Republican Playbook?

I have had the extreme displeasure to decide to visit my parents on the nights of the last two presidential debates as well as the vice-presidential one. What happens is that I am driving home from somewhere or other and don't feel like going home just yet so I keep on going a little further and stop by my parents' house--where my brother and his fiance are also staying. But since my own political views sharply diverge from those of my family, if I don't keep my mouth shut it's likely the event can turn downright hostile.

If it were up to me, I wouldn't deliberately watch the debates. First of all I don't have a TV, and second of all the rhetoric is useless to me in forming an intelligent opinion about either candidate. The debates to me serve merely as an exercise to see if I can determine what the candidate is not saying, since what he actually says is little more than banal talking points about something at best tangential to the questions he is asked.

But I do appreciate listening to the kind of analysis I might hear on the Diane Rehm show, for example. And yesterday I heard something really interesting that I just thought I'd share. The guest explained three basic tactics of Republican campaigning that have succeeded in getting them elected over the last 25-30 years.

(1) Tax increases on anyone mean that you (dear voter) will be paying higher taxes. If you listen to a lot of campaign rhetoric from Republicans, you will hear this either directly or indirectly. Even if the Democrat is only describing a tax hike on the super-super rich, the Republican will try to make it sound as though every single American will also feel the brunt of increased taxes. I think this tactic is in fact rather dishonest.

(2) The Government's Budget deficit is due to wasteful discretionary spending on small public service programs. Basically what you hear in this case is the candidate saying that the Democrat's choice to support a museum or local park or something like that is breaking the bank. Republicans traditionally favored small government and balanced budgets (I think? maybe in a world before W.?) so saying that the Democrats are to blame for the out of control spending because of supporting museums and science grants is an attempt to win votes, clearly. But I don't think it's really true--President Bush has tremendously increased the national debt but I really think that it's the major campaigns which are responsible... like the war, for example. But if Republicans are truly worried about a budget deficit, then they will need to cut back spending (cutting small programs won't be enough, they will have to cut big ones, and that means defense as well!) and also increase their income.

(3) Democrats only get elected by voter fraud. I guess this is a claim Republicans make--that scandals in voter registration, busing fake voters around to different districts under false names, are the only way Democrats get in to office. I guess conservative Americans view "liberals" as being immoral and deceitful, while they would never even consider such dishonesty in politics. Whatever. Can't we see now how district attorneys have actually lost their jobs for admitting that there in fact isn't this grand voter fraud scheme? I feel like Republican candidates are almost urging their voters to resort to treachery in response to this threat of voter fraud.

So I thought about calling this post "Lies Republicans Tell to Get Elected," but I didn't think it was fair to suggest all Republicans are liars (as if Democrats were a bastion of honesty or something.) I just thought it was an interesting point I heard on the radio, and wanted to share.

What is the Purpose of the Sunnah?

This morning I received an interesting question, one that I think might actually be somewhat common among people who are learning about Islam, either to convert or after converting. And it comes up because of the person's background and previous understanding of religion.

The essence of the question, which asks for the purpose of the hadith or the sunnah, reveals the impression of the person asking that they might be like the rulings or dogma of the Catholic church, and correspond to catholic life and behavior. So the questioner wants to understand the differences in the Hadith/Sunnah in Muslim tradition to dogmas/rulings in the Catholic tradition.

What might not be obvious is the tacit impression of the Qur'an in relation to the Bible. Because what the above question assumes is that the Qur'an is actually like the Bible, and therefore Islamic teachings outside of the Qur'an (namely Sunnah) are analagous to extra-Biblical literature.

But in fact, there is absolutely no equivalent to the Qur'an in Christianity. The statement that the Qur'an is the 'Muslim Bible' or something similar is inherently flawed and misleading. Unfortunately I frequently hear Muslims make this incorrect comparison when speaking to Christians (or worse, to other Muslims, permitting the propagation of this misunderstanding.) There might be a temptation to describe the Qur'an like the Bible because Muslims do believe in previous revealed scriptures--the Torah, and the Gospel, for example. And Christians and Jews are called 'People of the Book,' while 'Bible' means 'Book.' But you might be wondering what the problem is with likening the Qur'an to the Christian Bible, so allow me to explain.

The Bible is a collection of texts, spanning centuries, some of which can claim divine inspiration, and some of which cannot. It is not a single revelation like the Qur'an which has been preserved in its entirety as one complete volume. Rather, it consists of two major pieces, the "Old Testament" and the "New Testament,", the development of each taking centuries without any proof or determination to distinguish actual revelation from mere storytelling. The Bible includes, for example, the Torah, but the two terms are not interchangeable. Loosely, we can understand the Torah to be the first five books of the Bible, namely Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, sometimes called the Books of Moses (p). (Can you imagine why?) The remainder of the Old Testament includes other books like the Psalms, and texts known as "Prophets" and "Writings." All these varieties of literature comprise the Old Testament, which was considered to be a single collection during the life of Jesus. Today the same collection of texts is sometimes called the "Jewish Bible." While it includes the Torah, it also includes many other texts and so cannot be equivalently referred to as the Torah.

The second major piece of the Bible is the "New Testament." Some Muslims also make the mistake of referring to the entire New Testament as the Gospel, or the Injeel (a term in the Qur'an meaning Gospel), but once again, the New Testament is also a collection of texts--and not revelation to Jesus (p). In fact, it is simply books written about him, or about or part of the movement after him (which might not even fall under the category of what we know today as Christianity.) Regardless of that point, the New Testament books were all written after Jesus's ascendancy--decades, even centuries (according to some opinions) afterwards, and are not at all revealed, though in general Christians might consider them all to be "inspired" by what they call the "Holy Spirit."

The Qur'an however is a single volume, comprehensively revealed to Muhammad (saws) through the angel Gabriel, who Muslims call the Holy Spirit. And during its revelation which took place during the life of Muhammad, he and his Companions collected it by memory and in writing to preserve entirely. It is, in fact, the Speech of the Almighty--verbatim, revealed through Gabriel to Muhammad (saws.) It is not the words of any human being, or the interpretation of God's words by any human being. So primarily, the nature of the Qur'an is what distinguishes it from the Bible.

Now, the question at hand was not about the differences between the Bible and the Qur'an, however I think that a proper understanding of that distinction is necessary to properly understand the answer which is to follow.

Because the Qur'an is unique even among religious scripture, the proper analogy of the Sunnah should become more profound. Rather than appearing like extra-Biblical literature written after the time of Jesus (p), the Sunnah is more like actual texts in the Bible, which endeavour to describe and explain the teachings of Jesus.

That's right, I said that the Qur'an is unique, and the Sunnah (or Hadith) is kind of like the Bible--specifically like the Gospels of the New Testament.

Why? Because the Sunnah, the Hadith, these are the teachings of Muhammad (saws)--the things he said, the things he did, and what was done in his presence while he approved. And are you thinking, but the Qur'an is the teachings of Muhammad (saws)? Remember what I said before, that the Qur'an is unique in its nature in that it is the Speech of Allaah, His words exactly, perfect and precise. Not the words of Muhammad (saws). But Muhammad (saws) did not utter only the Qur'an. He did not hide in his house and emerge only to recite the revelation which Allah had bestowed on him--he taught his Companions by interacting with them, by sitting with them and talking to them, and traveling with them. His actions were a source of teaching them as well as his words. And that is the Sunnah! After his death (saws), his companions continued to transmit his teachings, his own words, in addition to the Qur'an, although separate from the Qur'an.

And for this reason it's better to understand the Sunnah as his teachings rather than as a book or a collection of narrations, even though we can only understand the Sunnah this way because that is how our scholars have transmitted and verified the sayings which have been attributed to Muhammad (saws).

So after establishing that the Qur'an is unique, the verbatim speech of Allaah revealed through Gabriel to Muhammad (saws), we say that the Sunnah is the teachings of Muhammad (saws) in his words and actions, as witnessed by his Companions, and transmitted to us through their narrations. And what is the purpose of the Sunnah? What is the purpose of the lessons which Muhammad (saws) taught his companions?

The purpose is to teach us Islam, to teach us how to implement Islam in our lives, and to teach us how to understand the Divine Guidance and Remembrance, the Qur'an. It is to permit us to follow the divine injunction in the Qur'an to "obey the Messenger." Because Muhammad (saws) was not sent as a prophet to his companions only or to Arabs only, but he was sent as a mercy to all the worlds, as a messenger for all of mankind.

Fun New Toy!

So... I got an iPhone this weekend! And I am seriously amazed at everything it can do. As it happens, I've never before had an iPod but now I'm having to get used to iTunes to really start using the iPhone--I imagine I can listen to podcasts and various lectures through it, now, instead of just via CDs in the car and what have you. So for that reason it's actually pretty cool!

Also, thanks to some of my friends who also have iPhones, I downloaded some really really neat applications for it. To start with, there's one program to display the prayer times and also the Qiblah (as well as a map!) It's called Guidance. The other neat program is iQuran, which allows you to download individual surahs to read or listen (Husary available on the free version), and you can even set it to repeat the ayahs if you want to try to memorize them.

I can also just spend my time using Google Reader to catch up on some of my favorite blogs, like MuslimMatters. I really think every Muslim should keep a regular eye on the MuslimMatters blog, just to stay informed of matters relating to Muslims.
Are there any other neat programs for Muslims for the iPhone? Let me know...

And Continuing with the Qur'an

I always find it kind of strange if someone asks me to lead salaah. And no, I'm not talking about Amina Wadud-styled congregations, but just a group of women (only). And since there are times I spend with women only, I have upon occasion been asked to lead salaah.

Why is it strange, you might be wondering? Well, because I don't know very much Qur'an. At all.

In a previous post, Starting with the Qur'an, I talked briefly about my relationship with the Qur'an. And if you didn't notice, memorization hasn't exactly taken off for me yet. I know only a few surahs from the 30th juz by heart. And I have only just started learning proper tajweed so I can tell you that my recitation certainly leaves plenty to be desired.

But that caused me to wonder why, especially when I'm around other converts (who have been Muslim sometimes much longer than I have), I might be asked to lead the prayer. Maybe some people are shy and don't want to be heard, or for other reasons feel uncomfortable leading it. But what I really wonder is how much Qur'an do other converts know? And how did they learn it?

In fact, I've been too shy to ask anyone (i.e., converts) this question--how much Qur'an they know, and how they learned it. I'm afraid of sounding kind of pompous when I ask (how could that be possible, when I am counting surahs I know, instead of juz?) since I actually think that they don't know very much. And obviously, I'm not talking about converts who go on to become our imams and scholars, but the average sister who probably learns just enough for her prayers.

The only way I can imagine they will learn is how I started learning--by listening to a recording over, and over, and looking at a transliteration of the Arabic. And really this isn't a great way to learn--if a person makes mistakes, there is nobody to correct them, and what happens over time is that the recitation begins to sound more and more anglicized such that the meaning in many places is lost or changed.

What would be great for me, at least, and maybe for others, would be if adults (specifically converts but others as well) could attend the kinds of classes which are presently only available to children--those which teach students in memorization along with proper pronunciation and possibly even while reading, with someone who can correct them. But so far, as great as I think my community is, I have not seen any program at all which aims to help adults to memorize the Qur'an--even to memorize very small chapters for their salaah. I'm not sure if other communities have such a program, or teachers, but I do think that there should be some more priority overall given to learning the Qur'an--for adults, and not just children.

And yes, I know that many adults have learned this already while they were children. Alhamdulillah. But many adults have also forgotten it, and we should also remember to teach those Muslims who have been guided from other paths and did not have the advantage of memorizing Qur'an at an early age.

And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember? 54:17

Obsession by Mail

I visited my parents last night and found that I had a new Obsession DVD addressed to me (since I still list their house as my regular mailing address.)

If you recall, I was watching their house when the DVD originally came out and swiped their copy from the Cary News, but noticed that somebody had opened this one which came in the mail, though it was addressed to me. (And as far as I can tell, they didn't receive one of their own.) I'm not sure whether they watched it or not.

What is the deal with the distribution of this DVD? At this point it's beginning to get excessive. Surely by now some people have received three copies, maybe even more.

I would like to see a da'wah campaign from the Muslims using a similar method--mass-mailing a da'wah postcard or something like it. Or maybe an oversize post-card as a supplement to the newspaper. Maybe the masjid could do that to advertise for an upcoming open house (which I hear, unfortunately, won't be until January at the earliest.)

Starting with the Qur'an

It's a common question for people to ask--how I found Islam, or why I converted. And usually I don't have time to answer in 3 parts, so I instead share my short answer, which is basically this: "The Qur'an."

Yeah, I know, it's not even a complete sentence. But all the da'wah given to me (prior to Islam) was not even nearly as effective as the time I spent reading the Qur'an on my own. It was convincing to me that Islam was the truth--cleared any questions of doubt about the authenticity of the Qur'an or of the Bible, and inspired in me a hope and faith that simple reading had never done for me before.

And because I grew up as a Christian, I already believed in God and Messengers and Scriptures--all I had to do was progress from belief in Jesus as the son of God to belief in him as a Messenger (4:171) and to accept the Qur'an (2:2) and believe that Muhammad was a messenger (36:3.) And just reading the Qur'an helped me get there.

So since embracing Islam, I have felt like I had a special relationship with the Qur'an. To start with, I had read the whole thing. Now that doesn't seem like a very big deal to me now, since I know people who read it every week, or every month, or at least ever year--but having read it once was significant to me. However, progressing up that ladder presented a challenge for me from the very beginning. You see, I read not the actual Qur'an but I read an english translation. Not quite the same thing.

And of course, after converting my relationship with the Qur'an had to take on a number of dimensions. To start with, I had to learn (i.e., memorize) at least some for my prayers. And for months, I recited "Qul huwa Allahu Ahad..." twice in every salaat, because after Al-Fatihah, it was the only surah that I knew. And even memorizing that little bit was difficult. Memorizing these surahs for me basically meant listening to them repeated throughout the day (maybe even a hundred times or more) while looking at a transliteration and following along. In the end, it meant trying to reproduce the sounds I heard on a recording.

So by then I had two dimensions--first, I had read a complete translation in English, and secondly, I had learned to reproduce sounds using the aid of transliteration to memorize very small sections of the Qur'an. Using this same method, I was able to learn two more short chapters that year (Al-Falaq and An-Naas.)

For the most part, memorization took place without comprehension. But then I was able to add a third dimension to my relationship with the Qur'an, and that was to learn the meanings of the chapters I was reciting, word by word. Being able to understand the meanings (especially of Al-Fatihah) helped me immensely to concentrate more during the prayer.

Unfortunately, eventually I forgot the specific meanings of some verses and didn't end up memorizing anything new for a while. But I did take a beginner's class in Arabic for sisters at the masjid. Yep, we used that "Alif Baa" book everyone seems to be using, and we did 1-2 letters a week, or so. I say "or so" because sometimes we wouldn't do any letters at all. But we learned how to write the letters and how to recognize them (skills that seemingly go hand-in-hand), and how to construct words, and a little bit about how to pronounce the letters as well--though practice makes perfect on that count.

Having constructed my own flashcards to learn these letters quickly on my own, after getting 3/4 through the class I rushed to the end so I could register for the Bayyinah class that was coming to town. And I am so glad I did that--because even though by the time the class started I was a tremendously slow reader (slower than instructor Nouman Ali Khan suggested would be good enough for this class), I was still able to benefit, innumerably. And since that particular class has not returned to Raleigh, I can't imagine what wealth of knowledge I might have missed entirely had I never enrolled. (Although, I should add that several of my friends almost had to drag me to this class, as due to other commitments I had actually missed the first 3 days--a mistake I don't plan to let happen again, for any such class.)

So at this point I hadn't really learned any more Qur'an but I was able to read--albeit slowly. Taking the class with Br. Nouman helped me to recognize words, types of words, and meanings of words while reading and while listening. It helped me concentrate more during my salaat (especially during Salaat ut-Taraweeh the following Ramadan) and it did actually improve my ability to read. I attempted then to memorize a few more chapters of the Qur'an (from the 30th juz)--and I succeeded. But now instead of following a transliteration, I would actually read the Arabic while listening to a recording.

As helpful as Br. Nouman's class was, because I didn't follow through in the end (i.e., attend all the seminars--a challenge while working two jobs and going to school full-time) I wouldn't say it added a new dimension to my relationship with the Qur'an, although it did increase my love for the Qur'an and multiplied my desire to study it more.

This year, however, I was able to add a new dimension, and that was through taking the Bayyinah 101 Tajweed class with Br. Wisam Sharieff. Allah has made it possible for me to continue the follow-ups so that the class has truly been able to benefit me. Alhamdulillah. Studying tajweed helped me in a few ways--the first of which was correcting my pronunciation of a few letters. I had been practicing these letters for years now but in some cases simply did not understand the distinction between some letters. But in very short time I was able to pronounce them from the correct places, with the proper sounds. The next way the class helped me was by improving my reading. Mostly, just reading more helped--but with a new surah each week (from the 30th juz), time to practice and review it slowly at my own pace, along with the rules of tajweed, by Ramadan I was able to read new sections of the Qur'an without the painstaking construction process which in the past had been such a hindrance to me in reading and reciting and even memorizing the Qur'an. So since taking the class (and especially in Ramadan) I've been able to about double the amount of Qur'an that I had memorized--but with substantially less effort. It became much easier to read, to recite and to memorize. And the more I read, the easier it becomes to recognize words and attach meanings to them. But I really can't describe the feeling of being able to recite, on my own, something from the Qur'an--and that is the next dimension for me, reciting.

So I was able to (1) Read the translation to grasp at meaning, (2) Memorize by hearing without comprehension, (3) Read the Arabic without comprehension, and (4) Recite the Arabic without comprehension.

And now I have two things to work on--comprehension, and memorization--essentially combining all four of those dimensions. In fact, those are the same things I had to work on at the beginning, but now both have become easier. I feel like I have the tools in place, tools that some other people had at their disposal from an early age--and I want to write about that next. But at this point in my life, I feel like my relationship with the Qur'an has taken shape and now it only needs to grow.

Turned to the Dark Side?

Some experiences are just too sad to share.

What am I up to?

It's true, my posting really slowed down in Ramadan. And I don't regret that. In fact, I feel like I've recently been released from a ball and chain--aka my laptop.

I went to the ISNA convention over Labor Day Weekend, and I remember Sh. Hamza Yusuf saying something during one of his big speeches there--basically, that if you wake up in the morning and the first thing you think about is checking your email, that you have a problem. And he also said it was a problem if the first thing you think of was breakfast, or snoozing, or something else, anything other than remembering Allaah and wanting to pray.

Unfortunately, I couldn't just completely avoid my computer for the entire month. In fact, my lab TA was kind of miffed to discover I don't even check my school email on a daily basis. (The university refuses to allow me to have it forwarded to gmail, which I do check more often.) But I have to use the computer to find out homework assignments, test dates, lab data, even do some coursework for my online class. But overall my internet usage did go down--I generally stopped reading blogs and posting on my own (with a few exceptions... I did make a point to keep up with MuslimMatters regularly, twice a week or so, even if I didn't read all the posts, just to see what was up.)

And alhamdulillah. Now I don't feel such a tremendous need to check my email right away when I get up, or when I get home, etc. And that's a nice feeling.

Another thing I did this month, in the first two weeks especially, was write a short story for the MuslimMatters Short Story Contest. I'm glad I did that, first because it helped me remember a story that is actually strong and emotional and something that I could use in trying to explain khushoo' in salaat.

In the weeks before Ramadan, I noticed many people making special resolutions for Ramadan--to read more Qur'an, stay away from doubtful things, for example. I didn't really do that, because I wasn't sure what to do. I had this feeling that I didn't want to commit myself to doing something in Ramadan that I would (deliberately) end up leaving after Ramadan. So I made a few private goals (right, private, so I won't be sharing them) of things that I definitely intend to maintain henceforth.

But there was one opportunity I really didn't want to pass up, even though I wasn't sure where I would find the time for it. And that was a special Bayyinah Ramadan class, a cover-to-cover reading of the Qur'an in English. Roughly a juz a day, for 3 hours a day, every day. Alhamdulillah. I feel like I didn't benefit as much as I could have from it, but only because of a shortage of effort on my part, for missing some days or parts of some classes.

And while I should be able to say after that, that my relationship with the Qur'an has improved, I don't think I can say that unless I maintain, or keep up my own reading of the Qur'an regularly (and I mean daily) in English, to build on what I have learned.

One small goal I wanted to accomplish this Ramadan was the memorization of a few more chapters from the 30th Juz. I am sure that this is a problem which plagues many converts, and adult Muslims who didn't have the benefit of Qur'an classes growing up. And I'm actually very disappointed overall that there is not more done to help to community (communities, all over North America) in this respect.

I am actually embarrassed to admit how little of the Qur'an I have memorized, after being Muslim now for three years. And I'm afraid to ask how much my friends know, and other converts, for fear of actually sounding arrogant about how much I know, when I know practically nothing! In fact, I think I might have to write a whole post on this subject alone. Learning and practicing tajweed improved my ability to read Qur'an so much that I have been able to get to a new level with memorization, so that I can commit much more to memory, and much quicker, and with greater comprehension. And I really hope and pray to continue memorizing Qur'an.

Ultimately I'm sad to see Ramadan go--and more sad than I have been in the past. But now I know a lot of things that I must to--personal spiritual goals, and also some directions I think that I should push along with the community. Eid Mubarak... now it's time to get busy.

TERRORIST ATTACK in DAYTON, OHIO

That's right. A chemical attack, the victims children. A chemical weapon attack against children in Dayton, Ohio. Why isn't this making bigger news? Because the victims were Muslims?

Personally, I'm outraged. I'm extremely upset, and not just at the fact that it's been three days before I even heard the news!! And how can this be called anything other than a terrorist attack? Where is law enforcement? What are they doing to find whoever is responsible for such a sinister crime?

You might not have realized this, though. In fact I haven't seen it written, but Friday was the 27th night of Ramadan. During taraweeh prayers, on a night which many people (correctly or not) think is Laylat al-Qadr, they try to spend the night in worship, a night better than 1000 months. So probably the most crowded night at the mosque--and the children's room is gassed. The children are attacked. Where is the national uproar?

Terrorist Attack in Dayton Ohio. She took the words out of my mouth.

American Terrorists Gas Muslim Children During Ramadan. On Mujahideen Ryder.

Chemical irritant empties Islamic Society of Greater Dayton's mosque. From Dayton Daily News.

Muslim Children Gassed at Dayton Mosque After "Obsession" DVD Hits Ohio. Daily Kos.

I really think all Muslims should regularly keep an eye on the Muslim Matters blog. They've just posted on this, please go read: In the Wake of “Obsession” Hate-DVDs: Muslim Children Gassed in Ohio Mosque.

Who is Obsessed?

Somebody is. I have to admit that I feel rather apathetic about this anti-Islam DVD campaign (yes, that's what it is). I've been hearing about it every day since about a week before the distribution so I almost have too many thoughts to blog.

But it's time I wrote something again, isn't it?

So in case you haven't heard about this DVD yet, here's news: some secretive front for an Israeli lobbying group has spent an estimated $15 million to $50 million distributing this wacky propaganda film in political battleground states. My state happens to be one of them. And even though I don't subscribe to a newspaper, this DVD was also distributed in a local non-subscriptive weekly publication, and I picked it up from my parents' house. (They were interestingly enough out of town for the whole week and I was watching the house.)

At that point, I had already heard about the DVD being distributed by the N&O. Or let me clarify, distributed as a paid advertisement with the N&O. But I didn't know it was also being distributed by other local papers. Or that it was being distributed nationwide in this election's presumed swing states. Not exactly a pleasant surprise.

But here I'd just like to say a few things about the DVD, the reaction, and my thoughts.

First of all, this "insert" with the paper looks pretty trashy. The above image is on the CD and one side of the cardboard insert--with some reference to CNN & FOX emblazoned across it. There were short quotes recommending it--like one from the producer of the TV Show 24. (Did you ever wonder if maybe the lines between reality and television were being blurred?) Overall, the insert gave me the impression first that this was some movie coming out. A scary, R-rated movie. Just look at the image above! Some exploded buildings and some man who appears to be leading an army in a period film whose face is covered. If you listened to 'The Way Ahead' CDs from Zaytuna you might remember when Sheikh Hamza Yusuf talked about mental frames, and all the negative images people have about covering faces. Anyway, if the image tries to say anything at all, it would be, I think, "Radical Muslim Terrorist Nukes America." That bottom image reminds me of that scene in Independence Day where the city of Houston is nuked.

So already even the image suggests an overexaggerated threat. I am taking a class right now that pretends to seriously study 'Terrorism' under the guise of 'Peace & War in the Nuclear Age.' In fact, just two nights ago I was reading a chapter about how easy it would supposedly be for a "non-state entity" to acquire/manufacture nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons. And yet the supposed "terrorists" are throwing rocks and blowing themselves up. I'm thinking "bogeyman," what about you?

So one night at my parents' house I made the time to watch this DVD. After getting emails for a week and a half asking me to write to the editor and voice complaints against this DVD in some way or another, I thought that it might be really an atrocious view of Muslims. It was, but frankly it really surprised me.

I expected the attempt to be PC--by claiming at the beginning that there are some Muslims who aren't "radical" or "extreme" or "terrorist" or any of those other key words, and that Muslims are peaceful, blah blah blah, when it said "this film is not about them." That's kind of like saying there are apples and there are pears and that the film is about apples, not pears, while then proceeding to convince you that pears are apples. Twisted analogy, sorry.

The footage of the two towers, attempts to hijack words like "jihad" and "shaheed," (martyr) and general demonizing of Muslim peoples were all expected. Finding Arab people (1, 2, 3) to utterly condemn Muslims (er, I mean, uh, radicals?... oh wait, no I don't) was no surprise.

But here's what did surprise me: footage of Neville Chamberlain after achieving "peace for our time" in Munich. What does WW2 have to do with "radical Islam?" And the answer the DVD gives to this question truly borders on bizarre--and really, it gives away the Clarion Fund who is apparently the 501(c)(3) behind the distribution of the DVD. If you watch this DVD, you won't need a team of reporters and CAIR and all to tell you who is behind it.

Because somebody really is obsessed--not somebody Palestinian, or Iranian, or Lebanese. But somebody is quite plainly blind in their hatred. The film actually goes to tremendous lengths to try to link the Nazi worldview in 1938 with Islam. That's right--pretending that Muslims are Nazis. Who would find such a distinction most poignant? But since a large portion of the film, probably 20 minutes or so, was spent explaining the verge of WW2, clearly the take-away message wasn't the typical Muslim bashing but something far more sinister.

Now, the USA is currently at war in two countries--Iraq, and Afghanistan. But al-Qaeda wasn't really painted the enemy in this DVD. Supposedly foreign policy is key, since we see this DVD distributed in swing states prior to a presidential election. Somebody wants to have people thinking about terrorism (and not the economy, perhaps) when they vote. But specifically who is demonized in this film?

Palestinians, Iranians, and Lebanese. Palestine, Iran, and Lebanon. Why?

You see footage of one khateeb after another reminding the congregation of the plight of some of their Muslim brothers. Khateeb after khateeb in Iran, Palestine, and Lebanon anyway. You see Muslim soldiers (er, uh, terrorists? the line is blurred) that can be identified with Hezbollah, or Hamas, and you see them saluting. Something totally insignificant perhaps... unless you see it right after watching Nazi troops "heil Hitler." Then it will strike you, perhaps... they are saying that Muslims are Nazis.

That's right. When Muslims try to defend themselves against an aggressor that has cheapened their lives and stolen their property they are painted as the minions of an evil dictator bent on world domination. The DVD goes to great lengths to establish this (entirely fanciful) connection in the viewer's mind--something which I for one had never seen before.

Now, what was the response? A campaign of letters to the editor really doesn't make much of an impact in my mind. So when asked to sit with a laptop outside Taraweeh prayers asking sisters to log in and send a pre-formed email, I refused (not just once but several times.) The weekend after the distribution of the DVD, a number of letters did make it in to the paper--some by prominent members of the community. Now CAIR is looking in to the matter and has apparently filed a complaint with the FEC.

But what about me? I'm still confused. I watched the video, and I don't really feel threatened. But I do think someone is obsessed--and not some Palestinian, Lebanese, or Iranian Muslim who prays five times a day. Instead, someone who dug up WW2 Nazi footage for producing this video, whoever thinks that Muslims are like Nazis trying to exterminate Jews or anything like that--that person is, I think, obsessed. As reflected in the DVD aptly titled 'Obsession.'

It's not about "radical Islam." Not really. I even wrote on a message board for my terrorism class a few weeks ago that radical Islam doesn't exist--that it's just a word used to try to make a distinction among "good" and "bad" Muslims (according to the West, anyway), and to try to demonize people who speak or act in the best interests of their country and Muslims instead of the best interests of Israel or the USA. Primarily, in this video, those would be Palestinians, Lebanese, and Iranians.

So anyway--what's my solution? Since I don't care to flood the paper with letters (for distributing a paid advertisement... it's not like they passed it out for free) what do I think we should do?

Come on. Let's talk about Islam. Plan an open house, set up a booth, organize debates, dialogues, lectures--that's the least you can do. Find your talent, whatever it is, and use it in the way of Allah. If it is graphic design, if it is programming, if it's medicine, writing, or even babysitting, find a way to help the Muslims. There are a few more days left in Ramadan--if you are going to pray Taraweeh and the Imam is reading you a beautiful du'a asking Allaah Muslims and gathering them together, don't just stand there and cry. Take it to heart, and act. When you hear him ask for your righteous deeds to be accepted, don't let shedding a few tears be the end of them--keep up your deeds after Ramadan.

It's amazing to me, and sad at the same time, to stand in a room full of women shaking and sniffling when they hear about the state of this ummah but yet they then go home and stay there for the rest of the year instead of taking any action to change their affairs.

Our Ramadan boot camp is almost over. Whatever it was you accomplished--reading Qur'an, memorizing, praying your daily salawat (prayers) on time, praying Qiyyam ul-Layl, donating to the poor, or just visiting the masjid regularly, let it only push you towards more righteousness and not prevent you from it.

(If you're interested, here's a rebuttal to the claims in the video: http://www.obsessionwithhate.com/therebuttal.php)