The Spirit of Islam - Listeners' Reflections [Speaking of Faith]



LISTEN to the radio show. READ more on the show's main page.

This is your place to publicly comment on the topics and issues addressed in Speaking of Faith programs. React in a personal way, and put into words what the programs mean to you.

Submit Your Reflection about "The Spirit of Islam."

Reconnecting with My Childhood (December 11, 2007)
This episode became the greatest "driveway moment" of my life — and reunited me with my long-lost childhood friend, Seemi Ghazi's younger sister, Saba. The Ghazis moved to Chicago when I was in 4th grade and we ultimately lost contact for decades, until I heard this episode and prayed that this Seemi Ghazi was the same Seemi I had idolized as a little girl. I looked up her contact information online and emailed her. To my surprise, not only did she remember me but she put me in contact with her sister, Saba.

My elementary school friendship with Saba and the entire Ghazi family had a profound influence on me as a person, to this day. Hearing Seemi's thoughtful insights reminded me of how caring and welcoming her family was, and how they trusted my family with Saba. I recall going to mosque with the family for the holidays and eating wonderful food, practicing how to say "Muslim" and not "Mozlem," learning to count in Arabic, my intial shock at Saba not eating Twinkies — and then being impressed by the reason why. I remember my mom making BBQ beef ribs (not pork!) for July 4th because Saba was sleeping over. Little details. But they all added up into an unintended introduction to the warmth, values, and emotional wealth of an Islamic family in the United States. It became a foundation that opened me to new cultural and religious traditions and helped to temper extreme perspectives I encountered. The greatest blessing from this episode was being able to reconnect with my dear friend and allowing us to share with one another how the lessons from our brief childhood friendship continue to influence our adult lives in sometimes profound ways. I wish everyone could have had the opportunity to know the Ghazis (and their Islam) as a child the way I did, but at least I'm glad they received a glimpse.

Martha Burton Santibanez
St. Paul, MN (Listens to SOF OnDemand)

Keep on Truckin' (January 12, 2005)
Bloody good stuff! My wife came in the house, interrupting my watching the national news of latest disasters and mentioned that the program was on. You know. Hint, hint. Practicing a Christian path but having also studied under a Sufi Mursid for some years and having current close associations in several Sufi communities, I found the information accurate and helpful. Keep on truckin'.

Jim Rule
Atlanta, GA (WABE, 90.1 FM)

Following the Sufi Way Without Being a Muslim (January 11, 2005)
I thought your program on Sufism was most interesting and enjoyable. I would like to add that there are also thousands of followers of the Sufi way in this country and around the world that do not consider themselves exclusively Muslim (in the same sense that Rumi said "I am a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Hindu…" referring to the fact that the Divine Light shines through all traditions).

There are Sufi sheikhs in the eastern homes of Islam (Arabia, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, etc.) who will insist that one cannot be a Sufi unless one is a Muslim, and there are other eastern Sufi sheikhs who claim that Sufism is a path to direct experience of God and has nothing to do with religion. May all the paths be blessed!

Rabiya Lila Forest
Silver City, NM (Listens via Web Audio)

Countering Traditional Media Outlets (January 9, 2005)
I was coming back home switching through radio channels when I heard the beautiful Sufi zikr being played. I was just transfixed because I didn't expect such music in Mankato. I am an international student and I am very familiar with Islam and Sufism since I am a Muslim and I have lived in an Islamic country all my life. After living in Mankato for a year, this program just took me back to those days when I would just take these chants and prayers for granted. Now they seem divine intervention because my thirst for Islam seems to have increased after listening to this great program.

It was a very informative and entertaining program and I want you to know that America needs programs like these to counter CNN and Fox channels that just show the "shock value" programs of "Islamic terrorism" and other such negative aspects of my culture. Thank you very much and peace be with you.

Hassan Siddiqi
Mankato, MN (KNGA, 91.5 FM)

Hardly Ancient (January 13, 2005)
Referring to Islam as an "ancient" religion is ridiculous. C'mon! Seventh century A.D. is hardly ancient. Did the commentator feel that Islam had insufficient virtues without enhancing its pedigree?

Paul Kastin
Atlanta, GA (WABE, 90.1 FM)

A Sensitive Program (January 10, 2005)
Congratulations on your recent effort to bring a rare and illuminating celebration of Islamic spiritual life to listeners in the US. Having lived/worked in and studied the Muslim world it has been a perennial disappointment listening to the shallow or deeply biased reporting on Islamic culture typically available in US. Please keep up the well researched, SENSITIVE work!

Jeff Cunningham
Putney, VT (WVPR, 89.5 FM)

A Groups of Mystics Talking? (January 10, 2005)
Sunday's program on Islam was so beautiful that I listened to it both morning and evening, grateful to hear Omid Safi's discussion and Ms. Ghazi's beautiful "chanting." I can only hope there will be more such programs, going more deeply into the world of Sufi, and with "sounded" Q'uran so that listeners can hear and feel it. Reading translations, however skillful, is often puzzling for Westerners.

At some daring point, might it even be possible for mystics from other traditions to talk together on your program to offer reassurances that, despite religious differences, the mystic experience overlaps?

Constance Cohen
Charlottesville, VA (WFFC, 89.7 FM)

Early Morning Reflection (January 9, 2005)
After your program on "The Spirt of Islam," I was left with two major impressions: I was touched by the thought that God is closer to me than my beating heart. The organ that sustains life and the organ that is credited with love; God is yet closer to me than these.

Secondly, I've always struggled with the Christian concept of Original Sin. My understanding says that humanity deliberately turned away from God and for that God reduced humanity to a lower state and imposed death upon us. If I understand your program, Islam says that humanity forgot God, which for me opens a whole new dimension to Original Sin. However, if man forgot God, and because God had given us free will, man reduced himself to a lower state. To forget God implies something less deliberate than to consciously turn away from God. Are we then less guilty of wrong-doing, i.e., sin? Are we then more worthy of redemption? Is this why God continually sends us prophets and redeemers? Thank you for your program.

Jim Pomian
Meriden, CT (WNPR, 89.1 FM)

Refreshing Perspective (January 9, 2005)
I was grateful to hear Krista Tippett's program Speaking of Faith on "The Spirit of Islam." It was such a refreshing attempt to understand the thoughts and feelings of two Americans whose spiritual life is grounded in Islam. In our times we hear a great deal of railing against the other and criticizing them. Krista approached these two interviews with such love and compassion that I felt uplifted by listening. Her view of religion as asking the great questions is a wonderful beginning for dialogue among the rich religious traditions of a diverse world. Thank you Krista.

Loy Williams
Geneva, IL (Listens via Web Audio)

Gratitude from a Muslima (January 9, 2005)
Many thanks from an American-born Muslim woman. The radio program conveyed the beauty and truth of Islam which drew me to embrace it as my path in a post 9/11 world. An intelligent hour of radio. May many hearts be opened to tolerance and others be deepened in faith.

Diane Shamsi Gioioso
Washington, DC (WETA, 90.9 FM)

Mystic Islam (January 9, 2005)
Thank you for your program on January 9th, 2005, on mysticism in Islam. It was very inspiring, and much needed. Thank you.

Paymaan Dinavari
Alexandria, VA (WETA, 90.9 FM)

Muslim Sufi Mysticism (January 8, 2005)
The program just broadcast here in New York on the mystical aspects of Islam was so beautiful! I marvel at your ability to bring the spirit of the topic under discussion in a short period of time. And how important to bring the beauty of faiths to all of us. Thank you.

Dorothy Farley
New York, NY (WNYC, 820 AM)

The Power of Recitation (January 9, 2005)
This was an excellent program helping to explain and describe the spirituality of Islam. We need more of these to help people of other faiths understand the true nature of the Islamic faith. It helps us appreciate the beliefs and see the commonality among religions that do exist. We should concentrate on what we all have in common rather than what we do not.

Yesterday I led a program on Psalm Praying—Psalm Writing, and I was struck with the similarities between the praying and chanting of the Koran with the praying and chanting of psalms. This similarity does not end with the format but also with the fact that all these prayers, when repeated day in/day out, month in/month out, year in/year out, will truly transform one's heart. Oh that more people of all faiths would take on this prayer form!

M Sharon Kreitzberg
Newtown Square, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)

Mystic Islam (January 9, 2005)
Your program on Sufism and Islam this evening was excellent. You are the first American I have found who represents the religion of Islam in a true light. Thank you. Listening tonight was like being in a service or in a form of community.

Marilee Kane
Washington, DC (WETA, 90.9 FM)

Mystic Islam (January 9, 2005)
You mentioned your understanding of fundamentalism in your very informative program on Islam today. Just a quick word on the origin of this much used, much abused, and much misunderstood word "fundamentalism." In 1909 there appeared the first of a series of 12 paperback volumes under the title The Fundamentals (I have a full set). These were mailed free of charge to "every pastor, evangelist, missionary, theological student, Sunday School superintendent, YMCA and YWCA secretary in the English-speaking world. Over three million copies were eventually circulated.

The booklets were a protest against what was felt to be a considerable drift in Protestant theology in the late 19th century caused by the growing popularity of Darwinism and High Criticism — a scholarly methodology providing new tools for the interpretation of the Bible. The authors of the papers in The Fundamentals were some of the finest evangelical preachers and theologians of their day, men of great learning and repute.

The Fundamentals were a call back to what the publishers believed to be the core issues, the basics, the FUNDAMENTALS of the historic Christian faith. They rebutted both Higher Criticism and Darwinism and reaffirmed their belief in the full verbal inspiration of the Bible as being the infallible revealed word of God, the nature of man as a sinner, the divinity of Jesus Christ, his atoning death, the necessity of faith in Christ for salvation, and so on.

The Fundamentals proved to be a rallying point for those who were of this persuasion. And just as the early followers of John Wesley were dubbed "Methodists" by others, so the adherents of The Fundamentals became dubbed "fundamentalists." As we know, this theological position came in for some abuse during the famous Scopes-Monkey trial when evolution/creation became the nub of the issue.

But note: These "fundamentalists" may have become somewhat naive or simplistic as time went on, but they never became political extremists. They did not take up guns and bombs in defense of their religion. That would have been antithetical to all they believed. They were mainstream evangelical Protestants. Period. To illustrate, Billy Graham is a good example of a true fundamentalist.

So you can see there could be no such thing as a"'Catholic" fundamentalist. Even less so could you have a "Muslim" fundamentalist, let alone a "Hindu" or "Buddhist" fundamentalist. Yet somehow the word "fundamentalist" got detached from it original meaning and misapplied to people who might be better described simply as extremists or religious fanatics. Whatever is the profile of these people it does NOT jibe with the fundamental teachings of conservative evangelical Protestantism-Fundamentalism.

If there is a common thread to be found in the abuse of this word it is an undue, blinkered and lop-sided adherence to whatever the religious adherent believes are his/her infallible scriptures. That can be very satisfying to simple minds which need simple answers. By the way: I am not a fundamentalist!

Michael Buss
Santa Ana, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)