Faisal Kutty

( O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even if against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives..." (Quran 4:135) Of course, all great religious traditions have similar teachings.

Monday inspiration! Hassaan Shahawy elected the first Muslim president of the 134-year old The Harvard Law Review, a pre-eminent law journal. In the ordinary course his religion should not matter, but read the article and the quote from Hassaan Shahawy himself. ... As a result of the incessant negative association and demonization, surveys show that people only associate Islam and Muslims with negative role models and instances. When negatives are more often than not highlighted when connected with Islam and Muslims (and even when not connected), it is imperative that we challenge the conventional perception by profiling and highlighting positive Muslim role models.

Here is a great new song by rising star Timaj Garad. The Toronto folks will recognize others. #BlackGold #blackhistory #timajgarad... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0DWVIhWaeE

Something to reflect and act on: The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is enough for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls. If he must (fill his stomach), then one third for his food, one third for his drink, and one third for air. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

From Al Jazeerah Investigations: An explosive investigation reveals how a criminal gang is colluding with the security forces of Bangladesh and has links to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Undercover reporters with the I-Unit expose how a former street mafia claims to have captured a state. The brother of Bangladesh’s army chief boasts that he can use police and paramilitary units to abduct rivals and earn millions in bribes.... Documents obtained by the I-Unit also show that the head of the army has helped a convicted killer evade justice. And how the country’s military intelligence service has secretly bought spyware from Israel a country that Bangladesh does not recognize that can monitor the prime minister’s political rivals. The I-Unit invited all those involved in this investigation to respond to our findings. They included Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Home Minister, Inspector General, Police Commissioner, and all four Ahmed Brothers. None responded to our inquiries. Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ #DhakaMafia #Al_Jazeera_Investigations http://www.ajiunit.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6v_levbUN4

BREAKING: Today, the federal government officially designated January 29 as a National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia Since the Quebec City mosque shooting on January 29th 2017, there has been a groundswell of support across the country to designate January 29th as a national day of action against Islamophobia, hate, and racism. Several municipalities and provinces have designated the day. Over the years we at NCCM have w...orked shoulder-to-shoulder with community organizations of many faiths and backgrounds to call for this designation so that we are always reminded of the monumental task of eradicating Islamophobia, hate, and racism from our country. We thank the government for taking this step to officially mark this day in the hearts and minds of all Quebecers and Canadians, as a reminder of the innocent lives lost and the work ahead of us to eradicate Islamophobia, hate and racism from our country. Send a letter thanking the Prime Minister for designating the Day, and to encourage action be taken to protect Canadian Muslims, by going to https://www.nccm.ca/january29th/

Here are some excellent resources prepared by the Noor Islamic Cultural Center. There are five very informative and well done short videos and other resources on the topic of Islamophobia. http://islamophobia-is.com/... You can follow their page at https://www.facebook.com/Islamophobia.is/?modal=admin_todo_tour¬if_id=1611427157017118¬if_t=page_invite&ref=notif Khadijah Kanji, Azeezah Kanji

I hope and pray that American's won't have to deal with this after today's results come out!

Since I can't vote in the most important election in the world, I will cast my vote for this man! My American friends, please vote to make America sane again!

Sad news: He truly was one of the greatest journalists of our time who stood up for truth. May he RIP!... https://www.independent.co.uk//robert-fisk-death-middle-ea #RobertFisk

My thoughts and prayers are with the innocent people killed in France by monsters who are attempting to highjack my peaceful religion to fuel their hate. French President Macron is also pouring fuel on the fire by trying to characterize this as a clash between civilizations when it is really a clash between extremists. It is a battle between religious extremists who ignore the lessons of mercy, compassion, and tolerance that epitomize Islam for most Muslims, and secular extr...emists who pretend as if free speech has no limits in secular societies and believe that promoting hate against a minority is their birthright. My God help us! I am also going to shamelessly plug my own chapter on this topic titled "In Search of the Elusive Middle Ground Between Blasphemy and Free Speech: From Defamation of Religion to Incitement to Hate," in the collection of essays titled "Constitutional Democracy Under Stress: A Time For Heroic Citizenship" edited by Peter L. Biro. https://www.amazon.ca/Constitutional-Democracy//1771614803

Excellent commentary on what is happening in France! https://www.facebook.com/torontomuslim/videos/545752769607357

Great piece on why Canada should think hard before building a partnership with India. https://www.pressreader.com//toro/20201024/282754884195615

This may be a pivotal case in Canada. https://nationalpost.com//supreme-court-decision-paves-way

The high point of today's debate was the fly on VP Pence's head. The stink from the lies must have been so strong.

If the accused had links to extremist Islam then this story would have seen a lot more coverage, traction, and speculation. Hate crimes don't get anywhere near the same attention. https://www.cbc.ca//tor/mosque-stabbing-suspect-1.5732078

It is with a very heavy heart that I share the sad news of the passing of Sr. Khadija Haffajee. She was a giant in the Muslim community in Canada and had a global impact. She influenced, motivated, and encouraged so many of us, including me. I had the honor of working closely with her over the years through ISNA, Human Concern International, and CAIR-CAN what is now NCCM.... My sincerest condolences to her family (especially uncle Mazhar), loved ones and all the countless thousands touched by her. May God accept all of the good from her and forgive her mistakes. May she RIP. From God we come and to God we shall return. https://muslimlink.ca//khadija-haffajee-the-journey-of-a-m

Get your copy hot off the presses! Islamophobia and the Law is a foundational volume of critical scholarship on the emerging form of bigotry widely known as Islamophobia. This book brings together leading legal scholars to explore the emergence and rise of Islamophobia after the 9/11 terror attacks, particularly how the law brings about state-sponsored Islamophobia and acts as a dynamic catalyst of private Islamophobia and vigilante violence against Muslims. The first book of... its kind, is a critical read for scholars and practitioners, advocates and students interested in deepening their knowledge of the subject matter. This collection addresses Islamophobia in race, immigration and citizenship, criminal law, and national security, in the use of courts to advance anti-Muslim projects, and in law and society. Edited by Professors Cyra Akila Choudhury and Khaled A. Beydoun, the collection includes chapters by Professors Amna Akbar, Aziza Ahmed, Abed A. Ayoub, Muneer Ahmad, Sahar F Aziz, Karen Engle, Kevin Johnson, Susan Akram, Shirin Sinnar, Leti Volpp, SpearIt and yours truly. My chapter is titled -- "Islamic Law" in US Courts: Judicial Jihad or Constitutional Imperative? https://www.cambridge.org//84A34D7C4EC08D03F03F9CD776042049

19 years ago today some monsters killed thousands of innocent people in the USA in the name of my religion. They also unleashed a blowback that devasted many foreign lands and resulted in the death and dislocation of untold innocent souls around the world. We in the West and those who blindly joined the so-called "war on terror" are equally responsible for the death and destruction in foreign lands. We in the West also allowed these terrorists to change us by making us deviat...e from the rule of law and some fundamental human rights norms. My thoughts and prayers are with all those who lost their lives and continue to suffer in various ways. I pray also that we question, challenge, and hold accountable our own governments when it comes to respecting international human rights and international humanitarian laws.

I was holding back on commenting about Daniel Haqiqatjou, but I think it is well past the time for us to speak out. Below is his post criticizing Omar Suleiman for his post on the passing of Chadwick Boseman (May he rest in peace). As a human being Chadwick is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect in his passing. God will judge him as God will judge each one of us. Nobody gets a free pass because of the label we attach to ourselves, for only God knows what is in... our hearts and what we do in secret and in public. We all know the story of the companions who asked prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) why he respectfully stood up when a Jewish funeral procession passed by them. The prophet's response was "does he not have a soul?" This is the spirit we should be following. Daniel argues that authentic Islam (whatever that may mean) is under attack. He has some valid arguments on the erosion of religious rights and the ongoing threat to religion. I too believe that religion is under attack from the Left, the Right and Liberals. Yet, Daniel undermines his own positions and credibility when he blindly espouses and endorses the Right while coming out wildly swinging at the Left and Liberals. His raging bull in a china shop approach is causing more destruction than the problem he sets out to confront. Islam does not need such a saviour, God can take care of religion. This self-proclaimed saviour of orthodoxy has mercilessly attacked, undermined and insulted minorities, women, other leaders/scholars, Muslims who don't share his take, prominent community institutions and pretty much everyone else other than those from his own camp for far too long. Too many impressionable young minds and insecure men and women are getting caught up in his web of lies, hypocrisy, and tribalism. It is well past the time for us as a community to challenge and expose him. Here are two articles that provide some background. https://asadullahali.com/2020/08/10/reviewing-haqiqatjou/ https://blackdawahnetwork.com//an-african-american-muslim/

I will just leave this here! Art by @denny_ow #JacobBlake #policereform #kenosha

A number of people have asked me why I did not comment on the murder of Cannon Hinnant. May the little angel rest in peace. I did not comment because sadly there are thousands of murders like that and it is practically impossible for me to comment even if I wanted to. It has nothing to do with whether the victim is part of my tribe, religion or ethnic origin. For me every human being is equal in my sight as my brother/sister in faith or in humanity. This post is dead on to answer your question Dave Potter since you are so persistent :-)