Categorization & Self-Isolation

If there wasn’t a theory there already about that, then here is one … conscious categorization of people into groups and names leads to self-isolation and further defragmentation of society.

Now, let's take that into action. Well.. I did last week!

Along with some friends, we had some intellect discussions that led to more "self-identification" and, for sure, other's alienation… It felt weird. We went on in streets practicing categorization of people.

"Hey, there is a Salafi there," "the sheikh we heard this morning was tableegh we daawah;" and the list went on … Strange enough, it went so far as to categorizing people through their voices! & that was awkward. "That man calling the prayer sounds like a Salafi, they have this style in Athan." At that point I realized that it was useful or even fun no more.

As the theory states, now, in a predominately Muslim country one can feel internal isolation as long as he/she is not present in between the small group he identified himself with. An Ikhwani, a "good genuine" one, would feel isolated in a community of religious fellow Muslims for the simple fact that they are "Salafis," for example, and vise versa. And the list goes on.

Out of the top of my mind I can name four Muslim Sunni groups in the community I live in. Each group would tell you why he thinks he is "the" right one and the other ones are totally out of the "right path."

Even more, following the same logic, one can isolated himself from the group he is in. You can hardly find two people that have the same taste or way of understanding.

Let Us Agree

Let us agree on one thing, Sunni Muslims no matter how different they are, they have that big common background that unites them. Consequences that would result from the categorization process, other than self-isolation, are massive and grave. Unity is strength … Muslims are already weak facing the foreign enemies, there is no need to further create more internal enemies.

Unity among Muslims isn’t that easy to talk about … I guess that is to be continued..

Annapolis Conference: Gloomy as it Seems!

The threat against Israeli has became internal no more, yet its survival will depend on the acceptance and relations with its neighbors. Time, circumstances, and other factors have helped shaping the current internal Palestinian division, where the most heard party is the one which denounced resistance and is willing to give in several used-to-be constants in the Palestinian cause. Marginalizing Hamas, including Syria in the talks, and making Saudi Arabia join in with senior representation — for the first time in the presence of Israel — the Annapolis conference will mostly result into one of two options.

First, the desired US "peace" which is full Israeli peace and normalization with its neighboring Arab countries — leaving Hamas and Hizbullah as the only "extremist" resistance. In such case, international support and Israeli strict security measures — as that currently imposed on Hamas and the 1.6 million Palestinians in Gaza — will act jointly to fight "terror". Consequently, virtual peace will be achieved, sure on the state levels and not "people's peace," and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be summarized by the declaration of an Abbas led Palestinian state in West Bank and Gaza with no rigid promises on the main points of Jerusalem, 1967 borders, or the refugees right of return.

Gloomy as it seems, the Palestinian resistance will be washed away and the Arab street support for the Palestinian rights will be repressed as it has always been. The only hope would then resides in a major change in the ruling regimes in the countries of the Middle East with other regimes democratically elected that would hopefully revive the call for a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and Jerusalem as its capital, as well as a solution for the Palestinian forced in refugee camps and diasporas.

The second expected output will be "devastating consequences," as the former National Security Adviser to President Jimmy Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski, describes it.

Episode #1: The "Religion" of Islam?

This is the first episode in a series that would be an attempt to understand the concept of the "Islamic State" ... Your comments will sure help be build more arguments :)

When one talks about an Islamic state, people ­­– especially in the west – tend to waffle! A religious rule! Wasn’t that the reason why world was in the dark ages? Wasn’t that why scientists were getting killed? & wasn’t that why people kicked religion out of their personal lives? … Well, I think Yes, but please know this:

Go through any English dictionary and type the word "religion", most results you will find that religion is referring to rituals and spirituality .. Which is true for Christianity.

However, he nearest word in Arabic to "religion" is "Deen" or "دين" which is not only rituals, spirituality, and prayers. Mohamed M. Yakoot tried to extract the meaning of Deen from Quran and Sunnah and the results were interesting.

In his article "Conceptualizing Deen .. Where to?" Yakoot concludes that Deen is a complex set of meanings. Deen mean creed; manners, prayers, and rituals; rule, judiciary, and government; means source and Shari'ah; obedience, love, and subordination to Allah; judgment and rewarding in the hereafter; Deen means to take up a promise with Allah to reach subordination and achieve succession.

So, saying that Islam is a "religion" would be unjust; in other words, equating Islam to Christianity would not be the best way to understand the former.

Once i was asked about the Palestine, how much was was the cause representing in my life; my answer was simple, yet important enough to turn my attention to a big fact. I said, Al-Aqsa is a holy Islamic site, we pray daily 5 times .. thus, we are in direct contact with our religion - or Deen in this case - which includes the sacred places every day.

Muslims do not practice religion, they live it. Islam would be a way of life rather than a priest a person would visit to cancel off his sins every week.

Thus, to rephrase, voices that are calling to "separate religion from state," i would perfectly agree with; and Deen is inseparable from state.

I'll leave you here for now...

To be Continued...

Changing the "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week"

The "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" was announced to be taking place in about 142 US campuses ... Now they are only 100.

The announced purpose of the week was fighting "global jihad and Islamic supremacism"

now it is fighting "the terrorist threat"

It seems that the counter-campaign was effective!

...hehe

-----

Details:

The campagin's description began as following:

"During the week of October 22-26, 2007, the nation will be rocked by the biggest conservative campus protest ever – Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week, a wake-up call for Americans on 200 university and college campuses."

Now:

"The Center will be conducting its week-long program on more than 100 college and university campuses throughout the nation to draw attention to a leading issue of our time, radical Islam and terrorism."

In the begining it was:

"The purpose of Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week is as simple as it is critical: to confront the two Big Lies of the political left: that George Bush created the 'war on terror' and that global warming is a greater danger to Americans than global jihad and Islamic supremacism," the Project says on its website.

Now:

"The purpose of this protest is as simple as it is crucial: to confront the two Big Lies of the political left: that George Bush created the war on terror and that Global Warming is a greater danger to Americans than the terrorist threat."

الحمد لله ...

... & thanks for all those who

helped in making this change

Playing The Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week

It has been hyping recently in media ! "The Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week"
As we say in Arabic: رُب ضرّةُ نافعة or something that may seem harmful can turn out to be actually beneficial!

I'll start the story from the beginning .. (in short as usual ;)

It all started like 5 month ago when David Harowitz (remember that name Well) decided to organize an "awareness week" to point at the "threat" that Islamo-Fascism has on the American people ... Now this notorious week is planned, organized, and already campaigned media wise. It will take place on Oct. 22 covering more than 140 of the top US universities; also hosting some REALLY notorious (from a Muslim point-of-view) guest speakers - one name would be Daniel Pipes.

OK, let's take it logical .. the Islamo-Fascism week would be perfectly achieving its goals if it had enough influence upon academia and students in those over 140 US influential top uni., correct? I mean if it was leaked outside it would be tracking criticism (as it is now) than support, which would surely ruin the whole campaign's objective.

A detailed guide of how to participate and take action in favor of such week was detailed on the campaign's website .... Clock was ticking and everything seemed as great as it is planned to be.

Now, Adam Kokesh (another name to remember) and six other friends of George Washington University realized all that ... (sure, Muslims were expected to do that first !! Yet, Adam's team did).

I would say that Adam is honest about his intentions, I know him personally i mean. We met somewhere in California 2 years ago and chatted for sometime.

Adam's team saw such Islamo-Fascism campaign - of David Horowitz - as racial, defamatory, and discriminatorily against Muslims and Islam .. So the team did what Horowitz wasn't ready for, he publicized the campaign in the "proper" way it should be .. hehe

Adam & the six others went to their home university of GW and went all around campus postering an Anti-Islamo-Fascism campaign poster.

Provocative, instigative as it is, the poster stated: "HATE MUSLIMS? SO DO WE!!!"

Adam saw that a media hype about the campaign would draw its failure .. & it is working!
The poster is dragging a mounting media debate about the upcoming event ..Muslim organizations are currently putting more efforts to counter the event.

However, Adam's poster was misunderstood to be advertising for the Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week ... maybe now the story is becoming more clear to media after Adam's team letter to their university that clarified their intentions.

"Brought to you by Students for Conservativo-Fascism Awareness

PS Seriously, do a google video search for 'The Power of Nightmares'"

Actually, Adam in this poster is trying to be sarcastic of the event, and by pointing at the "Power of Nightmares" video one would get deeper understanding of some of Horowitz' real intentions behind the campaign.

Now, that poster not being the real advertising poster for the campaign, then which one is .. ! Here comes the sarcasm. Horowitz' campaign is using a poster taken out of a Dutch film !!

IslamOnline.net reported, "the campaign's main poster was said to show a Muslim teenage girl being buried before being stoned to death. It later proved to have been from a 1994 Dutch film."

Next blog post, GOOD News !

..... Stay Tuned

Egypt, Iran, & the US

This a quick thought, intended not to be elaborative ... What is the secret behind the recent rising Egyptian-Iranian relations; weren’t these relations cut since the 1979 revolution? Wasn't Egypt adopting almost the US anti-Iranian stance since then?.. why is it now that the Egyptian government mobilizing on the social and official levels towards melting the long standing ice between the pro-US Egypt and the Islamic anti-US Republic of Iran?

Two days ago, in a mosque that seems to be government monitored, an Egyptian Sheikh went on a public speech to say that the Iranian nuclear program is not that bad; Actually, i believe i heard him saying that Egypt should get one too! Sure, it was mentioned in a religious context.

On Sep 18, 2007, Reuters reported: "Egypt and Iran held rare talks at senior official level in Cairo on Tuesday and Egypt said dialogue would continue on restoring full diplomatic relations, broken off after the Iranian revolution in 1979."

Now, social and official levels, why? & this time?

For several reasons, Egypt has been increasingly pressured on several issues recently by the US, tension somehow is gradually rising, yet surface is still static.

The Egyptian-Iranian relations are played by the Cairo government as a card that would make the US use more carrots than sticks with Egypt. Mubarak's regime is playing it in the classic Cold-War-style.

Until now, Washington doesn't seem to take Mubarak seriously ... Maybe Bush is thinking of solving it the other way round through dealing with Iran first, which would automatically solve many regional US problems, including that of the Egyptian regime. However, Egypt can't play this game for long; Egypt has more interests with the US after all.

For now, I would keep watching ... Intensive diplomatic moves are expected to be done soon, stay tuned!

Like Equity Among Four Wives!

This might be a bit strange .. but, i was thinking today about something: if, maybe it will happen someday i dunno, i became the president of some small state, Island, or even village anywhere in this world; can i ever rule justly?

With all those words of criticism we hear all over the place against the unjust, brutal, and corrupt rulers especially in the Middle East region, the question remains: is it easy to turn to a just upright ruler over the night? Practically, i see it now as like trying to treat your four wives fairly.

The main problem is that it is not that man in power we chant against who holds the keys for everything at hand. He just cant simply press the bottom and switch off corruption, or issue a decree that turn his government fair ... Nor can he order a "free and fair" elections through which everything will be all great and fine.

Systems are complex and corruption when gets in like cancer systems become even more stronger; ruling elites and interest seekers form spider-net like relations that the single ruler might have absolutely no say against.

Let's take it more to its base & defragment things... State is government and subjects, subjects are society, society is families, family is individuals. If the individual doesn't have this thing inside that teaches him what is right and what is wrong, then our building unit is questionable.

Simply look at the US for example. It is claimed that it is the most advanced modern democratic system in the world. Basically, Americans depend on the system to make the ruler and government fair and just, not the individual. Remember: US is secular, which means that religion (the thing inside that teaches him what is right and what is wrong) is separated from the state system. Now, see what is happening in Iraq and just read about the appearing every now and then US corruption scandals (Oil exploitation, BlackWater, US $ billions disappearing in Iraq). If I were to take president Bush as model to follow to become a just ruler, then just give me few decades to push my village to the US modernity level and then I and everyone would become again the notorious Mr. Bush.

That would make me say, currently if I were to sit in the ruler's chair of one of the corrupt Middle East states I, and almost everyone, would not succeed in drawing the Islamic utopian system on the short term.

Change should go bottom up ... individual, family, society and then state.

So for now I would better look for the four wives and see what kind of just man am I!

The Sordid Proxy War

$30 Billion to Israel, 13 to Egypt, and 20 to Saudi Arabia and Gulf states ... a pretty big sum of money for the US to offer at one time. What makes it an extremely crucial deal is the factor of time, sum, and the attached agenda.

Iran is roaring out of the US control, Bush feel and is week in Iraq and the ME, and the US allies seems to be slipping away from their Uncle Sam friend.

For sometime Bush has been using diplomacy to deal with the Iranian nuclear program, aka using the Rice approach; seemingly diplomacy yielded out ineffective, Bush is turning to the Cheney approach. The Guardian reported that Bush has debated the military choice in dealing with Iran and eventually "the balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favor of military action."

"Cheney has limited capital left, but if he wanted to use all his capital on this one issue, he could still have an impact," said Patrick Cronin, the director of studies at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Apparently, Cheney played all his capital and managed to mobilize the White House towards a more-than-diplomatic action against Iran. However, the US current situation in Iraq doesn't allow it to argue for any kind of further direct military action in the region. Thus, the old game of Uncle Sam has to be played, proxy wars as Ramzy Baroud calls it.

Factors for Success

For such kind of strategy, factors of success is an enemy, with power, and and incentive for conflict to happen. In other words, Iran has to be having an active competitive enemy in the Middle East.

The Gulf states is one. Yet, how much is it militarily capable of confronting the almost nuclear Iranian rival? Size of states and military capabilities of the Gulf states collected would not present a viable threat to Iran. Hence, the enemy factor is satisfied, yet the power is not.
At this point, the US needed to attach some kind of power for the Gulf states to be able to stand for the US against Iran.

The Rice and Gates visit perfectly fits in. Time-wise and agenda-wise arming the Gulf states with assistance support is the only apparent way out for the US administration to bring the Iranian power expansion to an end.

$13 billion to Egypt and $20 billion to Saudi Arabia and Gulf states - as reported by Reuters - made the joint statement of the eight Arab states in the Foreign Minister's meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Egypt, Jordan, and the United States in Sharm El-Sheikh on the 31st of July state: "The participants expressed their steadfast support to any Gulf states in facing external threats to its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Now, Gulf states do have power, enmity is already there with Iran, yet an incentive of conflict is awaited.

The US administration is not too naive to put its oil interests in the Gulf under the Iranian threat, one would argue. However, that would be the same exact point the US would need to back the Gulf up with arms and supporters. It would be a new card the US can use against Iran in any future expected negotiations.

RAND, I Found Your "Moderate"!

In the "Building Moderate Muslim Networks" post i said that the RAND report is trying to manipulate the concept of Moderate Muslim to make it fit the US interests, and i thought that would practically be unachievable for some simple reasons. The main one, is that awareness about Islam's own nature would protect many Muslims from falling in to the "Moderate" trap.

However, this weekend i was turned down!

I spent like 3 days with a friend of mine, the guy is great as well as his Sufi father !!

What i liked about his father is that he prayed on time and kept his daily recitation of Quran without delay; i liked that in him, for me he is a good Muslim (while not considering anything else)

We had some chat about Sufism and how somethings contradict the basics of regular Sunni Islam .. One time he told me: Our Shiekh says, I am free from (not related by anymeans to) this man who do one of these three things: leave his daily recitation (doxology), disobey his parents, or participate in politics!

And now, I knew that RAND might come true one day ... his Shiekh orders then not to get near politics by anymeans, well let magic do things then!!

A Referee With No ID

Every time I mess up, yet every time I go thinking that I will do better this time! That’s me and soccer.

I admit I don’t have the skill, when the ball hit my leg I don’t keep it much; a sec. or little more and you can find it whirling out of control to no where or maybe near the goal (by luck sure).

Anyway, I believe my problem is that I don’t look around before kicking the ball … I decided that I might do better the next time though … heheheee

That wasn’t what I wanted to say! … mmm, ah … between matches while I was resting a bit, there in the court next to us occurred a fight, it was load and players came ReaLLy angry.

I didn’t get the reason why they were fighting, yet the only thing significant was the referee they had, he was amazing! Really amazing … he simply left them fighting and stood at the side of the court and seemed shy or weak! What came to my mind at the time was the words of Ibn Taymiyyah .. Yeah, it was as if tailored to fit the situation.

He once said, headship has to include both strength and straightness (honesty) .. both has to come in a leader to be successful .. Apparently, this referee did lack strength for honesty; thus, he was weak in the match and the whole match became a fight and a mess.

Ibn Taymiyyah goes on to explain; when there you can’t find a leader who has both virtues ­– strength and honesty – you should be choosing that who has strength only rather than the one having honesty alone. “The dishonest strong one, his strength will be for Muslims and his dishonesty will reflect on himself; yet, the honest weak person, his honesty will benefit himself and his weakness will effect all Muslims ...” says Ibn Taymiyyah.

Our match went well though, if it wasn’t for my whirling shoots …hehe
Still, I hope the next time I concentrate and play better – not with the same team for sure, they already know about my skills ! lol

Building Moderate Muslim Networks

My first impression was WOW! ... How can a cooperation of any magnitude have the guts to set the standards of how people shall act ..

Offensive, Uncalculated, & maybe stupid is the RAND released report entitled "Building Moderate Muslim Networks"

In a nutshell, the report picked up the tasks of categorizing Muslims to good and bad ones.
Surprise surprise! if you pray five time a day and wish to live under the rule of your own religion -- Islam in this case -- you are an extremist.

If you reject being ruled by a non-Muslim .. Watch out you are an extremist!

and much more ...

Religion is one thing (better to keep it private) and life is another thing ... and like to gave a blind eye to the nature of Islam and the day-to-day life-Islam mixed lives of more than the quarter of the world population.

Anyway .. that was not my point to highlight the report per say ... What I really respected is the reaction in the Muslim world.

My friend told me that Islamic scholars are very much appreciating the quick response in the Muslim world to the "Moderate Muslims" report .. All to be thanked, some people stood firmly against the report through articles and discussions.

What i really adored though was an article that didn't stop at what most defenders stopped at .. the author did not defend Muslims or Islam against the lies of the report, yet he attacked back ...

"Building Moderate American Networks" just said .. well, my report is simply asking you to apply your own constitution, be "moderate" and enough for extremism
He attacked the RAND with its own weapons .. How can RAND ever deny its loyalty to the US constitution .. Thus, Dear RAND you are the extremist not the one who calls for Islamic rule, ahh and check your constitution to know more!

I like that so much .. attacking back is a way for defending ones beliefs ... Maybe for being quite so long, Muslims are thought of being weak .. I believe NO! Islam in itself is more powerful than any written constitution or man made creed now on earth, yet Muslims are not using their own weapons ..

I will leave you here .. this was a lengthy entry, dont get used to that ..
Ahhh, please i need your comments
Salam for now

My First Post!

In the name of Allah most merciful

My FiRsT PoSt!

Well, yes! after some time thinking ... i reached the conclusion I have to post and think out loud !
I need to get the opinions of new people & to hear new voices

Inshaa' Allah i hope this blog will do benefit to all those who will read it in the same way that it will be benefiting me

One main aim i have behind such space is to try reaching solutions for some problems Muslims apparently have .. to dive into the tangling problems and figure the way out.
The nature of the blog will become more and more clear by time .. WaIt aNd YoU wIlL sEe!