2013年12月27日 星期五

Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream

美國穆斯林調查報告

The first-ever, nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans finds them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world.

The Pew Research Center conducted more than 55,000 interviews to obtain a national sample of 1,050 Muslims living in the United States. Interviews were conducted in English, Arabic, Farsi and Urdu. The resulting study, which draws on Pew’s survey research among Muslims around the world, finds that Muslim Americans are a highly diverse population, one largely composed of immigrants. Nonetheless, they are decidedly American in their outlook, values and attitudes. This belief is reflected in Muslim American income and education levels, which generally mirror those of the public.
Key findings include:

How many people convert to Islam?

經濟學有太多主評價簡單提到每年估有五千位英人改信伊斯,至今有十皈依的英穆斯林。原因很多,有的是因婚姻,有的是因為厭前英的社會風氣(如性解放)。也有英男士是因監獄中接伊斯而入教。些皈依的穆斯林,在英遇到各式各問題(如家庭、朋友原生穆斯林等關係)。

才看X警,情中美國議員強力主張國會立法,以方便管理變種人的行。因有些變種不能融入社,最後走向端攻正常人。但更多的變種害怕受到正常人的歧視與擊,而不願透露自己是變種人。生活在西方的穆斯林如同變種人一,感受到主流媒體與眾對的不安。未是否西方穆斯林臨與變種人的同等待遇,值得注。

IN THE wake of the attacks on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, speculation has grown about the possible involvement of Samantha Lewthwaite, a British convert to Islam. Ms Lewthwaite, known as the “White Widow”, was married to Germaine Lindsay, one of the London 7/7 bombers and himself a convert. She is wanted by Interpol and the Kenyan police in connection with a separate alleged bomb plot. Ms Lewthwaite, the daughter of a British soldier who served in Northern Ireland, grew up in the English home counties and converted to Islam in her teens. How common are converts to Islam? And why do they adopt the religion?
Those who embrace Islam tend to do so after years of contact with Muslims. (Ms Lewthwaite reportedly had a close relationship with Muslim neighbours during her youth.) Some, mostly women who make up around two-thirds of new believers in Britain, convert because they want to marry a Muslim. Others are fed up with what they see as the bawdiness of British society. Many speak of seeking a sense of community. Prisons have proven fertile ground for conversions for men. Some worry that those who convert in jail are exposed to more radical strains of Islam; others say that Islam's discipline and structure, along with the support they received from other Muslims, helped them to cope with life inside.

2013年12月15日 星期日

The Massacre of Karbala: A Historical Analysis



該影片從遜尼穆斯林觀點,清楚介紹阿里兒子Hussein之死的歷史。Hussein之死,導致後來什葉派發展一套神學論述,不同於遜尼。

Hussein之死,對遜尼穆斯林來說,是一場歷史悲劇,但沒有影響到後來伊斯蘭法學的發展。該演講花了將近兩個小時的時間,清楚講述當時的歷史脈絡、參與人員的相對責任以及為何最終導致這個歷史悲劇。

東方主義學者,自認為可以清楚地,不帶偏見理解伊斯蘭歷史。但僅僅以Hussein之死的歷史事件來看,遜尼或是什葉學者有不同的歷史詮釋角度。即使遜尼與什葉內部,對於相關細節也有不同的解讀。對這些自認公正與客觀的東方主義者,這邊只要問他們一句,有哪一位學者有自信已閱讀過這一千年以來的所有文本?如果這點沒有辦法做到,在「文獻回顧」討論上,本身就是一個很大的問題。說到底,東方主義學者的研究,本身也僅是一個論述,與學術客觀與否毫無關係,也不需要用這套論述來教訓穆斯林。

2013年12月12日 星期四

A century-old Ottoman legacy in China

有趣的歷史。介紹鄂圖曼帝國的蘇丹,派遣特使到中國,試圖與中國穆斯林建立友好關係。之後在北京建立伊斯蘭大學。這可以從當時清國與鄂圖曼帝國同時在西方半殖民與殖民的背景理解。

20 January 2010 /MESUT ÇEVIKALP/OSMAN EROL
An Austrian steamship which left İstanbul silently on April 28, 1901, stopping briefly in both İzmir and Alexandria, and then passed through the Red Sea and headed towards the Far East, wound up spurring all of the various Western agents and envoys in the region into action.

Before the steamship had even reached China, the Western envoys in Beijing were all sending encrypted messages back to their capitals: “The ‘tricky Sultan’ in İstanbul has started up new maneuvers to try and pull the Muslims in China onto his side. A nine-person delegation is arriving in China.”
When, after a long and difficult journey, the Ottoman delegation reached China, there were celebrations in the region. Crowds of Chinese Muslims rushed to the Shanghai port to see the steamship. And not only Western newspapers, but in fact the world press turned over generous amounts of space to the coverage of this event at the time. Though the Chinese leadership greeted the visiting Ottoman delegation warmly, the Western colonial powers present in China at the time were not as relaxed. There was great curiosity about what the real reason behind the visit to China by Enver Pasha -- sent by Sultan Abdülhamid II himself -- really was. This being the case, the pasha and his accompanying delegation (composed of his wife, two clerks, two scholars, two soldiers, and various manservants) spent the next four months of their visit basically surrounded by a circle of Western agents and envoys. In his fluent French, and through his influential style, Enver Pasha told both the Chinese Muslims and the various foreign envoys that he was in China to deliver messages of peace from Sultan Abdülhamid II. The Westerners, however, were not inclined to believe these assurances.

2013年12月9日 星期一

The House of Wisdom by Jonathan Lyons



該演講談到,西方與伊斯蘭文明的關係並非是「文明的衝突」。事實上,過去中世紀穆斯林學者將希臘與印度等地的文獻,大量翻譯成阿拉伯文。後來歐洲人藉由這些翻譯著作,重新認識古典西方知識。

2013年12月2日 星期一

Riz Khan - Hamza Yusuf - 13 Jun 07

討論內容
1. 生活在西方國家的穆斯林,生活更接近伊斯蘭之道?
2. 對於瓦哈比的看法。
3. 給美國總統布希的建議
4. 對恐怖主義的看法。



2013年11月24日 星期日

網路伊斯蘭? Sheikh your Google

在非穆斯林社會生活中的穆斯林,在缺乏健全伊斯蘭教育與環境的情況下,該如何學習伊斯蘭知識?特別是對於皈依穆斯林或是缺乏伊斯蘭家庭教育的世襲穆斯林而言?

清真寺通常是第一個選擇,因為阿訇可以教導我們正確的知識。但有時因各種因素,未必可以常到清真寺報到,那要如何學習伊斯蘭呢?

或許網路是個方式。在英國與美國的穆斯林學者,他們同樣受過傳統伊斯蘭教育,在網路上架設個人網站或是在Youtube上放置他們的演講,傳遞伊斯蘭的知識。

不過,僅透過網路學習,是否能學習到伊斯蘭的正確知識?

2013年11月8日 星期五

Prophet Ibrahim (Stories of the Prophets)

Ibrahim先知的啟發:無論在多麼艱難的情況下,依舊堅信 安拉。

2013年11月7日 星期四

Islam and Homosexuality” by Tariq Ramadan

The Islamic position on homosexuality has become one of the most sensitive issues facing Muslims living in the West, particularly in Europe.

It is being held up as the key to any eventual “integration” of Muslims into Western culture, as if European culture and values could be reduced to the simple fact of accepting homosexuality. The contours of this de facto European culture is in a state of constant flux, shifting according to the topic of the day. Just as some insist, as do the Pope and certain intellectuals—often dogmatic and exclusivist defenders of the Enlightenment—that Europe’s roots are Greek and Christian (thus excluding Muslims), so several homosexual spokesman and the politicians who support them are now declaring (with an identical rejection of Muslims) that the “integration of Muslims” depends on their acceptance of homosexuality.

The contradiction is a serious one: does Christianity, which forms the root structure of European culture, and which purports to embody European values and identity, not condemn homosexuality? A curious marriage. Unless the contradiction is intended to stigmatize Islam and Muslims by presenting them as “the Other”… without fear of self-contradiction.

穆斯林學者討論當前爭議性問題 1


2013年11月6日 星期三

THE ISSUE OF WOMEN by Tariq Ramadan

The issue of women has always been a priority in my commitment. I have kept questioning traditional interpretations and inviting Muslims to honest lucidity and critical reflection over the situation of women in Muslim majority societies and in communities settled in the West. The point was not to respond to Western criticisms by adopting a defensive (or altogether apologetic) attitude but to answer the requirement of intellectual probity and consistency. I have repeated this many times: Islam has no problem with women, but Muslims do clearly appear to have serious problems with them, and the reasons and sometimes the (questionable) justifications for this must be sought from within.

First, there is a double phenomenon at the source of all the theological and social constructions that have been established a posteriori. The issue of women is among those most widely affected by literalist readings of the Quran and of Prophetic traditions. Neglecting the fact that the Revelation took place in a given context and that its transmission over a period of twenty-three years determines an orientation as to divine pedagogy, literalist readings freeze the text out of its context, of its internal progression, and of the ends of the global message. They proceed by “reduction” and sometimes manage to justify interpretations that clearly contradict the overall message in its historical evolution or the model of behaviour set by the Prophet of Islam. Beyond unjustified practices (such as physical violence as already mentioned), reformist and literalist interpretations differ in their very conception of women, and of their identity and autonomy. Literalist interpretations integrate the patriarchal context of the time without any critical distance and associate women’s presence and role to their relation to men, while the reformist approach reaches out beyond the historical context to extract fundamental objectives as to women’s identity and their status as autonomous beings. Women should thus become subjects and master their own fates.

2013年10月13日 星期日

沒有歧視的台灣社會?

許多台灣人同情那些中東社會保守氣氛下的世俗化女性,認為儘管沒有人強迫她們戴上頭巾,但受於社會氣氛,因多數人戴頭巾的關係,所以感受到外在壓力而不情願地帶上頭巾了。

不過他們可能不會知道,在我們所處的台灣社會,即使到了現在,許多台灣的穆斯林們,依舊認為外界給予許多精神上的壓力,如在公開場合上戴頭巾,擔心別人異樣的眼光、外出與朋友聚餐只能選擇素食或是海鮮食物,但又怕朋友不太高興禮拜時間到了,不好意思和朋友或客戶說,怕破壞氣氛找工作時擔心老闆不同意禮拜或是戴頭巾的要求,還有婚姻等其他議題。

再者,台灣媒體對伊斯蘭訊息的報導,導致民在網路上瘋狂的留言怒罵,以及一些專家在媒體上暢談伊斯蘭事務,這讓許多台灣穆斯林感到信仰遭到攻擊與被羞辱。這種內心受傷的感受是非穆斯林所無法深入體會的。

實話,筆者也是因為這種無形的壓力,進入大學之後才真正開始學習自己的宗教。到現在自認有點能力可以反駁這種歧視性的言論。

2013年9月29日 星期日

信仰與生活




牛津大學教授Tariq Ramadan接受訪談。主持人提出許多敏感的問題。如

1. 宗教是助長與滋養暴力的來源嗎?
2. 信仰宗教的人是非理性的嗎?
3. 宗教與極端主義的關係?
4. 如何看待現實與原則的差距?
5. 何謂伊斯蘭法(Sharia)與教法判令(Fatwa)?

Ramadan教授表示,如果說到暴力,則先必須討論人性,暴力與宗教沒有什麼關係。身為人類,我們應該先對抗自己的內在黑暗(Inner violence)一面。伊斯蘭的古蘭經或是基督教的聖經談到人類如何應對暴力。如伊斯蘭談到Jihad,不是與暴力相連,而是朝向和平的方式。達到這個和平境界,首先個人必須先處理內在的緊張關係。

另外有宗教信仰的人不能說缺乏理性。因為在古蘭經許多經文中,已經提醒世人思考造物者的跡象。如「難道你們不知道嗎」這個問句常出現在古蘭經中,目的是提醒世人思考經文示的意義與內涵。


Ramadan教授提到伊斯蘭的最高原則是「平安」(Peace)而非正義(Justice)。穆斯林進入真主的祥和之地,是最高境界。如經文對天園的描述:「你們進入天園吧,你們沒有恐懼,也不憂愁。」(7:49)

2013年8月25日 星期日

伊斯蘭觀點中的正義

「在美國最著名大學——哈佛大學的法學院正門入口處的牆上,銘刻古蘭經《婦女章》第135節明文,並稱其是歷史以來,對“正義”這個詞最偉大的表述。

這節尊貴的古蘭經文被銘刻在哈佛大學法學院正門入口的牆上。該面牆專門用來銘刻歷史上,關於“正義”一詞的最主要的表述。

這節古蘭經明文的容是:“通道的人們啊!你們當維護公道,當為真主而作證,即使不利於你們自身,和父母至親。無論被證的人,是富足的,還是貧窮的,你們都應當秉公作證;真主是最宜於關切富翁和貧民的。你們不要順從私慾,以致偏私。如果你們歪曲事實,或拒作證,那末,真主確是徹知你們的行為的。”(婦女章:135)

哈佛大學法學院稱,這節古蘭經明文是歷史以來,表述“正義”一詞最偉大的詞句。」