I mentioned this book previously in my Feb. 26 post on Ashura in Karbala. Now that I have finished reading it, I am interesting in learning more about several topics that Imam Qazwini discusses – and some others that he does not address.
I found the latter part of the book – Qazwini’s experiences in America – somewhat less interesting that the history of his early life. The first several chapters told about growing up in Iraq, Kuwait, and Iran, including much about the people and culture of those lands, as well as their recent history and political climate. He also told much about the history and practices of Islam. All this was material I knew very little about, and his personal experiences and his passion for his faith made it a much better way to learn about Islamic faith and culture than reading an account by a non-Muslim outsider.
His experiences as an immigrant in America, however, while still moderately interesting, were not all that different from the experiences of other immigrants. There is the struggle to learn English – by any measure difficult to learn as a second language, and the confusion caused by unfamiliar customs. There is repugnance at practices that would be considered backward or immoral in his own culture. Yet there is also enthusiasm for the wonderful opportunities made possible by the freedom we have here in the U.S.
More than that, however, was that while in telling the history of both his early life and of Islam, he is basically presenting information. In the section on America, he is advocating for or against certain attitudes, practices, and programs. As this is about issues that I have seen a great deal of discussion about over at World on the Web (see my blogroll), I knew what some of the objections would be to his claims. Sometimes he addresses common misperceptions (as he sees them). But others he does not address at all.
On the whole, he has me convinced that Muslims can live in peace with non-Muslims – if those Muslims share Qazwini’s perspective on the meaning of and implications of their faith. As a Shiite he is in a distinct minority, though it is not clear to me to what extent his views are shaped by the Shia tradition, by his experience of living as a persecuted minority (which makes him love the freedom his children can experience here), by his father’s wisdom and courage, and simply by growing up as a devout Muslim.
Qazwini does make it clear that he does not consider the 9/11 terrorists – or any other terrorists, to be true Muslims. Whatever they may claim or believe themselves, he opines that they are merely using religion as a cover for their wickedness. Much of the damage done to Islam’s reputation worldwide, he explains, is done by the fanatical Wahhabi sect. Based on Saudi Arabia and benefiting from the huge oil revenues flowing into that country, the Wahhabists consider their brand of Islam the only pure one, justify violence as a means to accomplish their purposes, and pour countless millions of dollars into teaching their own way of thinking to Muslims around the world.
I have often heard objections of how moderate Muslims like Qazwini do not do enough to speak out against the fanatics who blow up innocent civilians. (This is in fact one of the “20 Questions” Americans ask about Islam that he addresses in an appendix to the book.) He explains that they do in fact speak out, but that often American mass media pay little attention to them when they do speak out. Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam contains many diverse traditions and no one speaks for all Muslims – or can command the obedience of them all. Finally, the moderate Muslims live in fear of reprisals by the terrorists just as much as non-Muslims do.
I have also heard complaints that Muslims do not assimilate into our society as other immigrant groups have done. Qazwini is one of those who urge his fellow American Muslims to become fully part of this society rather than isolating themselves. As Muslims become teachers, journalists, and government leaders, he believes many of the myths about Muslims will be dispelled by a demonstration of the opposite. He does not want them to lower their moral standards, however, and is pleased to see restaurants serving halal food (their equivalent of kosher) and schools allowing girls to wear the hijab that represents their submission to Allah by their modest apparel. (He was horrified by having “half-dressed” classmates in his ESL classes when he first arrived in California.)
Another negative aspect of our culture, from Qazwini’s perspective, is how people often make a mockery of religious beliefs or symbols.
I was shocked at the disrespect for Jesus. On souvenir T-shirts, in throwaway sitcom lines, on gift shop ephemera and glib bumper stickers, the casual degradation of Christians’ savior shocked me. … I relish the personal liberties and freedom of speech America allows, but the freedom to mock religion is one I do not condone.
His reaction is due, he says, not so much to the fact that he is Muslim as that he is from the Middle East. In that part of the world, as well as in the Far East, people do not make jokes about religion – any religion. Not just Muslims but Christians and Buddhists treat both their own religion and the religions of others with respect.
This issue of respect for religions is why he called evangelist Franklin Graham (along with Pat Robertson) an “American bin Laden.” In 2001, Franklin Graham called Islam “a very evil and wicked religion.” Five years later, when asked if his view had changed, he said they had not. Qazwini acknowledges that, unlike bin Laden, Graham and Robertson have not trained people to kill innocent civilians, but he feels that they are like bin Laden in forcing believers into an “us vs them” confrontation. “In the process, they distort the principles of their professed faith and provide their opposition with more reason to hate.”
Again, I do not know how much his view is shared by the majority of Muslims. He says that “Islam condones religious and scientific inquiry and invited discussion of varying religious principles, but it differentiates between criticism and insults.” He claims also that one’s religion must be chosen freely as a matter of true belief and conscience, and that conversion cannot be coerced (or it is not a true conversion). In his “20 Questions” section at the end, the second question he answers is “Didn’t Islam spread by the sword?” According to Qazwini, “nations and tribes accepted Islam wholeheartedly and converted voluntarily.” The wars that were fought during Islam’s early history, he claims, were for political goals, for territory and for trade, not to force anyone to convert.
This is one of the areas I would like to look into further, to see how well historical accounts match up with his claims. I also would have liked him to deal with the question of Muslims who convert to other religions, as that has been a trigger for violence in many news reports I have read. Another claim that I have seen brought up repeatedly in discussions of Islam at World on the Web, but that Qazwini gave little attention to, is that the Koran condones deception against one’s enemies. In his section on “Just War” he says that one of Muhammed’s seven rules for just war is to avoid using deception to overcome the enemy. I cannot imagine that Qazwini would condone use of deception on or off the battlefield, but he does not directly address whether other Muslims do consider it justified.
Chas, who offered his review of this book at World on the Web, suggests that I next read Terrorist Hunter: the extraordinary story of a woman who went undercover to infiltrate the radical Islamic groups operating in America. As our library has this book also, I will try to fit it into my reading schedule. (My guess is that Qazwini would identify those “radical Islamic groups” as pockets of Wahhabism, that do not reflect true Islamic thought.)
