Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Crass Opportunism of the PMU NAists

Recently CAIR announced plans to distribute a brochure titled: Women Friendly Mosques and Community Centers: Working Together to Reclaim Our Heritage (pdf).

Almost instantaneously the so-called "Progressive Muslims Union, North America" began a self-congratulatory corus - including an article by Muqtedar Khan claiming that the PMU was to be credited!

The Living Tradition Blog has an entry on the women friendly mosques. And they have pointed out that, among the very few (two) American individuals who wrote about this issue (years before PMUNA made a media circus for its own publicity) happens to be the editor of the LT blog! A "traditional" Muslim -the kind the PMUists lable "conservative" and love to slam and trash!

Click here to read the Living Tradition Blog's entry.

And click here to read Make Way for Women! Why your masjid should be women friendly! by Saraji Umm Zaid.

This article was written in 2001, way before the PMUists existed, and way before Asra Nomani had begun her media crusade. For a change, lets give credit where credit is due!

(As a side issue, it does need to be noted that Muqtedar Khan, with all of his strange politics, ironically is the only PMUist who has actually engaged in self-criticism! For this grave sin of self-criticism, behind the pro-regressive curtain, Mr. Khan has been on the receiving end of all kinds of abuse by the fanatic elements of the PMU. This charge against Mr. Khan has been led by board of directors member Tarek Fatah, who has accused him of lying - and has called for his removal from the PMU. Some insiders have termed this a "lynching of Muqtedar Khan.")

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Much of this takes place behind the pro-regressive iorn curtain, on the PMU e-mail list. Khan is something for sure, but Fatah, and his company are a class of their own...

I will write more about this in the next few days, and more about the "progressive muslim union north america" shahadah - that they've now updated.

Anonymous said...

I think the spat at PMUNA is because Muqtedar refuses to budge on issues such as alchohol consumption and atheism. Many at PMUNA have no problem with this and they are false accusing him of being conservative.

Anonymous said...

anon. is correct - the reason is khan's not accepting the garbage about "athiest muslims" (astagfirullah).

This concept is not only an affront to those Muslims who are converts, but also an insult to the Prophet, his family, and his companions - who sacrificed so much for lailahaillalah Muhammad
Rasulu Allah- this is the beginning point for a Muslim- the rest we can have lots of arguments over - this we cannot.

Why any Muslim would want to be part of such an insult, is beyond me. And no, the reality that there are Muslims killing other Muslims, oppressing each other is NOT an excuse.

I couldnt care less what personal beliefs anyone has, but a Muslim is not a tribe, we are a faith community - what joins us together is our faith. We can quibble and argue over the details - but not over Tawheed - if someone openly says that they are an athiest -then they are not a Muslim - no further arguments.

With regards to alcohol - the fact is that in many Muslim majority countries -most of those who drink openly are from upper class backgrounds. Not to say poor people don't take a swig now and then... but it is the upper elite classes who drink as a social status symbol in Muslim countries.

This just shows, even more clearly, the upper class elitism of the PMU.

A third point they want is "Muslims who have sex outside of marriage..." OK - well, that's the PMU for you --- no god, alcohol, and "muslims who have sex outside of marriage." Those people who are hanging out with the PMU who have any integrity, they really should resign.

Do a web search for Tarek Fatah - should turn up some things... - but he is a bully and like most of that type, he attacks people on "discussion lists..." that are supposedly "private."

(Will write more in a day or two).

Anonymous said...

Max, I think that even though Khan was invited to join PMU, his mistake was accepting the invite. his resignation letter on the PMU lsit clearly indicates that he was always in disagreement. A dissident in a dissident community! I think he has had it with the crazies and has left.

izzymo said...

Dr. Maxtor, you are looking for info on Tarek Fatah....why didn't you ask? I think that's my next post.

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