UNITY

Dear Usama

Thanks for pointing this out. We were already aware that our Saudi undercover man was summarising what he was able to read at first glance
having just emerged from the weekend school. We then took the full text to Neal Robinson who put it in its proper context. He even went as far as to say that he personally would have been happy to teach this text but emphasised the importance of taking great care over it, in a way that the Saudi text book has not.

Here’s the relevant part of the film:

COMMENTARY

Saudi officials often complain these are Qu’uranic passages taken out of their historical context.

So we showed the lesson to an academic known internationally for his expertise on the Qur’an.

Prof. Neal ROBINSON SYNC

Q: “Is it wise to draw the attention of children to these passages?

A: I would do it, but I would spend a long lesson talking round this. To present it cold as it seems to be here just part of the teaching of Islam, no it’s not wise.

In the wrong hands I think it is, yes, ammunition for anti-Semitism.”

Furthermore, when we showed the passage in its full and accurate context
to Michael Gove he was clear that this text was unnacceptable in a British classroom.

Michael GOVE SYNC

“You could have a long theological argument in which you say um, that these things should be seen in an historical context. Fair enough, that’s a matter for other countries. To my mind it doesn’t seem to me that this is the sort of material that er, should be used in English schools.”

Whilst I accept there is a difference between Jews who “look like monkeys … etc” (Our Saudi U/C’s translation) and Jews being “transformed into apes” I’m not sure this difference constitutes what you have described as a “major mistake.”

It’s also important to set this passage into the context of the Saudi national curriculum as a whole. For example, as we set out in the film, the same text book asks children to list what it describes as “the reprehensible qualities of the Jews.”

It is because several speakers (e.g. Sheikh Hussein Yee, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Saleh Al-‘Athimein to name but some) have adapted the historical texts referring to apes and pigs to make racist remarks about Jews today – likening Jews metaphorically to apes, and sometimes even literally – that Prof Robinson emphasised that unless taught in the right hands, the passages are fuel for anti Semitism. Presumably this also explains why the Secretary of State concurred and said that it was better not to have them in any British classroom.

In any event, as you can see, in the commentary we dealt squarely with
the view – as advanced by the Saudi ambassador – that such texts can be taken out of their historical context, though in this case we do not accept that we did because of the nature of the questions to the children at the end of the lesson. It seems to us and others that the questions were designed to have a contemporary relevance.

This is further butressed by other parts of the Saudi curriculum where, (as you yourself acknowledged in the translations you kindly did for us), there are racist references to Jews where no “historical” or “contextual” claim could possibly be made because the passages refer to 19th, 20th and 21st century. For example, in Grade 10 Students are told
that Zionists are plotting to take over the world for Jews, with 15 year old Saudi schoolchildren being taught that the “plot” continues to the present day. There are “many proofs” of the Protocols’ “veracity” the text book says.

That said, I’d like to put on record Usama how genuinely grateful we are to you for your important contribution, your generous time and your advice.

With every good wish

John

Bismillah.  Some thoughts:

1) Editorial balance

The programme was understandable perhaps, given the anxiety about Islam in UK society.  But for editorial balance, maybe the BBC should also investigate other faith schools and communities, e.g.:

a) Judaism. The most senior Rabbi (Sephardi) of the Shas movement in Israel appears to have revolting, bigoted views: for example, recently wishing plague and death on all Palestinians (retracted later after an international outcry, it seems) and declaring that Goyim (Gentiles) exist only to serve Jews. (Both stories are from the Jerusalem Post.)  The Shas is part of the Israeli coalition government.  Just as we in the UK are right to question the impact of overseas-based Islamist (political Islam) groups such as AQ, HT, JI & MB in Britain, we should also be worried about the influence of Shas’ leading rabbi amongst British Jews.  We assume and hope that such influence is minimal.

Further, the ideology of right-wing Israeli settlers needs to be explored and challenged, along with its connections in the UK.  Some of these settlers appear to be violently extremist and racist, wishing to live “a pure way of life according to the Torah” in such a way that they must live in Jewish-only neighbourhoods and settlements, i.e. making peaceful coexistence with Palestinian, mainly-Muslim but also Christian, neighbours extremely difficult.  The settlements are a major obstacle to ME peace as is well-known, and it’s about time that settler ideology and its UK links was examined more closely.  See Robi Damelin, a brave Israeli woman, challenging some of these Jewish extremists in the remarkable film Encounter Point that also features Ali Abu Awwad, an equally-courageous Palestinian man. (Watch the trailer on the film’s website, and excerpts here.)

Oh, and a US-based rabbi and Tea Party activist (enough said) spoke recently at an EDL rally in London.

b) Christianity. Children attending fundamentalist churches in the UK have been spotted wearing T-shirts glorifying Terry Jones, the infamous US pastor.  Not good.

c) Hinduism.  The problem of Hindu extremism is well-known in India, with the Gujarat massacres (2002) a recent example.  Some Hindu extremists are even known to argue that their worship of Shiva, their god of destruction, entails using nuclear weapons on their enemies, such as Pakistan.  Again, Hindu and Sikh communities in the UK are known to reflect subcontinental problems here, just like Muslims of South Asian origin.

It’s fair to say that over the last decade, Muslims have been at the forefront of tackling the extremism within.  We have been setting an example in that regard, and would encourage friends of other faiths to follow suit.

2) On fundamentalism

I was surprised some years ago to find Sheikhs such as Hamza Yusuf and Abdal Hakim Murad talking about “Muslim fundamentalists.”  The Prince of Wales also talked about fundamentalism at the opening ceremony of the Tent at St. Ethelburga’s in London.  After years of reflection, I realised that I had been a fundamentalist for most of my life and that Muslim discourse is often dominated by fundamentalism. (Hey, YM even used to have T-shirts saying, “YM – Putting the Fun back into Fundamentalism” :-))  I came up with my “definition” of fundamentalism that was quoted by the Daily Telegraph last year (31 Dec 2009) and by Panorama: “reading scriptures out of context,” i.e. out of their historical and normative-faith context.  Note that this applies to all faiths, not just Islam, as shown by the examples given above.

3) On the term kafir (pl. kuffar), meaning non-believer

The Panorama quote said it all.  I also took part in a 1-hour discussion with Prof. Tariq Ramadan and others on Press TV last year.  As I said there, and to Panorama (not shown), many Muslims don’t realise how offensive the term “Kafir” can be to Westerners: many are immediately reminded of the white racists of apartheid-era South Africa who used the Afrikaans term “Caffer” for coloured people, and “Caffer” seems to have been borrowed from the Arabic.

By the way, the Jewish community has exactly the same issue with the Hebrew word Goy (pl. Goyim) meaning Gentile or non-Jew.  Just over 20 years ago, I was part of a group of 4-5 young activists led by Abu Muntasir who tried to attend an Israel Expo at Alexandra Palace in between our Sunday circles at various London venues.  We were dressed in Arab robes and turbans and were correctly prevented by security from entering the Expo, on the grounds that our presence would have probably provoked serious disorder.  We had a polite chat with the security and police about the matter, but a group of Jewish youths chanted “Goyim, Goyim” at us.  Who taught them that?

4) Advice to the Saudis

Please learn more about the Ahl al-Kitab and stop writing nonsense in your school textbooks.  So, for example, please stop distorting the Qur’anic criticism of Bani Israil (Children of Israel or Israelites) into your vilification of all Jews.  So, for example, “list the reprehensible qualities of the Jews” should read, “list the reprehensible qualities of the Israelites” (in the Qur’anic account).  You could also teach in that section that the Qur’anic account echoes the Ahl al-Kitab sources themselves (the Old and New Testaments), where the faults of the Israelites are exposed by Isaiah, Jesus and other prophets, peace be upon them. Of course, the Qur’an also praises the merits of the Israelites, such as the large number of Prophets that were chosen from them. More below on the specific Qur’anic criticism of Judaism & Christianity.

5) A major error by Panorama

It is unfortunate that you relied on your undercover Saudi, whose English was clearly poor, for translation of a complex passage written in neo-classical Arabic, about 23 min into the programme.  He totally mistranslated it as “Jews look like monkeys and pigs” which became headline news around the world.  The failure to check his translation with experts is an error of judgment on your part, which perhaps merits an apology and/or a correction from the BBC, due to the highly-inflammatory nature of the mistranslation.  What do you think the reaction would have been, had you broadcast a mistranslation of a Hebrew text used in Jewish schools to say that “all non-Jews are dogs” or such like?  The only mitigating factor in this case is that the correct translation of the Arabic text is not pretty, although it is nowhere near as bad as the mistranslation broadcast to millions of viewers.

The two paragraphs are almost entirely visible in the Panorama close-up, and my translation of the relevant parts is as follows:

The Jews were given knowledge of the Book of God (The Torah and Gospel) … yet they believed in falsehood such as the worshipping of idols, fortune-telling, magic, following Satan, opposing the Truth out of envy and transgression.  In this there is condemnation of them and a warning for us, not to do as they did.

… [In reference to Qur’an, 5:60] God Most Glorified says to His Prophet: shall I inform you of those who will attain the worst reward with God on the Day of Resurrection?  They are the Jews, whom God has cursed and will never be pleased with them.  Those who violated the Sabbath amongst them were punished by being transformed into apes and pigs.

In both paragraphs, “Jews” should read “Israelites,” as discussed above.  The word “Jews” does not occur at all in the relevant Qur’anic passages, but the Saudis have used it instead of “Israelites” due to their ignorance about the Ahl al-Kitab.  The  “worshipping of idols” is a reference to the golden calf, another story that is found in all Abrahamic sources.  The Ashab al-Sabt (lit., “People of the Sabbath”) is a famous Qur’anic term for those who violated the Sabbath in the well-known story (Qur’an 2:65, 4:47, 4:154, 7:163-6).

Once one is well-grounded in the Qur’anic discourse, it is relatively easy to present these Qur’anic stories in an authentic and balanced way.  By the grace of God, I was able to present the easily-misunderstood “apes and pigs” Qur’anic story on the Guardian Comment Is Free online forum earlier this year, where I wrote the following:

As an example, take the story about an Israelite fishing village tested by its local fish only coming near on the Sabbath (2:65, 5:60, 7:163-167). Some of the villagers fished indirectly on the Sabbath and thus mocked the law by sticking to its letter whilst violating its spirit. They were punished by “becoming apes and pigs”. The traditional commentary is that they were literally transformed into lower animals. However, Asad follows the rationalist commentators and has them becoming like apes and pigs, i.e. losing their intellectual capacities and becoming dominated by greed.

The above was written on an overwhelmingly leftist, anti-religious, secularist forum but not a single one of the commenters, who are usually harsh and aggressive, could even claim that this was objectionable, xenophobic or anti-Semitic.

6) On the Qur’anic criticism of Jews and Christians

Yes, there is plenty of this.  The Qur’an and the Prophet (peace be upon him), echoing Isaiah, Christ and other prophets (peace be upon them) set out to critique the errors of Judaism and Christianity, seen as having departed from the true path of submission to God.  A major aim of this critique is to regain the balance between the Mosaic Law and the Christian Spirit, between the outer and inner aspects of faith, i.e. between exoterism and esoterism.

And yes, the opening chapter of the Qur’an (al-Fatiha) mentions “those who receive anger” and “those who go astray.”  To refer these two terms to the Jews and Christians respectively is well-known in Qur’anic commentary, and is transmitted from many of the Followers, Companions and even the Prophet himself (peace be upon him).  But the Prophet (pbuh) famously also prophesied that Muslims would follow Jews and Christians in their mistakes, every step of the way.  Therefore, to quote such verses and commentary in a xenophobic way, in our times, is arrogant and pathetic, and forgets the warning to us, not to repeat the mistakes of others.  In fact, it should be noted that all the Qur’anic criticism of the Ahl al-Kitab (“People of Scripture”) applies also to Muslims, who are Ahl al-Qur’an or People of the Qur’an, which is also Scripture, of course.

The great Qur’an-commentators understood this well: Imam al-Alusi, when discussing verses mentioning Jews and Christians, usually if not always, gives the deepest or innermost meaning as “exoterists” (ahl al-zahir) and “esoterists” (ahl al-batin), respectively, including those amongst the Muslims.  In other words, religion must not be reduced to hollow, soulless and pedantic legalism, ritualism and literalism, nor must it become a vague “spirituality” without practical form and social order.  These verses must therefore be read as internal criticism of Muslims as well as external criticism of religious mistakes in general, and this has always been the enlightened Islamic way.  Balancing the inner and outer aspects of faith is the supreme achievement of the great men and women of God, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Mary, Jesus Christ and Muhammad, peace be upon them all.

7) Advice to those exposed on British TV as preachers of hate (or HaTe)

This includes Riyad-ul-Haq, Murtaza Khan and others.  Please read the points above on understanding scripture, and take them to heart.  I have more years and experience than you in such matters, especially inter-faith discussions and Scriptural Reasoning. I have met some of you since the media first described you as “hate-preachers”, and trust that you have retracted your comments, learnt from your mistakes and moved on. What you should do is issue public statements, e.g. via your websites, blogs, organisations, press releases etc., stating that you regret and retract any offensive comments made in the past.  There is no humiliation or loss of face in admitting one’s mistakes, and we have the example of Prophet Moses in this regard.  When the Pharaoh reminded him of his accidental killing of an Egyptian, Prophet Moses replied, “I did that then, when I was amongst those away from the path.” (Surah al-Qasas, of course)

I have been through this process.  Soon after 9/11 and the subsequent, illegal NATO invasion of Afghanistan, I wrote a strident article, “Recapturing Islam from the Pacifists.”  I retracted the extremist and offensive parts of that later (and repeat the retraction here, since the occasional hostile people still mention the article), most notably when I chaired the RMW event in London after 7/7 where Shaykhs Hamza Yusuf and Abu Muntasir were the guest speakers.  Detailed interviews with journalists such as Paul Cruickshank and Johann Hari also helped to clarify publicly the fact that I had moved on.  (Sheikhs HY and AM had already made their own public retractions after 9/11 and 7/7).

Unfortunately, there are also hate-preachers who appear not to have retracted their offensive views and/or comments.  To those who defend such people by saying that they are religious and good people, consider this: many people who support the BNP, EDL and other dubious organisations are otherwise decent, family-oriented, hardworking people.  However, they may have some racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic views which they sometimes state in public.  There are other people who pray and fast, are otherwise decent, family-oriented and hardworking people who have xenophobic (anti-“kuffar”) views, including towards Jews, Hindus, etc., which they sometimes state in public.  What is the difference, if any, between the two cases?

8. Contact the BBC

If you’d like to have your say, do contact the BBC.  The Complaints page is here, see also their short response about the above programme.  Or you may wish to write to John Ware (Reporter) or Mark Alden (Assistant Producer).  BBC email addresses are well-known to be of the format: forename.surname@bbc.co.uk

May God grant us the courage to engage in difficult dialogue and deal with thorny issues with objectivity, truth and fairness in these troubled times.

Usama Hasan

London, 1st December 2010

Bismillah. From The Samosa.
—
Hello,

Please find attached, information on Photo Encounter Pakistan, an exhibition this weekend, which The Samosa is supporting.

Please forward details on to colleagues, that may be interested in attending.

http://www.thesamosa.co.uk/index.php/arts/48-arts/457-photo-encounter-pakistan-stunning-views-of-a-varied-country.html

Photo Encounter Pakistan, is an initiative by DawnRelief, aimed at raising funds for Pakistan’s flood affected people. It will feature over 300 photographs by some of Pakistan’s leading photographers including Arif Ali, Umair Ghani, Ayesha Vellani, Tapu Javeri, Pervaiz A. Khan, Arif Mahmood and Mahmood Qureshi, at The RAG factory (www.ragfactory.org.uk), 16 Heneage Street, London, E1 5LJ on Saturday December 4th 2pm – 10 pm and Sunday 5th 10 am – 10 pm.

Best wishes,
Anwar Akhtar

http://www.thesamosa.co.uk

The Samosa was set up by individuals in the UK and Pakistan as an open media platform focusing on relations between East and West, diasporas and all communities, based in Britain but international in spirit. We are interested in content discussing the environment, cultural and development issues, how diaspora communities can influence policy and investment decisions.

Jeremy Hardy versus the Israeli Army

‘Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie’

Christmas is almost upon us and the Holy Town of Bethlehem is anything but still. For almost five years now the Israeli Army has been building an enormous concrete wall around and through the city, carving up neighbourhoods and cutting off local Palestinians from generations-owned land and from food and medical supplies. Leila Sansour has been documenting the expansion of the wall and the impact on Bethlehem’s citizens for her new film The Road to Bethlehem, now in final stages of editing. To highlight the emergency facing Bethlehem’s community this Christmas, Tipping Point Film Fund will be showing Leila’s first feature documentary – also shot in Bethlehem – Jeremy Hardy versus the Israeli Army plus a short preview clip of The Road to Bethlehem.

Jeremy Hardy versus the Israeli Army follows the BBC Radio 4 comedian in 2002 as he travels to Israel and the Occupied Territories to team up with members of the International Solidarity Movement (or ISM), where he engages in non-violent direct action to challenge the occupation. As events take a dangerous turn in Bethlehem – how will he handle it?

London Monday 29 November, 7.30pm

The Lexi Cinema, 194b Chamberlayne Rd, Kensal Rise, London NW10 3JU

Tickets cost £10 but are free to TPFF regular givers and annual donors of more than £60. Each ticket includes a free mince pie and glass of something Christmassy. SPECIAL OFFER – NGO WORKERS CAN PURCHASE 2 TICKETS FOR THE PRICE OF 1 -just email info@tippingpointfilmfund.com from your work email address.

The post-film discussion will ask the question: As we approach Christmas, and the Israeli ‘separation wall’ continues unabated to encircle the town, what future is there for Bethlehem? The panel, chaired by TPFF, will include Maxim Sansour, brother of the director Leila Sansour. Maxim is a character in her new film, The Road to Bethlehem, supported by TPFF and released next year.

Sunday 5 December, 8.15pm

Filmhouse Cinema, 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9BZ

Tickets cost £6.90 (£5.20 conc) but are free to TPFF regular givers and annual donors of more than £60

Panel includes: Michael Marten (academic and chair of the Scottish Palestinian Forum), Maureen Jack (Vice Chair of the Scottish Palestinian Forum and member of Christian Peacemaker Teams), the Rev Clarence Musgrave who worked in the West Bank for several years, and Deborah Burton, Co-founder of Tipping Point Film Fund.

Dear friend,

This is a reminder of three events taking place during this coming week to which you are most welcome:

Fabric of War Exhibition
Tuesday 5th October to Wednesday 1st December
This is an exhibition of special paper created by 20 Palestinian and Israeli members of the women’s group within the Bereaved Families Forum. They spent two days making paper out of materials connected with the conflict to create artworks while sharing their personal stories of the loss of loved ones. The exhibition can be viewed at the Saison Poetry Library, Level 5 at Royal Festival Hall, Tuesday-Sunday 11am-8pm and also at the library of the Courtauld Institute (Somerset House), Monday-Friday 9.30am-5.30pm. For a special event, see below.

* Thursday 4th November, 8.00pm:
Fabric of War talk at the Saison Poetry Library, Level 5, Royal Festival Hall. Members of the Forum, Seham Abu Awwad who participated in the project, as well as Robi Damelin and Ali Abu Awwad who are in London to receive the Gandhi Foundation International Peace Award at the House of Lord, will talk about the art project and the work and vision of reconciliation of the Bereaved Families Forum.
Admission is free, but prior booking is essential (with a small booking fee). To book go to:
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/hayward-gallery-and-visual-arts/talks/tickets/fabric-of-war-artists-talk-55371

* Saturday 6th November, lunchtime:
New LondonSynagogue, 33 Abbey Road, London NW8 0AT.
Everyone is welcome to both the service (commencing at 9.15am) and lunch (probably around 12.45pm). Robi and Ali will be speaking after the service (around 12.00pm) and will have a Q&A session during lunch (all times approximate). Cost of lunch £20 per head. Prior booking essential through New London Synagogue office 020 7328 1026. If you wish, at time of booking the lunch, you may make an extra donation to FBFF for which we would be most grateful.

* Saturday 6th November, 6.30-10.00 pm:
at MCEC – Palmers Green Mosque, Muslim Community and Education Centre, 30 Oakthorpe Road, Palmers Green, London N13 5JL.

People of all faiths are warmly welcome to ‘Israel/Palestine, what we need to hear’ – an evening with Ali Abu Awwad and Robi Damelin from the Bereaved Families Forum. The film Encounter Point(see the trailer) will be screened at 6.45 sharp so please arrive on time, followed by Q&A and refreshment. Ladies, please dress modestly and have a small headscarf handy if you would like to have a tour around the mosque. http://mcec.org.uk/blog/?p=230

More on this week’s events: http://www.familiesforum.co.uk/files/page1_3.pdf We hope to see many of you in these events,

Shalom – Salaam
FBFF

Bismillah. I’ve just sent this letter to the ES.
—
With the Name of God

Dear Editor,

Peyvand Khorsandi is right to highlight Iran’s appalling human rights record. But there was no need for his inaccurate and gratuitously-offensive description of Islamic worship as “rolling around on the floor of a mosque.” Would ES have printed something similar about any other religion? Muslim Londoners, who constitute 8-10% of our great city’s population, expect better.

And how can a columnist mention Gaza whilst ignoring the fact that it is effectively one big prison camp, as David Cameron put it, or concentration camp, as others describe it?

Khorsandi’s article, sadly, neatly encapsulates the current Muslim dilemma: we are caught between extremism and fanaticism of both the religious and secularist variety. May God give us the courage to get the balance right!

Yours faithfully,

Dr. Usama Hasan
Leyton, London

Bismillah. Benoit Mandelbrot passed away on Thursday, RIP. Studying fractals & the Mandelbrot set has given pleasure to millions of people over the years. http://nyti.ms/aCy0RG

From Abu Ammar Mangorangca:

Salaam. There is an interesting article on the visible stars with Arabic names, 210 of them, entitled “Arabic in the Sky.”

This is found and may be downloaded from: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201005/arabic.in.the.sky.htm

Bismillah. I attended Friday prayers today at Palmers Green Mosque in North London (www.mcec.org.uk). 1/6 of the site is for a Hindu temple, 1/3 for the mosque, 1/2 for two football pitches used by local schools + the mosque. (Remind you of inheritance calculations, anyone?) Ayodhya: we beat you to peaceful coexistence! 🙂