Allami sent a message to his staff at a telecommunications company that was intercepted. In the text, Allami told his staff to “blow away” the competition at a trade show in New York. This expression prompted the investigation. Allami has now filed a lawsuit against the provincial police because of their treatment of him and his wife during the search and for tarnishing his reputation by treating him like a terrorist. According to Allami, he has no ties with any terrorist organizations and was never charged with anything.

In a post-9/11 world, racial and religious profiling has become an issue that is often discussed in conjunction with security. Some have argued that racial profiling is necessary and that Muslims and Arabs should be the primary focus. Allami’s story, however, demonstrates that there are instances where profiling leads to false accusations. The expression “blow away the competition” is not unusual in the context of business and thus should not be the only basis for an investigation. Rather, the individual’s behavior and activities should play a role in pursuing an investigation; a person’s religious convictions and ethnic background should not be the central factors. It seems clear that the fact that Allami is an Arab and Muslim might have been a determining factor in these unfounded accusations.

Do you think that religious and ethnic profiling are necessary for security? Do you think certain groups are targeted more than others? Do you think Allami’s religious and ethnic background played a role in his arrest? Please share your comments below.

Ted Watters and Brian Tilley of the American-based group The PashTones were inspired by the language, poetry, and culture of the Pashtun people of South Asia, creating a distinctive blend of traditional American folk and Pashtun music for their first album, The PashTones.

To understand the influences of Pashtun people on The PashTones, it’s important to first understand Pashtun culture. The Pashtuns originate from Afghanistan (making up 35% of the Afghan population), but are also prevalent in Pakistan and influential in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and the UK. Although most Pashtuns are predominately Sunni Muslims that live in a contiguous area from the eastern border of Iran to Pakistan, the Pashtun people may be one of the most culturally and genetically mixed ethnic groups in the world. A few thousand worldwide even claim Jewish descent, and researchers believe that portions of the 60 major Pashtun tribes descend from the lost tribes of Israel.

World famous for their hospitality and generosity, Pashtuns have also become popular in western news cycles for their conservative social customs and involvement in violent Islamic extremist groups. Pashtuns often get a bad rap within South Asia as well, where they constitute a fourth of the total population of Pakistan. In general, Pashtun culture is quite conservative, and women are often not given the same educational opportunities as men.

But Pashtun culture is also known for some of the most loving traditions anywhere in the world. For example, pashtunwali, the Pashtun cultural code dictates that food, shelter, and water be provided even to enemies traveling through one’s area; and a family’s honor is judged upon how well the guest is treated.

The PashTones are trying to share the beautiful aspects of the Pashtuns. Their music, a combination of original song writing and famous poetry in Pashto, continues the great cultural traditions of a people spread throughout the globe. Ironically, aside from the famous peace activist Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the majority of notable South Asians of Pashtun heritage in politics, sports, and film seem to speak little Pashto. They rarely identify with their Pashtun background and usually embrace the majority language and cultural customs of their city of residence, often in Pakistan or India.

Meanwhile, a couple of white guys in Madison, Wisconsin, have formed a musical group that spreads Pashtun culture. Whether it’s Afghanistan, UAE, or the US, many Pashtun traditions continue on, not always through the lives of Pashtuns themselves.

How do you feel about non-Pashtun, white, American males playing music that originates from South and Central Asia? Are the PashTones helping or hurting the unequal power dynamic between Pashtun people and westerners? Will it take more non-Muslims highlighting the contributions of various Muslim cultures in order for Western society to accept Muslims as “normal?”

The earliest celebrations of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday were in the 8th century in Mecca and the first official public celebrations occurred in Egypt in the 11th century. Shia Muslims were the first to celebrate the Prophet’s birthday. Sunni celebrations later began around the 12th century. Celebrations now include carnivals, special sweets, and distributions of food. Also, stories of the Prophet Muhammad are told and poetry about him recited. One poem, called Qasida al-Burda, is specifically recited. This poem was written by the 13th century Sufi Al-Busiri.

Muslim scholars disagree over the legality of celebrating this holiday. Those who oppose celebrating the Prophet’s birthday argue that there are no accounts of the Prophet Muhammad or his early companions celebrating his birthday. Moreover, they argue that Muslims are instructed not to do the same to the Prophet Muhammad as other communities have done with their prophets. Therefore, to celebrate the holiday is a bid’ah, or innovation in the religion, and thus should be prohibited. Other scholars maintain that while there is no precedent for the holiday that spending the day remembering the Prophet Muhammad is something positive.

Despite the disagreement, one thing that all Muslims agree on is the importance of the Prophet Muhammad in the Islamic worldview. He is considered to be the example that all Muslims strive to emulate and for this reason his life is remembered and commemorated in some way by all his followers, whether they celebrate his birthday or not.

Do you celebrate the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday? How do you celebrate this day? Do you think that celebrating his birthday is permissible or prohibited? Why? Why do you think that the Prophet’s birthday has generated so much disagreement? Please share your comments below.

Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al Missned speaking at the U.N. Photo: Maher Attar/HHOPL

The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC) in Amman, Jordan, recently released the third edition of The Muslim 500, an annual publication highlighting the movers and shakers of the Muslim world. From Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan to Sufi scholar Seyyed Hussein Nasr, the list compiles a wide range of personalities from all corners of the globe. Unsurprisingly, Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud topped the list, with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan placing third and Iranian Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei taking fifth.

As usually happens when anyone tries to quantify popularity or prestige, there was disagreement on the blogosphere over the rankings, compounded by the fact that  Muslim 500 does not clearly define its exact criteria. But my primary concern with the list is that only 13% of those featured are women, with a mere three making the top 50 most influential.

Queen Rania, the most internationally recognizable, came in at 34; Sheika Munira Qubeysi, head of the largest women-only Islamic movement in world, placed 24th; and Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al Missned, Chairwoman of the Qatar Foundation, was number 38.

Women are marginalized in nearly every society. For example, under 20% of all world parliament seats are held by women. Although women across the world have more power than seen on the surface of things–exercising influence in the home on a number of issues related to business, politics, and family decisions–formal positions of power continue to be dominated by men.

As reflected by the Muslim 500, the situation is no different in Muslim contexts. Given the conservative nature of many cultures where Muslims live, this is anything but surprising; but this reality should give pause to anyone interested in understanding what Islam says about women and how the Prophet Muhammad viewed women in leadership positions.

During the foundation of Islam, women held important leadership roles in their communities. Khadijah, the Prophet Muhammad’s wife of 25 years, was a 40 year-old business woman and the boss of the Prophet when they married. Aisha bint Abu Bakr, the Prophet Muhammad’s second wife, was a strong spiritual and political leader and was highly esteemed by the Muslim community during and after the life of the Prophet.

Most importantly, the Qur’an and hadith shed light on how Islam regards women. A man once asked the Prophet Muhammad to whom he should show the most kindness. The Prophet replied, “Your mother, next your mother, next your mother, and then your father.”

Respect, power, and influence are surely three distinct concepts, but unfortunately, in order to gain respect, one must have a degree of power. Until the systems of power and those with positions at the top are more equitably represented by both men and women, we will continue to see very few female faces on future covers of the Muslim 500 and other publications ranking influence.

Religious Muslims and those following other faiths should look to the foundational texts of their own traditions to understand the equal, if not superior importance of women in society. Whether a Muslim-dominant Pakistan or a Christian-majority United States, societies throughout the world should recognize the value of women holding top leadership positions. We’d all be better for it.

Did the Muslim 500 selections accurately reflect the power and influence that women have in the Muslim world? Does society underestimate the power and influence that women exercise through informal roles in the home? Do you know of Muslim women who, against the norms of their cultural background, have justified their outspoken leadership by invoking Islamic principles?

This past January, the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom introduced a new class on Muslim women and the media. The first of its kind, the course will examine the role of women in Islam and how they are portrayed  in the media. The class will look at various issues that include wearing the hijab, marriage, and “honor” crimes and how they are addressed in film, television, and the media in general.

The course will be taught by Dr. Eylem Atakav, who graduated from Ankara, Turkey. Atakav argues that the media often portray issues like “honor” crimes as being Muslim issues rather than instances of violence against women. Atakav states that if an Arab woman, for example, is killed by a man in her family, it is labeled an “honor” crime, but if a British woman were killed by her husband for infidelity, it is simply called murder. According to Atakav, the media plays an important role in perceptions of Islam and she hopes her course will change attitudes.

This course is one example of new ways to educate people about Islam and Muslims. In the same month, in Germany, the first university department of Islamic theology opened. Moreover, institutions have been established to train imams who are familiar with the struggles of the German Muslim community. These kinds of initiatives pave the way for more dialogue and allow European Muslims to feel that there is a real interest in understanding their communities. Hopefully, more projects like these will continue to emerge all over the world.

What do you think about initiatives like the new course at the University of East Anglia? Do you think that more education can counter Islamophobia? Do you think that the media contributes negatively to the perception of Islam and Muslims? Please share your comments below.

Image: religionnerd.com

Sufi meditation in Lodz, Poland, dialogue workshops in Jerusalem, and a conference in Abuja, Nigeria, to create a national inter-religious policy–these are just three of the hundreds of interfaith events that will take place over the next seven days across six continents as part of the second annual World Interfaith Harmony Week. The UN now recognizes every first week of February as World Interfaith Harmony Week, an initiative introduced by King Abdullah II of Jordan at the UN General Assembly in September 2010 and unanimously adopted by that body in under a month. Both King Abdullah II and his wife, Queen Rania, have been among the most outspoken leaders on interfaith dialogue and peace; their hometown of Amman, Jordan, will host a number of interfaith events in the coming days.

Inspired by the A Common Word initiative, World Interfaith Harmony Week has significantly expanded its reach in a short time. Throughout the week, hundreds of schools, community centers, hospitals, stadiums, places of worship, and parliament houses will host dinners, vigils, and forums in over 30 countries.

Supported by a host of religious leaders around the world, the week sends a very intentional and clear message to everyone, whether religious or not. The mission statement of the initiative is, “Love of God and Love of the Neighbour, or Love of the Good and Love of the Neighbour,” including all people of good will.

A number of interfaith initiatives have sprung up around the world in the last decade, but tensions between groups certainly continue around the world. Let’s hope that this week serves as a breath of fresh air and a spark to a renewed sense of community, from London to Lahore.

Does World Interfaith Harmony Week have a different type of significance because it was initiated by Muslims? Have interfaith efforts helped ease tension and/or build trust and respect in your community? Please share your comments below.

The Shafia daughters and their stepmothers from CBC News

On January 30th, Mohammad Shafia, his wife Tooba Yahya, and their son Hamed were convicted of first degree murder in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. In June 2009, they planned and carried out the murders of Zainab Shafia, Sahar Shafia, and Geeti Shafia, as well as Rona Amir Mohammed. Zainab, Sahar, and Geeti were Mohammad and Tooba’s daughters and Hamad’s sisters. Rona was Mohammad’s first wife. The three daughters were considered by their parents to be “shameful” because they had boyfriends and did not dress the way their parents wanted. Rona, a victim of domestic abuse, was killed because she supported the daughters’ behavior. Their crime, which is being called an honor killing, has no support within Islam.

While it is true that these types of crimes occur among Muslims, they are motivated by cultural, societal, and some cases tribal pressures and not faith. There are no justifications for these types of crimes in Islam. First of all, there is no mention in the Qur’an or the hadith of the concept of honor crimes and thus no concept of honor killing. Second, there are strict punishments for various acts in  Islam; however, there are clear stipulations for how and when these punishments are to be carried out.

For example, in the case of sex between unmarried individuals, the punishment is 100 lashes. The act, however, must be witnessed by four people and described in the same manner in front of a judge or the person has to admit to the act. Either way, it must go through an Islamic court and there has to be overwhelming evidence that meets the high standards articulated in the Qur’an for a punishment to be considered. Moreover, if there is a punishment, the court carries it out not the family. The idea being that chaos will ensue if everyone takes matters into their own hands.

In the case of the deaths of the Shafia daughters and their stepmother, there is no justification for the parents’ and brother’s crime from an Islamic standpoint. It is not enough to simply disapprove of behavior to carry out any kind of punishment in Islam. In addition, even if there were four witnesses to sex outside of marriage, the punishment still would not be death and an Islamic court would decide on the verdict and carry out the punishments. In all the cases, the family is never supposed to use violence as a means to change a behavior.

As a Muslim woman, I find these types of stories very disturbing because they violate both the spirit and law of Islam. Women and men are protected in Islam from these kinds of  crimes by making the burden of proof so difficult. Thus, when individuals use Islam explicitly or imply that a concept of honor exists in the faith that warrants this kind of violence, Muslims must work even harder to demonstrate how it is a complete deviation from the faith.

Did you hear about the Shafia story? What was your reaction? Do you think that Islam supports the idea of honor killings? Do these crimes occur only among Muslims? Please share your comments below.

Ayesha Kazmi

Ayesha Kazmi is a Muslim American specialist in UK anti-terrorism policy at London-based Cageprisoners. Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Kazmi lived in London, England from 2005-2011. She has written for The Guardian and Privacy Matters and blogs at AmericanPaki. You can follow her on Twitter @AyeshaKazmi.

They say the onset of authoritarianism happens through a process of incrementalism. If indeed that is the case, I have missed a lot in the 6 years I spent in the United Kingdom away from the United States.

My first few years in the UK were spent wallowing in my new identity as a Paki. In much of the time I spent wallowing, I did a great deal of idealizing my former American Muslim life – one of relative privilege compared to Muslim life in other parts of the world, including Europe.

Muslim life in Britain was different than anything I had experienced prior. American Muslims are more educated and wealthier than average Americans; my friends throughout the years were from diverse backgrounds. In the UK, I went from living in one “Muslim ghetto” in South London to another in the east, where Muslim immigrants made up a large percentage of the working classes and their children, while many became part of the educated classes, often followed closely in their families cultural footsteps.

Over the years, at work and university, I had no luck making the diverse body of friends that accurately reflected the diversity of London. As much as I fell in love with my new friends, they all looked like me. Becoming a Paki was no easy process. Intellectually, I deliberately attributed my experience as uniquely British given England’s colonial history in the Muslim world, particularly of the Indian subcontinent.

In my London home, I often reminisced over my longing of American life, missing the sense of belonging. As a nation of immigrants, America was infinitely more open to people like me than Europe had shown itself to be. As a tax paying American, I always felt like I had more at stake in US civil society than my marginalized British Muslim neighbors in London. What I missed most was being an equal in a diverse body of friends, as opposed to being just another Paki in a herd. In the 6 years in England, a socialite like me walked away with only one white English friend.

After having lived in two of London’s many “Muslim ghettos,” I very much looked forward to moving back to the US and returning to the privilege of being able to live life in relative anonymity – where I wasn’t made to feel like a shifty outsider that didn’t belong. While I quickly began to make new friends, something was markedly different.

Politically, I observed Americans panic over the “Ground Zero” mosque in New York City. I also closely followed the terrorism cases of Tarek Mehanna, Faisal Shahzad, and Aafia Siddiqui. In fact, I was in the United States last year when the Peter King hearings transpired.

As a specialist in UK anti-terrorism strategy, I’ve witnessed the US’s gradual transformation into a regimented, national security state – from the militarization of all levels of law enforcement agencies to the military spending budget in the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This year, I watched even more closely, as the 2012 version of the NDAA  marks an unprecedented shift in US military policy to include provisions that extend the War on Terror battlefield to the domestic front, including a controversial executive power to indefinitely detain American citizens suspected of terrorism in military prisons.

My biggest oversight is that I hadn’t connected the dots. I had no idea how US policy had profoundly shifted American culture – specifically, how anti-terrorism had shaped Americans in everyday life, and not for the better. I have come back to a nation that is deeply suspicious and hostile toward Muslims. Given the public nature of my work, I have been lambasted numerous times with racist terminology and have also been accused of being a double talking liar engaged in “taqiyya,” or a person who conceals their religion because of persecution.

It took me to move from the United States to the UK to make me feel like a marginalized Paki. But it took me to move from the UK to back home in the US to feel like a defiled Muslim. While I might have felt alienated in the UK, on the worst days in the US I feel outright criminal. In all my years growing up in the United States, not once had I ever been told to “go home.” In my few months back, I cannot even count the number of times I have been told that I do not belong here.

What baffles me most is the distinction between the US and UK Muslim communities. While British Muslims remain a heavily politicized minority, and therefore, a thorn in the UK Government’s backside, American Muslims are relatively apolitical and are hardly the threat politicians are making them out to be. The grandest irony is that the Muslim world views American Muslims most suspiciously precisely because of their political apathy – yet the utter hysteria in the media and on Capitol Hill, that is determining terrorism policy, is unparalleled.

The recent evolution of the War on Terrorism with the signing of the 2012 NDAA into law signals a most frightening turn for American Muslims, as they’re already the object of prejudiced targeting. Up until now, the very definitions of “extremist” and “terrorist” have been nothing but obscure. Thus, this new executive power has continued to incrementally turn up the heat on American Muslims to uncomfortable levels – and I suppose that is its desired effect. At present, the pressure on the American Muslim community is tantamount to bullying.

While it’s not yet clear how far American policy makers intend to take their bullying, even now upon my return, I continue to hark back to the America I left behind in 2005. It was far from a perfect society even then, but I had no idea just how drastically my country was in the process of changing when I left it. Perhaps this was my difficulty when I first moved to the UK. It wasn’t that the United Kingdom was a worse place for Muslims to live than the United States; rather, the United States was in the process of absorbing from their European allies in the War on Terror, their contempt for Muslims. On the flip side, I now sit from home in America, once again, looking over the Atlantic shores. Only this time, I have no idea where I am seeking.

A Street in Mecca named after Asma

A woman who is revered by Muslims is Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr, the close friend of the Prophet Muhammad. Asma, who was also Ayesha‘s half sister, is remembered in Islamic history for her courage, integrity, generosity, and intelligence. Many choose her name for their daughters hoping that they will display some of the characteristics of this great woman, who is the focus of this post, the eighth in a series on important men and woman of Islam.

Asma was born around 593 C.E. and was the daughter of Abu Bakr and his first wife Qutaylah. Eventually her parents divorced because Abu Bakr became a Muslim. Asma later followed in her father’s footsteps and was the 18th person to accept Islam.

Asma was nicknamed Dhat an-Nitaqayn (the One with the two waistbands) because of an incident during the hijra to Medina. The Prophet Muhammad and Abu Bakr were among the last to leave Mecca. On their way to Medina, they stopped at the Cave of Thawr. Asma used her waistbands to tie food supplies to take to her father and the Prophet in the cave. For this courageous act, the Prophet Muhammad told her that she would be among those in paradise. Her courage did not end there. When Abu Jahl, one of the Meccan leaders, came to her searching for the Prophet and her father, Asma refused to betray them and as a result he hit her causing her to bleed.

Asma was married to Zubayr, the Prophet’s cousin, friend, and companion. They had two sons: Abdullah and Urwah. On her way to Medina, Asma gave birth to Abdullah, who was the first Muslim to be born in Medina after the hijra. Her son Urwah went on to become one of the scholars in Medina. Abdullah ended up dying as a martyr after he challenged the Caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan.

After the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, some Muslims did not want the rule of the Umayyads. Abdullah was one of the contenders for the caliphate and won over some supporters. Abdul Malik bin Marwan sent Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf as his representative in the Hijaz area. A battle then ensued between the armies of Abdul Malik and Abdullah. Abdullah’s forces were defeated and he was killed. Al- Hajjaj then ordered Abdullah’s body to be hung up for three days. Asma, hearing that her son was killed, went to retrieve her son’s body. She then fearlessly challenged Al-Hajjaj at a speech he was giving in Mecca, even after he had threatened her.

She died a few days after her son’s death at the age of 100. Even at that age, Asma was known for her sharp memory. In fact, many hadith are attributed to her. Asma is a role model for Muslim girls because of her courage, dedication, and contributions to the faith. Not only did she stand up for what she believed despite the risks, she also demonstrated that Muslim women are supposed to be strong members of their community.

Have you heard of Asma? What is your impression of her? Is she a role model for Muslim women? Is her story relevant today? Please share your comments below.

Egyptian Women display their inked fingers after voting at a Cairo polling station. Image: Bela Szandelszky/AP/Press Association Images

Our recent Inside Islam radio show with Oxford University Professor Tariq Ramadan was a good history lesson for me. Ramadan talked about how both the western media and many of Egypt’s politicians are missing the boat: the role of Islam in future structures of Egyptian government is a relevant and important question, but there are much more pressing issues that need to be discussed. The western media has been especially interested in highlighting the headscarf or other tangibles that are symbolic of religious life, when there should be more of an emphasis on what Ramadan identified as the six themes all governments should work towards in their own way: rule of law, equal citizenship, universal suffrage, accountability of elected leaders, separation of power (executive, judicial, and legislative branches), and separation between religious and political power. He argued that it’s dangerous to have our sights on the trees when Egypt should be focusing on its future vision of the forest.

Asked whether the current revolution and political situation in Egypt would meet the standards of the vision set by his grandfather, Hassan al-Banna, the founder the Muslim Brotherhood, Ramadan reminded us to consider the context when making any comparison. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in an era of colonialism, when Egyptians were struggling to break free from British rule; al-Banna and others saw an Islamic government as the appropriate vehicle to unite and inspire the majority of Egyptians. He also spoke of how an “Islamicized” version of the British parliamentary system could be the model going forward. Today, the situation is remarkably different, and so understanding what al-Banna would have wanted today is unrealistic. But Ramadan noted that al-Banna was very clear about the value of learning from others’ experiences and integrating that knowledge into a system that made sense for the time.

Most importantly, Ramadan highlighted that most people are much less concerned about how Islam is going to shape aspects of the future government, but rather, what each party is going to “bring to the table to counter poverty and economic instability.”

It’s time to stop this useless discourse between the Islamists and the secularists about the structure. … You can’t protect democracy if you have illiteracy on the one hand and economic instability [on the other] … [S]o instead of talking as people knowing what is the final stage of a democratic model, we should also share with the people in Egypt our own experience [as westerners] and hoping that the Muslim Brotherhood with others, with the secular forces, are going beyond this very polarized debate they have now about the political structure and they come to a more comprehensive approach.

Ramadan encourage patience and reminded us of how long it took other democracies to achieve their own institutions and systems of governance. He covered a number of topics throughout the interview, which you can listen to in its entirety here, but he also emphasized a final point for western policymakers to consider. The US and its allies have supported dictatorships and military regimes for decades–in Egypt and elsewhere-and this unique period of transition in Egypt is an opportunity to create a different pattern and a policy that supports the freedoms of the people. The US-supported Egyptian military has had a grip on power for decades, and how the US and other foreign governments interact with them will influence the future direction of the Egyptian state much more than any specific social or religious law related to Islam.

What do you think about Tariq Ramadan’s views on the Muslim Brotherhood and the future political direction of Egypt? In what way and to what degree may Islamic religious laws be related to the prosperity of a future Egyptian society? How much influence does the US have on the future direction of Egyptian political structures?