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.

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.

Shahid Malik is running for County Supervisor in Sully District, Fairfax County

District Profile: Sully             Democrats:  26,000 (roughly) Republicans: 15,000 (roughly) Current Supervisor: Michael Frey (GOP) Major localities: Chantilly, Dulles area Major Mosques: Chantilly Islamic Center, ADAMS, Mubarik Mosque, Zakaria Islamic Academy

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.

]]> http://themodernrumi.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/candidate-profile-shahid-malik/feed/ 0 themodernrumi Shahid Malik http://themodernrumi.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/the-travillah-oak/ http://themodernrumi.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/the-travillah-oak/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:37:41 +0000 The Modern Rumi http://themodernrumi.wordpress.com/?p=642 Continue reading →]]>

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 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

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.

Nonetheless, I was given the opportunity by Imam Mohammad Bashar Arafat and his organization, the Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (CECF) to do just that: give a presentation about social media and its impact on Muslim Youth in America, and the world.

Imam Bashar receives a gift from a visiting Malaysian delegation. The Imam travels across the world to help promote dialogue and understanding between Muslims and America.

Earlier this year, I gave a social media seminar to a group of clerics visiting the U.S. from Morocco. Following a really positive response from the clerics, Imam Arafat asked me to give another presentation about social media in September, to a delegation of clerics and seminarians from the prestigious Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.

Al Azhar University is the oldest institution of Islamic learning in the world. It is also arguably the oldest continuous university in the world. In other words, it was a great honor to get to present to them!

Watch my slideshow presentation to the Al Azhar delegates here:  

Al Azhar Presentation

One of the big things I talked about in my presentation was the effect of social media on helping young Muslim American thinkers like me bond with other Muslims who think like me.  Connecting locally to like-thinking Muslims is usually exasperated by old-world battles and prejudices that our parents’ wage on each other, and us as their children. Social media creates a digital version of the Boys Town, allowing Muslim youth with great ideas and drive for civic engagement–not old-world us vs. them life narratives–could connect to each other and role models across the country.

I also talked about some young people making a huge difference in our society everyday thanks to social media. Al Azhar graduate Suhaib Webb’s social-media powered website suhaibwebb.com offers succinct Islamic religious counseling through informative blog posts and interesting articles targeted towards Muslim youth in America.   Saad Malik, Arif Kabir, and Javed Ali are amongst a few youth lay Muslims I spent time talking about also.

One of the Al Azhar University seminarians and I hang out in Crystal City

I also talked about that topic all Muslim parents dread: sexuality amongst youth. In a lot of the Arab world, liberal sexual attitudes have come to be normal with the rise of material wealth and economic prosperity. Social media in Indonesia has played a positive role in helping young people deal with their sexual issues, and get questions answered about sexuality that they just can’t get answered at home.

I ended the presentation with a call to action for Islamic clerics to use social media to talk about religious issues with young people. We went over strategies and tactics that can help make young people feel more comfortable reaching out to clerics online, and how the digital ‘wall of seperation’ can help make it easier for youth to reach out to clerics over Facebook or Twitter.

I am keeping in touch with my new friends over at Al Azhar University through a special Facebook group (shh! it’s secret!). Hopefully there will be great synergies between us in the future, insha’Allah (God willing).

I was invited because I am a member of a group of young Muslim leaders known as Generation Change, a State Department-backed endeavor to connect young Muslim leaders dedicated to making a lasting difference in our world by civic engagement and political efficacy.

Some of my colleagues in Generation Change include world-famous publishers like Javed Ali and Moniza Khokhar, who are up and coming Muslim-media magnates. Other Generation Change members include poet Ainee Fatima and women’s rights activist and blogger Fatemeh Fakhraie.

Ali Baluch and I right outside the Benjamin Franklin Room at the State Department

I’m on the younger side of members of Generation Change. My contribution has been my extensive experience in politics and interfaith initiatives.  I also have a knack for connecting with young people and keeping them involved in projects far beyond their fad expiration date ( for those of you who don’t know: a fad is a popular trend that dies out quickly).

Some of the people honored at this year’s  Eid reception were Ephraim Salam and my fellow Pathan, Kulsoom Abdullah. Kusloom is a weight-lifter. She represents Pakistan at international competitions, and is a hijab-observant Muslim young woman. I credit her strength to her Pathan roots–we’re born strong!

I feel honored to continue to build a national profile as both an interfaith and political leader. More so because this Eid reception marks the ten-year mark since 9/11 and the attacks that thrust Muslims in America into the spotlight because of terrorism. I am also honored because when I started by interfaith work at UMBC, many immigrant Muslims I encountered were skeptical and hostile to building relationships with other religions. To be honored for doing just that by the State Department really echoes how unique and wholly American a challenge it was for me to take on such an undertaking.

Ten years on, to see us honor our youth for striving to achieve their dreams is a humbling sight, and reminds me of why I chose to a public life as my eventual career path.

My grandfather, who had been visiting the summer before the attacks, instructed me in his thundering voice, “Fortify your mind with books, evidence, and the rules of debate.”

“Fail to do this, and you fail to be a man,” he continued. He died earlier this year.

My journey into understanding the world’s most attention-grabbing conflict began when I walked into the Media Center at my high school, and happened upon Thomas Friedman’s From Beirut to Jerusalem.

In fact, whatever eloquence I have as a writer is due to Friedman’s account when he was the Bureau Chief in the Mideast for the New York Times.

Friedman’s engaging tone, and frankness gave me wild hopes that maybe I too could become a bridge builder between society’s deep fault lines.

In the months after 9/11, at the height of xenophobia against immigrant Muslims, I came up with a plan: I would do what Tom did, but in the opposite direction.

I was going to study Judaism, familiarize myself with Israel and the challenges that it faces as a state surrounded by more or less hostile states.

I would then do a crash course in Arab society and cultures, and then go save the world using my people’s skills and newfound core competencies in Jewish and Arab societies.

But after investing over a decade into understanding the Mideast conflict, and greatly expanding my core competency in several Middle Eastern cultures, I am throwing in the towel, with some regret.

With Osama bin Laden now dead, and our country now past the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I want to stop fixating on a conflict that I have every reason to believe is fed by the attention we pay to it.

During dinners with my parents I want to be able to carry on a “normal” conversation with them without rushing to the “Middle East” Page on the BBC’s website to recount the trials and tribulations of the people in the Middle East.

I want the normalcy of life that Osama and Al Qaeda robbed of all Americans, but in particular of me, and the millions of other Muslims who live and die here.

But, before I do walk away, there are some people I’d like to acknowledge.

Thank you.

I have made a great many friends in Israel since I began my ambitious project many years ago.

Three in particular that I would like to thank are Alan Meyerson, Rabbi Amos Levi, and one of my friends from college, Nikki.

In fact, I think out of all these people, Nikki probably taught me the most about Jewish morals and ethics, as well as the person who invested the most personal time, out of her very busy life, to teach me about Judaism.

On the Arab side, I would be lost without the guidance and patience shown by my friend Dr. Abdulwahab Alkebsi, and his daughter, Zainab.

They opened their home and family to me, and showed me the very human side of a perspective many of us in America have not gotten to know. Thank you for everything

For whatever reason, my friend Talia Ne’eman, also has a role to play. Her sharp wit, and constant presence really inspires me to believe that peace is a tenable goal in the near future. Talia, by the way, is fluent in Palestinian Arabic and Israeli Hebrew.

Interfaith.

I do love my interfaith experiences, and the multiculturalism I have experienced through experiential-osmosis. Those life-changing experiences have helped shape me as a person and form my values and interests.

But this is a chapter I am ready to close in my life.

So good-bye to the Middle East. I hope to visit you in person one day, and when I do, to not read any headlines before I go.