Yes, There Are 2.0 Billion Islams
By
Junaid Jahangir, New Age Islam
19 October
2021
With My
Grasp of the Islamic Texts and Understanding of the Islamic Ethos, I Try To
Learn Why Young Muslims Downplay the Diversity of Islam
Main
Points:
1. No two
Muslims think alike, perhaps this is an illustration of Qur’anic verse 31:27.
2. But of all
the grossly prejudiced and uneducated opinions, the one that repeatedly stands
out is that there is only one Islam.
3. I could
pontificate the difference between “Islam” as a state of security with the
Divine and “Islam” as a religion unique to the teachings of Muhammad (upon whom
be peace).
4. Ikhtilaf is Rahma
(difference of opinion is mercy).
------
Praying
to the West
By
Omar Mouallem
Simon
and Schuster Canada
pg.
xvii, 384, CAN $34.99,
Hardcover,
ISBN-13:
978-1501199141
-----
Why
Omar’s book?
I mentioned
in my 2019 Tedx talk on LGBTQ Muslims in Islam that there were 1.6 billion
Muslims in the whole wide world and by extension there were 1.6 billion Islams.
It brought out the strange bedfellows that I have become accustomed to hearing
from: Muslim homophobes and xenophobic Islamophobes. What unites them is their
intense fear of the marginalized other, to the extent that they take it upon
themselves to explode with snarky and inane comments. Often, such comments
exude a sense of supreme self-importance, which is usually reflective of their
underlying self-esteem and identity issues. These comments include the tropes
that being LGBTQ and Muslim are absolute or binary choices, or that Muslims are
practicing Taqiyya (dissimulation). Additionally, if the commenter is
Pakistani, then the prejudice against Ahmadis trumps that against “the gays”,
as I had included Ahmadis in my list of Muslims in the Tedx talk. But of all
the grossly prejudiced and uneducated opinions, the one that repeatedly stands
out is that there is only one Islam.
I don’t
bother with Islamophobes, as I neither have the capacity nor the interest to
reach out to people, whose view of Islam is cardboard unidimensional. I am an overworked
middle-aged instructor and I’ve had my share of fiery debates in my youth. At
this stage of my life, I am not interested in corresponding with anyone with a
sense of self-entitlement. I guess I am learning from the younger millennial
and Gen Z crowd that I don’t owe that kind of emotional labour to anyone.
Although, as a teacher shrouded in privilege in the ivory tower and with my
grasp of the Islamic texts and understanding of the Islamic ethos, I try to
learn why young Muslims downplay the diversity of Islam. Often my search leads
to their profiles that reek of videogames and popular culture but who otherwise
are quite rigid when it comes to Islam. I am not sure if I can reach out to
this crowd that imbibes its Islam from YouTube celebrity cult speakers like
Nouman Ali Khan, Zakir Naik, Mufti Menk, or Mohammed Hijab amongst others. And
this is why I am extremely appreciative of Omar Mouallem’s newly released book Praying
to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas, especially when he writes
that, “the Prophet democratized the Muslim clergy while stressing their
fallibility. If any man can be an imam, and none of us are to be worshipped,
then imams are not to be worshipped” (p. 84). From here on I will refer to him
as Omar instead of Mouallem, as I know him well and I wish to personalize this
review.
The Pluralism
of Primordial Islam
On my part,
I could pontificate the difference between “Islam” as a state of security with
the Divine and “Islam” as a religion unique to the teachings of Muhammad (upon
whom be peace). The latter is a post Muhammad development for the constitution
of Medina was clear that the Ummah Vahida (single community) comprised
not just of Muslims, but Jews, Christians, and those that were part of the
fledgling Medinese community. Indeed, Rabbi Muhayriq died fighting side by side
with Muslims at the Battle of Uhud and the Prophet’s armour was with Avi Scham
at the time of his death. The later anti-Semitic texts are also a post Muhammad
development, when zealous converts brought their prejudice to Islam, which is
why we see the superimposition of a Roman massacre of Jews on to what later
became known as the massacre of the Banu Qurayzah. The work of Imam Mohamad
Jebara is worth reading on such issues, as is Mohammad N. Miraly’s master’s
thesis, The Ethic of Pluralism in the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Medina. In
short, primordial Islam upheld pluralism with a multiplicity of paths and
salvific exclusivity was a later development. And this is precisely why there
are multiple Islams with infinite permutations and combinations of theological
positions on multiple issues.
No two
Muslims think alike. Perhaps this is an illustration of Qur’anic verse 31:27
that reads, “If all the trees in the earth were pens and the ocean, with
seven more oceans, were ink, still these could not suffice to record all the
Words of God.” And this is why I mentioned in my Tedx talk that I can only
speak for myself, in stark contrast to many young Muslims, who are quick to use
the royal “we” pronoun to speak for an entirety of 2.0 billion Muslims. Come to
think of it, the differences at times are so magnified that Barelvis and
Deobandis have historically passed takfir (excommunication) on each other in
the Indian subcontinent. Within Shia Islam itself there are multiple
denominations like the Ithna Asharis, Zaydis, Ismailis, Bohras, and there are
further subdivisions even within these subgroups such as the Bohras, who
further split based on the Syedna they choose to follow. And this difference is
not just on obscure theological differences, but it has important implications
for issues like female genital circumcision/ mutilation that the Bohras
practice in contrast to the majoritarian Islamic position, save perhaps for
Bohra activists and progressive Dawoodi Bohras, as exemplified by the late
Asghar Ali Engineer (d. 2013).
Returning
to Omar’s book, it rests on telling the stories of everyday Muslims affiliated
with 13 mosques in the Americas. Putting aside those with the attention span of
a gnat, who do not read beyond titles, such powerful stories have immense
potential to reach out to others. Stories have the ability to cut through
cultures and racial lines, where academic work is of limited scope. Indeed, as
Rumi is sometimes quoted, “Love alone cuts arguments short, rescuing us from
words and debates.” And Omar’s book shows why Islam is not a monolith, far
better than any academic work possibly could to the general population at
large.
The Umpteen
Muslim Apologies
I find
Omar’s book important, as like other Muslims, he seems tired to be called out
to apologize on behalf of 2.0 billion Muslims. I should know for I compiled a
blog post in October 2014 titled, Muslims Stand against ISIS, Too, which
pales in comparison to the Muslim condemnation database painstakingly compiled
by the much older Sheila Musaji in the U.S. While Musaji and I did what we
thought was best back in the age of ISIS, a younger Omar teaches us well in a
changed world that, “it’s neither mine nor any practicing Muslim’s
responsibility to do public relations for a billion autonomous individuals with
whom we may share little in common” (p. 161). This is significant, as the same
communal scrutiny is starkly absent when it comes to Hindu and Buddhist
communities in the West. Omar writes that, “millions of Muslims across the
Pacific” have been “terrorized for their religion by mobs of Hindu and Buddhist
extremists”, referring to the genocide of the Rohingyas in Myanmar and Muslims
under a far-right Modi government in India (p. 318).
Omar notes
that the persecution of the Uyghur Muslims in China has been recognized, as
Jewish communities across the world have “dedicated the cause of International
Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021 to Uyghur genocide” (p. 319). However, the main
thrust of his entire book project is to “debunk the myth of a monolithic
Islam”, as there is difference of opinion among Muslims and such “clashes cover
cultural and generational values, gender roles, [and] theological preferences”
(p. xv, 118). Nothing could be truer than what he writes, as even on the issue
of the Uyghur genocide where the West has taken a position, albeit for
strategic purposes to contain China instead of a genuine regard for human
rights, there are educated Pakistani Muslims who reject the plight of the
Uyghurs. Indeed, as the country is heavily reliant on Chinese benefactors, some
Pakistanis view the Uyghur plight as concocted and based on fake news.
Similarly, there has been nary a peep from otherwise hardline Pakistani clerics
either. However, positions based on financial interests are not unique to
Pakistani Muslims, as Omar points out about mosque board members in Dearborn,
Michigan that, “most of them are successful Lebanese businessmen, who might
have voted Republican in 2016 if the candidate wasn’t a lunatic” (p. 108).
New
Atheism and Post Modernism
While Omar
offers a snapshot of the diversity in Islam through 13 different mosques, he
also raises important points in the book that pertain to the modern age and the
jargon that is wielded in contemporary life. He mentions that his “devotion to
disbelief had become another type of zeal and blind faith. It was an ego trip
with none of the spiritual nourishment” (p. 4). I distinctly recall this
phenomenon among some of my young students in the mid-2000s when the late Christopher
Hitchens and Richard Dawkins were at the height of the new atheist movement.
The God Delusion by Dawkins was published in 2006 and God is Not Great by
Hitchens came out in 2007. I recall smart young men enamoured by the lure of
new atheism posturing aggressively. Personally, I can’t stand aggressive
approaches and I withdrew from one of the young men. But Islamic teachings are
clear that everything in this world is ephemeral, for even the Nimrods and
Pharaohs of their times despite all the privilege of wealth, rank, and power,
must eventually fade away. This is what
I think has happened to new atheism. Indeed, one of the obituaries of
Episcopalian Bishop John Shelby Spong, who passed away recently, states that:
“Spong
claimed that he was making Christianity relevant for a new generation who could
not believe in the supernatural, modernity was ending and post modernity was
starting. His rationalism became passe ... The supernatural did not die,
younger generations went in search for it elsewhere.”
I do,
however, feel that the aggressive posturing of new atheism has been replaced by
that of social critical theory involving race, gender, and sexual orientation.
There is an uncompromising purity politics at play that is projected based on
victimhood and imposed on the pain of humiliation. The same dynamics were at
play when new atheists argued they were oppressed by religion and shamed others
into intellectual submission. Aggressive call outs and shaming are perhaps why
writer and activist Frances Lee wrote a powerful column in 2017 titled,
Excommunicate me from the Church of Social Justice: An Activists Plea for
Change. Similarly, queer Muslim author Irshad Manji published the book, Don’t
Label Me: An Incredible Conversation for Divided Times in 2019, where she wrote
that, “A lot of people who think of themselves as marginalized actually wield
power. And a lot of the time, they’re unconscious that they’re wielding it. As
a result, power’s exercised poorly, even destructively” (p. 189).
I mention
this because of the immense lateral violence that has been inflicted even in a
community as marginalized as LGBTQ Muslims, who have not yet been affirmed in
mainstream Muslim spaces. It has left me disillusioned, for I could deal with
homophobic Muslims and western Islamophobes, but I simply found the Gheebah (backbiting)
and the aggressive posturing within the community unconscionable and I withdrew
from all LGBTQ related work. Additionally, notwithstanding my own personal
beliefs, I have remained close and truthful to the Islamic texts. I am not sure
if the importation of critical theory in Islam would be seen akin to the
introduction of Greek philosophy in Islam or another foreign influence.
Regardless, if time has taught me anything it is the temporal nature of
entities, ideologies, and phenomena.
Anti-Colonialism
and Islamism
Another
significant point Omar raises is that “pan-Islamism emerged as a coherent
anticolonial idea” (p. 16). This is important to note, as a lot of resistance
to change within Muslim communities arises from the marriage between Islamist
and anti-colonial ideologies. When academics like Joseph Massad, author of the
book, Desiring Arabs, suggest that the plight of sexual minorities in Arab
countries is compounded by western LGBTQ rights groups that have foreign social
constructs alien to Arab identities, it feeds into the anti-western narrative
of the Islamists and provides more fodder for their homophobic narrative.
However, the position taken by academics like Massad ignores the fact that many
educated sexual minorities in Arab and Muslim countries have already adopted
such identities. This is akin to other aspects of culture where youth follow
Hollywood trends, invest in bodybuilding, take shirtless selfies, adopt some
western mannerisms and use jargon that emanates from social critical theory on
race, gender, and sexual orientation. In other words, if such phenomena are not
considered blameworthy by such academics then why must LGBTQ identities be
singled out? Additionally, while academics like Massad blame western LGBTQ
groups, I have never seen them offer an alternative to address the plight of
Arab sexual minorities or voice concerns against their incarceration, torture,
humiliating invasive medical exams, or other human rights abuses. Thus, as long
as the anti-colonial and Islamist narratives boost each other, productive
change in Muslim societies would remain impeded.
Racism
and Extremism
When Omar
showcases the diversity of Islam, he does not limit himself to the positive
aspects but also highlights the negative aspects. For instance, he does not shy
away from mentioning the anti-Blackness in Muslim and Arab societies and goes
against the grain of a post racial Muslim society narrative to mention that
“Arab nations are responsible for selling about 9.5 million sub-Saharan
Africans into bondage, not far from the 12.5 million sold to Greater America”
(p. 20). In another instance, he writes that, “Black converts like Abu Bakr
found inspiration in Islam’s nonracial egalitarianism but quickly learned it
was more theory than practice” (p. 46). However, I also don’t find Omar jumping
on unidimensional bandwagons mindlessly. So, for instance, where he critiques
Muslims for anti-Blackness, he does not shy away from highlighting the racially
supremacist position of groups like the Nation of Islam, as he writes, “the
imam turned them away, wanting nothing of their Black power screed. Islam
should erase colour, not emphasize it” (p. 51). This approach reminds me of the
Prophet’s teaching that a White is not superior to a Black, and a Black is not
superior to a White. Indeed, the saying goes in both directions.
Continuing
with the negative aspects, Omar also highlights the root cause of extremism,
when he writes that, “propaganda might stir hatred, poverty and alienation
might incentivize the move, and gang violence might desensitize a person to
genocide, but puritanical thought precedes all” (p. 37). This is why I have
noted the exiled Islamic scholar from Pakistan, Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, emphasize
the significance of a counter narrative to that of the Taliban. Although,
developing such counter narratives is important, I would also emphasize what
Omar writes elsewhere that the “disenfranchised recruited by radical Islamists
[were] promised a sense of belonging” (p. 11). Thus, for me, it boils down to
identity thumping, be it new atheism, social critical theory, and taken to the
extreme, both white extremism and its counterpart Islamist extremism. Each one
of these approaches rests on purity politics, and Omar eloquently points out
that, “the pursuit of perfection, or purity, primes Muslims for extremist
groups that want to exploit their good intentions” (p. 48). Thus, Omar cautions
us against purity and perhaps teaches us to embrace our humanity that is
fraught with flaws. We simply cannot expect people to be perfect in ticking all
boxes against racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and the multiple other
“isms” out there in our rapidly changing world. Indeed, this reminds me of the
Hadith that reads, “if you did not sin, Allah would replace you with people who
would sin, and they would seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would forgive
them.”
Headscarves
and Women
Maintaining
his thrust against purity and uniformity of thought, he writes on the hijab
that has been politicized by Islamophobes and Islamists alike. He mentions from
his mother that, “when she was a girl, it was more a marker of old age than
piety, and it was not compulsory in public opinion” (p. 41). Indeed, I have
found this to be true in my time through the 80s, as I grew up in Dubai.
Diversity of practice among Muslim women was the norm and each choice was well
respected. This is in stark contrast to the aggressive and polarized narrative
today where zealots believe in having the last word on the issue. Omar mentions
how “Islamization rapidly transformed the Arab world into a more conservative
place” and how in Edmonton, the “second-wave immigrants pressured the mosque’s
board” to the point that “a green curtain suddenly appeared in the prayer hall
to separate the genders” (p. 130). I also recall going to the Al Rashid mosque
open house in Edmonton to witness how the original women founders of the mosque
did not wear headscarves and wondered how Muslim markers of identity have
shifted across time. Indeed, Omar writes that “a group photo of the founders
shows all the women in the downstairs hall wearing their hair openly, with
fascinators, skirts, and other styles of the time” (p. 132). This also points
to another shift in Muslim position across space and time, for growing up in
the 80s, I learned that taking photographs was prohibited. I still recall a
senior Pakistani figure in Edmonton two decades ago, who refused to have
photographs taken, as he deemed them forbidden. All of this belies the shallow
position of a singular and stagnant Islam.
Omar is
deeply appreciative of the role played by Muslim women in the preservation of
Muslim heritage and history, as in the case of the pioneering women who worked
hard to build the first mosque in Edmonton and then the later generation of
accomplished women who worked hard to save it from obscurity. He correctly
points out that Muslim traditions are preserved by women, as he mentions about
North Dakota that, “second and third-generation Syrian men married local
Christians. Since spirituality is usually nurtured by mothers, more of their
children went to church than mosque” (p. 137). This is a significant point, as
my article “Muslim Women Can Marry Outside the Faith” received backlash, just
as the one titled, “5 Muslim Scholars On The Permissibility Of Not Wearing The
Headscarf”, based on conservative theological grounds that allows Muslim men to
marry outside the faith but not women. However, notwithstanding theological
diversity on the permissibility of interfaith marriages, Omar’s careful
observation makes it clear that any supposed prohibition would be more pressing
for Muslim men than Muslim women.
Islamophobia
and Identity
Omar’s
writing makes it clear that for many folks, Islam is not about rituals or rigid
practice, but rather about identity. This should be noted by Islamophobes for
the more they rail against Islam, the stronger it becomes. Indeed, as I’ve
noted in my own line of work in Economics, sometimes you get the opposite of
what you want, as people respond to incentives. So, for instance, when seat
belt laws were first introduced, they led to an increased incidence of
accidents, as people felt safer and drove faster. The same applies to COVID-19
when double vaccinated folks started taking more risks with social interaction
compared to the partially vaccinated crowd. Therefore, I am not surprised when
Omar writes about Islamic identity that, “Trump’s presidency had an unexpected
effect … She’d long stopped practicing her faith and was conflicted about
identifying as Muslim. She now covets it not for its spiritualism but its
iconoclastic meaning” (p. 105). He expresses similar sentiments for his own
identity that, “despite lacking Islam’s most rudimentary beliefs, I’ve become
protective of my religious roots and feel rebellious when I declare myself
Muslim in the face of bigots or zealots” (p. 105).
Reading
Omar’s book is a pleasure for he does not present unidimensional portrayals of
the people he interviews. He is honest in his search and offers a human picture
of a person, both the good and the bad. This is in line with his orientation
against purity. So, for instance, in interviewing Imam Qazwini, he mentions
about the “imam’s “dangerous, hateful” and “toxic” 2015 past statements
regarding same-sex marriage” and his infamous kissing picture with George W.
Bush (p. 115). However, he also tempers his critique by mentioning how thinly
spread the Imams are, as “in addition to being preachers, teachers, funeral
home directors, youth counsellors, marriage counsellors, and divorce
counsellors, they were public figures burdened by interfaith, cultural and
political responsibilities” and therefore “how could anyone spread so thinly
keep his judgment intact? Regardless, their mistakes were made in good-faith
belief in what was best for their fellow Americans” (p. 116). It is this human
approach towards his interviewees that endears Omar’s writing to me, as I find
this approach far more meaningful and effective than the purity politics of
social justice activists.
Breaking
Binaries and Lateral Violence
Omar
rejects the binary between Islam and the West, as he writes that, “there’s an
assumption that Muslim and American values are incompatible, that you can’t
have one without the other” and that “western liberalism and Islam can adapt to
each other” (p. 117, 189). This is
important to recognize, and I believe that we need to back off from defensive
confrontational approaches and reject binary options. Though, I would add that
the binary is also upheld by Muslims who grew up in the West and continue to
nurture their identity issues by holding on to a very rigid practice of Islam.
I wrote about this very phenomena in an article titled, “The Problem in Islam
is not Accented Uncles but Fluent Young Muslims.” There are young Muslims who
railed against the Study Qur’an, a translation and commentary of the Qur'an,
based on the charge that it promotes perennialism, a philosophy of religion
that views each of the world's religions as sharing a single universal truth.
Such people, who grew up in the west with the privilege of being educated in
reputed western universities, uphold salvific exclusivism and rail against the
affirmation of LGBTQ Muslims in Islam by adopting hardline approaches that they
don’t want the “Kuffar” (disbelievers) to like Muslims. Indeed, I have
found some graduate students and young academics to be quite judgmental and
aggressive in their approach, which confirms my viewpoint that sometimes
education only cements and magnifies one’s prejudice and bigotry.
Notwithstanding
young conservative Muslim academics and speakers, the binary between Islam and
the West needs to be broken. For the sake of a better world, we need to draw
people together instead of rending them apart. This is why I was quite pleased
to read Omar write that, “when I’ve seen Islamophobia flare up in Alberta,
non-Muslims tend to rally around victims even before other Muslims” and that
when a mosque windows were smashed and “Go-Home” was spray painted, “by mid-afternoon,
residents had replaced the windows, repainted the walls, and decorated the
exterior with signs like “You are Home” and “Love Your Neighbour” (p. 140). I
have experienced this generosity in my line of work on LGBTQ Muslims in Islam
as well. I was operating on a tight budget of CAN $5000 to invite Samar Habib,
Scott Kugle, Imam Daayiee Abdullah and my co-author Dr. Hussein Abdullatif to
the Allah Loves Us All Symposium in 2017. That barely covered their
airfares, but I quickly found so many volunteers in the interfaith communities
that volunteered to pick up the speakers from the airport, show them around the
city, and drive them back on the day of their departure. My friend, Murray
Billet, even hosted the speakers in his apartment for a fine dinner and invited
notable members of the local LGBTQ community. It is because of such generosity,
and because of the need to keep people united in divided times, that I took a
firm stand against social justice activists, who caused divisiveness based on
their purity politics.
I wrote an
article cautioning against lateral violence, but my viewpoint fell on deaf
ears. Some of them aggressively lashed out at me, and I withdrew from all
community related work, just as I had distanced myself from new atheists, a
decade earlier. Though, I’ll say this, that now more than ever, we need to work
together, as imperfect human beings instead of demanding perfection
aggressively. This is why I was particularly impressed with Omar’s portrayal of
Sobia Siddiqui in Houston. Omar writes that she “wasn’t an apologist for
racists. But she wasn’t an “all-or-nothing” progressive warrior either,” and
that “she resisted rhetorical generalizations about conservative voters, seeing
such judgments as no less prejudiced than those to which Muslims are routinely
subjected” (p. 155, 156). I am not interested in reaching out to hateful xenophobes
out of some noble savage or Uncle Tom sensibility, but I want to remain ever
gentle with my friends, whose worldview may not match with mine. This outlook
is perhaps based on verse 48:29 that believers are firm with the ungrateful
wretched but compassionate with one another. It is true that extremist Muslims
demarcate between Muslims and non-Muslims, but based on primordial Islam, this
really is about the Ummah Vahida (single community), people that are
united in common humanity through Sabr (patience) and Shukr
(gratitude), versus those who remain ungrateful wretches, whose worldview
inflicts divisiveness against that Tawhid (Oneness).
Omar
correctly points out that, “embracing western notions of an equal society,
assimilating to workplaces, and meriting elite jobs doesn’t make one “good” any
more than praying five times daily” (p. 165). Indeed, many of us have witnessed
people who follow rituals religiously but who engage in ethical crimes like tax
evasion, lie for financial gains and cheat to get ahead. Similarly, prizing
financial consultancy jobs over janitorial services is problematic in a world
where financialisation of the economy has stoked inequality but the latter
remains an essential service through the pandemic. Similarly, in terms of equality,
my own position is similar to that of Rabbi Emeritus Gershom Barnard, who wrote
in an article, now removed from the internet, that “my ultimate commitment is
not to inclusiveness, to egalitarianism, to participation, to pluralism, or to
any of those good things. It is to God and to Torah.” Likewise, I support the
affirmation of LGBTQ Muslims not because of egalitarianism and certainly not
due to the post-modern development of queer theory, but because of Islamic
values that hardship begets facility, that Allah has imbued people with desires
and offers a legal contract through which they are regulated, that Allah
creates whatsoever He wills, and that Allah loves us all.
The Aga
Khan
Omar is
critical of the Aga Khan, even as he recognizes the tremendous development work
by the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He is concerned that, “he
placates the powerful and panders to them to advance his causes” (p. 171). In
the context of the Syrian refugee crisis, Omar mentions the Aga Khan’s silence
with the Harper government in Canada. He writes that he “did expect him to
acknowledge the worst refugee crisis since World War II. He did not. He instead
spoke about Islam and Canada’s shared values of inclusiveness, higher learning,
and meritocracy” (p. 171). This is significant, as even autocrats speak of
tolerance and peace in the same breath, as they sanction genocide and murder.
The Indian Prime Minister Modi is a prime example of such demagogues. However,
Omar’s critique of the Aga Khan is also relevant to mainstream Sunni Muslim
leaders, as many Muslims have criticized Shaykh Hamza Yusuf for backing the
U.A.E. regime despite its complicity in the human rights violations in Yemen.
Additionally,
Omar critiques the Aga Khan for being expediently silent on LGBTQ issues in
Islam. He mentions that liberal Ismailis feel that “the imam’s refusal to take
any official position in support of same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights
undermines his commitment to modernism and social justice” (p. 181). Omar
opines that this could be due to the “fear of losing the allegiance” of
Ismailis in conservative Muslim countries (p. 181). However, this
self-preservation is not unique to the Aga Khan, for many Sunni academics and
community leaders, who otherwise talk of compassion or Rumi, also talk in “feel
good” generalities instead of challenging the Muslim community at large to
overcome intense homophobia that is rampant in Muslim spaces. Indeed, where
celebrity Shaykhs hold a tempered position against LGBTQ affirmation, their followers
are quite often scathing and horrifying in their demeanour. I do know that when
Dr. Shabir Ally offered a nuanced review of our book, Islamic Law and Muslim
Same-Sex Unions, his YouTube review received many scathing remarks out of
ignorance and spite. Similarly, my own experience of the freezing silence by
the local leaders from the Ahmadiyyah community that otherwise upholds its
“Love for All, Hatred for None” slogan, allows me to add a qualifier, “except
for gays.”
What Is
Faith?
A question
Omar asks in the book is whether he has a place in Islam as an atheist. One
answer he receives is that “having a Muslim background – based not in
spirituality but history, politics, culture, family – was legitimate enough for
Muslim identity” (p. 312). Indeed, there are people who have identified as
atheist Muslims like Ali Rizvi. However, many Muslims find the approach of
ex-Muslims caustic and aggressive, much like the new atheists and “all or
nothing” progressive activists. But Omar does get effective answers to this
question from many people, especially when he mentions that, “faith as a
feeling one has in life to always work out for the best. Faith in people to do
the right thing. Faith in myself and my abilities. Faith that everything has
meaning. Islam poured the foundations of this faith” (p. 188). Indeed, for
several Muslims belief is not about an old man in the sky keeping a naughty or
nice list. Instead, their belief rests on Tawakkul (trust in Providence)
that no matter the tribulations in life, everything will eventually turn out
well, that Allah does not let someone’s efforts go waste that one trusts in no
other worldly power like wealth, fame, or connections, except for the Divine
mystery that Muslims call Allah. This faith is etched in the Muslim testimonial,
La Ilaha Illallah (there is no god but God), which frees Muslims from
depending on clerics, leaders, or the largesse of kith and kin for Allah alone
is enough.
It is this
faith that Omar finds in the survivor of the 2017 Quebec Mosque massacre, Aymen
Derbali, who was paralyzed after being shot seven times trying to protect his
fellow worshippers. Despite going through hell, he mentions “there’s no safe
place in the world … only in Canada would there be so much national solidarity
against racism” and that “I just think I’m miraculous to be alive. I accept
this destiny” (p. 230, 237). Reading Derbali’s words overwhelmed me, for I have
found so many people in this life who become bitter and adopt a caustic
attitude for much lesser reasons. Indeed, one question that I have asked myself
is that how come many Syrian refugees, who have seen war and death, get back on
their feet to live life with patience and gratitude, whereas I find others
consumed by drugs, alcohol, or unrestrained sexual activity to cope with the
stressors of modern life. I know the social justice crowd would chide here
against comparing oppressions, but sometimes I really find that the social
justice narrative rests on ghuluw (exaggeration). I simply admire the immense
faith Muslims like Derbali have to continue living their lives at peace and
with gratitude.
Omar also
finds such faith in Mexico, as he mentions about Ibrahim Chechev, who converted
to Islam that “changes in Ibrahim’s personality started to show. He became
courteous, compassionate, and forgiving” (p. 251). He finds it in Inuvik, where
Muslims “deliver food to elders at their homes for free if they can’t come to
the food bank themselves” (p. 278). Omar finds that it is not about praying or
fasting but charity, which is done Fi Sabilillah (without any worldly
expectation), as “preaching Islam was not the Inuvik Muslim Association’s kind
of Dawah. Rather, they teach Islam by trying to be model citizens” (p.
289, 290). He finds it in Imam Daayiee Abdullah, who “presided over Janazah
of a man who succumbed to AIDs-related illness” when no one else would lead the
funeral prayers given the stigma (p. 303). Finally, he found it within himself,
as he writes that “there’s no hatred that can’t be healed, no anger that can’t
be reconciled, no act that can’t be forgiven, when you submit to something
bigger than yourself. Islam was my framework for the radical forgiveness
required of me” (p. 314).
Respectability
Politics
In
interviewing Zied Kallel in Quebec, Omar finds that “his ideas smacked of
respectability politics” for he wanted Muslims to have talk shows, debates,
artistic works, and engage in community works to dispel Canadian stereotypes
against Muslims (p. 240). While Omar correctly points out that “nobody should
have to condemn terrorists, let alone prove they’re not one, to comfort the
ignorant” (p. 24), this approach works in utopia. Doing nothing, expecting
others to educate themselves, is not an option. After all, if as Muslims we
expect Hindus to push against the far-right government in India or the Burmese
to speak up against the atrocities inflicted on the Rohingyas, then some in the
Muslim community will have to push against the Islamist supremacists, as Omar
points out that, “members of a Muslim student’s association failed to control
radical voices in the group. In Friday sermons, the group’s president …
advocated stoning and whipping violators of sharia and decried democracy as
incompatible with Islam” (p. 240). It is easy to find characters, who grew up
in the West, speak fluently and charismatically, obtained degrees from reputed
universities, and who end up supporting extremist positions through their
social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
I think
what Omar has done by writing his book is what Kallel would strongly support.
It is this approach of sharing stories through an artistic medium to show that
Muslims “are no better or worse than everyone else, but equally accountable and
influential” that brings people together and further serves to bolster Muslim
community safety and interests (p. 274). Otherwise, adopting an aggressive
social justice activist approach that rests on demanding others to get their
act together may serve to alienate those sitting on the fence regarding
Muslims. Indeed, the Qur’anic approach rests on calling others with the best of
manners and with wisdom (16:125). Omar finds this approach in Inuvik through
Abdalla Mustafa Mohamed when he mentions that “if you treat people well, they
treat you well. If you make charity, you won’t make enemies” (p. 290). This
isn’t about respectability politics to ingratiate oneself to others for people
see through hypocrisy. This is about walking one’s own path and staying true to
one’s values.
Additionally,
I have noted the exaggerated narrative against “respectability politics” when
rampant sexual activity without any legal contract is upheld as a rebellious
rejection of heteronormative norms, an approach that clearly flouts the
principles of Islam. Muslim LGBTQ activist, Omar Sarwar, has written an
excellent article titled Rethinking Casual Sex, where he goes against the grain
of the mainstream LGBTQ narrative. In short, I would prefer Muslims to continue
with their values and approach, as Anthony Quinn’s Omar Mukhtar eloquently
expresses about the Italians in the movie, Lion of the Desert, that, “they are
not our teachers.”
What Did
I Learn?
Omar’s book
taught me that the Hadith often used in vitriol against LGBTQ Muslims that
“Islam began as something strange and it will return to being strange” is
always selectively quoted, as they do not read the next part that “blessed are
the strangers” (p. 245). This only confirms how homophobic Muslims cherry pick
their texts and verses without taking into account the language, nuance and
context. I learned that while some Muslims “had a bootstrap mentality and
believed that free supplies would “spoil” the needy, allowing them to waste
more money on drinking and gambling,” other Muslims like Abdalla felt that
“alcoholism [and] addiction” were symptoms of a larger problem based on “lack
of education [and] lack of opportunity,” which were also found in third world
countries like Sudan (p. 289). I found this really interesting, as it allows us
to understand why some Muslims would vote conservative for a smaller government
and others for the left parties for a larger government.
I also
learned that even though “the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America … issued a
fatwa permitting [Muslims in Inuvik] to fast and pray on the Meccan clock”,
there were those who deemed it a cop out and were willing to fast longer or
even go for 22 hours straight. Many years ago, I came across the late Dr.
Muhammad Hamidullah’s (d. 2002) ijtihad (independent reasoning) that Muslims
could fast based on Meccan timing, as I found that the local Edmontonian
community was equating hardship with piety. I knew that asr (undue hardship) is
abth (useless), found Usama Hasan’s article that confirmed the same, and wrote
an article titled, Undue Hardship is Not Piety. Based on my knowledge of the
Islamic ethos, I mentioned that the Prophet selected the easier of two equally
valid positions, that Islam is about the Tariq Al Wasat (the middle
path) and based on my reading of the jurist Shatibi (d. 1388), when Allah
offers a facility, He wants it to be used. Yet, my article was met with
scathing remarks from some Muslims in Edmonton, who equate hardship with piety,
which is more of a Christian notion than a Muslim one that rests on Yusr (facility).
In short, just as homophobic Muslims are guilty of cherry picking, zealot
Muslims are guilty of importing foreign ideas into Islam.
Finally,
Omar mentions that I am somewhat of an outlier among “mostly loud-and-liberal
or out-and-proud activists” (p. 302). He is correct about the fact that my
approach, as that of my co-author Dr. Hussein Abdullatif is conservative, and
he is equally right that change in Muslim communities on the LGBTQ front will
happen through “teachers, social workers, and parents who hold sway over the
congregation” (p. 303). This is consistent with Behnam Sadeghi’s work The
Logic of Law Making in Islam, that change in Islam comes about because of
social pressures and that hermeneutical accommodation is an after fact. I agree
with Omar’ assessment of myself despite the differing worldviews we may have
perhaps based on our age gap. However, based on a weak Hadith, Ikhtilaf
is Rahma (difference of opinion is mercy), and despite any differences,
I am glad he put in so much effort in getting his book out, which is sorely
needed in our divided times. His book clearly shows that he has successfully
met his objective of showcasing that Islam is not a monolith and that Muslims
are no better or worse than everyone else. Indeed, it is writers like him along
with artists, performers, entertainers and others, whose individual and
collective efforts will bring down the prejudice against Muslims slowly but
surely. In essence, defying the caricature of both Islamists and Islamophobes,
Omar’s book allows me to emphatically say, yes, there are 2.0 billion Islams.
------
Junaid Jahangir is an Assistant Professor of
Economics at MacEwan University. He is the co-author of Islamic Law and Muslim
Same-Sex Unions. With Dr. Hussein Abdullatif, a paediatric endocrinologist in
Alabama, he has co-authored several academic papers on the issue of same-sex
unions in Islam. He contributed this article to NewAgeIslam.com.
Image
Source: https://www.amazon.ca/Praying-West-Muslims-Shaped-Americas/dp/1501199145
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/books-documents/ummah-vahida-islamic-ethos-diversity/d/125603
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