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Friday, Jul 23, 2004

By TAREK FATAH
Globe and Mail Update


The recent federal
elections will be
remembered for a number
of seminal events: the first
husband and wife team in
the Commons, the first
quadriplegic MP, the first
Sikh woman member of
Parliament, and of course
the first African-immigrant
MP from Quebec.

The national media
covered these
developments in detail, and
today Mr. and Mrs. Grewal
from B.C., Dr. Ruby Dhalla
from Ontario, Steven
Fletcher from Manitoba,
and Maka Kotto from
Quebec are household
names.

Lost in these accomplishments was another first for Canada. It was the
election of Canada's first Muslim woman member of Parliament -
Yasmin Ratansi from the Toronto riding of Don Valley East. Her
achievement went completely unnoticed.

The question is this: How could the national media miss such a historic
milestone for Canada's 600,000-strong Muslim community?

After all, Ms. Ratansi was not a new kid on the block. She first
contested a federal election in 1988, losing narrowly to Alan Redway.
Describing herself as "a business person with a strong social
conscience," Ms. Ratansi persevered for more than 15 years to
accomplish her dream of entering Canada's House of Commons.

It was a tremendous accomplishment, especially considering that Ms.
Ratansi came to Canada from Tanzania as a young immigrant. She is
a role model not just for Muslims, but all immigrants who decide to
make this country our home.

One can perhaps understand the media not covering this development.
Maybe it was simply an innocent oversight. How do we explain the
reaction of traditional Muslim organizations that refused to
acknowledge Ms. Ratansi's accomplishment?

From the Canadian Islamic Congress to CAIR-Canada, from
MuslimVote.ca to Radio Islam, there was not a word, either prior to, or
after June 29, about the campaign of Ms. Ratansi.

I believe that both the media and the traditional Muslim organizations
are guilty of seeing Canada's Muslim community through the prism of
social conservatism.

The search for the authentic Muslim has forced reporters and editors to
look for women in head covers and men in beards. When a Muslim
does not fit that stereotype, he or she is simply discarded as not a
genuine Muslim.

Traditional Muslim organizations are particularly guilty of creating and
sustaining this stereotype. Just because Ms. Ratansi does not cover
her head, she did not fit their criteria for a good Muslim woman, and
was therefore not on their list of Muslim candidates.

However, the story does not end here. There is a strong sectarian
streak in how these traditional Muslim organizations determine who
qualifies to be a Muslim and who does not.

In the weeks leading up to the election, many Muslim organizations
published a list of Muslim candidates running for Parliament.
Conspicuous by their absence on these lists were the names of Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi and sitting Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer. They were
ignored because they belong to the Ismaili sect of Islam and thus are
not considered worthy of the label Muslim.

The divisive and sectarian attitude of the traditional Muslim leadership
is not just devoted to picking and choosing who they consider good
Muslims or bad Muslims. They have now turned their attention to
Muslim culture and customs and are judging good Muslim culture and
bad Muslim culture with the media in tow.

Next month, a group of conservative Muslims has organized what they
call a MuslimFest, ostensibly to celebrate Muslim art, music and
painting. However, the organizers have barred all female performers
and rejected the use of the sitar and guitar. They have also forbidden
any paintings depicting the human face.

Organizers of the MuslimFest claim that all festivity at this event will be
Sharia-compliant. Imagine a Muslim Festival where a Muslim icon like
Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan would be barred from
performing; where Om Kolthoum would not be allowed to sing and
where Mughal miniatures would be considered satanic.

Sad, but this is what will happen. Canada's news media is complicit in
covering the most conservative Muslims in Canada. Unintentionally,
perhaps, they have neglected the vast, silent majority of Muslims who
do not wear beards, do not cover their heads and who do not follow the
direction of imams and self-styled leaders in determining their politics.

In their search for genuine Muslims who carried credentials of
authenticity by the conservative leadership, the media overlooked Ms.
Ratansi, and failed to give her the credit she so rightly deserves as a
torchbearer for Muslims in Canada.

Tarek Fatah is host of the weekly Vision TV show The Muslim
Chronicle and a founding member of the Muslim Canadian
Congress.

It is shocking to know that 60,000 plus Ismailis in Canada are not recognised by 600,000 Muslims. That is almost 10% of the Muslims. I do not believe that it is only a matter of women not covering their heads or men having beards. Could it be that we are not behaving ourselves as we should and therefore not projecting an appropriate image? I think we should reflect upon this otherwise we risk being wiped out completely as a community.

Dear brother,<BR>How should we behave? Imprison women in our houses?&nbsp;Behead all those collaborating with Americans?&nbsp;Or maybe refuse our believe because Hazir Imam is not bearded?

I am not suggesting that we become fundamentalists nor do I believe that the majority of the Muslims in Canada want that. I am thinking about keeping our house in order. Are we ethical in our personal lives? Are we ethical in our institutional lives? Are we displaying unity? Do we hurt each other?

When our house is not in order, it sends negative vibrations across and is percieved by others. That is what causes loss of respect and recognition.

dosen't the Imam himself create enough positive vibrations?
I mean when he comes to Canada and is seen in daily papers
with Prime Ministers, and Governer Generals and making keynote
adresses dosen't the muslim community within Canada see this? Don't
they see the centres and instiutions the Imamat is creating. The great
number of prominent Ismailies who are amazing doctors, among the
world's richest, high management positions with top notch businesses,
members of parliament, numerous awards being presented to Ismailies
by head of states. I think the list goes on. Maybe we don't get enough
media attention because we have a living Imam.

The Imam is not respected in Canada because of the Canadian Ismailis, rather because of his work related to development in the Third World. Also, whatever positive vibrations that he sends are nullified by our bad behaviour.

In Islam success is not about what you achieve but how you achieve. The success factors that you have alluded to could send negative vibrations of greed, envy, vanity and lust for power. If knowledge is used exclusively as a trampoline for material success, it creates intellectual vanity and inbalance in life.

Bottom line - we have to keep our house in order within the parameters of our faith.

K you mentioned us being wiped out and I can tell you that wiping us out has been the goal of mainstream Muslims for centuries, Ismailies have been butchered by these "mainstream muslims" mercilessly in the past.
I give 2 hoots for them calling me Muslim or whatever.

We are working with them inspite of all these past traumas only because what we are going to face in the future is going to require that from us to survive.
This our Imam has explained and asked of us, so we do it.

But to become like them "No Way"

Pluralism indicates the merging of people who are different while maintaining their individual identities.

Lets just follow our leader on this one and leave the rest to his will.

Ya Aly Madat,

kmaherali,

what do u mean by our bad behaviour

do u mean the # of Ismailies who smoke

and drink? Who don't follow what the Imam

says? Or the people in ITREB and Council

who just want the power and honour to serve

the jamat? I feel the Imam gets recognition

he meets the dignitaries, Prime Ministers

etc etc... isn't that good enough?

I could be wrong

Mowla Aly Madat,

shamsu wrote:K you mentioned us being wiped out and I can tell you that wiping us out has been the goal of mainstream Muslims for centuries, Ismailies have been butchered by these "mainstream muslims" mercilessly in the past.
I give 2 hoots for them calling me Muslim or whatever.

We are working with them inspite of all these past traumas only because what we are going to face in the future is going to require that from us to survive.
This our Imam has explained and asked of us, so we do it.

But to become like them "No Way"

Pluralism indicates the merging of people who are different while maintaining their individual identities.

Lets just follow our leader on this one and leave the rest to his will.

As I mentioned earlier, I am not implying that we be like them. The essence of my argument is that we are not following the Imam and in this sense we could be weakened and hence the risk of being wiped out. The threat that I am alluding to is ourselves, there is nobody out there to attack us.

As we continue to buid strong institutions around the world, let us reflect upon the following Firman of MSMS.

In the past, during the reign of our ancestors in Egypt, there was an institution of higher learning called Darul Hikmat. Here people sought secular and religious education. But in the end, the followers lost courage and they abandoned their Imam. Because of this the institution did not survive. In the same way, if you do not show courage and determination then this will result in a great loss.

_thaillestlunatic_ wrote:Ya Aly Madat,

kmaherali,

what do u mean by our bad behaviour

do u mean the # of Ismailies who smoke

and drink? Who don't follow what the Imam

says? Or the people in ITREB and Council

who just want the power and honour to serve

the jamat? I feel the Imam gets recognition

he meets the dignitaries, Prime Ministers

etc etc... isn't that good enough?

I could be wrong

Mowla Aly Madat,

YAM thaillestlunatic ( I hate to call you this!)

I think you are getting the drift. What would you think of a community that is disobedient to it's leader? Mind you the focus of our attention is Canadian Ismaili Muslims and not the Imam.

well what about the muslims who do drink or smoke

they are showing disobideience to Allah

I don't think we do anything wrong neither does the Imamate

people will realize and recognize if they have iman

if Muslims misunderstand us then we will correct them

just because we have a living Imam dosen't mean

we are bad Muslims well atleast to the Muslims we are

we got to work with the other Muslims and articulate this

to them.

Smoking and drinking is just one aspect of our general behaviour which in my opinion is sending negative and repulsive vibrations. In my opinion, it has nothing to do with Imamat. Muslims around the world are increasingly recognising that Imamat is a legitimate interpretation of Islam.

If we are going to compare ourselves to the lowest common denominator, then what better are we than the others. What difference does Imamat make to our lives. Negative behaviours tend to buttress the suspicions others have about us. It is easier for them to accept us if we were good human beings than if we were rawdy thugs.

These are my views anyway.

well I think the whole Canadian jamat sends good vibrations
don't they. I mean there are the ones who don't go jamatkhana
who refuse to obey the Farmans, who smoke, drink but how
will other Muslims know this? They don't even have a clue
what Farman is. Neither do they know what we do in jamatkhana
Maybe the council or the leaders in public places send negative
vibrations like they did at U OF T, Queen's Park and Ottawa.

I am in no way implying that everyone in the Canadian Jamat is bad nor am I pointing fingers at anyone. All I am suggesting is that we re-evaluate and reflect about ourselves as a community. What deifines us what gives us our identity and what are our values.

YAM taill....

It is said that the love of Aly destroys all sins like fire destroys dry sticks.

For those who do not have that love of Aly, maybe they are collecting dry sticks and whenever it is that they are touched by the love of Aly the heat and light of that fire may be brighter that what most of us carry in our hearts.

In short do not even try to judge anyones thoughts, words or deeds.

You probably know of an alcoholic who went on to be given the Title of Pir by Imam SMS after his death. I am talking about Pir Sabzali.

So if you see some dude who is Ismaili and is passed out drunk try to think of Pir Sabzali and you will have no anger or hatred manifest in your heart.

Then you will not talk about him to others and you will save yourself from this trap of Karma.

Anyway sorry if this is off topic but I felt like posting it .

YAM

Shams

BUSH FUELS TERRORISM, NEW MUSLIM MP SAYS
POLITICS I YASMIN RATANSI ALSO HAS 'ZERO TOLERANCE' FOR AL-QAIDA

CanWest News Service

Saturday, October 23, 2004

By Norma Greenaway

OTTAWA -- The first Muslim woman elected to the House of Commons is
the product of a British finishing school for girls where she
says "the social graces were instilled in us." Three decades after
graduating, Yasmin Ratansi is a polite, refined woman who has relied
on that training to keep her anger in check when she bumps up
against suspicious U. S. border guards.

The new Liberal MP shows no such inclination, however, to bite her
tongue when speaking about the Bush administration's war to oust
Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq as part of the so-called war on
terror.

"There are no weapons of mass destruction," says Ratansi, struggling
to keep her visible anger under control.

"You (the U. S. administration) have bombed a city, Baghdad, that
used to be the centre of civilization in the Muslim world. And you
have bombed it in to smithereens.

"I mean give me a break. And you expect people to respect you. I
don't think so. You have destroyed the very lifestyle they have. You
have destroyed everything."

She also accuses the U. S. government of fuelling the anti-
Americanism that drives the terrorists.

"Who wrought this terrorism?" Ratansi asks during an interview on
Parliament Hill. "Where did they come from? They are the result of
the policies of the United States. They have been interfering in the
world."

Ratansi, elected in the Toronto riding of Don Valley East, says she
will not be silenced just because her remarks might be construed as
being anti-American by some. "I'm not afraid to speak out," she
says. "It's not anti-American."

She contends she would say the same thing about "any imperialistic
power that tries to influence another country and creates chaos in
that country."

Ratansi is a proud, observant Muslim. She prays daily. During the
current Muslim holy month of Ramadan, she fasts from sunrise to
sunset. She jokes she learned to pour wine at finishing school in
London, but that she has never tasted it.

If the Bush administration gets her dander up, so too does Osama bin
Laden. She says she has zero tolerance for the accused mastermind of
the 9/11 attacks and what she sees as his abuse of the teachings of
Islam to justify murdering human beings.

"There is nothing in our scriptures that talks about killing
anybody," she said. "Ninety-nine per cent of the Muslim population
is peace loving. And like we don't call the IRA the Christian
terrorists, we can't call the groups like Osama's (al-Qaida) Muslim
terrorists because they are not Muslim. They are absolutely not
Muslim because they do not adhere to the fundamental beliefs that
are in the Qur'an -- tolerance, peace, diversity, pluralism, respect
for life."

Ratansi immigrated to Canada from her native Tanzania in 1974.

Since arriving in Canada, Ratansi has pursued a career as a general
accountant in both the private and public sector while volunteering
huge chunks of time to helping immigrants and their children adjust
to life in Canada and mentoring young professionals. The 53-year-old
MP, who has never married, says the young people she met through her
volunteer work have become her family.

Ratansi says she got hooked on politics soon after arriving in
Canada. She worked in the trenches for municipal, provincial and
federal candidates, and also worked hard to try to get other new
Canadians involved in the political process.

Ratansi admits, however, her personal dream revolved around winning
her own seat in the House of Commons. After losing a first bid in
1988, she scored a surprise victory in June over Conservative David
Johnson, a former top minister in the Ontario cabinet of Mike
Harris. Ratansi replaces former Chretien cabinet minister David
Collenette, who didn't seek re-election.

She says the late Pierre Trudeau was her inspiration. She credits
him with throwing Canada's doors open to immigrants from the Third
World, and enhancing the country's international reputation as a
tolerant, just society. As a federal MP, she says, she wants to try
to expand Canada's international influence.

"I want to make a contribution and pay Canada back for the safety
and security it has given me," she said.

© The Vancouver Sun 2004

Interesting article! Perhaps you should create a link from the Main Page so that it is viewed by a larger number of visitors to the site.

I think it is wrong to condemn Bush for his policies in Iraq. All wars involve killing whether they are just or unjust. Afterall Islamic Empire spread due to conquests by Arabs. Pandavs killed the koravs in the battle of Kurukshetra. Sometimes conquests or wars are inevitable for a just cause.