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Three reasons to fight

Posted in Irshaddering Thoughts, Q & A on Mar 07, 2009

I get a lot of emails. A. Lot. Whether they’re hateful or grateful, your messages motivate me. If you want to know what keeps me going, look no further than these three voices.

Let me begin with a non-Muslim who grabbed my heart by invoking “universal values”:

“Irshad, we have seemingly nothing in common: I am a college student from Prague, I am a heterosexual male and I do not believe in God. Story of my life, unlike that of yours, is by no means adventurous. But still there is something we share: our love for freedom and courage. The fact that two people with so different backgrounds share these values suggests that they truly are universal.

That leads me to the first thing I want to thank you for. To me, you are the answer to the tough question: where shall we draw the line between respect for other cultures and unacceptable withdrawal from universal values? I strongly believe that all laws and all governments (whether they apply to a whole country or a small village) which try to silence people like you are wrong and should be changed. I know that you focus mainly on the Muslim world but as you surely know, even in the liberal democracies of the Western world (among which I can now count the country I live in - Czech Republic), the fight for free thought is far from being won…

This leads me to my second thanks. Reading your articles and watching your videos always reminds me that instead of moaning about human stupidity and cowardice, I should use my time to make people less stupid and more courageous. This includes me. I know you were in Prague few months ago. A week before the conference you spoke at, a friend of mine called and said: ‘I am on the organizing team and we could still use some help. Wanna join?’ I was like: ‘Maybe, we’ll see…’

I did not take that offer. Then, a day or two after the conference ended, I found out that you had been there! I could have listened to your speech, maybe even talked to you or got my copy of The Trouble with Islam Today signed. I became angry with myself and cursed my own laziness. I remain a lazy person, but thanks to you, believe it or not, I do not miss opportunities so easily now.

For all these reasons, I felt an urge to express my gratitude. Thank you Irshad. You are one of my favourite neighbours in this global village of ours.” – Michal Pecena, Czech Republic

Irshad replies: You’ve given me sweet, simple joy, you atheist infidel bum. Your talk of universal values is, frankly, jet fuel for this believer. Speaking at a school last week, I noticed a famous Gandhi quote on the classroom door: ‘Be the change you wish to see.’ Then I explained to the students that the same sentiment can be found in the Quran: ‘God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.’ Welcome to yet another value that transcends time, culture and situation.

Speaking of universal values, Gandhi studied a white guy named Henry David Thoreau. In turn, a black guy named Martin Luther King Jr. studied Gandhi. We would all be the poorer if each of them stuck with his ‘own’ kind. Which is why I thank you, Michal, for embracing me as a neighbor — despite my misguided love of God.

For all your laziness, at least your brain is power-producing ideas. Not so with the next email. Here’s a texbook example of utter intellectual lethargy. When I receive messages like this, it’s screamingly clear why my conscience kicks into gear:

I HOPE YOU FUCKIN BURN IN HELL IRSHAD YOU BASTARD OF A BITCH MOTHERFUCKER

IM A MUSLIM, YOUR A FUCKIN FLOP, YEAH I HOPE YOU FUCKIN READ THIS YOU BITCHFACE MOTHERFUCKER

YOU MAKIN MONEY OFF SELLING GAY BOOKS TOO, ALLAH IS PATIENT WITH YOU FOR NOW, INCASE YOU MIGHT CHANGE AND OPEN YOUR GAY EYES

YOU THINK YOUR SOO BIG WITH YOUR ACTIVISM BULLSHIT, IF OOONLY YOUR WERE IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW, I SWEAR I CUT YOUR HEAD IN THE NAME OF ALLAH SOO THAT HE MAY FORGIVE YOU

IM A TRUE MUSLIM, I CONVERTED MY FRIEND, I KNOW GAYS, LET THEM LIVE (I GUESS??), TEACH THEM, ITS WRONG!!!!—– BUT YOU YOU BEAVER LICKIN MONGOLOID FRUIT PICKIN RAINBOW REACHING DUMB FUCKO—- YOU KNOW IT IN YOUR GAY SUBCONSCIENCE THAT YOUR SOOO WRONG AND PROUD OF YOUR GAYSELF YOU UNMODEST UNHUMBLE GAY ANTI-MUSLIM OUTCASTED BATTYGAL

YOU WANT TO SEEK HELP??? COME TO ME MAYBE I CAN UNGAY YOU——

STAKH-FHIRUULLLA [A badly spelled version of “God forgive me”]
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA
STAKH-FHIRUULLLA”
– Mahin Rahman

Irshad replies: Rather than dignify the previous email with an analysis, I’ll end with an email that comes from another Muslim:

“Hello our beloved Irshad,

It is great honour to me to write this email to you and hoping that you be in a good health. First of all I am Ahmed from Egypt who loves and adores your efforts to teach Islam reform & moral courage. You as a pioneer must tell your thoughts to your students and i want to be your student and servant because i want to learn from you but i do not know how to start? Please help me to be reformed within real islam. I know that I am being too heavy for you but i think you as the first teacher must lead me to right way. Please help to be your student asap.” – yours/Ahmed

Irshad replies: Ahmed, my brother, you are indeed a servant. But you don’t serve me; you serve your non-violent conscience and the creative force that dwells restlessly within it. If this is understood, then here’s a starting point: Please answer the 4 questions posted on the Moral Courage Project page. These questions will help you clarify what, exactly, you feel the need to change in your community. You can then focus your efforts and increase your chances of having an impact.

But I have another idea, too. A few days from now, I’ll introduce a student who, like you, comes from a culture that values conformity. Yet she did something for the cause of Muslim reform and moral courage that I think is non-conformist, brave and useful. You can do it, too, and in my next blog entry, I’ll reveal this idea.

Why wait until then? Because you’ve got homework, young man! (I’m waiting for your answers to the 4 questions…)

For now, remember: This is why we fight.