veiled4allah

Reagan

When Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980, I was only seven years old. I remember some events from Carter's presidency, but it's Reagan that's really associated in my mind with knowing who the president was and what was important about the office. In fact, for a long time I had some vague feeling that Reagan had always been the president because he was as long as I could really remember, LOL. In terms of Reagan's legacy as president, that's something I make judgments about based on what I've read, rather than my own experiences and memories because of course my understanding at the time was that of a child. I think that Reagan's passing must have been a mercy for him and for his family; his mind had already gone on to somewhere that nobody else could follow, and I've always felt that's a terribly sad way to end one's days. My grandmother, who's about the same age as Reagan was, doesn't have the specific Alzheimer's disease, but for her too, she's more gone than there. I think that one of the worst aspects would be to be aware of what's happened to you but unable to communicate it to anybody. I hope that Reagan had passed beyond that stage and my grandmother as well. To me, one of the best ways to honor Reagan's memory in a way that does also something good for others, is to donate for Alzheimer's research and care. The Alzheimer's Association is accepting donations in honor of Reagan and I encourage everybody who can spare some change to make a donation tomorrow on the day of mourning for Reagan. Whether you're a liberal or a conservative and whatever you think of his presidential legacy, he and his family have done a tremendous amount to help other victims of Alzheimer's and that's something we can all feel good about supporting. Thanks.

early history of Muslims and Arabs in America

In conjunction with Jonathan Edelstein's celebration of Arrival Day, remembering the first Jewish immigrants to America, I thought I would post some resources on early Muslim and Arab immigrants. The first Muslims in America were Africans brought as slaves (Central and South America also saw the not-always voluntary immigration of Muslims from Andalusia). There are also scattered reports of Muslims and Arabs in America in the late 1700s and early 1800s. However, the first large-scale immigration from the Middle East was from about 1880 to 1920, mostly from the Ottoman Empire. A second wave occurred after World War II as immigration laws relaxed. Some good overviews are The Arab Immigrant Experience, Patterns of Muslim Immigration, Islam in America: From African Slaves to Malcolm X, and Arab Immigrants to America Are Part of Ellis Island History. These are all broad overviews. To get a more detailed picture of a single community, see Chicago's Arab-American Community: An Introduction. An interesting fact: the oldest mosque in America is the Mother Mosque in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which was built in 1934. You can read about it in Keeping the Faith.

why Muslims in the Philippines want independence

Islam first came to the Philippines in the late 1200s, introduced by Muslim merchants and Sufis by way of Indonesia. Over the next couple of centuries, the religion spread among the indigenous people of the islands, moving from Borneo through the Sulu archipelago. By the 1400s, it reached Mindanao. By this time, political institutions had developed and during the fifteenth century, sultanates were established in the southern islands. In the 1500s, the Spanish arrived and established colonies in the northern islands. For the next 350 years, the sultanates and the Muslim people of the southern islands (named "Moros" by the Spanish after the Moors (Andalusian Muslims) who had recently been expelled from Spain; they have recently adopted the name Bangsamoros for themselves) fought against the Spanish. The Spanish Christianized the indigenous people of the northern islands, who were called Indios. As part of this process, the Spanish often depicted the Moros to the Indios as dangerous or inferior so that the Indios would side with the Spanish against the Moros. Despite the technological superiority of the Spanish, the Muslim sultanates, though greatly weakened, were still independent of Spanish rule even in the 1890s. At the end of the Spanish-American war in 1898, Spain ceded its Philippine colonies, along with other possessions, to the United States. The U.S. signed a non-interference treaty with the sultanates. However, the United States then proceeded to establish a colonial administration over both the Indios and the Moros, desiring to integrate them into a single nation. The Philippines gained independence from the U.S. in 1946 (after enduring occupation by Japan during World War Two). The leaders of the Philippines then pursued a policy of settling Christians in Mindanao and concentrating land ownership in their hands. Muslims now form a minority in Mindanao and are economically and culturally marginalized by discriminatory policies that favor Christian Filipinos. Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago were not part of "the Philippines" until 1900. They formed a nation that was separate historically, culturally, and religiously and which enjoyed an independent history going back over six centuries. In the last hundred years, they have been forced to assimilate into the Christian Filipino (Indio) national identity, and been gradually but systematically dispossessed and supplanted in their own land (this seems similar to China's policy in Tibet and the less well-known Xinjiang). This is the context in which we need to understand the Mindanao and Moro independence movements. As with the Chechens, the Kashmiris, and the Palestinians, the Moros consider themselves to be fighting a legitimate national liberation struggle against an occupying power. This isn't some simplistic story in which evil Islamic fundamentalists decide to commit terrorism against an innocent Christian people for no reason. Terrorism in Mindanao, as in Chechnya, Kashmir, and Palestine, occurs when extremists hijack a cause and use immoral tactics to further their aims. If we are to resolve the problems in Mindanao (and in Chechnya, Kashmir, and Palestine) we need to look beyond simplistic stories and examine the genuine grievances people have and the genuine oppression they face that makes them willing to engage in armed resistance and to listen to the words and tactics of extremists. Establishing justice is the best way to bring about peace. Further violence and repression will only make things worse. One would think that this would be obvious by now. Here is some reading about the Moros of the Philippines to back up what I've said here and to provide you with further information. Mindanao: A Place of History, Culture, Beauty, and Conflict provides historical background and essays. In Moro-Christian Co-Existence and Conflict in the Philippines a Catholic scholar looks at the religious aspects to the conflict. Mindanao: The Hazy Shade of Peace in the Philippines examines the various Mindanao and Moro independence movements and their history. Fire in Mindanao, also by a Catholic scholar, looks at these movements in more detail and discusses the prospects for peace. Amnesty International reports on human rights violations by the Philippine government and army in their campaign to put down the Moro rebellion. The Sultanate of the Philippines (Google cache) focuses on the notorious Abu Sayyaf hirabists (a Islamic term for bandits and terrorists, which Abu Sayyaf most definitely are both of). Understanding Bangsamoro independence as a mode of self-determination argues that a free Mindanao will be a peaceful Mindanao. As a bonus, learn about Sitti Kabira, the woman who in the late 1600s became ruler of the Sulu sultanate (according to Forgotten Queens of Islam, the sultanate of Aceh in Indonesia was also ruled by a woman at this time, Safiyyat ad-Din). Note: Some broken links removed 7/31/04

Timbuktu

For many people, the name Timbuktu evokes ideas of a mythical city, inaccessible but wealthy in gold. Timbuktu is an actual city in Mali in West Africa. Its heyday was from the 1200s to the 1500s when it was the capital of the Empire of Mali. Timbuktu was also home to the University of Sankore, which was at that time one of the major universities in the world and one of the major centers of Islamic learning. At its peak, it had 25,000 students. An interesting fact is that it was founded by a woman. Read a description and history of the University of Sankore at The world-class University of Sankore, Timbuktu. A few more details about the university's programs are available at the Timbuktu Educational Foundation's site. For a history of Timbuktu, see Timbuktu, the El Dorado of Africa. For a profile of Timbuktu today, visit Timbuktu: City of legends. And to learn about efforts to preserve Timbuktu from desertification, see Timbuktu: The Mythical Site.

glimpses of Muslims in England in the 1700s

Jonathan Edelstein found an excellent legal research site, Proceedings of the Old Bailey. The Old Bailey is London's central criminal court and has records of its proceedings going back several centuries. The online database currently contains records from 1714 to 1799 and is ultimately intended to contain all records between 1674 and 1834. Jonathan was looking for information about Jews in London during the eighteenth century; I decided to look for reports of Muslims. So far I've found two trials that involved Muslims. The first is the prosecution of John Ryan, Jeremiah Ryan, and Mary Ryan by John Morgan, who was from Bengal in India. This case is from 1765. Morgan worked as a servant for the former governor of Madras and accompanied him back to England along with another Muslim servant. Morgan alleged that the Ryans had stolen some money and clothes from him. At that time in England, there was no public prosecutor's office. The victim of the crime had to prosecute the case himself. David Friedman has a useful article Making Sense of English Law Enforcement in the 18th Century that provides some historical context. So Morgan had to prosecute the Ryans himself and present evidence at the trial. This led to a dilemma for the judge: how to swear Morgan in? After some debate among the judges of Old Bailey, Morgan got to swear on the Quran. The second case I found is from 1787. It involves the prosecution of John M'Nally and Nicholas Ellicot by Mahomet Mustapha Blabas and Hasbrahim Ben Aga Soderati, again for theft. Blabas and Soderati had come from Amsterdam. The record doesn't mention where they had been before that. Blabas only spoke Arabic and there was no interpreter, so his testimony could not be taken. However, Soderati was able to serve as prosecutor. Soderati swore on the Quran and apparently this was now considered standard procedure for Muslim witnesses since no dispute is mentioned concerning it. Reading the cases is interesting inasmuch as it gives a glimpse into Muslims that were present in London in the eighteenth century and what types of lives they led. You'll also see very archaic terminology used. For instance, Muslims are referred to as "Mahometans", an older spelling of Mohammedans (i.e., followers of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him). The Quran is referred to as "the Alcoran". This appears to be an anglicized version of al-Qur'an, the name of the scripture in Arabic. Referring to the Alcoran is redundant since "Al" or "al-" is the definite article in Arabic; what you're really saying is "the the Quran".

a shameful anniversary

Today is the anniversary of the day in 1942 when Roosevelt signed the order to intern Japanese-Americans. Some reading: A Lesson of Injustice from 1942, this and other posts at Orcinus, and everything lately at Is That Legal?

history of Jews under Islamic rule

I've added several new pages to my website. The introduction and index page for this section is A History of the Jews Under Islamic Rule. The pages present selections from Jewish historical sources concerning the status of Jews in the Muslim world from 660 to the present. My purpose in posting this up is to take a small step towards providing a factual foundation for debates about the status of non-Muslims under Islamic rule in general. The introduction page provides more information and a discussion of my sources.

archaeological evidence of Jesus?

I've been reading about an artifact that may provide proof that Jesus (peace be upon him) existed. I'm not sure if the inscription "James son of Joseph brother of Jesus" actually does refer to the Jesus (pbuh). Those are all fairly common names. It reminds me that as a Muslim I believe not only in the existence of Jesus (pbuh) but that he was born without a human father, that he was a prophet of God, that he performed miracles, and that he was taken up to heaven, and will return near the end of time. I do not however, believe that he died on the cross and I definitely don't believe that he was the son of God, or God in the Trinity or anything else like that. I never could believe any of those claims, and that's why I left Christianity (in fact, I left it quite awhile before I found Islam)

Update 11/6/02: Apparently, the inscription is fraudulent, specifically the part that says "brother of Jesus"

history you don't learn in school

My mom sent me a letter from her vacation. She and my dad are heading out to Yellowstone National Park. Along the way, they passed through Oregon. They visited the Oregon Trail museum. This is what my mom wrote: "A professor from Portland State University gave a talk on the black experience in Oregon which was most enlightening. The original settlers did not allow blacks and 'Orientals' [probably Chinese] to settle in the territory, own property or enter into contracts. This was in the 1840s, prior to the Civil War. Owners were not allowed to bring slaves into the territory. By excluding blacks, the white settlers hoped to escape the racial tensions and problems back east. "When the state constitution was adopted the prohibition on blacks and 'Orientals' was part of it. These discriminatory provisions were not repealed until 1926 even though they were made inoperable by the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the federal constitution!! Seems the good people of Oregon still fostered grand ideas of a white man's paradise. "Which is why Oregon had virtually no black population until after World War II. Those blacks who came on the Oregon Trail and after settled north of the Columbia River in Washington. And to think Oregon has a reputation as such a liberal, free-thinking state. Although a recent governor did say his policy was 'visit Oregon but don't move here.'" It's strange and sad how quickly Americans forget the racist past.