: Reflections On Ramadan Sadaqa (Charity)

Why is it that we give sadaqa, or what is normally translated as charity? Why do we spend of our wealth for the poor and the needy? Why do we give zakat, a specific subcategory of sadaqa which is the obligatory alms? A preliminary answer would be that we do so simply because Allah (swt) and His Messenger command it. Allah (swt) and His Prophet (saw) instruct the believers to give zakat, as well we all know. And beyond zakat, we are greatly encouraged to spend of our substance for those in need. We see this commanded in the Qur’an as follows:

“O ye who believe! Spend out of of [the bounties] We have provided for you, before the day comes when there will be no bargaining, no friendship and no intercession.”

(2:254) “O ye who believe! Give of the good things which ye have earned, and of the fruits of the earth which we have produced for youexpressions of prejudice there has been an increasing tendency to connect the religion of Islam with the criminal acts of individuals, and to connect any criticism of Israeli policies, U.S. foreign policy, or defense of Islam with anti-Americanism, bigotry, or anti-Semitism. Even the Harvard University President, Lawrence Summers, in a September 17th speech equated criticism of Israel and a divestment campaign with actual reprehensible examples of anti-Semitism.

The most recent development appears to be an organized effort to marginalize any scholars who may have questioned any of these policies (particularly Muslim, East Asian or Arab scholars and academics) and to intimidate them into silence.

This effort is focused on a website founded by Daniel Pipes, a promoter of anti-Arab and anti-Islamic prejudice who supports an extreme right-wing version of Zionism. Daniel Pipes and the organizations he is associated with (Middle East Forum and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy) are attempting to cast themselves as the “authentic” sources of information on the Middle East and Islam.

The site, Campus Watch at www.campuswatch.org, has begun with an initial “blacklist” of 8 professors and 14 universities that they consider biased and claim “fan the flames of disinformation, incitement and ignorance”, and it proposes to maintain what it calls “dossiers” on professors and academic institutions deemed insufficiently pro-Israel, or too “soft” on Islam, and collect information from students regarding their professors’ scholarly conclusions and political views. The dossiers themselves are flimsy and the conclusions drawn are from out of context quotes, innuendo and guilt by association. The problem is that most of those incited to react by these materials will not read past the headlines.

The professors are: M. Shahid Alam, Northeastern University; Juan Cole, University of Michigan; Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University; John Esposito, Georgetown University; Rashid Khalidi, University of Chicago; Joseph Massad, Columbia University; Ali Mazrui, State University of New York, Binghamton; Snehal Shingavi, University of California – Berkeley.

The reasons these professors need monitoring are varied, they may support the Palestinian cause, oppose war in the Middle East, support human rights, have expressed any criticism of Israel, or have defended Islam. This somehow offends MEF and is seen as contrary to their stated purpose of “defending the interests of America.”

It seems that the only reason that the list of professors is so short is because these have been singled out to be a test case or example to others. If this tactic is successful, then it seems likely that others will be added and targeted in their turn.

The “dossiers on institutions” section leads with numerous condemnations of Colorado College for inviting Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi to speak at a symposium. Also included are the University of North Carolina where freshmen were assigned readings from the Qur’an, and Harvard where a student delivered the commencement address originally entitled “My American Jihad.”

This organized national campaign to silence academic criticism of Israel and to marginalize American Arabs and Muslims is incompatible with the cherished American values of free speech and inquiry. Such intellectual intimidation also serves to cut off avenues for exploring possibilities for peace.

It is also clear that any reasonable person could have foreseen (particularly in the current political climate) that this McCarthyite tactic of listing individuals in cyberspace could provoke extremists to respond inappropriately. Expression in cyberspace includes a far greater speed of communication and a capacity to convey messages to a far wider audience. This has been the case and has already generated email spamming, hostile or threatening phone calls, internet identity theft, and harassment of the professors named. In some cases the targeted professors’ email communications have been rendered inoperable.

Academic freedom in universities is essential. Free speech is not simply an aspect of academic freedom to be weighed against other possibilities, it is the precondition for academic freedom. Professors and students must be able to exercise their legal rights as citizens, and to express opinions whether or not they agree with the majority. Academic expression of ideas may inspire vigorous debate on social, economic, and political issues that arouse strong passions. This debate of ideas is critical. However, when rather than debate ideas, we instead attempt to tarnish the reputation of the individual expressing the ideas that can only be seen as an attempt to coerce silence or acquiescence.

The Campus Watch Site of the Middle East Forum states that it is “dedicated to defending the interests of America”, however such activities can only harm the interests of America.

Sheila Musaji is Editor of The American Muslim.