Imam Salvador Lopez Lopez (a.k.a. Muhammad Amin) performs zikhr, or remembrance of God, in a San Cristóbal mosque. Photo: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

In my recent post about the history of Islam in Mexico, I mentioned that Muslims in the country are generally concentrated in four cities: Tequesquitengo in Morelos, Torreón in Coahuila, San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, and Mexico City.

While Muslims in Mexico represent diverse Islamic denominations, Muslims in San Cristóbal de las Casas are different from the other groups in the country. For one thing, they’re all converts. For another, they’re mostly descendants of the Mayan and Tzotzil indigenous groups.

Although 50 percent of Muslims in Mexico today are converts, Zidane Zeraoui, professor of international relations at the Technological University of Monterrey, tells me that Muslims in San Cristóbal de las Casas initially converted for economic reasons.

There were no Muslims in Chiapas 20 years ago. But in 1994, four Muslims from Spain moved to Chiapas and began to teach the natives about Islam. They opened small businesses in the town, and said that if the indigenous people wanted to work there, they would have to be Muslims. After about 5 years, there were about 400 Muslim converts. Converting for jobs is very common in Chiapas. We call it “religious immigration,” because people often have to change their religion to get jobs.

But in 2002, Zeraoui says the Spanish business owners and their indigenous converts clashed over cultural issues. For example, the Spanish told the converts they could not eat Mexican tortillas because they were not traditional Muslim foods. Rather, they were required to eat bread. The culture wars resulted in the Spanish Muslims beings expelled from Chiapas.

A mosque in Molina de Arcos, Mexico. Photo: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

With the economic incentives for conversion removed, most people believed that the converts would revert back to their previous religions. But they didn’t. In fact, they sent one of their leaders to Spain to learn more about Islam.

Tzotzil Muslims praying in the mosque (see photo above). Photo: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

There are now about 500 practicing Muslims in the region. They belong to the Sunni, Murabitun sect. Zeraoui says that in his interviews, people generally tell him that Islam has improved their lives.

When I asked them why they stayed Muslim, they told me, “with Islam, we don’t drink. Now our families are very strong.” One of the big problems among the native peoples in Chiapas is alcoholism, and now, because they’re Muslim, they can’t drink. They don’t spend money on alcohol, and it’s good for their families and their culture.

Last year, Al Jazeera wrote a story on the group and found the same thing. One of their interviewees, an indigenous Mayan named Salvador Lopez told them:

Before I was a bit of a drunk, but I changed my life. Now I work and look after my family, nothing else.

Do you think economic reasons are good reasons to convert? How do you believe Islamic teachings promote social stability and strong family ties? Please share your thoughts and comments below.

The verses of the Qur’an that address the mother emphasize the difficulties of pregnancy, labor, and breastfeeding and the need to respect one’s mother. These verses many times mention parents in general but go into detail in regard to the mother because she faces challenges that a father does not. Verse 15 from chapter 46 illustrates this point.

And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents, good treatment. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship, and his gestation and weaning [period] is thirty months. [He grows] until, when he reaches maturity and reaches [the age of] forty years, he says, “My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to work righteousness of which You will approve and make righteous for me my offspring. Indeed, I have repented to You, and indeed, I am of the Muslims.

This verse begins with a command for both parents, but goes into detail in regards to the mother and the difficulties she endures. The command to treat parents with kindness means to treat them with respect under all circumstances, to obey them unless it goes against an edict of the faith, and to care for them in old age as they cared for you as a child.

How a Muslim should treat their parents, especially the mother, is further underscored in the hadith. There are many instances that the Prophet Muhammad commanded believers to respect their mothers. Here are a few examples:

A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet (PBUH) said: Your mother. The man said, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man further asked, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man asked again, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your father. (Bukhari, Muslim)

A man once consulted the Prophet Muhammad about taking part in a military campaign. The Prophet asked the man if his mother was still living. When told that she was alive, the Prophet said: “(Then) stay with her, for Paradise is at her feet.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

On another occasion, the Prophet said: “God has forbidden for you to be undutiful to your mothers.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

In the first hadith, the Prophet highlights the importance of the mother over the father by repeating “your mother” three times and then saying “your father” once in response to the man’s question. The second hadith illustrates the significance of the mother by placing caring for her over going to war to defend Islam. In other words, caring for his mother is also a way for a man to serve God. By saying that entrance into paradise is linked to caring for and respecting a mother, the Prophet accords them a great honor. In the last hadith, the Prophet asserts that disobedience of mothers is a sin.

All the verses and hadith on mothers demonstrate the importance of this figure in Islam. They also show that the mother is accorded a higher honor than even the father because of all the responsibilities she has towards her child. The Prophet never saw his father because he died before his birth and he lost his mother when he was six years old. Yet many hadith show that he understood the importance of one’s parents, especially the mother. Many Muslims will say that Islam emphasizes the importance of the mother so much that Mother’s Day is not one day a year but should be everyday.

Did you know how mothers are viewed in Islam? Does this position on mothers challenge the negative stereotype of women in Islam? Why do you think that mothers are accorded so much respect in Islam? How do other faith traditions view the figure of the mother? Please share your comments below.

Photo: Natalie Keyssar/WSJ

Maplewood, New Jersey, fencing star Ibtihaj Muhammad was recently named International Sportswoman of the Year by the Muslim Women’s Sports Foundation. In an interview, Muhammad, the third of five children in an athletic family, said that she initially began fencing because it easily allowed her to be fiercely competitive while maintaining her ability to wear hijab and present herself in modest dress. If her upcoming Olympic trial performance matches her world ranking, she’ll be one of two American women to fence in the London Olympic Games this summer. Although it cannot be confirmed, as the U.S. Olympic committee does not survey athletes’ religious backgrounds, Muhammad is probably also the first practicing Muslim woman to represent the U.S. in any Olympic event.

I pray that my achievements pave the way for other minorities that come after me. I hope my story inspires them to dream big and never allow their religion, race or gender to hinder them from accomplishing their goals. My hijab and religion brought me to a sport I never would have discovered otherwise and I am thankful every moment of every day.

Muhammad at a 2010 fencing competition in Paris. Photo: LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images)

If anyone thought that Muhammad’s award was an obvious choice because there are few competitive and accomplished female Muslim athletes, they would be wrong. Thirty-five-year-old Muslim-American weightlifter Kulsoom Abdullah and 17-year-old Afghan Sadaf Rahini, one of the top young female boxers around, were the runners-up for the top spot.

Female Muslim athletes are becoming less of an anomaly all around the world. In 2004, Bahraini sprinter Roqaya Al-Ghasara was the first ever woman to wear a head scarf and compete in the Olympics, reaching the semifinals during the 2008 summer games in Beijing. The Iranian women’s national soccer team, ranked 57th in the world, might have qualified for this summer’s Olympic games, however FIFA’s discriminatory, politically based ban on headscarves will prevent the team from taking the international stage. And although Jedah United may be far from the next up and coming women’s Olympic basketball team, this coastal Saudi Arabian school recently departed from the country’s ban on officially organized, publicly played sports for girls, putting up basketball hoops in its high school gym. This past February, Saudi Arabia fielded its first ever women’s soccer team in an international competition.

Islam can present challenges for some Muslims participating in a few activities that are shared and loved around the world. Athletic competition is one of these areas, but it has become increasingly clear that the largest barriers to Muslim participation, from both men and women, are not related to the actual religious restrictions. It is the preconceived notions and cultural expectations around gender and dress that lead to both Muslim families and western-based athletic institutions prohibiting some Muslim women and girls from competing.

Olympic fencing hopeful Ibtijah Muhammad avoided a great deal of controversy by choosing a sport that requires modest dress for safety reasons. Her passion for fencing is obvious, and the benefits of her accomplishments should be celebrated, but her story makes me wonder if young Muslim women might be encouraged to become volleyball players, take up tennis, or play rugby. Increasing athletic opportunities for Muslim women and girls would be good for those individuals, their communities, and rarely mentioned, for the sports themselves.

What do you think? Will female Muslim athletes help break down negative stereotypes of all Muslim women being submissive and restricted, or are a few international stars simply exceptions?

Duff/Daff (Source: chandrakantha.com)

One of the controversial topics that Muslim scholars have debated throughout Islam’s history is whether music and singing are halal (permissible) or haraam (forbidden). As I mentioned in an earlier post on the singer and songwriter Maher Zain, Muslims vary in their opinions on music. Since this topic has been extensively discussed and most of the opinions either way can be very lengthy, in this post I will just summarize some of the key points on the contention over the issue of music and singing.

There are two parts to this discussion that are often treated separately: whether singing is permissible and if so under what circumstances and whether the use of musical instruments is permissible and if so what types. Most scholars agree that singing without musical accompaniment during certain occasions is permissible as long as the topics of the songs do not go against Islamic values. Occasions during which it is permissible include during weddings, the two Eids (religious festivals), births, and when someone returns from travel. Some scholars assert that singing as an activity that brings enjoyment and celebration is acceptable at any time as long as the songs do not encourage forbidden things like drinking alcohol, for example.

There is disagreement between the scholars on the use of musical instruments. Scholars who maintain that all musical instruments are prohibited cite the following hadith:

Narrated by Imam Al-Bukhari on the authority of Abu Malik or Abu `Amir Al-Ash`ari that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk (clothes), the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful.’

These scholars also cite verse 6 from chapter 31 in the Qur’an:

But there are, among men those who purchase idle tales, without knowledge (or meaning), to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah and throw ridicule (on the Path): for such there will be a humiliating Penalty. 

The focus in this verse is the phrase “idle tales.” According to this opinion, music and singing are examples of idle tales because songs can be about topics that deviate from Islamic values and can influence people to engage in more sinful activity. Contemporary scholars who follow this opinion often associate listening to music with drinking alcohol and frequenting clubs. Some in this group will make an exception if the songs focus on religious topics called anasheed and if and when women sing they do so in the presence of other women. In this category of songs, the only instrument that can be utilized is the duff/daff, a one-sided drum made of animal skin. The following is an example of this type of song, performed by Mesut Kurtis about the Prophet Muhammad and his close companions.

The scholars who follow this opinion generally fear that music can distract Muslims from fulfilling their religious duties.

Scholars who do not support an absolute prohibition on singing and music argue that the textual evidence is not conclusive. For example, scholars like Al-Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn Al-`Arabi  and Ibn Hazm contest the validity of the above hadith and argue that that there is a problem with the line of transmission. Moreover, they argue that singing and music do not always lead to more sinful activity and should not be assumed to fall into the category of idle tales. These scholars maintain that as long as the content is appropriate and is not accompanied with other activities that are forbidden then music is acceptable as a means of enjoyment and relaxation. They do agree with scholars who prohibit music that it should not distract a Muslim from fulfilling their religious obligations.

Since there is no clergy in Islam, followers of the faith must read the extensive arguments of scholars on topics like music to reach their own opinion on a matter. There are core values and principles of the faith that Muslims adhere to, such worship of God, respect and love of the Prophet, caring for the less fortunate, leading a righteous life, and an awareness of accountability. Issues like music are important insomuch as they relate to following the core values of Islam.

What do you think about music? Do you think it is permissible or forbidden? Why do you think this is an important issue? Are there other faith traditions that have debated this issue? Please share your comments below.

The Inside Islam Team

Thanks to your loyal support, Inside Islam has made it to this, our 500th blog post! Inside Islam has been funded since 2008 as part of the Social Science Research Council’s Academia in the Public Sphere program, perfectly in line with the Wisconsin Idea that drives much of the teaching and research here at the UW-Madison. As the only project funded for the duration of the Academia in the Public Sphere initiative, Inside Islam has matched the vision of linking academia, media, and the public. In addition to the blog posts and dozens of articles on our regional pages, over the last 3.5 years we’ve produced over 100 radio shows and hosted a number of events related to environmental activism, Muslim-American identity, and democracy. And thanks to your loyalty and participation, we’ve grown exponentially, nearing 10,000 twitter followers and receiving 25,000 unique readers in the month of March alone.

Our posts have covered a variety of areas such as the Prophet Muhammad, controversial topics on gender, and the most prolific artists and Islamic scholarship from around the world. And our Inside Islam followers have matched the diversity of content we cover. Readers have visited our site from over 125 countries on 6 continents, and provided us with insightful comments and suggestions on further topics we should consider.

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According to supporters of the ban, the manner in which Muslims and Jews traditionally slaughter is more painful to the animal than stunning the animal first and then slaughtering it. As in the Jewish tradition, Muslims have a particular manner in which they must slaughter an animal. The animal’s throat is slit to induce quick bleeding to reduce suffering. In order to do this, Muslims are instructed to make sure that the knife is sharpened. Also, in order to be as humane as possible, the knife should not be sharpened in front of any animals and one animal should not be slaughtered in front of another.

While this ban affects both Muslims and Jews, Muslims see it as another example of the anti-Muslim sentiment in Europe. In the past few years, there have been several bans that targeted Muslim communities in particular, for example, the bans on the face veil in France, Belgium, and Italy as well as the minaret ban in Switzerland. Moreover, in the recent French elections, French Muslims were upset that Nicholas Sarkozy made the issue of halal meat a central concern.

Many Muslims would prefer to eat meat slaughtered according to Islamic law. Thus, any attempt to ban this type of meat is problematic. British Muslims are not convinced by the arguments that the Islamic means of slaughter is more inhumane than stunning and maintain that their way minimizes the pain to the animal. Whether or not these new calls for bans are another example of an anti-Muslim sentiment, they certainly make the situation more difficult for the Muslim citizens living in these countries.

What do you think of the calls for bans on halal and kosher meat? Do you think that they are meant to target Muslims? Are they an example of anti-Muslim sentiment? What do you think about the arguments for the ban? Should religious communities be prevented from preparing their meat in accordance with their religious law? Please share your comments below.

In Chiapas, Mexico, portions of the indigenous populations, such as Mayans and Tzotzils, have embraced Islam. Photo: Tumblr: Ihavefaith

Nayantara Mukherji is a journalist, editor, Inside Islam radio producer, and a recent addition to our writing team.

Although traditionally known for its strong Catholic community, Mexico is also home to a small yet diverse community of Muslims. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the country had about 110,000 Muslims in 2009. That’s less than 1 percent of the population of Mexico. But according to Zidane Zeraoui, professor of international relations at the Technological University of Monterrey, the history of Islam in Mexico goes back to its earliest days.

In my interview with Zeraoui here in Madison, he emphasized the fact that Muslims and Jews actually came to Mexico early in the colonial period.

There were ‘false Christians,’ or marranos who came to Latin America as Catholics converted by force. Officially, they were Catholics, but inside, in their private lives, they were still practicing their religions.

A building in Puebla, Mexico, built in the Mudéjar style. Photo: Archnet.org

Zeraoui said there are many indications of early Jewish and Muslim migrations in Mexico. For example, many buildings in Mexico (including churches, convents, and government buildings) are built in an architectural style called “Mudéjar,” a term that refers to Muslims living under Christian rule in Spain.

The city Zeraoui lives in, Monterrey, was founded by marranos, and even today, Jewish and Muslim influences remain strong in the city. Unlike the rest of Mexico, Zeraoui says people in Monterrey prefer goat meat to pork, an influence of kosher and halal food practices. They even have a type of meat they call “Sarassan meat.”

In Monterray, we don’t eat much pork, but if you were to go to Mexico City, the basis of food is pork.

Muslims in Mexico are generally concentrated in four cities: Tequesquitengo in Morelos, Torreón in Coahuila, San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, and Mexico City. About half the Muslims in Mexico today are converts/reverts. The groups are extremely diverse, and include both Shias and Sunnis.

Are you surprised to learn about the diversity of Islam in Mexico? Where do you see the influence of Islam in Latin America more generally? Please share your thoughts and comments below.

Over 100 girls attended Hamtramck High School's first ever all-girl prom. Photo: Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times

The dream of one Bengali-American Muslim girl came true last week, when over 100 girls packed a local hall to dance, eat, and pray as part of Hamtramck High School’s first ever all-girl  prom. The story has made the New York Times, Boston Globe, and other international media giants, and has created some interesting discussion around gender in Islam and religion in the public sphere.

The 22,000 residents of Hamtramck, Michigan, were predominately of Polish origin a decade or two ago. Hamtramck High School, just minutes from downtown Detroit, is now a mixture of immigrant families of South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Polish descent, and the values of its students have changed with the demographic shift. A mixture of cultural expectations and religious interpretations led Hamtramck Senior Tharima Ahmed to her personal initiative to create a fun and comfortable space for a significant minority of Hamtramck’s students. Given the importance of the senior prom dance in American culture, Ahmed dreamed of attending such an event. But for whatever reason—whether her family’s cultural expectations, her own interpretation of Islam, or her personal discomfort being around boys in a sexualized social environment—she knew that only an alternative prom would be acceptable.

And she wasn’t alone. Ahmed led a school-wide survey of girls about prom, and 65% of respondents indicated that they were not allowed to attend a mixed-gender dance. After numerous bake sales totaling $2,500 in profits–and a lot of hard work–Ahmed and a few other Hamtramck girls turned the all-girl prom from a dream to a reality.

When it was all over, the New York Times reported that 100 girls of Yemeni, Polish-American, Palestinian, Bosnian-American, and African-American backgrounds attended the dance. Some girls dressed in attire that revealed their hair and other parts of their bodies that no one had seen in “public” before. Of course, no boys or men were allowed, but the Times reported that it was a “coming out” party for a few of the Muslim attendees. Others chose to wear more conservative clothing, in line with their daily choice of dress.

The Hamtramck High School story highlights a number of topics related to modesty, sexuality, and gender that we’ve previously written about. Issues around gender mixing, with a disproportionate focus upon a woman’s physical appearance, are common topics discussed by Muslims all around the world. However, given the diverse makeup of Muslims in the U.S., there is an even larger range of interpretations around gender and sexuality.

Regardless of where one stands on Islamic interpretation of hijab, gender mixing in social situations, or other issues related to sexuality and modesty, almost everyone can agree on one thing. Tharima Ahmed and a few of her friends at Hamtramck High School have inspired thousands of other young girls around the world to break boundaries and find creative alternatives that respect cultural and religious expectations. What prom means in America is being redefined, and it all started with the dream of a seventeen year-old Muslim girl from a working-class neighborhood in Michigan.

Were you unable to go to prom because of religious or cultural expectations? Are separate events and activities for boys and girls necessary for communities that are referred to as “socially conservative” in an American context? Please share your thoughts and related experiences below.

Zain immigrated with his family to Sweden when he was eight years old. After college, he entered the music industry in Sweden and found RedOne, a Moroccan-born Swedish producer, to work with. When RedOne went to New York, Zain followed to continue his pursuit of becoming a music producer. Initially, Zain’s interest in music was not to produce music with religious influences; however, after a visit to Sweden, he became more interested in his faith and decided to stop his career as a music producer and to begin writing and singing songs that demonstrate his commitment to his religious identity.

Zain sings in English and Arabic. His songs are not prescriptive, but emphasize the spiritual aspects of the faith. For example, in his new song Mawlaya  on the album Forgive Me,  he sings about the Prophet Muhammad and his characteristics, especially his role as example to be emulated. In another song on the same album, he sings a song about his mother called Number One for Me.

Zain is part of a group of Muslim musicians, like Sami Yusuf, who have become very well known around the Muslim world. Their work draws from numerous musical influences and often are multilingual. They focus mainly on the compassionate nature of Islam, love of God and the Prophet, and the importance of treating women with kindness. They do, however, also have songs that address political issues. Yusuf, for example, sang a song with the Danish hip-hop group Outlandish called Try Not to Cry that highlights the Palestinian plight. In 2011, Zain released a song called Freedom that was inspired by the events of the Arab Spring.

Artists like Zain and Yusuf have tapped into an important need in the Muslim community: to have music that reflects their religious commitment. Even if all Muslims do not appreciate their music because of their use of instruments (some Muslims believe that only the voice and a specific type of percussion can be used for music), their music offers young Muslims an alternative that they can relate to.

Have you heard Maher Zain’s music? What is your reaction? Do you think that music is a medium to express identity? Why do you think artists like Maher Zain and Sami Yusuf have a large following? Who are other artists like Zain and Yusuf? Who are some examples from other faith traditions? Please share your comments below.

Indian children welcome onlookers with "adaab," the traditional and universal South Asian greeting. Photo: Firoze Shakir

Samina Mishra is a documentary filmmaker and writer based in New Delhi, India, with a special interest in media for children. Her films include Two Lives, The House on Gulmohar Avenue and Stories of Girlhood. Her published work for children includes Hina in the Old City, The Magic Key series, and The Goat That Got Away.

Some months ago, I was chastised by a woman for saying “adaab,” instead of “assalamaleikum,” the latter being the “the proper Islamic greeting” in her opinion. I grew up as a Muslim and learned to say “adaab” when I met someone and “khuda hafiz” when we parted ways. Originating from a North Indian Islamicate high culture, “adaab” as a form of greeting was imbued with a certain class hierarchy. It was a familiar greeting even in many elite non-Muslim households in North India. Among many other Muslim populations, the Arabic greeting “assalamaleikum,” meaning “may peace be upon you,” was also used. But there was no formal dictum about the usage while I was growing up and there could be overlaps.

So, as a child, I often replied with an “adaab” to someone who came in saying “assalamaleikum” and it was not considered inappropriate. As for “Allah hafiz” (“may God keep you safe”), I did not hear the term until about a decade ago. The word “khuda” originates from Persian, but because it is used in other languages too, it can be seen as a more embracing word for God than Allah in the South Asian context. Thus, although they emerge from a specific North Indian Muslim culture, “adaab” and “khuda hafiz” have had a more inclusive history.

Today, these terms are being given up by many Muslims in India from different class backgrounds in favor of the more unambiguously Islamic “assalamaleikum” and “Allah hafiz.” For those of us who seek to draw attention to the complicated greys that lie between the uncompromising blacks and whites, this notion of unambiguity is naturally problematic. But in this trajectory of change from “adaab” to “asalamaleikum” and from “khuda hafiz” to “Allah hafiz,” there are other stories about why people group around markers of identities, about what gives people a sense of security and comfort, about what creates new groupings.

In the context of “adaab” and “khuda hafiz,” what are these other stories?

In the course of a two-year research project on Muslim women in parts of Uttar Pradesh, a state with one of the largest concentrations of Muslims in India (and with a total population more than half that of the US), I heard voices that wove a narrative of exclusion. A dynamic young woman, founder of an NGO to help poor and dalit Muslims, spoke of how she does not tell people her real name while traveling on trains because she is looked at with suspicion. A college teacher spoke of a workshop in which participants were asked to introduce themselves by talking about their biggest fears and one woman shared that she feared her son marrying a Muslim because they are dirty. A government officer spoke of her colleagues admonishing her for having offered the use of her flat during her neighbor’s wedding, since the groom was a Muslim man from Azamgarh, a town notorious for sending out “Muslim criminals and terrorists.”

Human beings choose a variety of groupings—around class/caste/religion, schools, football teams, movie stars, work ethics, fashion statements, job aspirations. Usually, we are able to move between these different groupings and are not forced to adopt one as a singular representation of us. But these stories point to the fact that sometimes walls are erected that present the groupings as a rigid natural order of things instead of the constructions that they are.

When we are confronted with these walls–in the form of a veil, a riot, or a separate greeting code–we should ask whether they were built to serve those on the outside or those on the inside. And what of those who wanted windows instead of walls? Continuing to say “adaab” and “khuda hafiz” is my way of acknowledging that while there is a wall, it can have an open window.

If you speak Urdu/Hindi, do you prefer to use adaab, khuda hafiz, or Allah hafiz? Does each phrase have distinct differences for you? Do you feel like your identity has ever been “walled” in by society? Please share your thoughts below.