard for others.  It’s the individualistic ‘me-myself-and-I’ attitude that is found throughout the Hunger Games series that worries me.

Look, I understand that modern Western literature is merely going to reflect modern Western values.  In essence, that’s where my grievance stems from. These books are exposing our children to foreign values and morals that are inconsistent with the standards my wife and I are trying to establish in our home.

Too many of us parents are so ecstatic that our children are reading (as opposed to watching TV or surfing the Net) that we aren’t paying attention to the subtle ideals promoted within these books. Many of the books targeting modern-day teenagers contain dominant streams of feminist notions, individualistic thought, and material gluttony while concurrently disparaging religion and tradition and disrespecting elders.

Unfortunately there is great dearth of modern English literature written for the today’s Muslim youth. That’s why I’ve basically relegated myself to sticking to classical texts which maintain a respectable sense of traditional values more in-line with Islamic teachings. Fortunately, my daughter has shown a great deal of interest in these books, but at the same time, she is a product of her times and is constantly tempted by the popularity of Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, and the like.

It’s a fine line we’re treading here and I’m sincerely praying that an Islamically stable home and a pseudo-Islamic environment (living in Saudi) peppered with classical works and good, solid friends will be enough to temper the ill-effects of modern media.

Monday, May 14, 2012 | Labels: , , | 9 Comments  

You Don't Know Squat

Friday, February 24, 2012

Recently I'm becoming more and more convinced of the wisdom behind squatting.  No, I'm not referring to the tactic used by the underprivileged where they occupy a piece of land or property, refusing to move until their demands are met. I'm talking about the more primitive form, referring to position when going to the bathroom.


I kept procrastinating on writing about this topic until I was reminded of it with this article from Slate. You see, I've never regularly practiced squatting (I only used the flat toilets during long road trips here in Saudi) as I was raised using the standard toilet and so my body simply grew incapable of comfortably squatting. However, a while back the toilets stopped working in my office and I was forced to resort to the Eastern-toilets. And I must admit that everything stated in the Slate article is correct.  Without getting too graphic, let's just say that everything simply 'flowed'.


The Wikipedia page on flat toilets lists a few of the health benefits. In addition to it being physiologically healthier, these toilets are environmentally safer. They don't require an obscene amount of water to flush with the more traditional toilets letting natural decomposition do most of the work (see: Humanure).


For those curious, here's a hilarious yet educational video on the Do's and Don'ts of squatting:


(YT link) (h/t American Bedu)


Finally, if you do decide to go down this route, you can look as happy as this lady!

Friday, February 24, 2012 | Labels: , | 7 Comments  

The Prophetic Life vs the Modern Life

Tuesday, October 18, 2011


Recently I’ve been thinking about how completely discordant our modern lives are with the Prophetic model.  The more one tries throughout one’s day to earnestly adhere to the various acts of Sunnah, the more it becomes clear that life in the 21st century is quite inhospitable to the ideal Islamic way of life.

Before I continue, let me be clear here.  The Shariah has incorporated, by way of Allah’s Divine Mercy, mechanisms that tolerate and accommodate, throughout all time and space, the countless extremes found in human life. So I find nothing inherently anti-Islamic about life in the fast-paced Internet age we find ourselves in today.

That being said, when I try to mimic the life of my dear Prophet (saw) in this day and age, the incongruity between the two becomes very clear.  My pace of life simply doesn’t afford me the luxury to dutifully carry out all the voluntary acts of worship.

For example, most Muslims perform their five daily prayers void of the due reverence that the Prophet and his companions displayed.  From performing the Wudu with peace and serenity to attending congregational prayers at the Masjid to praying all the Sunnah/Nafl prayers, it would take at least 30 minutes for each prayer.  Now, who can afford two hours (not including Fajr) out of their busy daily schedule *solely for their prayers*?

Furthermore, what about the various Prophetic litanies, especially after Fajr and Maghrib, which would take an additional hour each day?

Then there is the Sunnah of staying awake from Fajr to Sunrise, reciting Quran/Dhikr, and finishing with the Duha salat.

And let’s not forget waking up for Tahajjud in the last third of the night.

Oh and then there are the Sunnahs of sleeping, such as sleeping immediately after Isha and reciting Surah Mulk and Ayat al-Kursi before sleeping.

I’ve mentioned some of the daily Prophetic acts of worship - acts which, in past generations, even the most casual of Muslims vigilantly maintained.  But beginning with our parent’s generation, I’m convinced that that number has dwindled down to only the select few.

How can one possibly perform all these deeds while equally maintaining a productive role in 21st century society?

How am I supposed to ensure my place in the first row of the masjid for every prayer? How am I supposed to stop whatever I am doing when the adhan is called, repeat after the mu’adhin, and then immediately rush to the masjid?

What of visiting close relatives and the sick, as well as helping the needy?  When do I find time for other Islamic acts such as dawah, gaining knowledge, and teaching others?

In order to loyally observe all the above, I would need to drastically alter the way I live my life. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, would have to take a back seat to my adherence to the Sunnah – family, friends, work, play, rest.

I am coming to believe that the two - the Sunnah way of life and the modern life - are unconditionally irreconcilable.  In order for one to thrive, the other must be sacrificed.

Personally speaking, my only extended moments of adherence to the Sunnah way of life have occurred when I visited Mecca or Madina, where the entire day’s schedule revolved around worshiping Allah (swt).  Only when I have withdrawn myself from the modern life have I been successful in recreating a daily schedule even remotely close to that of the Prophet's.

Obviously, such an indulgence is not available to the vast majority, so we must make (major?) adjustments to our daily lives if we wish to faithfully imitate the life of our beloved Prophet (saw).

I’m not simply referring to incorporating a handful of Sunnah acts into our daily lives.   In order to holistically actualize the Prophetic way of life, we have to adopt his worldview when designing and molding our lives.  This includes our priorities, our pace of life, our modes of entertainment, our sources of sustenance, our relations, and so on.

Where to begin? 

I’m open to suggestions.


Tuesday, October 18, 2011 | Labels: , , , , | 10 Comments  

Disconnected – My Plight as a Cultural Salafi

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

I have no home. In fact, I have been homeless for quite some time now.

I don’t mean a place to sleep or park my car.  For that I have a house.

But I have no home.

My bloodline tells me I’m from Pakistan.
My passport says I’m from America.
My current address informs me I’m in Saudi Arabia.

America is too First World.
Pakistan is too Third World.
KSA is too Not-of-my-World.

And so, I remain overwhelmed with a deep sense of homelessness. You may counter that it doesn’t matter, for we are all strangers in this world and we are all travelers in our journey to the afterlife.  I agree.  But boy do I feel…displaced? Not exactly, for I never felt that I had that *place* to begin with.  Maybe rootless, for I remain without any roots, but I think rootless isn’t even a word. Disconnected is probably best – missing that connection to a rooted home.

I have no land that I can call my own.  I have no affinity towards any one people.  I hold no pride for any one language that I speak.  My dress, while often of the American flavor, is intermixed with Pakistani and Arab – and I feel no attachment to any of them. I equally enjoy a good ‘ol-fashioned burger, Chicken Tikka Masala, Palestinian Maqlooba and Saudi Kabsa.

And so I feel not wedded to any one land or people.

My childhood memories are embarrassingly flooded with the self-gratification of the American 80’s.  I get nostalgic when I hear any song by the Culture Club or the Knight Rider theme song. Pathetic, I know.

I was raised on prathas and pizza, and while I celebrated the Eids, I inescapably felt the seasonal joy of the Christmas season.

I speak fluent English with my wife and kids, passable Urdu with my parents, and broken Arabic with my Lord.

Living in Riyadh for nearly 10 years, I am still considered by most Saudis as my wife’s driver (especially since she sits in the back seat with the little ones).

And so at the end of the day, I feel no sense of cultural *ownership* in America, Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia.

Although I was born and raised in America, I feel spiritually alienated and am convinced that a US-based future is very dangerous for myself and my progeny.

Pakistan may be my ancestral land where my parents currently reside, yet I find it too ‘foreign’ and unwelcoming for my western sensibilities.

And while I appreciate the Islamic ambiance afforded me in Riyadh and dislike the superficiality of it all, I know that in the end, this can never be home.

So where do I go? I have no reliable link to the past of any one heritage and I have yet to find a cultural soil ideal for the seeds of my future.

When I was young, I would brazenly declare that Islam is the only identity and culture we need.  Growing up in America, I was convinced that the unifying powers of Islam mixed with the trans-cultural experience of the US would spring forth a new generation free from the cultural baggage of our forefathers and overseas brethren. I staunchly believed this new generation would be international and free from borders - without need for any one culture.

Nearly thirty years later, I now see the fault in my logic. 

Man needs roots.  Man needs a home. Man needs to be able to look up the ladder of cultural lineage and see a link to his ancestry and then look down and feel a sense of stability for his progeny.  Man needs to know himself, his past and his future.

But if after years of self-evaluation, one sees a medley of traditional mores and a mishmash of social customs and a jumble of cultural affiliations, it will inevitably cause detachment and isolation.

So I’ve come to the conclusion that just as we need a solid spiritual isnad (chain) linking us all the way to the Prophet (saw), we must also maintain our cultural isnad.

Most of us realize that the path of cutting off our religious ancestors and inventing a completely new approach to our deen has been fraught with errors and folly.  Similarly, I realize that cutting off our cultural ancestors and creating a hodge-podge of various traditions and customs will result in an inevitable feeling of suspension, discontinuity, and aloofness.

My isnad has been severed, leaving me without a land or a people; and now, having rejected all the established traditions and cultures that I have ever known, I find myself isolated and without any connections of value, like a cultural salafi, hopelessly clinging to my dubious claim of cultural 'purity'.

Oh, and don’t feel pity for me. Save it for my children.

Their mother is a confused Palestinian-American and their father is an even more confused Pakistani-American and they’re being raised in a most confusing Saudi Arabia, interspersed with yearly jaunts back to America and Pakistan.

Ouch.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 | Labels: , , , | 19 Comments  

Spread of the Western Lifestyle

Sunday, January 9, 2011

So I’m reading this must-read article in the Wall Street Journal, ‘Chinese Mothers are Superior’, about the way Chinese mothers raise their children in a strict, disciplinarian manner with high standards - in stark contrast to the Western method of coddling and appeasing the child’s self-esteem. I must admit that eventhough I’m convinced of the benefits found in the former approach, I’m guilty of practicing the latter. Not sure if my American sensibilities get in the way or if it's my wife’s guilt trips, but for the most part I find myself regularly letting my kids off the hook. I seriously need to commit myself to the more effective Chinese approach but with the most critical element of Islam and spirituality injected into the mix.

Anyways, I somehow end up reading this other WSJ article discussing a parenting revolution taking place in China where the current generation of parents are leaning towards a more liberal approach to raising children. As cited in the article, one of the top-selling books in China, titled ‘A Good Mom Is Better Than a Good Teacher’, “encourages independence and freedom while cautioning parents against overprotecting their children.” This revolutionary parenting advice of nurturing independent thought and questioning authority are cornerstones of Western thought and fly directly in the face of traditional Chinese parenting techniques.

And then I recall seeing a recent news report about countless elderly Chinese parents living a life of isolation and seclusion. And so to curb this negative trend, the Chinese courts have allowed these parents to sue their children for neglect and disregard.

The first thing that springs to my mind, admittedly as an outsider, is the seeming disintegration of basic Chinese values that I have long admired. The Far East was a land where elders were respected and children knew their place. Granted, these values defining the child-parent relationship are essentially ‘Eastern’, found throughout the Muslim world and Africa as well, but China has always been the embodiment of all things East.

Sadly, it is truly indicative of the times we live in, where the tentacles of the Western lifestyle are not sparing any nation or land. China is just the latest in the list of casualties.

Sunday, January 09, 2011 | Labels: , , , , | 11 Comments  

Polygamy Question

Saturday, May 15, 2010

I'm not looking to pick a fight here or anything. The only subject more overhyped in the Muslim blogosphere than polygamy is hijab, so I'm not looking to revisit all the pros and cons of multiple wives.

I just want to see what people think about this semi-hypothetical situation:

A 34-year old sister is living with her parents after years of failed attempts at finding a suitor. Her family hasn't helped as they've rejected a few applicants due to petty cultural issues. She's become so desperate at wanting a child that she recently adopted an orphan baby.

A few weeks ago, a respectable business man in the community approached the father with a proposal that would make the daughter his second wife. The father laughed at the idea, followed by an immediate rejection. When the father came home and brought it up with the family, the daughter, after pondering over the situation, apprehensively came to a similar conclusion.

I say apprehensively since she has seen the writing on her wall and marriage is clearly a distant possibility. She fretted at the thought of sharing her man with another woman, but countered it with the possibility of having her own natural children. She savored the possibility of living in her own home with her own man, but shut that door with the social stigma of being a second wife.

So in the end, she played it safe and accepted her parent's decision.

The thought that immediately comes to my mind is how oppressive is the father (as well as the society) that simply will not entertain the possibility of this woman becoming a co-wife.

If all parties involved (the man, the first wife, and this sister in question) are accepting of the situation, who the hell are people to judge this polygamous relationship? What kind of irresponsible father places his own social circumstances and fears before the well-being of his daughter?

I just don't get it.

Saturday, May 15, 2010 | Labels: , , , , , | 38 Comments  

Let's Not Talk About Sex

Monday, April 12, 2010

Sh. Yasir Qadhi wrote a piece over at MuslimMatters presenting his new initiative (Like a Garment) to address sex-related problems plaguing many Western Muslim couples. He cites his experience in presenting various lectures and seminars, where many young Muslims expressed confusion and frustration in navigating the murky waters of intimate relations.

He mentioned three examples in his article:

1. A couple experimenting in questionable acts.
2. A wife complaining about her selfish husband who cares nothing for her sexual satisfaction.
3. Husbands frustrated by their wives' lack of sexual interest.

So after discovering the dearth of Islamic scholarly work on this subject, he decided to read up on the countless western studies and decided to Islamify them for consumption by his Muslim audiences.

Sh. Yasir reasons that such problems of intimacy are “compounded for most of us, since we as a modern generation of Muslims are caught between two cultures: the excessive ultra-conservatism of our parent’s culture (in which parents never even held hands in front of their kids, or addressed each other in endearing terms, or indeed showed any signs of being romantic), and the hyped over-sexuality and over-romanticism of the culture surrounding us (in which much happens in public that we’d rather not discuss).”

So, he’s claiming that the social dynamics are so completely different for Muslims in modern society that it necessitates a new approach to address the challenges of their sexual problems.

Is it me or are the three examples he cited problems that have existed since the dawn of time and not merely specific to the modern generation of Muslims?

Married couples have been struggling with these issues for generations. I don’t see anything so problematic that it warrants such a focused attention.

Nothing modern about these issues.

What is modern is this self-serving need to talk about everything. We are the Oprah/Dr. Phil-generation. We need to open up and express our emotions and share our frustrations and analyze everything, even our most intimate of problems.

I’m not comfortable with this position.

What makes us believe that the problems related to intimacy found in our generation are so special that they need to be addressed in a manner different from what ALL the generations before practiced?

For ages, couples have dealt with these issues in the privacy of their homes or in extreme cases, in a private session with a respected elder.

But not us. We need to publicly discuss sensitive issues, such as masturbation, orgasms, and vibrators.

The lack of public sexual discourse found in Muslims societies is not a deficiency. I counter that it’s a strength. After all, with all this openness found in Western society, how has it improved their marriages?

Caught in this intersection between two cultures, we’re sadly choosing the ways of our newly adopted culture where it’s completely acceptable to openly discuss sex, while arrogantly tossing aside centuries of tradition and custom, marked by this most essential of characteristics, Haya (bashfulness).

Haya dictates that not every problem of intimacy needs to be addressed. Haya teaches us that getting the absolute maximum sexual pleasure does not take precedence over social propriety and modesty. Haya teaches us that problems created in the bedroom should be fixed in the bedroom.

Let me clarify that when I refer to problems, I speak not of modern-day perversions that are destroying marriages, such as porn, romance novels, and Facebook. Issues born from these sicknesses, as complex as they are, can be addressed either in the conventional manner, as detailed in this timely article posted at Imam Suhaib Webb’s site, or with the expertise of a marriage counselor.

And I’m not just picking on Sh. Yasir’s project. I have similar misgivings with programs like the one hosted by the Egyptian ‘Dr. Ruth’, Hoda Kotb, who shocked the Muslim world several years ago with her TV program ‘Big Talk’ in which she discusses sensitive issues. The sex therapist admitted that "Five years ago, I'd see two or three patients a week. Today, I'm booked three months ahead."

Some may conclude from her statement that modern couples are indeed having more problems in bed. On the contrary, I think it’s just that they’ve found an outlet receptive to their questions and frustrations.

Parents, elder siblings, and close friends simply don’t care about your bedroom antics. So in this day and age, where sexual prowess is critical to one’s identity, couples are insistent on finding a solution and thus these initiatives are taking hold in our communities.

Sex just isn’t that complicated. If village dwellers can figure it out, why can’t the modern Muslim generation?

I guess I’m just old school. I say to couples interested in improving their sex life exactly what my father told me before I got married.

Nothing.

Monday, April 12, 2010 | Labels: , , , , , | 10 Comments  

CNN video report on Hajj

Monday, March 8, 2010

Well, this video is not technically a CNN report. It was produced by Suroosh Alvi of VBS.TV, but CNN is hosting Part 1 (Part 2 is here). So it's close enough.

Anyways, a friend forwarded me this video report and I must admit my ambivalence towards the overall tone. It's really geared towards the regular man on the street. The narrator takes extreme liberty in describing this most sacred rite in Islam, at one point comparing the crowds performing tawaaf to a mosh pit, but so be it. Such are the times we live in.

At the same time, he seemed generally apologetic in presenting the Hajj rites to his non-Muslim audience. For example, I found it odd how he expressed his concern that the airplane scene where all the passengers were chanting the Talbiyya made them look like a bunch of terrorists. Also, why did he mention the Filipino stewardesses and how they wished they were anywhere else in the world?

And when describing Madina, he talked about the camels and malls and oh yeah, there's also this cool looking mosque called the Prophet's Mosque. Huh? Isn't that the ONLY reason for going to Madina? And what about that tiny little detail of our Prophet (saw) being buried there? No mention. The stopover in Madina was all about getting into some 'meditative state'.

And since I'm all about picking on my brother Suroosh, it would've been nice if he had mentioned that the Ka'bah was built by Prophet Abraham (as). After all, he is the patriarch for the three main monotheistic faiths.

Maybe I'm reading too much into the flow of his piece, but I simply didn't care for his vibe.

He seems to have taken the Orientalist approach of communicating the Hajj experience to the Western public. He (and by extension, his audience) represent the world of sanity and civility while the millions of heathen pilgrims fill the role of the unsophisticated 'Other'. Clamoring on bus rooftops, jostling for position in front of the Kaaba, sleeping on the streets of Mina - these are the bedraggled masses hopelessly littering the sacred grounds of Mecca.

In addition to his questionable tone, I wanted to also make some corrections:

1. He says that video recording is strictly prohibited in the sanctuary of Mecca and so he secretly recorded his video footage and smuggled it out. Sure, if you're walking around with a huge camera on your shoulder, like those used by cameramen working for broadcast networks. But tiny digital cameras have become so ubiquitous that the Saudi authorities basically turn a blind eye. That's what allowed me to record this and this. And I recorded both videos in the open without any need for sneaking the footage out of Mecca.

2. The fancy high-rise hotels that shocked and disappointed the narrator are NOT solely for the super rich. In fact, most of the guests staying in those hotels are regular folks who are staying there via discounted rates afforded by their Hajj/Umrah group. And even for the regular guest (like me), the average cost per night ranges from $120 to $150 for a double room, hardly the scope of the rich and famous.

3. And our video host makes another mistake when he claims that the super rich take those rooms in order 'to pray from the confines of their rooms', as if to avoid the dirty company of the masses found around the Holy Mosque. That may be said of the Royal Palace, reserved for Saudi royalty and visiting dignitaries, that overlooks the Haram, but the pilgrims staying in the surrounding hotels have come from all around the world for the sole purpose of standing in front of the Ka'bah. Not sure who he met that was praying from within his/her hotel room.

Near the end of the second part, he describes the scene of pilgrims lining the streets in their makeshift tents and plastic mats as apocalyptic. Sure, I guess it may come off as a bit dreary and morbid from the confines of an air-conditioned bus. But in reality, when one moves away from the five-star accommodations afforded to pilgrims coming from the West and walks the streets with the 'regular' pilgrim, one only senses joy and elation. Thankfully, both times I was blessed to make the Hajj, I was able to get a taste of the more simplistic Hajj and I would most definitely not describe it as apocalyptic.

Monday, March 08, 2010 | Labels: , , , | 8 Comments  

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