avari | haroon moghul

Politics and New Media at Berkeley: Islam, the Internet and Futures

On Thursday, October 15th, I was privileged to take part in a conference at the University of California-Berkeley, on Islam and New Media.  For those of you who are so interested, the full conference is embedded below.  The full length of the program is about 2:22 (that's hours); my formal segment is at 1:10:30 (watch someone get up and leave right before my bit), and then of course I am taking part in the Q&A section (1:52:00).  Brilliant Muslim playwright and generally very cool guy, Wajahat Ali, moderates.  My topic was a set of reflections based on my recent experiences with and involvement with the Islamic Center at NYU, and especially our khutbah podcasts.

My hope was to not define trends, but to suggest directions in which Muslim discourses are moving (among others, of course.)  I am so happy to have had the chance of being on this panel: Every speaker brought a very different perspective to the discussion, and helped to produce a fantastic discussion.  Not to mention how pleased I am that so many areas of the Muslim world were represented, including Malaysia and Indonesia, which explicably and inexcusably are oft ommitted.

Yes, I am wearing a pink shirt.

Moving On

I have been involved with the Islamic Center at New York University since I was an undergraduate at the University.  For the last few years, I have served as Director of Public Relations.  Effective immediately, I no longer hold that position. 

I will continue to be involved with the Islamic Center in several capacities, namely as an occasional khateeb (I will soon be doing the same at the Islamic Center of Long Island)and on other projects, such as the Umrah trip scheduled for March 2010.  However, my official capacity at the Islamic Center has ended, in part because I am moving on to a new project.  This move will entail harnessing, along with several other colleagues, my years of experience as an academic, activist, blogger, writer, director of public relations and teacher, and bringing that experience to a variety of institutions both domestically and internationally.  I expect to make a formal announcement regarding this project in the next few weeks.  Please do stay tuned.

I also need to take this time to express how much I enjoyed my work with the students and wider community at the Islamic Center, and how much it remains a deeply important part of my life and my character.  It is very rare I think that we find a place which we can call home, which allows us to better see into ourselves and to also better realize what we are capable of accomplishing.  Too often we live and express an Islam that, if it does not move us forward, leaves us content to stand still.  That is good in prayer, but not in aspiration.  I owe a lot of that growth and appreciation to Imam Latif.  I owe a lot of that also to the unique environment and welcoming attitude that has characterized this community, I hope, for many years, and will God willing continue to do so for years into the future.  Please keep myself in this community, and all those who wish to work to better ourselves and the world, in your prayers.  We sorely need them.

New Khutbah

This time around, I devote my entire sermon to the final verse of Surat al-Kafirun; "to you, your religion, and to me, mine."  The sermon is titled, "Everyone Has a Religion," and can be found on the Islamic Center's main page (or here, at the podcast link; see 7/17.)

I had an absolutely wonderful time speaking at a conference sponsored by a number of centers at the University of California-Berkeley.  This conference will be made available via webcast and Berkeley's iTunes channel.  When this is released, I will be sure to let you know; for anyone interested in Islam and new media, this represents a really amazing discussion with participants from the Bay Area, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and of course New York City.

The Bay Area itself is unbelievably gorgeous.  Turns out all the hype is true.  One smart thing this region did is not overrun all its waterfronts with freeways, like New York has unfortunately.  Of course New York is a lot more crowded, dirtier, and also more caffeinated; but beyond that, the natural landscape of the bay area is far and away more moving and compelling than anything in New York City.  I recall at one point we were driving south on the Golden gate Bridge, and so to my right I could see the bay opening up into the Pacific, the sun almost setting over the horizon, and a fully loaded tanker ship slowly moving into the distance, and I remember thinking that the Pacific looked so absolutely enormous, so gently and overwhelmingly sublime, that I felt as if that actually gigantic ship were about to disappear into nothingness.

I have a strange attraction to water; I can actually sit down by an empty beach, or along any kind of waterfront (of course, it has to be a nice one), and there, in silence, I could probably spend hours simply staring into the distance.  I find it has a calming influence, as if it simply sucks out all the stress and anxiety and negative energy inside ourselves and takes it into itself.  It is a kind of paradise, or at least the kind of serenity that every side of Paradise should be surrounded by.  So the only downside, I imagine, to living in the Bay Area -- other than fun at events like earthquakes -- is that I simply may never get anything done.  As a New Yorker, I would either collapse into internal anarchy, or melt away into someone else entirely.  Because the frenetic and nervous energy of the East Coast makes it seem as if everyone on the West Coast is sleeping.  But it seems like a very happy sleep.

Umrah 2010: Join the Islamic Center at NYU in Mecca and Madinah this March

Join the Islamic Center at NYU for its first ever Umrah Trip this Spring!

Over Spring Break 2010, the Islamic Center at New York University will be leading students, alumni, young professionals and Muslims from the U.S., Canada and more, in a one-week religious experience like no other. This trip is open to all Muslims, regardless of their affiliation with New York University or otherwise. We're working with Dar El Salam Travel Agency, a leader in hajj and umrah travel for many years, to ensure that people from all over the United States, Canada and other parts of the world can travel with us.
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This one-week package includes all of the following for one low per-person price:

Round-trip flight from New York's JFK to Jeddah via Dubai on Emirates Airlines. Depart New York Saturday, March 13, 2010, and Return Sunday, March 21, 2010.

One-Way Airfare from Jeddah to Madinah (or ground transportation based on arrival time) on Sunday, March 14

Three nights accommodation at the four-star Dallah Taibah or four-star Harmony Hotel in Madinah: Classes and organized trips to the Prophet's Mosque.

Half-day sightseeing trip of the Madinah "Mazarat": A guided tour of Islam's most sacred sites. With learned guides, you'll experience Islamic history like never before.

One-way Ground Transportation from Madinah to Mecca

Three nights accomodation at the four-star Zamzam/Al-Safwa or five-star Hilton Towers in Mecca. Package will include 'umrah at the Haram, as well as classes and visits to the sites surrounding Mecca.

register today by visiting www.icnyu.org/umrah
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Quad Room Price: $1,775.00 per person*
Triple Room Price: $1,820.00 per person*
Double Room Price: $1,950.00 per person*

* These prices are based on travel from JFK, and include all the above services and features. Other departure options include Toronto, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
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Payment Plans & Scholarships
The Islamic Center is offering a Payment Plan to all participants of the MeccOddyssey who register by October 30th, 2009.
*First Payment of $500 due within 1 week of registration
*Second Payment of $250 due on October 30, 2009
*Third Payment of $250 due on November 15, 2009
*Final Balance due on November 30, 2009 with all required documents.
*All payments are to be made payable to Dar El Salam Travel and mailed to 280 Madison Ave. Suite 600 New York NY 10016. Please write in the memo ICNYU Umrah & name of traveler.

Limited funding for Scholarships are available on a case-by-case by case basis. If you require financial aid for The MeccOddyssey, please email us at [email protected] and we will try our best to accommodate your circumstances, inshallah.  Non-convert Muslim women, under 45, must typically travel with a mahram.  Female converts do not require mahram: A full sheet of requirements, including travel documents, is issued upon registration.  Registration does not guarantee admission.
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Register today by visiting www.icnyu.org/umrah

Should you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at any time at 212.998.4712 or via email at [email protected]
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The Islamic Center at NYU is dedicated to fostering a sense of awareness, activism and scholarship amongst the Muslim community both on and off campus.

For more information about our clubs, events, staff and podcasts, please visit: http://www.icnyu.org/
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The Islamic Center at NYU
What Community Should Feel Like

What Kanye West, Ramadan and Shaytan Have Taught Me (Beyond [Internal] Rhyme)

Every year, I get some kind of cold or flu in the month of September.  It definitely has to do with the weather changing.  It works like clockwork, too, which is both reassuring and alarming.  Because I know it's coming, but I also know there's not much I can do about it.  I suppose you could say it's a small version of death.  That leads me to think, in a ridiculous way, about this Ramadan, and what makes it different from last year's.  Last year, if you remember, the month began on the first day of the semester.  Because I was teaching two Urdu courses, I was pretty much freaking out hardcore: how was I going to teach a language course?  How was I going to handle nearly 35 students?  Most of them desis calling me Haroon Ji and making me think of Uncleness (which is a progress to the end of all things here.)  Nothing in my research, nor in my academic plans, had factored in teaching a language course, let alone two courses of students simultaneously taking Hindi.  Looking back, it was an amazing experience, and I wish I had the chance to do it again this year, as it did wonders for my Urdu and my Hindi (not to mention it would've been a lot easier with a year's experience under my belt.)  This year, though, it's a Persian FLAS.  Khayr.

But I couldn't get into Ramadan because I never really prepared myself.  It's like school started and the month started and in between juggling all my academic responsibilities, Ramadan got put on the back burner.  This year, thank God, things have been a lot better.  I notice then how faith fluctuates; in some weeks or months, sometimes even just for a few days, you hear something or you read something or you see something or you experience something which either causes your faith to go out or causes your faith to rise.  This year my Ramadan has been apparently more productive.  Of course, only God knows what is accepted and what is not, but I feel that -- I know that -- I have done a lot more this time around than I did last year.  More time in the masjid, more reading of the Qur'an, more du'a period a lot of it, surprisingly and unsurprisingly, has to do with attitude.  I'm not saying this to show off, but rather to provide some insight.  Into how attitude works: Am I going to allow myself to take advantage of this time?  Does it mean something to me?  Even though other people's words and actions may sometimes turn us, including me, off from some part of our religion (or, God forbid, the whole edifice -- and that's happened at times in my life), do I let that person or those persons deny me this month and the opportunity to pray for all the things I want to pray for?  Do I allow myself to lose the chance to giving charity, to stand in prayer, to read what God has to say to me?  I could, and I have.

Going into the month with a positive and eager frame of mind has made a huge difference.  I have to say I'm a little bit terrified about what happens the day after: how much of this is just the fact that Satan is not able to influence us (apparently, he got Kanye West at the VMA's).  By no means do I suggest that I've been a saint.  I found that many negative aspects of my personality remain, and frustrate me, even in this holy month, and finding what is wrong with me internally is somehow more disheartening -- it's easier to fight the other than to fight my own self.  But what I have found, and I have found it to be very interesting, is that the main thing that Satan has over me is his ability to sap me of my drive, of my motivation.  I would not go so far as to say I am a particularly religious person, but my commitment to wanting to live Islam is real, and feeds off of a sense of community and a sense of contribution.  When I'm active with other people, and surrounded by people who take their religion seriously, I find myself more and more eager to be a part of religious practice.  To incorporate faith into my daily routine.  To have that opportunity, late at night, to turn to God in prayer.  This seems to have more of an effect on me than anything else, even nature.  And what Satan does is he makes me feel that these things are a priori negative.  While we should not discount the importance of purified intention in our practice (riya), we should also not discount the importance of being around people whose social pressures push us in a positive direction.  And in this month, I have been far more active, as a person and as a Muslim, and that activity is itself good for me, in a human capacity and in a spiritual capacity.  It's going to be a lot harder when the month is over.  It's very hard to lose that feeling of community.

That's why we have to make its a matter of attitude, a decision of our frame of mind, to continue.  To keep on being a community, to look after each other, to take care of each other.  That takes a lot of work.  But that is in the nature of Islam.  Paradise is worth a lot of work.

this is without a doubt the Eid gift you were looking for

So Religion Dispatches has put up my review of Dave Eggers' Zeitoun.  Read the review to get my full opinion, but suffice it to say, this is a book you should buy, you should gift, and you should recommend.  I only wish I had reviewed earlier, but the book is still getting a lot of press and doing quite well, alhamdulillah.  Simply wonderful.  And I don't usually say that about books.

This being the last 10 nights, I don't want to gloat or anything, but I am so happy that I got the front page and the main graphic.  Yay!  OK, that's all.  Please remember me in your prayers for these nights, and please ask God to bless us in our efforts to help build a stronger Muslim community in New York City, and please remember in your prayers all those people who are suffering for their beliefs, for the color of their skin or the sound of their language.  Please ask God to help this country help its own citizens, to make religion a source of compassion and forward thinking movement, and not a force that seeks to punish people because they are economically disadvantaged or socially marginalized.

Our President did an amazing job last night.  What a wonderful speech.

Muslims Drive Differently

As this map shows, overwhelmingly the world's countries and peoples drive on the right-hand side of the road.  However, the Muslim population of the world differs: Probably half of the Muslim world drives on the left-hand side of the world (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and then smaller populations in places like Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique.)  This map also indicates that far too many Muslims are Republican.

Okay, give me a break.  It's not even 7:30 a.m., and this is what has to pass for today's post.

Come by the Islamic Center at NYU tonight.  We're having an alumni-sponsored iftar, with kabab king food, milk and cookies for dessert, and special presentations, including one by our own American Muslim superstar, Wajahat Ali.  He'll be talking about "Domestic Crusaders"; speaking of which: which day are you going?  I'm thinking of late September/early October, but I really need to buy tickets.  The Islamic Center at NYU is organizing trips on Thursday, September 24th and Thursday, October 1st.  Come through.

Khalid Latif, CNN and Ramadan + A Few Weeks

Ramadan is a Time For Donating (and Ramadan in New York City)

If you're considering a cause in the blessed month just days away (can you believe it?), why not consider the Islamic Center at New York University?  We have a number of giving options, all tax-deductible (as we are an institution at NYU), including one-time gifts, matching gifts, annual giving and monthly giving (in the latter, your credit card is automatically charged each month), each of which can be conveniently accessed through our donations page.  Please tell friends and family as well.  Any and every donation is appreciated, if even you can give $10/month.

Beginning Monday, August 24th, the Islamic Center will provide free iftar dinners open to the public.  This is not just a student club; we cater to a large community of alumni, young professionals, Muslims working and living in the area, and so on.  We encourage anyone in the area, who doesn't want to eat alone every night of Ramadan, to visit and become part of our community.  Keep in mind we are conveniently located near the West 4th (A, B, C, D, F, V, A, E) and Christopher St (1) stops -- and not far from the 8th Avenue W/R train: Daily iftars will take place where jumu'ah takes place, our regular prayer and activity space: St. Joseph's Church, 371 6th Avenue. (More information. Directions.)

Invite friends, family, co-workers: You can bring your social circle to the Islamic Center.  We'd love to see you.

Additionally, please mark your calendars for the Thursday, September 17th Fast-a-Thon: Silence Hurts.  This year, we are dedicating all monies raised to Turning Point for Women and Families.  To find out more, and to RSVP, visit the event page.  The event is free and open to the public, although you must RSVP and we only suggest a $20 donation per person (but no one will be turned away who cannot pay.)  Last year, we had over 400 attendees.  It's a wonderful occasion, and a truly crucial cause.

Does That Mean Everything is Evil at the End?

You're probably wondering, "Where did Haroon go?"  Well, I've been traveling.  A lot. 

I was in Connecticut for a wedding, then in Indianapolis for a few days (I'll explain why in a few weeks at most, insh'allah, as you'll find a new website for an amazing new project I'm part of), and then back to CT/Mass for more wedding stuff.  Indianapolis was actually really fun; I didn't go in thinking it wouldn't be, but I also didn't go in thinking I'd like the area.  Great Muslim community at al-Huda, with some fantastic initiatives -- I got to give the khutbah there last Friday.  (Tomorrow, I'm the khateeb at Columbia.) 

Getting to Indy is hard though: We managed to visit three states in the process of getting there and going back.  One result of this was my eating Quiznos for lunch at BWI at 9.15 a.m.  Imam Latif had Arby's, so I'm not sure which one is grosser.  You can ask him, since he now has a blog. 

Are you going to be free this weekend?  Join us in Edison, New Jersey, on Sunday, August 2nd -- this Sunday -- for an Islamic Center at NYU Fundraiser.  You'll learn about our long-term goals and the amazing things we have, alhamdulillah, been able to accomplish.  (The link takes you to the event page, with full details.)  Look at it this way: It's a free lunch, and a chance to give back or give support to a great project for the entire metro NYC area.

I continue to be proved right, unfortunately, by the ongoing violence, factionalism and institutional rot that is affecting the Islamic Republic of Iran.  I am proud however that major religious figures are standing up for the coherence of Islam and democracy, and fighting for the basic rights and dignity of all.  This should be enough to dismiss the facile arguments that put Islam and democracy at inherent odds with each other, but of course I know it won't.

I hope to get back to blogging regularly in a few weeks' time (We'll be on vacation by next weekend.)  In the meantime, go find cool links and email them to me, or just follow me on Twitter, as I tweet Quebec City in August.  [You can keep tabs in the column on the right, too.]