Teaching Faith…

I’ve started teaching every Sunday at an Islamic school for young American or Muslim youth living here in US, it’s an intimidating experience I must say, to introduce faith positively to teenagers who didn’t grow in our society, and I’m not exactly a scholar of religion, neither all the other graduates here helping out in teaching this weekly sessions. My own faith is made up of some of the basic knowledge and some of the hope that I can overcome the negativity of all the teachings and gloomy effects of the Saudi scholars. However, the good news is I have reference books to prepare my classes, and the bad news is I can’t stick to those books. In my class, the teenage girls are confronting me with topics which are ambiguous and thought provoking. They seem to be excited to tell me their concerns as young Muslims in USA liberal communities. The comments of their classmates in their official schools about Islamic practices and ideologies, the fact that they have to change clothing among some homosexual teenagers, the homeschooling of one teenager whose mother didn’t allow her in a public school with a reputation of some moral scandals. Those stories that I can’t interrupt due to limited class time brings me to the harsh reality of US contradictory world, where morals and spiritual values of faith are tested heavily everyday with their contrast. The young teenagers, who are expected to show their beauty and become fans of TV and Movie stars, hang out with young men and engage in wild weekend activities, are not actually in their promoted ideal surrounding. They receive the Islamic teaching calling for discipline and rewards in the hereafter, and go to the world hearing something else. I have to say though that I’m impressed that those girls are far more outspoken, articulate and critically thinking every idea that pass through them as an effect of this society. They may have to reach terms with their religion on a more rough ground than most girls of their own age in Muslim countries, but when they reach it one day they’ll have a far better conviction than those girls who never question seriously any of it before.

Irshad or Confusion?…

At many times, it seems that keeping a faith is a daily struggle and a path for total confusion in the west with its myriads of beliefs and values, some may keep their original faith and practices regardless of any conflicts or inconveniences that this would create, others may choose to create a modern mix of their original values and their new ones, thus reaching a comfort zone that can enable them to access both societies, their original ones and the ones they live in, with agreeable levels, but how far can you mix the different cultures and beliefs?… Irshad Manji, a Canadian feminist and human rights activist, decided to choose the last route with many extreme modifications of faith to suit her most modern life style, she’s a critic of traditional Islamic schools, a journalist, a book writer, a lesbian, and a public speaker about Islamic reforms… on her website, she describes herself as a fathful Muslim, something no one can judge her for, she calls for recognizing the errors in Islamic societies and get over the fear of confronting them, simply because fear is not as important as addressing those issues…I went through some of her articles and published opinions, and quite honestly, I got confused, it seemed that she’s in good terms with Islam at times and totally against it at others, a phenomena well descriped in Quran before, that faith will not be granted if someone believed in some parts but didn’t believe in it as a whole… It’s quite understood that interpretation of Quranic verses stopped taking into account many recent changes in modren life and became rigid in dealing with many situations in modern life, partly because those who interpret Quran see the world from their isolated and unchangable life styles, A Muslim and a woman living in the West would find it quite difficult to adapt Islamic style in living and yet be engaged in his or her new and modern society fully, let alone calling for a version of reform that places Islam as a religion in the same context as a modern human rights law that doesn’t really object anything done by consent including abortion, illicit sex or any other matter of that sort… Stripping Islam out of its original teaching to suit modern and Westernized version of human rights is just the result of the usual submission of the weaker civilization to the stronger one…although I do agree with Irshad calls for reforms in Islamic thoughts and practices but I totally disagree on creating a new religion out of it… I guess that it’s easy to be confused if you were offered the freedom of choice, just like Irshad, the faithful Muslim & lesbian feminist…

Feminist?…

Sometimes, I’m confronted by this word from people who deals with me, said of course as an accusation, usually as a response to my over-estimation of what a woman can do alone and my under-estimation of what can be done by relying on a man, particularly on a husband, afterall, at this time and age, women can be definitely independent, or more artstically speaking: “Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry”, said by Gloria Steinem, a feminist, at a Yale speech… I couldn’t agree more, so in this sense, I guess I am a feminist…

Beauty and the East…

My mother is in Glasgow for a holiday, her first impression after some days in there is that people are gentle, smiling and dressing well!! Of course, it’s not strange to comment on people once you are abroad, giving we don’t see any one dressed to impress in public in Saudi Arabia, but In ageneral, her comment made me wonder, how did we manage to avoid beauty to preserve modesty?…The old Arab clothes, traditional homes and mosques around the world showed a huge interest in details and beauty, I must admit that I’m always beautifying my surrounding with something to make life joyful…In an interview with the Saudi fashion-designer Yahya Al-Bishri he describes his career struggle and acheivements. he said none approved his artistic career at the beginning, not giving it much respect or weight, later on his reputation won and many followed his path… Beauty is a controversial thing, it is either under-rated or an over-rated value. People tend to perceive beauty as a source of self satisfaction or avoid it as a sin…Moderate beautification of everything is a recipee for content I think but not over doing it, I like for instance to see a beautiful surrounding, suitably and comfortably dressed people, they convey a feeling of happiness, and who wouldn’t want some happiness once in a while?…

What if?!!

I think this is ironically sad but true…

Searching for identity

I received a story in my email which depicts the real search of new Muslims for the eutopia -as they imagine it- a consequence of overdosgae of teaching about early Muslim immigrants and their fight for their religion maybe. The one thing I have against zealot believers is that they don’t have this sense of reality and the actual weight of it. In the story, a new Muslim couple decided to immigrate to Somalia, they heard that a new Islamic-oriented government is established there. The man and his wife and three children decided to sell their belongings cheaper than they actually worth and headed there…After a missing link, they are trapped in some villages in Somalia and had to flee in separate ways, where the man is jailed after a long tiresome run and the wife died on her way, leaving the two daughters with another woman, the son, however, went missing, he ran away in the jungle!!!… After some time in the prison, the man is united back with all his children and deported to USA where he is now serving time in jail and his children is with their grandparents…he is in jail because he received training with terrorit organization… I read his story and thought of such motives that drag a person out of sanity into uncertainity, why Somalia was trusted? a country plagued by famine and corruption for ages? why religion can’t be found in any other stable country or even among his hometown with the group of Muslims they are living within? who or what pushed him to abandon his old life instead of remodeling it to be shaped by his new beliefs? so many answers are missing from the story. Become a rebel and fight for a good cause is smething many people have chosen before and many will choose afterward, but the one thing that distinguish them all is how valid and noble their goal was? that makes the loss you’ll have on the way more tolerable to bear…

American dogs…

My apartment looks over a beautiful couryard for the tenants, at first I was surprised how thoughtful the architect was to create such lovely retreat for the residents, then I discovered that the only residents who actually use the place are Dog-owners, for walking their dogs big and small, and they opediently collect after their dog the most disgusting thing ever with plastic hand gloves refilled over there for this purpose, I then restricted my use of the courtyard as a lovely view only… It’s not unusual for Americans to consider their pets (Mostly dogs) as part of the family, creating spaces for them in their busy schedule and catering for their needs as one of the children…I think I can understand the psychology behind this attention,  pets are indeed lovable beings, they won’t get moody unless hungry or sick, they will look up at their owners with much delight, even if he was the worst person ever, they will show happy and warm welcome after a long consuming day at work, they will keep the owner in a good company, not demanding, criticizing or judgemental, and most importantly, they will unconditionally love their owner in return of a modest level of care, that’s ironically understood but really sad for a modern humanbeing to replace the usual human company…

September collectibles

“She can’t control her own daughter or household and want to rule the country”, a female professor at my college in commenting on Sarah Palin selection for vice president by republicans (women are the worst critics)

“I can be Fred”, a middle-age gentleman responding to my question if he is Fred, my escort to a meeting…

“Beauty is what moves you to tears” a remembered quotation from “The body memoir” said by my friend while passing over bridge during sunset

“Call me, not just if you needed anything, but also to let me know how you’re doing”, a sweat Egyptian lady to a young exchange student (P.S. I always said call me if you needed anything and thought it was the best that you can do”

“It’s not him, it’s his family”, a young Saudi wife explaining the dilemma of having a mean husband

” My Husband has to check if it was appropriate and covering enough before I buy it”, a young Bahraini wife in deciding on a shirt she liked

“Oh yes, I know that in my previous life, my brother was a monkey” a smart young Hindu physician classmate, explaining her own experience of incarnation

“Do you like Arabia? do you really want to go back there?” an Old woman on the beach, responding skeptically to the fact that we came from Arabia to study {She has the most adorable little dog I’ve ever seen though}

“How about you call social services to keep the three kids in a temporary foster care until your mom recover?” a suggestion offered to a classmate to solve the problem of her unattended young brothers with her mom scheduled surgery and the busy life of hers and her older siblings {I’m shocked, people can’t quit their study or job for three weeks to help take care of three little kids if a mom is ill, God bless extended families}

and of course, No raise in the students’ allowance afterall those big declarations, that really made the headlines…

Happy Eid (Maybe just a little)

Today was Eid celebration in Virginia, despite the fact that Northern Virginia has it yesterday, nevertheless it is an important day… We ended fasting, wore new outfits, greeted everyone we knew or met on the way, prayed together in a big congregation and paid money for the poor, the only thing missing was being with family…Happy eid to all