Eboo Patel: Acts of Faith

One of my classmates attends a Muslim Journeys class that meets once a month at the local college. When she found out that I had been married to a Muslim, she invited me to the meeting hoping that I would be able to take away something positive.  Before the gathering, I was given Eboo Patel's book Acts of Faith to read and a group of about 20 people showed up to discuss his work. 

Photograph by Nubar Alexanian

Mr. Patel is deeply involved in Interfaith work, but this book is really more about a journey, a coming to terms with your own beliefs. He encourages everyday people like you and me to explore other religions so that we will become a stronger believer in our own faith. But first, we must have dialogue and find a common value between the religions. Then we can work together to help mankind. A service that is to be done for His glory and not ours. What I thought would be a boring read turned out to be one of encouragement and inspiration.  

Here is a quote from my favorite poet which is very fitting for this post:

I am not from the east or the west

not up from the ground

or out of the ocean

my place is placeless

a trace of the traceless

I belong to the Beloved.

Rumi

   

Handmade Pendant from Turkey

Earlier this month, I bought a beautiful pendant from Istanbul on Ebay.  It is handmade with a lapis stone in the middle and Arabic written on the stone. There are red and turquoise beads surrounding the stone in the middle.  It says, "bismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm", which means, In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful. So, yesterday, I went out to find a black necklace to go with it.  All I could find is a small suede one that will have to make due until I can find what I want. Would you be comfortable wearing religious jewelry from another religion?

Polio, Pakistan, and Havoc

PHOTO:AP

In 1994, Pakistan had 20,000 cases of polio.  After a vigorous campaign of immunization, the number of cases dropped down to 56 in 2012.  Several health care workers administering the vaccines were killed this week because the Taliban (they are suspected for doing this) thought it was a western conspiracy to sterilize or spy on muslims.  Apparently, the CIA used a fake vaccination campaign to try and obtain information on Osama Bin Ladin before he was found and killed.  However, the vaccines have been going on for some time. 

It is hard to connect with this kind of thinking.  Culture and religion has caused a great chasm between the east and the west.  We all have to agree that Osama Bin Ladin was not a good man.  By using vaccination as a ploy to get information on him was not a bad thing. The world is free from one more evil man. 

 Polio can paralyze or kill in a very short amount of time passing from one person to the next. This disease has a strong foothold in Pakistan, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria. For this reason world health workers have been working tirelessly.  It is a shame to gun down defenseless women over suspicious thinking. Again, it is a shame.  

To date, the health care workers have stopped with the immunizations until the situation comes under control.  This isn't a case of religion, nor is it about culture, but a healthy future for children.  Children who want to grow up and have normal lives.  Children are the future of this world of ours. They just need a chance.

Evening with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Photo by Tony Demin

Yesterday, I drove five hours just to see Ayaan Hirsi Ali at the Opera House in Traverse City, Michigan. The Opera House was packed. She was the first guest speaker in the National Writers Series.  I sat on the first floor, only a few rows from the front. Last year, I read her books, Infidel and Caged Virgin while Nomad is on my bookshelf waiting to be read (I needed a small break from the topic). Ayaan is an elegant, soft spoken, yet strong woman, whom I admire very much.  She was interviewed by Jack Segal for the first part of the lecture. She talked about Islam, women's rights, education for women, the Taliban, and religious tolerance.  In 2005, she was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. The second half she took questions from the audience.  I had my question ready. I stood up with a pounding heart, trying to calm myself down in the process. The words were jumbled that came out of my mouth, but I got the point across eventually.  She understood my meaning and elaborated on the answer for several minutes. She is brave for speaking out like she does. I take my hat off to her.

Finding Nouf: A Story of Bad Intentions

I've recently finished the book Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris.  Finding Nouf is a story of murder, religion, culture, and intentions.  Islam is ever present in the lives of the characters of this story. Nayir ash-Sharqi is a desert guide but is called by the family to lead a search party for Nouf, a girl of sixteen, who eventually was found dead by desert travelers.  She had everything going for her.  Her family was rich and she was about to be married. Why would someone want to kill her?  Life between men and women are separate.  Women are covered from head to toe, remaining a mystery to the male members of society. Nayir meets up with Katya Hijazi, who works at the coroner's office. Together they solve the mystery of Nouf's death.

I feel that the story is more about intentions and how painful life can be for those who are wronged.  Desperation can cause seemingly good people to do very bad things.  When Katya told Nayir that she would marry someone so that she could have the freedoms for which she longed for, it struck a chord with me.  This kind of thing happens all of the time in our world.  Heartless acts of desperation with no care for the innocent victim they have ensnared.  This is a good book and is well written.  I am currently reading her next book called City of Veils. 

The Consequences of Love in Saudi Arabia



One of my belly dance friends gave me a book to read.  She picked it up at a greatly reduced price and liked the cover, not knowing that this book was more than a romance novel.  As she read, she thought of me.  Once she was finished she told me that she had a book for me to read.  It is called, The Consequences of Love, by Sulaiman Addonia. The story takes place in Saudi Arabia, the center of Islam and it's strict laws.  The place where men and women live separate lives. Women are forbidden. Love barely exists. Poverty and no connections, meant that a man could not marry. Within the first few chapters I read about sodomy, beheadings and the religious police. The story was intriguing. At a tender age, Naser and his younger brother Ibrahim were sent to Saudi Arabia to avoid the war back home, only to encounter a war of another kind.  His fight for the love of a woman began when Fiore dropped a note at his feet.  From that day forward, Naser's life would never be the same.  In school, dreams of the afterlife was so imposed on their lives that dreams on earth were forgotten. At 19, Fiore said that she was buried all of her waking life, including her dreams. Everything that she hoped for lay beyond the walls of her prison, which is called home. When she went out, her beauty was covered by a piece of cloth, and at home her intelligence and knowledge were shrouded by the walls of her room. Everything about her was concealed. The Consequences of Love is a dark and evocative testament to desire in an inhumane state.





Eritrea: Where in the World is it?

Have you ever heard of Eritrea?  I haven't either if you are one us poor Americans who didn't pay attention in Geography class.  It is in Africa, located in the horn of Africa to be exact. Asmara is the capital of this tiny country and the largest city in Eritrea with beautiful Italian-style architecture and fascinating historical sites for sightseeing. Asmara has breathtaking scenery and excellent opportunities for trekking. It is also the only place to visit in Eritrea that does not require a travel permit to travel in. Islam is the primary religion along with Eritrean Orthodox and Roman Catholicism.  There are about 650,000 people that inhabit this small country and only 59 % are literate. 


Street Scene in Asmara


The desert areas along the coast of the Red Sea is hot and dry. The highlands have a Mediterranean-style climate. The best time to visit Eritrea is from October to March when the weather in Eritrea is dry and pleasant. 


Wedding in Eritrea

Eritrea has been inhabited for at least 8,000 years by African tribes that had strong trading relations with the neighboring areas. Eritrea is a former Italian colony and the Eritrean culture, cuisine and architecture has been influenced by the Italian culture.


A house in Asmara

Colonized by Italy in 1890, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, after a 30-year struggle of independence from the Ethiopian rule. The traditional Eritrean way of life can be experienced in the tribal villages where people live by farming and herding.  Isn't this the best way to get to know a country by visiting the country folk? 

I am currently reading a book called, The Consequences of Love by Sulaiman Addonia who is from Eritrea and I will be giving a book review very soon. 

Kacem El Ghazzali: REBEL

Living blindly is how a majority of the population goes about their daily lives, especially when it comes to religion.  We believe the things that our parents taught us without giving much thought to the validity of their beliefs.  Religion has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. Most believers never challenge their beliefs or are afraid to.  Many times I was told to just believe and have faith when things didn’t make sense to me. Besides, good upstanding people believe in the religion of those that came before them, but not so for Kacem El Ghazzali.  He is Moroccan, but a displaced Moroccan.  He is now residing in Switzerland where he has found freedom.  Kacem is once again feeling the pressure from fellow Muslims in his new homeland. He has asked that those in authority to help him find a place to live away from those who are threatening his life.  Yet the people who are wanting his demise must feel threatened in some way because of his vocalized opinions.  

I talked to Kacem several years ago when I first started blogging.  He was a teenager and very passionate about his beliefs.  My then husband tried to talk to Kacem but the conversation ended in frustration.  Kacem was reprimanded for his unbelief.  I, however, continued talking with him.  I agreed with his point of view and encouraged him to stand up for his convictions. However, there isn’t any religion that encourages apostasy. Sometimes death can be the outcome for such a person.  I am not an atheist, but I do believe in freedom of choice when it comes to religion, whether it is practiced or not.  The threat to others is when one is brave enough to say, "I cannot believe this anymore." 

Arab Spring and Women's Rights: Are We There Yet?

Al Jazeera talks to author Amal Al-Malki about Arab Spring and women's rights.  She feels that Arab Spring has failed women. Arab women have traditionally been portrayed as voiceless and invisible, even in the media.  Women are only seen in Arab Media 1\5 of that of men. In my opinion, this is still a man-run world and will always be that way.  Even here in America, high positions in a majority of companies are held by men. Although there are two Women Presidents in Africa, women's rights are still being held hostage in Arab and African countries. The only thing that Arab Spring did for women is to expose their lack of rights and equality.



This video is from Aljazeera web site and I found it to be very interesting.

Mature at 12 for Marriage?

Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh is a Saudi Grand Mufti.  He thinks that girls are ready for marriage at the tender age of 12, maybe 10 if she is mature.  Seriously?!  He is quoted as saying: "Our mothers and before them our grandmothers married when they were barely 12,” he added. “Good upbringing makes a girl ready to perform all marital duties at that age," and those who say women should not marry before 25 years are following a "bad path."

Just recently in the news, a 12 year old girl from Yemen, Fawziyah Abdullah Youssef, died during childbirth, they like 9 year old girls there. Another case where a 12 year old was married to an 80 year old man in Saudi Arabia was in the news.  The girl was basically sold (dowry) by her father for $22,667, since the girl was underage the money went to her father. The mother tried to get a divorce for her but it proved to be a fruitless endeavor. The case was turned over to the countries Human Rights Commission.  It is ingrained in the Muslim mind that to pattern their life after that of the Prophet, who married Aiysha at 6 but didn't consumate the marriage until she was 9, will produce a blessed life for themselves. A girl of 12 is not thinking about babies but dolls and candy. I cannot relate to this mindset and it frustrates me to think about it.

Sheikh Abdul-Bari Zamzami Controversy in Morocco

There is an Imam in Morocco who is infamous for several Islamic sexual fatwa's that he has issued in recent years.  The man is Sheikh Zamzami.  Just recently, I read an article about him allowing women to use root vegetables or kitchen implements, or bottles to relieve sexual tension if she is unmarried, widowed, or has no hope for marriage.  I was shocked when I read this. Actually, I brought the article to work to see what my co-workers reaction would be and most were speechless.  Zamzami is a supporter of sex shops and sex toys.  This kind of stuff is hard to wrap my head around since he is a religious leader.  One always thinks that a religious man would be on the verge of divine, but I am going to have to re-think what I believe about these people.  Not only is he in favor of sex toys, etc...but if a mans wife dies he is allowed to still have sex with her.  Of course she has to be "fresh" when it comes to being dead. Reading this really blew my mind.  What man would want to have intercourse with a corpse?  Oh, I forgot, we are talking about men. Some may like the idea, but I find it repulsive. I know that this is not the view of all Moroccans or muslims.  My question is: When a religious person goes public with these wayside kinds of notions, how do the people of Morocco feel or how do muslims in general react to this? 

Hello, Does Hope live here? Not for Amina

It came to my attention in the last couple of days about a young girl who committed suicide in Morocco.  She was raped by a man whom her family forced to marry to keep them from being talked about and save him from going to prison. He deserved to go to jail.  He committed a crime.  Under Moroccan law, rape is punishable by 5-10 years in prison or between 10-20 years if the victim is a minor. The judge recommended that the rapist marry the girl to restore her honor. Honor? Really?! My heart went out to Amina Filali . Rape is very traumatizing for a woman and to have to marry the person who violated you is hard to imagine.  What was her family thinking?  Morocco may seem to be the most lenient Muslim country in the East regarding women but still have a long way to go regarding the treatment of their women. Why don't people question their own culture and beliefs?  Why is Morocco such a "shame" based society?  I read several articles about Amina Filali and it was said that rape is not common in this country.  I really don't believe it.  My ex-husband told me about another girl who hung herself in the city where he used to live because she, too, had a sexual encounter and felt that death was her only option. Shame on Amina's mother for forcing her into this kind of situation. More importantly shame on her father for not being a man and standing up for his daughter. Was their good name more important than her life?  I guess so. The law protects public morality but not the individual.

She, too, was here. Amina's life had value, but her family was afraid to stand up for her. Shurma!

Me an Infidel?

I wish that I would have read the book Infidel back when it first came out.  It is a very enlightening book and I have missed out by not reading it until now.  As someone who is raised in the West with all of our freedoms, it is hard to imagine how life would be in the East for me as a woman. I cringed as I read about Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s recollection of her genital mutilation.  I could hear the snap of the scissors as they cut the flesh in my mind.  As an American, I feel that we don't educate ourselves like the rest of the world when it comes to other cultures and religions.  If I would have been pro-active, I would have studied more about Islam before my marriage.  But that is neither here nor there. I am learning now. When I borrowed the book from the library, the back was broken on the book, which made it not so easy to read and I was ready to take it back without reading it. By chance I opened the book and my eyes went to a paragraph. This is what I read, "A Muslim girl does not make her own decisions or seek control. She is trained to be docile. If you are a Muslim girl, you disappear, until there is almost no you inside you..." As I read, I told myself that I needed to read this book and have not regretted it.