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e prepared for a life of marriage and work while in your teens, nor would any sister of yours be ready. And believe me, both of you would feel as though you had been cheated by your parents if we really did carry out such a plan. You would likely feel that you had been deprived of a chance of living a proper life, a life of education, of decent work, of building a family at the appropriate time. Basically you and your sister would hate me and your mother for having brought you into the world and then sent you out long before you were ready to leave home. In the same way that you would not like this for yourself, think of all the young girls who are married off far before it is appropriate— based on the argument that the Prophet married a young Aisha. Remember that possibilities for life achievement were radically different in seventh-century Arabia. In the twenty-first century, we should be shocked and angry at depriving a young girl of her chance in life. Use your sense of empathy and think about these injustices in the name of your faith. Remember also that today Islam is a religion in transition and in conflict with itself. There are other models of how Muslim women can live and be true to our common faith. There are Muslim women who have looked into the origins of the veil and have come to the conclusion that there are no hard-and-fast rules on the veil—let alone the burqa. Many men have come to the same conclusion. Women are called on to be modest within Islam. But the veil is a pre-Islamic tradition. There are multiple ways to interpret modesty. The veil is simply one of a number of interpretations. And if there is flexibility on the question of the veil, then the burqa is simply a tradition and not religion.
FREE SPEECH AND THE SILENCE WITHIN OURSELVES Habeebie Saif, You will have witnessed the global debate around Islam and the value of free speech. This reached a terrible crescendo with the killing of the staff of Charlie Hebdo—the satirical French magazine—by people claiming to be avenging their insult of the Prophet. This incident followed earlier incidents, such as the cartoons published in Danish newspapers that were offensive to Islam and Muslims. The Danish cartoons episode led to demonstrations and riots in many Muslim cities around the world, denouncing the insult and demanding retribution. Another consequence of these and similar incidents is that a number of Muslims, and Muslim countries, have been promoting the idea of a law against blasphemy. This campaign is taking place in European countries as well as in the Arab world. In Islamic countries, it is clear that insulting Islam as a faith, or insulting the Prophet, is a serious crime. There are even those who call for the death penalty. In Pakistan, for example, politicians have been killed for suggesting that the blasphemy law should be repealed. In some Arab countries, the campaign has taken upon itself to expand the existing blasphemy laws to include insulting the Companions of the Prophet. Since the Shia are known to hold some of the Prophet’s Companions in low regard, this law can be seen to be directed toward Shia sections of the community. What are we to make of all of this? How should you approach this very broad and complex question? I will try to answer these questions by approaching them from a different perspective. Rather than focusing on the feelings of insult and hurt that are created by the actions of others, I want to look at the place of speech in our lives. When I was a child I remember being advised by cautious older friends to avoid controversial subjects like religion and politics. Some of my father’s friends listened to my detailed questions about his strange and violent death and gently avoided answering me. Once in a while I would be pulled to one side and advised to remain quiet about things that did not matter anymore. Or I would be told bluntly to stop asking questions. I was never really sure why I should not ask the questions. Out of some respect for my elders, as well as innate caution, I toned down my questions. The same happened whenever I posed a question to those who purported to teach us about our religion. The questions would tumble out: How do you know Allah exists? Why should we pray? Was
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Begin Reading Table of Contents Abo
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To my mother for all her patience,
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PREFACE I have two sons. My older s
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My work in diplomacy came later, an
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playground gossip about the Jews or
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THE GRAY AREA Habeebie Saif, You ar
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debates that are taking place in Eu
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have your favorites. My favorite is
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They have stories to tell you about
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LANDSCAPES OF ISLAM Saif, You know
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Yemen, you will find an intellectua
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lot of power and influence at stake
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egion—are dry and relatively hars
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FRAGMENTS OF MEMORY Habeebie Saif,
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impossible to know what my father d
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THE LIMITS OF WHAT WE CAN KNOW Dear
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MY FIRST DARK DAYS Saif, The summer
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He took out a pen and paper and beg
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clearly that Allah may intend for u
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and therefore, there is some kind o
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spread of the Islamic values of res
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Perhaps an extended statement like
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most important ways are going to be
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our lives. I believe we owe that to
Page 51 and 52: Orthodox Islam brought the spiritua
Page 53 and 54: So there are leading Muslim figures
Page 55 and 56: home you were discriminated against
Page 57 and 58: the earth at the end of our lives
Page 59 and 60: accordance with the Quran and the P
Page 61 and 62: would wonder why I could hardly mem
Page 63 and 64: slightly more at ease in a world of
Page 65 and 66: VIOLENCE Habeebie Saif, As much as
Page 67 and 68: they commit. I want you to see how
Page 69 and 70: ROLE MODELS Habeebie Saif, You will
Page 71 and 72: are always called to return by thos
Page 73 and 74: Everyone seemed to have had a cousi
Page 75 and 76: Qutb was an extremely fluent and pe
Page 77 and 78: eject it, as is possible in Western
Page 79 and 80: Of course we instinctively want to
Page 81 and 82: REVELATION AND REASON Habeebie Saif
Page 83 and 84: that for a thousand years we have t
Page 85 and 86: SERMONS AND WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE M
Page 87 and 88: y its practitioners. Do you underst
Page 89 and 90: differs from the Sunni method. The
Page 91 and 92: opened up the world of knowledge an
Page 93 and 94: knowledge from other cultures—cul
Page 95 and 96: learning from their stories. In his
Page 97 and 98: Remember that I realized that what
Page 99 and 100: MEN AND WOMEN Habeebie Saif, You ha
Page 101: asic respect that any human being d
Page 105 and 106: a dream come true. Some people cher
Page 107 and 108: A CLOSER LOOK AT A MORAL CONUNDRUM
Page 109 and 110: When he saw them again, he inquired
Page 111 and 112: choices that have been made for us
Page 113 and 114: likelier to see life for what it is
Page 115 and 116: ABOUT THE AUTHOR Omar Saif Ghobash
Page 117 and 118: Contents Title Page Copyright Notic
Page 119: LETTERS TO A YOUNG MUSLIM. Copyrigh
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