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Stereotype Buster

Posted May 30th, 2013 by Lesley Hazleton

This video got a big grin from me.  I suspect it’ll do the same for everyone who’s often asked “where are you from?” because it’s a perfect debunking of the assumptions and condescension lurking behind that question:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/DWynJkN5HbQ]

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File under: absurd, existence, sanity, US politics | Tagged: Tags: video, where are you from? | 1 Comment
  1. dajudges says:
    May 31, 2013 at 9:33 am

    That’s so funny I must remember that the next time someone asks me where I am from. As a White British Muslim who wears hijab both in Saudi and in Britain it’s the most constantly ask question. I don’t fit the stereotype

Bloody-Minded, Bloody-Handed

Posted May 22nd, 2013 by Lesley Hazleton

I just now saw the cellphone video of one of the killers in Woolwich. It is pure barbarism. And all the more weirdly so for taking place on a busy London street, in front of passers-by, just a few yards from a school.

woolwichBlood all over his hands, and all over the cleaver and the knife he’s so casually brandishing. None of the distance of guns here, let alone drones. No attempt to hide, or to flee. Instead, a rant into the camera “justifying” what he and his friend have just done: run down a man and then hacked him to death. In the name, good god, of God.

I’ll get to that in a moment, but first, what strikes me is the way this man exults over what he’s done. He’s pacing back and forth like an animal after a kill, like a predator — a lion, say, or even a “domestic” cat when it catches a bat — proud of what he’s done, showing off, all but beating his chest.

And guarding his kill, keeping everyone away from “it.”  “No man comes near this body,” witnesses report his friend saying, but you can see a woman calling them on that, then bending down to try to help the victim, then standing up to challenge them over what they’ve done.  That’s courage.

As for the so-called quote from the Quran, he’s in fact in direct opposition to it.  Sura 5, verse 45, specifically states that an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth no longer applies. It says that “previously” — in the Torah — “we ordained an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (see Exodus 21:24) but now, it continues, “if anyone freely forgoes this right, it shall count as an act of expiation for him.”

No expiation for these two men. They are vicious murderers, pure and simple. Nothing more, and nothing less.

And that terrifying ignorance, that self-justifying righteousness, that pure bloody-minded and bloody-handed inhumanity, is the enemy of us all.

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File under: fundamentalism, Islam | Tagged: Tags: London, Quran, terrorism, video, Woolwich | 5 Comments
  1. Zarina Sarfraz says:
    May 22, 2013 at 6:24 pm

    expiation is not anywhere near,his mind is definitely clouded….is he on drugs? Myheartgoes out to the victim & relatives……it reminds me of the times of “bloody Mary” & the victimisation of RCs at that time!

  2. mufarsa says:
    May 23, 2013 at 2:25 am

    Brilliant. Well written and well said.

  3. tonosanchezreig says:
    May 23, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    Reblogged this on Al-Must'arib (the vocational Mossarab).

  4. Semir Nour says:
    May 25, 2013 at 4:07 am

    Well said, Lesley. I keenly follow you posts and I admire the angle from which you observe and analyse this sort of events. Undoubtedly, humanity is in a sad state of affairs. This chap and his friend, have committed a crime, a heinous one. They had confused ideas of Islam.

    The real sad thing about the state of humanity in this age, is the fact that the lives of innocent people have become nothing but a battle field for those sick-minded individuals (and government establishments) who seek to expand the scope of their territories at the expense of others rights, properties and lives (be it Muslims or non-Muslims). They have no regard to any sense of moralities, principles or faith.

    These two guys have been manipulated and confused by some sick individuals or so-called Islamic organizations. However there seems to be other parties who are trying to take advantage and maximize their gains from this events by stir up the public opinion against Islam and Muslims, perhaps, in order to pass some immigration law or justify some foreign policies.

    • Lesley Hazleton says:
      May 25, 2013 at 9:12 am

      There are always marginal ‘other parties’ trying to capitalize one way or another on incidents like this, either by denying them (“an-anti-Muslim conspiracy” kind of thing) or by mouthing off on the stale old Islam=terror meme. In fact what strikes me, so far, is the relative sanity of the general response. Mehdi Hasan, former political editor of The New Statesman and now political editor of Huffington Post UK, points to it in this piece published yesterday in the Telegraph (yes, the Telegraph!):
      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10076096/The-Muslim-faith-does-not-turn-men-to-terror.html

Portrait of a Saudi Criminal

Posted May 24th, 2011 by Lesley Hazleton

You might think it absurd that a woman driving a car is news.  But then this is the absurdity known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, now frantically trying to censor video clips of Manal al-Sharif driving.  An apparently government-supported online drive is under way to beat women caught driving, and al-Sharif  (this is her, to the right) is being held in detention for “inciting public opinion” and “disturbing public order.”

That is, for driving while female.  DWF.  A crime.

Watch the Al Jazeera report here.  Check out the newly replicated Facebook page here.  Read al-Sharif’s instructions for the June 17 ‘drive-in’ protest here on Saudiwoman’s Weblog.

And then consider the far greater absurdity of the continued existence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which refuses to extend the most basic civil rights (even the vote) to half its population, and whose wealth and power is entirely fueled by the Western thirst for oil.  An intensely repressive Middle East regime, that is, funded directly by Western money.

But that’s only the surface.  This Western oil money is still funding the worldwide Saudi export of the most conservative and repressive form of Islam.  If there is one single country that has enabled violent Islamism, it’s not the perceived enemies of the United States like Libya, Afghanistan, or Iran, but our “good friends” the Saudis — our oil dealers.

The Saudis thought they had escaped “the Arab spring.”  They sent their military into Bahrain to help squelch protests there.  They encouraged the violent suppression of protests in Yemen.  They thought they had things under control.

But another kind of Arab spring may now be in the making.  An Arab summer, perhaps.  Six months ago, a single Tunisian street vendor couldn’t take it any more and sparked a revolution by setting himself on fire.  Now a tech-savvy Saudi woman refuses to take it any more and threatens to spark another revolution by simply taking the wheel.

This is how it starts — with individual acts of defiance, with a refusal to knuckle under, with an insistence on basic dignity.  And with the support of a vast and unsquelchable online community.

The links are above.  Go to it, everyone.

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File under: feminism, Islam, Middle East | Tagged: Tags: Afghanistan, Arab spring, arrest, Bahrain, censorship, driving, Iran, Libya, Manal al-Sharif, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, video, women, Yemen | 12 Comments
  1. Derakht says:
    May 25, 2011 at 9:21 am

    Its good Saudi Arabia doing that which help people in the world to understand and find true Islam.
    In fact nothing wrong with woman driving, just Saudi Arabia want to destroy Islam by this way! but its very helpful for the people think. in a lot of Islamic country woman driving car even van and airplane. but in wahhabism thought NO. they not Muslim, they are anti-Islam, and anti human.

  2. aboalhasan says:
    May 27, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    Really, this is intrior issue for saudi people..
    U R not saudi, so why you are talking about ?
    Every social has thier own traditions, may you know how they save thier family.
    so just keep away from us 🙂

    • Lesley Hazleton says:
      May 27, 2011 at 3:41 pm

      Does that ‘us’ include Manal al-Sharif? Does it include all Saudi women? Does it even include all Saudi men?
      And why, precisely, should I not comment?

      • Abdulrahman says:
        May 27, 2011 at 8:30 pm

        Lesley, I am a Saudi man and I am a supporter of the women right to drive (and so many other rights), actually i think it is stupid law to ban women from driving. However, I do not encourage my female family members to disobey it, simply because it is the law no matter how stupid it is. so in this context I think what manal did is wrong; she broke the LAW. what she should have done is: ask for changing the law through the legal channels. and now if you ask me should we change the law and allow women to drive I would say no, at least not this year. because that would encourage anybody: just go to the street, break any law that you do not like, get the support from all over the world, and there you are: you made it. there are some people who are looking to make weed legal in the US, are they out there smoking weed in public to make it legal? is this the right way to do it? absolutely no. On the other hand, It is purely internal issue, it is up to the society to decide. I was against banning women from driving (and i will be again in the future) but i did respect the opinion of the majority (even women majority). this bring us to how we make the law anywhere in the world. what is right and what is wrong? believe me, people from different parts of the world have different views, what you think is right is not necessary right in the eyes of a group of people in Nigeria for instant. you have to respect that. Did you ask your self how did the goverment in Saudi made this law? it is a long story and i am happy to tell it if you wish.
        to answer your question: why should you not comment, 1. because it is purely internal issue (no saudi has the right to comment on an internal issue in the US)
        2. you do not know the circumstances related to enforce this law in the first place and the issue of 1991 and the issue of conflicting parties in Saudi regarding this issue and so many others.
        3. and believe me when i say that: you are making it harder to us (supporter of the women right to drive) to change the law any time near in the future, and the more you interfere the harder you make it.
        PEACE

        • Lesley Hazleton says:
          May 27, 2011 at 9:48 pm

          Abdulrahman, it sounds like you’re between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
          If I understand you right, you’re essentially saying “of course the law is nuts, but now’s not the time to change it.” But to quote an ancient saying: “If not now, when?”
          You’re saying that open discussion will only make things worse. But isn’t that another way to suppress speech and thought?
          You’re saying that we must respect the law. But law is not carved in stone. When it’s manifestly wrong — segregation laws in the American south in the 50s, for instance — it needs to be broken, and those with the courage to do so both need and deserve our support, wherever we are.

      • aboalhasan says:
        June 12, 2011 at 12:25 am

        1- Yes
        2 – also YES
        3 – also YESSS
        4 – I just told that ” U R not saudi ” citizen !!

  3. Abdulrahman says:
    May 27, 2011 at 9:07 pm

    it is me again, aha, after posting my last comment i checked you on wikipedia. and i would like to say that my last comment was based on the assumption that your article was just a pure support for the human rights. now after reading about you I think that you are going to criticize this country no matter what. so my comment was a huge waste of my valuable time.
    anyway: PEACE

  4. Abu Abdulrahman says:
    June 2, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    To the best of my judgement, allowing Saudi women to drive will be a negative change in Saudi society because of the high potential for them being grossly mistreated and harrassed, in more ways than you can imagine, by the general male public. That is why the “Saudi Society” is fearful of allowing it. This fact is acknowledged by most opposers as the real reason for continuous ban on women driving and it is why the majority of Saudis do not want it so as to protect their women.

  5. Abu Abdulrahman says:
    June 2, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    Correction: This scenario is acknowledged by most opposers as the real reason for continuous ban on women driving and it is why the majority of Saudis do not want it so as to protect their women.

    • Lesley Hazleton says:
      June 2, 2011 at 5:15 pm

      “Their” women? See my latest post “The Virginity Test.”

      • Abu Abdulrahman says:
        June 3, 2011 at 3:43 am

        Please do not perceive my thoughts as contradictory (on one hand, I say the people want to ‘protect’ their women while on the other hand I warn of the potential ill treatment of these same women by the same ‘general public’). Unfortunately, ME societies suffer from high levels of ignorance, hypocricy, lack of education, misconception and non-implementation of the true values of Islam, and the list goes on . . .

  6. Abu Abdulrahman says:
    June 3, 2011 at 2:52 am

    Yes, “their” men. Likewise, us men are “their” men. Considering who you are and where/how you were brought up, you may never understand the nature of social relations in an Eastern, not necessarily Islamic or Arab, society. And considering you have much insight into the Arabic language, explore the word Haram (حرم)

Hallelujah

Posted April 2nd, 2011 by Lesley Hazleton

Yes, I’m posting one of those damn feel-good videos, and no, it’s not even full moon.  Am I going soft?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN8CKwdosjE]

[big hug to my friend Lynn for sending it to me]

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File under: existence | Tagged: Tags: free hugs, Italy, video | 7 Comments
  1. hossam says:
    April 2, 2011 at 3:21 pm

    well i can’t see the video because “its blocked in you country on copyright grounds”

    but it’s so nice to come to your blog Lesley. i was just watching an anti-islam discussion and it’s just incredibly frustrating, maybe i should just stay away from those places, i don’t think i have the nervous system required for it. i can’t take it.

    • hossam says:
      April 2, 2011 at 3:24 pm

      just to make it clear the anti-islam anti-muslim discussion was elsewhere.
      then i came here and i felt better 🙂

      • Lesley Hazleton says:
        April 2, 2011 at 4:04 pm

        Sorry about the block, Hossam. Maybe the direct link will circumvent it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN8CKwdosjE&feature=player_embedded And yes, I know what you mean about those discussions — it’s like drinking a cup of bile and ugliness. I say let’s stick to mint tea with honey…

  2. Saif says:
    April 2, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    Thanks for sharing this video. I learned two thing from it; people long to closeness and friendly atmosphere, and Italians are warm people! responded nicely to the free hug guys.
    I understood why you posted this video. it touched you somehow like it did me.

  3. Lynn Rosen says:
    April 3, 2011 at 1:26 am

    How do you say “Free Hugs” in Arabic? In Farsi? in French? In Swahili? In Urdu? In Korean? Chinese? Esperante?……

  4. Derakht says:
    April 4, 2011 at 9:50 am

    Hi Lesley,
    I was reading your latest book and I wonder why you only use one source for that (Tabari) there is a lot of more source you could use?

    • Lesley Hazleton says:
      April 4, 2011 at 10:24 am

      Check out the section titled ‘Sources’ at the end, which includes a bibliography. Al-Tabari was a major source, but very far from the only one.

Injustice Cannot Defeat Injustice

Posted October 28th, 2010 by Lesley Hazleton

Last night, I gave a talk at the invitation of the Seattle World Affairs Council on ‘What the Quran Really Says.’   Many thanks to a wonderful audience.

In the discussion afterward, we talked about how the many Muslim leaders who speak out against terrorism in the name of Islam are consistently ignored.  The most striking example was the 600-page fatwa against terrorism and suicide bombing issued by the highly respected Pakistani cleric Sheikh Tahir ul-Qudri on March 1 this year, which was barely mentioned in the American media despite — or in fact because of — its close and detailed argument, which does not lend itself to the easy sloganeering of what passes for political discussion these days, let alone religious discussion (for a mere 80-page English-language summary, click here).

Autumn Lerner, vice-president of Seattle WAC,  mentioned a short video released this past summer in which leading American Muslim scholars speak out against terrorism, but neither of us could remember its title.    So for those who were there, and those who were not, I just did a quick online search and found it:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IofpsHOosE]

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File under: Islam, sanity | Tagged: Tags: American Muslims against terrorism, fatwa against terrorism, Seattle World Affairs Council, Tahir ul-Qudri, video, What the Quran Really Says | 1 Comment
  1. Tea-mahm says:
    October 28, 2010 at 2:45 pm

    Thank you for this Lesley.

    We need this message to spread far and wide so that terrorism becomes something shunned and uncool and the real message of Muhammad – peace, love, and safety waves in every home and workplace.

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