I spent last week with my good friend Imam Bashar Arafat and 80 foreign exchange students from across the globe at Walt Disney World. My life has forever changed thanks to what I learned from them all. I will have more to say in a couple of days once I’ve processed internally the beauty of seeing so many people and races come together to achieve the Quranic Verse: “And we made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know each other…”
Below is a letter posted on blogs across America on November 8th as part of a national “blog-in”, a political protest that utilizes the first amendment right to freedom of speech (and arguably, the freedom of assembly) to communicate our thoughts to those vying to lead this nation. As always, this post begins: In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Dear 2012 Presidential Candidates,
We are your future constituents and we are parents. We are American mothers and fathers and grandparents and guardians. Our families might be the most diverse in the world. Blended and combined in endless permutations, we represent every major religion, political ideology and ethnic culture that exists. We are made from equal parts biology and choice. Our children come to us in every way possible—including fertility miracles, adoption, and remarriage. Our very modern families embody the freedom that defines America. We embody America. We are rich in diversity, but we are united in our family values. We come together today, with one voice, to express our grave disappointment in the national political discourse. The 2012 countdown has barely begun and we are already being bombarded with the warmed-over, hypocritical rhetoric of 2008. We are living in a time where 25% of Americans now live in poverty, the unemployment rate stands at 16%, and we are spending close to $170 billion annually between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Given the current state of affairs we would expect every candidate to focus on the issues that truly matter: job creation, debt-relief, taxes, education, poverty, and ending the war(s). Instead, it is already clear to us that the conversation has been hijacked, with the goal of further polarizing our nation into a politically motivated and falsely created class-war. We will not stand for another campaign year in which politicians presume to know what our family values are as they relate to the nation. To be clear, here are our family values: Affordable health care, including family planning, for all Americans. We will not tolerate any candidate using the shield of “Choice” to blind us from the issues that really matter. When funding is stripped from organizations like Planned Parenthood, access to sliding-scale health care (including yearly pap smears & mammograms), comprehensive sex education, and family planning is blocked from the poorest of the population. Access to education, and the ability to actually use it. We want quality, affordable, federally-funded pre-K programs made available in every State, in order to provide an even starting point for all children enrolled in public schools— regardless of the wealth of the district or town they live in. A reinstatement of regulations for banks issuing mortgages and full prosecution for those who engaged in fraudulent lending practices. We want full accountability —investigation, indictment and prosecution— of those individuals and institutions who engaged in fraudulent lending practices and who helped create the massive foreclosures that left many families homeless or struggling to keep their homes. A return of strict environmental regulations protecting water, air, food, and land that were removed in the last two decades. We want our children to grow up in a world not weighed down by the strains of pollution and global warming. Between BPA in our products, sky-rocketing rates of asthma in kids, questionable hormones in our over-processed food, and more, we need leaders who will put our needs and safety over the desires and profits of large corporations. Family planning, healthcare, education, economic solvency and environmental safety: these are our national family values. Candidates who demonstrate the ability to understand the gravity of these issues, and their impact on our families, and who can provide actual, viable solutions to these problems will garner our support and our votes. We believe in this democratic system of ours, and we will continue to use our voices and our votes to see that it reaches its fullest potential.
Sincerely, Your future constituents,
The [future & current] mothers & fathers of America
Posted here on behalf of my parents, Mohammed Iqbal and Kisra “Goldie” Khan.
Last month, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple and creator of the iPod, passed away. While I personally owe a lot to Steve Jobs for teaching my generation to dare to dream, I think there is something both he and Barack Obama have in common that ties them back to the Islamic faith.
Both of their fathers were raised Muslims. Both of their fathers left their sons at infancy. And both of their fathers are tragic, not-to-be imitated people. Neither Barack Obama or Steve Jobs by the way, ever practiced Islam.
I bring this point up because there is another person in Islamic history who grew up much in the way Barack and Steve did without a father. And his name was Muhammad ibn Abdullah, the prophet of Islam (peace be upon him).
Like Obama and Jobs, the prophet had a father figure present in his life. Muhammad was raised by his mother, grandfather, and uncle. Obama was raised by mother and grandparents. Jobs was adopted as a baby boy by hardworking lower-middle class parents who struggled to make ends meet. Like the prophet (peace be upon him), Jobs had no formal secondary education. He dropped out of school when he found out it was crippling his parents’ meager finances.
But that’s where the similarities end. Muhammad was the prophet of God, and never looked upon drugs, counter-culture, or Hare Krishna temples for sustenance. He found his strength in being a leader in doing the right thing: preaching morality to a society woefully in need of it.
But on the other end, Muhammad (pbuh) would end up being a father to us all in one way: from his lessons and life all of Muslim fathers seek glimpses to emulate in their daily lives, and teach their children. Unfortunately, neither Jobs nor Obama benefited from that; their fathers belonged a generation of Muslims steeped in violence and social upheaval. And when they became aware of who their biological fathers were in actuality, they did not choose to emulate them or what they might have learned from their fathers in any form.
But, strikingly, neither Barack nor Steve held any grudge against Islam or the Muslim societies that reared their fathers. In fact, at least one of them, the current President of the United States, would seek out the Islamic world while living in it–not in order to see if he might fit into the Ummah, but instead to learn how to respect it. And I can tell you personally: that is how the best leaders start.
Steve Jobs would inspire me and many others in 2005 when, at Stanford, he gave a speech about how to be your own person. “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish,” he admonished the graduates; words that perhaps Rumi might say. Jobs inspired and influenced an entire generation–my generation–to live by our own rules (within reason), and to challenge monopolistic thinking in order to achieve great things.
Barack Obama would break the race barrier, and give me hope that even though I still can’t balance a checkbook (don’t ask), that maybe one day my brand of original thinking will land me too, in the White House. He has also saved our country from one unmitigated disaster after another, and is an amazing father himself.
And so, how would the world be different today had Barack Obama and Steve Jobs been raised by their biological fathers, both of whom were born and raised Muslims? Well, if their lives without their sons is any clue: much less vibrant and exciting than life is today.
There is a lesson in that though, for Muslim parents: that to say one is a Muslim is different than to practice good parenting. As a son of two excellent Muslim parents, I would know. Ethics, leadership, responsibility and moral duty are values universal to all good fathers. Abu’s of the world: teach them well, so that the next time that destiny gives the son of a Muslim the chance of something great, that they achieve it. As a Muslim.
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It’s a cold and rainy day in October here in Chantilly, Virginia. These are the sort of days campaigners and canvassers dread. The air is damp and the unforgiving winds hint at the colder days to come. The only solace one has as they drearily knock on door after door to introduce their candidate and their candidate’s political fortunes is the stark beauty coming from the colored leaves falling gracefully from the trees.
But this is no matter to Shahid Malik, who has knocked on over 3,000 doors himself as he battles to unseat GOP behemoth Michael Frey. Frey, who is a darling of special interests (and particularly of developers, eager to to turn the flat plantation lands in the Sully district into parking lots and mcmansions) has been angering many residents for what they call his sham of a constituency outreach effort over the past four years. Visible anger that Shahid and his crack army of grassroots volunteers have been doing everything they can to take advantage of.
Shahid Malik decided to become a candidate for the Sully District’s County Supervisor after being alarmed by Republican incumbent Michael Frey’s insistence on cutting the county school budget. A proud parent of four, all of his children are products of the Fairfax County school system, with his youngest still in high school.
Malik, who is running as a Democrat, was chosen by caucus vote to be the official Democratic nominee for Sully. His only opponent dropped out the eve of the caucus vote, bowing to Malik’s impressive resume as a former government contractor, part-time philanthropist and community leader, and small business owner. Malik’s impressive resume includes being the director of the Water For Life project of the world renown NGO Humanity First.
He’s travelled across the world, including Central America and West Africa to bring fresh, clean drinking water to some of the most remote communities in those regions. When threatened with a sectarian attack while helping Kashmir earthquake victims in Pakistan in 2005, he shrugged the attack off. His job was the help the needy, Malik says. Not to pay attention to identity politics.
And it is exactly that attitude which makes Malik probably the most attractive mainstream Muslim candidate to date in the DMV: his race is not about religion. It’s about the people of Sully district. When asked what role Islam has played in his politics, Malik shakes the question: none. It informs his morals, ethics, and principles. But this is not a race about a Muslim, it’s a race about the issues. “This election has got nothing to do with me being a Muslim. It has to do with the people of Sully, and what their concerns as voters are.” Spoken like a true Muslim.
And what are those Issues? Again, another true Muslim response: “my greatest concern is education. Without it, we’re doing our children a huge disfavor in the worst economy since the Great Depression. We need to do our best to insure quality education is a priority here in Fairfax County. Not cut the school budget like my opponent insists on doing,” says Malik.
Malik also lists transportation in congestion-clogged Fairfax County and the need for smart-growth in the district as other major concerns. He also is quick to point out: being a Muslim has never once impacted the way voters interact with him. “Even leaning-Republican voters–voters we typically ID as my opponent’s base, have been saying ‘hey, we’re with you Shahid. You’ve got our vote.’ Whether they do vote for me or not, that’s another story. But at least we know for sure identity politics don’t exist in Sully.” And Malik never suspected they would.
What’s even more remarkable about Malik’s background is something certain Muslim leaders in Maryland have long been insecure about themselves: He was born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan. Mr. Malik is an immigrant American, and it has never stopped him from being an avid citizen of his adopted country.
I give my whole-hearted endorsement to Mr. Malik’s candidacy, and I also would like to take the time to thank him for working to strengthen democracy in Northern Virginia by being a model candidate all public servants should aspire to be like. Good luck in November!
If you want to learn more about Shahid Malik, visit his campaign website: http://malikforsupervisor.com. He already has 100+ volunteers lined up to help him on November 8th. If you decide to help out that day, be sure to tell him The Modern Rumi sent you.
The Travillah Oak is nearly 300 years old.
This is the Travillah Oak. in 12 years, it will be 300 years old. I’m posting about it today because it’s a landmark in my hometown of Potomac. The tree itself is huge, and we’re blessed to have it so nearby. Whenever I look at it, it reminds me how lucky I am to be a Marylander, and the importance of us preserving legacies of our past, as well as the pristine natural environment we here in Maryland are blessed with.
The Baltimore County Muslim Council (BCMC) is hosting a dinner for Maryland’s Attorney General Doug Gansler and District 11 Delegate Dana Stein. Dana is a first term delegate whose district encompasses much of Pikesville. Attorney General Gansler is one of two MoCo favorites to run for governor in three years. The other is Peter Franchot. The event will be held on October 21st at the Islamic Society of Baltimore in Catonsville, Maryland.
The event has a slew of hosts and sponsors, all from different backgrounds, showing a focus on communal unity amongst Muslims in Maryland.
Quick points to note:
1) This is the second Baltimore area-based Muslim political event in October. It seems Montgomery County’s Muslim leaders have been less proactive politically this year than their Baltimore neighbors, especially since Doug Gansler is from Bethesda.
2) As mentioned before, the event’s hosts & sponsors are from diverse backgrounds, that’s a huge plus to breaking stereotypes about Muslims.
3) The event’s ticket price, at 25 dollars, suggests the organizers have every intention of creating a grassroots groundswell of Muslim American activists in Baltimore. Smart thinking. More Muslim organizations should realize that $200 a plate isn’t the only way to garner influence in Annapolis.
My take: buy a ticket, attend the event. I know I will be, insha’Allah.
-Hamza
Humaninim President Nayab Siddiqui held a fundraiser at his home this past weekend for Congress Elijah Cummings.
At the time of receiving the invite, the host committee was “in formation”. Major Muslim community leaders in Maryland sponsoring the event included Irfan Malik and Zahid Butt. Other sponsors were Majid Husain, Nasir Bashir, and Suhail Qarni. Malik has a long history of political involvement since moving to Maryland from Texas. Butt is a gastroenterologist and CEO of Medisolv, a medical IT company. Butt is one of a handful of Muslim leaders in Maryland now on Twitter: @Zbytes (clever name).
Screenshot of the e-mail invite for the Cummings fundraiser
Elijah Cummings and I go back. I first met Congressman Cummings on an advocacy mission with some like-minded students during Israel’s Second Lebanon War. His passionate defense of those innocents caught between the IDF and Hezbollah has never left my mind. When explaining my similar dilemma, the Congressman remarked, “see, you get it. This isn’t easy for anyone to take just one side on.” A fews later in 2009, I met the Congressman as President of the Maryland Federation of College Democrats, the organization that governs all College Democrats in the state. When I asked him to become our organization’s honorary chair, he didn’t hesitate and with slap of the knee said, “Done.”
Congressman Elijah Cummings meets with me and other MFCD delegates while I was president. When we asked him to become our honorary chair for the year, he slapped my knee and said, "done".
Cummings is a tireless civil servant, and is probably one of my favorite political personalities. He drives down from his district to do work in Washington, and then drives right back up again. I hope more Muslims in Maryland come to value him for his dedication to doing the right thing, regardless of politics.
