Bye Bye Blogger!

Theos0phia.wordpress.com

I have decided to move to wordpress! The reason is mainly because I've been annoyed that blogger doesn't seem to have anything resembling tech support, and a problem I've had with commenting has gone unsolved since August, with no reply to several emails or helpforum posts I've made. So now I'm voting with my feet, so to speak.

I do like that on Wordpress, you can leave replies to individual comments. I also like that it is possible to customize layouts, although it looks pretty complicated to me. The new blog is up now, but I will still be playing with it for a bit, and I don't have all my links up yet.

If you have any problems with my Wordpress blog, leave a comment on this post to let me know. I've disallowed commenting on my older posts on this blog, but you can still comment on my wordpress blog (hopefully, assuming I didn't screw up my settings). I will keep this blog up for a few weeks until I get the new one arranged correctly.

See you there!

Actually, Veils Don't Stop Pervs

I read an interesting article on Altmuslimah the other day. It discussed attempts to document (and hopefully put an end to) rampant sexual harassment in Egypt; you can read it here.

But this was the part I found really interesting:

"... [The study] found that 72.5% of victims surveyed were wearing hijab when they were sexually harassed. This is important because it shows the invalidity of the argument too many muslims (men AND women) bandy about of hijab being a protection against rape and harassment. Logically, even without this study, we can see why it’s not a reasonable argument: women in burqas in Afghanistan are raped, 99 year old grandmas are raped. These events show the appearance of a rape victim/survivor is NOT the determining factor in an attack. The determining factor is the man.

And as long as Muslims try to make the argument that hijab is the magical protection against sexual harassment and rape, then they continue to place the blame on the victim/survivor and are buying into the “she was asking for it by dressing like that” argument, and not where it sqaurely belongs: on the man." (Emphasis mine).

I mention this not to imply that there is something wrong with wearing hijab, but I do think its wrong to tell women that hijab will somehow protect them from harrasment - or that not wearing hijab somehow invites it. Unfortunately, women must always be vigilant, regardles of how they are dressed.

Hadith, Revisited

Back on the blog I started with, I wrote a post about my view on hadith. I have decided to re-open that can of worms.

Recently this topic has cropped up in the comment section of an earlier post, so I thought I'd open the subject up again with its own post. I wrote the following comment on this blog (in reference to vol. 1, book 6, number 301 of Bukhari):

"In fairness, it may be gut instinct as well as reason that makes me question the hadiths. I will not follow a Prophet who disrespects my entire gender. Why on earth would I? What possible motivation do I have to make myself believe that God intentionally made me deficient?"

Needless to say, I remain skeptical of hadith. I am bringing this topic up again because I want to find out if I'm missing something here - if there exists some bit of knowledge I've skipped over that would instill in me some tiny seed of belief that the hadiths are, in fact, accurate records of the words and deeds of the Prophet of Islam. I feel that the hadith are especially harsh towards women, something that would seem to contradict the impression I got of gender relations in the Quran. As a woman, I feel a responsibility to understand this divergence. As a possible convert, my religious future is inextricably tied to understanding the legitimacy and power of the hadiths.

So I ask you, dear readers and fellow bloggers, for your help. How do you feel about the hadiths? What influenced you regarding those feelings? What research have you done regarding hadiths? Was it helpful, and would you recommend anything? Regardless of their accuracy, do you feel the hadiths are relevant today, or limited by their time and place?

I do ask that those who choose to comment be respectful to each other. I will be moderating all comments.

Truth and Religion: a brief look at Abdolkarim Soroush (and some other thoughts)

Before I begin, I just want to mention a great post I read recently over at Tazaqqa's blog - a favorite of mine - called "Revealed scriptures vs divine inspiration"... a must-read! I reach different conclusions than she, but I still found the post very moving.

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Now, to my post. I've just started reading some of Abdolkarim Soroush's work. He is an Iranian religious intellectual and I must admit that I enjoy reading his thoughts. If you peruse the links on this blog you'll find one leading to his website, where you can find a number of his lectures and essays in both English and Persian. Today I just wanted to share a few quotes from a book I'm reading, "Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam: Essential Writings of Abdolkarim Soroush".

Religion vs Religious Thought

This is a concept I found most refreshing when it comes to Islamic thought. Basically, it means that in endeavors to understand religion, or the reform/revival of religion, one must first understand that their is a difference between the religion itself and our understanding of religion.

"The truth is that as long as one has not distinguished between religion and people's understanding of it, one will be incapable of finding an adequate answer to these intriguing questions. Yes, it is true that sacred scriptures are (in the judgment of followers) flawless; however, it is just as true that human beings' understanding of religion is flawed. Religion is sacred and heavenly, but the understanding of religion is human and earthly... Religion has not faltered in articulating its objectives and its explanations of good and evil; the defect is in human beings' understanding of religion's intents. Religion is in no need of reconstruction and completion. Religious knowledge and insight that is human and incomplete, however, is in constant need of reconstruction. Religion is free from cultures and unblemished by the artifacts of human minds, but religious knowledge is, without a shadow of a doubt, subject to such influences... It is up to God to reveal a religion, but up to us to understand and realize it. It is at this point that religious knowledge is born, entirely human and subject to all the dictates of human knowledge."

A Motto to Live By

The beginning of the book included and interview with Soroush, in which he discusses some of his personal ethics. I found the following deeply inspiring:

"... I always follow a single motto. It is rather easy to state but hard to practice. I believe that truths everywhere are compatible; no truth clashes with any other truth. They are all the inhabitants of the same mansion and stars in the same constellation. One truth in one corner of the world has to be harmonious and compatible with all truths elsewhere, or else it is not truth. That is why I have never tired of my search for truth in other arenas of intellect and opinion. This truthfulness of the world is a blessing indeed, because it instigates constant search and engenders a healthy pluralism."

This defines perfectly my (intended) method of understanding Islam. I hold certain truths in my heart that I couldn't escape if I wanted to. So far these truths seem compatible with those of Islam, but I continue to search and question in order to discover if it is so.

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And now, some other thoughts:

Its funny... I remember crying when I first began reading the Quran. It was a beautiful yet painful moment, as if my heart was breaking. And I do feel as if the Quran broke open my heart; emotions seem stronger than they did before, with moments of great comfort and great confusion coming one after the other. I feel more awake. It reminds me of falling in love.

I don't know what all this means yet, just something I've been reflecting on lately.

Nighttime Train Ride

I'm off to visit family up in Oregon! I'm taking a train overnight - which I actually find sort of romantic. I'll drift and dream and wake up someplace new.

Anyhoo, I won't be posting for a bit. Lots to do before fall quarter starts. I plan to keep up the blog during school, though there may be bigger gaps between posting I'm afraid. Hope ya'll have a great Eid!

The Difficulties of Public Muslim-ness AND On the Matter of Love & Marriage: A Post in Two Parts

I have two matters troubling me of late, so its time for a double post!

The Difficulties of Public Muslim-ness

I have been trying to slowly integrate Muslim rituals into my daily life in order to see if I can get comfortable with the practices. In private, its been remarkably easy: I love wudhu (so refreshing!), I'm learning to say the Opening surah in Arabic (beautiful - at least when other people say it), and although I'm not praying salat yet, I am praying informally throughout the day, which has been a subtly powerful experience. The problems for me seem to arise outside the home... primarily at work.

I'm not going to go into detail about what I do for a living. Its retail and I hate it, and I'm going to leave it at that. The women's bathroom has a sink and two stalls. The stalls have latches, the door to the bathroom doesn't. It is used by employees and customers alike and its usually pretty busy in there... lots of people coming and going while a person is at the sink. I try to do wudhu as fast as I possibly can, but it feels like I'm being sneaky and it certainly doesn't make me feel very spiritual. Also, this bathroom is pretty gross - it doesn't get cleaned nearly enough for the amount of traffic it gets, despite multiple complaints. I REFUSE to take my shoes of in there to wash my feet. Even if I had guaranteed privacy, there is no way I would feel clean afterwards. Performing ablutions at home only helps a little; I work 8 hour days, sometimes more... sooner or later nature calls. The other problem is finding a place to prostrate. There are no private areas at work. The best I could do is to find a corner of the parking lot thats slightly obscured and hope it doesn't rain.

I just don't feel ready to be "out", so to speak. I'm still trying to figure out if Islam is right for me, but I feel I have to try living as a Muslim to know that. Even if I was ready, I don't think my religion should be a public display. For those who would advise that I find a different job - believe me, I would if I could. The economy sucks right now, and I'm making more than average for a retail job. Until I finish school, my prospects are pretty sad. I'm really not sure what to do.

On the Matter of Love & Marriage

This is going to be a bit more personal (so try to remember my life has been pretty non-religious until recently - and don't get all judge-y). I recently read a thread on Free-Minds.Org about Islam's stand on premarital sex and it got me thinking. I want to know: how is marriage defined in Islam? Is a couple considered married if they are legally married by the state? Is a couple considered married if they meet some other standard, even if they don't get legally married? Is marriage about paperwork, or about the promises exchanged between two people?

I have a boyfriend. We've been together nearly 7 years. We lived separately for the first couple years, then I started staying at his place about half the time, and the last 3-4 years we've lived together. And yes, we've been sexually intimate for the vast majority of the relationship. We've also been faithful companions to each other, supporting each other through hard times and enjoying each other in good times. We've talked about getting married... I guess both of us just have trouble seeing how it would change things. We both have divorced parents and have seen friends and family jump into loveless marriages - the act of marriage didn't improve things for them. And on a practical level, marriage is not cheap! Finally, a long time ago I promised my mother I would finish college before I got married... neither of us predicted it would take me this long to get through school, but I try to keep my promises.

I guess I feel that in the ways that matter, he is already my husband. We've exchanged promises about our lives together and our future, we've got dozens of friends and family who have witnessed our devotion, and we've outlasted several actual marriages. He's part of my family and I'm part of his. I can't believe that the life we've had together - sex and all - is a bad thing. But would it be considered bad in Islam? Thats what I hope to find out.

On the Matter of My Nom de Plume

I chose the name Sophia when I was reading about people taking "Muslim" names when they convert. There's a lot of debate on whether such a thing is necessary, on whether it has to be an Arab name or not, etc. My opinion is that it's not needed, but it might be beneficial. I also don't think it has to be from any particular nationality. I decided that IF I converted and IF I wanted a name to reflect that, it would be Sophia - thus the name of the blog. I read the Bible a long time ago because I was curious, and Proverbs chapter 8 caught my eye. It refers to a personification of wisdom, but some translations simply use the Greek word for wisdom: Sophia. Thus the title of this blog, Theosophia, literally means "god-wisdom".

I'm reading a fascinating book right now; No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan. I hope to write more on this book, but there was a section I read recently that just about made my heart skip a beat:

"Others have suggested that Sufi is a corruption of the Greek word sophia: "wisdom". This is also unlikely, though there is a tempting symbolic connection between the two words. For if sophia is to be understood in its Aristotelian sense as "knowledge of ultimate things," then it is very much related to the term Sufi, just not linguistically."

How 'bout that! I definitely want to study more about Sufism, but I have been trying to ground myself in "the basics" of Islam first. I feel kinda bad... I have read half a dozen books about Islam in the past two months, and I still haven't finished the Quran! Part of the problem is I just bounced around reading whatever section caught my attention, then researching the meaning and history behind certain difficult verses, taking some notes, and bouncing around some more. I decided a few weeks ago to start over from the beginning to make sure I don't miss anything... and I'm only 1/4 of the way through! Oh well, after I finish the book I'm on I'll pick up where I left off... at least now I'm keeping track.