The conference has attracted well-known and learned scholars, academics, professionals, and community leaders from across the world, including Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson (U.S), Professor Tariq Ramadan (Switzerland), Professor Umar Faruq Abd-Allah (U.S), Imam Zaid Shakir (U.S.), Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali (CAN), Dr. Jamal Badawi (CAN), Dr. Ingrid Mattson (U.S/CAN), Attallah Shabazz (U.S.), Habib Ali Al-Jifri (Yemen), Dr. Aisha Al-Adawiya (U.S.), Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson (U.S.), Sr. Ameena Jandali (U.S.), Imam Yassir Fazaga (U.S.), Ustadh Yahya Rhodus (U.S.), Dr. Eboo Patel (U.S.) and a few others.
The focus of this (or last!) year's conference was 'Rules for the Road of Life- Reviving the 10 Commandments in the Modern World'. Speakers more or less stayed on topic in the various sessions, while offering perspectives on related subjects, as well. All in all, it was a spiritually uplifting experience hearing from such passionate and knowledgeable individuals.
Through the three day conference, I jotted down a few wise words and notable pieces of information that I thought might be nice to share here.
Sheikh Hamza Yusuf
★ Sheikh Hamza always draws from a supernaturally wide knowledge base (mA) and so in one session, he brought up the Seven Noahide Laws. Admittedly, I have never heard of the Laws before, but they are essentially 7 commandments that according to the Talmud, are believed to have come from God for all of Prophet Noah/Nuh's children (mankind). According to Jewish theology, any non-Jew who adheres to these commandments is ensured a place in the 'world to come'. Those that follow these commandments are known as Noahides, Righteous Gentiles or Hasidic Gentiles. Cool piece of information about the theology of our fellow believers, I'd say!
Umar Faruq Abd-Allah
★ He discussed the danger and force of our society's monoculture that he believes threatens to cut people off at their roots' and which, he pointed out, did not afford anyone the ability to have any substance or depth (of values, experiences, opinions, etc). He suggested that without a connection to one's roots (and really, knowledge of who were are and what we stand for and believe in), that we are susceptible to disease...This is a great analogy for the harm that secular-materialist forces can have on an individual who is uncritical about their environment and perspectives.
Imam Yassir Fazaga
★ This Imam was a real gem at the conference. He had a great sense of humour and had a very common-sense approach to the challenges we face as a community from forces both without and outside of ourselves. A few great points he shared in his presentations included the following. He reminded us that as Muslims, it is our duty to acquire knowledge not as an end in of itself, but for it's potential to benefit society. And he shared a belief that it was impossible for a man or woman with knowledge to become enslaved by dominant ideologies, ideas, etc. His point is obviously similar to the one made by Umar Faruq- that the only way we can avoid being consumed by homogenizing and other dominating forces in our environments and society- is to seek and acquire knowledge beyond what we already know, so that this knowledge may guide us in becoming critical thinking individuals. The final point he made that really resonated with me was that if what we believe inside does not impact our actions, then what we believe inside does not matter. I feel that when it comes to religious practice (fulfilling the 5 pillars of Islam, keeping to that which is halal, avoiding that which is not, etc) this point is especially true.
Professor Tariq Ramadan
★ By far, one of my most favourite lecturers. An honest intellectual and social activist, he discussed the rise and normalization in our society (and many others), of a culture of secular fundamentalism that threatens anyone who does not wish to conform to it's norms. He also implored us to be vocal against all types of injustices, not just those directly affecting Muslims, which is something I really believe in.
Imam Zaid Shakir
★ Imam Zaid never fails to inspire! One of his main points was that we, as a Muslim community need to normalize our presence in our respective countries, without trivializing it and that we can do so by moving beyond the symbols of our presence and by making substantial contributions to the wider community. He shared his hope that we would get to a point of post-integration discourse.
Ustadh Yahya Rhodus and Sheikh Abdalla Idris Ali spoke to attendees on the need to restore the importance of the day of Jumu'ah and the Friday prayers. Br. Abdalla described how prayer is supposed to help you charge your soul and that if your prayers do not reflect (positively) in your actions, words and relationships, then it has no meaning. This is a point those who practice the five daily prayers should really think about...
Our very own Jamal Badawi shared a beautiful quote from Ali (R.A.), which I think captures a view we should all adopt- that 'A person is either your brother (or sister) in faith or your equal in humanity'. Habib Ali Al-Jifri made a great point about how when one despises or disparages a created thing, that they show a lack of respect to the Creator. No disagreement there!
The wisdom and knowledge shared by these speakers reminds me of my readings in political philosophy during my university days. Both Friedrich Nietzsche and John Stuart Mill wrote at great length about the danger of conformity, to human progress. And I think that this is one of the underlying messages I gleaned from these speakers- that you have to know yourself and what you believe in- because this is the greatest contribution you can make to a society like our own :-)
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