Pew Forum

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life Releases Results from a Landmark Survey on Religion in the U.S.

Study shows most detailed estimates to date of the size and demographic characteristics of religious groups in the U.S. and finds that religious affiliation is both very diverse and extremely fluid

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Feb. 25, 2008—The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life today released the first report of the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, which finds that a remarkably high number of people have changed their religious affiliation since childhood. The report details the religious affiliation of the American public and explores the remarkable dynamism taking place in the U.S. religious marketplace.

“People will be surprised by the amount of movement by Americans from one religious group to another – or to no religion at all,” said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum. “They’ll also be surprised by the extent to which immigration is helping to reshape the U.S. religious landscape.”

Based on interviews conducted in English and Spanish with a nationally representative sample of over 35,000 adults, the survey provides estimates of the size of religious groups that are as small as three-tenths of 1 percent of the adult population. The report also describes changes in religious affiliation and analyzes the relationship between religious affiliation and various demographic factors, including age, ethnicity, nativity, educational and income levels, gender, family composition and regional distribution (including state breakdowns).

“We hope that the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey will contribute to a better understanding of the important role that religion plays in the personal and public lives of most Americans,” Lugo added.

The first report of the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that:

o More than a quarter of American adults have left the faith of their childhood in favor of another religion – or no religion at all. If change in affiliation from one type of Protestantism to another is included, roughly 44% of American adults have either switched religious affiliation, moved from being unaffiliated with any religion to being affiliated with a particular faith, or dropped any connection to a specific religious tradition altogether.

o The number of adults who say they are not affiliated with any particular faith today (16.1%) is more than double the number who say they were not affiliated with a particular religion as children. Men are significantly more likely than women to claim no religious affiliation. Among Americans ages 18-29, one-in-four say they are not currently affiliated with a particular religion. At the same time, the majority of people who were not affiliated with any particular religion as a child now say that they are associated with a religious group.

o The U.S. is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country. The number of Americans who are affiliated with Protestant denominations now stands at barely over 51%; as recently as the mid-1980s, in contrast, surveys found that approximately two-thirds of the population was Protestant.

o The Catholic share of the U.S. adult population has held fairly steady in recent decades. What this apparent stability obscures, however, is the large number of people who have left the Catholic Church. Approximately one-third of the survey respondents who were raised Catholic no longer describe themselves as Catholic; this means roughly 10% of all Americans are former Catholics. These losses, however, have been offset partly by the number of people joining the Catholic Church but mostly by the disproportionately high number of Catholics among immigrants to the U.S. The result is that the total percentage of the population that identifies as Catholic (roughly one-in-four) has remained fairly stable.

o Latinos currently account for nearly one-in-three adult Catholics in the U.S. and may account for an even larger share of U.S. Catholics in the future. Although Latinos represent just one-in-eight U.S. Catholics age 70 and older (12%), they account for nearly half of all Catholics ages 18-29 (45%). Immigrants also are disproportionately represented among several world religions in the U.S., including Islam and Hinduism.

o The Midwest most closely resembles the religious makeup of the overall adult population of the U.S. The South, by a wide margin, has the heaviest concentration of members of evangelical Protestant churches. The Northeast has the greatest concentration of Catholics, and the West has the largest proportion of unaffiliated people, including the largest proportion of atheists and agnostics.

o Among people who are married, nearly four-in-ten (37%) are married to a spouse with a different religious affiliation. This figure includes Protestants who are married to another Protestant from a different denominational family, such as a Baptist who is married to a Methodist.

o Hindus and Mormons are the most likely to be married (78% and 71%, respectively) and to be married to someone of the same religion (90% and 83%, respectively). Mormons and Muslims are the groups with the largest families; more than one-in-five Mormon and 15% of Muslim adults in the U.S. have three or more children living at home.

o Nearly half of Hindus in the U.S., one-third of Jews and a quarter of Buddhists have obtained post-graduate education, compared with only about one-in-ten of the adult population overall. Hindus and Jews are also much more likely than other groups to report high income levels.

o In sharp contrast to Islam and Hinduism, Buddhism in the United States is primarily made up of native-born adherents, whites and converts. Only one-in-three American Buddhists describe their race as Asian, and three-in-four Buddhists say they are converts to Buddhism.

In conjunction with the release of this report, the Pew Forum is introducing new features on its website at religions.pewforum.org. The online presentation of the findings includes interactive mapping, dynamic charts and a variety of other tools that are designed to help users delve deeper into the material.

Subsequent releases will include analyses of the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey’s findings on Americans’ religious beliefs and practices as well as their social and political views.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life delivers timely, impartial information on issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs. The Forum is a nonpartisan, non-advocacy organization and does not take positions on policy debates. Based in Washington, D.C., the Forum is a project of the Pew Research Center, which is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

10-10

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – At 71, leading Republican presidential contender John McCain must convince voters that despite his age he is up to the rigors of what is often called the world’s toughest job.

“I’m not the youngest candidate but I am the most experienced,” says the white-haired senator from Arizona, first elected to Congress in 1982 after a 22-year career in the Navy.

The pressures of the presidency weigh heavily on those who have occupied the Oval Office. George W. Bush was boyish-looking when he took power in January 2001 at the age of 54. He now has gray hair and crinkles around his eyes.

If he prevails, McCain, who turns 72 in August, next January would be the oldest person ever sworn in as a first-term U.S. president. Ronald Reagan was 69 when he took office in 1981.

McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five years who later survived skin cancer, maintains a rigorous campaign schedule, often holding three or more events in a day, exhausting younger aides.

He often campaigns with his mother and quickly points out that for anyone worried about his age, they need look no further than the feisty 96-year-old Roberta McCain.

While McCain is older than his Democratic opponents Sen. Barack Obama, 46, and Sen. Hillary Clinton, 60, he looks in fairly good shape and has a quick wit.

A 72-year-old white man in the United States can expect to live, on average, for another 12.5 years, according to figures extrapolated from a recent federal report on U.S. health statistics.

About half those men will likely die sooner, about half later. If McCain wins two terms as president, he could spend up to eight years in the White House, leaving at age 80, which would make him the oldest U.S. president ever.

Less than 1 percent of those questioned in a New York Times/CBS Poll at the start of the campaign said people in their 70s were best suited to be president; 52 percent picked those in their 50s.

Tough to judge by age

Experts say people of McCain’s age are subject to possible increased memory loss, lower energy and a greater vulnerability to aches, pains and a host of illnesses.

Yet as David Ekerdt, director of the Gerontology Center at the University of Kansas, puts it: “It’s tough to use age to judge functional health. Some people in later life can be very capable and others have great limitations.”

McCain’s age is one reason his selection of a vice presidential running mate will be highly scrutinized. If McCain were to die in office, his vice president would take over.

“People are confident he’s in good health, but age is a factor,” said a Republican Party leadership aide. “Whoever he picks as his running mate, the lead of the story is going to be that this guy could become president.”

Americans have been living and working longer in recent years — thanks largely to improved health care. This has triggered such claims as “60 is the new 50.”

Still, employers shy away from older workers, fearing they will cost them plenty of sick days and often lack high-tech skills. Yet these workers can also provide experience, maturity and, like McCain, confidence touched with humor.

McCain acknowledges he must keep up.

“I’ve got to show the energy and the vitality and strength that is necessary to convince people that I’m ready to go, that I’m ready to serve,” he has said.

A big test could come at the presidential debates in the general elections, particularly if McCain gets matched up against Obama, who turns 47 in August.

Obama, who would be the first black president and one of the youngest presidents, likes to subtly remind people how long McCain has been around, saying, “I respect John McCain for his half-century of service to this country.”

By the same token, McCain has vowed to repeat Reagan’s admonishment of younger Walter Mondale in 1984, when he said he would not hold Mondale’s youth and inexperience against him.

If voters embrace McCain as their next president, he would begin the new job in a period in life when most Americans are deep into retirement or at least semi-retired.

But 72 is not considered particularly old in Washington, at least not by those who hold power and want to keep it.

Thirty-five of the 100 U.S. senators are in their 60s, 20 are in their 70s, five are in their 80s, and one, Democrat Robert Byrd of West Virginia, is 90.

Across the street from the Capitol, six of the nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court range in age from 68 to 87.

(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan and Steve Holland; Editing by John O’Callaghan)

10-10

By Imam Abdullah El-Amin, MMNS

Group headed by Imam Siraj Wahaj kicks off SHARE Center concept in Detroit, Michigan

Imam Siraj Wahaj, imam of Masjid At Taqwa in Brooklyn New York, and amir of Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA) recently sent Imam F.Qasim ibn Ali Khan to Detroit to lay the groundwork for a premier event on March 15, 2008 starting at 3:30 in the afternoon at the Muslim Center in Detroit. In addition to Imam Qasim speakers will be Imam Siraj Wahaj, Dr. Sherman Abdul Hakim Jackson, and Imam Dr. Ihsan Bagby.

Imam Qasim is Director of Events and Fundraising for MANA. Accompanied by his wife, Imam Qasim visited a great number of masajid and other Islamic organizations to pre-fundraise and market the upcoming event.

MANA is a coalition of Islamic leaders, scholars, and activists organized to fill a void left by major Islamic organizations in this country. It was noted that most Islamic organizations operated like the Red Cross, addressing major disasters like earthquakes and floods, while not responding to the needs of indigenous Muslims. There are special problems dominating our cities and towns in America. Poverty and illiteracy are major concerns even in this day and time in the richest country in the world and MANA plans to address these issues head-on.

MANA will also have an aggressive preventive agenda as well. Imam Qasim lists family counseling, marriage counseling, and the issue of single motherhood and formerly incarcerated people at the top the list. Also recognizing that youth are the future, Imam Siraj Wahaj has made leadership training for young imams a top priority.

Although MANA was formed by African-American Muslims and is geared toward them and their agenda, the organization is populated by and open to all Muslims of any ethnic or cultural group. “Imam Siraj is, and has been, a Muslim of universal mind who has done loads to enhance the entire community – and doesn’t plan to stop now,” says Imam Qasim.

Tickets for this event are only $15.00 per person to see Dr. Jackson and imam Siraj, two of this country’s most productive and exciting scholars on the same program. Tickets may be purchased and reserved by calling the Muslim Center, 313.883.3330.

10-10

By Neil MacFarquhar

SAN JOSE — Amir Mertaban vividly recalls sitting at his university’s recruitment table for the Muslim Students Association a few years ago when an attractive undergraduate flounced up in a decidedly un-Islamic miniskirt, saying “Salamu aleykum,” or “Peace be upon you,” a standard Arabic greeting, and asked to sign up.

Mr. Mertaban also recalls that his fellow recruiter surveyed the young woman with disdain, arguing later that she should not be admitted because her skirt clearly signaled that she would corrupt the Islamic values of the other members.

“I knew that brother, I knew him very well; he used to smoke weed on a regular basis,” said Mr. Mertaban, now 25, who was president of the Muslim student group at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, from 2003 to 2005.

Pointing out the hypocrisy, Mr. Mertaban won the argument that the group could no longer reject potential members based on rigid standards of Islamic practice.

The intense debate over whether organizations for Muslim students should be inclusive or strict is playing out on college campuses across the United States, where there are now more than 200 Muslim Students Association chapters.

Gender issues, specifically the extent to which men and women should mingle, are the most fraught topic as Muslim students wrestle with the yawning gap between American college traditions and those of Islam.

“There is this constant tension between becoming a mainstream student organization versus appealing to students who have a more conservative or stricter interpretation of Islam,” said Hadia Mubarak, the first woman to serve as president of the national association, from 2004 to 2005.

Each chapter enjoys relative autonomy in setting its rules. Broadly, those at private colleges tend to be more liberal because they draw from a more geographically dispersed population, and the smaller numbers prompt Muslim students to play down their differences.

Chapters at state colleges, on the other hand, often pull from the community, attracting students from conservative families who do not want their children too far afield.

At Yale, for example, Sunnis and Shiites mix easily and male and female students shocked parents in the audience by kissing during the annual awards ceremony. Contrast that with the University of California, Irvine, which has the reputation for being the most conservative chapter in the country, its president saying that to an outsider its ranks of bearded young men and veiled women might come across as “way Muslim” or even extremist.

But arguments erupt virtually everywhere. At the University of California, Davis, last year, in their effort to make the Muslim association more “cool,” board members organized a large alcohol-free barbecue. Men and women ate separately, but mingled in a mock jail for a charity drive.

The next day the chapter president, Khalida Fazel, said she fielded complaints that unmarried men and women were physically bumping into one other. Ms. Fazel now calls the event a mistake.

At George Washington University, a dodge ball game pitting men against women after Friday prayers drew such protests from Muslim alumni and a few members that the board felt compelled to seek a religious ruling stating that Islamic traditions accept such an event.

Members acknowledge that the tone of the Muslim associations often drives away students. Several presidents said that if they thought members were being too lax, guest imams would deliver prayer sermons about the evils of alcohol or premarital sex.

Judgment can also come swiftly. Ghayth Adhami, a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, recalled how a young student who showed up at a university recruitment meeting in a Budweiser T-shirt faced a few comments about un-Islamic dress. The student never came back.

Some members push against the rigidity. Fatima Hassan, 22, a senior at the Davis campus, organized a coed road trip to Reno, Nev., two hours away, to play the slot machines last Halloween. In Islam, Ms. Hassan concedes, gambling is “really bad,” but it was men and women sharing the same car that shocked some fellow association members.

“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Ms. Hassan said. “I am chill about that whole coed thing. I understand that in a Muslim context we are not supposed to hang out with the opposite sex, but it just happens and there is nothing you can do.”

But as Saif Inam, the vice president of the chapter at George Washington put it, “At the end of the day, I don’t want God asking me, ‘O.K. Saif, why did you organize events in which people could do un-Islamic things in big numbers?’ ”

The debate boils down to whether upholding gender segregation is forcing something artificial and vaguely hypocritical in an American context.

“As American Islam gets its own identity, it is going to have to shed some of these notions that are distant from American culture,” said Rafia Zakaria, a student at Indiana University. “The tension is between what forms of tradition are essential and what forms are open to innovation.”

American law says men and women are equal, whereas Muslim religious texts say they “complement” each other, Ms. Zakaria said. “If the law says they are equal, it’s hard to see how in their spiritual lives they will accept a whole different identity.”

The entire shift of the association from a foreign-run organization to an American one took place over arguments like this.

The Americans won out partly because the number of Muslim American college students hit a critical mass in the late 1990s, and then, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, foreign students, fearful of their visas being revoked, started avoiding a group that was increasingly political.

Some critics view strict interpretation of the faith as part of the association’s DNA. Organized in the 1960s by foreign students who wanted collective prayers where there were no mosques, the associations were basically little slices of Saudi Arabia. Women were banned. Only Muslim men who prayed, fasted and avoided alcohol and dating were welcomed. Meetings, even idle conversations, were in Arabic.

Donations from Saudi Arabia largely financed the group, and its leaders pushed the kingdom’s puritan, Wahhabi strain of Islam. Prof. Hamid Algar of the University of California, Berkeley, said that in the 1960s and 1970s, chapters advocated theological and political positions derived from radical Islamist organizations and would brook no criticism of Saudi Arabia.

That past has given the associations a reputation in some official quarters as a possible font of extremism, but experts in American Islam believe college campuses have become too diverse and are under too much scrutiny for the groups to foster radicals.

Zareena Grewal, a professor of religion and American studies at Yale, pointed to several things that would repel extremists. Members are trying to become more involved in the American political system, Professor Grewal said, and the heavy presence of women in the leadership would also deter them. Members “are not sitting around reading ‘How to Bomb Your Campus for Dummies,’ ” she said.

Its leaders think the organization is gradually relaxing a bit as it seeks to maintain its status as the main player for Muslim students.

“There were drunkards in the Prophet Muhammad’s (s) community; there were fornicators and people who committed adultery in his community, and he didn’t reject them,” Mr. Mertaban said. “I think M.S.A.’s are beginning to understand this point that every person has ups and downs.”

10-10

By Geoffrey Cook, MMNS

Although there were irregularities, overall the elections were fair. The proof of this is that the “King’s” Party (Musharraf’s) did not win the Parliamentary elections for good or ill.

Because of the threat of violence, the turn out was quite low – c. 20-40%(?) — for the excitement generated due to the threat of violence. The results, although they did proclaim a desire for change, was, also, askew. Many in the rural areas followed the wishes of their (feudal) landlords. South Asian feudalism has to be broken for true democracy to prevail in Pakistan.

The Musharraf Government was working toward a democracy but with a Constitutional place for the military much in the image of the Turkish form. The two opposition Parties — PPP (the Pakistan People’s Party) and the Pakistan’s Muslim League – although with grave differences, have decided to unite in a Coalition. The question is can they resolve their differences enough to rule?

The past history of the two historical democratic (victorious) parties in these Parliamentary contests record of governance has been horrible! During their four previous Governments (two each), Islamabad had been considered the second most corrupt public administration in the world. The General cleaned this up through his Accountability Courts. Thus, the Coalition has to reform itself from within to successfully rule, and with such leading but notorious figures as Sharif and Zadiri, there may be difficulty in creating sincere reform – besides the two personalities never got along in the past.

Also, it will be hard for Zidari and Sharif to work with President Musharraf, for Benezir’s husband was imprisoned for eleven years, and Sharif attempted to murder Musharraf along with a civilian plane full of passengers and potential victims on the ground. The two Coalition partners would both like to reinstate the judiciary to declare the President’s election null and void; and, consequently, impeach him. Yet it is doubtful that Pervez Musharraf will step down. These elections have weakened the Pak Executive and exalted the legislature! Succinctly, the Coalition Government will be unstable, though. Concisely, this poll was a referendum against the influence of the Army!

Yet, there is hope. A Pakistani Professor from the University of Texas stated, “The political parties will have to show a tremendous amount of maturity” which they have not shown in the past.

Strangely, the Islamic Parties, which had asserted themselves in the last Parliament, have been essentially eliminated from the current ruling Assemblage when Western Democracy was imposed upon Pakistan again.

Under the strong State, foreign investment was encouraged. With a perceived lack of security, Pakistan is not only at a political but also at an economic crossroads. Previously, they have especially benefited from Chinese investment and the American influx of military aid.

Inflation has begun to take hold, however. “There has been prosperity in Pakistan but only for certain people.” Neo-liberalization and privatization has taken hold during the Musharraf years, which has produced a “Free Market economy without a safety net.” The economic squeeze can only increase the dangerous disparities between classes until a strong Civil Society can take hold, but above all, the greatest problem is law and order, and the people are apprehensive. Education and welfare is what is on their mind, but without a secure environment the finances will still be diverted to defense!

“Pakistan is strongly linked to America,” and this election is catastrophic for U.S. interests. One of the central reasons that the President’s party’s lost was the populace’s alienation against Pakistan’s alliance with the District of Columbia’s in our War Against Terrorism, for the people feel it is the U.S.’ and not Pakistan’s battle. “The relationship between the United States and Pakistan” could shift drastically. This is something only time will tell.

10-10

IRS Debunks Several Common Myths about 2008 Stimulus Payments

February 25, 2008

TMO Editor’s note: The stimulus payment will be paid to resident green card holders.

DETROIT — The Internal Revenue Service today moved to set the record straight on several issues surrounding administration of the 2008 Stimulus Payments. Approximately 130 million taxpayers will receive checks of at least $300 beginning in May 2008.

“The latest and most complete information is at IRS.gov,” said IRS Spokesperson Luis D. Garcia. “We are concerned that many important details are not being communicated clearly enough so we’d like all taxpayers to know the facts.”

MYTH – The Stimulus Payment will reduce a taxpayer’s 2008 refund.
FACT – The payment will NOT reduce refunds or increase the amount owed when a 2008 return is filed.

MYTH – The Stimulus Payment is taxable.
FACT – It is NOT taxable, but taxpayers are encouraged to keep a copy of the IRS notice they will receive later this year listing the amount of payment. In the event a taxpayer does not qualify to receive the full amount this year but does next year, the notice will be a record of the previous amount received.

MYTH – Taxpayers needn’t do anything in order to receive a Stimulus Payment.
FACT – Taxpayers must file a 2007 tax return in order to be eligible for a payment. After filing a 2007 return, however, the taxpayer is set and the IRS will do the rest.

MYTH – Everybody is eligible for a check.
FACT – At the minimum, a taxpayer must have at least $3,000 of “qualifying income” to receive either $300 (Single) or $600 (Married Filing Joint). Qualifying income includes Social Security benefits, certain Railroad Retirement benefits, certain veterans’ benefits and earned income, such as income from wages, salaries, tips and self-employment. For taxpayers filing joint tax returns, only a total of $3,000 of qualifying income from both spouses is required to be eligible. Also, for those who don’t normally file, a tax return (form 1040A) will be needed this year to get a check.

MYTH – Only paper checks will be issued.
FACT – Direct Deposit is the best way to receive the payment. Eligible taxpayers who choose direct deposit for their 2007 tax year refund will receive their Stimulus Payment the same way.

MYTH – The IRS will contact taxpayers either by phone or e-mail about their payments.
FACT – Watch for scams! IRS will not contact taxpayers by phone or e-mail about Stimulus Payments or refunds.

The IRS reminds those who don’t have any other requirement to file a tax return that submitting a tax return to qualify for the economic stimulus payments does not create any additional tax or trigger a tax bill. In addition, the stimulus payments will not have any effect on eligibility for federal benefits. Complete details are available at www.irs.gov.

Luis D. Garcia
IRS Media Relations

Direct 313.628.3900
There’s only one IRS online. www.irs.gov

By Geoffrey Cook, MMNS

I have been expecting to write this article for quite some time, but the news only came over the wires this morning — Sunday February 17th.

This has been a long-expected move by the (now) independent, tiny 90% Muslim nation of two million souls. Kosova, strangely enough, is also considered the historical birthplace of the Serb nation–to whom that enclave of Albanian Muslims belonged until last Saturday. Although Kosova is only 10% Serbian and 90% Albanian, yet it is such a sensitive issue with Belgrade, as shown by the spontaneous rioting by Serbs in surrounding regions and even inside Kosova.

15% of an already small nation’s territory has been sliced away–cutting deep into the heartland of the Southern (Former) Yugoslavian nation: A terrain considered the historical heart of Serbia, the central moral justification for Serbia’s atrocities and oppression, has been ripped away.

When the Prime Minister Hashim Thaci announced the decision of his legislature to finally proclaim their sovereignty, he declared that his nation would henceforth be known as Kosova — the name of the territory in Albanian and not the Serbian name of Kosovo.

Thaci declared that Kosova was “…an independent and democratic” State “From this day onwards…Proud [to be]…free.”

Further, he asserted a commitment to “multi-ethnicity.” The Parliamentary Speaker of their legislature further pronounced that the governmental form would be “an independent, democratic republic.”

Serbia, of course and her big sister Russia, fearing this would acerbate their own fissures, oppose a free Kosova. As do the Chinese. However, immediately after its independence Kosova was recognized by the United States as well as several other prominent Western powers, notably not including Spain–which in its own self-interest in relation to its own ethnic enclaves (chief among them the Basque Separatists) scare the Spanish. However, the overwhelming majority of European, North American and Muslim nations support Pristina’s action. Belgrade has pledged to use all diplomatic methods to oppose this move.

Monday, Britain, Italy France and the United States formally recognized the diminutive republic as well as their long time supporters the Turks and their neighboring Albania–in fact by ethnicity the Kosovars are related to the Albanians, although their nation is claimed by the Serbs.

There had been a fear of a Serbian attack before. NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) has a modest garrison to protect the U.N. administered district that would be overrun by a massive Serbian assault, but Belgrade’s desire to join the European Union will probably discourage a violent reaction against Kosova along with an unstated extensive retaliatory attack from NATO, for it was in this minuscule part of Yugoslavia that the genocides by the Serbs began — encouraging a mass NATO response – during the 1990s, and the break-up of Yugoslavia.

Besides the slaughters, hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes. Both the U.S. and the EU are committed to maintaining Balkan stability. Brussels decided in a meeting on the 18th that all Balkan countries will be part of their august Community in time. Because of the especial problems with Kosova, it will probably take more time there than in the rest of Southeastern Europe.

The Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunca was quoted as saying, however, “Citizens of Serbia, we have to come together [to] show that we do not acknowledge…a…state on our territory…As long as there are Serbian people, Kosovo is Serbian!”

The American President said from Ghana that he favors a limited Statehood under International Supervision, and “it’s in Serbia’s interest to be aligned with Europe…” Succinctly, though, Bush holds the opinion that Kosovo’s “status must be resolved before the Balkans [question] can become stable.”

Kosova’s liberty was stated as an “inevitable, forceful and unilateral declaration.”

The U.N. administration is to be replaced by the EU, and the NATO troops will have to remain there to guarantee the safety of the minority Serbs. So, their freedom is more of an autonomy to the International Community.

Belgrade and Moscow’s official complaint is that Kosova’s self-determination is, they say, not legitimate–violating International law–because it did not come through the U.N. brokered talks that they (the Russians and Serbs) obfuscated.

Therefore, Russia has demanded that the Security Council declare Kosova’s independence null and void. This has already been rejected by a majority of the permanent members before the Council has even met, but a veto from Saint Petersburg can hold Pristina’s international recognition up along with all the advantages of that. Although the majority of the permanent members of the Security Council support Self-rule, the Security Council is deeply divided because of the will of Russia and Beijing.

If any of you have been following my articles on Kosova and the South Balkans, you are aware of the challenges ahead for this the newest of nations and the revival of Islam in Europe. Kosova has been depending on vast amounts of aid from the West. To build a stable Kosova that aid and technical aid will need to continue its inflow from the West and its Muslim partners.

10-9

By Adil James, MMNS

Farmington–February 19–Dr. Yahya Basha is an unassuming but very accomplished man who, behind the scenes, has done much to support Muslims while finding time to build himself a powerful resume.

The Syrian-born doctor and businessman has also operated as an entrepreneur of political influence and social organization among American Muslims.

Dr. Basha maintains a business Basha Diagnostics which he explains has “over 100 employees.” He started Basha Diagnostics almost 28 years ago, in 1980. Before starting that business he had a prominent career, working for several hospitals in Michigan.

He has had wide-ranging and high-level involvement in Muslim advocacy organizations, from the American Muslim Council (AMC) to MPAC, AAI, and CAIR.

Without doubt he has had a prominent career in his business and in working for Muslim organizations, but the focus of TMO’s interest in Dr. Basha during the exciting 2008 primary elections is politics. And perhaps his political philosophy could be boiled down to one theme: “If you are out you don’t count–your views will not be heard,” explains Dr. Basha.

This guiding principle has influenced Dr. Basha towards involvement with all sides of the American political landscape, including seeming opposites, from Bill Cliinton to Mitt Romney, from Democrat Jennifer Granholm to her Republican challenger Dick Devos. He previously worked for Michigan’s Republican Governor Engler. He has met with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and has travelled as a part of an official State Department delegation under the current Bush administration.

He tries to demonstrate to all those he meets the importance of the Muslim community to those people, rather than making demands of them. “Definitely the community has a lot of value,” he explains. In discussing the advantages of each party he explains that the Republicans value social morals and support small business, while the Democratic party tends to value diversity and welcome different ethnicities.

Some Muslims, he says, “feel closer to the left–some to the right. But definitely no one is 100%” aligned to the views of Muslims. “We have to navigate to bring our point of view.”

Dr. Basha’s philosophy seems to be a sound and wise one, that because neither party exactly represents the views and needs of Muslims, but each does to some extent, it is better to look for those positive areas in each party and maintain involvement with both.

“I try to give guidance instead of asking for favors. I want to show that the Muslim community is capable of helping, a partner.” In order for a community to get its rights, he argues, that community “has to earn it and work for it, you have to take it.” He looks to the Jewish community as a positive example, explaining that “Jews and others work very hard” and participate, and he explains that this is a good model to follow.

Speaking of the current political climate, he says, “It is definitely a very sensitive time.” He emphasizes that American Muslims have to work very hard in this time, and that our fortunes will not improve without our working very hard.

As far as the 2008 Presidential Elections, he says that “the momentum is definitely with Obama” right now. The final decision, however, he says, will rest in the hands of the hierarchy of the party (the superdelegates). Although he argues that the party superdelegates will likely fall with Obama, an open question is how reasonable the Clintons will be on this issue. He speaks of a potentially massive rift in the Democratic party if the hierarchy balks at Obama’s potential lead among delegates and instead chooses Clinton as a nominee–this would in his words “cause massive chaos–but I think they will manage it alright in the end.”

Advising American Muslims, he says that “instead of giving too many recommendations to Ron Paul, we have to look at the serious candidate who can help us in the long term, the nation and the community.” Speaking of Mr. Paul, he says, “sometimes I don’t feel his comments resonate with the larger society.” He argues that it is better not to endorse secondary or third-class candidates.

Rather, Dr. Basha wisely keeps his options open by working with all of those people who are involved with politics, trying to support those who are most positive and trying to emphasize those areas of potential positive cooperation with whoever wins in the end.

10-9

By Ayub Khan, MMNS

The Adventures of Amir Hamza: Lord of the Auspicious Planetary Conjunction.

Written by Ghalib Lakhnavi and Abdullah Bilgrami, translated by Musharraf Ali Farooqi. 948 pp. The Modern Library. $45.

Dastangoi, or story telling is one of those neglected and almost forgotten arts which once enthralled the masses as well the royalty of the Perso-Islamicate world. Story tellers traveled throughout the Persian speaking realm narrating fantastic tales of bravery, courage, faithfulness, betrayal, and cunning. These stories provided instant entertainment in an age when outlets for such indulgences were few. Among this oral tradition of the east, the Dastan-e Amir Hamza occupies a pride of place among such classics as The Arabian Nights and the Shanameh. In the Dastan, Amir Hamza is a composite character of righteousness and bravery loosely based on the personality of Prophet Muhammad’s (s) uncle by the same name.

His hair raising encounters with demons, warriors, tricksters, fairies, kings, and magical creatures would give tough competition to the characters of modern day genre of fantasy writing. Emperor Akbar, at the age of 16, was so taken by the charms of the Dastan that he ordered his artists to produce an illustrated version which would eventually fill 14 enormous volumes. Unfortunately, however, this monumental piece of work was lost and only parts of it survive. It was not until the end of the nineteenth century that a compact one volume Urdu text of the Dastan was produced by Ghalib Lakhnavi and Abdullah Bilgrami. This version has now been faithfully rendered into English by the Toronto based translator and author Musharraf Ali Farooqi.

Farooqi has succeeded in translating the epic in a highly readable manner while remaining faithful to the original Urdu. Sample this: “The gazetteers of miscellanies, tale-bearers of varied annals, the enlightened in the ethereal realms of legend writing, and recokeners of the subtle issues of eloquence thus gallop the noble steed of the pen through the field of composition, and spur on the delightful tale.”

The fantastic tales coupled with the textual deftness of the translator, The Adventures of the Amir Hamza, Lord of the Auspicious Planetary Conjunction, keeps the reader fixated from start to the finish. It was not without reason that Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi in his famous Baheshti Zewar had warned proper women from reading the Dastan. Musharraf Ali Farooqi, who is coincidentally the grand-nephew of Maulana Thanwi, takes it even further. He writes, “Taking modern-day sensibilities into account, I would just add that men, too, must not sit down with this book without a bottle of smelling salts close at hand.” The book’s lucidity and ornamentation is enough to transfer anyone into an enchanted world.

The Dastan provides an insight into the society of the Perso-Islamicate world complete with the courtly manners, dress, myths, and legends. In a world increasingly marked by rhetoric of clash of civilizations the appearance of this translation is a fitting reply to the likes of Bernard Lewis who mock the supposed lack of artistic excellence in the Islamic civilization. More importantly it reinforces the qualities that are common to all: courage, truthfulness, fidelity, and honor.

Coinciding with the publication of this translation, it is hopeful to note that there has been a revival of sorts in the Dastangoi tradition in India and Pakistan. While Mahmood Farooqi and Murtaza Danish Hussaini have kept the tradition alive in India, there is evidence that it is gaining currency in Pakistan as well. Karachi’s International Schools Educational Olympiad 2008 for the first time held a Dastangoi theater performance competition last month.

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