Anti-Semitism Raises its Ugly Head in Irving TXLink -http://dallasmuslimcenter.blogspot.com/2015/03/anti-semitism-raises-its-ugly-head-in.html Robert may have pointed it out accurately, that is back door Antisemitism in works. As a society we need to put and end to our old animosities causing unwanted tensions - the Christ Killer (Jewish-Christian) and Massacre of Jews in Khyber (Jewish Muslim) and Son of God v. Prophet (Christian-Muslims) keep erupting in various shapes and forms. We need to learn to respect the otherness of others and accept our differences and move on and not live 1400 or 2000 years ago. I wish I had known about Richardson earlier and I would have gone and spoken forcefully. Neither Muslims or Jewish counselling decisions are binding until the civil judges approves them to make them enforceable. This is interference in the liberty of married couples and their disputes. This is waste of public funds and fanning hatred. Robert thanks for the article, it is a good piece. Please check this seminal piece on Sharia 101, everything you want to know about Sharia and more. http://sharialaws.blogspot.com/2013/02/genesis-of-sharia-law.html
Mike Ghouse www.MikeGhouse.net # # # Courtesy of Patheos:
Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne has succeeded in getting the Irving City Council to vote its support of a bill by Texas state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, that would forbid judges from using foreign law in their rulings. The reason, according to the mayor, and apparently Rep. Leach was to block the actions of religious courts.
So I went looking for religious courts in the DFW Area and the first thing I found was the Beth Din of the Magen David Congregation, http://www.magendaviddallas.org/beth-din.html. This Jewish congregation offer the following: “A Beth Din is a religious rabbinical court for Din Torah [Torah court]” and goes to say “The Beth Din serves the community by arranging for a “Gett” [divorce by Jewish law], orthodox conversions, assisting with financial agreements, halachic questions, marriage counseling, dream interpretation, business counseling, arbitrations [according to Jewish law] and other agreements, documents and decrees. If you have need for a Gett or assistance of the Beth Din, contact Rabbi Moyal today!”
Well I say if it calls itself a court, and does what courts do, its a court. So surely this is exactly what Mayor Van Duyne is after, keeping Orthodox Jews from having their religious courts.
And of course Rep. Leach wants to do the same thing state-wide, so I assume that these Jewish courts must be virtually everywhere there are Jews.
Now I know that Texas hasn’t exactly been friendly to the Jewish people. 60 or 70 years ago Jewish doctors couldn’t practice in most Texas hospitals, Jews couldn’t join country clubs and civic association, and private schools were totally closed to Jews. But I had really hoped we had gotten beyond this kind of anti-semitism and were prepared to allow Jews to be accepted fully in our society, despite their unusual clothing (not just kipahs, but of course Orthodox women wearing only black and covering their natural hair with wigs or headscarves, and Jewish men with their black hats and talit hand from their shirts.) I thought we were willing, here in Texas, to recognize that Jews should have full religious freedom.
But no. The Irving City Council openly debated a statement aimed clearly at Orthodox Jews, and the Texas State Legislature will hold hearings on an open attempt to attack the Orthodox Jewish Community and its faith. So apparently we might as welcome back the KKK and wait for the next round of synagogue burnings. Thank you Rep. Leach. Thank you Mayor Van Duyne. You may not have intended to attack Jews, but appears that you did.
I do wonder, of course, where all those evangelical Christians are who put Israel’s national flag next to the US flag in their sanctuaries. Are you all just going to let public figures advance legislation that attacks Jewish Interest? Pastor Hagee down in San Antonio. Shout out. Have you heard these folks are attacking your buddies? But I haven’t heard from the Jewish community either, although I’ll grant most aren’t Orthodox. Still, AJC, ADL AIPAC. Just going to let this happen?
Anti-Muslim Sentiment in Irving - Link - http://dallasmuslimcenter.blogspot.com/2015/03/anti-muslim-sentiment-in-irving-and.html It is waste of public funds and public time, what a husband and wife decide between them is their business and not the GD business of the legislators. They don't believe in life liberty and pursuit of happiness, damned traitors of our constitution.
Anti-Muslim Sentiment in Irving (And the Imam Who Has To Tolerate It) http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2015/03/20/anti-muslim-sentiment-bubbles-up-in-irving-and-the-imam-who-has-to-tolerate-it/
Imam Zia ul-Haque Sheikh: “We always seem to take one step forward, two steps back.” Photo by Justin Clemons
In the paper today, Avi Selk has a lengthy story about some anti-Muslim foolishness going on in Irving. It centers on a religious tribunal that is supposedly going to usurp the U.S. Constitution and ruin America. (I’m exaggerating only a little bit.) Last night, the City Council voted 5-4 to support a bill authored by Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano) that would forbid such tribunals from using foreign law in their rulings (which is already illegal).
I wrote about all this for the April issue of D Magazine, which won’t mail to subscribers for another three days. So I’m posting the article here. Before I wrote my story, I spent some time with Imam Zia ul-Haque Sheikh, the head of the Islamic Center of Irving and a man who has far more patience and compassion than I do. For your edification:
***
The first thing you notice at the Islamic Center of Irving is its large green dome, or qubba. Representing the vault of heaven, it seems to shine in the afternoon sun atop the center’s bright white mosque, or masjid. The 37,000-square-foot center — a complex that includes the mosque, a school, and a multi-use hall, all currently undergoing expansion — offers an impressive picture in this drab corner of northwest Irving.
When you enter the complex through the Islamic School of Irving (adjacent to the mosque) after early afternoon prayer, the tranquility of the center is broken, if only slightly. The hallway floods with men, many still wearing the traditional cap for prayer, the taqiyah. Most are smiling and shaking hands and offering best wishes and praise for Allah. Many reflexively say hello to the non-Muslim stranger standing in the hallway, looking confused, asking for the man who has led the prayer: Imam Zia ul-Haque Sheikh.
Imam Zia directs me to his office, wasting no time with small talk. He is a busy man, leading five prayers a day — Friday’s midday prayer can draw as many as 2,000 members. He is also an author (Addressing the Taboos: Love, Marriage and Sex in Islam and Islam: Silencing the Critics) and a lecturer (he speaks five languages).
“This all happened very quickly,” he says. His smile suggests weary bemusement over a social-media firestorm that recently engulfed Imam Zia and the Islamic Center. “It started with the right-wing website story. Then suddenly the mayor [of Irving, Beth Van Duyne] is posting on her Facebook page. From that, hatred and misinformation filled her site and others. And, of course, she had never even spoken with us.”
The website was Breitbart.com, and the post was titled “Islamic Tribunal Confirmed in Texas.” The headline suggested this was something new, even though the tribunal — a panel of four who mediate or arbitrate disputes — had been a registered nonprofit in Texas since 2012. In fact, the 25 or so cases the tribunal hears a year are the sort of family law (divorce proceedings) or business disputes (whether remodeling work was done right) that secular mediators often hear; this tribunal is merely guided by Islamic religious principles.
The day the post went up, it was debunked by Snopes.com, which found its claims “false,” concluding: “[T]he tribunal neither possessed nor claimed any ability to supersede extant laws in its jurisdiction, either civil or criminal. Parties are not obligated to participate in the mediation it offers, nor does the center have any power to operate outside the law.”
Other faiths have similar religious arbitration or mediation groups, such as the Christian Peacemaker Ministries and the Jewish Beth Din. In Dallas, the Catholic Diocese of Dallas has a tribunal. Few consider this unusual—until Muslims are involved.
This certainly seems to have been Van Duyne’s major concern. On February 6, she took to Facebook to express her concern about the Breitbart story and let the world know “Sharia Law Court was NOT approved or enacted by the City of Irving.” (No one had suggested it was.) She continued for a few paragraphs, concluding: “While I am working to better understand how this ‘court’ will function and whom will be subject to its decisions, please know if it is determined that there are violations of basic rights occurring, I will not stand idle and will fight with every fiber of my being against this action. Our nation cannot be so overly sensitive in defending other cultures that we stop protecting our own. The American Constitution and our guaranteed rights reigns [sic] supreme in our nation and may that ever be the case.”
The post was shared more than 700 times and elicited commentary ranging from confused (“How did this even come about this is are country”) to hostile (“Those who don’t like it here are welcome to leave.and immigrate any country that will accept you”). In an effort to better understand the theological and cultural underpinnings of the tribunal, Van Duyne appeared on The Glenn Beck Program and proclaimed, “This is not city-sanctioned, we weren’t given an opportunity even to pass anything, and we’re not supportive of it. … I think you need to put your foot down and say this is America, we have laws here already.”
A few facts worth noting:
Most important, the tribunal is not affiliated with the Islamic Center. Imam Zia is one of four members who constitute the tribunal. Its official address is in North Dallas, but the tribunal meets about twice a month for hearings wherever they can find a suitable office (usually in Arlington).
Second: despite Van Duyne’s claims, the city of Irving has taken no stance on the center or the tribunal (which, again, isn’t even in Irving). It did issue a statement saying that the city wants residents to obey the law and that Irving “is proud to have one of the most diverse ZIP codes in the United States.”
Third: Van Duyne’s confusion is one of willful ignorance. All of the foregoing information is available online. If you want to know what the tribunal is and what it does, it has a website. If you want to learn about the Islamic Center — about its history (started in an apartment in Irving in 1989, became an official nonprofit in 1991, current complex opened in 2004), or its education services (a recent sensitivity training workshop: “What Our Neighbors Think of Us and Why”), or its members — it’s all online.
Better yet, show up for the weekly open house on Sundays at 2:30 pm for a tour of the Islamic Center. You should do so, if for no other reason than to meet Imam Zia, something of a hero to the Muslim community. He was born in a mountainous region known as Azad Kashmir, between India and Pakistan. When he was 4, his family moved to England. At 13, he began 12 years of study in a theology program at an Islamic institute. By 16, he had memorized the Quran. In 1994 he completed his master’s (a doctorate in theological foundation followed). Two years later, he took a job at a mosque in Virginia, eventually making his way to Irving, in 2005, because of the Islamic Center’s expansion plans.
After 10 years in his post, Imam Zia has become a leader outside the church as well. He is part of a regular gathering of community activists, including black pastors, who work to see caring leaders elected to the City Council and the school board. He holds meetings at the mosque with local officials (fire chief, police chief, city department heads) so he can relay relevant issues and concerns to his congregation. He makes aiding all the poor in Irving a priority for his mosque. In the past year alone, the center has given more than $50,000 to various causes to help the needy.
“Imam Zia has been a constant source of help for those in need in our community,” says Anthony Emanuel Bond, founder of the Irving NAACP. “He and all the Muslim brothers and sisters that I have met and worked with are so loving and giving. They truly desire nothing more than to serve God and live in peace.”
Having been in Irving for a decade, Imam Zia has grown accustomed to the small-town grandstanding. Although careful not to be too critical of Van Duyne directly, he says the ignorance she displayed is something Muslim-Americans must face in today’s climate, whether that be in Irving (where emails with subject lines like “IRVING ISD INDOCTRINATING ISLAM” make news) or elsewhere (the recent “cartoon contest of the Prophet Muhammad” held in Garland).
“Unfortunately, in terms of understanding, we always seem to take one step forward, two steps back,” Imam Zia says. “But we will continue to do our level best to educate people.”
Three weeks after her Facebok post, Van Duyne finally met with Imam Zia. She told him that she said nothing wrong in her post or on The Glenn Beck Program, so no apology on her part was needed. Imam Zia told me he was disappointed but held no ill will toward her. All of which you could have guessed without my telling you.
Each mosque and each tradition is
uniquely different. Insha Allah, I will do my best to keep that uniqueness
intact, however, it is not easy to write different things each day for the whole
month. If you wish to get a complete essence of this journey in Ramadan, you
have to glance at the other days.
Click on picture to enlarge -
other pictures in the link
Today’s destination is the Shia Masjid in
the city of Irving called Momin Center, in case you are wondering what Momin
stands for, here it is: Metroplex
Organization of Muslims in North-Texas. Please remember, it is a name, and not
necessarily the organization of Muslims. That’s how we name things in the USA,
all private entities.
Click on picture to enlarge -
other pictures in the link
The articles at this site are being
published (translated versions) and read in several nations across the world,
here is the statistics for today’s views: USA 6800, Russia 2530, India 1070, UK
880, Pakistan 553, Qatar 530, Germany 389, Canada 330, Saudi Arabia 190,
Australia 181… 32% form Internet explorer, 28% through Chrome, 16% from Fire
Fox, 11% from Safari and…
Russia has thrown me off completely with
their numbers, but no China today, indeed we have had views from Tibet as well.
There may be a correlation here; I was invited to speak on Pluralism in Islam
in Tataristan, Russia, but I could not go, their budget did not pick up the
airfare, it makes sense why so many Russians are viewing this site, indeed, the
statistic is similar with World Muslim Congress.org. It was the same story with
Indonesia, did not get to go to speak on Islamophobia. If they pay for the
airfare, I will go and present the papers on various aspects of Islam,
particularly on Pluralism in Islam.
One of the first things I
do when I visit a Mosque is check on Quraan translations; One
Hilali Khan’s translation is
fraught with deliberate errors. Thank God, that is out of circulation now, but
millions of copies are out there in the hands of public doing the damage - it is
a sensitive issue, and part of the reason
for Islamophobia. The Quraan I picked to read was published in Saudi
Arabia, the translation of Quraan 1-7 was done up well. Picture in the link.
Got to meet with the
Dr. Mustafa Zaidi, president of the center and Mr. Sohel Sachak, VP, Insha
Allah, I will send them a formal invitation to join us at the Unity Day event
with as many members of the center as they can on September 11, 2012 - by the
way, our purpose is to bring all Americans together for a common purpose, to
know each other and build a cohesive America. It is a positive step forward.
More about it at www.UnitydayUSA.com
Click on picture to enlarge -
other pictures in the link
Maulana Raza
Usmani is a visiting scholar. In the last three years I have been going to this
Mosque, it is a common practice to bring scholars to give dars, education. There
is one on Tuesday night prior to Iftaar, if someone wants to go.
The
Maulana explained the difference in Iftaar procedure well. Unlike the Sunnis and
Ahmadiyya who do the Iftaar on the call for Maghrib (dusk) prayers, the Shias do
it after the prayers. He said, they do break the fast on the call, but wait to
eat after the supplication at the end of the prayers, they believe that
supplication is more powerful after the Dua (supplication). However, on the
call, one of the gentleman who knew me, asked me to go with my Iftaar and I did
along with a few others. They had an additional item - Lassi, the yogurt shake,
and that was delicious. I remembered back home in Bangalore, this was a common
thing to serve in the Mosques. I cannot believe, I don't remember its
name.
The Shias do the Maghrib and Isha prayer back to back, the Isha is
2 units, as the Imam's during Ramadan are usually visiting Imams. Most people do
the balance 2 on Isha after the prayers. No Taraweeh prayers in Shia Mosques, it
is a Sunni tradition initiated by Hazrat Umar.
The ritual prayer outlines
are the same, but with a few differences in the process. During the Qiyaam
(i.e., the standing position), the hands are dropped to the sides, I made an
effort to do that, but did not feel home with it, so I did what I am used to;
place my hands on my stomach folded together. The feeling was almost like the
feeling when you don’t wear seat belt while driving. There is nothing wrong or
right about either method, it is simply what you are used to.
Lifting of forefinger as a witness is a
Sunni practice while reciting Ashadu anna Muhammadur Rasool Allah in the
Tashahhud position and not a Shia practice.
Sunni prayers are
concluded with a physical turn of the head to the right and then to the left
with a Salaam Aliakum o Rahmatullah, while the Shias conclude it with the words
alone in the middle of the recitation. If I were to score on the quality of carpet,
this mosque scores 8 out of 10, and the Plano Mosque would score low, the Masjid
e Aqsa perhaps scores 10 out of 10, and Aqsa is one of the cleanest Mosques I
have been to, it was incredibly clean!
One of the purposes
of writing the Ramadan notes is, for us to see that each method is beautiful,
and learn to drop the arrogance of wronging others. It’s not easy, but good
things are not easy anyways. The language we need to develop in
expressing the difference is that of respect and not in terms of better or not
better, but appreciation of the uniqueness. Do we forget that Allah constantly
reminds as that the best among you is the one who knows the other, it means
acknowledging the difference and living with it. At the Ahmadiyya Mosque, I
added in my little talk, that Allah does not shower favors one over the other,
he has not signed a deal behind others backs for us to be arrogant. The least
liked person by God is an arrogant one. May Allah help us all to learn to describe
the otherness of others as genuinely as we can and with utmost respect. One of
the greatest values of Islam is equality and it must reflect in our actions and
words. No one should be looked down or up, shame on us if we do. You might want
to consider reflecting on the wisdom of conducting a civil dialogue as describe
in Sura Kafirun (http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2008/07/sura-kafirun-un-believers.html)
Had a short
discussion with the Maulana, and was amazed at the way he described Ayatul
Kursi, and what does it mean to be in Jahilya box and how to get out of it. and
the first statement Prophet Muhammad made at Masjid-e-Nabwi about maintaining
relationships.
Mike Ghouse is committed to building a
cohesive America with participation from every community. Please visit
www.AmericaTogetherfoundation.com
Please
mark your calendar for the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all
Americans Together to rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and
secure America. We are a part of America and we need to feel and live it. If
you liked some of the article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA
atwww.UnityDayUSA.com
Each mosque and each tradition is
uniquely different. Insha Allah, I will do my best to keep that uniqueness
intact, however, it is not easy to write different things each day for the whole
month. If you wish to get a complete essence of this journey in Ramadan, you
have to glance at the other days.
Click on picture to enlarge -
other pictures in the link
Today’s destination is the Shia Masjid in
the city of Irving called Momin Center, in case you are wondering what Momin
stands for, here it is: Metroplex
Organization of Muslims in North-Texas. Please remember, it is a name, and not
necessarily the organization of Muslims. That’s how we name things in the USA,
all private entities.
Click on picture to enlarge -
other pictures in the link
The articles at this site are being
published (translated versions) and read in several nations across the world,
here is the statistics for today’s views: USA 6800, Russia 2530, India 1070, UK
880, Pakistan 553, Qatar 530, Germany 389, Canada 330, Saudi Arabia 190,
Australia 181… 32% form Internet explorer, 28% through Chrome, 16% from Fire
Fox, 11% from Safari and…
Russia has thrown me off completely with
their numbers, but no China today, indeed we have had views from Tibet as well.
There may be a correlation here; I was invited to speak on Pluralism in Islam
in Tataristan, Russia, but I could not go, their budget did not pick up the
airfare, it makes sense why so many Russians are viewing this site, indeed, the
statistic is similar with World Muslim Congress.org. It was the same story with
Indonesia, did not get to go to speak on Islamophobia. If they pay for the
airfare, I will go and present the papers on various aspects of Islam,
particularly on Pluralism in Islam.
One of the first things I
do when I visit a Mosque is check on Quraan translations; One
Hilali Khan’s translation is
fraught with deliberate errors. Thank God, that is out of circulation now, but
millions of copies are out there in the hands of public doing the damage - it is
a sensitive issue, and part of the reason
for Islamophobia. The Quraan I picked to read was published in Saudi
Arabia, the translation of Quraan 1-7 was done up well. Picture in the link.
Got to meet with the
Dr. Mustafa Zaidi, president of the center and Mr. Sohel Sachak, VP, Insha
Allah, I will send them a formal invitation to join us at the Unity Day event
with as many members of the center as they can on September 11, 2012 - by the
way, our purpose is to bring all Americans together for a common purpose, to
know each other and build a cohesive America. It is a positive step forward.
More about it at www.UnitydayUSA.com
Click on picture to enlarge -
other pictures in the link
Maulana Raza
Usmani is a visiting scholar. In the last three years I have been going to this
Mosque, it is a common practice to bring scholars to give dars, education. There
is one on Tuesday night prior to Iftaar, if someone wants to go.
The
Maulana explained the difference in Iftaar procedure well. Unlike the Sunnis and
Ahmadiyya who do the Iftaar on the call for Maghrib (dusk) prayers, the Shias do
it after the prayers. He said, they do break the fast on the call, but wait to
eat after the supplication at the end of the prayers, they believe that
supplication is more powerful after the Dua (supplication). However, on the
call, one of the gentleman who knew me, asked me to go with my Iftaar and I did
along with a few others. They had an additional item - Lassi, the yogurt shake,
and that was delicious. I remembered back home in Bangalore, this was a common
thing to serve in the Mosques. I cannot believe, I don't remember its
name.
The Shias do the Maghrib and Isha prayer back to back, the Isha is
2 units, as the Imam's during Ramadan are usually visiting Imams. Most people do
the balance 2 on Isha after the prayers. No Taraweeh prayers in Shia Mosques, it
is a Sunni tradition initiated by Hazrat Umar.
The ritual prayer outlines
are the same, but with a few differences in the process. During the Qiyaam
(i.e., the standing position), the hands are dropped to the sides, I made an
effort to do that, but did not feel home with it, so I did what I am used to;
place my hands on my stomach folded together. The feeling was almost like the
feeling when you don’t wear seat belt while driving. There is nothing wrong or
right about either method, it is simply what you are used to.
Lifting of forefinger as a witness is a
Sunni practice while reciting Ashadu anna Muhammadur Rasool Allah in the
Tashahhud position and not a Shia practice.
Sunni prayers are
concluded with a physical turn of the head to the right and then to the left
with a Salaam Aliakum o Rahmatullah, while the Shias conclude it with the words
alone in the middle of the recitation. If I were to score on the quality of carpet,
this mosque scores 8 out of 10, and the Plano Mosque would score low, the Masjid
e Aqsa perhaps scores 10 out of 10, and Aqsa is one of the cleanest Mosques I
have been to, it was incredibly clean!
One of the purposes
of writing the Ramadan notes is, for us to see that each method is beautiful,
and learn to drop the arrogance of wronging others. It’s not easy, but good
things are not easy anyways. The language we need to develop in
expressing the difference is that of respect and not in terms of better or not
better, but appreciation of the uniqueness. Do we forget that Allah constantly
reminds as that the best among you is the one who knows the other, it means
acknowledging the difference and living with it. At the Ahmadiyya Mosque, I
added in my little talk, that Allah does not shower favors one over the other,
he has not signed a deal behind others backs for us to be arrogant. The least
liked person by God is an arrogant one. May Allah help us all to learn to describe
the otherness of others as genuinely as we can and with utmost respect. One of
the greatest values of Islam is equality and it must reflect in our actions and
words. No one should be looked down or up, shame on us if we do. You might want
to consider reflecting on the wisdom of conducting a civil dialogue as describe
in Sura Kafirun (http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2008/07/sura-kafirun-un-believers.html)
Had a short
discussion with the Maulana, and was amazed at the way he described Ayatul
Kursi, and what does it mean to be in Jahilya box and how to get out of it. and
the first statement Prophet Muhammad made at Masjid-e-Nabwi about maintaining
relationships.
Mike Ghouse is committed to building a
cohesive America with participation from every community. Please visit
www.AmericaTogetherfoundation.com
Please
mark your calendar for the Unity Day USA, a positive event that brings all
Americans Together to rededicate our pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and
secure America. We are a part of America and we need to feel and live it. If
you liked some of the article, you will like the description of Unity Day USA
atwww.UnityDayUSA.com
