I say unto you ALL, as-salaam alaiKUM.
Dearly beloved people, our life and community are at risk. Our distinguished identity as Muslims in America is at risk. Those charged with leadership among us, the majority of them not all, are risky characters. They, for the most part, have refused a serious, open discussion about our leadership.
What has distinguished us as a people has always been our leader. His life, his commentary, his manner, his insight, his courage, his intelligence, his wisdom, his vision, his knowledge, his judgment, his firmness, his kindness, his faith, his universal appeal has made for us an Islamic identity. From the time of our first leader until his passing we have had representation. Even the late Honorable Elijah Muhammad said when asked who will succeed him, "no one will... only Allah," while knowingly nurturing and grooming Wallace D. Mohammed, his special son for the great task.
We have Imams in every major city in America but no leader that is commonly held by the will of the people to advance our collective interest. I believe that Imam W. Deen Mohammed intended that none of them be seen as qualified because none of them are. Their selfishness, back-biting, ill-will and deceit have disqualified them. But more than that their emphasis on matters other than those matters IWDM placed emphasis on while he was here with us disqualifies them. How many countless times did IWDM question their loyalty in public? And now some of them claim to have vital, yet confidential information about IWDM's intent for the future of the community while others want to make side concerns the most important matters.
Dearly beloved people we need an open discussion about our leadership using the guidance that our leader showed us and taught us. Please enlist your thoughts and convictions here on this blog so that we, our people, are not erased from existence choosing inferior paths like Minister Farrakhan's NOI, or the immigrant community leadership, or the black salafiyah community, or some other leadership that is not in our tradition.
We are a unique, special people with a special mission distinguished for us. We must challenge ourselves to stand up and push forward as a viable people. The only way is that there is open, truthful discussion based in good, honorable intent about our leadership. There are more voices to be heard than just NYC-Manhattan, Dallas, Atlanta, Hazel Crest, Washington DC, and Indianapolis. There are many who have had personal interaction and serious discussion with our leader Imam W. Deen Mohammed. We owe it to our former leaders and their selfless, successful work to seek out all who have something to contribute to this discussion. Our lives, our people, our special group identity is at risk. All contributions are welcome.
I say unto you, PEACE!
dr. Delaney W. Karriem
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
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As Salaam Alaikum Bro. Karriem. I have just received your post. I totally agree with your words and spirit of preserving the legacy and identity of or most distingush Muslim community. I applaud you for providing a professional blog for dialectical discourse for supporters of our late Imam (may Allah grant him a high level in the paradise). as time allows I will post to this site. I pray that the intented goal of facilitating discussion for community progress is realize.
ReplyDeletewith sicere respect, your brother, A.Lateef Qadar
ASA Peace to us ALL
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Dr.
To see such collaboration of our Imam's since our leader has past was a fore sight.
It should make one wonder or ponder..."Why now?"
What has been the significant change by the passing of our beloved leader that has fired them up so that they are NOW more passionate about HIS teacings and are wanting to show SUCH GREAT SUPPORT?
This is not intended to bash our Imam's but to enlighten their own thought on their intentions but as we know our leader has challenged them through the many 20 plus years to do what has been charged for them to do as Imam's who took that oath to guide the believers to Allah to teach them the straightway 'a pattern set before them".
So I ask what is or has been the dynamic change to NOW make them see the light and say they know what the Imam wanted for the human productive life.
The Imam has made it VERY clear himself when he left a significant memo that his beloved wife read at his janazah, and I paraphrase, "he would like to see us build schools, hospitals, banks, build a Model Community life for HUMANITY" that is Muslim!
Humanity is Muslim so our charge and the leader the Imam has left behind is the Life and example of Prophet Muhammed (PBBUH) and his leadership given to him by Almighty G'D and YOU, YOU the believer this is our Leader now and forever!
With this I understand and take my postion and role with these tools to do the work and not claim any postiion or role other than HUMAN that is MUSLIM!
ASA,
Mother
Thank you dearly beloved people!
ReplyDeleteThe more we discuss these matters the stronger our resolve to realize tangible results.
Share this blog with your friends and associates, family members, all interested parties.
Let us remember Imam W. Deen Mohammed was not just our leader but he was a voice of reason and moral guide for many in this country. It is imperative that we as a community not relinquish that role. We have much to do.
I say unto you, Peace!
Dearly beloved people,
ReplyDeleteConsider this as the Eid ul-adha approaches. How would we know that the meaning of this is "the brighter" and that it is related to the ritual cleansing for prayer 'wudu'.
Without IWDM we would say like all other Moslems including many of our so-called leaders that it is the 'festival of the sacrifice' and go on to give the same old incomplete, tired explanation.
How would we know that others were insulting us as a people when they greet us on this day "eid kareem" meaning we need to clean up and be made honorable before we can say "eid mubarak."
This is what these leaders are cheating us out of when they refuse the people a discussion of our leadership, effectively leaving us headless when we have enormous opportunities at hand for progress.
Who will represent us and Imam W. Deen Mohammed's special way?
The hallmark of any great leader is how he serves the development and transformation of his people. Dearly beloved people, do you not see that this is our leadership tradition? Were we not served in this way by Mr. W. F. Muhammad, by the Honorable Elijah Mohammed, and by Imam W. Deen Mohammed, respectively? Did these great leaders and our leadership tradition not set us apart and thus set us free?
We shall never leave the side of our leader. Who will arise and move us forward upon our great tradition? It is insane to say we shouldn't have leadership. They say that because they don't know where to lead thus proving their disqualification.
Dearly beloved people do not be afraid!
I say unto you as you consider this, Peace.
ASA,
ReplyDeleteThere IS a need for Guardians of our social development, are they to be identified by the public or are they to distinguish themselves? How does one show him or her-self qualified to be a leader?
These are the question that you bring to my mind when I read your post and comments.
The special way that Imam Mohammed led the people can't be readily put into words; it was a powerful influence and an insightful discourse that he held not just with us but the world through the method of teaching religion plainly. Who has that Powerful insight, the skill to walk the balance between heaven and earth, to hold in check those schemes of men without breaking a sweat?
Again these are the questions that come to my mind.
Please, let us enter into some serious discussion about these matters.
Adam P. Ford
Thank you for intellectual discussion. I pray Allah forgives Imam W.D. Mohammed his sins and grant him paradise. It is refreshing to hear something other than the nonsense that has been lingering throughout our community. Shortly after the shocking news of the passing of our beloved leader, Imam W. Deen Mohammed, I couldn't believe the behavior displayed for everyone to see by some. First I thought it was grief clouding their judgement. How quickly some let greed open the door for the devil(shatan). If Imam Mohammed kept some things private, it is not for us to have an open forum on it after his transition. Imam W.D. Mohammed was a peaceful, humble man and would not subject himself or us to this foolishness. Instead he would encourage us to emplement his visions. Some of us are behaving as if we have been sitting on the floor for 33 years asleep. Imam W. D. Mohammed has given us everything we need to advance as a free influential people of Al-Islam in these United States, especially at this historical time. America is witnessing change that is having a global affect. We need our minds set in a global direction. We need to go forward with the visson of Imam W. Deen Mohammed as if in a race we can not afford to loose. We can not stop now! We have so far to go. To allow his legacy to fizzle after all of his sacrifice, love and dedication he showed us would be a sin. I appteciate Dr. Karriem for providing an avenue to (I pray) allow right minded sincerely devoted followers(students) of Imam W.D.Mohammed to find each other and come together to work and accomplish our goals. In appreciatione of Imam's hard work and sacrafice, and life long commitment WE MUST! No ONE can fill Imam Mohammed's shoes. No one has the ability to lead as he did. He was a special man, a blessed human being. There will be a different representation...
ReplyDeletePeace
ASA
Karima
Dearly beloved people,
ReplyDeleteI have a short, important story to share with you to help underscore the importance of our community's destiny to lead ands not follow. The source of this story is trustworthy and a verifiable companion of our late leader.
Here is the story:
Imam W. Deen Mohammed attended a high level international conference in Poland. As a part of the conference each participant was invited to visit the notorious Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. When Imam Mohammed was asked to visit he replied, "We, African-Americans, are very familiar with mistreatment and pain. In fact, I don't believe there are a people more aware of it. Some punished the world with their pain. We have been an example of healing. I don't believe I want to be reminded of more pain. My soul is for healing."
Our legacy is to lead and not follow. So, let us go forward upon this legacy and continue to lead.
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteI think that the discussion by dr. Karriem is an important one and needs our attention. As you have noticed by the regional and sectional IMAM's Meetings... they all avoid public communication concerning the topic of leadership and leave it in the hands of a few brothers to discuss. Women aren't even allowed to attend most of the meetings calling for just IMAMs. This should not happen. We should be open and transparent without being distasteful.
Those meetings can be seen as All boys clubs and they lack the true representation of OUR voices. Many people can't afford to travel to the different cities to sit and hear or even maybe, probably, possibly get a few words in, but here on this blog we have a virtual sit at a virtual round table and we don't have to leave the comfort of our homes and the floor is our's to voice our thoughts and opinions.
Thank you for the chance to express my thoughts openly, without an overseer to check or edited what I am feeling or thinking, concerning our community and it's direction.
HASHIM
Dearly beloved people,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your interest and participation in this discussion. As our brother Hashim pointed out it is an open and welcome discussion even to anyone who may disagree.
I would like to offer another observation for the consideration and comments of any and all participants.
All Islamic organizations in America were formed in response to us and our leadership. America presented too much of an opportunity in the minds of these organization's leaders to trust their interests to us. Even though Imam W. Deen Mohammed offered to have joint conventions in the interest of Muslim unity their leadership declined. An honest conclusion would be we had no value to them except to be used. They did not want us present because they could not speak openly about their concerns and plans with us present. Now, I guarantee it is open season on our people.
Our leadership is so weak they are in no position to interpret what is happening. Already we have heard of defections from our leadership to theirs. Why? Because they know we are headless and that any game can be run on our leaders. Over the years they have monitored what was happening with us. Do we not recall that when Imam Mohammed resigned the leadership it was because the Imams in our group were disloyal to his direction. In effect they were competing with him.
It is absolutely apalling to hear people ignorantly say, "The Imam left us with all we need. We have no need for a leader." What people say such a preposterous thing except as a scheme for us to fall in line as willing sheep for the slaughter.
We have to exert the muscles that the Imam built up in us over 33 years to choose leadership using his example as criteria. Who is our representative to the legitimate international religious bodies that want to hear from the people associated with Imam W. Deen Mohammed. Who is our representative to salute and acknowledge the new president of the United States who clearly has been influenced by our late leader. Who will 'evangelize' America as to the true picture of Islam as Imam Mohammed did?
Think people and do not be duped!
I say unto you, Peace.
I don't know if this is what you are talking about, but I observed at one of our Masjids/ Clara Mohammed Schools on E'id day the Imam who was African American. I am not sure if he was in our association but he made references to the Nation of Islam. Before the talk He preformed the E'id prayer with 7 takbirs and than 5, he explained that this is the legitimate or tradional way (one of those terms),to preform the prayer. I stood in the front role apalled that he would say this. I followed him doing 5 before 7 myself. I said to myself He must not know what Imam Mohammed taught us as he was young, well he look young to me.
ReplyDeleteBut, when the talk was over and the people who missed the first prayer lined up to make up the E'id Salat. The Imam that I know is a student of Imam Mohammed as he was one of the Imam's that Imam W. Deen Mohammed sent to learn arabic overseas in th 70's. I know that he knew about the 5 before 7 and its meaning.. I stood behind him in other E'ids as he fired off the explaination on the reasoning for 5 before 7 that he got from Imam Mohammed. So, I felt that I would be safe following this Imam.
Don't you know he did 7 takbirs in the first rakah and 5 in the second. I got out of line and went and waited for the food to be served. I was so disappointed.
I don't put great importance on ritual, that's not why I was disappointed, it was that only two E'ids ago this brother, a so called leading Imam in our association, would not stand for what Imam Mohammed taught.
The Meaning of the ritual and it's education is more important than the ritual done with no knowledge of it's importance.
Sorry to be so long winded. But, I agree our leaders need to get a backbone.
Yours truly,
Ali K.
As salaam wa alaikum
ReplyDeletedear believers and followers of Imam W. Deen Mohammed Leadership,
i think this is a good site to share, recall and keep in the direction Imam Mohammed set for us. We have to thank Dr. Karriem for his initiative. It seems to me that if our so called leading Imams are not leading according to what we know is correct from our leader, then they are not our leaders and we must elect new leaders that are in step with what is correct. We must recall Imam Mohammed's words on chosing leadership. (paraphrasing here) The representative must be 1st of good moral character including ethics, knowledgeable and elected. There is no self appointed leadership. there must be a certain type of love for our community. Where is the community Shura?
kauthar
Dearly beloved people,
ReplyDeleteIf we speak honestly how many of us would be Muslims if it were not for the Honorable Elijah Mohammed and the great Mujeddid Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
Many will say, "see this is my problem with them. Allah makes Muslims. They give too much credit to their leaders."
The simple fact is that there are many streams of influence that answer the question of why African Americans embraced Islam. Each of these streams begins with Mr. W. F. Muhammad and is completed with the great Mujeddid Imam W. Deen Mohammed. Even those that reject this history they define themselves upon this rejection. They have other identities because they were run off and pushed away by ignorant, selfish leaders in our association or they were drawn to the message of self-reliance in Farrakhan's NOI or they were drawn to the non-conformist position of the black salafiyah or they were attracted by the specially formulated dawah techniques of the immigrant community to refute our leadership. In any case every door to Islam in America is related to our leadership.
It was related to me by a companion of the great Mujeddid that once on a trip to Rome, Imam W. Deen Mohammed was in the company of scholars who have devoted their lives to the study of Islam in service to the Vatican. They were priests of the Catholic church but were students of Islam. In the meeting they explained to Imam Mohammed that in the estimation of the elite leadership of Islam in the world he and his people were seen as "the prize," meaning that the eyes of the Islamic world was on him and us for leadership.
We, dear people, are the heirs to this leadership legacy. We must continue in our great tradition. We have the resources. Do not allow that disqualified leaders make us think our destiny is to look backward. We must go forward with the leadership of our great Mujeddid urging us on with what he taught us.
How dare they attempt to sit in his seat at the Ramadan Sessions taking advantage of a hurt, bewildered people looking for help and consolation. How dare they sell their inadequate commentaries to a mourning people. How dare they belittle the legitimate concerns of well-meaning Believers and staunch, loyal followers of the great Mujeddid. How dare they ignore his strategies in favor of their cheap schemes.
There are many young men and women qualified for leadership. I say to them: Stand up! Demand your places! THE MUJEDDID PREPARED YOU FOR THIS MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY. DO NOT BE AFRAID. ALLAH AND YOUR GOOD INTENT WILL PROTECT YOU!
I say unto you, Peace and the Mercy of G'd.
I humbly call on Imam Ronald B. Shaheed of Milwaukee, Imam Nasir Ahmed of Miami, Imam Eaustria Sabir of Atlanta, Imam Michael Saahir of Indianapolis, and Imam Wallace D. Mohammed II to assemble if you haven't already. Find a way to come together and share with each other what you have of recordings of the great Mujeddid Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
ReplyDeleteWe now and generations to come are depending on you to publish in writing in a compendium the exhaustive work of Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
Your knowledge, appreciation, reverence, and preservation of his works uniquely qualify you for this great and special task. I would suggest this is the most important work that you have ever participated in. Imagine its value and worth now and always.
All others who have access to the Imam's works contact one or all of these brothers and encourage them and strengthen for this great purpose.
First I’d like to thank Dr. Karriem for creating such a thoughtful forum for discussing our beloved leader the Mujeddid Imam W.Deen Mohammed’s brilliant strategic wisdom and insight. Dr. Karriem is right! I’m reminded of a public address were our Mujeddid was speaking of the evolution of this community. And he said and I am paraphrasing that the blessings and mercy of G-d were with this community from the very beginning. He called it divine intervention. He said that when his father the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was the leader G-d was with his father and when he became leader in 1975, G-d was with him. And when he moves on to another phase G-d would be with the next leader or group of leaders. So we must choose a leader or leaders based upon that same history of excellence and dedication of service that our Mujeddid has showed us for almost 50 years and G-d will be with us. This community has received Islam in its most beautiful expression and special insight into the Holy Quran without the influence of anyone or any group. Our Mujeddid could not rely on many of these so-called imams for support for anything that he was working to trying to establish for us.
ReplyDeleteASA,
ReplyDeleteI would first like to thank Dr. Karriem for taking the initiative in providing this blog. I've read many of the comments, but the one which stands out most in my mind are the questions raised by Mr. Adam Ford. He said:
"...are they [our future leaders] to be identified by the public or are they to distinguish themselves? How does one show him or her-self qualified to be a leader?"
True leadership is a natural process that results from a person or a group of persons taking the initiative to serve a collective need. Our greatest challenge now is to identify our most important needs and take concrete steps to fulfill them.
Of those needs, the most important are cultural and financial development; topics which have been given much lip service in the past. The past is over.
A poor community needs a strong identity. As it stands, I don't believe our identity has cemented itself in a unified cultural expression. I see too many unhealthy influences invading our thought, creativity, and work ethic.
Many young people don't even feel proud about being Muslim, much less African-American Muslims under IWDM's leadership. I place financial development second because a firm financial identity can only come from a firm and practiced sense of who we are.
We need greater communication and coordination between those with resources and the willingness to partner with others whose resources can serve as a mate. Those resources can be of an intellectual, creative or material nature. My hope is that this blog can be a first step in that direction.
Peace.
Dearly beloved people,
ReplyDeleteYour contributions are excellent!
Please continue. This discussion is indispensable and without equal. If the Imams in our community were honest and sincere they would study what is being said here, whether they participate or not.
Many eyes are on our community wondering where we will go. Some of those eyes have designs on leading us, others manipulating us. They know we are a bruised and susceptable people, having lost our leader unexpectedly. They know we have not recovered sufficiently to determine who wishes us well or harm. Our leaders are weak and ineffective, unable to protect us.
Dear people your voices are heard here.
Let us continue our discussion keeping our tradition strong. Do not be afraid. The Mujeddid prepared us for this moment in our development with his example.
Allah is with us.
ASA
ReplyDeleteWe need increased networking among persons in similar fields of interest/practice. As groups, they should develop and implement strategies to expand IWDM's work into their field of work.
For example, a group of musicians would come together, share and develop resources, and work to realize a more complete fulfillment of the role Allah wants our music to play.
By implementing IWDM's example into their own lifestyles and professionalism, they would become the "model musicians." Doctors, scientist, engineers, poets, CEO's, etc. would all do the same. This is how we can build a model community life, by having model individuals in all walks of life.
I'm not talking about establishing a ruling bureaucracy. I'm talking about developing greater sensitivity, as a group and as groups, for those things which Allah, through Prophet Muhammad and most recently Imam Mohammed, calls to our attention to. Then, acting on those sensitivities in an innovative and sober minded way.
Dr. Delaney Karriem, As-Salaam Alaikum.
ReplyDeletePlease help me to remember you, that is if we have met prior. If not please tell me where you are from.
I see that you mentioned my name, along with other Imams asking that we united and write about Imam W. Deen Mohammed. That is a noble cause. Get back with me when you can.
From your brother, Michael Saahir, Indianapolis
Imam Michael Saahir,
ReplyDeleteI say unto you, As-Salaam Alaikum.
I have called upon you and others who I had become aware of over the years that have preserved the works of the great Mujeddid, Imam W. Deen Mohammed. Because of your access to these tapes over the years you and a few others are uniquely qualified to publish in writing transcripts of nearly every public word the Mujeddid spoke over 33 years. This would be of immense and priceless value as we construct our community in the way the Mujeddid instructed us. Also, it would help us to keep to his spirit and language thus securing our special identity as a Muslim people.
You and all others who would like to contact me personally can do so at drdwk3375@gmail.com.
Thank you warmly dear brother for your attention and response.
ASA,
ReplyDeleteJudging from some of the earlier comments, it would be fair to say that our community is faced with a crisis.
In the Chinese language, the character which represents crisis is composed of two elements. The first represents danger, the second represents opportunity.
The danger our community is faced with today is greater than any in the past. Hence, the opportunities are increased in equal or greater measure. But to take advantage of these opportunities will require innovation.
We need to rethink many of the commonly circulated ideas regarding our institutions. This is especially true of the Mosque. It needs to be elevated to it's proper role: the embodiment of a collective spirit which promotes human development.
In my own situation, the local center has just undergone a change of leadership. I communicated to the new Imam a few specific ideas to establish a presence among those with resources and facilitate the mating of those resources.
Does anyone have additional ideas, experience, or wisdom they can share?
NewAfricaFestival wrote: 16 minutes ago
ReplyDeleteIn order to preserve the legacy of the late great leader, Imam W. Deen Mohammed. I would suggest that we should stick with guidence that can be varified. i.e. quotes or teachings that are from recorded lectures, books or other varifiable situations. Not to be disregardful of anyone, but most of us know the Imam would not accept a sealed evelope in public without opening it. The point is anything that we were supposed to know as a group/association, the Imam told all of us! And anything that the Imam gave to any individual was for that individual.
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteFor all that come to this site, do you think this discussion is necessary and/or relevant to the growth and development of our community? I ask this as I notice not just on this Blog but on other web discussion forums that persons don't really discuss the issues they quote Statements from our Leader as if that is going to be the defining point that should clear up all the confusion in the minds of the people discussing issues and problems.
If that was the proper way of concluding issues and discussing matters, our community would have made great progress during the life of Imam Mohammed when he actually made those statements. This is not the case; we are still struggling with how to hear Imam Mohammed, what his emphasis was when he spoke and where to place importance on issues facing our community development.
That is were discussion comes in, I may not have heard what you heard or understood what you understood when I listened to or read Imam W. Deen Mohammed's words. You may have heard him on a higher level of understanding than I. What does that mean? It means that we share a common responsibility to discuss what we understood or understand so that we can equally see the big picture and share the work load.
It is not fair to the Imams that studied under our leader that they should have that knowledge and not want to disseminate it to others so that we can make the progress needed for the family of man. It becomes a burden on them and a weight to heavy for their souls to bear.
But many of them have carried the weight of the knowledge that Imam Mohammed has given them selfishly. They think that they are the only ones equipped to handle such a task. They say, as a psyche on the minds of the community, "I remember Imam Mohammed told me in a PERSONAL, (and the emphasis Personal) conversation, that Allah Chose ME..." they say, eventually, that we all are choosing but they emphasis the fact that they themselves were choosing first in that personal conversation...
They carry a Great Burden on themselves. When they see that the community’s life is in peril at risk of certain and sudden death if something is not done to preserve the vital interests of the communities Identity. They all of a sudden disappear and you don't hear from them. They choice not to enter into at least the discussion much less the actual fight to save the life of our community identity and it's role of leadership in the eyes of not just the Islamic world but the whole world.
Where are these great leaders on this issue? Have you seen them, outside of their own private world of inner circle meetings and conference calling, or blogs designed for self aggrandizement and slander? Some of them have taking the offer of the enemy and have sold you out for personal material gain, others have undermined and put at risk our most influential institutions with those that have powerful strategies to take over the role of the Voice of our community. Why won't you all respond to this call? Is this a voice in the wilderness, is dr. Delaney W. Karriem the only one that has enough sense to address this vital issue without fear or trepidation?
He has opened up an avenue not unfamiliar to you that are on these yahoo forums. He has made this the central issue here so as not to disrupt the flow of the conversations on those other forums.
What do you have to say? What is your concern for the community?
Our voices are needed. Speak up and Speak out. "Surely Allah hears the call of the one calling on him for aid...”
HASHIM
As-Salaamu-Alaikum.
ReplyDeleteA lot of criticism has been leveled at the leaders who operate within our circles. Most, if not all, is deserved. But I feel that the time for criticism has passed.
If bad leaders have stalled our progress it is because we have allowed it. To the extent we were aware of their ill intentions, and did nothing, WE are guilty. It wasn't as if Imam Mohammed did not make it clear to us that they were unfit.
Now is not the time to be distracted by the hurt we feel in realizing their betrayal, or our own. Now is the time for innovative ideas on how to expand and build upon the work of Imam Mohammed.
Peace
Dearly beloved people,
ReplyDeleteNext year will pose great challenges to our association of Muslims. Without doubt the Saviour Day observance planned for Detroit will offer a setting for a mad, desperate rush to 'control the microphone' and thus force a pitiful, inept leadership body down our throats.
Why do I say this?
Are there any real agenda items projected for serious discussion or is there just the standard plan for more grandstanding and pontification on the part of an aging so-called leadership group who for much of their collective tenures were sharply criticized and distrusted by the Mujeddid, Imam W. Deen Mohammed. It seems to me in my humble opinion that this would be the time to present a well thought out plan for our future based upon the directives of the Mujeddid.
In the absence of such an agenda I would propose that this discussion blog focus its attention on key and essential areas of concern that should be adressed intelligently and responsibly at the Saviour Day meeting. In addition this blog should name individuals that we feel should address this important gathering of our people.
May I suggest a few possible agenda items:
1) discussion of the creation of wealth through the development of neighborhoods in our association of Muslims
2) an appointment of knowledgeable, trustworthy believers to safeguard our leadership and community legacy by publishing every public word the Mujeddid ever spoke
3) an appointment of scholarly individuals who will counsel the ongoing development of our community life through strict interpretation of our religion in direct accordance with the Mujeddid's language and commentary
4) a real Clara Mohammed school leadership body that functions with clarity and vigor for the Mujeddid's philosophy of education. In other words we have been cheated by watered down phony ideas borrowed from others when the Mujeddid has established a verifiable educational philosophy for our schools. We just need people who know it, understand it and have the fortitude to bring it into reality. I would venture to say that our schools suffer for lack of this kind of leadership.
These are just a few possibilities.
I encourage more discussion.
I say unto you, Peace!
As-Salaamu-Alaikum:
ReplyDeleteI want to address two areas Dr. Karriem mentions:
1) In terms of wealth creation our biggest challenge is financial literacy. An educational initiative aimed at correcting this issue is needed. It would address topics such as credit scores, when and how to use a credit card, and basic financial planning.
Better understanding of these tools will equip us to take full advantage of our citizenship opportunities. Financial literacy is especially useful to young people who are often more impulsive with purchasing decisions.
We also need to create a greater awareness of businesses and professional services offered by members of the community so that when we want to purchase certain products and services, we can do so from our fellows community members.
2) In addition to publishing the words of Imam Mohammed, serious effort must be given to preserving the visual record of his leadership and of our community.
There are many out there who have extensive video collections of Imam Mohammed's recorded speeches and public addresses. The technology that carries this information is often time sensitive and will be lost if not properly stored and archived.
Dearly beloved people,
ReplyDeleteHere is a partial list of leaders in our association who have experience and capability to contribute to solving our leadership crisis. A few names will I'm sure be readily recognizable by most and some names not known at all. However, these are Imams who from our vantage point are trustworthy, competent and who in large part are not appreciated for their service and relationship to the Mujeddid. From among them are men of varying interests and skills. Some are educators, civil servants, business owners, tradesmen... they all have served and served well and have earned the opportunity to address our people in a national setting. We may be surprised that possibly from among them is someone who can represent our national interests and hold the confidence of our people. While there are many women in our community who are equally capable none appear on my list. However, I encourage those who know of women to list their names.
We must demand that the Saviour Day observance reflect a real discussion of our needs and concerns as a people. We must not mince words or waste time.
Here are the names, all of them active in dawah, or former or present resident Imams:
Imam Ilyas Nashid, Cincinnatti
Imam Abdul Karim Majied Hasan, New Haven
Imam Gary Al-Kasib, Detroit
Imam Ronald Shaheed, Millwaukee
Imam Amin Aleem, Dayton
Imam Wahydeen Shakir, Irvington
Imam Rashad Shahid, Jacksonville
Imam Ibrahim El-Amin, Moreno Valley
Imam Kareem, Newark
Imam Khalil Abdullah, Atlanta
Imam Abdullah Munir Mohammed, Charlotte
As you consider these names keep in mind the games power brokers have played to keep the works of outstanding leaders out of our consciousness. By ignoring them in prominent settings they have lulled us into thinking that only they are qualified. I say they are not qualified but we would find better suited people from the above list. I am certain that there are many others, including women.
I encourage all to contribute to this discussion.
I say unto You, Peace
As-Salaamu-Alaikum.
ReplyDeleteI have read the comments posted and am in total agreement with the great need our community has for specific and recognized leadership that honors the legacy of Imam W.D. Mohammed.
The sincere effort of Imam Mohammed's true followers will not be wasted. Allah (SWT)is with those who are willing to strive at preserving his legacy and expanding upon his work.
ASA
ReplyDeleteI bear witness that Allah has truly blessed us.
These are such marvelous and wonderful times.
Imam Mohammed said that this is the day of religion.
His life and death has created fertile ground for all seed straining hard to produce the fruit of its own growth potential.
Because of that, Islam in America is alive and well and growing. Imam Mohammed was directly responsible for that.
His whole life was one of movement and growth or transition. As a member in his association, I am happy to see the lively response to the stimulus that we are encountering.
I'm also happy that as time has passed since our leader's death, certain realities are being organically learned and understood by the many.
The status of and our relationship to 'The Mosque Cares', 'CPC', 'The Muslim Journal', and even the concept of leadership, particularly, at what level should it be formed, is a result of this process.
Though not quite Shuraa Baynahum, everyone's input and commentary has been robust and is exactly what's needed on the way to establish Shuraa Baynahum.
Some online discussions have provided self generating answers to some, but not all, perplexing questions that were formed at the beginning of all of this.
Time in particular has afforded a sort of 'mini-evolution' from the characterization of 'community property ownership' of the above organizations and material entities, to an awareness of what can only be characterized as the only community property that we all own is our 'community's spirit'.
The 'community spirit' ownership may prove to be more valuable and useful for our progress than having ownership and control of the above real properties. That community spirit can effect the rate of progress we will experience.
Imam Mohammed said that the urge or need to have answers to rising questions has been established in our human nature. The straining to seek answers to questions is strictly a creation by Allah and not of our own making. And as Allah in His Great Beneficence would have it, He gives guidance to everything He creates.
Since He didn't create His man from a fire that gives off no smoke, we should insure that our questions and our answers are not of those resembling a scorching wind. Our brothers and sisters are muslims like we all are and our inquiries should not be for the purpose of making them suffer for being human.
I'm in agreement with those who advocate that leadership in our community should be formed from the ground up, not from the top down. Including leadership inside and outside of the masaajid. Obviously, establishing leadership from the top down is counter intuitive to Shuraa Baynahum right off the bat.
Imam Mohammed has said that there is a sign in the pupil of the eye being covered in water. It indicates that the perception that every individual gets, is a perception that has been influenced by the waters of each of their own individual make up. Shuraa Baynahum is perfect for our own nature as Allah created it. Every perception is given a voice.
I also must state that knowing that there are disagreements with decisions that have been made by Br Rafah Muhammed, Sis Ayesha K. Mustafa, and Br Wallace Mohammed II, I still want to and must give my acknowledgement and voice my appreciation for their willingness to pick up or continue to carry the burden of responsibility each has shouldered.
Imam Mohammed explained the biblical passage of Genesis: 'So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.' Imam Mohammed said that created man in his own image does not mean that man looks like G'd, or that G'd created man to physically look like Him. Created man in his own image means that the pattern that man is created upon, it is owned by G'd. It means that the pattern is in His possession and is a design that He fashioned into shape. The image He fashioned man in to, He created it, He owns it, and it belongs to no one else.
Quite striking as an example of a superior commentary produced from a subtle difference of perception.
That kind is an example of perception that is the best thereof.
That is the perception we need to get to where we are going.
nashid
ASA
ASA,
ReplyDeleteAs I stated in my last comment here, I believe that there is a need for Guardians of our social development. Hearing from the Seerah Conference that some of the characters that dr. Delaney points to are saying that there is no need for our community to have a head is sickening... All the while other groups are making their moves to capture the minds of our community, I must qualify what I mean by OUR COMMUNITY, I am talking about the whole of the African American people. I am also alluding to the entire human family.
In my neighborhood The Fruit of Islam brothers are out and about giving away copies of the Final Call reintroducing themselves to the Black community. Letting them know that they can come to them for answers to their concerns in community.
If I may, the conversations that have our community in a confused state are caused by persons not looking deep into the matter of things. I started this comment out by saying there is a Need for Guardians of Our Social Development. This is the truth now as it always has been. There are and have been persons both conscious and unconscious of the roles that they are playing in order to safe guard our development.
They take on these roles some of them knowing that the role they play is an unpopular, but magnetic, a role that the masses of people outside of their influence will dislike them or even hate them for. They take on a role that seems to the common public to be out of order with the reality of the world or the correct presentation of world disciplines.
Why, because this is a method that has been established as being the most affective in advancing human life and intelligence. The common person sees Myths as lies; the educated sees them as tools for education. When a guardian takes on a role of living myth they do so knowing that they are going to be criticized by the public. What does the act of taking on living myth do? It preserves the knowledge of the life and how it got to where it is. At a point in time that living Myth is no longer the important factor in safe guarding the life. The truth has been established and the role of the living myth begins to merge with the reality of life.
But, it is required that someone plays that role until the development in the people is completed. If the person playing any one role tries to step into the role of let's say the screen writer than the people will say doesn't that look odd. Isn't he or she out of place? You are the villain in the play how now can you try to assume or write yourself in as both the hero and the villain at once? It doesn't work. You could ultimately destroy the progress that you have made in your role.
Is this deceitful? NO, it is a method. Deceit is judge according to intent. Look at the world of Christianity and the Living myths that supports its life and the life of its people. The Leaders in the Christian world know that Santa Claus is a myth, The Easter Bunny is a Myth, and they know that they have no relevance in the real world. But do they work to destroy them? No.
I am not saying that we are to follow the Christians or the Jews. I am saying what the Qur'an says; Follow the Guidance given to the Prophets before you. I see that as saying follow the Methods that establishes long lasting success for the life of humanity.
I hope the Leaders of the BLACK community get this comment and One in particular.
This issue of leadership is bigger than one individual; it requires all of us to speak in unison.
Adam P. Ford
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteI have been sitting here thinking about all the things that have happened within this last year and the things that are occurring in the news and the new atmosphere of Change in American politics. The economic condition of America... My thought was and is what would be Imam Mohammed's thoughts and focus for the community? What would be his emphasis using religious logic to address the needs of our community during this unique time in man's history?
How would he build on the last lecture that he gave, using his talks to give his advice to the newly elected president and the governments of the world?
Now that the world is looking in our direction what can we offer them as Students of Imam Mohammed as his community? We are his inheritors what shall we do with our share of the inheritance that we have been giving?
Imam Mohammed said "we have been chosen to send the message again..." Our life in community is not over; our job did not end with his passing. We have a great work to continue.
What are we waiting for? Who are we waiting for?
For those that think that we don't need community leadership, than you tell me what should the focus be? Your concepts of Local Leadership, I believe miss the mark of what Imam Mohammed was talking about.
This blog and the forums that say they support the leadership message of Imam Mohammed are a proof. What do I mean? We sit all of us in our local areas yet we come to the internet to see and hear what others are saying from their local areas. The forum becomes their national focus in a way. Individuals take the message to others in their areas and work with the message that they get from this larger body or group of locals on or in National or even Global focus.
Where are we being lead, by these groups that claim that we need only local leadership yet are themselves a seat for national interests? They confuse the heart and mind.
WE need to seriously look at what our Leader put before us and make and effort to establish a voice that the world will continue to respect coming from the model community of Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
This should be our New Year's Resolve.
HASHIM
Peace & Blessings,
ReplyDeleteAs we participate in these various discussion concerning leadership. I would like to point out that Leadership is not just a position but more importantly; Leadership is about choices that are revealed in our behaivor and driven by what we belive is our purpose. Our mouth is a slave that can be made to say anything! When we look at Imam Mohammeds life we see that he did not just talk the talk he also walked the walked. He became the leader that he is because of the commitment to his purpose. When we speak of leadership in terms of our assoication this is our model. Imam Eric El-Amin (may Allah have mercy on him. For those who don't know he is deceased) Use to tell a story about in Africa as the boys started comming of age the men would take them out in the woods and leave them. Out of this situation the ones who were best in directions, best in hunting, best in finding shelter and etc. would emerge naturally. Imam Mohammed did his job well and those who should/will lead will emerge naturally. These discussions and the meetings that have taken place or that are planned are proof that this natural process is in motion. Allah u Akbar!!!
ASA Hashim:
ReplyDeleteThe need for leadership is not in dispute. Our targeted goal is the same.
When Allah said, 'I am going to create a ruler in the earth', the one who even thought he was angel, was exposed for what he was.
The internet, with its power to whisper, naturally requires of the believer, to be on constant guard against having vanity exploited.
Just as Iblis was exposed, the same power that the internet offers, magnifies, thereby exposing for all to see, our own character flaws.
Imam Mohammed said that this is the day of religion. The time when the conclusion of things is occurring.
But when it comes to knowing Allah's final disposition of a matter, it is the same for the believer as it is for the masquerader.
The difference being, the believer has faith in Allah's plan and the masquerader is a cold and hot calculator and sees not need to repent of anything.
As much as I know you, in limits as I can know anyone, I believe you are the same as I hope we all are. The striving, struggling believer trying to please Allah.
Since your assessment of our situation could be absolutely correct, and my assessment could be direly wrong, then the advice I'd like to give to all of us in this association is:
You got and idea? Let it move you.
Allah willing. We will meet on the distant horizon.
nashid
ASA,
ReplyDeleteI want to reiterate that Dr. Karriem has suggested that this blog focus its attention on 4 key areas of development. My own feeling is that from such a discussion, concrete plans of action should arise to address these areas.
I encourage us to direct our comments to these topics. Let's not get sidetracked musing on the knowledge Imam Mohammed shared with us.
With that, the 2nd topic Dr. Karriem mentions is the publication of Imam Mohammed's public words. I don't have experience in publishing but I know that from related experiences the process might look something like this:
1) IDENTIFY POSSIBLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION. There are many organizations and local members of our communities who have vast collections of Imam Mohammed's commentary, as well as audio and video tapes. Find out who and where these persons are.
2) COLLECT MATERIAL. Request that individuals/organizations forward copies (not originals) of printed and recorded commentary.
3) ORGANIZE MATERIAL. This would require a group of qualified students of WDM to organize the collected materials by date, theme, topic, etc.
4) CONDENSE MATERIAL. What has often happened in the past, with Imam Mohammed's speeches in particualar, is that they have been published with no thought to condensing or editing. Public speeches need some degree of modification for a reading audience. We have to maximize the potential of the reader to understand and process the wisdom WDM provided.
5) PUBLISH MATERIAL. This is where we would need some form of professional input...or maybe not. Does anyone have any ideas or know someone who has the proper expertise?
These are just a few ideas that have come to my mind and I welcome any input or constructive criticism.
Dearly beloved people,
ReplyDeleteCan we not interpret the signs of the scheming to disrupt and cause the dis-integration of our life, legacy, and leadership?
What sense does it make to have a national newspaper and not a national leader or leadereship representing our collective interests as a people. It is now no secret that the Muslim Journal and the leaders that control it have betrayed our integrity and summarily announced to the world that we are considering Minister Farrakhan as our leader. How insulting is that to the leaders who have qualified themselves through years of study of the Qur'an and tradition of Muhammed the Prophet (pbuh) under the Mujeddid to be dismissed by editorial decision.
If Imam W. Deen Mohammed were alive would there be an extensive interview with Minister Farrakhan in the Muslim Journal? The truthful answer to that question will let any reader of this blog know that the proverbial 'fix' is in the works.
Wake up dearly beloved people and recognize what is at stake.
I am proposing that this blog draft a formal list of concerns and a spokesperson to deliver those concerns at the Savior Day meeting. If we do not act do not be surprised if Minister Farrakhan or someone similar is giving the main address.
I say unto you all, Peace!
ASA,
ReplyDeleteI have been observing this blog for a while now; I am not the most articulate person when it comes to expressing Ideas so I will just say this. The formatting of an Agenda is a great move, but how do we come to a consensus as to what the Agenda will be if only a few people present ideas here. I am willing to believe that we all have Thoughts as to what we would like to see and hear addressed at the Saviors' Day Observance. But I think most people are to shy, scared, nervous, hurt, bewildered or self-doubting to offer any real opinions on these ultra serious matters that you are putting before us.
Most of us have been use to letting others make decisions about the affairs of the community, to know how to join in on these conversations. So, instead of hearing Ideas that constructively support the development of a working dialog, we get posts like this one or posts that want to expound on the wonderful quotes that the Imam has made and how that some how made our life worth living. I personally know what Imam Mohammed has done for me and My Family, but as an old saying goes and I apply it to Imam Mohammed "G'd is not going to do anything FOR you." You have to work with what G'd have given you to produce.
There are a few people that I would like to see speak at the Saviors' Day Observance, One in particular, but I don't think most people even remember him. I don't even know what happened to him. There are some sisters that I would like to hear from as well, like Sister Salima Omar, who I hear is in the Hospital, I hope that she recovers soon.
One of my concerns, is that as a community we are unaware or are not teaching our people the benefits of the knowledge of Law, how to understand the laws of the land in concert with the laws of Al-Islam and the logic of Imam Mohammed, That the understanding of these three will help to produce better citizens from among our group.
Look at what it has done for our New President.
I believe it was Ibrahim that pointed out the challenge of financial literacy on this blog. I agree and support that by adding that understanding the knowledge of the laws of finance are the keys to producing successful business and community development.
One of the most important concerns that I have is the preservation of our community Identity within the frame work of history itself. How is our history going to be remembered? I agree that there should be some movement to include the African American Muslim Movement into the documented history of America's public schooling. That history shows that our movement had a profound affect on how the civil rights movement was conducted and won on our behalf.
That the Nation of Islam under the Honorable Elijah Mohammed be recognized as a Human Rights movement not as a Nationalistic movement. That it was and is a key factor in the new thinking of a whole people not just the African American People, but the family of man. That Imam Mohammed helped us to see those things clearly and moved us in the direction of transparency and inclusiveness.
These are some concerns that I would like to see addressed at the Saviors' Day Observance.
Yours Truly,
Adam P. Ford
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteHow much more do we have to hear to know that we need to take action to secure our communities Identity and Role in Leadership? Does it take that dr. Delaney's assessment of the situation to come to pass before the members of our community realize the dire consequences that are assailing us?
We have many members of our community that can offer us their clear perceptions as to the direction of our community. Here we have a safe place to discuss our concerns and an open invitation to voice our opinions on the matters facing us, what is or are the factors that are holding us back from addressing these issues like men and women of faith?
I agree with Mr. Ford, I believe that many of us are scared of the consequences of speaking out against those that have been tyrants and wizards. I say like others are now saying and acting out, "be not afraid!" The hand of G'd is with us. As long as we put the emphasis where Imam Mohammed put the emphasis.
We must know where to place thoughts and Ideas in manner of their importance. This blog serves as a sign post, I believe, as to where we should be placing our emphasis in developing and advancing our community.
There is no way that we should allow that the Power Brokers put before us weak and inferior leadership for the sake of their idea of unity and private agenda. We can not allow that our most popular and powerful institutions be manipulated for the benefit of those seeking to ASSUME the power of our collective voice and benefit from our life's work and dedication.
Those that read this blog and have been keeping up with the conversations over the internet, that have knowledge, should step up and offer their insight into these issues and add to this discussion with clear methods to advance us as community.
The focus now is on the 2009 Savior Day celebration, so let's keep that as a focus until we have some resolution.
Your Brother and Friend,
HASHIM
As Salaamu Alaikum,
ReplyDeleteWhen Imam Mohammed resigned from the organization called the ASM many people wondered where he was leading us. Many anxiously awaited his announcement of the next phase in our movement. We had no organization, not even a name to refer to ourselves, and our Imam during his life, kept it this way.
He did not appoint any successors nor recommend a succession process, he simply went on with his mission and implemented his programs (WDM Ministry, CPC, etc.).
He made it clear that we are a community and there should be no individual or group of individuals "in charge" of our entire society. He said that an autonomous situation was best, because it would prevent powerful enemies from trying to control the few so they could control the many. He said it would prevent an individual or small group among us from imposing their narrow, self-serving, or exploitative desires on the whole community.
This autonomous state existed from the day of the Imam's resignation until the day of his death.
It is clear that during the last years of the Imam's life we had not achieved our mission. With him here teaching us, alive in the flesh, we did not figure out how to manifest the great teachings, nor implement the practical goals he strove for.
It is clear that our current state of autonomy is not our ideal state and that we are at a critical time in our community's life. For the one person who kept us together as a community is no longer here.
So here we are wondering, "What now?" What's next? We have no leader, but we know the Imam strongly supports the notion of leadership. He told us to remain autonomous, yet he has also taught us that we must have leadership. How do we resolve this apparent contradiction?
So, our nature tells us that we need leadership and that we must establish it. Leadership is Deen Al-Fitra, but we know our Imam is wiser than us and he says stay autonomous, no Amir (or council) over the entire community. What a conundrum!
As students of Imam Mohammed, we are taxed to use our brain. We are forced to ponder and contemplate this situation, as individuals and as groups. This situation forces us to contemplate how to keep the good effects of autonomy and freedom, while also having leadership and organization. I suggest to you that this is exactly what is going on right now.
Whenever there is a crisis, a serious or perplexing problem, it is best to pause and contemplate the next step forward, rather than rush headlong into what could be a disaster. If you are a passenger on a busload of people and imminent danger faces the driver, you want that driver to make careful decisions and not be hasty with your life at risk.
The Imams that you are demanding to hear from may be contemplating and evaluating the best course of action so as to protect our lives. If we force them to speak hastily they may make a mistake and the many who are influenced by them may be accidently put in harm's way. So, when it is cloudy and foggy, proceed with caution.
The good news is that the discussion that is taking place on this blog is taking place all around the country. Do not feel alone and think that this is the only place where these matters are being discussed and thought about.
Do not be dismayed if you do not get responses from as many as you would like or the people that you would like. It takes energy and time to write quality responses about matters such as these. Most of us belong to multiple forums and we are associated with other important tasks, some which relate directly to the concern on this blog.
I am sure some of our Imams would hate to be condemned on the 4,5, or 6 forums they belong to, because each forum demanded a response and they did not answer them in a timely manner. If they rushed a response, it might not be of the expected quality or it might contain mistakes...what good would that be to us?
So those on this blog that are conversing about this issue should continue to do so with vigor. Because the best solution or idea might happen to come from this group. Also, know that your brothers and sisters in other parts of the country, on other forums and in some Masjids are doing the same thing.
Just as an individual who is beset with a difficult problem spends time and energy reflecting and contemplating the way forward, our community is in this stage of reflection and contemplation. Rest assured, a way forward will come; the next evolution of this community's mission is already unfolding.
I like the way Imam Shahid Abdullah articulated how we move forward at the Eidul Adha khutbah in Newark NJ. He said the community does not need a leader over it, but we do need organizations. People are to get together with like minded people and form organizations, committees, groups, businesses, etc. and each of these organized entities will have leaders and organizational structure. Each of these organizations can be focused on carrying out a part of our mission that they are interested in. These organizations can be local or they can be national. It is up to the organizers.
The organization, committee, or groups of people may be followers of Imam Mohammed and whoever else they find of like mind to work with them, but none of the followers of the Imam are over the community of the Imam. They are over the organization, the committe, the team, the business, but not the community.
Only Allah, the Prophet's example, and the body of knowledge, called Imam W. Deen Mohammed are over our community.
In this way, our religion and our community is autonomous and protected from the enemy and from the vainglorious among us, yet, we can get together with like minded persons and organize our resources around any aspect of the teachings of Imam Mohammed.
Allah is also The Wise, for none of us need wait for Imam Mohammed to tell us what to do and what direction to go in. We need only gather together others who feel strongly about a cause and start producing results that can be used by others.
If you believe you have the solution to our money problems, step out and get your companions and make the money our community needs. If you feel Allah has blessed you with the gift of mobilizing people, find one of our needs and put your mobilization skills to work to bring about a result that others can use. If you don't have a special gift, but just know this is the right way, then you reach out and become an Ansar (helper) to someone whose effort you think will be helpful to our mission.
This way forward leaves the individual his freedom and autonomy to choose the cause and individuals he wants to become accountable to and it allows us to develop leadership in many people and in many fields of endeavor, while preventing the enemy from concentrating his power on one or ten of us.
So, let the Shura take place and the discussion take place. But ultimately, we will need to join efforts in some worthy work to fulfill the sense of achievement we need.
Forums and blogs such as this one have proven to be environments that stimulate thinking and the exchange of ideas. They can even be a place that facilitates work and productivity. But, they are a means to an end and only the end itself in a few cases. I believe that out of the community dialog will come a leadership model that is clear and satisfying to us all.
One final note, with respect to the schemes to take our community over, it is a danger indeed. However, I have witnessed that there are too many of us with knowledge and a willingness to confront would be usurpers to be afraid of them. If others absorb us, it will be because we were impatient like the Children of Israel when Moses took too long in the Mountains. They will be successful, if we do not bring forth what has been put in us. But if we implement, they will be no danger, they will become our allies.
On a lighter note, I am involved in a project to preserve the lectures of Imam Mohammed. We are scanning all of the centerfold lectures from the Muslim Journals from 1975 through 2008. We are also converting over one thousand lectures from cassette tape to MP3 files.
I stopped this work to write this post. Had I chosen to continue the other effort, I would not have written this post, but I would have still been busy working on preserving something important to the very concern of this blog. All of the forums struggle with small participation, but many are reading and doing. So, those who choose to speak, know that there are many reading even though they do not comment.
Eventually, we will hear from everyone by their works.
Thanks a lot and I look forward to learning more from the many who are sharing.
Sincerely,
Mubaashir Uqdah
Al-Hamdulillah,Al-Hamdulillah,Al-Hamdulillah! Excellent. Just Excellent. I am printing this out to keep in front of me. I pledge allegiance to these activities and spirit. Thank you Dr. Mubaashir.
ReplyDeleteOnce again I’d like to thank Dr Karriem for invoking such thoughtful and needed discussion. Al Islam is a logic that does not destroy itself before its completion. In other words if there are a few brothers together at the time of prayer, a decision has to be made as to who will lead the prayer. Let’s follow the logic. The prayer itself teaches us leadership among many other things. So why are so many of us thinking that our great leader the Mujeddid WD Mohammed would say that we don’t need leadership. Our Mujeddid gave a public address in 1977 called “The Need For Leadership” If you are able to get a copy of that address, listen to that and tell me if that sounds like a leader who wants his community that he was guiding and protecting go without leadership when he was no longer physically able to guide us. There is another you can get from WDM Publications. It is #CD E96 from 2008. Anyone who listens to this will have a clear picture of what our Mujeddid wants for us in terms of leadership now and in the future. Our beloved Mujeddid Imam WD Mohammed has pasted away but he is not dead. He is alive. And he will live as long as we keep his way of thinking, his methods, his strategy and his love for the Quran and the tradition of Mohammed the prophet in our hearts and in our minds.
ReplyDeleteASA
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying this discussion group, on no other group that I am a part of do I get this type of quality discourse. Not only does this blog have thought provoking discussion, it has a working agenda that actually is designed to affect the real world of our community.
I am talking about the agenda to have a spokesperson address our concerns at the Savior's Day meeting. I don't know Dr. Delaney W. Karriem but he seems like someone that has some deep insight into what our leader wanted for our community. Is he an Imam in our association or just a Doctor?
Anyway, I was looking at the past few comments and I agree that we need structures to define our community, but I believe that we need a face for our community to grow into its best model. I read an article once posted somewhere that Imam W. Deen Mohammed said that the community’s leadership should look like a body. There should be those that function like hands others like feet and still others like the heart. How would we look as a community of structures without a FACE? A face gives the community character. Yes, I know we say that Imam Mohammed is our FACE. That is true. But know that he is no longer with us how does that face speak, because as you know the face contains the mouth the nose and eyes for the head.
I say that the face of our community should be the one that looks in his spirit and acts in his behavior like our leader, leading in the same manner as the leader, pointing us in the same direction as the leader did.
Imam Mohammed pointed at Barack Obama as a sign of that type of leadership our community needs. Where is that type among the followers of Imam W. Deen Mohammed? I heard a young brother here where I live say once that he would rather follow Barack Obama than follow any of the Imams in our association, I say until I see the spirit that Barack Obama poses which I believe is the same spirit that Imam W. Deen Mohammed posed, I agree with that young brother. But, I know that there is among us that same Great Spirit from those that do not deny their life line. Those that are firm as Muslims and their Identity as Human and as good American Citizens.
When that Imam did what he did at the E'id,I stopped thinking of our Imam's as leaders. They should follow the example of leadership that Imam Mohammed pointed to in President- Elect Obama. Imam Mohammed said he was waiting for someone like Obama. He is more than a talker, he actually gets things done.
Ali K.
ASA,
ReplyDeleteIn paraphrasing what IWDM said about the community resembling a body, Ali K has provided a good starting point in terms of determining what concerns should be voiced at the Savior Day observance.
Obviously, the most important is recognizing some form of national leadership to represent us; thus giving a head and face to our community and dispelling the notion that we do not need such representation.
Secondly, developing a strategy which will promote greater communication and cooperation between individuals/groups with similar interests, thus forming the other body parts the whole will need to function at full capacity.
I'm sure everyone here has ideas about each of these concerns as well as others. I encourage us to share.
ASA,
ReplyDeleteImam Mohammed left with us a term at one of his Savior Day addresses that I had heard from my studies in social psychology, but hadn't giving much thought to until I heard him address it. That term, being "ETHOS", the collective spirit or soul of a group of people or society, which gives raise to their goals, aspirations and outlook on life. This is a loose definition for this term.
When I heard Imam Mohammed use this term a bell went off in my soul. I like others heard at the convention that Imam Mohammed would be resigning from the ASM. But, I never heard the words "I Resign" come from his mouth. He spoke to us through a Medium. Someone else gave us that message on his behalf. It puzzled me for a while, but when I heard him address us concerning the term ETHOS the lights turned on in me.
The concept of organizations bothered him, but the solidification of a group of people based upon the unseen urge in their human nature attracted a voice to represent that unseen urge. The urge for Peace the Urge for Salvation and Healing produced its spokesperson and leader.
We have a narrow view of life, most of us. When we heard that term Ethos we thought only of the Muslim group claiming Imam Mohammed's leadership. The Ethos that he referred to was the Ethos of the Whole People. Firstly the ethos of the African American people than the whole of mankind.
In the time of the Honorable Elijah Mohammed, there were great leaders moving and calling the black people to save themselves. Among them were persons like Adam Clayton Powell, whom my father thought of when naming me, among other great figures in history. While Adam Powell was a great leader for us as African Americans, he secretly looked to The Honorable Elijah Mohammed for direction. Not only him, but the majority of the African American Leaders of that time looked to the Leadership of the Honorable Elijah Poole- Mohammed. Why, because they saw that movement answering the dominant call of the Ethos of the people at that time. They understood how to be guardians of our social development.
Do we think that that condition changed when Imam W. Deen Mohammed became our leader? When we look at this question of leadership we shouldn't be so narrow in our vision to think that we the students in our association are the only ones affected by the absence of our teacher. When we talk about local leadership are we addressing the needs of the whole of our community, the African American community that is, or are we being selfish by saying that we don't need national representation? Because of our physical attachment to our Leader we don’t want to see another in his chair at the dinner table.
Our Soul, our Ethos needs a representative to advocate for its concerns and aspirations and to protect its interests in the world. The human soul desiring Salvation and Healing had a Spokesperson in physical form. Humanity has always had a spokesperson for its Ethos, none greater than Muhammed the Prophet.
This process is a natural process and must continue. What better time to introduce to the world a spokesperson than at our Saviors' Day Observance.
Adam P. Ford
ASA,
ReplyDeleteI wasn't there during the convention when Imam Mohammed distanced himself from the ASM. But for years the collective soul of our community has demanded, from amongst its ranks, a better example of obedience and service to our leader and our destiny.
In communicating his decision to separate himself from those who falsely positioned themselves as such examples, Imam Mohammed chose a Medium who is the proper example of obedience and service.
It was only natural then, that the hypocrites among us would attempt to cast doubt and spread rumors about anyone the leadership recognized as being a better example of obedience and service than they. It's a very Machiavellian scheme to handicap and isolate a leader you can't kill or overthrow.
But no matter how elaborate, complex, and difficult to decode one's evil schemes are, Allah's Plan is already in motion to undo that scheme, even before it gets underway.
I am in total agreement with Adam Ford that the Savior Day observance would be an opportune time to introduce the world to a spokesperson for our collective soul, a Medium through which our concerns will be represented and addressed.
As-Salaamu-Alaikum,
ReplyDeleteEvery decision that Imam Mohammed made concerning the development and direction of our community was done with the purpose of making it a viable entity. The need for leadership was the hallmark of a considerable number of his addresses.
NO body (community, organization, group, etc.)can live without a head, hence a leader. If we are to develop, grow, and prosper as a community then we are responsible for selecting and accepting, as the leader, someone from among Imam Mohammed's supporters who embodies his vision and spirit. The longer we take to do this, the easier it will be for others to usurp the position.
Whatever momentum we may have had prior to Imam Mohammed's passing is being slowed due to our inability to come to a consensus regarding the matter of leadership. Saviour Day will be an opportune time for this matter to be dealt with. Our survival depends upon it.
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteIn little more than a months time we will be entering into a new age for the development of our community. It is imperative that we identify a person or persons that can clearly and professionally represent the vital concerns of our community at the Saviors' Day Observance.
Some of you my ask why do you feel so strongly about this, is this really an Important issue for US to be addressing and how affective is this Blog going to be in assuring that what we decide here will be truly affective?
I was on the phone with a good friend of mine a few days ago; he made an observation about this situation of National Representation. He said just image that CNN wanted to interview someone from among our group about what is happening overseas, who would represent us as a voice of reason? Right now those that have taking on themselves to decide have suggested that Min. Farrakhan be that voice. They know that he is well known and most of our community would only stand aside as he addressed these issues on our behalf.
He, my friend, also pointed out that if our new president wanted to get advice on the affairs of the Muslim world he would have no real choice in the matter but to look to the Immigrant community for answers. He would not look to the African American Muslim community because they see Min. Farrakhan as risky. So, look at the other groups that admired Imam Mohammed like all the World Counsels that respected his advice, who will represent us on that world stage?
Will local leadership answer those issues? Who can represent us in the manner that deserves our support and those institutions respect?
Who has made the greatest progress on behave of our leader and has opened up the greatest amount of avenues for our leader to be heard by the common believer and the public? Who has worked on behave of our community to reconnect the people with their leader? If we can find someone that has done this on a consistent basis than we can ask that he, or she, or they come before us and address the concerns of our community.
WE need to move with what Obama titles the Urgency of Now. We do not want that we be erased from the equation of leadership for the advancement of the human destiny
HASHIM
Peace & Blessings,
ReplyDeleteI too, appreciate this discussion forum and I thank Dr. Karriem for his efforts. However; I'm a little concern with the tone. I hope this is understood in the way that I mean it. If Allah is the one who will stay with a person/situation until it reaches its destiny...Than why is fear being use to motivate people to take action? I believe the students of Imam W. Deen Mohammed know we need leadership from a national perspective. But what about the people the Imam trusted to visit Rome with him? What about the Imams he chose to represent him when he was not able to be there himself? Our Leader taught us to follow the logic all the way through to its conclusion. Is there someone who would say that Imam W. Deen Mohammed did not do a good job in educating his students? Imam Mohammed new he would not always physically be with us. There are many of us who would die first before we abandon what he taught us or allow someone to lead us that don't represent what he taught us! Reading the situation as I believe that he taught us, all that I see is the community is going through a natural pruning. Many of the people who have the wrong intentions are being exposed for who they really are. This is a critical time for us but if we are to meet the challenge before us we must push forward with confidence(faith), calmness and intelligence. Imam W. Deen Mohammed's students should be able to hear in their minds and souls what Imam W. Deen Mohammed would do in this situation!
ASA,
ReplyDeleteNewafricafestival, you are right in understanding that the community is going through a natural pruning. But being motivated by fear is not a negative thing unless the fear overrides good intentions and clouds good judgment.
Yes, Imam Mohammed traveled abroad with many Imams and at times that can seem contradictory in light of the criticism he directed at them. But U.S. Presidents often travel abroad with their domestic political rivals. It is intended more as a symbolic gesture of unity to the world than an endorsement.
I haven't heard anyone here advocate a course of action which is extreme and would be damaging to our community. But we are concerned and we do fear for the safety of the whole. We also feel optimism, faith, and pride. But we are in a very dangerous situation.
No entity or body can survive without a head. And in our nearly 80 year history, we have never been without good and strong leadership, until now.
ASA,
ReplyDeleteImam W. Deen Mohammed gave us clarity on a few terms from the Qur'anic Arabic that had been for many years misinterpreted and or misused by those that translated the Qur'an into the English language. The terms Taqwah or Taqulah have usually been translated as fear of G-d. While the term has in it an element of the idea fear the more important meaning is reverence or conscious awareness.
So, what does this have to do with the agenda here to identify practical and substantive leadership?
Our motivations are based on a clear conscious awareness of the facts that face us, and the reality that if we do nothing what the actual consequences will be. Should we not move or act in a way that will curtail the pending harm that our community is facing because we SAY we have Faith in G-d? The motivation is not based on paranoia, which is Fear based on unfounded fact, But reverence for the relationship between the community member and its collective bodies voice and identity.
We have another term "Sabir" which tells us that we are to move towards the goal even though we don't see the evidences that the goal is reachable. We are a people of reason and faith.
We can clearly see the issues that face our community, are they not frightening? Are they not appalling to think about when realizing the ultimate consequences if allowed to manifest completely. I do believe that G-d works through his creation and especially his human creation. Is it not our responsibility to address and solve these issues as soon as we are made aware of them? There is too much at stake to suggest that paranoia is the motivation for our actions here and that we should allow these things to just happen and say as that old joke goes about a man in a Flood, "G'd will save me." well here is a boat and a helicopter brothers and sisters get on broad or be left to drown and later wonder why.
G'd put our destiny in our own hands. If you stand still you can't blame the man that is running towards the goal if he gets there first, of cheating you out of your victory.
Adam P. Ford
ASA
ReplyDeleteCan we post a list of agreed upon quailites and quailfications that the person or persons that we are to consider should have if we are to move forward with the idea of presenting a spokesperson for our concerns at the Saviors' Day event?
I am asking that dr. Delaney lend us some suggestions, as it seems that he has some understanding of what we should look for. I would also like to hear from some of the regulars here and those that don't normally post.
I think that this would go a long way in accomplishing the task at hand. So, that we can move forward with the other suggestions made here.
Ali K
It is imperative that we as community demand qualified persons represent us and work in our best interrest. The representation we witnessed on the last so-called Ramadan session and the positioning of individuals commandeering the resposiblities of the Imam is baffling. Why are we allowing this insult added to injury! How is it that I support our Muslim Journal to see another leader on the front and center page (Imam W. Deen Mohammed's page) charismaticly suggesting he is ment to lead the whole. I know how intellegent our editor is and have even deffended her in the past. This was not accedental. I love and follow the leadership of Imam W. Deen Mohammed. I agree, no one could sit in his chair, no one could fill his shoes, but we need SOMEONE to represent us in the public arena on a global scale. Are we affraid to give our support? I'M NOT. My opinion is that it is urgent we choose a vibrent leadership group to conduct shura baynahum. This needs to happen emideatly yet without haste or carelessness. We need to be deliberate and precise in planing and choosing those who know and love the tafsir or Imam W. Deen Mohammed. We need a plan of action. The longer we are still, the more time they have to settle in. Allah (swa)is the best of planners! He is with us!
ReplyDeleteThe qualities I would like to find in choosing a leader/leaders should be a believer in Allah, Muhammad the prophet, respect for the leadership of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, Know the tafsir of Imam W.Deen Mohammed, exempliment humility, courage, faith in our community. Have the success for the whole first. His/Her life should be sound and in order. Also very important, I think this person should be vibrent and intellegent. Human is to make mistakes. Mistakes that have been made should be minor.
ReplyDeletepeace to all
ASA,
ReplyDeleteSuch a person should meet the following criteria:
1) Be of sound moral character and judgment
2) Possess a respectable knowledge of Qur'an and the life traditions of Prophet Mohammed
3) Possess a respectable understanding of the knowledge body that is Imam W. Deen Mohammed
4) Have a sound record of dignified support to our leadership and representation of our community.
Having said all this, I think we know and have an instinct of what the criteria is. The most important thing is identifying the person who best meets it.
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the National Prayer service, the thought came to my mind, If Imam W. Deen Mohammed where here wouldn't he be a part of that service? If you all actually saw the service you would have noticed that the Islamic community was represented by the Immigrant Muslim community in the form of an Arab looking woman.
No one from our group was present to represent us as a collective body. Was anyone asked?
Here we have a clear example of why those that see the need for National Leadership are promoting this issue.
I have received phone calls from some of the people that follow this blog and some of them have stated that they agree but are reluctant to speak because they think that since Imam Mohammed didn't say out of his mouth that we should choose someone that we my not be doing the right thing.
My response to that was and is that He did put before us what he thought was examples of good leadership and qualified persons to lead. He gave us choices. The process is that we make our own decision on the matter at hand without anyone's influence over your heart and mind. If he had stated this is the person or this is the group than we would have been denied our rights.
I believe that Imam Mohammed did not want to impose his will on anyone and he wanted us all to be free to choose the best leadership that we need for the continued growth of our community.
For those that continue to promote that we don't need National Leadership and that everything should be local, I have observed even from among your ranks those that say if someone from Imam Mohammed's family would stand up and say follow me that they would get behind that person with no problem. They have even publicly asked for that.
My point is that in our hearts and minds whether in the front or back of them, we know that we need National Leadership. Those that have phoned me about this blog, and they do I suppose because I forward it out to them, have voiced their opinion to me as to who they think would be a good representative of our communities concerns. They all pretty much say the same thing. It is not for me to share their thoughts here they have the open opportunity to do that. I just encourage them to speak out so that the world can know that people other than those that regularly post here have a desire to see good and qualified leadership.
I hope to hear from those persons soon either on this Blog or the other forums that we all visit and are members of.
We must have courage to move on what we believe to be of the utmost importance for the safety and preservation of the life of our community.
Let your opinions be heard.
Your Friend and Brother,
HASHIM
Peace & Blessings,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to those who have made it possible for us to have this avenue of expression concerning this important juncture we have arrived at as a community. The arguments both for and against a national figure to represent us, all seem convincing. The Imam was a very wise leader and many times what he didn't say was as important as what he said. While the Imam never pointed to any Imam as asuccessor he pointed on many occasions to Barak Obama, to me he was hinting to us the reality that anyone expressing knowledge he has left with us, in the manner Obama has expressed it would clearly emerge as a representative of us. He didn't name a successor or hint at anyone knowing that no one is that qualified to assume that position. He left us good information to enable us to succeed as automonous regions. When enough of us have internalized the true nature of what a leader involves, we would naturally see the need for someone to assume that position. Then we would be making an informed and conscious choice of one to represent us collectively. Imam Muhammad as wise as he was couldn't command the kind of respect a leader of his calibre deserves from among us, many of us seemed unable to respond to his leadership as we should have. Getting a leader at this point would in my opinion confuse us and put us in a vunerable position. If our head becomes corrupt it would be very easy to corrupt the whole body. As it is now its very difficult to corrupt and confuse our direction cause we are all trying to measure up to the excellence within our ownselves as we were urged to do. I pray we would all continue to internalize the teachings our leader left with us and in time, we would evolve naturally to the point where enough of us would be mature enough in the knowledge to make a well informed choice of a leader, a choice that would not be characterized as emotional in nature. Vic Mateen
Dearly beloved people, I say unto you all Peace!
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to witness and participate in this important discussion. I would daresay for the first time the people are consulting each other and engaging in a high-level, principled discussion using sound Islamic reasoning and logic without the interference and specter of fear that someone will say, "did the Imam approve this?"
Imam W. Deen Mohammed approved of the human conscience. He valued the human will and spirit. Most of all he revered the human intellect that respected and sought higher approval.
Whether it is realized or not by engaging this all-important concern we have summoned our best life and are actually following Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
Whatever the conclusion to this discussion, progress, huge progress is being made here without the loathsome presence of fear and doubts.
Amazing and congratulations! I can assure you on good authority this was what our leader wanted from us.
ASA,
ReplyDeleteThe Muslim woman who participated in the National Prayer service today was, Ingrid Mattson she's president of the Islamic Society of North America.
Peace & Blessings to all,
ReplyDeleteI was in attendance at a Ramadan session when before performing Salat the Imam stopped to issue a directive to his students. He urged us to not utter a prolonged Aaaaaammmmmeeeeeennnn, he simply said that's church influence. Visit any masjid under the direction of Imam Muhammad and see how many are complying with such a simple but important request. We seem to have great difficulty following the simple directives the Imam required of us. The only national effort I see us needing now is a national effort seeking to understand and implement the Imam's teaching in Masjids that claim to follow his leadership. A national effort to ensure that Imams who claim to be under the umbrella of Imam Muhammad's teachings,comply with respecting what he left for us. In closing I'll say we easily dismiss the wisdom our leader clearly demonstrated, yet are calling for a leader. Let's prove we can intelligently utilise what we have before we look to someone else to lead us. Vic Mateen
ASA
ReplyDeleteAre we not aware of the 33 years in which our leader Imam W. Deen Mohammed taught? Do we really believe that the difficulty in following simple directives started after he passed? For the most part that is the norm in our community. Why? Because, as another brother posted here, we have yet learned where to place importance and how to see where and why Imam Mohammed placed emphasis where he did.
No one of us is seeing a replacement for Imam W. Deen Mohammed when we talk about National Leadership, we are seeing that the community soul is collectively calling for someone qualified to lead us following what Imam W. Deen Mohammed taught us.
I sat in Jumu’ah today and listened to that same young brother that gave the E’id Khutbah start talking about the need for leadership that will and is suppose to come from among our community.
Yet, he just a month ago saw no need to distinguish our leaders understanding of religious thought from those that have the traditional method that promotes only empty ritual.
He said that the world is looking at us for leadership, but we are the only people looking away from ourselves for others to lead.
Amazing how clear that came across at a Jumu’ah service. Will we wait for people that see what we are talking about here and use it to promote them selves as the one that originate the discussion point? This discussion is too important and most people know it, even if they won’t participate here on this blog.
We have the opportunity to choose from the best qualified to stand before us as a spokesperson for our concerns and vital interests. It is our obligation to do so without fear that we are violating the rule of law or the Will of G’d.
Ali K.
As-Salaamu-Alaikum!
ReplyDeleteDear believers:
Everyone here seems to recognize the importance of selecting someone to represent our interests on the national level.
But, none have yet to name an individual whom they feel to be worthy and capable of such a task.
Does anyone here know someone, or of someone who meets the qualifications needed to properly represent us?
Will anyone name such persons?
- Wali
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteATTENTION!!!
dr. Delaney W. Karriem has agreed to an online interview. It will be conducted via webcast and posted to this Blog by way of YouTube.com
If you have any questions for dr. Delaney please post them here as we would like to possibly use some of your questions in the interview.
This is a most important discussion and must continue until we reach its logical conclusion.
Pass on this information to those that you know will want to witness this interview and hear what this powerful voice of reason for our community concerns has to say about the condition and the development of our community.
Again, dr. Delaney W. Karriem the Author of the "Imam W. Deen Mohammed Leadership Discussion" Blog has agreed to an Interview.
We will be keeping the Blog members informed of the date the interview will be posted.
This is indeed a very important interview and we look forward to the continued participation from those that visit this Discussion blog.
Your Friend
HASHIM
ASA
ReplyDeleteThere is no replacement for W.D. Mohammed. There is a need for a representative of our collective community. During the Ramadan Session of 2005 W.D.Mohammed said that it was human nature to have leadership. During the Ramadan Session of 2004 He said, leaders in Al Islam are appointed by the most qualidied person and the consent of the people.....we know in the case of Mohammed the Propher pbuh when he himself made appointments he sought the support of the most qualified ones in terms of good character and knowledge, he sought their support for the person who he would appoint. Many times he didn't appoint persons at all, most of the time he left it to the people to appoint people to represent the in positions of authority........Al Islam for want of a better word is a democracy. The expression in Al Islam is "Shura Baynahum, that is they consult one another, they have mutal consultation, respecting each other as equals. Equally qualified to give advice, to contribute to decision making. Baynahum means just that mutual........Leaders have rightsonly after respecting the life of the believers. Ramadan Session 2005- "The Mosque Cares is W.D. Mohammed and I have an
obligation to look out for my family, my children. So I do not want The Mosque Cares to have everything. Maybe when I pass the courts will say the property belongs to The Mosque Cares and maybe the people who take over The Mosque Cares may not be our friend, your friend and my friend. I'm not just talking about family. I am talking about the community in association with my leadership.
W.D. Mohammed set the requirements for individual and community
success based upon The Quran and the life of Prophet Mohammed(saws). He inspires intellectual ascent, moral and ethical dedication and faith.
From what i can see so far there is no community in creation without some type of leadership for forward progress. Imam Mohammed on various occassions discussed the concept of leadership and believers in association with him. We have the criteria. Our representaive can be male of female. We are not asking that person to replace him. We are asking that person to represent his language, his vision, his goals his directions which are also ours as a community. We are asking that person to represent our common interest and advancement. We are asking this person to be a part of Shura Bayanhum. Yes we are individual Mosque but when we all come together, when we are all working towards a specific goal within our individual communities
we have in mind the whole community. There are universal priniciples of medicine and each individual doctor advances or not based upon accepted principles.
I agree with Dr. Karrien, Kari DeVon and some others here.
We have some good clear direction here on this blog.
I also think that we will identify our representative and establish
Shura Baynahum.
Kauthar
Peace & Blessings,
ReplyDeleteIn any organizational structure a procedure is usually set in place for anyone wanting to contact the leadership of that organization. The Imam put in place The Mosque Cares, whenever anyone wanted to contact Imam Muhammad I am sure it was all done 1st through The Mosque Cares. For those voicing concern that with the Imam's passing, it would be impossible to get input from our community, this is a reminder that THE MOSQUE CARES a structure put in place by Imam Muhammad is still in place. Our wise leader had Imam Rafah Muhammed along with others assisting him in the operation of the Mosque Cares, especially with the radio Broadcasts. I pray that we would benefit from following the example that our leader pointed us to, now Pres Barak Obama. I feel on safe ground saying that if we all internalise the teachings of Imam Muhammad,it would be manifested in our community, anyone wanting any input on Al Islam in this country would have no reservations contacting us. If they go to others its cause they see no activity among us, not cause we don't have a representative. In conclusion I pray that we would follow the boldness, the confidence, the self assurance that Pres Obama delivers the same message in essence that Imam Muhammad left us with. A Concerned student of Imam Muhammad. Vic Mateen
As-Salaamu-Alaikum,
ReplyDeleteIf we look closely at how the Mosque Cares has conducted its affairs since the Imam's passing, one would easily conclude that it is no longer a viable leadership entity.
There has been no disclosure regarding the CPC funds. Even the Imam's burrial, which was handled by the same individuals running the Mosque Cars, was not conducted in accordance with Islamic traditions.
Imam Mohammed once commented that his wife, Sis Khadijah, who had been working as his secretary, was more productive than his entire previous staff.
Unless they clean up their act, the Mosque Cares will not survive.
ASA
ReplyDeleteI see no legitimate structure left behind by Imam W. Deen Mohammed in our community. Those that Brother Vic Mateen point to are not in the habit of communicating in constructive dialog with the community.
The reality is that our community is NOT an Organization; it is in fact a collective, a community.
On another forum, I just read a brother referring to the sign of Obama as the Successful Completion of hajj. That President Obama is that because he represents the whole African American family finally having a voice in the world of governmental affairs. At least that is how I read it.
My point in sighting that post is the Whole of the African American people are not seen by Imam Mohammed or the world as an organization, we are a people. This is the same with those that follow Prophet Muhammed or Imam Mohammed. We have our connection based on our social history not a set of bylaws.
As a people our souls our ethos needs clear and productive representation. While I agree with the assessment that none of the Imams that Imam Mohammed distanced himself from are fit and Obama makes a better representation than they, I also recognize the fact that he is only a sign and his time before us as that sign is limited to possibly 8 years, after that, than what?
We do have this time to internalize the message, logic and language of Imam Mohammed. But the term Sabir implies that we are in motion as we are hopeful of the potential out come of that process. We Can Not Stop Now! We must move forward.
We have among us the Idea of Leadership that Imam Mohammed went as for as to label his PARTNER, we must identify this type of leader so that we can move forward and address our concerns at the 2009 Saviors' Day Observance.
Adam P. Ford
ASA,
ReplyDeleteImam Mohammed dedicated his entire life and work to the building and establishment of a cohesive community. Community is a major part of his emphasis for African American people who are Muslims who are in association with his leadership. One of his first statements when he was selected as the then Leader of the Nation of Islam was to give us the true knowledge of what Islam is and change the perception of cloudy knowledge. He stood then upon logic and continued to do so throughout his life. He stated that we would not be moved by the winds of emotion and thereafter desribed how we could remain firm and steadfast in times of difficulty. He reached out
continuosly to the Nation of Islam so that they might accept the true principles of Al Islam. He spoke about establishing a community constantly. He said as a community we need to have proper education, supported business, right understanding of the Holy Quran, a significant understanding of our past as an African American people, a clear knowledge of Quranic Arabic, good family life, moral uprightness, proper logic, emotional intelligence, neighborhoods,religious intsitutions and before all of this faith. He said we are a people of faith. That faith is first. And he said we must today have faith and knowledge.
Community is stressed and the ability of our community to communicate and be a voice in the global world. The Mosque Cares,
the New Africa Radio, W.D. Publications, The Muslim Journal, The CPC are community concerns and must reflect the language and direction of our beloved Imam Mohammed and his vision. The efforts listed by dr. Karriem are part of our community concern. I think if Imam Mohammed did not think that some day we would need good leaders he would not have shared with us some of the hows and knows of selecting leadership. President Obama included.
He must have seen the need and the future prospect of leadership. He also added his caution.
As a people let us remember our past and continued struggle to build and safe guard our vision. Our religion, our community is our life.
Kautharm
American Muslim Mission Disbanded – April of 1985
ReplyDeletePartial transcript of Imam W. Deen Muhammad’s (Mohammed) lecture
In my conclusion today, this is the last time that you will look upon me as your leader. I’m not the leader for anybody. I don’t accept to be your leader. I’m Imam Warith Deen Muhammad. I’ll be the Imam wherever I reside. I don’t accept responsibility for you, your investments, your places, your ?decisions? You better carry it yourself.
I don’t intend to ever meet with the imams as their advisors, you have to advise yourself. Take the Qur’an, take the life of Muhammad; make your decisions, do not use me as your excuse any more – I’m not available.
If you will follow my advice you will put down the term American Muslim Mission. You will put it down; you will never pick up any term that locks you all together in one community. You will be members of a Muslim community that is international. You will have masjids and Imams. You will have AMMCOP, Collective Buying. You will have political awareness committees. You will have businesses, private businesses, private concerns. You will bring nothing under centralized things any more. You will be called by Masjid names. You will be free to walk into any Masjid and be recognized as a Muslims just like Muslims are in the international Muslim world.
You will hold your Imam accountable. You will tell your Imam to form good relations with other Imams, not just Black ones, but White one’s, Red ones and all colors.
When you meet together you will not meet under some cooperate name, but you will meet together with each Imam on equal standing.
You will form your council on your own… this decision upon your own will, not pressured to do it. You will limit the power of your council to nothing but representing the interest, the aspirations, the concerns of your Masjid. Find opportunity to work together when it’s necessary. You will not require any such council for any unnecessary purpose at all. In other words, you will work for a minimum of control over your body because G-d wants you to shoulder responsibility yourself.
I’ve always had a problem in my soul accepting that religion be organized, or institutionalized to the extent that it become a cooperate, a cooperate entity. A good situation to be exploited by the powerful. Yes.
But if you follow the guidance of G-d; if you have the free open Islamic society that G-d intends for you, then you’re not an enticement, a temptation – an invitation – to the exploiters from the powerful, from the rich.
But if they see that you have a tight-knit, well organized, strongly organized thing wherein there is an individual, or a group of individuals dictating to many, that is a good situation for them. It’s ideally structured and tailored for their exploit.
But if you get rid of that and have an open free Islamic society; and you come together as Imams, not belonging to American Muslim Mission that was a step from another thing that even was more institutionalized – the old Temple or Nation of Islam. So I brought you a step away from that. Now I’m not telling you to drop that, but I’m advising you, that if you really want to be an Islamic community, you should drop these names that separate you and set you apart from other Islamic populations.
And you should work as one Muslim. Muslim is one all over the earth. You should work as one Muslim with one Muslim identity, following the same Qur’an, following the same human model, Muhammed, peace and the blessings be upon him. That’s the way you should go.
Don’t you know that you can achieve the things you want better if you do it without this situation for ?community? sabotage? Yes, you can do it much better.
Private enterprise. Private enterprise. Form together in groups as you have been doing. Don’t you think that is progress? I do.
I don’t control the businesses in the Muslim community. I have nothing at all to do with them. The businesses are under private businesses, and as a result we have better business and more progress for business in the Muslim community than we have ever had.
Later, in this same address Imam Muhammad (Mohammed) shared the following:
If you all would join me, in a little while, you would be dominant in this city. You would, the power would come to you. You would, the power would come to you. Why? Because they are wasted out there. This is not me talking, this is what their own examination, evaluation has concluded; that the public school system is a waste.
The Whiteman, he has taken his best out of the public school, he is dealing with it privately, with his own money. And he leaves his poor whites and you poor folks to have the shambles that are left.
The quality of the teachers is nothing. The spirit and drive in them has gone. All what they are looking for is animal pleasure, animal reward. Money and Saturday night kicks. Am I telling the truth or not? Okay!
So you see that this is a fortunate situation for you, come and support me. Join my leadership, support me. ‘Oh, but I heard you just retired from leadership.’ Certainly, you dumbbell you. I didn’t say that I was going to quit talking, I said I going to stop doing your work.
So accept the direction. Come into Al-Islam and accept the direction that we offer. Learn what we are doing here in Chicago. If you have a situation to reproduce it, or do better, do it where you are. And encourage your people to come into this religion. This is the religion, this is the place for religious freedom for the African American person.
So tomorrow, Insha’-Allah, we will continue this subject, and we are going to alert you to the evil, the danger… the dangerous possibility for community that is not alert and education informed (or “in form”). How it can easily be taken over by people who don’t have your interest at heart. And because you don’t what you represent, or what you should be, they can lead you in the name of your religion to a foreign course that are contrary (inaudible). We don’t want that. We are going to work and fight. We are going to work to stop it.
We hope tomorrow to show you, and get you to see and agree – with your own mind, upon your own decision – that the solution that we have here in America to bring AA men up, and AA family up, and AA community up is the same that is needed in Africa and everywhere else that Black people are existing today. The same (inaudible). They have the same problems in their spirit, the same problem in their souls that we have over here. In fact, in many places they have worse problems, or worse situations than we have.
You are not going to come out of it by trying to follow your own whim, your own opinion. Whimsical opinions that you dream up. I thank G-d for saving us from depending on dream thinking. Follow a logic – tried and proven logic for establishing individuals and societies, the Qur’anic role, the Islamic guidelines. That is the answer, and we have gone into the night. We have to make mahgrib prayer.
Again, later in this same address Imam Muhammad (Mohammed) shared the following:
I hear they are coming out with another issue of the Journal, which will be another special issue. It is quite needed because it was recalling the achievement of the community. The first achievement, quite naturally, was the achievement for bringing this religious community true to its name. True Muslims. To have the true content.
But another great achievement was to remove the structures of slavery. To decentralize the interest of the community – the business interest of the community – to bring it into private hands. To remove the unit called FOI, the MGT. To bring a situation where every Imam has dignity. Every congregation has dignity. All of them on an equal footing. Free as they should be to invest in their own immediate region and build their community locally without having so much demanded on them from a central office.
Freedom, Islamic freedom, Is another great achievement that you have realized since I became your leader. So another paper is coming out and I hope they won’t forget these things.
As-Salaamu-Alaikum,
ReplyDeleteDear Believers:
To follow Imam Mohammad means many things. Our community has often made the mistake of misinterpreting the concept of following good leadership.
Good leadership is a representation of the best a collective group has to offer, not a bureaucratic structure which regulates the lives of the individuals associated with it.
Such leadership will address the most important concerns and aspirations of the soul which requisitioned it. To follow this form of leadership is to do the same, as well as to engage the body of knowledge and wisdom the leadership shares with us.
Such leadership refuses to represent those who do not take responsibility for matters which trouble their soul and who wish to leave that responsibility to others.
Peace,
Wali
ASA,
ReplyDeleteI look forward to this interview with dr. Karriem. I hope to get some answers as to what he thinks is the reason that our community is in the shape that it is in now, and why it is so difficult for people to be free enough to use their own reasoning to see the issues facing us and help make progress for the whole.
I would also like to know what is holding us back from Identifying a representative for our collective concerns; a spokesperson for our vital interests and what would be the process of asking that person to step up and lead and what would happen if that person or persons says no?
If that person is not aware of these discussions would we be setting that person up for harsh criticisms and even treats against them? That person would have to have great courage to stand up against what would possibly come at him or her from those that are well known and are well versed in influencing the public opinion.
I commend any person that is willing to stand up to those that have public glamour on their side as it is a shrewd tool in the hands of those that know how to use it.
My other question would be does the Obama Administration look to us to see some progress from our process of choosing a leader before they would be willing to approach us for advice or counsel in the affairs of the Islamic world? I say that in reference to the noted National Prayer Service, absent our presence there.
I hope to have these questions answered and to see before our eyes a representative for our concerns and vital interests soon, as the Saviors' Day Observance is quickly approaching.
Ali K.
Greetings of peace to all,
ReplyDeleteI too am very encouraged by the many posts I have read on this blog. They all speak with a sense of urgency and the host helps to guide the discussion with clear objectives. Because this is my first post, I feel that I should share something about my life in this special community before commenting on the core matters before us. From childhood through adulthood I was blessed to retain a respect for the dignity of muslim life and an awareness of my responsibility to contribute to the advancement of our unique community in the way of moral excellence and establishment. This awareness was the single most effective deterrent from the moral pitfalls that so many young muslims in my generation succumbed to. However, this awareness alone wasn't enough to focus my interests and channel my talents in a way that would yeild productive results for our community. The local Mosque environment and its leadership seemed to be the antithesis of institutional excellence I had become accustom to in my academic and professional life, the anecdotal references to arabic grammar became dull, and the khutbahs laced with quotes of our beloved Imam Mohammed made without a logical connection to our vastly changing world unfulfilling.
I became more productive as a contributor after I was inspired by someone who demonstrated the type of achievement that is possible for our overall well-being as Muslims when Imam Mohammed's sensitivities and logic is wholly embraced.
I join with those who have reached the logical conclusion that ethical, competent, and loyal leadership is necessary to ensure our community's future.
May Allah guide us all.
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteAs we grow and intensify our discussion we are experiencing new opportunities to examine our dialog. The opportunity to have this Discussion aired over live radio has availed itself and we are asking you the members and participants of this Online discussion your thoughts and opinions on whether or not we should invest in promoting this discussion over the airwaves.
Do you believe that having a radio discussion with dr. Delaney as a guest on occasion, will aid in this discussion or do you believe that this on line discourse is enough?
We look forward to your response.
HASHIM
As-Salaamu-Alaikum,
ReplyDeleteMy question to catylst would be who are you referring to when you say,
" I became more productive as a contributor after I was inspired by someone who demonstrated the type of achievement that is possible for our overall well-being as Muslims when Imam Mohammed's sensitivities and logic is wholly embraced."
As for many of us that grew up in this community associated with Imam Mohammed, it was hard to identify what was the goal of our advocated support of our leader and teacher?
Along with the who, can you explain why that persons example was so compelling that it inspired you to see yourself in a role as a productive member of our community.
I ask this as I had a similar experience back in 1998.
Peace All,
ReplyDeleteIn response to Hashim's request for feedback on the radio opportunity-I think that any communications medium that we make a financial investment in should be used primarily as a forum for progressive dawah rather than an extension of the think-tank atmosphere of the blog. By progressive, I mean addressing the social, religious, or even political issues of the hour from an Islamic perspective. However, maybe you should elaborate on what structure you have in mind before we provide detailed feedback. ie. Is this internet radio, traditional radio,sat radio? Will this be interview and q & a or simply a call in dialogue facilitated by the Dr.
Anonymous- I appreciate the question. It is an expected and relevant one given the nature of our on-going discussion of identifying leadership but I don't feel comfortable referring to this individual mainly because the mentioning of a single name may unintentionally propel our discussion towards critiquing one person's leadership qualification's rather than continuing on what I believe is the most productive line which is-How is leadership being defined by our community at the present time; and how do we ensure that the quality of leadership we really desire exists in or at least influences all of the areas necessary for our growth and development.
Please understand, I always felt as though I was productive member; just not by virtue of my direct service to this community or to our leader. When you are born in (and remain sensitive) a community that is influenced by a vision of collective success, articulated by special leader, you aren't satisfied being a cheerleader. You want be a part of advancing the leader's vision because you realize that's your best chance and because in your heart you want him to realize his vision. I was influenced in many ways to understand that my neither my value nor my ability to achieve as a contributor was based on how physically close I was to our leader but how close I was to his interests.
My issue wasn't identifying the goal of our support but, How Do I Plug In to make a real difference?
Peace
ASA
ReplyDeleteI have been receiving emails concerning this conversation and I have been enjoying discussing my thoughts with those that have read my posts on the matter here. But, I think that it would be better and more productive for our Discussion here to keep this dialog on this blog.
I believe that many people are having this conversation as well, both online and in their local areas. I believe that this is wonderful.
I thank dr. Delaney for putting these issues before us so that we can actively participate in the safeguarding of our communities life and vital interests. We are not willing to allow those that want to put before us their weak and stagnated ideas of leadership. We want to see a fresh new prospective on the logic that our Leader, Imam W. Deen Mohammed, put before us.
Part of the discussion that I have had away from this forum is that we have been great at pointing out fault and the flaws of those in positions of leadership in our community, but when the situation requires that the common believer act upon the talents that they possess, in order to make progress, many of us have faltered in the true support that we OWE our leader, Imam Mohammed.
Most of us think that we are somehow not qualified to contribute to the progress and development of our community. We have looked hypnotically at Imam Mohammed and have not moved in anyway to bring forth our own talents to make healthy contributions to the collective body.
This mindset reminds me of the Ayats in the Qur'an that describes a man that nurtures a fire and when darkness comes at him, he loses sight even though he has a fire.
I know that there are other persons that are afraid of this conversation. They say that it is good that we are discussing these matters but when asked to make contributions you see the look of fear on their face as if you took them to the edge of a cliff and told them to jump.
Those same persons are benefiting from the subject matter and the spirit of the conversation. You see them staggering in their public presentations as they wait for more dialogs to come from this online discussion.
The thought that there is a discussion online looking to identify the best qualified to be the spokesperson for our collective spirit, a voice for the Ethos of our social development, scares the Heck out of them, but Allah is in charge and is with us here.
The knowledge that members here are being offered other avenues to broadcast this discussion has put the spot light on their unqualified attempts at leadership.
WE pray that our efforts here reach its intended purpose. We hope that we are able to identify and promote the best from among us as the clear idea of Leadership that Imam Mohammed demonstrated and consistently pointed out to us.
Adam P. Ford
ASA,
ReplyDeleteMr. Ford raises an important point in noting that we are all quite capable of expressing criticism but are not always willing to demonstrate strength in the areas where such criticism is directed.
A step in demonstrating strength where current leadership fails would be to encourage this kind of discussion within our local communities. You don't have to go through the local Imam to do so. You don't even have to have it inside the Mosque.
Reach out to like-minded individuals and try to come together and share resources.
Peace,
Ibrahim
As Salaamu ‘Alaikum
ReplyDeleteOn February 26, 1975 during the Annual Savior’s Day Observance Imam Warithudeen Mohammed was charged with authority among us upon the passing of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Among the many insights Imam Mohammed shared with us that day was that this society, it’s institutions and those responsible for maintaining the social order we breaking and busting at their vital seams.
Imam Mohammed also emphasized that this house (Nation of Islam) was a house built on and a house of knowledge and would not be affected when the winds of emotion come against it.
As we approach another Annual Savior’s Day Observance in 2009, 34 years after Imam Mohammed was charged with authority among us, it is we that are busting and breaking at our vital seams. A seam as we know is a bounded, intertwined, and congruent stitch that holds components of the fabric together.
Early in Imam Mohammed’s leadership he set up the committee structure which was a wisdom filled effort to get resourceful people to work within the Masajid and Centers on vital concerns that were in their interest and skill areas. Later the Monitoring Team was a new take on that same concern. The Collective Purchasing Conference (CPC) was a remake of the AMMCOP.
So Imam Mohammed was consistent in his appeal and programs to call us to collective work and responsibility. In Surah 42 Ayah 38 Allah calls us to a concept of Amrahum Shura Baynahum which roughly means the process of making binding decisions through a consultative process with each other. Qualifications for entering into this process in this ayah include being responsive to our evolver (grow in skills and capacities in our fields of endeavor), to establish the Salat (humble ourselves in Sajdah where we acknowledge in that low state that only Allah deserves the glorification and HE is the only High One), and with what had been provided for us we spend out of it (only offer advice in areas that Allah has provided us some knowledge and expertise).
As I look at some of the upcoming events surrounding this years upcoming Savior’s Day Observance I see strong evidence that we are NOT effectively utilizing the process of Amrahum Shura Baynahum, nor are we honoring Imam Warithudeen Mohammed’s legacy of promoting and modeling collective work and responsibility. In what Allah subhanna wa ta ‘ala ordered to be Imam Warithudeen Mohammed’s last Salatul Jummu’ah Khutbah among us he instructed us to not let our envy and jealousy be bigger than our unity. He also advised us that Prophet Muhammad’s (s.a.w.s.) Community of Medinah Munarwwiwah is a Model and Reference, a Model Reference for all time so we can know how close we are or how far we are from that model of community excellence.
He challenged he entire Ummah in this Khutbah that the evidence globally with all the divisions and infighting proves that we are not in that excellent community model.
In regard to those that claim association with Imam Mohammed’s leadership, by Allah, I assert that we too are not close to that model of excellence where the Muhajarun and Ansarun worked in harmony together, where distinct personalities like Abu Bakr Siddeq and Umar Ibn Al Khattab were able to resolve their differences through the wise council of Al Qur’aan and it’s demonstration in the words, programs and character of Nabi Muhammad (s.a.w.s.).
Now here we are approaching 34 years after Imam Mohammed was charged with authority among us fighting over which of his wife’s should inherit him (when the reality is they all should)… and from those factions having a Mosque Cares sponsored Savior’s Day on February 28th in Detroit and a Savior’s Day Jummu’ah and other activities on February 27th both at the same location COBO hall in Detroit but not implemented through Amrahum Shura Baynahum. In addition, on February 15th in Washington, DC there is an event costing $100.00 - $125.00 per individual honoring a pioneering brother the Elijah Muhammad II (which he deserves) when the 2/28/09 Savior’s Day Observance is also focused on honoring the pioneers.
Another leading Imam in this association is calling for a National Imam’s Meeting to be held in Louisville, KY in April 2009 and we know we have recently (November 1, 2008 and January 3, 2009) had two CPC Investors meetings sponsored by competing forces within CPC in North Carolina and Detroit and on top of that the CPC meeting January 3, 2009 made in difficult and costly for many traveling nationally to afford also going to the 1st Sunday event held in Homewood, IL on January 4, 2009. One brother from Forth Worth, TX that is CPC investor and also assist Muslim Journal with sales at the 1st Sunday events informed me that he had to fly into Chicago…rent a car to go to Detroit for the CPC, drive back to Chicago for the 1st Sunday and then fly back to Forth Wroth.
What part of the Imam’s legacy of easing the burden on believers or Amrahum Shura Baynahum does this scenario fit into? NONE!
So if the “leaders” could have for Savior’s Day followed Imam Mohammed’s advice and example which is in direct congruence and agreement with the Medinah Munarwwiwah established and led by Nabi Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), we could have had a coordinated effort to have the Friday Program (posted on the back page of the February 13, 2009 Muslim Journal, the Saturday program. On Sunday the Imam’s Meeting that Imam Vernon Fareed is calling for could have been held and this would be a model example of a shared leadership process that is emphasized in Surah 42 Ayah 38 on Amrahum Shura Baynahum and is he legacy of Imam Warithudeen Mohammed’s leadership example.
Another disturbing occurrence is that two Imams New York State, Imam Pasha of Masjid Malcolm Shabazz in Harlem and Imam Fajri Ansari of Masjid Nu’man in Buffalo are forbidding the sale of Muslim Journal in the respected Masajid were they are Resident Imam and allowing the thinker to be sold. What in the hell (that is where they seem to be residing) are they thinking. Imam Warithudeen Mohammed supported both papers and even when he withdrew his center fold article from the Muslim Journal for a period of time he continued to allow his DVD’s and CD’s to be promoted their and eventually he allowed the Centerfold article to return to the Muslim Journal. So these extreme decisions that so called leaders are making are not examples of the Balanced Religion that Al-Islaam is and represent limited vision that should be enhanced or replaced.
Ditto to Ibrahim and Adam's comments. It is a distraction to continue to level criticism without producing constructive solutions. Many of us have been in a hyponotic state without a meaningful type of engagement or expression. In my opinion, the lack of engagement in the past from persons who are articulate and or have expertise is not primarily the result of cowardliness or loss of desire, but because it became increasingly apparent that once they became officially authorized to perform, the personality driven pseudo-organizational environments in our community neutralized their talents. Everyone, especially those with expertise want to feel as though there expertise, which also means judgement will be respected as they accept a role in fulfilling the objective. However, it has been proven in the past that once individuals begin to lead (based on the expertise that made them qualified assume the responsibilities in the first place)the unofficial spokespersons of Imam W Deen Mohammed, otherwise known as the rhetoric police, come out to brand these persons as disloyal detractors of the Imam.
ReplyDeleteNow, there have been some who weren't disciplined or mature enough in their faith to recognize that the application of their expertise should always be guided by the Imam's divinely inspired wisdom, however that doesn't dismiss the the unresolved issue of why a minority of professionally unqualified, and in some cases questionably devoted people have been allowed to determine who is "following the Imam" and who is not?
This is not another rant. I am attempting to establish a link between this symptom of dysfunctionality and the necessity for us to define leadership and community. Mr. Ford previously commented that "Our community is not an organization..." and Wali commented that "good leadership is a representation of the best a collective group has to offer, not a bureaucratic structure..." I agree whole heartedly with both comments but with some additional thoughts. A community produces more than one type of leadership. Selecting representation is one form. Imam Mohammed reminded us in the 2002 Ramadan Session (Four Sacred Conflicts)of "Man's Political Association." A community also produces ORGANIZATIONS(brick and mortar institutions) which also require leadership. There is both a degree and type of structure that is essential for our Organizations that isn't required for our religious life. I would advance that the fact that many of our Mosques which are institutions don't have the capacity to effectively respond to our President's recent invitation to engage in service is a direct result of a misunderstanding about the nature of organizational leadership or as one other blogger described, the organizational "conundrum."
I'm interested on hearing more thoughts regarding how we can assure that those points we have come to a consensus on influence the Savior's Day agenda or at ensure that they are articulated at Savior's Day as strategic concerns.
Peace to all
ASA, We need a some sort of library with easy access to all of Imam W.Deen Mohammed's tafseer, publications, and audio.
ReplyDeleteA mature and responsible Majlis-ash-Shura and to keep connected with the Abu Nour Institute.
As Salaamu Alaikum!
ReplyDeleteVisit the following three websites. While none of the sites are 100% complete, the preservation process is underway in a systematic manner. You will find these sites a rich source of Imam Mohammed's lectures.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Language-Commentaries-of-WDeenMohammed/
http://www.newafricaradio.com
http://www.athreedayjourney.com/
Mubaashir Uqdah
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteAfter discussing these issues with others and hearing some of the most outrageous statements and self-damning comments coming from those that dr. Delaney point to as weak and unqualified leadership, I am appreciating this discussion Blog more and more.
There are those that have taking the talking points of this discussion and have perverted the objective by putting their devilish influences into the conversation. They believe that they are the successors of Imam W. Deen Mohammed. This is not the agenda here... the agenda to my understanding is to point to the need for open discussion on the matter of safe guarding our communities Identity and establishing a voice to represent our concerns and protect our vital interests in the world.
Using the tools of logic and reasoning that Imam W. Deen Mohammed gave to us.
I am not in anyway a part of promoting the stagnated life of personality based leadership. I can not be a part of such a movement. But I do support the Idea of ensuring the identity of our collective body through identifying sound and qualified leadership that knows how to use the techniques and skill set that Imam W. Deen Mohammed had been sharing with us for over 33 years. That leadership is not a local based entity, that leadership whose responsibility it is to focus the bodies attention on the most important matters and shares with the public means by which to address social concerns by way of religious discourse.
This is an example that was given a few days ago to a group of brothers. During the mid to late 80’s and early 90’s Imam W. Deen Mohammed Identified the issue of the usurping of parental rights and control over children through the avenue of commercials targeting children. He made a point of addressing the fact that the commercials spoke directly to the child as if their parents were not in the room. For years he addressed this concern and pointed to its destructive pattern and outcome.
In the early 90’s you began to hear the change in the way the advertisers worded their commercials. Now you will hear at the end of commercials “Kids get your Parents Permission First…” that language change is a direct result of Imam W. Deen Mohammed’s influence in society. Even though they changed their language to say “kids ask your parents first...” we know by hearing those words, they are still talking directly to the children, they are saying you are still not in complete control over what comes into your house, but here is some measure of respect. Amazing!
We are looking for leadership that will call our attention to these types of matters and will help us to address them with the tools of religion. Is this not what Imam W. Deen Mohammed did? Did he not thoroughly complete his task of teaching us this skill set and logic?
Those that are presenting that Imam Mohammed did not, are showing themselves unqualified to lead this community in the way Imam W. Deen Mohammed did. Those that point out the fact that we have not internalized basic principles of Imam W. Deen Mohammed’s message, yet themselves overlook the change in how he presented his Name MOHAMMED not MUHAMMAD are missing the mark of this discussion. We have to keep moving forward.
We are moving on and are preparing for our interview with dr. Delaney W. Karriem. WE will be letting you all know the day and time for the interview. It will be happening soon. In’Sha’Allah.
Your Friend and Brother,
HASHIM
ASA
ReplyDeleteIn reading the last few comments I am reminded of the words that our leader spoke at the 1975 Savior's Day. He pointed us to the Idea that all people could find their likeness among our ethnic group, he built upon that Idea as he said, we are a small community a Nucleus, he said, "But the Nation of Islam is the Whole Earth."
To me that said that our group was to identify itself as the voice, the model of leadership for the whole of the Islamic world with Imam Mohammed as the authority, as its leader and that we are what the family of man looks like under the right presentation of faith and religion.
We are the Model Community and our actions now more than at anytime in history will either condemn us or free us to stand like men and women in the world.
There is now in the White House a symbol of the Model Family. They are a reflection of the best of our social history. That was produced without a doubt by the language and influence of our leader, whether directly or indirectly. We as a group have an obligation to be that model family's reflection in the public life of America. No other group can be its reflection. No other group, no matter how close the physical ties, can present itself to the public through the same sensitivities that that family presents as well as the students and followers of Imam Mohammed can.
No other group has the logic to match what is being given to the American Public. No Christian group, No Jewish group, No Muslim organization can demonstrate through its natural life the logic of the Sign of that Family in the American White House.
We have an obligation to that family to be the leader in natural public life for what they are a symbol of. If we do not then the symbol, the equation and the model becomes irrelevant.
This is why having the correct presentation of leadership for our body is a must. WE must be a living reflection of what we have placed in Office. Not just anyone can be the Clear reflection of that great Sign. Min. Farrakhan can't be a clear reflection, those that come to use us for our resources can’t be a clear reflection, those that have detached themselves from having an identity of their own can’t be a clear reflection, those that hate America can’t be a clear reflection, and those that have disqualified themselves can not be the clear reflection that the world needs to make progress and heal itself.
As Hashim, said we are not looking for a personality, we are looking for true leadership to focus our vision and voice our concerns.
Only a natural reflection can be a true check for the one looking into the mirror for correction. The evolution of our community is as much a sign of progress for this world as is President Obama. We must live up to our role in leadership or be lost forever to the schemes of the wicked.
I know in my soul that this is the conclusion that Imam Mohammed would have come to and what he was point us towards.
Adam P. Ford
As-Salaam-Aliakum
ReplyDeleteI agree Adam, what you wrote sounds like the Lords prayer. "...Thy Kingdom come thy will be done, On Earth as it is in Heaven."
Ali K.
As'Salaamu'Alykum
ReplyDeleteI have read all the posts from start til now and the question that pricks my brain is, how does the common believer become qualified, what is the process of developing leadership qualifications?
I ask this because it is obvious to me that I missed a lot when it comes to understanding what Imam W.D. Mohammed was saying. Some of the things that you all are saying on this Blog have made me rethink how I understood and what I heard from those that said they represent leadership in our community.
I don't know if any of you that post here are Imam's in our association but why haven't we heard these things from persons like you all before?
The things that are discussed here are mind opening and seem to be almost intentionally with held from the knowledge of our community. You all would have been a great help to Imam W. D. Mohammed.
What is the number one thing that is required to be of benefit to our community at this moment in time? I would like to know.
M. Madyun
I say unto you all, Peace be upon you!
ReplyDeleteI must congratulate all of the contributors to this discussion over the last couple of months. You all have begun the process of ushering in a new era of leadership for our community whether you realize it or not. I have purposely not made any comments recently to underscore the principle that justice is a magnet for truth.
Our community has earned the attention of the Most High, Allah, Glorified and Praised is He above any and all things. We have been steady and forthright weathering all manner of storms from errors in understanding to poverty to trickery and scheming to the most recent the loss of our beloved leader and attempt by weak, underqualified wizards to usurp the role of leadership and authority. Their weak, incomplete schemes have been thwarted by no less than this high level, sophisticated discussion.
We should all take note that not one of the 'leading' Imams has commented here but I do know of one who asked that his name be removed from receiving the record of your comments. In my estimation he speaks for most of them. They care nothing of the interests of the rank and file members and worst of all they think little of their ability and intelligence.
Imam W. Deen Mohammed never said to his public that no leader or leaders would follow after him. He said publicly and privately that the matter should be left to the people. Dearly beloved. we are the people!
In a few days I will participate in an interview with Imam Hashim of Philadelphia. I have studied your concerns and hope to help address what the most pressing matters are facing us now and how the common believer can rise into their role as defender and leader for our blessed community.
I say unto you all, Peace!
AS-Salaamu-Alaikum,
ReplyDeleteI would like to respond to M. Madyun's post.
Many of the persons who contribute to this blog have actively supported Imam W. Deen Mohammed for many years. However, much of their work has gone unrecognized by people in this community.
What leadership requires of us is sincere, active engagement in the issues that confront our life. It doesn't matter who or where you are.
You will soon see that many of the persons who contribute to this blog come from varied backgrounds. Some are Imams, some are writers, educators, filmmakers, business people, etc.
Focus on building your human and social capital. In other words, strengthen your ability to be productive in your individual and collective life.
That is what is greatly needed in order to provide dignified and worthy leadership.
ASA
ReplyDeleteIn response to M. Madyun's post.
I personal know at least two of the Bloggers on this forum. They have been pointing out and pointing to these issues for years. It is now that you or I can clearly hear their words not because they are just now speaking up, but because of the situation and circumstance in which you are becoming acquainted with them.
I believe Ibrahim pointed out those that truly supported Imam Mohammed with talents and skills most times where put at a disadvantage by the Glamour of those that we label "Leading" Imams. But, I believe that Imam Mohammed recognized them and appreciated their sincere efforts whether they where known to the public of our community or not.
I suggest that we all began to recognize our own unique talents and history in connection with the history of this community; this will give us a gauge to identify where we may be most useful and beneficial to the advancement of our community.
Don't be afraid to accept that you are important and that your contributions are needed.
Ali K.
As'Salaamu'Alykum
ReplyDeleteThank you guys for answering my post. It just seemed a little odd to me that this type of discussion is only now being had.
What I mean is there are many chats on the Internet that say they are with Imam W. D. Mohammed but none of them have had a discussion concerning life for our community after our leader. Seems to me that We the people are not prepared for this time because of that. I say that if we where having this conversation as preparation we would be in a better situation. I don't know maybe I am overlooking something.
I know that we never wanted to think of the passing of Imam W. D. Mohammed as an issue but look at what not having discussed it openly has done or should we think that if we discussed it we would be looked at like plotters against Imam W. D. Mohammed?
I support the position that we need continued leadership for our community and that we need to appoint the best from among us to lead. I can't see following those people that haven't done much of anything while Imam W. D. Mohammmed was with us, so I support the Idea of leadership coming from among the common believers. That is why I asked what are the qualifications for leadership, what is the process that qualifies a person for leadership?
You have answered that in part and I thank you. I look forward to reading more here as it has helped me to see things differently.
M. Madyun
Greetings to everyone again,
ReplyDeleteI think that the recent exchange between Madyun and others has been wonderful. I’m glad he chose to express his opinion regarding the tone of this blog being absent during the time of our leader. While I do agree with others that there have been many who have been consistent in their efforts to aid and to voice criticism of the barriers to our progress; in my opinion those efforts may have yielded significant progress for individual objectives but it is debatable whether or not they have had a more than a marginal effect on the overall direction of the community's road to establishment. And for the record, I include my own efforts in that category. Furthermore, I have often felt that as contributors we often spend more time figuring out how to navigate the community's political landscape than focusing on accomplishing the tasks that will have a direct impact on the welfare of the community. There is a value in being adjusting to political terrain but an unintended consequence may be what Madyun has so wisely concluded; intellectual discourse on critical community centered issues being significantly marginalized. I believe this condition is also due in part because not enough of us have demanded that level of discourse. In addition, efforts have been made to reduce the definition of terms student and follower (of Imam W Deen Mohammed) to mean- an eloquent narrorator of commentary who's every thought must echo the grandeur of personality based leadership while diminishing the merits of individual resourcefulness. On the contrary I say, the Imam once said "Leadership is in the resourceful people, who make up the productive life of this society."
I also think that it is extremely relevant to acknowledge that there is a natural inertia that is taking place with regard to our fellow members, the Imams, and those organizations/initiatives the Imam established. One of the things that the inertia is generated by is an innocent desire to see those things that the Imam was directly responsible for establishing remain viable and continue to bear fruit. Sadly, it appears that many have already failed to live up to the standards of transparency and accountability the Imam demanded and even worse many community members continue to blindly accept the status quo by delivering much needed local resources into undeserving hands. Neither the national Imam’s meetings nor The Mosque Cares sponsored events themselves are the central problem. These efforts are simply a part of inertia. Since it appears that we have characterized the current inertia as non-productive then a different inertia must be generated.
There are many things that I'm uncertain about but I am very certain of one thing and that is- leadership is primarily about influence. We need to focus on the most effective ways to advance and address our consensus issues in a way that is more pro-active than re-active.
Peace
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteWe don't want to delay any further with the Interview of dr. Delaney W. Karreim. We are working on having a live interview with him over the air waves, but until that time we will be Interviewing Him here.
dr. Delaney W. Karreim, Doctor of Anthoropolgy has been a close confidant of our late leader for many years. He makes his home in Hamtramck Mich. He has introduced this blog to the public for reasons of concern and in hopes that through it we are able to safe guard and continue our growth in community.
We have an opprotunity here to investage what can and should be done for the preservation of our communities vital interests. I pray that this on Blog interview will allow us to get some of the answers that we all are looking for and prepare us for the actual media interview.
I am asking that all other members hold their responses to the questions that are going to be posted here until the Interview with dr. Delaney W. Karreim is completed.
We will begin...
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteLet us began our Interview, our conversation with dr. Delaney W. Karreim.
I would like to first start by greeting you with the words of Peace, As-Salaamu-Alaikum and thank you for the opportunity to address some serious matters with you.
I have formulated a series of questions based on the concerns brought about by this blog and the ongoing conversation that our community is having concerning the Idea of Leadership and the need for National representation.
I would first like to ask you dr. Karreim, where in scripture,(Qur’an) can we find logic for the position of having leadership for this group, our community?
Having heard the many talking points of discussion on this matter, how should we understand the statement given that Imam W. Deen Mohammed wants leadership to remain local and that the community is to remain autonomous?
We all have concerns and hopes to see our community advance through these difficult times yet, We have noticed fractures in the community that calls itself the community of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, how should we see these fractures and how do we mend them or how should we work together with those that are seeking to have authority over this community?
We know in our hearts that we have a destiny; can you explain us what is the role of leadership for our community as giving by Imam W. Deen Mohammed?
I say unto you all, Peace be upon you.
ReplyDeleteDearly beloved people,
It is our obligation to acknowledge the honorable life and passing of our brother and leader of Cleveland, Ohio - Imam Clyde Rahman.
We knew him as an iconic figure supporting the leadership of Imam W. Deen Mohammed for all the decades of his leadership. He was a friend, companion, supporter, defender, and advocate for Imam Mohammed's leadership. He was a highly successful builder of respect for Islam and Muslims in the public of Cleveland among its leaders and structures. History will remember him and we salute him as the leader of the effort to plan, construct, and establish perhaps the first masjid in the USA by African Americans - Masjid Bilal.
We also know him to have been a loyal laborer and minister for the Hon. Elijah Mohammed.
We pray for his family as we owe them our love and support. May our Lord, Allah forgive him his wrongs and grant him the reward of Paradise. He, it is Allah, the Most High who creates us and unto Him our purpose is due.
Those who knew and interacted with Imam Clyde Rahman will not ever forget him. He is in our hearts.
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteLet us began our Interview, our conversation with dr. Delaney W. Karreim.
I would like to first start by greeting you with the words of Peace, As-Salaamu-Alaikum and thank you for the opportunity to address some serious matters with you.
I have formulated a series of questions based on the concerns brought about by this blog and the ongoing conversation that our community is having concerning the Idea of Leadership and the need for National representation.
I would first like to ask you dr. Karreim, where in scripture,(Qur’an) can we find logic for the position of having leadership for this group, our community?
Having heard the many talking points of discussion on this matter, how should we understand the statement given that Imam W. Deen Mohammed wants leadership to remain local and that the community is to remain autonomous?
We all have concerns and hopes to see our community advance through these difficult times yet, We have noticed fractures in the community that calls itself the community of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, how should we see these fractures and how do we mend them or how should we work together with those that are seeking to have authority over this community?
We know in our hearts that we have a destiny; can you explain us what is the role of leadership for our community as giving by Imam W. Deen Mohammed?
Imam Hashim of Philadelphia and contributors and observers of this discussion, Peace be on you.
ReplyDeleteAs we approach the matter before us it is important that we first acknowledge the courageous thing that has been done here. This process of discussion will no doubt be held up as heralding a new time of development for our community, for our people.
Lengthy diatribes and volumes have been written deriving laws, procedures, correct understanding, correct behavior, etc from the sciences of the Qur'an and tradition of Muhammed the Prophet, the prayers and the peace be on him, to govern human society and to enlighten it. Great men and women have struggled in their minds and means, souls and bodies to establish it - to see it live and breathe in and among human beings in society. However, no society on this earth is under the authority of Islam.
There are a people in the family of man who must be prepared and embrace it in order for it to live properly. Under the Messenger of G'd a people lived and breathed the Qur'an and offered the world a new life and the world wrapped itself around its gems.
Generations have passed and though the struggle in the intellect of man continues, still Islam remains unestablished since our Prophet's time.
ReplyDeleteNo human being was ever socialized, prepared, educated, tested, honed, and Guided in the history of man since Muhammed the Prophet like Imam W. Deen Mohammed. The matter for interpreting scripture, all scripture, for the purpose of establishing the Qur'an as a Discussion and Conclusion for and in the life of man to free him and establish him had to be generated yet again in the modern age among a needy people.
It must be said here, if nowhere else, that Imam W. Deen Mohammed has been the most significant thinker and leader in the history of Islam since the days of our Prophet and his companions. He was the human vessel within the crucible that was chosen to reconcile religion unto itself and its true purpose. No people by virtue of the dignity of their genes, the degradation of their circumstances, and the possibility of their potential were better prepared to birth such a man into existence than the African-Americans and their crucible America.
What the Qur'an and the tradition of our Prophet offer us cannot be understood in the modern age without Imam W. Deen Mohammed. Its lesson on freedom, justice, and equality is not fully comprehended without Imam W. Deen Mohammed. Its vision of society is not possible in the reality of our existence without him. It is only debate and discussion about what used to exist. It is only potential. It is in Arabic, fujurah- the thing with purpose yet to be revealed to its user.
ReplyDeleteTherefore no understanding that is correct comes to us except through the line of leadership granting existence to our late leader.
ReplyDeleteWe, dear people, are the birth canal of a new age for human life. Our late leader taught us and showed us, empahsized this over that, dismissed this logic for that in order to correct the matter so mankind could be free once more with a clear perception, unobstructed from a viable people the world crushed.
For those who want to know who I, dr. Delaney W. Karriem, am, I ask you, Who are you? I am a man among men living in an age where the Mahdi lived among us wanting to see his purpose live and GROW. Who are you?
ReplyDeleteNow, I will answer the questions.
To answer the first question we must see the Qur'an and scripture preceeding it as we were taught to see it by our leader. In quoting and translating it he said, "it is a discussion on what went before and a conclusion to that discussion."
ReplyDeleteWe have been taught by our leader that it was reported that Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah reward her and be pleased with her said, "if you want to know him, he is the Qur'an living amongst us." It is necessary to note here that Imam W. Deen Mohammed informed us where to look for answers. It was not essential for him to sit at the feet of the ulema and find scholarly truths so as to impress ourselves with scholarly questions and answers. It fell to Imam W. Deen Mohammed to protect humanity and thus it has fallen to us in his line.
Our first obligation is to work for the best possible human life for all with the Qur'an as our leader and guide. Knowing that we are of the uneducated in the schemes of the world and thus unscathed by its deceptions, G'd guided us with the pure and direct message. Often Imam Mohammed would quote and translate, "and take from it the best thereof." And he would quote and translate, "you are the best community brought out for the good of all people."
What he emphasized is our guidance. How many remember him saying, "leadership is in our resourceful people."
The logic for leadership in the Qur'an for our people is that which uniquely qualified us, all of us, for leadership - "that He would raise a people, loving G'd and He loving them and loving the Messenger and not fearing the criticism of any criticizer."
Because he was guided, so are we if we follow him. He told us to "throw out useless knowledge and remake the world."
If we accept where Imam W. Deen Mohammed placed emphasis then we will know that 1) the Qur'an is our leader, 2) that the siraat (vertical path shared by all humanity) is higher than the sunnah (tradition), 3) that the defenders of humanity are its leaders, and that 4) we are within the reasoning of Islamic faith upon the tradition (millat) of Abraham to struggle within our own minds and experiences with G'd's help to relieve our own suffering and build a great establishment of faith.
Imam W. Deen Mohammed taught us that. Not an imam from Arabia or Persia or India or Harvey or Oakland or Atlanta or Dallas or Norfolk.
Leadership is in us by siraat (the vertical path) granted and protected by Allah, the Most High, and taught to us by the one Allah chose to lead us out of the darkness of the fujur through the first door and the veils of darkness into the sunnah of establishments.
The matter for leadership is left to the people, not to any imams with meetings in louisville. It is left to the students of the Qur'an as Imam W. Deen Mohammed explained it and where he placed emphasis. It is left to a person or persons who convince us that they are working in that logic. It is left to those who defend the people's innocence and intelligence. It is left to those who keep the shroud of Imam Mohammed clean and pure by exercising strength and firmness when they encounter weakness and inferior knowledge.
To help answer the second question i will quote from a nursery rhyme well-known to any who have been with Imam W. Deen Mohammed over the decades.
ReplyDeleteI quote, "humpty dumpty sat on a wall, humpty dumpty had a great fall, all of the kings horses and all of the kings men could not put humpty dumpty back together again."
It is abundantly clear that by Imam Mohammed's insistence that the community remain autonomous and that leadership be local was an observation that the national entity ostensibly represented by its national leaders and structures had become a bloated, pampered, unfunctioning, useless weight on the common believers' shoulders. Imam Mohammed oversaw and heralded the self-destruction of this entity by virtue of his resignation. No effort by the same 'horses and men' serving the same 'king' will ever be successful.
Leadership is in the hearts and souls and minds and efforts of the sincere, common believer in every masjid in every town in the following of Imam W. Deen Mohammed. It has always been there. It was always these people who faithfully supported the Imam with their contributions and attendance.
New leadership can be local or national or international, but it must be universal. it must follow the universal precepts introduced to us and taught to us from the Qur'an by our leader. Then, and only then, will we have suitable local, national, or international representation.
This is why so many of the 'leading' imams were present at the National Prayer Service at the inauguration of President Obama but not one of them was acknowledged or recognized or utilized. They are all apart of an archaic entity that self-destructed and will remain destroyed. More appealing to the Obama administration to represent Islam in America was a white, female convert who is the representative of an organization whose national magazine said upon Imam Mohammed's passing, "he led them toward mainstream Islam," meaning they are still lost and haven't made it to their destination. This is not a condemnation of the President or the Muslim sister. It is evidence in the public of America that not one of these so-called 'leading' imams are qualified to represent what G'd chose for our people to do. How hurtful it was to see the first African-American president sworn into office with a Muslim heritage and no representation from the community of people whose leader framed the very language the man used to become President of the USA.
What we have called national leadership is useless, unequivocally and absolutely useless.
Leadership is is in the hands of the people and this is precisely where the Mahdi was guided to leave it.
As it stands now, the contributors to this blog are the leadership of our national community right now. The reason is because the principles that this discussion is based on insists on respect for and defense of our people and their inherent right to be heard and contribute. The result of obedience to that principle are displayed here for literally anyone in the world to read. Our concern is local, national, and international. But most importantly it is universal.
The intelligent local leaders borrow from what they read here and share it with the people as they should. What they read and share will make them qualified to lead nationally. The ignorant, bloated, corrupt and selfish ones turn away from this discussion for fear that its incisive sharpened blade of truth will expose their ugliness.
Be assured dear people, "when truth arrives falsehood perishes."
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteWe would like to thank dr. Delaney for his answers to the questions, much food for thought and instruction for the faithful.
At this point in the Interview Process we would like to open the floor up to comments from any who would like to contribute to the discussion.
We thank you all for your participation and look forward to reading your thoughts and furthering this discussion.
HASHIM
ASA
ReplyDeleteThese are some very interesting questions and answers that I have read here. I am now wondering, being that the Savoir's Day Observance is only a week away, how are we to address these issues there. This message is what needs to be openly aired in a physically public setting.
Whether it be at a Masjid or at that meeting the ideas addressed by dr. Delaney are key factors in moving our commnity forward. I am very interested in hearing more of the question and answers, I hope that those that are seeing this Blog are spreading its message.
Ali K.
How was jail Earl AbdulMalik Mohammed...have you paid restitution to the believers? I notice you didn't go to Imam Mohammed's janaza...you probably will not go to Savior's Day...LOL...a Doctor of Anthropology???...didn't you drop out of school? Are you even working to provide for your children...you are ALL talk and NO action...this comes from New York, Maryland, Georgia and oh yea...Chicago...PUNK!!!
ReplyDeleteImam Mohammed's family used the name "Delaney" as a name when applying for a job in the workforce so as to not be given a hard time with the name "Muhammad". The Honorable Elijah Muhammad was also referred to as "Karriem" and the using of the "W" is obvious. Imam Mohammed was born in Hamtramck, Michigan. So this imposter must be the puppet that had his strings cut. Br. Earl Abdulmalik Mohammed, it is better to be forthright with our community as to receive the respect you probably deserve but, the hiding behind obvious names isn't becoming and in fact makes many believe all of the speculation about you to be true, however, we aren't the ones to judge you. We are not perfect people because we all fall and get back up because it is written that we will be tested in all aspects of our lives. It is commendable for you to be resilient than to be made up. Again, trust and credibility bring about respect.
ReplyDeleteAs-Salaam Alaikum, I have been reading and studying from this site asince I heard about it a month ago. Myself and my family and the believers I know have benefited from it. It seems like a good thing doesnt have a chance in this community. To be honest most people would know that Dr Karreem was a symbolic name but what was important was that no one was saying what he was saying, along with the others on the site. This is my first time saying anything. I have just read. I personally dont care who Dr Karreem is. What I care about is that the work of the Imam is done. And I do know truth when I see it. I support this effort because it is truth. Whoever you people are trying to stop the truth from coming out you will not last. Dr. Karreem or Earl AbdulMali or whoever is saying what is true and it is a good thing. I just had to say something because some of you people out there are to stop this and this is what the people need.
ReplyDeleteASA,
ReplyDeleteI had a discussion with a brother from our group about the connection between stories of the prophets in the bible and the stories of the prophets in the Qur'an. We discussed how Prophet Muhammed spoke to the believers as Imam W. Deen Mohammed put it, in Cover Language.
He used the language that the people of the book already knew in order to reach their rational and emotional intelligence, All the while talking about himself and the struggles of his people and those influenced by his message.
The Qur'an gives clear account of the development, progress and success of the Mission of Prophet Muhammed via stories of the Prophets.
The power and influence of this method was so impactful it changed how the world viewed religion, science and all practical matters in the affairs of man for all time. It made those that adhered to the language as method, the leaders of the world in all fields of life.
There was a man that we know that saw himself coming to a lost people during a time when that people did not know themselves and where under the influence of a powerful psychology and gave us a language and an avenue to express that language. He told us many things and we accepted the words without doubt or fear or hesitation as we saw the power of the method to free our lot from the oppression that we found ourselves under.
Our history as a people and as a religious group is full of these ideas and full of how these ideas produced great leadership for the world.
I see this Blog as following in the method of preparing the common people for the role of leadership if we would began to think outside of base sentiment and use the logic, reasoning and wisdom that we gained through our adamant study of our Leader.
We have no time to waste. The focus of this discussion is clear to me. I see that dr. Delaney has answered questions concerning the identity of the community that the 'leading imams' in our community refuse to, at least in any public setting that I have attended. Some go as far as to say the answer is to simply continue to do what you have been doing. I ask what, so that YOU can continue to do what you have done to the common believer?
I would like to hear more and would like the opportunity to respond with my own thoughts when the interview is done. I thank dr. Delaney for having the foresight to publish and protect our concerns as a community.
Adam P. Ford
As-Salaamu-Alaikum,
ReplyDeleteOne of the major issues that plagues our community, has destroyed much of its social fabric, and is considered a serious sin in Islam is backbiting and the spreading of rumors.
Two of the most recent additions to the blog have indulged in such activity, in addition to name-calling which is the natural progression of gossip and rumor spreading.
Those of us who sincerely wish to see the work of Imam W. Deen Mohammed firmly established must not be deterred by such activity. Instead, let it come as a reassurance to us that we are on the right path.
Those who have nothing to offer in this great work and who have no legitimate complaints to voice will always resort to these tactics as a means of character assassination and as a way of sidestepping real issues.
Do you notice how these comments and the mentality that authored them do not address any of the concerns you (the people) have raised?
To Sister Stephanie Hollis, do not be disheartened by the presence of this mentality. Such mentality existed during the time of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and sought to exterminate the progression of his special son. You can even look at the condition of Adam and his mate. Although they were in the garden (or the right circumstances for community growth) so was the serpent.
Serpents have poor hearing and eyesight. They live on their stomachs or base desires. They sense heat or the warmth of life. And they use venom from their mouths to cause paralysis and death in the life of the believers.
But there is a group of us who have been given a powerful antidote by Imam W. Deen Mohammed. Some of us received it in person from him. And some of us are trained, expert snake handlers.
Snakes beware, Moses is here with his staff!
ASA
ReplyDeleteThe importance of this Blog and its discussion is far greater than a name. It is obvious that those that seek to disrupt what is being done here understanding that point as they themselves hide behind a disguise.
As Mr. Ford pointed out the focus of this discussion is clear and can not be distracted by pretenders and children. The attempt to derail progress of establishing the idea of National Representation and a voice of our community concerns has failed.
We remain resolute in this task to have the voice of the common person in faith heard here. Everyone is welcome to say their piece, but know intelligence will rule over ignorance here.
Let us move on.
Ali K.
Once again I’d like to thank Dr Karriem and all of the many contributors to this site. I haven’t commented in a while because just about all of the contributions have been excellent. But I am concerned about the way many of the contributors to this site are being viewed. I have read such statements describing the contributions as angry, backbiting, or that somehow that there may be some type of hidden negative motivations. Like I have stated before that the prayer means so many things on so many levels. The responsibility for prayer is on the community, for us to collectively pray together but that obligation is also upon every individual to learn the prayer and pray. The reason for this is if the majority of society should fall or become corrupt you as an individual would be well equipped to lead society or your community back to life again!!! Dear people this is the explanation given by our Mujeddid Imam W. Deen Mohammed!!! This is why a collection of Imam W. Deen Mohammed’s lectures, books his language and methods must be preserved and archived by our community. But also every individual must be responsible for there own collection of Imam W. Deen Mohammed’s DVD’s books, tapes and getting familiar with the language and anything else concerning Imam W. Deen Mohammed and the evolution of this community. Our mujeddid Imam W. Deen Mohammed speaks of an Imam Abdulmalik Mohammed on the Ramadan sessions 2006 DVD set. He mentioned the extraordinary effort given by Imam Abdulmalik Mohammed in assisting in his visit to the Vatican. He called him a partner!!!! Those who attack, what is your record of service to our leader???? Dear contributors these are not personal attacks they are trying to attack what we are representing because they know soon the time is coming when there heads will be chopped off.
ReplyDeleteAs Salaam Alaikum. There is an connection between the identity of an individual and the credibility of that individual. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)was known as "al-Amin" (the Trustworthy One) because even his opponents knew his reputation for HONESTY and INTEGRITY. These qualities gave added strength to his message. Now, here we have an alleged "Doctor of Anthropology",using a symbolic/signifying name linked with the family and birth place of Imam W. D. Mohammed, called a "close confidant" of our leader. Does his true identity, character, reputation, honesty and integrity have any bearing on this discussion? "Who is this masked man?" I am not denying that the issues raised on this blog are important (they are), but so are honesty, transparency and integrity... especially where the very life of our community are concerned. -- Bro. Yahya Mateen
ReplyDeletea community of conscience, conviction, and leadership is what i believe your imaam wanted for islaam. i am reading your blog from afar and am sharing it with many friends over the ummat.
ReplyDeleteyour imam was a great man, great for islaam, great for the ummat of muhammad rasululaah. i do not understand why the ummat bickers so much.
your dr karriem sounds very much like your imaam. perhaps your imaam still leads and you deny him as you did when he was with you in the life.
ya allaah, when will we ever learn.
Whoever dr. Karriem is, he has afforded the followers of Imam W. Deen Mohammed a great opportunity to express and share their insights as to the pressing needs of our community--the preservation of Imam Mohammed's legacy and identifying and supporting a 'true' leader who will carry on his works.
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate that there are individuals among us who have no agenda but their own selfish one. THEY have been exposed! ALLAH knows who they are.
Read Sura Baqarah Ayaat 8-18.
This forum serves a wonderful space for sharing and connecting with like-minded people. I feel we must increase our capacity for tolerance and our ability to truly listen to each other. There is no problem if we have different perspectives and a desire for more transparency. It should be expected that we will always have tension in anything that we are trying to do of any importance or substance.
ReplyDeleteASA,
ReplyDeleteThe need to remain focused is apparent here. Focused on what you may ask. Focused, putting our best attention on the needs of our community now and the future. Our needs remain the same. We learn many things when we pay attention and focus our attention on the life of Prophet Mohammed(saws) and that of Imam W.D. Mohammed. One thing we learn is that we must struggle against opposition to truth and justice in whatever form it comes. And on the other side we must accept truth and justice when it is presented.
The truth is our community needs a certain type of leadership which is being discussed on this blog. Come in unity, come as one mind, as one faith to establish a life of Islam here and around the globe. Imam Mohammed lead a life of faith, sacrifice, struggle, devotion and love.
He was given and gave great knowledge. For what? For Allah, for us,
for truth, for justice. If we would hear his voice now we would here almost as a chant(for lack of a better word) "we need Muslim communities, schools, busness, masjids, hospitals....we need model
communities." There are those who heed is voice. Over the years they have been constant and sincere. And there are those who put stumbling blocks around him at his every turn. He did not stop. He keep the faith and the struggle. And we have all benefited by his constant devotion and that of his family. His sons' and daughters for the more obvious things such as The Muslim Convention, The Ramadan Sessions, the books, the dvds, the cds. At one convention he stated that we should use this time to discuss the state of our community. Come togther as one. Have we heard the one calling us to faith? It is said also that we cannot have faith until we love one another. There are people of knowledge, both men and women in our community. People of strong faith. We the ask you to step forward and speak to our community. You can do that on this blog, our national convention or wherever. Let us all focus our attention on the needs and future of our community.
kautharm
ASA,
ReplyDeleteThe progress of this blog has been great. But I feel the time is rapidly approaching when we MUST expand our discussion beyond the confines of this particular blog and into specific areas of concern, from which concrete steps can be made towards community development.
Here are some of my ideas:
1. A national meeting of some kind, our own
"Savior Day" done properly.
2. The creation of other discussion forums in
which specific concerns such as education,
music, business, health, etc. can be
addressed.
3. The creation of a social networking site,
much like myspace.com or facebook where
members of our community can interact and
communicate.
These are just a few ideas that came to me. I really would like to hear any additional insights or constructive criticisms others can offer.
American Muslim Mission Disbanded – April of 1985
ReplyDeletePartial transcript of Imam W. Deen Muhammad’s (Mohammed) lecture
In my conclusion today, this is the last time that you will look upon me as your leader. I’m not the leader for anybody. I don’t accept to be your leader. I’m Imam Warith Deen Muhammad. I’ll be the Imam wherever I reside. I don’t accept responsibility for you, your investments, your places, your decisions You better carry it yourself.
I don’t intend to ever meet with the imams as their advisors, you have to advise yourself. Take the Qur’an, take the life of Muhammad; make your decisions, do not use me as your excuse any more – I’m not available.
If you will follow my advice you will put down the term American Muslim Mission. You will put it down; you will never pick up any term that locks you all together in one community. You will be members of a Muslim community that is international. You will have masjids and Imams. You will have AMMCOP, Collective Buying. You will have political awareness committees. You will have businesses, private businesses, private concerns. You will bring nothing under centralized things any more. You will be called by Masjid names. You will be free to walk into any Masjid and be recognized as a Muslims just like Muslims are in the international Muslim world.
You will hold your Imam accountable. You will tell your Imam to form good relations with other Imams, not just Black ones, but White one’s, Red ones and all colors.
When you meet together you will not meet under some cooperate name, but you will meet together with each Imam on equal standing.
You will form your council on your own… this decision upon your own will, not pressured to do it. You will limit the power of your council to nothing but representing the interest, the aspirations, the concerns of your Masjid. Find opportunity to work together when it’s necessary. You will not require any such council for any unnecessary purpose at all. In other words, you will work for a minimum of control over your body because G-d wants you to shoulder responsibility yourself.
I’ve always had a problem in my soul accepting that religion be organized, or institutionalized to the extent that it become a cooperate, a cooperate entity. A good situation to be exploited by the powerful. Yes.
But if you follow the guidance of G-d; if you have the free open Islamic society that G-d intends for you, then you’re not an enticement, a temptation – an invitation – to the exploiters from the powerful, from the rich.
But if they see that you have a tight-knit, well organized, strongly organized thing wherein there is an individual, or a group of individuals dictating to many, that is a good situation for them. It’s ideally structured and tailored for their exploit.
But if you get rid of that and have an open free Islamic society; and you come together as Imams, not belonging to American Muslim Mission that was a step from another thing that even was more institutionalized – the old Temple or Nation of Islam. So I brought you a step away from that. Now I’m not telling you to drop that, but I’m advising you, that if you really want to be an Islamic community, you should drop these names that separate you and set you apart from other Islamic populations.
And you should work as one Muslim. Muslim is one all over the earth. You should work as one Muslim with one Muslim identity, following the same Qur’an, following the same human model, Muhammed, peace and the blessings be upon him. That’s the way you should go.
Don’t you know that you can achieve the things you want better if you do it without this situation for ?community? sabotage? Yes, you can do it much better.
Private enterprise. Private enterprise. Form together in groups as you have been doing. Don’t you think that is progress? I do.
I don’t control the businesses in the Muslim community. I have nothing at all to do with them. The businesses are under private businesses, and as a result we have better business and more progress for business in the Muslim community than we have ever had.
Later, in this same address Imam Muhammad (Mohammed) shared the following:
If you all would join me, in a little while, you would be dominant in this city. You would, the power would come to you. You would, the power would come to you. Why? Because they are wasted out there. This is not me talking, this is what their own examination, evaluation has concluded; that the public school system is a waste.
The Whiteman, he has taken his best out of the public school, he is dealing with it privately, with his own money. And he leaves his poor whites and you poor folks to have the shambles that are left.
The quality of the teachers is nothing. The spirit and drive in them has gone. All what they are looking for is animal pleasure, animal reward. Money and Saturday night kicks. Am I telling the truth or not? Okay!
So you see that this is a fortunate situation for you, come and support me. Join my leadership, support me. ‘Oh, but I heard you just retired from leadership.’ Certainly, you dumbbell you. I didn’t say that I was going to quit talking, I said I going to stop doing your work.
So accept the direction. Come into Al-Islam and accept the direction that we offer. Learn what we are doing here in Chicago. If you have a situation to reproduce it, or do better, do it where you are. And encourage your people to come into this religion. This is the religion, this is the place for religious freedom for the African American person.
So tomorrow, Insha’-Allah, we will continue this subject, and we are going to alert you to the evil, the danger… the dangerous possibility for community that is not alert and education informed (or “in form”). How it can easily be taken over by people who don’t have your interest at heart. And because you don’t what you represent, or what you should be, they can lead you in the name of your religion to a foreign course that are contrary (inaudible). We don’t want that. We are going to work and fight. We are going to work to stop it.
We hope tomorrow to show you, and get you to see and agree – with your own mind, upon your own decision – that the solution that we have here in America to bring AA men up, and AA family up, and AA community up is the same that is needed in Africa and everywhere else that Black people are existing today. The same (inaudible). They have the same problems in their spirit, the same problem in their souls that we have over here. In fact, in many places they have worse problems, or worse situations than we have.
You are not going to come out of it by trying to follow your own whim, your own opinion. Whimsical opinions that you dream up. I thank G-d for saving us from depending on dream thinking. Follow a logic – tried and proven logic for establishing individuals and societies, the Qur’anic role, the Islamic guidelines. That is the answer, and we have gone into the night. We have to make mahgrib prayer.
Again, later in this same address Imam Muhammad (Mohammed) shared the following:
I hear they are coming out with another issue of the Journal, which will be another special issue. It is quite needed because it was recalling the achievement of the community. The first achievement, quite naturally, was the achievement for bringing this religious community true to its name. True Muslims. To have the true content.
But another great achievement was to remove the structures of slavery. To decentralize the interest of the community – the business interest of the community – to bring it into private hands. To remove the unit called FOI, the MGT. To bring a situation where every Imam has dignity. Every congregation has dignity. All of them on an equal footing. Free as they should be to invest in their own immediate region and build their community locally without having so much demanded on them from a central office.
Freedom, Islamic freedom, Is another great achievement that you have realized since I became your leader. So another paper is coming out and I hope they won’t forget these things.
As salaam alaikum. I consulted with my father, known to many as Earl Abdulmalik Mohammed, known to me and my brothers and sisters as Dad or Daddy, to respond to what has been said here as he is unable to. My name is Warith Deen Mohammed named after the leader of our community and I am 22 years old. I consulted with him to see if he thought it was a good thing or not for me to respond. He said he thought it was good. He did not ask what I would say and he did not tell me what to say.
ReplyDeleteI did not know about this discussion until one of my friends told me something bad was said about my father. Of course, as a son I was concerned but not surprised. I have heard many things over my lifetime about my father, bad and good. The bad things had come from people I saw were either obviously jealous or could not get my father's attention or felt threatened by him or wanted something he had but they could not get.
After reading the bad comments about him and reading the purpose of this blog I thought that whatever the people were thinking it was not to promote the good of this blog. They maybe wanted to end this blog.
Whatever my Dad has done that is wrong he will answer for, but I do know that he is not a negative person. I do not have to promote his good. It speaks by itself.
One question I can answer is that he took care of me and all of my brothers and sisters. I do not know if he is Mr. Karriem or Dr. Karriem. I know him as my Dad and I think I speak for all of his children. He is a great Dad.
I hope the aspirations of the blog continue and that it grows and grows and that it does not give in to negatives.
Peace.
To Warith Deen Mohammed, the son of Brother Abdul Malik, As-Salaam Alaikum.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Michael "Mikal" Saahir. I have known you father, quite well for over 20 years. We, in Indianapolis knew him well due to his Florida relationship with Imam Muhammad Siddeeq.
I applaud your standing up for your father as your Dad and as a Muslim. You have done the right thing and you spoke directly to the point. I too did not like the attacks against your father that have been displayed in this forum.
Tell him that I send him the greetings of As-Salaam Alaikum and that I wish him well.
Prophet Muhammed, prayers and peace be on him stated, "Before you point out the faults of a person, first remind yourself of your own faults." That hadith has often saved me from pointing an accusing finger at many people.
I'm not seeking to excuse anyone's errors or sins, not even my own. We all need Allah's Mercies and I welcome them every single day.
On another note, and this is to the entire forum. I still think that whoever dr. delaney karriem may be, they should make themselves known with no aliases or shrouds. We are now living in the day of clarity, transparency and responsibility- accountability. We, the believers deserve to know exactly who (he or she) is seeking to guide us.
Sincerely
Michael Saahir - Indianapolis
It is said that William Shakespeare, the 'man' that gave focus and depth to the English language was in fact many people, not one. dr. Delaney W Karriem whoever you are, thank you. Among the bloggers are some who see symbolic names not for their literal value but what they point to. Is there any doubt that dr Karriem is using wisdom? I do not see him as concealing an identity but rather pointing at something by using a name that we can easily unravel. He is obviously respecting a tradition well established in our community: "dr." (not capitalized) -education of the unestablished; "delaney"- industry in OUR tradition; "w" -Wallace, Warith, leadership in OUR tradition; "karriem" -(unique spelling given by WD Fard to the Hon. Elijah Muhammad means noble or dignified, honorable) OUR unique story of lost-found dignity.
ReplyDeleteWe should thank Allah brothers and sisters. Is there any question who dr Karriem is? He is all of us. Is there any doubt who his teacher is?
I am a witness!
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteIn the near future, In'Sha'Allah we will be hosting an online radio talk show in the efforts to expand this Blog discussion in new and more progressive ways.
We will be asking those that are both regular contributors and those interested in this discussion to call in and openly discuss these issues over the air. We will be asking for your input and for one on one interviews with some of the regulars. We want that this Blog become a Catalysis for true growth and development in our community.
Here is a place where your voice can be heard without fear that you will be punished by some invisible hand from the heavens.
What do you have to add to this discussion? What avenues do you wish to explore as a growing community guided by G'd and the divinely inspired wisdom of Imam W. Deen Mohammed?
The importance here is on you, on US as a community, not on any one individual looking for kudos or applauds. No one person is the focus... Issues are the focus here and it will remain that way.
I think, NO, I know that dr. Delaney W. Karreim understands that as should we all.
I have never looked at a road sign, while driving, so hard and so long that I ran myself and my family off the road because my focus was on the sign instead of where the sign was pointing me to.
IF you are choosing to see dr. Delaney as a SIGN, then don't make him the focus, look at where he is directing our vision toward.
I hope to, in the near future, continue with the interview that we started here. I am waiting patiently for dr. Delaney to contact me once again to let me know that he is ready.
SO stay tuned...
HASHIM
Once again, peace to all:
ReplyDeleteI'm proud and encouraged by the responses to some the recent postings which have been slanderous and insulting to the intelligence of this forum’s participants. An individual has facilitated a forum for discussion on addressing the most critical issues facing our community in a way that has placed Imam W Deen Mohammed's legacy, the sanctity of his Islamic reasoning, and the possibilities for our progress when individual resourcefulness isn't stifled by ineffective or corrupt leadership, in the forefront. Not once has it's author or the members of this forum attacked the credibility of an individuals role in his/her family life or called attention to specific actions of the past that could be considered morally questionable. Yet, we all know of some examples we could point out. Instead the criticism has been solely directed firstly at highlighting the fact that we can't depend upon leadership (individuals & as well as a method of reasoning) that has proven ineffective in the past, to guide us to a solution for our future and secondly, presenting an Islamic argument against the current prevailing ideas that suggest an organized representation or for that matter an individual who is recognized by the common believers as a spokesperson for the interests of our community is contrary to what our Imam desired.
So, with that said. For those who have specifically attacked Imam Abdul Malik, as the Bilalian stated, "What is your record of service?" Why do you remain anonymous? Let those of us who know Imam Abul Malik compare your record of service to his; compare what our Imam has said of you to what has been said about him. Then we'll find out who the puppet really is. Since you seem to be concerned about some type of restitution, why don't you work on ensuring that all of the nations CPC investors get a personal financial statement or have The Mosque Cares provide us with its latest IRS form 990.
For those who have brought forth the issue of transparency, I agree that transparency is important but as others have already stated the language and identity used by the dr. was always registered by the bloggers as symbolic and not as a deception. Furthermore, many of us do recognize that early efforts can be stifled without some degree of anonymity because of the traditional character assassination attempts such as the ones recently put on display. If there weren't some validity to maintaining anonymity we all would be using our real names. Insha Allah the day will come when what we intend to produce has reached a stage where anonymity is no longer necessary.
Peace
ASA,
ReplyDeleteIn Al-Islam a degree of secrecy is allowed in order to protect the good life of the people, if it is known that the work for which you are coming together for could come under attack by those that don't want to see that effort successful.
In previous posts I referred to what Imam W. Deen Mohammed labeled "The Need for Guardians of Our Social Development" when looking at that concept we don't know for certain who those guardians are. Many times as Imam Mohammed said, you will never know their names or faces, they do their work for the benefit of the people and then they are gone.
He said it was only a requirement that we knew him and persons like Chiara Lubich in the public eye. If it were not for that requirement he said, he would never have shown himself. He would have been satisfied being a wielder and a good one.
Many of us are like that story in the Qur'an of the two Persons of G’d walking together, one seeking to understand the actions of the other. Most of us can't wait to see what the outcome of the actions will be because we are impatience with the process.
We are judging things according to our understanding of the matters instead of simply following the guidance and waiting for the explanation from G'd to reveal itself.
We may see something happen in our life and wonder why did this thing happen in this way or why am I in this situation, if we allow the guidance of G'd to be paramount in our life we will come to see the reasoning. But, if we are impatient with these important matters and try to see the reasoning with our limited vision we lose the guidance that G'd has for us.
A requirement of guardians is to protect the people's life and vested interests. There is a movie that I enjoy "Kingdom of Heaven" The director of that movie has one of the characters address the saving of a sacred city, he is told by the priests that the city most not fall to the hands of the invaders, the guardian tells them that his obligation is to defend the people.
The sacred knowledge and value is within the people, not within any physical structure. The structures can be torn down, but as long as the spirit of the people and their rights to exist are intact, those physical structures can be rebuilt.
We have an obligation to continue to discuss these most important issues here and not be distracted by the enemies of progress. We will not back down from the challenge that they present, but we will not be deterred from this task.
I am with you dr. Delaney W. Karriem. Anything that I can do to help please, let me know I am ready to assist.
Adam P. Ford
First I’d like to say to brother Hashim that any discussion for the betterment of this community I would love to be involved with. We have to think about what has attracted all of us to this site. None of us are really sure of who dr Karriem is or Catalyst or Hashim ect. But what was absolutely clear was the language. The language is special. It is not ordinary. It was so identifiable that most of the contributors to this site didn’t care who dr. Karriem was. They recognized the interest first. And the language calling you to the interest was verification that the person initiating the discussion was legitimate. The language comes from the best student of Mohammed the Prophet (pbuh) Imam W. Deen Mohammed. Every public address that Imam W. Deen Mohammed ever gave was for human life. He preached for African Americans to be restored to our humanity through Islam. And also through our leadership be an example for the entire universe to restore Islam to its rightful high place from which it has fallen. Which Imam in the entire country addressed this huge task before us???. We are together because we all identify that Imam W. Deen Mohammed is the leader. So you want me to believe that the best way for us to complete the mission that G-d created us for is to be fragmented and separated???. The individuals who think this way are cowards. The way we should view dr. Karriem is as the defender of our people and there role for humanity under the leadership of our Mujeddid Imam W. Deen Mohammed plain and simple. So dear people the task before us is huge. Our Mujeddid Imam W. Deen Mohammed knew what he was giving us was enormous. And he always spoke to the three elements in our community on these issues. He spoke to those that were with him and the task ahead. He spoke to those that were with his father the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. And he spoke to the devils and the trouble makers. But his focus was always on the healthy public and the task before him and his people, not the unhealthy troublemakers and cowards.
ReplyDeleteAs'Salaamu'Alykum
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank dr. Delaney W. Karriem for his answers. I have read through them thoroughly yet, I still have the question, what will be the method to prepare the common person for leadership in this time?
dr. Delaney W. Karriem says that Al-Islam is not established in any nation on this planet, how is that, what does that mean and what does that imply for what we are suppose to do?
I ask these questions as I have notice within my own personal experience that there is a Great Crevasse between what we know of as Islam and what Imam W. D. Mohammed taught as Al-Islam.
I have notice that the biggest problem for our group is the struggle to reconcile the world of Islam’s presentation of religion and Imam W. D. Mohamed's presentation and explanation of Al-Islam with our everyday living and own understanding.
When dr. Delaney W. Karriem says that Imam W. D. Mohammed came and re-established religion’s original purpose, I see something special in that which brings another question to my mind.
Please forgive me if I word this incorrectly, but I think you all will understand.
If Imam W. D. Mohammed taught us that Prophet Mohammed was born into the world like Jesus, not having a birth in religious knowledge and understanding not being tampered with by the world of man's logic, can’t we say that Imam W. D. Mohammed had a similar birth?
That is my question.
Thank you all for helping me to understand and make progress.
M. Madyun
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteWe are now setting up the Online Radio Program.
In the spirit of this blog it is an avenue for the voice of the community and cannot be set up without consulting with you.
We want to know what would be the best time frame to air the broadcast in order to get the majority of listeners from the regular viewers and participants of this Blog as it is an extension of this forums discussion.
If it will make it easier we will give the Blog a choice of times but we will wait to hear from you all.
Your Friend,
HASHIM
As-Salaamu-Alaikum.
ReplyDeleteOn Sunday, March 8, 2009, I, along with a regular participant of this blog, attended a forum at our local Islamic center. He coordinated and presided over the event. It was intended to be a forum for youth and young adults. The turnout was low. However, this young man was not disheartened. He conducted the forum as if he were addressing a gathering of hundreds.
His focus was to call the attention of the attendees/believers to the very critical issues that face our community. Like so many of the followers of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, they have been left grappling with what direction to take in the wake of his passing. Unfortunately, most of those in attendance are not involved in ANY type of discourse. And those who are, spoke of discussions that have merely degenerated into finger-pointing and fault-finding.
What this young man emphasized was Imam Mohammed's message that "leadership is in the resourcefulness of the people." This is a critical statement which I interpret very simply to mean that each of us has been blessed with particular qualities, assets, gifts, i.e., resources which would benefit, the advancement of our families, our neighborhoods, our communities, our cities, our country, and our global community. We are to take the best of what we are, and of what we have and use them in a manner to create and maintain viable and enduring institutions that benefit our community and humanity.
In dr. Karriem's posting dated Feb. 18,2009 (2:21PM), he states, "If we accept where Imam Mohammed placed emphasis then we will know that 1)the Qur'an is our leader...3)that the defenders of humanity are its leaders...(I omitted the 2nd and 4th points dr. Karriem made it simple because I want to stress the aspect of leadership). What more do we need to help us navigate this current of indecision? The Qur'an and those who follow it will advance our community! We have no further to look than ourselves and our own righteously guided intentions propelled by correct knowledge and understanding.
Allah tells us "Let there arise out of you a band of people enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong," also, "Strive as if in a race towards all that is good." Allah also promises that He will bring together those who work/strive for his pleasure.
Before the close of Sunday's forum, the young man and I invited the believers gathered there to participate in this discussion. I am sure that they, as well as those who have followed this blog from the beginning, will gain much from their participation. Peace.
"And We made the son of Mary and his mother as A SIGN..." Holy Quran 23:50
ReplyDelete"The greatest reformers of this earth, in the history of mankind, were not educated formally. Moses was not educated formally. Jesus Christ was not educated formally. Muhammad, the last Prophet was not educated formally...I'm trying to share with you what has started the world of civilization and what redeems the world of civilization when it becomes uncivilized... I have studied the sacred words and I have seen it with my own eyes and it has equipped me to communicate it to the wise and saintly people of this world. They hear it and they understand it while most of you do not and they welcome me."- Imam W. Deen Mohammed
When we reflect on Christ as a sign there is no doubt that there is a parallel between the sign of Christ and our Imam's birth as a spiritual thinker and representative of Allah's word and spirit. Equally as important however is something the Imam once said in response to a question about how we are to communicate what he represents to us to others who don't share our same experience. In paraphrasing, our Imam referred to himself by saying that the success, failures, and aspirations of the African American people have produced a Son among us. The Imam also said that the determination to serve G-d for the good of mankind in a group of people (as represented by Christ) can be seen in a group of people not just one person.
I believe that dr. Delaney in his comment about Islam not being established on any nation is tyring to direct our attention to the fact there isnt a nation or community we can point to with absolute confidence as a model of Prophet Muhammad's character, devotion to elevating human dignity through advancing education, promoting equality,religious pluralism, etc. etc. etc. etc. There are some Islamic societies that deserve credit for preserving important aspects of muslim life but still fall short of "Khaira Ummatun."
Hashim, I recommend weekday evenings as a broadcast time. I would prefer to select from the choices you would offer as the facilitator.
Peace to all.
ASA
ReplyDeleteI believe that we have identified the qualities that one who is to represent our collective voice should have. I believe that it is a type that is unique to our development.
As our community, our social development can be identified with the character in scripture named Maryam it should be noted that that idea is feminine by description. I say this to suggest that this female nature did not become sterile with the birth of its special son.
I suggest that anyone that follows as leader or in the role of leadership has their birth through the labor of this special community. That that one or group will resemble the best of what we know from that special son.
Imam Mohammed told us how we should see Jesus (AS) and Prophet Muhammed (SAW) one was the spirit of righteousness and the other the spirit of truth. Did we not witness within our leader both those spirits?
So again anyone that is to lead should possess these two spirits. This community has produced this unique combination within a special son and it will continue to produce from itself others as long as to remains firm to the most important issues and place emphasis where it should be placed.
This is the promise that G'd makes us in the Qur'an.
Adam P. Ford
As Salaamu Alaikum My Brothers and Sister,
ReplyDeleteI suggest, in order to give this conversation a true, sincere and empowering life we must start from the refernce of what our leader defined as "Leadership." We note that he did not define leadership as a person. He said that "The Leadership is in the Resourceful People who are working based on Faith and Strong Belief to advance the natural best interest of there "Public" within the context of human Community Life that is based in the "Pattern on Whcih Allah (SWT) has established mankind. With that as a working definition of leadership - it becomes clear what leadership and what it is not. With an empowering perpsepctive of leadership we can move forward with the serious business at hand - that is "remaking the world" based on the pattern of logic contained in the original nature of the human being. Working from this perspective, we can then move to have a conversation where we invest 90% of our time on solutions and 10% on continuously up-dating our understanding of the dynamics that are containwed in problems and challenges that must be addressed by the leadership body standing on correct worship.
Working from this position, we have the forces of nature and the Angels working with us to do this work that is before us. We can submit that Allah (SWT) is seperating the Sheep from the Goats, the wheat from the Tare, those standing on Faith and Belief from the who are standing on something else.
Truely for the believers it is all good because Allah (SWT) says to us that "Nothing comes to Him except as a servant. And, that His plan for his creation must be fulfilled.
Abdul-Jaami Hakim Yamini
Atlanta, Georgia
Ameen
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for the opportunity to communicate with you all.
The weekdays that are open for the broadcast are as follows Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays Both Saturday and Sunday are open.
The times for the weekdays are from 6pm up to 11pm one from 15 minute to 1 hour programs.
On Saturday and Sunday the time frames are from 10AM through 9PM.
To make it more specific weekdays either at 5pm, 7pm or 9pm weekends both days either 10AM, 11AM, 12PM, 3PM or 5PM
I am happy to hear that others are having this conversation in their local areas. We want to produce more programs to that affect.
A friend of mine once said that you know that you have true Faith when you have NO MORE FEAR.
We should not fear those that want that we stop talking about our role, the common person’s role in the leadership.
We should not fear those that are trying to sneakingly suggest that we are a community of individuals and that we don't need a head. Our body still needs a spokesperson.
Let us not lose that focus here. We cannot accept that the body of leaders, as it stands, represents our collective purpose. We need new and qualified representation that will be brought forward through this process of discussion.
We must remember what we are fighting for. Yes, we are in a battle for the life of our community, for its role and place as leader. Isn't that something worth fighting for?
I heard Imam Mohammed say that G'd would allow the world to remain in the hands of the bad people that are qualified to maintain it rather than destroy them and allow others that can't support the life of the world have their opportunity even if that people be his most devote worshippers.
G'd blessed us to be the leader though our teacher Imam W. Deen Mohammed, should we allow
those that are not qualified take charge and destroy what we are in the eyes of the world?
NO!
This is a marathon not a sprint we are in this for the long haul.
HASHIM
Dearly beloved people,
ReplyDeleteOur nation suffers, where are we? Our people suffer, where are we? Our future suffers, where are we? I hear the Imam's words, "we should be so productive in this country we should relieving the suffering of those suffering from drought...."
We are not existing to do nothing. We are not existing to create venues for phased-out leadership to give meaningless speeches. We are to be viable and alive.
Dear people, work you in your places. We have leadership. It is emerging. Can you sense it? It is quickening in the womb and there are fine doctors ready to stand over its delivery.
Do not be discouraged or disheartened. We are here. We are here.
A hint to the wise is sufficient.
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteAs we know the focus for our discussion here has been the Blog statement by dr. Delaney W. Karriem. Which I see has now been labeled Statement #1. I am sensing that our dear friend dr. Delaney W. Karriem will be making a new Statement soon.
I believe that we have an opportunity here to advance our life in community and we should use this opportunity wisely. I am asking Bilalian, Ibrahim,Catylst to help me by way of accepting to be interviewed here on this Blog. I am asking these three first.
In the near future I will be asking others such as Dr. Mubashir Uqdah to share with the blog.
If anyone of you or all of you is willing simply respond in the affirmative. You can contact me off line at wdmstudent1@yahoo.com in order to inform me of your background and history.
Again, we would like to thank dr. Delaney W. Karriem for his efforts to advance us through this avenue of discussion.
HASHIM
Assylamulaikum,
ReplyDeleteMy dearest and beloved believers, I have been READING for awhile here and now I think it is time for me to share my thoughts on the direction of our community.
With the name of Allah, The Merciful Benefactor and The Merciful Redeemer......
Al Isra (The Night Journey)Surah 17: 1 Ayat says, Glory to Allah who did take his servant for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque, To the Farthest Mosque, Whose precincts We did Bless - in order that We Might show him some of our signs: for he is the One who heareth and seeth (all things).
I read in many PASSAGES here in reference to birth, birth right, womb, maryum, Barrak Obama, saviors day and more that we have been given another chance to rise up as a people through the Night Journey to re-establish what has been established once before, before Adam saw his nakedness.
This my dear brothers and sisters is a sign as like any other that Allah with his infinite MERCY holds.
Another sign is that the story of Noah and what he represented.
Allah say's, Among you I have made Kalifa's. So to me that also means that if Allah has made Kalifa's then who follows the Kalifa? When you look at the word LEADERSHIP, you see LEADER and SHIP which means to me that there is ONE (leader) supported many (ship or groups on a ship is what it implies).
I mention this for the sake of saying, that this BLOG is like any other sign its the ship and I support its LEADER! I look forward to the broadcast, and if my help is needed please ask!
Sis., Haqqah Al Nur Muhammed
dr. Delaney W. Karriem,
ReplyDeleteAs Salaam Alaikum. It was only a matter of time before I stumbled upon this website. I have been looking for you. That is, what you speak has been on my mind, and I am pleased to see you voice it so eloquently. It matters not what your "true" identity is as some have questioned here. Do we really ever know a person's true identity? Only Allah knows, and I am thankful and willing to leave it in His hands. I just want you to know that I, like others, am with you, and I appreciate, respect, and applaud your efforts. I have always recognized true leadership, which is why I embraced Islam as a teen, choosing Imam Mohammed as my Imam. You know who helped me on this glorious path? Imam AbdulMalik Mohammed. I had the utmost respect for him then and now. I always knew him to be a man of honor and great dignity. If he reads this blog, let him recognize those who are truly with him. I will continue to read this blog as it is like a cool drink after a very parched day--refreshing and revitalizing. We can not dishonor Imam Mohammed's work or allow others to do so with their forked tongues--up people; let's get to work.
As'Salaamu'Alykum
ReplyDeleteI have read the responses to the question that I asked concerning the special birth of our leadership model and I feel good about the answers that were given.
I asked other questions that went unanswered, maybe because I did not phrase them in a way the respected this blogs level of intelligence. Let me try again.
Are there unique and identifiable actions or skills in our presentation of Al-Islam and or Islamic knowledge that will place us at the forefront of the Islamic world?
If so what are they and how does the average person in the community of believers access them in order to identify with this leadership role? What are the things that distinguish our community and how does the common person anchor themselves in the role of leadership without having to feel that they need to give a speech or something or have a title?
I hope that this was clear and I look forward to reading all of your answers as it has helped me tremendously.
Brother Hashim,
ReplyDeleteI am honored to except your invitation to be interviewed. You and others are welcome to contact me via email at righteous08@gmail.com. Pardon me for the late response. I have been busy researching my faith and trying to establish business life for the success of our community.
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteI think that that is a good idea for us all to do.
At the moment I am formulating some questions for you and Ibrahim to address. As for now, I think that the question that our friend M. Madyun asked is worthy of some response.
If you or Ibrahim would like to answer it I think that that will help to foster new questions for the group and guide us along this conversation we are having here.
I would like to make one thing clear; there is no moderator for this Blog. I was asked to conduct interviews of persons on this Blog and agreed to do so and it should be seen only as a function of the goal of this blog, which is to help move his discussion forward.
As was stated in earlier posts, this Blog discussion is open to all to post their thoughts on the subject and offer solutions according to the best of our understanding of the language and logic of Imam W. Deen Mohammed with the focus of this discussion being clear. At this time the focus is Statement #1 posted both at the top and bottom of this Blog.
My suggestion to those new to the Blog is to scroll through the posts and read; especially the posts by dr. Delaney W. Karriem & His answers to the questions of the interview and we encourage you to make your own comments and suggestions.
HASHIM
ASA, This is a repost of an eariler comment:
ReplyDeleteASA
In reading the last few comments I am reminded of the words that our leader spoke at the 1975 Savior's Day. He pointed us to the Idea that all people could find their likeness among our ethnic group, he built upon that Idea as he said, we are a small community a Nucleus, he said, "But the Nation of Islam is the Whole Earth."
To me that said that our group was to identify itself as the voice, the model of leadership for the whole of the Islamic world with Imam Mohammed as the authority, as its leader and that we are what the family of man looks like under the right presentation of faith and religion.
We are the Model Community and our actions now more than at anytime in history will either condemn us or free us to stand like men and women in the world.
There is now in the White House a symbol of the Model Family. They are a reflection of the best of our social history. That was produced without a doubt by the language and influence of our leader, whether directly or indirectly. We as a group have an obligation to be that model family's reflection in the public life of America. No other group can be its reflection. No other group, no matter how close the physical ties, can present itself to the public through the same sensitivities that that family presents as well as the students and followers of Imam Mohammed can.
No other group has the logic to match what is being given to the American Public. No Christian group, No Jewish group, No Muslim organization can demonstrate through its natural life the logic of the Sign of that Family in the American White House.
We have an obligation to that family to be the leader in natural public life for what they are a symbol of in government. If we do not then the symbol, the equation and the model becomes irrelevant.
This is why having the correct presentation of leadership for our body is a must. WE must be a living reflection of what we have placed in Office. Not just anyone can be the Clear reflection of that great Sign. Min. Farrakhan can't be a clear reflection, those that come to use us for our resources can’t be a clear reflection, those that have detached themselves from having an identity of their own can’t be a clear reflection, those that hate America can’t be a clear reflection, and those that have disqualified themselves can not be the clear reflection that the world needs to make progress and heal itself.
As Hashim, said we are not looking for a personality, we are looking for true leadership to focus our vision and voice our concerns.
Only a natural reflection can be a true check for the one looking into the mirror for correction. The evolution of our community is as much a sign of progress for this world as is President Obama. We must live up to our role in leadership or be lost forever to the schemes of the wicked.
I know in my soul that this is the conclusion that Imam Mohammed would have come to and what he was point us towards.
Adam P. Ford
ASA
ReplyDeleteAfter given some reflection on the passing of our late leader, and what he said concerning what President Barack Hussein Obama represents I can to see that his passing was a complete reflection of the passing of our Prophet Muhammed (SAW).
They both lived to see the successful completion of only one Hajj for their people.
I point to this comparison to say that after the life of Prophet Muhammed the function of the Hajj continued and that function remains.
We now know what the Completion of the Hajj represents for our community, "A Role and a Voice in the Government of Man", so we can't allow that process that enabled us to successfully complete the Hajj fade.
That process came through the evangelizing of our people through the common sense logic of our late leader. That office must not remain empty. WE have a role and responsibility to identify WITH the best that our community has to offer.
I say that we must Identify WITH it, because with our without us those that are willing to put forth the effort are going to do so. I am sure that the leadership that will come forth would want and appreciate the majority of the community to support its efforts, but that is not necessary for it to be successful in what needs to be done.
I am sure that that leadership, following the logic skills that Imam W. Deen Mohammed taught, will inspire those outside of our ranks to join the cause and make great advancements for us all. So, we have a duty if we want to see our efforts successful to identify WITH the best that our community has produced.
I say this on behave of Him/her/them as it would sound arrogant coming from that leadership... perhaps.
Ali K.
ASA
ReplyDeleteI believe that this link will help answer the question that M. Madyun asked. It is Imam Mohammed answering a question concerning the creation of a methhab here in America.
I am sure that more can be said to address the question but here is a good place to start.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31dS1Lv4jOs
Copy and paste link to the address bar,if you are unable to click on it.
Adam P. Ford
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteOne of the great problems that have faced our community is the fact that there has been no uniformity of focus coming from those that we held as community leaders. There was and still remains an absence of the emphasis that our Leader and Teacher put before us coming from most of them.
Those who were fortunate enough to attend any of Imam W. Deen Mohammed's lectures could recognize that when they returned home they did not hear the same message coming from their local Masajid, most of them. You did not hear the concerns that Imam W. Deen Mohammed addressed and most times you were taken in a wholly different direction.
I am addressing this as it is a need, for those that wish to move forward and Identify with the direction that we are seeing, that we stay on task and keep the emphasis clear and place importance where it should be placed.
Our responsibility is to emphasis the most important issues with a uniformity of purpose. This I believe will distinguish us as we have a unique method of addressing conditions in our community and within religion. We are not an organization, but our special and unique body of knowledge unifies us where ever we are.
We recognize one another through our language and through how we ADdress our religious rites.
I hope to share more with this Blog, as for now we are preparing for a one on one interview with our brothers Ibrahim and Bilalian. Please don't feel neglected from this discussion because, I will be calling on others that have been great contributors to this blog.
We want to hear from you all.
I will be contacting both persons offline to help establish parameters for the interview. I hope to have the interviews within the next few days. As we are all busy researching of faith and working to establish business for our community success.
Your Brother & Friend,
HASHIM
Peace,
ReplyDeleteMy apologies for the delayed response. I would be honored to participate in the interview Hashim.
Peace to You All!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response and your willingness to participate in these series of one on one interviews. We are hoping to be starting these interviews with our brother Ibrahim first; I will be asking him about three or four questions. After his interview, those interested in responding to his comments are welcome to and are encouraged to.
After about a day or two we will began with The Bilalian and so on... I feel that this is a good way to do the interview process. If you have any suggestions than please let me know.
We will be beginning prayerfully this Saturday if not than this Sunday.
We look forward to this interview process and to your comments.
HASHIM
With the Name Allah, The Merciful Benefactor The Merciful Redeemer
ReplyDeletePeace To You All!
We thank G'd for this opportunity to communicate with you all in the spirit of progress and social awareness. We stand firm convinced of or duties both before G'd and our fellow human person and in that spirit we seek to address some important matters with you.
Over the next few days I will be conducting a series of One on One interviews with selected individuals who will help us focus and understand better this most important discussion that we have been called to participate in by our friend dr. Delaney W. Karriem, that of securing leadership for and defending the legacy of the community of Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
WE will begin our interviews with our dear friend Ibrahim who has been a regular here on the blog and has helped to shape the discussion tremendously. He is I believe a film student in California and an accomplished Film Maker. We would like to open the floor to him to address a few questions concerning our public image and how its influence impacts our growth.
Before we began with the questions if, Ibrahim, You would like to say a few words...
Thank you Hashim.
ReplyDeleteI have been an active member of this community for many years. I am grateful for the opportunities afforded, and proud of the work I have participated in.
However, my feeling is that this blog is the most important effort aimed at advancing our community that I have participated in.
Before we begin, I'd like to address a concern M. Madyun has raised regarding how the "average believer" is to prepare him/herself for a role in the leadership.
Firstly, you are not average! Your history is not average! Your leader is not average! Your experiences are not average! There ain't nothing average about you!
Secondly, develop your skills and understanding. Develop your HUMAN CAPITAL. This will enable you to intelligently conduct your community life, free from superstition and ignorant observance of rituals of any kind, be they religious, cultural, etc.
Free yourself from mental and spiritual burdens that stem from a lack of understanding of the inner space and the outer space.
There are many in this community who will say, especially to young people, that the "world" has nothing to offer you. Not true. The world has much to offer you if you approach it with intelligence.
With that, Hashim, I am ready for your questions.
Yes,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that this blog and the efforts made here are THE most important for advancing our community and we all have resources that we have to offer its growth.
Would you agree that we need a starting point in order to focus our HUMAN CAPITAL as you put?
With that as a focusing point, in your opinion what are the two most important conditions that we need for our community to make progress and how do we communicate those ideas effectively to our public?
Please give us some examples...
We absolutely need a starting point in focusing our HUMAN CAPITAL. And there are several conditions which will bring this about. The two most important ones that I see are:
ReplyDelete1) A community atmosphere where the individual is free to develop their full human potential without fear.
2) A collective orientation toward supporting that development in all of its stages.
The first of these conditions addresses a problem in our community where many are made to feel that their Islamic identity is not valid unless they have an "official role" in the operation of the local Mosque. Individual initiative and development are discouraged and those who are SEEKERS are often labeled as having "abandoned the community".
I know a young sister who went to medical school and has since achieved great success as a micro-biologist, a Muslim, and as a mother. When he first heard that she was going away to school, the reaction of a prominent member of the community who referred to himself its Imam was that "Allah would not bless her because she was abandoning the community."
This is one of the worst forms of oppression that the officials have inflicted upon the body. It is a form of control employed by many calling themselves leaders who are nothing but the Shaitan, the enemy of man. We are not a community of ants. In the world of ants there is no emphasis or concern for the development of the life of the individual.
Establishing an atmosphere where the individual is free to develop him/herself is an important step, but not the only one. What is needed afterward is a collective consciousness that generates support for those who are SEEKING. It is not enough to say that "Okay, we're not going to hinder your development. Go on and be what you want to be, we will not stop or discourage you."
Collective support of that individual is also needed, especially when that individual is a young person. They must be engaged and nurtured by the body in order to grow. That individual will then engage and nurture the body when he/she matures. That is what has stagnated the growth of our community. We are not producing healthy individuals and as a result, they cannot properly contribute to the health of the community. Our mentality must be one of interest in and support of each other. Again, this is especially important when dealing with young persons. An environment where the individual is free to grow, and a collective mentality that supports that growth will ensure our future.
To your last question, "how do we communicate these ideas to our public?" Well, the first public we must concern ourselves with are, again, the children and young persons. Hence, our individual conduct is the most important form of communication we have.
Young people will generally follow the best examples laid out before them and if that example is one that shows interests in and support of positive efforts, we can rest assured that all forms of communication will begin to do the same. Setting an example is the most important form of communication. Film, Internet, television, and radio are just an extension of that.
Let us explore your last point that the use of Film, Internet, Television, and Radio and obviously other communication mediums are just extensions of setting a personal example before the public e.g. our young people.
ReplyDeleteWe have set forth on a constructive movement in order to Identify Leadership for our community and address what we see as the most important issues facing our community's growth and survival.
In perusing the Face for our community concerns and Identifying with this leadership presence how can we more effectively use media outlets to share with the public our direction?
Do you think that the ones that we have are being effective in expressing our community's true intent in connection with what you see as the Best Example?
No, they are not. In the past, the main reason for this was that the outlets were operated by people unqualified for such tasks. I am not suggesting that they had ill intentions, only that many of them did not posses the skills and abilities required for such tasks.
ReplyDeleteToday, the reasons are a little different. The main reason now is a lack of initiative by those who ARE qualified. Advancements in technology have democratized the use of media outlets. What is needed now is intelligent application of the tools at our disposal. This blog is a great example of that.
Video blogging would be another method to unify our efforts and better communicate who we are. A good quality camcorder is less than a few hundred dollars. Youtube, Vimeo, and dailymotion.com are free. These are especially useful tools to those interested in film and television. But they can be used by musicians, writers, journalists, and most everyone alike. All that's needed is a little imagination and innovation.
Also, we need greater cooperation between those who are involved professionally in these outlets. Filmmakers, if you know a member of this community who is a musician, work together and create a music video. It will serve you both.
Also, everyone who has a camcorder should interview a pioneer in this community. It is EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY to document OUR HISTORY. Which brings me to my next point. We are in great need of writers of all kinds. From journalists, to playwrights, to screenwriters, to biographers, to novelists, to poets.
You do not need anyone's permission to start and you do not need a title to be qualified. If your nature impels to address a need, that is your qualification.
I believe the time is ripe for our writers, actors, poets, filmmakers, journalists, playwrights, photographers, bloggers, newspaper men & women, radio hosts, musicians, philosophers, painters, sculptures, clothing designers, etc. to come forth with a unified expression of the best our community life has to offer.
That spirit of unity must also be geared toward innovation. We cannot have success in these avenues of communication by simply doing what others do and slapping Islamic terminology on the final product. The French did not make films the way the Americans did. The Italians did not create opera the way the Germans did. And although heavily influenced by Greek Tragedy, the English wrote their plays in a way unique to their own experiences, hence, the emergence of William Shakespeare.
That is the only way New Africa will survive and prosper, by being united and innovative.
You bring up some very interesting points and we are thankful for persons such as yourself participating here.
ReplyDeleteAs I am going over your answer I notice that you refer to our responsibility to preserve our own history. Our history, our unique social development has shaped the thinking and environment of the American Public in many different ways and though our leader had only limited access to these great tools that we find ourselves using to unify, he gained world renowned respect from Governments and organizations both secular and religious.
How do you think other groups, organizations are perceiving us and our role in leadership now that Imam W. Deen Mohammed is no longer present and how do you think that we are to secure our place in history knowing how others are perceiving us?
I am a little unsure of exactly how other groups are perceiving us but I have strong ideas about it. I know that they have always been aware of the gap between Imam W. Deen Mohammed and the false leadership apparatus that claimed to support him, it was there since the time of his father.
ReplyDeleteThese outside groups know who and what these "leaders" are and have not been surprised by their recent actions. What these groups are waiting for is to see who the true followers of Imam W. Deen Mohammed are and how they will emerge in the days to come.
The reason why Imam Mohammed gained such respect worldwide was his conduct in being an innovative leader. And again, conduct is the most important form of communication. Now, we often think of the word 'conduct' as pertaining only to how we behave morally. But its implications are much broader than that. Conduct refers to the overall way in which we live, work, play, and carry ourselves in public and private.
I'll use another example. There are many actors who are not as well known in the broad public as Will Smith. But the dignity with which they approach their craft and their quiet but profound efforts have brought them more worldwide respect and influence than public awareness has for Mr. Smith. When they speak, Mr. Smith, Mr. Cruise, and Mr. Pitt listen.
Imam Mohammed is the same way. He does not have the attention of the vast media as many other leaders do. But when he speaks, they listen and many obey. He has influence on the broad public without revealing himself to it.
To have this same influence, to live up to the legacy of leadership which came before us we must advance and dignify whatever circles we travel in. ADVANCE by being innovative and working with like minds to expand human potential. DIGNIFY by exercising our influence in a manner which benefits the whole of creation.
This is how we will secure our place in history, the present, and the future.
To conclude this interview we would like to address one last thought or issue.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of having the respect of others and having them as you point out 'obey' what you are offering as sound advice, one must have the TRUST of those persons.
In order for the American Public to now accept that Al-Islam is a religion of respect, there had to come to them one that they trusted in order for them to see the value of the message of Al-Islam, the Qur'an the Life of Prophet Muhammed and the logic that grounds them in reality.
Imam W. Deen Mohammed had the trust of the American Public, going forward do you believe that we need to re-gain the trust of the American Public, if so than why and why is having the trust of the American Public necessary for our community to make advancements?
To a certain extent, I think yes we do have to regain the trust of the American Public. The American Public has improved in its perception of itself and of us. It has learned to be more cooperative and open with its gifts and opportunities.
ReplyDeleteBut we ourselves have not improved in equal measure. We have not taken advantage of these opportunities. We have not made good on our promise to be a model community, to take part in and contribute to the American aspiration for a united nation, under G'd, with liberty and justice for all. We have not held up our end of the bargain.
In order to regain this trust, we must be agents of productivity in the broader community and take part in the discussions and efforts aimed at human improvement. The most important test of our commitment to this effort is in the role of leadership for the African-American Life.
Our community has always been at the forefront of the development of the African-American life. That legacy is in danger because we have retreated to the confines of the local Mosque and have substituted sober minded strategy with tired religious and political platitudes.
I have witnessed many discussions, private and public, taking place among our officials. The mentality they adopt is more in line with 60's political activism than the strategy which continues to establish the life of President Barack Obama as a legitimate source of world leadership.
Get away from these tired, lazy, street-minded people calling themselves leaders and align yourself with those who work quietly, without need or desire for recognition. If you find it difficult to distinguish between the two, pay attention to a few small details.
One talks loudly in public and even louder in private. One consistently refers to themselves as workers (true workers don't need to). And one will reject any and every criticism.
Regaining the trust of the American Public is vital because we are Americans. We live in this land and we must advance as part of the social fabric if we are to establish ourselves. That is how Muhammad The Prophet (SAW) positioned the community and how Imam W. Deen Mohammed re-defined it's direction for the modern world.
WE would like to thank our dear brother Ibrahim for his time in this Interview process which took a better part of the day to complete. His answers to the questions posed have helped to focus our attention on this process of Identifying Leadership.
ReplyDeleteWE thank G'd for this opportunity to address these issues and we look forward to our continued dialog. As was stated before, we are now opening the floor to the participants of the blog to make comments on what you have read in the answers and comment yourself on the questions if you like.
Brother Ibrahim if you would like to continue on and address something that you feel we may have missed or did not fully address in the interview please do so.
Personally, I will be printing out the interview and rereading it and sharing it with others.
Our next One on One will be either next Saturday or Sunday with The Bilalian. This will give us enough time to discuss what we have just witnessed. G'd Willing.
Again, thank you for your time and patience with this process. May G'd reward you for your efforts. Ameen!
Thank you, Bro Hashim for your efforts as well. Your service to this blog and our community are great and I pray that Allah will bless you. I hope that my participation in this interview is beneficial in setting the proper direction for our community and I look forward to working with you and others in the future.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm a huge fan of Star Wars, not one of those guys camping out in front of the movie theater, but a fan nonetheless. Participating in efforts like this make me feel like I'm Luke Skywalker getting ready to take on Darth Vader and the evil Empire. All of Imam Mohammed's students are Luke Skywalker.
Only difference is that this isn't a movie!
Peace to all,
ReplyDeleteWhat a very refreshingly sober interview! The specific advice that was given should have an empowering effect on those wanting to make a contribution. I especially want to give Ibrahim credit for making it clear that the exploration of opportunities and individual accomplishment is tied to our community's progress. When one seeks an educational or professional opportunity, he or she isn't leaving the community because the community isn't a place. The only way a person truly leaves the community is if they deviate from faith or their heart and mind abandons our community's vision for progress.
I do agree that more initiative is necessary from among the talented however, we must also keep in mind that not all persons desire to be frontrunners. Many lead as role players. Therefore, there are some corrective actions that will have to be taken to marshal this human capital including creating insitutional environments which recognize talent, invite, effectively utilize, and reward them as well as working to ensure that our community's vision is articulated in a way that inspires the type of loyalty of service embodied by our pioneers. I believe this kind of loyalty isn't being adequately nurtured and even worse being aborted in some cases because of the type of negative thinking Ibrahim mentioned in his interview and because there is a vast distance between our spiritual and material progress.
On a lighter note, I've been a Star Wars fan since I was a child. Here's a fun question for all the true Star Wars fans: Which part of either trilogy series best represents an analogy for where we are now as a community?
Peace
ASA
ReplyDeleteI am very encouraged by the thinking process that went into the interview. I found the answers from this brother Ibrahim to be a source of strength for me. I found myself almost cheering out loud at many of his responses.
His statement, "Get away from these tired, lazy, street-minded people calling themselves leaders and align yourself with those who work quietly, without need or desire for recognition." made me reflect on this new wave of Imams now using FaceBook or Myspace or YouTube to promote their next big event in order to sell a few more copies of their lectures or lecture series.
They are now seeing the validity of using the Internet for themselves, but have yet to see it as a tool for advancing our collective community interests.
As to the question about Star Wars, I too am a BIIIIGGG fan.
I see a parallel between our development at this point with the part in the first series "Empire Strikes Back" when Luke is being trained by master Yoda and he sees a task that he thinks is too big for his mind and skill level to handle. Yoda points to himself and says "Size matters not, judge me by my size do you?"
Adam P. Ford
I think it is the sequence in "Return of the Jedi" when Luke must face and defeat Darth Vader, his own father, without giving in to the same impulses that turned Vader into the monster he had become.
ReplyDeleteThe challenge for us is the same. We must be strong in confronting the old mentality of some of our predecessors, but we must be careful to not give in to the Dark Side. The lesson of that segment of the film is prefaced by a scene in "The Empire Strikes Back" when Yoda tells Luke to enter a cave.
Inside, Luke has a vision where he crosses swords with Vader and severs Vader's head, only to see his own face inside the black helmet.
It brings a smile to my face thinking of all the analogies that can be drawn between our experiences and the most popular work of fiction of our time. It is clear evidence that the soul of mankind, and the spirit of the entire creation has requisitioned the effort we are making here.
ASA
ReplyDeleteI accept that analogy given by our brother Ibrahim and I agree that we need to be vigilant in our aspirations so that we do not go down the same paths that lead to the great harm of our community and collective social group (All African Americans).
Yet, I still see the qualified youth and young spirited believers too timid and or reluctant to take up this banner of truth that we see and are engaged with here on this blog.
My wife and I were in a conversation with someone a few days ago and we began talking about our roles in framing social thought for the betterment of our human condition and the strategies that are used against us and the strategies that we must use. In reference to the music industry, as our friend is heavy into the music industry.
As we sat talking we could see that what we were talking about scared this person and the others that we were engaging. It frightened them as they said, because they saw themselves to small in the world to affect such a change.
I see and hear that all the time when it comes to this subject that we are engaging here on this Blog. This is why brother Ibrahim your words were so inspirational to me, it gave me strength to know that there are persons that are not afraid and are willing to help others find avenues of expression though their own unique gifts.
That scene that I pointed to is the scene right before the "Cave" scene that you described. Yoda says as Luke asks "What is in there?", "Only what you take with you."
The spirit of Truth and Righteousness is with us, so while the potential for us to fall to the dark side is a reality we are encourage more by the fact that we have the best model of leadership before us that never fell to the dark side, Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
Adam P. Ford
As Salaamu Alaikum!
ReplyDeleteI thought the interview was conducted very well, with both thoughtful questions and thoughtful answers. A number of the ideas expressed by Ibrahim could serve the community well. My compliments to Hashim for utilizing the interview format as an interesting way to share information with blog readers, as well as a way to expose readers to other thinkers in the community.
Mubaashir Uqdah
PEACE NOW IS THE TIME CHARLIE BIRD PARKER
ReplyDelete--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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ReplyDeleteSent: 12/3/2008 8:36:54 A.M. Central Daylight Time
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From: dew3023
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ReplyDeleteSubj: INHERITANCE
Date: 7/5/2008 11:24:32 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: dew3023
To: dew3023
Abu Huraira always desired for others to gain knowledge. One day he was passing through the marketplace. He saw people very busy buying and selling. He said, “People of Madinah, what a poor state you are in.”
“What do you mean?” they asked.
“You are here,” said Abu Huraira, “but the Prophet’s (PBUH) inheritance is being given out. Won’t you take your share?”
“Where?” the people asked.
“In the masjid,” replied Abu Huraira. The people quickly went to the masjid. Abu Hurayra waited until they came back. “We went to the masjid,” said some of the people. “But nothing was being given away.”
Abu Huraira asked them, “Didn’t you see anyone there?”
“Yes,” they said. “We saw some people making salat, some others reading the Qur’an and some people discussing halal and haram.”
“Well, that’s the inheritance of the Prophet (PBUH)!” replied Abu Huraira.
ASA, I would like to reiterate that our community need a library for easy access to all of Imam W.Deen Mohammed's tafseer, publications, and audio.
ReplyDeleteA mature and responsible Majlis-ash-Shura and to keep connected with the Abu Nour Institute.
I would also like to add that a book called 'Genesis Of New American Leadership' written by Mukhtar Muhammad, a brother from our community, would be a great help in the process of forging ahead.
Peace To You All!
ReplyDeleteAfter having a lengthy email to email conversation with dr. Delaney W. Karriem, certain issues were raised and avenues by which to address them have being considered and are being moved upon.
This Blog is an open and encouraging place to seek answers to questions that we have had during the life of our late leader. Many of us had thoughts and questions that we could not or would not ask our local leaders so we would save them and when we would, if would could get an opportunity to ask Imam W. Deen Mohammed that is when we asked our questions.
But, more often than not we never got to ask those questions and now that our leader is not present with us we feel reluctant to even think about those things that would help us to understand our life and role in religion better.
The question that was asked by our friend M. Madyun grabbed the attention of dr. Karriem, who thinks that that issue needs to be addressed in a very serious manner. To which he has asked me to work with him in producing publications in the form of a Book series.
The Book "With this time...Help to the people who follow Imam W. Deen Mohammed" will be a collection of interviews with dr. Delaney W. Karriem conducted by Hashim. This book will be made available to this blog and the general public through us.
This is the begining of an effort to produce our community's own online library. This will also be made available to our community and to the public. This collection of our late leader’s communications to us will be a work like no other in history. We are looking for your support and input as this is our Legacy.
In expressing his appreciation to the participants of the blog dr. Delaney addressed many key issues and made many connections with our life and its advancement in history, one thing he said to me that really stood out was,
"In the language of Myth reality can be exaggerated, if we want to see ourselves in this myth then we should know that The EMPIRE wanted order and the Resistance wanted Freedom and that the universe requires both. We should see ourselves both STRIKING BACK and RETURNING to end all WARS in and among the STARS."
We have a great work before us and I look forward to working with you all.
Our next Interview is with the Bilalian this weekend G'd Willing.
Thank you for your time.
HASHIM
I'm curious to know what benefits are there in the followers of IWDM continuing to refer to themselves as "students of IWDM"?
ReplyDeletePeace to all:
ReplyDeleteThank you to those of you accepted my invitation to enter the realm of mythological analogies with me for a moment. I agree with each of your comments and the spirit behind them, as they all have some basis in our reality. Let's all pray, work, and continue to develop ourselves in order to establish the balance that dr. delaney referred to!
NewAfrica- An assessment of the benefit of any label depends soley upon what the user itends to achieve by adopting it. Our leader taught us that words are very important and student has its own implications but to answer your question directly- There are those who refer to themselves as students formally while others simply have the self-awareness of a student. I would assume that well intended persons who desire to formally refer to themselves as students of IWDM want a public to know that they are actively seeking to understand and apply a logic that is in accord with that of Imam Mohammed. Whether or not that brings benefits depends on what environment that language is being used in.
I love it!
ReplyDeleteFor some it may not reach but those who's hearts are true will definitley understand to some degree.
I would like to add my opinion not to say that that wasn't clear but what I understand that to mean to me.
Imam Mohummed said along time ago...In definition there is direction... ....
I would also like to say this:
We were shaped in the "wombs of our mothers" and then in the "womb of the world". In our begining (fetus) there was a designed plan to raise a human being that could be taught the things of life (and or nature) like as we read in the Holy Quran and as I paraphrase; Allah says that; he taught Adam the names of things....with that in mind who was Adams teacher? Allah, and everything around (including the womb of mother and earth) us IS Allah.
From that our journey would be guided by our physical enviorment, charged by Allah and through our parents to give us the best human productive life that would mold and shape us into the BEST human being that we have potiential to be!
As we grow through this journey of development our parents teach us from the very early age of coming into the womb of the earth, how to eat properly, how to tie our shoes, how to properly put our clothes on, how to speak with intelligence and etc. etc. To help us to grow to being independent of their parental needs but never the parental language and that we may CONTINUE the human journey as it was laid down for us.
Do we then forget the best that was given from them? NO! Do we NO LONGER consider them our parents even after they have been called back to Allah? NO! THEY are still our parents and we should have taken the best from them and allow that beacon of light to continue to grow within us and through us! So to say that we should not be students of the Honorable Imam Warith Deen Muhammed (not quoting that's what you said but just as to make a point) would be a suicide to the human productive life!
I will ALWAYS be a student of Imam Warith Deen Muhammed (the language not the man) and give that to my children, friends, family and so forth and so on as we all should do as students of that womb (language).. ......... .....
I pray that Allah is with me and what I shared and that Allah is with us ALL...
ASA
Fabulous "To The Touch"
We are not reaching for the stars, we are placing them in the heavens..... ......
Here is a lesson dearly beloved people:
ReplyDeleteWe honor our best life and traditions when we place that life in its proper categories. More than anything else, I think we will agree, our late leader was the Mu'alim, the Teacher. He told me once, "i can talk to you comfortably for a thousand years and never repeat myself." He still teaches us if we are open to his lessons.
Lack of firmness can be oppression in the life of people. Firmness is needed to remove dirt and grime from an otherwise clean surface.
We will be firm in our defense of our leader and his people.
New Africa, where did you learn such a term or from whom?
I dont know if you should be lashed with a tongue or a toothbrush or a noodle or a bullwhip, but you shpuld be lashed.
PEACE DEFINE THE WORD BURAQ
ReplyDeletePeace to all: To the person that wanted to know what are the benefits to those who refer to themselves as Students of Imam Mohammed. One of the things in our hereditary life as African american people is a disrespect for leadership coming from ourselves. Imam Mohammed often referred to those of us who appreciated his teachings and attended his various lectures etc as his STUDENTS. Continuing to refer to ourselves as his STUDENTS shows our respect for his leadership, and we benefit by our being conscious of what he has contributed to our knowing who we are in relationship to who the Creator is and our place and purpose in his Creation. Vic Mateen
ReplyDeleteDearly beloved people, we will not be distracted from our purpose here. Safeguarding our life as Muslims and focusing the leadership that formed, serves, and nourishes that life is our purpose.
ReplyDeleteWe stand here together in hopes to inspire and defend. Sharing insights, questions, concerns, etc. that we may advance as a people. We look after the boundaries of this discussion so that all that enter here are free to express themselves honestly and wholesomely. It is our duty, and especially my duty to defend this purpose. I will, therefore, not hesitate to check the boundaries. Anything that borders dishonor to our leader and his commitment will be handled with firmness and directness. There will be no doubts where we stand and all who participate do so with an assurance that they are respected properly.
Muhammed the Prophet (pbuh) charged every believer to keep the peace. Our leader explained many times that this is the truest meaning of As-Salaam Alaikum.
The blog contributors have spoken with intelligence and respect by 'tongue-lashing' the potentially disruptive door opened by the question posed by New Africa.
As-Salaam Alaikum Hassan Rasheed.
Buraq: the span of our hopes and our reality. It is that which carries or transports us from potential to establishments. It exists in spiritual sciences and religious myth. It carried our Prophet from his reality to the farthest reach to the highest heaven. It transports us from slave/plantation existence to real-life responsibility for a viable, living society. It is that which elevates us from what people think of us to what we have it in ourselves to be.
If you embraced Imam Mohammed as your chosen leader, than you accepted to be a student in the same breath. Clearly, Imam Mohammed was a sincere servant of Allah and follower of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). What drew us to him was his clarity, depth, and the inspired teachings of our Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Almighty Allah. Through him we learned that there is instruction in the things we do as Muslims. Is there not instruction in prayer, fasting, charity, etc.? We gained an invaluable source of knowledge in Imam Mohammed. He was our scholar. We respected him and our true natures recognized that he was of a talent that only Allah can provide. When he says in Prayer and Al-Islam,
ReplyDelete"Today we have very few community or national models from which to draw strength and inspiration. Today's generations are in need of an Islamic revival. Our future depends on our ability to preserve and emulate the deeds and teachings of those righteous people who were here before us. If we are willing to follow their superb examples the world will always have a body of Muslims who will pass their faith and sincerity on to their children so that we may someday build a heaven on earth"(22)
he was encouraging us, among other things, to study as a preparation to be qualified for Allah's promised bounty. Imam Mohammed wrote this in 1982, yet it rings as if he uttered it today. Such knowledge and insight is not only worthy but required to be studied, hence students of Imam Mohammed.
Incidentally, study of the word student is most telling. The word student is from the Old French estudiant which borrowed from the Latin studens, -entis meaning to be eager, apply oneself, study. We are eager to realize Allah's plan for his creatures. We know that we must apply the teachings of the Holy Qu'ran and the example of the Prophet (PBUH) to realize these blessings. We are thankful to Allah that he provided the stable and sincere leadership of Imam Mohammed to help us study and begin to live for this path. Peace be with, to, and upon you.
With the Name Allah, The Merciful Benefactor The Merciful Redeemer
ReplyDeletePeace To You All!
We thank G'd for this opportunity to communicate with you all in the spirit of progress and social awareness. We stand firm convinced of or duties both before G'd and our fellow human person and in that spirit we seek to address some important matters with you.
Over the next few days I will be conducting a series of One on One interviews with selected individuals who will help us focus and understand better this most important discussion that we have been called to participate in by our friend dr. Delaney W. Karriem, that of securing leadership for and defending the legacy of the community of Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
We will now continue our series of Interviews with The Bilalian with a more intense focus on leadership. Our friend The Bilalian is a professional in technology as is a private business owner. He has been greater productive in our community and has been a great help here...
Bilalian would you like to say a few words before we begin?
I just want to thank brother Hashim for the opportunity to try to add something of value to this discussion. I also would like to thank dr. Karriem for his insightfulness in realizing how necessary this discussion is to keep our community alive.
ReplyDeleteOkay, then let us began.
ReplyDeleteWe have noticed that many of our issues concerning leadership for our community is connected to or linked to those that are in positions of leadership i.e. the Imam's in our association.
The simple fact is that many of the Local Leaders that we have in our association where those seen as Officials during the time of the Honorable Elijah Mohammed. Can you give us some reasoning why those persons were chosen and placed in positions of leadership by our late leader?
Also, were those appointments meant to be lasting, if so, lasting contingent upon what, in your estimation?
I wasn’t in the Nation of Islam but I do know from study and observation that the later years of the Nation of Islam was nothing more than a corrupt racket. In the beginning W.D Fard registered everyone in the nation of Islam as students. In the early years the majority of its members were spiritual people who weren’t satisfied with there life under the white man’s authority. They just wanted to see G-d correctly. After 1964 most of the new members were not concerned as much with seeing G-d correctly as they were more focused on material acquisitions which brought in a criminal element. When our Mujeddid Imam W. Deen Mohammed did away with the Nation of Islam he was doing away with the corruption. If you travel most of our communities today around the country you will see most who are spiritual people and you will see the others who are nothing more than fake gangsters and bullies. Most of them are Imams.
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting observation, you are making a connection with a desire for the material goods and the need to feel important, going away from a spiritual base as a reason for the disconnect between the local leaders and our late leader, am I understanding you correctly? As that leads me to ask my next question...
ReplyDeleteImam W. Deen Mohammed told us in New York that close to 90% of the Imams in our community were not with him, and that he would conduct a Jihad against them and that we the common believers should as well.
Soon after, he announced through his National Representative that he would be resigning from the Leadership of the ASM. Soon after that we saw in the Muslim Journal a number of the Imams also resigning from the ASM.
How do we determine who were that 90% that Imam Mohammed referred to?
Can you give us some examples?
That is correct. When you have a leader who is against corruption you either assist then leader in the extermination of corruption or you fight against the leader. Any leader who is against the best aspirations of the people he is supposed to lead is corrupt. Al Fatiha is a community prayer not an individual prayer!! We say this verse in every rakat. You say this verse as an individual but you’re praying for the success of the collective!!
ReplyDeleteI think the aspirations of many of these selfish Imams are to establish themselves as individual preachers for the sake of money. (The 90%). Our Mujeddid Imam W. Deen Mohammed taught us that researching our faith to establish business life in our neighborhoods was the best way for us to create wealth for ourselves and save our communities. Why is that not the focus for many of them??? That is what I did I started a business based on what was needed in the society in hopes of establishing wealth to assist with the needs of our community.
I believe that is an excellent example for our community to follow.
ReplyDeleteI believe that those of the 90% see themselves in business as well. They are promoting themselves as their own product and leaving as you pointed out the best aspirations of the public that they are charged with in the dark.
We have noticed at the many Conventions and other events those local leaders selling their lectures or lecture series as valuable merchandise and to my knowledge none of the proceeds went to support the leadership efforts of the Mujeddid.
Most times as you pointed out those lectures or lecture series have little to do with the emphasis that our late leader place on matters of concern for our community development.
These are the leaders that now stand before us and advocate that leadership remain local. They suggest and outright say that we the community don't need a Leader as Imam W. Deen Mohammed was the leader.
Many have suggested that Imam W. Deen Mohammed never advocated for any one person to be the Leader after him. In your estimation is this assumption true or false and can you share some instances with us to affirm your position?
Realizing that this is a most important thought that is now on the minds of our public what do you suggest as a vetting process for any that we the community could and/or should consider in the role of a National Leader for the advocating of our collective interests?
Your right they have turned cd and tape selling in to small profits for themselves. As a business though it’s illegitimate. For example I was at the Ramadan sessions in Chicago and I saw one of these Imams (Mustafa El-Amin) at a table in front of me purchasing about 10 tapes and numerous cds of Imam W. Deen Mohammed’s material from Wallace Mohammed. They purchase all of Imams cds, tapes, books, and dvd’s. ect. They study it and then try reshaping or reforming it in to there own language and sell there tapes and books and pretend that they are independent thinkers. Almost every time you get the Muslim journal there’s a picture of Mustafa El-Amin selling his tapes. If you believe that G-d has divinely intervened in the affairs of the community then those acts go directly against the success of the community. A Muslim is supposed to look at his society and find ways to make improvements and fill the needs that the society has. In this community under the leadership of Imam W. Deen Mohammed we don’t need tape sellers. We need to get what G-d has chosen for us to have from our leader.
ReplyDeleteTo me leadership will emerge from those who are the best students of Imam W. Deen Mohammed. You will know because they will have all the keys. On the cd “The Quran the Final Frontier” our Mujeddid states that “G-d can speak to the world but only the one’s who he allows to hear will hear.”
We would like to thank you for your time and efforts here tonight in participating in this interview process. You have given us much to think about in regards to how we should see local leaders and the role of leadership in our community.
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask you one last question if you feel up to it.
You made mention of Seeing Mustafa El-Amin in the Muslim journal, selling his tapes or cds. What role of responsibility should the Muslim Journal have in checking such actions by persons like the one you named. As I see ads in the journal all the time not just by that brother but others as well. Is there a link between those illegitimate business endeavors, the Muslim Journal and the disassociation of the public and our leader, we have experienced in our community for the past at least 15 years?
I want to thank you brother for your efforts. I hope to be able to do this again sometime.
ReplyDeleteThere is defiantly a link between those who withdraw there support. I think that the disassociation from our leader started more than 15 years ago. I believe that it was there in 1975. A very wise brother explained this to me who is very close to Imam W. Deen Mohammed. When our Mujeddid separated himself from the corruption and the inconsistencies of the Nation of Islam he was establishing a new foundation built upon truth and a love for G-d and for humanity. Some didn’t see it this way. They saw this as a separation from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Some left and ran back to the streets. Some joined other organizations and some stayed and doubted every step of the way. When the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was the leader there was no doubt. If you had doubt in your mind you definitely didn’t speak it publicly for fear of being thrown out or worst. So were does the doubt come from?? It comes from people who had influence and authority in the Nation of Islam. The Muslim Journal is apart of this. I know that Imam W. Deen Mohammed was very critical of the Muslim Journal publicly on several occasions.
When Imam W. Deen Mohammed separated himself from the other Imams publicly in Chicago there were Imam’s there who were speaking to the press about how they were ready to separate from him! But there was one Imam in his brilliance that had the keys and knew exactly what to do said, and I’m paraphrasing, “No Imam, or group or force will separate him from Imam W. Deen Mohammed!!!” The lesson in all of this is, don’t let anyone separate you from our Mujeddid Imam W. Deen Mohammed.
Thank you again for your thoughtful replies and your time. I also look forward to our continued work for our future.
ReplyDeleteWe will open the Blog up again for discussion and comments’ concerning what has been published.
Our next One on One interview we pray will be either next Saturday or Sunday with our friend Catlyst. We look forward to that interview as well.
Again Thank You and May Allah reward you for your efforts. Ameen
As'Salaamu'Alykum!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this interview, several thoughts came to my mind. One is, shouldn't we see ourselves as a collective group under one knowledge body? I often hear members of our community refer to the different Masjids in our association as communities within our community.
Doesn't that language lend to us separating ourselves one from another? Shouldn't we be aware that if we go to any area of the country and are trying to find a Masjid to attend that we will find it only according to the language that we hear coming from either the pulpit or the individuals in that area.
I for one am not able to tell which Imam in our association is not truly with Imam Mohammed simply by listening to them, because most of the ones that I have listened to sound like they are speaking what I hear from Imam Mohammed.
At this point in my development I just don't want to continue to be misled. This Blog has helped me to see that there is more to this community than just the words that people speak. Bilalian you helped to make that point clear to me. Thank you.
I don't get the Muslim Journal in my area so I don't know this Imam that you are talking about. But I do know of others that sell their tapes on the internet and even have their Jumuahs for sale over UStream.com. Until this point I thought that buying those tapes and lectures were helpful to those that didn't understand Islam.
But I do see the harm in the promoting of themselves over the leader. I haven't seen or heard them promote to their audience that they should go to WDM Publications and purchase any of Imam W. D. Mohammed's lectures. Now that you have brought it up it makes a lot of sense why we as a community haven't been making progress if we aren't getting what the leader is giving out.
How do we stop such bad behavior coming from those Bullies and Gangsters as you say in the interview? I am ready for the Jihad.
M. Madyun
Allan said As-Salaam Alaikum "Student and Follower of Imam W.D. Mohammed" The enemy of oneself: Those Leaders or Imams simply are not educated. Lacking significantly in spiritual concerns. The result is void. Inept leadership derived from benign neglect. In most cases one can hardly know wether it's innocence, arrogance or in some cases both. Concern Citizen Thank You Dr. Delaney "Brilliant"
ReplyDeleteAs Salaam Alalikum. I thoroughly enjoyed the interview with Bilalian. It made me reflect on several conversations that I have had with my peers about the dismissal, and in some cases, the downright disrespect, many of us have experienced in our communities at the masjid as young adults. So many of our Imams have been around since before we were even born. Often when a young adult suggests an idea that he or she believes is beneficial to the community, we are given no support nor encouragement. It's very frustrating. How do we overcome this great difficulty? It is key to our success; the youth always are, but I'm afraid we do not do enough to develop and establish young leaders. I know that Imam Mohammed led by example-- his national representative was a young man. I know that at one time there was a National Young Adult Association or NYAA. I don't know if they are still functioning or not, but outside of that, I don't know how we have addressed our youth. Many of us are successful professionals who are benefitting our fields and employers, but truly, we yearn to realize the same, no, better, success for our community. I think I can speak for my peers when I say that we want to be valuable members of our community that propel us forward. How do we get there when we are often faced with Imams and community members who are used to the way things are no matter how stagnant and dysfunctional?
ReplyDeleteAllan said As-Salaam Alaikum: Dear, Marshelle you've answered your concern. Do not let the masjid define you! I'm using they're language. We impose on ourselves to be responsible in effect experience solace. G'D is in control, and He gives man charge! not the other way around. When being ignored they're challenging both your legitimacy, and worth. Do not despair keep the faith. More than likely they probably will never accept your contribution not to mention support it. Your contribution to this blog is proof of your commitment, and perserverance. We Can Not Stop Now-The Light Is On. Thank You Peace Be Unto You
ReplyDeletePeace To You All!
ReplyDeleteThe next One on One interview is quickly approaching and we are looking forward to it. Our next Interview will be with our friend Catlyst who has been a very influential contributor to this Blog.
I look forward to speaking with Catlyst offline so that we can prepare for the interview process.
Catylst you can contact me at wdmstudent1@yahoo.com thank you for agreeing to this interview and we look forward to hearing from you.
HASHIM
Allan said As Salaam Alaikum, I just want to say this to some of us that participate on this blog. I've come to know, they're many Imams and those who say they follow IWDM. When brought to their attention about a leadership discussion existed by way of this medium. they acted or gave the impression, as though it was their first time hearing about it. Firstly I want to say their response, I felt they were not intrested. Secondly what I found puzzling after weeks gone by, after being notified. They gave the excuse time has not yet permitted them to look into it. This is they're disposition on discussion regarding their leader; so it seems. I honestly beleive the attitude displayed or lack of is really at the Imam. So! They have their network, and we have ours. Let's be vigilant and not be dismayed. That's the main point on this comment. Thank You Peace be Unto You
ReplyDeleteASA
ReplyDeleteYes, we must remain vigilant and not fear those that are themselves afraid to enter the battle of protecting & maintaining the life of our community's Identity. I to have had similar experiences with Imams in our association that we asked to make comments they say that they would rather watch & see what is going on.
They make an excuse about how the Blog or the Internet is to be suspected in some way. That it is too impersonal and that we should not expect their highly skilled or intellectual input on such a vehicle, at least this is my interpretation of their words.
I see this Blog no differently than the public places that many of them speak and now some of them are even posting as one brother here said, their Jumuah talks on the internet, Hypocritical to say the least.
I agree Allan Let us move forward, there is much work to be done.
Ali K.
Allan said As-Salaam Alaikum: I have vivid memory of Imam Mohammed in 1976. he stated one year into his ministry, to his listening audience, at the temoles vi-a telephone hook-up. The Imam said: Most of you are not with my leadership! You fake your support. You stay here only to get in the way. You pretend to be with me. The Imam said I want you to know your not qualified to follow me. The Imam cautioned the listeners by giving a analogy of himself to the sun light ray's and heat. It's effect on a object. Looking directly at it and how it can cause burn and serious damage to the sight, because of improper exposure. You stay around here because you want to be first to hear what I have to say so you can undermine it. The Imam also advised the listeners who fall into this catergory, the best thing for you is that you leave here. Go get what's in your system out, and when you have done that. Clean yourself up, get yourself right where you wil be fit to work, and support this leadership. Thank You Peace Unto You
ReplyDeleteASA
ReplyDeleteNow these same persons that Imam W. Deen Mohammed identified as unqualified are attempting to have some private discussion on the direction and destiny of our community.
How absurd!
Ali K.
Allan said As-Salaam Alaikum: I have to correct a misspelled keyword in my last entry "Temple" Ali you got it others may not have. As you know this blog is monitored big time by the informed and unimformed. Lets take a brief look at how our Imam presented this word for our focus in one his recent adresses. Temple a play on time; temporal adj. of or pertaining to time; transitory temporary; earthy, secular, mundane temporality n. impermanance, transcience temmporally adj. in a temporal manner, with regard to time temple n. flatened region on either side of the forehead. Thank You Peace Be unto You
ReplyDeleteASA
ReplyDeleteBrother if you are saying that their TIME IS UP, I agree.
Just this Friday one of those that disqualified themselves gave a Jumu’ah talk, and every other sentence was something coming from what was said here, either by brother Ibrahim concerning Human Capital or by dr. Delaney. I should say what he said of substance came from him addressing the audience with what he found here.
He asked a good question, what have you done for Islam and what has Islam done for your life?
Ali K.
Allan said As-Salaam Alaikum: Yes brother their become fertilizer they don't get it. The Imam said he born into the temples of the nation of islam. They where named that by the founder and leader master w.d. fard muhammad. He spent aproximate three year's teaching his devout student and follower the Hon. Elijah Muhammad. Shortly after that three year period the son was born. predicted by the founder to be a helper to the founder and his messenger the Hon. Elijah M. Elijah said that he was told by fard that this child is special,and to take speceal care of him. Now let's go back to the beginning of this comment. The Imam said if that were not his circumstances, and with his present mind. If someone would have come to him with the temples of the nation of islam myth, they would have never got him. So those who are still in that confinement. Never accepted the help. The son is the seed, the soul in full bloom. Concieved by the leader and founder of the then temples of the nation of islam. Allow me to correct the beginning of this comment by adding he was born into the temples of the nation of islam. Thank You Peace Be Unto You
ReplyDeleteASA
ReplyDeleteI was speaking to a brother earlier today that observes this blog and often talks with me about what is posted here. He offered me an opinion about what Brother Allan wrote saying that Imam W. Deen Mohammed sounded arrogant to say that the leaders weren't qualified to follow him.
I gave him an analogy of a General in the military seeing that he needed experienced soldiers to carry out a task and having only fresh recruits coming up to him saying that they can help in the mission. All the while they are guessing at how to go about moving forward. They have never been trained in tactics or in the physically art of war.
They have no knowledge of how to use the tools of war, yet they want to be seen by the General and others as special soldiers and as ranked officers themselves. I asked the brother with that scenario would the General be arrogant in Stating that these fresh faced recruits, these novices to say the least are not qualified to follow him into battle.
NO, it would be saving their lives and the lives of the people that they are suppose to protect. Arrogance plays no part in what Imam Mohammed was addressing.
I believe most of them are still in the mindset that you pointed out Brother Allan.
Ali K.
Allan said As-Salaam Alaikum: Brother Ali thank you; Imam Mohaammed address in 1976 didn't register on my mind as much as did in my heart. I knew what he was saying was not just meant for some so called leaders. It was good advise for anyone who was within the sound of his voice. I remember the Imam saying you can be a invalid, and once you accept to be right G'D can make you into a giant. A word of caution to the contentious; What you involve yourself with may not necessarily be of first importance for you. When it concerns what you have been favored for. Others know that, and use you, to keep you from ever being reconciled to it. They will invite you to wander in perpetual distraction. No focused course or direction. Have you all over the place. They know your nature, your zeal for religion. They play on you, pulling your cords, play on your natural urges. They practice this not only for their use only not necessarily, they have many reasons. So they use deceit, in which they're skilled at. So they keep your urge part and part feed. They don't even want your allegiance unless they can fully recruit your will to obey them as your god. So what they do is set you up to wear you out. Scatter your intrest, you dont realize it because of your huge appetite. They know you are not like them. They think your are alone; That is their main weapon divide and conquer. Thank You Peace Be unto You
ReplyDeleteMy name is Chris Author Numan, I have been a part of the Community of Imam Warithu Deen Mohammed for some time now. He is my leader and teacher. In the search for unity and looking for what the future of this community will be, I came to see this website on the internet.
ReplyDeleteAt first I did not understand the concept of this Blog. The first few times that I came to see this site I didn't notice the comments. I would just come and read again and again the Focus of Discussion and view the videos that are on this website.
Then one day after viewing one of the videos I noticed the comments section and I began to read. I find what has been said here to be enlightened and I believe that it should be published in book form. I see this website, if our community would study it, as a uniting force.
I heard about the issue with the Muslim Journal seeking to subversively impose its opinion of leadership on us as I think it still is trying to do. I watched as leaders from this association both young and old that are aligned with each other in their efforts to place over the community a veil of darkness. I say darkness because I don't see any light coming from what and where they seem to be pointing the overall community towards.
I read here dr. Delaney W. Karriem's interview and was able to put pieces of the puzzle of why the community seems to make no progress together. Imam Warithu deen Mohammed called it a mountain of stoker coal.
I see that others have valued single members of our community to the degree that they were willing to spend $60 Million dollars to erect a facility to honor that individual and us as a social group without saying that they are respecting the power that that movement had to produce greatness if the people would have followed the logic to its proper conclusion.
$60 Million was spent to honor the leadership that birthed us, through an Individual because to honor the leader would have been too much for them to do. I remember in the Last Convention Jumuah, Imam Warithu Deen Mohammed saying that Adam was created on 60 arms lengths.
I am watching things as they unfold, and am wondering if those that are involved are truly aware of what their actions are saying to the world. Their actions say to me that they see themselves as the greatest contender in the world, but what they fail to see is that their logic has become so rigid that they are no longer able to clearly express themselves.
They have no strength to stand, face and greet the leadership of the world. This is what I see. I see this outlet of free expression as the true help for the future of our social development and the continued leadership that they world is calling for.
Truly,
C.A.Numan
Allan said As-Salaam Alaikum: I'd like to read Allah Word; In His Book, The Holy Qur'ran. Chapter Hud; It was not We that wronged: Them: They wronged their own souls: The deties, other than Allah, Whom they invoked, profited them No wit when there issued The decree of thy Lord: Nor did they add aught {To their lot} but perdition! Such is the chastisement Of thy Lord when He chastises Commmunities in the mist of their wrong: grevious, indeed, And severe is His chastisement. We certainly gave the Book to Moses, but differences Arose therein: had it not been That a Word had gone forth Before from thy Lord, the matter Would have been decided between them: but they Are in suspicious doubt Concerning it. And of a surety, to all Will your Lord pay back {In full the recompense} Of their deeds: for He Knoweth well all that they do. Therefore stand firm {in the straight Path} as thou and those who with thee Turn {unto Allah}; and trangress not {From the Path}; for He seeth Well all that ye do.
ReplyDeleteAnd incline not to those Who do wrong, or the fire Will sieze you; and ye have No protector other than Allah, Nor shall ye be helped.
Thank You Peace Be Unto You