Faith, Family, Autism--Not Always in that Order
A year ago CAIR-NY Civil Rights Manager Cyrus McGoldrick, who was conducting twice weekly “Know Your Rights” workshops in the New York Muslim community, reeled in shock – along with many other Muslim, civil rights and Arab-American activists – as the story broke of rampant Muslim profiling being done by the New York Police Department in the name of counterterrorism. Until then, McGoldrick (and others) had been teaching Muslim communities to forge trusting relationships with law … [Read more...]
The kids came home from school today with the usual Valentine’s paraphernalia. We don’t “do” the holiday at home really. (Though husband I joke back and forth about it, our latest being riffs on this picture he saw on Facebook that you see to the right. You know -- things like No Valentines! Talk to the hand!) Jokes aside, figuring out what to do with the kids when it comes to non-religious “holidays” (which often stem from some religious practice centuries ago) has been a work in … [Read more...]
I was cleaning out some kitchen cabinets and came across two business cards from an FBI agent, from when he came a-knocking twice last year on our front door. The first time none of us were home and his card was slid under our door. I’m a fairly unflappable person – pretty much autism-related difficulties are the only things that rattles me. But the fact that an FBI agent visited our home, well that made me pause. Twelve years ago when I took on the job that launched my career as a … [Read more...]
What’s your jihad? Mine is autism awareness and living with autism. My jihad is my son, Lil D, and helping him (and our family) overcome challenges brought on by his autism, helping him be as healthy as possible and finding out what we can do to make him happy. My jihad is making a place for him in this world, getting this world to accept him, care for him, and help him to succeed the best that he can. My jihad is my children -- raising proud, well-adjusted, Muslim-American children … [Read more...]
Growing up in North Dakota and later in Maryland, any time a Muslim holiday rolled around (Eid ul Fitr or Eid ul Adha), I took off from school to celebrate it. As I got into higher grades, there were times I just took a few hours off to attend Eid prayers and then headed back to school so I wouldn't miss an important test or assignment. Being in Advanced Placement and honors classes in high school, even missing one day made it tough to catch up. Back then, there also weren't as many activities … [Read more...]
I took the kids (younger two) to Jummah (Friday) prayers today at one of our local mosques. The khutbah (sermon) was about making the most of the month of Sha’baan and preparing for the holy month of Ramadan. Sure comes up on you fast, doesn’t it? We are a month away from Ramadan (predicted to start on July 20, depending on the siting of the new moon) and aside from the hilarious spiritual discussion trolling the social networks about how a Muslim should handle the problem of opening night … [Read more...]
Anyone who tries to connect that divide between raising an autistic child and adhering to faith traditions knows what a difficult task that is. And I’m not talking about crisis of faith, about those “What is God’s plan? or “Why my child?” or “Will my prayers ever be answered?” type of problems. I’m talking about including special needs children in faith practices and in houses of worship. Whether the child is high-functioning, moderate, or severely autistic, whether he can … [Read more...]
This is a guest post from Hesham Hassaballa, who will soon be joining the Patheos family as a columnist. My entire life has been an evolution of belief, opinion and thought. A big part of that has been my religious interpretation. My committment to my Islamic faith has never waivered. Indeed, I did have a crisis of faith during my university years, but my devotion to the Lord has never weakened. But, I have changed considerably over the past decade. In 2002, I penned a piece for … [Read more...]
So what is free speech, really? Is it the right to burn the American flag? The right to sponsor a campaign to “Draw the Prophet Muhammad,” which offends a sizeable faction of the American population? The right to say what you want, when you want? The right to wear a black armband on your arm in protest of war? The right to use speech that others may deem hateful? The right to protest? The right to insult? The right to praise? What is free speech, if it isn’t one of the most fundamental … [Read more...]
The Muslim Portal at Patheos is hosting the “Three Questions” project for the month of September in conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the terrorist acts of 9/11. We are asking American Muslims from across the nation three simple but important questions. Click here to learn more about the project. Sheila Musaji, founder and director of The Amerian Muslim, offers her answers to the three questions: 1. What is the most pressing issue or concern for you as a Muslim in … [Read more...]
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