Why is it important for me to Stand for Kuku?

Who cares for an individual? There are more than 7 billions of us all over the world. Who cares if anyone of us suffers from injustices? After all, one in every three adults would claim that she/he is suffering from one or the other kind of injustices. So what is new if a 76-year-old man living in Southern California and serving as a religious scholar in a small community of Riverside was removed from his position of director by a Board that allegedly was not representative of the community despite the fact that he had a written contract assuring him the protection of his status for life? Hundreds and thousands of people are fired every day. Their contracts are violated and their families are pushed into a state of panic. Who cares for them?
There is nothing new in this decision of the so-called board of an Islamic Center.  Dr. Mustapha Kuku is just a number in this long list of victims of injustices.
But it matters to me. And it should matter to everyone who claims that she/he cares for the divine words and the precedence of the messenger of God.
Islamic Centers are not businesses. They are not the personal property of the board if they are built with the resources of the community. They are institutions people establish to glorify the divine and learn about His guidance so that they can improve their living conditions and become better individuals. They are not the centers of the authority of people who act in an authoritarian manner to dominate the others. They are not the hub of political skirmishes based on a power play of various groups. They are the houses of Allah meant to serve the divine and live His words.
If Islamic Centers become dens of politics and centers of power-play based on the personal, political, ideological and cultural interests of people, then there is no difference between them and any other institution. An Islamic center without following Islamic principles in its style, philosophy, methodology, objectives, and functionality of work is not an Islamic. It can be called a cultural club at best. It has to follow the divine guidelines in all aspects of its dealings, otherwise, it has no relevance and no purpose to serve except being a place for people to gather to pretend that they are getting closer to God.
In the case of Mustapha Kutku, the Islamic Center of Riverside violated his contract, did not communicate him of their decision, terminated his services without consulting the community, humiliated in public and refused to pay his salary.
Remember, these are the centers from whose pulpits, the sermons are given regularly emphasizing on the dignity of labor. How many a time, the sermons were given asking people to pay the wages before the sweat of the labor is dried out? Yet, at the Islamic Center of Riverside, not only the divine mandate to honor a contract was violated, but the teachings of the Prophet were also violated.
So if God is ousted in dealing with one of the scholars who served the masjid for over 15 years and if the Prophet is neglected in this regard, then what is the relevance of the center to the community. The only perceivable purpose is to serve the egos of those who enjoy power politics.
For reasons of decency, it is better not to mention the real reasons for the decision of the so-called board. Because, if the real facts are brought to the people, the board members will lose all legitimacy to claim to be the good wishers of the Muslims.
The Muslim leadership of Southern California, in general, is timid. Even though it has known Dr. Kuku for at least 15 years, it has refused to stand for his rights saying that it is the internal matter of the Islamic Center. They must realize that it is not an internal matter of the organization. It is a matter that impacts the validity and authenticity of Islam. If Muslim leadership cannot stand for the divine teachings and principles of justice as taught by the Prophet, It better for us to stop claiming that we are serving the cause of justice.
It is for my commitment to the principles of justice and the teachings of Islam and ensuring the dignity of an Islamic institution, that I have to be concerned with what happened to Dr. Mustapha Kuku. It is for these reasons I stand for him. I have no personal relations with him. I am originally from India and he is from Sudan. We did not go to the same university. He is much older than me. We did not belong to the same masjid. We did not belong to the same school of thought. But I have known him as a decent individual. I have heard him speak on important issues of our times. I have seen his demeanor in different situations and he appears to be a person who has been consistent in his character. He is simple, not arrogant, very well articulated and very sincere to his faith and his community and his work.
I pray that the community in Riverside support him for his struggle and he is given back the rights that some people have usurped under the false assumption that they can control the destiny of people.
It is not only about Dr. Mustapha Kuku, but for the sanctity of Islamic centers and the validity of the Islamic leadership in pursuing the principles of justice.

Lessons Men and Men Dominated Muslim Institutions Can Learn from a woman built Masjid 

Masjid Ibrahim opened its prayer hall after four years-long waiting on January 29, 2016. It had existed since 1995 as a small facility for those who lived in its neighboring area in a single-family residence with a huge lot. It served a small number of people. In 2005, the person who had initiated it passed away, leaving behind seven children and his widow. It was a tough time for the family. They were struggling to pay huge medical bills and the IRS and insurance companies were after them. But the family was committed to keeping the masjid running. It was paying for all its expenses and utilities.
It was in this situation that the lady of the house, the mother of seven children and the widow of Syed Haseebulah thought of reconstructing the masjid and expanding the facility. She is a pharmacist and a real estate investor.  Her approach for reconstructing the masjid was unique. "If you are really committed to a project, rely on Allah and on your strength to carry it on." So, she embarked on rebuilding the masjid in 2011. It took four years and about three million dollars for the completion of the masjid. Sharaf Haseebullah spent her hard-earned money to rebuild the masjid. She did not compromise on the quality of the material and she remained committed to her project through thick and thin. She could have named it Sharaf Masjid and no one might have raised an eyebrow. But she named it Masjid Ibrahim (Abraham) after the patriarch of the three monotheistic faiths.
Now the masjid is fully functional and is and would be known as the first masjid in the USA and Europe built by a woman with all her earned money. It is really an irony that women who are often discouraged to visit masjid in general and who are often forced to pray in total seclusion in often poor physical conditions would take the lead in rebuilding a masjid without any fundraising efforts through Sharaf. Indeed, it is a bright moment for Muslim women and the community at large. Indeed, this is a unique moment in Muslim history. Women have built masajid in India, Morocco as well as in Medina even during the time of the Prophet. But they were influential women. Either they were the rulers or the wives of rulers or they came from a family of wealthy merchants. Sharaf born in Bihar, India, raised in Pakistan and migrated to this country in 1974 with her husband with not many resources. Yet she built a facility for all. Initially, she worked as a 4 dollar an hour worker. But in 40 years she built a fortune for herself through hard work and used it for the purpose of building a house of God.
There are a few lessons that this masjid offer to generally male-dominated Masajid all over the world. It is worth to notice them because what the Masjid plans to do is exactly what the Prophet offered during his time.
1. Do not underestimate the commitment of women to Islam. If they are given opportunities they can do wonders. Stop showing the harshness to them under a  male-dominated leadership, Acknowledge the fact that they are the greatest asset of the faith and the community.
2. If you are interested in serving the cause of Allah, be prepared to give your resources without seeking any reward from anyone.
3. Do not rely on people's donations. If you are serious about building a masjid or an institution, go ahead with your resources. If people give them money, accept it with gratitude, but do not ask for it. It is the house of Allah and it should be built on Taqwa, i.e., the ability to serve him on one's own free will and determination.
4. Do not turn masjid into a sectarian club. Open it for all. Do not promote a particular kind of ideology there. A masjid should not be labeled as African American or Pakistani or Arab masjid or a Tablighi or an Ikhwani Masjid. It is the House of Allah and Allah is not owned by a particular group. Let the people learn the two essentials of the faith, the Quran and the Sunnah.
5. Do not limit the masjid to Muslims only. Let people of other faiths come and seek the guidance of God in their own way provided they follow the rules of the facility
6. Let there be no walls for those who come to offer prayers in the masjid, men or women. Women stand behind because of specific reasons and men stand in front not to demonstrate their superiority. There should not be any partition to separate them because there was none at the time of the Prophet.
7. Offer separate facility in the masjid for women where those who want to offer a prayer separately can pray.
8. Do not have a partition in the prayer hall to prevent women from seeing the rituals of the prayer and listening to the speaker during sermons and lectures.
9. Let men and women come to the masjid from the same door.
10. Make sure that people are informed of the donations they offer to the Masjid. There should be absolute financial transparency.
11. Welcome everyone with open arm even if that person comes from a different theological tradition.
12. Let the masjid also serve the local community through programs that benefit them.
13. Develop working relations with other places of worship in the area and through them develop a program to support the local community.
14. Encourage people to develop a community rather than an audience or a crowd. Encourage them to learn about each other.
15 Focus on providing education more than preaching to the community. Let them learn the essentials.
16. Avoid keeping any literature other than the Quran and the authentic books of ahadith in the masjid.
17. Don't let the mosque administration act in a dictatorial manner. There is a difference between serving people and dictating them.
18..When you are building the masjid, make sure you put the best material and you do not compromise on quality.
19. Always be thankful to God for what he has given you for building his house.
20 Remain humble. Show your humility to yourself, to God and to others.



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The Essence of Valentine

Some Muslims shun Valentine’s Day because they consider it a day that legitimizes promiscuity and still, others consider it a non-Muslim practice that is without much meaning.

Islam does not reject anything and everything because it is practiced by non-Muslims. The criterion in Islam is to focus on the usefulness of everything within the context of its moral boundaries and monotheistic traditions. Islam says that if you find anything in any practice that contradicts the above two principles, you should either make things right or convince people that what they are doing is harmful to them. Islam does not condemn people for what they believe, rather it helps them understand the reasons for giving an alternative perspective. Islam does not believe in saving your soul while letting others live in hell and in agony. Islam believes in the common good of all. If it is critical of an act it is because in its view the act might harm the individual doing it.

The idea behind valentine is not evil or bad. Although the history behind Saint Valentine is somewhat obscure it is generally believed that he was a Bishop in third-century Rome who was executed for standing up for his faith. Another popular belief about Saint Valentine is that he was persecuted because he used to marry couples, which was considered a crime.

The essence of Valentine’s Day promotes love, compassion, and devotion to God.

Can Muslims promote this day as a day of showing compassion and kindness to those who are neglected and downtrodden? Can they expressly make it a point to tell their loved ones how much they love them? Can a spouse express that his or her love is eternal and foundational? Can children and parents express their love for each other? Can neighbors and friends, exchange compassionate gestures? They can if they want to. So rather than indulging in the useless discussion that valentine day is haram (divinely forbidden) or halal (divinely permitted), why not make valentine a halal event by doing things that do not contradict Islam’s basic values of decency and dignity. After all, many pagan Arab traditions were adopted and retained by earlier Muslims by removing elements that contradicted Islam’s fundamental values.

Let this day be celebrated as a day that fosters love among family members and neighbors and people. Let this day be celebrated as a day to express one’s love and gratitude to God almighty. Now some Muslims would say that why to follow a non-Muslim practice. Islam calls for love all 365 days. Well, the fact is that by following the practice of a country that Muslims call their own, they would be showing their love and respect to its people but in a manner that does not contradict their values. Muslim, through bringing in their values can give a new meaning to this day.