Having been in these discussions before, we could easily end up having a long drawn out debate. Without scholarly guidance, we tend to fumble and at times, make matters worse. I didn’t want to have this discussion leave everyone with a sour taste. I jumped in immediately and offered my perspective on how we should approach a different faith before we start lambasting a group that we don’t understand.

My adopted uncle and mentor, Uncle Zainul CC’ed me on this thread. I had to pipe in as it is very worrying to see how easy it is to be led like sheep with a veil over our minds. If you don’t feel like reading my back story, please skip to “LONG STORY SHORT” below.

I am a convert and I came into this religion of Islam voluntarily without coercion or worldly intentions (marriage, wealth, power, politics, etc.)

Before Islam, I was a Roman Catholic (baptism, confirmation, catechism, confession, just short of being an altar boy) and I wanted to explore other religions as I felt there was something out there, something I needed to find to have inner peace.

Now there were 2 ways I could have explored the other religions (I did look into the various Christian denominations, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, etc.).

1. Go to authentic sources, learn from the normative scholars and texts and read about why the followers are satisfied with their faith.

2. Go to haters, enemies of the faith, critics, people who like to cry a lot, moan & groan, dissatisfied with their faith and/or people who have an ulterior motive to degrade the faith.

Thinking logically, with common sense, which method do you think I chose and we should all choose before we make judgment about the faith of others? (Unless you can create water molecules at will, move clouds, stop the sun from rising, I think we should leave judgment to the One who can)

From this email thread, it looks like there are people from a variety of faiths. Would you want your faith to be analyzed with method #2 above? When has propaganda ever been a benchmark? Real facts, real sources, real discussions. Professor Google, Father Wikipedia, Imam Yahoo, Reverend Fox News, Rabbi CNN are not authentic, normative scholars.

LONG STORY SHORT
Don’t believe everything you read online, don’t be led astray without using your own analytical skills and realize that we have bigger problems to worry about.

Global poverty, shortage of potable water supply, easily prevented diseases in an areas that do not have enough medical supplies & treatment, putting ALL children through school, rapidly aging generation that needs medical supplies & care, Mother Earth annihilation. THIS AFFECTS ALL OF US. All faiths. All ethnic backgrounds. All wealth brackets (the rich can do their part). All ages. Work together. Commonalities will strengthen us. If we see each other in the Afterlife, just imagine the hugs and camaraderie we will be having.

With peace,
Mikael Pittam
http://about.me/mikaelpittam

Special Ramadan messages from Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir. Please support Zaytuna College and the Zaytuna Knowledge Resources (full course listing here).

Several students of Shaykh Salek bin Siddina are helping him to promote the shaykh’s school project: Dar es Salaam. Please read their message and consider contributing to this noble and important cause.

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I want to introduce you all to an opportunity to get involved in a very noble endeavor to preserve our Islamic tradition.  One of our local shuyukh, Shaykh Salek, who has been teaching and residing in the Bay Area for a number of years, has developed the Dar es Salaam school project in Mauritania for the teaching of sacred Islamic sciences (Aqeedah, Ihsan, Tajwid, Tafsir, and many more) in an effort to preserve Islamic texts and traditions.  The importance of this project can not be understated

In order for this project to continue it is vital for us to provide financial support.  Students at Dar es Salaam have all their living and learning expenses covered for $200 a year (that is less than $1 a day!).  Although we welcome one time donations, we are hoping to get as many consistent donations, of small or large amounts as possible.   If we have 60 people pledging just $10 per month, we are covering three students for a whole year in just one month.  Please spread the word to others so we can increase this number greatly, insha’Allah.

Ta’leef Collective is a new organization that we are involved with. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ta’leef Collective provides the space, content, and companionship necessary for a healthy understanding, embrace and realization of Islam. Ta’leef Collective is an expansion of the program formerly known as Zaytuna Outreach.

Ta’leef Collective hopes to serve:

• Seekers of knowledge
• Converts
• Muslim Youth
• Other under served populations

If you are in the Bay Area, we would like to invite you to join us and your community at our new location.

Date: Sunday, March 15, 2009

Time: 7:30pm

Address: 43170 Osgood Rd., Fremont, CA 94539

Program:

• Recitation of the Burda poetry (Classical poem about the characteristics of the Prophet Muhammad, may the blessings of Allah be upon him)
• Spiritual and practical pearls of wisdom from our teachers
• For those who would like to stay, we will be continuing our weekly Mawlid gathering later in the evening

Tea and sweets will be available.

For more information, please email: admin {at} islamcrunch . com

Website: http://taleefcollective.org/2009/03/grand-opening-march-15-2009/

Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Taleef-Collective/133124145555

Curing Extremism

The DeenLoad series offers single lectures for download. The first series is titled Curing Extremism with Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf.

In this timely download, Imam Zaid, Shaykh Abdal Hakim and Shaykh Hamza diagnose and offer curative solutions to one of the most pressing problems we face as a globalized human society…. religious extremism.

Is Islam intrinsically extreme? Who’s to blame? What is the role that the individual, the community and the society at large can play in combatting and preventing religious extremism?

Find the answers to these essential questions and more in this critical series.

Click the link to purchase the download: http://zikrcast.com/Distance_Learning/deenload.php

We highly recommend the video download. It is high quality video in 640 x 480 mp4 format.

Another special treat: for every person who adds a comment to this post with sincere feedback on why you enjoy or dislike IslamCrunch, will receive a discount code for $1.00 off the sale price. If you leave a video comment, you will receive a $2.00 discount code.

LECTURE OUTLINES

Part 1 by Imam Zaid Shakir

• Particular dynamics of Muslim life in Britain
• What shapes who we are
• Parallels between the ghettos in the US & Britain
• Distorted understanding of “the other”
• The reality of low self esteem amongst the youth
• Fighting with the wrong weapons
• Superficial reactions to social ills
• Changing our perception of western societies
• Taking advantage of the opportunities that Western society offers
• Being a community of balanced
• Forging a new vision of change for our youth
• Doing more to help more

Part 2 by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad

• The bewilderment of this age
• The guiding Ship of Faith
• Unity amidst diversity
• The response of the believers and the response of the hypocrites to trials
• A multitude of choices and conflicting voices
• Following the scholars or ones whims
• The tranquil stability of the believers
• Projecting inner ugliness onto Islam
• Aiding the enemies of Islam with our wrong actions
• Spreading the message of Rahmah

Part 3 by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

• Defining terms & limits
• Living in a culture of extremes
• Causing our own suffering
• To whom is our allegiance
• Interacting with the law of the land
• Understanding civil disobedience
• Studying the Prophetic model of social reform
• Advice for Muslims living in the West
• Perceptions of Muslims in the West
• The question of assimilation and integration
• The potential benefits that Muslims bring to society
• A call to wisdom
• The example of the Bee
• The best defense