By Abu Nusaybah

When said: “Muslims are terrorists”, we quickly point out the faulty logic in that statement. We know this is not true. We know this idea and statement have harmful impacts. As a result, we oppose it. The argument goes something like this:

A, B and C are Muslims.

A, B and C are Terrorists.

Therefore all Muslims are terrorists.

Without doubt not all Muslims are terrorists, and the fact that some terrorists identify as Muslims does not make all Muslims that way. The conclusion that all Muslims are terrorists is a logical fallacy, an error in thinking. The specific has been made general without evidence.

Although we are enthusiastic in responding to, correcting and criticizing the statement that “Muslims are terrorists”, we are guilty far too often of making the same errors when speaking about others. Take, for example:

A, B and C are [insert ethnic group].

A, B and C are [insert negative trait].

Therefore all [ethnic group] are [negative trait].

No specific examples of commonly held racial and ethnic stereotypes that negatively portray one people will be presented here. However, in the negative trait part of the above sentences you’ve probably heard it completed with:  are stupid, are bad drivers, are thieves, are violent, are liars, are dirty, are criminals, are poor, are lazy… the list goes on. We hear them. May Allah protect us, we may even say them. We may use names for certain groups in a demeaning fashion. Somehow, in these cases, we tend not to see the logical fallacy, the hatred and the discrimination.

Naturally, we are quick to point to the stance Islam takes against racism and discrimination. Standing shoulder to shoulder in prayer. The final sermon. That humans are created equal. Examples of racism being dealt with by the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him).

To a degree, stereotypes are a result of natural and normal thinking, not rooted in hatred. The complex world around us is made simpler with generalizations of this sort. These become problematic when laden with value and judgment. Often this “othering” is a product of lacking interaction with the group in question. In other cases, ideas might be influenced by the media or a limited set of experiences. Some may even defend these stereotypes by pointing to correlational or experiential evidence. However, the “Muslims are terrorists” case ought to be a telling reminder of how harmful these incorrect ideas can be. Furthermore, persistence of these ideas can result in prejudice, discrimination and hate, whereby jokes manifest themselves in destructive forms. These ideas may also negatively influence members of the discriminated group who may begin to think less of themselves and lower their standards, a self-fulfilling prophesy of sorts.

As the Companions struggled with this issue, it ought to come as no surprise that we too struggle with this issue. That struggle, in fact, is the only valid way in which we differ, that is through our piety. First and foremost we need to recognize and acknowledge that these stereotypes, generalizations and discriminatory ideas exist. Individually and collectively we need to stand for justice, by challenging our own prejudices and advising those from whom we hear such ideas. Racism, discrimination and hate will only be effectively dealt with when each of us, all of us, value and treat others equally. This challenge may not disappear, which means there will always be room for improvement, room for struggle and room for refinement.

By Abu Nusaybah

What direction are we heading toward?

During the early days of the call to Islam, the community struggled to exist and operated in secret for some time. As such, building the community in the Prophetic tradition largely took place following the migration to Madinah. Immediately upon arrival, the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) established a place for prayer. This place came to have some of the aspects of a contemporary town hall and community center. During this period of building and establishing a community, there is a common trait in the development: that is ensuring that the needs of others are met. A few examples include the housing of the migrants, feeding of the poor, religious and “worldly” education, agreements between groups to establish law, order and justice, and even helping one another to start businesses. Muslim communities in North America are building communities; they are not struggling to exist nor at the helm of an Empire. It thus seems that in seeking to find guidance, we ought to look to this Prophetic example.

That is not to say that members of our community are not doing that; of course there are great examples of leaders in this regard. It ought to suggest however, that we reflect on our dominant discourse and if that discourse is conducive to a building community. In most of our communities the discourse is dominated by a limited set of issues, largely in the realms of apparel, food, and music. These are important issues, however in examining our collective conversation it would appear these issues are of utmost concern and priority, above all others. There was, of course, a time and a place for discussions of this nature. However, it does not appear to have emerged as dominant during the period of community building within the Prophetic example. Ought that, both for consumers and creators of our discourse, suggest it is time for reflection on what is emphasized in our collective conversation.

During the rapid and vast geographic expansion of the Islamic Empire, the likes of which is not paralleled in history, resistance was little or absent in many places. This is one of the proposed reasons that facilitated the Empire to expand so far so fast. That was not always the case, yet it ought to give pause for reflection. When entering new territory and seeking positions of leadership, what would cause populations to embrace, rather than resist, that change? Many places remained majority non-Muslim following conquest and did so for a relatively long period of time. What facilitated acceptance instead of popular resistance was that lives were improved. One can examine the history of Spain for detailed accounts of this. Reminiscence aside, the take home lesson is Prophetic: meeting the needs of the people.

It is time our discourse shifts to place emphasis where emphasis is due. Our society faces a multitude of challenges. Many of us expect the government, or even a single person, to be a remedy for all the challenges we face. Forgotten is the notion that the group is the sum of its people, not the names of its representatives. It seems appropriate to quote the famous line: ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. If this is your country as Professor Brown aptly asked, not just a passing-by or a place for a good job and a nice life, then it is time to ask what we can do. To meet the needs of others. To be a part of building a better nation. To be leaders. To stand up for justice. To find solutions to challenges, individual and global. It is not a ‘would be’ or ‘could be’, it is the Prophetic model and it is our calling.

By Abu Nusaybah

If you did not know that people are being oppressed by the processes that deliver our fashion, now you do. The recent tragedy of a factory collapse in Bangladesh that resulted in over a thousand lives lost was not the first to take place, nor is Bangladesh the only country wherein such disasters take place. Unfortunately this is not a surprise; this issue has been known since No Logo was published over a decade ago. Certainly there were voices of concern raised previous to that publication, but it marked a landmark in shifting perception for a much wider audience. Since that time, to my knowledge, this issue has not been adequately discussed within our community.

Oppression is forbidden. The question is: are we as buyers of products that involved oppression to be made responsible?

From a traditional legal perspective, one who has no knowledge is not accountable. One who has doubt should avoid it. And one who has no knowledge might not be held accountable, as the buyer is only accountable for the manner in which the product is acquired by him or her (in other words he or she bought it legally at the store), not the way that the seller acquired it. There are grounds upon which some argue the knowledge of oppression within the supply chain is a means of knowingly supporting oppression, and take issue with that kind of transaction. One wonders if there needs to be a fresh look at the legality of trade in the contemporary and globalized fashion context.

I suggest we look elsewhere. Rather than bogging ourselves down in new legal edicts, which is warned against in the Qur’an as a mistake of people’s past, it might be worth taking a few steps back to examine this issue with a wider lens. Although we often turn to legal theory and jurisprudence to provide direction, at times this results in us missing the important lessons, or the big picture. Consider the rulings given to smoking due to its ill effects on health: in focusing so much on one action we’ve forgotten about the big picture of seeking to be healthy people. The epidemics of obesity are telling in this regard. Going back to fashion, two issues come to light: living an ethical life and consumerism.

The Prophetic tradition warns against consumerism and buying things we don’t actually need,. Rather, we are suggested to live lightly, acquire what we need and be on the earth as a traveler. In an age when shopping is a common pastime, this can be counter-cultural and difficult. Since each age and person has a unique situation and context, it would be unrealistic for us to strive to have the same quantity and types of possessions that the Prophet ﷺ had,. Rather, each of us individually should keep in mind this general advice and adjust accordingly. Without doubt, we all have room for growth in this area, in reducing our needs and wants to a realm that is closer to living as a traveler in this world.

Living an ethical life is another broad direction Muslims should keep in mind. We have many detailed examples of ethics in business but the take away message is that one needs to act ethically. This includes avoiding wastefulness, lying, deception and oppression. The question of legality in jurisprudence may not mean ethical per se, as legality deals with the permissibility of an act. Buying clothing, for example, is a permissible act. But not all actions of this sort are the same; buying clothing from a company known to oppress workers, buying fair trade clothing, buying clothing made of organic materials, and buying clothing one doesn’t need, are not all equal. Although all may be legally permissible, they are not ethically equal.

Everyone is in different situations, and as such, it seems more suitable to advocate that each of us strive to live more ethical lives as best we can. This might mean making small shifts in the kind of things we buy, how often we buy them, and where we buy them from, or it might be rethinking our needs and wants in light of the wider context that we are but travelers in this life. In doing so, let us think beyond our jeans. Think about everything from the food we eat and the resources we use to the way we invest our time. Living a more ethical life is something we can all do, each in our own respective ways. This can be something we regularly try to revisit for on-going personal improvement. Let this be a means through which we can deepen and strengthen the connection we have with God.

By Abu Nusaybah

Allah instructs us in the Qur’an to make du`a’ (supplication) for an increase in knowledge. We read and hear many examples of the benefits, virtue, and honor of seeking knowledge. Typically we envision those engaging in such a process to be struggling in a far off land, and sometimes that is the case. Far too seldom do we apply this to our children, who spend approximately six hours learning every day.

Our children face a variety of challenges in that process. In public schools the learning process is often done without any connection to an Islamic worldview, and many times promotes an atheistic one. We tend to think the remedy to that challenge is placing our children in private Islamic schools. Interestingly however, those schools often use the same textbooks for the majority of the school day and tack on an additional hour of Islamic Studies each day. This can create a dichotomy in the minds of our children whereby the perspective of most of the curriculum content may conflict with the Islamic one.

It may come as a surprise to hear, but to date, there is no complete Islamic curriculum in the English language. Dr. Bilal Philips recently told me that he has been working and pushing for this for fourteen years, yet very little has materialized. That is not to say that nothing has been done. Several complete Islamic Studies programs have been developed, and they are being used widely. Dr. Dawud Tauhidi—may Allah have mercy on him—made significant progress with the Tarbiyah Project. Dr. Nadeem Memon founded the Islamic Teacher Education Program in Canada. Those are just a few examples.

It might seem that the process of fixing the education problem is relatively simple: surely teachers in Islamic schools can simply adapt the content that runs counter to the Islamic worldview. This preventative method might work, however it places a great burden on teachers by requiring them to edit and adjust content on a daily basis. Another approach is to question the objective of education: why are we learning? One wisdom behind learning is that we have been created only to worship Allah, and that ought to be central to our learning process. In light of this, deleting troubling content from secular books will not achieve this aim. In order to do so, we need to rethink our approach.

One methodology, as developed by the Open Islamic Curriculum project, is to create a thematic curriculum that revolves entirely around Islam. No content is lost in the process; all the required subjects are taught within a framework of Islamic themes. The content is also integrated across subjects, such that the Islamic theme, for example Ramadan, continues to be reinforced throughout the school day and across all the subjects. Alhamdulilah (all praise and thanks belongs to God) the objective of that effort is to create materials that reinforce and build the Islamic worldview throughout the school day. And, to offer those materials freely in a modular way so that teachers can integrate whatever lessons, units, or subjects they need.
The Open Islamic Curriculum project launched a few months ago and needs your help. What we need is your time. If you have lessons you’ve developed, please share them. If you can create lessons, sign up to volunteer. If you want to get involved in raising awareness about the importance of Islamic Education, join the social media team. If you are from an IT background, help out with the website. Your ideas and time are welcome. We truly believe there is a great need to refine Islamic Education in our communities, and we also feel that this project will have immense benefits for students across the globe. Join us.

http://openislamiccurriculum.com/

Alhamdulillah (all praise is due to Allah) that in recent months and years we have witnessed the Muslim community become more aware of environmental issues. At the outset, I should mention that it is not my goal here to describe the reasons why Muslims ought to be environmentally-conscious, as this has been dealt with in-depth elsewhere. I will simply summarize a few points as a reminder: The Earth is a creation of Allah (swt) and we ought to respect it; damaging the environment can have detrimental health effects; we ought to conserve valuable resources; we should not be wasteful.

That being said, I need to mention some of the reasons why we should be thinking about the environment. Environmental Sustainability is Goal #7 on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MGDs for short). Despite efforts over the last few decades, forests are continuing to be cut down at alarming rates, climate change is requiring immediate action, a record number of species are facing extinction, much of the world does not have safe drinking water, and sadly the 2010 target goals were missed. Most of us reading this, i.e, those who have a computer and internet access, are included in the 20% of the world’s population consuming 80% of its resources (Yes, that is not a typo: eighty percent). Is the way we live contributing to injustice?

Within the environmentalist and sustainable living movement there are many manifestations of lifestyle changes. On the one hand, we have those who desire to disconnect completely and go “off the grid” (meaning they get all their own energy from solar and wind and water from wells or rain collection and completely disconnect previous supply). This is certainly a lifestyle more akin to living in a sustainable way, but it is not for everyone. There is another extreme: those who alter their lifestyle so insignificantly that their “green” shift is really not that much of a shift at all, it may just be trendy.

With those two poles laid out, and being an Ummah (community) of the middle and moderate path, I am going to suggest some ideas that all of us can, insha’Allah (if Allah wills), try to implement. I’d like to also add that these suggestions come from academic studies (mostly out of the UK) in striving to collect the most effective strategies in modifying the behavior of people so as to lessen negative impacts on the environment. For example, as we write about different environmentally-friendly lifestyle changes, how do we know which will be the most effective and have the greatest positive impact? That is what these studies aimed to do, and I will categorize their findings into overarching themes. Again, I am not suggesting that we need to do all of them. I suggest starting with one or two. And insha’Allah, over time you may slowly continue to make changes to lead a lifestyle that has a lesser negative impact on the Earth.

Housing

Within our homes, there are many great and easy ways to reduce our energy consumption levels as well as our negative impacts on the environment. One of the simple things to do is to make sure that we dispose of toxic materials safely. Check with your local municipality for more details; almost all will have a free collection depot.

Some governments provide tax cuts for “retrofitting” your home to make it more energy-efficient making it cheaper than you may think. Some options for this include double-glazing windows, improving insulation, and purchasing more energy-efficient appliances.  (This will result in your hydro bill going down as well).

And, for those really seeking a change, have a look at installing a solar panel or wind turbine – they are getting cheaper and more effective. You can set up a small one to charge up your iPad, iPod, and cell phone. Or, pick a small solar powered flashlight / radio combination instead of the battery run ones. Why not?

Food & Water

There are some simple one-time installation changes you can do to reduce your consumption of water: a toilet water-saving device, low flow taps, and showers. And (or) just shorten your shower time every day. I know not everyone will enjoy this one: try to reduce the amount of meat you eat. The amount of grains and resources used to raise cattle, never mind the rain forests being burnt down in the Amazon to put them all on, are a serious drain of resources. Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating that we all ought to be vegetarians. However, eating meat 4-5 times a week is not really a necessity. If you can, purchase locally-grown foods – this will reduce the amount of hydrocarbons that were required to transport it to your table. Also, try to avoid highly processed foods. Lastly, setting up a household or community compost reduces the amount of waste going to landfills and can be re-used in a home or community garden.

Travel

I am sure you’ve seen those new hybrid cars; using smaller and more fuel efficient cars are effective changes to make (and can save money too). Of course, public transport and car pooling are even better, however not everyone can make this shift. Something we can all do is walk those short distances rather than driving, and it’s good for health as well. Have you ever done an ecological footprint test? If not, try one here. One of the major contributors to a massive “footprint” on the Earth is air travel, try to reduce if possible.

Last, but not least, we really need to teach our children these lessons. The future consumer and lifestyle choices will largely be made by our children so let us insha’Allah start from today by changing ourselves and those around us. We need to be more conscious of the blessings of the environment all around us and how we ought to take care of it.

Allah (swt) knows best. Forgive me for my short-comings and faults and I welcome your comments, ideas and suggestions. You may comment here or contact me directly, I am happy to share further reading materials.