Comments on: Muslim Leadership Training Program

By: JDsg

JDsg — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:34:26 +0000

George: I didn’t say “secular” was the same as “atheist.” For me, a “secular” person is a non-observant, non-practicing person of their (nominal) faith. A “cultural Muslim” is like the “cultural Christian” I was criticizing in my post last month that we’ve been discussing.

In that case, the questions for the likes of Andre Carson and the “Muslims” whom Ameer Ali wants for this advisory board are: “Do you practice the five pillars and follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) to the best of your abilities? Do you make Islam a significant part of your life?” If the answers are “yes,” you are, insha’allah, an observant Muslim. If not, you are a secular person.

By: George Carty

George Carty — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:28:35 +0000

JDsg, “secular” is not the same as “atheist”. I think “secular Muslim” means “Muslim but not Islamist”.

By: Irfan Yusuf

Irfan Yusuf — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:35:36 +0000

Ameer Ali’s wording is, as always, clumsy. But his point is that outwardly observant Muslims are not necessarily representative of the 300,000-odd people who tick the “Muslim” box on their census forms.

Of course, he and his organisation can hardly tell us who are representative of these people. Despite having ample resources, AFIC has never bothered to conduct a survey or social map of Australian Muslims.

By: Umm Yasmin

Umm Yasmin — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:43:11 +0000

Hmmm.. perhaps we should all get together and write a letter to Dr Ali to gently suggest that there are many of us who pray and wear beards and hijabs, and we are not fanatics, and we are normal Muslims too.

By: Eudaemonion

Eudaemonion — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:55:59 +0000

I loved the Chasers.

By: JDsg

JDsg — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:42:51 +0000

“…the stereotyping of the Muslims who are currently all seen as religious people.”

That sounds a bit like Andre Carson’s description of himself: “an Orthodox, universal, secular Muslim.” (Carson won a special election for a seat in the US Congress, replacing his grandmother who was a Congresswoman for Indiana, and will now be the second Muslim in Congress.)

As far as I’m concerned, “Orthodox Muslim” and “secular” is a contradiction in terms. A Muslim is religious; otherwise, you are not.