March/April 2023

This year March 15, the UN-designated International Day To Combat Islamophobia, falls a week ahead of Ramadan.

Last March, the UN unanimously declared that this annual observance, which is always held on the same day in 140 countries, is meant to show Islam’s true face to those who hate it.

Pakistan, then headed by former prime minister Imran Khan, introduced the resolution by saying that Islamophobia has emerged as a new form of racism that includes, among others things, discriminatory travel bans, hate speech and targeting girls and women for their attire. It calls for expanded international efforts to create a global dialogue that encourages tolerance and peace, and is centered on respect for human rights and humanity’s diverse religions and beliefs.

Understandably, the resolution was opposed by India, France and the EU — that includes many who enjoy the results of colonial rule. Both France and the EU also insist that the term has no agreed-upon definition in international law. 

And here lies the responsibility of Muslims, especially those living in countries that are rife with Islamophobia — despite reciting mantras such as democracy, equality and freedom of belief. Muslims living in countries that pride themselves on their democratic setups should assert themselves meaningfully. “Representation” doesn’t start and end with invitations to taxpayer-funded events hosted on tax-funded real estate, but in effecting positive change.

Now is the time for Muslims to consider what we have gained and lost by participating in the “democratic” process via political parties [restricted to two entities], especially when they and their leaders never shy away from accepting “gifts” and giving “speeches” to any group that has a visible and, in fact, active Islamophobic and colonist agenda. Isn’t it time for us to build our own political units to both represent ourselves and our fellow citizens by finding a way to free ourselves from these unhelpful people as well as from the lobbyists’ apron-strings and self-serving agendas?

In short, shouldn’t we finally start out on the path opened for us by Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s new prime minister? This issue presents several articles for your consideration.

Muslims should realize that things are doable. Polls conducted in 2022 by the University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll found that Jewish presidential candidates would face the lowest public opposition, closely followed by Catholic and Mainline Protestant candidates. For Republicans, an atheistic candidate is most strongly opposed. Democrats most strongly oppose an Evangelical Christian candidate. 

Muslims need to find ways to create an image through education, service and enterprise that will take them to these heights. The time is now.

Anwar Ibrahim’s installation warms the hearts of Muslim North Americans, for he has participated in their organizations, among them MSA, which became ISNA, and with learned societies such as the International Institute of Islamic Thought. All of our prayers are with him as he moves to script new horizons for his abused nation.

As our Jan.-Feb. issue was going to press, ISNA hosted its 11th Annual West Coast Education Forum: “Reinvent and Design the Islamic Schools of the Future.” On Jan. 13-14, Islamic school educators, administrators and leaders dedicated to providing the best Islamic education to our community met in Orange County, Calif., to share ideas and learn from each other.

In this issue, we are proud to share the good news of a small community’s milestone: In December 2022, a six-member team finished translating the Quran into Cham (see the article on pp. 34). The culmination of this eight-year effort was celebrated with great joy amidst San Jose’s Cham Muslim community. This is very fitting, given that their ancestors have preserved their culture against outside influences for the last 200 years.

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By Susan Labadi

March/April 2023

The 11th Annual West Coast ISNA Education Forum, “Reinvent and Design the Islamic Schools of the Future,” was held on Jan. 13-14 in Orange County, Calif. In collaboration with WISER (Weekend Islamic Schools Educational Resources, www.WISER-USA.org), a special weekend schools track was initiated to learn and network with full-time experienced teachers and administrators and to give them access to high-quality subject-matter experts.

Program committee chair Necva Ozgur stated, “Allah gave the answers in the Quran, but He doesn’t open our hearts unless we ask for it.” She noted that most Muslim students attend weekend schools and that WISER is a response to the need to increase and improve their efficacy.

For the second time since its inception in 2020, WISER and ISNA tailored sessions for weekend schoolteachers and leaders. WISER, formed by a group of Muslim educators, seeks to uplift, empower and raise these schools’ standards. Part of this involves educating staff on best practices. 

The sessions included: “Creating a Loving Classroom Community,” “Let’s Do it Right! The Unit Plan Based on Word-Readiness Standards,” “Arabic Language and Quran: Hand-in-Hand in Classrooms,” “Teaching Reading in Sunday School,” “How to Teach Islamic Studies to Touch Students’ Hearts and Effect Change,” “Interactive Arabic Virtual Story Time” and “Differentiated Instruction in Early Elementary.”

WISER’s founders, Necva Ozgur and Dr. Mehmet Ozgur, have dedicated this phase of their lives to serving the 95% of Muslim children who don’t attend full-time Islamic schools, yet deserve to have access to high-quality educational programs.

Attendees had open access to 25 informative sessions. Friday’s celebration banquet featured keynote speaker Dr. Rania Awaad (executive director, Maristan; director, The Rahmah Foundation; professor of psychiatry, Stanford School of Medicine), who holds several certifications (ijaza) and is herself a product of an Islamic school education. Her inspired address cited occasions when Muslims had innovated to meet humanity’s critical needs and prevailed, although confronted by naysayers and resistance. 

Awaad mentioned historical events, such as codifying Arabic with markings to facilitate pronunciation; the tenacity of Munira al-Qubaysi (d.2022; founder, Qubaysi Movement) to find a way to educate women in Islamic sciences from a male scholar and to initiate preschools in Syria; and the fact that Muslims were the first to incorporate mental health wards in their hospitals, which incorporated a holistic approach that recognized the individual’s mind, body and soul.

The event opened with a panel of former Islamic school students: Yasin Conoboy, Hala Khalifeh (Halaballoo), Sondos Kholaki (hospital staff chaplain, community chaplain in Southern California), and Hamza Soboh. Their favorable memories included sentiments of diversity, pride in accomplishments and special events. The greatest benefit was developing a Muslim identity and sense of belonging. Some of these graduates remain connected with peers who share similar values. 

They felt prepared academically for their futures, but thought that schools and parents shouldn’t overly protect them socially to enter college. One panelist stated that he learned healthy gender interactions via PPL — Public, Purposeful, and Limited — so that working with female students was done respectfully and appropriately. This prepared him for life outside of school. They responded “Yes” when asked if they would recommend an Islamic school for their children. 

The panel also included Abir Catovic, Sheikh Tarik Ata (The Orange County Islamic Foundation) and Habeeb Quadri (recipient, the National Distinguished Principal Award) who serves on Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, numerous youth education organizations and has authored five books. Their suggestions included helping students articulate their views through debates and discussions. They also noted that all prophets had worked with their hands, meaning that vocational training could be incorporated into our schools and be encouraged as hobbies. Acknowledging that parents and teachers at these schools make sacrifices, they deemed the results worthwhile.

In his energetic morning keynote speech, Islamic school principal Habeeb Quadri spoke on remembering that leadership drives change. To meet the future’s demands, he declared that we must assess, develop and then strategize; that students must be cognitive global citizens, for they will have digital futures; and that community service should be an active component of every school stakeholder and provide opportunities for parents and children to talk with each other.

ISNA president Safaa Zarzour, who headed two sessions, encouraged school leaders to work with faculty and staff in a culture of trust and stressed the importance of enabling growth and responsibility. When asked about financial difficulties, he advised that some schools have created endowments. In short, save 10% of revenues each year for a term and then use them as later investments to decrease the parents’ burden and give the schools sustainable security. In his second session, the audience tapped into his expertise in legal and HR matters.

While addressing the banquet, Zarzour credited Islamic school educator Abdelnasser Rashid, Illinois’ first elected state representative, for running for office after rejecting the “advice” to change his name or dilute his Muslim American identity. Zarzour emphasized that Islamic school-educated Muslims are making a difference in leadership roles in the U.S. 

In her session, Sufia Azmat (executive director, CISNA), worked with school leaders to discuss varying interpretations of success in “School Accountability Leads to Success.”

Chris Joffe (founder and CEO, Joffe Emergency Services), along with the ISLA team, Lisa Kahler and Samar Al-Majaideh, through an IRUSA grant, discussed emergency preparedness, “[This] is fulfilling the trust (amana), which is aligned with maqasid al-shariah: … maintaining, protecting, and elevating one’s religion, self, mind, wealth and family.” The session featured tabletop scenarios, exercises and access to a toolkit that can be found at www.theisla.org.

As educators, we see a higher level of mental and mood challenges today than before Covid. The human connections and relationships we enjoy most are what give us mental fortitude, and the pandemic certainly pointed out the relevance and value of social connection. Susan Labadi (founder and president, Genius School, Inc.) offered “Brain Health Matters: What Educators Need to Know” and Dr. Ilham Al-Sarraf Rope (clinical psychology), who has greatly helped the Iraqi community, shared her expertise in “Depression Disorder: Identifying Symptoms, Causations and Interventions.” 

Jihad Saafir (professor, Bayan; the South Coast Interfaith Council’s “2022 Faith Leader of the Year”) captured attention by stating, “Our people need as many positive triggers as they can,” and advised that saying “As-salamu alaikum” reminds us of our Muslim identity. He equated weak identity with deficient socializing influences and remarked that Prophet Mohammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) crafted the Islamic environment to support the internalization of religious identity in stages. 

Wadud Hassan (head of school, Good Tree Academy; founder, Mindfulness Matters) delivered “Behavior Intervention Through Islamic Psychology.” Ibrahim Yousef (school principal) presented “The Art of Positive Discipline.” Osman Khan, a faith-based educator and administrator for 21 years, titled his session “Theory of Relativity: A Guiding Dialogue to Proactively Cultivate Student-Teacher Relationships.” In it, he emphasized using elements of pop culture to open the door of receptive relationships with students. Lastly, Adita Arya (weekend school leader; executive director, the Afghan Literacy Foundation) chose to teach “How to Create a Loving Classroom Community.”

Abir Catovic, an experienced educator and administrator who has taught every grade K-12, stated in her “How to Teach Islamic Studies to Touch Students’ Hearts and Effect Change” that the basis of Islamic studies starts with teaching about faith through iman (faith) and the awe of God’s creation. For guidance in Arabic language instruction, Prof. Samar Dalati-Ghannoum (executive board member, the National Arabic Teachers Association; board member, the Arab American Press Guild) spoke on “Teaching Reading in Sunday School” and Lina Kholaki (director, Aldeen Foundation) a member of the team that drafted the Standards of Arabic as a Foreign Language for the 21st century for K-12, presented “Let’s Do it Right! The Unit Plan Based on World-Readiness Standards.” Layla Bahar Al-Aloom (professor, Arabic language; CSUF and Chaffey College) excited the audience with her “Interactive Arabic Virtual Story Time,” and Maria Kouli (dual language coordinator, ELC School, Los Angeles) shared exemplar videos for “Differentiation Instruction in Early Elementary.” Amal Sakr Elhoseiny (Ph.D., comparative studies of the German and Arabic languages; teacher for 20+ years at New Horizon School; a master teacher for Aldeen Foundation; executive board member of NATA K-12; and certified in the Nooraniyyah method) emphasized the art and importance of relating with students, meeting their needs and using brain science to make them feel rewarded and motivated.

Maisa Youssef-Osman (principal, Orange Crescent School) guided the professionalism of instructional design session through her “Understanding by Design: From Student Goals to Standard-Based Planning.” She facilitated the three-step approach of identifying the desired results, determining the acceptable evidence and planning the learning experiences to assess. 

To frame the forum’s theme and give good advice in these confusing times, Fouad Elgohari (senior director, academic affairs, Bayan Islamic Graduate School; instructor and advisor, the Sabeel Traditional Seminary program; and instructor, The Majlis in Southern California) stated, “Don’t follow the rules of society that are always changing. Follow the rules of Allah that don’t change.” In his session, titled “Redefining Islamic Education for the Future,” he set the order of instructional guidance to try to produce good people who worship God. Elgohari eloquently detailed, “It’s one thing to know what Allah wants me to do. It’s another to want to do it.” His progressive sequence was to teach Islam, then iman (faith), and follow it with ihsan (excellence).

Aldeen Foundation, Arabic Daily, Bayan Islamic Graduate School, Amana Mutual Funds Trust and Family Relief USA sponsored the Forum.

Susan Labadi (board officer, WISER) served on the West Coast ISNA Ed Forum Planning Committee.

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By Nader Hashemi

March/April 2023

“Finally, a little good news from the Muslim world.” This is how I reacted on Twitter when I heard that Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s prominent activist-intellectual-opposition leader — and former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience — had been named prime minister. His multiethnic and reformist coalition, Pakatan Harapan, won a plurality of seats in the recent national election, catapulting him to the position he long deserved, but was repeatedly denied by the political intrigue of Malaysia’s ruling elites and deep state. 

Human rights groups and democratic forces, especially in the Arab-Islamic world, have hailed Anwar’s ascension as a victory for Malaysian democracy, human rights, the restoration of justice and for ethical Islam. 

The Origins

Born into a middle-class family in British colonial Malaya in 1947, Anwar’s worldview was shaped by colonialism and post-colonialism. The Muslims who grew up in the 1960s exhibited several common themes, among them anger at colonialism’s economic, political and cultural dimensions and growing skepticism toward secular and Western paradigms of progress. 

This produced a gradual turn to a religious-philosophical framework in the name of cultural authenticity and psychological empowerment. A desire for political power to advance social justice was another unifying theme, as were the critique of the largely secular postcolonial ruling elites, considered part of the progress-inhibiting structural problem, and a growing bitterness toward Euro-American double standards and betrayal. This was best embodied in the case of the Palestinians, whose plight became an identity marker for Muslims in the late 20th century.

New theorizing was required to both articulate and give coherence to these ideas. Anwar played a seminal role here, especially in the transition from secular to Islamic politics. This manifested itself primarily in the form of speeches and lectures, of performing the classic role of an intellectual during times of political upheaval and historic change. “I grew up in a time of great social transformation,” he observed, “where in the interplay of ideas and events coincided with the rise of student activism, religious revivalism and political turmoil” (“The Asian Renaissance,” Times Books International, 1996). In Malaysia, Anwar was a leading activist-intellectual theoretician. 

Early Activism

Anwar’s early political activism focused on ethnic Malay solidarity. Multiethnic Malaysia is comprised mainly of Malay Muslims (60%), Chinese (22%) and Indians (7%). Colonialism had left the Malays disproportionately poor, marginalized and rural. Anwar’s involvement in a 1970s project to send students to live with the rural poor to raise their political consciousness, help advance literacy and confront peasant and worker exploitation led to his first stint in prison (1974-76). As a student leader, he was arrested for protesting alongside striking workers upset with deteriorating economic conditions and government corruption. 

In prison, he read, reflected and contemplated. A close friend recalls that during this period Anwar began to “rationalize the theme of our struggle for socioeconomic justice with the ideals of Islam” (John L. Esposito and John Voll, “Makers of Contemporary Islam,” Oxford, 2001). Anwar confirms this transformation. “We were impatient and angry about the plight of the Malays. We were very angry, disgusted and critical of the government. There seemed to be no moral foundation and no spiritual guidance. We turned to Islam to fill this vacuum and to look for solutions” (ibid.). This transition overlapped with similar trends in other Muslim societies among activist-intellectuals, who were driven by the same push-and-pull factors and romanticized religious ideals. 

As a Malaysian Islamist intellectual, Anwar’s worldview was partly shaped by Syed Hussein Alatas, Hasan Al Banna, Sayyid Qutb, Maulana Maududi and Ayatollah Khomeini. Like other political Islamists, he visited Iran in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. “Islam is the solution” was the mantra of this generation of Muslims activists, and Malaysia was no different. It was in this context that he became a founding member of The Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), whose broader goals were rooted in the belief that social justice could best be achieved via an Islamic moral and political framework. Its objective was to Islamize society and politics.

Those who have studied this phase of Anwar’s career note his moderating influence on Malaysia’s Islamist politics. He rejected extreme positions and supported political dialogue with opposing ideological currents. A leading intellectual, Anwar broadened debates among Muslim activists and thereby reduced the possibility of a state-society confrontation. Emphasizing values and principles over rituals and opposing the quick seizure of political power, he consistently argued for bottom-up solutions instead of a top-down autocratic-imposed ideological agenda. In a very meaningful way, Anwar provided a moderate Islamist alternative to the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia’s hardline Islamist agenda that focused on creating a Sharia-based Islamic state. 

In 1982, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed recruited Anwar, who agreed with the state-sanctioned affirmative action programs for Malay Muslims to overcome their historic inequality and marginalization. Anwar rose quickly, holding such key ministerial positions as sports and culture, agriculture, education, finance and deputy prime minister. As education minister, he promoted a moderate Islamization program in keeping with multicultural Malaysia’s realities and articulated new conceptual ideas to defend policies rooted in pluralism, inter-civilizational dialogue and Asian values. 

A Turning Point

The 1997 Asian financial crisis was a turning point. His disagreement with Mahathir’s response exposed a deeper divide over growing corruption, cronyism and authoritarianism. Sacked for demanding political reform and expelled from the ruling party, Anwar’s travails were just beginning. Fearing his growing popularity, in 1998 Mahathir, backed by elements of the deep state, had him charged and convicted for corruption and sodomy. Human rights groups described the sham trial as deeply unfair and politically motivated. Sentenced to nine years, Anwar was released in 2004 when his conviction was overturned. 

One photo — that of an imprisoned and black-eyed Anwar after being severely beaten by the chief of police — went global. Symbolizing Malaysia’s struggle for democracy, it galvanized his supporters and international public opinion. His defiance launched the reformasi (reform) movement, whose guiding principles were social equality, social justice and democratic reform. He was its leading spokesman and intellectual leader.

Although this experience shifted Anwar’s politics, his moral core remained the same. He moved from Malay favoritism to embracing greater inclusion and equality for all Malaysians. This liberal and pluralist evolution fits a pattern of Muslim intellectual development that Asef Bayat calls post-Islamism, “an endeavor to fuse religiosity and rights, faith and freedom, Islam and liberty. It is an attempt to turn the underlying principles of Islamism on their head by emphasizing rights instead of duties, plurality in place of a singular authoritative voice” (Ased Bayat, ed., “Post-Islamism: The Changing Faces of Political Islam,” Oxford, 2013). Some call this “liberal Islam,” but “ethical Islam” is a better moniker. 

This attempted state-sanctioned silencing and discrediting backfired, for Anwar’s moral authority increased and reformasi proved competitive in national elections. In 2013, it won the popular vote but not a parliamentary majority due to redistricting and gerrymandering. Fearing a future electoral victory, Anwar was again charged with sodomy, subjected to another sham trial and imprisoned in 2015 — primarily in solidarity confinement. 

He was freed in 2018 when Mathahir came out of retirement and struck an alliance with his opposition coalition to defeat the monumentally corrupt, Saudi-backed, and eventually convicted Prime Minister Najib Razak (BBC, Jan. 27, 2016; Reuters, Aug. 23, 2022 ). This alliance won the 2018 election, and Anwar was promised the premiership after two years. Twenty-two months later, the political alliance broke down. As a result of the November 2022 election, Anwar, 75, finally became prime minister.

Georgetown University’s John Esposito has known Anwar since the early 1970s and co-authored a short intellectual biography that informs this essay (“Makers of Contemporary Islam”, Esposito and Voll, Oxford, 2001). He notes that several themes stand out. The first is his indefatigable persistence, political stamina and survivability. It is astounding, Esposito observes, how Anwar and his family have survived the public defamation campaigns, his long bouts in prison and attacks on his personal character. Anwar has emerged from all of this undefeated and with good cheer, along with a dogged determination and a renewed commitment to fighting for democracy.

Esposito also recalls Anwar’s charismatic personality, which “allowed him to speak effectively to a multiplicity of different audiences.” Once, while traveling with Anwar to deeply rural and conservative parts during an election campaign, he was amazed that Anwar could speak so comfortably and effectively in a village mosque and at the Harvard Faculty Club. 

Esposito remembers a moment when Anwar’s moral fiber was clearly on display. Having left Malaysia after the 2013 elections to accept visiting professor positions at Oxford, Johns Hopkins and Georgetown, his close friends, among them former Vice President Al Gore, pleaded with him to remain abroad given the state of politics and threats to his life. He was also presented with the option of running for UN Secretary General. Influential people in the West thought he stood a good chance of winning. 

The second element of this story, Esposito recalls, was of yet another looming court case that could return him to prison. Life would have been far easier for Anwar and his family had he remained abroad. In explaining why he chose to return, Anwar simply said that he couldn’t betray his supporters in Malaysia who were still struggling and sacrificing for democracy. He wanted to be with them, he owed it to them, even if it meant another prison sentence. 

In short, Anwar Ibrahim’s life is a profile in courage. Muslim activists who are combatting authoritarianism in their own societies can learn much from his heroic sacrifice and moral struggle.

Nader Hashemi is an associate professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics at the University of Denver and the author of “Islam, Secularism and Liberal Democracy: Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies” (Oxford, 2012).

[Editor’s Note: A longer version of this essay appeared in New Lines Magazine, a global affairs publication in the U.S. Read Here]

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By Anwar Ibrahim

March/April 2023

Anwar Ibrahim is chairman emeritus and a co-founder of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), a global Muslim think tank that promotes educational reform as a means to better humanity. While serving as Malaysia’s minister of education (1986-91), he replaced the inherited colonial system with the National Education Philosophy (1988) and undertook substantial reforms to improve the educational system.

A long-term proponent of improving and promoting education, his presidency of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM, 1988-98) enabled Anwar to team up with its rector, Dr. AbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman, to make it a renowned international university.

The following excerpts of his January 11, 1999 (Ramadan 23, 1419) letter sent from Sg Buloh Prison to AbuSulayman upon learning of his resignation, reveals this passion. The full letter is available at https://themaydan.com/2022/02/letter-from-prison-to-dr-abusulayman/.

Now a little something of my own life here. The quiet solitude of prison, of solitary confinement, allows for much deep thought, spiritual reflection and prayer. We unfortunates within its walls are able to trace the various trajectories of our lives in minute detail with a thousand thoughts pressing on our minds…

Sitting in prison, my introspection continuing, I would like to say that I have chosen the path of societal reform. In so doing, [I] have had to reach a compromise of sorts … between contemplation and action. Through my involvement in ABIM, various student and youth movements, and later in government, I have always tried to generate public awareness (taw‘iyyah) of the crucial importance of ensuring al-‘adl wa al-ihsan (justice and virtue/equity) in all human affairs. It is true that I have often been conciliatory, and at times suffered criticism by colleagues, Islamists, social activists and the opposition, insisting that not all such compromises can be rationalized in the name of hikmah, or wisdom… Discretion is one thing, but I had to firmly draw the line when transgressions went beyond acceptable boundaries, to spread and become pervasive and rampant, in sum when religious laws and ulama suffered belittlement and abuse, when public funds were plundered to enrich families and cronies, and when such travesty of justice rose as to trample the rule of law….

Of course, I am paying a high price for sticking to my convictions. But what are we if not men of ethics and integrity? Our status as God’s vicegerents, in positions of social responsibility, demand nothing less than unswerving fidelity to His standards, not betraying them. … Yet, I was also a realist, aware that to pursue a reform agenda as a competent critic would result in consequences, at once challenging and beset with obstacles…

I wish to speak honestly, the only judgement that matters to me is that of my Creator… As one enters prison one also potentially enters an arena of great spiritual growth and awareness. I am sure there is not one pious man who has been incarcerated who has not thought of prophet Yusuf. We may enter a world of complete power and control, but what sharpens paradoxically in minds is Allah’s power and control over us.

Solitary confinement can drive men mad or spiritually revive them. … Prison also affords the intellect time to read… And I poured over the Qur’an, my great comfort and delight. Muhammad al-Ghazali’s “Thematic Commentary of the Qur’an” was invaluable in the insights given in the verses. What I found remarkable was how much the Qur’an, while it revealed God, His messengers and a past history, which atheism would otherwise have buried, is also a guide that concentrates on “You.”

I was exploring myself as a human being, my motivations, my purpose, the meaning I was to attach to the external world and its objects, even my future as I would have to account for myself once death lifted the veil of illusion, what the Qur’an constantly reminded me was a momentary existence. …

I thought of all those who had plotted to undermine morality and how quickly their works would turn to dust. And, in fact, it impressed upon me even more deeply and dramatically how much I needed to initiate plans and good works for the betterment of others, taking up the cause of societal reform with renewed impetus and vigour.

So, you will observe, my dear friend, that I have not overlooked the importance of education and the intellectual tradition behind bringing about reform…

Our universalistic approach of assimilating knowledge from both the East and West, while remaining rooted in our tradition and Islam, must be the foundation upon which we build. IIUM is a clear testimony to our resolve to maintain our independence. You would understand why some quarters in the ruling elite resent this philosophy and approach.

Throughout recent history, we encounter supposed nationalists claiming strong anti-Western rhetoric on the one hand, but remaining captive to the Western mindset on the other, either in their general understanding of issues, or in their views of faith, morality and values or in their notion of laws, governance or development. This is well articulated by Sheikh Muhamad al-Ghazali as isti‘mar ruhi wa fikri, the imperialism of the soul and mind, which is devastating to the Ummah. Or, as alluded to by Malek Ben Nabi [1905-73], as the characteristics of colonisibilité, the subconscious acceptance of colonialism or colonial policies.

We must remain steadfast and resilient against any form of foreign domination or threat… condemn atrocities perpetrated by any power… But we should not remain naïve, to be duped by dictators and desperate regimes using international outrages against Muslim nations to deflect from their own shortcomings at home…. We Malaysians fought the colonial powers because of their oppression and plunder. Surely, we would not want these powers to be replaced by indigenous oppressors and squanderers.

As I have indicated in “The Asian Renaissance” (1996): “It would be a tragedy indeed if this hard-earned freedom were to result merely in the substitution of a foreign oppressor with a domestic one” (p.62). The foreign bogey ploy is not anything new. Neither is it unique to Malaysia…

Yes, we were all baffled, initially, at the extent of acrimony and rancour, but we soon realised that their perpetrators have no bounds to their fitnahand mihnah. Did I have a choice? Should I fear retribution and fabricated charges? Without hesitation and with a clear conscience, I say that despite facing seemingly unsurmountable odds, despite the arduous nature of the task, I will continue to struggle.

What helps is the spontaneity of support and overwhelming expressions of genuine concern that touches one’s soul and motivate one to continue. People are fully aware of the degenerative moral standards of the present leadership, the hypocritical lifestyles and vices which abound among those purporting morality but flouting it flagrantly…

These are but temporary aberrations; the dawn of a new Malaysia cannot be far off. Insha’ Allah, justice will come, truth will prevail, wickedness and treachery will be exposed and I shall be vindicated… Man proposes, Allah disposes! …

Alas, what a farewell – no dinners, no presents. What else can I provide from here except to express my humble gratitude from the heart – hadith al-qalb bi al-qalb!…

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The post I Choose the Path of Social Reform appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

March/April 2023

Anwar Ibrahim, 75, was formally sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister on Nov. 24, 2022, by King Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah. And thus ended his over two-decade wait to be appointed to his country’s top post.

The closest Anwar had ever come to holding this post was acting prime minister for two months in 1997. At that time, he was deputy prime minister, a post to which he was appointed in 1993. In 1998, he was expelled from United Malays National Organization (UMNO), stripped of his posts, arrested and imprisoned under the now defunct Internal Security Act. 

That same year, he initiated the Reformasi Movement out of which came the Parti Keadilan Rakyat, which joined the Democratic Action Party in 2014 to form Pakatan Rakyat. It was later rebranded Pakatan Harapan.

In the 15th general election, Pakatan Harapan won 83 seats — 112 seats are required to form a  government. The results for the other parties were as follows: the National Alliance (73), the National Front (30), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (23), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (6), Parti Warisan Sabah (3), Parti Bangsa Malaysia (1), Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (1) and two independents.

The Council of Rulers met and eventually decided to appoint Anwar prime minister.

Last year Anwar published book, “Script: For a Better Malaysia – An Empowering Vision and Policy Framework for Action” (Institut Darul Ehsan, 2022): “SCRIPT stands for Sustainability, Care & Compassion, Respect, Innovation, Prosperity, and Trust – six Malaysian values at the core of this living document which both lays out Anwar’s vision for a stronger, better Malaysia and provides a method of developing policies fit to the contemporary and increasingly complex world we live in.

“This book builds on his more than four decades of experience in public service heading key ministries in the Malaysian government, leading various international development and peace organizations, and his time educating at leading universities around the world. Anwar has taken this experience and synthesized it with the thoughts of some of the greatest minds from around the world, and the input of the people of Malaysia he has listened to and learned from throughout his career.”

The world will watch how he executes this program, especially when his Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) has 82 parliamentary seats, 30 short of the 112 needed for a majority. His coalition is supported by Barisan Nasional (BN; 30 seats), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sarawak (23 seats), a coalition from the eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak. Anwar, who has pledged to form a leaner cabinet, is sure to face challenges when it comes to balancing the distribution of power among his allies in order to ensure his government’s stability. BN, which ruled the country for 61 years, was defeated by the previous PH coalition in 2018.

A Dedication to the Homeland

Throughout his many tribulations, Anwar has remained a true bumiputra (son of the soil). Reportedly former President George W. Bush had indicated that the U.S. would support his nomination for UN secretary general, Anwar turned it down, saying that his place is in Malaysia.

When he was in Riyadh during the late 70’s, he was advised not to go home because then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad would imprison him. He responded that it’s better to be in prison in your own country than a fugitive. And again, he went back.

While visiting the U.S., he got a call that he would be jailed again. He was concerned, but again he went back. 

The New York Times, May 15, 2002, noted that Anwar has many friends in Washington. Bush, with Mahathir sitting next to him in Oval Office, reiterated that the U.S. policy toward Anwar had not changed and that he was jailed primarily for his political opposition to the prime minister.

Anwar told NPR’s Steve Inskeep, “… I should say from the days of President Clinton, Bush, Obama and less so under Trump, my issue was always raised at different levels” (Feb. 26, 2019).

One Couldn’t Ask for a Better Wife

In this moment of euphoria, no one should overlook Dr. Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail’s contribution. A practicing ophthalmologist, Anwar’s smiling, supportive wife was often seen at his side.

In support of her political prisoner husband, she addressed cheering crowds, held packed press conferences and rallied support. She also served as Malaysia’s 12th deputy prime minister — the first woman to do so — and minister of women, family and community development in the Pakatan Harapan administration under Mahathir (2018-20).

In addition to being the opposition’s first female leader and the county’s highest-ever female political officeholder, she has served as the MP for Pandan (since May 2018) and Permatang Pauh (November 1999 to March 2008; May 2015 to May 2018), as well as the first president of the People’s Justice Party, a component party of the Pakatan Harapan opposition, because her husband, the party’s de facto leader, was prevented from doing so due to his trials and prison sentences. She held that position from the party’s formation in April 1999 until she officially handed it over to her husband upon his release during November 2018. 

As all of this were not enough, she served as the opposition’s 11th and 13th leader (March 2008 to August 2008; May 2015 until Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the May 2018 general elections) and as a member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Kajang (April 2014 to May 2018).

Anwar’s Involvement with Muslim Youth

In Malaysia, the student organization ABIM (Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia) was thriving under Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership. In North America, the leaders of the MSA of the United States and Canada (MSA) — which later graduated to the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) — helped create the International Islamic Federation of Students Organization (IIFSO), a student initiative initiated in 1966 at Nigeria’s Ibadan University. Formally established in Aachen, Germany, in 1969, IISFO had about 100 student and youth organizations in 60+ countries. Anwar was its regional representative for East Asia. 

Responding to the huge number of Gulf and Malaysian students who began studying in the U.S. during the 70s, MSA helped create the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) and the Malaysian Islamic Study Group (MISG; 1976). In 1976, MSA sponsored the first MISG camp in Peoria, Ill., to which Anwar was invited so he could connect with the attendees. During this period, he was also appointed regional representative of the Riyadh-based World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY). 

Recognizing Anwar’s evolving leadership potential, former prime minister Mahathir appointed him minister of youth, sports, and culture (1983), agriculture (1984), education (1986-91), finance (1991-98) and deputy prime minister (1993-98). 

In his capacity as education minister, Anwar was keen to play a role in the Islamic Renaissance, as he called it, and make the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) a true Islamic educational institution that could promote this vision. He invited Dr. AbdulHamid AbuSualyman (d.2021), at that time president of the U.S.-based International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), to become its rector and provided him with the support he would need.

Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, a former ISNA president, who wast also secretary-general of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (now the North American Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies) and editor-in-chief of the American Journal Islamic Social Sciences, recalls that these organizations helped identify scholars all over the world who had the qualifications and recognition in their fields. This helped IIUM recruit these social scientists and create a prestigious academic institution with Anwar’s support.

This shared dream among Anwar, ISNA and IIIT sought to transform our intellectual world with resolve.

A Bright Light in a Dark Political Atmosphere

Anwar has been called a Renaissance Man, and North America’s Muslim organizations have always celebrated him as such. Armed with a global view inspired by Islam, he represents a hope for Malaysia, the Muslim world and humanity at large, regardless of ethnic, religious and other biases.

The non-political part of his resume reads like  a dream, but it’s all true. In addition to the posts mentioned above, Anwar has been president of UNESCO, chairman of the World Bank and the IMF’s development committee, honorary president of AccountAbility and advisory board member of the International Crisis Group; distinguished visiting professor and Malaysia Chair at Georgetown University’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding; and a lecturer on issues of governance, democracy and contemporary Southeast Asian politics at The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the University of Oxford’s St. Antony’s College.

One can only hope that the Muslim world’s leaders will study and actually learn from his words and actions, as well as his understanding of Islam’s role in the modern world.

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By A. Faizur Rahman

March/April 2023

Anwar hopes to transform Malaysia, a country in which Muslims constitute almost two-thirds of the population. He articulates his vision in his latest book, “SCRIPT: For a Better Malaysia – An Empowering Vision and Policy Framework for Action” (Institut Darul Ehsan, 2022). SCRIPT stands for Sustainability, Care and Compassion, Respect, Innovation, Prosperity and Trust.

Anwar believes that this framework, based on these “six drivers,” is an integrated, holistic endeavor that will lay the foundations for a thriving, dynamic and inclusive society. His policy agenda, he writes, aspires to steer Malaysia through “the complexity, contradictions, and chaos” of what he calls “postnormal times,” citing scholar Ziauddin Sardar.

After outlining these terms’ conventional meanings, Anwar redefines them and enunciates the specific vision behind them, as well as their targeted populations and areas. He also explores the policy requirements for each driver in terms of its economic, legal, institutional, educational, social, cultural and locational needs.

For instance, Anwar’s definition of sustainability is rooted in the Malaysian concepts of kemampanan (collective effort) and keseimbangan (humanity’s well-being).

In this context, he deserves to be commended for reinterpreting fasad and islah in “Do not degrade Earth after it has been so well-ordered” (7:56).This interpretation makes sense, because the next two verses speak of the planet’s natural rejuvenation through winds (riyaha) that distribute heavy rain-bearing clouds (sahaban siwalan) over barren tracts of land (baladin mayyitin).

Anwar’s benign unconventionalism is also evident in his inclusive understanding of “care and compassion,” which he universalizes to include love for not just one’s own community, but also for members of other communities as well. Additionally, he writes, “the right of the society to receive care and compassion is both a duty to give and a right to receive.” 

Anwar’s ultimate intention is to establish financial policies that advocate humane economic models. “To make up for lost time,” he warns, “we must abolish tax concessions and incentives that allow businesses and enterprises to pursue disrespectful practices with ill-regard for past, present, or future human dignity.” He also expresses the need to address the country’s ongoing debt crisis by “refining and reforming loan procedures and reviewing and canceling unjust and disrespectful debts and financial impediments.”

On the legal side, Anwar promises to repeal “draconic and disrespectful laws” that marginalize citizens on the basis of gender, race, religion, creed and lifestyle. And, to convince the world of Malaysia’s honest intentions, he states that “we must initiate a national human rights audit and respect third-party international audits requested of us.” 

His long-standing commitment to religious moderation and democracy is well-known. As far back as December 2005, in an address to the New York Democracy Forum, Anwar listed “freedom of conscience, freedom to speak out against tyranny, a call for reform and the right to property” as being among the Sharia’s higher objectives. In “SCRIPT,” he defines these objectives as “justice grounded in the empowerment of the poor and marginalized.”

In sum, “SCRIPT” is a feasible futuristic document that could put Malaysia on the path to inclusive democracy and economic progress — a task that is easier now that he is its prime minister.

Reviewed by A. Faizur Rahman, secretary-general of the Islamic Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thought.

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March/April 2023

Islamophobia is a global phenomenon. This phrase may be widely known, and yet even among Muslims the dimensions and depth of what is unfolding against them globally is not well understood. 

While the UN declared March 15th the “Global Day to Combat Islamophobia” — a momentous feat for the transnational human rights organization — much more still has to be done, particularly with regard to public education. 

I wrote “The New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims” (University of California Press, March 2023) to delve deep into the unseen stories and unheard corners of global Islamophobia.

Taking on a phenomenon that is rapidly expanding on an international scale is no easy task. Particularly when Islamophobia’s contours and character are dramatically distinct across different nations. 

While Islamophobia is global, it’s by no means monolithic. For example, we see it being enforced via hijab bans across France and in Quebec; concentration camps in Xinjiang that confine Uyghur and ethnic Muslims; and the rise of Hindutva supremacy in India that strips citizenship from Muslims, drives the bulldozing of their mosques and homes and fuels the mob violence that leaves their families vulnerable. 

“The New Crusades” consolidates these distinct faces into a cogent whole, providing readers with a clear portrayal of the real-time struggles of Muslim populations across countries, continents and cultures. Beyond its ambitious scope, its legal and political analysis, not to mention its daring engagement of issues neglected within the popular sphere, what separates this book from others is its focus on the voices of real people and victims, along with first-hand accounts of Islamophobia’s crises and catastrophes, flashpoint incidents and definite events. 

Muna, a Rohingya Muslim woman now living as a refugee in Illinois, shared with me that “Our village was destroyed in days.” I spoke to Muna, who survived the ethnic cleansing in Myanmar that left 1 million of her countrymen and -women displaced and then scattered across the globe — far from home and further away from their families.

Such accounts were hardly rare and came to color the book’s complexion. During the process of completing my book, I crossed paths with people I had known before through study, research and distant interviews. One of them was Jelilova, a Uyghur woman who survived the concentration camps and dedicated her life to telling her story … a story I wrote about in the book:

“I was arrested on 22 May 2017. The statement says that I’m a terrorist,” Jelilova recollected. Immediately after her arrest, she was taken to a concentration camp, where she learned that more than 1 million of her people were detained inside China’s network of 1,200 prison camps. The inner sanctums of these camps were theaters of mass discipline and ghastly punishment that, for Jelilova, began with the removal of her hijab. Prison guards cackled as they replaced it with a freshly shaven head. After that initial “dignity taking,” Jelilova was escorted into a cell where she met other women arrested on terror charges. Virtually all of them were Uyghur, and all of them were Muslim.

Those words were imprinted in my head and then written down in my book long before I even met Jelilova. Her story, in great part, inspired me to make a Uyghur Muslima the face of “The New Crusades.” Fittingly, the young Uyghur girl who graces the book’s cover is named Muslima, a refugee now living in Istanbul among a thriving Uyghur diaspora

It was humbling to meet Jelilova in person at the International Uyghur World Conference in Brussels during October 2022, where we posed for a photo and shared gratitude. Memorializing her story, as well as those of tens of other Uyghur survivors and victims, shapes the spirit of “The New Crusades.”

Their voices and stories, which I had the privilege of putting onto paper, distinguishes this book and makes it a landmark testament about a global experience that is more mosaic than monolith. However, what stitches together the stories of the Uyghur with the Rohingya, the French with the Palestinian, and the myriad of Muslims targeted is their faith, Islam, and their unrelenting faith in the face of tyrannical state violence and vitriolic societal rage. 

They are victims of Islamophobia because they are Muslims, and the War on Terror — made in America and exported globally — has left a target on their chests and a hole in their heart. But after each conversation and meeting, every page I wrote and every chapter I finished, what I learned is that their faith remained whole. Even when criminalized and under attack, they continued to fight.

And this fight is why I write and why I wrote “The New Crusades.” It is not only an imperative read for Muslims in the U.S. and beyond, but for anybody — regardless of faith or lack thereof — committed to understanding the inhumanity unfolding before our eyes even as we continue to ignore and forget the faces of those affected by it.

The UN’s formal acknowledgment of a global Islamophobia Day is a momentous symbolic moment for the fight against Islamophobia; however, it is only one step in a much larger movement that we must lead. 

Khaled A. Beydoun is a law professor at Wayne State University in Detroit and the Berkman Center at Harvard. He is the author of “The New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims” (University of California Press, 2023). You can find him on his socials at @khaledbeydoun.

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By Sandra Whitehead

March/April 2023

The first study to examine workplace discrimination against Muslim American physicians found that nearly half of them experienced more scrutiny at work than their peers and that nearly one in four experienced religious discrimination during their careers. Almost 10% of the physicians surveyed said patients had refused their care because they are Muslim, and 14% said they were facing discrimination at their current workplace.

That was a decade ago. 

According to Aasim I. Padela, M.D., M.Sc. (professor, Medical College of Wisconsin), lead author of the 2013-14 study, the situation has worsened. He is now sharing the results of a similar research conducted in 2021. The new study, “The Impact of Practicing Both Medicine and Religion: Muslim Identity as a Predictor of Discrimination, Accommodation, and Career Outcomes in Academic Medicine (Academic Medicine, November 2022), “shows a lot of alarming data,” he told Islamic Horizons. “The bad stuff got worse!”

A comparison of results shows that in the past 10 years, more Muslim physicians are experiencing religious discrimination, job turnover and having patients refuse their care because of their Muslim identity. “Muslims working in healthcare are struggling,” Padela exclaimed. “Given that diversity and inclusion are big topics in hospital systems and healthcare these days, we hope the dissemination of this research in academic circles, Muslim circles and hopefully policy circles, will lead to improvements,” said the professor of emergency medicine, bioethics and the medical humanities, and chairperson and director of the Initiative on Islam and Medicine.

Health care systems need an equitable workplace for Muslims

“Despite the relatively small size of the Muslim population in the country [just over 1%], Muslims play a really important role in the medical field and in our health care system,” said Meira Neggaz, executive director of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, an institution seeking to develop objective, solution-oriented research about challenges and opportunities facing Muslim Americans. Neggaz and Padela spoke during October 2022 at the national webinar “Advancing Equity for Muslim Physicians in the Healthcare Workforce,” co-hosted by the Initiative on Islam and Medicine, the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, the Medical College of Wisconsin and American Muslim Health Professionals. She cited Michigan, where Muslims make up just under 3% of the state’s population, yet are more than 15% of its licensed medical doctors, 10% of its pharmacists and 7% of its dentists.

Not only are the percentages of Muslims in medicine high, but their accomplishments and impacts are also significant. She noted, “Muslim doctors are not simply practicing medicine. They are often responsible for making important innovations and improvements across the entire medical field.” Muslim doctors have developed new treatments and many provide charitable medical care, she added. “So, meeting the needs of Muslim physicians and providing an equitable, non-discriminatory workplace is essential, not just for the individual Muslim physicians themselves, but also for our healthcare system.”

Yet the ongoing discrimination is “both interpersonal and institutional,” she added. “It takes place between people in informal interactions, but is also structural and institutionalized.”

Building on groundbreaking research

In 2021, Padela repeated the quantitative research of his groundbreaking 2013 study and added a qualitative component: conducting interviews to better understand the context of participants’ responses. 

Since national databases of physicians don’t collect religious affiliation, Padela’s team drew on the membership roster of national clinician organizations that explicitly integrate religious identity. In 2013, a random sample was taken from the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA). In 2021, they drew a convenience sample from IMANA, the American Muslim Health Professionals and the U.S. Muslim Physician Network. 

In national surveys of Muslim physicians:

• In 2013, 19% reported sometimes experiencing discrimination in the workplace, while 5% reported often or always encountering discrimination during their careers. In 2021, those numbers rose to 41% and 12%, respectively.

• In 2013, 24% reported being passed over for professional advancement because of their religion. In 2021, that number rose to 57%.

•  In 2013, 7% reported leaving a job due to discrimination. In 2021, that number rose to 32%.

The research also addressed whether respondents agreed that their workplace accommodates their religious identity (e.g., allowing time and an appropriate place for prayer, accommodations during Ramadan and time off for celebrating religious holidays). In both 2013 and 2021, about three-fourths of respondents agreed their workplace did make accommodations. However, interviews revealed that “notions of accommodation focused on their own initiatives rather than institutional outreach.”

Psychological toll on Muslim physicians

“The impact of this obviously may take a toll on mental health and anxiety of people experiencing these issues,” Neggaz said. “We know from our research that after the 2016 election, when there was a lot of heated political rhetoric about Muslims, there was a significant amount of stress and anxiety and fear for personal safety. Most notably, almost half of Muslim women and more than 30% of Muslim men feared for their personal or family safety. A sizable number felt stress and anxiety to the point of possibly seeking mental health support.”

She noted that other researchers have found that groups who have been targeted or hear negative things about their group can internalize those negative aspects. “This can have a huge effect on mental health, on self-esteem, identity, performance and motivation,” she declared.

Padela and his team’s research demonstrates that as Muslim physicians put greater importance on their religion, they experience corresponding multiple negative outcomes, including higher levels of workplace discrimination and depression, as well as less accommodation in the workplace for prayers. However, it also finds that, “on a positive note, greater involvement in religious congregational activities is linked to lower perceptions of workplace discrimination and discrimination from patients, as well as positive perceptions of being religiously accommodated at work. Religious importance appears to attract negative experiences, while greater religious practice seems to buffer against them.”

In other words, the “study documents how Muslim religious identity negatively impacts workplace experiences and well-being in academic medicine. However, religious practice mitigates negative outcomes. Thus, there is an urgent need for academic medical centers to ameliorate workplace discrimination and pursue policies of workplace accommodation for physicians with strong religious identities. Indeed, the goals of workplace equity and inclusion demand so.”

As @aasim_padela tweeted on Nov. 12th last year, the upshot of this research is that “greater religious importance associates with #discrimination from patients, lack of accommodation for prayer at work, and depression. But engaging in congregational religious activities can buffer some harms of #discrimination. We must allow time/space for prayer!”

Sandra Whitehead is an author, journalist and long-time adjunct instructor of journalism and media studies in the Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University, Wisc.

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By Maha Hilal and Kris Garrity

March/April 2023

A small group of Black and Muslim attendees who had registered for the May 24, 2022 Amazon Web Services (AWS) Summit in Washington, D.C., were racially and religiously profiled by AWS staff. They were confronted not long after checking in by a large group of AWS staff, building security and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD). After denying them entry to the keynote event , AWS leadership demanded their credentials and called the MPD. Attendee Dr. Maha Hilal — co-author of this article — questioned why AWS was singling out this group, a group of Blacks and Muslim people, to which a white AWS staff member, identifying himself as John Dove, responded that he “didn’t see color.” This was astoundingly racist and hypocritical, considering Amazon’s performative activism and professed liberalism.

The Muslim and African Ban

When former President Trump first introduced his Muslim and African Ban on Jan. 27, 2017, there was a litany of unexpected voices who opposed it, including Jeff Bezos (Amazon founder and former CEO). Within three days of Trump signing the first iteration of the ban, Bezos came out against it — not only dedicated legal resources to fighting it, but also supported the Washington state attorney general who was mounting a legal challenge. According to https://techcrunch.com (Jan. 30, 2017) Bezos then reiterated his position in an email to Amazon employees, stating that, “This executive order is one we do not support.” Further reassuring them he wrote, “To our employees in the U.S. and around the world who may be directly affected by this order, I want you to know that the full extent of Amazon’s resources are behind you.” 

Like any good billionaire of a tech company and founder of the go-to platform for buying almost anything, Bezos’ concern about the ban almost certainly doesn’t seem rooted in his sympathy for the Amazon workers’ plight in general, but rather — and like other symbolic gestures such as placing a Back Lives Matter banner on Amazon’s website — his interest was in the company’s revenue. Given Amazon’s track record when it comes to the total disregard of workers’ rights (Casey Newton, www.theverge.com, April 1, 2020) Bezos’ concern over religious freedom doesn’t seems genuine. Moreover, when it comes to Muslims, Amazon’s history with Islamophobia portrays a much different story.

Case in point — Somalia was one of the countries targeted by the ban. Many of Amazon’s warehouse workers in Shakopee, Minn., are Somali Muslims. Despite assurances of support for its workers impacted by the ban, Amazon functionally treats its Muslim workers along the same principles that Trump did — Muslims are disposable, suspect and other. Shakopee’s Somali Muslim workers have been subjected to a lack of religious accommodations. Workers who take time to pray are penalized and threatened with write-ups or firing for not keeping up with the grueling quota Amazon imposes. And those who began to organize for these reasons faced retaliation (Caitlin O’Kane, www.cbsnews.com, May 9, 2019).

Less than three months after the first ban was signed, Amazon was under heavy scrutiny because Muslim workers employed by the corporation’s security contractor company — Security Industry Specialists (SIS) — complained that they weren’t being provided with religious accommodations, including little to no space to perform prayers (South Seattle Emerald, Feb. 18, 2017). When they expressed their grievances, Amazon allegedly retaliated (The Stranger, May 8, 2017). Also, security staff working directly for Amazon experienced opposition. Though not as acute as what Muslim SIS workers faced, those working for Amazon directly reported issues such as managers keeping track of how long it took for a worker to pray and the dirtying of prayer rugs.

Amazon and the Facilitation of Violence Against Muslims

“We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” This is the slogan of The Order — a white supremacist group, which borrowed its name from William Luther Pierce’s (writing under the pen name of Andrew Macdonald) “The Turner Diaries” (National Vanguard Books, 1978), which is a novel about a violent race war that leads to systematic extermination of people of color, race traitors and Jews. If not for the Ōtautahi/Christchurch massacre at an Aotearoa/New Zealand mosque three years ago, we would not have known that this group — or the book that inspired it — existed. But because the shooter adopted philosophies espoused by The Order when he murdered 51 Muslims while they were praying, we’ll never forget it.

“The Turner Diaries” is called “the bible of the racist right,” and for good reason. Despite its ability to inspire targeted violence, it’s readily available for purchase on Amazon alongside other neo-Nazi and white supremacist products, says “Fanning the Flames” (The Action Center on Race and the Economy, 2019), months after the Aotearoa/New Zealand massacre.

When it comes to the Ōtautahi/Christchurch tragedy and other similar atrocities, Amazon has allowed the sale of products rooted in white supremacist violence. Amazon’s “content guidelines” for books only include illegal content and poor customer experience as areas of exception that warrant removal. A note under “other prohibited content,” states, “As a bookseller, we provide our customers with access to a variety of viewpoints, including books that some customers may find objectionable… we reserve the right not to sell certain content, such as pornography or other inappropriate content.”

In 2021, Amazon finally stopped selling the “The Turner Diaries” — but only after the Capitol insurrection. The idea of diverse viewpoints is a misnomer when it comes to books, films and so on that celebrate violence — especially white supremacist violence — because as the Aotearoa/New Zealand massacre demonstrates, people’s lives are really at stake. Amazon not only facilitates the dissemination of violent ideas, but also provides financial support for those ideas to thrive. So far it has done nothing to change this. 

This is where Amazon’s Smile program enters the conversation. Amazon Smile has allowed organizations the opportunity to create accounts and earn a small percentage of the sale of products sold on the site. Unfortunately, this extends to some groups promoting the worst forms of bigotry and violence, such as Daniel Pipes’ Middle East Forum (est. 1994) and Steven Emerson’s Investigative Project on Terrorism (est. 1995) — two groups that advocate criminalizing Muslims and encourage violence towards Muslims by demonizing and dehumanizing them. Amazon has ended this program, which since its creation has donated almost $850 million to charities domestically and globally. However, the donations’ recipients remain undisclosed (NPR, Jan. 19, 2023). 

Why Muslims Should Organize Against Amazon

In Islam, seeking justice is imperative. The Qur’an calls on Muslims to stand against injustice, even against their own. In today’s interconnected world, issues impacting Muslims impact other communities as well. Where state violence isn’t inflicting harm on Muslims, corporations such as Amazon are filling the gap. Quran 11:85 speaks about this ongoing struggle, “And do not deprive the people of their due and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.” This verse applies directly to  Amazon, devolving a responsibility upon Muslims to agitate and push back against its abuses that harm Muslim communities and beyond.

Amazon touches every aspect of peoples’ lives, from hosting countless websites that many of use daily, to its online retail shopping, its fulfillment centers, delivery hubs and data centers in our neighborhoods. It employs members of the community while inflicting environmental pollution and degradation, extracting huge amounts of water and resources from the land and leaving too many former employees disabled without meaningful compensation due to the backbreaking pace involved in filling orders. Some workers have even died. Amazon’s headquarters also fuels rapid gentrification of neighborhoods and the displacements of Black, Indigenous and Brown communities, as we are observing now in Northern Virginia, a pattern that was previously seen in Seattle.

Additionally, its technology and cloud platforming both facilitate and engineer the surveillance technology that police and ICE use, which fuels colonialism and neocolonialism, imperialism and militarism in our communities both here and abroad.

Amazon touches all people and harms us and all our communities in countless ways, which is why it will take collective action to fight this behemoth. As the co-coordinators of the For Us Not Amazon (FUNA) Coalition in DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia), the authors invited to join us in organizing against Amazon in coalition with area organizations.

Dr. Maha Hilal, a Muslim Arab American and an expert on institutionalized Islamophobia, the “War on Terror”, and counternarrative work, is the author of “Innocent Until Proven Muslim” (2022). Her writings have appeared in leading media. She is founding executive director of Muslim Counterpublics Lab.

Kris Garrity, a Muslim who lives in Washington, D.C. on the unceded Lands of the Nacotchtank, Piscataway, Doeg-Tauxenants and Pamunkey Peoples, is a parent, researcher, writer and community organizer. They organize with Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid, and the For Us Not Amazon Coalition in the DMV. Their research focuses on surveillance, state violence and whiteness.

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By Syed Imtiaz Ahmad

March/April 2023

The Quran guides humanity to what is good by describing events, stories, parables, guiding principles and lessons on self-management (tadbir al-nafs) aimed at the mind’s proper development.

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and its functions, especially those that affect behavior in a given context, including the science of personality, the study of mental processes and the mental characteristics or attitude of a person or group.

The focus is on those concepts and practices intended to prevent mental problems, which is also the Quran’s primary focus. An example of this is prophylaxis, preventive health care that consists of measures taken to prevent disease. It makes a point that disease and disability are affected by environmental factors, genetic predisposition, disease agents and lifestyle choices, and are dynamic processes that begin before individuals realize they are affected.

In one of his bestselling books, appropriately titled “Instead of Therapy,” the famous American psychiatrist Tom Rusk states, “The only real cure for most psychological difficulties is best considered an educational rather than a therapeutic enterprise.”

In his “Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders,” the well-known cognitive therapist Aaron Beck (emeritus professor of psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania) states that “Psychological problems are not necessarily the product of mysterious, impenetrable forces (as Freud says), but may result from commonplace processes such as faulty learning, making incorrect inferences on the basis of inadequate or incorrect information, and not distinguishing adequately between imagination and reality.”

More than a millennium ago, the polymath Abu Zayd al-Balkhi wrote Masalih al-Abdan wa al-Anfus, commonly translated as “Sustenance of the Soul.” The actual title contains the words “body” and “soul.” The book focuses on nourishment for the soul and the mind.

The Quran introduces the nature of the mind through a story about Adam:

“When your Lord (God) said to the angels, ‘I will create a vicegerent on Earth’ they asked, ‘Will You place therein someone who will make mischief therein and shed blood, while we celebrate Your praises and glorify You?’ God replied, ‘I know what you do not know.’ After teaching Adam the names of all things, He placed them before the angels and said, ‘Tell Me the names of these things, if you are right.’ They replied, ‘Glory to You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. It is You who has all knowledge, the Wise.’ God said, ‘O Adam, tell them their names.’ After Adam did this, God asked them, ‘Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of the heavens and Earth, and that I know what you reveal and what you conceal?’ God said to the angels, ‘Bow down to Adam.’ They obeyed, all but Satan, who was arrogant and one of the disbelievers. God said, ‘O Adam, inhabit the Garden, you and your spouse, and eat from it freely as you please. But don’t approach this tree, lest you become wrongdoers.’ But Satan caused them to disobey and thereby fall from the state they were in. God said, ‘Go down, all with enmity between you. You will live on Earth and enjoy yourselves for a while.’ Then Adam received words from his Lord, Who turned toward him. He is oft-returning, most Merciful. God said, ‘Go down all from here, all of you, and if, as is sure, there comes to you guidance from Me, then whoever follows My guidance shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve’ (2:30-38).

One lesson to be drawn from this passage is that human beings are above angels, for they learn from things in the environment, retain that knowledge in their mind and recall it when prompted as influenced behavior. This faculty can work for humanity’s good, even though its members are prone to doing what is wrong. Given this fact, how can a person recover from a wrong deed? This is accomplished by questioning oneself after every action in order to learn from it and then abandon it permanently via self-guidance and other sources, recognizing that our Creator is always there to undo our faults and has provided us with all-encompassing perfect guidance. 

The Quran identifies several key terms for the mind’s faculties and its mental processes. Basic faculties are hearing (sam’ and sama’a), vision (basar and baseera), and the heart’s (qalb) connection with the mind (fu’ad). It emphasizes listening to what we hear, which includes both processing it and getting it recorded in our brain accordingly. Likewise, vision is not just seeing, but includes processing what we see and gets recorded in our mind. Our mind senses what we hear and see, and what we feel in the heart in the form of experience are footprints in the brain. Physically, our brain has over 80 billion sensory neurons (neural cells) that carry information from the sense organs (e.g., the ears and eyes) to the brain. Human experiences are recorded as network maps, called “schemas,” which grow or shrink depending on the dynamics of these various experiences.

The terms for mental processes and their consequents are remembering (dhikr and tadhakkur), thinking (fikr and tafakkur) and deliberation (tadabbur), all of which affect the human psyche known as ego, and the soul (nafs and ruh) and basic emotions (ihsas) tied to it.

Remembering consists of recalling what is known and finding what can be known. God says, “Remember Me, and I will remember you” (2:152). Our remembrance of God is more than just mentioning His name and expressing gratitude. In reality, it means the frequent remembrance of His words of guidance in order to stay on the right path. Muslims are told to pray at five specific times per day as a form of remembrance, “Without doubt, in the remembrance of God do hearts find peace” (13:28). 

What does it mean when God says, ‘I will remember you’? It means that God will inspire us to act in the correct manner when on the verge of making decisions that affect our well-being. Thinking means to use one’s mind to consider or reason about something. Tadabbur applies to contemplating the Quran’s verses in terms of their purposes and rulings, not just their recitation. It includes whatever we may have heard or seen in the world at large. 

A more complete description of Quranic terms related to the mind can be found in Hooman Keshavarzi et al., ed.’s “Applying Islamic Principles to Mental Health Care” (Taylor & Francis, 2020). Contributing authors are psychologists Keshavarzi, Fahad Khan, consultant Bilal Ali, and psychiatrist Rania Awaad (director, the Muslim Mental Health Lab and Wellness Program, Stanford University.

Keeping in view the preceding paragraphs, how do we nurture and nourish the mind for the nafs’ (psyc

he or soul) proper development? A new-born infant’s mind has no preconceived ideas or predetermined goals, for it has not had any chance to acquire learned experiences. In other words, its mind develops as it hears, sees and notices what is going on with its family, relatives, friends and the world at large. All experiences enter its mind and are recorded as schemas that will affect its behavior. During this life-long process, our experiences become the basis of our behavior. Our experiences include the stories we read and knowledge about the world. While we may read for pleasure or relaxation, our mind is affected by how the characters in the story behave. 

On July 20, 2015, Andrea Breen (professor, family relations and applied nutrition, Guelph University) said that “Identity is constructed through stories and the stories we tell about ourselves change throughout our lives, reflecting our family background, culture and relationships. New experiences and people in our lives change our stories. Those stories both communicate who we are but also help construct our own understanding of who we are.”

To develop a healthy mind for our own and others’ well-being, we need to keep practicing the mental processes of remembering, thinking and deliberation; to nurture and nourish our mind by separating the good from the bad; and to avoid the mental turbulences (waswasa) brought on by stress, anger, irritation or frustration. We should weigh our actions thoughtfully before doing them and examine them afterwards to see if we might have erred, a Quranic process known as nafs lawwama (a questioning or reproaching soul). We should not succumb to the nafs ammara (a proud and arrogant soul), even though the “Soul is certainly prone to evil” (12:53). Our ultimate goal should be what the Quran calls the nafs mutma’inna (a soul rightly satisfied with itself, feeling an inner peace). We can achieve this by remaining constantly aware of the Quran’s guiding principles for living a life of goodness for oneself and others.

Dr. Syed Imtiaz Ahmad, emeritus professor at Eastern Michigan University, has served as both ISNA’s vice president and president and ISNA Canada’s vice president and president, as well as president of the Computer Science Association of Canada, the Association of Pakistani Scientists and Engineers of North America, the Pakistan Canada Association of the Windsor Islamic Association, as well as chair of ISNA Canada’s School Board.

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