So when did Ramadan become our business?

NPR had a story about Ramadan during the Olympics.  I personally like the fact that NPR seems to love to attempt to shed light on the Muslim culture whether it is good or bad. This story just comes off forced to me for one reason and that is because Ramadan also took place during the 2008 Olympics , where was the story then? With the Arab Spring and the Western or Modern point of view placed on Muslims you get stories reported like this that come off as there is some search for compromise. I’ve work with Muslims and I mean I’ve done some hard labor that even on a full stomach and drinking water or juice you’d still be burned out. Those people I’ve worked didn’t complain too much and a few of them were older men.  An event isn’t going to last eight hours and yes there will be some heat I’m sure but not enough to play that big of a role in one being exhausted. Many Muslims don’t even practice Ramadan just like there are many females who aren’t wearing Hijabs, it doesn’t make them less of a Muslim just means they choose not to follow that aspect of practice of the religion.

Americans only seems interested in anything we don’t fully understand to simply criticize it from an American standpoint. We’ve done and continue to do it with Asians, Mexicans, people from the Caribbean and of course Middle Eastern people in general. As faith based as this country is, and as fast as we can go overboard, reading comments on the page questioning such commitment to a religion is hypocritical. This story goes from pointing out a coincidence with the Olympic Games taking place during Ramadan to questioning if the opportunity should or will outweigh the faith. I’m sure both have been fine. You can’t tell me a few of those Africans running those marathons and who have won by the way weren’t Islamic. If they are athletes and they do fast during Ramadan I’m sure they have worked out how to do both especially for such a for many once in a lifetime moment

Not really wanting to remember 9/11

I used to feel bad for not wanting to hear the stories of the families of those who died on 9/11and fire fighters who survived. I started feeling that way by year four. Last year the hype was less about those individuals and more about the fact the first day of celebrations for Muslims post Ramadan fell on the 11^th of September. Last year we were treated to how many people of Islam in America felt it was best to down play the celebration that is part of their faith out of more fear of backlash more than respect. Even though there are Americans I know who celebrate the 4^th of July in other countries including England, now that’s a slap in the face, and the 4^th isn’t part of any religious ceremony at all.  As the country found itself trying to stop Pastor Terry Jones from burring of a Quran that same Saturday the remembering those of 9/11 took a backseat.

This year Osama Bin Laden was killed by American soldiers and my mind did the math, “crap it’s been ten years, how symbolic”. Yes while the media and people were all over the fact that happened while Obama was president I was already dreading yesterday. The week leading up to 9/11 news shows talked to kids and young adults in Afghanistan and Iraq trying to see what 9/11 means to them. I’ve seen and heard shows about young twenty somethings and younger not really getting it and how schools have to teach living history. As a country we were made aware of the clergy issue inNew Yorksince Mayor Bloomberg was thinking of omitting a clergy. All this really has nothing to do with what happened on 9/11 or how the families of those who passed away on any of those planes or theWorldTradeCenteror the families of those first responders and fire fighters who passed away trying to help. That’s vanity stuff that looks good on the news. The ceremonies would go on if the cameras weren’t there, if the news was doing pieces on them, it isn’t nor was it every about some bigger issue where religious groups get to merge a political issue with religion and personal grief.

Why are we even still making this a major event? I’m going out on a limb and saying in a few more years there will be talk of making it a holiday, or at least putting a title on September 11^th on calendars. We do it all the time, as a country we celebrate tragedies like Pearl Harbor, D Day, the death of celebrities and presidents that we as a culture decided matters to us. At one point until the last of those solders died we had ceremonies where soldiers of north and south of the civil war sat on stage. 9/11 has fallen into that group. I’m not old enough to know how those people who were related to the soldiers ofPearl Harbor felt about all the hoopla around that tragedy and then again was there really any major noise then like what we have today?

We tend to remember and focus on what we want, we don’t really acknowledge the day under President Truman we bombedJapan(HiroshimaandNagasaki), hell as a country when we talk about WW2 andJapanis rarely brought up. Again now that there are no survivors of the civil war we really don’t bring it up unless we’re talking about Abraham Lincoln. We barely celebrate our civil rights act that includes more than the desegregation act, women were “granted” equal rights as well. We seem to love to be drawn in to tragedies as a country for some unexplained reason.

Well the tenth “anniversary”, yes news media in the past and some still do use that term now, is behind us now. I figure things will be like it was from year six through year eight with just saying how many years it has been, to at some point bringing it up as a by the way fact to just not saying anything at all. Am I saying forget about 9/11? No, because I lived through it. The same way my mom could tell you where she was when Kennedy and King were murdered, I can tell you where I was at and what I was doing on a hot Tuesday morning inNewport NewsVa.when the news first broke about the first plane crashing into one of the towers. It’s a part of our lives if you were alive during that time and were old enough to truly get what had happened you can’t forget 9/11. Not because the media will not allow us to or because these politicians want brownie points as patriots so they bring it up, but because our nation was put on alert that we weren’t as invincible as we thought. We as a country we were shocked and scared just as much as we were appalled and angry. Those families will never forget either for those same reasons and many more I can’t even begin to imagine, they will have those memories of loved ones passed down to generations one would think. I understand as a country we have the right to grieve but I think it’s time to stop broadcasting it.

Real black on black crime

What is happening in Somalia seems to be non news now that Ramadan is over. What we were hearing about was starving people not being allowed to flee to Kenya or even receive aide from the world has stopped, why? Somalia has no president and what government they do have isn’t worth a damn. Corruption rules in Somalia the Al Qaeda off spring Al Shabaab seems to be in charge of the whole damn country. It’s a sad site that the hatred for the outside world is the reason for such suffering.

This isn’t new news when it comes to how Somalia is being run, what was new news is this self hate that’s going on in Somalia because it was during Ramadan. Is it me or has Somalia become the new Sudan? By the way Sudan was the new Rwanda which was the new Ethiopia. It seems every decade there’s a new African country to give a half ass focus to. When the news covers Africa countries it’s never good. I’m not downplaying how evil people have to be to allow their fellow countrymen to die from starvation because some people don’t want assistance from “the infidels”. Could more be done to ensure those in need get help, yes. I mean if you’re aware that the food you’re giving people is being taken and then sold at the market and after photo ops food gets taken from people, why not stay to make sure people are eating. Ramadan is over but this situation isn’t, stay and try to figure out a way to get the people of Somalia help.

It’s sad as a black man to see that this focus, like what happened in Sudan and Rwanda and now Somalia, never has real HELP attached to it at all. We know the problem and yet nothing is going to happen. The way the globe treats African countries is the way cities treat inner cities. The news reports the black on black crime all the time and this isn’t anything new. Trust me if these countries had something to offer like oil, things would be different. NATO would have been all over Somalia years ago the way they could have put a better effort to stopping the genocide in Sudan.

I understand that what happened in Sudan was race and religion inspired genocide. Not that that gives it a pass at all, I’m saying it’s an age old fucked up battle that took place in Sudan. Somalia on the other hand is a Muslim country with a very small Christian population. This is about a country with no government structure at all and it’s being run by the terrorists and pirates who only care about those within their circle. The people of  Somalia were fleeing to Kenya and now that’s being slowed down. Aid is being blocked and who’s the biggest victim? Those trying to help will soon stop and from pictures I’ve seen online and pictures I’ve seen from Kenyans and Somalis a beautiful country will be become a wasteland. The only people that will be hurt are other black people maybe someone with some influence will realize this and stop what’s going on at some point soon.

The difference between Anders Behring Breivik and us in America is what he did not what he thinks

So we’ve learned the mayhem that took place inNorwayover the weekend wasn’t some terrorist act but a one man crusade of sorts. The idea was to address an idea that he shares with many not just inEuropebut here at home as well, we hate Muslims. Breivik had a video where he even when on to quote American bloggers who have blogs dedicated to Islamic hate. In one day I like everyone who has listened to the news about this story was introduced to a whole nother world of intolerance. This world is so deep that there are dividing lines of hatred going on within them. As of now many groups are of course denouncing the actions Breivik. One main reason is because his victims were white Europeans and the messages that is filled with hatred towards Muslims gets lost when the victims aren’t Muslim. That is actually the conversation in some forums throughout the web, that his point would have made sense if he had attacked Muslims.

InAmericawe may not be taking things to a violent level but our hate is just as strong. There are people throughout our country that go out of their way to protest the building of a Mosque. We have yet to separate between Islam extremist and all those who follow the Islamic faith and aren’t trying to. We’re the home of a pastor who found it necessary to burn a Quran for reasons that will never be acceptable. We’re one nutjob away from having our own Breivik. Again would that person actions be viewed different if they went out here and shot those of the Islamic faith as opposed to just Christian Americans?

It seems that it is now a global dislike towards Muslims and to keep blaming 9/11 here inAmericaisn’t an excuse anymore at all. This Islamic hate is nothing more than another reason to hate on people of color. Breivik himself did make it a point that he wasn’t taking his hatred to a racist level and somewhat called us here inAmericaout while he made that statement.

Hate is hate no matter how you paint it or act on it. This weekend someone acted on it in a cowardly level. As I’ve said before it’s sad how the internet connects us on many levels from our love for arts to entertainment and hatred. People seem to be flocking to sites where people are against something from race to religion and a way of life which ultimately is making our world a more divided place then ever.

The fact is that what happened inNorwaywill be old news in the next few weeks. The depressing part of that fact is that as well as Breivik actions in Norway will be old news so will the eye opening fact that there are so many hate groups in the world mainly here in America and Europe. Breivik stated that he went to a meeting inLondon, he lived inFranceand bought a farm inNorwaymeans this hate of his has spread to throughoutEuropewith him. What’s to stop the next hatemonger from traveling around then getting fed up and feel the need to express that haired? I’m all for freedom of press and one having hatred, and hate groups aren’t new at all. The fact that people are taking that hatred out to the public is something that needs addressed to put some kind of leash on what can be a deadly trend.

We need the Separation of Church and State

It’s that time where we will see all the Primaries as well as hear from the know it alls that know the conservatives republican voters. This also means we’re going to hear a lot of Evangelical talk, about to me, non issues. Yes Abortion isn’t high on my list, it’s not a concern to me if a candidate is or isn’t pro life. What ideas that candidate has to fix our education system and economy is where I’m at, not they’re view on gays.

I’m not against Evangelicals, I’m against the fact that the one sided fears and hates that the group has for certain things seem to become the focus in debates. I’m also sick of seeing those same fears and hates are cloaked in their religion. I’m not cool with the fact no one even begins to address that with the exception of Obama in 08 to put this issue in some proper context. Those same ideologies led to the death of a man inKansasbecause he performed abortions, the killers defense was simply some act of God type defense, make the victim the bad guy and his killer the victim. The guy on trail and those who supported his decision to shot that doctor felt no need to even feel remorse at all. These are the people the Republicans find themselves trying to impress to get votes from, people who are no different than those people back in the day who burned women alive because same people believed they were witches… They did that because of faith too by the way.

So we will get back to personal choices being political issues, we missed it last election because of the financial crisis but after the mid terms last year you knew it was gonna be brought back up at full force. Evangelicals are boiling their thoughts on things down to pro life, anit gays, anti Islam, anti people of color and pro Jesus. Yes, that Christian part is what messed Romney up in the Republican primaries in 08’ and it’s still an issue this time. Kennedy had people against him because he was Catholic. The question of who Obama prays to is still a question up for debate in some parts of the country. If that concerns an Evangelical far more than jobs again why are we as a nation allowing them to dictate how debates shape out? Economy, foreign policy and abortion… Abortion? How about Gay marriage or civil union, that comes up too along with education. I remember when creationism vs. evolution was a political issue, your view on these issues could cost you votes.

Maybe this is the last great battle for our country, the need to eliminate all this racism, gay bashing, anti Islam and just invoking ones personal belief (being pro life) being passed as good Christian American values. We’ve gotten rid of prayer in school, we’re saying happy holiday instead of Merry Christmas, Easter break is now spring break, every major city has a gay pride celebration so why not stop all this religious talk in politics? I’ve always felt that your belief is your business and when evangelic faith based conferences for presidential hopefuls becomes major news it makes it seem as if religion is bigger than national issues… Not all religion just Christianity, not all Christians views either just the Anglo-Saxon Evangelical ones.

 

 

Malcolm X the movie 92’

 

I remember the Boogie Down Productions second album title and cover and the homage to Malcolm X. Between that album and Publics Enemys’ It’s Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back  I really found myself wanting to know more about Malcolm X. In 8^th Grade our social studies teacher who names is not coming to me now said after the Christmas/holiday/winter break we would start learning about Malcolm X. We were excited, happy and confused because the teacher was a thin older white lady and what could she teach us about a true black leader? Well she taught us where the “anger” he was labeled for having came from as she read from his autobiography. To hear the transformation, many transformations this man went through was mind blowing at a young age. Then years later the movie came out, I was young and didn’t want to sit in a theater for about 3 hours. I did notice all the late teens and 20 somethings were talking about it hard. Some didn’t like the fact it wasn’t as “hard” as they thought it would be, some felt like becoming Muslims right then. I saw the movie on HBO my first time and was mesmerized by it. To this day if I’m channel surfing and it’s on I will watch it and I have both DVDs.

 Speaking of DVDs I was on Amazon and saw the 2 disc special edition of Malcolm X and I had to get it. What I love is the fact you get commentary from Spike Lee, Ernest Dickerson, Barry Alexander Brown and Ruth Cater sometime before Inside Man because Spike never mentions how Christopher Plummer and Denzel Washington were in that movie together. To hear Spike Lee tell how he went to Minister Farrakhan not for his blessings but out of respect For The Nation Of Islam. Spike said they had some disagreements about the way The Honorable Elijah Muhammad was depicted in the film. Spike said he got a letter after the films release stating The Minister still had issues with the film but also knew it was an important film. I had been waiting and hoping there would be a Commentary for this film just to know what the vibe was like during the filming process. To hear the short cuts they took to get shots for scenes and how they were inspired by The Godfather to do that was cool. To hear how the day of shooting for the assassination scene was a somber shoot and everyone was on edge. To this day I hate getting to that part of the film.

 You also get  a brief, well not really brief history on how much went into the making of this film. I was young and really could have cared less about the behind the scenes stuff that went on for a movie to be made so I was close to just not watching that part of the DVD. I’m glad I did see the shit Spike Lee went through to make this film, it was inspiring.  To hear that Spike went to Norman Jewison and Marvin Worth to tell them that he should direct Malcolm X is crazy and brave. To learn Warner Bros. were happy to have Spike be there to do the film since by this time his films were considered bold with a fresh look was cool, but the conflict was just a sad. Spike went in to it thinking he would get A class treatment since it was Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. figured he’s done amazing things with a low budget so they weren’t looking to spend much on Malcolm X. Hearing the conflict of not wanting to go to Egypt and Mecca and being told shoot those scenes on a beach with fake pyramids is sad. I didn’t even know Denzel had played Malcolm in a play years before the movie was going through casting. We all know, well those who remember that time when the news was Oprah, Cosby, Jordan, Magic and many other prominent African Americans gave Spike Lee money to finish the film since Warner Bros. and a third party bonds company was trying to invest the kind of paper needed. Warner Bros. wasn’t cool with the length of the film and Spike said it was just as important as JFK the Oliver Stone picture that came out that year, also a Warner Bros. film, and that film was long 

 The actual Documentary which was based on the Autobiography Of Malcolm X is also on the two DVD set. The same speeches and quotes you hear in the film are heard in the documentary, the voice over Denzel does in the film James Earl Jones does in the documentary. Even the eulogy by the great Ossie Davis is on the Documentary. I found myself watching that four times just because it really was Malcolm X and to see and hear the actual man inspiring. To hear the impact he had on black people being interviewed after his assassination is powerful, black people not just African Americans were touched by this great man. To see in the documentary the near the end of his life he was following similar steps that Marcus Garvey, a man Malcolm’s farther was a follower of, to have African Americans reconnect with those in Africa is heartfelt. To see that Malcolm like Martin had a broader scope on things pass civil equal rights for African Americans was cool.

 The movie itself made more since after seeing the documentary, I understood what Sophia meant when she asked if she was the first what woman he had been with that wasn’t a prostitute. I enjoyed the how the movie truly takes you on the ride of every change in this mans life. Even now watching hundreds of times I still view it like it’s the first time, sometimes. Though the box office sells were far from great the fact that this film was made and is still one of the better films about Malcolm X is saying something. I saw on Amazon Morgan Freeman is in a movie as Malcolm X but the reviews were bad, still might get it it’s Morgan Freeman.The one set back I do have to touch on is that the film itself is spit up. One DVD has one half and the other half on disc 2? Maybe that was to not have the entire special features stuff on one disc and the film on the other or just a different move by Warner Bros., who knows. In any event this is and always will be a great film to me. This DVD edition is what you need if you are a follower of Malcolm X and what he stood for.

The first day of Islamic celebration falls September the 11th

I’ve heard that many ceremonies will be toning things down because the end of Ramadan falls on 9/11. I feel conflicted about this not that I agree or disagree with the decision to tone it down. I feel it’s more so because as of late our country has really become anti- Islamic. I’ve heard a few hotels around the country that have rented out ball rooms for the ceremony  for years have not allowed the Muslims to book the ball rooms this year. Again I think it’s good that a portion of Muslims in America are aware of the sensitivity that Americans have about 9/11 but to not truly embrace the celebration is kind of wrong.

 I heard on some NPR show one Islamic community has chosen to skip what would have been like a carnival type event that the kids were looking forward to today. I’m pretty sure if the adults explain it to the kids they will be fine with it. I mean the post Ramadan festivities last for three days, maybe they could still have it another day. Before 9/11 something like Ramadan wasn’t even something Americans gave any thought about now these celebrations have made news only because of the first day falls on 9/11. If this country just took time to open up and look outward TODAY and any day general to understand Islam this rush to group all Muslims together as potential terrorist might stop. The Average Muslim knows about much of the Christian faith, how is it Christians can’t find the time to learn something about the religion of Islam besides they don’t eat pork and they fast for a month?  

 This is way more personal to me because I know so much about the Islamic faith, my uncle is or was a Muslim, I haven’t had contact with him since the mid 90’s as a kid, he left a Quran at our crib and I read it as well as copy of the Torah an old man gave me as he was moving out around the same summer. I grew up around Muslims my whole life whether they converted in juvie or jail, they were African, Middle Eastern or from India. I know about the extreme stuff to the more peaceful tranquil stuff. Even when 9/11 happened that Tuesday I lived by a grocery store owned by Iraqis, my roommate work for an Egyptian couple, of course that shouldn’t matter but during that time if you were from that part of the world no one cared about where you were from, and a corner store that had some of the best hot dogs I’ve ever tasted the owner was from Iran… Nobody rushed in and stormed the place or stopped shopping at their stores, now a few weeks after jokes would fly about calling the people on them because they might part of some group but the owners and workers never took it to heart. Now a co- worker of mine at that time said Philly went crazy on any Middle Eastern people and stores and seems like he was bit proud of it as if those people on the streets and  at the store were in on the whole thing. It was a reminder of how vastly different people are and how obviously there was some pinned up frustration towards those people in Philly. Its like we’re living by Muslims people and aren’t really reaching out to ask questions. The way it has become evident that anti- Islamic vibes has crept up out of the blue lately you would think some Christian leader black or white would extend a hand find a way to show that we in America can understand all Muslims aren’t part of this extremist attitude and that will still won’t forget what happened nines years ago. As much as we have made 9/11 into a day of remembering and mourning lets make it a day of understanding.

International Burn A Quran Day…. Really?

So Apparently Pastor Terry Jones feels its right to burn a copy of the Quran on September 11^th Saturday. It seems strange to do it now as because its 2010, I mean if it was to have happened the year after due to outrage people might not have been so vocal against this stunt. Doing it now just adds on to a disturbing trend that has been going on all year really and that a racist attitude. It’s not just America I’m talking about either, the whole world is going through some odd racist moment this year. 

 The people of Gainesville Florida aren’t completely behind this crazy stunt which is cool, he couldn’t even get a permit to burn the Quran. It’s frightens me to think that a Christian, any people of faith in America would go to such an extreme. All this is a weird trend of hating Muslims that has been placed to forefront since the debate and “outrage” of the Mosque being built by Ground Zero. Once people spoke out loud against a religion things got out of hand, a sense of hatred towards Muslims heighten or just became more visible. The one positive thing that came from this is that the Islamic college students in Gainesville have planned to feed the homeless while this “International Burn A Quran Day”. Somehow people forgot how even President Bush went out of his way to make the distinction between the religion of Islam of those extremist who plotted out what happened on 9/11.

 As a country we’re really contradicting when it comes to our own “extremist”. If any group does something that endangers peoples lives in the name of Jesus there will be evangelicals on someone’s news show telling the public to separate the nut from the millions of Christians in America. It will be made clear that Christianity had nothing to do with those incidents at all. But we’re coming going after a whole religion not a group of people. Even as people who have called in on the shows I’ve heard make it point to point out the in the Middle East there have been Bible burnings, all those in the Middle East aren’t part of that just as all those in America don’t agree with the burning of the Quran.

 What else is throwing me off is how besides Hilary Clinton no other politicians is speaking out against because it’s just wrong. Now General Petraeus spoke out but in the protection of the troops overseas. It could be taken that Petraeus is against the burning of a Quaran but he against it because it puts troops in danger. And though Obama has added his two cents it falls in line with Petraeus more than Clinton. He too has spoken out against  for the sake of troops safety. It’s sad Obama can’t fully just speak out because it is just wrong to go through with such an act. He put his foot in his mouth when he spoke in favor of the Mosque being build by Ground Zero, add that to the fact people still feel Obama is a Muslim, as if it matters. So he can’t even begin to really say much about this without becoming a target himself.

 To go through with burning a Quarn is to be willing to set us back as a people, as a country. It could be viewed as truly proving the point America is a Christian nation and all others religions aren’t welcomed or recognized. I may have came off a bit strong with that last statement but I don’t think so. If any other religion group, especially Islamic were to burn a Bible they would be considered terrorist. Since it’s an evangelical the constitutional freedoms come into play. If he does it Pastor Jones won’t be charged with anything, he’ll be fined because he has no permit to burn the Quran but there will be no charges at all for doing it. This act and even more so the sound bytes condoning the act will be the face of our country to the world, while the act of those Muslim college students helping the homeless in the same area can’t even be the be the face of their religion in that area. I wish I had something positive to end off with, the most I can do is hope the guys chooses not to go through with this.