~ How to fix our society..?

[Mayana]

Salamalaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatoo..

Yet again, I found notes from the convention I went to.. This time it's by Imam Zaid Shakir (a-freakin'-mazing Khateeb)



~ Remembering the Days of Allah (swt) - How to strengthen our Ummah




First of all, its important to remember that whatever God gives, he takes away. Yet, Du'aa is the weapon of the believer..

Further, we have to internalize the FACT that in order to fight this institutionalized forces that are limiting us, we have to build institutions. We have to mature as a community:



* Stop yelling and screaming for 'justice', as we can see, nobody takes a yelling and screaming Muslim community serious.

* Stop demonstrating for 'justice'; do you see the Jews demonstrating? Do you see the Zionists demonstrating to be granted justice? No. They just go and get it. Do the same, GO get it. Stop whining for it.

* Start working for justice, start working for recognition, start working for acknowledgment, start working for success. Work hard and work smart.

* Don't go around just seeking individual success in a career as a physician or engineer just for the big money or the prestige. Go into Social Sciences.. become lawyers, become historians, become linguists, become authors.. become journalists - how many Muslim journalists do you see.. and still wonder why this media is perpetrating Islamophobia?

* Divorce yourself from the news cycle.. Media is biased; don't let it brainwash you; don't become part of that cycle..

* Get beyond emotions; yes, be upset that Israel is still illegally occupying Palestine but get OVER those emotions' let those emotions be your motivation to rationally approach this issue and find a solution. THINK! Leave behind the emotions you have, don't make emotional decisions - they make our Ummah vulnerable.

* Educate yourselves.. for the love of ALLAH swt, for the love of our beloved prophet (sas), the love of our beloved country, the love of your parents and your children - Educate yourselves and educate others. Internalize Islam, explain Islam, educate about Islam.

* Goooooooo make a difference in your very community, where you live - USA, Canada, Europe, Asia.. make a difference in your own community.. start a Muslim Students Association in your university/school.. do community service, help your society - not just Muslims.

* Start doing something on a regular basis - the most powerful actions are those done continuously.

* Represent Islam and represent it well. What we represent is what potential converts see - so let's represent true Islam.


Attach your heart to Allah swt and Allah swt only so that you may never be disappointed. If your heart is attached to HIM, it will remain calm - because Allah swt never changes. Despite the fact that Allah is all-merciful and forgiving, and yet intense in His punishment - we should get beyond this and strive to experience the sweetness of our faith inshAllah.

For example, Palestine.. even after all those years of war, occupation and humiliation.. we stand here and yell our hearts out at demonstrations that result in nothing.. while our Palestinian brothers and sisters hold their heads up SO highly.. we have to realize that out standing next to them (and not only them) has to have a meaning - we have to be useful to this Ummah, not just to ourselves.
May Allah swt give us patience and guide us all onto the right path to Him and to success in both world inshAllah.

(This is just a reminder, in case you forgot - when I say these things, I speak to myself before anyone else.)




What do you guys think, how can we better as a society and strengthen ourselves; how can we mature as a whole group?

[Levanaye Zalmaye]

Interesting. Good post.

What exactly do you mean by justice by the way?

I remember going through an Islamic forum once where people were complaining about how the BBC and Al-Jazeera are biased. I think the two are the most unbiased news networks out there.

I think the best thing Muslims living in the West can do is to curb down the influence of hate-mongering clerics whose speeches result in the ugly protests that we saw in London. Most expat Muslims don't realize how they fall right into the trap of the Salafis. Petrodollars fund every Salafi mosque and speaker in the West because that's where they get most of their converts from (they're usually Hanafi Pakistanis who go over to the other side along with the occasional native). So the only refuge these Muslims find are with the Salafis. These Salafis, among other things, encourage hatred for the natives, burkhas, segregation, backward ideas that contradict every principle of the country, etc.

[Mayana]

I agree, BBC and Al Jazeera are much better than the rest.. The only two sources of news I'd actually rely on =)

By justice I mean.. equality, the absence of segregation, the absence of racial profiling of Muslims in the West.. you know, just all the things that Muslims in the West "cry" for and say they don't have.

We sit here. And we complain: "I'm being discriminated against because I'm Muslim." "Israel's occupation of Palestine is bad." "I disapprove of American forces in Afghanistan. GET THE HELL OUT OF MY COUNTRY NOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!" "We don't have a prayer room for Muslims in our university. Why? Why are you being so racist, dean? Why don't you go make us one?!" "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacist!!!"

Well..

GO, do something about it! If we complain that other groups in society or other religious groups have been granted X or Y right, we have to also realize that they didn't sit there and complained about it until they achieved it.. They went and built institutions to FIGHT these institutionalized forces we're exposed to. We need to go out there and build these institutions.. educate our selves etc..


May I ask, Zalmayya, are you Muslim?

[tor_khan]

Mayana - that was refreshing ... well done!

We just need to get up and do.

[Mayana]

Mayana - that was refreshing ... well done!

We just need to get up and do.

That's what I was hoping it'd be =)

[tor_khan]

That's what I was hoping it'd be =)

[Mayana]

Have these Khateebs ever thought of and taught people in terms of what is beneficial for the Pashtuns, ever? Or we just have to invest ourselves in reviving the Arab Empire?
Secondly, We must first define our concept of a 'good society'. An Arabized, cleric-ruled theocracy with barbaric punishments and laws or a modern, democratic, socialist republic?

Yeah, because there's one hell of an Arabic empire going on right now.. in which the Arabs fail to even stand united against Israel (which is surrounded by Arab countries) and support Palestine. Arabs are as disunified as it gets; no worries, there's no Arab imperialism or Panarabism going on. Islam is to bring benefit to mankind and prevent harm - khlaas. It's this notion of "Islam=Arab imperialism" that has destroyed our Ummah.
I don't believe that this particular Khootba referred to building an Islamic state.. but rather to the question as to HOW to live as Muslims in the Western society.

On a different note, none of the Khateebs I have cited are Arab. Imam Zaid Shakir is an African American convert, as far as I know; Imam Suhaib Webb is a Caucasian convert; Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam is Desi I believe. None of them are Arab.

[Levanaye Zalmaye]

I agree, BBC and Al Jazeera are much better than the rest.. The only two sources of news I'd actually rely on =)

By justice I mean.. equality, the absence of segregation, the absence of racial profiling of Muslims in the West.. you know, just all the things that Muslims in the West "cry" for and say they don't have.

We sit here. And we complain: "I'm being discriminated against because I'm Muslim." "Israel's occupation of Palestine is bad." "I disapprove of American forces in Afghanistan. GET THE HELL OUT OF MY COUNTRY NOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!" "We don't have a prayer room for Muslims in our university. Why? Why are you being so racist, dean? Why don't you go make us one?!" "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacist!!!"

Well..

GO, do something about it! If we complain that other groups in society or other religious groups have been granted X or Y right, we have to also realize that they didn't sit there and complained about it until they achieved it.. They went and built institutions to FIGHT these institutionalized forces we're exposed to. We need to go out there and build these institutions.. educate our selves etc..


May I ask, Zalmayya, are you Muslim?

I agree with you.... More action, less crying. However, Muslims should expect equality, not special treatment (which in some cases, some want. For example, they were calling for Shari'ah courts for Muslims in the UK).

[Feroza_Banu]

thank you for the post

[Mayana]

Mayana that is what I needed.

I know that took time to write so big hugs and thanks. Keep it up beautiful.

You're most welcome

And the time that it took to type that up.. is nothing compared to the potential benefit it might bring =)

[MeemWawMeemNoon]

Mayana khore, before Muslims start building a civilization they need to first agree not to call each other kafir and stop throwing each other out of the fold of Islam. Otherwise, there will be no one left to want to unite.

Your post is a call to ALL Muslims; however, end of the day when push comes to shove, Muslims will push and shove their individual agendas down the throat of the ummah.

We need help from the Heavens. Wouldn't you say so?

[Mayana]

lol which is why we should say no to extremism =)
We sit here and discuss who in history was gay and who was heterosexual. We sit here and discuss whether it's bid'a to raise your hands in prayer or no. We sit here and discuss when a woman's voice can be heard and when not. We sit here and ARGUE about the most redundant things there are.

You don't understand how much I care about this Ummah. If I don't fix this ummah today; if I don't strengthen it today; if I don't stabilize it today; if I don't build a strong basis today... my children will have nothing to fall back on tomorrow. Your children will have no valuable environment to grow up in tomorrow. Our children will have no Islamic basis in the society they'll live in and that is dangerous.

I'm Hanafi, he's Maleki, he's Shi'a, she's Wahabi. What are we gonna do, sit here and argue til Qeyaama? No, ALLAH hu aleem, it's our duty to work together with Muslims and non-Muslims to bring benefit. So EVEN if we consider someone non-Muslim, we are still supposed to work with them in order to bring benefit and prevent harm - which is the sole purpose of Islam: Bring benefit to mankind and prevent harm.

[MeemWawMeemNoon]

Dearest sister, you are pinpointing to the problem and that is what I was referring to; however, how do we fix it? The only solution is the Heavens, no?

[PFgulalai]

I believe justice, equality, and personal freedom as most important factors for strengthening any soceity.

What do you guys think, how can we better as a society and strengthen ourselves; how can we mature as a whole group?

[MeemWawMeemNoon]

I believe justice, equality, and personal freedom as most important factors for strengthening any soceity.

Dear sister,

kindly define those terms, today they mean many things.



ps

qulalai sister, could you kindly post underneath the quote.