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Milad un-Nabi

Yesterday was the birthday of the Prophet (Milad un-Nabi). I had wanted to do a lengthy post on the various world traditions associated with the celebration of the day. When I went on-line to try to pull resources about Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia, all I kept getting were sites decrying the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday. Apparently because he never celebrated it, we shouldn’t either (leave aside the irony of the “guardians of faith” making this decree on the internet.) I celebrate birthdays of my friends and family, people who are important to me. I can’t think of a more…

ISIM

The International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World [ISIM] conducts and promotes interdisciplinary research on social, political, cultural, and intellectual trends and movements in contemporary Muslim societies and communities. The ISIM was inaugurated in 1998 and is based in Leiden, The Netherlands. ISIM has just published its June 2004 Newsletter 14 in print format and online. As usual, it is full of interesting articles, commentary, and reviews. Issue 14 includes: [download newsletter 14, 1.9MB] Martyrdom * A Culture of Righteousness and Martyrdom / Elliot Colla * Suicide Attacks: Life as a Weapon / Riaz Hassan * Martyrdom and…

(Un)Created(?) – Quran Desecration, part 2

A question for the Muslim community: why we are offended when the Qur’an is desecrated? (See previous post for details.) Echoing the grand debate most associated with the Mutazilah, the Qur’an is either created, or uncreated. If it is uncreated, then that means the Qur’an is co-eternal with God, meaning that something else exists with God. So, as a second “eternal,” I can understand why Muslims would be upset; of course, it also means that they are only superficially believers in tawhid. To be offended, is to deny what it means to be Muslim. If you argue that the Qur’an…