Mosque in Morgantown, a documentary about Asra Nomani’s quest to eradicate gender segregation in the mosque, airs tonight on PBS at 10 pm EST.
I watched the film this weekend. Twice. I took three pages of notes, but still had a difficult time writing a review. This could be because my head has been in another place this weekend with the aftermath of Iranian elections.
But the reason could also be that the documentary just didn’t work. It begins with Asra Nomani, sharing her personal stories. Then the film is about the Morgantown mosque. Then the film is about Asra. Then the film is about Asra and the mosque. Then the film is about Asra’s book tour and “trouble-making” at mosques around the country. Then the film is about the Morgantown mosque again. Then the film is about banning Asra from the mosque. You can see a trailer here:
[youtube= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HODQYUOHrTM]
This jumping around irritated me: though I understand the value of illustrating how Asra’s personal life influenced her behaviors concerning the mosque, I think that the jumping around created a lack of cohesiveness. If you asked me what the purpose of the documentary was, this is what I’d tell you: it was about Asra Nomani…sort of…and the mosque in her hometown…sort of.
Almost as soon as she introduces herself, Nomani brings up the fact that she has had a child outside of marriage, and is thus a “criminal in the eyes of Islam”. Her “child outside of marriage” story bothered me because that it’s one of the first things a viewer knows about her–why was that necessary? It felt as if she was using it as a badge to prove that she’s a “black sheep” Muslim, which takes us into the next scene: her victimization.
Nomani describes going up to the newly-built local mosque and trying to enter through the front door for prayer. She was turned away because the front door is for men and the side door is for women.
What the documentary does not tell us is whether other women were turned away, whether other women were irritated about the segregation, what happened to Morgantown’s old mosque (the one she went to as a child), and whether men and women had separate entrances there. Is the entrance segregation a new phenomenon? Or is it as old as the beginning of Islam, which is how most media outlets described it?
The documentary, and even Nomani herself, cast the beginnings of this crusade as a personal vendetta: she feels she has been humiliated at the mosque and so, ten days later, she marches through the mosque’s front door and prays next to male worshippers, seemingly pissing everyone off. She talks about having a child outside of marriage, 9/11, and how “militant Muslims who prayed five times a day” killed her friend and colleague, Daniel Pearl.
All of those things somehow add up to Nomani wanting women to pray alongside men. The documentary follows her on her book tour, watching her talk to Muslims and go to mosques elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada, on a quest to make everyone pray the way she wants them to. Notice I didn’t say “quest for equity in the mosques” or “quest for gender equality in Islam.” Nomani is very much a feminist, but the picture we get from the documentary paints Nomani more as a televised guerilla activist who lives out a personal spat with her local mosque on a national platform.
During her trip to Los Angeles, Asra sits in a McDonald’s parking lot after upsetting the “most progressive mosque in the country” and eats ice cream. This scene constructs Nomani as a victim that we should feel sorry for: the Big, Bad Muslims don’t like her (most likely because she stormed into their mosque, flouted their rules, and told community elders they were wrong about the religion they’d studied longer than she’d been alive) and so she’s forced to eat ice cream alone at McDonald’s.
But it’s hard to feel sorry for Nomani because she builds herself up to be a victim when she usually isn’t. This is apparent during her meeting with the Morgantown mosque board, where she argues even with the community moderates, and walks out of the meeting after calling board members “naïve” and the meeting “a waste of time” because they didn’t agree with her way of doing things.
I hate to admit that I didn’t like this documentary, because I wanted to like it. Though I hated how she did it, I personally very much agree with the idea of equity in the mosque. Edina Lekovic made a great appearance in the film during Nomani’s ruckus in Los Angeles and voiced my thoughts exactly, stating that Nomani’s shenanigans detracted away from what was really important: women gaining full and equal access to the mosque and positions of power therein. Instead of working with mosques, Nomani worked against them and expected them to comply.
I hated the documentary because it highlighted all the things I hated about how Asra Nomani did this entire “campaign”. Long-lasting change does not happen unilaterally or without dialogue, and there is no dialogue when no one else’s viewpoint counts except Nomani’s.
Readers, what are your thoughts on the documentary? Consider this an open thread, but don’t forget comment moderation rules!
Tags: Asra Nomani, gender equity, Mosque in Morgantown, women's rights
OMG! I’m supposed to write a review of this film for Feminist Review! :O Actually, I felt quite positive about this film. In fact, I love it! Not really because of Asra Nomani, because I found her annoying from the get-go. But it’s for the rest of the people in the documentary.
In the end, members of the eponymous mosque loosened their conservative grip as far as community events are concerned (i.e. the relaxed, non-coercive of both mixing and segregating of women, men, and children). The Egyptian(?) guy who at first held disrespectful views about women made a turnaround and admitted to his sexism. Also, Christine, who was searching for her identity after converting, found happiness in herself as a Muslim whilst supporting the Nomani’s difficult cause. These are great stories people in places like Morgantown throughout the US and Canada don’t know hear enough about.
Nomani made herself look pretty bad in this film. She tried to portray herself as a victim, with little success and sympathy from even people like me who would like to see gender equity in the mosque and not Nomani throwing unnecessary tantrums throughout the film.
**eek** Excuse the grammar.
Oh Asra. It won’t be shown here in the Rocky Mountains until next week, but I checked out the snippets on PBS. Only Allah knows, but I can never ever get past her theatrics as nothing more than pushing her work. You have to have that victim mentality. In the clip about her, it says she nows prays at home….waiting for the time she can pray side by side with men. WTH? How long did she stick with praying behind the men in an effort for change? I prayed behind men, in front of our newly erected 5 foot women’s barrier in my small community until they gave us a window in our barrier so we could have visual and auditory access. It sucked and people didn’t like it but we got our window. She blows in and out of these Mosques for stunts to put on the TV. All she has done is made it more difficult for women to stand up for their rights within Mosques because no one wants to be labeled an “Asra”. I know I was put in the ‘Asra’ categroy when all I wanted is how it was back in the day. This victimization to sell books is a tactic Irshad Manji uses as well. I read her “Trouble with Islam’ where she opines about her fundy father and fundy upbringing and then while chatting with Roland Martin one night on CNN, Irshad proudly tells how she threw out the Christmas tree her family had (what fundy family has an Xmas tree??) because it was against Islam (you go girl). I love Amina Wadud and she believes she studies and tries to work within the framework of history but Asra and her ilk want to sell books. Can’t blame her, she is a single parent you know!
Salaam Alaikum,
First thoughts – Is she still going on about this? I’ve been reading about her mosque battles for years now.
Not that equality, representation and room in our mosques are not important, they are. Especially in non-Muslim countries, where they are often the centre of the Islamic community.
However, mosques are a community affair and it takes the community working together to change them. Hence the futility of Asra’s mission. I actually think she revels in the hostility she arouses. Certainly, it appears that her actions are almost conceived with the aim of antagonising as many people as possible.
After all, if everyone said “Yes, you’re right”, there wouldn’t be a documentary.
As for the remark about Daniel Pearl’s killers “praying five times a day”. What is she implying? They probably eat food, require a regular oxygen intake and go to the toilet too. So what point is she trying to make?
One wonders what the point of Asra Nomani (and others who I won’t name, as it will certainly derail things) is?
What does she have to offer the Muslim community?
Is she a great religious scholar? No.
Has she done huge amounts of work, charitable or otherwise, in the Muslim community? No.
Most importantly, is she trusted and well respected by the Muslim community she claims to serve? Does she respect the Muslim community? No.
So why does she seem to be given more space to talk about Islam then others who are far more eligible to do so?
Is it because she is all too willing to feed all the popular stereotypes about Islam and Muslims to a hostile non-Muslim audience?
Yes. I think it is.
I haven’t even seen the documentary yet but just by reading the website I think I’ll hate it and probably agree with most of your review. The description on the site makes it sound as if radical extremists had taken over and this was a fight against extremists or terrorists. I think Nomani is too grand and over the top and attacks instead of tries to have dialogue which is why she’s met with so much opposition.
Plus her impyling that anyone who prays five times a day is some kind of extremist is ridiculous and insulting.
Assalamu alaikom,
Hm, this isn’t airing tonight in my area, but hopefully I can view it online. Asra Nomani’s battles with her local mosque was covered well in “Me and the Mosque”, a documentary by Zarqa Nawaz, a few years back. Strange that she’s rehashing it now.
Excellent review. I didn’t even know this was on television (probably wasn’t even broadcast where I am (Toronto)), but nevertheless that’s an interesting take on that woman’s crusade.
Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with the separation of men and women at the mosque, as long as there isn’t suppression of women’s access or rights at the mosque or in the community.
People who have personal objectives when advocating “Islamic reform” are usually pretty see-through; as Zahra above pointed out with my cities own, Irshad Manji.
These people and their crusades against what should and shouldn’t be Islamic are usually monetary grabs; or at the very least, they prove to not actually understand the philosophical and theological purposes behind why things are the way they are, and usually don’t understand the historical context and judicial reasoning behind the allowance and disallowance of certain things. I think you pointed that out too, when you mentioned that she was confrontationally challenging the mosque elders; people who have studied Islam longer than she’s been alive.
Excellent article.
The woman who called Abraham a “deadbeat dad” and Hajar “the single mother of Islam,” (may Allah be please with them both) I have no respect for her other than the rights she has over me.
ok i just watched the documentary. your article hits on all the major criticisms/problems/points spot on. i frist came across asra nomani”s book and writing 5 years ago and have read many articles mainly about 9/11 and her time spent in pakistan.i was very interested in what she had to say but what i found troubling (in her book) was how she victimized herself by volunteering the fact that she had a baby out of wedlock and as a consequence was punishible by death according to islamic law. i thought then (and still do) that it was a harsh and polarizing statement to make, especially to a western audience who have no nuanced understanding of islam. and of course she is not the only muslim woman to have ever had a baby while unmarried. but what ever does this have to do with equal rights for women at the mosque? i am sure nobody cares about asra’s sex life and marital status, i sure don’t and i didn’t need to be introduced to that 5 years ago in order to buy her argument. but she definitley loses credibility to me and not for the issues she thinks people have with her (again, “taboo sex” and baby dady drama). Further, she seems to make links where there are none. For example, just to go back to the documentary, she tries to make links between the supposedly extremist imam and the freaks who murdered daniel pearl. i mean, come on! Asra’s “slippery slope” argument leaves much room for proof and is problematic on many levels. maybe she”ll enlighten us on that in another book, just hopefully without disconnected and unecessary details.
i just wanted to add that overall, the documentary made me sad. i never like to see muslim communities divided and arguing. May Allah have mercy on us all.
@Suleman:
“These people and their crusades against what should and shouldn’t be Islamic are usually monetary grabs; ”
Although that may or may not be the case for Nomani (obviously we can never truly know but can make guesses) this is not necessarily the case for others who try to change the way things are. Usually however, it is women who get labeled as such regardless of what their intentions are – that we are in it for some sort of selfish gain – whereas men who challenge the way things are (ie Tariq Ramadan) are not painted that way. (Not that he should be…I think most here know I love Ramadan ;) ).
Personally, I don’t believe in segregation in the mosque and would join in this “crusade” but not for monetary gains. Rather because personally I feel it is an oppressive practice. (If it were truly egalitarian then the imam would go back and forth between the women’s and men’s sections.) Many women who fight for equal status in the mosque are not doing so for money or fame but rather for real equality – not just the typical lip service we get.
I don’t agree with Nomani’s approach but I do support actual equality in the mosque.
one other thing i forgot to mention, is that i wonder why the documentary aired so long after her book was published? The doc touches on many of the themes she writes in her book almost repetitively.
Wow. I just reread my comment, and I see that she pisses me off so badly, I can barely make sense about it!
[...] leave a comment » http://muslimahmediawatch.org/2009/06/15/asra-nomani-and-the-mosque-crusade-lofty-or-ludicrous/ [...]
I couldn’t agree more with your review great job!
Ooo, didya see that you’re linked in the documentary’s homepage as a “hostile review?”
I looked on our local PBS stations, and didn’t see this scheduled for anytime in the next few weeks.
Not having seen it, but having followed this as it was happening, I’ll still say I’m of mixed minds about this. While I’ve worked for women’s greater access to the masjid for years, I can’t agree with the way she went about it. I find it counterproductive and liable to p.o. more people then it reaches positively.
It’s a bit like imposing democracy through an invading army. Unless the impetus for change comes from within and has grass roots support, it’s liable wither and die.
We managed to open up more space for women at the mosque I attended during college. Women took over the balcony for jummah prayer and moved to pray in the main hall during other prayers. It was done in a non confrontational, polite manner, and very few people complained.
How come no one is interested in making a documentary about the women in the Muslim community who are making real change? Why? Because as another poster said, people like Nomani give ‘em what they want to hear…”Muslim extremists”.”Muslim moderates” Easy to read labels straight out of conservative media’s playbook. I’m shocked we didn’t hear Nomani say Islamo-Fascist or evil-doer. She thinks she’s answering the call of “where are the moderate Muslims, and why aren’t they outraged?” As if we Muslims are all hanging out at the local mosque receiving our jihad orders on a weekly basis.
Also, regarding a previous comment about “Christine, who was searching for her identity after converting, found happiness in herself as a Muslim whilst supporting the Nomani’s difficult cause”. If you explore the website for the film you’ll read that she has since divorced her husband and left Islam. Frankly, I didn’t find her sincere while watching the film. First you see her working with the mosque leadership on the board (so how misogynistic were they before Nomani blew back into town if the White Convert was sitting on the Board?) and then at the end she’s passing out yard sticks at an Estes lecture. First she’s wearing hijab and as time goes on, she’s seen sitting by her husband (always silent) wearing a skirt above her knees-Okay, hijab is an issue of merit to discuss but I don’t know too many Muslim women who think a short skirt is appropriate. (Well, except Queen Rania, I guess!)
Spot on. Well said.
It’s very interesting to em as a feminist elder, to see how readily the generation that profited most from our hard work is the first to write off a courageous indivisual such as Asra Nomani as an attention seeker (the next step down is “flake”)–it saddens me any more that so many of those who profit from the struggles of people who make personal sacrifices as Nomani does, to elicit positive chnage, are females.
It was once the major province of males, but reactionary judgementalism, i deplore whther on this page or in any mosque or house of worship, or school or governing body.
Solidarity, support, and understanding are necessary for success in combating the sad misogyny that too many muslims accept as divinely ordered rather than as Asra and many scholars and feminist activists have shown over the centuries, humanly and erringly manufactured.
http://www.themosqueinmorgantown.com/forum/2009/06/15/carroll/
my take on the documentary, which i think is excellent and inspiring, and beautifully edited, above
Do we need to support someone who does not in reality support us? Sorry, but Ms. Nomani does not show herself through her work as a sincere Muslim activist… Where was she before the world even thought about Muslims? I don’t recall her out to reform anything until after 9/11 and it became haute couture to stand alone against the Muslims.
Give me a break.
Read the essays by true Muslim feminists like Hadia Mubarak on the documentary’s website.
salams to all
Aminah, I’m sorry but could you please explain how you equate the insulting of some of the most revered figures of Islam as “positive change”?
Could you please explain what Asra’s real value proposition is? What value does she bring to the local and global Muslim community? Islam’s objective is to bring humanity closer to their Creator. How exactly does it bring men and women closer to God if they’re praying alongside each other?
How does it bring men and women closer to God, if young women are told that they should be going directly against the Prophet’s words and marrying whomever they please without the input of their fathers or guardians?
Asra Nomani tries to disingeniously frame such disruptive and poisonous suggestions as being “battles which must be fought” [see her performance at the Doha Debates] – and yet she cannot even articulate a clear, coherent, and compelling value proposition.
What is she bringing to our table? What credentials does she have in these initiatives she pursues, and campaigns she has undertaken? What currency does she have, to use with the Muslim community?
She isn’t talking about anything new. She isn’t the first one to come up with these ideas. The reason why both muslim girls AND guys pass her off as a publicity-hungry opportunist is because she’s repeating the same old tired and hollow cries that we’ve heard from her rpedecessors.
Great review, Fatemeh. I haven’t watched the film yet, but I also have mixed feelings about Nomani, and can totally identify with your wanting to like her and her work, and yet still feeling resistant towards it.
@ Aminah: I respect that you have different opinions about the film than Fatemeh, but I find your suggestion that she has just “readily” thrown away the value Nomani’s work pretty demeaning. Fatemeh was clear in her post that she put a lot of time and thought into her reflections on this film, and her criticism of it should be understood in that context, rather than as some kind of flippant rejection from the supposedly ungrateful younger generation.
I’ll let someone else respond with regards to the film itself, but just wanted to say that the fact, in and of itself, that Nomani has struggled and made sacrifices does not necessarily mean that her tactics are inherently good or helpful.
Moreover, lines like the one quoted about “militant Muslims who prayed five times a day,” which suggest linkages between praying 5 times daily and committing violence in the name of religion, make it hard for a lot of practising Muslims to feel really comfortable with Nomani’s position. Anyone who knows me has heard me rant about my own experiences in mosques, and there is much about Nomani’s cause that I fully support; however, it is possible to criticise sexism within a community without portraying that community as a whole as violent or fanatical.
Beautifully said Aminah Yaquin Carroll!
As for Asra Nomani, I am grateful for her brave struggle. Women in masjids receive far more respect now and we owe it, in part, to Ms. Nomani for bringing the unfair treatment of women to light.
She tells the truth about the jihadism and anti-everybody tone to all to many khutbahs. Islam is better than that. We should teach about the peace and pluralism within Islam not to the outsiders but to ourselves. We need to learn to be more compassionate with people of all faith.
Great article, said what I was thinking very articulately. I chanced on the doc while channel-surfing and thought it was about intra-mosque politics so I settled down to learn something (since I am a non-muslim). Obviously I soon realized that it was a social change story except….
What does one-person civil disobedience accomplish? CD has been used to (try to) throw off oppressive forces (Gandhi, MLK, South Africa, United Farmworkers w/ Cesar Chavez) but it requires a movement behind it. I wish the documentary had been about Edina Lekovic, who’s one-sentence criticism sums up my opinion of Asra’s approach. I doubt she’s just cynically trying to sell her book, but unlike Gandhi who spent years in the fields convincing people to agree with him and join a movement, she’s going straight to the celebrity approach.
I thought her comparisons of conservative Muslims to murderer/terrorists as well as her statement, when she failed to convince the council, that she didn’t want to be a part of “this ridiculous community” was telling. Seems that unlike other activists (i.e. lekovic) she is aligned with islamophobic western liberals more than Muslim reformers.
Asra has been through some bad stuff, and is courageous…but she’s also condescending and, as you can tell at the end of the documentary, mostly succeeded in alienating herself from her community rather than changing it. And were the other women even bothered by men and women being separated while the imam is with the men? Unlike say, domestic abuse, separation isn’t inherently oppressive; it’s only a problem if the women hate it but can’t change it.
IMHO, misogyny does need to be fought with solidarity, support and understanding…but those things have to extend to the great mass of women directly affected rather than Asra, who as far as I can tell has been punished only by people not liking her.
“Nomani’s shenanigans detracted away from what was really important: women gaining full and equal access to the mosque and positions of power therein.” word.
@ Ryan: “Asra has been through some bad stuff, and is courageous…but she’s also condescending and, as you can tell at the end of the documentary, mostly succeeded in alienating herself from her community rather than changing it.” Now it’s you who’s articulating what I’m thinking.
The problem with the film in regard to the non-Muslim viewing is that while the film maker did her best to show the true nature of the folks under Nomani’s crusade; it isn’t enough. If I watch this film through the eyes of my non-Muslim neighbors, it appears that Nomani is just your average American, fighting the good fight against the “extremists” -translate into (Uninformed-American to mean “Terrorists”), and uninformed Americans are her best audience. If one understands the Muslim community as it is, a hugely diverse, and new faith group to this country, her campaign to reform her community is seen as completely disingenuous.
There are real people, fighting for gender equity in mosques all around the country. Some mosques have separate entrances for genders and others do not. Some mosques are small and cling to the dominate ethnicity of its members while other are vibrant, active and growing and changing as their members grow and change. This film gives a distorted view of America’s Muslim community.
Some of these comments are interesting, and quite distressing. Funny, although this is ostensibly about gender and equal access, the comments here read in many ways like mini commentary on other problems — problems that are just as serious, if not far worse — that are plaguing the American Muslim community: racism, convertitis, distrust of converts, blind following of whateverism.
I would like to point out from the start, that as far as “gender reform in the mosque”, I was the first person in North America to publish anything on this matter (that we know of), an article that has since been republished in both popular books and academic works — at least three or four years before Asra Nomani wandered on to the scene. I will also say that anyone who was remotely familiar with me in my past life as a blogger knows how annoying I find Nomani (man, I couldn’t even watch this whole doco…). NONETHELESS….
//Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with the separation of men and women at the mosque, as long as there isn’t suppression of women’s access or rights at the mosque or in the community.//
Well, Suleiman, take a reality check from me, there almost always is suppression of our access and rights to the masjid and to the community. That is the end result of segregation. It starts with “separate rooms” and it ends with “but it’s VOLUNTARY for you to come, so why not just stay home?” Not in every masjid, no, but in every masjid I personally have been to (the ones where my lack of a penis did not get me kicked out), the reality is that women are restricted in their voice, activities, rights, and access. This is one of the many reasons I “voluntarily” stopped going to the masjid years and years ago. I frankly was and am tired of being treated like a creature who has no right to dignity, no right to a clean space, an air conditioned or heated space, a space that doesn’t reek of garbage or urine or what have you. Tired of the idea that a mere glance at me will cause a man to make a mess in his pants, when these same men deal with women every day at work and in life. What’s even better are otherwise “good intentioned” men who claim that they have no ability (read: no interest) in changing these things, and who are content to sit in their lovely carpeted area (possibly with a chandelier overhead) where they can hear and see the khutbah and prayer while their wife huddles in a cold, crowded damp basement.
For my part, the Nomani story, and the subsequent lame attempt by CAIR and ISNA to play catch up in this issue have been a big, fat FAILURE. I know that if I get in my car and drive down to my local masajid today, I will still be asked to enter through another door, sit in substandard rooms, which are usually very small and crowded. The masajid where we get anything approaching clean, equal space (even with barriers or separate rooms) are few and far between. And even then, let us admit it, some of us will still be treated differently because of our color, ethnicity, sect, or what “religion” we had at birth. It doesn’t mean much to me, the one or two masjids I’ve been to where there is adequate room for women, when I see Black women spoken about in Arabic like they are garbage, or converts gossiped about in Urdu like they are garbage, or the woman who doesn’t wear hijab outside the masjid ignored (unless, of course, she’s part of the ethnic inner circle).
Why does Nomani get so much attention? Well we can always resort to the black helicopter-ish “because she gives them what they want” (which is possibly true to some degree) and ignore the fact that as a respected reporter from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, Nomani had long established contacts in the media and publishing worlds. It’s a lot easier to get *anything* done when you’ve shown that you’re a hard working writer. (And for all her antics, Nomani is a good writer). As for why the doco is out now, I would presume that has a whole lot to do with the ability of an independent filmmaker (Brittany Huckabee) to get the funding for editing and printing, and then secure distribution, and less to do with Asra’s antics.
Her comments about extremism? Didn’t her calling attention to the content of some khutbahs in Morgantown result in the firing or shunning of an Egyptian khatib who *was* making extremist statements that embarrassed the community when the nation heard them? (It’s reference on her website under writings, but I can’t find a way to directly link to the individual articles, but it is called “Pulpit Bullies”: http://www.asranomani.com/Writings.aspx). I give her props for being one of the only Muslims willing to speak publicly – and yes, in the mainstream media – about Salafis, Wahabis, Tablighis, and whoever else who stand up on that minbar and have preached violence, hatred, misogyny, hatred for Jews, and everything else while we sat there, silently hating it — but doing nothing about it. Hey, if it took embarrassing the community in front of the nation to get rid of a hate monger (and I have to continually wonder why Muslims who preach hatred against the American system COME here for work and education), then so be it.
Her reference to five daily prayers and the killers of Pearl? Obvious. It’s not conflating praying five times a day with being a terrorist. What she is saying is that despite the fact that these guys performed this most fundamental Islamic duty on time, five times a day, they still ended up being killers. And yet, a lot of Muslims – let’s be honest and put her continuous volunteering of this aside – will view Nomani as just as bad, if not worse, as a Muslim. Just like El Farouk Khaki or other gay Muslims would be, and we all know this is true. We place a lot of emphasis on outward appearances and the appearances of actions, and not a lot on other stuff, so much that we actually mock people who are generous, kindhearted, etc. but do drink or have boyfriends/girlfriends, are gay, don’t wear hijab, etc. We say they don’t take their Islam seriously while we sit by and gossip, engage in riba, selling alcohol and porn to inner city Blacks, etc but by golly, we’ve got hijabs and we send our kids to Islamic school. Even here, Hadia Mubarak is the “true Muslim feminist”, which means that Nomani is neither a true feminist or a true Muslim. Where was she before 9/11? Where a LOT of people were – living their lives and either not knowing or not understanding how virulent some Muslims have gotten. I don’t blame her at all for that. It’s hypocritical to, anyway. I think what she meant is how can praying five times a day save you when you are so rotten, so evil in some other part of your life? Rather than leap up and down howling in protest, maybe we want to think about that.
As for the comments about Christine Arja made by someone calling herself “Muslim Girl”, I find them appalling and 100% symptomatic of the reason that Islam is hemorrhaging converts while claiming that it is the fastest growing religion in the world / North America / Europe / take your pick. I can’t even comment on the mentality more than this without writing a whole ‘nother blog post on top of Fatemah’s – and I quit blogging – but suffice to say that if converts are leaving – and they are, up to 75% of them in the US according to some estimates – the problem probably lies largely within the way converts, especially women and esp. white ones, are treated by the Muslim community. She’s not sincere, she divorced her husband, she played with her Muslim identity wearing hijab one day and something else the next (because of course, no Arab or Desi girls do this, eh), she divorced her husband, THEREFORE, we should discount every thing she says and does in this film, even though in some ways, she is representative of the experience of women who came to Islam either thru marriage or through those nifty pamphlet’s ya’ll handed out about “sheltering peace”… I would think Muslims would be desperate to hear from the Christine Arjas of the world, the Sameer Parkers of the world, to find out what, if anything, they can do to stanch the flow of so many converts out of this diyn, but my experiences in trying to bring this issue up in the past has shown me that no… not really. Window dressing from time to time, but nothing beyond that.
Whew. OK I’m done squatting on ur blog.
Oy gevalt. I wish you had one of those nifty “you have five minutes to edit this” buttons…
Salaams as well…Maverick you addressed me directly and i hope my response is of interest to you. First, it seems to me that the primary goal of Islam, or Jihad in the best possible sense of the word, is to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth…ie, to make ourselves the best we can be, and to make our communities reflective of that beauty and moderation of all the extreme paths in life which lead to unhappiness and harm.
ie., we each do our best according to the way we are called to understand and support one another.
So for example, when Ara has lost a best firend (and she was able to be that a friend , because she had already transcended the foolish hypersexualized approach to Islam that separates men from women and in so doing asctually mimics the Catholic religious orthodoxy that our religion sprung up in many ways to counter,and she was truly friends with daniel pearl.
oh let’s see are we going to be religious bigots about that firendship and disrespect it ebcasue he was a Jew? and yet, the people of the book and the book itself is an evolutionary revelation that was revealed to the jews and christians as well, …according to our teachings, and they are closest to us among the other faiths…so if we live up to what is highest in our book it is to engage in what the jews call tikkun or repairing and healing and restoring the world to rerflect the mercy and justice and love of God for us , among us.
so that is why the Qur’an says that we are to clothe ourselves in the garment of RIGHTEOUSNESS.
now no one of us is eprfect, and we seek to remove the stumbling stones from the apth of others, not to attack. but if we see our faith path adherents claiming to be rieligious and engaging in murder, torture and barbism, then we have a shock that is palbable and changes us. after daniel’s death Asra began her work to restore social justice, equality of men and women (rather than subjegation of women and girls) to our precious Islam. what she sees and does she is accountable to Allah for, and to no one else. her love for her faith is unquestionable, you must love to care so deeply to give and risk so much.
it is also the case that Asra is not a prophet or close to eprfectionand this film shows her flaws and strengths.
instead of judging, shall we not look at what we can learn?
i think that to confuse the cultural with the religious is very easy; it is also far too common in every religion in history to make laws from what is revealed GUIDANCE. legalism is a hard cold substitute that squelches the life out of the faith path more often than not.
that is why we have this whole religious class of experts, professional clergy and a clergy class that is not supposed to even exist in our faith path. in fact one of the greatest of miracles in Islam is the duty of every muslim to teach what they know, even if only a surah, and to pray in the mosque and to form a community of believers that does not speak ill of each other, but rather discusses and enjoins virtue and explores our traditions and our ijtihad.
surely one of the greatest virtues is to explore how we came to have so many terrorists in our midst.and to eradicate the faulty ways which lead to such evil that is contraonidicated in every way in our religion.we are not even to hurt a tree. we are to leave a country where we are oppressed and find another one where we are not…we are NEVER to kill innocents and blow up homes and gatehring palces where there are children and elderly etc etc.
however, MODESTY and consideration of the soul of the individual rather than hypersexual consideration and separation of the men and women based upon sexualizing rather than respecting brothers and sisters sufficently to worship in the mosque as SISTERS and BRIOTHERS to me that is very important.
if all are observing modesty and respect and restraint then we meet safely in the mosque of all holy places and pray there just as if we were in Mecca.
sometimes far too much is placed on external and dutiful ritual observances rather than the internal and intrinsic values that shape a life an make it a holy one, in Islam. for all her frailties on display as well as her considerable strengths, i love and value my sister Asra, and celebrate the verite of this film.
to me she sees that it is the major stumbling blocks to which we are often blind, and the small ones that we set up as virtues when they are in fact errors.
anyway i apologise for digressing but perhaps you can see where i am going with this. i do not expect agreement but hope for reflection on my views, and i am gratefulfor this opportunity to consider yours.
@Maverick: “How exactly does it bring men and women closer to God if they’re praying alongside each other?”
The prophet encouraged people to pray with one another. According to him, men and women were brought closer to God if they prayed with members of their community instead of by themselves. So the real question is: why are community and social relationships important?
If you believe that knowing other human beings brings personal insight as well as spiritual growth, then why enforce gender separatism? As a woman, I feel I can grow personally and spiritually by knowing other people, talking with them, gaining their insights into the world and being exposed to a diversity of personalities. So by blocking 50 percent of the community from me, and by enlisting gender segregation, I no longer have as many opportunities for wisdom and growth. I only know 50 percent of my community.
Same for praying. A social as well as spiritual bond is created by praying together. And by curtaining off the sexes, I am no longer able to build those bonds with my brother, my father, my son, my friends, my colleagues, and my neighbors.
and umm zaid–perhaps we were writing at the same time as i did not see your post until now.and what you see and say really resonated for me, and i love the way you say it with such deep insight and candor WOW! chokran
As “MuslimGirl” I’ll state that I am one of the white converts referred to in previous posts. My statements about Christine Arja had to do with the fact she ditched Islam after going the gamut from being on the mosque board to “exploring” her form of dress to deciding to be a Muslim feminista. In regard to the Ummah hemorrhaging converts, one has to also consider that for some, Islam is a thing that is tried on for size and for others it’s a belief that they take into their hearts regardless of the culture surrounding them.
I’m sorry Um Zaid no longer visits a mosque. That’s horribly sad. How will circumstances that sound so awful in her community improve if she stays home and withholds her participation? Complaining is only good if you are willing to do something about the complaint, otherwise, isn’t it just whining?
@ Aminah: I don’t think anyone has a problem with Asra being friends with Daniel Pearl, for whatever reason. That’s a nonissue here, just like his religion. In the film, his death was seen as one of the premises for her mosque campaign, which didn’t seem like it connected.
@ UmmZaid: I appreciated your commentary very much, and think you raised some wonderful points, especially about Christine Arja. I didn’t want my review to question of Asra’s faith or feminism, and I think your bringing up the fact that some of her work actually did positively benefit the community (i.e., getting a racist imam thrown out) is helpful. While I hated this movie and the way Asra handled the gender issue in the mosque, it isn’t fair or acceptable to personally attack her or Christine.
“Complaining is only good if you are willing to do something about the complaint, otherwise, isn’t it just whining?”
Wow. So if women try to do something (Nomani) they’re demonized. They don’t do something and they’re whiners. To be honest I’m a little surprised at the discussion here. How does this kind of conversation so quickly turn into “let’s bash Muslim women” so quickly?
It’s one thing to critique Nomani’s approach, but some of the discussion here is getting quite judgmental about women in general.
@ Muslimgirl:
“…but I don’t know too many Muslim women who think a short skirt is appropriate.” Well, now there’s two of us in this entire world – me and Queen Rania – maybe her and I should start a Facebook group.
@ zahra:
“Can’t blame her, she is a single parent you know!” What is this supposed to mean? Although I would like to think it was a sincere comment, I’m a little perplexed as to why it came up. What does her single motherhood have to do with her making money by “selling out”?
@ Maverick:
“What is she bringing to our table? What credentials does she have in these initiatives she pursues, and campaigns she has undertaken? What currency does she have, to use with the Muslim community?”
What credentials does she need? Why does she need credentials to bring about change?
If we want to critique her approach, which is valid, let’s stick with her techniques. I’m a little tired of women being silenced because we’re not scholars or don’t have the “knowledge” that men supposedly have. I’m also tired of being told that if I don’t have Islamic knowledge then I should just shut up and not critique anything in the Muslim community.
If we want to critique Nomani’s approach then let’s do it from a conflict resolution or community dynamics one.
Asra Nomani was in one of the Doha debates recently, is worth checking out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9CHEhZL0OA
@ MuslimGirl,
Asaalamualaikum,
I read your comment about christine arjah, and I just want to express that i saw her as someone who seemed genuinely caught on two sides of a divisive issue. not as someone who ” after going the gamut from being on the mosque board to “exploring” her form of dress to deciding to be a Muslim feminista” then “ditched Islam”.
If it’s indeed true that she divorced her husband and left islam, then *that* is very sad.
@ UmmZaid, the real one,
thank you for the in-your-face reality check. I really loved reading your comment and appreaciate it.
I think it is easy for us to forget that Asra is human and is doing her best at what she sees as striving for social justice. Of course we are free to be critical of her methods and arguments, but your comment reminded me of the hadith of the Prophet (may Allah be well pleased with him) that says: ‘Allah won’t change the condition of a people unless they change themselves’.
excuse my spelling/grammar. it sucks.
i just want to add that ultimately, i think this documentary is an example of the fact that whenever people turn outward before they turn inward there will always be a lack of balance and sobriety in the way they tackle religious misinterpretation. faith is as much esoteric as it is exoteric; why spend so much time picking at the shell of a thing when the whole is empty? muslims, christians, jews, and all believers have lost the peace in their hearts; of course the places of external worship will be in disarray when the place of internal worship (the heart, Qalb) is consistently ignored by self appointed proponents of any fundementaly esoteric doctrine.
what’s the point of going to the mosque of worrying of who is and is not allowed in the mosques when we have allowed anger, something the Prophet himself called disbelief, to dwell in our hearts?
EDIT: what’s the point of going to the mosque AND worrying about who is and is not allowed in when we have allowed anger, something the Prophet himself called disbelief, to dwell in our hearts?
touche @ Umm Zayd and @Fatemeh..
I enjoyed reading this post.. I was wondering if anyone has watched \”me and the mosque\” by Zarqa Nawaz and what your thoughts on this are, in comparison to this – the topic is exactly the same..I rather enjoyed Zarqa\’s documentary, but hated this one..
I firmly believe that change can only come from within, by airing a docu like this, which the whole world gets to see, we give up the right to solve our own problems…
Women and the masjid has been a huge problem in South Africa as well, and if you read my article on Shamima Sheikh, we see that she aproached it very tactfully, she was in constant dialogue with the Imams and scholars, and she never alienated herself, when she was denied access, she simply moved on, and with the backing of like minded individuals, set up their own masjid, which balanced gender eqaulity, modesty and segregation quite well.
I have no problem with praying separately from men in the same mosque, i rather like it, i enhances the sisterhood, and also gives us a bit of privacy…having lived in the arab world, am quite pleased with the situation there, for example in the springs masjid in Dubai, the women have the entire upstairs section, with a tv which broadcasts the prayer/khutbah etc… also in turkey and Jerusalem, i experienced that there is no womens section, the main prayer hall simply accommodates men in front and women at the back, this was wonderful…
this doc did nothing to further the cause of equal access for women to masaajid, but has only put us back a few steps. @ Sobia – i LOVE tariq ramadans approach to it as well… besides loving him anyways for his work, Allah yubarikhu fihi :)
salams to all:
@ Aminah: … I repeat my question to you again: What kind of “positive change” can any individual [Nomani or otherwise] hope to bring about when he or she starts off on the wrong foot by insulting and speaking disrespectfully about a Prophet of God and his family? I presume, in good faith, that Nomani wants the Muslim community to hear her, and give her concerns appropriate consideration. But when she doesn’t know how to command attention and respect from the community, she shouldn’t start whining about how she gets none.
And with all due repsect, your post did not answer my question. I really don’t care if she was friends with Daniel Pearl. I have nothing against that, but at the same time it doesn’t help answer my question, NOR does it help her argument – Danny’s killers were not part of the North American muslim society. If Nomani wants to criticize backwards attitudes and the ultraconservative attitudes of some overseas societies, great! All the power to her. But then what is she doing here in North America? And if she wants to address challenges within the North American muslim community, then why is she talking about a crime committed by Muslims so many thousands of miles away?
@ Rochelle: If you are advocating that men and women should pray alongside each other, then please clearly state so. Nothing you stated in your reply provided any support from Islam for such a position. The Prophet clearly had men pray together, and women pray together, albeit in the same mosque and in the same room. I absolutely agree that women should be able to see and hear the khateeb and other speakers, and ideally be in the same hall as the men. But the place for women is behind the men, and not alongside. There is nothing discriminatory or insulting about such an arrangement. Many of the masaajid here in the Toronto area have such a setup, and it works just fine for everybody.
Men and women praying alongside each other does not help to bring them closer to God. Had that been the case, the Prophet would have allowed such a practice.
Let us maintain some intellectual integrity here, instead of paraphrasing the Prophet’s words to support positions that he himself never did.
@ Sobia: I apologize if the reason for asking about her credentials wasn’t clear enough. When you go to a doctor, you listen to him / her because you understand the doctor has the theoretical knowledge from an accredited institution of higher education, that he or she is licensed by the authorities to practice medicine, and that he or she has X years of experience in treating illnesses and disease. You don’t just go to some random kid or a poor man on the street and expect them to authoritatively diagnose and treat your illness.
When you’re in school, you’d rather listen to the professor teach about XYZ subject as opposed to the janitor, because of credentials. When people listen to Jamie Dimon or Warren Buffet, its because of their credentials and experience.
This is all standard operating procedure. Its human behavior to inquire as to the experience and level of knowledge of any person speaking on any of a wide range of issues, some which may be critical like security or government, and other issues which may be of great interest to the community such as what Nomani is campaigning about.
Even in the Qur’an, we were told “fas2al ahlu-dhikr in kuntum la ta3lamoun” – “ask the people of knowledge if you yourself do not know”.
But … Asra Nomani? Can anyone point to any solid credentials or hers that are relevant to what she’s campaigning about? Does she have substantial traction and exposure with / to the North American Muslim community? Or even the European, Arab, Asian or African Muslim communities? Does she have leadership experience, either in those georgraphical areas or even in the actual issues she’s cheerleading for?
She was arguing against Dr. Thuraya at the Doha Debates, for example. Regardless of who’s side you take, you have to admit that Dr. Thuraya knows earth-and-sky more about educational development and associated psychology than Asra Nomani does.
Or when she kept defelecting Yasir Qadhi’s comments by saying “well that’s your interpretation” – again regardless who’s side you take, you cannot, with a straight face, say that Asra Nomani knows more about Islam or Muslim women’s rights than Yasir Qadhi does.
Emotional appeals about gender equality in the mosque [a.k.a men and women praying side by side] and freedom to marry may work well with younger women. But the lack of credentials means Asra Nomani will get no traction with the current generation, as well as the next generation of North American muslim leaders.
She’s just spinning her wheels and making a bit of noise. That’s all.
However, her lack of credentials would be excused immediately if she presented a clear and compelling proposal detailing the challenges as she sees them, the action she recommends taking, and the value she believes it will bring to Muslims and our relationship with our Creator.
She hasn’t done that yet either.
@Sobia,
My comment was purely based on the fact Asra always makes a point of highlighting she is a single parent with a child out of wedlock and the curse that comes with it. I suppose it came off snarky and I apologize. I am certainly not knocking the single muslim mommies out there, for there are many through no fault of their own. I just become frustrated when those of us on the ground are fighting the fight (without the media attention) and are often stymied by being labeled “a radical feminist like so and so” and her advocacy tends to parallel book tours, which in turn improve her sales. She isn’t praying at Mosques now, and it doesn’t seem like she made any consistent practice of it when no one was watching. Perhaps I am wrong.
My apologies for typos. My computer is ill behaved today
@Umm Zaid – the reminder of white converts bailing in greater porportion to joining was appreciated. It is always blamed on their lack of iman and while who knows Christine’s motivation (I honestly found it stretched like I tend to percieve Asra’s sincerity) but converts do get burned out for so many reasons.
@whoever – concerning not attending Mosques for ladies who get burned out, I am there myself. I used to be a fighter, for all the women who felt the same way but wouldn’t stand up because they wanted to protect their family/personal image. At some point, you just give up. It is sad and I know we should all keep trying and trying but it really sucks when you are essentially alone. It is another frustration I have with Asra’s sporadic showing up and praying wherever but seemingly not continuing to do so for any length of time- when us nobodies do it day and and day out for months and years – well it bugs me.
WOW! we don’t need any credentials to be muslim teachers and guides and have a voice in Islam. Here is a quote from the Prophet BTW in regards to dressing: “Eat what you want and dress up as you desire, as long as extravagance and pride do not mislead you.”Abd’ Allah ibn Abbas al-Hadis 1:645
Yes, I can say and with a oure heart and blessed mind that Allah gave me that Asra knows more about women’s rights in islam than many so-called scholars for any number of reasons, among them that our scholars have been doing the equivilent of mental masturbation rather than study for so many years that too many ahve felt they ahve a right to destory what doesn’t agree with their most reactionary interpretations of Islam. An all male, sepratist club of scholars who all agree to be orthodox teach from within a vacuum. So many are on record IN THIS CENTURY and rthe last as well, destroying precioous ancient texts, especially from the Sufi and other mystics in Africa, but very moderate Sunni and S’hia works as well….becasue they disagreed with them.What kind of scholarship is that?
Even going back to Bakari,here’s a man who is revered and rightly in some ways, but he was personally determining the vaklue fo hadith by interviewing people and and collecting hadith and deciding upon what was authentic, when he had so little understanding of the world and human nature that he allowed himself to be bushwhacked in a boat by thieves…yet his collections have been cited as religious apologia for devaluing many haditha which was progressive. One that copems to mind is the prophet’s saying “Seek knowledge in all things and places even if you must visit China”
anyway, sisters. i do not disrespect the scholars’ sincerity and love for islam, but many problems in our faith are often caused by the “experts” who are, as a priestly class, predominantly single gendered and rigidly legalistic.lAnd what about the whole invention of sharia, which makes law instead iof guidance, perhaps not even supposed to exist. the Qur’an is not a legal code.It is an inspiored, divinely revealed guidnace, and the Prophet (SAWS) to my knolegde never said it was perfect, but rather he warned that anyone who altered it (meaning it was possible to do so) would be facing repercussions on Judgment Day.
anyway, it saddens me that we feel we must attack our sisters personally..she has spoken from her analysis of what is often skimmed over in islam…certainly if you read the story of Hagar and Abraham you can see how not even patriarchs or male prophets are perfect.
i don’t think that Allah is judging us on whther we speak respectfully when we are angry. i think Allah as did Muhammad (SAWS) know how very hard is the jihad to control on’e own anger. or frustration, or loss of hope with a process full of judegemental souls ll pointing the finger and patronizing a very intelligent, gifted and scholarly woman who has the guts to speak the truth to power.
To continue to disparage Asra’s sincerity, or to put her down because we disagree, or to question her motives so churlishly and i believe wrongheadedly, i think all that is not a very good demonstration of sisterhood.
and Muslim Girl, i think what you said about umm zaid not attending mosque any more is a very good pouint exxcept for the whining part,
somewher in the apst coule generations, we ahve raised a society of young women who believe that alpha girlsim is superior to the values of Louis may Alcott’s Little Women.I do not agree.
Maybe to castigate someone for being matginalized to the point they leave the mosque but still speak up as a whiner maybe very unfair, as well as unkind.
for what it’s worth, the high points of this duiscussion for me, were those where there is no personal axe to grind.
Many of the Jewsish converts like the founder of Wahabism have longed for such a law code comfort and concieved of a talmudic type of scholarly council and legacy…though when the different schools flourished, they fought often but also came up with wonderful thought discussions and a myriad of traditions all offering eclectic insights and the kind of rich heritage that our last 100 years of scholars have too often strangled.
sorry for the terrible proofing, i have some health challenges that make it hard for me to catch all the typos. AS rabia suggested, an half hour edit function would be so very helpful. smile
peace and blessings to you all
I’m sorry if I may have hurt anyone’s feelings here, however these faceless forums sort of beg cattiness. But I apologize.
With that said, I stand by my stance on boycotting the mosque and or community. I am actually far past being a girl (stupid pen name!), and for years have run into so many bitter Muslim women, mostly converts like myself, who really dislike Muslims and are so angry that they shun most all people in the community. Instead of working from within where there are problems they either go “Asra Nomani” and publicly label people extremists or wahabis or what have you, or they bitterly stay at home, criticizing everyone and doing nothing to help make inroads for the generations to come.
Really, if we want our daughters to walk in the front door of the masajid as she takes her place on the board of directors, or as the president, we have to do the work for them now. That means working with the chauvinistic uncles who think they own the masjid, it means a lot of patience, persistence with politeness AND of course, support from the men in the community.
I don’t think we have to support anyone simply because they are Muslim…that attitude will get you in trouble. I think we all know a few Muslims who certainly don’t deserve our support.
I don’t support Asra Nomani, I do not respect her attitude toward our American Muslim community. I do respect her tactics for selling books.
Please read carefully through the comments and essays on the documentary’s website. There are some really good points and from people who live there and have known here for a long time.
Asalamu Walaikum Aminah,
If you have word, you can always type your comment there spell check it and then cut & paste.
Since I have heard The China Hadith twice this week in online commenatry, after thinking most folks with internet access would know by now that this is not an authentic hadith, I took the time to find for you (and anyone else who isn’t on it yet) an article about its inauthenticy. Interesting the article also points to something else I was thinking: you’ll bash Bukhari, but quote a fake hadith–and while arguing about credentials?
“If there is one so-claimed hadith (Prophetic saying) that has gotten extensive coinage, I have to say it is this one [The China Hadith]. And though the message of seeking knowledge is consistent with the Prophetic teachings, unfortunately this hadith is likely not Prophetic. It is also somewhat amusing that some of the leading opponents of hadith still love to quote this one… I would call this an ironic form of poetic justice, because it really says a lot about how much these opponents actually know about the sciences of hadith.”
http://muslimmatters.org/2007/03/09/seek-knowledge-as-far-as-china-really/
Moderator’s Note: Okay, people. I have been incredibly swamped the last few days and haven’t been able to moderate as responsibly as I would have liked to. I’m glad to see the healthy and vibrant debate that’s gone on, and I accept responsibility for the fact that some of these comments blatantly violate our comment moderation policies. Effective immediately, I will be clamping down like I should have been earlier.
So remember: stick to the topic (i.e., the documentary), no personal attacks (on Asra or each other), and don’t get bogged down in religious/political/etc tangents.
Aminah, you’re losing me here.
1.) What does that paraphrased quote about eating and dressing have anything to do with my questions and concerns?
4.) You said Asra Nomani knows more about womens’ rights in Islam than many other scholars. That’s absolutely fantastic! But could you PLEASE point out where she learned a nuanced understanding of Muslim womens’ rights? Did she go to a particular University? Did she study certain books, by certain writers or scholars? Did you do a quick comparison between her understanding of these womens’ rights and those of established Muslim scholars?
5.) You’ve taken complaint with “male” scholars and their view of Islamic laws and guidance. But over the centuries, there have been dozens of female scholars of Islam. Many of their works are still used today. Does Asra Nomani’s views coincide with any of these female scholars, as far as you are aware?
6.) What exactly is your yardstick when evaluating Asra Nomani’s statements and actions? Are you going by just what “feels good” or are you going by known and established evidence? How can you assure me that you’re remaining impartial during such an evaluation?
If you cannot answer my concerns in a coherent and relevant manner, then feel free to have someone else answer my concerns – since they were not directed at you exclusively.
[This comment has been edited to fit within moderation guidelines.]
Moderator, I’m replying to a statement by Aminah. If you’re going to selectively delete portions of my reply, then please delete the appropriate sections of her reply, thanks.
Aminah:
The point about credentials when is that if you claim to be giving an Islamically-endorsed opinion, then knowledge is a prerequisite. If on the other hand you’re giving an opinion based on your own thoughts, desires, and your nafs then that’s fine – as long as you do not conflate it with, or try to pass it off as, Islamically-endorsed thought. If Asra Nomani were to come and say “this is what I personally believe is a better way” then most of us would have no issue with it – its her opinion and I believe in her right to express her ideas as she wishes. But if she fails to make that distinction, or if she even implicitly or explicitly says that her opinions are within the spectrum of Islamic thought, then yes I can ask for substantiation.
[This comment has been moderated to fit within moderation guidelines.]
Umm Zaid,
Where in Allah’s name have you been?! Please get back to me.
bigcurls@gmail.com
You’re missed chica! Got lots of news to share:-)