until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes

On the question of racial discrimination, the Addis Ababa Conference taught, to those who will learn, this further lesson: That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned: That until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil. - Haile Selassie I

The above is just an excerpt from a larger speech delivered by Haile Selassie I to the UN in 1963 which was later set to music and turned into the song "War" by Bob Marley.

matisyahu

I heard on NPR the other day that the two current top-selling reggae albums right now were by Matisyahu (a white Hassidic Jew) and Willie Nelson (more well known as a country singer). As a friend of mine would say: "interesting times".

From a certain perspective, its not surprising or deep that Willie Nelson, long-time marijuana advocate would cover a reggae song. Besides, many reggae songs definitely have a "country" or rural feel. But Matisyahu's very existence as a performer raises some more thought-provoking questions. For example, is Matusyahu's music a form of cultural appropriation? If he simply sung secular dancehall party music the issue might be alot simpler. But since he also performs more in the spiritual tradition of Rastafari-influenced reggae things get more interesting. Rastafarianism is, loosely speaking, a form of Christianity which sees former Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie as the fulfiller of certain Biblical prophecies. At the same time, Rastas tend to emphasize the Old Testament of the Bible and speak often of Babylon, Zion, the themes of captivity and exodus, and they incorporate other "Jewish" ideas into their practice, language and theology.

So on the one hand Matisyahu could be seen as a white guy playing black music. Or a Jewish guy playing Christian music. Or more circularly, a Jewish guy who is reclaiming a musical form popularized by Black Christians but ultimately inspired by Jewish spirituality in the first place. Any of those answers is probably too simple by themselves. Maybe we can only say he's an ordinary guy playing good music, and leave it at that.

Wikipedia on Matisyahu
Matisyahu's official website

god's gonna trouble the water

On Belifnet, Michael Eric Dyson discusses how the black religious tradition deals with Katrina and how prophetic rage can be transformed into real change.

an open letter to minister louis farrakhan

An Open Letter to Minister Louis Farrakhan from Najee Ali of Project Islamic H.O.P.E. asking Farrakhan to postpone the Millions More Movement March on Washington next month, and instead encourage people to volunteer in the New Orleans area to help with humanitarian efforts there. Good idea.

it's a small world after all

Not particularly "Granada-ish". But it has been on my mind for a while, like the Damocles stuff.

Area Applebee's A Hotbed Of Machiavellian Political Maneuvering
Marxists' Apartment A Microcosm Of Why Marxism Doesn't Work
Both are older stories from The Onion

For long-time I've noticed something funny. The political attitdes I have when it comes to national/world issues necessarily don't always match up to my political attitudes when it comes to the smaller levels. For example, a benevolent dictatorship or oligarchy actually works out pretty well at the family level, but I wouldn't want to run a country that way. A bowling league should be run differently from knitting club. Student government should be run differently from a life boat. And so on. Man is a political animal, but we all hunt in different habitats.

the crayon people

The Crayon People is an interesting site with news for people of color (arab, asian, black, indigenous, latino, south asian). It is a bit weird that the groups are "segregated" the way they are. i guess they imagine a neat box of crayons where each color is individually wrapped. It reminds me of how when I was little I liked melting crayons on the radiator with my friends.

the second message of islam

thanks to George Kelly, I found out about this page of links (books, journals, and articles) focusing on Islam and Africa. There is a good amount of interesting material there. Some of it on the scholarly side, dealing not just with "theology" but with culture and politics. And in multiple languages too (English, Spanish, French and Portuguese),

Right now, the piece which stands out the most for me is a pamphlet called: An Introduction To The Second Message of Islam, which briefly summarizes some of the ideas of Sudanese reformer Mahmoud Muhammad Taha. His basic idea seems to be that in the past, Muslim societies were only ready to implement a certain portion of the Quran. But in more recent times, after certain developments and changes have happened, we are able to understand and apply the Quran in a deeper way and we are ready for the "second message of Islam" which for Taha happens to include a vision of freedom, equality and democratic socialism.

damocles revisited

This is more a personal comment than anything else. For reasons I don't plan on getting into, I think about the story of Damocles alot in my life. It tends to form a big part of my perspective when it comes to small-scale politics (PTA, local school board, that type of stuff). But I have to do some soul searching. For a long time, I think I've had a good understanding of the nature of the "sword", at least in my own small pond. But now I'm not so sure. Things should be clearer tomorrow.

suheir hammad on katrina

a prayer band

every thing

you ever paid for
you ever worked on
you ever received

every thing

you ever gave away
you ever held on to
you ever forgot about

every single thing is one
of every single thing and all
things are gone

every thing i can think to do
to say i feel
is buoyant

every thing is below water
every thing is eroding
every thing is hungry

there is no thing to eat
there is water every where
and there is no thing clean to drink

the children aren't talking

the nurses have stopped believing
anyone is coming for us

the parish fire chief will never again tell anyone
that help is
coming

now is the time of rags
now is the indigo of loss
now is the need for cavalry

new orleans
i fell in love with your fine ass poor boys
sweating frying
catfish blackened life thick women glossy
seasoning bourbon
indians beads grit history of races
and losers who still won

new orleans i dreamt of living lush within your shuttered eyes a closet of yellow dresses a breeze on my neck writing poems for do right men and a daughter of refugees

i have known of displacement
and the tides pulling every thing
that could not be carried within
and some of that too

a jamaican man sings
those who can afford to run will run
what about those who can't
they will have to stay

end of the month tropical depression turned storm

someone whose beloved has drowned
knows what water can do
what water will do to once animated things

a new orleans man pleads
we have to steal from each other to eat
another gun in hand says we will protect what we
have
what belongs to us

i have known of fleeing desperate
with children on hips in arms on backs
of house keys strung on necks
of water weighed shoes
disintegrated official papers
leases certificates births deaths taxes

i have known of high ways which lead nowhere
of aches in teeth in heads in hands tied

i have known of women raped by strangers by
neighbors
of a hunger in human

i have known of promises to return to where you come from but first any bus going any where

tonight the tigris and the mississippi moan for each other as sisters full of unnatural things flooded with predators and prayers

all language bankrupt

how long before hope begins to eat itself? how many flags must be waved? when does a man let go of his wife's hand in order to hold his child?

who says this is not the america they know?

what america do they know?

were the poor people so poor they could not be seen?

were the black people so many they could not be counted?

this is not a charge
this is a conviction

if death levels us all
then life plays favorites

and life it seems is constructed
of budgets contracts deployments of wards
and automobiles of superstition and tourism
and gasoline but mostly insurance

and insurance it seems is only bought
and only with what cannot be carried within
and some of that too

a city of slave bricked streets
a city of chapel rooms
a city of haints

a crescent city

where will the jazz funeral be held?

when will the children talk?

tonight it is the dead
and dying who are left
and those who would rather not
promise themselves they will return

they will be there
after everything is gone
and when the saints come
marching like spring
to save us all

From the artists network of refuse and resist

"9/11 was like being black twice"

Four African-American Muslims sit around a kitchen table discussing the intersection of race, religion and terrorism at Negrophile

that was kanye west, not cornel west -- kanye west

This piece from Negrophile (a transcript exerpt from an episode of CNN "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer) raised all sorts of questions for me like: Which Black voices does white America listen to? But mostly, I just really liked the title.

intelligent design

Good news. My blog evolved. I'm no longer an insignificant microbe but i'm actually a large mammal.

It's weird though... before sitting down to blog I just got some bad news which doesn't bode well for my living situation (not like homeless bad... but i just won't be a happy camper for a while). So being a large mammal is good news, but it might have tasted better under different circumstances.

under suspicion

Neocon Pundits Malign American Muslims by Louay M. Safi is another piece from the alt.muslim site. It points to some disturbing criticisms coming from certain individuals and organizations against Muslim organizations. What is really disturbing is that the Muslim organizations which are the targets of these accusations are the tamest and most mainstream (some of them even endorsed Bush in the 2000 presidential election). The accusation which really frustrated was me was one which came out a while ago against Tablighi Jamaat. They are literally the largest Muslim organization/movement of Muslims in the world and the members I've met are some of the gentlest people I know. The Muslim turnout to their annual convention is bigger than Hajj (the required pilgrimage to Mecca). Imagine... a Muslim "Mecca" which isn't Mecca! (If that is hard to believe, just consider the fact that the group started in Southeast Asia, a large percentage of their members are based there, and the convention takes place there.) But if a group as mild and as apolitical as Tablighi Jamaat should be under suspicion as some kind of terrorist sanctuary, then the US may as well lock up all the Muslims in concentration camps right now and make us wear green crescents on our arm when we go out in public. (If anyone from the government is reading this, that was an example of hyperbole.)

But when the Islamophobes accuse even the mildest Islamic groups of terrorist associations, then the implication is that all Muslims are suspect.

moorish past finds new life in a storied city

A useful piece, geared for the tourist, from the NYTimes (courtesy of George Kelly) on modern-day Granada and its Hispanic-Moorish past.

how progressive is the progressive muslim movement?

How Progressive is the Progressive Muslim Movement? by Aamir Siddiqui.

To be honest I didn't like this article at first. But after thinking about it a little more I decided it is a mostly fair description of some sectors of the so-called Progressive Muslim movement. But at the same time, I'm not sure I see myself in his descriptions. I think it goes back to the recurring ambiguity of whether "progressive Muslims" are more interested in reforming Islam or are they more interested in reforming society as Muslims commited to justice, anti-racism, anti-sexism, etc.

i knew i forgot something...

where is osama bin laden?

9/11 poetry

The most beautiful 9/11 poem I've read or heard, by far, has got to be First Writing Since by Suheir Hammad. Another deep piece, with a good amount of historical perspective is A moment of silence before I start this poem by Emmanuel Ortiz. I've mentioned both poems on Planet Grenada before, but due to the anniversary they could bear some repeating. I also found a 9/11 poem on the LADO (Latino American Dawah Organization) website called Pharaoh is just a Leaf which is a bit rougher than the other two but still kind of interesting.

the mystery of iniquity (original sin)

from Sahih Bukhari
Volume 2, Book 23, Number 441:
Narrated Abu Huraira :

Allah's Apostle said, "Every child is born with a true faith of Islam (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism, Christianity or Magianism, as an animal delivers a perfect baby animal. Do you find it mutilated?"

Sometimes the first part is rendered "Every child is born in a natural state of righteousness (fitra)" and it is probably one of the most common "proof-texts" for the fact that Muslims don't believe in original sin.

Contrary to a widespread impression, Original Sin is actually not the claim that babies born today get punished for the sins of Adam and Eve. The central core of the doctrine is actually the idea that as a consequence of what Adam and Eve did, people born today are inclined towards sin. That human nature is so fundamentally twisted and perverted, that we can't help but live sinful lives. That's a part of why many Christians say you need to be "born-again" (apparently you didn't get it right the first time). In contrast, Islam teaches that we are born whole, unmutilated, naturally inclined to submit to God's will. Or at the very worst, neutral.

In past conversations I've had with Christians on this subject, this is the point where they typically ask: If there is no original sin, then why is there evil in the world? Good question. One of the oddest statements on this topic ever made has got be the words of Anne Frank: "...in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart."

I would give the example of a family where everyone on some level loves one another or at the very least is well intentioned towards each other, but nevertheless baggage accumulates, and misunderstandings develop. Family members acting out historical events in the past behave in ways which continue to hurt their own loved ones. No one wants to hurt the other, but in spite of that fact, they do.

immaculate conception

Sahih Bukhari
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 641:
Narrated Said bin Al-Musaiyab:

Abu Huraira said, "I heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'There is none born among the off-spring of Adam, but Satan touches it. A child therefore, cries loudly at the time of birth because of the touch of Satan, except Mary and her child." Then Abu Huraira recited: "And I seek refuge with You for her and for her offspring from the outcast Satan"

The connection is interesting to me. While Islam doesn't have a doctrine of Original Sin, there are some provocative statements in Islamic sources which evoke the idea of the Immaculate Conception. For the catechetically-impaired, this is not a reference to the virgin birth of Jesus, which is also found in the Quran, but it specifically refers to the idea that Mary was conceived without the stain of Original Sin. I realize that it (believing in the immaculate conception without believing in original sin in the first place) may sound paradoxical but I plan to explain it in a further entry

So in Roman Catholic theology, Mary and Jesus were born purified from sin, while in Islamic teachings Mary and Jesus were born without "the touch of satan"

This idea is also echoed in the Quran (3:35-36). When Mary's mother was pregnant, she dedicates her unborn offspring to God, thinking that she would be a male priest who would serve in the Temple

When a woman of Imran said: My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted (to Thy service); accept therefore from me, surely Thou art the Hearing, the Knowing.So when she brought forth, she said: My Lord! Surely I have brought it forth a female-- and Allah knew best what she brought forth-- and the male is not like the female, and I have named it Marium, and I commend her and her offspring into Thy protection from the accursed Shaitan.

And again, Mary is protected from Satan's influence. I want to follow up on the idea of Original Sin momentarily, but for now I'll just end by saying this sort of similarity is actually not uncommon. Considering that Islam (especially orthodox traditional Islam) and Christianity (especially Catholicism) are two different religions, there are many different points where their features echo one another in intriguing ways.

insignificant microbe?

Wow... so I've been try to stretch my blogging legs a little... checking out what other folks are writing... trying to get on different blogrolls or rings... adding bells and whistles... the last tweak I've made to my blog is joining the Truth Laid Bear ecosystem where different blogs are categorized by their "status" in the blogosphere (probably some mystic calculation involving number of links, frequency of visitation, etc.) anyway it turns out I'm an "insignificant microbe" in the great scheme of things. ouch. Hopefully, that is just some default setting which everyone gets at the beginning and that some day I will evolve. I'm at least hoping I'm a fish. We'll see...