02.20.07
Posted in Current Events, Essay at 8:07 pm by Abbas
I recently interviewed Dr. Shahid Alam, the author of “Challenging the New Orientalism.” Here is an excerpt:
Q: After being featured on “Jihad Watch,” being blacklisted by David Horowitz and being accused of being “un-American” by Bill O’Reilly, what was your motivation for publishing the book knowing that you may be putting your academic career at risk?
A: My motivation is the same that I had in writing the essays. I wanted to bring some history and objectivity into the public discourse on relations between the West (including Israel) and the Islamicate world. That was a difficult goal. My essays were carried only on some left-leaning and Islamic websites in the US. I am hoping that publishing them in a book may help to bring my arguments a bit into the mainstream.
My essays have received some adverse attention – even hostile attention. But I have survived, with a few scars. And I am ready for a few more if this helps to advance a better understanding of the world we live in.
Visit Hot Coals for full interview - click here.
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02.15.07
Posted in Personal at 12:29 am by Abbas
Will be going to Pheonex for the masjid program there, inshaAllah on friday and then camping and hiking the Grand Canyon (18 or so miles - don’t ask how I will survive). Hence, I will not be updating ’till I reurn (Monday, inshaAllah).
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02.12.07
Posted in Personal at 1:14 am by Abbas
The great Muslim divide has has taken shape in the United States. There was an article (http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/us/04muslim.html&OQ=_rQ3D1Q26eiQ3D5059Q26enQ3D783e875fdbbd422fQ26exQ3D1171256400Q26partnerQ3DAOLQ26pagewantedQ3Dprint&OP=62eb560fQ2FD9ApDQ3CQ24Q2Az5Q24Q24ByDyZZQ2BDZyDZQ25DQ7CzDZQ25tQ7Cz4ltQ26JBt4) written by Neil MacFarquhar on the NY Times entitled Iraq’s Shadow Widens Sunni-Shiite Split in U.S., where he talks about the tension and discrimination primarily against the Shi’a Muslims. To a certain extend it is true. And to a degree its i true; I can speak for myself and others who face bigotry and intolerance from other Muslims from local masjids and organizations.
Nevertheless, the article has caused a reaction from the acclaimed Sunnipath.com website, an online Sunni academy. The director of the academy went as far as blogging about the article and publicy responded to it (http://blog.sunnipath.com/?p=13).
However, at the end of the day, I think it comes back to the individual. Yes, it’s very important for our establishments to recognize each other compassionately as brothers and sisters in Islam, but our institutions are essentially controlled by our communities and societies, so it ultimately goes hand in hand. We need to recognize the importance of tolerance and compassion as individuals and as established institutions. A very pleasing and satisfying response I read from a Sunni scholar on how to deal with each other was from Shaykh Faraz Rabbani of the Sunni Path Academy and I hope we all follow his advice.
I pray that this finds you well, and in the best of health and spirits. May Allah grant you all good and success in this life and the next.
Yes, there is absolutely nothing wrong with working with other Muslims whom one may have some differences with towards shared goals. Rather, this would be very much in the spirit of the sunna of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
At the same time, one must understand that the basis of unity and respect is accepting the reality that there are longstanding differences of opinion that cannot be ignored. Thus, “forced unity” where we try to somehow negate the existence of differences simply exacerbates old wounds. Rather, the way forward is to acknowledge that we differ; and to “work around” the differences rather than denying them.
And Allah alone gives success.
It goes in line to my article I wrote on Islamic Unity (http://thenlightenment.whatheblog.com/2006/05/17/islamic-unity-a-commandment-from-god/). We must also keep in mind, upholding Islamic Unity is not a preference, but an obligation.
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02.05.07
Posted in Personal at 3:32 pm by Abbas
InshaAllah, I will return in due-time with regular updates.
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01.21.07
Posted in Personal, Current Events at 6:03 pm by Abbas
The revolution of Husain (pbuh) was an Islamic movement spearheaded by one of the great leaders of Islam. The principles and laws of Islam demanded that Husain (pbuh) act to warn the Ummah of the evil situation which it was in, and to stand in the way of the deviating ruler. As Husain (pbuh) himself remarked when he left Madina for the last time,
“I am not rising (against Yazid) as an insolent or an arrogant person, or a mischief-monger or tyrant. I have risen (against Yazid) as I seek to reform the Ummah of my grandfather. I wish to bid the good and forbid the evil.”
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01.16.07
Posted in Personal at 5:17 pm by Abbas
a fractal is “a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be subdivided in parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced/size copy of the whole”
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01.12.07
Posted in Personal at 11:14 am by Abbas
Something really annoying is when I inform people of what I do (DNA analysis), and what field I work in (bioinformatics/biotechnology/bioengineering) and the first question they ask is, “Can you clone me?” or “So did you clone any people?” It was funny at first, but now its annoying, no offense. For your information we have better things to do than clone you! And you don’t only clone people, you can clone almost anything for anything. On a side note, there is a project, where they are asking for people that have at least a college education and professional degree to volunteer to get cloned.
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01.11.07
Posted in Personal at 7:54 pm by Abbas
I want the new Mac laptop so bad! The new MacBooks are amazing, I have the old one, I converted two years ago and I will never go back. Trust me. I read about the MacBook at least once every three days. Here are some specs:
* 3.3-inch glossy display
* 1.83GHz or 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* Up to 2GB memory
* Up to 200GB hard drive
* Apple Remote with Front Row
* Built-in iSight camera
My birthday is coming in March.. hint hint 
, I would love you forever.
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01.04.07
Posted in Current Events at 12:02 am by Abbas
Due to multiple requests, I thought I would comment on other people’s analysis and “love” for Saddam. It really hurts my heart to see people praising the likes of this man. I pray its due to ignorance and nothing else. I will try to address some of the points that were brought up, and inshaAllah try to explain it in a more rational manner.
When we look at an individual, we can look at the person’s good deeds or bad deeds, or both. I feel that the Shi’as have always concentrated on his bad deeds. And of course I may be accused of only concentrating on his good deeds.
I challenge all of us– Shi’as, Sunnis, Kurds, Americans, Arabs, etc.– to do our best to look at both sides of Saddam. It is completely detrimental to us all, especially the Muslims to ignore one side over another.
Both sides? If a man prays, yet steals that is an act of injustice towards the people and ultimately towards Allah(swt). And an act injustice, any type of injustice is hyprocricy. Now in the case of Saddam, he definately took part in some of the worse insjustices in the world. He butchered thousands of Shi’i in the south, and thousands of Sunnis in the north. He banned all popular religious rituals, and he forcibly named masjids under his name. He slaughtered hundreds of both Sunni and Shi’i clerics and scholars. He was a secular tyrant, who wanted to eradicate Islam from Iraq, because he knew Islam is much more powerful tool and way of life than everything and anything he represented and adovcated.
He stood for PALESTINE for PALESTINIANS for PALESTINIAN LAND for JERUSALEM. Just to give you an example, he helped the families of lost breadwinners and relatives. He would offer them thousands of dollars and even pay for their Umrah, Hajj, and/or education.
He stood for Palestine? If offering few thousand (actually around 3,000) to families in Palestine, makes you a champion of Palestinian rights, than the United States out-dues him significantly. We need to think rationally and un-biasly, inshaAllah. We all know it was and is a political move. He could care-less about the rights of the Palestinians. Sadly to say (or gladly to say), but the only government that does genuinely support the cause are non-arab.
Like any other leader would have done, Saddam began to see them as his enemy as well. I agree with him on that! However, he went overboard in many events that could have been avoided. The case he was tried for was of his killing of 182 Shi’as in Dujail villiage
Look at this logic. Collateral damage is haram in Islam. Collective punishment according the Qur’an and Sunnah is forbidden. Going overboard is an understatement. Killing children and women based on their religious affiliation is wrong. And labeling all Shi’a arabs as “Iranian Agents” is wrong. He certainly did send a message to all. That he does not care about the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters. He has no compassion for women and children. And no shame for allowing women to be raped and harassed.
Todays Iraqi gov’t is an illegitimate gov’t! The Sunnis boycotted the gov’t, it was implemented by the US and it is controlled by men and militias that are as evil as you can be (i.e. Muqtada).
Today’s government is as illegitimate as Saddam’s “government.” Both governments were installed by the United States. And both are puppets of the West. So, according to this person’s own arguement, everything Saddam did is now nullified, since he was an illegitimate leader. And do you have evidence that Muqtada al-Sadr, whom by the way supports the rights of Palestinians, and builds hospitals and schools, ordered anyone to take part in “evil” acts?
Saddam was not tried for his actions against the Sunnis (very rare crimes) nor his actions agaisnt the Kurds. He was only tried for his actions agaisnt Shi’as, the same people in charge of the Iraqi gov’t and court system.
Saddam was not tried for a lot of his atrocities, because he was only executed for his killings in Dujail. And I explained why earlier posts. This person has also fallen victim to the US strategy of “divide and conquer.” Its absurd to categorize Iraqis into “Sunni”, “Shi’a” and then “Kurds.” First of all Sunni and Shi’a is a religious denomination, while Kurd is a ethnical denomination. We are all forgetting that Kurds are mostly Sunni (approx. 90%). Hence, he killed thousands of Sunnis. Lets get the facts straight. He rarely committed crimes against “Sunni Iraqi Arabs.” I say Iraqi, because we all know how he treated the Sunni gulf arabs.
Saddam was not a leader, because he was installed by the United States. And then strenghtened by the United States and then further strengthened by the United States (UN Sanctions). And finally ultimately met his fate under occupation by the United States. An oppressor killed an oppressor. He was an illegitimate leader, who oppressed his own people. He tried to replace Islam with “Arabism.” May Allah unite and guide us all. Ameen.
“O you who believe, Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin; and whether it be against rich or poor… (4:135)”
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01.01.07
Posted in Personal, Current Events at 3:36 pm by Abbas
A few people showed concern about the motives and intentions behind my posting of the hanging. No one is enjoying his hanging. People are relieved and happy that an oppressor has met justice. Again, no one is celebrating his actual method of death. I personally feel at ease. He burned entire families alive in the southern and northen Iraq. He gassed his own people until suffocation and left their bodies to rot, so the vultures can feast on them. He persecuted and imprisoned anyone who even dream to practice any ritual/tradition that was affiliated with Shi’i. Over a 100 Shi’i and Kurdish scholars were martyed under his era. His demise is a time of relief and reflection. Actually, in my opinion, he actually should have gotten more for the atrocities he committed, but Allahu alim. And for those who say “…but he is a Muslim”, Yazeed (l) was also a “Muslim,” but he martyed and starved the Prophet’s family. Furthermore, Saddam never showed any signs of repetence or regret. As we all know the hypocrites in God’s eye are worse than the un-believer.
We are simply celebrating justice prevailing.
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12.29.06
Posted in Personal at 7:18 pm by Abbas
I attended the MSA-PSG Conference last weekend. I enjoyed my time there. It was well-attended and had some great content. The volunteers did a good job and there were a lot of nice speakers that addressed a plethora of issues and topics. I wish they had recorded the event, allowing the event to reach millions of people world-wide, but unfortunately, it was not (I don’t know why either?). Hotel and location was great, but the set-up and organization could have been better- at times it seemed dis-organized. Nevertheless, it was a good improvement from the previous years.
Two comments really struck me though. It made me realize things I never noticed before and gave me new insight. Brother Hassanain Rajabali was speaking on the infallibility of the Prophet (saww) and he alluded to those people that say the Prophet (saww) was only infallible when it came to revelation or Islam and fallible like a normal human in other aspects of his life. He made a great parable between that concept and the concept of church and state. He informed us how irrational, deceiving, and dangerous this position is to take. Separating the Prophet’s deeds and characer into church and state entails people to take advantage and claim something to unrelated to Islam, when in fact it is.
For example, the act of the Prophet (saww) visiting his mother’s grave on a regular basis under this notion of separation can be categorize into “church” or “state,” which leads to confusion and eventually ultimate deterioration of the Prophetic traditions, because now people can just pick and choose as they wish.
Another idea that struck me at the conferece was made by Imam Abdul Alim Musa. The panel was discussing culture and its effects in this country. He mentioned how we cannot ignore the African American communities, if we want to initiate major change in the US, because America’s youth culture revolves around standards and lifestyles pursued by the African American community. And he gave hiphop as a prime example.
Overall, the conference was a positive step. I met people that I haven’t seen in years, met people that claimed knew me (seemed like I saw everyone once before), met people for the first time, and met totally new people from all over the country. I guess if I “hung out” more I would have met more people, but oh well. May Allah make the next conference bigger and better, inshaAllah. Ameen.
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12.21.06
Posted in Personal at 12:00 pm by Abbas
I will be at the MSA(PSG) Conference (top notch speakers from academics to imams) this weekend in LA, so no updates ’till I come back. Then I will be heading to New York to visit family and friends 
.
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12.18.06
Posted in Poetry/Quote at 1:17 pm by Abbas
This hadith/story struck deep into my heart, alhamdulillah. It will put everything in perspective and give us the needed hope that we all desire and want. It is a very simple, but deep idea and I believe it all comes down to our level of imaan (faith) and our level of taqwa (God-consciousness).
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and the Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin.The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down; his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.
Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: “you have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t moved.” Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.
Satan said, “Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough.”
That’s what he planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. “Lord,” he said, “I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”
The Lord responded compassionately, “My Servant, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard.
Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that, which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done. Now I, my servant, will move the rock.”
At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just a simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves mountains.
Imam Ali (a): Your responsibility is not to reach your goals, but to try and endeavor (and to act upon your responsibility).
(source: Pearls of Wisdom 84)
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12.12.06
Posted in Current Events at 1:09 pm by Abbas
Something is happening in Lebanon. The Western Media has really shied away from covering it. This has been the biggest demonstration (much bigger than the “Cedar Revolution”) in Lebanon’s history.
In many ways, Hezbollah has adopted a strategy that has been cheered by the White House in the past, in places like Ukraine, and even Lebanon itself, leaning on large, peaceful crowds to force unpopular governments to resign and pave the way for elections. But this time Washington and its allies have said the protest amounts to a coup d’état, fueling charges that America supports democratic practices only when its allies are winning.
“Does Bush want national expression in Lebanon?” Sheik Qassem said to the crowd. “Does the West and Arabs want the voice of the people in Lebanon? Tell them, ‘Death to America.’ Tell them, ‘Death to Israel.’ Tell them, ‘Glory to a free Lebanon.’ ”
The economy has been brought to a stand-still with companies admitting the loss of millions. The streets are jam-packed. Almost half of the population of Lebanon (4 million) have been attending! People have been protesting peacefully for more than ten days that even the “Prime Minister” is shocked and surprised.
The pounding of martial music, the roaring din of the excited crowd floated up a nearby hill to pierce the thick walls of the stately government building, the Grand Serail, as Prime Minister Fouad Sinoria, entered a ceremonial room for a news conference. “I don’t understand what is this great cause that is making them create this tense political mess and stage open ended demonstrations,” he said to a small group of reporters.
People want change. And they want change now.
A banner that hung down the side of a building, showing a picture of the prime minister hugging Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “Thanks Condy,” it said just beneath another image of dead children, referring to Lebanese civilian casualties during Israel’s war with the militant Shiite group Hezbollah during the summer.
“There is no longer a place for America in Lebanon,” Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, said in remarks that boomed through loudspeakers.
This is the first time all of the Shi’a Muslims are under one banner (the biggest group in Lebanon). This is the first time where there is an alliance amongst the Shi’a, the largest Christain movement and Sunni Muslims (there are joint prayers being held all over Beirut). Here are some pictures from the rally (orange represents the “Free Patriotic Movement” the largest Christain party in Lebanon that is aligned with Hizbollah and the yellow represents Hizbollah, the largest political party in Lebanon).
source: Global Research, Michael Slackman
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