Dana Nawzar

Ghanouchi is a man of moderation and consensus. He is neither a radical reformist nor a revolutionary. But in many places in Arab & Muslim world, it is skilful statesmen like Ghanouchi who are needed not angry mobs. Let’s pray for his success and may we have many more of him.

Ghanouchi has had great contributions to Muslim democratic thought and has been one of the key reasons for the survival of the nascent Tunisian democracy He going against all odds and so far he has proved to be a skilful sailor in very dangerous waters.

Rachid Ghanouchi, Muslim Arba thinker & lifelong advocate of democracy in the Arab world, elected as speaker of the Tunisian parliament. And as a testimony to man’s power brokering skills, even his rivals voted for him. He could be the most successful Arab politician alive.

The outrage against Turkish invasion of Northern Syria was justified. The silence against Israel’s indiscriminate killing of Gaza civilians is not. Israeli and Turkish talking points are very similar so is the Kurdish & Palestinian pain but international reaction is not!https://twitter.com/haaretzcom/status/1194780008021188610…

One interesting piece of research is studying the the discourses of Iranian & Turkish secular oppositions and how the longing for the ‘secular authoritarian strong man’ is unifying theme. Even in Iraq, a similar longing for Saddam -although less aggressive for now- is trending.

Reza Shah Pahlavi has as many supporters in Iran as Ataturk does. Both Ataturk & Shah are used as secular symbols against the ‘Islamist takeover’. Difference is Khomeini destroyed the old regime while Ataturk is still the regime just not the government -even that is changing-

Ataturk doesn’t represent just a person or the founder of the Republic. He has lately become the symbol of the secular resistance against ‘Islamist Erdogan’ but ironically they perform the resistance by turning Ataturk into a supernatural figure worthy of worship.

Just in case you thought it was one incident, here is another photo of teacher telling kids ‘Ataturk is your creator’ Btw, insult to Ataturk is prohibited by law & there is none above him.https://mobile.twitter.com/yildirimhasret/status/1194669691429634048…

Anytime they say ‘Turkey is one’s man rule’, I chuckle. Indeed, Turkey is one man’s rule and system & it continues to be strongest today after 90 years of its inception. Ataturk continues to be the god of the Turkish Republic.https://twitter.com/trtbreaking/status/1194533132386652161…

The perfect time, the perfect place and the perfect person do not come. Perfect is what is here, now & available. I started living the moment I stopped waiting.

When it comes to relationships, I strongly believe in the ‘clean for the clean’ principle set by Quran. And clean here is the opposite of toxic not dirty. Clean men & women of purity in spirit, mindset & body thrive while toxic people pollute physical & spiritual environment.

Some say ‘but women are into assholes anyway’. I don’t think it is accurate. But even if it was and the women had chosen to be with these men despite knowing who they are, it doesn’t concern me. Toxic men & their toxic relationships aren’t funny. Decency is a 24/7 thing.

Nothing is unmanly as turning women you are sexually or romantically involved with into an entertainment for your fiends. It mostly happens when the man has no respect for the person he is with & see her as a temporary pleasure.

Anytime a man starts mocking his wife or girlfriend behind her back, I stop him. I can’t care less how close the person is to me, if you talk behind the person you share your bed with, you lose all respect.

Prophet was monogamously married to Khadija* Apologies for the mistake.

One cannot copy paste what Prophet Muhammed did but can try to understand his mentality and worldview. One thing is clear from all his relationships: He didn’t hate or oppose strong women. He didn’t reduce strength to masculinity & was in peace with himself, secure in himself.

Remove the frequent use of ‘wallahi’ & the beard from certain religious speeches & you would have a less entertaining version of YouTube pick up culture. All the false notions about how men & women should behave do not have a single resemblance in Prophet’s life.

We should pay more attention to the profound influence of Khadija’s unconditional love & support in the survival & success of prophet Muhammed in Mecca! But more importantly, we should see how flawed our own personal & cultural notions of relationship are.

And when Khadija died, Prophet Muhammed went into a state which resembled depression. It was called the Year of Sadness. By the way, Prophet was monogamously married to the prophet for 25 years (from 25 to 50)!

At one point, Khadija was the only adult person in Mecca who believed in him and supported him. And she was his only refugee -in addition to Abu Talib- She also used her entire wealth for the new religion, freeing slaves who accepted his husband’s message.

Not only Khadija believed in him and his message without ifs and buts, but she helped the Prophet believe in himself. She then connected Prophet to people who knew about previous scriptures who confirmed that Muhammed hadn’t gone insane & he had truely gotten the Revelation.

Khadija wasn’t only a wife, she was the reason behind Muhammed’s sanity. Following the first encounter with Gabriel/Revelation, it was the profound role played by Khadija which allowed a terrorised Muhammed take a deep breathe & accept his new role as a Prophet.

Khadija was: - A 40 year old widow (married 3 times before) - Most successful businesswoman in Mecca - Daughter of one of the most famous families in the city - She was Prophet’s employer - Marriage proposal came from her - She also took care of the marriage costs

I’m most fascinated by the relationship b/w Muhammed ﷺ & Khadija which was central to the character building & success of the Prophet. It doesn’t fit the prevalent notions of relationship amongst men & women alike, Muslim & non-Muslims

Such people would genuinely not be able to tell the difference b/w themselves & God. ‘Believe me bro, it is not me saying it. It is God’. They equate their interpretation of what God says with what God says That is how you had Khawarij kill Ali thinking it was a service to God!

For many, God is nothing but a more inflated version of themselves. God is just their ego on steroids. They find ‘me vs you’ fight too small for their ego. They prefer ‘My God vs your god’ or ‘My God vs you’. It fits their grand narrative about themselves better.

Spiritual but not religious can be funny but religious without being spiritual is dangerous. When your God is just another item to identify with like your football club, your religion becomes a way to worship yourself without feeling bad.

It is time to rediscover Muhammed, the ultimate role model for a balanced life لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِيهِمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ

So basically the entire seerah writing has been focused on the tiniest fraction of Prophet’s life! 10 per cent of the last nine years of his life have shaped the way we read his biography It is the single worst injustice we have done to Muhammed ﷺ

As a kid, I loved to read seerah. There were books I had read 10 times & could read passages out of heart. But most biographies were about wars. Prophet had his first war when 54! From 54-63, he was engaged in state/ummah building & wars constituted 10 per cent of the 9 years.

I have no desire to go after certain Muslim men of relative fame who are trying to fit the magnanimous image of Prophet Muhammed into their own insecure Male narratives & wish them hidaya but anyone who can’t see the Virteous, Chivalreous & Gentle Muhammedﷺ , he isn’t looking.

Prophet Muhammed was the ultimate manifestation of compassion and affection but he was particularly gentle with women. He has actively advised this gentleness even in his last ever sermon. I think he is worthy of being a role model not right wing nuts or leftist snowflakes.

Prophet Muhammed didn’t give in to popular pressure or concerns about his image as a ‘man’ in chief! He waited for truth from revelation & acted according to laws & regulations not emotions. Muhammed ﷺ a man of zero insecurities, zero ego is best role model of the Male folk.

Imagine being a man of ultimate religious & political power, your wife is accused of cheating & it has become the talk of the town. There are active propaganda hubs who fuel the issue even more. Even your closest friends sugges to divorce her & save yourself the headache but...

I think Prophet Muhammed’s handling of the accusation against his wife Aisha alone is enough to make him worthy of all praise that is there. Let alone 1300 years ago, there isn’t a man in 2019 who can handle such a case in the ethical, fair, civic & humane way Muhammed ﷺ did.

Can 2 humans live 1900 years apart, of entirely different classes, religions, ages and environments and in different positions of power think the same in regard to life & express what they think in almost the same words independent of each other? Yes, and it is beautiful.