The Persecution of Rohingyas in Burma Calls for Intervention - Will President Obama take the lead?

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a small country on the Bay of Bengal, surrounded by China, India, Thailand, and Bangladesh where for decades, the Rohingya population has been persecuted to such an extent that the UN calls them one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.  According to human rights organizations, every war crime – genocide, rape, concentration camps, forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and more – that the world witnessed in Bosnia 20 years ago has been committed against Rohingyas by the Burmese government for 30 years.

In the past five months, things have gotten a lot worse in Burma. This calls for serious, collective and urgent actions by world governments, media, corporations, interfaith organizations, and individuals. None of us can afford to remain silent any longer.  President Obama’s visit next week can definitely make a dramatic impact on the situation. Being the first ever U.S. President to visit Burma, he would have the opportunity to influence the Burmese government in a significant way. He must acknowledge the slow genocide of Rohingya people and should ask Burmese government to halt it right away. There should be a No Peace No Business policy with Burmese and all other governments that violate basic human rights of their people.

Rohingyas are an ethnic group in the Rakhine State in the southwest of Burma. They are mostly Muslims. Doctors Without Borders calls them among the most likely people to become extinct. There are roughly 3 million Rohingyas left in the world—with about six hundred of them living in the USA.

Although the Rohingyas have been living in Burma since the eighth century, the Burmese government revoked their citizenship by passing a Citizenship Law in 1982. In addition to claiming them as stateless, the current law also controls their everyday business and personal lives. They need the state's permission to get married. In most cases this permission is not granted for at least five years. They cannot have more than two children. They cannot attend schools. They need permission to move in and out of their own city. Their property has been confiscated. After the riots earlier this year, thousands of Rohingyas are being rounded up in temporary camps outside the cities.

 

Due to the systematic genocide by the Burmese military and civilian governments, the Rohingya population is diminishing dramatically.  About 2 million have fled to the neighboring countries of Bangladesh, Thailand and beyond. There are only 800,000 Rohingyas left in Burma. According to the reports compiled by  Human Rights Watch, the current situation is horrific. They have found clear evidence of the involvement of the Burmese government of President Thein Sein in committing organized atrocities against the Rohingyas.  And yet, for the most part, the world has remained silent.

About 100,000 Rohingyas are currently in concentration camps. Thousands of women and girls have been raped by security forces. Villages are burnt. According to the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs, Rohingyas face deteriorating living conditions in the temporary camps run by the government.. “Their condition is worse than animals,” said Mohammad Nawsim, secretary of the Rohingya Human Rights Association (RHRA) based in Bangkok. Those in the refugee camps in the neighboring countries are living a miserable life as well.

Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher, rightly said, “Under international human rights law and standards, no one may be left or rendered stateless. For too long Myanmar’s human rights record has been marred by the continued denial of citizenship for Rohingyas and a host of discriminatory practices against them.”

The Burmese government has denied access to international media and human rights organizations, so the picture of what is happening to the Rohingya is incomplete.

The Reasons Behind the Persecution:

The most obvious reasons behind this persecution are religious intolerance and racism. But there might be a third emerging catalyst to the process: The Great Gold Rush of Burma.

Surprisingly, the religious intolerance is deeply rooted in this Buddhist majority nation. 90% of the population of Burma is Buddhist. Rohingya Muslims comprise only a small percentage within the three percent of the Sunni Muslim population. The reports of some Buddhist monks, alongside with the Burmese government, being actively involved in atrocities against Rohingyas are so shocking that the Buddhist spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama recently expressed serious concerns about them. He called these reports “very unfortunate” and talked about his efforts to contact pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese government over the issue. So far the Noble Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi has kept silence on the plight of the Rohingyas.

Racism also is a norm in Burma, unfortunately. Human Rights Watch’s 2009 World Report describes the military's abuse of ethnic minorities through forced labor, sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, torture, and beatings, and notes confiscation of land and property is widespread. Tensions between the country's majority Bamar population and various ethnic groups are at a high. The dark-skinned Rohingyas are the most discriminated against, though. For decades, Rohingyas were called “kallar” a word equivalent to the “N Word” in the USA. They are wrongfully seen as illegal immigrants who need to be deported.

Rohingyas are the most convenient target of this religious intolerance and racism at the dawn of recent Burma Gold Rush, as Burma has opened its borders to foreign companies and the U.S. lifted trade sanctions against Burma, last month.

Burma is South East Asia’s poorest, and the third most politically corrupt country in the world. But it has abundant natural resources such as oil, natural gas, timber and minerals. According to Trust Law, it is indeed a perfect haven for the oil and gas companies who thrive by exploiting poor nations with corrupt governments. As the companies and their agents from all over the world are gathering in Burma, hoping to get the bigger piece of pie, Burmese government along with the elite class are doing whatever they can to seize more land and resources under their control, even if it means forceful displacement of lawful owners.  The current ethnic cleansing and forced massive displacement of Rohingyas fits in with this goal of making money at any cost.

In the words of Lisa Misol, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, “Burma's really a prime example of how natural resource wealth and unaccountable government combine to lead to human rights abuses, corruption, mismanagement and leaving people poor and repressed when they actually should be benefitting from this wealth.”

Call to Action:

For the sake of humanity, justice, and the preservation of a global moral consciousness, the world community must take serious actions to stop the ongoing genocide against the Rohingya Muslims, as well as other human rights violations in Burma. It’s upon us all to save the most vulnerable, endangered Rohingya population. These are stateless, homeless and voiceless people with no real leadership. They have nobody but us to fight for them.

The United States, other countries, and the United Nations must keep pressing Burma to deliver peace and justice to its people. The restoration of the citizenship of Rohingya people must be demanded, as the Citizenship Law is in violation of international laws. Although a couple of reminders have been given to the President Thein Sein and to the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi by the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, they are not enough. There should be a concrete set of demands for the restoration of human rights, along with serious consequences, including trade sanctions, in the absence of the delivery of justice in a preset time frame.

President Obama is going to be the first ever American president to visit Burma. This is a big deal for Burmese government. He must use his power and presence to demand an immediate halt to the persecution of Rohingyas. He must communicate clearly to the Burmese government that the restoration of human rights for Rohingyas would be the basic ingredient of any business treaty between the United States and Myanmar.

The international media, along with interfaith organizations, must play their role in catalyzing this process. Their role is crucial in engaging the communities and raising a strong voice that can be heard all the way to the presidential corridors of Myanmar.

The moral and professional responsibilities also lie upon the shoulders of the CEOs of the corporations investing in Burma. They must exercise their power and investments in the favor of the vulnerable in that country. A Burma desperate for foreign investments gives us the best chance to exert pressure, and we should not let it go.

Last but not least is the role of individuals. None of the above will be accomplished unless we, the people of the world, ask our governments, media, leadership and businesses to do what is right.  

At the verge of President Obama’s visit to Burma next week, it is imperative for Americans, individuals and organizations, to reach him now and ask him to help stop violence against Rohingyas.  

Burma Task Force – USA, a nationwide alliance of various national and regional Muslim organizations, has launched a concrete program with action items ranging from daily calls to governmental leaders, to organized peaceful protests to raise awareness and to demand justice for Burma’s persecuted populations. This is an initiative of the organization Justice for All, which launched Bosnia Task Force in the 1990s and played a crucial role in organizing Americans to help stop genocide in Bosnia.  The task force asks all conscientious people to join us in this cause for the sake of justice and humanity. More information is available at BurmaMuslims.org.

Note: This post is originally published at www.BurmaMuslims.org.

Election 2012- Ohio Muslim Voting Day

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Election 2012 – The Dilemma of Muslim American Voters

Election 2012 presents a dilemma to many Muslim Americans.

When it comes to Islamic faith and practices, Republican and Democrat, both platforms have serious problems. Staying at home on Election Day becomes an easy option to many, but in the wake of continued hatred and fear mongering by Republicans against Islam and Muslims in America, Muslim Americans cannot afford to stay undecided and inactive in this election.

Rabia Chaudry, a DC-based activist and columnist, has already addressed a host of Muslim excuses for not voting in her recent article “Vote, Because Islam Tells You To.” I won’t repeat them here, but I would like to take it a step further.

For long, Muslim Americans have been troubled about endorsing some of the moral positions of the Democrats' platform. For them, the choice for many years has been Republican Party, because they shared the same values when it came to issues like homosexuality, abortion, and sex education.

There is no doubt that these issues are fundamental to our faith. It would be awesome, if Muslim American scholars and imams had actually come out with some agreed upon guidelines about these mostly politicized issues in this country. But unfortunately, these topics are not much addressed in the political context by the Muslim American leadership so far.

The only piece in this genre, The Need for a Muslim debate on Abortion in America, was written in 2002 by Abdul Malik Mujahid, the founder and chairman of Muslim Democrats. Mujahid rightfully argued the position of those jumping on the bandwagon of the right-wing conservatives. He asks, “Can we apply Islamic morality partially to a society which does not accept the basic premises of Islam?” “By putting our support in the basket of anti-abortionist forces,” he argues, “we will only strengthen those who are religiously motivated against Islam at the cost of those who, in general, have an open mind about new ideas, are more tolerant towards other religions and tend to cherish minority causes.” His words came true within a decade.

In the last two years, Republicans have introduced 73 anti-Islam bills in 31 states and the U.S. Congress. So far, six states have passed bills intended to interfere in our religious practice as a Muslim American. This year, the Republican Party is not only running an election campaign on fear of Muslims and Muslim-Americans, but it is also going against general universal moral values (and strongly held Muslim values) of taking care of the elderly, the needy and the weak in society. It’s running for an agenda that will only increase the gaps between the haves and haves-not. They are taking this country to another level of social injustice that is un-Islamic, inhumane and is considered morally wrong by all religions and people of consciousness.

On the contrary, we have an alternative, a liberal party that is inclusive of all minorities and people of color. For this party, it’s all about the social justice. It is fighting for the most vulnerable in the society. It’s about the character and the values for which this country stands for.

If some Muslims are still confused about who should they side with, they need to look no further than Prophet Muhammad's example, may peace be upon him.

About 1500 years ago, young Muhammad (peace be upon him) made a pact with several other young men in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to protect the vulnerable in their community. This was a historic event and was later called Hilf ul Fadhool (The Pact of the Virtuous). Later in his life, the blessed prophet talked very highly about the pact and said if he would have another opportunity to make another pact of this nature with the non-Muslims, he would do so happily.

Who else knew better than the blessed Prophet did that the social justice is the main core of Islam. No society can thrive without it. All other obligations and doctrines come after the basic needs of people including food, clothes, shelter and healthcare are met. The renowned contemporary scholar, Tariq Ramadan, highlights various aspects of this pact in his book “In the Footsteps of the Prophet.” He writes:

“Islam is a message of justice that entails resisting oppression and protecting the dignity of the oppressed and the poor, and Muslims must recognize the moral value of a law or contract stipulating this requirement, whoever its authors and whatever the society, Muslim or not. Far from building an allegiance to Islam in which recognition and loyalty are exclusive to the community of faith, the Prophet strove to develop the believer’s conscious through adherence to principles transcending closed allegiances in the name of a primary loyalty to universal principles themselves.”

This treaty was so monumental in the history of the World, that the United States Supreme Court honored Prophet Muhammad as one of the 18 greatest law givers in 1935, and recognized him on the North Frieze of the US Supreme Court building. Let's not forget that the make-up of the Supreme Court for the foreseeable future, which will influence justice in this country for all Americans and others, is likely to be decided by whoever is elected President.

As we know, the Republican Party’s continuous war is not only against Islam and Muslims, but it is also against the poor and needy; women, children and the elderly; and firefighters, teachers, nurses and cops. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education and many other basic infrastructures that support and provide for the middle and lower class of the country are at stake. Just like the blessed prophet, we should stand and fight for social justice first. We should also fight for Islam and Muslims in our own domestic context before we talk about what’s happening overseas.

In this context, there is really no dilemma for a Muslim American Voter. Our priorities are already sorted out by the blessed prophet himself. We should side with the poor and needy. We should vote to restore and preserve the social justice in the society. We should elect to preserve the constitutional rights of all Americans, Muslims and non Muslims. By doing so, we would automatically save the future of Islam and Muslims in America. Once it is done, we can always raise awareness about the other moral issues and our religious positions in those regards.

Election 2012: Muslim Americans Must Vote Democrat

In the wake of continuing hatred and fear mongering against Islam and Muslims in America, Muslim Americans cannot afford to stay undecided and inactive in this election. Their only option is to vote democrat.

Like every other election, this election is also the most important election of its time. The stakes are high for the entire country; but for Muslim Americans they have never been as high as they are in this election. The Tea Party’s bigotry has been too loud and too clear against Muslims that it has clearly infected the entire Republican Party. The hate mongering against Muslims reached a new level during the GOP primary. Muslim Americans have become a regular commodity of the Republicans for political gains. This leaves only one clear option for Muslim Americans: Get out and vote and reject the bigots and the hate mongers once forever.

Rabia Chaudry, a DC-based activist and columnist, has already addressed a host of Muslim excuses for not voting in her recent article “Vote, Because Islam Tells You To.” I won’t repeat them here, but I would like to take it a step further.

Some Muslim Americans have been so troubled about endorsing some of the moral positions of the Democrats' platform that they prefer to stay away from voting altogether. For many politically active Muslims, the choice for many years was to lean towards Republican Party, because we thought we shared the same values when it came to issues like homosexuality, abortion, and sex education

There is no doubt that these issues are fundamental to our faith. It would be awesome, if Muslim American scholars and imams had actually come out with some agreed upon guidelines about these mostly politicized issues in this country.

The only piece in this genre, The Need for a Muslim debate on Abortion in America, was written in 2002 by Abdul Malik Mujahid, the founder and chairman of Muslim Democrats. Mujahid rightfully argued the position of those jumping on the bandwagon of the right-wing conservatives. He asks, “Can we apply Islamic morality partially to a society which does not accept the basic premises of Islam?” “By putting our support in the basket of anti-abortionist forces,” he argues, “we will only strengthen those who are religiously motivated against Islam at the cost of those who, in general, have an open mind about new ideas, are more tolerant towards other religions and tend to cherish minority causes.” His words came true in just one decade.

Today, the Republican Party is not only running an election campaign on fear of Muslims and Muslim-Americans, but it is also going against general universal moral values (and strongly held Muslim values) of taking care of the elderly, the needy and the weak in society. It’s running for an agenda that will only increase the gaps between the haves and haves-not. They are taking this country to another level of social injustice that is un-Islamic, inhumane and is considered morally wrong by all religions and people of consciousness.

On the contrary, we have an alternative, a liberal party that is inclusive of all minorities and people of color. It has two Muslim congressmen already sitting in the current congress and another Muslim, Dr. Syed Taj, is running on democratic ticket from District 11 in Michigan. For this party, it’s all about the social justice. It is fighting for the most vulnerable in the society. It’s about the character and the values for which this country stands for.

If some Muslims are still confused about who should they side with, they need to look no further than Prophet Muhammad's example, peace be upon him.

About 1500 years ago, young Muhammad (peace be upon him) made a pact with several other young men in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to protect the vulnerable in their community. This was a historic event and was later called Half ul Fazool (the Treaty of the Righteous). Later in his life, the blessed prophet talked very highly about the pact and said if he would have another opportunity to make another pact of this nature with the non-Muslims, he would do so happily. This treaty was so monumental in the history of the World, that the United States Supreme Court honored Prophet Muhammad as one of the 18 greatest law givers in 1935, and recognized him on the North Frieze of the US Supreme Court building. Let's not forget that the make-up of the Supreme Court for the foreseeable future, which will influence justice in this country for all Americans and others, is likely to be decided by whoever is elected President.

Who else knew better than the blessed Prophet did that the social justice is the main core of Islam. No society can thrive without it. All other obligations and doctrines come after the basic needs of people including food, clothes, shelter and healthcare are met.

Muslim American’s options are clear in this context. The Republican Party’s continuous war is against the poor and needy; women, children and the elderly; and firefighters, teachers, nurses and cops. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education and many other basic infrastructures that support and provide for the middle and lower class of the country are at stake. The bigotry against Muslims and Islam is also ongoing. Just like the blessed prophet, we should stand and fight for social justice first. We should also fight for Islam and Muslims in our own domestic context before we talk about what’s happening overseas. In this fight, our allies are the Democrats only and our weapon is our vote. For the sake of a consistent, sustainable, hurdle-free change, we should only vote for Democrats from school boards to the White House.

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Khalil Wimes and Abdifatah Mohamud: Two Little Victims of One Big Crime, Child Abuse

“Khalil was dead from head trauma March 19 when his parents, Tina Cuffie, 44, and Floyd Wimes [aka Latiff Hadi], 48, brought him to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. His corpse weighed only 29 pounds and bore a sea of scars across his face and the rest of his body, according to police reports. Authorities believe Khalil suffered beatings at the hands of his parents for as long as two years, and he was photographed with obvious scarring at the same time the social worker was visiting him and his siblings in 2011.” ─ Reports Philadelphia Inquirer.


18 month old Khalil with his foster parents“In fact, Khalil had spent the final months of his life beaten, bone thin, desperately ill, and out of school …” “During these months, Khalil's parents beat him regularly, with books, shoes, extension cords, and a belt, according to interviews with two adult sisters. Three large welts on his forehead are visible in an October 2011 family photograph.”

“Wimes and Cuffie often withheld food from Khalil as punishment for what they deemed to be misbehavior, sometimes not feeding him until dinner time, or sending him to bed without dinner, the siblings said…

In August 2011, Khalil threw up twice at a birthday party in Southwest Philadelphia for Cuffie's father, Wesley Cuffie Sr. In a photograph from the party, Khalil looks frail and sick.


Older Khalil: Abused and scarred
by his biological parentsKhalil didn't mingle with the other children that day, Wesley Cuffie Sr. said. "He just sat there on the step like a little tin soldier," Cuffie Sr. said.

None of Cuffie's relatives who were at the party called authorities about the boy's condition.”
These are just few heartbreaking paragraphs from a long report by Reporter Mike Newall of the Inquirer. This was the tragic, abused life of little Khalil whose entire family kept their eyes closed and did not report the abuse to the authorities. More disturbing is the fact that the authorities already failed him by returning him to his disqualified, abusive, addicted parents in the first place. He had a foster mother (a distant cousin) who took care of him for the first three years of his life and was eager to take him back. Nobody but the death came to rescue this little angel.

********************

“On the night of April 17, Ali Mohamad Mohamud tied up his stepson Abdifatah Mohamud, stuffed a sock in his mouth, covered it with duct tape and then beat the boy to death, Buffalo, N.Y.,” police told ABC News affiliate WKBW.

Abdifatah Mahamoud“An autopsy showed that the fifth grader died after being hit more than 70 times with a rolling pin.” --- ABC News.

The brutality of this stepfather is beyond any rationale. More disturbing is the fact that little Abdifatah tried to escape this man by calling 911, but unfortunately, as the Buffalo News correctly pointed out in its editorial The system failed Abdifatah. In spite of police reports to the Erie County Child Protective Services, CPS never took measures to remove him from this abusive household. Sadly, this little boy also could not escape his death.

The lame excuse for this brutal beating was that his grades were dropping, whereas his Principal Kevin Eberle says that “Academically, he was just a great kid in the classroom. His grades were great.” Dad claims that he was only disciplining him. What kind of disciplining was this? I wish somebody would discipline this brutal man with a punishment like this as well.
******************** We as a community seriously need to do something about such parents who torture their kids in all sorts of ways in the name of discipline. Police and children services come later. Where are family members, neighbors and community members? Why is there nobody to stop them? This does not happen in just one night. Instead, such deadly incidents happen after several incidents of lesser severity. In this case, it is apparent that nobody stopped these brutal people at all.

As I look into the bright beautiful eyes and at the beautiful smile of Abdifatah, I cannot believe he is not alive anymore. As I look at the scarred and battered face of Khalil, I can’t believe nobody noticed or cared to help this poor little guy. Being a mother of three children, my heart goes out to their mothers.
Khalil’s foster mother, Alicia Nixon, is mourning her son’s murder. Her hands were tied by laws and for the last three years she had been knocking on agencies’ doors in her attempt to reunite her with him.

Abdifatah’s mother, Shukri Bile, is also shocked. Her son is dead and her husband has been arrested on a second degree murder charges. May Allah grant her with patience to deal with this shocking loss, amen.
I am wondering as well about her options prior to this tragic incident. Under what circumstances would a mother live in a household where her child is being abused continuously?

There are two possible answers to this question: Either the mother herself is a victim of domestic violence or she is an equal partner in the abuse like Khalil’s mother. In both cases, the root problem is the existence, acceptance and ignorance of different types of family violence within a community.

My heart also goes out to Abdifatah’s neighbor who helped his stepdad in catching him when Abdifatah was trying to run away from him. According to the neighbor, she was the one who forcibly convinced Abdifatah to go with his dad by telling him that nothing was going to happen. Based on her interview, she is now regretful. This reminds me of another sister I know, who forced her sister to go back to her abusive husband only to find her dead the next morning. That sister has also been sorry for several years and it still hurts.

Often times we do a greater disservice, when we push back people into an abusive relationship and tell them to live by working it out. A sister in an abusive relationship or a child in the custody of an abusive parent needs more support and understanding than that. In fact, a child is more vulnerable and helpless than a grown up woman.

In reading Abdifatah’s story, I get puzzled. The boy himself called CPS for help. If they weren't going to remove him... and his mom wasn't going to leave... then, who could help? If the boy had gone to a local Imam or someone else, just like his neighbor, they might have also returned him back to his family. At least in my experience of many Muslim communities, our mosques and community members are simply not trained for situations like these. Parents’ rights and authority override the children’s rights and vulnerability more too often.

As Buffalo News questioned CPS and the Inquirer questioned Philadelphia's Department of Human Services (DHP), I would like to question the neighbors, the extended family, the friends and the community. What could have been done within the closer circles to save these little helpless boys? What can be done now to save other Khalils and Abdifatahs out there?

What is really needed is communities whose members are closer, where many people would have been aware of the child's situation and doing what they could to help, and also needed is awareness on the part of the community that one must take the claims of children of abuse seriously ...not just saying it is an internal family matter.

We need to be able to give our shoulder to a child in need. We need to keep our eyes and ears open for such vulnerable people around us. We need to investigate more deeply if we hear screams from a house, or see somebody running outside scared and frightened, or probably have more obvious signs of being beaten or abused in one way or the other. If something does not seem normal, we should not assume it as normal. The least we can do is report it to the authority and keep following up with them.

These poor people also need more actions to be taken by the community and faith organizations like mosques and churches. Workshops and programs about parenting, anger management, conflict resolution and similar do help people in improving their family lives and personal relationships. Programs about family law and related legal issues also help people in getting out of a situation and making a decision. And of course, stronger laws and their reinforcement against all types of family violence would help on top.

In short, the only positive thing that can emerge from these tragic episodes is that our community changes its attitude toward the issue of child abuse. Parents must start understanding and distinguishing between discipline and abuse. And the child protective agencies do their part more effectively. Project Sakinah is working to build the public will for change in the Muslim community. Please join our hands in saving other abused children in our communities.

For Khalil and Abdifatah, of course no more worries of being beaten for little things. Rest in peace little angels! Rest in Peace!

This post was originally published by Project Sakinah. This has been posted here by their permission only. 

Project Sakinah: Stopping Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is an injustice that is prohibited in Islam. It has been condemned by several Muslim scholars. The translation of the famous verse 4:34 of Quran that has been used by some Muslims to justify wife beating has also been challenged by several scholars on the grounds of the alternate meaning of the word “durbahunna” and no evidence of domestic abuse in the married life of the blessed Prophet Muhammed.

There are several sayings of the blessed prophet condemning all kinds of oppression and abuse. Here are just a few of them:

1. "Do not abuse anyone, do not look down upon any good work, and when you speak to your brother, show him a cheerful face." [Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1889]

2. "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an oppressor..." [Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 631]

3. Anas Bin Malik reported, Allah's Apostle (SAW) said, "Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one. People asked, "O Allah's Apostle (SAW)! It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?" The Prophet (SAW) said, "By preventing him from oppressing others." [Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 633]

Here, the blessed Prophet is clearly forbidding people from abusing anybody, let alone somebody’s own spouse. He is also advocating Muslims to help oppressors by stopping them from oppressing anyone.

These and many other sayings of the blessed Prophet and the verses of Quran are beacon of lights for people who work at Project Sakinah, a national initiative of Dar al Islam. This project is not only raising awareness about the issue, but it is also building teams to combat domestic violence in various neighborhoods and communities across America. We are advocating to stop and prevent domestic violence through actions taken by family members, community and institutions. There are three simple steps to do this: Wake Up, Speak Up, Team Up.

The simple philosophy behind these steps is driven from the famous Hadith of the blessed Prophet in which he is reported to have said: "If one of you sees something wrong, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; if he cannot, then with his heart and this is the weakest faith."

In our opinion, just being aware and doing nothing about domestic violence is the symbol of the weakest faith. Speaking against it is better and teaming up to combat it is the best.

At Project Sakinah, we also believe that in this fast pace, high-tech media world, people’s attention can easily be diverted to another issue in a matter of minutes. People may get excited about one thing for a couple of days and they may not even remember about it a week later.

Many of us remember a cartoon character campaign on Facebook from last year. Tens of thousands of people changed their profile picture to their favorite cartoon character. The idea was that by changing pictures, they would be raising awareness about child abuse. When in reality, many of them were merely talking about their favorite cartoons. At the same time, several other people were asking how it was actually going to stop child abuse.

Raising awareness about domestic violence is also similar, whether it is through wearing purple ribbon or hijabs; through holding a seminar, a conference or a workshop; through organized walks; or through online activism. Unfortunately, it alone is not effective in combating violence unless it is followed by some form of actions by people.

This is why, Project Sakinah is focusing on actual mobilization and organization of community members to address this issue. Stopping domestic violence needs consistent efforts and solid actions taken by not only professionals and parties involved directly, but also by family members, community, faith-based organizations, etc.

Through grassroots efforts, we are hoping to introduce pre-marital counseling, couplehood trainings, anger management workshops and several other programs to various communities, mosques and Islamic centers as preventive measures. We are also engaging community members in dialogues about their matrimonial choices, the concept of manhood and womanhood and the role of their mosques and families in shaping these perceptions.

We are urging everyone to join hands with us. This is a community project. Its success lies in the community’s hands and the rewards are only with Allah. As the blessed prophet said:

“…Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection." [Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 631]

You may join Project Sakinah through these links: Website,  Facebook, Twitter.

I AM Youth call for Better Together on 9/11 and beyond

Regardless of how sad, offended or angry Americans were on the eve of September 11, 2001, we were not lost or divided. Regardless of how shattered and crumbled our buildings were, our hearts were in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of all faiths and ethnicities. Regardless of how confused, bitter or reactionary some of us were, the majority of us stood together as one nation, because we knew we were better together.

The fire was fierce, but our firefighters jumped in it to save others. The buildings were crumbling, but our paramedics went in to get others out. The rubble was hazardous, but community members kept digging until every beloved person was placed to rest in peace. The duties were long. The jobs were tiresome. The air was polluted. The emotions were high. The eyes were wet. The hearts were heavy. But nothing took us apart.

Together we took care of our dead and injured. Together we mourned. Together we found hope and faith in each other. But then some people did not like that unity and harmony in the American people. They took it upon themselves to divide the community through fear and hate-mongering. They have been investing millions of dollars in the last ten years to incite hatred against Muslim Americans. With this kind of agenda and money, they have kept America focused mostly on death and destruction.

In the post 9/11 era, we have focused so much on the hate that we forgot to love. We have mourned so much for our deaths that we forgot to celebrate our lives. We have focused so much on our attackers that we forgot to celebrate our rescuers. We have focused so much on attacking the enemy that we forgot to make friends. We have focused so much on dividing the community that we forgot uniting it for our own sake.

I AM Youth members and mentors after Sprucing Up
Near-Eastside Columbus on Earth Day 2011



But that’s not true for some of us. Regardless of strong hate campaigns and negative media narratives, we have also been blessed with several outstanding leaders and individuals who took it upon themselves to join our communities together. These are our soldiers of civility who are fighting for America within America. They are our freedom fighters, who are constantly protecting our Constitution and the American dream of justice for all.

Over the last ten years, these Americans have been building bridges over the turbulent waters. They are faith leaders, public servants, politicians, teachers, laborers, lawyers, students, and people from all walks of life. They have set a harmonious tone of inclusiveness and unity through their sacrifices and hard work. They have kept the American dream alive through their activism and services.

As the media focuses on villains more, most of these heroes have gone unnoticed through these years. But some dynamic interfaith youth leaders in Columbus, Ohio, have decided to change the trend this year, at least in Columbus. They have decided to change the narrative of 9/11. They have decided to pay tribute to their heroes and to celebrate the revival of community spirit along with the remembrance of those who lost their lives ten years ago.

Interfaith Action Movement of Youth (I AM Youth) started as Columbus Interfaith Youth in January of 2010. A handful of adults (including myself) and youth inspired by Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) of Eboo Patel decided to start a group that would gather teenagers of different faith orientations for community service projects.

In the last twenty-one months, we have followed Patel’s path and have evolved as a thriving interfaith youth movement in the greater Columbus area. To my knowledge, this is the only interfaith youth program here that empowers teenagers.

On September 11, we are gathering some of the best young and old heroes in our city under one roof. Our event’s title, “Better Together,” is also an effort to stay close to the vision of IFYC. The subtitle, Path to Peace and Justice: Faith, Service and Unity, explains our vision. This event is a mix of a conference, an award ceremony, and a music festival. People of all faiths, ages, races and ethnicities are welcome.

 

This event is sponsored by Tifereth Israel, Islamic Society of Greater Columbus, Covenant Presbyterian Church of Columbus, First Congregational Church of Columbus, Lahore Ahmadiyya Islamic Society, Interfaith Center for Peace, Justice Action Ministry of First Unitarian Church, and Columbus Metropolitan Area Church Council.

Award recipients include: Columbus Mayor Coleman, Columbus Police Department, Columbus Fire Department and several interfaith and social justice leaders.

This day, we will be gathering to heal and to discover a new beginning. A new era of construction, inclusiveness, friendship and finding comfort in each other. A new era of combining youth power and old wisdom. A new era of being better together.

Celebrating Eid over dead bodies!

Karachi buried about 200 victims of
 unrest and terrorism in Ramadan 2011

Eid ul Fitr is tomorrow. In order to celebrate it fully, I am supposed to do tons of things like: cooking biryani and desserts, decorating my house, getting nice clothes for my children, throwing a big party and buying and wrapping gifts for my friends, family and community members.

But I don’t want to do any of the above. I just don’t feel like celebrating Eid this time.

It’s because I am surrounded by dead bodies. Dead bodies from all over the world - Syria, Libya, Karachi, Norway, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Yemen, Somalia, … list goes on and on. How can I celebrate this Eid when thousands of mothers all around me are mourning for their children?



I am surrounded by Somali children waiting for their death. They are dying, because they have NOTHING To EAT. How do I prepare a feast for my children? That biryani? That kheer? Samosas or kebabs?

I am surrounded by homeless American children. I am surrounded by American poor and needy with no food to eat, no medicine to heal, no house to live, and no shoulder to weep. How do I throw a party without including them in it??


Not dead yet,
How painful for a parent to watch this!

So many children are dying of hunger and we eat cakes and ice creams?  

So many parents can’t afford life-saving medicine for their kids and we set moonwalk and rides for ours?

So many parents are not even able to buy coffins for their children and I buy those accessories to match my daughter’s fancy clothes. How? When did I become so heartless, so self centered?? Who made me so?

It’s holy month of Ramadan, the month of mercy. All over the Islamic world, people are giving in charity. There are fundraisers being organized for Somalis. There are protests and fundraisers being organized for Syria, Libya and elsewhere. There are prayer vigils being organized for Karachi. I may have given some dollars here and there. I may have made one or two prayers for those in need once in a while. But, am I done with my job? Is it enough??

Shall I just close my eyes, or duck my neck under the sand and pretend that ALL IS WELL?

Shall I comfort myself by reminding about those couple of dollars that I sent to Somalia and elsewhere? That means I have done my job. That’s enough. Right?

Wrong. I may have helped a little, but I am not done until the peace and justice is restored in the world.

Restoring peace and justice is not something that I can do alone. This is something that can only be done by a community that has a will to bring that peace. Individuals like me can only bring ideas to table. We may push them to some bit by launching a project or two, but it’s up to our community to actually buy and implement those ideas.

In Muslim American community, mosques and ethnic organizations play a vital role in changing community’s culture and priorities. Majority of these organizations are mostly focused on their own establishment. They have their own agendas and goals which are valid up to some point. Since they collect money from the community to run their organizations, they make it incumbent upon themselves to serve the community by organizing several social events including Eid parties, picnics etc. This is normal and expected. But what should they do at the time of crises like we are facing now? Shall they spend thousands of dollars in throwing community parties and festivals at times like these? Or shall they take community in confidence and use this money in saving poor and needy and oppressed around the world and in their own backyard? These are the questions that must be answered by both parties by mutual understanding.

Here I would like to share an episode from 1999 when Eid fell upon us in the middle of genocide in Kosovo. Thousands of our brothers and sisters were running bare feet in the jungles of Kosovo to save their lives from Serb attackers. Local mosque in the city where I was residing at that time was throwing a big Eid party. My husband and I took upon ourselves and requested our mosque re-allocating those funds to help people in Kosova. We were told that “the people are suffering all over the world all the time. Every year, all year round, there are crises in the Islamic world. If we started canceling Eid parties for these reasons, we would never have a party again and that would be devastating for our children. So we shall never cancel or make it any simple.” We were also told that money had been sent to Kosova and the Eid party would be organized with different funds, hence it was justified.

I could not believe what I heard at that time, but over the last 12 years, I have learned that my mosque was not alone in making that argument. Unfortunately, there are several organizations and individuals who use this argument quite frequently. That’s how we have justified spending thousands on our superficial needs, when people literally died because they did not have a loaf of bread to eat.

We may have seen so much bloodshed and oppression in our lives that we have become immune to it. It does not affect us anymore. People die and we throw parties and festivals over their bodies. At the same time we lecture others about how caring and loving Islam is. Indeed Islam is caring and loving, but we are not the true followers of Islam. Perhaps, we may have become one of those self centered and heartless people who were rejected by Allah, the almighty, throughout the history of mankind. Hellfire, how bad is the final destination of such people? – Quran asks.

If we genuinely believe in the holy Quran that we read extensively throughout the Ramadan, we should do our best to change this situation. We need to sober up. We need to make big decisions as a community. We need to think about all “those others” as if they are us. The blessed prophet Muhammad said “Muslims are like one body. If one part of the body hurts; whole body feels it.” In our case whole body is hurting and we are feeding it with chocolates and candies instead of medicine. How sane is it?

Honestly, we need to cut these festivals and parties. It’s a call for change. Make it simple, perhaps one dish, one dessert and a simple picnic. Use our gatherings for further reflections and prayers. Stop using children as an excuse for such parties. Our children are smarter than us. When we talk to them sincerely, they donate their toys and Eid money and feel happy about it. It’s time to team up with them to do something different. Make it an Eid of Muslim community that is alive and alert, God willing.

That’s the kind of Eid I want to celebrate this year!

I pray to my Lord that He softens our hearts and gives us wisdom to put our energy and money into the projects that take us to the Heaven. May He help oppressed and needy around the world, and may He help us in helping them, ameen.

Domestic violence in Muslim families: Aasiya Zubair to Nazish Noorani

Note: This post was originally written and published for Project Sakinah. It is also published at altmuslimah.com

Aasiya Zubair & Nazish Noorani. Both murdered
by their husbands and left little ones behind them. 



As I write this post, it has been five days since the murder of Nazish Noorani, 27, a mother of two, in Boonton, NJ.

A week prior to her death, she texted her brother,

"I dont no wht to do…Cant talk to him cuz he abuse me than…He dosent wanna live with me…I dont no kids get scared of him sometimes…I m so tired of this…I dont no i m scared…someday u will find me dead but its cuz of kashi…he wants to kill me."

Unfortunately, regardless of her warning, she could not save herself. Her husband, Kashif Pervaiz, successfully plotted and killed her with the help of his girlfriend, Antoinette Stephen.

Inna lillahi wa inna illaihi raajioon. To God we belong and to Him we return. May God rest her soul in peace and may He grant patience to her family and loved ones.

How sad, gruesome, and alarming this murder is for the Muslim Community!

To many of us, it’s a dejavu. It reminds us all about Sr. Aasiya Zubair’s murder in February of 2009. Just like Aasiya, Nazish is also gone forever and her family, along with her two sons, 5 and 3, are left behind grieving.

As some details of Sr. Nazish’s dysfunctional married life are disclosed now, it is obvious that Pervaiz was not only abusive but was also cheating with her for long time. She had been openly communicating with her siblings for quite some time and was very confused about how to deal with the situation.

We don’t know a lot about how her brother responded to her grievances. But we know that her sister, Lubna Chaudry, begged her to leave the marriage which Nazish refused, according to some newspaper reports. She loved him, sister says. This is typical of abused women in love relationships. More reasons of why victims stay in abusive relationships can be seen here.

A common question that family and friends often ask each other after such incidents is: What could have been done to avoid it? What do you do when your daughter or sister text you a message like Nazish did about her abusive married life? Life or marriage, what would/should you pick? Where do you draw the line and decide to be safe than sorry.

Also, if it is not life threatening, how long is long enough for a person in an abusive relationship? What should a family/community member do after learning about the situation? When does it become community business?

These are tough questions and need serious dialogue within Muslim community.

In order to initiate this dialogue at community level, Dar al Islam launched Project Sakinah (Sakinah means tranquility) after the gruesome murder of Sr. Aasiya in 2009. Although various DV organizations have already been working within Muslim community for years, Project Sakinah has become the first national platform in last two and a half years.

After initial research, intensive brainstorming with several Muslim and non-Muslim DV advocates and several sessions with professional consultants, we have now launched a 6-point action plan for our community. We call upon all concerned community members to join hands with us and help us making it a success.

Starting this October, we are offering training workshops for community organizers against domestic violence. These workshops are not for professionals. These are for regular people. We call upon you to help us organize these workshops in your city, at your mosques and community centers.

As we walk on this road to Sakinah, we invite you too to join the caravan. Following are few initial steps that you can take right away:

1. Explore Project Sakinah’s website and educate yourself about the issue and possible ways to combat it within your inpidual capacity.

2. Share the site with your friends and family members.

3. Join our Project Sakinah National Team and help us through your direct participation and feedback.

4. Like our Facebook page and help spread the word to your online friends.

5. Request our free campaign material (postcards, posters and brochures) to be distributed at your mosque and local businesses. Email your request to gathering@projectsakinah.org.

6. Take our online survey "Where Do You Stand?" The Attitudes of Muslim Men and Women Toward Domestic Violence. This will help us in improving our plan and strategy to combat this evil within Muslim community.

7. Donate to support Project Sakinah so we can continue this work for long time with better quality.Last but not least is the fact that domestic violence is a global issue. One in every three women becomes a victim of domestic violence at some point of her life in the United States. But this fact does not make it less of a Muslim problem.

Last but not least is the fact that domestic violence is a global issue. One in every three women becomes a victim of domestic violence at some point of her life in the United States. But this fact does not make it less of a Muslim problem.

Unfortunately, the media is once again sensationalizing this news around Islam and Ramadan suggesting it is a Muslim problem. The best way to counter the Media’s buzz is through showing the serious commitment of the Muslim community against domestic violence. We have talked and reacted enough. It does not really help much. It’s time to walk, and the road to Sakinah is wide enough for us all to walk together.

Related Links:
Domestic violence and our bystander culture
Nazish Noorani, domestic abuse and American Muslims
Domestic violence in the month of mercy

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