My Recent Experience with Islamophobia & Hate Speech

Below is my response to some hateful and Islamophobic interactions involving my family and my earlier post Response: Can a good Muslim be a good American? was in fact part of the same conversation. These things are not new to me and few months back for example, I was told that, “All from Issac are on truth and All from Ismail/Ishmael are from Satan!”. So, yep this is not something new but recent exponential increase in Islamophobia & Hate Speech against Islam and Muslims makes it important to share these experiences and instead of fighting fire with fire, take more pragmatic approach to calm things down. 

*I have modified my response for privacy reasons.

Dear XXXXX,

Respecting other religions (and not even disrespecting the idols of other faiths) is part of my creed and believing in Jesus, his miraculous birth, his message, and his return at the end of times are prerequisite of my faith. So it is impossible for me to be disrespectful towards any belief or creed including Christianity.

I am compelled to write this post after noticing a trend of Islamophobic ideas and intolerance towards Islam and Muslims. I am not only responding to you as a Muslim but also as a concerned husband and father. I am concerned because this hateful narrative is dangerous and can lead to bigger problems. Discussing problems and issues is great but it is extremely dangerous when you use false propaganda to dehumanize certain people, race, or religion because at the end of the day, you may not pull the trigger but your words can most certainly urge someone else to do something stupid. This is exactly what happened in Germany when the Jews were vilified for such a long time that murdering 6 million of them became nothing extra ordinary and this Islamophobic propaganda is doing exactly what Nazi’s did in Germany.

Just like you were offended when Jim Johns was mentioned with respect to Christianity, Muslims feel the same when you vilify them with false propaganda. Terrorist organization like ISIS are not representatives of 1.5 billion Muslims around the world. But if you want to go that route then according to your logic and all those with the same mind set:

1: Christianity is responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Central African Republic because all this is being done in the name of your religion. Simple Google search should give you all the details.

2: The Christian faith is responsible for the evil acts of Anders Breivik who killed 77 and injured more than 400 in Norway 3 years ago. You can read his 2000 pages manifest for details.

3: All Christians are responsible for murdering 6 million Jews and the Holocaust. Below is a quote from Adolph Hitler’s book Mein Kampf to prove my point:

Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: ‘by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.’

4: All Christians are responsible for 1991 Massacre of Bosnians when Slobodan Milosevic used religion and race to dehumanize the Bosnians which eventually resulted in the genocide.

5: Tens of thousands of women were burnt alive in the suspicion of witchcraft and all that was done in the name of Christ.

6: Spanish inquisition is another example where Jews and Muslims were murdered, forcefully converted, their kids taken away from them, forced to leave their homeland, etc.

7: 12.5 million Africans were enslaved in America between 1525 and 1866 and no religion other than Christianity was used to justify all that happened to them.

So just like me and my fellow Muslims don’t blame you for everything that happened in the name Christianity, we ask the same tolerance and respect. Vilifying every American Muslims by spreading hate speech is disrespectful, replying to it with facts and figures is not.

Regards,

Ali

An open letter to the Barakat Abu-Salah Families and All Who Care!

You can never find Greatness but if Greatness is looking for you, it most certainly will!

I have said this a million times before and I will say it again that greatness is something most of us seek but few achieve it and majority of those who achieve it, never even expected or desired it. If you closely research, read history, and follow current events, you will see that true grandeur doesn’t require you to be the best in what you do or demands a doctorate as a prerequisite. You must have seen people who put all their efforts in their job by ignoring their families, friends, health, and beliefs but after giving everything, the only thing they are left with are regrets and what ifs. On the other hand, there are few mysterious souls who are picked by forces beyond our comprehension and greatness just follows them like a shadow, dying for their glimpse. These forces are in control of God Almighty, the one who turns their tiny deed into mountains of gold, their simple words into a slogan, their blood into a clot that stops bloodshed, and their scars that give birth to a revolution.

Nelson Mandela, for example was a black man in a racist society, imprisoned for 27 years, opposed by almost everyone and even the super power like United States proclaimed him to be a terrorist (just like 1.5 billion Muslims are today) became a symbol of freedom, equality, justice, and human rights. Spending prime of his life in prison should have killed his odds of grandeur but that is where the unseen forces come into picture. Fifteen years old Aitzaz Hasan is another example who saved lives of 900 students by single-handedly tackling and stopping a suicide bomber from attacking a school in Pakistan. Aitzaz Hasan never planned for this, he didn’t go to school that day to be a hero or a martyr and same is true for Deah, Yusor, Razan, and the Barakat/Abu-Salah Families.
Deah was fundraising for $20,000 to support a team of doctors and dentists helping Syrian refugees. I don’t think he was sure he will be able to reach 20k mark but he trusted in Allah just like prophet Moses (as) who put his staff in the sea and trusted in Allah for the rest. The last time I checked, the total contribution to his cause on youcaring.com was at $353,884 and counting. I don’t think he ever expected it to reach 300k but Allah is the one who decides the outcomes of everything and He had something better for Deah and his efforts i.e. Deah walked towards Allah and Allah ran towards Deah.
Yusor who married Deah 6 weeks earlier with the plans to have kids and spend long and happy life with her husband and family and Razan was just visiting her sister that day. Dr. Suzanne Barakat never wanted to be interviewed by the world media and be representative of not only her family but also the whole Muslim World, Deah never intended his (request for donations) YouTube video to become proof of his personality and character, his parents never panned to show the whole world the true meaning of patience and submission to the will of Allah. No, none of them ever planned any of that but Allah has his own mysterious ways which are beyond our understanding.
Legacy of Deah, Yusor, Razan, Dr. Suzanne, and the Barakat/Abu-Salah family is right in front of us and we should learn from it but we should also ask ourselves a question: What Will Be My Legacy?!
Yet again… You can never find Greatness but if Greatness is looking for you, it most certainly will!

Inna Lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un – Surely we all belong to Allah and to Him shall we return. This is extremely difficult test and may Almighty make it easy for them. Aamin!

Response: Can a good Muslim be a good American?

This list is online for a long time but bigots in the society are bringing it back to support their hateful propaganda. Below is my point by point response:

Theologically – No. Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon-god of Arabia.

Response: Theology has nothing to do with being good American because America doesn’t have any official religion. Secondly, the first amendment of the constitution (which you most certainly love) clearly prohibits the government from establishing an official religion which also applies to the states.

Only significance moon has in Islam is for calendar and if that makes them followers of moon-god, then Jews are in the same boat right next to them. BTW Christians in Middle East call their God Allah. You can research…

Religiously – No. Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam. (Quran, 2:256)

Response: Quran 2:256 which you have quoted above starts by stating that, “There is no compulsion in religion!” which is perfectly aligned with your beloved constitution of America. Secondly, just like you believe that Christianity is the true path, Muslims believe the same. So if it is fine for you then it should be ok for them as well.

Scripturally – No. Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran.

Response: Yet again, scripture has nothing to do with being good American and using scripture to judge how American you are is unconstitutional. Just like observing Sabbath and following Halakha doesn’t make a Jew “bad American”, same is true for Muslims.

Geographically – No. Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day.

Response: Hmmm… According to this logic everyone except Atheists are bad Americans because the Wailing Wall is sacred to Jews, the Vatican for Christians, Lumbini for Buddhists, Varanasi for Hindus, etc.

Socially – No. Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.

Response: The verse of Quran that is always quoted to prove this absurd point was revealed in response to a certain “Event” and was specifically for the “leaders” and had nothing to do with ordinary Christians and Jews.

Politically – No. Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America, the great Satan.

Response: You need to do serious research if you believe that Muslims MUST SUBMIT TO MULLAHS. Mullah is like a church Pastor and just like some Christians blindly follow the pastors, Muslims are no exception. Remember Pastor Jim Jones!?!?

Domestically – No. Because he is instructed to marry four Women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him. (Quran 4:34)

Response: You quoted wrong verse but Islam never “instructed” to marry 4 women. The verse 4:3 states that you can marry up to 4 but if you cannot be just to all of them then it is better to marry only one. And btw polygamy isn’t something new if you read old and new testament.

Intellectually – No. Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.

Response: hmmm… I can talk a lot about this but to keep things simple, let us just talk about the 10 commandments: First and third commandment contradicts with the First Amendment, second and third commandment contradicts with freedom of speech and expression, Sabbath (4^th commandment) has nothing to do with American culture and society, adultery (7^th commandment) is celebrated and encouraged, etc.

Philosophically – No. Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.

Response: Muslim governments are dictatorial because it suits American foreign policy. May be you don’t know but Islam gave women right to vote 1400 years ago while it happened in 1920s for the American women. Freedom of expression and making nude/pornographic pictures and movies about religious figures are totally different things.

Spiritually – No. Because when we declare ‘one nation under God,’ The Christian’s God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in the Quran’s 99 excellent names.

Response: Jews don’t refer to God as “Heavenly Father” so are they in Santa’s “bad” list as well?

This hostility against Muslims isn’t something new and certain sections of society just need a punching bag to feel alive… so in the beginning, the “Red Man”, then the “Black Man”; Jews were evil until the Holocaust (which btw was a very Christian act), Japanese Americans were pushed in concentration camps, then the Red Giant USSR, then gays/lesbians, and now Muslims. Hence… same game, different players!

Double Standards Of The West

Same NATO that will not take a min to support division of Pakistan into multiple states is opposing the division of Ukraine. Yes, the same people who didn’t say anything when Iraq was being carved into multiple sub-states(like Kurdistan) by the terrorists (which btw happened after the “success” of mission Iraqi “Freedom”)

Kids & Adults

According to my experience and observations, I believe that babies are born with infinite level of intelligence/creativity and it is the environment, social pressures, etc. that turns them into “ordinary” adults.
I have also learnt that it not the child’s limitation to understand complicated concepts but our inability as “ordinary” adults and  our limited/flawed explanations and uncreative expression.

In Response to “10 REASONS WHY I DO NOT WANT SHARIA IN PAKISTAN”

Below are my ten points in response to the “10 REASONS WHY I DO NOT WANT SHARIAH IN PAKISTAN”

Source: 10 REASONS WHY I DO NOT WANT SHARIAH IN PAKISTAN

Islam is more than inshaAllah and MashAllah but some in the land of the pure believe that it is good enough.

1. Religion and how I choose to practice it is my business and not that of the State.

1.  Sharia law never dictates how you practice your religion at personal level or what you do in your home. It merely gives a framework of rules and laws that should be implemented to run the affairs of a state.

2. Enforcing Shariah will not make me a better Muslim nor will it make Pakistan a welfare state. The world’s welfare states are all governed by secular governments.

2. Yet again, the purpose of sharia law is not to make you a “better Muslim” because Quran clearly dictates that there is no compulsion in religion. And your argument that as all the welfare states are governed by secular governments therefore sharia law is not workable is just childish. It is like saying that as number of male recipients of Noble prize is greater than that of women therefore all women are stupid.

3. I reject the idea that Shariah in any form can be enforced by those who have raped and plundered my country, blown up schools and mosques and beheaded soldiers. I will not give these criminals the right to dictate to me.

3.  TTP will not be implementing sharia law, government of Pakistan will. Secondly, implementing sharia law doesn’t mean that you are justifying the evil acts of the few. If evil acts of TTP in past 10 years can be used to undermine Sharia law then we have suffered far longer due to “democracy”. Hence if I accept your logic, democracy is bigger evil than sharia.

4. I will not give up my civil rights, including freedom of thought and expression, under the guise of Shariah.

4.  Muslims both at individual level and as a nation contributed more in science, medicine, arts, etc. following laws of Allah. Islam gave right of vote to women 1400 years before the west and abolished slavery long before the “free world”. Islam encourages all aspects of expression unless your definition of “freedom of expression” coincides with the one expressed by Veena Malik.

5. I stand against acts like wife beating and the premise that rape requires 4 witnesses, all of which can be justified under Shariah law. Virtually anything can be justified by quoting religious scripture, and the context or interpretation of quoted text is usually not questioned. An example is a heinous crime like the Peshawar church blast being declared “in accordance with Shariah” by the TTP.

5. How can you equate wife beating/domestic violence with sharia law? But if you really want to go that route than I must accept the challenge. In US, one woman is being raped every two minutes and 1.3 million women were physically assaulted in one year by their significant other. So this proves that democracy is bigger evil than the sharia law!?!? Secondly you have stated that and I quote “virtually anything can be justified by quoting religious scripture”, isn’t it true in the secular legal system where lawyers play all kind of games and twist things to win? I know that finding faults in secular legal system is not enough to prove my point but I just wanted to show the other side of the picture. Just like acts of a killer are his own fault and the state or the legal system is not responsible, same is true for sharia law if one decides to beat up my wife. Blame the player not the game! Last but not least, the 4 witness rule is not for rape but for adultery and formication.

6. I abhor the notion that under Sharia law the State will be classifying its citizens into those who practice Islam and those who don’t. There should be NO minority, and NO majority, everyone should be equal citizens with equal rights under the law.

6. Sharia law doesn’t classify on the basis of majority or minority but on the basis of religion so that those who are not Muslims can live their lives according to their religion, customs, laws, culture, etc. In this way laws related to drinking for example will not be applicable on non-Muslims.

7. I believe that draconian laws under the guise of religion will push Pakistan back socioeconomically and isolate it from the rest of the world. This must not be allowed to happen.

7. If I accept your idea that sharia law will push Pakistan into isolation then my question to you is: Aren’t we isolated now i.e. during the golden age of democracy in Pakistan? Secondly If sharia law will push Pakistan in isolation then why is Saudi Arabia (not supporting Saudis in any way) is not isolated and is considered biggest American ally after Israel?

8. Imposing religion in a country that is already torn apart by religious extremism and sectarianism is like adding fuel to the fire. The criminals who are demanding Shariah are the ones who have taken responsibility for sectarian killings across the country.

8. An evil group asking for something good should never change your stance towards the good thing just because “they” are asking for it. TTP guys also drink water so should that stop you from drinking water ever again just because “they” are drinking it too?!?!

9. We live in a modern world that uses rational thinking, information and science to frame laws which don’t necessarily derive inspiration from religion or religious text. These laws can be amended according to the will of the people. Laws based on religion take away the freedom to choose, criticize or amend. An example is the relegation of scientific and forensic evidence as secondary in cases of rape.

9. This statement of yours basically means that religion is obsolete in the modern world and I cannot argue with you here because I don’t think I need to prove that here. But if you (those against religion or laws dictated by religion) want to kick religion out then you should be ready to give your daughter freedom to sleep around because secular law allows that. There are many other examples but I should just shut up. I agree with use of scientific and forensic evidence in cases of rape. By the way it is really weird that same people who don’t allow their daughters to marry according to their wishes (which sharia law allows) talk about freedom.

10. I believe the actual reason for the demand for Shariah is to simply grab power and territory under religious pretense. I will not give up any part of my country to anyone for any reason.

10. Last but not least we should never judge the statement by looking at the person who is saying it and that each statement or argument should be weighed in isolation from the one who said it.

If I have said something good it is from Allah and if I have made some mistakes then that are from me and I ask for your forgiveness.

Allah HoAkbar & The Media

Fox news, radio shows, and others kept whining about one thing today i.e. America should not help those who say “Allah hoAkbar” after a successful attack on Assad’s forces. So they have problem even with this tiny little thing. isn’t it priceless! Hence: وَلاَ يَزَالُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّىَ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَن دِينِكُمْ إِنِ اسْتَطَاعُواْ
Btw one dumb ass “expert” was explaining that Allah hoAkbar was first used by “Mohammed” (saw) when he attacked Arab Jews and that is why Muslims say this!
Muslims used Allah hoAkbar long before the confrontation with Arab Jews but these people have special way of presenting the facts.

Slogans Of Change & Revolution

Really sad and heartbroken after seeing aftermath of the elections in Pakistan. It is not because the party I was supporting lost, but because I was expecting some kind of stability and peace after the elections but then I have been called delusional at times. Hazrat Altaf Bhai wants Karachi to be separated from Pakistan, Baloch want to be left alone, Punjab is a new battleground for election rigging controversy, and Maulana Diesel wants to/is hopeful to form a government in KPK, even though he and his cronies are rejected by the people.

I was hopeful for some kind of betterment and change through the elections, even though I strongly disagree with the current system and the fake democracy. People of Pakistan and the Muslim world should understand that “change” can never come with huge crowds, election slogans, character assassination of the opponents, bashing and bad mouthing each other, “sharing” pictures and videos on social media, etc.
Change comes from within, from your heart; Change comes when you decide to stop the evil and encourage the good; Change comes when a crowd becomes a nation; Change comes when you go to a political rally for only one reason i.e. betterment of your people and nation; Change comes when you join the political rally not to checkout pretty girls or hangout with your friends; Change depends on pure intentions; Change comes when all those claiming to bring about the change have changed at individual level; Change at national level comes when you stop deceiving at individual level; Change comes when you start treating your wives, mothers, sisters and daughters with utmost respect; Change comes when you stop eating 5 rupees fries for taste testing at poor khan sahab’s stall; Change comes when you have a plan and then you stick to it; Change comes when your heart affirms what you say from your lips; Change comes when you are not fearful of anyone but Allah; Change comes when you are not fearful to tell the truth; Change comes when you stop cheating in exams; Change comes when you help the poor instead of disrespecting them; Change comes when you give same respect to the doodh walla(milkman), waiter, taxi walla(cab driver) and all those who are less fortunate, like the respect you give to the rich and privileged; Change comes when you show same interest, attention, and love towards your spouse like you did before or right after marriage; Change comes when you stop grinding bricks in red chilli powder; Change comes when you stop throwing garbage in your streets and roads; Change comes when your vision is broader than the narrowness of “me”; Change comes when a single cry of a Muslim in one part of the world takes away your sleep in another. Change comes when the idols of nationalism, tribalism, sect-ism, racism, and hate-ism are broken and we all unite under the banner of La Ilaha illAllah and work on the betterment of our nation and our people. In short, change comes when you change yourself and not by following a certain party or a person; Change comes from within.
Logic dictates that you cannot have a roof without the walls but sadly that is exactly what we are doing. History has proven that hollow revolutions are more dangerous and destructive than helpful for the people. Everlasting and stable change requires time and has a strong foundation. Remember, after 14 years of hard work in Makkah, prophet Muhammad s.a.w didn’t have huge crowds following his message of change and those who follow him were few in number but were steadfast and firm in their beliefs, their mission and their message. Dr. Iqbal left this world teaching the same message, “Yaqeen muhkam, amal paiham, Mohabbat Fateh-e-alam; jihad-e-zindagani mein hain yeh Mardoon ki shamsherein” i.e. In the battle of change, betterment and revolution, all you need is: a) strong belief in your cause and Allah, b) taking action and initiative, and c) having such love and care for others that can conquer the world!

Limitations Of Numbers & Probability

Death Of Religion & Disappearance Of God From Hearts – Part 2

Long time ago, when I was a student in Morgantown working on my Undergraduate engineering degree, few guys from the masjid started a tiny group and the main purpose of the group was to visit people in their homes and have a small talk about Islam as a reminder.  One day I saw these brothers from that group sitting in the masjid looking really sad, gloomy and demoralised. I just wanted to know what was going on so I asked one of them and he replied, ” Today we visited this family(three brother living with their parents, wives and kids) for our regular Islamic reminder visitation and these guys and their wives really belittled us, abused us and kicked us out of the house and were not even willing to listen to what we wanted to say”. This family was totally disconnected from the Muslim community and did not want to associate to Muslims in any way.
Four or five years passed by and one day, the same family that abused and made fun of the group that visited them few years earlier, showed up at the masjid in panic and were looking for an imam or  someone knowledgeable in religion. When inquired about the reason, they replied by saying that their father died yesterday and they don’t know anything about Islamic burial process, prayers and other related responsibilities that are the right of the deceased and that they need help regarding the whole process. Two of the guys who visited them few years ago were there too at that time and when they heard this, they volunteered to take care of the washing, burring and other related rituals. During the Janaza prayer, the sons of the deceased stood at the back of the masjid stating that they were taught prayers and everything but they have forgotten and that is why they prefer not to participate. After everything was done, these guys were looking very apologetic and asked for forgiveness for their behaviour few years back and promised to work on the religious aspect of their lives. I don’t know much about the later part of their lives but this event left a deep impact on me and I still remember thinking to myself about the general behaviour of majority of the people towards the religious and practising people of the society. Society always makes fun of them, belittle them, makes fun of the beard, calls them names, calls them backward, impractical, religious nut, fundamentalist, etc. But when someone dies in their families, or when they need someone for reciting Nikkah prayer for their kids these religious freaks are exactly the people society turns to… yes exactly… The humble religious guy with a long beard!
I have seen “ultra super progressive” people and religion hating families running around like mad dogs in search of an imam or religious person for guidance in similar scenarios. That’s the time when reality bites and these people realize but like Allah said in Quran, very few are willing to learn and improve. Hence in most cases, nothing changes and the same cycle continues until the one who was searching for the imam today replaces the one in the grave and his relatives start their search for someone to guide them through the burial process and so on. I was really shocked and saddened by this experience and that is why it is imprinted on my brain forever.
There are many reasons behind people going away for the religion which includes, social pressures, financial reasons, people doing anything and everything to be more like “normal” westerners, the deeply embedded inferiority complex about their own religion and culture by the the colonial powers, the bad and evil behaviour of the religious figures, any many many more. Now let us talk about some of the reasons behind the death of religion and disappearance of God. I will cover these reasons in some detail in my next few posts.
This was not the first reason I wanted to write about but unfortunately I was once again distracted by the history channel and hence I cannot write about anything else until I talk about this one.
So I was watching history channel and the “experts” in the program were talking about biblical events but in a modern and more scientifically acceptable way. So when they talked about parting of the seas, when they talked about three guys who visited Prophet Abraham a.s and Lot a.s, when they talked about Prophet Mohammad’s s.a.w journey to the heavens, etc. they replaced the word “Angel Gabriel” with alien Gabriel, the “miracle” of parting of the seas was replaced by “high tech alien technology”, and last but not least the ascension of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w to heavens was simply a spaceship ride, etc. Hence as long as one changes the religious and biblical names and concepts with more modern and SciFi names, the level of acceptability increases exponentially among the so called modern society of today. These programs and theories always make me laugh because for me, changing the names does not make any difference. It does not make any difference because let us consider that they are right and we were created by aliens which religion calls angels, then this means that there should be someone who created these aliens too and so on. So our search should always be to find and understand the ultimate and absolute creator and should not just concentrate on the beings one level higher. Hence the search should be for the one who created the aliens, the one behind all the laws of physics, the one behind the advance alien brain that enabled them to do high tech stuff, the one behind the inspiration that resulted in the creation of their high tech spaceships etc.
Many of you like me, may have noticed the irony and humor seeing the same logic lovers visit palm readers, tarot readers, fortune tellers, astrologists, etc. to get predictions about their future, love life, financial situation, etc. or the stuff without any scientific or physical evidence. But when it comes to these “impractical and illogical” shortcuts, concepts or ideas, all logic and reasoning goes down the drain and the horoscopes, cards with pictures, lines on ones palm seems all logical, all true, all revealing, all powerful.(to be continued…)