TMO 10-15-15

Volume 17, Issue 42 The Muslim Observer — Oct. 15 - 21, 2015 — Muharram 3 - 9, 1437 

Jasim’s comedic 

videos spread Islam 

To our readers: 

We are Going Digital. 

The TMO Board of Directors has decided to refocus the 

production of the newspaper on its digital platform. 

However the print edition will continue on monthly 

basis. 

The digital response has been overwhelming. 

Here are some of the statistics: 

People from about 165 countries visit our web site, 

It can be translated into 30 languages, 

We get thousands of views per week on different articles, 

And 2 million hits a month. 

Above is the Google map showing TMO’s readership 

around the world. 

We thank you for your kind support over the years, especially 

our advertisers, and hope you continue to support 

us in our monthly print edition and weekly digital 

editions. 

By Mahvish Irfan 

Abdallah Jasim. The name 

may not sound as familiar as 

popular Muslim entertainers 

like Mohamed Zeyara or Karim 

Metwaly, but since 2013 this 

24-year-old Iraqi-American has 

been catching increasing international 

attention and for excellent 

reasons: He can make you 

laugh your head off in a matter 

of seconds and still be able 

to convey a serious religious 

message. 

Abdallah tackles tough topics 

like alcohol, theft and prayer, all 

from the comfort of his car, making 

short videos with his cellphone 

while he’s on the run. His 

videos, where he often showcases 

his skills in speaking different 

accents, garner an average of 

18-19,000 views. 

Best of all, instead of coming 

across as rigid when subtly 

talking about Islam, his vibe is 

relatable and humorous. That 

just might explain why he currently 

has an audience of almost 

50,000 in his various social media 

pages in a matter of only two 

years. 

The Muslim Observer sat 

down with Abdallah to talk 

about his work as a chemical 

engineer by day and entertainer 

by night, challenges in balancing 

everything and ultimate goals 

as an entertainer within the 

Muslim-American community. 

TMO: Why did you want to 

become an entertainer? 

AJ: I always wanted to become 

an entertainer but it wasn’t 

something that was realistic. 

I was always kind of the class 

clown in school and I’d make my 

friends laugh and stuff. 

Then I was introduced to 

Vines, these 6-second [comedic] 

videos. [After that] I got 

introduced to Arabic Vines and I 

was like, ‘Wow, these things are 

pretty easy to make and I have a 

whole bunch of ideas that I can 

use.’ 

Then, I made my first Vine 

and it was basically about the 

difference between Americans 

and Arabs when it comes to 

hunting mice. It went viral and 

I was like, ‘You know, I got to 

make more of these.’ 

I started making more and 

then it just transitioned from 

Arab Vines to Snapchat[ing] 

about different things that happened 

in my life or interesting 

things that I could think of. 

TMO: Looking back, did 

you ever think you would be 

as popular as you are today? 

AJ: No, not at all actually. It’s 

very surprising. I still don’t believe 

it. Everyday, I’m still saying 

Alhamdulillah that Allah (SWT) 

gave me this opportunity. That’s 

why I think it’s important to take 

advantage of the opportunity. 

Yeah, it’s good to make people 

laugh but at the end of the day, 

why not introduce a little Islam 

(Continued on page 14) 

Abdallah Jasim. Photo from Facebook. 

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2 — The Muslim Observer — Oct 15 - 21, 2015 — Muharram 3 - 9, 1437 

Anti-immigrant rhetoric 

can be deadly 

OPINION 

OPINION 

The Muslim Observer — Oct 15 - 21, 2015 — Muharram 3 - 9, 1437 — 3 

David Gushee 

Religion News Service 

Some of this year’s crop of 

politicians tell us that illegal 

or undocumented immigrants 

pose a deadly threat to our 

country. I say that anti-immigrant 

rhetoric is the more dangerous 

threat. It has been deadly 

before, here and in other 

countries. It can easily become 

deadly again. 

You can watch the rhetorical 

escalation up the ladder 

— or down the slippery slope, 

choose your metaphor — toward 

danger. 

Step one: It is perfectly reasonable 

for those concerned 

about illegal immigration to 

express concern about our nation’s 

ability to secure its borders, 

especially from those who 

might pose a real threat. As one 

who regularly waits in lines to 

pass through border controls, I 

get it. In a nation-state world, 

borders matter. All nations attempt 

to secure their borders. 

The United States has a right 

and a need to secure its borders. 

Step two: It is also perfectly 

reasonable to be concerned 

about potential economic impacts 

of illegal immigration. 

It is reasonable to fear the 

creation of a job market for 

undocumented immigrants 

that can undercut employment 

for American citizens. 

It is reasonable to fear a drain 

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on government social services 

or health care spending. Of 

course, if research demonstrated 

that undocumented immigrants 

do not create more unemployment 

or cost more than 

they contribute to tax dollars, 

this would resolve the concern. 

Step three: It is debatable 

whether it is reasonable to be 

concerned that undocumented 

immigrants pose a threat to 

American culture or the predominant 

use of the English 

language. The reasonableness 

of such concerns relates entirely 

to our vision of America. 

What kind of country are we or 

should we be? A “white” country, 

or a multiracial country? A 

predominantly or exclusively 

English-speaking country, or a 

polyglot nation? A Europeancolonial-descendant 

nation, 

or a multiethnic nation with 

people coming from all parts 

of the world? To opponents of 

(illegal, and sometimes legal) 

immigration, I say that if this 

is your concern, say it loud and 

plain, and let us debate the 

matter. 

Step four: It is not debatable 

but abhorrent to express concern 

that undocumented immigrants 

as a group are dangerous 

and morally inferior. This, of 

course, was assumed in Donald 

Trump’s infamous comment 

earlier this year: “When Mexico 

sends its people, they’re not 

sending their best. … They’re 

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sending people that have lots of 

problems. … They’re bringing 

drugs. They’re bringing crime. 

They’re rapists. And some, I assume, 

are good people.” 

Notwithstanding the slight 

caveat at the end, this comment 

dismisses Mexican (and surely 

not just Mexican) immigrants, 

as a group, in a very dangerous 

way. It invites all “non-Mexicans” 

to look at all “Mexicans” 

in a demeaning way and to treat 

them accordingly. Citizenship 

status gradually melts away 

here as the central issue. It is 

skin color and assumed ethnicity 

and nationality that is the 

problem. And some evidence is 

coming in that brown-skinned, 

Hispanic, or “Mexican-looking” 

people face routine and even 

escalating dehumanization and 

degrading treatment today. A 

spirit is abroad in the land that 

goes far beyond one candidate. 

It is a proven pattern: When 

one group of people in a country 

is taught to look at another 

group of people in that country 

as inferior, immoral, and dangerous, 

the latter group will 

eventually pay a huge price. All 

kinds of indignities, discrimination, 

and violence can be expected. 

Need I cite examples? 

So we have reason to be concerned 

about illegal immigration. 

But right now we ought to 

be more concerned about campaign 

rhetoric inflaming racial, 

ethnic, and nationalist fears in 

Michael Claros, 5, joined hundreds of faith leaders and immigration 

activists at a protest in front of the White House on July 

31, 2014. RNS photo by Heather Adams 

some very dangerous ways. All 

of us need to be on our guard 

against it. 

Editor’s note: Rev. David 

Gushee is Distinguished 

University Professor of Christian 

Ethics and Director of the Center 

for Theology and Public Life at 

Mercer University. He is the author 

or editor of 20 books, including 

“Righteous Gentiles of the 

Holocaust,” “Kingdom Ethics,” 

“The Sacredness of Human Life,” 

and “Changing Our Mind.” His 

views are his own. 

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Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin, center, speaks at a news conference in Roseburg, Ore., on Oct. 2, 2015. Chris 

Harper Mercer, the man killed by police the previous day after he fatally shot nine people at a southern Oregon community 

college was a shy, awkward 26-year-old fascinated with shootings, according to neighbors, a person who knew him, 

news reports and his own social media postings. Steve Dipaola / Reuters 

Why we should call Chris Harper 

Mercer by his true title — a terrorist 

By Simran Jeet Singh 


Chris Harper Mercer who gunned down nine students and 

faculty at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College disdained 

religion. 

According to a classmate and a survivor of the attack, the 

shooter asked people to stand up and identify their religion 

before he opened fire. 

The U.S. averaged more than one mass shooting per day 

this year and President Obama has now experienced 994 

mass shootings since he was re-elected in 2012. 

Given the death toll and the explicit targeting of religious 

identity, the shooting in Oregon resembles the shooting in 

Charleston, S.C., earlier this year. On that occasion, 21-yearold 

Dylann Roof walked into the historic Emanuel African 

Methodist Episcopal Church and opened fire. Roof murdered 

nine African-American congregants before he fled. 

Both Roof and Mercer, who later killed himself, were motivated 

by hate against those who identified with religion differently 

than they did. Both are terrorists in every sense of 

how we understand the word — except for one. Both are non- 

Muslim, and therefore, our media and political leadership are 

reluctant to place them in the terrorist category. 

In our modern world, “terrorist” is a racially coded word 

we have reserved primarily for describing Muslims engaged 

in acts of violence. We are quick to label violence as terrorism 

the moment we learn that the perpetrator is Muslim, yet 

we immediately stop short when a non-Muslim commits the 

same act of violence. 

Mercer murdered nine innocent people to further his political 

ideology and worldview. So why don’t we call him a terrorist? 

As a nation we can’t continue to have it both ways and 

expect to adequately address the true threats we face together 

as a country. 

Initial reports from the Los Angeles Times referred to him 

as a “shooter,” CNN.com called him simply a “gunman.” In the 

case of Roof, initial reports from USA Today referred to him 

as a “lone wolf,” former Texas Gov. Rick Perry described the 

shooting as “an accident,” and an expert interviewed by CNN 

quickly raised the question of mental illness. 

The framing of mental illness plays into classic colonialist 

and Orientalist discourses in which the colonized are presumed 

to be savage and irrational, whereas the colonizers 

are rational and civilized. In other words, we presume that a 

violent white person must be mentally ill, whereas we assume 

that a person of color is either predisposed or conditioned to 

be violent. 

By misunderstanding legitimate threats to our national security, 

we miss the fact that this incident falls into a larger pattern 

of increasing mass shootings and domestic terrorism committed 

by our fellow citizens. 

In Charleston, it took nearly 48 hours to publicly discuss the 

shooting as domestic terrorism. In Oregon, this conversation 

has yet to even begin. The media’s response to the Charleston 

shooting is nothing more than a well-rehearsed trope, in which 

mass violence by white men is dismissed as an isolated incident. 

In his remarks after the shooting, President Obama challenged 

our assumptions that international terrorism poses a 

greater threat to our nation than gun violence. He pointed out 

that while we rightly devote resources to protect against “terrorist 

attacks,” we continually fail to identify and address the 

threat of violence within our own borders. When we continually 

misidentify the problem, we then fail to examine the right 

solution. 

Recent studies from the Police Executive Research Forum 

show that international terrorism is not the greatest threat to 

our national security. Rather, the most serious threat to our 

stability as a nation is the growing threat of domestic terrorism 

motivated by xenophobia and bigotry. 

An FBI study found that 94 percent of all terrorism committed 

on U.S. soil between 1980 and 2005 was perpetrated 

by non-Muslims. Roof and Mercer have each killed more 

Americans at home in the past three years than al-Qaida and 

ISIS combined. 

Our entire American discourse over what constitutes a 

threat remains grossly inaccurate, and therefore, our response 

in these moments of terrible tragedy is deeply problematic. 

It is critical that we re-examine how we think about terrorism 

in order to properly address this problem. Until we do so, 

we will continue to be at risk — at our places of worship, in 

our own homes, and yes, even in our schools. 

Editor’s note: Simran Jeet Singh is an assistant professor of 

religion at Trinity University in San Antonio. He is also the senior 

religion fellow for the Sikh Coalition and a Truman fellow 

for the Truman National Security Project. His views are solely 

his own. 

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OPINION 

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AFMI 

Pakistan’s army tested Burraq drones armed with laser-guided Barq missile for the first time on March 14, 2015. Photo courtesy ISPR 

Pakistani drone strikes should worry Obama 

By Michael Boyle 

The Conversation 

In early September, the government 

of Pakistan joined an 

exclusive club. 

It became the fourth government 

in the world – following 

the United States, the United 

Kingdom and Israel – to use an 

armed drone to conduct a targeted 

killing. 

In doing so, it shattered the 

assumption that armed drones 

and the practice of targeted killing 

will diffuse slowly to the rest 

of the world. 

As an scholar of terrorism 

and political violence, I see 

this new deployment of drones 

as more than a mere tactical 

move by Pakistan. This incident 

should make Washington reconsider 

whether its use of drones 

for targeted killing will soon 

usher in unpredictable or even 

deadly consequences. 

Pacifying Waziristan 

Unlike the US and UK, the 

Pakistani Army used a drone to 

kill enemies on its own territory. 

The strikes were part of its longrunning 

campaign to pacify 

Waziristan. 

Since August, the army has 

been engaged in a bitter campaign 

to expel militants nested 

in the Shawal Valley, an important 

conduit of weapons and 

personnel into Afghanistan. 

Despite being supported by 

manned aircraft, the Pakistani 

ground forces have been stalled 

due to fierce resistance from 

Taliban-linked tribal forces in 

this mountainous valley. The 

drone strikes are against “high 

profile terrorists,” according 

to ISPR Director-General Asim 

Saleem Bajwa. They should be 

seen as an effort to break the 

will of the militants and clear 

the region. 

Intense pressure from the US 

For years, the government 

of Pakistan has come under intense 

pressure from the US to 

launch ground offensives in its 

tribal regions to stem the flow of 

fighters into Afghanistan. It has 

suffered heavy casualties doing 

so. The toll to militant groups 

– more than 3,000 were killed 

from this offensive in Waziristan 

alone – has been high. In the future, 

drones could be an attractive 

tool for a Pakistani government 

eager to please the US but 

also wary of risking blood and 

money on ground operations. 

It may also begin to use 

armed drones in ways that rattle 

its neighbors, such as India and 

Afghanistan. That could lead 

those governments to begin a 

more aggressive effort to develop 

and deploy their own drones. 

Ultimately, this drone strike 

is noteworthy more for what it 

represents than for its consequences 

within Pakistan. 

On one level, it shows that the 

drone war is expanding in unexpected 

ways. Few had predicted 

that Pakistan would be the first 

state outside the West to use a 

drone for a targeted killing, especially 

given the hostility that 

many Pakistanis had toward US 

drone strikes. Fewer still would 

have expected the relatively 

muted domestic reaction to 

Pakistan’s first-ever drone strike 

on its own territory. This fact 

alone suggests that much of 

the political controversy over 

drones in Pakistan derives more 

from the US violating its sovereignty 

than from the technology 

itself. If homegrown drone wars 

are political palatable, Pakistan 

and similar governments may 

find that launching targeted 

killing programs is a workable, 

even popular, solution to longrunning 

insurgencies and civil 

conflicts. 

On another level, this strike 

shows the influence of the precedent 

that the US has set in using 

drones for targeted killing. 

This should give Washington 

pause. 

As I argued in a recent journal 

article, the permissive policies 

adopted by the Bush and 

Obama administrations have 

been predicated on the assumption 

that the US alone had the 

sophisticated technology and 

bureaucratic infrastructure to 

conduct targeted killings. 

The Obama administration 

has underestimated the risk that 

other governments would follow 

American precedents with 

drone strikes. 

This strike – which clearly 

took many experts by surprise – 

shows how faulty these assumptions 

were. 

At a minimum, Pakistan 

has demonstrated that access 

to American technology is not 

necessary to conduct a targeted 

killing. 

The drone used in this strike 

was a homemade “Burraq” 

drone designed for surveillance 

missions, but converted to carry 

and deploy a missile under remote 

control. While it lacked 

much of the range and sophistication 

of the US-made Predator 

and Reaper drones, this drone 

was sufficient to carry out a targeted 

killing with a reasonable 

level of accuracy. This example 

may lead other states in possession 

of less sophisticated drones, 

such as India, Russia and Iran, 

to begin to contemplate whether 

their technology will be good 

enough to be converted for a 

similar strike. If nothing else, it 

shows that some surveillance 

drones are more “dual use” for 

targeted killing than many experts 

have assumed. 

It also illustrates how drone 

technology is diffusing across 

the international system in complex 

ways. Powerful suppliers 

such as China are playing a role 

in providing technology and 

training to countries forbidden 

from receiving American exports, 

such as Nigeria and India. 

A number of experts have suggested 

that China either directly 

assisted Pakistan’s development 

of an armed drone or that 

Pakistan at least relied heavily 

on Chinese designs. 

China’s role 

China’s drone market is 

booming. Its largest suppliers 

have no scruples about selling 

armed drones to countries 

with abysmal human rights records. 

If China continues to sell 

armed drones and convertible 

surveillance models with abandon, 

the US will soon face a 

world in which other states are 

following Pakistan into the targeted 

killing club, replicating 

many of the policies that the 

United States has embraced 

over the last decade. 

Given this risk, it is crucial 

that Washington reconsider its 

own permissiveness over targeted 

killings and adhere to stronger 

limits on this practice. The 

US should also consider engaging 

in an international convention 

to regulate the sale and use 

of drone technology to prevent 

the global spread of the practice 

of targeted killings. 

If it does not, it will soon find 

that the club that Pakistan has 

just joined will become crowded 

with enemies and near-enemies, 

all of whom will use drone 

strikes in ways that the US does 

not approve. A world in which 

drones and the related practice 

of targeted killing spreads 

unchecked is one that the US 

should resist. Even if the US has 

to reverse or limit its own targeted 

killing policies, it is better off 

doing so than standing by as this 

world comes into being and the 

strategic advantages that the US 

currently has with drones slips 

away. 

Editor’s note: Michael Boyle 

is Associate Professor of Political 

Science, La Salle University. This 

article originally appeared on 

TheConversation.com and is reprinted 

here with permission. All 

views expressed here are solely 

those of the author. 

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Sports and 

Consequences 

Ibrahim Abdul-Matin 

Get alcohol out of 

the game 

OPINION 

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TMO 

Foundation 

—a 501(c)(3) organization— 

needs your support! 

Steve Sarkisian had a bright 

career ahead of him. Until a 

few short days ago he was the 

head coach of the University 

of Southern California (USC). 

At 41 he embodied the young 

brash high-energy coaching 

that elite programs attract. As 

a mentee of former USC coach 

Pete Carroll (now the head 

coach of the Seattle Seahawks) 

Sarkisian was blessed with the 

mentoring and training to succeed. 

What went wrong? Why 

was Sarkisian’s season abruptly 

cut short? 

In the off-season Sarkisian 

amassed what many considered 

the best recruiting class 

in the country. This years USC 

team is loaded with young talent. 

They have not played particularly 

well, but they have 

all the ability to do so – they 

could be special. Well, not with 

Sarkisian. The University of 

Southern California just fired 

their football coach because he 

had let an alcohol addiction spiral 

out of control. He’d hit rock 

bottom. Sarkisian has what 

scholars call a disease of the 

heart. In a culture surrounded 

by excess and drinking he was 

an alcoholic and it has cost him 

his career. 

A number of high profile 

athletes have also hit rock 

bottom dealing with alcohol 

and addiction. Yankees pitcher 

C.C. Sabathia took a leave from 

the team just a day before they 

were about to play in a playoff 

play-in game. Former NBA 

champion Lamar Odom was 

found unconscious in a Nevada 

Brothel – among other things 

they said he’d been drinking 

cognac. The most widely used 

drug of choice in the world 

consistently ruins lives of some 

of our brightest athletic stars. 

Why do we let this situation 

continue? 

Alcohol and sports is big 

business and a public health 

threat. Beer companies have 

long been significant partners 

for most of America’s most revered 

sports. Football, basketball, 

baseball, and car racing 

all reap generous profits from 

alcohol advertising. In 2005 

The World Health Organization 

Alcohol released guidelines for 

alcohol and sports advertising. 

This stems from research that 

shows that drinking inhibits an 

athlete’s ability to perform but 

also that alcohol use in sports 

advertisement has a negative 

ripple effect. Ads are targeted at 

children and link an active lifestyle 

with consumption of alcoholic 

beverages. Even though 

in most places advertisements 

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are regulated they still appeal 

to youth. This has detrimental 

affects on some societies. 

Citing the number of frequency 

of alcohol related deaths there 

exists a movement in Ireland 

calling for a ban of sports and 

alcohol advertisement. 

Alcohol is a part of sports 

culture. Many athletes, coaches, 

and owners do not know 

when the party ends and that 

some people are sick. Some 

people are alcoholics or have 

the propensity for it. A Yemeni 

family that I know recently 

came face to face with addiction. 

Their youngest, drank and 

drifted and his sickness led him 

onto the streets. Eventually he 

landed in a treatment center. 

He needed a lot of help. Most 

people who have alcohol addiction 

issues need a lot of help 

and a lot of love and they are 

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not getting it. 

Culture change is needed. 

Celebration time needs to be 

reimagined. C.C. Sabathia took 

part in a raucous locker room 

celebration – a baseball tradition 

– where players douse 

themselves in champagne after 

winning to advance to the next 

level or winning a championship. 

That needs to change. If 

sports can become more equitable 

landscapes they can also 

become more mindful. Adding 

alcohol into the mix of celebrations 

reinforces unhealthy 

choices. We should also be 

more stringent about what type 

of content is allowed. I am all 

for a ban and I think I am not 

alone in this opinion. 

Sports should be spaces for 

our children to imagine themselves 

at their best. Let’s keep in 

mind people like Lamar Odom, 

Photo credit: Photodune 

Johnny Manziel, C.C. Sabathia 

and, of course, Steve Sarkisian 

and for the sake of the integrity 

of our sports lets get alcohol 

out of the promotions and advertisement 

of all games. 

Editor’s Note: Ibrahim Abdul- 

Matin has worked in the civic, 

public, and private sectors and 

on several issues including sustainability, 

technology, community 

engagement, sports, and 

new media. He is the author of 

Green Deen: What Islam Teaches 

About Protecting the Planet and 

contributor to All-American: 45 

American Men On Being Muslim. 

From 2009 to 2011 Ibrahim was 

the regular Sports Contributor 

for WNYC’s nationally syndicated 

show The Takeaway. Follow 

him on twitter @IbrahimSalih. 

The views expressed here are his 

own. 

It is time to be more than 

just good neighbors. 

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NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL 

Islamic Medical Association of 

North America announces its 

new president 

The Islamic Medical 

Association of North America 

(IMANA) recently returned 

from its 48th Annual Scientific 

Meeting in the Dominican 

Republic. During the meeting, 

Dr. Asif M. Malik from Troy, 

Michigan became its 47th 

President. Dr. Malik succeeds 

Dr. Ismail Mehr, from Hornell, 

New York, who has completed 

his two-year term as President. 

Dr. Mehr will continue to serve 

as Chair, of IMANA Medical 

Relief. 

Asif M. Malik, MD is a lifetime 

member of IMANA, who 

practices pediatric anesthesiology 

with Henry Ford Health 

System. Born in Detroit, 

Michigan to Pakistani immigrants 

Dr. Ghaus and Mrs. 

S. Khatoom Malik, Dr. Asif 

Malik has been an active community 

leader at the Islamic 

Association of Greater Detroit 

(IAGD) Mosque in Rochester 

Hills. Through his upbringing 

in Metro Detroit, Dr. Malik 

understands the importance 

of community service and institution 

building. Dr. Malik 

stresses that we are products 

of our parents, and that as parents, 

we have a duty to counsel 

our children wisely and raise 

them with values of selflessness 

and to care for others. 

Dr. Malik volunteers annually 

in IMANA Medical Relief’s 

(IMR) SaveSmile mission in 

Khartoum, Sudan in the repair 

of cleft lips and cleft palates. 

IMANA provides medical 

education, volunteer medical 

relief services, and mentoring 

to thousands of medical 

practitioners, dentists, allied 

health professionals, residents, 

and students. IMANA is a sister 

organization of ISNA and has 

a seat on its Shurah Council. 

IMANA has an active program 

at the Annual ISNA Convention 

on Labor Day Weekend. 

Dr. Malik hopes to expand 

IMANA’s relationship with 

ISNA and begin projects to 

further give North American 

Muslims opportunities to serve 

their neighbors and communities. 

He emphasizes the importance 

of Muslims being an 

active and positive part of the 

fabric of American society, and 

to him that means we must 

be visual in our efforts to help 

the community at large. We 

must serve as leaders within 

the public sphere, as helpers 

of humanity rather than just 

helpers of our own groups per 

se. According to Dr. Malik, 

we must add positivity to the 

conversation about Muslims, 

and we do this by standing up 

and taking the initiative. He 

presently serves on the Board 

of Directors for the Michigan 

Society of Anesthesiologists 

and the American Red Cross, 

for which he has been helping 

to organize blood drives within 

the Muslim community since 

high school. 

“We have to be active participants 

in society, and you 

don’t have to be in medicine to 

Asif Malik 

do that.” 

As part of Dr. Malik’s volunteer 

efforts, he and other IMR 

physicians and allied health 

professionals frequently embark 

on medical missions to 

various foreign countries as 

a part of IMANA. Dr. Malik 

frequently says volunteering 

knows no profession. He envisions 

the American Muslim 

healthcare community will 

come together to expand on 

the prior achievements in developing 

charitable clinics and 

healthcare networks in the 

United States. One of his goals 

is to expand IMR’s services to 

South America and Southeast 

Asia. 

For more information about 

IMANA, please visit www. 

imana.org. To contact Dr. Asif 

Malik, email president@imana.org. 

Quiet quartet wins 

Nobel in Tunisia 

By Laura Payne 

The Conversation 

It is a fitting that in a tumultuous 

year for global 

peacemaking, the Nobel Peace 

Prize has been awarded to the 

little-known Tunisian National 

Dialogue Quartet. Over the 

past few years, the Quartet 

has been quietly shepherding 

in democracy in the country 

that lit the fuse that sparked 

the Arab revolutions. In part 

thanks to the efforts of this 

broad cross-section of civil society, 

Tunisia has stayed the 

course in transitioning from an 

authoritarian past to a democratic 

future, even in the face 

of terrorist violence and as 

other revolutions in the region 

have faltered. 

The award comes at a 

time of escalating sectarian 

conflicts in Syria, Libya and 

Yemen. Islamic State’s campaign 

of terror has uprooted 

Iraqis and Syrians alike, driving 

desperate refugees into 

small boats to battle the waves 

of the Mediterranean. They 

join others fleeing to Europe 

from political and economic 

crises in Africa and Asia, forming 

a stream of humanity symbolizing 

failures in leadership 

in three continents. 

Among all this, it is not hard 

to identify why the Norwegian 

Nobel Committee awarded the 

world’s most coveted peace 

prize to the Tunisian Quartet. 

The first reason is that 

Tunisia deserves to be celebrated 

for its momentous achievements 

in consolidating democracy. 

Unlike other countries 

in the region, it has trodden 

a path that is slow but solid, 

adopting a comprehensive and 

consensus-building approach 

to decision-making. 

In this it provides a rare 

and extremely important example, 

not only for the region 

but also for the world. Thanks 

to Tunisia, it is no longer possible 

to argue that the Middle 

East and North Africa is inherently 

undemocratic or prone to 

violence. 

Civil society steps up 

Second, the role of civil society 

is fundamental for bringing 

about sustainable peace. 

Political leadership is important, 

but the scale of the challenge 

in transitional societies 

means that we cannot simply 

leave things to political leaders 

to sort out. 

At local level especially, 

peace feels a lot more real 

when it comes with tangible 

improvements to quality of life. 

Citizens want to see the economy 

motoring again and to have 

confidence in the state’s institutions. 

They want to know 

that they can sleep soundly 

and safely, without fear of 

violence, persecution or poverty. 

Governments often lack 

the capacity and credibility to 

deliver these dividends alone. 

Civil society must step up to 

the plate – particularly the associations 

of trade, justice and 

human rights of which the 

Quartet is formed. 

And third, the Quartet’s 

work relies heavily on forming 

constructive relationships 

across the political spectrum – 

from secularists to fundamentalists. 

It has walked a fine line, 

keeping disparate groups with 

diverging interests invested 

in an inclusive national process 

of dialogue. It has, in the 

words of the Norwegian Nobel 

Committee, laid the “groundwork 

for a national fraternity”. 

Politicians are often the 

most cynical of creatures, yet 

the Quartet has managed to 

build a sense of collective endeavor 

among them. It has 

encouraged them to put the 

country’s best interest ahead of 

personal or sectarian interests, 

making this the guiding principle 

for decision-making. 

Other bright spots 

The transition in Tunisia is 

a work in progress and there 

will be more setbacks and successes. 

The country was left 

reeling from two terrorist attacks 

earlier this year, when 22 

people were killed at the Bardo 

Museum in Tunis, and another 

39 people died during an attack 

on a tourist resort in Sousse. 

But the message today is clear 

– Tunisia has made remarkable 

progress since 2010, despite 

the odds. This is in large part 

due to a credible and engaged 

civil society, a remarkable 

achievement in a new democracy. 

The country has forged a 

path of inclusive national dialogue 

from which many lessons 

can be learned. 

Elsewhere this year, 

Myanmar goes to the polls 

in November – the country’s 

first free national ballot since 

1990. Colombia is closer to 

lasting peace than ever, ending 

half a century of war that 

has taken 220,00 lives and uprooted 

six million people. 

The US restored diplomatic 

relationships with Cuba, and 

also struck a landmark agreement 

with Iran over its nuclear 

programs. And the UN 

has adopted the sustainable 

development goals, explicitly 

recognizing peaceful and inclusive 

societies as a development 

priority for the first time. 

Behind every step forward 

there is an individual or institution 

worthy of the Nobel 

Peace Prize, but only one can 

win and the Tunisian National 

Dialogue Quartet is a worthy 

laureate. 

Editor’s note: This article 

originally appeared on 

TheConversation.com and is reprinted 

here with permission. All 

views expressed here are solely 

those of the author. Laura Payne 

is Research Fellow and Director 

of RISING Global Peace Forum, 

Coventry University. 

Living 

Well 

Fasiha Hasham 

Hodgkin’s disease 

Hodgkin’s disease is a type of 

cancerous condition that starts 

in the body’s lymphatic system. 

The lymphatic system consist of 

lymph nodes, where the white 

cells known as the lymphocytes 

are formed, the spleen which is 

a very large lymph node, and 

the lymphatic vessels that connect 

the lymph nodes. 

The lymphatic system 

helps the body fight against 

infections, and cancer that affects 

this system is known as 

lymphoma. 

The symptoms for Hodgkin’s 

disease are swollen lymph 

nodes in the neck, armpit and 

groin, persistent fever or fever 

alternating with normal temperature 

for several days, pain 

in or around the swollen lymph 

node, fatigue, weight loss, itching 

and night sweats. 

The cause for Hodgkin’s disease 

remains unknown. Some 

scientists believe that a virus 

may be involved. It usually occurs 

in the early adulthood 

or after the age of 55. Rare in 

children under the age of 10, 

Hodgkin’s is more common in 

males than in females. 

Diagnosis is made on physical 

examination, x-rays, blood 

tests and surgical biopsy from 

the affected lymph node. In 

early stages of disease only radiation 

alone is beneficial, but 

in later stages a combination of 

chemotherapy and radiation is 

the treatment of choice. 

The doctor will perform a 

number of tests to determine 

the stage and extend of the 

disease; this is known as the 

staging of the disease and requires 

the following tests to be 

performed: 

- CT or MRI and bone 

scan. 

- A lymph angiogram 

in which a x-ray is taken after 

a dye is injected into the lymphatic 

system. 

- Ultrasonography in 

which high frequency sound 

waves are used to locate internal 

structures. 

- Biopsy of spleen, liver 

and bone marrow are taken. 

Radiation is the treatment 

of choice, especially in the 

early stages. Chemotherapy 

and radiation is used in advanced 

stages of the disease. 

Sometimes the patients receive 

an alternating chemotherapy 

and radiation regimen and 

high doses of chemotherapy 

OPINION 

along with the bone marrow 

transplant. In some cases the 

spleen and other large masses 

are removed. 

No self treatment is possible 

for Hodgkin’s disease but during 

the course of radiation, special 

care should be given to oral 

hygiene so to protect the mouth 

from sores and ulcers. And radiation 

treatment increases the 

skin’s sensitivity to sun; always 

wear a sunscreen when exposed 

to sun. 

Prognosis of the disease 

depends on the stage of the 

disease. Each stage is further 

grouped into A and B, depending 

on the presence of symptoms 

such as fever, weight loss 

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and night sweats. 

The stages 1 and 2 of the 

disease are usually cured by radiation 

alone and never experience 

recurrence. 

For people with stages 3 

and 4, radiation will involve 

more of the and last longer. In 

some cases chemotherapy will 

be necessary. Depending upon 

the extent of the spread of the 

disease, the cure rate ranges 

from 70 to 90 percent for those 

with stage 3 disease. In stage 4 

disease radiation and chemotherapy 

cause remission, 50 

percent of the cured remains 

disease free for 5 years. 

Patients who are cured 

of Hodgkin’s disease need 

Photo credit: Clipart.com 

frequent medical checkups to 

detect any recurrence and to 

monitor the long term effects 

of radiation treatment, such 

as the thyroid, heart and lung 

complications. 

Editor’s Note: Dr. Fasiha 

Hasham obtained her medical degree 

from Sindh Medical College 

and completed a residency at 

Jinnah Post Graduate Medical 

Centre in Pakistan before moving 

to the United States. Her specialties 

include Internal Medicine 

and Gynecology and Obstetrics. 

She is married with four children 

and lives in Farmington Hills, 

Michigan. The views expressed 

here are her own. 

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10 — The Muslim Observer — Oct 15 - 21, 2015 — Muharram 3 - 9, 1437 

Immigrants appeal 

to Hungarians’ 

hearts via their 

stomachs 

By Krisztina Than 

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - 

A bunch of restaurants in 

Budapest have found a mouthwatering 

way to challenge 

Hungarian attitudes to Europe’s 

migrant crisis - by serving up 

tasty dishes from Syria and other 

countries that are providing 

many of the refugees. 

Hungary’s right-wing government 

has come under fire 

over its clampdown on migrants 

fleeing conflicts and 

poverty in the Middle East and 

beyond. The erection of a steel 

fence along the southern border 

with Serbia has prompted 

particular concern. 

But Hungarians are also 

famed for their love of good 

food - and the restaurant initiative 

aims to provide a more 

intimate, human perspective 

on the cultures that the tens 

of thousands of people now 

flocking into Europe have left 

behind. 

“When we can see various 

aspects from people’s lives or 

taste the dishes they would 

have eaten while still at home, 

then perhaps the barriers people 

have in their minds can 

fall,” said Hanna Mikes, co-ordinator 

of the culinary project 

that has been organized by the 

Artemisszio foundation. 

The week-long event, named 

“bORDER-Gastrofest in another 

way”, also provides information 

about everyday life 

in the four countries involved 

- Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia 

and Eritrea - and features brief 

interviews with immigrants living 

in Hungary. 

Ivan Sandor, manager of 

the Manga Cowboy restaurant 

in a bustling district of central 

Budapest, said the project, in 

which the immigrants provide 

recipes that restaurants then 

prepare, could help dampen 

tensions fueled by the migrant 

crisis in Hungary. 

“In the past few weeks all 

sides tried to use the tensions 

for their own (political) benefit. 

I think that at a table laden 

with good food we can perhaps 

defuse these tensions,” said 

Sandor, whose restaurant is 

one of 10 participating in the 

project. 

One of the immigrants 

helping with the project, 

Akela Sabona, 27, came to 

Hungary with her family from 

Afghanistan many years ago. 

“As I am a vegetarian, I told 

them about vegetable dishes 

... for example Borani Banjan,” 

she said, referring to a traditional 

eggplant dish. Sabona 

was smiling broadly as she had 

just been granted Hungarian 

citizenship. 

“WHEN DID YOU ARRIVE?” 

Saba Tesfay, 37, born to 

a Hungarian mother and an 

Eritrean father, has helped two 

restaurants to choose Eritrean 

national dishes, including 

‘Injera’, a flat bread with a 

spongy texture that is served 

with a spicy beef and chicken 

stew, eggs and lentil puree. 

“This is a national dish, but 

not like goulash for Hungarians, 

because people eat this (in 

Eritrea) even for breakfast, and 

surely at least once a day,” she 

said. 

Tesfay, a cultural anthropologist, 

said she had never had 

any particular problems as a 

second-generation immigrant 

growing up in Hungary, but 

said the migrant crisis was now 

making life more difficult. 

“You can feel that when 

people now ask ‘when did you 

arrive in Hungary?’ they may 

do so not because they want 

to know how they can help but 

for fun, in the sense of ‘here we 

have yet another immigrant’. 

This happened to me in the 

market recently, though never 

before. It felt really bad.” 

Even though most of the 

migrants trying to get into 

Hungary do not intend to stay 

but to travel further west, especially 

to Germany, Prime 

Minister Viktor Orban says 

he is acting to save Europe’s 

“Christian values” by blocking 

their main overland route. Most 

of the refugees are Muslims. 

His tough stance has angered 

human rights groups and some 

governments who see the new 

border fence as a throwback to 

the Cold War era of European 

division. But Orban also has 

support from Europeans who 

say the huge influx of migrants 

will put intolerable strain on 

public services and stoke ethnic 

tensions. 

The Budapest diners enjoying 

the dishes from distant 

Eritrea and Afghanistan were 

similarly divided on the issue. 

“I think in the short-term 

we must help those who sleep 

rough, who are hungry and 

thirsty, and especially those 

coming from a war zone who 

have had to endure tough situations 

which to us are inconceivable,” 

said Antal Karolyi, 44, an 

investor. 

Finishing off a thin-crusted 

Afghan pastry filled with potatoes 

and onions called “Bolani”, 

served with Syrian minty yogurt 

sauce, Karolyi said in the 

longer term the solution to the 

crisis must lie in the countries 

of origin. 

His colleague Zsolt Farkas, 

seated at the other side of the 

table, could not decide whether 

the fence was a good idea but 

said the Hungarian government 

had to act to manage the 

crisis. 

“History will tell whether 

the government reacted in the 

right way,” he added pensively. 

INTERNATIONAL / NATIONAL 

Community newsbriefs 

Chapel Hill 

forums connect 

leaders with 

Muslims 

CHAPEL HILL,NC--It has 

been eight months since the 

fatal shooting of three Muslim 

students in Chapel Hill and 

the community is trying everything 

it can to build better 

relationships. Within the first 

month itself two forums were 

held to improve relationships 

between the Muslim community 

and leaders, WNCN news 

reported. 

“Time heals all wounds 

but that crime is still very recent 

and people are still reeling 

from it,” said Chapel Hill 

Police Chief Chris Blue. “The 

folks I’ve interacted with in 

last seven, eight months are 

unbelievably gracious, forgiving 

and dignified people who 

take what’s been a horrible 

tragedy and tried to learn 

from it.” 

Prof. Noureen 

Khan attains 

tenure 

Dr. Noureen Khan, an assistant 

professors of mathematics 

at the University of North 

Texas at Dallas, has attained 

tenure and full professorship. 

She was promoted based on 

the strength of application, 

and reviews from their school 

chair, dean, the University 

Tenure and Promotion 

Committee, the recommendation 

of the provost, and the 

agreement by the university 

president. 

Dr. Khan earned her M.S. 

and Ph.D. from the University 

of Texas at Dallas. Prior to 

coming to UNT Dallas, Dr. 

Khan served as a graduate 

teaching assistant at the 

University of Texas at Dallas. 

Dr. Khan is described as a 

teacher who comes to class 

prepared, uses multimedia 

technology effectively and 

engages her students in the 

learning process. She is 

very supportive of the online 

teaching initiative and has 

developed both hybrid and 

online courses. Since coming 

to UNT Dallas, Dr. Khan has 

seven refereed publications, 

two papers under review in 

peer-reviewed journals and 

has presented as keynote 

speaker and session panelist 

two conferences and has presented 

at eleven national and 

international conferences. 

Dr. Khan has been principal 

investigator for five grants to 

include the National Research 

Experience for Undergraduate 

Program, Mathematical 

Association of America, 

National Science Foundation, 

NSA, College and Career 

Readiness Initiative Faculty 

Collaboration in Mathematics, 

and the Mathematics Research 

Communities Scholars Award. 

Dr. Khan is currently the faculty 

advisor to the Mathematics 

Club on campus and has served 

on many committees and councils 

on campus. 

Hundreds join 

Union County 

Day of Prayer 

ELIZABETH,NJ--Faith leaders 

from over forty congregations 

came together on Oct.7 

for the second Union County 

Day of Prayer at the First 

United Methodist Church. 

They were joined by more 

than 300 people to pray for 

peace, according to a press 

release. 

The event is an interfaith 

gathering of the faith-based, 

non-profit and government 

communities to unite people 

from throughout the county 

regardless of race, religion or 

disability and to bring greater 

awareness of the support services 

available to them, according 

to Sid Blanchard, executive 

director of Community 

Access Unlimited (CAU), 

which supports people with 

disabilities and at-risk youth. 

Imam Ali Jaaber of the 

Masjid Darul Islam Mosque 

in Elizabeth, said every community 

must embrace those 

in the greatest need at times 

of crises, citing the needs of 

the 600,000 refugees pouring 

into Europe. 

“We have to reach out to 

see what support we have 

and the attitudes and dispositions 

of people of other faiths. 

We have to build on that,” he 

said, adding that the mosque 

will be holding coats drives 

for refugees and will look 

across denominations for support, 

something the Interfaith 

Coordinating Council has 

made possible, he said. 

“It has benefited our community,” 

he said. “Jobs, 

education, training, record 

expungement. As a person 

serving the community I have 

to stay active with those in the 

county who do the same.” 

Islamic Center 

of Oklahoma 

launches new 

community 

outreach center 

OKLAHOMA CITY--The 

Islamic Center of Greater 

Oklahoma City officially dedicated 

its new community outreach 

centre last Friday, according 

to NewsOK portal. 

Emad Enchassi, senior 

imam and the Islamic Society’s 

founder said the new centre 

will house the organization’s 

outreach offices, a food 

pantry in partnership with 

the Regional Food Bank of 

Oklahoma, a free health clinic 

and women’s resource center. 

“To give voice to the voiceless, 

to give hope to the 

hopeless, in God’s name, we 

dedicate this building to be 

a beacon to the community,” 

Enchassi said during a brief 

ribbon-cutting ceremony and 

dedication for the building. 

Migrants walk towards the Austrian border from Hegyeshalom, Hungary, October 6, 2015. 

REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger 

The Last 

Moghul 

Haroon Moghul 

Interview with a 

Muslim apologist 

Do Muslims want to conquer 

the West? 

Sure, some Muslims do. 

However, some Christians do 

too. Last I checked, Vladimir 

Putin, a Christian who has the 

Russian Orthodox Church behind 

him, was interfering in 

the Ukraine, sending Russian 

aircraft into NATO airspace, attacking 

American allies in Syria 

and subverting the European 

Union by supporting far-right 

groups. There’s no plausible 

way to answer questions about 

what all Muslims want. They 

want very different things. 

Sometimes contradictory. 

But what about American 

Muslims—do you want to 

conquer America? 

We already have. Americans 

at large elected Barack Obama, 

a Muslim; since then, we’ve 

run the world’s most powerful 

nation for nearly eight years 

now. Incidentally however 

there’s been no move to impose 

Shari’ah, unless you want 

to call marriage equality some 

kind of Islamist plot, though 

most conservative Muslims disapprove 

of gay marriage, and 

radicals reject homosexuality 

entirely, but— 

So you admit Barack 

Obama is a Muslim? 

Oh, absolutely. In fact, everyone 

who claims not to be 

Muslim is secretly Muslim. 

The only Muslims who aren’t 

actually Muslims are the ones 

who say they’re Muslim, because 

what kind of jihad would 

be waging if we were being 

honest? 

Isn’t that “taqiyya”? 

It is! Muslims are allowed by 

their religion to lie under extreme 

circumstances. I should 

point out that Muslims also disagree 

about their religion, and 

that many don’t follow what 

they think their religion says— 

So you admit Muslims are 

okay with lying? 

Not only that. I’m lying to 

you right now. 

Wait… Are you lying about 

taqiyya? 

Yes. In contrast to other 

moral philosophies, ethical 

systems, religions, or group 

of peoples in the world, some 

Muslims lie—and believe it’s 

okay to lie—when circumstances 

demand it. 

Can you give us some 

examples? 

One time, I was in a job interview, 

and my interviewer 

asked me, what do you think 

about Pakistan? The job, just to 

be clear, was in national security, 

so it was a pertinent question, 

and not racist in the way 

these questions you’re asking 

me are. I had no idea what the 

interviewer’s specific politics 

or positions were on a subject 

as complex on Pakistan, so I 

thought it would be clever to 

smile and say, “It’s a hard country,” 

paraphrasing the subtitle 

of a recent book by Anatol 

Lieven. My interviewer assumed 

I’d read the book, which 

was a recent, major title in the 

field and rather well-received, 

and through this got a sufficient 

sense of my politics. Or my ability 

to think on my feet. I did 

not disabuse him of any judgment 

on my progress through 

my reading list. So maybe I had 

hinted at a conclusion he might 

have drawn it, but it’s not like 

I’d said I’d read the book when 

I hadn’t. 

I hadn’t. 

So you’re saying you’d lie 

to achieve power? 

Not only power, but health 

benefits, a pension plan, hell 

just subsidized transportation 

or a weekly MetroCard. I’ve 

lied on several other recent occasions, 

too. Also to achieve, or 

at least maintain, the power I 

enjoy in my everyday life. “No, 

you look good in that.” “Sure, 

let’s watch this movie.” “Hey 

the trains are down, I don’t 

think I’ll be able to make it in 

time, can we reschedule?” 

I feel like you’re not being 

serious. 

You’re right. I apologize. 

There are Muslims who lie 

about their identity in order 

to achieve power. This is completely 

unheard of anywhere 

else in the world, which is why 

government agencies never lie 

to us about why they’re doing, 

or employees pretend like they 

like their bosses. But it makes 

sense to focus on Muslim instances 

of universal behavior 

and pretend they’re different 

just because a creepy sounding 

Arabic word is employed. 

Well isn’t the Muslim 

world different from the rest 

of the world? 

How do you mean? 

Why can’t women drive in 

Saudi Arabia? 

Why is America the only 

developed country that is 

armed to the teeth, and resists 

any kind of gun registry? 

That strikes me as vaguely 

ludicrous. 

I don’t see what one has to 

do with the other. 

I wouldn’t think you’d be 

able to. 

Is that because I’m not 

Muslim? 

It’s because you’re not 

smart. 

Don’t you think that’s 

rude? 

Did you want me to be 

honest, or practice taqiyya? 

Excuse me? 

OPINION 

I mean, if you want me to impose 

Shariah on you, I can. But 

if you’re going to get offended, 

it’s going to be unpleasant. 

Are you threatening me? 

Not so much threatening as 

mocking. 

This isn’t funny. We’re 

talking about serious problems, 

like terrorism. 

Which is? 

You don’t know what terrorism 

is? 

Do you? 

Well, sure—it’s when 

Muslims kill people for jihad. 

That’s your definition of 

terrorism? 

Well, yeah. Do you have a 

better one? 

I can’t think of a better one. 

Well, good. Now we’re getting 

somewhere. Why don’t 


more Muslims condemn 

terrorism? 

We really think it’s in our 

interest to allow extremists to 

ruin the name of our religion, 

pursue actions that jeopardize 

our rights, freedoms and sovereignty, 

and, oh, we’re totally 

cool with crazy fundamentalists 

killing huge numbers of 

us, undermining our countries, 

crushing democracy movements, 

executing dissidents 

and targeting us for ruin. It’s 

part of the same sophisticated 

strategy that saw us force our 

fellow Americans to elect a secretly 

Muslim President who 

never closed Guantanamo, 

made a mess of Libya, continues 

drone strikes and has no 

idea how to stop the bloodiest 

war in the Muslim world, the 

Photo credit: Clipart.com 

civil strife ruining Syria, but 

otherwise fulfills all our ambitions. 

As you can see, we’ve got 

everything worked out. 

Editor’s Note: Haroon 

Moghul is the author of “The 

Order of Light” and “My First 

Police State.” His memoir, “How 

to be Muslim”, is due in 2016. 

He’s a doctoral candidate at 

Columbia University, formerly 

a Fellow at the New America 

Foundation and the Center on 

National Security at Fordham 

Law School, and a member 

of the Multicultural Audience 

Development Initiative at New 

York’s Metropolitan Museum of 

Art. Connect with Haroon on 

twitter @hsmoghul. The views 

expressed here are his own.


The Muslim Observer 

Women in LA 

start a mosque 

of their own 

Volume 17, Issue xx Month xx - xx, 143x n Month xx - xx, 201x $2.00 

8 Muslims on Forbes 

30 under 30 list 

Uzma Rawn 

Abe Othman 

Headline here for compelling 

story 

on an inside page 

Page PB 

Headline here for 

compelling story 

on an inside page 

Page PB 

Shama Hyder 

Minhaj Chowdhury 

Ali Khan 

Ali Zaidi 

Karim Abouelnaga 

Fiza Farhan 

By MARIAM SOBH 

(Religion News Service) — A 

downtown Los Angeles interfaith 

center that once served 

as a synagogue was the site of 

a historic worship service last 

week, as dozens of women 

gathered for Friday Muslim 

prayers in what is 

being dubbed the 

first women’s-only 

mosque in the 

United States. 

M. Hasna 

Maznavi, founder 

and president 

of the Women’s 

Mosque of America, 

and co-president 

Sana Muttalib, 

said they 

are following the 

example of women 

pioneers at 

the forefront of Islamic education 

and spiritual practice. 

“Women lack access to 

things men have, professional 

or religious,” said Muttalib, a 

lawyer. “I think this is our contribution 

to help resolve that 

issue.” 

Maznavi, a filmmaker, said 

women-only spaces have been 

part of Islamic history for generations 

and still exist in China, 

Yemen and Syria. In the United 

States, nearly all mosques separate 

the sexes. Women pray in 

the rear of the prayer hall or 

in a separate room from male 

congregants. 

About 100 women attended 

the jumah or Friday prayer on 

Jan. 30 in a rented space at 

the Pico Union 

Project, just a few 

minutes from the 

Staples Center. 

Edina Lekovic, 

director of policy 

and programming 

at the Muslim 

Public Affairs 

Council, gave the 

sermon. 

Several women 

tweeted after 

the event, conveying 

their enthusiasm. 

But some questioned 

the propriety of women leading 

prayers that have traditionally 

been performed by men. 

Muslema Purmul, a chaplain 

for Muslim students at 

UCLA, wrote a post on her 

Facebook page that there isn’t 

such a thing as a womanled 

Friday prayer. 

“A women’s jumah is legally 

invalid according to all the 


Social media sensation sends $1 million to Africa 

By Carissa D. Lamkahouan 

In today’s world, no one can 

deny the power and ever-expanding 

reach of social media, 

least of all Karim Diane, who’s 

online “singing in the shower” 

bits not only gained him a 

large virtual following on Instagram 

and YouTube, it also 

provided the means for him to 

raise enough funds to send $1 

million worth of medical supplies 

to the West African nation 

of Ivory Coast. 

“It’s super cool,” Diane said 

of the recent campaign, which 

managed to secure the money 

Iman Fund 

Allied Asset Advisors 

Eight Muslims made Forbes 

Magazine’s renowned 30 under 30 

lists. Leaders in their respective 

fields, none of them has reached 

30-years-old yet. 

Abe Othman is the co-founder 

of Building Robotics, a company 

that helps buildings be more 

energy efficient. 

Ali Khan is one of two 

managers on Select Software 

and Computer Services Portfolio, 

worth more than $2 billion. 

Ali Zaidi works on strategies to 

help the US government increase 

American energy security and cut 

carbon emissions. 

Fiza Farhan runs a 

microfinance organization, the 

Buksh Foundation, to bring solar 

lighting to rural Pakistan. 

Karim Abouelnaga is working 

on building a network to redefine 

the summer learning experience 

for low-income children 

nationwide. 

Minhaj Chowdhury is cofounder 

and ceo of Drinkwell, 

which delivers clean drinking 

water through water filtration 

technology. 

Shama Hyder is CEO of the 

award-winning Marketing Zen 

Group, averaging 400% growth 

annually since its start in 2009. 

Uzma Rawn has brokered 

a number of high-level sports 

sponsorship agreements at 

Premier Partnerships. 

in only a few months. 

A graduate student in science 

and social media at the 

University of Southern California 

in Los Angeles, Diane 

is also an aspiring singer and 

songwriter. Looking to gain exposure 

for his talents, he created 

his “Team Karim” Instagram 

profile in 2013 and began uploading 

short videos of himself 

singing covers of popular songs 

— from his shower. 

“I wanted a way to differentiate 

myself (from other singers), 

and this was a fun way to 

do it,” said Diane, 24. 


Organizers 

envision 

programming that 

includes men, but 

the prayers will 

remain for women 

and children, 

including boys 

Karim Diane’s Instagram photo. 

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A publication of Muslim Media Network, Inc. • Tel: 248-426-7777 • Fax: 248-476-8926 • info@muslimobserver.com • www.muslimobserver.com 

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(Your mosque can do it, but you can do it by yourself ! 

Today, the image of Muslims is under attack. However, we should not forget, that it is our responsibility to correct it collectively and 

individually: it is every Muslim's responsibility. YES, if we do it seriously we can see positive results emerging in a few years. 

Muslims, who are spread out across the United States, should place this ad. in their local newspapers and magazines. 

Below is a sample text for the ad. that you can use. 

Islam is a religion of inclusion. Muslims believe in all the Prophets of Old & 

New Testaments. Read Quran - The Original, unchanged word of God as His 

Last and Final testament to humankind. More information is available on 

following sites: www.peacetv.tv, www.theDeenShow.com, 

877whyIslam, www.Gainpeace.com www.twf.org 

Such ads are already running in many newspapers in the United States but may not be in your area of residence yet. Placing 

these ads can be a continuous reward (sadqa-e-jaria) for yourself, your children, your loved deceased ones and with the prayer 

for a sick person that Allah make life easy here and in the Hereafter. Please Google the list of newspapers in your state and 

contact their advertising departments. 

Such ads are not expensive. They range for around $20 to $50 per slot and are cheaper if run for a longer time. Call your local 

newspaper and ask how many print copies they distribute, and run it for a longer period of time to get cheaper rates. 

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NOTE: If you are living East of Chicago, Please call 877WHYISLAM and check if someone is already running an AD in the same 

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www.Gainpeace.com before putting your AD. Also, after the ad appears, please send a clipping to the respective organization. 

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If you have any questions, or want copies of the ads that others have already placed in their area newspapers/ 

magazines, please contact me, Muhammad Khan at mjkhan11373@yahoo.com so that I can guide you better. 

You can also contact 1-877-why-Islam or Gainpeace.com 

Rally against Islam 

outnumbered by 

counterprotesters 

By Niraj Warikoo 


DEARBORN, Mich. — About 

a dozen people, some armed 

with rifles, showed up for an anti-Islam 

rally over the weekend, 

outnumbered by two groups of 

counterprotesters. 

Waving American flags and 

holding up signs that read “Stop 

the Islamization of America” 

and “ISIS Is Evil,” the protesters 

gathered outside Henry 

Ford Centennial Library and 

said they were demonstrating 

against radical Islam. It was 

one of about 20 weekend rallies 

planned near mosques across 

the U.S. The organizers wanted 

to protest against the Nation of 

Islam’s “Justice or Else” event, 

held in Washington, D.C., and 

against what they said is the 

threat of the Muslim faith. 

Marcia Bodary of Mt. 

Clemens held up a sign that 

read: “No More Refugees,” expressing 

concern about Syrian 

refugees coming to America. 

“We’re taking in too many 

refugees,” she said. “We don’t 

know who they are. It’s impossible 

to vet them … Don’t overwhelm 

us. We can’t afford it.” 

The anti-Islam protesters, 

who support open-carry rights, 

were met with two groups who 

opposed their message: members 

with a communist group 

and supporters of open-carry 

who said they wanted to express 

solidarity with Muslims. 

Several protesters and counter-protesters 

brandished AK47 

or AR15 rifles. City officials 

had said were worried about 

the event, but it went smoothly 

with no arrests, Dearborn 

Police Chief Ron Haddad and 

Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly 

Jr. said after the rally. 

“That’s democracy, that’s 

America,” O’Reilly said of 

the protests. O’Reilly said he 

hopes the protesters realized 

that Dearborn, where many 

residents are Muslim, is not a 

radical place. The city has dealt 

with several anti-Islam protests 

over the past five years. 

“They came here and saw: 

there’s no threat to them,” he 

said. “There’s nothing to be 

afraid of.” 

O’Reilly and community 

Several protesters 

and counterprotesters 

brandished 

AK47 or AR15 rifles. 

City officials had said 

were worried about 

the event, but it went 

smoothly with no 

arrests 

leaders had been urging people 

not to show up to confront the 

protesters. Their message was 

heard, with only about 30 counterprotesters 

showing up. 

Area Muslims and Arab- 

Americans participated in other 

already planned events to help 

communities, including feeding 

and clothing needy people 

at the Muslim Center in Detroit. 

Most of the anti-Islam protesters 

declined to give their 

names. The administrator of 

the Facebook page who organized 

the Dearborn event also 

has not given his name. 

Jon Ritzheimer, an Arizona 

man with the anti-government 

group Oath Keepers who had 

threatened to arrest U.S. Sen. 

Debbie Stabenow in Michigan 

over her support of the Iran 

deal, was one of the leaders 

who instigated the nationwide 

protests, said the Southern 

Poverty Law Center. 

The communist group that 

counter-protested in Dearborn 

held up signs that read “No to 

Anti-Islam Bigots” and “Unity 

Yes! Racism No!” while chanting 

“Stop Terrorizing Muslims 

at Home and America” and 

“Hey hey, ho ho, racist fascists 

got to go.” 

The open-carry group that 

supported Muslims said it wanted 

to send a message that opencarry 

proponents are not bigots. 

One couple from Cadillac who 

support gun rights but opposed 

the anti-Islam message had 

guns painted red, white and 

blue along with patriotic shirts 

colored like an American flag. 

“I’m here today to protest 

the Islamophobic protesters 

that are here bearing arms,” 

said Rekab Semaj of Oakland 

County, who had an AK47 rifle 

slung over his shoulder and a 

sign reading “Muslims Deserve 

Freedom.” 

“My message is that liberty is 

for everyone, that liberty has no 

borders … Just because someone 

is of a certain religion does 

not mean they are dangerous. 

Just because the fact I’m a gun 

owner, does not mean I am inherently 

dangerous.” 

A handful of Muslims debated 

with the anti-Islam protesters 

about religion and extremism. 

The protesters were 

inside a fenced area set up by 

Dearborn Police, who kept a 

close eye on the rallies. 

Dearborn Police Chief 

Haddad said of the protest: “I’m 

very proud of our community. 

Our mayor asked them to stay 

home, and they stayed home,” 

largely ignoring the anti-Islam 

demonstrators. 

“Democracy worked the way 

it was supposed to,” Haddad 

said. “Both sides did the right 

thing. They were civil…that’s 

what this country is all about.” 

(Warikoo reports for the 

Detroit Free Press.) 

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL 


Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu (R), his wife Sare Davutoglu leave carnations at the bombing 

scene to commemorate victims of Saturday’s bomb blasts in the Turkish capital, in Ankara, 

Turkey, October 13, 2015. Prime Minister’s Press Office/Handout via Reuters 

International newsbriefs 

US talks South 

China Sea plans 

with Australia 

BOSTON (Reuters) - U.S. 

Secretary of State John Kerry 

and Defense Secretary Ash 

Carter met their Australian 

counterparts in Boston on 

Tuesday to discuss expanded 

cooperation in the South China 

Sea and possible U.S. patrols 

within 12 nautical miles of artificial 

islands built by China. 

Taliban pull 

back from 

Kunduz 

KABUL (Reuters) - The 

Taliban said they were pulling 

back in the northern city 

of Kunduz on Tuesday in order 

to protect civilians, but fighting 

continued elsewhere in 

the country with government 

troops battling to reopen the 

main highway south of the capital 

Kabul. 

Syrian rebels 

fortify frontline 

with TOW arms 

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian 

insurgents are deploying extensive 

supplies of anti-tank missiles 

provided by their foreign 

backers to counter ground attacks 

by the Syrian army and its 

allies, backed by heavy Russian 

air strikes, rebel commanders 

said on Tuesday. 

Hostages ask to 

halt Philippine 

military ops 

MANILA (Reuters) - Two 

Canadians, a Norwegian, and a 

Filipino woman have appealed 

by video to the Philippines to 

stop military operations and to 

Canada to negotiate for their 

freedom with Islamist militants 

who abducted them. 

Japan, China 

agree to 

dialogue 

TOKYO (Reuters) - Senior 

officials of Japan and China 

agreed on Tuesday to pursue 

high-level dialogue to mend 

frayed relations, a Japanese 

government official said. 

Italy’s Senate 

votes to 

diminish power 

ROME (Reuters) - The Italian 

Senate voted on Tuesday to curtail 

its powers in a victory for 

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, 

who has overcome determined 

opposition to push through the 

reform that he says will make 

the country more governable. 

Flight MH17 

report released 

Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 

was shot down over eastern 

Ukraine by a Russian-made Buk 

missile, the Dutch Safety Board 

said on Tuesday in its final report 

on the July 2014 crash 

that killed all 298 aboard. 

Palestinian ‘Day 

of Rage’ attacks 

kill three 

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - 

Palestinian men armed with 

knives and a gun killed at least 

three people and wounded 

several others in a string of attacks 

in Jerusalem and near Tel 

Aviv on Tuesday, police said, 

on a “Day of Rage” declared by 

Palestinian groups. 

Turkey warns 

US, Russia 

against helping 

Kurdish militia 

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey 

has warned the United States 

and Russia it will not tolerate 

Kurdish territorial gains by 

Kurdish militia close to its frontiers 

in north-western Syria, 

two senior officials said. 

Iran parliament 

approves 

nuclear bill 

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran’s 

conservative-dominated parliament 

passed a bill on Tuesday 

approving its nuclear deal with 

world powers, signaling victory 

for the government over hardline 

opponents who worry the 

accord opens a door to wider 

rapprochement with the West.


Abdallah Jasim. Photo credit: Facebook.com 

CONTINUATION 

Jasim’s videos spread Islam 

(Continued from page 1) 

just to make it beneficial? 

TMO: Tell me about your 

outreach. 

AJ: A lot of big shayokh in the 

Muslim community came up to 

me and told me, ‘You reached the 

people that we can’t reach.’ So 

basically people that aren’t interested 

in watching a lecture, will 

watch my video and get some of 

message out of it and that brings 

them a little closer [to Islam]. 

TMO: What keeps you 

going? 

AJ: That’s what keeps me 

going, even though the message 

is so small. I’m not saying 

I’m a sheikh. I’m not saying I’m 

an imam. I’m just a regular guy 

that’s trying to give people a little 

message of Islam. 

I didn’t realize I was making 

a difference when I first started. 

People would just saying, ‘Oh my 

God, you’re hilarious, so funny, 

[etc].” Honestly those comments, 

yeah they make you feel 

good, but at the end of the day 

when I get a message from someone 

[that means a lot more]. 

For example, on Eid I was 

in Detroit. I was in the mosque 

walking around and some guy 

grabbed my shoulders ... He’s 

like, I want to thank you so 

much. My son watched your 

video about fasting on the day of 

Arafah and it’s the first time he 

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fasted on the day of Arafah. 

I hugged the dad. That’s what 

makes everything worth it. 

TMO: Do you preplan your 

videos? Is there a script written 

out beforehand? 

AJ: Nothing that I do is preplanned 

or anything. I just have 

an idea and I run with it. It’s natural 

… But it’s not like I just randomly 

start talking about things. 

I have a concept and the filming 

isn’t scripted. It’s literally me saying 

whatever comes in mind. 

TMO: How do you manage 

your two roles as an engineer 

and entertainer? 

AJ: Honestly, it’s difficult. 

You have to have a professional 

demeanor when you’re at work. 

And not only professional, but 

it’s very technical. I need to tone 

down the energy and do serious 

things. It’s a different vibe. 

The company that I work for 

is a great company, I can be myself 

so it really does help me transition 

to being the different character 

that I have on social media. 

TMO: How much time 

do you spend making your 

videos? 

AJ: Honestly, it’s really not 

that long. They’re not high quality 

videos … it’s really like 2-3 

minutes, maybe 5 minutes. 

But I’m working on bigger 

projects though. I have a short 

film coming out in a week that 

I’ve worked on where I wanted 

to show a serious side. I’m not 

only just a comedian. I like acting. 

I like singing. I wanted to 

show that side of me in this short 

film. 

It’s around 7-8 minutes. It’s 

basically built off a Hollywood 

horror film. I change around 

some of the details of the film to 

convey an Islamic message. 

I worked on the project a 

while ago. I’ve been busy with 

work and busy with this whole 

Snapchat thing and just finally 

got around to finishing this project. 

It’s not professionally done, 

it’s an amateur film but I think 

its pretty good quality. 

TMO: What else do you 

have planned in the future? 

AJ: I’m working on some music. 

Some Islamic covers … I really 

enjoy singing. I’ve been doing 

standup now. I did my fourth 

or fifth event. Alhamdulillah, every 

event that I go to, it’s just getting 

better and better. I’m learning 

more and it’s slowly building 

up. I’m getting a lot of phone 

calls … This is something that I 

always wanted. 

TMO: How did you learn all 

your accents and singing? 

AJ: It was basically based off 

my life; the characters that I met 

in my life, the people that I met. 

I lived in Detroit and I learned a 

lot of my different accents there. 

For me, if I spend a couple 

of weeks with a person, I can 

mimic their exact accent … 

For example, my math teacher 

in high school was Scottish 

and that’s how I learned my 

Scottish accent. 

I’m trying to learn more accents 

right now, but it’s hard 

[to learn from] watch[ing] 

videos or movies. It’s really 

nice to just know someone 

with that accent and actually 

mimic the facial traits that 

they have and what they do 

when they talk. 

TMO: If you ever came 

to a point where your entertainment 

work exploded 

and you had to chose between 

that or engineering, 

what would you pick? 

AJ: That’s a dangerous 

question. The more realistic 

answer is that I need engineering 

… It’s something I can always 

go back to. But if I do explode 

[as an entertainer] and I 

would have to do it full-time, I 

would have to consult people 

and make a decision. If it were 

worth it in the end, then my 

answer would be yes. Why not? 

That’s where my heart is. 

TMO: What’s been the 

greatest challenge? 

AJ: Honestly, the greatest 

challenge has been to keep going. 

In college, I was doing engineering 

and trying to make 

videos, all this stuff. Now I graduated, 

I have a job, and I do it at 

the side. But, it’s like, when is 

it enough? Am I ever gonna be 

something is it just gonna be a 

hobby? It’s really hard coping 

with that. 

But also, being able to handle 

being famous and people knowing 

everything about you. A lot 

of people become famous really 

fast and they don’t know how 

to handle it. I feel like my mom 

has played a really big role in 

my life and keeps me grounded. 

She tells me, ‘Don’t let this go to 

your head.’ She’s definitely what 

keeps me going. 

TMO: What’s your ultimate 

goal as an entertainer? 

Basically, no matter how big 

I become, I don’t want to fall 

into the Hollywood life with the 

whole drugs and girls. I feel like 

entertainment is growing in the 

Muslim community and I want 

to be part of building that and 

making it something powerful 

and moving. 

The Message, for example. 

Do you know how many people 

converted from watching 

The Message? It’s very interesting 

and it has really, really 

high ratings. We need to make 

more Muslim-based movies and 

shows. Now [even] Salahadin is 

coming out. 

As an entertainer, I [also] 

want to help people, especially 

Americans understand that 

[Muslims] have jokes, we can 

be funny … we go through the 

same exact things that all other 

Americans go though … we’re 

just normal people. 

For Pakistan - India - Bangladesh: 

Phone no: 248 225 5731 

Fax no: 248 489 8646 

Email: accesstravel@hotmail.com 

The challenge of 

teaching Arabic 

By Julie Poucher Harbin 

ISLAMiCommentary 

Arabic instructor Abdel 

Razzaq Ben Tarif inside the 

John Hope Franklin Center 

for Interdisciplinary and 

International Studies. 

Jordan native Abdel Razzaq 

Ben Tarif shares a favorite 

quote from the Dalai Lama: 

“Share your knowledge; it’s a 

way to achieve immortality.” 

This fall, he’s following that 

command but teaching Arabic 

at Duke, joining the university’s 

team of Arabic instructors. 

He has six years of experience 

teaching Arabic in a classroom 

setting, a master’s of arts 

teaching Arabic for speakers 

of other language (2009), and 

a master’s in American studies 

(2014) from the University of 

Jordan. 

“Ben Tarif was highly recommended 

by Duke students who 

studied with him in Jordan 

through the Kenan refugee program 

in Amman led by Suzanne 

Shanahan,” said Mbaye Lo, assistant 

professor of the practice 

and Arabic Language Program 

Coordinator at Duke. “So, he 

Teaching university 

students is all about 

time. You have 

one semester to 

make your student 

fall in love with the 

language. You have 

13 weeks to make 

an improvement in 

their ability to use the 

language. 

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is somewhat familiar with the 

Duke culture; and with him, we 

hope to secure a diverse, and 

yet highly talented Arabic faculty 

to serve our students.” 

Below, Ben Tarif talks with 

Julie Harbin, communications 

specialist for the Duke Islamic 

Studies Center. 

HARBIN: You’re an award 

winning Arabic instructor 

who’s had a variety of experiences 

teaching Arabic, teaching 

UN employees, diplomats, 

defense department officials 

and U.S. soldiers and university 

students. How can you 

compare these experiences? 

BEN TARIF: I think teaching 

Arabic for different groups is 

challenging, because 

you are dealing with many 

people from many backgrounds, 

and each have their 

own goal to study the language. 

When we talk about diplomats, 

soldiers and defense department 

officials, going back to 

school again to learn a language 

can be frustrating to them. You 

have to create your own curriculum 

that meets their needs 

to learn the language, and this 

is fun. 

HARBIN: Why is it so important 

for people to learn 

Arabic? What should people 

know about learning Arabic? 

BEN TARIF: Arabic is the 

fifth most commonly spoken 

native language in the world 

and the official language in in 

more than 20 countries. There 

are more than 300 million native 

speakers of the language. 

The Arab-speaking world has 

a rich cultural heritage with its 

own unique art, music, literature, 

cuisine, and way of life. 

Also there are financial incentives 

for learning Arabic. The 

US government has designated 

NATIONAL 

Arabic as a language of strategic 

importance. 

HARBIN: Is the language 

hard to learn? 

BEN TARIF: Arabic is written 

from right to left, as opposed to 

English’s left to right system. 

The open end of a book faces 

left, you have to start on the 

right hand side of your paper, 

and Microsoft word is going 

to come automatically aligned 

right. This is the first challenge 

that you have to overcome! The 

alphabet composed of 28 letters 

that looks nothing like the 

Latin script. Even more, each 

letter changes depending on its 

location in a word! But they are 

easy to overcome. 

HARBIN: What is unique 

about teaching Arabic to university 

students? 

BEN TARIF: Time. Teaching 

university students is all about 

time. You have one semester to 

make your student fall in love 

with the language. You have 13 

weeks to make an improvement 

in their ability to use the language. 

So you have more pressure, 

and keep in your mind 

that students care about their 

grades. 

HARBIN: What is the 

Media Arabic course? 

BEN TARIF: The course exposes 

students to a variety of 

media sources in Arabic and 

trains them to become proficient 

in reading, listening, 

writing, and comprehension 

skills in the context of Arabiclanguage 

media. Students will 

read, watch and analyze authentic 

materials from various 

Arab newspapers, satellite TV 

stations, and the like. Students 

are exposed to discourse in 

Modern Standard Arabic and 

Arabic. 

HARBIN: Can you talk 

about the Arabic intensive 

program that you taught to 

Duke students in Jordan? 

BEN TARIF: This was for the 

Duke in Amman program. The 

students came from the Kenan 

Institute for Ethics under 

The Muslim Observer — Oct 15 - 21, 2015 — Muharram 3 - 9, 1437 — 15 

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the supervision of Suzanne 

Shanahan. They were in Jordan 

studying the culture in the 

Middle East and conducting 

research. It was basically designed 

as a (language) survival 

course and a one-month introduction 

to the culture. 

HARBIN: You are 

Jordanian. Did you grow up 

in Jordan? How did you first 

get into the field of teaching 

Arabic? 

BEN TARIF: I lived in Karak, 

Madaba and Amman. I got into 

this field because I like to meet 

people all around from all cultures. 

Also, I love to make people 

get to know the true Arabian 

and Islamic cultures. My goal 

is to represent a good picture 

about the Middle East through 

language and the culture. 

HARBIN: What can 

Americans and Jordanians 

learn from each other? 

BEN TARIF: We Jordanians 

would love if U.S. foreign policy 

was more effective and would 

have a clear agenda toward the 

Middle East. During the Arab 

Spring we believed that U.S. 

foreign policy was ambiguous. 

We love to live in peace. 

HARBIN: Your masters 

thesis at the University of 

Jordan was “Creating a 

Frankenstein: American 

Involvement in the Evolution 

of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.” 

Can you explain, in brief, 

the principle points of your 

thesis? 

BEN TARIF: The attacks of 

September 11, 2001, on the 

World Trade Center (W.T.C) 

and the Pentagon led to crucial 

decisions by the administration 

of President Bush 

to launch operations against 

terrorists wherever they may 

reside. Osama bin Laden, the 

prominent mastermind behind 

the Sept. 11 attacks was based 

in Afghanistan where U.S. 

military strikes are still underway. 

In the recent past, during 

the 1980s, U.S. foreign policy 

played an important role in the 

introduction of U.S. influence 

in Afghanistan by financing 

military operations designed 

to counter the Soviet invasion 

of Afghanistan. Once the 

Afghan jihad forced a Soviet 

withdrawal a decade later, the 

United States lost interest in 

the Afghani rebels. For the international 

mujahideen drawn 

to the Afghan conflict, however, 

the fight was just beginning. 

The Frankenstein story has 

been used as a political metaphor 

to condemn any policy 

that would have an unintended 

side effect in the future. I used 

the Frankenstein metaphor in 

this thesis to criticize American 

foreign policy in Afghanistan, 

which led to the evolution of 

Islamist fundamentalism there. 

HARBIN: Have you continued 

to conduct research on 

this topic? 

BEN TARIF: No. not yet. But 

I have the intention to write 

about the new generation of 

Islamic militias, including ISIS. 

Editor’s Note: This report 

originally appeared in 

ISLAMiCommentary (www.islamicommentary.org) 

and is republished 

here with permission. 

(ISLAMiCommentary is a public 

scholarship forum that engages 

scholars, journalists, policymakers, 

advocates and artists in their 

fields of expertise. It is a key component 

of the Transcultural Islam 

Project; an initiative managed 

out of the Duke Islamic Studies 

Center in partnership with the 

Carolina Center for the Study 

of the Middle East and Muslim 

Civilizations (UNC-Chapel 

Hill). This article was made possible 

(in part) by a grant from 

Carnegie Corporation of New 

York. The statements made and 

views expressed are solely the responsibility 

of the author(s).) 

See this article at: 

http://islamicommentary. 

org/2015/10/abdel-razzaqben-tarif-the-challenge-ofteaching-arabic/#sthash. 

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