Thursday, October 13, 2005

muslim like me

In her article, Why Americans Should Observe Ramadan Carol Wolman suggests that Americans (specifically non-Muslims) who want to protest American foreign policy in the Middle East and want to express their solidarity with Muslims (who are often at the receiving end of that policy) should fast during the month of Ramadan. It is an intriguing thought. To be honest, I have some reservations about the idea which I might try to articulate in a future entry. But I still don't think it would be a bad thing if any non-Muslims reading this thought seriously about Wolman's suggestion and, if it made sense for them, followed her advice. I would only hope that anyone making that decision also have a good understanding of the spiritual/religious significance of fasting in Ramadan and did not just do it for narrow political reasons.

As I was trying to make up my own mind about her suggestion, it occured to me that the idea isn't totally new. Or more specifically, that I had already seen other examples of non-Muslims expressing solidarity with Muslims by temporarily adopting some Muslim practice.

For years now, the National MSA (Muslim Student's Association) has encouraged a Fast-a-thon program where non-Muslims are encouraged to fast for one day during Ramadan and raise money for various good causes.

And in the period immediately after 9/11 there was a small movement of non-Muslim women called Scarves for Solidarity who took up wearing hijab in support of the hijab-wearing Muslim women who were facing heightened discrimination during that time.

Even prior to 9/11 I remember reading an account of a non-Musilm woman who wore hijab as a kind of experiment to see what it would be like. (It is called "Unveiling Oppression" by Kathy Chin and is a very interesting piece in its own right)

In the end, I think it is heartening and encouraging to see non-Muslims make such warm gestures towards Muslims and Islam, especially in the current cultural/political climate where Muslims are often very misunderstood. The empathy and understanding forged by these sorts of interactions and experiences can be invaluable. I would just hope that these efforts would continue in a respectful way, and with Muslim input, participation and support.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, thats a bad idea. There are other ways of expresing solidarity against the current anti-Islamic wave. Asking non-Muslims to fast will only reinforce the general perception of islam as a proselytizing religion with forceful conversion etc.

Abdul-Halim V. said...

hmmm... well at least in most of the examples mentioned in the post, including the first one, it's actually non-Muslims acting on their initiating the activity. The Fast-a-thon was the only Muslim-initiated one.

And the reservations I had about non-Muslims fasting was whether they would miss out on alot of the meaning behind it by reducing it to a political protest.

How would you suggest expressing solidarity against the anti-Islamic wave?

Anonymous said...

I agree to a great extent with you. As far as showing solidary is concerned, one can do so vocally, by supporting organizaions, writing posts,participating in discussions, rallies that question the anti-islamic wave. The general perception about many muslims is that they are not open enough to adopt non-islamic practices, say celebrating a non-islamic festival with a friend of another religion. I don't mean this to be a sweeping statement, but I have noticed that some Muslim families donot encourage their children to participate in religious celebrations of non-Muslims. In that light asking non-Muslims to follow Ramadan as a mark of solidarity may seem like asking for too much by quite a few people. In my opinion, the motto should be "live and let live" and equal respect for all religions. The image of Islam over centuries (that of Christianity too) has been that of a proseletyzing religion... intolerant and punishing. Take the example of the destruction of the Bamiyaan Buddhas or destruction of holy shrines of other religions, defacing of holy sculptures etc. A moderate voice is not what one can picture when it comes to Islam. And that I think has to change. Why are the precepts of Sufism for instance not so popular?

Abdul-Halim V. said...

Hmmm... actually I would have my own reservations with celebrating another religions practices myself. So by the same token I would totally understand if a non-Muslim did not want to fast, or wear hijab etc.I wouldn't insist that that would be the only way to show solidarity. It would be nice if they could, but I wouldn't blame anyone who didn't feel comfortable going that route.


In terms of Sufism, I'm not sure what you mean. Traditional mainstream orthodox Islam is very comfortable with Sufism. The current suspicion of sufism in the Muslim world is a relatively new thing in terms of Muslim history and is tied up with Saudi history and other factors.

Anonymous said...

see, that was my point. Its not without reason that people say that Islam not a tolerant religion. You yourself say "...actually I would have my own reservations with celebrating another religions practices one myself." If so, then how can one even suggest that non-muslims participate in ramadan? This is sheer hipocrisy. Ok, would you even for the sake of cultural interest visit a temple or say a Buddhist stupa or church and eat the sacred food offered to devotees?

Sufism was syncretic in nature (atleast in South Asia) but the orthodox ulemas oppsed it tooth and nail.

Abdul-Halim V. said...

I think you are mixing up a couple of issues. Tolerance and openness are one thing. Syncretism is a different matter. And violating ones own religious integrity is something else. If I'm invited to a church Bar-B-Q I might go, but if I don't eat the pork ribs, that doesn't make me intolerant.

I've sat down to meditate with non-Muslims before. I've gone to churches, a Passover seder, a sabbath service. I went to the Bahai temple in Wilmette. I've participate in several inter-faith gatherings. I've been to Quaker meetings. But in a church I certainly wouldn't go up to take communion. I would avoid eating food sacrificed to idols. Sure. I think everyone has their own boundaries which make sense to them. And I don't think it is your place to decide for me where those boundaries ought to be.

Again, it was a non-Muslim woman who was suggesting that other non-Muslims might want to fast for Ramadan in solidarity. If you don't want to fast for Ramadan and want to do something else, I am totally okay with that. I wouldn't dream of trying to make you do something you didn't want to do.

In terms of Sufism, I would suggest looking at a couple of the pages in my links section

Sunni Path and Mas'ud Khan's page are especially good in terms of making the point. But most of them, Living Islam - Living Tradition, Maktaba al-Ashrafia, Aisha Bewley, Sidi Muhammad Press, Albalagh, the Central Mosque and the Ahl al-Bayt page are strongly orthodox and strongly sympathetic to Sufism. Sufism is very much a part of orthodox traditional Islam.

The Muslims who are manifesting a certain kind of animosity towards Sufism in general are actually not orthodox.

Anonymous said...

whats so bad with syncreticism?

Abdul-Halim V. said...

It depends on what you mean by syncretism exactly. I think if you pick a religion and follow it with a significant degree of conviction, devotion and seriousness it would probably make it hard to incorporate other practices.

It makes sense to me to pick one religious tradition and try to follow it deeply and thoroughly. Mixing and matching seems to encourage a certain amount of superficiality and breadth rather than depth.

Although I guess in any given case of mixing and matching it would ultimately be a case of individual conscience. But in general, traditions on both sides would probably be opposed to mixing.