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?

經濟學人對此沒有太多主觀的評價。簡單提到每年估計有五千位英國人改信伊斯蘭，至今約有十萬皈依的英國穆斯林。原因很多，有的是因為婚姻，有的是因為厭倦當前英國的社會風氣（如性解放）。也有英國男士是因為在監獄中接觸伊斯蘭而入教。這些皈依的穆斯林，在英國社會遇到各式各樣的問題（如家庭、朋友與原生穆斯林等關係）。

剛才看X戰警，劇情中美國議員強力主張國會必須立法，以方便管理變種人的行動。因為有些變種人不能融入社會，最後走向極端攻擊正常人。但更多的變種人則是害怕受到正常人的歧視與攻擊，而不願透露自己是變種人。生活在西方的穆斯林如同這些變種人一樣，感受到主流媒體與多數民眾對他們的不安與恐懼。未來是否西方穆斯林會面臨與變種人的同等待遇，值得關注。

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.

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。

而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。

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.

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。

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。