paradign shifts - muslims in the west and media - important.doc

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Paradigm Shifts: Explaining Whats Going On With Me (Abdullah

bin Hamid Ali)

By Lamppost

May 4, 2011Posted in: Articles

http://www.lamppostproductions.com/?p=1778

What really damages the image of Islam? Is it merely the fact that there are Muslim

extremists calling for the destruction of America? Or is it the fact that the media is

selective about what image of Islam they want to portray (usually those images that are

most sensational that serve the profit margin and the imperialist narrative)? Or is there

something much deeper found in the interior of the Muslim psyche that makes him/her

believe that public and official condemnations of the actions of unfamiliar Muslims

in other parts of the world warrant such responses? While the first three questions are

worth considering, they all contribute to the fourth and inform Muslim reactions on a

wide scale.

Muslim actions undoubtedly contribute negatively to non-Muslim disenchantment with

Islam and the Muslims. But, on the other hand, one cannot deny that racism, bigotry, and

religious bias from non-Muslims play just as (or more) significant of a role in thwarting

Muslim attempts to improve their collective public (read corporate) persona.

Muslims have passed a (collective) fatwa against terrorism; have condemned Al-

Qaeda and other terrorist organizations; have collectively condemned domestic

violence; and have consistently offered official condemnations (I read apologies) forthe actions of Muslims living in all parts of the world. Of course, none of this would be

was it not for the fact that the media skillfully reveals and defines what issues

Muslims must speak out against. In spite of all of this, Muslims are still asked over and

over, Why arent more Muslims speaking out or condemning this or that thing? And

despite all of the efforts of national organizations, the donations they receive, and all their

efforts nationwide, Muslim are more hated today in America than they were just one

year ago. The obvious question is why?

In my view, this is largely due to the fact that Muslims refuse to make a serious,

focused, and direct challenge of the status quo (read the white majority). This is

due to a number of reasons, but most of all it is directly connected to theimmigrant/convert divide in this country. In other words, firstly, our coreligionists (and

fellow American citizens) from the Muslim world who recently immigrated to these

lands still very much believe that they are NOT living in THEIR country. They believe

that they are living in someone elses land, not their own. Unfortunately, the children of

these immigrants grow up often with the same sense of not belonging. What this

understanding has produced is a mentality that says, We should be THANKFUL that we

are here. Translated into good English this means, We are grateful that WHITE

PEOPLE allowed us entry into THEIR land. If that is so, then it is important not to rock

the boat, especially if you are an immigrant who has achieved a lot financially in the US.

You just cant risk losing whatever wealth youve been able to amass. That fear is

sufficient reason to compromise principle and to remain quiescent about the evilsperpetrated by Americas imperial wing. Or, lets say that if there is any evil surrounding
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this corporate identity called America, it only happens outside of its borders (and

especially in the Muslim world). And if thats true, the only time we need to really

speak out or work assiduously against injustice is when it concerns what happens back

home.

Though this is a widespread understanding among Muslim immigrants, it doesnt reallyfully explain the vacillation and irresponsiveness of non-immigrants and/or converts

(leaders and others). Though converts have done more recently to express their desire to

come out of the shadows of eastern ideological and cultural domination, by far they

continue to serve the immigrant national agenda in America. (And before someone

rebukes me for calling naturalized Muslim citizens immigrants, know that I consider

any person an immigrant who still believes that he himself is one). The way that

converts serve that agenda is through having the same obsession with protecting the

image of Islam. Let me try to be clear about what Im saying here.

There is no doubt to me that most non-Muslims in America who abhor Islam and

Muslims do so largely because of the great job the media has done to make Muslimslook like a bunch of clowns, demons, and subhuman species. They have successfully

exploited the ignorance of these people to create fear which appeals directly to the

base qualities in them (e.g. bigotry, xenophobia, racism). This in turn has conjured up a

similar fearful response of Muslims, but because Muslims dont feel empowered, they

are led to combine fear with politics as a way to serve their interest of protecting

and securing their physical, emotional and economic well-being even if that is to the

detriment of other Muslims (like those Muslims who want to blame everything on Al-

Qaeda or the Wahhabis). In my opinion, there are three primary reasons that Muslims are

not being affective in improving their overall image:

I. Obsession with propagation

The effort to improve ones image is fundamentally a political endeavor. Being

political, it opens one up to have ones intentions doubted and probed. This political aim

is born out of the principle of propagation/proselytizing (dawa). What that means is that

by its very nature, it is difficult for Muslims to have a genuine interaction with non-

Muslims: the people they are trying to convince of their innocence and innocuousness.

Only genuine interaction with people will cure the disease of distrust. That is to say that

we can have no preconditions or pretenses when we interact with others, like the intention

to missionize them. We must remember that God makes Muslims and He controls

hearts. This should, of course, not be understood as an abandonment of enjoining the right

and forbidding wrong behavior or calling to good. The point is merely that we should

treat people good because our religion teaches us to, not because we hope that people

will convert to Islam.

Secondly, Muslims need to stop trying to speak for all Muslims and start speaking for

themselves. Rather, we even need to start demanding from non-Muslims that they judge

us by who we are, not by the images they see on television. This is what it really means

to be judged by the content of ones character. We need to tell them that no one speaks

for me but me, not that guy 8000 miles away who I dont know, never met, and will

unlikely ever meet. And even if I do meet him, he has one perspective on Islam and I

have another. Stop telling people, Thats not REALLY Islam! or Theyre distorting

the teachings of ISLAM or that Muslims need to be doing more to teach people what

TRUE Islam is. The reason why none of that works is that for a non-Muslim, all theyhear is that Muslims have multiple understandings about their religion, and who are they


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to say who is interpreting it correctly or incorrectly? Rather, tell them, I disagree with

that view and The person does not represent ME and my views. This is a whole lot

better excommunicating a believer simply because it does not serve our particular interest

or because they disagree with our interpretation.

Another thing we could do is instead of spending so much time on producing the mostappealing pamphlet, book, or the most attractive video for public consumption, we

could actually get out and go to the people we want to influence and make feel

unthreatened by our presence. We should invite them to our religious space and have

frank conversations about their and our fears. THIS IS BECAUSE ITS NOT JUST

US. ITS THEM TOO. White Muslims (leaders especially) have a greater obligation to

do this, since it is clear that those whose fears need to be assuaged significantly more are

white Americans. My proof for this is the very fact that all our condemnations, apologies,

and efforts are directed at impressing white people nationally (and even internationally). I

dont believe that anyone can sincerely say that one is condemning violence as a way to

assuage the concerns of Blacks, Latinos, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, or other people.

II. Obsession with factionalism

If the efforts of one group of Muslims are thwarted by the responses of others, this leads

the former to accuse the latter of distorting or misrepresenting Islam. A hallmark of

the Islamic dogmatic theological tradition is that scholars even have contributed

negatively to the perpetuation of factionalism and parochialism historically. Its as if

every Muslim group, sect, or faction seems to have believed that one of the most

important aims of Muslims is to preserve an authentic master or metanarrative intact so

that when the day comes when all Muslims are on the same page theologically and

doctrinally well be able to present this to the non-Muslim world, and they will all

easily abandon their beliefs and become Muslims. We are at a point in my view when we

need to divest ourselves of this fantasy. You can only speak for yourself. The whole does

not equal the individual. And the individual does NOT equal the whole. You may

believe that your understanding is TRUE Islam. But another will ALWAYS differ with

you. We have done ourselves one of the greatest disservices by trying to speak for ALL

Muslims and for ISLAM. There is nothing more arrogant than that, because it implies that

God speaks through me.

III. The Commitment to Morally Relative Concerns (al-Wala wa al-Bara)

The third matter that harms us in my view is that too many of us only seem concerned

about injustice when it is related to the Islamic world, but in particular the Arab/Indo-

Persian realities. If non-Muslims are killing Arabs, we cry out magnifying our voices as

an expression of our love of our brethren. But when Muslims are killing one another

(e.g. Sunni-Shiite), our voices are muted. Its as if we say to one another, I love you as

long as you are at a distance from me, but I loathe you when you draw near to me.

As for the concerns of non-Muslims, converts, or even countries outside of the sphere and

concern of Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, and Persians, they avoid our detection and interest.

The message this sends is that Islam is only concerned about Muslims and Muslim

concerns. To HELL with the rest of the world! Their lives have no true meaning anyway!

The other extreme that has developed with some national organizations recently has been

to only condemn the actions of Muslims when the American government is directly


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opposed to them, and when our government is in support of a Muslim regime, we express

our support for that regime and their actions.

That said, it is important that we now realize that we are in dire need of a new paradigm:

a paradigm shift in the way that we have been trying to manage the Muslims public

image. The old way of apologetics have not worked and have only made it easier for ourantagonists to attack us. We have allowed them to continually control the narrative.

Were constantly playing defense. When do we play some offense? You cant win a game

only with defense. Otherwise, how do you score a goal? Too often in this supposedly

post-racial America we as Muslims continue to find ourselves living as 2nd and 3rd class

citizens. When the media and status quo speak of the American People, where is your

voice to be found in that? Are you American or not? I say, yes you are! This is YOUR

country too! Be sure to let THEM know that. Dont let fear cripple you into complete

divestment of everything that is you. You dont have to be like THEM in order to be an

authentic America. Choose not to live in fear. May Allah grant us success and the courage

to see it through.

Abdullah bin Hamid Ali

http://www.lamppostproductions.com/?p=1778

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