A brief tour of gaslighting. A thing happens, something is said or done. A person is told it did not happen, or that it did not happen the way she thinks it did. This telling can come from individuals, as well as groups, and is a means of seizing and maintaining power. (One can indeed be gaslit into believing gaslighting is not happening.) She knows what she saw and/or heard. She is again told that that is not what happened.... Read more
In 1913, Abdullah Cevdet, a prominent Ottoman materialist and science popularizer, wrote an essay in his controversial magazine İctihad, in response to the arrest of three teachers for teaching Darwinian evolution in a Turkish city. “Any country” Cevdet warned, “where commenting on the laws of evolution or speaking about Darwinism is perceived to be blasphemous has not emerged from the Middle Ages. And [those belonging to] the Middle Ages have no right to exist in the twentieth century.” For secular... Read more
By Ibrahim Hooper The horrific anti-Semitic attack on the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in Pittsburgh, which resulted in the loss of 11 precious lives, was the devastating yet inevitable consequence of the daily mainstreaming of racism, white supremacy, anti-Semitism, anti-immigrant hate and Islamophobia by President Donald Trump and an extremist minority of his followers. Trump began his campaign for the White House by attacking Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and continues that racist line of attack to this day with... Read more
So, does sharia advocate for American Muslims to try to enact Muslim rules of behavior as the law of the land? Are we supposed to be pushing for a national ban on alcohol, for example, or to require attendance at Friday prayers? The answer is no, but to understand why, we need a little Sharia 101. Read more
Editorial Note: TRIGGER WARNING – This article contains explicit stories of sexual assault and trauma. This is part two of a two-part series on rape culture and sexual abuse within Muslim communities and will focus on other arguments used to blame victims as well as examining these arguments from the Islamic standpoint. Part one debunks common false statements often given to excuse or ignore sexual abuse and trauma. Also, the terms “victim” and “survivor” are both used in this piece... Read more
Islam as it developed up to this point, especially the one promoted by wealthy Arabs is a highly legalistic institution where many Muslims tend to ask so-called religious scholars if something is halal (allowed) or haram (forbidden). A philosophy of anti-enjoyment of life is prevalent among many, believing that any enjoyment here on earth is questionable and true pleasure will be enjoyed only during the next life, where all that is forbidden here is allowed there[1]. This fatalistic, self-defeating culture... Read more
For Muslims, Makkah, where the Ka’ba is located, is the epicenter of their faith and Madinah, home of the Prophet’s mosque, their sanctuary for spiritual bliss. These two cities happen to be in Saudi Arabia, which is once again in the news for the most chilling of reasons, presenting Muslims with a difficult decision to make. Last week, we learned that the country likely killed one of its own citizens, in cold blood, inside its own consulate, in a foreign... Read more
Editorial Note: TRIGGER WARNING – This article contains explicit stories of sexual assault and trauma. This is part one of a two-part series on rape culture and sexual abuse within Muslim communities. Part one debunks common false statements often given to excuse or ignore sexual abuse and trauma. Part two of this series, coming next week, will look at other arguments used to blame victims, and the author will examine them from the Islamic standpoint. Also, the terms “victim” and “survivor”... Read more
I was headed to a class on public transport in Cairo, Egypt when I heard the sound of something slamming into a wall. When I turned to my right, I saw a woman attempting to pick up her phone from the floor. A man towered over her and was yelling. When she finally found it, she lifted it to begin dialing a number when he slapped it out of her hand and slammed her back to the floor. I was... Read more
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Mawlid 2018: Praise Songs from Around the World
“For he is a human being, but not like human beings, as a ruby is a stone, but not like other stones”* To mark the occasion of the Mawlid, Muslims worldwide celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad, PBUH. People come together to not only sing his praises, but to know his character, learn from his wisdom, and pray for blessings upon him and his community. As the last Messenger of God, he is a mercy to humanity. In this time... Read more