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Never mind the fact of Reagan’s support for Saddam Hussein’s regime while it was using chemical weapons against Iran and the Kurds in the ‘80s or for the terrorist contras in Nicaragua (paradoxically funded in part by arms sales to Iran -- apparently consistency isn’t very high up on the American Muslim political agenda). What concerns me is the fact that economic liberalism and social conservativism were, and perhaps are, seen as the top priority.
It is undeniable that Muslim social values are conservative and it shouldn’t be surprising that they are generally aligned with those on the Christian right. But the fact that we hold these values does not mean that our purpose in
The first revelation of the Qur’an was not “don’t drink and make sure gay people can’t get married.” The first revelation of the Qur’an was: “Recite: In the Name of thy Lord who created, created Man of a blood-clot. Recite: And thy Lord is the Most Generous, who taught by the Pen, taught Man that he knew not. No indeed; surely Man waxes insolent, for he thinks himself self-sufficient. Surely unto thy Lord is the Returning.”
First and foremost, the message of Islam is for a people that has forgotten God. But when the early Qur’anic revelations mention sin, other than covering over God’s truth, it is of a different kind: It is about greed and injustice. One of the most concrete sins mentioned in the early revelations is the pre-Islamic practice of burying daughters alive. These are the early warnings that were sent down for the Prophet -- salallahu alayhi wasalaam -- to communicate to his fellow men and women. If the message of Islam is to be summed up to those we intend to convince of our cause, it cannot be “economic liberalism and social conservativism.” No, it is: God and justice. That is what Muslims should represent in this world.
I was running woefully late on this meme and had pretty much decided to drop it, but thankfully
Marriage: The Prophet taught that marriage is half of one’s religion. Now that I’m married, I can understand why. Marriage is like a microcosm of all the essential aspects of religion. Mercy, forgiveness, patience, attentiveness -- marriage requires and -- at least potentially -- teaches all of it. I think of it as a manifestation of the principle of judgment. Judgment gives an infinite weight to our actions and you get a fleeting glimpse of this weight in the effects your mistakes have on your spouse.
Home and travel: One of the great regrets of my life is that when I first traveled in Europe, as a relatively stupid 19-year-old, I spent three weeks in southern Spain -- within a bus ride of the Alhambra -- but I didn’t even know the Alhambra existed, nor about anything in the Muslim history of Spain.
Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity's Rainbow: I first tried reading this in community college and only made it 200-or-so pages. But when I moved to
They have found a house in the stay-away zone, under the barrage balloons south of
Dervishes: I’ve visited two Sufi tariqahs here in İstanbul and it has only confirmed what I expected all along: that actual Sufism probably isn’t for me. It’s just all so emotive and passionate. I greatly value the teachings of Sufi masters, but the practices on the ground don’t sit so well with me. That being said, I’d still like to investigate the Naqshbandi tariqah, as they are known for quiet dhikr (remembrance or invocation of God). I prefer the early Sufis, who seem to have simply wandered around, caused trouble, and pushed people to rethink their understanding of God.
