VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH
Volume
229, May 26, 2013
Editors:
Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin
In
the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficient and the Most Merciful
(www.xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com)
EDITORIAL:
In
this E-Zine, we have focused our spotlight on Imam William Suhaib
Webb who has become one of the most famous Imams in the U.S. We
wanted to also highlight news about the proposed most expensive (One
hundred million dollars) Mosque in North America and also on “A Day
in the Capitol” in California and conclude by highlighting interfaith news.
PART -I
Imam William Suhaib Webb Emerges as Face of Boston’s Muslim Community in Time of Crisis
By Lisa Wangsness (Boston Globe)
(loonwatch.com)
12
May 2013
(h/t:Alfred
F.)
In
life and words, Muslim leader bridges cultures
On
a rainy afternoon in early April at Boston’s largest Mosque, the Sheikh in the seersucker suit was in his office, offering comfort and
advice.
To
a young student wondering if he should get engaged: “Aw, man, just
go for it!”. To a middle-aged man agonizing over how to care for
his dying father: “You should preserve life as best you can.” To
a sobbing young woman who told him about problems at home: “I have
someone who can help you, a Muslim counselor. . . . Let’s talk
about fixing it.”
Days
later, bombs exploded on Boylston Street. And the unlikely face of
the Muslim community in its time of crisis became this 6-foot-5-inch,
blond-haired, blue-eyed former hip-hop DJ whose grandfather was a
fundamentalist Christian preacher.
…The next day, the imam and his staff flew into action, planning a vigil, rallying volunteers, setting up trauma counseling. Upon learning later in the week that the bombing suspects were Muslims, Webb condemned the attacks, calling the suspects “criminals and enemies of society” and disassociating Islam from their acts.
…The next day, the imam and his staff flew into action, planning a vigil, rallying volunteers, setting up trauma counseling. Upon learning later in the week that the bombing suspects were Muslims, Webb condemned the attacks, calling the suspects “criminals and enemies of society” and disassociating Islam from their acts.
William
Suhaib Webb, imam of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in
Roxbury, has been a target of conservative Muslims on the Internet,
who call him a sellout, and of other critics who say he is an
extremist.
He
has tried, for better or for worse, to respond to all of it — in
his sermons, on CNN, on Twitter. At the same time, he has endeavored
to improve the mosque’s relationships with Jewish and Christian
leaders in Boston.
“I’m
just exhausted,” the 40-year-old Webb said, sipping a flask of
coffee in his book-lined office overlooking the busy intersection of
Tremont Street and Malcolm X Boulevard. “I don’t have days
anymore. I just have . . . smears.”
Webb,
who memorized the Koran while living with his parents in Oklahoma and
became an advanced Islamic legal scholar after years of study in
Cairo, has in recent years become among the most famous imams in
America.
He
has 34,000 Twitter followers and a “virtual mosque” website that
gets some 13,000 page views a day. In his sermons and in social
media, Webb — many followers call him “sheikh,” an honorific
for a respected teacher — toggles effortlessly between English and
Arabic, dropping words like “baller” and references to “The
Walking Dead,” a television show about zombies, into exegeses of
Sufi poetry.
Webb,
for his part, had his own big plan — to establish one of the first
Muslim seminaries in the country. He wanted to nurture a new
generation of American imams and Muslim women scholars — orthodox,
but culturally conversant and civically involved — and to educate
more casual students about their faith.
…...The
Bay Area chapter of the Muslim American Society, a national
grass-roots religious and cultural group, spotting a rising star,
offered to fix that by sending him to Al-Azhar University in Cairo,
one of the world’s leading centers of Sunni Muslim learning. With
his wife, Asmah Ayob, who was a Malaysian anthropology student when
he met her in college, Webb moved to Cairo.
A
dominant theme of Webb’s ministry is that Muslims can live faithful
lives in contemporary America, and that they also have an obligation
to participate — civically, culturally, and politically.
One
of the first classes for the community at Webb’s fledgling
educational institute is called Getting It Right. More than 200
people pack the Sunday night lectures, which emphasize balance,
service, self-discipline, love. Kamran Ahmed, a 24-year-old medical
student, said Webb drew him to the mosque.
Amid
teaching and ministering to the mosque community — 700 to 1,000
people show up for Friday prayers — Webb feeds content to his
“virtual mosque” and tweets constantly.
The
mosque has taken on new projects, like the development of a health
care team, which assesses the needs of the congregation and the
neighborhood around it, and offers screenings and referrals.
For the full article, please check out:
‘A Symbol of Friendship’ : Turkish PM Lays Stone for $100M Masjid Complex In Maryland
May 20, 2013
Written by Muslim Link Staff
http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com)
May 17, 2013
On
Wednesday, May 15, 2013, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan placed
a ceremonial stone on a 15-acre construction site in Lanham, Maryland
that will likely become the largest and most striking examples of
Islamic architecture in the western hemisphere.
The
Turkish American Culture and Civilization Center (TACC) is a project
of the government of Turkey and is meant to"serve as a social,
cultural, and religious center for all visitors, including
activities for the promotion and introduction of the values of the
Turkish Civilization" according to an information packet
distributed by TACC at the invitation only ground breaking ceremony.
The
project is well underway, and two industrial cranes tower over the
skyline along Good Luck Road. Concrete and steel pillars are up, and
even two small domes are already visible. TACC leaders estimate the
complex will be completed by October 2014.
The
cost of the 5-building complex is estimated to be around $100 million
according to sources familiar with the engineering aspects of the
project. The entire complex will be serviced by an underground
garage.
The
Muslim Link covered the ceremony and presents these images to
capture the event as well
as the monumental construction project for our readers. -- TML
(http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com)
Prime
Minister Erdogan talks about what the TACC center means to Turkish
Americans as well as to American society at large. He criticized
groups promoting Islamophobia and urged the many Turkish graduate
students to get involved with the project. He also delighted the
crowd of several hundred guests by saying he will come back for the
October 2014 opening ceremony "if he is still around".
Photo by Muslim Link (http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com)
An
April 2013 photo of the 15-acre construction site. TACC says about
30% of the
construction
is completed. Photo courtesy of TACC. http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com
The
TACC Center will consist of five main buildings: a masjid constructed
using 16th century classical Ottoman architecture that can hold 760
worshipers; a two-story, 19,990 SF Cultural Center Building including
a 220-seating performance hall; a 9,850 SF recreational building
with a 180-seat restaurant and traditional coffee shop; a 43,450 SF
traditional Turkish bath for up to 22 people at a time and indoor
pool and sports center; and 18,500 SF of guest housing including 16
one-bedroom apartment units. The complex will have very limited
above ground parking and most cars will park in the 150,700 SF
underground parking garage which gives direct access to all the main
buildings. A few traditionally designed residential buildings,
Turkish gardens and fountains, and outdoor recreational areas will
also be a part of the complex. Images courtesy of TACC.
http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com
Maryland's
Secretary of State John McDonough delivered greetings from Governor
Martin O'Malley and talked about the sister city relationships
between Turkey and Maryland. Photo by Muslim Link.
http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com
PART III:
A
Day at the California State Capitol
Ras H.Siddiqui May 18, 2013
(www.indiacurrents.com)
Some
State Capitol politicians with visitors
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) held its 2nd Annual
Muslim Day at the Capitol in Sacramento recently during which over a
hundred representatives including many south-Asians from all over
California took the opportunity to interact with the California State
Government. Although it was windy under the CAIR tent outside on the
Capitol grounds, this was another beautiful spring day in
California’s capital city. A walk near the World Peace Rose Garden
at State Capitol Park was warranted which somewhat delayed this
scribe’s arrival to the formal event opening
The
day proved that this is a place which is beautiful both inside and
out. Although our main topics of interest targeted by CAIR for the
day were 1) AB4 TRUST Act and 2) AB 241 CA Domestic Workers Bill of
Rights plus 3) Free Speech Rights on College Campuses, the handful of
the 110 meetings held during the day which I could attend
demonstrated a sensitivity amongst our State Senate and Assembly on
these and other topics of interest for not just Muslims but all
Californians. For those who may not be aware, AB4 deals with the
issue of local law enforcement sharing information with U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the S-Comm program.
CAIR seeks to limit costly detentions of aspiring citizens in local
jails for deportation purposes and it only supports its use for
serious crimes. AB-241 deals with the issue of housekeepers, nannies
and caregivers in private homes so that their rights too can be
protected including overtime pay, meal and rest breaks etc. The
third quest for the day (Free speech rights on College campuses) is
not an Assembly Bill yet but a push for one.
After
a formal mid-morning opening, the attendees were split up into
teams/groups based on their residence address and areas of interest.
This writer was assigned to Team H, with a first meeting scheduled
with Muffadal Ezzy representing Senate President Pro Tem Darrell
Steinberg, a meeting that I could not reach on time (the Capitol
takes a little getting used to for the once a year rookie). The
second meeting was with Betsy Hodges at the offices of Senator Ted
Gaines who represents my own residential district. It was a learning
experience because we rarely get to interact with either our
representatives or their staffers unless we really need to. The last
scheduled interaction was with Amin Nojan, Assembly Fellow at
Assemblymember Bill Quirk’s office. Bill represents California’s
20th Assembly District (Hayward and adjacent areas) where Muslims and
south-Asians (Afghans, Indians and Pakistanis) are becoming quite a
voting force due to their increasing numbers.
As
a media representative I accompanied two other teams during their
visits to the offices of Assemblymember Roger Dickinson and Senator
Jim Beall respectively. Roger represents California’s 7th Assembly
District which includes Sacramento. He has been a good friend of all
minority communities including local Muslims and South-Asians. He
listened to the team and responded to all the points raised by CAIR’s
Basim Elkarra while looking for common ground.
Senator
Jim Beall with visitors
Senator
Jim Beall from the Fifteenth Senate District is now a Silicon Valley
(San Jose area) political veteran who has been a member of the City
Council, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, State Assembly
and now the California Senate. Amongst his many areas of focus his
continuing strong support for children with disabilities has been
commendable. Jim also supports responsible free speech and is good
listener. Some in our community have known him since his San Jose
City Council days when he became its youngest elected member at the
age of 28. He has been widely supported by the south-Asian and Muslim
community in his district for many years now and embodies the good
old American value of fairness for those in need.
During
and after lunch the wind kicked up a notch, but the political
engagement continued just as vigorously as Assembly members Mariko
Yamada, Paul Fong and Cristina Garcia addressed the gathering just
before the event officially came to a close. Support from the Asian
and Latino members of our political leadership has been both
inspirational and essential for our community. This was certainly
reflected during Ms. Yamada’s speech which included the hope that
one of us at this gathering will one day become an elected member
working inside the Capitol.
In
closing it was a great day overall for both California and the
“experience” called America, one which triumphs over an atrocity
like Boston approximately two weeks earlier by continuing to promote
peace and inclusion.
(Dedicated
to the memory of the late James Beall Sr. (1923-2011) of the 82nd
Airborne, and his family)
Ras Siddiqui
PART IV:
INTER FAITH NEWS:
World Council of Churches General Secretary and Egypt's Grand Mufti Promote Dialogue for Peaceful Relations
23
April 2013
www.oikoumene.org
The WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit with Egypt's
Grand Mufti Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim at the office of Dar Al-Itfa
Al-Misriyya in Cairo.
The
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse
Tveit met with Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim in
Cairo. In their meeting the religious leaders engaged in in-depth
dialogue to promote peaceful relations among diverse communities and
values for equal citizenship. They
met at the office of Dar Al-Itfa Al-Misriyya on Monday 22 April.
Speaking
with the WCC general secretary, Abdel-Karim pointed out the common
roots and experiences of both Muslims and Christians living together
for centuries in Egypt, which he said should be the basis of a
constructive engagement for promoting peaceful relations.
“We
are a family, and our personal relations do not merely reflect in our
faith identities in Egypt. We have been neighbours for centuries,
interlocked in close proximity as religious communities,” said the
Grand Mufti, who is also a professor in Islamic jurisprudence.
He
went on to say that “alliances between Christians and Muslims are
not only possible but already exist on the ground among ordinary
people in their everyday lives. The values of honesty, trust and
respect are shared among people of both Christian and Muslim faiths.”
Tveit
endorsed the importance of a shared vision for peaceful relations,
saying, “We reflect together with our Muslim partners on what it
means to be a Christian or Muslim in the world today while faced with
divisions which are perceived as tensions between us.” This is why
cooperation with other faiths is an intrinsic part of our aspirations
for Christian unity, he added.
“We
share a vision of peaceful relations among communities and hope for a
common future, where living together as equal citizens in a democracy
is possible. Therefore I see the role of religious leaders as an
extremely important one to translate this vision into reality,”
said Tveit.
In
his response, Abdel-Karim said, “We share your vision for peace on
earth. And we strongly affirm the equality of all Egyptian citizens
regardless of their religious associations. In our work we have taken
concrete actions through different projects to bring diverse groups
together and eliminate the eminent tensions between the communities. “The
powers sowing seeds of divisions should be curtailed,” added the
Grand Mufti.
(xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com)
THE END
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