Muslim Ad Portas!: On Swiss Minarets

The Swiss have voted against building minarets in Switzerland and this has rightly brought an outcry condemning the bigotry and barely veiled racism of these people. Regardless, I will neither condemn nor commend the Swiss for their decision. You see minarets do not just spring up after a mild rain shower, nor do they serve as beacons attracting even more Muslims to come to Europe. Minarets are architectural features of Islamic mosques which were developed much later than when Islam began to spread. They are called manara in Arabic, and it means a place to see, be illuminated from, a tower. It is where the Muezzin, from the word Adhan, meaning to alert or announce, would climb up to call the faithful to prayer from all around. This functional aspect of minarets has long ago ceased to be important and today they are mostly there for aesthetic purposes.

But that is not my point. Neither Swiss bigotry, nor the religious or architectural significance of minarets are what is important about this story. What is important is that for the first time in 400 years, at least since the Ottomans besieged Vienna, Muslims are having a real impact on what is happening in Europe. The Spaniards have a saying, the Muslims occupied Spain for 800 years - and they're still here. In France, the government now has to step in to make a law banning the headscarf from being worn. In Denmark, we know what has happened. But all these events in different European countries are rooted in a deep seated alarm, perhaps with roots in historical fact, that the barbarians are at the gate. In this case the barbarians are not only at the gate, they are now in fact involved with every aspect of European society.

I remember earlier generations of Arab Muslims who came to Europe or America and easily assimilated themselves into society. They began to drink, had girlfriends and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere to personal freedoms on offer here. However each successive wave of immigrants has been stronger in their adherence to Islam. Today there are Muslims who live in a way that we do not even see in Arab countries. European legislation bans polygamy? That's ok because all that's needed for an Islamic marriage is a Sheikh and two witnesses. There are plenty of men I've met who are married to another woman Islamically in Europe, have children with her, and also have their main wife. Whether you like it or hate it, it exists here regardless of legislation. In fact in some Muslim countries such things are no longer possible. In Tunisia there are areas where police would pull the headscarf off of a woman's head. Yet far from being a religion that is commonly portrayed as oppressive of women, I find remarkably hard religious opinion arising more often from women than men. Women have taken on the role of protecting their husbands from straying, of keeping their children in the faith in a land where temptations are more readily available, and of strengthening bonds with other Muslims. Similar to the way the Qubaisia movements in Syria have served as a backbone for increased religiosity, so too are similar informal gatherings of women at each others houses serving a similar purpose. That and the ease of travel today means that links with the 'old' country are now stronger and where these things were localised phenomena, today they are becoming transnational.

To sum it up, I am not worried about the bigots. Minarets and sharia can be banned, headscarves can be torn off, and all the cartoons in the world will not stop the fact that Islam is now in Europe, and it is in America, and it is spreading throughout the world. At the end of the last century the big word had been globalisation, and that this somehow equated to the spread of Western values at the expense of local customs and traditions. This, in the shadow of the now lost "War on Terror", is now shown to be a fallacy. Far from seeing a 'McWorld' being created, we are seeing that Western cultural values and big business have been subverted and transformed by, rather than overwhelming Islamic countries. Technology has been "Islamised", science in all its amazing advances is a proof, rather than denial, of the "true" faith. Without even realising it, Europe is now, as it was 1000 years ago, being shaped by Islamic peoples. In all their moderation, fanaticism, vibrancy, benefit-scrounging, hypocritical or saintly glory different people who are Muslim are applying and living by it in their own way in a post-modern world. Like a phoenix from the ashes, Islam has reinvented itself for every time and every generation.

.

آخ

The sigh of sorrow since time immemorial.

.

Boycotting Danish goods, Crow sex and Science

It amazes me that I still receive e-mails telling me about the latest 'outrage' taking place in Denmark against the 'sensitivities' of Muslims over there. The latest film, the latest cartoon, the latest book about the Prophet Muhammad. The e-mails implore me, they beseech me, in all that I hold holy and as a religious duty that I will be answerable for on the Day of Judgement, to forward to all the people I know. Needless to say I delete the message.

Another type of e-mail I receive is about the wonders of the Qur'an, or some latest miracle that has been proven by 'the scientists' which demonstrates that Islam is the one true faith. Mecca is the centre of the world. Water molecules vibrate when the Qur'an is read aloud. Crows adhere to a rigid morality and enforcement of sexual relations akin to those in Islam. You name it, I've received it in my mail box. These e-mails too, I delete. Not that I know enough about scientific method to be able to prove or disprove any of this, like some people who claim they believe only in 'science' - whatever that means. I just know when I'm being taken for a ride when, however plausible a scenario or narrative presented to me is, there is that one little point upon which it all hinges that is conveniently ignored and that we are asked to mentally jump over because somehow the entire edifice is so magnificent that it justifies that we lie to ourselves on this little point.

Then we have the quack-science of people like Harun Yahya. He may have the best intentions for the faith, but to all extents and purposes he is lying, to himself and to other people. This is damaging rather than beneficial. He creates an artificial debate, mirrored exactly with the Christian creationist dilemma regarding evolution, or that the world is older than six thousand years old. I have spoken to Muslims who have credibly told me that in ancient times the people were larger than they are today, that they got smaller with time. Or they fully understand the intricacies of selective breeding, for horses or sheep, but refuse to acknowledge some process called evolution. Suppose we accept their argument that in the days of Noah people literally lived for one thousand years and were five metres tall, how can they explain the physical changes that have taken place so that we are now the diminutive, frail creatures that we are today? Their argument is 'reductio ad absurdum', reduced to the absurd.

I suppose it does not matter what you tell these people, they are not trying to understand in the first place and are usually far busier with their work and lives than to care about these things. So discussing these things rationally is useless. As the Qu'ran tells us, can those who know and those who do not know be equal? It is a qualitative difference. The e-mails being sent around are pandering to the superstitions of people, making them targets to the equally blind imitators of 'reason','civilization', and 'rationalism'. The stoicism of Marcus Aurelius comes to mind, a man who was religious without being superstitious. This streak of stoicism is also visible in the life and behaviour of the Prophet Muhammad, but sadly not in many of those who claim to follow him today. In my opinion that is far more outrageous than anything a stupid Danish man can draw in a newspaper.

.

Secularism in Syria..

There are many articles which crop up about Syria, mostly dire. This article is no exception. But it is written by Lina Sinjab who, if you have followed me long enough, is usually the subject of much amusement and wonder here at Maysaloon land. The Qubaisia movement is one which has fascinated me and in fact I know a number of families and friends who are now members in the movement. It is one of the few things in Syrian society today which can be seen as a positive change, giving women the control back of their bodies and their lives, and redefining their gender roles. It is in short, an astonishing movement, all the more amazing in that it has survived the brief 'anti-Islamic' phase of Syria's modern history.

The article mixes a sort of amusement with a slight sense of alarm. Women wearing hejabs is never a good thing for these people. Freedom should only be used to make (and justify) mistakes according to their logic. But what makes this article a truly Lina Sinjab article is the 'insider' perspective she gives the BBC's readers. Yes, Lina Sinjab is plugged-in to Syria's "intellectual" elite and, every now and then, she gives us a rare glimpse into this most exclusive, of Syria's many exclusive (and mostly obnoxious), classes. To balance the strong religiosity of the Qubaisia movement, she gives us one voice crying in the wilderness. Kinana Rukbi a web designer, who is supposed to represent the typical Syrian woman on the street.

Kinana says "It is dangerous to Syrian society, especially as there is no balancing trend. Only one side is active, the religious one, but secular people are not active at all."

"Side", Kinana? "Secular people" not active? Way to go in dividing and compartmentalising Syrian society. As if that is needed any further. It is not that what you are saying would be wrong in any other context, it is just that she has no context. The Qubaisia are Syrians, they represent Syrian wives, mothers and daughters who are concerned with the stupidity and shallowness of Syrian society. They are not importing values from abroad without comprehending what it is they are doing, like the 'secular' umm, side (whatever that is). They are reinforcing what Syrians have traditionally learnt and applied, as values, over generations. They remind Syrians of a world view which existed before the French arrived. Something that many people can no longer comprehend as possible.

Unlike in Lebanon, Syria cannot truly be said to have a Syrian 'intellectual' secular class. The dimwits that we usually hear proclaiming secularism are the technocratic, business degree, information technology, doctor/engineer class. It has long been an irony that Syria, a country with what I think is a commendable foreign policy with regards to occupation, is also dominated by a class of people infatuated with Beirut, Europe's "capital of culture" in the Middle East since the end of the first world war (and I mean that in the worst sense possible for what is a glorified nightclub, drug den, and brothel). Support for Hezbullah, or the Palestinians, or Iraq, represents a conundrum for these people. They pay lip service and wave the Syrian flag for the support it gives to these movements. But in my minds eye, I see them being just as comfortable, if they were Egyptians, waving the Egyptian flag, beating up Algerians and praising the wise and pragmatic rule of Husni Mubarak. They are psychophants, and a psychophant is dangerous to have on 'your' side.

Returning to the article, Ms Rukbi wishes for the secular 'side' of Syrian society to engage with everybody. What exactly secular Syrians have to offer, apart from incredibly shallow and simplistic political ideologies or jaded and tired regurgitations of French (dis)enlightenment philosophies and humanism, is a mystery. The Arak, sorry I meant Arab, secularists of Syria have no idea what it is they want, but they will not stop until they get it. Boring us in the process.

.

The morning was crisp here today, and I raised my jacket collar to keep the biting cold away from me. The bus ride was slow as there was much traffic, but eventually I arrived to the mosque near my area with enough time to spare before the Eid prayers began. Yes, today was the first day of Eid, not that we could tell from the glum faces of everybody in the streets, or the drab monotone streets of suburban England. There is something about experiencing Eid in non-Muslim countries. For a brief few minutes you are surrounded by people who share your enthusiasm for it, then you are back in central London, where nothing is sacred. Not even their Christmas.

The new mosque had only recently been completed, but already there were signs warning of BNP protests that were going to be taking place some time next week. The signs implored Muslim youth in particular not to be provoked into doing anything. Business as usual here I suppose.

I prayed in the, as of yet, incomplete mosque, more of a building site than a mosque, with other people I didn't know. I exchanged pleasantries, then read some Qur'an whilst the crowd dispersed. I hate crowds with a passion and avoid them whenever I can. Once that had happened, I slowly got up to begin my long journey to my university to attend my lectures and tutorials. Another Eid finding me in so different a situation than I expected to be in last year, what will you bring me this year Eid? More of the same, or something new?

Happy Eid everybody, and thank you for the well wishes!

.

Children of the 2006 war...

There is heavy shelling outside, the woman panicked and ran off with their daughter. The man was frozen in a stare. He believed that they would be safer if they remained where they were, he still does. As the shelling got louder and he waited in the darkness alone, he wondered whether he had been right to be so stubborn. It all happened faster than he could react or think.

.

مواقف موثرة و مضحكة لشهداء حزب الله

Touching final footage of Hezbullah fighters who have already fallen in battle.

.

I had a dream last night. I was watching the news and Israel was bombing Gaza again, but the conflict was escalating. Hezbullah were also fighting, and Iran was starting to rumble somewhere in the background...

.

A Syrian school of philosophy? Not any time soon...

Over the past few years I've read a particular Syrian blog which espouses a philosophy of some sort, "Hayawic Logic". I don't really know if anybody else reads it, but it is absolutely thrilling. There is absolutely nothing on it which is coherent or has anything related to philosophy. Like many Syrian blogs that try to discuss politics, philosophy or current affairs in English, it is a manifestation of the utter nonsense which some Syrians consider "intellectual". It is tragic to say this but there are no original Syrian thinkers I can think of today, only cheap imitations and sychophants.

A while back I had a confused exchange with its owner about Platonic forms. I don't normally do this, but the latest post amused me to no end. It is a quote from the comments section of Syria Comment and it is labelled " 'Hayawic Logic' theory is simply excellent, reference for almost everything political and religious." Wow, I can't remember I heard of any theory being referred to as 'excellent' in philosophy simply because it has a reference for almost anything political and religious.

The quote goes on, Dr Raiek al Nakari is "the only Syrian philosopher who has his own school of philosophy registered with the West". Yes, because the last time I checked philosophy schools need to be registered, and in the West no less. I mean, do they give him a certificate for that to hang on the wall? Besides, has anybody actually ever heard of this Dr al Nakari? And is there one person on God's green earth who could nicely sum up what it is this man is talking about and what makes it so great?

The final sentence in the post is probably the funniest [Emphasis added]:

I agree that it is a bit difficult to understand and to get involved in the dialog but just reading it and going through the articles they produce and the rich debate they create is fulfilling and make you feel smarter.

A bit difficult to understand is an overstatement. It is incoherent and just because I happen to have been born Syrian that does not mean I will subscribe to it slavishly with the pseudo-jingoism that other Syrian bloggers have whenever they hear our silly national anthem or wave around the flag on their websites.

.

Helali - Poshdeh Hizbullah with English subtitles

America and Israel think they can defeat these people...

.

Chechen zikr

Another clip, enjoy.

.

Chechen Qadiri Zikr

If a wolf asks a dog why he is chained up...
the dog says: "That's how it is".
"I prefer to be free", says the wolf, and he walks away.
That's what it's like for us.
And even if it is difficult, we are very satisfied with our life.
Praise God.
If only for a day, for a year. You can better die a cockerel than a chicken.

.

Enough... A new beginning.

.

Salat comforts the turbulent soul...

.

All those "well-intentioned" "people" who filled my head with pride and arrogance, and made forgiveness seem like a weakness. Where are you now, as I sit alone in the darkness? I will never, Insha Allah, allow my heart to turn to stone again, nor will I let your whispers destroy that which is good and beautiful to satisfy your spite and sick hearts. Leave me forever...

.

Life does not give us a second chance...

Last night was incredibly rainy here in London. Tired and feeling suffocated, I decided to walk from my university in Angel all the way to Baker Street. I had an umbrella with me and I didn't care about the rain. When I arrived at Baker Street I found out the umbrella was broken. I determined to sneakily leave it behind on the bench, pretending to have forgotten it. As I boarded the train, I stared at it, lying there. The doors were open for an eternity. In my mind, I thought about how I could just stay on the train, leave it there and move on. I can never get that umbrella back though, it will be gone, thrown away probably. Yet it would be so easy to just get off the train, pick it up, and get back on, but I also worried about missing the train. Time was passing and I had to make up my mind. I decided to go get it, rather than leave it there. As soon as I stepped off the train and picked up my umbrella, the train doors closed. And yet I was happy, this was my umbrella, I was going to just leave it forever, but I didn't, and it was all a split second decision. If I had stayed on the train, just allowing myself to get carried away past the point of no return, then I would have deserved getting soaked with the rain that poured down all of last night.

Allah teaches us difficult lessons about ourselves. We cannot undo what was done, or fix that which is beyond repair, but we can make our hearts gentle to those around us. It may be too late for us to expect mercy or a second chance for something long gone, but it is never too late for us to give other people a second chance or have mercy on them, not whilst we are still alive. Death, that is the true point of no return as far as we are concerned with our actions.

.

Sheikh Hassan Haffar - 'Ala Nawa

Just let go...

.

Notice that after the gunning down of the five British soldiers in Afghanistan all the newspapers had prominently mentioned that the policeman was "probably high on heroin". This reference has been quickly dropped. What about the soldier in Texas, was he "probably high on heroin" too?

.

Men and mice...

"Early on Friday the commander of the Fort Hood base, Lt Gen Robert Cone, told reporters that, according to eyewitnesses, the gunman had shouted the Arabic phrase "Allahu Akbar!" [God is great] before opening fire."

I feel like a mouse that just talks loudly...

.

There are still good people in the world in spite of the many who are cruel beyond belief, and I am convinced that there are things which happen in ways that are no coincidence...I had been following what I thought were His signs, a mix of intuition and unusual circumstance. This led to the most horrific injury to my soul yesterday. I lay there in the dark last night, shattered and unnerved to my core. "Why?" I asked myself, "Why when it had looked like He had wanted me to go down that route, did he lead me to such pain?". I had followed Him when it had all started. Against all logic, my heart told me that what I was doing was right; that if I believed it would all work out fine. Did I just see what I had wanted to see? Was I a fool?

I asked for an end, I had had enough pain, enough sorrow. As I stumbled out of bed in the dark to pray again, enveloped by emptiness and nursing the wounds of the cruelty I had been subjected to, an act of kindness in the dead of night by a total stranger made the world that little bit more bearable. Cruelty is defeated by living, and this heart beats still.

.

Tired...

I am tired...so g-d damn tired. There is nothing left in me, tell the vultures to go fucking feed on somebody else.

.

The sun is beautiful today. My soul is calm as forgiveness and love course through my veins for the first time in almost a year...and in Cairo, a single tree amongst many is probably shedding it's leaves for the winter...each leaf a beautiful, beautiful story that never was.

.

Maysaloon's Picasa gallery is now online.

.

Actually it seems there are quite a few non-Latin programming languages including one in Arabic called Loughaty, though I couldn't find much about it.

.

The first step to an Arabic internet?

This is big news. The way we access the Internet is made easier by the use of DNS (Domain Name Services). This let's people use an easy name for a website instead of a string of numbers and, up until this point, this name always had to be in English. The changes being proposed will mean that people with non-Latin script will be able to have domain names in their own language. Chinese and Arabic are amongst the proposed languages. It will be fascinating to see what naming conventions will be used, و و و just doesn't have the same ring to it. We do not use abbreviations in the same way in Arabic so things like http:// will need a suitable, and concise, Arabic description. Domains ending with .com, .edu, .biz, and .sy are rooted within a Latin mindset and economic or political context. Not surprisingly I don't expect much innovation from the Arab world, and we will probably find the Chinese to be the quickest, and most creative, utilisers of this change. Still, even if the Chinese do develop a non-Western perspective to the Internet, it will not be the first time that innovations are imported to the Arab world from China. The abberation of the last three hundred and fifty years has not changed from the fact that the Middle East naturally looks to China for technological and economic hegemony than to Europe.

I think this will have an important impact for the Arab world, probably as important as when philosophy texts were translated from Syriac and Greek into Arabic in ninth century Baghdad. The next big hurdle is to actually create programming languages that utilise non-Latin text, opening the door for highly intelligent non-English speakers to use these tools within their own context and create applications that are relevant to their own environment. Now that will be interesting to see.

.

There is already a war with Iran.

It would be a mistake to think that the 2006 war has set the trend for future battles with the Zionist entity. Since then, and a cursory glance at the headlines of the last 3 years will prove this, Israel and the United States have been locked in a vicious "Cold war" with Iran. It is ridiculous to try to continue propagating the myth that the Mossad or the CIA are incompetent. They are not. Since 2006, key architects of Israel's defeat have been assassinated or targeted. Most notably we hear of Imad Mughniyeh, but a Syrian general key to Syrian/Hezbullah relations has also been assassinated. The kidnapping in February 2007 of an Iranian general in Turkey, a man instrumental in shaping Hezbullah in its early years, as well as the assassination of Iranian scientists working on Iran's nuclear programme have all been part of a concerted effort to cripple Iran and Hezbullah's ability to retaliate as and when the Israelis choose to strike.

Only recently we watched the headlines quietly die down as the first act of piracy in British waters in over 150 years took place, allegedly by the Israeli Mossad. We will not hear the exact details, but it was rumoured that an item being delivered from Russia, with a cargo meant for Iran, had been intercepted on its way to Algeria. Last month, a senior Iranian general was assassinated in a province bordering Pakistan in a move widely believed to have been effected by intelligence groups beyond the cowboy "Soldiers of Islam"-style band of heroes and whose spokesman was speaking to al Jazeera from London. As for the demonstrations in Iran following the June elections, it may or may not have been incited by Britain, but we must remember that the British and Americans were very good at instigating huge demonstrations against Prime Minister Mossadegh in the fifties.

Nevertheless these events listed above, a few examples from a much bigger number of headlines, don't give us the full picture. Iran on the surface slackens and pulls the nuclear rope as and when it sees fit. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the taps of mayhem and roadside bombs are controlled from Tehran and both the United States and Britain know this. In Lebanon, now firmly controlled by Hezbullah, the 'promise' of Hassan Nasrallah to avenge the killing of Imad Mughniyeh still stands and in Gaza Hamas remains vigilant, able to target Israeli airfields and settlements with their crude missiles. Syria seems to be playing the diplomatic card and does not want to be involved in a region wide conflagration with Israel, but it is quite happy to encourage stronger Iranian-Turkish ties or to provide a haven for Hamas' Khaled Meshaal.

I find myself pondering sometimes, in light of all these facts, what the next move will be. What are known regionally as the "countries of resistance" (دول الممانعة) are patient, incredibly, unbelievably, totally patient. If they carry out a massive operation somewhere in the world, then they have given the pretext for war that the Israelis are dying to have. Then again, the Iranians might not be particularly worried about that and are simply taking their time in preparing their 'action', if one is strong then he has no need to fear the scheming of his enemies. But if the Iranians find themselves in a weaker position, they may be playing their uranium enrichment card in order to gain some time whilst they dig in deeper and grow stronger. Perhaps we should not ask ourselves whether war will erupt but whether it will escalate, for there is already a war with Iran.

.