Designing Palestine

The Rand Corporation is the notorious think tank that came up with the notion of dividing up Muslims into "progressives/modernists" traditionalists, etc. and pitting them against each other... (These and other reports are often comissioned by the United States Air Force, and other arms of the US military/pentagon).

The recently formed group called "Progressive Muslim Union North American" (intentionally, or unintentionally) is ending up implementing the Rand Report.

The PMUNA's board of directors includes a former employee of the Rand corporation

- the "Progressive Muslim Union" board of advisors also includes the likes of Ziad Asali whose statements against the Palestinian right of return were widely condemned by dozens of Palestinians groups recently:

"From under the garb of hollow US democratization, Asali has in effect been diligently advancing the neo-conservative plan for the "New Middle East", where nations and people are reconstituted against their will."

Through organizations like American Task Force on Palestine, Asali has gone even beyond the Geneva Accords, the Nusseibeh-Ayalon Agreement and other such attempts that violate fundamental, inalienable and natural rights that are enshrined in international law.

It should be noted that Hussein Ibish, the vice chair of Progressive Muslim Union, is also a Senior Fellow at Ziad Asali's "American Task Force on Palestine"

However, the wider project is to completely re-design the "mid-east" and all Muslim majority areas of the world to fit in with the neo-con imperial designs...

The latest Rand project is to engage in Designing Palestine...

Forget about Palestinians, just sit in your office in Santa Monica, and design a state - that's how state and religion building is done these days...

Designing Palestine

On a Saturday in January last year, in his design studio in Santa Monica, Calif., all Doug Suisman had to go on were some maps and aerial photographs, an adrenaline spike supplied by a deadline, and the grandeur of his commission: design the state of Palestine.

The Ugly and Ugly

There have been a couple of good recent articles regarding the latest Progressive Muslim Union NA media blitzes that are attempting to keep the "progressive muslim" brand distinctive.

On the latest media stunt...

Laugh? I nearly did!

Some background:

There is a marketing/brand promotion element to the Progressive Muslim Union campaigns, and Ahmed Nassef, the executive director of PMU NA, himself has a marketing background.

The PMU is being built around media hyped events. They use the mostly negative North American media attention focused on Muslims, to create a spectacle that would then give the PMU supporters and their high officials, prominancy in the American media. Being media savvy, they are fully aware of events that would get them this kind of exposure, and its implications for the Muslim community.

But media attention is only one part of any sucessful brand promotion campaign, that would then attract loyal consumers. The brand, in this case "progressive muslim union," must also appear to have integrity so that the consumer is willing to try out the product (in this case, the product is the "progressive islam" concept being manufactured by Omid Safi, secularist agnostic Hussein Ibish, Muslim Wake Up etc.).

BUT the brand has run into a snag: blogs! There are a number of Muslim blogs that have exposed the PMUNA: their lack of knowledge about Islam, their attacks on Muslim organizations, and cuddling up with right wing neo-con types such as FOX, and the anti-Palestinian group: Hillel.

Now Hussein Ibish is attempting to distinguish his brand from the other so-called "progressive/moderate Muslim" types. And in doing so he leaves out some critical facts about the PMUNA - such as that they had invited a bunch of neo-cons to their board, and only backed down on some of the most controversial characters, *after* they were exposed on the eve of their official launching.

An extended debate had taken place on various aspects of this group on the Network of Progressive Muslim e-list. During that debate - Ahmed Nassef, Omid Safi, Sara Eltantawi all defended their
choice of including these neo-cons on the basis of what they call "pluralism."

Hussein Ibish is one of the four co-founders of the PMUNA, and its vice-chair, and his name is part of the original invitation that was sent out, that included Bush lovers, and supporters of the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ibish is also a senior fellow of the "American Task Force on Palestine" whose founder, Ziad Asali was recently condemned by dozens of Palestinian groups. And Asali is also on the board of advisors of the PMU NA... surprise surprise!

The PMU may try to distinguish themselves, but it is their actions, and attitudes that determine what they are about. And given that they are more interested in attacking Muslim communities, and creating propaganda for Muslims' precieved lack of "progressiveness" - they are really not all that different from the other ugly "moderate/progressive" groups out there. It's Ugly and Ugly.

Indeed the PMU supporters regard the broader Muslim community as a "them" versus the good "us progressive types..." This is, of-course, exactly the kind of clear divisions that the Rand Corporation intended to accomplish. (A former employee of Rand is on their board of directors).

Meanwhile, the North American Muslim community might wanna tighten their seat belts, and hang on, as these nefarious groups attempt to take the community on a dangerous roller coaster ride. Perhaps best to watch the spectacle from the sidelines, and work on our own individual and collective iman during these times. And, at the same time to be aware that the "progressive muslim union" will continue striking at the North American Muslim community, and using the attack mode to push their own egotistical agendas.

Responding to "progressives"

Living Tradition Blog has an entry responding to Muqtedar Khan's recent article on MWU

... MWU.com has carved out a place within the American mainstream media, but they haven’t made any significant changes within the American Muslim community.

Click here to read more

And over on the ihsan blog:

Once upon a time, such visits (to MWU) were at least sometimes enjoyable and even informative, but alas no longer. Instead, features have become dominated by self-promoting polemic and vituperative attacks on opponents or critics of the media event which was Amina Wadud's mixed-gender salah.

Click here to read more

And, meanwhile, the PMU NA has admitted Tariq Ali - a self proclaimed athiest - to its board of advisors (Tariq Ali has previously stated that he does not regard himself a Muslim). With athiests and agonistics (Hussein Ibish, vice-chair of PMUNA) engaged in the task of "reform" Islam, we have a better understanding of the kind of "Islam" the "Progressive Muslim Union" is manufacturing.

The rise and fall of Muslim Wake Up ?

Muslim Wake Up is a supposed "independent" web publication - whose "editor in-chief" Ahmed Nassef, is the executive director of "Progressive Muslim Union North America." Jawad Ali is the co-founder, and also acts as the editor of the web site.

While claiming "independence," the site serves as the editorial media outlet of the "Progressive Muslim Union." Rarely, if ever, opinions critical of the official position of the PMUNA are published on the site. As such, one might consider it to be the official mouthpiece/propaganda outlet of the PMU NA.

The above image for Muslim Wake Up "daily reach" is from Alexa, an online service that measures web site hits. While Alexa is not the most accurate, it does provide useful information when examining trends.

The spike reflects the Amina Wadud media show case event - for two-three weeks Muslim Wake Up pushed the event, and manufactured a controversy, drawing a large number of visitors to the site. Immediately after the event, the visitors disappeared, but not before the PMU executive director could boldly claim a "rising readership."

While other Islamic websites do have spikes, they can be traced to sacred periods in the Islamic calendar such as Hajj, Ramadan, and for Shi'a Muslim sites, the month of Muharram. Only Muslim Wake Up can lay claim to fame that it's spike is based on a media marketing gimmick.

The Living Tradition Blog had also done an analyses on MWU ?'s claims of popularity that you can view by clicking here.

Meanwhile, Muqtedar Khan who is on the advisory board of the PMU has written an article somewhat critical of MWU ? While the article is very mild, and fails to address many of the important issues that have been discussed here and on the Living Tradition Blog, and while there remains strong disagreements with Khan on many vital issues, the article does deserve a reading .

(And of-course, you won't find it on Pravda, I mean FOX, no, I mean... MWU ?).

Please return in a few days for a response to some of Khan's assertions.

Living Tradition on Asra Nomani

The Amina Wadud (PMUNA advisory board member) media showcase was organized by Progressive Muslim Union Executive Director Ahmed Nassef, in conjunction with the "Asra Nomani Muslim Women's Freedom Tour."

Nomani's book was publicized right along side the Wadud event on the PMU NA media outlet: "Muslim Wake Up."

The Living Tradition Blog has written a very good, and balanced review of Asra Nomani's latest.

Click here to read the review.

A reactionary "Islam" is being perpetuated by progressive identity politics

From the Ihsan blog (excerpts - please read entire article)

I stand neither in support or condemnation of the decision by Amina Wadud to lead a mixed-gender Jummah salat earlier this year.
...
Yet, in the hullabaloo that followed events in New York, reactionary responses have been equally evident within the Muslim Wake Up/Progressive Muslim Union (MWU/PMU) camp. Though none have included direct threats, they are arguably as sinister in the way they are now increasingly co-opting tropes long employed by Orientalist intellectuals to debase Muslim scholarly traditions.
...
The claims that MWU/PMU are merely local expressions of Islam are now no longer tenable, as MWU’s editorial stance moves beyond association with the Empire’s dominant culture to a position of direct involvement with its hegemonic project. When the authors of such supremacist nonsense include an American marine who has served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, it seems only a matter of time before MWU/PMU becomes the American liberal Muslim dream-come-true envisaged by the Rand report.

Click here to read entire article

There have been several interesting articles recently regarding the PMUNA (links below). However, these articles miss a critical point regarding this, and other such so-called "reform" Islam organizations.

1. Progressive Islam's Smelly Kebabs

2. Making sense of the progressive Muslim agenda

The point these articles miss is that, at this time, the United States has a specific agenda regarding how it wishes to see Islam's face changed. And the Progressive Muslim Union NA also has an agenda that it wants to impose on the Muslim community.

This fact was best stated by Abdus Sattar Ghazzali in a recent article:

It may be recalled that the Progressive Muslim Union of North America (PMUNA) the main backer of Friday prayer circus tried to push the major American Muslim organizations into corner by demanding a position on this non-issue. Just before the stunt, one of PMUNA’s co-founders demanded that the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), KARAMAH, the American Sufi Muslim Association, Women in Islam and Azizah Magazine should take a position on this non-issue.

The current political climate is such that the PMU NA has set itself up as the "good Muslims" (in the eyes of the United States media) and anyone that does not agree with them gets branded as "extremists" "backwards" "neo-salafis" "wahabbis" "mullah" and so on... Sometimes the media does this labeling, most other times the PMUNA officials hurl these epithets.

Furthermore there are PMUNA board members who are associated with organizations that want to support the US "war on terror." What does this mean?

A recent article in US news has pointed out that this "war on terror" includes "changing the face of Islam."

After repeated missteps since the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. government has embarked on a campaign of political warfare unmatched since the height of the Cold War. From military psychological-operations teams and CIA covert operatives to openly funded media and think tanks, Washington is plowing tens of millions of dollars into a campaign to influence not only Muslim societies but Islam itself.

(See side bar for information on other PMU NA board members.)

An article suggests that the PMUNA supporters are lashing out, or maybe, like adolescents acting out.

If we are to use such analogies - then we should add that the PMUNA is playing with the neighborhood bully, and if you don't do as they say - the bully will attack you, and beat you up.

There are social problems within the Muslim community, however as Noam Chomsky has said regarding US interventions:

The right of humanitarian intervention, if it exists as a category in international law, is premised on the "good faith" of those intervening. That assumption of good faith is based not on their rhetoric but on their record, in particular their record of adherence to the principles of international law, World Court decisions, and so on. But if we look at the historical record, the United States does not qualify.

"changing the face of Islam"

From around the blogsphere:

Living Tradition writes:

Anyone who doesn't believe that the gov't is pouring tons of money and time into the so-called "reformist" movement "within" Islam is naive or blind or both. Anyone who thinks the Rand report was a nice piece of reading, but that it has nothing to do with current so-called "reformist" movements or gov't spending and activity is naive, blind, or a liar.

click here to read more

From the Ninetnine Network: Who's Amina Wadud?

Yes, I agree with Dr. Wadud about issues of separation overkill between brothers and sisters. Some brothers do seem to make a display of their piety for the sake of other brothers, yet probably manage quite well mixing it up on their jobs or in university classrooms. And, as an African American, I'm as sick as she is about the racism among Muslims.

Yet, why does this groundswell of attention and focus on Dr. Wadud seem so manufactured? She is a learned Muslim, granted, and I do get the feeling that she sees this as a kind of calling. However, I believe Amina Wadud's campaign is a divisive diversion. It seems as calculated as what I imagine takes place in the newsroom at CNN when they're deciding what will be news and what will get barely a mention. The Schiavo woman is a huge story, Iraq gets the backburner coverage. Understandably, CNN's goal is to keep the attention off the fact that two years down the road things are not turning out as the architects of the invasion of Iraq had planned.
....

I clearly don't get why Amina Wadud and The Progressive Muslim Union of North America have chosen these issues but I do see what they have in common. None of these issues serves nor brings together the Muslim community. To the glee of the American power structure, they do just the opposite.

Click here to read more

The modern Brown Sahibs

Zafar Bangash writes (excerpts)

Over the last 30 or 40 years, another phenomenon has emerged: the arrival of a large number of Muslims in Europe and North America. In addition to the raw racism and discrimination they face, the post-911 environment has made life much worse. Every Muslim is now regarded as a potential terrorist, such racism being promoted by Western governments as well as academia and the media, which never tire of lecturing others about democracy, freedom and equality. While most Muslims are appalled at such blatant racism, there is a tiny group among them that can never show enough gratitude for being allowed to live in the West. The more they are insulted, the lower they stoop; they display what the late Malcolm X (El-Haj Malik Shabazz) called the ‘House Slave’ mentality, identifying completely with the slave master. He distinguishes this state from that of the ‘Field Slave’, the quintessential rebel forever trying to escape. As Malcolm X put it: “When the master is sick, the House Slave says, ‘What’s the matter master, are we sick?’ while the Field Slave prays for his death.” The house-slave mentality is now also displayed by the small breed of Muslims trying to ingratiate themselves with the colonial masters in Europe and North America.

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These modern-day house slaves, however, ignore a simple historical fact: colonialists have no permanent friends, only permanent interests; they have little use for such a slave mentality, especially when they know that the house slaves are a tiny minority of the colonized peoples. Despite their undoubtedly hard life in the West today, Muslims will not achieve anything by means of subservience. If they are to achieve any degree of respect in the West, they will have to do it in the manner of other political movements, such as the movements for women’s and workers’ rights in the early twentieth century. There can be no substitute for hard work to secure a life and status of dignity and respect.

Click here to read complete article

Also read a Living Traditions Blog article on Slave Mentality in the American Umma

The US war on Islam

Hearts, Minds, and Dollars

In an Unseen Front in the War on Terrorism, America is Spending Millions...
To Change the Very Face of Islam.

Click here to read all about it!

The Pragmatic Muslms of America

Abdul Sattar Ghazali writes:

Attention of the American Muslim community is distracted these days by a non-issue that is, if a woman can lead Friday prayers? This distraction is sparked by the drama of Friday prayer in New York led by a woman who says that she has problem with the Quran. The circus of holding this prayer at a Church amid focus of TV cameras and presence of mainstream media shows the motives and designs of the perpetrators of this stunt and their backers.

It may be recalled that the Progressive Muslim Union of North America (PMUNA) the main backer of Friday prayer circus tried to push the major American Muslim organizations into corner by demanding a position on this non-issue. Just before the stunt, one of PMUNA’s co-founders demanded that the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), KARAMAH, the American Sufi Muslim Association, Women in Islam and Azizah Magazine should take a position on this non-issue.

Returning to the motives and objectives of the so-called progressive or modern Muslims to whom I consider as the pragmatic Muslims because of their utilitarian approach towards Islam. A pragmatist judges the value of ideas, judgments, hypotheses, theories and systems, according to their capacity to satisfy human needs. In other words what is good for material benefit (read market economy) is good for human beings. This is the agenda of the “independent” think tanks and neo-Orientalists. It appears that by default or by design, the pragmatic Muslims are working for them.

Click here to read more

Also read: "Reformation" of Islam through psuedo events

Who defines Muslims?

Dr. Aslam Abdullah has an article on Islamicity discussing the plethora of new terms for defining Islam that are in fashion these days. While he makes some important points, the current context is such that the United States has decided to put its force behind the so-called "moderate" and "progressive" versions of Islam - that would be designed to create an Americanized version of Islam - largely toothless, cultural, and secular.

And you can expect that major university, and foundation funding will be given to organizations pushing these new sects of "Islam." You can also expect lots of new publications, and media attention given to these newly minted, and manipulated versions of "Islam."

Terms that are in fashion currently are moderate Islam, progressive Islam, enlightened Islam, modern Islam, extremist Islam, liberal Islam, conservative Islam, reformed Islam, orthodox Islam, fundamentalist Islam, medieval Islam, and obscurantist Islam, etc. What is interesting is that these terms emerge from the limitations of our own readings of Islam controlled by our own social-political experiences. For instance, in the context of the U.S. and the West, it is now fashionable to use terms such as progressive Islam and moderate Islam.

Click here to read Dr. Abdullah's article

See also the Living Tradition Blog's article on "Who needs a reformation?"

The National Security Council's "Muslim Outreach Policy"

The current political climate is such that the Progressive Muslim Union NA has set itself up as the "good Muslims" (in the eyes of the United States media) and anyone that does not agree with them gets branded as "extremists" "backwards" "neo-salafis" "wahabbis" "mullah" and so on... Sometimes the media does this labeling, most other times the PMUNA officials hurl these epithets.

Furthermore there are PMUNA board members who are associated with organizations that want to support the US "war on terror." What does this mean?

A recent article in US news has pointed out that this "war on terror" includes "changing the face of Islam."

After repeated missteps since the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. government has embarked on a campaign of political warfare unmatched since the height of the Cold War. From military psychological-operations teams and CIA covert operatives to openly funded media and think tanks, Washington is plowing tens of millions of dollars into a campaign to influence not only Muslim societies but Islam itself.

The US General Accountablity Office (GAO) has come out with a new report on "public diplomacy" that is worth a read in its entirity (pdf file)

The most important part for visitors to this blog is on page 13:

Effectiveness of Muslim Outreach Committee Remains to be Determined

In July 2004, the National Security Council created the Muslim World Outreach Policy Coordinating Committee to replace the Strategic Communications Policy Coordinating Committee.

According to a senior State official, the group is working on three specific activities. To date, the committee has collected ideas from embassies in Muslim-majority countries, developed a strategic plan for communicating with the Muslim world, and is drafting a tactical paper to operationalize the strategy. In its poll of embassies, the committee collected information on outreach activities to Muslim audiences.

According to an official at State familiar with the committee’s activities, the committee then developed a strategy to address the problems faced by the public diplomacy community and outlined two broad goals: working with moderate Muslims and countering extremism.

(Reflection question for PMUNA debate blog readers: Who will define what is a "moderate Muslim" and what constitutes "extremism?")

The committee is finalizing this strategy, which emphasizes the role of regional partnerships and the need to tailor programs to specific countries, and plans to present it to the National Security Council in early 2005. Following approval, the strategy and tactics papers will be sent to embassies around the world. State expects the implementation of this strategy to begin in early 2005.

Click here to read more!

And now the Asra Nomani-Irshad Manji Show?

The Amina Wadud (PMUNA advisory board member) media showcase was organized by Progressive Muslim Union Executive Director Ahmed Nassef, in conjunction with the "Asra Nomani Muslim Women's Freedom Tour."

Nomani's book was publicized right along side the Wadud event on the PMU media outlet: "Muslim Wake Up."

Asra Nomani's most recent appearance was with Irshad Manji at a "Forbes Executive Women's Forum."

Interestingly enough, although the forum bills itself as a discussion on Arab women - there were no Arab women on this panel!

Imperial Muslims

Check out A Heavy Truth blog for a series on Imperial Muslims - the first one featured is Dr. Zalmak Khalilzad - recently nominated as new ambassador to Iraq.

Also the Living Tradition Blog has a new entry on the undoing of Muqtedar Khan (PMU advisory board member)

Background/Context: The Imperial Cure

Gary Leupp writes: (excerpts)

Condi (the USA Secretary of State) doesn't say Islam is the problem. Secretaries of state in today's world, which is 20% Muslim, can't say such things. But her implication is clear. Unless the U.S. installs its allies in broader Middle East (Muslim) capitals and works with them to change the "hearts and minds" of their Muslim populations, so that they get it into their heads that (as Bush insists) "the American people are a good people" (and their government also good by definition) our children here in the U.S. will have to worry about their safety. The "different kind of Middle East" the administration envisions is one in which Islamic belief itself undergoes a kind of reformation induced from without.

While publicly insisting that it respects Islam as "a religion of peace," the administration will continue to do what American politicians have done for years. "I'm for racial equality, equality of opportunity," they'll say, then use nuance and symbols and subtly play the race card. The administration exploits anti-Muslim bigotry and irrational fear of "those people" to justify to the American public an ongoing campaign, currently honing in on Syria and Iran, to "build" a "stable" Muslim world

The PMU NA litmus test and shahadah

Recently in an article on alt.muslim, Dr. Hesham A. Hassaballa wrote:

According to Br. Ghazali, the PMU was formed by "some professed moderates who embrace the simply proposition that 'you are a Muslim if you say you are a Muslim -- for whatever reason or set of reasons -- and that no one is entitled to question or undermine this identity.'"

The statement, as it is written, implies - and I wholly concede my possible error - that there is something wrong with the proposition that "you are a Muslim if you say you are a Muslim." Is there a "litmus test" for being a Muslim besides "la ilaha illa Allah"? I did not know of one. When Usma bin Zayd (r) killed the pagan - who was just moments before mocking the Prophet - that said "la ilaha illa Allah," the Prophet became very angry, and he continued to repeat: "Where will you go from 'la ilaha illa Allah' on the Day of Resurrection?"

It appears that the good doctor is indeed in error, but not about brother Ghazzali's statement. The doctor apparently is not aware of the PMU NA litmus test that explicitly *does not* include "la ilaha illa Allah." Infact, the recently formed PMUNA Yahoo discussion list is upfront about this test:

"We affirm that a Muslim is anyone who identifies herself or himself as "Muslim," including those whose identification is based on social commitments and cultural heritage.

For the PMUNA this includes athiest, and agnostic "Muslims." Infact, one of their invitees to the advisory board was Tariq Ali, who considers himself to be an athiest. And Hussein Ibish, who is the vice-Chair of PMUNA, and is also a self-proclaimed "agnostic."

Perhaps the good doctor can do some additional research about the PMU NA litmus test?

Meanwhile, those familiar with the divisions within the Jewish community, will recognize this as an attempt to create Muslim equivelents of "secular" or "reform" Jews.

Omid Safi, who is chair of the Progressive Muslim Union has also been upfront about this during an interview with their media outlet Muslim Wake Up:

MWU!: Are we in the beginnings of what will eventually become a new “progressive” school of thought in Islam with its own institutions—much like the experience of the “Reform” and “Conservative” Jewish movements in the US?

Omid Safi: My intuition tells me, yes. When you look at other traditions here, like among the various Jewish trends, there are always vigorous debates, but by and large, no one has a cow about it. So what’s to keep us from having the same thing?

And so there you have it...Yes, Dr. Hassaballa, there is another litmus test - it is the PMU NA litmus test.

The Wadud media event - A planned provocation (?)

Norman Griebel writes (excerpts)

Wadud’s prayer was organised from the website MuslimWakeUp. Participation in the Friday prayer was only possible after having previously registered at this website – without a doubt this alone would constitute a further affront to the Muslim faith.
The editor-in-chief and also owner of MuslimWakeUp is Ahmed Nassef. In December of last year he took part in a conference entitled “Bridging the Divide" organised be the Brookings Institution. That the event took place under the aegis of the "Saban Center for Middle East Policy", named after its founder, the Israeli Media-mogul Haim Saban, was only mentioned in passing.

On the occasion of this Conference a new organisation, the "American Muslim Group on Policy Planning" was created. Even if no precise information is available about AMGPP, an article published by Muqtedar Khan on his Website Ijtihad more than suggests - at the very least - that Khan is one of the founders, as well as Nassef.

(Note: Khan is on the board of advisors of PMUNA, and Nassef is the Executive Director of PMU)

In the article Khan presents the goals of the AMGPP - amongst them "Support of the USA in its war against terror" as well as the taking over of a "leading role in matters of public diplomacy and public relations in name of the state Department"; furthermore the AMGPP should work as "spokesperson for American policy, concerns and interests”. And officials from the and US Ministry of Defence took part in the conference alongside officials from the State Department.

The inevitable outcry to be expected from the majority of Muslims certainly lends itself to the further representation of Islam as fundamental, backward, radical und mysoginistic. Furthermore this event also lends itself exceedingly effectively to the task of spreading division within the Muslims community.

Click here to read complete article

Wadud, PMU, and Muslim Wake Up

Ahmed Rehab writes (excerpts):

The American-Muslim community is under relentless scrutiny. It is facing intense pressures on many fronts and so is desperately in need of leadership that will unite its members against the injustices they face. It certainly is not in need of leadership that selfishly distracts its focus and wastes its limited energy on campaigns that do not address any of the real problems plaguing our daily lives.

By insisting on taking up fringe causes and overlooking the pressing causes simmering to be served, Wadud does not only undermine the real issues of relevance to her constituency but earns for herself a reputation as an extremist eccentric in the process. As such, she effectively marginalizes herself, robbing herself of the credibility sorely needed to make any symbolic gesture far reaching and change-inducing - historic as it may be.

For PMU/MWU, it’s yet another opportunity to cater to the vociferous calls of the ominous Western critics of Islam who are currently sitting comfortably at the apex of America’s social and political pyramid dishing out reprovals and approvals of Muslims. The MWU folks seem to crave so desperately the much-coveted seal of approval: the “Good Muslim” badge that initiates Muslims into mainstream society as “good ol’ Americans”.

For now, it seems that when it comes to that cause, Wadud and the Progressive Muslims are shooting for the stars, leaving behind a sorry planet called earth. Moreover, they are doing it for all the wrong reasons.

Click here to read complete article

Who is Aiman Mackie?!

Aiman Mackie is on the Progressive Muslim Union North America (PMUNA)'s board of directors. Here is a blurb about him from the PMU website:

Aiman is a specialist in international security and development. He is currently the Program Manager of the Middle East Bridges Program at the EastWest Institute's New York Centre, with specific focus on Israeli-Palestinian issues. Aiman previously worked at the Ford Foundation, where he managed the Foundation's International Cooperation portfolios, including a project that sought to promote the role of U.S. religious communities in the foreign policy arena.

He has also worked for the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica and the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies in Beirut. Aiman holds a Master's in Public Policy and in A.B. in Political Science and French Studies, both from the University of Michigan.

Click here to read the Living Tradition Blog's piece on Mackie. (Thank You!)

More on the PMUNA cast of characters coming soon ---- see side bar for more info. on a couple of their advisiory board members: Muqtedar Khan, and Ziad Asali.

Amina Wadud Praying....And those who are watching her.

Amina Wadud, PMUNA advisory board member, praying at the controversial Muslim Wake Up event organized by Ahmed Nassef, Progressive Muslim Union, North America (PMUNA) Executive Director.

Rand Report's Birthday!

Abdus Sattar Ghazali write

March 18^th marks the first anniversary of formal release of the Rand Corporation report on Islam, entitled Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources, and Strategies.

The report has two fold agenda: 1. Try to create a version of Islam that suits the post 9/11 western agenda. 2. Creating divisions in the Muslim society at home and abroad.

The Rand Report recipe to achieve this objective is to encourage and promote the so-called modernist Muslims and play one section of the society against another to split the society. In another report released in December 2004, the Rand Corporation elaborated on the second point and recommended playing the two major Muslim sects Sunnis and Shiites against each other to achieve policy objects.

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We are experiencing the re-emergence of Orientalism of the 19^th century aimed at forcing the Muslims living in US to abandon the basic tenets of Islam. This neo-Orientalism is coming in the shape of such research documents as the Rand Report which questions the authenticity of Islam’s holy scripture, the Quran. Even a fake version of Quran is now available in print. It was distributed in a private school in Kuwait.

At the same time, we see cropping up of some Muslim groups such as Free Muslims Against Terrorism, Progressive Muslim Union of North America (PMUNA) and Center for Islamic Pluralism which are not only challenging the basic tenets of Islam but also challenging the established Muslim organizations.

Click here to read more

Palestinians worldwide condemn Ziad Asali

"From under the garb of hollow US democratization, Asali has in effect been diligently advancing the neo-conservative plan for the "New Middle East", where nations and people are reconstituted against their will."

Ziad Asali is founder of "American Task Force on Palestine" (ATFP) , and a member of the board of advisors of the Progressive Muslims Union, North America.

A few weeks ago he was quoted in the Forward Newspaper that Palestinians should abandon their right to return.

This, by the way, is not the first time Asali has made such a statement. In our Comment on PMUNA we mentioned that he had made a similar statement at an UN/NGO conference in September 2002.

It should be noted that just a few weeks back, Ahmed Nassef, the executive director of PMU NA, and editor of Muslim Wake Up, made an appearance at an Hillel conference. An activity that the Hillel organizes, is a "birthright Israel trip" .

So, did the the PMU NA executive director advocate a similar right to return for Palestinians? Apparently not! The only mention he apparently made about Palestine was an oblique reference to "a certain international conflict." Click here to read more!

Ziad Asali's statements has prompted a large number of Palestinian grassroots, community-based organizations and associations created and run by refugees, in Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Europe and the US to issue a statement of their own, denouncing Asali's proclamations.
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Statement to the Public Regarding Ziyad al-Assali's Statements on the Right
of Return for Palestinian Refugees


The Global Palestine Right of Return Coalition (and its constituent organizations in historic Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Europe and North America, including Al-Awda), and in conjunction with the Right of Return Congress and the listed signatory popular organizations and committees representing various Palestinian refugee communities, join the Arab-American community in declaring that various statements and false representations by the president of the Washington-based "American Task Force on Palestine" (ATFP) Dr. Ziad Asali nullifying the Palestinian right to return and demeaning the Palestinian and Arab people are reprehensible and entirely outside the consensus of our people.

The Right of Return is an inalienable right affirmed by the international community annually since 1948. No single person, group or government have the authority or mandate to forfeit this individual and national right.

In reality, voices such as Asali's are part of a larger concerted effort to introduce a false veneer of moderation as a replacement for the legitimate inalienable rights of the Palestinian and Arab people, represented by their right to return, sovereignty and self-determination. Through organizations
like ATFP, Asali has gone even beyond the Geneva Accords, the Nusseibeh-Ayalon Agreement and other such attempts that violate fundamental, inalienable and natural rights that are enshrined in international law.

Click here to read complete statement

The Amina Wadud Controversy: Part II

Amina Wadud is on the advisory board of the Progressive Muslims Union, North America --- there are a number of articles circulating all over the web on this controversy. A couple of articles worth checking out are:

Do Female Prayer Protests Miss The Point? by Dr. Aslam Abdullah

Muslim women who suffer from all kinds of ills that a patriarchal society has imposed upon them have often been betrayed by those who claim to be religious leaders, or by those who want to denounce religious establishment for its lack of commitment to Islam. Indeed, both have betrayed Muslim women. During the last several decades, both have watched Muslim women lose their dignity while they have conducted debates about Islam and its relevance for the world at large. Both have failed to identify with those invisible beings whose whole existence has become subject to the prevailing ignorance.

True empowerment will not come from imposing this new controversy. Rather, it will come when intellectuals who are genuinely concerned about the plight of women identify with women at the grassroots level.

And Sunni Sister's blog on the issue My Prayer is the Prayer of a Woman:

Once, Yusuf ibn ‘Isam was questioning a teacher named Hatim at a circle of knowledge in a masjid in Khurasan. He asked him what is meant by having a spiritual experience in prayer, to which Hatim responded, “It means that you set the Garden of Paradise to your right, the Fire of Hell to your left, the Bridge beneath your feet, and the Balance beneath your eyes, and (that you worship) the Lord as if you could see Him, for, even if you do not see Him, He does see you.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “When performing the Salat, one is conversing intimately with one’s Lord.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

A South African view of the PMU NA

Na'eem Jeenah writes in a South African news monthly, Al Qalam:

"Last year, three South Africans were invited to be on the Advisory Board of an organisation that was about to be launched in the US, the Progressive Muslims Union of North America. Quite an honour. However, after much reflection, istikharah and many emails, all three – Ebrahim Moosa, Farid Esack and I – declined."

..
Less than two months ago, a new organisation was launched in the US – the “American Muslim Group on Policy Planning (AMGPP)”.

(Ahmed Nassef, the executive director of PMUNA is also part of this group).

According to Muqtedar Khan, the group’s founder: “Its foundation is based on the premise that the American Muslim community is not only capable of providing valuable assistance to the US in the war on terror but can also play a pivotal role in helping build bridges of confidence, trust and communication between the US and the Muslim World.”

Let’s get this right: this Muslim “leader” is suggesting that American Muslims should be helping the Bush government in its war against the world (a.k.a War on Terror)! What does that mean? Supporting the occupation of Iraq? The war against Afghanistan? The torture in Guantanamo Bay, Baghram and Abu Ghraib? The erosion of civil liberties in the US itself? The wholesale privatisation of Iraq to American companies?

Click here to read complete article

Meanwhile, Ahmed Nassef, the executive director of the PMUNA has made an appearance at the Hillel . The appearance received positive coverage in the Los Angeles based Jewish Journal . And, of-course, on Nassef's own website, MWU.

A comment on MWU said:

"I am surprised, Ahmed Nassef, that you trumpet this event as you do. My experiences with them (Hillel) were at campuses in North America (during a speaking tour 2 years ago organised by the Vancouver-based Palestine Solidarity Group) when I spoke on Palestine and, more particularly, Israel as an Apartheid state. At one Vancouver campus, they repeatedly tore down the posters so that by the time the event happened, it was dominated by about 80% Hillel supporters.

At some other campuses they heckled, tried to disrupt and refused to listen. In Berkeley, members of Hillel joined a campaign to boycott a dinner organised by the Boalt Law Foundation. The dinner is the main annual fund-raising event to raise funds for disadvantaged students to study at Boalt Law School. The BLF's crime? They co-sponsored my lecture there. After much trauma for the BLF and Palestinians and Palestinian supporters at the university, a joint letter was issued. The complainants, including the Hillel members, could not even use the term "Palestinian students" in the letter; it had to be "students of Palestinian descent".

Click here to read more!