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"According to an
e-mail from an American Muslim group, I've received
fatwa ruling number
2/882"
A
fatwa on moi? Last week I received a fatwa against an annual event I host.
According to Khaled Abou el Fadl, Law Professor at UCLA, a fatwa is
"a non-binding legal opinion issued in response to a legal
problem."
Be
assured, I'm not a "legal problem" — yet.
Indian
writer Salman Rushdie brought the issue of fatwas to the West when he was
condemned to death for blasphemy by the former Iranian spiritual leader
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 after publishing Satanic Verses.
My
fatwa is issued against celebrating Milaad, an event that denotes poetry
or literature written in honour of Prophet Muhammad's birth, his life and
achievements.
Although
this celebration is not an Islamic duty, it is a spiritual tradition
developed by Muslims out of love and reverence for the Prophet and his
family. I've celebrated and participated in Milaads since I was a child;
at that time there were no extremists hounding us.
I
knew that sooner or later, some religious crank would find me. But still,
I was surprised when I saw the e-mail with my name on it.
I'm
no stranger to hostility: I've been pepper sprayed; received crank calls
and hate mail; my husband has been taken aside and asked why he
"allows" his wife so much freedom to speak out.
At
various times people have suggested that I write under a pseudonym or
change my name entirely and my family lives in fear of my shooting from
the "lip"; but I've never given this hype serious thought.
I
give Canada credit for this honour. Only when I came here 14 years ago did
I find freedom and confidence as a Muslim woman to study and understand
that my faith, Islam, does not bind me but frees me to pursue knowledge
and strengthen my spirituality regardless of my gender.
In
Canada, I've had the opportunity to meet and converse with progressive scholars like Dr. Azizah al
Hibri, Dr. Abdulaziz Sachedina and Dr. Khaled
Abou el Fadl who helped me understand my faith with reason, appreciating
its various nuances and diversities.
The
resulting liberation of my mind has also allowed me to reflect upon and
critique some of the false ideologies being promoted by my
co-religionists, especially those who take direction from a deviation of
Islam that forms the state religion of Saudi Arabia, and makes a mockery
of our faith.
This,
obviously, has not endeared me to many who want to cling to the illusion
that they are the chosen ones, and their way is the only way.
Since
long before Sept. 11, I've been writing and speaking about issues that we,
as Muslims, have been grappling with.
I've
spoken out about injustices against women and minorities, about gender
equality, against intolerance and interfaith polemics, against extremism
and violence of all kinds including suicide bombing, and, most often,
about inflexible interpretations of Islam that force all joy out of our
traditions.
Last
year, just before I celebrated my annual Milaad, I read a report in an
ethnic newspaper about a strict message from Sheik Abdel Azeez al-Sheikh,
Grand Mufti and highest religious official in Saudi Arabia.
He
blasted Milaad celebrations as heresy and said those who observe these
traditions are "mimicking Christians."
So
I promptly wrote an article in the Star (Taking the joy out of beautiful
traditions, June 8, 2002) and explained the history of the Milaad
tradition, placing it at the time of the Prophet and explaining that it's
a custom that was developed out of love for our Prophet.
I
thought I had made my point and could rest easy. But the policing doesn't
stop.
This
year my e-mail invitation for Milaad made its way to an organization in
America called Al-Amana (American Muslim Association of North America —
the Islamic Centre for Reaching and Preaching).
Al-Amana
boasts of a fatwa service: "Fatwas by Al-Amana Shura advisers"
their Web site boasts. "We search before giving a fatwa," they
proudly add.
Wow.
I'm impressed. Despite numerous people indulging in devious activities,
they found little ol' me to send their fatwa to.
According
to their long, boring, e-mail (which is adapted from Majmoo Fatawa Samahat
al-Sheik Abdel Aziz ibn Baz, a Saudi Arabian religious cleric) I've
received ruling number 2/882. What an enriching life these guys must lead
— they even have a 1-800 number, 1-800-95-FATWA.
It
will take more than a fatwa to deter me.
So
I went ahead and had my celebration over the Thanksgiving weekend. What
better way to celebrate than a thank you to God over samosas and tea, with
my friends, family and well-wishers (including men who came to show
support)?
If
organizations like Al-Amana are allowed to exist freely and spout fatwas
in North America, then I'd like to see them issue fatwas against
governments who allow:
-
Subjugation
of their entire women population.
-
Killing
of journalists without justice prevailing.
-
Persecution
of minorities.
-
Waging
war against innocent men, women and children
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