No great courage
Ed Husain showed up again in last Sunday's Observer (which I have finally got round to blogging after three days of early starts and long driving shifts), blowing the trumpet for an Egyptian preacher called Moez Masoud. I've not heard of him, but the English section of his website is full of links to well-known modern-traditionalist sites like Mas'ud Khan's and Zaytuna, and writings sourced from Shaikh Hamza Yusuf, Habib Ali Jifri and Abdul-Hakim Murad. Since I know little about him, I cannot comment on his standing but I do want to comment on what Ed himself says about him.
"Ed" claims that he attended a debate in Qatar and was surprised to see, in the city which hosts Shaikh Qaradawi and the al-Jazeera TV channel, which "stokes the flames of the Arab-Israeli conflict by referring to suicide bombers as 'martyrs'", people readily condemning suicide bombers, including the opponent in the debate he attended. He also asserts that "for a young Arab scholar [like Moez Masoud] to defy the mob, take politics out of religion, risk popularity and break Arab consensus takes courage".
It does not. It is not new, and it is not rare. Scholars in the Arab world have been condemning suicide bombers for years. It is true that Qaradawi and a few others approve of them, but there has always been a substantial body of scholarly opinion which regards suicide as forbidden even when used as a military tactic (as opposed to for personal reasons, on which there is no disagreement that is a great sin) and that deliberately killing non-combatants is forbidden also. "Ed" makes a reference to "the rigid, literalist, soulless brand of Islam they had developed" in Saudi Arabia, but the major establishment scholars of that country, and that sect, have been opposing suicide bombings for years. There is no "Arab consensus" on the desirability of suicide bombings. Muslims generally seek religious guidance from more than one individual, and if one has an unpopular opinion on one issue, even an emotive one like Palestine, people might still accept his word on others.
For those whose only knowledge of Islam and the situation in the Muslim world comes from the witterings of "Ed" and his chums in the media over the past year, not every Muslim in the Middle East gets their religion from "tele-shaikhs" on al-Jazeera and Iqra; there are scholarly traditions in most Muslim countries, and those who trust scholars like al-Qaradawi over their countries' scholars may well do so because they regard the in-country scholars as compromised by politics. In some countries, like Tunisia, the scholars and other religious people have been severely persecuted. However they treat religious people, most of the Muslim countries' rulers have no interest in tolerating serious extremists or indeed anyone who poses a serious challenge to them, which is why they, at least, will not bother someone with a spiritual and apolitical message in the present political climate.
Comments
Young Arab scholar?? Moez Masoud is no scholar (at the early age of 27, give me a break!), he is a da'i, some who is a simple preacher. Someone who found Islam (an AUC graduate) not long ago and has been doing the dawah circuts on Arab TV and recently with RMW. He has no traditional learning that even compares to madrasah students (thanawiyah).
Read his bio on: http://www.moezmasoud.com/en//acategories/categories26.html
I don't think his 5year study goes very far to give him the status Ed is giving.
Not to undermine the good work he has done though.
Posted by: Omar | March 14, 2008 12:40 AM
Moez Masoud was brought up in the American schools of Kuwait and Egypt as a 4.0 GPA student until he took up a lifestyle of excessive partying, the kind that took the lives of three of his close friends. After facing two near-death experiences himself, his previously nonchalant, or even rebellious attitude towards religion changed drastically and he began a close and deep study of the Quran. He began to share his tremendous experience with those around him, and was soon after regularly invited to speak about his new-found realizations.
Upon graduating from university, Moez was invited to lead the special night prayers one Ramadan in the US. When he returned to Cairo, he founded TGF, a successful advertising agency. A year later, the ART (Arab Radio & Television) contacted him and that was the start of his TV career. Since then, he has travelled in the US, Malaysia, and the UK giving talks, leading workshops and youth camps, as well as making TV & radio show appearances. Throughout, he has tried to remind himself and others that the Prophet Muhammad - upon whom be God’s blessings and peace - invites humanity to a relationship with God that is founded upon our love for Him, and that earning His love is the human being’s greatest success.
Currently a student of Islamic sciences under renowned traditional scholars, Moez also works as an advertising freelancer in Egypt where he lives with his wife and son. His most recent TV show, “Stairway to Paradise”, airs worldwide on ART International and Iqraa. His recent appearances at the 2005 FOSIS conference and at the May 2005 National Mawlid have cemented his reputation as one of the West’s leading Muslim motivational speakers.
Posted by: N | March 15, 2008 2:37 PM
Salaam 'Alaikum
I have doubts that Sidi Moez would refer to himself as a scholar, just as 'Amr Khaled does not refer to himself as a scholar (the last time I checked).
What interest does Mr. Husain have in propagating the stereotype that everyone in the Arab countries, namely the scholars, is some blood thirsty fanatic? Surely he knows this is not true.
Posted by: Umm Zaid | March 15, 2008 8:31 PM
Moez was on the same Hajj group that I was on in 2005, where Habib Umar and Habib Ali came to speak to us during the 3 days of 'Eid. I met and spoke to him several times over that trip. Before then, he was doing a talk show on Egyptian tv (broadcast on MBC) where he would talk about social issues and religion, often with several other young people.
All I would like to say is that he seemed like a calm, relaxed person, and was attracted to traditional scholarship and good at articulating those ideas.
Posted by: dawud | March 16, 2008 9:43 PM
It was an interesting show. I'm unsure why people are on the prowl against Ed Husain? He delivered a brilliant show with Arsalan Iftikhar from Islamica Magazine. They were on the same side with Moez and Daisy Khan on the other.
People here like Islamica and so, they should also like and respect Ed. He's doing some good work and is supported by our traditionalist magazines and scholars. Check his website.
Posted by: Idris Khan | March 18, 2008 7:32 PM
Husain is espousing a modernist-secular ideology that replaces traditional Islamic politics of the Caliphate with Western secularism - in a vain effort to push western ideology, values and hegemony in the muslim world...against the rising tide of Islam...
Husain et al have been refuted in detail on: http://www.islamic-considerations.blogspot.com
Posted by: Jav | June 29, 2008 7:12 PM
Salaam,
I don't know why Yusuf didn't approve my previous message on this thread, drawing attention to the claim above that Islamica magazine supports Ed Husain.
I don't know about that, but here's a video in which Abdel-Rahman Malik of Q-News and the Radical Middle Way expressly shows support for Eddy and his Quilliam Foundation.
Shouldn't our brothers of the traditionalist banner balk at this, and take action??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1abCdzi15ZI
Posted by: Sohaib | July 16, 2008 4:50 PM
As-Salaamu 'alaikum,
Abdel-Rahman Malik's opinion is Abdel-Rahman Malik's; he is not even on the staff of Islamica Magazine even if he has written for them. As for why I didn't approve your last comment, it may have got lost in the mountain of spam I get every day on this site.
Posted by: Indigo Jo
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July 16, 2008 4:58 PM