the philosophy of ahmed abdul-malik

From The Manrilla Blog:

The following is an article about the Sudanese bassist and composer, Ahmed Abdul-Malik, that was originally published in Down Beat Magazine, July 4th, 1963. The article was written by Bill Coss. Beyond an excellent insight into the workings of a master musician, Abdul-Malik ties the thread between knowing the Creator and knowing one’s world. Given Modernity’s fractured vision on the relation of things, Abdul-Malik’s words are erudite and moving. He was also a stellar musician of world-class calibre. Hat tip to Doug Benson for the resource. May Allah have mercy on his soul.

In some degree, all music is about something. But what it is about, its contents, differs widely and generally determines its essential worth.

For composer Ahmed Abdul-Malik the content encompasses all the sciences. particularly the sociological, ethnic, and theological. The easiest thing to say would be that Abdul-Malik is different from most jazz musicians, and both his brief biography and the development of his thought immediately show that difference, while at the same time serving as a primer for youngsters who might aspire to be what Abdul-Malik considers the complete musician.

All his conscious development has come from religious convictions. “People think I am too far out with religion,’ he said. “But it is so necessary to know the Creator, to know the rules of being - what it means - to know the commandments, to know you are commanded to use your intellect and will… That allows you to advance in all subjects. How else can you know about life? And music is life. (read whole article at The Manrilla blog)

memin pinguin: the structural violence of an image

Here is an interesting short film which connects the Memin Penguin controversy to the larger context of the history of people of African descent in Mexico.

the mexican stamp controversy
understanding pickaninnies and improving the race
memin pinguin pulled
duh! there are black mexicans
ending poem

no le pegue a la negra (rebelion)

At first I was going to argue that Joe Arroyo's Salsa classic, No le pegue a la negra, was too understated in terms of criticizing racism (along the lines of Ismael Rivera's Negro Bembon). But then as I started to get this blog entry together I changed my mind and decided that it has more of an "edge" to it, but it still isn't at the level of I Shot the Sheriff.

Quiero cantarle mi hermano un pedazito de la historia negra, de la historia nuestra caballero y dice asi: En los anos 1600 Cuando el tirano mando Las calles de Cartagena Aquella historia vivio Cuando aqui Llegaban esos negreros Africanos en cadenas Besaban mi tierra Esclavitud perpetua (coro) Esclavitud perpetua Esclavitud perpetua Que lo diga Salome Ucatele Eh. Chango, Chango, Chango, Chango. Un matrinomio africano Esclavos de un espanol El les daba muy mal trato Y a su negra le pego Y fue alli Se revelo el Negro guapo Tomo venganza por su amor Y aun se escucha en la verja No le pegue a mi negra (coro) No le pegue a la negra No le pegue a la negra etc.

see also: negro bembon mami el negro esta rabioso (el africano)

how jesus became christian

I recently finished reading How Jesus Became Christian by Barrie Wilson, Ph.D. The book wasn't half-bad but to be honest, I really wasn't impressed. The book was a bit repetitive. And even though I agreed with many of its claims, I didn't find the book very compelling and wished that Wilson gave a stronger argument. For a more detailed and thorough study of some of this material I would recommend Robert H. Eisenman's James the Brother of Jesus: The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls or the writings of Geza Vermes

The central point of How Jesus Became Christian is the "radical" idea that Jesus (as) was Jewish. He was circumcised. He kept kosher. He observed the Sabbath and celebrated Passover. Basically, he was a Jewish rabbi who kept the Torah and taught his followers to do likewise. He had no intention of founding a new religion but was merely promoting a new understanding of the Torah among Jews.

If we accept the above, then that suggests that the Jewish Christian groups like the Ebionites, Nazarenes, 0r the Jerusalem Church led by James, the brother of Jesus are more faithful representatives of Jesus' teaching than the Pauline Christians which eventually became dominant. Another way to frame this is to say that, in certain respects, the more faithful followers of Jesus had more in common with modern-day Muslims than modern-day Christians.

Wilson then goes on to argue that Paul's version of Christianity was better able grow and survive because of its similarities it shared with the mystery religions which were then popular in the Hellenized ancient world.

If you've never heard any of this before, you might find this book illuminating. But if you have heard this before, I'd definitely recommend some of the more in-depth books out there instead.

buddhist sufi

The Buddhist Sufi

Last night my soul ask a question of existence.
Why are you upside down with flames in your belly?
Happy, unhappy, indigo-orange like the sky?

Why are you an off-balance wobbling millstone,
like the Buddhist Sufi Ibrahim Balkhi?
who was king, beggar, buddha, and dervish?

Existence answers, All this was made
by the one who hides inside you.

You are like a beautiful new bride,
quick to anger, stubborn,
hot, naked, but still veiled.
~Rumi




When I went to the Rumi event this past Friday, I actually met an Afro-Latino "Buddhist Sufi" (or to be more precise, he described himself as a bee who takes from more than one flower). He reminded me of the Zensunnis from the Dune novels. In fact, just last week I was thinking about them and asking myself how tennable that particular form of syncretism would be.

Dune Quotes
guess who's coming to dharma
religion in science fiction

drugs, inner cities and the us government

I think that some folks have a hard time believing in conspiracy theories because they tend to imagine them only in their most cartoonish versions. As if one morning they had a CIA staff meeting and some guy writes up on a dry-erase board:

Agenda
Brainstorm: How to keep the Black man down
Idea #1 Introduce drugs into the inner-city
Idea #2 Invent AIDS
Idea #3 Kill Biggie
Idea #4 Kill Tupac (for real this time)
Idea #5 Put Jar-Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace

The real conspiracies tend to be a bit more complex than that. Ronald Reagan wanted to fight Communism in Latin America, especially Nicaragua, so he gives support to the Contras. In 1982 the Boland amendment is passed by the US Congress which makes it illegal to give military aid to the Contras. So if you are a staunch anti-Communist and still want to give funds to the Contras, then that leaves illegal means of support. A quick and effective way to do that (especially if you have the power to tell the drug enforcement bodies to look the other way) is to sell drugs. And if you are a staunch anti-Communist then the benefits of overthrowing the Sandinistas will outweigh the negative blowback (which will mostly blow back onto Blacks anyway). And so it goes...



Salon: How John Kerry exposed the Contra-cocaine scandal

hiv/aids and the us government

So let me be clear... Do I believe that the U.S. government invented HIV/AIDS in a laboratory in order to commit genocide against Black people? Nope. I haven't seen the evidence to support it. But I also don't think the theory is so implausible that anyone advocating it should considered a pariah in terms of the political conversation in the US. Here are a couple of items to consider:

1. The Tuskegee Experiment (aka Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male). For a period of 40 years, a group of 600 Black sharecroppers were systematically lied to by the government as a part of an unethical study . 201 were lucky enough to be in the control group. The other 399 had syphilis, but received no medical treatment for the disease. Instead, the subjects were told they had something called "bad blood" and that for participating in the study they could get free medical care, occasional meals, and money for a burial if they died during the course of the study.

As far as I know, the subjects weren't directly infected with syphilis, but in the course of the study 40 spouses became infected and 19 children were born with congenital syphilis. I'd read about the Tuskegee experiment many years ago, but after reviewing the event (in the wake of the whole Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy) I was struck by the length of the study and the extent to which the doctors (people who presumably had to take the Hippocratic oath) chose to actively deceive the sharecroppers throughout to keep it going. I was also surprised to learn that even during the last few years of the study when some of the ethical criticisms were becoming more vocal, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) wanted to keep the experiment going until the bitter end (i.e. the death of all of the subjects.)

So the fact that government-funded doctors would be willing to engage in such a sustained exercise in unethical, immoral and dishonest behavior certainly lends a certain amount of credibility to the HIV/AIDS conspiracy theory.

2. But what would the motivation be? Hat-tip to Sondjata at Garvey's Ghost for pointing me to this.

In Henry Kissinger's report "Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for US Security & Overseas Interests," written for The White House National Security Council in December 10, 1974, Kissinger writes:

"Depopulation should be the highest priority of US foreign policy towards the Third World. Reduction of the rate of population in these states is a matter of vital US national security. The US economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad, especially from less-developed countries. That fact gives the US enhanced interests in the political, economic and social stability of the supplying countries. Wherever a lessening of population can increase the prospects for such stability, population policy becomes relevant to resources, supplies and the economic interest of the United States."

In fact, even if we reject the claim that HIV is man-made, if Kissinger's words are taken to heart we could ask what role this "highest priority of US foreign policy towards the Third World" plays in shaping the US response to HIV in Africa. More generally we could also start to examine US actions in other global hot spots and view them in the light of Kissinger's concern.

3. Another little known fact is that a small segment of the human population possess genetic attributes which provide a certain amount of resistance to HIV. Some individuals seem to have the ability to be exposed to the virus over and over again without getting infected.

The interesting bit is that the most powerful forms of genetic resistance are almost exclusively found in European populations.

An estimated 1 percent of people descended from Northern Europeans are virtually immune to AIDS infection, with Swedes the most likely to be protected. One theory suggests that the mutation developed in Scandinavia and moved southward with Viking raiders.

In other words, people of European descent will tend to have some genetic resistance to HIV while those of African descent will tend to have none. (A feature one would expect if HIV were designed to kill Black folks).

4. Chris Rock on AIDS




5, 6, ... So I'm going to stop here but I'll just quickly throw out that the US government still conducts biological weapons research and has been known to carry out an experiment or two on citizens without our consent. Furthermore, there have also been a number of recent ethical lapses in how drug companies conduct drug tests in Africa (a la The Constant Gardner) which definitely calls into question the extent to which it is possible for the medical establishment to show disregard for Black lives, especially when profits are at stake.

That's it for now... make up your own mind...draw your own conclusions...

NPR: Remembering the Tuskegee Experiment
Dallasnews.com: Obama pastor Jeremiah Wright's incendiary quotes illuminate chasm between races
Wired: Genetic HIV Resistance Deciphered
Garvey's Ghost: Did the Government Create HIV?
PLoS Biology: The Geographic Spread of the CCR5 Δ32 HIV-Resistance Allele
The Straight Dope: Is AIDS a man made disease?
The Nation: 'The Constant Gardener': What the Movie Missed

children running through

I used to be shy
You made me sing.

I used to refuse things at the table.
Now I shout for more wine.

In somber dignity, I used to sit
on my mat and pray.

Now children run through
and make faces at me.

-Rumi

This weekend has been rather poetic so far. Today I went to a youth poetry workshop (I work with kids as a part of my job). And yesterday I went to the local Unity Church which had a modest Middle Eastern meal followed by a peformance of Rumi's poetry accompanied by drum, flute and harp. Let's see what tomorrow will be like.

rev. jeremiah wright: a change is going to come / national press club

Rev. Jeremiah Wright's Speech on the theme "A Change is Going to Come" at the NAACP dinner in Detroit



Rev. Jeremiah speaking at the National Press Club (Parts I, II, III)







Some of the following clips (from the Q&A) are hilarious, but not politic. As Wright says over and over again, he's a pastor not a politician. My guess is that these appearances might help Rev. Wright's standing among those already disposed to like him. But in the long run, I don't think his comments will play very well among white voters who are on the fence about Obama.

On an unrelated note, I thought Rev. Wright's answer to the question on Islam was rather interesting:

MODERATOR: Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father but through me.” Do you believe this? And do you think Islam is a way to salvation?

WRIGHT: Jesus also said, “Other sheep have I who are not of this fold.”

Given that Christian exclusivism was one of the major factors in my own rejection of Christianity, I occasionally wonder what my path would have been if I was brought up in a place like Trinity United.

It is actually a bit disheartening that some Christians will be upset with Rev. Wright because he is too inclusive for their tastes.

Jeremiah Wright Question/Answer at the National Press Club (Part I, II, III)

bill moyers and rev. jeremiah wright

Can I just say that I'm starting to hate Fox News? I mean, I already knew that I disagreed with their politics before ("fair and balanced" is really a joke) but I never really watched much of it until this past year. Now after seeing a couple of months of their election coverage I've been awed by their capacity and willingness to kidnap video clips from their proper context and hold them up for political ransom. I think Aaron McGrudder got it right when in the Boondocks episode, "Return of the King" he had an O'Reilly-clone accuse Martin Luther King Jr. of being an unAmerican. "Al-Qaedah-loving", "Commie-bastard." Given the way Fox has been responding to the preaching of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, it is easy to see that had King been alive today, Fox would go after him with a passion.

In contrast, to hear Rev. Wright speaking about his beliefs, Trinity United's mission and the recent scandal from his own perspective, check out his interview with Bill Moyers at: PBS: Bill Moyers Journal (Rev. Jeremiah Wright) Part I , Part II (transcripts also available)

see also:
there is nothing wrong with rev. wright
jeremiah wright and the black church
actions speak louder than words: rev. jeremiah wright, a true patriot
prophetic and civil religion
the cross and the lynching tree
more from zaid shakir

addressing deficiencies in the islamic da'wah to latinos

Also from the Ahl al Hadith blog: From One Muslim To Another (To Khalil Pr): Addressing Deficiencies In The Islamic Da’wah To Latinos After giving a brief history of early dawah efforts among Latinos, Abul-Hassan gives a number of suggestions for future efforts:

Outreach in the Latino community must address a variety of areas.

1.] It must address the problem of education in the Latino community. So da’wah should address education for social mobility and for understanding Islam.

2.] Da’wah efforts should focus on empowerment (economic) more than cultural identity and this is inter-related to what was just said.

3.] Da’wah must be a call to what is agreed upon in Islam before what is disagreed upon

4.] There should be a strong focus in teaching how to read the Qur’an and Qur’anic memorization and the importance of ibadah

5.] Da’wah should address family life and how to build a family and deal with nom-Muslim relatives

6.] Da’wah should address the problems of identity so we need counselors to be there for new Muslims

7.] Da’wah should address the need to build leadership in the Latino community

8.] Muslim Latinos must be taught to be a part of the larger Muslim community and how to deal with what that entails.

9.] Da’wah should encourage people to be self motivated and to have a relationship with scholars

mexico's indigenous community converting to islam

Thanks for the heads-up from Ahl al Hadith

two different models of inclusion

It is an interesting coincidence that these stories came out within a few days of each other. Together they show how the Nation of Islam and the ministry of Imam W. Deen Mohammed are both seeking to be more inclusive, but in very different ways:

Nation of Islam group reaches out to Latinos
Muslim leader urges shift from black theology

whatever happened to the league of the black stone?

I've been curious about the League of the Black Stone for a while now (since before I started to blog) so it is good to finally get an update. But I'm a bit skeptical about how their agenda can survive unless it has an organization to push it forward.

see:
laughing lions
the forbidden dialogues

cheikh lo

I'm going to have to check him out the next time I go to a CD store. Muslically, he performs African music tinged with Cuban sounds. Spiritually, he is a member of the Senegalese Sufi order known as Baye Fall Sufi (sometiems called "Muslim Rastas").

Myspace: Cheikh Lo
catching up

latino / "middle eastern" and the 2004 election

Elenamary's recent post Latino/”Middle Eastern” has multiple levels to it. On the one hand it's about how "we all look alike". On the other hand it gives a new 'complexion' to the fishiness around the 2004 US Presidential election.

illegal mexican immigrant or islamic terrorist?
yup, we definitely all look alike
post 9/11 blues

more on mccain's racially problematic politics

So in addition to the laundry list I included in my last McCain post (see mccain, racism and religious bigotry) I should have also mentioned McCain's support for George Wallace's son (who has links to the hate group, The Council of Conservative Citizens) and McCain's persistent opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1990. Election Day will be soooo much scarier than Halloween this year.

McCain's Southern Strategy
Stop John McCain 2008: Racism
Is John McCain a Racist?

“i look black, but i’m latino, too and we have to realize that this is divide and conquer being repeated."

The Final Call: Fear of a Black-Brown race war in Los Angeles by Charlene Muhammad

While law enforcement, politicians and community activists spar over whether recent gang-related shootings should be officially classified as race-related and investigated as hate crimes, community and peace activists say tensions between Blacks and Latinos continue to escalate, building anger, distrust and above all, feeding right into the hands of a common enemy of both communities.

mccain, racism and religious bigotry

I don't want to casually throw around the accusation that McCain is a racist, but between his "gook" comment and initial non-apology, his "tar baby" comment, the "bomb Iran" song, his ambivalence on the Confederate flag, his vote against a federal Martin Luther King holiday, his attempt to rescind the King holiday at the state level, and given some of the questionable people he is choosing to associate with (e.g. McCain's Florida campaign chair Bob Allen, who was caught offering a Black undercover cop $20 for a blowjob and cynically blamed his behavior on the scariness of Black people, paleoconservative, as in pro-Confederacy, political consultant Richard Quinn, George "Macaca" Allen, who McCain campained for heavily in 2006, and several others) McCain has accumulated a pretty f---ed-up pattern of behavior around racial issues. Let's see if it will make any kind of difference with the voters.

The Real McCain on Race and Immigration
Democrats Repudiate McCain Surrogate's 'Tiger Woods' Comment
John McCain Has a Racist on His Campaign Payroll
Jon Stewart Slams McCain’s Racist, Hypocritical, Disgraceful FL Campaign Chair
John McCain's MLK Day: "Pandering" to the Racist Right
DNC: John McCain's Real Record on MLK Holiday
McCain on MLK Holiday
McCain's problematic race record
McCain uses term ‘tar baby’

Grenada and McCain
john mccain: "i hated the gooks. i will hate them as long as i live."
mccain: no you can't
mccain's spiritual advisor hates muslims and islam
should john mccain reject and denounce minister john hagee?

the family, hillary clinton and the religious right

I'm generally not given to conspiracy theories but apparently Hillary Clinton is a member of a rather secretive DC-based religious organization known as the Family (also known as The Fellowship, The Fellowship Foundation, or The International Foundation). The group was founded in 1935 by Abraham Vereide, a Norwegian immigrant and traveling preacher who had been working with the city's poor, and who feared that "socialist" politicians were about to take over Seattle's municipal government. Eventually the group changed its focus to working with the affluent and powerful and moved its headquarters to Washington D.C. The Family's politics tends to lean to the right, with a strong anti-Communist, anti-Union component. Over its history the group has included several Republican Congressmen and prominent businessmen in the oil and aerospace industries, and at the more extreme end, the group has included a number of Third World dictators, ex-Nazis, as well as some homegrown American fascists. (In some respects The Family makes me think of a version of Opus Dei which is American-based and Evangelical instead of Spanish-based and Catholic)

So one question I have is why a Christian organization would associate with such "unChristian" folks? Secondly, why would Hillary Clinton be involved in a group skewed THAT far to the right? Thirdly, is this story going to get as much attention as Obama's involvement with Wright?

Wikipedia: The Family (Christian political organization)
The Nation: Hillary's Nasty Pastorate
AlterNet: Meet "The Family"
The Atlantic: Hillary's Minister Problem
Mother Jones: Hillary's Prayer: Hillary Clinton's Religion and Politics
EXPOSÉ: THE “CHRISTIAN” MAFIA by Wayne Madsen
Harper's: Jesus plus nothing: Undercover among America's secret theocrats

the compassion forum

CNN: Transcript of Obama and Clinton speaking on matters of faith and values at The Compassion Forum

franchisee sues islamic investment bank for racial discrimination

BlackEnterprise.com: Franchisee Sues Islamic Investment Bank for Racial Discrimination

duh! there are black mexicans

an "unusual" blend of cultures: mexican and black
tony gleaton aims lens at black mexicans
shades of mexican
tapping the third root
afro-mexicans represent!!!
from vicente guerrero to vicente fox
early mexican graves hold africans
the mexican stamp controversy
understanding pickaninnies and improving the race
no hay sangre negra
invisibility blues
a few afro-latino links

post colonial studies is the opiate of the people?

I'm not sure I agree with A Warning To Writers: Post-Colonialism As Opium by Ali Eteraz, but it is something to think about.

an "unusual" blend of cultures: mexican and black

Los Angeles Times: An unusual blend of cultures: Mexican and black is similar to other pieces I've linked to before. It seems like every couple of months I come across an article or webpage which touches on the communities of African-descent Mexicans who live along the coast. Personally, I think it will be a great day when the LA Times can do a story with the title: Duh! There are Black Mexicans

spain to senegal: stay home

In These Times: Spain to Senegal: Stay Home by Adrián Bleifuss Prados deals with the various Spanish responses to African immigration.

Other entires on Spain as a place of immigration:
is spain realy racist?
points to paradise
spanish immigration ploy: hire mothers

absolut aztlan

The above ad, showing Mexico's pre 1848 borders was shown on billboards in Mexico but has stirred up some controversy (and even drawn threats of boycotts) north of the Rio Grande.

Time: A Vodka Tonic for Mexico's Loss? by Joan Grillo

actions speak louder than words: rev. jeremiah wright, a true patriot

Counterpunch: Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a True Patriot by Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss thoroughly addresses the claim that Jeremiah Wright hates America or is somehow less patriotic than his critics.

latin america and the arab world: resistance and occupation

Progressive Podcast: Tariq Ali, author of Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope, delivers a lecture in Sydney, Australia entitled: Latin America and the Arab World: Resistance and Occupation on Hugo Chavez and the insights which the experience of Latin American leftist populism may hold for the Middle East.

A revolution is moving across Latin America. Since 1998, the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela has brought Hugo Chávez to world attention as the foremost challenger of the neoliberal consensus and American foreign policy. Tariq Ali shows how Chávez's views have polarized Latin America and examines the aggression directed against his administration. His lecture will guide us through a world divided between privilege and poverty, a continent that is once again on the march. The contrast with the Arab world could not be more striking. Here the resistance is divided and without the social vision required to unite a people.

the anti-imperialist left confronted with islam
Planet Grenada and Hugo Chavez
tariq ali

when is a christian not a christian?

Is it just me or does the media seem reluctant to describe the "polygamist sect" down in Texas as Christians? The group in question, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, are a splinter group of the Mormon Church which decided to stay polygamous when the rest of the church decided to ban the practice.

Religious Tolerance: Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Rick Ross' "Cult" Website: Polygamist Groups
Wikipedia: Polygamy
Biblicalpolygamy.com

r.i.p. charleton heston (1923-2008)

In spite of the wildly conservative political turn he took later in life, I really liked Charleton Heston in Planet of the Apes (both old and new) and Soylent Green. Even Omega Man (based on the same novel as Will Smith's I am Legend) wasn't a bad flick. His performance in Bowling for Columbine... not so hot. Still, he will be missed.

mccain - romney ?

A lot of people in the media seem to be speculating on the possibility of Mitt Romney as John McCain's running mate in '08. Personally, I think that would make the presidential race more entertaining in terms of "Grenada-esque" type of issues. Firstly, both McCain and Romney have been caught in gaffes involving the term "tar-baby". Secondly, in the wake of the way people have been talking about Jeremiah Wright, it would be interesting to have a national discussion about Mitt Romney's role as a missionary and a bishop in the Mormon Church during the period when the Church's policies were still clearly racially discriminatory. On the other hand, if a McCain - Romney ticket managed to capture the White House, then this whole situation would be significantly less entertaining.

On Sharpton and Mormonism:
when is a bigot not a bigot?

muslims against sharia? (part two)

For more impressions across the blogosphere about this odd group:

Phanari: The Secret Behind Muslims Against Sharia
Logan the Huge: "Muslims" Against "Sharia"
Dunner's: Sinking to a New Low

see also:
muslims against shariah? (sic)

on a lighter note...

God Angrily Clarifies 'Don't Kill' Rule
Christ Converts To Islam
FBI: Muslim Groups In U.S. May Be Developing Nuclear Families
Privileged Children Of Millionaires Square Off On World Stage
U.S. To Arab World: 'Stop Hating Us Or Suffer The Consequences'
CIA Unveils New Ghetto Drugs For '98
Metric System Thriving In Nation's Inner Cities
War-Torn Middle East Seeks Solace In Religion
CIA: Syria Harboring More Than 15 Million Known Arabs
Israel Bombs Anti-Semitism Out of Lebanon
Area Man Guesses He'll Learn The Difference Between Shiites And Sunnis
God Finally Gives Shout-Out Back To All His Niggaz
God Answers Prayers Of Paralyzed Little Boy 'No,' Says God
Jesus Demands Creative Control Over Next Movie
Portrait Of Nude, Bleeding Man Hung On School Wall
Well, I Guess That Genocide In Sudan Must've Worked Itself Out On Its Own

9/11 conspiracy theories 'ridiculous,' al qaeda says

muslims against shariah?

I found out about Muslims Against Shariah through some comments on my post: mccain's spiritual advisor hates muslims and islam

Oddly enough, even though the group claims to be run by Muslims, their membership also includes a few prominent Jewish Neo-con bloggers. Their manifesto suggests that the Quran has suffered from textual corruption and asserts that certain passages and entire surahs should be removed from the Quran. Their manifesto also defends the Bible and justifies the Crusades! I think that the group is basically a textbook example of how when some people say "moderate Muslims" they really mean "assimilationist non-Muslim". I normally don't "use" verses of the Quran this way but the group certainly makes me think of the ayat: "And the Jews will not be pleased with you, nor the Christians until you follow their religion" (2:120) Accepting their manifesto would certainly put one outside the pale of Islam under most typical definitions. Personally I think the goal of striving to improve and reform Muslim religious institutions is praiseworthy but I think it has to be carried out in ways which are much more respectful of basic Islamic principles.

Ali Eteraz: Misguided Muslim Reformists
The Freethinker: (Non-)Muslims Against Sharia
Madhab al-Irfy: Muslims Against Sharia – Satire or neo-Con crap-artistry?
FrontPage: Muslims Against Shariah
StormWarning’s Counterterrorism: Muslims Against Sharia (?)

see also:
examples of bad attempts to reform Islam
the trouble with irshad manji
"they plan and allah plans..."
willie lynch: the next chapter

examples of better attempts to reform Muslim societies:
deobandi scholars say terrorism is anti-islam
nommo
two by eteraz
progressive islam?

fruit of islam cause man to soil fruit of looms

beware the beast man

The post about Iblis' decision to not bow down before Adam got me thinking about Islamic anthropology (see only human) and how when God announced He was going to place humanity on the earth the angels skeptically asked: What! wilt Thou place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood, and we celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy holiness? (2:30) It also reminded me of another memorable scene from the Planet of the Apes movies:

more monkey business

A few days ago I managed to catch some bunch of talking heads on Fox discussing LaBron James and his King Kong pose on the cover of Vogue magazine and it got me thinking about the larger question of whether it is ever okay to use racialized monkey images, which of coursa reminded me of the following scene from one of my favorite movies:

see also:
monkey business (I fixed a few of hte links but some are dead)

the devil and al-hallaj

So I recently finished reading Philp Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. It is a kind of an anti-Narnia series where the heroes gather a multiverse-wide army to fight against the Judeo-Christian God, typically referred to as the Authority. Given the theme, I would have expected that that film The Golden Compass (based on the first book) would have caused more of a scandal than it did. In any case, the books got me thinking of other examples (both historical and fictional) of how perspectives on God or the Devil are sometimes dramatically inverted.

One example of such an inversion in an Islamic framework can be connected to a question I've reflected on from even before the time I became Muslim: If Islam is such a radical monotheism, then why would Iblis (the Devil) get in trouble for refusing to bow down to something other than God? (For those that don't know, in the Quran the Devil "falls" when he refused to bow down to Adam)

The Sufi Mansur al-Hallaj must have had a similar question, and in a chapter of his metaphysical treatise The Tawasin entitled Before Endless Time and Equivocation he gives a rather bold answer in the form of an imaginary dialogue between Moses and the Devil:

Musa met Iblis on the slope of Sinai and said to him: ‘Oh Iblis, what prevented you from prostrating?’

He said: ‘That which prevented me was my declaration of a Unique Beloved, and if I had prostrated I would have become like you, because you were only called upon once to ‘look at the mountain’ and you looked. As for me, I was called upon a thousand times to prostrate myself to Adam and I did not prostrate myself because I stood by the Intention of my Declaration.

Sayedina Musa said: ‘You abandoned a Command?’

Iblis said: ‘It was a test. Not a command.’

Sayedina Musa said: ‘Without sin? But your face was deformed.’

Iblis replied: ‘Oh Musa, that is but the ambiguity of appearances, while the spiritual state does not rely on it and does not change. Gnosis remains true even as it was at the beginning and does not change even if the individual changes.’

[...]

If He punishes me with His fire for all of eternity I would not prostrate myself before anyone, and I would not abase myself before any person or body because I do not recognize any opposite with Him! My Declaration is that of the Sincere and I am one of those sincere in love.'

So in Al-Hallaj's mind the Devil almost becomes an almost saintly figure, not unlike the historical Sufi, rabia al-adawiyya who famously expressed her love for God apart from fear of Hell or desire for paradise. To be honest, I find Al-Hallaj's view somewhat compelling. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to defend some kind of Islamic form of Satanism. But I do think that Islam's radical monotheism does imply that the Devil is "on the payroll" so to speak. The Devil's act of disobedience was only apparent and ultimately he serves some valuable function as a part of the divine plan.

path of perfection: rebel music

According to their webpage, Path of Perfection is a label and distro based in ideas and feelings that truly express a reaction to everything that's happening in the world today. And given how their statement of purpose also includes references to the Natural Order, Allah, veganism and animal liberation I would guess that whoever is behind this is some permutation of the folks we've discussed before in our posts on sean muttaqi, vegan reich and the hardline movement and hashlamah.org

Interestingly enough, they actually link to one of my posts on natural Islam. Also given that I just posted on Mumia Abu Jamal earlier today, it is also kind of nice that they posted some more information on John Africa and the MOVE organization. Check it out.

dave chappelle gives salaams to fans

From MT Akbar (Chi-Town Revolutionary Guerrilla) : Dave Chapelle in the UK-Sends Salaams and Eid Mubarak to fans

new developments in the case of mumia abu jamal

Associated Press: Court: Mumia Deserves New Sentencing Hearing

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal appeals court has ordered a new penalty hearing for celebrity death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says Abu-Jamal's conviction for the 1981 murder of a Philadelphia police officer should stand. But it says he should get a new sentencing hearing because of flawed jury instructions.

If prosecutors don't want to give him a new death penalty hearing, Abu-Jamal would be sentenced automatically to life in prison.

A Philadelphia jury convicted Abu-Jamal of killing Officer Daniel Faulkner after the patrolman pulled over Abu-Jamal's brother in an overnight traffic stop 27 years ago.

Probably due to his name, many people seem to assume Mumia Abu Jamal is Muslim but he actually isn't a confessional Muslim. In his book Death Blossoms, he gives his credo as follows:

My belief – my religion, which I call Life – the teachings of John Africa and the example of my MOVE brothers and sisters across the state, many of whom have survived imprisonment for years and years. Their example has buoyed me up over fourteen years behind bars. Also, my faith in the power of commitment, in the power of family, in the power of love, of community, of God. I could give you one term instead of four or five. "Family," for example, means unity, commitment, love. That is "family." The other thing, of course, is laughter. Very simply, it’s human to laugh and to find humor, even in something small. Every day. Every day there is something to laugh about! That keeps me human.

See also:
mumia abu jamal - death blossoms
mumia abu jamal: hispanics, latin america and the struggle against the empire
legal update in the case of mumia abu jamal

prophetic and civil religion

Fire and Damnation Awaits Those Who Transgress White America’s Religion by BAR executive editor Glen Ford, further develops the idea that Rev. Wright blow-up isn't really about individual views and opinions but is really about white American civil religion and a black prophetic tradition.

And also, in Counterpunch, Ishmael Reed weighs in on the The "Crazy" Rev. Wright

moors and mujaddids

The Moors Gate: Bab El Magharbeh is a Moorish Science Website but I've started to wonder if they are moving in a more orthodox direction with their promotion of The Book of Assistance by Imam 'Abdallah Ibn Alawi al-Haddad (Widely considered to be the mujaddid of his day). In earlier posts they have also recommended works by Ibn Al-Arabi and Imam Al-Ghazali. I wonder how they go about bridging the teachings of Noble Drew Ali with those of the classical scholars.

see also:
moors, snakes and st. patrick
compass for a sea of scholars

we are family

From time to time I like to reflect on the mathematics of genealogy, but I quickly get overwhelmed. Barring virgin births, everyone has 2 parents. Barring, incest, everyone has 4 grandparents, 8 great- grandparents, 16 great- great- grandparents, 32 great- great- great- grandparents`and so on, doubling with every generation. If you know anything about geometric progressions you would realize that the number of ancestors a person has in any given generation will get very very large, very very quickly as we move into the past.

Now, in order for two people to NOT be related what is necessary is the near-impossible requirement that their two respective geometrically increasing clouds of ancestors not overlap. But eventually, if you go far back enough, each person's theoretical number of ancestors in a generation will exceed the total population on the planet. In other words, there doesn't seem to be enough room on the planet for two people to really be from different "tribes". We are all at least distant cousins.

A special corrollary of the realization that we are all related is the fact that we are all related to royalty (or any sufficiently prolific historical figure). For example, everyone today of European descent is apparently descended from Charlemagne. A good discussion of this idea can be found in an old article which appeared in The Atlantic entitled The Royal We by Steve Olson

Last year, in a surprising turn, it was discovered that Barack Obama and Dick Cheney are cousins. And more recently, last month, Juan Cole over at Informed Comment wrote about how: Queen Elizabeth II was Descended from the Prophet Muhammad (saaws). (although this has been known among professional genealogists for a long time.)

See also:
britney spears may convert to islam
kerry descended from the prophet muhammad?
i'm back...
al sharpton and strom thurmond

there is nothing wrong with rev. wright

Here's a link round-up for the Reverend Wright issue:

The Real Rev. Wright: The Footage Fox and the Other Networks Won't Show. Shows some of the "controversial" comments with more context. Also TRINITYCHGO has posted dozens of other videos from Trinity United Church of Christ onto YouTube.

The two articles The Wright Dust-Up Shows and Proves That Many Whites Don’t Know Black People at All and There's Nothing Wrong with Rev. Wright both place Wright in the broader prophetic tradition of the Black Church.

Then The White Preacher Double Standard: How Hagee, Parsley and the Rest Get Away with Everything and GOP: Only Our Pastors Can Say Crazy Sh*t contrast how Wright has been portrayed to how the media treat white Christian clergymen who say outlandish (or bigoted, or hateful, etc.) things.

Finally, Pastor of Hillary's Former Church: Don't Use Wright to Polarize and Is It Hillary's Turn to 'Denounce and Reject' a Problematic Pastor? mention how Ms. Clinton might have to do some soul searching of her own before she thinks about using the Rev. Wright as a political club against Obama.

see also:
jeremiah wright and the black church
mccain's spiritual advisor hates muslims and islam

“do good works, engage politically, and get involved”

altmuslim.com: “Do good works, engage politically, and get involved” is an interview of the first Muslim U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison by Wajahat Ali.

obama: the death of white supremacy?

In Barack Obama: The Death of White Supremacy?, Amiri Baraka, Chinweizu, Floyd Hayes. Lloyd McCarthy, Jonathan Scott, and others discuss what would and wouldn't change in the wake of an Obama presidency.

immigrants of african descent should remember the shoulders we stand on

ChickenBones: Immigrants of African Descent Should Remember the Shoulders We Stand On by Patricia Jabbeh Wesley

two by eteraz

I thought I'd share two pieces from Ali Eteraz's series on Islamic Reform.

The first is The making of the Muslim left. In it, Eterez recommends

"creating a viable and well organised Muslim left. It would be an intra-religious movement as opposed to a universalist one (though obviously it doesn't shun allies). It would be a cousin of the international left, but in a Muslim garb. Just as the Muslim right found Islamic means to justify the destructive ideas from the enlightenment (Fascism, Marxism, totalitarianism, evangelical religion), the Muslim left should find Islamic means to justify the positive ones (anti-foundationalism, pragmatism, autonomy, tolerance)"

I have reservations about some of the specific bullet points in his platform (listed in the article), but I definitely agree that if the above principles gained a foothold in the Muslim world and spread it would be a good thing.

In the second article, The Islamic Reformation, Eteraz rightly points out that unfortunately the "Islamic Reformation" has already begun. What do I mean by that? Something I've realized for a while now is that since becoming Muslim I've gained a greater appreciation for the older forms of Christianity such as Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy. (I was raised Protestant) And whatever else you might think about the ideas of the Reformation or the sins of the ancient Church, it is pretty clear that the Protestant Reformation irreversibly shattered the unity of Christianity and unleashed high degrees of religious violence across the face of Europe. And in an similar way, the zeal of some of the Islamic "reformers" has undermined the tolerance which is a basic part of classical Islam (see people of direction) and has led to the creation of less tolerant, non-traditional sectarian groups.

For further exploration of the comparison between orthodox/traditional Islam and Catholicism check out:
protestant islam
more protestant islam
reverse missionaries
the radical middle way
"...being the last one around"

hispanic governor, bill richardson, endorses obama over clinton

ABC News: Richardson: Obama's Race Speech Won Me

quranic eucharist?

Behold! the disciples, said: "O Jesus the son of Mary! can thy Lord send down to us a table set (with viands) from heaven?" Said Jesus: "Fear Allah, if ye have faith."

They said: "We only wish to eat thereof and satisfy our hearts, and to know that thou hast indeed told us the truth; and that we ourselves may be witnesses to the miracle."

Said Jesus the son of Mary: "O Allah our Lord! Send us from heaven a table set (with viands), that there may be for us - for the first and the last of us - a solemn festival and a sign from thee; and provide for our sustenance, for thou art the best Sustainer (of our needs)."
[Quran 5:112-114]

Sometimes the above-described event is identified as a kind of feeding of the multitudes but when I get to the part where the disciples of Jesus (as) describe it as a solemn festival "for the first and the last of us" I can't help but wonder if it is a reference to some sort of Eucharist. The Didache, one of the most ancient Christian texts, contains a Eucharistic prayer which includes the words: "You gavest food and drink to men for enjoyment, that they might give thanks to Thee; but to us You didst freely give spiritual food and drink and life eternal through Thy Servant." but without any kind of association to the the Last Supper or the crucifixion. Perhaps this is the spiritual meal being referred to in the Quran.

the cross and the lynching tree

In the wake of the last post on Jeremiah Wright and in anticipation of Good Friday, I thought it would be interesting to look at some of James Cone's ideas apart from their role as ammunition in the current political "horse race".

First is A Conversation with James Cone facilitated by the Trinity Institute's Bob Scott:


and secondly there is a conversation between James Cone and Bill Moyers entitled The Cross and the Lynching Tree. In both talks Cone connects the sufferings of Jesus with the sufferings of Black people in America.

James Cone obviously identifies himself as a Christian theologian but I think it is possible to connect some of his ideas to Islam in at least two ways.

Firstly, he is willing to cite Malcolm X as one of the basic sources and inspirations of his theology (suggesting that Islam, at least as articulated by Malcolm, provides some important elements lacking in conventional Christianity).

Secondly, although Islam has a different understanding of what happened at the cross (see Good Friday) I wonder if there is a similar value in connecting Black suffering with examples of martyrdom and persecution out of the Islamic tradition. The two examples which stand out for me are the "lynching" of Hussein (ra) and the multiple Quranic allusions to the prophets being murdered unjustly (although by my recollection, only the murder of Abel is mentioned specifically).

But finally, we can also ask the broader question of whether there is another figure or moment in Islam which provides a more suitable lens with which to view the Black experience in America? Yusef who was a slave and then freed? Bilal, one of several black companions of the Prophet (saaws) ? Luqman, who is sometimes identified with the Ethiopian Aesop?

jeremiah wright and the black church

Martin Luther King Jr. famously said that 11 o'clock Sunday morning was the most segregated hour in the United States. And I think that the continuation of this state of affairs is at the heart of the current controversy over comments made by Jeremiah Wright, Sr., the former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ (where Barack Obama is a member). The issue isn't really about Jeremiah Wright, Sr. as an individual as much as it is a basic discomfort with (at best) or rejection of the progressive/prophetic voice of the Black Church.

In other posts we've mentioned how even apart from labels like "Muslim" or "Christian" one can talk about the American phenomena of Black Religion as a God-centered holy protest against anti-black racism. We've also touched on Cornel West's idea of prophetic Christianity and have repeatedly discussed the radical side of Martin Luther King Jr. [1][2] [3]

In the article, Dallas-area black clergy defend Rev. Jeremiah Wright's message, Gromer Jeffers Jr. and Jeffrey Weiss do a good job of providing some context for Wright's comments within the Bible and the tradition of the Black Church. Similarly, in Is Obama Wrong About Wright? Michael C. Dawson (who is the John D. MacArthur professor of political science at the University of Chicago) locates Jeremiah Wright in the mainstream of the Black community, particularly in the Black Theology tradition of James Cone.

see also Abu Noor Al-Irlandee: Michael C. Dawson: Is Obama Wrong About Wright?

mumbo jumbo with ishmael reed

Shamelessly taken from Tariq Nelson's blog:

An amazing and involved interview of Ishmael Reed by Pakistani-American writer Wajhat Ali. Topics include race and the Clinton dynasty, Obama, Paul Mooney and the Black/Latino pseudo-divide, the economics of misery, Nazi science, Irshad Manji, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Blacks in NASA, Amiri Baraka, Malcolm X, the racist uses of feminism and the scapegoating of Black males, Gloria Steinem, Geraldine Ferraro, medical experimentation on Black people, Dinesh D'Souza, Crash, The Wire, American Gangster and the canons of Western Civilization.

Mumbo Jumbo: Naming Names | "Faking the Hood" | Jabs, Low Blows and Knockout Punches

happy birthday to planet grenada

Planet Grenada is three years-old today.

andre carson became the second muslim elected to the u.s. congress

Tariq Nelson: Andre Carson becomes the second Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress.

mccain's spiritual advisor hates muslims and islam

Unlike the old McCain who in the last election was critical of the religious bigotry of Bob Jones University, (after Bush spoke there), the new McCain is apparently ok with the endorsement of a religious bigot like Rev. Rod Parsley.

Senator John McCain hailed as a spiritual adviser an Ohio megachurch pastor who has called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

On February 26, McCain appeared at a campaign rally in Cincinnati with the Reverend Rod Parsley of the World Harvest Church of Columbus, a supersize Pentecostal institution that features a 5,200-seat sanctuary, a television studio (where Parsley tapes a weekly show), and a 122,000-square-foot Ministry Activity Center. That day, a week before the Ohio primary, Parsley praised the Republican presidential front-runner as a "strong, true, consistent conservative." The endorsement was important for McCain, who at the time was trying to put an end to the lingering challenge from former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a favorite among Christian evangelicals. A politically influential figure in Ohio, Parsley could also play a key role in McCain's effort to win this bellwether state in the general election. McCain, with Parsley by his side at the Cincinnati rally, called the evangelical minister a "spiritual guide."

On the one hand there is the question of consistency: Will McCain's relationship to Parsley be scrutinized in the media to the same degree as Obama's relationship to Farrakhan? But for me, the really scary part of this story is the fact Parsley's views are not atypical among the Religious Right.

In a chapter titled "Islam: The Deception of Allah," Parsley warns there is a "war between Islam and Christian civilization." He continues:

I cannot tell you how important it is that we understand the true nature of Islam, that we see it for what it really is. In fact, I will tell you this: I do not believe our country can truly fulfill its divine purpose until we understand our historical conflict with Islam. I know that this statement sounds extreme, but I do not shrink from its implications. The fact is that America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed, and I believe September 11, 2001, was a generational call to arms that we can no longer ignore.

Parsley is not shy about his desire to obliterate Islam. In Silent No More, he notes—approvingly—that Christopher Columbus shared the same goal: "It was to defeat Islam, among other dreams, that Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World in 1492…Columbus dreamed of defeating the armies of Islam with the armies of Europe made mighty by the wealth of the New World. It was this dream that, in part, began America."

(for entire story) Mother Jones: McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam

afro-latinidad

For some thoughtful analysis of the condition of Black Latino, check out Waiting 2 Speak: Critical Latinidad and More Critical Latinidad

real unity for afro-latinos and african americans

Real Unity for Afro-Latinos and African Americans by Miriam Jiménez Román

always black, always puerto rican

VidaAfroLatina: Always Black, Always Puerto Rican by José Méndez-Andino

mami el negro esta rabioso (el africano)

This post has been rattling around in my brain for a couple days now (or longer depending on how you count) but Kismet "made me" finish it a little bit more quickly due to her comment on negro bembon. If anyone wants to look at how race shows up in Latin music, "El Africano" by Wilfrido Vargas (actually written by Calixto Ochoa, but Vargas went further with it) is a necessary "text". In one version, the song lyrics are:

Mami el negro esta rabioso, quiere bailar/pelear conmigo, decicelo a mi papa. Mami el negro me echa miedo, me tapo la cabeza y el negro me destapa. (or alternatively) Mami, yo me acuesto tranquila me arropo de pie a cabeza y el negro me destapa. CORO : Mami que sera lo que quiere el negro? (repeat)

Wlfrido Vargas: El Africano  

 The classic merengue tune is about a "rabioso" (angry, literally "rabid") black man uncovering the innocent girl who has little experience with "lo que quiere el negro" (what the black man wants). On one level it is a festive party anthem, but on another it pretty clearly perpetuates certain alarmist attitudes towards Black sexuality. (e.g. see race and sex) DJ Laz made heavy use of a Vargas sample and updated the song musically, if not lyrically. While more recently, Cuban-American rapper Pitbull came out with "The Anthem" featuring Lil' John as an homage to the original. Miraculously, he manages to make the lyrics more lascivious (the girl is certainly not calling her daddy for protection) and racist (adding typical Latin stereotypes of Black female/"morena" sexuality to stereotypes of Black male sexuality). 

 DJ Laz: Mami El Negro

   

 Pitbull: The Anthem 

 So far, my favorite piece in this lineage is "Mami El Negro" by the 'conscious' Spanish (as in from Spain) rapper El Chojin. To be honest, I never heard of El Chojin until working on this post but he is growing on me. I also like the Grenada-esque anti-bling anthem Si Mi Chica Se Llamara Shakira /If Shakira was my girlfriend. But in "Mami El Negro" he is the most explicit in terms of breaking down the racist content of the original song, along with the ignorance and prejudice he faces in his everyday life. El Chojin: Mami El Negro  

  Lyrics to "Mami El Negro" by El Chojin

Alguien me pregunto de donde soy! hombre no es la misma cancion

pero si es un poco mas de lo mismo racismo,

he crecido como muchos han crecido

escuchando la cancion de los conguitos, la del negro negrito

y payasadas por el estilo

y me las he comido siendo un niño

pero amigo he crecido y tanta estupidez me ha convertido

en un hombre orgulloso y decidido

a no aguantar ni una broma mas,

me cago en el payaso de George Dan,

los del colacao, los de la Warner y todos los demas,

retrasados, que yo nunca me he reido de un blanco por ser blanco,

tanto tonto tan simpatico, tan asno rebuznando

\"ah tu no tienes que tomar el sol en verano\"

me daban pena pero ya estoy arto,

me dais asco, tontos que sois tontos

y lo curioso es que se creen graciosos

pues mami ahora el negro esta rabioso

otro tonto y monto el pollo gordo,

bobo te cojo y te pongo rojo,

avergüenzate si alguna vez creiste que de veras un blanco

con taparrabos gritando en lo alto de un arbol podria ser el rey de algo, no

a Tarzán se lo comio el miedo al hombre negro,

un desconocimiento inmenso te ha hecho ciego, terco, memo y no tengo porque entenderlo,

ser bueno paciente y toda esa mierda,

al proximo que me venga con la ingeniosa idea

de decir que me parezco a Jordan, Eddie Murphy o al que sea se la lleva,

ea o sea que esta es vuestra manera de hacer que me sienta en vuestra tierra integrado,

pues lo siento pues la habeis cagado,

yo no me quiero sentir integrado

tengo mi peña, mi micro, mi dj y los platos

y bastante interesado que paso,

que ni somos iguales ni tenemos que aparentarlo,

mami ahora el negro esta rabioso

pero es porque tu le has cabreado

¿Mami sabes tu que es lo que quiere? Que el negro esta rabioso de oir a tanto lerdo

¿Mami sabes tu que es lo que quiere? Que el negro esta rabioso es hora de exigir respeto

¿Mami sabes tu que es lo que quiere el negro? No hay ningun problema mientra veas donde termina el juego

¿Mami sabes tu que es lo que quiere el negro? Pues que le dejes simplemente ni mas ni menos

Es cierto, las cosas son mucho mas sencillas de lo que parecen

no tenemos porque andarnos con estupideces,

ya somos mayores, mira, no somos iguales,

no te escandalizes el racismo existe

es real y esto no es una llamada a la reconciliacion

es simplemente informacion

porque sabes que?

lo cierto es que no me importa una mierda lo que tengas en la cabeza,

simplemente callatelo, no hagas comentarios,

no intentes ser gracioso y ya veras como asi a todos nos va a ir mucho mejor,

que yo no tengo porque ser mejor persona que tu,

que no te he pedido de ningun favor, simplemente digo las cosas como son,

soy realista y tener esta actitud la que me han hecho tener a lo largo de mi vida,

ha hecho que incluso haya gente que me llama racisma,

es la risa, o sea que me vigilan, hacen chistes, cancioncitas,

no me quieren en sus familias y encima yo soy el racista

pues nada hombre cuidado que te tengo discriminado,

a ver si voy a hacer que te sientas marginado o algo,

mira cuando alguien dice lo que todos piensan pero no lo dice,

se le decalifica pero bueno asi es como funciona esto,

pero bueno yo soy el que tiene el micro, tengo un disco y consigo

que lo que digo se te meta en el cerebro

ahora piensa por ti mismo firmado el Chojin 1999 a diez meses del 2000.

also: shakira and wycleff at the grammys

floetry: everybody heard

I don't feel like verbalizing too much on this one. It's just some beautiful Afro-futuristic mytho-poetic spoken word. Plus they can saaaaang.

anniversary of the 1977 dc "hanafi" muslim siege

These few days are the 31st anniversary of the DC "Hanafi" Muslim Siege (March 9-11, 1977) led by Hamaas Abdul Khaalis. I started a blog entry on this subject ages ago but never finished it before now. Basically the points I wanted to hit were:

1. The "Hanafis" are yet another piece in the history of Blackamerican Muslims outside of the Nation of Islam.

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabaar entered into Islam (at least in part) through contact with Abdul Khaalis and the Hanafis.

3. Like Malcolm X, Abdul Khaalis was a prominent former member of the Nation of Islam, who was became a critic, and suffered greatly at their hands, although in his case, he was left alive while members of the Nation killed his five children, and his infant grandson. (see also Black Mafia) On a much more negative note, there was some indication that Abdul Khaalis was mentally disturbed even before this incident while the tragedy with his family probably pushed him over the edge.

4. Those injured in the siege included the, then councilman, yet-to-be-infamous-mayor of DC, Marion Barry.

5. On another negative note, this time in terms of how Islam is portrayed in popular culture, I thought it was rather bizarre and out of proportion how some descriptions of the thousand plus year old Hanafi school would toss in a casual mention of the siege is if it were something typical or representative of the teachings of Abu Hanifah. (e.g. GlobalSecurity.org's article on Hanafi Islam)

6. The siege was apparently resolved mainly through the efforts of certain ambassadors from Muslim countries who were able to remind the hostage-takers of the merciful and compassionate side of Islam.

The Hanafi siege certainly wasn't the highest point in Blackamerican Muslim history, but it does provide some food for thought and reflection.

Grenada's past:
radical african-american muslims
nommo