Good afternoon everyone! It’s that time again, and this week, we’ve got the “jaw-dropping” edition of the roundup. If hate crimes, trashy hijab, and line dancing don’t do it for you, I don’t know what will.
Enjoy!
1) Osman Daramy, an 11 year old boy, may be convicted of hate crimes for the harassment and assault of his Muslim classmate. Over the course of several weeks, Osman and a 13-year old female accomplice, verbally and physically assaulted a Muslim girl — by punching and kicking her and attempting to rip off her hijab.
Hate crime? Misguided tween? Product of his upbringing? Peer pressure? Born to a Muslim mother in a Sierra Leonean refugee camp, but raised in the States since 6 months old (points people are milking), Osman’s obviously distraught father asks, “How could a Muslim have another hate crime against a Muslim?”
How indeed. Or a human against another human.
Part of a campaign by a German human right’s group, Internationale Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte (IGFM), the text translates as:
Oppressed women are easily overlooked. Please support us in the fight for their rights.
While I agree 100% with the words, the photo’s message couldn’t be more glaringly wrong, inappropriate, offensive, burning, ridiculous, and outrageous.
Serious hat-tip to the amazing Kawdess — whom if you aren’t following, you really should be.
3) Adam Serwer has a great blog post up on the Washington Post. Debunking the right’s crackpot sharia panic talks about the recent report released by the Centre of American Progress and written by Wajahat Ali and Matthew Duss (read it! Brilliant!). Serwer explains that the report was written to debunk an earlier report to Congress that:
…purported to outline the threat of sharia, which it defines as a “legal-political-military doctrine” that compels Muslims to seek to establish an Islamic state in the U.S. The report’s conclusion, than any Muslim adhering to sharia would be obligated to help overthrow the U.S., would necessitate that the American national security apparatus treat every religious Muslim as a potential national security threat.
Once people got wind of this, “sharia panic has hit the states, with Republicans in at least 15 states seeking bans on sharia.”
First it was “Sunday Salaams” in Disney. Then we got Cat Stevens and Dave Chappelle. Soon, all across America, students held Islamic Awareness Weeks, inviting women to try hijab for a day. And now you can get halal MacDonald’s and KFC. Oh, what’s that? You didn’t know you were eating halal? MUWAHAHAHAAH.
4) Music — okay. Dancing — okay. Standing in a line, hopping, turning, and stepping — haram.
Apparently, clerics in Malaysia want Muslims to avoid performing the “Poco-Poco” based on fears that the dance has Christian origins and that the choreographed steps make the ‘sign of the cross.’
Forget about creeping Sharia’. This is full-on creepin’ Christianity:
April 1, 2011 at 4:57 pm
ah ha! It DID end with the electric slide.
April 1, 2011 at 7:34 pm
That picture is enraging.
April 3, 2011 at 9:00 am
That poster! Unbelievable – plays so much into xenophobia and racism and this bit – “Oppressed women are easily overlooked”: I’ll tell you where the West ain’t overlooking any oppressed women, in fact they’re mad for spotting oppression everywhere and telling women they’re oppressed whether they feel they are or not, and that is among traditional Muslim women. How about the oppressed women being easily overlooked right under your noses, Germany?
April 3, 2011 at 9:16 am
Asalaamu Alaikum
Why oh why is the news out of Malaysia always so odd? They need to get back to basics in the first place themselves. They practice so many things that are unislamic and have no clue that they are. Malaysia is a really mixed up place, I should know I lived there for 4 months. You go to the mall and there is music with dirty lyrics playing (most malls are owned by the chinese) and then the azan comes on. Talked about messed!
April 3, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Hey hey now, leave Malaysia alone… Haha, I love Malaysia
I love the “mix” or “mess” as you like to say. It is a multicultural, multiethnic country, therefore there is no other way for it to be, but a mix-up. This is what I love most about Malaysia, not least.
Yes there is Muslim, but there is also Christian and Hindu and pagan, in very large numbers. Should everyone have to follow Islam in order to not be such a “mess” or “unislamic?” I should hope not.
Maybe, from your cultural viewpoint, they do not follow Islam “correctly,” but what culture is the correct one, then? Every culture follows differently, and I hope more Muslim countries take notice of Malaysia and it’s ability to incorporate many religions and beliefs into it’s fabric.
Yes, the banning of the dance in this video is messed up, blame PAS for that, not the common people. Come on you lived there, you should know this!
Do tell, what are these “basics” you speak of, Aishah?
April 6, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Pictures really send internalized subliminal messages. Have you seen the Dove one where it’s three women, and there’s a “before” and “after” picture? Ugh.
P.s: Creepy Christianity is creepy. Jesus Camp anyone?
April 18, 2011 at 11:07 am
[...] sent me an email expressing her thoughts about the German poster campaign featured in a previous muslim roundup. She was so impassioned that I asked her to organize her thoughts into a guest post for her [...]