Cleaning up the Garbage
I wanted to let everyone know that I appreciate all the warm emails and comments that I have received over the past few days. Insha Allah, I think I will be back to blogging regularly some time this week. However, I wanted to express something that has been on my mind.
Call it is a shortcoming, but I must admit that it really bothers me that I am made out to be a heretic by some Muslims - however few there are - for my firm stance against terrorism in the name of Islam. It bothers me to no end that - on so-called Islamic grounds - I am berated and dogged for encouraging people to help everyone - including those that are not Muslim. It bothers me that there are a significant minority of Muslims around the world that feel that terrorism is what Islam is about. (After all, the thousands of terror attack that occur in the name of Islam are not happening in a vacuum)
I was in a conversation with a Muslim about the number of dead beat dads and the other social problems within the Blackamerican Muslim community. He told me that he felt that the concepts I speak and write about (i.e., “nuclear family”, owning a home, community responsibility, education, etc) are “Western” concepts and to the extent that Muslims practice those things are to the extent they have adopted “Western values”. He then told me that you can’t “turn a chicken into a duck” and that Islam in reality is a religion of conquering and plundering such as with the Barbary Pirates. This is why he thinks that Islam fundamentally attracts people who reject orderliness, have nothing to lose and want revenge against the world. Keep in mind that this person is a Muslim.
Although this person was obviously not a terrorist, he was espousing the Islam of the Khawaarij: Islam is a religion of perpetual killing, rape and plunder that can not tolerate other views and opinions. It is the Islam of Nineteen Eighty Four’s O’Brien who described his ideology as such:
Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.”
This is the “Islam” that troubles me. It troubles me that many Muslims feel that O’Brien’s Islam is the true Islam. An Islam where feelings of compassion and kindness are to be stamped out of you. An Islam of mass indoctrination. A Muslim is not to have any private emotions and is to live in a continuous frenzy of rage and hatred of enemies and munafiqs such as that displayed in OBL’s Mephistophelean rants.
This totalitarian (and un-Islamic) thinking must be tenaciously opposed and defeated in the arena of ideas as it will lead us all nowhere but to more suffering. It will provide no solutions to the underclass that is developing in our own communities and to breaking the cycles of dysfunctional behavior that many may bring into Islam. Family structures must be reinforced, and Muslims must be active agents and participants in organizations seeking to help communities improve themselves - not destroy them.
This is why I am relentless in condemning this ideology and all similar thinking. This venomous creed is destructive not only because of the lives that it snuffs out, but because it encourages irresponsibility and criminal behavior. This outlaw philosophy encourages an attitude of entitlement that causes cheating, stealing and lying (the caravans akh!) supposedly because it is “against the system”. It creates a culture of corruption in which an inner city Masjid sells BOOTLEG DVD’s in the masjid.
How is one to reform an ex-convict with these kind of putrid teachings are floating around? Rather than telling these individuals that they must stand up, clean up and MAN UP, by being a responsible and productive member of society, they are provided with excuses for criminal behavior and remaining outside “the system”. Let’s clean up this garbage. I plan to attack this “culture of corruption” more in future posts, Insha Allah…
Filed under: Black American Muslims, Practical Solutions
Salaams,
That brother has a real distorted image the history of Muslim societies. I think the historical analysis is really off. Family values and education rank high on the list of priorities in most Muslim societies. First of all, in Muslim majority societies, you will see that many men take pride in raising their sons, educating their sons, and sacrificing and doing everything they can to ensure that their wives and children are taken care of. I’m here right now, and I see men and women busting their arses to make sure their kids get proper education. Most Muslim societies value the prestige of education and knowledge. And you will see that Muslim immigrants bring these values to America.
Now, what that brother is speaking about is some bastardized form of Ghetto Islam. Now, some of the least qualified but most outspoken people have dominating the discourse in American Muslim masajid. And they are creating a misogynistic, conspiracy laden, under achieving culture that is festering in our communities.
Back to historical distortions. The vast majority of Muslims never plundered. Islam spread mainly through trade and most Ghazi states had little interest in converting people. Even in the Ghazi states, the vast majority were peasants and farmers. And in the cities, people had trades and crafts. The state conducted military campaigns to consolidate power and to open new markets. And believe you this, Ghazi states like the early ‘Uthmaniyya were not recruiting rabble and riff raff. They had honor codes, futuwwa. These dead beats aren’t displaying any of that. As for the common folk, people lived their lives like regular folks, paying taxes, trying to live decent honest lives even when under despotic regimes.
Great post Tariq. For guys like you describe Islam is nothing more than another excuse to lead a bad life and try to justify it with Islam. They replace one thing for another, “baby mammas” are replaced with multiple wives and multiple children that they let the state support. They dont work, but now they say they dont want to “contribute to the Kuffar system”.
What worries me as much as these guys, who certainly will be loosers when all is accounted for, are the “born” Muslims who think this way about their deen. They, and the community, are being failed both at home and in the mosque.
You wrote “This is why he thinks that Islam fundamentally attracts people who reject orderliness”.
I am one German-American convert with almost a compulsion toward orderliness that would certainly not fit into that lame stereotype.
MANY MANY MANY MANY people share your views Tariq! The time to BUILD institutions is NOW. People with various resources can all band togther to provide the vital services that our community needs. As I know you are also for the same kind of CHANGE that many of us are for, please support us as we put together Washington Leadership Prep Institute for our young men!
Hmm, I wonder if the guy you were talking to has read much history.
Outside of the Turks, there isn’t much of a military/conquering tradition in the Muslim world. And the Turks and their cousins such as the Mongols, were doing that long before they were Muslims so it didn’t really have anything to do with their faith. They just happened to be carrying the banner of Islam from around the 10th century onwards. And the intent usually wasn’t to convert the conquered lands, you’ll find very little Islam in lands conquered by the Turks (unless it was already there).
As Margari has noted, Islam spread more through trade and Muslims coming into (non-confrontational) contact with non-Muslims.
In fact, military conquest requires a good degree of orderliness, so I don’t see how attracting those who like disorderliness can possibly lead to conquering and plundering.
Those who support the so called ‘freedom fighters’ who are fighting ‘in the name of Islam’ really need to get over the bullshit glorified view that ‘we shall rise again’. This isn’t the 6th,7th,… or even the 19th century anymore. The time for warfare is over. If you want to stop injustice, learn to read and write.
And by the way, the purpose of Islam was never to stop injustice for Muslims only, it was to stop injustice, full stop. If you’re living here in the US, you should first look to see what’s going on in your own backyard. Most Muslims, especially those who came here as immigrants, are doing quite well here. They would do well to look at the umpteen problems some communities right here are facing, things like poverty for example.
Tariq,
An outspoken voice like yours is needed on these topics. I regret that I am not more outspoken about such things and often find myself shying away from the rants just to avoid the injured confusion that my objections will likely elicit.
It almost seems like a law that those whose focus is on some far off fantasy of khilafah and Islamic states are themselves presiding over a blighted personal life. It is sad.
I agree, MANY people share your views. God Willing with your voice and others, we will begin to find solutions to these problems. You have sisters working twice as much to fill the void so many men have left, and while I cannot speak enough to the resiliency of women, where does this leave the children? MAN UP indeed….
Thanks for sharing your words Br. Tariq, they always inspire!
Bro Tariq, may Allah the Guardian Protector shower you with love and Protect you against the inner whisperings of Shaitan. At the risk of sounding self serving let me say that I am associated with a community of approx. 2.5 milion muslims under the leadership of Imam Warithudeen Mohammad and I can say without hesitation, reservation or embarrisment that you will NEVER-EVER hear that kind of warped garbage thinking coming out of our mouths. Those muslims that you encounter espousing that vile putrid that passes for Al-Islam are full of resentements and their thinkings are a product of a foriegn mind. Allah commands us to THINK for we benefit by the power of thought.
[...] all known to be true yet are too embarrassed to admit, namely, that our community is full of criminals. I didn’t say “reformed criminals”, for that would be one thing. No, I’m [...]
Br Tariq Nelson, yuv simply woken up and seen the light.
I can imagine that a person whose thoughts on islam are as you described is either completely ignorant of how Islam really is. Because beleive me, w/ their philosophy they could never establish a medina like the prophet saw did. That took responsibility, trustworthy people, and foresight and planning. Something it seems these people think is western.
Don’t let these people BOTHER you or get under your skin. You KNOW you are upon the truth insh’allah so be confident in that. And just speak your mind. that is all you can do and that is all you are asked. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Mr. Nelson,
First of all I must extend my welcome backs to you.
Secondly, I must agree with you and the many supporters on here, your voice is needed in your community and even in non-Muslim communities like mine. Problems cannot be solved by remaining silent about them.It just matter worse and in doing so the same problems will be repeated from generation to generation.
Almost two years ago, I visited a couple of masjids on a class assignment. Back then ,I decided to visit two masjids( WD Muhammad and an immigrant one) from what I have learned from both imams, it didn’t equate to the divisiveness of the men that you mention in your blog.
I’ve come across several Muslims who wanted non-Muslims like myself to be educated about their faith, but they surely didn’t want me to think that every Muslim was closed minded about the world like guys mentioned in your blog. Some have told me not to believe people like that. I’ve even had a few classmates of mine from countries like Afghanistan or Bangladesh who said that their parents wanted their kids to be in more liberal branches of the Muslim faith because of the extreme thinking of the guys like them and wanted them to learn the truth about God.
I would NEVER join/attend any religious center of any kindthat promotes discord.Although I’m far from scholar on the Muslim faith, I have learned( and have always kept to heart) one thing from it: It is not a religion of that promotes confusion. The Islam that I fell in love with is pro-family, pro-unity and is non-violent. There are people in this world who are clueless about God. You’re doing the right thing by keeping them informed by confronting the issues. Keep up the good work.
I am absolutely over the moon and thrilled with this post Bro Tariq, you have no idea. It is about time more like minded Muslims stand up and take back our noble tradition from Muslims who are unknowingly destroying it from the inside out. Ameen to you Bro. You have a lot of frustrated Muslims who are in your corner, believe me. The lightbulb came on for me in April 2003 when I took a course from Dr. Umar Farooq Abd-Allah of the Nawawi Foundation in Chicago entitled “A Historical Look at Jihad”. You would have loved it. The dear Dr. pointed out that modern Muslim terrorism is nothing more than HIRABA, plain and simple and went on to prove how historically, terrorism in all its forms never worked for Muslims and it was doomed to fail as a tactic and a philosophy. I recommend all of Dr. Umar’s papers and classes as a wonderful scholarly backup to all the points that you have made. I was in tears by the end of his class…it was that good.
The time for change is now. It appalls me that these nutjobs in our communities are often the spokemen. We have to stop the madness. Personally speaking, my husband and I started standing up to these loonies a few years back at every given oppurtunity. Now lots of them call us Mossad agents, but who cares, we have our conscience to live with the rest of our lives and if that means fewer Muslim friends socially than so be it!
If I hear “Khilafah is the solution” one more time at any given lecture q & a, I might just have an anuerism, I swear. If it was the solution all along, then why the hell did it fail in the first place?
LOL, And Br. Musa you hit the nail on the head…”THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THE FIRST TO SHOUT ISLAMIC STATE ARE OFTEN THE FIRST TO BE “PRESIDING OVER A BLIGHTED PERSONAL LIFE”.
ROFL! We live in the same town Bro, so I know who you are talking about without naming names! Behind ever “Khilafah” crazy in this town is a Hizby with a trail of personal behavioral problems the size of Texas! I hear you on that one for sure!
Anyways, it is time to stop capitulating to insanity and to stand up for what is righteous. Good job Br. Tariq. This was inspiring.
BTW, once again the Palestinian issue conquered and consumed our MSA’s ‘Islamic’ Awareness Week. The main event speaker was Norman Finklestein! I think this was a highly inappropriate choice given the purpose of the week. Sure hope he taught somebody about Islam tonight. Yeah right. I mean, let the man speak, but under the banner of “Islamic Awareness Week?!” C’mon.
Anyways, thanks for the inspiring post….you got me all riled up !
Bravo Tariq
You are one of the few who admit and decry the failings of the black community. Blacks should concede that a generation of single mothers has been a disaster. Let go of the fantasy that single black mothers are some kind of infallible force of nature. Demand that your children spend more time reading and doing math than on the basketball court. Only about two thousand people in the whole country make a living by playing sports. The rest have to get real jobs. Do whatever it takes to make your preachers emphasize the value of being a good father instead of ranting from the pulpit about how all of life’s woes are the fault of America. Tip your white waitress. Stay at work after 5 o’clock. Allow your kids to find somebody to admire and emulate who isn’t black. Does being black really have to be a full-time job?
Here’s the biggest thing we “racists” notice. Every single immigrant group that ever came to America—including the Chinese who came as railroad slaves—has risen out of poverty and want to prosperity and respect. The Irish, the Italians, the Polish, the Jews, the Koreans, the Vietnamese. Every group but you. And you’re the only group we fought a war to free.
The message on this blog is refreshing
Ed,
It seemed your post started out on a positive, but nosedived quickly. I’ll address the last point. No one fought a war to free Black people in America. Read up on American history.
The preachers aren’t going to stop ranting from the pulpits about the wrong America has done to Blacks because it is still happening.
Take your “support” for the messages here and shove it.
AA- Tariq,
Nice to see you back.
“A Muslim is not to have any private emotions and is to live in a continuous frenzy of rage and hatred of enemies and munafiqs such as that displayed in OBL’s Mephistophelean rants.
This totalitarian (and un-Islamic) thinking must be tenaciously opposed and defeated in the arena of ideas as it will lead us all nowhere but to more suffering.”
I think this totalitarian thinking has already been defeated, as you see it being rejected en masse by the clear majority of the Muslims.
One more point, I see you conflating two totally different mindsets - that of the Muslims extremists and that of the deadbeat Muslims.
While both are deplorable, they must be tackled in different ways. The former is a theological problem, while the latter is a socio-economic problem, specific to Muslims in the West.
I think this totalitarian thinking has already been defeated, as you see it being rejected en masse by the clear majority of the Muslims.
It has not been defeated yet as there are still many that think this way. God knows best, but I think that the silent majority of us that reject this thinking need to be more vocal and forceful against these mad men.
One more point, I see you conflating two totally different mindsets - that of the Muslims extremists and that of the deadbeat Muslims.
My point is that many dead beat guys use these extremist ideas as excuses for their being deadbeats (fairuza above alluded to some of what I am speaking of)
This is odd because you have dismissed what this brother was trying to get at which as distorted as it sounds has some truth to it.
Islam is indeed a dominant and a dominating religion. I wouldn’t go to the extent of saying it is a religion of plundering–but it is one of conquering, as it’s very nature is to conquer, either with it’s word or it’s swords–both are just as effective.
If we take this further I think it becomes clear that people would be willing to come to Islam because it’s success translates to them as their own personal success–their own personal gain–so they see this as less struggle and frustration. Try making sense of worshiping a white god and being black at the same time–not easy to cope with.
And Islam’s nature is such that it overpowers people and really pushes them to obsess over Islam. Converts are more zealous than others in this sense that they can easily fall prey to the extremist thinking.
But at the same time this domineering aspect of Islam is not a vice–but a virtue; people are indeed worthy of having such a religion and Allah has commanded it so. However, the appreciation and meeting the standard set by Islam is not as common as we would hope. And ultimately I think this is what it comes down to.
Ed -
Your negationism and self-denial are not worth responding to with so much information available.
Do you actually think AA want OOW births?
Islam is the answer for the black community. Once we fully accept Islam and dedicate ourselves to the upliftment of our community then we will see substantial progress.
In fact, African Americans have progressed very far in this country.
We have a lot of work to do and most African Americans blame no one but themselves for their predicament.
Salaam