Social media is abuzz with the story of the well-respected imam in Chicago who is accused of abusing his female students. When I read the story, I got flashbacks to that painful moment of religious education in my childhood. I come from a long line of Muslim scholars and leaders, so I was six years old when my father hired a qualified Egyptian shaikh to come to our home and teach me the Qur'an. I remember those days clearly. We would sit at adjacent sofas with our Qur'ans. We would read, then he would explain, and then I would raise any questions I had. I very much enjoyed those thought provoking sessions. Three times we completed the study of the Qur'an. By then I had entered my early teens, and my shaikh needed to return to Egypt. So my father hired a new local shaikh. I remember my first lesson with him vividly. After that lesson, I refused to continue my Qur'anic studies. My caring brother insisted on knowing the reason. So, I embarrassedly told him: "I cannot handle it. He makes me sit on a chair next to him. The chafing of his hand on my thigh as he reads the Qur'an is just too painful." My brother's face went pale. He told my father, and that predator permanently disappeared from my life.
It is fortunate that I had a real scholar teaching me initially. So, I learned quickly how to distinguish between real scholars and phony ones. Titles and ranks no longer impress me. For, deeds speak louder than words. The solid and active support of my family was of paramount importance in my quickly putting this episode behind me. Not once was I asked to be silent about this incident. Not once was I blamed for it. The culprit was clear. Abused women from Chicago are entitled to no less. Yet, some members of the community urged them to remain silent.
This attitude is preposterous and fundamentally unfair, especially since justice is a core principle in Islam! Muslim scholars have always declared that the Heavens and Earth were created on the basis of Justice. Moreover, Islam has no clergy. Imams have no special access to heaven. The Prophet himself stated that Muslims are equal like the teeth of a comb. This means that no one gets a free pass because they are an imam or a rich or influential person. It is our religious duty to put an end to this cancer in our midst.
Scholars have repeatedly cited Qur'anic verses that require us to pursue justice even if the guilty one was a close relative of ours. Indeed, this is what the Qur'anic injunction of "Promoting virtue and prohibiting vice" is about. It is not about terrorizing peaceful women in public about their attire. Why are the Qur'anic verses being interpreted to protect male offenders and oppress female victims? It is such imbalance of justice in our Muslim World that has led to unrestrained criminal and autocratic behavior in the name of Islam.
With the rise of a new generation of American Muslims, born and raised in these United States, we are ushering in an age of renaissance for Islam. Our new generation is refusing to abide by unjust cultural customs imported from other countries, such as a code of silence to suppress an internal scandal. This new generation believes in its full human and constitutional rights. Furthermore, members of this generation are not conflicted like some of their parents. They sincerely believe that Islam upholds these same rights.
Nowhere is this renaissance more visible than in the case of these young outspoken Chicago women. KARAMAH has been in discussion with HEART Women & Girls, their advocate, offering our continual support as they navigate this process. But as this course of action became known in the community, the women were blamed, shamed and shunned for breaking their silence. With the exception of minimal acknowledgement, the overwhelming response was silence. This fact in itself is as shameful as the acts of the imam.
These American Muslim women were born free in these United States. They are full of dignity and self-assertiveness. They understand that Islam is not protected through silence, and that Muslim communities need to undergo an active process of reformation. These American women believe that Muslims are equal like the teeth of a comb. They believe that they are entitled to protect themselves, and to clean the community from predators. So they are doing just that.
I recognize that those who blame them for going public are also partly driven by fear for their community in the face of rising Islamophobia. To protect against that, they seek refuge in a corrupt custom of the past; a past from which the Muslim world today continues to suffer. American born Muslims, however, understand that in this country, the only real solution to scandal is justice and transparency. We cannot address a wrong by committing another. As for correcting the image of Muslims in this country, this will be a time consuming task. We have to embark upon it thoughtfully and honestly. Our shining stars would be this new generation of American Muslim achievers and bridge builders.
For those who actually believe that Islam requires silence in such cases, see our jurisprudential analysis entitled "What Do We Have to Hide?" As to the outspoken women and HEART Women & Girls as their advocates, you are the future of Islam in this world. Thank you for standing up for what is right.
from Chicago - The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1MSdWV7
via IFTTT
It is fortunate that I had a real scholar teaching me initially. So, I learned quickly how to distinguish between real scholars and phony ones. Titles and ranks no longer impress me. For, deeds speak louder than words. The solid and active support of my family was of paramount importance in my quickly putting this episode behind me. Not once was I asked to be silent about this incident. Not once was I blamed for it. The culprit was clear. Abused women from Chicago are entitled to no less. Yet, some members of the community urged them to remain silent.
This attitude is preposterous and fundamentally unfair, especially since justice is a core principle in Islam! Muslim scholars have always declared that the Heavens and Earth were created on the basis of Justice. Moreover, Islam has no clergy. Imams have no special access to heaven. The Prophet himself stated that Muslims are equal like the teeth of a comb. This means that no one gets a free pass because they are an imam or a rich or influential person. It is our religious duty to put an end to this cancer in our midst.
Scholars have repeatedly cited Qur'anic verses that require us to pursue justice even if the guilty one was a close relative of ours. Indeed, this is what the Qur'anic injunction of "Promoting virtue and prohibiting vice" is about. It is not about terrorizing peaceful women in public about their attire. Why are the Qur'anic verses being interpreted to protect male offenders and oppress female victims? It is such imbalance of justice in our Muslim World that has led to unrestrained criminal and autocratic behavior in the name of Islam.
With the rise of a new generation of American Muslims, born and raised in these United States, we are ushering in an age of renaissance for Islam. Our new generation is refusing to abide by unjust cultural customs imported from other countries, such as a code of silence to suppress an internal scandal. This new generation believes in its full human and constitutional rights. Furthermore, members of this generation are not conflicted like some of their parents. They sincerely believe that Islam upholds these same rights.
Nowhere is this renaissance more visible than in the case of these young outspoken Chicago women. KARAMAH has been in discussion with HEART Women & Girls, their advocate, offering our continual support as they navigate this process. But as this course of action became known in the community, the women were blamed, shamed and shunned for breaking their silence. With the exception of minimal acknowledgement, the overwhelming response was silence. This fact in itself is as shameful as the acts of the imam.
These American Muslim women were born free in these United States. They are full of dignity and self-assertiveness. They understand that Islam is not protected through silence, and that Muslim communities need to undergo an active process of reformation. These American women believe that Muslims are equal like the teeth of a comb. They believe that they are entitled to protect themselves, and to clean the community from predators. So they are doing just that.
I recognize that those who blame them for going public are also partly driven by fear for their community in the face of rising Islamophobia. To protect against that, they seek refuge in a corrupt custom of the past; a past from which the Muslim world today continues to suffer. American born Muslims, however, understand that in this country, the only real solution to scandal is justice and transparency. We cannot address a wrong by committing another. As for correcting the image of Muslims in this country, this will be a time consuming task. We have to embark upon it thoughtfully and honestly. Our shining stars would be this new generation of American Muslim achievers and bridge builders.
For those who actually believe that Islam requires silence in such cases, see our jurisprudential analysis entitled "What Do We Have to Hide?" As to the outspoken women and HEART Women & Girls as their advocates, you are the future of Islam in this world. Thank you for standing up for what is right.
from Chicago - The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1MSdWV7
via IFTTT
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