Responses to the Ulama
"Kabir Bavikatte" <[email protected]> Sun, 13 Jun 2004 19:16:48 +0530
| Newsgroups | gmane.culture.religion.muslim.progressive |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
--===============0386666743== Content-Type: text/html <html><div style='background-color:'><P>Salaams Itrath, </P> <P>At the outset let me tell you how much I appreciate your courage and commitment. Dare I say I can completely empathise with your situation having been once in a similar situation, again having to do with arguing for the right to sexuality and having to deal with the wrath of a section of the ulama whose weapons had little to do with a serious theological debate and more to do with character assasination. </P> <P>Nevertheless your decision never to enter the mosque may have ended up overestimating the power of the ulama, the qutba and underestimating sections of the community's ability to reflect. Having done some work specifically on issues relating to Islam and sexuality there are a few things I have learnt that may bear some reference value in the Canadian context. </P> <P>Firstly, being Muslim is an identity people may choose to foreground in specific situations but it for sure jostles with a number of other identities such as being a woman, a person of colour, a minority, unemployed, rich, male, gay, straight etc. Dominant interpretations of Islam invariably cater to the interests of specific powerful and entrenched positions within the ummah thereby providing a justification to the oppression of the less powerful sections of the community. The interesting thing I have learnt though is that many of those Muslims on the recieving end of this dominant narrative don't dumbly accept what they hear in the mosques. In many ways they make their own theology. </P> <P>This brings me to my second point about the power of the qutba and the Imams. While I concede that they have a certainly have the power to influence people, experience has taught me that for a number of Muslims listening to the qutba and the Imam on Jumma is something that informs both identity and spirituality. But this by no means implies that they agree with everything in the qutba or with the spiritual authority of the Imam. Listen in on the conversations outside the mosque after the Friday prayers, remember the number of times people have disagreed with the qutba's interpretation of Islam or have simply said that the Imam is a sell out or that they come to this mosque despite the Imam's lack of depth only because it is the mosque close to work or where they live.</P> <P>Better still think of the number of times when at home or amongst friends people have articulated an understanding of Islam that completely contradicts the position the Imam takes at their mosque. This brings me back to the first point of people making their own theology. My work has taught me that theology happens in a number of places outside of the mosque and through the speech and actions of a number of Muslims who are not Imams. </P> <P>Listen in on Muslim women when they discuss their husbands and how on many occasions they refuse to buy the dominant interpretation that they have to be subserviant. Listen in on young Muslims sitting together and discussing politics and speaking of the clergy in a derisive manner for selling out. Watch Muslim university students participating enthusiastically in a sociology or a political science class articulating ideas that cross swords with the stuff they hear at their mosques. Remember the class divisions between the rich and the poor Muslims and the antagonism between them. There are so many examples of how dominant ideas in Islam are challenged in everday spaces in banal ways that are so powerful precisely because of their banality.</P> <P>Without undermining the pain you felt at the mosque, may I suggest that you continue to go to the mosque because you have as much right to pray there and participate in the community life around it as anybody else. Perhaps it is important for progressive Muslims to occupy and contest the Friday space in the mosque and not to allow it to be overrun by reactionary forces. Strategically this includes a number of Naeem's suggestions but also extends to engaging the mosque community in discussions around the Imam's position. </P> <P>What is equally important is to also use other spaces outside the mosque which substantially inform the opinions of Muslims. Use the media, organise discussion groups and public talks. Let the Imam know that the silence of the community on Friday has little to do with agreement and more to do with formality. Challenge the Mosque committee to a public debate. One thing is for sure, the more ground you begin to gain outside the mosque the higher the chances of the Imam coming out publicly against you or venting his rage in the qutba. In either case you've got him. The more he rails against you in the mosque the less coherent he becomes, and the more curious people get about what you really stand for. The more he comes out publicly against you the more he enters unfamiliar terrain like mainstream media, public spaces etc. terrain wherein you are definitely more articulate and p owerful. </P> <P>By no means am I underestimating the ulama or how draining battles like this can be when you are hard pressed for time and busy with your campaigning. But these are make or break situations the community needs to be addressed. I have no idea of the specificities of the Muslim community in Canada and how you plan to address them on the issues of sexuality. Personally in a different contexts I have tried a range of methods from speaking of human rights to constitutionalism to specific Islamic responses ala Scott Siraj al Haq's well argued essay in Progressive Muslims. But you know best what needs to be done. </P> <P>Put your foot in the door and keep it there. </P> <P>Yours in solidarity and strength to your parents, Kabir<BR><BR></P><BR><BR><BR> <DIV> </DIV></div><br clear=all><hr>Screensavers for every mood! Jazz up your screen! <a href="http://g.msn.com/8HMAENIN/2746??PS=47575">Bring your PC to life!</a> </html> --===============0386666743== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline _______________________________________________ ProgressiveMuslims mailing list [email protected] http://ganymede.nitric.co.za/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/progressivemuslims --===============0386666743==--