The Progressive
Muslims Union
By Kaleem
Kawaja
Washington, DC
In recent weeks I have often browsed
the website of the recently formed Progressive
Muslims Union of North America (PMUNA). They started
out by saying that they will provide an alternative
to the obscurantist/extremist elements in the
community.
I liked that idea because the extremists in the
Muslim community, even though their numbers are
very small, have caused much harm to the global
Muslim Ummah. The 9/11 terrorism and other related
terrorist acts in many countries have caused much
misery for all, including Muslims. Also with their
insane actions they have transformed the whole
world into adversaries of Muslims, and have helped
the enemies of Muslims in their nefarious campaigns
to malign the community.
However I have been disturbed by several things
on PMUNA’s website called, Muslim Wake Up
(MWU).
1. PMUNA has an on-line magazine
called, “Sex and the Umma” on their
MWU website. The preamble of this magazine says
that they want to address modern issues that no
Muslim group wants to talk about. This online
magazine publishes material that freely uses four
letter obscene words (F- word, P- word, S - word
) etc and the plots of stories are the kind that
you generally find in soft porn magazines, books.
The stories describe all kinds of sexual activities
in detail. The Readers Feedback section also contains
material written in similar words.
One example is the current short story, “The
Fatima Incident”. This story written in
soft porn style with very liberal use of four-letter
words describes in detail the exploits of a Bosnian
Muslim call-girl (Fatima) with a Muslim man in
a motel in New Jersey.
Another example is a current report on the MWU
site that describes a few Muslim young men making
a visit to a mosque in suburban New York. The
report describes how during the car trip these
youth smoke drugs, use lots of obscenities (4
letter words are freely used) in talking about
themselves and their friends. When inside the
mosque, they continue to use obscene four-letter
words. Then they pray a few rakats. Soon after
that they continue their conversation sprinkled
with four-letter words.
We all know that not a single mainstream American
newspaper, magazine, website, network TV or radio
channel ever allows this kind of material. Such
material is found only in x-rated magazines, websites
etc. So what kind of mainstreaming with Americans
or progressive attitudes does PMUNA hope to accomplish
by its “Sex and the Umma” on-line
magazine, or with reports on MWU website that
mock mosques with bizarre/obscene behavior?
2.PMUNA’s major website
MWU - Muslim Wake Up, similarly allows total freedom
to its subscribers to frequently use four-letter
obscene words in making comments on columns published
there and in responding to others’ comments.
These are not just cuss words like “hell
or damn”. These are obscene words. Most
comments are simply mudslinging, making atrocious
personal derogatory comments on each other.
If you post serious comments, hardly anyone responds
seriously. Mostly what you will receive will be
bizarre twisting of facts of your statements and
grotesque mudslinging.
3. Some core members of PMUNA
are also members of several US Govt. orchestrated
and funded “American Muslim think-tanks”,
formed in the wake of 9/11/01 to convince Muslims
outside US that everything the US govt. is doing
is for the good of Muslims. They publish lavish
full color magazines that are studded with pictures
of seminars/events organized by them in fancy
5 star Sheratons/Hiltons et al. Obviously these
expensive PR programs are being done with financial
help from non-Muslim benefactors, who are said
to be sponsors of the current hostile maligning
of the Muslim ummah.
The above occurrences should be a cause of concern
for the about 80% Muslims in the US, who are truly
moderate and progressive. It bothers me that in
the Board of PMUNA there are some really moderate
and progressive Muslims, and yet these undesirable
things are happening. Why are they not telling
PMUNA and MWU that they are causing great harm.
That their bizarre behavior is causing much damage
to the efforts of the moderate and progressive
American Muslims, who are trying hard to build
bridges with non-Muslims. And that their very
strange behavior will strengthen the extremists
in the community. That their juvenile behavior
will destroy the youth in our community.
(The writer is an activist in the Muslim community
in Washington, DC)
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