Journey to ICNA-MAS Conference, Chicago

On December 24, 2014, a charter bus left from the Roxbury mosque (ISBCC) in Boston, taking a full load of passengers to Chicago for the ICNA-MAS convention. Regardless of my opinion about ICNA-MAS, I decided to go to this convention for social reasons. The journey there turned out to be a beautiful experience. 

While slightly less Arab than the ISNA crowd, the ICNA culture is also promoting and living a sort of Islam-lite that is embodied by the average Coke-drinking, designer fashion label-wearing, corporate employee type of Muslim. I have to admit harboring quiet outrage regarding the cowardice of the MAS Boston in 2013 after the police killed Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev and nobody would accept his body for burial. Even if he were a criminal, what Islamic law forbids burial of a criminal? Only Allah knows if he is destined for heaven or hell. Who are we to refuse to bury a Muslim brother who prayed five times a day. Finally, after many days of Muslims refusing responsibility, a Christian church in another state had to step in to accept Tamerlan’s dead body.

Nevertheless, I kept quiet and swallowed my shock at the sight of women in hijab buying their kids McDonald’s burgers and joined 54 other Muslims on this grueling, 21 hour journey. 

About half the bus was filled with high school boys from the Islamic school in Malden, Massachusetts plus their teacher. About a third were university students both male and female, and the rest were families or older adults traveling alone. 

The trip began with a dua and Quran recitation by a blind sheikh, Yusuf Al-Arabi from Morocco, who had a beautiful voice. This was followed by a lecture about how life itself is a journey to Allah. After that, the group organizer and director of MAS Boston, Dr. Loay Assaf passed a microphone around so that each passenger could introduce themselves. There were so many different nationalities of passengers - Egyptian, Palestinian, Syrian, Yemeni, Sudanese, Somali, Ethiopian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Vietnamese, Swiss - it was almost like a mini-Hajj.

Imam Walid, who works as a prison chaplain in Rhode Island, spoke about Malcolm X’s life, and how the Nation of Islam emerged as a movement to empower black people against racism. He described how the movement made a natural progression into Islam. It’s not that the mosques such as Masjid al-Quran in Boston, which used to represent NOI and is now promoting Sunni Islam, were trying to create a separate Black Islam. The youth were encouraged to read the autobiography of Malcolm X in order to understand the struggles of the early US Muslims.

There were a few more short inspirational speeches and Mahmoud Elhashash sang some Nasheed with an exquisite voice. 

When it was time to pray, the group assembled inside a New York food service rest stop for salat. That was something I had never seen before! An non-Muslim father was seen pointing and explaining to his son what the Muslims were doing (not sure if his explanation was positive or negative). 

 

Sleep was next to impossible in the full-to-capacity, overheated bus, but everyone did the best they could. In the morning, there was another Quranic recitation, which was very moving, especially with the sun coming up over the beautiful Ohio farmland. 

I had some interesting conversation with a couple sisters that made me feel comforted and understood. One of them had gone to school with Tarek Mehanna, and we discussed political prisoner issues. All in all, it was a healing experience overall to be in an Islamic group atmosphere. It helped me to re-center myself and my intentions.

The ICNA-MAS convention began Friday, December 26. The opening speaker was Dr. Tariq Ramadan. 

Ramadan had refused to speak at the ISNA convention last August, stating that many Muslim leaders “are obsessed with being accepted, at sitting at the table of power in order to talk (or rather to listen) and to be tolerated.” I am not sure why he believes that ICNA is better, but he agreed to speak at ICNA-MAS over the weekend. 

Mauri Saalakhan, Sister Aafia's most vocal supporter in the US, told New Trend:

"In brief, while none of the national organizations have done what they're capable of doing for Aafia, ICNA has the best track record for doing something, while ISNA has the worst track record for doing NOTHING. I expect, and hope, that Dr. Ramadan will feel free to speak his conscience at the ICNA-MAS Convention, inshallah.

Ramadan’s first lecture began by imploring the Muslims to “resist consumer society” and “come back to a deep way of dealing with yourself.” He said that American Muslims have a great responsibility towards their country and their world.

“People don’t want to discuss sensitive issues. But you can’t only apologize for what is done in the name of Islam. You must do things for Islam. You have to be struggling against racism. If only black people are demonstrating and you are not joining them to speak about what is right, then maybe prison is better for you. The Prophet Yusuf spent time in jail. There are people in the US in prison, who are innocent. On the Day of Judgement, they will be experiencing the greatest freedom but maybe you will be in the jail of hell.” 

“Most of you,” he dared us, “are not courageous enough to do what Musa did with Pharaoh.” 

Ramadan said, “I am fed up with people coming up to me after the speech telling me it was so ‘powerful.’ There is no reform without freedom, and there is no freedom without courage.”

 

He ended his speech by saying, “Don’t be little Obamas.”  

Inspiring Women Discuss Their Motivation at ICNA-MAS Convention

TMO 

Rashida Tlaib

Chicago, IL – ICNA-MAS held its annual national convention from December 26 to 28. Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib was featured in a panel discussion at ICNA-MAS’ annual national convention. Her panel, titled “Strong Faith Has No Gender: Empowering Women,” also featured Ibtihaj Muhammad, an athlete on the women’s US fencing team.

Muhammad, a team gold-medal winner at the Pan-American Games, spoke about participating in sports growing up as a hijabi wearing modest dress. “Hijab brought me to fencing,” she stated, because the fencing outfit covers the body, unlike other sports costumes. She said that by succeeding in her sport, she was able to open the door for other hijab-wearing women.

Although Muhammad experienced racial discrimination and religious bigotry, she did not let this crush her self-esteem. She advised Muslim women athletes to strive to be successful regardless of what anyone says. “Being different has its obstacles, but it’s not something you can’t overcome,” she said.

Muhammad also spoke of the importance of humility. “Don’t think you are the best. There is always someone running faster, jumping higher. Champions train hard. If you want to win, you have to work harder than the next person.

“You hurt yourself when you think you are the best and you know everything.”

Following Muhammad was Rashida Tlaib, the first Muslim woman to be elected to Michigan’s state legislature and the second ever in the United States overall. Tlaib spoke about the importance of Muslim women engaging with institutions to serve the community.

Tlaib said that she does not consider herself to be a politician but an activist and public servant. She explained that political activism does not have to revolve around a candidate but can focus on an issue, and not necessarily an “Islamic issue.” Like Muhammad, Tlaib also believes that acceptance comes after achievement.  “Once people know who you are, they won’t care that you are Muslim,” she said.

Tlaib recalled the time she was going to campaign at a black Baptist church. She was the only non-black person there, and she could feel the tension. But then an old lady stood up, pointed her cane at Tlaib and said, “That’s the lady that saved my home from tax foreclosure!” Immediately it was like a light came on in the room.

Tlaib told TMO that she does not wear hijab because she doesn’t want the burden of representing Islam, but she said it is not impossible to get elected with hijab. However, wearing hijab does make getting elected more difficult. “You will have to answer questions about Islam every time you knock on a door, before you can even talk about your campaign platform,” she explained.

As a Muslim woman asserting yourself in the community, you are going to get “pushback,” she said. But it is very important to be in the room. The majority of Americans have never met a Muslim. 80% of the legislature has never met a Muslim. When they start saying ignorant things about Islam or Muslims, it’s important for you to be there, to correct them.

Tlaib was able to defeat a proposed anti-Shariah law by joining forces with Jewish and Catholic groups in the name of religious freedom.

When she heard that all the Michigan legislators except for her were invited by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to go on a free trip to Israel, she advised her colleagues to “pay attention to Us vs. Them thinking.” When they came back, they told her, “You were right!”

She tells the other legislators, “now you have met a Muslim that cares about her community and her country. So when you make decisions that impact people of my faith, think of me, not the TV stereotypes.”

“Do not wait for permission,” she advised Muslim women interested in getting into politics. Her own father told her, “No one is going to vote for an Arab,” while her mother asked if running for office meant she wasn’t having another baby. Yet, through an aggressive door-to-door campaign and by addressing general community concerns such as environmental pollution and stopping scrap metal thieves, Tlaib was elected by a constituency where Arabs are only 2% of the population.

The questions from the audience revealed a hunger to understand how these Muslim women do it.

“My family keeps me grounded,” Tlaib explained. “When I go home I’m not a legislator, I’m a Muslim and Philistina, rooted in my culture and my faith … I always remember the verse from the Quran, ‘With hardship comes ease.’”

Tlaib told TMO that she gained her strength from growing up in Southwest Detroit. Primarily Latino and African American, this inner city community is known for pushing barriers away and making succeeding no matter what. When they fail, they get up and fight again. She said the spirit of Detroiters is “invincible.” She told TMO that if America ever had to fight a ground war, the people of Detroit would be on the front line.

Tlaib said being the eldest child in her family “presented challenges that gave me the strength and courage to represent my district. This urge to fight for the weak, the disadvantaged comes from those experiences I lived through,” Tlaib told TMO.