The current controversy over the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed has ignited my interest to educate myself more about Islam as I realized that there is so much I don't know. Ignorance generally breeds suspicion, hate and resentment, and I cringe when I hear generalizing statements along the lines of "All Muslims are....". This kind of stereotyping doesn't help anyone and just puts up barriers between people of different backgrounds.



In my own business I work with two Muslim individuals and they are two of the nicest, kindest, most cultured human beings you could ever meet. So to broaden my understanding, I started searching for someone from the Muslim community to shed more light on Islam and the current tensions.



Farzana Hassan, a Pakistani-born Canadian citizen, has held many senior positions in a variety of Muslim and Interfaith organizations and she agreed to share her views on the current controversies and on Islam in general.



1. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your background. Where did you

grow up, what is your family background.



I am originally from Lahore, Pakistan, a bustling city of teeming millions,

boasting of historic sites, reputable educational institutes and centers of

art and culture. I come from a family of civil servants, academicians and

educators. Education was always prized in our family and I attended the top

schools and colleges the city could offer. I later completed my Masters

from the University of Massachusetts. My father Dr. Riaz Hassan, has a

doctorate in Linguistics. My mother Parveen, his first cousin is also a very

highly educated lady with a Bar- at- law from Lincoln's Inn, London, an M

Litt. from Durham University England, and a PhD in Political Science from

Punjab University. We therefore have a long tradition of literary and

academic pursuits. My maternal great-grand father was an acclaimed

playwright, poet and scholar of Islam. My maternal aunt Dr. Riffat Hassan is

a well-known feminist theologian.



2. At a young age you came to North America. Please tell us about that and where you lived.



I came to North America at the tender age of thirteen and completed High

School from Fall River Massachusetts a few years later.. My parents had

divorced by then. I think there were cultural differences between the two in

spite of being closely related to each other. My father, who is half

British was brought up in a very Anglicized home environment. My mother was

from a more conservative and traditional background. She married my

step-father Dr. Shaukat Ali before we came to the States. Not only was he

an excellent father to me, we were also great friends. After completing

High School I went back to Lahore to complete my bachelors at the Kinnaird

College for Women.



3. Please tell us about your view of Islam. What does Islam mean to you?



Islam for me is a generic concept. It means "surrender to the will of

god". Whoever surrenders to the Will of God according to their own

particular understanding of God, for me qualifies as a "Muslim" in that

generic sense. This may also offend some people who do not profess Islam.

However, I have arrived at this understanding in order to satisfy an inner

urge prompting me to include all of humanity as being on the path to

salvation. I believe in a basic underlying unity of all faiths. The

different religions are only different expressions of the same message and

axiomatic truths. The Quran articulates what most people of the world

already believe in i.e Transcendence and universally recognized moral

values.



Islam is more rightly characterized as a "Deen" which conforms to the

natural propensities of man. It is a modern expression of man's natural

religion which recognizes the Ineffable and is imbued with an innate sense

of right and wrong common to all faiths.



4. Please talk to us about the fine distinctions between Islam as a

religion and Islamic cultural practices that are being observed today.



Islam spread in mostly patriarchal societies. Every culture interprets

religious precepts according to its own social mores. Islam too came to be

interpreted in a patriarchal way because of the patriarchal cultures where

it spread. These cultural practices have now come to be regarded as being

synonymous with Islam.



5. Please explain to us the term "Sharia Law" and how recent discussions

have led to some controversies. What is your viewpoint on this?



Shariah is the entire corpus of the public and private life of a Muslim.

"Shariah law" specifically is the codification of the juristic rulings of

the classical jurists of Islam. In the Canadian context the term was being

used for Muslim tribunals that would adjudicate cases pertaining to divorce

and alimony. I do not believe in bringing Shariah law to Canada. If Shariah

is seen merely as a personal moral code inspiring righteous action, then I

don't have a problem with it. It is the legalities embedded in Shariah

that bother me because they put women and religious minorities at a considerable

disadvantage.



6. Why in your opinion are so many Muslims so angry today? Please comment

on the historical context of this anger.



Muslims rage can be traced back to many events from the time of the

Muslim exodus from Spain. They came to be colonized by Western powers. The

Ottoman Empire was dismantled. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has fuelled

Muslim anger. And recently the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have further

exacerbated the situation. The anger is directed mostly towards Israel and

the West. I feel that some of it is justified although Muslims are no less

to blame in the current conflicts. They have missed several opportunities

to establish a Palestinian state. Their own polities are dysfunctional in

more ways than one.



7. You were the Canadian President of an organization called "Muslims

against Terrorism". Please tell us more about that.



Muslims Against Terrorism was established in 1999 by Mr. Soharwrady. It

seeks to fight terrorism and violence at the ideological level. It has

fourteen chapters all over the US and Canada. I was the National President

until September 2005. Under my mandate, the group organized lectures and

seminars in an effort to correct Muslim and non Muslim understanding of

concepts such as Jihad, women's rights in Islam and interfaith issues. We

also sent many press releases condemning acts of terror and violence against

civilians.



8. You are now involved in the Muslim Canadian Congress. Please tell

us more about this organization and your work with them.



The Muslim Canadian Congress is a progressive Muslim organization which

supports gay rights, equality for women and separation of church and state.

I support the general platform of the organization although we often

encounter differences over how to best achieve our objectives-all of course

in the spirit of democracy. The Muslim Canadian Congress recently won the

battle against the introduction of Shariah tribunals with the help of other

groups such as the Canadian Council of Muslim Women of which I am a member

as well.



9. Another organization you are part of is the Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims.



The Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims meets at Temple Emanuel once

a month. We discuss issues of mutual concern in a friendly and respectful

manner. The group also issues joint statements protecting the rights of

Muslims and Jews living as diasporic, minority communities in Canada. The

group recently issued a powerful statement against the offensive cartoons of

the prophet Mohammed published by the Danish journal Jyllands Posten.



10. You also work with the "Credit Valley Interfaith Coalition", please tell us more about that.



My interfaith work accords me membership in various other multi-faith

groups such as the Credit Valley Interfaith Coalition and the 905 Interfaith

groups. We share our beliefs and practices with each other, again in a

friendly and respectful manner. The idea is not to convince each other about

the" truth "of our particular faith group but to genuinely understand our

differences and develop respect for them.



11. How would you describe your world view today, as a Muslim woman living in Canada. How did you arrive at your insights?



I am a believer and a Muslim. However, I espouse a sort of a spiritual

humanism which is inclusive of all faiths, ethnic differences and

nationalities. I have come to abhor class differences or distinctions based

on religion or other things that divide people. We are all the same deep

down. The different faiths are basically expressions of the same general

philosophy common to all faiths and I see no reason why we cannot all live

in harmony and peace with each other. I see the differences as being very

superficial and the commonalities far greater.





12. You also hold lectures at different organizations. What topics do you

lecture about and at which institutions?



I have recently given talks on various topics such as women's rights in

Islam. I have spoken at Seneca College, the University of Vermont, at UTM,

the University of Rochester, UMass, and also at various churches and

synagogues on terrorism, jihad and women's rights in Islam.



13. You wrote a book called "Echos from the Abyss", please tell us more about that.



My book entitled "Echoes from the Abyss" is a fictional account of child

prostitution in India. As I said the characters are all fictional but the

story is based on a very ugly reality that affects eight and nine year old

girls trapped in the degradation of sex slavery. The story is set in India

but the problem is universal. It takes place right here in Canada. The book

can be purchased from amazon.ca. It is available in some bookstores in the

US. It is also available in the Toronto Women's bookstore.



14. You are also an accomplished musician, and you indicated that Islam

puts some limits on the type of music that is allowed. Please tell us more about that.



I should qualify that it is only orthodox Islam that puts limits on

music. As a matter of fact, Muslims have contributed tremendously to the

growth of music as an art form. Many instruments currently in vogue in the

Muslim world were invented in Muslim Spain such as the Oud. According to

some historical accounts, the current system of music notation is also

Muslim in origin.



I am a pianist and a vocalist. I have taught classical piano to students in

Canada for many years. I also perform Hindi and Urdu songs at informal

gatherings.



15. What message do you want to send to the world about Islam?



Islam is not a monolith. There are Muslims who are fighting for justice

harmony and tolerance such as some of the organizations I am member of.

Even conservative Muslims are peaceful people although I urge them to

challenge traditional interpretations of Islam. If, as they believe Islam is

universal, it cannot be practiced in a parochial, medieval or patriarchal

way.



16. What can we all do to restore and create a more positive climate between Muslims and other religions / cultures?



It is imperative for all peoples dedicated to restoring peace and harmony

to the world to examine their own religious precepts as well as those of

others in a dispassionate manner. There are many misconceptions floating

around about the religion of Islam in the West as there are about Jews among

Muslims or about the Americans in the Muslim world. All sides need to shed

their biases and prejudices. All religions exhort followers to tolerance

and love for all. There are many people working towards this cause. I would

like to see more of these messages covered in the media as well. The media

tends to exploit the differences and bigotry among people. It should focus

rather on the positive efforts being undertaken by many among all faith

traditions, including Islam.



Farana, thank you so much for taking your time to share your views and enlighten us. All of us need to come together to break down our barriers of ignorance and to open our hearts to get to know one another, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion.