In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
(left & above) Funland, Karachi, Pakistan [by Madiha Aijaz]
Salaam alaykum, shalom, & peace to you all:
Welcome to the sixth Progressive Faith Blog Carnival! Our progressive politics are rooted in our theologies, and our theological stances inform our politics - & here is where it all comes together.
When I signed up to host a few weeks ago I didn't realize how fortuitous that act was. In the intervening time, the Danish cartoon controversy has ballooned into an international incident, leaving people on both sides feeling misunderstood & demonized. As the organizers of this carnival stated, "Faith and politics have the capacity to profoundly divide, or to profoundly connect. " Many of us have been feeling that disconnect recently & I hope that the extensive participation of Muslim voices in this particular carnival will enable us all to more deeply understand & respect the diversity of one another's views on this issue & many others.
The next carnival will be held on Sunday, February 19 at Virushead. If you are interested in hosting future carnivals or in being blogrolled, please see the Carnival's main page for details.
To begin, two short stories that are of particular relevance to current events, which Xpatriated Texan asked me to address, as many people in the USA remain unfamiliar with basic Islamic teachings. First,
The Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessings of God upon him), like many other prophets in the Abrahamic tradition, was ill-received when he began preaching. One woman of Mecca decided to throw garbage on him as he passed under her window to show her disagreement with his views. She did so, but much to her surprise he made no reproach, but continued on his way.
This happened daily for a time until, one day, he wasn't greeted with a basketful of garbage. Concerned, he inquired at her home. On finding her ill, he asked if she needed any help. She asked for some water. He brought it to her & prayed for her health. He then came to her house everyday to clean it, to feed her and to pray for her, till she was on her feet again. Eventually she sought his forgiveness, which he readily gave.
Although the Danish cartoons have been perceived by many Muslims as heaping garbage on a beloved & sacred figure, his example of forebearance is one that most of his 1.6 billion followers have followed in this controversy. Our varied traditions are all rich with stories of noble behavior, of greeting ill action with good, & of rising above the desire for revenge or other actions born of anger - we have much to share with & learn from each other.
Second,
Molla Nasreddin is a folkloric figure enjoyed throughout the world, from Turkey where the anecdotes originated, throughout the Middle East to Azerbaijan, Iran, Greece, Kazakhstan, & Tajikstan. His amusing & wise stories deal with issues like social injustice, ignorance, & narrow-mindedness.
One day, Molla and his son went on a journey. Molla preferred to let his son ride the donkey while he walked. Along the way, they passed some travelers.
"Look at that healthy young boy on the donkey! That's today's youth for you! They have no respect for their elders! He rides while his poor father walks!"
The words made the lad feel very ashamed, and he insisted that his father ride while he walked. So Molla climbed on the donkey and the boy walked by his side. Soon they met another group.
"Well, look at that! Poor little boy has to walk while his father rides the donkey," they exclaimed.
This time, Molla climbed onto the donkey behind his son.
Soon they met another group, who said, "Look at that poor donkey! He has to carry the weight of two people."
Molla then told his son, "The best thing is for both of us to walk. Then no one can complain."
So they continued their journey on foot. Again they met some travelers.
"Just look at those fools. Both of them are walking under this hot sun and neither of them is riding the donkey!"
In exasperation, Molla lifted the donkey onto his shoulders and said, "Come on, if we don't do this, it will be impossible to make people stop talking."
These contortions of the Molla feel familiar to many Muslims & other people of faith these days - it's as if no matter how much contextualising, explaining, or condemning of radical elements we do, it's never good enough & we're still asked the same questions or subject to the same stereotypes. One can't please everyone & all any of us can do is walk our path with dignity & commitment to the ultimate Truth.
May we all be enabled to do so, ameen & amen.
Thanks to Thurman, Basil, & the G5 for advice & input for this carnival & to everyone for participating! If this gathering does nothing else but introduce a few of us to each other, then in our opinion it will have been wildly successful. Please do comment as you visit this & other blogs & spread the word!
Welcome again to the carnival & enjoy the wonderful, eclectic, & inspiring reads for this week!
Warmly & with blessings,
Baraka
The Islamic new year began on the same day as the Chinese this year, ushering in the month of Muharram, a time of great significance to Shi'i & Sunni Muslims alike, resulting in many Muharram-related posts & vibrant discussions of the cartoons in the Muslim blogosphere.
Leila at Sister Scorpion researches the history of Shi'i & Sunni devotions & their relationship to Judaism in Judaism, Sunni Islam, Shi'i Islam & Ashura.
Umm Zaid at Sunni Sister studies how Muslims react, and are expected to react, to both wrong actions from Muslims and the growing anti-Muslim hate sentiment in the media, and why they need to take some course of responsible and thoughtful action in How Often?
Baraka from Truth & Beauty succumbs to cartoon-weariness & finds solace in inspiring history in 'Ashura Reflections.
Father Jake from Father Jake Stops the World contemplates whether Christians can really affirm the use of torture as a political means & cites a convention in which a condemnation was voted down and suggests that the resolution (which will be raised again this year) should be called "Who Would Jesus Torture?"
Basil at Burning Blue Soul finds the synergy between evolution & creation in Darwin & the Divine.
Dr. Bruce Prescott at Mainstream Baptist believes that the US Air Force is infringing on independent religious thought of its cadets & officers, & draws an interesting paralell between this trend and the conditions that drove Roger Williams from Massachusetts to Rhode Island in On the Air Force & Spiritual Rape.
Kelly Izdihar at Living Tradition celebrates the life of revolutionary American Muslim El-Hajj Malik al-Shabazz (Malcolm X) in Looking Back, 40 After El-Hajj Malik al-Shabazz.