Najat Fares Kessler

Brilliant Woman and a Great Leader: Professor Amina Wadud

2006-03-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

'I am a Nigger, and you will just have to put up with my blackness,' Professor Amina Wadud Confronts Her Hecklers in Toronto By Tarek Fatah
Published on muslimwakeup.com -Source muslimwakeup.com

Amina Wadud, Professor of Islamic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective, was speaking as part of a series sponsored by York University and the Noor Cultural Centre that has brought a number of academics to speak on the current state of Islam and the Muslim world.
Wadud's reputation preceded her, resulting in standing room only in Toronto's most progressive mosque, the only place in Canada where men and women pray side-by-side in separate enclosures
Midway through her speech titled "The Qur’an, Women and Interpretive Possibilities," Wadud waded into the minefield by addressing some difficult passages of the Qur’an. Breaking the ultimate taboo in the Muslim narrative, she stated that despite the fact the Qur’an explicitly asks for cutting off the hands of thieves, she did not agree with the Qur’an. She said she understood that this was a very difficult subject to talk about, but she would be dishonest to herself if she did not express her views.
She maintained that as a Muslim with Allah close to her heart, in all honesty she could not continue with the hypocrisy of lying about how she felt about some verses of the Qur’an.
The basis of her talk was "How to be God's agent (khalifa) on Earth; to be a moral agent of the Creator." In this context, she presented four ways of looking at Qu'ranic verses which Muslims find difficulty dealing with. She identified the four methods as: (1) The literal readings of the text, (2) The legalistic arguments that constrain how verses are applied, (3) Reinterpretation from alternative perspectives, and (4) Saying "No to the Qur'an" when one disagrees with it.
Pursuing the last point, she declared that she could not intellectually or spiritually accept some things in the Qur'an, for example some of the hudud punishments like the cutting of hands or the permission to beat one's wife. She made it clear that she was denying neither the religion nor the revelation. "It is the Qur'an," she said, "that gives me the means to say no to the Qur'an."
However, many in the audience were completely unprepared for her honesty.
She had barely finished her talk when a long line of people lined up at the microphone to ask questions. One woman, who identified herself as a professor of Arabic Language at a Toronto University, took the mike and started lambasting Wadud, suggesting that she had come to her conclusion because she did not understand Arabic and that she had misread the Qur'an, saying, "You know only one verse of the Qur’an." Instead of a question, Wadud was subjected to a rant that was largely incomprehensible. The professor continued, accusing Wadud of supporting illicit sex, when Wadud had made no such reference.
"That is the most idiotic nonsense I have ever heard," Wadud replied.
When Amina Wadud referred to the 9/11 tragedy and the fact that some Muslims deemed it Islamic to crash planes into buildings and kill innocent people, a section of the crowd interrupted her. "What about Israel killing Palestinians," they yelled. One middle-aged heckler said, "She is a CIA agent." Other men and women lined up at the mike to accuse her of all sorts of things.
Another man, angered by Wadud's 9/11 remark, came to the mike and lectured Her. "Let me remind you that no Muslim was involved in the 9/11 attack." Wadud did not dignify his remark with a response.
One young man, with his oversized shirt hanging out, mimicking a rapper, took the mike out of its stand, twirled around, and started addressing the audience, with his back towards Wadud, accusing her of not knowing the Qur'an.
Wadud responded to this outrageous display of rudeness by intervening and saying, "This young man is uncomfortable with what I have said and so instead of asking a question, he wishes to give a speech... why don't you come up on the stage and I will go and sit in the crowd." Then she stepped down from the podium and asked the young man to take her place, which he did. Holding the mike in his hand, he harangued her and said she did not know enough about Islam.
One questioner apologized to Wadud for the rudeness of some members of the audience, suggesting very few Muslim men had ever seen or heard an African American woman in charge and in command. She responded that as a black woman, she knew what it is to have one's views rejected, she thundered to an applause that started with a few hesitant claps and then rolled across the hall.
Every time she used "nigger" to describe herself, most of the lighter skinned members of the audience became visibly disturbed, squirming in their chairs, perhaps uncomfortable at how she was destroying their middle class comfort zone.
When an Indian man told Wadud that he understood racism, she replied, "No you don't understand. You are not Black; you don't know what it is to be Black."
Addressing Wadud, a woman with peroxide blonde hair and hip hugging jeans said, "Even though I am not a practicing Muslim, I believe you do not know proper Islam."
"Your response is not new to me," Wadud replied. "When I wear a hijab, I don't look African and my words are measured with politeness; however, when my hijab is not covering my hair, I become Black and my words lose all value."
The straw that broke the camel's back came when Wadud, answering a question, criticized Canada's proposed Shariah laws and expressed support for same-sex marriage.
A deeply troubling aspect of the audience's reaction was that it was clearly divided along ethnic lines. Arabs largely behaved as one group heckling her, while South Asians bandied together in supporting her. The few white Muslims stuck quietly with each other. And in a telling indication of the profound divisions within the community, it appeared that Wadud may have been the only African in the room, although Africans account for about a quarter of Toronto's Muslim population.
Ahmed Bayoumi, an Egyptian-Canadian Physician who sat through the entire lecture, reacting to the heckling said, "I find it fascinating that people would question Wadud’s ability to speak Arabic because she has moved from an interpretative understanding of the Qur’an to a literalist one. The argument seems to be that if she can explain away troublesome verses by resorting to nuance or obscurantism, her Arabic must be fine, but if she accepts the meanings of the text at face value, well she must have lost her previous fluency."
Describing Amina Wadud's lecture as "revolutionary and liberating," Bayoumi said, "I think Wadud is absolutely right. It's wonderful if you can live with legalistic or interpretive explanations. I cannot. It was liberating for me to hear somebody of Amina Wadud's stature say that she also cannot, not as an excuse for wanting to perform bad acts, but from a perspective of trying to be a true moral being and God's agent."
The knee-jerk reaction to being reminded of our internalized racism is predictable: complete denial. Racism governs our behavior, yet we are oblivious to our own prejudices and tribalism. With noted exceptions, I saw this in action on Sunday. I heard repeatedly from Arabs in the audience that Amina Wadud does not understand Arabic. Instead of debating the merits of her argument, many invoked and sought refuge in their ethnic and linguistic superiority.
Then there is the predictable reaction towards converts. If the converts are white, all of us, Arabs and South Asians, simply go complete gaga, but if we run into Black converts, we treat them at best in a condescending manner with barely concealed disrespect, as demonstrated Sunday night in Toronto.
Abbas Syed, an Indo-Canadian who witnessed the entire episode summed it best. "When a white person converts to Islam, we try to make him the Imam of the mosque. But when a Black woman converts to Islam, we expect her to run the mosque day care for children during Jum'a prayers. Amina should have worn the Hijab; people would have mistaken her for a dark Pakistani."
Tarek Fatah is host of the weekly TV show, "The Muslim Chronicle" that runs on CTS-TV in Canada and Bridges TV in the US. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Progressive Muslim Union of North America.

Join & Support 12 Courageous Free Thinkers

2006-03-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

Originally carried in Jyllands-Posten on February 28, 2006

THE MANIFESTO OF 12: Together facing the new totalitarianism

After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new global totalitarian threat: Islamism.
We -- writers, journalists and public intellectuals -- call for resistance to religious totalitarianism.

Instead, we call for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values worldwide.
The necessity of these universal values has been revealed by events since the publication of the Muhammad drawings in European newspapers. This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the arena of ideas. What we are witnessing is not a clash of civilizations, nor an antagonism of West versus East, but a global struggle between democrats and theocrats.

Like all totalitarianisms, Islamism is nurtured by fears and frustrations. The preachers of hate bet on these feelings in order to form battalions destined to impose a world of inequality. But we clearly and firmly state: nothing, not even despair, justifies the choice of obscurantism, totalitarianism and hatred.

Islamism is a reactionary ideology which kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present. Its success can only lead to a world of greater power imbalances: man’s domination of woman, the Islamists’ domination of all others.

To counter this, we must assure universal rights to oppressed people. For that reason, we reject “cultural relativism,” which consists of accepting that Muslim men and women should be deprived of their right to equality and freedom in the name their cultural traditions.
We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of “Islamophobia,” an unfortunate concept that confuses criticism of Islamic practices with the stigmatization of Muslims themselves.

We plead for the universality of free expression, so that a critical spirit may be exercised on every continent, against every abuse and dogma.
We appeal to democrats and free spirits of all countries that our century should be one of enlightenment, not of obscurantism.

Signed,

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Chahla Chafiq , Caroline Fourest, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Irshad Manji , Mehdi Mozaffari, Maryam Namazie, Taslima Nasreen, Salman Rushdie, Antoine Sfeir, Philippe Val, Ibn Warraq

Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, of Somalian origin, is member of Dutch Parliament, member of the liberal party VVD and writter of the film Submission which caused the assassination of Theo Van Gogh in november 2004. She lives under police protection.

Chahla Chafiq
Chahla Chafiq, is a novelist and an essayist of Iranian origin, exiled in France.

Caroline Fourest
Essayist, winner of National prize of laicité in 2005, editor in chief of Prochoix, a pro-Choice journal based in France, .

Bernard-Henri Lévy
French philosopher, born in Algeria, engaged against all the XXth century 'ism's, and most recently, the author of American Vertigo.

Irshad Manji
Irshad Manji is a Fellow at Yale University and the internationally best-selling author of The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith.

Mehdi Mozaffari
Mehdi Mozaffari, professor of Iranian origin, exiled in Denmark, author of several articles and books on Islam and Islamism such as : Authority in Islam: From Muhammad to Khomeini, Fatwa: Violence and Discourtesy and Glaobalization and Civilizations.

Maryam Namazie
Writer, TV International English producer; Director of the Worker-communist Party of Iran's International Relations; and 2005 winner of the National Secular Society's Secularist of the Year award.

Taslima Nasreen
Journalist, novelist and poet, Taslima Nasreen attained global attention when fundamentalist Muslim clerics lead a violent campaign for killing her and a prize was set for her head in response to her books and articles.

Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie is the author of nine novels, including Midnight's Children, The Satanic Verses and, most recently, Shalimar the Clown. An Honorary Professor in the Humanities at M.I.T., and the president of PEN American Center.

Philippe Val
Director of publication of Charlie Hebdo (Leftwing French newspaper who republished the controversial cartoons on prophet Muhammad).

Ibn Warraq
Ibn Warraq , author notably of Why I am Not a Muslim; Leaving Islam : Apostates Speak Out ; and The Origins of the Koran, is at present Research Fellow at a New York Institute conducting philological and historical research into the Origins of Islam and its Holy Book.

Antoine Sfeir
Born in Lebanon, chose French nationality to live in 'laïc' (real secular) country. Director of Les cahiers de l'Orient who has published several reference books on Islamism such as Les réseaux d'Allah (2001) et Liberté, égalité, Islam : la République face au communautarisme (2005).

When an Arab Woman speaks up

2006-03-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Arab-American Psychologist Wafa Sultan: There Is No Clash of Civilizations but a Clash between the Mentality of the Middle Ages and That of the 21st Century

Following are excerpts from an interview with Arab-American psychologist Wafa Sultan. The interview was aired on Al-Jazeera TV on February 21, 2006

Here is the Video

Wafa Sultan: The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete...more

Muslims need a better response

2006-03-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

Published: February 27, 2006, By the Startribune, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota.

I am a Muslim and I find myself utterly disturbed by the hype over the cartoons about the prophet Mohammed. To me such reaction is nothing but an act of despicable bullying. I am amazed that we the Muslims somehow lost our religion to extremists. We all sit and watch as they take over and speak on our behalf and it seems that it is spinning out of control.
Who dares speak up? None of us. We are afraid of violent retaliation! This is what it comes down to being a Muslim in the world today. What a sad state of affairs.

Here is a very short list of great thinkers who suffered or lost their lives to Muslim religious abuse:

• Salman Rushdie, a British citizen, had to go into hiding for writing a fictional book.

• Irshad Manji, a Muslim and Canadian citizen, had to hire a bodyguard after her book "The Trouble with Islam" came out.

• Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch citizen and moviemaker, was assassinated by a religious Muslim fanatic after he dared to make a movie asking questions about women in Islam.

And now a paper has dared to publish cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, and a frenzy of violence by Muslims sweeps the world.

Yes, the cartoon that represented the prophet as a terrorist is offensive; but I don't think the cartoonist or the newspaper that published it are the only ones responsible for such offense. We Muslims share the responsibility.

In the last 30 years the center stage of mainstream Islam has been occupied mostly by very offensive extremist groups. The rest of us who do not belong to such groups sat silent, except for a few voices here and there that very quickly get beaten down.

The Muslim extremists have spoken and acted in every offensive, abusive and aggressive way -- from issuing death threats to Jew-bashing, from assassinations to bombings and suicide bombers. These self-appointed ambassadors of God promote hate toward anything that differs from their philosophy. After this has gone on for 30 years or more, how can we Muslims blame a Danish cartoonist for a drawing of our prophet as a terrorist? I say the cartoonist is not to blame; we are.

This cartoonist is only mirroring back to us the message that Muslim extremists have been hammering to the world. And we, the nonextremist Muslims of the world, are not helping matters by letting self-righteous extremists speak on our behalf.

Besides, who says that it is wise and Muslim-like to respond to an offensive action with an offensive reaction? The prophet Mohammed need not be defended; he finished his deed centuries ago and he is where no living human can harm him, offensive cartoons or not. God need not be defended, either; for he created the whole in a diversified way with zillions of religions. Let us stop the hype, relax, listen, observe, learn and enjoy the day.

Third, the prophet Mohammed was a religious and historical figure who belongs to the whole human race. Islam, like all religions, is by no means exclusive to its members but a human heritage that belongs to all human beings. Maybe it is time to give up this sense of arrogant entitlement to God and what he wants in our Muslim thoughts.

I thought a person's faith lies in his heart and soul: It cannot be taken or altered by others but only by himself. So how can some cartoons drawn by a stranger in foreign lands affect so badly my fellow Muslims' faith that they are ready to kill?

I say to my fellow Muslims: Take an example from the prophet Mohammed's life. Maybe a strong faith is not about screaming bloody murder because someone misspoke about the prophet Mohammed. Maybe a strong faith is the opposite reaction: to stay peaceful and calm and unfazed by the offense.

Islam today needs a really introspective and an honest debate among Muslims and non-Muslims. I challenge fellow Muslims to learn how to practice dissent, and I challenge non-Muslims to learn about Islam. Ask questions; please don't be politically correct, and don't be shy in your criticism and comments.

Let me remind every Muslim living today of what was a tradition of Islam in its brightest days in history: the forgotten practice of Ijtihad, which means critical thinking, debating, dissenting, and practicing openness and tolerance.

Islam is living its darkest days today. Let us not demand respect of others by being close-minded extremists, but let us earn the world's respect by becoming enlightened, wise, tolerant Ijtihadists. I dare my fellow Muslims to take the high road of Ijtihad and start debating every verse of the Qur'an, not in order to persuade someone else but in order to start learning about what it means to be a Muslim. I dare non-Muslims to participate in this debate and maybe learn more about their world history, geography and humanities. Let us make an effort to acknowledge everyone's shared responsibility in the birth of the beast of religious extremism in the Muslim world.

Copyright 2006 Najat Fares Kessler. All rights reserved.

Relationships are a mirror of the individual souls

2005-05-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Pubilished on Edge Life, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Relationships are a magnifying mirror that shows where the individuals involved are standing in their personal growth. What goes on in relationships with others is nothing more than a projection of what is going on at the individual level deep within: whatever inside relationship each party has with him or herself is what will be projected outside in the relationships with others. If someone treats herself with respect and dignity, she will treat others with the same respect and dignity and will not take any less from them.

The more hectic a relationship is, the more equally hectic most of the parties involved are in their own self-struggles. Beyond the notion of right and the wrong, beyond all forms of human judgments, the hidden reality shows. For instance, let's consider an abusive relationship. The abuser is supposedly the "bad guy," but it takes someone willing to be abused to play the part of the "victim." Deeper in their hearts, they each believe they are "the victim." Both the abuser and the abused are two faces of the same coin; otherwise, they will not stick together.

It takes one of the parties to change from within to no longer fit in the equation, and thus comes the split and both parties will be looking for new matches. The new relationships will not be any different unless the antagonists make some deep changes within themselves.

Healing relationships does not happen unless some kind of healing happens at the individual level, for the individuals create relationships -- not the other way around. Whatever one brings to a relationship, one takes with them when they leave. Relationships magnify whatever is at the individual level. For example, if it is hard for somone to show compassion for herself, in relationships the individual with such challenge will not be compassionate to others, but mostly critical of them.

When someone does not like the outcome of her relationships, she must become vigilant with herself and try to become aware of her part of creating those outcomes that she doesn't like. With the awareness of one's flaws comes the empowering opportunity to make changes at the individual level first.

Once this starts to happen, the aware individual will find it much easier to end relationships that no longer work for her or she will find her relationship healing, thus becoming stronger and more fulfilling. This happens because the other parties involved become inspired. They also take the high road of addressing their part of the non-desired outcomes, thus no longer suffering nor creating what is not wanted. Most of us humans want to be good and want to be happy.

The bottom line is: If you want to change your relationships, you must be willing to change within yourself what creates the outcomes you don't like, before jumping into blaming your sufferings on others or trying to fix others or make them into what you would like them to be. Such a behavior is a waste of your time -- and greater waste of spirit. Relationships are blessings, no matter how easy and happy, or difficult and miserable. Because of their magnifying nature, they make everything 10 times bigger so it gets so uncomfortable and forces us humans to make the necessary changes for our growth.

On the other hand, relationships are magical and bring about powerful miracles when they are filled with love. Just enter a room filled with a group of people who are willing to open their hearts to universal love and who are gathered to share a meditation session. Pay close attention to how you feel before and after such a session. Relationships can go beyond earthly human conditions and can transcend all dimensions. It only takes willing humans to explore the magnificent possibilities that relationships provide.

Published online Edge Life on February 2005. Copyright © 2005 Najat Fares Kessler. All rights reserved

Morocco's Jewels

2005-05-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Published on Edge Life, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Going back to my native Morocco after five years absence was quite an experience this past year. I left as a corporate employee, single, glamorous and ambitious and I came back a healer, not glamorous, caring much less about ambitions and much more interested in the realms of love.

A group of Minnesota women and I spent time with my family, and then we visited Casablanca before heading south to Marrakech. We had the privilege to visit the biggest mosque in the world -- Hassan II Mosque -- which was built half on land and half on the sea. It is a jewel of Moroccan architecture. The first day in Marrakech, some of us visited the ancient part of the city, which is colorful, rich and abundant with merchandise of all kinds: spices, olives, almonds, pottery, brass ornaments, carpets, clothing, shoes and much more. We walked all morning and finally stopped to have lunch in a two-story restaurant on the roof overlooking the ancient place of Jamaa El Fenaa. Oh, the food was among the greatest enjoyments of the lands of Morocco. Mostly grown organicly, the food was served in much smaller portions, but it was so tasty. It was the middle of the day. The temperature was hot, yet feeling good.

The following day we traveled to Essaouira, the blue and white pearl of the Moroccan Atlantic coast, the city of silver, thuia wood, where you can enjoy the fish caught early in the morning for lunch! The Festival of Gnawa Music was taking place, and the city was full of visitors and artists from all over the world. Five big stages set up in different parts of town held free and open shows. The whole city was in a magical trance and the music was playing everywhere. It almost felt like one big heartbeat, and that beat stayed with me for almost two months after I returned to Minnesota. The people were dancing in the streets and there was so much joy and happiness. I realized afterward that during this whole tour I was not afraid, nor were the women with me. In fact, they sometimes stayed outside walking and shopping all by themselves until 2 in the morning.

Morocco is filled of sacred, fascinating and mystical places. However, the most sacred, powerful one that affected me the most is the kindness and the warmth of the people of Morocco. The women attending the retreat and I made wonderful connections with the people we encountered. We were helped, taken care of and overly spoiled by almost everyone: my family members, the Sufi Meditation Women's group, the hotel workers, restaurants waiters and mostly everyone we encountered!

Because I am from Morocco, I am not quiet sure if I forgot or if I ever appreciated what I had when I lived there. But this trip, despite all the responsibilities I had as a retreat leader, was the most magnificient traveling experience I have ever had!
-- Najat Fares Kessler, Minneapolis
Published on Edge Life on February, 2005. http://www.edgenews.com/issues/2005/02/postcard.html

7 Steps to make an achievable 2005 Resolutions & Goals list

2004-12-29T09:20:00.000-08:00

It is that time of the year again. Yes, it is the end of the year and New Year's Resolutions Time!

Below is my step by step technique to make a list of 2005 goals and resolutions that will give you the best chances to achieve your goals:

1st Step:

Make a list of your achievement of 2004, write them down one by one and take your time to do so. When you are sure you finished the list go ahead and read it to yourself and gently close your eyes and think of yourself before and after. Allow yourself to really feel, taste, smell, and sense how good it feels to set up those goals and to have achieved them. Congratulate yourself and give yourself a Golden Star.

Write this list on some kind of fancy paper with a nice design, frame it and hang it where you can see it on a daily basis.

2nd step:

Make a list of the things you maybe had on 2004 goals but you did not achieve. Read it over and check every item on it. Eliminate or change that which you feel needs to be modified. Make a list and set it aside.

3rd Step:

Make a list of what you want to have by the end of 2005, 12 months from now. Narrow it down as much as possible.

4th Step:

Combine the list in Step 2 and 3 into one list. Narrow it down into a fewer items, as much as possible and make a final 2005 Resolutions list.

5th Step:

Translate every Goal in your list into some kind of action that need to be taken. Classify all actions by a timeline: what can be done Now,
What can be done in 1 month, in 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, and so on and so forth until the last month of 2005.

6th Step:

Pull your 2005 Calendar and write each one of these actions where it belongs as a priority.

7th Step:

Also take one of those big pieces of paper, write your 2005 Resolutions on one side and their actions on the other side and your Time line in the middle.

Make reduced copies of this list and put one in your wallet or purse, one on your refrigerator, one in your office and one in your car. Take a look at your list every time you can, for example when you are waiting for the green light, when you are waiting for someone, when you are waiting for the bus, etc…

If you find yourself procrastinating, stuck or overwhelmed with one action or another, please contact me at nkessler@achievewithhypnosis.com and I will be more than happy to help you.

May all your dreams come true and may you live the joy and fulfillment of reaching your goals with no harm to none always!

With Much Love, Joy, & Gratitude,

© Copyright 2004, Najat Fares Kessler, all rights reserved.

Ramadan a Golden opportunity for self improvement, cleansing & detoxification

2004-10-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

It is Ramadan! Starting around mid October, to mid November, 2004, is the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam; it is the one month that Muslims fast in the year. The practice has a lot of benefits to it if done properly with the awareness in mind that it is first and foremost a self improvement tool: a way to better one self. It is also an opportunity to do an annual body cleansing and detoxification. By fasting, paying close attention to what you eat and by drinking a lot of water you can use it as a way to cleanse your body. It is also an opportunity to wash away negative thoughts and energy from your body, mind and soul. Simply by refraining from feeding on all negative patterns with your self and while connecting with others; using the power of intention. Last but not least, if you are a spiritual being, Ramadan is a powerful way to tune into your spirituality. If you are a Muslim or you are someone interested in this practice; don’t fast like an automates, just because you are used to it, or interested in it; if you choose to do Ramadan, do it rather with curiosity and don’t be shy to try new things until you find what works best for you. Below are some suggestions:

Fast with a clear Intention that you want to reap all the benefits and blessings there is,
Be willing to be connected to all there is,
Be willing to become a house of miracles,
Be willing to be blessed,
Be willing to pass on the blessings,
Be willing to surrender,
Be thankful, be grateful,
Be willing to be free,
Be willing to be all that you can be,
Drop all judgments: it is not possible to judge and be grateful at the same time,
Be as forgiving as you possibly can be, both of yourself and others,
Give yourself permission to release guilt, shame, fears, and all wounds in you heart,
Drink a lot of water at least 1, 5 liter per night: water is a good conductor of energy, and a wonderful cleanser,
Exercise more, move your body around anyway that is pleasant to you; be it Walking, running, dancing, practicing yoga, or playing any kind of sport you like,
Avoid sleep depravation,Avoid going to bed overly stuffed,
Avoid too much red meat if you can,
Avoid too many sweets if you can,
Avoid too much caffeine if you can,
Avoid smoking if you can, or at least smoke less than usual,
Avoid frozen foods, canned foods, and overly processed foods,
Avoid alcohol and any kind of intoxicants if you can,
Eat mostly fresh and seasonal,
Eat small freshly cooked meals,
Spend more time with yourself if you can,Let go of watching TV if you can,
Let go of aimless internet surfing if you can,
Avoid superficial chat rooms and empty conversations if you can,
Avoid talking about others if you can,T
alk less, eat light, argue less, and don’t quarrel if you can,
Meditate at least one time per day or night: whatever you can do be it even 5 minutes, but do it continually, if you miss some days, just go back to practice and don’t beat up yourself over the missed days,
Journal if you like it,
Practice some form of art if you can,
Give yourself permission to ponder about things without much involvement in them,
Tune into your body as much as you can, be aware of how you feel as you are going about your daily business, be your own Watcher,
Have the intention to release all negativity from your heart, body, and soul with the help of Sidna Ramadan,

May you have a joyful fasting!

Ramadan Moubarak Karim,

Copyrights 2004 Najat Fares Kessler, all rights reserved

The Iraqi kidnappers

2004-08-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

What these Iraqis kidnappers are doing is nothing short of an act of criminal cowardice.

If they are so courageous why didn't they kidnap Saddam or one of his sons, why back when he was committing his calamities one after another?

They are all of sudden so courageous now that the US army jailed Saddam!

That is right; they are so courageous and strong. They can kidnap civilians such as contractors or journalists and cut their heads off in front of a video camera while wearing a veil!

And now they are so prominent that they are reaching out to help fellow Muslims in France who are French citizens by kidnapping two French civilians!

They are saving those French citizens from their horrible government which so far is wise enough to neither attack nor scavenger their county Iraq as he was invited to, so many times.

This French government who stood up to the USA and refused to be part of Iraqs occupation.

This French government who paid the price in dollars. The Americans were so mad that they mounted a campaign against French that resulted in boycotting the French goods and bad mouthed France all over the place and they still do.

This French government who still stood his ground and refused to be part of so called coalition and called on the US to hand the keys of country back to the Iraqi people ASP.

But you know these Iraqi kidnappers are just so smart that the next smart thing they come up with is: to kidnap 2 inoffensive French civilian journalists.

Never mind that journalists that cover wars are among the few courageous people who put their lives in line in order to keep us informed on what goes on the ground, and in the case of the French the less likely to be biased ones since France is against this war in the first place.

But again these Iraqis kidnappers are so right; they have to get their moment TV fame!

Playing Robin Hood when they are nothing else but a fraud.

If every Iraqi has the choice between being a French citizen with right to protest and the right to freedom of speech and risk having his daughters head not covered for the school hours; or, be an abused citizen (with almost no rights) of Iraq, Saudia, Iran or Syria...etc and a life insurance that his daughter is covered from her head to her toes: I wonder if these kidnappers themselves would not choose to become French.

The Hijab(Veil), Muslims, & France

2004-08-31T16:06:00.001-07:00

The France Senate adopted a bill that is banning students from wearing conspicuous religious attire, such as headscarves, skullcaps and large Christian crosses on school property.

This is something that is done equally Muslims, Jewish, and Christians are all treated alike: No religious distinguished attire on the school proprety. France adopted the laic system for their schools for years now.

So what is wrong with us Muslims? Why are we the only ones who are winning and complaining?May be because we have no experience in being part of a country of which citizens hold different beliefs.

Or may be it is because we are just so superior to everyone else that we don't play and nor do we accept the rules.

I challenge all those of us who are winning and complaining about France, all those who are screaming bloody murder because school girls in France will not have their heads covered the hours that they attend school; to raise their voices to speak up about the horrendous religious abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, the same age girls that live in some Muslim countries go through.

Don't know where to start: how about honor killing? How about violence against children and women?

I hear no Muslim protests about raped girls that are killed by family members in countries like Jordan, Syria or even Palestine and Muslims are screaming bloody murders for a head scarf?

I hear no Muslim voices about child labor and the horrible physical and sexual abuse of kids that are given by their impoverished families as workers in rich families’ houses. These are the same age girls that those living in France who’s only Big Problem now is no to wear a scarf for a few hours in day!

For the life of me I can’t comprehend how we Muslims do it all in the name of Allah: you don’t hear nothing about horrible crimes that are committed on daily basis in Muslim communities; yet every one is screaming about a general rule that applies to all on French School propriety: no religious attire!

I gather is any of the wallowing Muslims about this issue thought about it little before starting crying and pretending to be a victim, he will quick find that this rule protects his kids from being preached to another religion at school.

May be the French Government, since France is a Christian country in the first place, ought to. Let everyone wear whatever religious outfits they want to wear and preach Christianity to all!

This way of being a hypocrite might just set well with us Muslims because looking at the state of our affairs on the ground hypocrisy is our social mantra.

We have a major problem in Islam and it is called: Literalism. We have a tendency to pull the Koran texts at every single conversation! Because we don't know how, or we are too lazy, to use the box that we carry between our shoulders.

France is not asking Muslim girls/women who want to cover to take off their head scarf and wear some skimpy outfits instead.

France is saying no religious distinguished attire on the school propriety.Which means: you can still be modest all you want: you can pull your hair in the back of your head, still be covered from the shoulders to your feet with no problems.

What extremist hardliners are doing is: blowing things out of proportions and making it sound as if France is making the Muslims take off their clothes and go to school naked!

That is political propaganda and it is a loud of crap.But again, we Muslims, instead of thinking we follow like a heard of ships wallowing and crying: poor us look how victimized we are, because we are Muslims no body likes us, they hate us because we are Muslims!

It sounds to me like George Bush tag line: Blablablablabla....they hate our Freedoms!

Hijab does not enhance the dignity of women, if that was true put it on a donkey and see if it will turn into a dignified horse!

What dignified any human being are character, integrity and personal honor.You don't built character by hiding under a loud of fabrics. It never happened and never will.

Beside literalism in Islam we have another major problem: Supremacy.Who dares put Hijab with the Jewish skullcaps or the Christian cross, no, no, our Hijab is on much higher scale!

Do I dare ask why a piece of fabric Hijab has more value than a hat or a piece of jewelry?I would personally bit on the jewelry specially if it is gold, I can't help it I am a Moroccan! And I would put that tent called Hijab with the Jewish hat.

But may be there is another concept behind Hijab: let us cover the women so our weak men won't be attempted. The so called “Protection”

If you are a Saudian that is almost true as soon as they see a woman's ankle they chase after her. It is too magnetic for their abilities to hold it: cut them some slack!

But isn't that what they are doing in their home country? Aren't they the most prone to depravation and on the top list of prostitution consumers?

All of that despite the fact that women are covered in Saudia Arabia: Mandatory requirement to circulate anywhere, except few privileged quarters where western foreigners dwell.

Pretending that Hijab is about protection of a woman is a fraud argument. An offender who is looking for a victim hardly cares if the victim is lightly or heavily dressed. Offenders who commit reprehensible acts such as rape are sick and out of balance. It has nothing to do with a woman being covered or naked.

Those who make this argument back it up with the statistics of rape and assault in western countries; trying to prove that it is because women are not covered that we have these statistics.

This is a big fraud Argument because those who make it, play on the fact that we don’t have any statistics of how many there are of rape victims in countries where women are heavily covered. It implies that there are almost none, or supposedly much less than in countries in the west. By the way this is also the case for children abuse, Sida cases, abortions, etc….

Now for those who want to go at the bottom of thing it is easy to know why we don’t have those statistics: Because the rape victims in the Arab-Muslim countries don’t report to the police or to the local authorities. Even when family members know about it; it is all kept hush because it is a huge big deal. Not because of what happened to the victim but because of keeping the family name and honor “immaculate”!

Women are subject to retributions even when they are the victims in most of our Islamic countries and it goes anywhere from being considered “damaged goods forever”, to risking to be literally assassinated by a brother, a father, a cousin, or an uncle: Jordan, Palestine, Pakistan, Saudia, Syria, etc…

Victims of rape don’t tell none in most cases unless, they are forced to tell either because they are single and they become pregnant, or someone else tell on them. It is more dramatic for a young girls because she is suppose to be virgin for her wedding, if she is not: she is nothing but damaged good and a disgrace to her family and her wedding is cancelled on the spot in a big dramatic scandal.

If a married woman is raped, she will mostly tell none because she risks being divorced, losing her children, and be marked for the rest of her life.

Victims are punished some way or another for being raped, from loss of social status to risking being assassinated and the assassins go free acting like heroes: These are the Muslims state of affairs today in Muslim run countries where women wear Hijab!

So now, to shamelessly attack France and try to come up with some kind of explanation that some how if we only Muslim women wear the Hijab, we will for sure be safe from aggression anywhere in the world: is a Big Lie!

It is easy to check have a young woman wear a dark black Hijab and let her walk alone in some dark street in Riyad, Saudia, and see what will be of her!

Religious hardliners say big lies in order to sell their crap to the masses, and they keep repeating them so the masses who don’t think for themselves believe them and take what they say for the Ultimate Truth.

This whole Hijab business doesn’t seem to work all that well according to the experience on the ground for almost the last 100years.

More so, if we take into consideration that the countries who have the Mandatory Hijab despite being the wealthiest countries in the world for the last half century; achieved very little and are part of what is called the Third Word: shoulder in shoulder with the poor countries of Africa where people don't have enough to eat!

Waht Hijab has to do with religious abuse?

Hijab is religious abuse: because among us Muslims, there are those who can't stand it.So, I am thankful to France for the law of banning the Hijab on school proprieties because little girls like me, who don't agree with wearing that goofy outfit, at least get to have few hours of freedom at school.

What Hijab has to do with religious abuse: a small example: back to our Saudian friends, sometime this year, there was a fire in a school for girls again in Saudia Arabia, the little ones run for their lives and they were forced back to the buildings because they did not have time to grab the stupid Hijab; result they burned alive.

For what? Just because, the Almighty Allah would have been so pissed off, if these little girls were outside head free in the air for the short time that is need for them to be picked up by their parents; so he told these ignorant to force them back into the fire and have them burn alive.

See these kind of ignorant know Kuran verses so well that they can recite them without a book, but the one thing they don't know is: See with your heart and have some common sense.

That is what religious hardliners do, regardless who they are Muslims, Catholics, Jewish or else.Their God is always in some book, or some texts, he never makes it into their heart; because they never grow up to make the transition.

The essence of freedoms lays in understanding and respecting others freedoms too.The truth is we, today Muslims are totalitarians, literalists and supremacists and if we don't do something about correcting ourselves soon we will keep paying the price of our stubbornness and ignorance.

After all France is originally a Christian country and the fact that you can go to school in France and not be preached to Christian religion or any other religion as a matter of fact is a beautiful thing and a huge achievement on the part of French people and the French government.

Muslims in France ought to take advantage of this and learn from it instead of trying to bring their own Religion bias to schools.

Show me one Muslim country where if you are a Jew or a Christian you can send your kid to a public school and he will not be preached to Islamic religion as the “Only Way To Heavens”.

Humans are not perfects and they will never be. So there is no such thing as a completely safe world. To be safer Muslim women need to learn how to think for themselves and how to make it on their own and not to be sentenced for a life long jail under the old Arab-Bedouin tent: that what Hijab is.

To My Follow Moroccans

2004-06-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Every time we judge we are not being supportive. If we are not supportive to each other what does it matter to be Moroccan or not. Who cares then? If every time one is to talk to a fellow Moroccan is first and for most to be scrutinized, criticized and judged; who needs it?
I think the whole purpose of having a community is to support each others. Every time a Moroccan bashes down another Moroccan, it is the whole Moroccan identity that we are bashing down.

If we keep looking for something to criticize about each others we will find plenty because we are all human beings which mean not perfect beings.
When we bash down each other, it is ourselves that we are bashing down,
It is that deep sense of self that comes to the surface, most of us grow up being beaten up and told how bad and evil we are from home to school.
What if we were never bad to start with?
What if our parents, teacher and all those who told us how bad we are, were all dead wrong?

Shall we give ourselves a chance or are we going to be stuck forever in the old programming?
Who are we to be brilliant? Who are we to be bright? Who are we to be on the top of the world?

I say we are Moroccans, I say we are bright and so gifted that it scares the hell out of us,
Almost every one of us is an artist in their shy ways, we sing, we dance, we play music,
We speak Berber, Moroccan Arabic, we understand and at times speak most of the other Arabic dialects, Classical Arabic, French, Spanish, German, English, etc…. Yes, it takes a bright mind!

We cook one of the most tasteful cuisines in the world, if we did a better job in promoting it; it would probably be number 1 in the world,

Our Haute Couture throws off any other traditional clothing in the world and competes in design and elegance with the finest silky Indian outfits,

Our music is so diverse and enchanting that you get high without smoking a thing,
So stand up, wake up, and get up, Shake up extra sensitivity, drop “el hegra” at once!

A Muslim Woman Perspective

2004-06-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

As an adult woman, it is up to me and only me, to decide what I am feeling comfortable to wear. What is the deal about Muslims who can't be good Muslims unless all the women in the world are covered or at least the ones that they see in every day life?

The fact that one talks all day long about God, the Quran's teaching, or any other religious teaching does not mean that one has the experience of God or even know what they are talking about.
It is amusing to see how certain human beings, because they are supposedly living in the "real" Muslim way--who knows what that means!--act as if “Their God" just signed a contract
with them that entitles them to show everyone else. Get a grip! A load of fabric over a woman's body and a big bear on a man's face is just that: "New-old Fashion." What is the big deal about a woman's legs and breast? It is just a human body. Behold the body it is dust to dust!

Those who profess to cover women are so scared and can't trust themselves with their own reactions when they see a naked human body. They need to get help toward some personal growth. We are not going backwards, we are going forward. The coming and future generations are of course going to dress different that the past ones.

It is not about becoming "westernizing muslim women" it is about basic human rights: To be treated with Respect and Dignity. I am a woman and I am no less than any man on the earth or anybody else. I am my own person and no ne else’s. Not my father's, not my brother's, and for sure, not my husband’s. I am not covering. My body is a gift from the divine and I don’t have to show up and I don’t have to cover either. If seeing women's bodies disturbs your spirituality, you better get off that path because I tell you what: you are not on any spiritual path. Women are part of the creation. And Arabs and most Muslim men are still asleep in caves. They are behind economically, emotionally, politically and the easiest way for them to cope with the pain of losing the competition to the men in the west is to control their women. It is the only illusion they can hang to right now to distract their own pain.

It is easier to rejoice in the victim identity “the West has done it to me and they are still after me” than take responsibility and do something about your life.

Be courageous enough to live and do it joyfully. It is easy to hate, blame and point fingers. It takes more effort to love because it requires one to deal with one’s own feelings and emotions. We have yet a lot to learn from those who created McDonalds or similar businesses to look down on them.

Islam is one religion among many. It is neither the Best nor the Worst. Claiming that one’s religion is the only Truth is pure Arrogance.

The point is by keeping women down, we keep our children down, and by keeping children down, we keep a whole nation down. It doesn’t help the suffering of people of Morocco. And pretty soon our youngest are an easy prey to some extremist who is ready to slaughter other human beings in the name of a fictional God he made up from his own image.

Blurb of discussions 1

2004-06-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

A Forum is a place to have discussions hopefully in a constructive way,
Discussions are a way to express one’s self with civility,
Expression of one’s feeling is the birth right of every human being,
Poetry is a way of expression, using words with passion,
It is a part of freedom of speech granted by the USA constitution,
Bullying & dismissing others, is a from of violence, Denial is a river in Egypt,
Moroccan women are second class citizen, that is a fact,
Most of the religions, including Islam do not promote women
The Pop is a man, the Imam is a man
In order for women to advance, In order for the world to advance, In order for humanity to mature,
It is necessary that the scholars review the women status in Islam today,
What was great on the 7th Century is obsolete on 21st Century, Including the Islamic laws.
Now, no need to hate me for what I feel and what I think,
That is a sing of being primitive and not sophisticated at all,
No need to be so defensive, the poem is not about you,
No need for your sympathy for me, it is a poem,
Keep your sympathy for your children by raising them to be thinkers
Not maids and parrots to repeat old scriptures
There is no honor in gathering garbage from the internet and posting it here with one’s name on it, and there is no glory in being vulgar,
While long posts filled with knowledge, wisdom or reporting with sincerity a human experience, are great participation in a forum; they are plain boring when they are about someone’s Fat Ego, who can’t help themselves but to be self righteous and in order to sound convincing they throw Allah and Quran left and right. “The need to be right is the sign of a vulgar mind.” Albert Camus - 1913-1960, French Existential Writer

Visit Morocco's Beauty To Find Your Own

2004-06-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Published on Essential Wellness

IT IS MY quest to find myself that leads me into many places I visit in the world and it is this same quest and yearning that brought me here and drove me from Casablanca, Morocco, to the beautiful lands of Minneapolis, Minnesota, to my beloved husband Jay and to his wonderful family. It is this same quest that leads me to my calling as a healer and to do the work I do today. I always knew since I was a little girl that I had something very important to do--a mission bigger than myself and vaster than the world itself. I used to see myself as I was playing in the courtyard of my parent’s house in Casablanca, as a small little bird with big huge wings--strong enough to allow me to fly as high as possible.

Today I can’t find enough words to express my gratitude for the opportunity and the honor of doing the labor of love that the healing art of hypnotherapy is.

It fulfills me and makes me happy that I can help women find their calling, guiding them to clear their hearts of resentment, anger, sadness, grief, shame, guilt, etc.--and gently guide them back to light and love where they belong. I help them break free from the past, find inner peace and discover the power of being themselves and living here and now.

As someone who has traveled extensively in the last decade, I come to the realization on how enlightening the journey has been for me. Despite all, and against all today’s world's odds, the change that happens when you pull yourself out from your usual known life to go to completely different and unknown places opens up vast horizons in your life, giving a new meaning to all the things that you usually complain about and hate doing such as Monday mornings. It also opens up the channels to the unlimited strength in you, thus giving you access to the power within you!

My dream has always been a burning desire to share the ecstasy of visiting the lands of Morocco and their mystical beauty with everyone here. For I know, the same way I learned so many things about myself here--visiting Morocco will bring up wonderful things about yourself you have never expected. It will allow you to easily take a deeper trip within you. And as soon as you start taking these trips within, the struggle stops and the answers to your life questions start coming from within you! And that, my friend, is the beginning of living and the end of suffering.

I will be with you all the way; we are going to dance, chant, laugh, meditate, heal, learn, discover, walk, eat, swim, visit historical places, old villages where life is simple, go into deep trance within ourselves and connect to all there is. It is in this spirit that I am inviting you to join me on Healing Exotic Retreats in the Marrakech Splendors, in the heart of Morocco.

Who are you? By Najat Fares Kessler

2004-06-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

A human mind processes about 50,000 thoughts per day!
Quiet a number for one day! This gives us about 18 million thoughts per year.
Most of these 50,000 thoughts are the same ones repeated over and over and over, day after day after day,

When most of the 50,000 are negative thoughts: we have Neurotic human beings,
When half of the 50,000 are negative and half are negative: we have regular human beings,
When most of the 50,000 are positive thoughts: we have a no-limit, high achievers human beings.

Neurotics have a tendency to:

Master the art of being unhappy,
They judge, criticize, find fault with everyone and everything,
They complain all the time, wallow, accuse, blame others, and are always the victim,
They are always afraid that some thing bad will happen to them,
They soak themselves in guilt and shame, and indulge in seeking others approval,
They are people pleasers, they are abusers, they get jealous, and they get offended easily,
They get angry, they practice road rage, they will often say to others: “you started it!” etc…
Neurotics are most of the time a burden to themselves and to others,
They don’t produce much, they are too busy criticizing and being afraid to fail.

Regulars have a tendency to:

Master the art of being neutral,
They are not happy, but they are not unhappy either,
Regulars can be hard workers; they hardly create for they don’t allow themselves to dream.

No-limit, high achievers have a tendency to:

Master the art of being happy,
They find positive things everywhere and in everyone,
They use failure as a classroom for new lessons,
They are compassionate, and are proactive, they are always looking for what to do to make things better, they take responsibility for their lives, whatever happens to them they always look deeper inside themselves to find out what got them there in the first place,
They change things that don’t work for them, they are easy to talk to, they are calm, they are peaceful, they are grateful, they are thankful, they are willing to listen, they are helpful, and appreciative of others and life.
No-limit, High achievers create and produce with abundance!

So who are you?

To find out: Watch you thoughts for a day and take a note of what you are thinking as you are going about you daily life. Also, take a moment by yourself and sit down in a quiet place and run in your head you life from when you can remember up today and take a deep look at whom you have been and who you are today.

What do you believe? By Najat Fares Kessler

2004-06-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

In some places in India, a cow is a sacred being not to be disturbed no matter where it goes, not to be harmed, certainly not to be eaten! In the USA it is just a mini-factory of milk and future hamburgers.

Breast feeding in some places is a wonderful act of motherhood and can be done in public in other places it should be done only in private,

In France women nipples are not such big deal and women may swim topless and in the USA a woman being topless is considered a public offense, sanctioned by law as indecent exposure and it is totally against the law,
Research has confirmed that a fake treatment, made from an inactive substance like sugar, distilled water, or saline solution, can have a "placebo effect"—which means that basically the sham medication can sometimes improve a patient's condition simply because the person has the expectation that it will be helpful.
On 1954, Roger Banister proved everyone wrong when he crashed the belief held for many years that it is absolutely impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minute. Within a year after his achievement, 37 other runners broke the belief and the following year 300 other runners did the same.
All the instances above demonstrate how powerful a belief is in human life.

In my practice, I witness all day along the results of devastating beliefs that we humans hold about ourselves. Behind the heavy curtains of the act and the attitude that most of us will adopt there is a deeper truth about how we view ourselves. And that deeper truth is based on a set of beliefs that we hold about who we are and the world we live in.

When you dig deeper as to the origin of such believes it appears that most are generalization of a past experience. Few people are aware of how devastating, are the beliefs they hold about themselves or have any knowledge on how to address the issue or even how to ask questions about it.

Beliefs can stand in the way of discovering and taping in human potential, so you better find out what beliefs you hold about yourself and examine each and every one of them under the loupe; to make sure you are not shooting yourself in the foot.

For example, do you believe you are a victim of situations or others? Do you believe you are not good in Math? Do you believe that others don’t like you? Do you believe that you are unlucky? Do you believe that life is hard and full of problems? Do you believe that you are here in order to suffer? Do you believe that others are out to get you? Do you believe that you are just the type that gets fat easily? Do you believe that it is going to be hard for you to make it?

Beliefs are powerful and they work either for you or against you. There are not right or wrong beliefs, there are only empowering or limiting beliefs.