Q and A: Part -2
Imam Zaid Shakir informs Muslim students from across the Northeast what it truly means and takes to have a leadership or activism animated by sincere faith – in contrast to enterprises driven by ego or other aims.
Zaid Shakir – Joining The Heart and Limb – Inspiring Leadership Through Faith – Part 2
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the challenges of empowering Muslims in Canada and finding their own values. They emphasize the need for knowledge and sharing to change things that are going on in the world. The speakers also emphasize the importance of balancing priorities and learning from experiences to improve chances of success. They emphasize the need to be clear about privacy and find ways to advance in certain positions. The speakers emphasize the importance of pursuing spiritual training and learning to live life to benefit everyone, particularly in addressing racism and materialism to create a "weird society."
AI: Summary ©
For those who are because we have this face, and we have that opportunity. Okay, y'all are. So your question, how's that?
How's that?
Not what not.
It's not gloomy because the law says in the end
Well, number one, the company shake, hope we'll do our luck. And where we will enforce with Mr. salvini, we will surely test you with something, the shape
and depth of
Hungary, fears and hunger and also
lives in cavalry who give glad tidings to those who patiently persecute. It's not globally because the over over overwhelming majority of people aren't in that situation. I said in this day, I'm not trying to be middle, or dismiss those who are. What I'm trying to say is that if we think it's just so gloomy out there, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Muslims, on compiling those situation we can become so depressed and or think is so desperate that we have to take desperate measures. And we squander the opportunity to systematically put ourselves in a position to do something meaningful to assist those who are under those conditions. And that's precisely why things
are so gloomy because that type of
solution because it just doesn't there's not
suffering out there is the only thing that counts is not violence.
Human Trafficking, we have people that are treated like slaves in our experience. Well, people treated like slaves here.
These are those, that that's the human condition. So what I'm saying,
I mean, that's not a reason to think that things aren't.
I didn't say, Sure not everyone are in those gloomy conditions. You're not in those conditions. You don't go to bed at night with fear someone kicking your door down. That's true, and driving your your womenfolk out into the yard, and the nightclothes are they ransack your house Europe, no one in this room goes to bed, thinking about maybe a bomb is gonna fall on my house tonight. So the so I'm not saying there are not people who are under those conditions. I'm not saying that's not bad. I'm not saying we're not obliged to do something. But sometimes we get in a mentality that it's so bad. It's what it leads to desperate action. We have people leaving places like Princeton to go join
ISIS, because it's so bad over there. I need to do something. And that's something couldn't be applying my mind to develop or position myself politically, to affect the political process here in ways that would resist would prevent some of those atrocities and some of that negativity. So we say, oh, but everyone hates us. How are we going to do that this, everyone hated the Jews, as my mother in law, kind of the kind of jokes they used to make about Jews in this society, and million of them, and how Jews were so afraid here, they changed their name from Goldberg to gold, and silver, stunning to silver. And now look where they are now. Because they've positioned themselves
by systematically taking advantage of the opportunities, the same thing for homosexuals.
4030 years ago,
a homosexual in many places was what in the closet would even publicly announced they were homosexual? Where are they now?
They're determining.
There have been major debates with one of the two major political parties about what their stance is going to be on an issue favorable to them after people hated them to be live with them. So as Muslims we can we can say, I'm not denying I did it. I spent a good part of my life doing it. We shouldn't be riled up and protesting and but at what point, do we step back? Take a dispassionate look at the situation and then begin to systematically strengthen ourselves so that we can make a real difference in these issues. That's what I'm saying. So I'm not saying we shouldn't be concerned men.
When men tend to be more loose, they need a police to be Muslim. One who wakes up in the morning and isn't concerned about the condition of
The Muslim isn't a Muslim. I'm not saying none of that. I'm saying it's not so bad that Muslims here are Muslims in Canada with this. MSA, I'm not in Palestine saying this. I'm not in these areas that we mentioned saying this Somalia, India, Kashmir, here or there, I'm in the United States. And I think this is one of the challenges of leadership is beginning to systematically develop a program to empower ourselves so that we can do something meaningful to affect the direction of this world. Otherwise, I don't want to when I was when I was a student, the same approaches the same issues, and the same methodology for dealing with it. We were engaged, I'm talking over 30 years ago.
And now we're in worse condition. So what's our workplace and things you think things are gloomy now, things are really gloomy. Do we have a genocide in Bosnia, we are the beginning of the Somali crisis, which is far more violent than it is now. We had the 30 a week, we were just recently completed, or it was the horrific bombing of Beirut by the idea. We had all this going on, it's far worse than it is now.
And so you think we didn't think it would go me and we're gonna take desperate measures. But doing all that didn't change anything. So I wants to your generation 30 years from now, being in the same position we're into my generation is in today.
And so I'm just saying, we have to begin to look at this situation from a different lens. And so
the solution is,
to this question, what is the solution? The solution is to take advantage of the opportunities that we have to become influencers in our society.
That's the solution. And this group right here has more opportunities to do that, than probably any other group of Muslims in this country.
And so that I think that should be a key part. And influences doesn't mean everyone going into electoral politics. But it does mean having a vision wide enough to realize that collectively if we begin to systematically, position ourselves, I'll give you an example, that it can be relevant or not to work, use. What's your name, sir?
Romney,
right now, if we had a mobilization
against what's happening in Palestine,
while the world's attention is focused elsewhere, online, targeted assassinations, we recently witness then usurpation,
the continual encroachment against oxides cetera, mobilizing.
And
some of our students in our MSA are participating.
very prominent, very talented, very vocal, what we generally say about those students who didn't participate,
and not just those who don't come them as me those who are actively involved in campus activities, who serve
nothing.
Shame who say Shame on them, the sellouts, they've been hanging out with the the Hillel students in the rains wash. All right.
At what point do we start to say, you know, what,
this student, this student, this student, they're very intelligent, they're very charismatic, they're very influential. We're not going to let them go to these demonstrations, because we're going to groom them for career and electoral politics. And they become associated with this hardcore, anti Zionist activism. They're never going anywhere and the electoral system
and so far from calling them sellouts or Shame on them are cowards. We're going to protect them consciously, because we want to maximize their potential to become influential in this society, and not to end up like that.
Bureau of care, San Francisco, what happened?
Why,
but anti Zionist comments and activism. So does that mean? Oh, everyone? No one, we don't have no some people? No, that's the thing that hardcore. They don't they don't want to run for office, they don't even believe in the viability of the system. So that's their thing. But these students, we're going to protect them as part of a conscious strategy.
And so that's just an example of the beginning of a solution to answer my mother in law's question,
but
you get your questions at home.
Time is limited, and you want to have a lot of questions. So some
comments or comments, if you have a question for them.
You can even ask just one of them.
First of all, thank you for being here, really appreciated. I think this was a great opportunity to really reflect and to apply some
of the workshops that we've had. In fact, one of the workshops was about having difficult conversations and how
these types of formulas can be
difficult and feelings
of discomfort.
But how necessary it is.
I love a Mitt Romney, I love you brother.
Able to disagree and afterwards.
Because because there's love between us, we're not enemies, we're all on the same team. with families like you, sometimes your brothers and your siblings, you like them, and then you're like, Okay, Michelle law, let's go eat breakfast.
The law has to be there, then the compensation then becomes easier, because we know listen, people not gonna agree with me. But it's not the end of the world. I'm not gonna agree with everyone is not the end of the world, we're still on the same team. And we're trying to figure it out. So the team can go forward.
So
thank you, again, for the presentation. And one of the questions that I was having is, as you, especially as college students, I think, isn't the time where we have a lot of ideas. And we have a lot of passions, and we want to get involved and see what we can do to change things that are going on. But at the same time, this is also a time where we need to learn, and we need to gain knowledge and seek knowledge. And there's a lot of noise that that comes with, with that seeking knowledge because we know, it's hard to tell what's right and what's wrong. And who's right and who's wrong nowadays. So I think my question is, how do we balance the time that it's going to take to actually
gain the knowledge and the expertise and what we want to what we want to accomplish and what we want to address with also having that urgency to do something now because things are happening. And we feel like we should be a part of
the verse answers in lambda so
that you can return to the patient, you persevere. So the patience required to maximize
your opportunities to learn
in order to be in a better position in the future to effectively do something, I think can help answer that question. So, and it's situational. Some situations can be so bad that we like listen, I know I am really loud tomorrow, but this is unacceptable. I have to go out there and have to be counted. And so it's not a question of in every situation. But as a general rule, I think we have to have priorities, like life involves prioritizing, and what what they say as Sufi
and Sufi in the meaning where as a very refined spiritually conscious but totally committed to Sri our Muslim does the Sufi is a child of the moment in other words
He or she tries to understand what does the law love from me? And what is the most appropriate thing for me to be doing in this moment I find myself in. So
Joe Xia instead of wisdom and Hitler to Sierra Leone,
thoroughly the body, doing the most appropriate thing to rock to Lady and body, at the most appropriate time will go smoothly lady young body with the most appropriate method. And that's wisdom. And so what is the most appropriate thing for me to be doing in this time I find myself in and what is the most effective method? So we can begin to have that sort of, or similar calculus, have to weigh our actions, we can begin to get insight into that question.
In the
comments,
Oh, yes.
So increasingly, I think we're talking about Muslims moving into more public positions in this country and elsewhere. There's a question whether it's okay enough to be just a Muslim in that space for someone who was using Islamic principles to guide their actions and reach a solution that some non Muslim might not be. And so along with that, there's like a big quest to find whatever Islam says about the specific thing, as a community, how do we deal with disagreement and multiplicity? because Islam doesn't say just one thing on so many of the issues that that are important. And for example, like maybe I don't really want to get into this example. But there's so many things about
abortion that are acceptable within our religious paradigm. Okay, we're asked to like, one, that's an excellent example. That's an excellent question. And example. Number one, like, what is the more
like, there are all kinds of opinions, legal discussions, what is the abortion stance of virtually every Muslim country?
life begins at conception and abortion at any stage or time is forbidden. And that's the opinion, the more common, the reliable patois of every significant method. And so I think we can get lost in your opinions.
And I think we have to be see what is the opinion that has been operationalized? And
is it due? Are we displaying wisdom and integrity to our tradition, when we go away from that operationalized opinion, to search for these opinions that exist in this very rich tradition of discussion that suits a passing contingency right now the passing contingency, or the Muslims who are searching for the ideal abortion law is what fatwah will make, bring the Muslim community into harmony with the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.
That's what we're looking for.
Why? Because
five years ago, Muslims weren't even talking about abortion is only when it became an issue vizor or the Democratic Party. Now we're scrambling for fatwa that is compatible with the position they've arrived, that that's not integrity. And that's not being faithful to a tradition. That's political expediency. And then what happens when the Democratic Party decide decides, well, we really don't need Muslims after all.
Because Because now Trump is winning Muslims over, say, hypothetically, and so kind of Muslims are the anti Trump, Trump is going to make a Muslim ban. I'm going to find a woman in hijab to sit next to me at the State of the Union address.
Now, that moment passes now we've rode roughshod over tradition. The reason we didn't have pass, has passed, where does that leave us as a company? So I think in looking at a lot of these issues, we have to see what Edison had minute deep
for Lola is that the parlementaire mesh, that authenticated change of transmission to what has been transmitted for us towards generation after generation. Our
integral part of this religion what not for those authenticated chains of transmission, anyone could have said anything and then passed it off as Islam. So thing we have to really be honest with ourselves and act on principle and not expediency. Again, there, there might be exceptional circumstances where expediency has to be followed. But if in every situation, in every circumstance, we do that, we're just making a mockery of our unit. Well, either one will stand
up for issues where there isn't as clear of a consensus or like the different methods say different things. But because there's such a pressure to have like the one answer that Islam says our community should follow, people are keen to, like, toss out, you know, those who hold other perfectly acceptable opinions? How do we kind of create a community of Muslim where we're okay with differences that are within the church? I think that's part of our strategic thinking, we have to begin to strategize in a way that unifies us at a certain level, there's certain levels, diversity is welcome. But at a certain level, it's firstly at how we engage with our society
in a productive way, there has to be a level of unity. And that Unity has to be coupled with a strategic vision. And so our strategic vision that's covered out by are coming together and arrived at a consensus determines which of these viable opinions we're going to advance. And so what happens now, we throw them out. And then we debate them in the blogosphere, without never having sat down to try to develop a strategy to even determine which of these should we give priority to. So again, one thing, one of the challenges of your generation is that stopped that will that,
listen, we need to begin to sit down and develop strategies. And then the decisions we make in terms of quiet opinions out of our valid and legitimate contending opinions. We're going to advance
Yes, sir.
Like, how would you deal with like, for example, some people feel uncomfortable moving up positions in a certain company, or taking government office businesses, because they feel like what the government or the company is doing, you have several hot arm actions that they don't feel comfortable with? Do you think in that case, it's good to move up in the positions? Or is it good to like stay at a lower level? And like out of
the answer that question
was asked about
minorities minority situation, who has an opportunity to move up?
Should he or she doing, if they have, in the context of that opportunity, the ability to gain some tangible benefit for the Muslim community is a wedge of bigotry for them to move on. And if there's no benefit to be gained by that, then they should not do? And so the Muslim or the
clearly defined benefit, or interest, that can be events, there's an ability to advance it is whadjuk for that person, that's their jihad, dealing with the peripheral hassles indignant and
since hassles and hardships that might be involved in moving up if they can gain some tangible benefit.
But how, but how would you differentiate between like your Neff and nefs and your desire to like get a higher salary or to have a better name for yourself and truly helping out the Muslim community? In that case, you should have put yourself in a situation to even question it. Like event isn't moving. There's a clearly identified benefit I can gain for the community. And I'm also going to make more money natural
and how do you how do you keep your nuts in check, give most of it away and charity.
solution to the problems that Mr. Kumar is the current population so that we can present Islam at higher level? No, no, no, no, no, the homeless don't copy that. I said. Some people said
These three or four talented people who aren't in the room, these people are going to do something else. I think that's another strategic flaw. We haven't developed a viable division of labor, which comes directly from a lack of a strategy of re strategize, you said, No, these people are extremely charismatic, likable, very intelligent, we're gonna groom them for political office. Now, with that being the kind of benefits that we deserve, we don't know, because this is a multi decade project. These people know how to make money.
You know, they they did a startup while they were still students at Princeton. And they saw that startup for $50 million. Now they're working on a second one. And they had an offer of 100 million from Google, but they refused. Because they know if they refine it, and wait another 18 months, they can get $500 million with Apple.
And so
when I say no, we want them these guys to go into politics. He said, No, keep working on your startup. And we're going to bring in some people you can consult to make sure you get that $500 million IPO.
And so we not everyone is in that for politics. So people who have shown that extreme
potential natter knows people for that these people have shown they have the ability to understand how to make money in this society, hello money. That's what we're going to encourage them and try to strengthen them and assist them in doing so we're going to try to develop our own so Korea, so we can fund them. And then the money is coming back to us. And then they're going to get live benefit from when they sell and we're going to get paid back. So
that's their thing. Other people will call us in them this person can write I mean, dude, his top writer on the rug can do this. Now, the daily targum
newspaper refers to student loan,
they do not call I just started. So I know the words you would have heard about it? The Daily target
something of what guy he did.
Okay. So So these people can write. So after they finish their undergrad, we're going to provide them scholarships to the Columbia School of Journalism.
So they can hone their skills. And when they graduate, we have a news paper waiting for them. We have a magazine waiting for them, that was developed by these it people is an online magazine, like Breitbart. And so we're developing our own Breitbart and so I'm not saying every one of these people that totality these people making money, these people writing and influencing these people just being good family, people who are raising stable families and children who are going to inherit it all because we could do all that and then all the kids are there's no Muslims out there are often the whatever and there's no one even
What's your question?
to ask a question? You have a question before Well, it may take you off the subject john. So
in Arabia
there is two sets of people.
MLS
I am most Muslim, and most What is
your, your pronunciation?
You should ask like
we didn't have a conference like this. There's
no way we go.
have the same thing.
There is absolutely no difference other than your pronunciation.
Well, why do we have the difference?
They don't have the difference in English speakers
those Muslims, non Muslims
have any any
know
there was only one Muslim and Arabic is this
moose limb
now, to the uninitiated English speaker out there, this becomes this.
This becomes this
all of these fine young people you think that will try to deceive you.
So No.
Never deceived my mother.
Is this an exaggeration? In terms of pronunciation?
What What would you say to this question that I agree with
people who came from very far away, and so we want to
return to their home safely tonight? Yeah. And so I think what we'll do is we'll just, you know, if anyone has a question that they really want to get out there, we'll just take a few at a time and just you give a final wrap up, answer to that, and then inshallah we can. So these two sisters over here,
these two brothers over here. So we'll have the four questions together, and then you can kind of give a wrap up.
I just wanted to finish my question. So by leadership, I meant leadership in all fields. So how effective
it is, considering it's very easy to get corrupted when you're trying to get it to rise. And the people were already leaving those positions are predominantly atheist or agnostic, people were done, but how easy is it for Muslims to bring their ideas to the table so that they can change the situation
is not easy at all. That's why
when you say something's a jihad,
it's, it's called a Jihad because it's hard. You're out there on the frontiers. In the mountains, you're freezing, barely having cool tea. There's monotony of just waiting for this random encounter with this enemy that's out there, and you're out there for months on end.
And so, going into the arena, trying to affect change, a system that
within its institutional foundations, is not easy.
I'm not trying to suggest this, but we can only track and this why I mentioned the spiritual assured of the spiritual Foundation has to be there to understand. If the prophet SAW love, it was said in his tone, and they said that can mean in any way, shape,
or form.
You just try one more last.
But actual victory only comes from the Lord the mighty the wise. So our responsibility is to try to try our hardest despite the obstacles, challenges and difficulties. The outcome is with a lot.
So my question is
About. So I guess, contextualize. So we live in
a non Muslim country.
So we don't necessarily have a lot of a lot of like laws in place that might follow like, Islamic way of life.
And sometimes, I always personally, like, I feel like I've had to make certain sacrifices.
For example, I can give two examples. So one is like studying on loan. So there's a lot of interest, I'm going to be graduating like $300,000 in debt.
Another example would be Oh, like I say, I want like a bigger house. For my family. Like, I don't have that money right now. But you know, I'm going to get a mortgage, I'm going to get a loan. But obviously, there's interest on top of that. Another, like, more low key example is like, oh, the only networking event in my company, like takes place at a bar, like, should I go or not
require a little bit of like, sacrifice? And how do you suggest, like, navigate that? I think the first thing is to understand
religion, the essence of religion is one of the foundational principles of religion is separate.
of
sacrifice. And so we have to begin to approach our situations with a willingness to sacrifice.
I don't know what you're studying or where you're studying. But I would say that $300,000 in debt to that,
or whatever that degree is, there, there has to be another way to attain it, even if it takes an additional 10 years.
To do so.
The house, a lot of our desires, or bigger
you drive by like old neighborhoods, you see these little bitty houses.
These houses were built like you go to a Long Island, to live in houses, go to town and see these or California, you go to the old parts of Berkeley or Oakland and you see the little bitty, seven 800 900 square feet houses those houses will want people to have in five to six kids.
And so this whole idea of bigger than I have two kids now we have to get a 4000 square foot house Why?
I got we have a third kid we have to buy an SUV.
Now why we used to squeeze into a big so many people.
Right? What is the word of these these ideas this classroom materialism comes from, we have to begin to challenge deemed to be necessary. And because they're necessary, they justify these kind of situations, we're putting ourselves in line, why cannot the 700 square foot house and we'll have a more cozy relationship.
Every time I turn around, I'm bumping into you.
He's over there and she's over there. They don't see each other throughout the
Fancy meeting you in the kitchen.
Assumptions need us to enter into the into those situations. Why does that? Why do I have to go into $300,000 in debt? And is nothing that I want? You know why? Why is it becoming such an imperative? Because after they suck at the wall street stopped all the money out of home mortgages in 2000 in the early 2000s, culminating in the crash of 2008 and nine student debt became the leading source of liquidity on Wall Street.
And that's why it's becoming such an imperative
because they benefit from it.
Not you.
Wouldn't that be like a barrier to some of the things we want to accomplish like going to med school or law school, you know, to become those leaders? I think do we sometimes have to sacrifice
I understand what you're saying. I'm just saying I know people
I know a family, they have a doctor, they have a social worker, the PhD and
Social Sciences is in the making. And in terms of the husband's they have another couple doctors, dentist, there is no debt. Because the dentist, his mother, who was ailing, came out of retirement and worked
the whole duration of his med school to put every penny towards his his school expenses, the end loss of the one of them, the end loss paid for their son in laws, that school said pay us back whenever once you get on your feet. And so I think, at a family level, at a community level, and at a national level, we have to begin to develop funding mechanisms, so that people who deserve and this is happening, it's not a rule, but you have the Islamic scholarship fund now, we have several as a tone of our commitment is that none of our students, Greg, we haven't had a single student that's graduated with a penny of debt. The last school in the wider academic community was Cooper
Union and lower Manhattan, then Cooper Union started charging. And but we made that commitment. So we have to as a community began to make those kinds of commitments. In the meantime, what do you do while we're getting up?
Do you take the fact what's on your heart? So I'm not gonna say you you did wrong and bureau personal
righteousness and good character? What is that? How can a Nazi were carried to Allah, Allah him does. And sin is what causes agitation in your heart, and you want people to know about it. So if you're comfortable with that, then that's your best one. In the meantime, having gone through that experience, and have experienced the internal trauma, and struggle and tension, for sure, attention better word and trauma, the internal tension now, I think you once it's all said and done, and 25 years from now, you paid off that $300,000 I think you would be motivated to begin working on some sort of fund that would ensure those coming up to you don't have to be in that situation. So I'll
give you and everyone in that situation.
Make it easy to ask your questions.
So I'll make it quick. It's about leadership and being spotlight. So many times, like when you're in a bigger, richer position, like everyone's looking at you and say like good things about you and overtime like
so how do you like navigate this?
And think very quickly.
Okay.
But I saw him on
Twitter. So when do you think in a in an age where there is a call for leaders to emerge? You know, when do you think the MSA should begin having conferences, on the unexceptional? Because there does seem to be in in a lot of aspects in the tradition, the emphasis on an exceptionality or a different topic would be the emphasis on you know, being away from positions of leadership in the way from
our answer that said and then there are the people who just want to raise good families can I say that?
It's so everyone doesn't have to be in the spotlight. But if you are, and you find yourself in that situation, that's why spiritual training is very important. No one should go into a public si you see a lot of people get involved in things that end up becoming very scandalous and difficult
to these spaces without a strong foundation in terms of the spiritual training,
and one of the objects of spiritual
system the and again is to get
our society our society says all about you, that you do you
you do you
It's all about doing your thing. distinguishing what tradition has been the eradication of the eagle, and the basement of the eagle. And ultimately just pursuing the novel
and doing things to please God and serve humanity.
Quantum chiropractic offers you the best community ways to serve to serve humanity.
Hey, Ron, Nancy Lynn ness, the best of people, for people. For now. We're in St. Louis yahoo.com, I've only created the gin and Romans to be consistent in the translation to serve me, that is service. And so that's, that's our reason for existing. And when we find ourselves serving our nuts,
it's time to stop, step back and work on the nuts
and bolts, if we find that extremely difficult, then we need to understand nothing we do is from us or from a lot more karma
is created you and what you do. So we have immediate causation. But ultimately, if I have a string of dominoes,
and I and I knock over the first domino, and then the 15th Domino knocks over the 16th what is the immediate cause of the 16th Domino
being hit by the 15th was the ultimate cause.
Me knocking over the person. So there's ultimate causation there's immediate causation, so we have an initiative, but ultimately, it's all controlled by law.
And so it's not from us. And so we should we have to constantly remind ourselves like this isn't for me.
And there's a there's a beautiful Heidi had this this fairly long book, one part, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam he says tubulin tubers in the tube will
be a Taurasi piece of beauty. And cannabis alpha t cannabis. When cannabis eurocity can have the terasa like paradise is for the the servant who seizes the reins of his steed and charges for the word of Allah. If he's in the frontlines.
It gives it its full, right? So the valor is being established these people a lot of heroes, and if he's in the rearguard, he's just mopping up. He gives it It's all right. And so we shouldn't see being in public is one of the hidden the efforts of our pilot. He says, Danny,
men, you have one vote for
one who loves to be seen as a slave of being seen
or cannot call. Now you have to have that up to her combat. One wants to be obscure. I don't mean the frontlines.
He's a slave or she of the obscurity woman Estella endo. Hi Larry for her Abdullah and the one on the Tuesdays are evil with him or her dad is the servant of a lot. And so Kuhn hifu, calm rather calm hyper karma Cola, B, where a lot of a lot puts you out front, and you're getting a lot of attention. Then do that and give us full ride, prepare your speeches, do your research. Be careful to avoid things that are going to be excessively divisible.
Give it as four right and then people are loving it. Understand it's a lot. And if you're just in the background somewhere putting folding chairs up after the conference given this for right understand that's what a lot decreed you to do.
And they're both equal with you.
So just come heifer como con la de for last place, for the sake of Allah and not for the sake of your nuts and you'll never be disappointed person. You know, I can give a better cook bar than that. That's your nuts
or, you know,
supanova brothers so humble he could give a vertical pardon me and look he's folding the chairs I wish I was holding the chair now allow me to
be the hottie
I'll put you in a situation unfolded for those chairs and do a good job No Child Left Behind
bless you guys
got the T thing is like off the dome on the spot
Don't remind me but if we upset each other let's go drink some tea and get over it. And thank
you guys go back to the schools have work hard, but take time to to worship the Lost
World first and foremost to go to school,
secondary witness world to worship Allah and Vinnie yet saddam to die that day that deaths with good intentions, ordinary
acts of worship. So make a Nia that just studying is to help you with your deen your study is to contribute to the uplift of both the oma and humanity you're studying is to help alleviate suffering.
You know, people people near I want my study, I want to be able to help alleviate some of that suffering out there. I want to I want to be a psychiatrist who like many of our brothers and sisters in the colonial center, are joining tradition, the traditional methodologies with contemporary therapeutic modalities to make a very solid, innovative psychiatric method rooted in a tradition of benefiting from the tremendous insights of modern modern psychiatry to go heal some of those psyche as cyclists, damaged Muslims. We are Muslim kids who've grown up and all they've known as violence and strife
in Gaza of less than or Somalia, you think there is no Muslim exceptionalism in that regard? We have the man therefore, we don't have neurosis, psychosis, nervous breakdown, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, because we're most of them were strong. If you believe that, read the last show. How many of you How many of you are familiar with Franz Fanon? The wretched of the earth?
Right? A lot of people read that for the wrong reasons. Yeah. No, no.
In his theories have a lot of insight into national consciousness, etc. But the most insightful part of the book is the last chapter, which is what
psyche
colonial war and he has all those case studies of these people went mad became suicidal because of this violence. Point is the rest of the book is good and insightful. But
that actually
isn't, is a scathing critique of his thesis was his thesis.
thesis, his major thesis anyone?
Exactly. The
the anti colonial struggle is catharsis is trying to cleanse the colonial subject and make a new post colonial man and woman that is right. At the end of the book, colonial violence made people crazy made people neurotic, made people psychotic, make people have nervous breakdown, make people suicidal.
What does that say about this thesis?
You don't have to answer.
But the point is, there's no Muslim there. Algeria. This is Algeria is 100% Muslim for practical purposes, who this violence has affected like this. And this is why this is 10 years, or 30 years and some mommy 30 years in Afghanistan.
Between the iran iraq war than the American occupation and invasion twice 3040 years in Iraq
60 years in Palestine, what does this do to people
and
the VA, some
people are strong people are resilient, no doubt and a lot of people as unknown a lot of those case study you see incredible
Strength, especially some of the testimonials of people under torture. So there's no doubt that Islam gave them a resiliency to be able to stand up to those hellacious conditions. But it takes a toll over time. And so we have an opportunity, some of us to do something to address them.
And so take advantage of those kinds of opportunities
in COBOL, and they will all be able to come together and start working on that unity and working on those strategies. My vision is that the Muslims will be heirs as a community to Dr. King's mission,
to mission against racism, militarism, and materialism, and the three are interconnected and our religion gives us a strong position.
And if we can do that successfully in our society, we'll make our contribution