The Manrilla Blog | Life. Art. Religion. Culture.

I’ve been steadily making my way through my summer reading that I’ve set out for myself. One of the titles, A History of Islamic Societies, by Ira M. Lapidus, as a sort of encyclopedic body of work that covers various Muslim societies through a historical frame work. In addition to Islamic Societies, I have also been reading several essays of Professor Lapidus that have been published in various academic journals. While not as a direct read, I do recommend his book as I is a great resource book for those who would like to have a firmer historical foundation on the many different Muslim societies and how they have been born out of one another. Professor Lapidus’ scholarship is exquisite and I recommend it highly. For those who are unfamiliar, Professor Lapidus, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California, Berkley. In addition to his book, here’s a link to a very informative lecture of Professor Lapidus at Berkley, hosted by Harry Kreisler. Professor Lapidus gives a very interesting insight into the various reasons why different Muslim women wear hijab as well as given a very broad, pluralistic description of the various Muslim societies, always reminding the viewer that Islam is a very grand, broad entity.

Direct link here [RealOne Player required]. Page link here.

If there is one primary characteristic that Modernity spells out to me, it is in the way in which certain schools of thought or groups of people, who deemed antagonistic or undesirable, are cast, part and parcel, as barbaric and backwards. The underlined point in this type of casting is that the target group has always been so. Modernity, in all of its technological advancements, falls short in analytical thinking. Islam, as an example, a highly sophisticated entity [no different than any other religious tradition] is reduced to simple barbarism [as if it has always been so]. Ironically, many Muslims have fallen pray to this line of thinking as well. Recently, I was reflecting on the user of the word, kafir, and how it is used and understood now, in this Modern context, and then how it was used and understood in contexts prior. And while I do not subscribe to the apologists’ theory that the word some how does not have any application for Modern Muslims, I do think there is a sincere and important need to revisit the history of this word in the Muslim tradition. Sample if you will, as articulated by Dr. Sherman Jackson:

“Premodern and even early modern jurists spoke quite casually of the “non-Muslim wife” [al-zawjah al-kafirah], the “non-Muslim mother” [al-umm al-kafirah], and “non-Muslim parents” [al-walidan al-kafiran] as human beings worthy of respect as such. For example, in Bulgat al-salik li agrab al-masalik ila madhhab al-imam Malik 2 vols. [Cairo: Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi, n.d.] [an authritative Maliki text still used on the graduate level at al-Azhar seminary today], after indicating that a Muslim must be good to his parents regardless of their religion, al-Dardir [d. 1201/1786] writes, “and he should guide the blind parent, even if he or she is a kafir, to church, and deliver him or her thereto and provide him or her with money to spend during their holidays” [2: 523]. Also, the Maliki and Hanafi schools unanimously agreed that a non-Muslim mother [umm kafirah] had a primary right to custody of her Muslim children in cases of divorce from a Muslim husband, assuming that she would not attempt to steer the children away from Islam. […] It should be noted that the Maliki school bore the brunt of the atrocities inflicted by the Christians upon their expulsion of the Muslims from Spain and Sicily and the Hanafi school bore the brunt of the Mongol invasions. Still, these views on the non-Muslim relatives remain standard in the Maliki and Hanafi schools right down to the present day.

Essentially, in the Modern context, both used by Muslims and understood by non-Muslims, kafir has come to no longer be a religious term for those who are outside the belief-fold of Islam but rather a subset of humanity, unworthy of respect, completely devoid of value. In the Modern context, the kafir is someone who is rejected, not on moral or religious grounds, but some deeper, innate characteristic that is wholly incompatible with Islam. Sadly, this philosophy was common in much of the rejectionist rhetoric I heard as a young Muslim in the Blackamerican community as well as the need-to-dominate propaganda I head from immigrant Muslims. This is completely inconsistent with the view of many of the jurists and great personalities from Islam’s past that Modern Muslims evoke! When one examines this, the [hostile and unfortunate] nature of relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims becomes more clear. Does this mean that the word kafir has no place in Islam today? I would argue it certainly does have a place but it should have nothing to due with placing or determining “human value”. Instead, as it has been understood in times past, it is merely a demarcation, signifying someone who is outside the religious fold of Islam. And as in a recent conversation with a non-Muslim, who stated, “this is the problem with Islam”, in that as long as Muslims see the world in a Muslim/non-Muslim dichotomy, then we will inevitably have this issue. My rebuttal to her was to quite frankly, “grow up”. There is no reason why I should be forced to not recognize those who are outside of my religious fold whilst still keeping good relationships with them. To claim that I have to make up my mind, to either jettison the word [and join the rest of the “reformist” Muslims who would just as soon sell the religion for a chance to gain the approving nod of the dominant culture] or use the word in its current state, dehumanizing all those who fall outside the classification as Muslims, is erroneous and childish. Life is not a true or false exam - I will make my own choices and operate by my own rationals, thank you very much. In truth, this classification, kafir, would apply in my case with many members of my family and even friends - it is no way a classification of their worth as human beings.

And God knows best.

If Islam failed to find a mooring to ground itself in this version of Modernity or Post-Modernity, the phenomenon of 9/11 certainly has done so for it. The offshoot from this grounding has been the creation of a new class of “intellectuals” and pundits, all claiming from various angles to be experts on Islam. The dominate culture and media engine then picks and chooses its star players like selecting sides at a salad bar. The preferred choices seem to rank with “Progressive Muslims”, liberal Muslims, and the great crowd pleaser, the Apostates. Interestingly enough, these three groups share some interesting characteristics, primarily, that many do not “practice” Islam [it is instead a social club or cultural experience] and are often detached and aloof from the very communities they either berate or in some form of pity, attempt to “reform”.

The other day, I was sent a link from a popular Muslim critic and “reformer”, Ali Eteraz, informing me he had written a piece on Noam Chomsky and the linguist’s lack of sufficient dissent. I am familiar with Ali and have been in correspondence with him, off and on, over the past couple of years. So in the spirit of his article and critique of Noam and “those who invoke him”, I too shall offer a reprisal of Ali’s post and offer some insights as well as possible alternatives. Read more this entry »

Please tune in every Saturday from 5pm until 6pm(EST) on WURD, 900AM. Also available on the Internet at www.900amwurd.com. Join our hosts: Nafis Bouie, Alia Walker and Shuaiyb Newton as we discuss the issues and views that define our unique experience in America. “Living Islam!” - Philadelphia’s only live Islamic talk radio program.

Call in and be part of the show! In Philadelphia: 215-634-8065 & toll free: 866-361-0900.

A presentation of The International Muslim Brotherhood Masjid, located at 4641 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131. For more information please contact Abdul-Kareem Salahuddin at 215-990-9242 or via email: ak.salaahuddin@imbrotherhood.org.

If there is one word that comes to mind in regards to the America Muslim condition, it’s synthesize. We have for us a couple of different definitions:

To form (a material or abstract entity) by combining parts or elements.
To combine (constituent elements) into a single or unified entity.

The combining parts are the various cultures and histories that Muslims either bring with them here or more significantly, the history they and their ancestors have already lived out on this soil. To detach wholly from one’s history is impractical, detrimental and perhaps not entirely possible. Instead, an amalgamation should be sought that will both validate the new found religious and spiritual teachings while grounded not only in the realities of one’s past, but most importantly in one’s present. Read more this entry »

I suppose I should preface my post here by stating that I am, first and foremost, still alive. I have dropped off the radar for a bit due to heavy school and work obligations. But rest assured, I am still here and have not been idle. I am working on a new series of photographs entitled Philadelphian: The Low-Fi Shots Series (series info here), with a focus on city life and public transportation. The two themes interweave, showing what it’s like to travel around in a city like Philadelphia. It’s also an exploration into the technology of photography. Some may take that to mean mega pixels and CF cards, which it could. Rather, my intention is to explore the limitations (if any) and the nature of photographing with what I term a “low-fi” technology: my cell phone camera. By using a small camera like my LG-V (9800), I am able to artistically crawl into tighter spaces, producing images that are both intrusive, candid and emotionally revealing. But the purpose of this post isn’t to talk about the new body of work per se, but rather the role of technology, not just in photography but other aspects of modern life as well. Read more this entry »

Felt a bit political today [so…. tongue in cheek]. Thought this might be appropriate.

Another reaction paper from school. Part 1. Enjoy.

Aslan’s No god impresses upon one the immediacy of Makkah being a significant place of trade. Even in modern times, the word mecca is synonymous with an important place of gathering. Quraysh had carved themselves an important niche as the Keepers of the Keys to the Ka’bah. And yet Aslan also recognizes the questions of whether or not Makkah’s notoriety is legitimate. Most of the objections raised to this base their finds on the lack of non-Arab research. I have found it an interesting fact that many of the academics that Aslan sites, who have objections to certain facts about Islam, seem to be solely concerned with empirical, historical evidence. My question for them would be if there can be no significant evidence corroborated by non-Arab sources does this provide grounds for dismissing their proofs as false? I have found Patricia Crone’s work to be especially disturbing and myopic. Read more this entry »