Monthly Archives: September 2012

Rumi in Woodstock

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By Nasik Elahi
The email from Mirza Ashraf announcing the book signing event of his latest seminal work in Woodstock, N.Y. sounded quite anachronistic;  the launch of a book on the work of a mystic, Islamic scholar and poet of the fourteenth century in a rustic town synonymous with rock n’ roll.  But I was to learn how appropriate the setting was.
The gathering at the Kleinert /James Performing Arts Center lived up to its billing as a celebration of the timeless message of the holistic humanist poet and philosopher, Jalaluddin Rumi.   The event was a labor of love shared by the author, Mirza Iqbal Ashraf and his editor and public presenter, Peter Rogen.    Mirza had captured the essence of Rumi — originally imparted to him by his grandfather, a Rumi scholar, with his own study and sensibilities — from the original Persian to English.  The translations were brought to life by the recitations of Peter Rogen with a unique feeling and dramatic flourish.  The atmospherics were further enhanced by the tasty samplings of hummus, baba ghanoush, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, pita, baklava and teas.  The recital of Rumi’s Persian poetry and music using the traditional musical instruments– nay, tanbor and daf drum — by Amir Vahab provided a fitting climax to the evening.
The appeal of the medieval poet upon a gathering of New Yorkers in the twenty first century was all the more remarkable given the current turmoil and the assassination of the US ambassador in Libya.  The  Rumi odes to the indomitable human striving for love and unity have universal resonance we will all do well to honor.

The Power of Corporations Over Freedom of Speech

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In this article the author reveals the power of corporations over freedom of speech. In the case of present offensive movie, Google Inc. has the power to decide whether the movie is kept on the internet or not, and not the US government. Controversy gives such corporations more viewership and thus more profits. Even simple condemnation of such offensive material will glorify it and draw attention for more viewership and thus more incentive for corporations to keep it online-and more incentive for instigators to repeat it.

The author writes;

Google lists eight reasons on its “YouTube Community Guidelines” page for why it might take down a video. Inciting riots is not among them. But after the White House warned Tuesday that a crude anti-Muslim movie trailer had sparked lethal violence in the Middle East, Google acted.

Days later, controversy over the 14-minute clip from “The Innocence of Muslims” was still roiling the Islamic world, with access blocked in Egypt, Libya, India, Indonesia and Afghanistan — keeping it from easy viewing in countries where more than a quarter of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims live.

Legal experts and civil libertarians, meanwhile, said the controversy highlighted how Internet companies, most based in the United States, have become global arbiters of free speech, weighing complex issues that traditionally are the province of courts, judges, and occasionally, international treaty.

“Notice that Google has more power over this than either the Egyptian or the U.S. government,” said Tim Wu, a Columbia University law professor. “Most free speech today has nothing to do with governments and everything to do with companies.”

Click below to read the full article.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/googles-restricting-of-anti-muslim-video-shows-role-of-web-firms-as-free-speech-arbiters/2012/09/14/ec0f8ce0-fe9b-11e1-8adc-499661afe377_story.html?wpisrc=emailtoafriend

Statements By American Muslim Organizations On Violent Protests

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Following are the statements by some major American Muslims Organizations.

Statement by ICNA

“ICNA strongly condemns the violent attacks on American embassies in Egypt and Libya. Nothing is worth the cost of a human life, and we firmly believe that there is no honor or faith in committing such violence.

We extend our deepest condolences to the families of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the other three American personnel at this tragic time. Today we lost diplomats and friends to the people of Libya; we commend Amb. Stevens and U.S. envoys in Libya and elsewhere for their dedication to peace.

We are disturbed that the perpetrators of these attacks are claiming to defend the Prophet Muhammad’s   honor. The Prophet   was a man of peace and mercy; to engage in such violence and senseless killing is to truly defile his legacy. We implore Muslims in the region and around the world to remember the Prophet’s   teachings and honor his life by following his example of kindness and love in the face of hostility.

We appeal to Muslims in the Arab region and elsewhere to ignore cheap attempts for publicity by hateful bigots. By engaging in violence Muslims are not only harming innocent lives but also falling in the trap set up by bigots.

We also appeal to the larger American public to be wary of such attempts by individuals and groups, who, in most cases, have foreign ties and engage in such hateful projects that not only endanger Americans’ and others’ lives overseas, but incite hate attacks against minorities in America as well.”

Statement By ISNA 

“The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) unequivocally condemns the killing of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, and his staff and condemns the attack on US Embassy in Cairo. Reports indicate that those who killed him did so as a reaction to a video depicting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a profane manner. Although we believe that this video is hateful and bigoted, this could never be an excuse to commit any acts of violence whatsoever. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is loved and respected by hundreds of millions of people across the world, and no one take this from our hearts. No one should fall into the trap of those who wish to incite anger. The Prophet (peace be upon him) should be our example in everything we do, and even though he was attacked and insulted many times throughout his life, he always reacted with compassion and forgiveness, never with revenge or violence.”

Statement By CAIR

“We condemn the disgraceful killings of the American diplomats in Libya in the strongest terms possible. We also condemn the attack on our nation’s diplomatic facilities in Libya and Egypt. The actions of the attackers are totally inexcusable and un-Islamic.

“We agree with Secretary Clinton, who said that ‘violence like this is no way to honor religion or faith.’ The extremists who carried out these attacks deserve punishment, and the extremists who produced and promoted an intentionally inflammatory film deserve condemnation.

“Islamic traditions include a number of instances in which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had the opportunity to retaliate against those who abused him, but refrained from doing so.

One tradition, or hadith, states: ‘You [Muhammad] do not do evil to those who do evil to you, but you deal with them with forgiveness and kindness.’ (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

“Muslims are also taught the tradition of the woman who would regularly throw trash on the prophet as he walked down a particular path. The prophet never responded in kind to the woman’s abuse. Instead, when she one day failed to attack him, he went to her home to inquire about her condition.

“In another tradition, the prophet was offered the opportunity to have God punish the people of a town near Mecca who refused the message of Islam and attacked him with stones. Again, the prophet did not choose to respond in kind to the abuse.

“We must not let extremists control the political or religious discourse. That means that people of all beliefs should repudiate those who would commit acts of violence in response to intentional provocations and repudiate those whose only goal is offending religious sentiments.”

CAIR yesterday called on Muslims in the Middle East to ignore the distribution of the “trashy” anti-Islam film, clips of which are circulating online, that resulted in the attacks in Libya and Egypt.

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Statement By ADC

Washington, DC | www.adc.org | September 12, 2012 — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) strongly condemns the brutal attack on the U.S. Consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi that erupted during protests last night. Four Americans were killed in the attack, among them the U.S. Envoy to Libya, Ambassador J Christopher Stevens.

This senseless act of violence occurred amidst angry protests decrying an anti-Islamic film produced in the U.S. that appeared on YouTube. Thousands of Egyptians also protested the film at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo yesterday. The film is highly insulting to the religious sentiments of Muslims.

While ADC is committed to the right enshrined in our nation’s Constitution of free speech, there is no question that the purposeful provocation of any religious group is divisive and reprehensible. However, responding with violence only plays into the hands of those who seek to divide us and inevitably leads to painful loss.

ADC extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of those killed; and urges Muslim Americans and Muslims around the world to always react with reason, not anger, against any ignorant attack on Islam.

 

Shahid Khan: The New Face Of The NFL And The American Dream

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With sweat and smarts, Pakistan-born Shahid Khan built a $3.4 billion manufacturing juggernaut from the ruins of an Illinois auto parts maker. To celebrate, he just bought one of the worst teams in the NFL, with the pledge of a similar turnaround. Only in America, folks. Click link below to read the full article:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2012/09/05/shahid-khan-the-new-face-of-the-nfl-and-the-american-dream/