Johari Abdul-Malik
Encyclopedia
Johari Abdul-Malik Winslow Seale (born in Brooklyn, New York) is a convert to Islam
, and has been the Director of Outreach for the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center
in Northern Virginia
since June 2002.
He is also the former Chair of the Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations
, the former head of the National Association of Muslim Chaplains in Higher Education, President of the Muslim Society of Washington, Inc., and a founding member of the Muslim Advocacy Commission of Washington, DC. In addition, he serves as the chair of government relations of the Muslim Alliance in North America.
, and his father is from Barbados
. Abdul-Malik was raised as an Anglican by his African American
parents in Brooklyn, New York, until "at confirmation the teachings of the Ten Commandments
exposed the inherent contradiction of western Christianity
." He explored Taoism
and "Asian spirituality" in high school.
While attending Howard University
in Washington, DC, where he began in 1974 and received a BS in Chemistry and an MS in Genetics and Human Genetics, he became a self-described Black activist, musician, and vegetarian, experimenting with Transcendental Meditation
. In graduate school he converted to Islam, and became President of the Muslim Student Association. He completed his clinical post-graduate training program in Bioethics
at the Georgetown University
Kennedy Center for Ethics
, completing his Ph.D. course work in Bioethics and Genetics.
Abdul-Malik performed Hajj
in 1994.
chaplain
in higher education in the United States
. Abdul-Malik resigned at the end of the Spring 2004 semester.
, who was convicted of conspiring to aid the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was fired from the University of South Florida
allegedly for not making such a disclaimer, and the dean of Howard University insisted on the pre-speech statement. He claimed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
started the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
because it was in Sharon’s political interests to have "a police insecurity state," making people "rally ’round the flag before fanning the flames." Abdul-Malik compared the Israeli separation barrier
to South African apartheid and advocated divestiture from Israel and a moratorium
on entertainers who perform in Israel. He accused the Israeli government of engaging in a scorched earth
policy. However, he ended his speech by quoting the Qur’anic aphorism
, "Do not let your hatred of a people cause you to be unjust."
Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin
(aka H. Rap Brown), former chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
and later the militant Justice Minister of the Black Panther Party
, was convicted on March 9, 2002, of murdering Ricky Leon Kinchen, a Fulton County, Georgia
, sheriff's deputy, and wounding another officer in a gunbattle at his store. Abdul-Malik said he suspected Al-Amin was framed, and that "Somebody has a vendetta against people like H. Rap Brown, because he stood up during a period of great repression in this country and said it mattered to him."
, Abdul-Malik said: "Now the witch hunt has expanded into homes and families." In 2006, Al-Arian pleaded guilty to conspiracy to help a "specially designated terrorist
" organization, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad
. He was sentenced to 57 months in prison.
mosque as its Director of Outreach, and spokesman. The mosque uses a "team approach". He said: “It’s important that there’s an American at the mosque to speak with media, to defend Islam who can talk about the rights of Muslims. It would be difficult for us if we had an imam who didn’t understand the process here.”
Abdul-Malik denied claims that Dar al-Hijrah is a center of Islamic fundamentalism
and a center for the promotion of extremist Salafism.
Abdul-Malik and Reverend Graylan Hagler
created the Ramadan Feed-the-Needy Program in Washington, DC, an organization that gives food to 100 hundred homeless every night during Ramadan
.
In November 2003 Abdul-Malik spoke up in defense of the recently arrested of Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi
, founder of the American Muslim Council
, who was indicted on charges of engaging in illegal financial transactions with Libya. Al-Amoudi's supporters maintained he was a respected member of the community. However, in 2004 al-Amoudi pled guilty to financial and conspiracy charges, and was sentenced to 23 year years in jail.
, who worshiped at Dar al-Hijrah and had been a camp counselor for and taught Islamic studies at the mosque, was charged by American prosecutors with plotting with members of Al Qaeda to assassinate President ]]George W. Bush]], Abdul-Malik said in February 2005: "Our whole community is under siege. They don't see this as a case of criminality. They see it as a civil rights
case. As a frontal attack on their community." He added: "The feeling I get here on a daily basis must be what it was like to be a member of Martin Luther King Jr.'s church following the case of Rosa Parks
. People always ask, 'What is the latest from the courthouse?'" Abdul-Malik recalled Abu Ali while helping organize interfaith activities at the mosque and accused the government of singling out Abu Ali to stir anti- Muslim sentiment. Abu Ali was convicted in 2005 of providing material support to the al Qaeda terrorist network, and conspiracy to assassinate President Bush, and is serving a life sentence.
, an American-born Muslim cleric, was convicted of inciting followers to wage war against the US just days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and for recruiting for the Pakistan
i terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Toiba
, and the paintball terrorist cell, Abdul-Malik said: "There is a view many Muslims have when they come to America that you could not be arrested for something you say. But now they have discovered they are not free to speak their minds. And if our opinions are out of vogue in the current climate, we feel we are all at risk." Al-Timimi was sentenced to life imprisonment.
, who has supported numerous terrorist suspects before they were convicted, as the new Imam
at Dar al-Hijrah, saying that "Elsayed is a good choice to lead Dar al-Hijrah because of his pre-eminence as a scholar and his ability to relate to both the immigrant and the native-born communities. Elsayed is an established religious authority who has previously served as imam at the Islamic Center of Washington
." He said political sermon
s had "to address the issues facing our community or else our faith
will be irrelevant. That includes politics, education, health care ... the whole panoply of human issues."
that killed 55 people, a 30-second public service TV spot was run called “Not in the Name of Islam,” featuring Abdul-Malik and two American Muslim women. In the spot they said:
by whatever name you call [him]." He told reporters that the weekend before, when he attended his mosque, a young person told him someone had tried to "recruit" him, but Abdul-Malik said he had never heard of al Qaeda recruiting in his community. He said he told the youth, "You need to alienate yourself from those people. They're saying to you that they're your friend, and that you'll be their confidant, when in reality, they're going to sell you out."
In November 2009 Abdul-Malik responded to former Dar al-Hijrah Imam Anwar al-Awlaki
's support of the Fort Hood shooter
by saying:
Abdul-Malik went on to say that of those who worshiped at the mosque,
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, and has been the Director of Outreach for the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center
Dar al-Hijrah
The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center is a mosque in Northern Virginia. It is located in Culmore, Lake Barcroft area of unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, directly between the Bailey's Crossroads, and Seven Corners, Virginia, US Post Offices.-Background:...
in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
since June 2002.
He is also the former Chair of the Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations
Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations
The Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations was established to serve as a platform of unity and coordination for all Muslim organizations in the greater Washington, DC, area.-Objectives:Its objectives are to:-Executive committee:...
, the former head of the National Association of Muslim Chaplains in Higher Education, President of the Muslim Society of Washington, Inc., and a founding member of the Muslim Advocacy Commission of Washington, DC. In addition, he serves as the chair of government relations of the Muslim Alliance in North America.
Early life
His mother is from northern LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and his father is from Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. Abdul-Malik was raised as an Anglican by his African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
parents in Brooklyn, New York, until "at confirmation the teachings of the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
exposed the inherent contradiction of western Christianity
Western Christianity
Western Christianity is a term used to include the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church and groups historically derivative thereof, including the churches of the Anglican and Protestant traditions, which share common attributes that can be traced back to their medieval heritage...
." He explored Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
and "Asian spirituality" in high school.
While attending Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in Washington, DC, where he began in 1974 and received a BS in Chemistry and an MS in Genetics and Human Genetics, he became a self-described Black activist, musician, and vegetarian, experimenting with Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation refers to the Transcendental Meditation technique, a specific form of mantra meditation, and to the Transcendental Meditation movement, a spiritual movement...
. In graduate school he converted to Islam, and became President of the Muslim Student Association. He completed his clinical post-graduate training program in Bioethics
Bioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
at the Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
Kennedy Center for Ethics
Kennedy Institute of Ethics
The Kennedy Institute of Ethics was established at Georgetown University in 1971 as a bioethics center, think tank and library.Scholars based at the Institute, as of 2009, include Ruth Faden and Tom Beauchamp....
, completing his Ph.D. course work in Bioethics and Genetics.
Abdul-Malik performed Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
in 1994.
Muslim chaplain of Howard University
In November 1998 Abdul-Malik was named chaplain of Howard University. He served as the first officially recognized MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
in higher education in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Abdul-Malik resigned at the end of the Spring 2004 semester.
Criticism of Israel
On March 8, 2002, American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice held a press conference at the National Press Club. Abdul-Malik was a panelist, and began by saying that he did not speak for Howard University, mentioning that Sami Al-ArianSami Al-Arian
Dr. Sami Amin Al-Arian , is a former resident of Temple Terrace, Florida, now living in Northern Virginia, who is a Muslim activist, and former University of South Florida professor of computer engineering...
, who was convicted of conspiring to aid the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was fired from the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
allegedly for not making such a disclaimer, and the dean of Howard University insisted on the pre-speech statement. He claimed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
started the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
because it was in Sharon’s political interests to have "a police insecurity state," making people "rally ’round the flag before fanning the flames." Abdul-Malik compared the Israeli separation barrier
Israeli West Bank barrier
The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...
to South African apartheid and advocated divestiture from Israel and a moratorium
Moratorium (law)
A moratorium is a delay or suspension of an activity or a law. In a legal context, it may refer to the temporary suspension of a law to allow a legal challenge to be carried out....
on entertainers who perform in Israel. He accused the Israeli government of engaging in a scorched earth
Scorched earth
A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area...
policy. However, he ended his speech by quoting the Qur’anic aphorism
Aphorism
An aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates...
, "Do not let your hatred of a people cause you to be unjust."
Support for Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin
H. Rap Brown
Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin , also known as H. Rap Brown, was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, and during a short lived alliance between SNCC , later the Justice Minister of the Black Panther Party...
(aka H. Rap Brown), former chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ' was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It emerged from a series of student meetings led by Ella Baker held at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in April 1960...
and later the militant Justice Minister of the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
, was convicted on March 9, 2002, of murdering Ricky Leon Kinchen, a Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
, sheriff's deputy, and wounding another officer in a gunbattle at his store. Abdul-Malik said he suspected Al-Amin was framed, and that "Somebody has a vendetta against people like H. Rap Brown, because he stood up during a period of great repression in this country and said it mattered to him."
"Witch hunt"
When on March 20, 2002, the U.S. government raided 14 homes and offices of northern Virginia Muslims, in part to find evidence against Sami Al-ArianSami Al-Arian
Dr. Sami Amin Al-Arian , is a former resident of Temple Terrace, Florida, now living in Northern Virginia, who is a Muslim activist, and former University of South Florida professor of computer engineering...
, Abdul-Malik said: "Now the witch hunt has expanded into homes and families." In 2006, Al-Arian pleaded guilty to conspiracy to help a "specially designated terrorist
Specially Designated Terrorist
A Specially Designated Terrorist is any person who is determined by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to be a specially designated terrorist under notices or regulations issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ....
" organization, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine known in the West as simply Palestinian Islamic Jihad , is a small Palestinian militant organization. The group has been labelled as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and Israel...
. He was sentenced to 57 months in prison.
Dar al-Hijrah
In June 2002 Abdul-Malik joined the Dar al-HijrahDar al-Hijrah
The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center is a mosque in Northern Virginia. It is located in Culmore, Lake Barcroft area of unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, directly between the Bailey's Crossroads, and Seven Corners, Virginia, US Post Offices.-Background:...
mosque as its Director of Outreach, and spokesman. The mosque uses a "team approach". He said: “It’s important that there’s an American at the mosque to speak with media, to defend Islam who can talk about the rights of Muslims. It would be difficult for us if we had an imam who didn’t understand the process here.”
Abdul-Malik denied claims that Dar al-Hijrah is a center of Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. Definitions of the term vary. According to Christine L...
and a center for the promotion of extremist Salafism.
Abdul-Malik and Reverend Graylan Hagler
Graylan Hagler
Rev. Graylan Hagler is an African-American pastor and activist. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Hagler received a Bachelor’s Degree in Religion from Oberlin College, Ohio, in 1976. Three years later, he received his Masters of Divinity degree from The Chicago Theological Seminary...
created the Ramadan Feed-the-Needy Program in Washington, DC, an organization that gives food to 100 hundred homeless every night during Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
.
Support for Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi
Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi
Abdul Rahman Al-Amoudi, also known as Abdurahman Alamoudi, the founder of the American Muslim Council, pled guilty to financial and conspiracy charges in 2004, which resulted in a 23-year prison sentence.-Biography:...
, founder of the American Muslim Council
American Muslim Council
The American Muslim Council is an Islamic organization and registered charity in the United States. Its headquarters is located in Chicago, Illinois....
, who was indicted on charges of engaging in illegal financial transactions with Libya. Al-Amoudi's supporters maintained he was a respected member of the community. However, in 2004 al-Amoudi pled guilty to financial and conspiracy charges, and was sentenced to 23 year years in jail.
Support for Ahmed Omar Abu Ali
When Ahmed Omar Abu AliAhmed Omar Abu Ali
Ahmed Omar Abu Ali is an American who was convicted of providing material support to the al Qaeda terrorist network and conspiracy to assassinate President George W. Bush.-Background:...
, who worshiped at Dar al-Hijrah and had been a camp counselor for and taught Islamic studies at the mosque, was charged by American prosecutors with plotting with members of Al Qaeda to assassinate President ]]George W. Bush]], Abdul-Malik said in February 2005: "Our whole community is under siege. They don't see this as a case of criminality. They see it as a civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
case. As a frontal attack on their community." He added: "The feeling I get here on a daily basis must be what it was like to be a member of Martin Luther King Jr.'s church following the case of Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
. People always ask, 'What is the latest from the courthouse?'" Abdul-Malik recalled Abu Ali while helping organize interfaith activities at the mosque and accused the government of singling out Abu Ali to stir anti- Muslim sentiment. Abu Ali was convicted in 2005 of providing material support to the al Qaeda terrorist network, and conspiracy to assassinate President Bush, and is serving a life sentence.
Reaction to Ali al-Timimi conviction
When in April 2005 Ali al-Timimi of Fairfax, VirginiaFairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
, an American-born Muslim cleric, was convicted of inciting followers to wage war against the US just days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and for recruiting for the Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Toiba
Lashkar-e-Toiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
, and the paintball terrorist cell, Abdul-Malik said: "There is a view many Muslims have when they come to America that you could not be arrested for something you say. But now they have discovered they are not free to speak their minds. And if our opinions are out of vogue in the current climate, we feel we are all at risk." Al-Timimi was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Support for Shaker Elsayed
Abdul-Malik defended the June 2005 choice of Shaker ElsayedShaker Elsayed
Shaker Elsayed is a dual citizen of Egypt and the US, and has been the Imam of the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia, since June 1, 2005...
, who has supported numerous terrorist suspects before they were convicted, as the new Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
at Dar al-Hijrah, saying that "Elsayed is a good choice to lead Dar al-Hijrah because of his pre-eminence as a scholar and his ability to relate to both the immigrant and the native-born communities. Elsayed is an established religious authority who has previously served as imam at the Islamic Center of Washington
Islamic Center of Washington
The Islamic Center of Washington is a mosque and Islamic cultural center in Washington, D.C., United States. It is located on Embassy Row on Massachusetts Avenue just east of the bridge over Rock Creek. When it opened in 1957 it was the largest Muslim place of worship in the Western Hemisphere...
." He said political sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
s had "to address the issues facing our community or else our faith
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
will be irrelevant. That includes politics, education, health care ... the whole panoply of human issues."
TV spot against terrorism
After the July 2005 London bombings7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
that killed 55 people, a 30-second public service TV spot was run called “Not in the Name of Islam,” featuring Abdul-Malik and two American Muslim women. In the spot they said:
"We often hear claims Muslims don’t condemn terrorism and that Islam condones violence. As Muslims, we want to state clearly that those who commit acts of terror in the name of Islam are betraying the teachings of the Koran and the Prophet Mohammed. We reject anyone - of any faith - who commits such brutal acts and will not allow our faith to be hijacked by criminals. Islam is not about hatred and violence. It’s about peace and justice."
Anti-terrorism press conference
In a press conference on July 25, 2005, Abdul-Malik said, "People who would go out and kill anyone, of any religion, from any country, of any age, for no reason other than the fact they are angry, isolated and upset is against GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
by whatever name you call [him]." He told reporters that the weekend before, when he attended his mosque, a young person told him someone had tried to "recruit" him, but Abdul-Malik said he had never heard of al Qaeda recruiting in his community. He said he told the youth, "You need to alienate yourself from those people. They're saying to you that they're your friend, and that you'll be their confidant, when in reality, they're going to sell you out."
Effort against domestic violence
In January 2008, Abdul-Malik was trying to establish a nationwide movement of Muslim men to lobby for the new interpretation of Chapter 4, Verse 34 of the Koran, long interpreted as giving husbands the right to beat their wives as the final step in an escalating series of punishments for being rebellious (following admonishing their wives, and then abandoning them in bed). “That is the linchpin, the fulcrum that justifies domestic violence in the Muslim context,” he said. The new interpretation would interpret the verse as calling for women to be obedient to God.Response to reactions to Fort Hood shooter
Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki was an American and Yemeni imam who was an engineer and educator by training. According to U.S. government officials, he was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda...
's support of the Fort Hood shooter
Nidal Malik Hasan
Nidal Malik Hasan, USA is a United States Army officer and sole suspect in the November 5, 2009, Fort Hood shooting, which occurred less than a month before he would have deployed to Afghanistan....
by saying:
"Al-Awlaqi ... supported the crime that Hasan committed and said that the US Muslims who opposed the crime have betrayed the Muslim ummahUmmahUmmah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
(the community of Muslims worldwide) and are hypocrites. I answer him by saying that he has thus separated himself from the Muslim community in the United States. The holy Koran teaches us that we as US Muslims should enrich the society we live in with humanitarian services, wisdom, teaching God's beautiful verses about love, mercy, and compassion to all mankind."
Abdul-Malik went on to say that of those who worshiped at the mosque,
"Many of the immigrants focused on the conspiracy theoryConspiracy theoryA conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
. Some said that Hasan did not commit the crime but that it was committed by other US military personnel who then killed him and said that he was the one who did it. They are like those who said that the 11 September attacks were not committed by those who committed them and that it too was a “conspiracy.” I am one of those whose ancestors came here hundreds of years ago. I am a black American, and I know that “denialDenialDenial is a defense mechanism postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence.The subject may use:* simple denial: deny the reality of the...
” is the explanation of those who cannot explain what they see or hear, especially if they belong to a minority group and are not used to the US way of life. But we black Americans have passed these stages. We became involved in political action and the President of the United States is now one of us. Perhaps I am saying what I am saying because I was a Christian and became Muslim. But I believe that this issue is a temporary one, and we ask God to raise us from one stage to another."