Here's a great quote about being an American Muslim from the first khutba by journalist and playwright, Wajahat Ali:
And, even in the past 10 years we, American Muslims, the Ahl al Amreeka, have seen a figurative explosion of creativity. I believe we are witnessing a renaissance — one that is unique for the world and this nation; one that is created by individuals who are both American and Muslim –YOU, who
have endured and continue to endure.
Members of a tribe that is messy but resilient – much like America. We have entrepreneurs, engineers, architects, doctors, philanthropists, stand-up comedians, journalists, academics and even imams. This is a volatile time, but an exciting time –one that is ripe for a renaissance; a rebirth.
And speaking of creation and artistry – let’s not forget the original artist – Allah (swt).
Look. Look around you at the diversity of Allah’s creation. There’s black, white, Yemeni, Desi, Egyptian, Syrian, and even miscellaneous, right here in this room — in Amreeka. From the Qur’an: “Verily, he made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other, not that ye may despise (each other).”
Reflect on His design and artistry. Just take a moment to check out His brush strokes. He wasn’t painting with one color, and definitely not in one style. And then what does He do with all these different colors?
He splashes them on a blank canvas called Amreeka. A-mer-eeka. America. The land that is our home. The messy melting pot of the universe with colors splashed all around – but nonetheless there’s still poetry to the chaos. And all of this was inspired by Allah’s love for his creation. And you forget that
we, despite all our differences, are part of the same tribe. We’re Muslim, and we’re American.
Whether you want to admit it or not, you can’t escape it. We all belong, equally, to the same tribe, a new tribe, the tribe of “Ahl Al America” – The people of Amreeka.
Here's the video:
And, even in the past 10 years we, American Muslims, the Ahl al Amreeka, have seen a figurative explosion of creativity. I believe we are witnessing a renaissance — one that is unique for the world and this nation; one that is created by individuals who are both American and Muslim –YOU, who
have endured and continue to endure.
Members of a tribe that is messy but resilient – much like America. We have entrepreneurs, engineers, architects, doctors, philanthropists, stand-up comedians, journalists, academics and even imams. This is a volatile time, but an exciting time –one that is ripe for a renaissance; a rebirth.
And speaking of creation and artistry – let’s not forget the original artist – Allah (swt).
Look. Look around you at the diversity of Allah’s creation. There’s black, white, Yemeni, Desi, Egyptian, Syrian, and even miscellaneous, right here in this room — in Amreeka. From the Qur’an: “Verily, he made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other, not that ye may despise (each other).”
Reflect on His design and artistry. Just take a moment to check out His brush strokes. He wasn’t painting with one color, and definitely not in one style. And then what does He do with all these different colors?
He splashes them on a blank canvas called Amreeka. A-mer-eeka. America. The land that is our home. The messy melting pot of the universe with colors splashed all around – but nonetheless there’s still poetry to the chaos. And all of this was inspired by Allah’s love for his creation. And you forget that
we, despite all our differences, are part of the same tribe. We’re Muslim, and we’re American.
Whether you want to admit it or not, you can’t escape it. We all belong, equally, to the same tribe, a new tribe, the tribe of “Ahl Al America” – The people of Amreeka.
Here's the video:
