The End of the One Islam Lie
(Those of you who know my biography will know that I studied the Islamic world in college and then spent six years reviewing books about Islam for Booklist Magazine. Hence the interest in all this.)
For a very long time now, Americans have been imagining Islam as a single thing. The nature of that single thing has changed over the years--Islam was a fabulous curiosity that bridged the divide between savage and civilization; Islam was empowered black men; Islam was terrorism; Islam was the opposite of freedom and representative democracy; etc etc.
When we hear--as we all have--that Islam is a religion of peace, it doesn't quite compute. Because we can't help but think to ourselves, "Well, I know that as a liberal open-minded person, I'm supposed to think Islam is a religion of peace, but on the other hand I sure see a lot of swords and suicide bombings!"
The truth is that Islam is not a religion of peace. And it is not a religion of violence. Like all world religions, it is too diverse to be either violent or not. Religion is not so much a set of beliefs as it is a response to revelation, and as we see in Christianity and Judaism and Islam and Buddhism and Hinduism, the response to revelation varies endlessly.
The last words of the 9/11 terrorists were, "Allahu Akbar," which means, "God is most great." Many Americans associate these words with radicalism and violence. "Allahu Akbar" was also shouted from roofs at night during the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
30 years later, Iranians have taken up the cry of "Allahu Akbar" to protest the Iranian government's (possible) electoral fraud. All night in Tehran, they chant back and forth to one another, risking arrest and worse to tell one another and the world that they will continue to fight for their votes.
Watch this video, for instance. According to the translation I saw, the young woman is saying, "They can take our phones and our forms of communication, but we will still be able to find each other by calling out for God's help."
Those who feel the guidance of God as revealed through the Quran are protesting for freedom and political representation. And the people savagely beating those protesters also feel the guidance of God as revealed through the Quran.
You would think we could accept this complexity, since we have seen it so many times in American history: As Dr. King's faith led to him being jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, my mother heard from the pulpit that segregation was God's will.
And maybe now--as we see and hear Muslims on twitter and youtube (and, occasionally, even on that pathetically decrepit technology known as television) calling out to God for peace and for justice--we will see that Islam is no monolith.
Allahu Akbar.
posted by John Green @ Thursday, June 18, 2009
30 Comments
30 Comments:
I've really enjoyed learning about the recent situation in Iran via your blogs, videos, and tweets, John. Thanks for the insight.
Allahu Akbar.
Your unique perspective and insight on the unfolding situations in Iran are much appreciated, John. Thank you so much.
As the others have said. Thank you. Thanks to you I'm now RTing a large amount of Iranian tweets. And have started a thread on the Ning about it.
Also, I LOVED this part:
"Religion is not so much a set of beliefs as it is a response to revelation-"
Thank you.
I'm so tired of the "Islam is []" ridiculousness. I think you've expressed it perfectly.
Insha'Alla, those praying for peace and justice will find it.
This is very much appreciated, John. Allahu Akbar- I'll be forwarding this link around.
Thanks for this sane and smart response to a complex reality.
"...a response to revelation."
...This seems true to me. And it begins as personal, individual, then moves into the culture, by all possible means, where it meets all things human.
Allaho Akbar.
It surprises me that people can look at a religion with over a billion adherents all over the world and pretend that uniformity of belief or practice exists. Growing up in one community in Texas, I visited Christian churches where there were variously rigid ceremonies, political diatribes, singing, faith healing, and even the handling of snakes -- each of which was very important to that particular group of Christians. In the west, we need to recognize that the diversity of human experience doesn't only apply to us.
The political dynamic of Islam is also important to recognize. Islam was a huge force in many countries securing independence at the end of the colonial period -- its political power for both good and ill has been seen repeatedly in the past half century. Why do so many see only the ill?
I saw Wicked last night (this is related, I swear!) and a line that struck me was "To unite a people give them a common enemy". I feel like after 9/11, America wanted to blame someone, and Islam as a religion became a scapegoat. Of course, judging all Muslims by the actions of Terrorists is as ridiculous and unfair as judging all Christians by the actions of the KKK. In times of fear, we tend to lose our minds. Understandable, but not OK. I hope that people like you, John, can help us rise above our fear, so that our country can be united in love and not hate.
John Green, if I do not already hold you in the highest esteem, this post would only serve to place you amongst my Deities of Awesome. (As it is, you already are one.)
Thank you for your objectivity, fairness, and understanding. And for sharing it with the world. It means a lot to me and the Muslim world in general.
Allahu Akbar. :)
I think it's very cool that you have the courage to end your blog post with those words. I don't think that it should necessarily take courage but the simple fact is that in a nation that endured McCarthyism and the reactionary ways of post-9/11 anti-Muslim sentiment, it does. I applaud your courage and the light that you shine.
John, as a fellow writer (okay, still a struggling one), I am consistently impressed by your insight and ability to express complex situations in a coherent, insightful fashion. To put it succinctly, YOU ROCK.
I took one semester of Middle Eastern history in college and found so much about the region's past that was fascinating and worthy of deep respect. I envy you your depth of knowledge. Keep the analysis coming--there aren't many who have the voice you have, so I hope you'll keep speaking up as a force for good.
I've seen the sprouting of millions of Iranian nerdfighters, this week, like flowers whose seeds were scattered and forgotten until now. They deserve to have their voices heard by the youth of America and beyond. DFTBA, Iran.
Allahu Akbar.
John, your consideration, compassion, wisdom and love speak well of you. Thank you for being a light in my life.
Thanks for this, John. It's amazing how easy it is to make the world into "them" and "us", "them" being the people with the Arabic names and the different religion (that's not so different at all).
I'm a Baha'i (a religion that came out of Iran in the 1840s) and we say "Allah-u-Abha", "God is Most Glorious". So Allah-u-Akbar and Allah-u-Abha. :)
Your knowledge and true open mindededness compel me to be more like you. John Green you are a true role model.
Thankyou for your insight and Thankyou,Thankyou for giving us a voice.
Allahu Akbar. =)
I am not the first to thank you keeping us informed on the Iran situation, especially via those living it, but I appreciate it nonetheless. Maybe I just always agree with you, but you seem extremely level-headed in your important explanations of the world right now.
On the topic of a uniformity within a religion, I was surprised that you didn't bring up the obvious that Islam, like Christianity, has different divisions and practices that have actual names. Like all religions, the first voice has become many voices, each one with its own words to share. Some of them are similar; some of them are radically different (reference intended).
Yes. A thousand times yes. I love that you understand these things... and hate that many around me don't.
Allahu Akbar.
God is most great.
Regardless of which religion one comes from, the sentiment stands. In the end-- or literally in the beginning--we're not so different.
On a side note, I feel that the rest of the non-nerdfighter population would be better off reading and listening to you. Just sayin'.
Allahu Akbar.
Props. I appreciate your view on Islam, because you (unlike most people who try to talk about Islam) actually know what you're talking about.
Mashallah, keep it up. Inshallah, one day, all the haters will realize that Islam does not equal violence. But that Islam equals over 1 billion very different people, most of whom are nonviolent/made of epic awesome lol.
Salaams<3
First off all, I just want to thank you for shedding light on this stuff. I feel so bad that I used to be so uninformed on these sort of things, and these recent blog posts are very enlightening. That video is so moving, and my heart goes out to all the people of Iran. No matter what you think about religion, how those people are handling the situation over there is really very awe-inspiring.
As a side-note, I just wanted to reccommend a podcast i've been listening to for a while now. I really think you'd like it, as would the rest of nerdfighteria, as it's got it all - politics, world news, pop culture, and bundles of laughs - including a semi-nersdfighter host (penny) !!
http://smartmouthspodcast.com/
Allahu Akbar, and DFTBA!
John, I have a question for you.
I am very passionate about human rights and the freedom of speech (and especially vote). So I'm trying to show my support and tell as many people I can about the situation in Iran, both online and irl. But I can't help but cringe at the notion of our government becoming involved.
So many people are calling on President Obama and his Administration to do something about this, but I resolve that he shouldn't. We, America, shouldn't meddle. We, as human beings, should show our support and do what we can. But the idea of our country helping militarily and politically seems far to reminiscent of Iraq. It also seems to undermine the idea of Iranians gaining political freedom for themselves.
What do you think on this issue?
You are the most intelligent, insightful, and wonderful writer, I have ever come across. Thank you for being alive.
Allahu Akbar
I tried to watch the video you referenced at 11pm central and it is only a black screen with some lights moving across and no sound. There was a post as recent as 2 hours ago that the video could be seen. Will try to check tom., but worried it may have been blocked.
@lalibrarylady86 Try turning your volume up. I watched a video like that, and had to turn mine up. =)
Sorry, very embarrassed re: last comment as my sound was turned all the way down.
Don't feel bad. I that sometimes. =)
I think that concept can be applied to every religion. I feel like religion is an interpretation (or "response," like you said) of spirituality or God. And the way people interpret spirituality is too varied to be tied to a single definition.
Recently we see that mostly, spirituality functions simply as an excuse for our actions, be it justice or vengeance (also reflective of something you mentioned above.) What's important to keep in mind, though, is that even though religion as an excuse is common, that doesn't mean it's absolute. So long as we are all human, we will all be spiritualizing differently.
Allahu Akbar is also what is chanted endlessly in about every terrorist video after an IED attack, ambush, or suicide bombing killing coalition forces and/or innocent civilians.
Allah literally translates to "God". "God" to most Arabic people is of course Allah.
Shukran! Shukran jazeelan!
Thank you so much for this post.
I care a tremendous amount about the way Americans view Islam and Muslims.
I did a large social commentary project this school year about Islamophobia, and this issue is something I believe our younger generation (my generation!) really needs to be aware of.
Shukran once again.
يارا
Thank you, John, for opening the minds of many who read your blogs. Maybe more will realize that all Muslims are not extremists, and are people as well. Inshallah May Allah bless you for this. Allahu Akhbar.
P.S. I still love your other works. Such as your vlog borthers stuff. You never FTBA ;)
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