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.

Similarities between the two mighty messengers of God.

Jesus is the son of a virgin named Maryam (“Mary” in English), who is a role model for faithful women. He is a prophet filled with the Holy Spirit (Surat 2 Al-Baqarah, 87) and the messiah in both religions (but the Christians add that besides having a human nature, he would be God too, which the Quran clearly denies). Jesus is the “word of truth” (Surat 19 Maryam, 34). He, through God’s power and will, cures the blind and the leper, raises the dead to life and knows what you eat and what you store in your houses (Surat 3 'Ali `Imran, 49).

The seven billion-plus people in our world today, some 4.5 billion are the followers of Prophet Jesus and Prophet Muhammad. Here are some similarities between them. These are the values that define both of our communities. Of course, these are common to other faiths too, but the two might messengers of God devoted their lives for this. Circulate them at your will.

1. Neither Prophet Jesus nor Prophet Muhammad claimed divinity for them.
2. They both said that the message they were relaying to people was from God, almighty, omnipotent and Omnipresent.
3. They both said that human beings are essentially good.
4. They both said that through dedicating their life to God, they can reach the true potential of their existence.
5. They both said that God is merciful and loving and forgiving and compassionate.
6. They both said that life is sacred and it must be protected and respected.
7. They both said that justice is the essence of one's existence.
8. They both said take care of your neighbors and do not exploit others on the basis of your status.
9. They both worked tirelessly to end the bloodshed and bring peace to their communities.
10. They both preached that humanity is one and people are free to make their choices in life.
11. They both said that violence is not the norm of human society.
12. They both said that human beings can live in peace and harmony if they overcome their egos.
13. They both said that discrimination and prejudice on any basis is anti-divine because He is the creator of all.
14. They both said that human beings are the trustees of the divine resources created in the world. Those resources should be used to help human beings achieve their highest potential. And not to exploit others.
15. And they both sacrificed their lives, their comfort for the well beings of all. They both suffered persecution but never complained. They endured because their goal was to see humanity relate to each other in love and compassion.

How should we deal with San Bernardino Shooting?

Let us be clear about one thing. San Bernardino shooting is not an isolated incident. Some Muslim individuals and groups, in the past, have indulged in violent acts to terrorize people. There is no guarantee that such individuals and groups would not act in the future. The community of Muslims comprises some 1.6 billion or more people who speak different languages, come from different ethnic groups, live in different geographic zones and follow different sects with their own interpretation of the Quran and Islam. No two Muslim groups or sects have identical ideas. Moreover, there is no single authority that speaks on behalf of Islam and Muslims. So no one individual or group can speak on behalf of all Muslims or Islam and no single entity can control the behavior of all Muslims.
After all, if in a country like ours of some 320 million people, we cannot control the behavior of those who indulge in gun violence despite our commitment to law and order and a well-defined justice system, how can we guarantee that 1.6 billion Muslims with vast differences in their understanding of Islam would behave in a controlled manner.
For instance, if we use broader criteria to include incidents with at least four fatalities and injuries caused by gunfire, than in 2015 alone at least 355 such incidents took place. We cannot control the behavior of some 31 percent fellow Americans who have guns in their households.
So how should we deal with a situation like this because these acts of random violence are not likely to come to an end soon? We are not a united community and we cannot expect all of our organizations and groups to come together to develop a unified response. But we as average citizens can do a lot to help ourselves.
At each city level, we should try to identify our community members and help them develop a network of communication. This would help us identify how many of us are there in a particular locality and where do we live and what type of work we do. We do not need an elaborate organization to create this network. One or two individuals can volunteer to do that.
Once we have this information, through the internet or smartphones, we should create a group of the local community only. This forum is necessary to communicate with each other so that we can bring up any issue or incident that may be detrimental to all of us. For instance, if we find that a student from our community faced harassment in her or her school because of religious identity, we can bring it up to the group.
Once we have this information, we can inform the local authorities, including the police, the elected officials or the concerned agencies about it. They would most certainly take appropriate actions. If they fail to do that, we can always go to FBI civil rights unit or to the local media or other agencies to raise the issue.
Simultaneously, we should also try to become part of neighborhood watch groups. We should volunteer with local elementary and middle and high schools, We should volunteer with the local library, nonprofit groups, and city hall as well as police. They are always looking for volunteers.
Additionally, we should try to familiarize with our neighbors. We should introduce ourselves to them, invite them to our homes if we can, smile and say hello to them when we see them, and exchange gifts if can with them on our festivals.
We should also keep ourselves informed of the events taking place in our city. Through city-based newspapers, we should inform the community at large of some of our programs and activities that we organize for the people at large.
These are some of the things that we can do at the city level and we do not need any expertise to do such things. Initially, we would not be able to gather all who live in a city, but we can start with whatever families we can bring into the network.
Only, when we become part of our neighborhood, we will be able to change the perception of our community. Only then we would be able to help the average citizens overcome their fear about us. Only then we would be able to establish our trust. Otherwise, we would remain stranger in a land where our children and grandchildren are going to earn their livelihood and work. These are extraordinary times and extraordinary times require extraordinary steps to overcome the difficulties. We all are capable of doing all that is described above. Let us do it.

What does BJP loss mean to India?

In the recently concluded state assembly election in Bihar, India, the Hindu nationalist party, the Bhartiya Janata Party while capturing over 24 percent votes got only 53 of 243 seats. The victory of parties in the Grand Alliance should not be seen as a surprise. It is an inevitable outcome that has repeated itself in almost every election in India. Whenever political parties with secular outlook have split their votes, the Hindu nationalists have won and whenever they have overcome their differences, the victory has touched their feet in an overwhelming manner.

Indian society is a highly polarized society. On the one hand are those who believe that India is the inheritance of upper-caste Hindus who have the right not only to rule over the country, but the privileges to demote other communities to a status of second or third-class citizens.

On the other hand, are those who believe in a pluralistic India with equality to all and special privileges to those who through their political, social or financial skills are capable of running the affairs of the country.

The Hindu nationalists have consistently enjoyed the support of the 30 percent electorates while the secularists of various shades have the theoretical support of the remaining 70 percent whose majority usually does not come out to vote on the Election Day.

The Hindu nationalists have a grassroots network of dedicated and ideologically motivated volunteers, ready to offer everything for the vision of the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS). The RSS has over 6 million members and more than 51,000 local units as well as hundreds and thousands of other outfits in educational, political, social and financial sectors.

Among the secularists the Indian National Congress and the two communist parties have a nationwide infrastructure while the rest center around caste, ethnicity or community based social network.

The RSS believes that India is to be ruled only by Hindus. It views Muslims, Christians, and people of other faiths as invaders. It strictly believes in a caste system that divides people on the basis of their birth families. It practices strict Hindu laws of purity and profanity as described in upper-caste religious books. It wants to implement the code of Manus, known as Manusmriti, an ancient upper-caste book of laws. In one of its publications, the RSS ideologues were highly critical of the Indian constitution when they said:. "But in our constitution, there is no mention of that unique constitutional development in ancient Bharat... To this day his laws as enunciated in the Manusmriti excite the admiration of the world and elicit spontaneous obedience and conformity. But to our constitutional pundits, that means nothing.” Manufmirit believes in inbuilt discrimination and violence on the basis of caste loyalties.

Secularists, on the other hand, are not driven by a single ideology or vision. The common theme among all of them is that the country should not be ruled in the name of religion and religious differences must not be used to serve one caste or community.

The RSS has always exploited religion and caste to serve its political interests. The party is not directly involved in politics, but its political wing, the Bhartiya Janata Party and many other outfits are. It serves as the boot camp for Hindu nationalists who join different groups and serve its ideological interests. Whenever the Hindu nationalists have succeeded in heightening tensions among various religious communities or castes, they have helped their political parties win elections. They did in Gujarat under the leadership of current Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in Uttar Pradesh during the last parliament elections.

One must recognize the fact that some 30 percent of Hindus would continue to support the hate-based ideology of RSS unless there are efforts at the grassroots levels to promote a counter perspective. Through its schools, study circles, and audio and video productions, RSS, indoctrinate millions on a regular basis. The secularists do not have either the network or the ideological vision to counter it. Thus election results in India would be determined on the following factors in the foreseeable future.

1.      How much RSS and its affiliated outfits succeed in spreading communal and caste hatred?

2.      How much reconciliation the secularists are willing to achieve among themselves?

If secularists succeed in creating a national alliance, the BJP would stand no chance despite all the nefarious manipulations by the RSS, but if the secularists keep on focusing on their differences, the Hindu nationalists would not have difficulty in imposing their agenda. After all, during the last few decades, they have succeeded in making their presence felt in every institution of India.

What is the Rationale behind spending billions on Sacrificing animals while Refugees Continue to suffer? 

Visit any South Asian country during the three days of Eid ul Adha and you will see animal blood flowing like water in many streets, you will see animal bones and intestine rotting and you will find people going around asking for hides to be donated to religious institutions. These hides, later, are sold to leather manufacturers. This is how the sacrifice of Prophet Abraham and his son Prophet Ishmael is celebrated by Muslims annually. 

Every year over a billion-dollar are spent by the Muslim community to buy goats, lambs, cows, and buffaloes to live what they have been told is their religious obligation to God.  Even though the Quran is very clear in describing the real purpose of animal sacrifice.

[But bear in mind:] never does their flesh reach God, and neither their blood: it is only your God-consciousness that reaches Him. It is to this end that We have made them subservient to your needs so that you might glorify God for all the guidance with which He has graced you with. And give thou this glad tiding unto the doers of good: - 22:37

The practice has been going on forever under circumstances that appear to be horrifying for Muslim Ummah. A large number of Muslims live as refugees, many live below the poverty level and still many more lack basic amenities to live an existence that can be called decent.

Yet, we as a community are so much obsessed with following the traditions that we rarely ask the rationale of such a practice in changing circumstances. The Quran specifically reminds the believers that, whenever they are reminded of their Sustainer’s messages, do not throw themselves upon them [as if] deaf and blind; (25:73)

We have a serious situation at hand. Millions of Muslims have been rendered refugees by political circumstances beyond the control of anyone People are dying and those alive suffers from hunger and thirst with no place to spend a restful night or day. 

What should be the priority of a faith-based community? To help these people out of the situation or to spend billions on sacrificing animals to live a tradition. Is religion so insensitive to the changed situation that it cannot allow people to divert their resources from living a ritual to helping the needy? By distributing the sacrificial meat to the refugees one can take care of their proteins for a day or two as they would not have access to the fridge to refrigerate the food for long. After a day and two, they would still be living in a miserable condition. What about diverting the money to some concrete actions that would ensure proper housing, long term rehabilitation and building infrastructures that would ensure some stability and dignity to such people

Would God be angry for this humanitarian gesture? After all, God himself asks people to be considerate to their fellow human being. So why are we so obsessed with this ritual that we would allow tragedies to unfold without being considerate to the circumstances.

Perhaps, this year and until the situation does not change, we should appeal to the people to send their sacrificial money to organizations that are doing work among refugees and displaced people. Our relief organizations should ask people to donate to a rehabilitation fund rather than sponsoring the sacrifice of animals that would not change the ground reality. Our religious leaders should take a bold step in convincing their followers to divert their resources to serve people.

This is not changing the rulings, but to live up its relevance and spirit. After all it is the taqwa that reaches Allah and the Taqwa can assume different forms,