COMMENT: Now Is Not The Time ...

Imagine your brother or son working as an engineer in Iraq has been kidnapped by insurgents. Imagine you have been told by your elected officials that they will not negotiate with his captors.

Then imagine if you know that an Australian Muslim leader may be able to help. What will you do? Will you refuse to take a chance because of anti-Semitic remarks he made about Jewish people over a decade ago? Will you not approach him because of recent remarks he made in Lebanon during some Friday sermons?

Of course not. You would do anything to save your loved one.

The Howard government sent thousands of young Australian servicemen and women to Iraq. Many of these young Australians are still there, risking their lives to keep (or rather, create) the peace. Yet the Howard government has said that it will not negotiate with those holding an Australian citizen captive.

I am sure Ministers will be wishing there was some way they could save Mr Wood without giving terrorists the legitimacy that they simply do not deserve. And revelations in the Sun-Herald on May 15 of a gentleman’s agreement between Mr Ruddock, Keysar Trad and Imam Hilaly are proof that the Government is trying to do what it can.

Yet two issues arising from this whole affair are of particular concern.

Firstly, the attitude of neo-Conservative pro-Government commentators is cause for concern. At least 3 major columnists have made vicious attacks on Imam Hilaly, raising decade-old allegations of anti-Semitic remarks. These commentators express their distaste with Imam Hilaly being used as a go-between and a negotiator. Some have virtually accused him of using the Wood family’s grief to gain publicity for himself.

I am not the world’s biggest fan of Imam Hilaly. I have criticised him publicly in various Muslim and wider community forums (online and otherwise). But on this occasion, I simply cannot find fault with what he is doing.

Hilaly is an old man with a serious heart condition. His personal life is not the best, and his office is in turmoil after his translator and adviser of many years was removed. Hilaly is caught in the cross-fire of 3 feuding Islamic councils vying for hegemony over the affairs of the Muslims of NSW.

Yet at the drop of a turban, the Imam has rushed to a war-zone, risking his life to save the life of a fellow-Australian. Whatever Hilaly may have said about Jews over 16 years ago, I am sure Australians of Jewish faith (and indeed of all other faiths and no faith) will be hoping and wishing that Imam Hilaly’s mission is successful.

Now is not the time for allegedly conservative columnists to attack the Shaykh. Let him do his job. Iraqis (including the terrorists) will not take the Shaykh’s mission seriously if they go to the web and read respected columnists in major Australian media outlets attacking the Shaykh. Criticising the Shaykh at this time, apart from causing enormous distress to the Wood family, will effectively undermine efforts to free Douglas Wood.

But apart from the irresponsible comments made by commentators (tabloid and otherwise), there is a matter of greater concern. It seems that our foreign affairs apparatchiks in Canberra may not have the extensive knowledge and contacts in the Arab world needed to deal with such situation should it arise in the future.

That a country with such a large, diverse and educated Arabic-speaking community does not have more such people in our intelligence and foreign affairs agencies is cause for concern. How can we fight ‘Islamist terror’ when we do not have the people who can speak the language and understand the culture of many terrorist groups?

One important lesson our government can learn is that it cannot afford to ignore the potential for Arab and Muslim Australians to contribute to our national security and our diplomatic efforts. Muslims are not just good for securing IOC delegates’ votes for the 2000 Sydney Games, or for opening up export markets in halal meat.

If major Australian financial institutions, telecommunications companies and large commercial law firms are happy to involve persons of Arab and/or Muslim backgrounds in sensitive leadership roles, why can’t our government, intelligence and diplomatic agencies?

I am not suggesting that our government agencies activeky discourage the involvement of persons of a particular background. Nor do they discriminate. And nor am i suggesting that private sector personalities positively discriminate. And I certainly am not suggesting that positive discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or religion is the solution.

What I am saying is that, in the current environment, even the most Aussie of Mossies are not exactly the social flavour of the month. Years of bad press, especially since September 11, are taking their toll. And as the Wood saga shows, it is not just Aussie Mossies who are suffering as a result.

But it works both ways. Muslim Australians need to come out of the closet. They cannot allow the Islamophobic tendencies of ignorant shock jocks and infantile columnists to dictate the extent of their contribution to this wonderful country we all call our home. It is their duty to God that they show their service to Australia with greater gusto.

Australians need and deserve to be reassured. Aussie Muslims need to find voices that communicate in a language all Australians can understand and appreciate. Even if some claiming greater loyalty to Australia oppose them.

Leadership Lost In Translation

Recently, one of Australia’s most senior Muslim religious scholars made certain comments as he was leaving to lead an Australian delegation to Iraq. The purpose of the delegation was to seek the release of Australian engineer Douglas Wood.

Shaykh Tajeddine Hilaly was quoted as addressing the kidnappers. His statement included a claim that most Australians opposed the war in Iraq and the continued presence of foreign troops. He also allegedly to have said to the kidnappers: “We value your jihad”.

On the surface, these comments suggest that the Mufti, on behalf of all Australian Muslims, supports the actions of terrorists. These actions include the kidnapping of foreigners including Australians, as well as threats to execute foreigners if demands are not met.

Shaykh Hilaly is said to be the Mufti of Australia. According to his former adviser and translator, Keysar Trad, the position of mufti is equivalent to that of governor-general or archbishop. Further, the term ‘jihad’ is commonly translated as ‘holy war’.

Yet these are mistranslations of both terms, and the distortion of the true meanings of these terms leads to all sorts of misunderstanding and misapprehension.

Shaykh Hilaly was appointed to the position of Mufti by the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, a national umbrella body claiming to represent all Australian Muslims. Yet the reality is that most Australian Muslims have never heard of AFIC. Indeed, I recall asking one local Australian Muslim whether he had heard of AFIC, only to be asked whether it was the latest brand of Cadbury chocolate!

Mr Trad, recently removed from the role of adviser to Shaykh Hilaly, does not hold any formal accreditation as an interpreter or translator. His acting as translator for Hilaly for such an extended period may well have contributed to the misunderstandings that have frequently arisen from the Shaykh’s speeches.

In reality, the term “mufti” means the giver of fatwa’s. The term ‘fatwa’ refers to a non-binding legal opinion on Islamic legal matters, perhaps the equivalent of an advice from a Senior Counsel.

The mufti is not a spiritual leader. The spiritual leadership of the Muslim communities traditionally has rested with the leaders of particular sufi orders (often labelled as “murshid’s”). Sometimes, the position of mufti and murshid is combined. For instance, the founder of the whirling dervish sufis, Jelaluddin Rumi, was both murshid and mufti, holding expertise in both legal and spiritual matters.

As for jihad, the literal meaning of the word is ‘striving’ or ‘struggle’. The Prophet Muhammad is quoted as saying that the greater jihad is to struggle against one’s own evil inclinations. He has also said that the greatest jihad is to speak the truth in the presence of a tyrant.

So when Shaykh Hilaly was speaking about jihad, was he referring to a violent confrontation between occupying forces and rebels? Was he referring to the actions of kidnappers? Was he referring to the broader struggle for Iraqi independence or the even broader struggle for spiritual purification that (according to classical Islamic tradition) must be a precursor to a change in leadership?

Unfortunately, we do not know the answer. Shaykh Hilaly’s inability to speak English, and his frequent use (thus far) of an unqualified translator does not help matters.

So once again, Australian Muslims will be painted as terror-sympathisers because of the inability of Muslim leaders to articulate views reflective of mainstream Muslim opinion and in a language that most Muslims can understand. And in Shaikh Hilaly’s home state of New South Wales, the official leadership of the Muslim Council of NSW (the umbrella body recognised by AFIC) has been totally silent on the issue. The remaining two Islamic councils also appear to be ducking for cover.

If this sort of situation continues, and if mainstream Aussie Mossies continue to be too busy to improve their leadership situation, misunderstanding will continue to grow. And that is exactly what al-Qaeda wants.

© Irfan Yusuf 2005

Rene Rivkin & Psycho-Stigmatic Ignorance

Celebrity deaths can cause a celebrity’s illness to also become a celebrity.

Rock Hudson's death from AIDS was among the first dominos to fall before governments spent serious dollars on safe sex campaigns and research for a cure. HIV/AIDS is now a sexy disease, not just an STD.

But mental illness will never get celebrity status regardless of how many famous people fall victim. There is nothing sexy about psychotic or mood disorders.

Cigar & Bipolar

The late Rene Rivkin, a prominent Australian stockbroker recently sentenced to gaol for insider trading, was not the first celebrity to suffer from what the ancient Greeks called "melancholia". Nor was he the first person to take his own life as a result. Yes, AIDS kills. But then, so does depression.

Rene Rivkin lived a flamboyant lifestyle. The son of Russian Jewish and royalist migrants who fled following the Leninist revolution, Rene was born in Shanghai. His family migrated to Australia. Rene grew up in a time when bipolar disorder in children was dismissed as bad behaviour or irresponsibility.

Rene went into the finance industry and took the stockbroking world by storm. He was the stockbroker to many in Sydney’s high society, and enjoyed lighting up a cigar in front of photographers and their accompanied scribes.

But Rene was also an extraordinarily generous man. He donated millions to mainstream charities such as the Salvation Army. He rarely gloated over his good deeds, preferring the public image of a man drowning in fabulous wealth.

A Wealth of Unhappiness

Rene had it all. A beautiful and adoring wife, intelligent and successful children, a business that operated like a mint and plenty of friends in high places. When he was being sentenced by the Supreme Court of NSW, a long line of Sydney luminaries from politics, media and business attended court to give testimony on Rene’s good fame and character.

Rene was sentenced to weekend detention. On his first day in gaol, he collapsed and was taken to hospital. Eventually he was diagnosed with a brain tumour which had become active after years in a benign state. Yet more troubling to Rene was the diagnosis of one of Sydney’s top psychiatrists. Rene was found to suffer from bipolar disorder, often referred to as manic depression.

All the wealth and friends and family support could not stop Rene from feeling like a social outcast. The media treated him like some kind of fake, a man who was perfectly ok and was merely acting to avoid serving his time in gaol.

Most people committing suicide to avoid responsibility for their actions do so before they can get caught. Rene had already faced the music. He had enough wealth to live a comfortable life even after the conclusion of his sentence. He had nothing to lose in a material sense. But his mind was playing games with him.

Millions of us who have suffered depression can relate to Rene's decision to take his life. It seems totally irrational. And it is. But when it comes to suicide, there is often a thin line between genius and insanity. And even persons with the biggest hearts, the best minds and the strongest faith can feel the urge to dig their own grave.

Not the First to be Damned

Many prominent people have suffered from mood disorders. Winston Churchill spoke of his "black dog". Spike Milligan must have found it hard to be funny when going through a bout of depression. It's as if one needs to be a genius to get bipolar disorder (also referred to as manic depression).

Yet many other people, prominent and otherwise, also suffer in silence. Why? Because despite all the campaigns and websites and publicity, depression continues to carry a stigma that can destroy a person's professional and personal life.

People still think a mentally ill person is just `crazy', that they cannot function properly, cannot make responsible decisions, cannot hold down a job or build a career.

Worse still, if a person claims mental illness as a factor in their commission of a crime or some other legal wrong, many will quick to point the finger and cough the words "bullshit, bullshit".

When the Rivkin family bravely allowed the national Australian broadcaster ABCTV program `Australian Story' to enter their private life, many were surprised by the revelations that followed. Many more were sceptical about Mrs Rivkin's claims that her husband suffered from bipolar disorder.

But anyone who has suffered from bipolar disorder (or cared for such a person) could have seen the symptoms loud and clear. '

Psycho-Stigmatic Ignorance

The social stigma associated with mental illness can have tragic results. Thousands of people go about life with undiagnosed depression. Thousands waste their own (or someone else's) hard-earned wealth because of a typical symptom of bipolar disorder. And thousands are too scared to seek help in case they are diagnosed. Many, like Mr Rivkin, choose to take their own life.

The ignorance out there on the community of facilities available to the mentally ill is truly frightening. The lives, reputations and assets of mentally ill people can be protected, but few know how this can be done.
Few people have heard of the Guardianship Tribunal, the Mental Health Review Tribunal, the Protective Commissioner, the Public Guardian or other bodies in NSW that typically involve themselves in decision­making on behalf of the mentally ill.

Fewer legal advisers know how such decisions can be reviewed or appealed. I recently spent 6 months working as a Senior Legal Officer at the Office of the Protective Commissioner (OPC). Few private lawyers of OPC clients I spoke to during that time had any idea of how the substitute decision making system operated.

The Next Epidemic

Governments continue to show lack lustre support to the mentally ill, their carers and the facilities that can provide assistance. Yet as funds for mental illness related services are drying up, more Australians are joining the ranks of sufferers. The ranks of this fringe of society are growing rapidly.

We know that as people get older, the chances of them suffering depression are greater. Our ageing population makes mental illness a more common feature of our community.

We also know that recreational drug use can trigger such illnesses. Drug use is not just the practice of young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. It is common parlance to speak of big-firm lawyers and accountants and other young professionals from the big end of town using speed and cocaine. Drug induced depression is a major cause of our country having one of the highest rates of youth suicide in the world.

In short, we are facing an epidemic of mental illness. Unless our governments and policy makers take this epidemic seriously, people will continue to suffer in silence. And unless we as a community change our attitudes to mental illness and treat sufferers with respect and sensitivity, our governments will have little incentive to change their policy priorities.

If even the death of a celebrity like Rene Rivkin cannot increase awareness of mood disorders and save thousands of others from a similar fate, one wonders what will.

© I Yusuf, 2005
irfsol@yahoo.com.au

Muslims must speak out, or be condemned for their silence

http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2005/04/27/1114462100745.html
Date: April 28 2005

A leader's controversial comments on rape do not reflect the view of the majority, writes Irfan Yusef.

Muslim websites in Sydney and Melbourne have been running hot in the wake of comments made some weeks ago by Sheik Faiz Mohamad, a graduate of Islamic law and lecturer at an Islamic centre in south-western Sydney.

Faiz's comments, that women largely bear responsibility for rape if they make themselves an object of sexual desire, have upset many in a religious community that is still haunted by images and stories of Bosnian refugees being gang-raped during the recent war. The fear is that as Australians outside the Muslim community become aware of his comments, a wider backlash will result.

Faiz has been described in some circles as a cleric. Yet Islam knows no priestly or clerical class. The word sheik literally means old man. In a religious context, sheiks are little more than religious lawyers, similar in status to rabbis in the Jewish tradition.

Faiz studied Islamic law in Saudi Arabia and is a follower of one of a number of fringe "salafi" groups. Salafi groups are regarded as heterodox, removing texts from their historical context and turning a religion whose name literally means peace into a violent political ideology. They are rejected by even the Saudi religious establishment.

I prefer the wisdom of Turkish sufis to the fires of hatred that al-Qaeda wannabes like to fuel. The beliefs of mainstream Muslims of all ethnic backgrounds are more reflected by whirling dervishes than rants of a small minority of hate-filled youngsters. This is especially the case with local Arabic, Turkish and Indian subcontinent communities, which are dominant among Australian Muslims.

In a public address last month, Faiz is reported to have said there is a victim of rape somewhere in the world every minute, and that the woman is usually to blame. "She displayed her beauty to the entire world. She degraded herself by being an object of sexual desire and thus becoming vulnerable to a man who looks at her for gratification of his sexual urge."

Not surprisingly, most in the Muslim community feel revulsion at his comments. Yet there has been little significant response from Muslim community leaders, when condemnation of Faiz's comments should have been swift.

In NSW, three umbrella Islamic councils compete to represent the Muslim communities across all cultural and language groups and have spent thousands of dollars fighting in the Supreme Court for governance of the Muslim community.

Muslims are not the only religious community suffering a crisis of leadership. I am yet to meet a Sydney Anglican who is completely happy with their church, and many Catholics are not exactly jumping for joy at the choice of a new pope.

However, most - if not all - cardinals, archbishops and rabbis at least speak English and don't need interpreters everywhere they go, so they are in tune with the thinking and mores of the wider community. With Muslims, it seems that language ability and understanding the local culture are the last criteria you need to satisfy to become a community leader.

This is why your average, anonymous Aussie Mossie (as local Muslims often refer to themselves) such as myself has to speak out. If we don't, people pretending to speak on our behalf will continue to say stupid things, and we will be the ones who have to bear the abuse of fellow Australians via the radio shock jocks and the broader community.

Yet Muslim community leaders sit back and do next to nothing or, worse, try to defend the indefensible comments of the likes of Faiz.

Meanwhile, your average Muslim will be too busy organising his or her business, or career; most Muslims are too busy getting on with life to worry about what some religious crackpot is saying.

So let me state for the record what I think most Muslims believe. Like other Australians, most Muslims believe rape is a crime; that rapists should and must be punished. Women and men are subject to sexual assault regardless of what they wear. And sadly, idiots of all religious denominations sometimes claim that women could avoid being raped by dressing more modestly, but I am yet to read any scripture or learn of a religion that justifies rape.

Muslims have to speak out. We cannot afford to rely on our non-English-speaking imams and feuding leaders to make incoherent noises while we are busy getting on with our lives.

In the present environment, where shock jocks and columnists are quoting our incompetent leadership, our silence will be treated as an admission of guilt.

More than 90 per cent of programs broadcast on Sydney Muslim radio stations are in Arabic, not English. Yet I doubt any of them will say a word about Faiz.

And if they do, it will be in a language most Muslims, indeed most Australians, will not understand.

Irfan Yusef is a Sydney lawyer.

(the Sydney Morning Herald find it impossible to spell my surname correctly. That's life!)
______________________

the following letter was sent to the Herald in response to the article ...

http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2005/04/28/1114635688974.html

Learning to live with the Aussie Mossie

Thank you for publishing Irfan Yusef's article ("Muslims must speak out, or be condemned for their silence", Herald, April 28). His views probably do reflect the thoughts and opinions of most Muslims in this country. I have never heard the term "Aussie Mossie" before, and I couldn't help smiling at this very Australian sense of humour.

I, too, am tired of hearing shock jock comments in the media and rarely hearing from local Muslims. Thanks to Irfan Yusef and the likes of George Negus (his book, The world from Islam), at least we can start to understand and coexist with Australians of the Muslim faith.

Neil Feller
Potts Point

A Prayer For My Presbhyterian Brother

Douglas Wood is an Australian engineer working for an American company in Iraq. He has been kidnapped by a group claiming to be acting in the interests of the Iraqi people and their independence.

I wish I knew how kidnapping an Australian serves the interests of Iraqi people. Yes, I know our government has sent troops to Iraq. In doing so, it has ignored the wishes of millions of Australians who oppose the war.

Australians of all races and religions and political persuasions oppose the war and the occupation. Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus. And Muslims like me. Leftists, Labor voters and Liberals (small and big “L”). And Conservatives like me.

But the troops are there now. Saddam is in custody. Iraqis have the chance to re-build their country. Independence is their right. But how will it be achieved by kidnapping an Australian engineer?

Kidnappings and harming civilian workers will do little to help us convince our countrymen to oppose continuing occupation.

Kidnappers who claim to be acting for Islam should be asked to show one verse from the Qur’an (the Muslim scripture) or one hadith (reported saying of the Prophet) which supports their actions.

The Qur’an never taught us to hate others. It never taught us to attack those who are trying to help re-build shattered lives.

The Qur’an taught us to pray for others and for peace. Islam is an Arabic word that literally means peace. Yet I don’t see much peace being evidenced in the actions of the kidnappers.

So I guess it is time for me to pray for Douglas, my Presbhyterian Christian brother and a fellow Australian.

God, you created men and women in a state of freedom from impurities. Grant your servant, Douglas Wood, freedom from all impurities of heart and mind. Grant the prayers of his family and friends who pray for his liberty.

God, you control the hearts of all men and women. Change the hearts of those keeping Douglas in captivity. Guide them to understand that kidnapping innocent civilians achieves nothing for the cause of Iraqi freedom.

Lord, hear our prayer for the sake of Your Beloved Chosen One (Mustafa), Muhammad (peace & blessings of God be upon him). Amin.

Time To Speak Out

It is with great reluctance that I enter the debate raging over comments made by a certain Muslim “cleric” in south western Sydney some weeks back.

I have never met Shaykh Feiz. I have never attended his lectures. The first time I saw him was on TV after the September 11 terrorist attacks. I consciously refuse to follow his ‘salafi’ brand of Islam. I prefer the wisdom of Turkish sufis to the fires of hate that al-Qaida types like to fuel.

I am rarely involved in Muslim community activities. I am not Lebanese. I did not grow up in south western Sydney. Yet I know that I will be judged by what Shaykh Feiz is reported to have said.

I am your typical Aussie Muslim. I was brought up in a metropolitan city. I went to school here. In fact, I attended Australia’s only Anglican Cathedral School and represented the school in debating and rugby. I went to university, studied accounting and law, played cricket for the university and was elected to the student council. I even joined a political party and ran twice for election.

You might read this and think: “Look, it isn’t about you”. The problem is that it is about me. Whether I like it or not, I and 300,000-odd other Australian Muslims will be judged because of what one man has said.

Including a senior executive of a major Australian bank. Including the managing director of a major sponsor of numerous AFL and ARL football teams. Including the Turkish veterans who marched with their digger mates on ANZAC Day. Including Bosnian refugees who were themselves the victims of gang-rape.

Just as al-Qaida love to stir up anti-Western hatred among Muslims, some Australian journalists, shock-jocks and public figures will behave like al-Qaida and will stir up hatred of Australians against their fellow country men and women.

And Muslim community leadership will sit back and do next to nothing. Or worse still, they might actually try and defend the indefensible comments attributed to Shaykh Feiz.

Meanwhile, your average Aussie Muslim will be too busy organising his or her business or legal practice or career. Most Muslims are too busy being Australians to worry about what some crackpot is saying. I mean, how many Christians listen to Hon. Fred Nile MLC? And for a secular equivalent, how many Liberals listen to Hon. David Clarke MLC?

For that reason, an average anonymous Aussie Mossie (a popular term local Muslims use to describe themselves) such as myself has to speak out. Because if we don’t speak out, people pretending to speak on our behalf will continue to say stupid things. And we will be the ones who will have to hear the abuse from fellow Australians on 2GB on the way to work (or 2UE if we are running late).

So let me state for the record what I believe most Muslims are thinking. Rape is a crime. Rapists should and must be punished. Women and men are subject to sexual assault regardless of what they wear.

And sadly, idiots of all denominations often claim that women could have avoided being raped by dressing more modestly. Yet I am yet to read a scripture or learn of a religion that justifies rape.

Muslims are not the only faith community suffering a crisis of leadership. I am yet to meet a Sydney Anglican who is completely happy with his or her church. Many Catholics are not exactly jumping for joy at the election of a new pope. Jewish community leaders were criticised by their community members over their responses to the visit by Dr Hanan Ashrawi some 2 years ago.

However, at least most (if not all) cardinals and archbishops and rabbis speak English and don’t need interpreters everywhere they go. In the case of Muslims, it seems, language ability and understanding of local cultures are the last criteria one needs to satisfy to become a community leader.

In New South Wales, we have 3 competing Islamic councils. Each of them has spent thousands of dollars fighting each other in the Supreme Court for governance of the NSW Muslim turf. Over 90% of programs broadcast on Sydney Muslim radio stations are in Arabic, not English. Yet I doubt any of them will say a word about Shaykh Feiz.

Muslims have to speak out. We can no longer afford to rely on our non-English speaking imams and feuding leaders to make incoherent noises while we are too busy getting on with our lives. In the current crazy environment, where shock-jocks and poison-penned columnists are quoting our incompetent leadership, our silence will be treated as an admission of guilt.

(This article was submitted to the Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Age for publication.)

REFLECTIONL Ihya Uloom al-FatAlbert

My younger sister (she is 5 years older than me but younger than my eldest one) has always been a little eccentric. Even as a child, she used to watch World Championship Wrestling and would cheer Andre the Giant as he’d (pretend to) perform plastic surgery on someone’s face by smacking it against the floor. She was 9 years old at the time. She was most amused. She would laugh. I was 4 years old. I was most terrified. I would cry.

She also enjoyed watching the cartoon Fat Albert. She could really relate to it. So could I, but for different reasons. She related to his message that you should be proud of who you are, even if you are fat or can’t talk properly or have no face and a bad afro. She wore glasses and would be picked on at school.

The message of Fat Albert was too profound for a 4 year old. But I could still relate to the show. Why? Because all the kids used to call me Fat Albert. And because I was not exactly skinny.

So it was with mixed feelings that, 32 years later, I accepted my sister’s invitation to see Uncle Rupert bin Murdoch’s latest cinematised version of Fat Albert. Her eccentric 10 year old son would also be joining us. I took my ipod along in case the movie was boring and I could always entertain myself with a cocktail of Shaykh Nuh Keller and AC/DC.

At the Movies

We visited Macquarie Centre and headed to the Greater Union Cinemas. My sister walked ahead of us all to quickly buy tickets before they sold out. She walked in long strides, like a woman on a mission. She was determined to see Fat Albert tonight. Not even Andre the Giant could have stopped her.

We sat in the cinema slurping on our frozen coke slurpees. Eventually the movie came on. And I could here that familiar sound that the kids at school used to mock me with:

“hey Hey HEY … it’s Faaat Albert!”

After 20 seconds, my sister and the rest of the cinema were clapping and singing away: “Na na na, gonna ava good time!” I realised my sister was not the only eccentric person in the cinema.

After 5 minutes, I realised I didn’t need the ipod. This is a truly captivating piece of kid’s cinema. And what makes it so good is that kids of all ages and sizes, including overweight grumpy cynical 36 year old lawyers, can enjoy it.

Fat Albert & His Gang

Fat Albert’s gang are a dysfunctional bunch of black kids hanging out in some junk yard in North Philadelphia. Somehow they manage to break out of a school girl’s TV set after Fat Albert notices she is crying. He pulls his head out of the TV, but gets stuck half-way. Eventually, he is pushed out as the girl looks on horrified. The whole gang follow.

This dysfunctional bunch each have something nasty school kids can poke fun at. One has a serious speech impediment. Another wears a balaclava to hide his face. But together, they rule their part of the junkyard. And the ground is not all that shakes when their leader Fat Albert appears.

Fat Albert & Love

The movie has numerous lessons. Perhaps the most touching lesson for me was seeing Fat Albert being able to attract the heart of the most popularly attractive girl who happens to be the foster-sister of the school girl. Fat Albert charmed her with good manners and a sweet demeanour. Watching him in all his clumsy fatness reminded me of my own childhood. Yet the prettiest girl overlooked all that and found a warm and kind-hearted man who treated her like a lady and not just a piece of meat. After their first date, he walked her home. At their front door, she said: “Albert, now we are BFF. Best friends forever!”. She kissed him on the cheek.

At that moment, I just had to send a text message to a certain person of the female persuasion that worked in a bar from time to time and that I was pursuing with some vigour. “Mamoo, put your phone away! Who are you texting now during the movie?”, my nephew asked. My sister laughed, this time at me!

Perhaps the most important lesson of the movie was at its end. Fat Albert had to leave as Bill Cosby warned him that his continued stay in the real world might see him turn into celluloid dust. Albert reluctantly went to tell his sweetheart. She became upset and asked herself: “Why is it that I meet someone who really loves me but then has to leave me? I should never love anyone”.

Fat Albert & Dhikr (Remembrance of God)

Fat Albert said something that reminded me of a verse in the Qur’an. He said that loving someone is inherently wonderful, even if the person is not physically with you.

“When you love someone, you think about them. And you know they are thinkin’ about you. Isn’t that wonderful, just knowin’ that? Don’t ever let fear stop you from lovin’ somebody.”

Applied to human relationships, it is an awesome message. Sometimes when I visit a certain bar in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney to see a friend of the female persuasion, she will say to me: “I’m so glad you are here. I was thinking about you just yesterday”. When she says that, Fat Irfan begins to feel like Fat Albert.

But applied to our relationship with our Creator, it is even more awesome. Because in God’s case, we know Fat Albert’s words are true. God promises us: “Remember Me and I will remember you”. That is God’s personal promise to each individual human being on this planet.

And we know God remembers us even without our remembering Him. God provides for us just as He provides for birds and other animals. He never burdens us with a burden that is unbearable. He has provided a cure for every disease. We have miracles all around us. Our lives in the womb and our emergence from the womb is miraculous.

Fat Albert & the Prophet of Mercy (peace be upon him)

God sent a Prophet of such extraordinary mercy and compassion. A perfect man who suffered like no man on this earth has suffered. That wonderful man who found time to weep for a fallen soldier that he described as one of his family, the soldier named Julaybib that suffered from facial disfigurement and had no family. God sent us a man who knew what it was like to be an orphan, who buried his own mother in the sand and who watched his own grandfather die, all this before even reaching adolescence.

Those Acehnese children suffering from the loss of their parents and loved ones in the tsunami can find comfort knowing that their Prophet also lived as an orphan. Those fathers who must suffer the pain of a divorced daughter returning home can find comfort in the fact that their Prophet experienced this pain twice. And those depressed people contemplating suicide will find comfort in reading about the Prophet’s feelings when the revelation stopped for a while and the Prophet felt like throwing himself from a cliff.

This Prophet of Mercy made time for a woman suffering from schizophrenia who would frequently grab him by the hand and take him to some place where he would listen to her babbling. He spoke with such compassion about a prostitute who was forgiven by God for showing mercy to a dog dying of thirst.

Such is the love of God that He reflected His love in the life of a human being. Indeed, in the lives of hundreds of thousands of human beings we know of as prophets. And in hundreds of thousands of human beings (since the demise of the last prophet) that we know of as God’s friends (awliya).

Na na na, gonna hava good time

I could go on and on about this extraordinary love and remembrance that God favours us with. Imam Ghazali wrote over 4 volumes on it in his Ihya Uloom ad-Din (Revival of the Sciences of Faith & Religion). And without realising it, Uncle Rupert bin Murdoch has revived the same sciences by producing this wonderful rendition of my sister’s favourite cartoon character.

Wisdom is the lost property of the believer. Tonight I found some of that property in a cinema in suburban Sydney. I don’t wish to be as fat as Fat Albert. But I hope that even after losing all this weight, I will remember his message about love not being hampered by fear.

“Oh you who believe! Fear God as He should be feared and do not die except in a state of Islam [peace through submission to God’s will]”. This fear is grounded in love. We fear God because we love Him and are afraid to offend Him. If I can remember this one message, I know that my life here and hereafter will be one where I’m “gonna hava good time”.

Sorry for the corny ending.

(This article was first published on the magnificent collective blog http://ihsan-net.blogspot.com. It was then reproduced on the equally magnificent US-based online rag AltMuslim which can be accessed at www.altmuslim.com. I hope my barmaid friend doesn't smash me over the head with a beer bottle for mentioning her again.)

Words © 2005 Irfan Yusuf


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My Jewish Aunty

My parents arrived in Australia during the mid-1960’s. My father had just won a scholarship to do his PhD at the Australian National University located in Canberra, Australia’s “bush capital”.

My mother was also offered a scholarship to complete further studies in Urdu. She already held degrees in Urdu Literature from Aligarh and Punjab Universities, and at least one university was prepared to foot the bill to turn her into possibly Australia's first Urdu scholar.

My mum had other ideas. She had a baby daughter and another on the way. She preferred to look after her new family home so her husband could pursue his studies and a career in academia.

My mother’s Urdu was superb. Her English was another story. She struggled in Canberra, a small city with hardly any persons who spoke anything resembling Urdu. She struggled even to buy bread from the corner store. Until, that is, she met Anne.

Anne was my mother’s age. Anne was not from the Indian sub-Continent. Anne was Jewish. And Anne was perhaps the first person to play a pivotal role in my mother’s life in Australia.

Anne regarded my mother’s weakness (lack of English fluency) as a strength. Anne spoke a smattering of Hindi, having lived in India for a number of years. And she saw my mother wearing her sari and struggling to communicate.

“Assalamu alaykum!” shouted this light brown haired, white skinned woman. My mother turned around, and saw this ‘gori awrat’ (white woman) speaking in some kind of Hindi and greeting her with a traditional Muslim greeting. They clicked.

Anne and mum made a deal. If mum helped Anne with Urdu, Anne would assist mum with English and with getting around Canberra (my mum could not drive). They would also swap recipes, and make sure all the food was kosher. Or was that halal? Who cares ... it's all pretty much the same!

Anne’s friendship with mum flourished. They were like sisters. Anne convinced mum to learn how to drive. And mum convinced Anne to learn how to put on a sari properly.

More importantly, their friendship taught them that Jew and Muslim need not hate one another. Events overseas can and should stay overseas. Real friendship can survive war and politics.

For mum, Anne’s religious identity was not a big deal. And in India, it usually is not. Muslim and Jewish communities in Bombay and Poona lived side-by-side for centuries. Just as Muslims and Jews joined hands to defend Jerusalem from the Crusading invaders centuries before that. Try telling some Palestinian extremists that their hero Saladdin appointed the Chief Rabbi of Cairo, Shaykh Musa bin Maymum (Moses Maimonides) to lead his medical team. Or that one of the first scholars in the community of the Prophet Muhammad was the former Chief Rabbi of Madina named Abdullah bin Salam.

But that is perhaps ancient history. Returning to the 1960's, Anne was present at Canberra Hospital when mum gave birth to her second daughter. Anne was one of the first to hold the new baby. Anne helped mum adjust to the second baby who was hardly 12 months older than the first one. I can just imagine the scene of these 2 women holding a crying baby each and trying to rock them to sleep or feed them or change their nappies.

Some months later, my Dad finished his PhD. They returned to Pakistan (the Islamic world's answer to Israel). Anne was at the airport to see them off. My mother kept Anne’s address and phone number and promised to write.

I had not yet arrived on Planet Earth at that time. So how did I find out about Anne? My 2nd sister, the one who had been held by Anne a few minutes after birth, was preparing for her wedding. Some 2 weeks before, I was at home when the phone rang. A lady spoke to me in Urdu. She told me her name was Anne and that she had just arrived from Israel where her son was working in a kibbutz. She said she was a friend of mum’s and insisted that I pass on her name and telephone number to mum.

"Yeah, right", thought the young campus Muslim activist . As if mum would keep Jewish friends.

Mum arrived home after a few hours. I gave her the message. She read it and was ready to burst into tears.

“Thumhe pata hai ke ye kon hay? Yeh mery saheli hay Canberra se. Meri bahan ki tara hai. Thumhare liye yeh khala ki thara han. Jis waqt thum payda bhi na huwe the!” [Trans: Do you know who this person is? She is my close friend from Canberra. She is like a sister to me. And for you, she is like your aunt. Even if at the time, you were not even born!]

Mum rang Anne, and they agreed to meet the very next day for lunch at a kosher café named Aviv’s located at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach. I drove mum there. And the first thing Anne said, standing outside this kosher restaurant in this very Jewish part of Sydney was “Assalamu alaykum!”.

I waited for mum, who claimed she would only be an hour or so. 4 hours later, they both emerged, in accordance with the principles of IST (Indian Standard Time). Mum called me over and said: “Anne khala ko salam karo!” [trans: give salams to your Aunty Anne!].

Mum had also made an executive decision to invite Anne to the wedding. Seating was limited, and I was forced to withdraw an invitation given to a friend. My protests were of no avail.

“Thumhari yeh khala hay!” [trans: She is your aunty!]

Anne attended the wedding and gave her blessing to my sister and her husband. She had tears in her eyes. The last time she had seen my sister was as a baby hardly 6 months old.

My mother is deeply religious. Apparently some religious Muslims have a problem with Jewish people. Funny that.

When I was at university, I used to often pray my friday prayers at the Surry Hills Mosque. I'd then catch a movie. Afterwards, we would walk around the city and inevitably end up at Elizabeth Street or Castlereagh Street near Piccadilly. And in rubbing shoulders with all our Jewish "cousins" (as we's call them) with their caps and beards and beads, we'd feel like we were back amongst the crowd at the mosque! Well, they certainly looked similar.

I've heard some pretty crazy things about the children of Israel over the years from some of Ishmael's kids. But I have never heard my mother say anything bad about Jewish people. After hearing how Anne helped my mum, I could see why.

Through her conduct, her assistance and her love, Anne won a permanent place in my mother’s heart. She behaved like a true Jew, and won the heart of a vulnerable Muslim woman travelling in a strange land.

Imagine if more Jews and Muslims behaved like Anne. Imagine if we Muslims welcomed and befriended our Jewish neighbours. Imagine if we assisted people we saw in need. Imagine if we showed good conduct to all people.

When will we learn to stop fighting? When will we realise that the things we share in common are more important than the things that divide us?

Or, to adopt the words of one of the Talmudic elders: If we are not for ourselves, who is for us? If we care only for ourselves, what are we? If we don't love now, when will we start?

The Prophet (peace & blessings of God be upon him) had a Jewish neighbour who always hurled a constant stream of abuse at him. One day, the Prophet noticed that the neighbour was not hurling abuse over their common wall. He made inquiries and found out the neighbour was ill. The Prophet visited the neighbour and inquired as to his health. In doing so, the Prophet won the heart of his Jewish neighbour.

It’s all about winning hearts. Anne behaved more like the Prophet (peace & blessings of God be upon him) than many Muslims do. May Allah/G-d bless her and bring her even closer to Him.

(This article was submitted to the Australian Jewish News for publication. Time will tell if they print it. In the meantime, it also appears on that fabulous e-journal OnlineOpinion.)

© I Yusuf 2005