Azhar Usman Responds to Yvonne Ridley
Published by Haseeb June 22nd, 2006 in Current News, Islam, Sami Yusuf, UncategorizedI recently posted about brother Sami Yusuf responding to Sister Yvonne Ridleys article criticizing the “islamic pop culture scene”. Azhar Usman has also written a response to Ridley (and she replied to it as well - see end)
Source: Amir’s Blog
Azhar Usman writes:It is a rant written by a new convert (who saw the “beauty of Islam” at the hands of the Taliban, incidentally), based on a literalist and highly ideological, fundamentalist understanding of the religion of Islam.
Sadly, the notion that “the world is so terrible and Muslims are being bullied and killed all over the world; therefore, they should be sad, crying all the time, and never enjoy happiness” is a common fallacy believed in and advocated by countless Muslims. As a matter of fact, many new converts (and born-Muslims who come to religion later in life) get sucked into this short-sighted, irrational sort of thought almost immediately after their conversion. Invariably, the vast majority of such people either give up on the religion (b/c such a state is neither healthy nor sustainable), or they temper their views over time. See, e.g., Islamic Spirituality: The Forgotten Revolution, by Abdal Hakim Murad (in which he details the problem of the “Salafi burnout” syndrome all too common among activist Muslims these days): http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/ahm/fgtnrevo.htm.
Is it true that “eminent scholars throughout history have opined that music is haram”? Of course it is. Does that mean that Sami Yusuf and artists like him are condemned? Of course not. This type of simplistic analysis serves no worthwhile purpose. Besides, eminent scholars such as Imam al-Qarafi (may God have mercy on him) also commented as follows:
“Persons handing down legal judgments while adhering blindly to the texts in their books without regard for the cultural realities of their people are in gross error. They act in contradiction to established legal consensus and are guilty of iniquity and disobedience before God, having no excuse despite their ignorance; for they have taken upon themselves the art of issuing legal rulings without being worthy of that practice….Their blind adherence to what is written down in the legal compendia is misguidance in the religion of Islam and utter ignorance of the ultimate objectives behind the rulings of the earlier scholars and great personages of the past whom they claim to be imitating.”
Ibn al-Qayyim (may God have mercy on him), commenting on al-Qarafi’s position, opined thus:
“This is pure understanding of the law. Whoever issues legal rulings to the people merely on the basis of what is transmitted in the compendia despite differences in their customs, usages, times, places, conditions, and the special circumstances of their situations has gone astray and leads others astray. His crime against the religion is greater than the crime of a physician who gives people medical prescriptions without regard to the differences of their climes, norms, the times they live in, and their physical natures but merely in accordance with what he finds written down in some medical book about people with similar anatomies. Such is an ignorant physician; the other is an ignorant juris-consult but more detrimental.”
I do not wish to engage in a debate about the specifics of the religious legal disagreement, as I am neither a religious scholar nor a trained researcher in the field. I would, however, point interested readers to the following article, where the above quotations are included, cited, and explained in context: Islam & The Cultural Imperative, by Dr. Umar F. Abd-Allah: http://www.nawawi.org/downloads/article3.pdf.
As the above-referenced article convincingly argues, the religion of Islam has never been a culturally predatory religion. The problem of fanatical Islamism –that insists on irrationally emphasizing Arabized elements of early Islam as the normative practices of the religion– is an entirely modern phenomenon. Classical Muslim society, scholarship, and civilization celebrated Muslim art, artists, and creativity. In spite of the so-called “prohibition on music” under religious law, historically Muslim society produced beautifully moving and powerful music, with Muslim musicians even being credited with inventing countless musical instruments.
As for Sami’s respect for and pride in his home country of Britain, this is neither here nor there. The notion that Britain’s being the “third most hated country in the world” as a proof for anything is categorically unpersuasive. By Ridley’s logic, all Muslims should abandon their faith–or at least be ashamed of it– since Islam is the most hated religion in the world. Public opinion on such issues should not become the basis of pride or lack thereof. Instead, one’s pride in one’s culture, tribe, or country should be understood in context. I highly doubt that Sami Yusuf is proud of the terrible things that the British government and law enforcement has done throughout its history. Obviously, this is not what he is referring to. Just as conscientious and PROUD Americans condemn the wrong, immoral, and brutal actions and policies enacted by their government throughout its own bloody history. Just as conscientious and PROUD Muslims condemn the acts of vigilante violence carried out by Muslim terrorists in the name of Islam, as well as the political violence and senseless killings that have been a hallmark of the political history of the Muslim world, pride in one’s country or religion is by no means an endorsement of bad actions done by others in the name of said country or religion; this is clear to any thinking person.
And finally, as for those out-of-control sisters. Sure, we can sit here and analyze their behavior and judge them, but I would much prefer to leave that judgment up to God. Could a bit more restraint and self-control be a good thing and more becoming of righteous servants of God? Sure. But if people cut loose and lose control from time to time, guess what; it might be a little thing called love? I know Sami Yusuf personally, and I believe him to be a good man, with a good heart. He sings beautifully, and his voice makes people love him, which, in turn, makes them love God. If loving God and screaming and crying about it are crimes, then I am sure all of those sisters would be happy to admit their “guilt”!
Here’s a thought: If you feel so uncomfortable about pop cultural works and art forms at “so-called Nasheed concerts,” then just don’t go. Perhaps it’s a better use of your time to stay home and try developing a more nuanced understanding of the world and the role of religion and art in it. Maybe then you might understand that the same human being is capable of being a Nasheed singer, a fan of pop culture, a rebellious activist, and one who cries like a beggar before his Lord every night for forgiveness and mercy.
Oh, wait; but that would require one to dispense with a black-and-white view
of the world. And God knows that Bush, Blair, and Bin Laden –the Unholy
Trinity– don’t want that.
In any case, it is my prediction that Yvonne Ridley herself will go back and read that article she wrote in five to ten years, and feel embarrassed by its judgmentalism, narrowmindedness, and lack of nuanced understanding. As such, I do not fault her for her erroneous understanding or commentary.
Ironically, Sami Yusuf, if he wasn’t the star being talked about in the piece, as well as his label (”Awakening”), would probably agree with much of the writer’s sentiment. They are avowed supporters of the so-called “Islamic Movement,” which is basically built on the Islamist ideology of The Muslim Brotherhood –hence his fascination with “My Ummah” (which is the title of his second album). Similarly the boy band 786 has also released albums replete with Islamist notions about religion, not the least obvious example being their hit track “Palestine.”
Oh, Yvonne Ridley, being a Muslim is not about becoming a member of a tribe called “Banu Islam” (The Tribe of Islam); it is about achieving spiritual illumination and connectivity with the Divine through upright conduct, behavior, morals, and ethics. Of course, Muslims must have concern for the affairs of their fellow believers, but this is not the primary purpose of the religion. Once you’ve divorced the religious ideal from a politicized understanding of Islam, it becomes clear that much of this rant is just hot air.
May God and the reader pardon me for any errors in my analysis, for God knows best, and truly success comes only from The Most High.
With fraternal love and respect,
I remain, at your service,
Azhar Usman
Yvonne Ridley responds:
Salaam Alaikum brother Azhar,
I read with interest your response to my column and was mildly amused by the pompous invective which poured forth. Firstly, I did not come to Islam through the Taliban, a major inaccuracy based on a common false assumption, several of which you express in your article by the way. Secondly, I do not rant. I am a columnist and therefore am expected to be provocative and write in a manner which will make people sit up and take notice –object achieved, I would say without doubt, judging from the literally hundreds of emails I have received. By the way, you might be interested to known that 90pc are in support of my column. I certainly do not ‘blindly’ follow Islamic texts, but I do respect the scholars and, by your own admission, you are not one nor ever likely to be. Finally, the reason I embraced Islam had nothing to do with the behavior of the present-day Muslims and everything to do with the Qur’an and the example given to us by the Prophet (pbuh). And, contrary to your belief, I actually do like a good laugh and so shall make it my business to go along to one of your performances; although, please do not expect me to jump out of my seat, cartwheel around the auditorium, or chant your name. I certainly will not applaud you brother, but I might just laugh.
Your Sister in Islam,
Yvonne Ridley
OUCH! Azhar got told off
I love Azhar Usman for the sake of Allah
, but her reply was hilarious. Sometimes we try to be too modernized, and fittiing into that lizard hole becomes a reality…
salaam
this is just getting too ridiculous IMHO. They are going at each other on the net and blowing this out of proportion. I hope it just ends here and doesnt get too personal.
Thank you, sister Yvonne, for calling a spade a spade time and time again and putting Azhar in his place, time and time again. More of us need to follow in your example.
Salaam ‘Alaikum
I really am starting to wish all this nasiha giving was done in private, and not for the edification and amusement of every English speaking Muslim with an internet connection. I have heard from so many people involved in this about the things that are being said back and forth in the name of Islam that I can’t help but have a very negative feeling towards one of the people involved. Alhamdulillah that every single letter resulting from the original editorial hasn’t been published in the paper or on a blog.
This was all supposed to be about proper behavior and dismay or disapproval of impropriety and it is instead becoming its own big circus of bad adab. In fact, I think I will go back and delete the link I had to the Sami Yusuf letter.
Would it be inappropriate to say that perhaps we’d be better making du’a for all involved, isntead of laughing over who’s getting their little hands slapped?
I love Yvonne Ridley. Masha Allah
, she’s an amazing woman.
Yvonne Ridley spoke at NYU in March. I got her permission to record her speech, about going to Afghanistan, being captured by the Taliban, and eventually accepting Islam when she got back to England. The speech is about an hour and a half long, with the Q&A period included. Here is the mp3.
Yvonne Ridley speaks at NYU, March 23, 2003. (63MB mp3)
I heard her speak in 2005, at a masjid fundraiser, and interestingly enough, this time she left out the story about having to share a cell with “happy-clappy christian” missionaries. It was a funny anecdote, I’ll tell you it if you remind me sometime.
Why is this all so public? I don’t get the point of fanning this absurd debate. Everybody can at least agree….that Cinnamon Toast Crunch is the best cereal…ever. Yea…ever. Lets all make up seeing we have that in common. Oh, and the kalimah too, that’s pretty important.
Assalamu ‘Alikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu.
Its a real shame that Muslims have lost thier ettiquettes and trust. Obviously both of these letters were addressed to Sister Yvonne (you go sis) and Azhar usman. So why has it been made public to show the whole ummah and let them have a little fun attacking the sister.
Whether we like it or not, Sister Yvonne has raised an important issue that NEEDS to be addressed. There were many who went to the concert and expressed thier disgust in what they saw. If you paid attention to the Islam channel shows, you would have seen the sent in text messages displayed at the bottom of the screen where our bros and sis went and were utterely disgusted.
As Muslims, our Women are honoured and are a source of pride for the Muslims. Gone were the days when even if just one sister was abused in any way, our islamic leader sent a whole army to attain justice on her behalf. Looks like now we’ve gone totally in the wrong direction and are facilitating the oppression and dishonour of our sisters.
SubhanAllah we all need to fear Allah
SWT with regards to our actions and rights to others as well as our trust. May Allah 
SWT Guide us all and keep upon upon the sunnah.
this is really getting anoyying…
I mean blah.. its not like the world would have agreed with Yyvonne or Sami or Azhar …
People are naturally different .. just like our fingers.
We have different mentalites, values and beliefs … I might not agree that the sky is blue .. now does that mean i have to bother the world with it?.
I mean alright so what Yvonne wrote an article about the issue…khalas she published her veiws and it was spread. Now if Yvonne was crtisizing me … i perosnally wouldnt make a fuss out of it. i’d just read it with acceptance ..in the end its her personal opinion which is very much expected.
If i were u sami i wouldnt bother writing a response. just read and accept, end of story! your reply wouldnt change anybodies mindset so why bother? And Ashar where are u coming from? i guess a comedian just loves to ‘fit in’ Batameez
Just to clarify:
this letter by Azhar Usman was addressed to sister yvonne in the newspaper in which her original article was published.
Sister Yvonne Ridley wrote an opinionated article in a public newspaper (The Daily Muslims), and Azhar Usman wrote a letter back to her in the paper. What’s wrong with that?
I AM THE GAME
AND I MAKE THE RULES
AND YOU WILL DIE LIKE A FOOL
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2GJlcPT7CFY&search=Triple H#
I don’t agree with Yvonne. I don’t like her either.
Khaled, Say it to her face and not to us. And the same to everyone who is bad mouthing her.
This issue is between sami and Str. Yvonne and whoever they involve with due respect. The only reason why i am typing away is because of the abuse the Sister is getting from her ‘brothers and sisters’. Is this how we say ‘welcome to Islam Yvonne’? She is bound to make mistakes just like everyone else (the mistake defined depending on which side of the boat you sit [totally correct on my side]). SO LEAVE HER ALONE AND STOP BAD MOUTHING HER.
SUBHANALLAH. FEAR Allah
SWT.
lets move on from this story now…
so… what else has been happening in the world lately?
asalamualaikum
i have worked with sister yvonne ridley at the global peace and unity event and i was also a team leader on the ground floor raising money for islamic releif at the concert which she mentioned what she had said she had seen. aswell as myself, my fellow colleagues and members of the audotoriam had seen a number of girls dancing in the isles whicch were in my group and i had been asked to tell them not to dance. alongside this, i had been approached by a number of peopel from the audotorium explaining to me that the way that a number of married couples were behaving was extremley vile and explicit. Walahee i say to everyone including sister yvonne, sami yusef and borther Azhur Usman is that what sister yvonne had to say is what a number of people had been saying although did not have the courage to say it out loud in public and sister yvonne a CONVERT to islam did and i feel for that i personally am ashamed that i did not have the courage to do as she had . although, i feel that sister yvonne could have approached the artists individually and privatley and asked them to hopw do i say it “fix up” if you get me. although , what she has mentoined about us muslim borthers and sister in the article is spot on and for that reason i can see why she had said everything she had said to us in public.
come on people dotn be hating on her, all she is trying to do is protect us from the hell fire and inshallah let us enter jennah. so whats up with all the hate . in my personal opinion its like the east coast west coast rivalry lolzzz.
thats my personal VIEW im sorry if i dont make any sence im quite young and am still trying to learn to express myself articulatley.
but what i must say is ask your self what would the prohet muhammed s.a.w say if he was at one of these concerts and saw what is happening people doing things which are not neciserrily wrong but are bidah. fear only alllah
walikumsallam
hassan . u.k
feel free to email me at hassanthemainman@hotmail.com
Well its good to know that at least there was dancing going on, and yes we should definitely correct that, even if we may not all agree on the etiquette of addressing this issue. In other news today…my mothers home cooking is voted the best…in the planet…in the last 150 years. Thoughts, comments, feelings, compliments, critisiscms? (In case you don’t get my terrible humor
, just trying to lighten the mood for the moment, but the best post I’ve so far has to be FEAR Allah 
by Abu Ilyas. Jazakallah Khairan Akhi)
salaam all. dancing at concerts is not justifiable. sister yvonne has every right to criticize it, publicly so that something is done about it. and the artists ought to correct the problem.
but sister yvonne went beyond that to say unjustified things along the lines of “we should all be perpetually sad” and “our only nasheed should be Idrib Ya Asad al-Fallujah”, as well as being rude and disrepectful.
since her comments were public, sami was justified in responding publicly. if someone is spreading something incorrect, one ought to correct it publicly so that others see the correction. sami’s response was very respectful, Alhamdulillah.
azhar usman’s was a bit less so, and seemed somewhat unnecessary given sami’s response. but in a sense, being a fellow artist, he might have felt under attack, especially with the notion that we should not engage in entertainment and fun.
sister yvonne’s response was absurd. apart from the scathing sarcastic tone, i was surprised by some of the comments, such as:
The equivalent would have been for sami to say: “as a pop musician, i am expected to make flashy, materialistic music videos–object achieved, judging from the millions of albums i’ve sold.”
of course, that would be a ludicrous statement. and so is sister yvonne’s. the job of a journalist is to be informative and analytical and provocative in a positive sense. it is not to be provocative and inflammatory and insulting; perhaps that’s what a tabloid journalist’s job is. in any case, if a journalist’s job was to do what she did, maybe we should reconsider the usefulness of having Muslim journalists. and lastly, how do the thousands of emails she received prove anything? i’m sure salman rushdie and irshad manji received their fair share of letters. provocative yes, but not necessarily beneficial.
finally, as for those who decry the public discussion of these matters by us, it is not backbiting, but a discussion of something we have all witnesssed (ie. the article and its responses). discussion is good for furthering understanding. to a certain extent of course.
i apologize for such a long post.
can i just say i completely agree with buckminister abbey? your comment is the only sane one since this discussion began.
Yah, quite sane and makes sense, go Buckminister Abbey. By the same token, this command is still relative. Fear Allah
!
HE GOT TOLD! LIzaed hole it is. Muslims are becoming modernized man!
Muslims in England are gay.
Yes indeed we are gay. Linguistically we are gay (i.e. happy). In fact we are EXTREMELY GAY and the GAYEST that anyone can be only because Allah
(SWT) has Blessed us and honoured us with Islam.
Ali C, if you are a Muslim, we advise you to fear Allah
.
If not, we give you glad tidings to Islam. We openely invite you to the the fastest growing way of life, the Religion of God (The Most Merciful, The Most High). To Islam. To Worship Allah
alone - which is for this reason that He Created us, Sustained us, Provided for us and Sent messengers to us to bring us the Laws of God to abide by (like Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammed [peace be upon them all]).
Know that we all will be raised one day from our graves and asked be held accountable for all that we do.
Abu Ilyas.
“Say: He is Allah
, The One and Only. He begets not nor was He begotten. And there is none like him” (Qur’an)
Abu Ilyas,
I don’t like you either.
Brother khaLed, whether you like me and sister yvonne or not, it is only Islam that unites us. A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. Thier property, wealth, etc are all haram for him. We have been honoured as Muslims and Blessed with the religion of Islam.
Haven’t we heard of the hadith of Rasulallah SAW (also in Imaam An-Nawawis 40 ahadith- No 13 i think).
“None of you will truely believe until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself”.
Someone became a Muslim a few days ago just because he saw how dear a Muslim was to another Muslim. He saw how much we loved one another had so much respect and sincere love for one another.
Whether we like what each other is saying or not is nothing to do with it. As Muslims we have a duty to one another to treat each other well, speak only good of him and help and protect them when in need.
I Love you and everyone only for the Sake of Allah
SWT.
I advise you to KNOW YOUR ROLE AND SHUT YOUR MOUTH
Abu Ilyas,
I don’t like the way you’re preaching to me and judging me. In fact I’m totally insulted and offended by the way you’re doing it.
Stop offending us.
What do you have to say about that?
how old r u ppl?? 5?? and as for the 1 from the uk calling uk muslims gay…well then speak for urself…u dont no every muslim in the uk, so calm urself down and shut ur mouth..remember- say only what u can be held responsible for
Ive seen plenty of Muslims in the UK and they all talk like fruity homos, I dont need to meet every Muslim to know that.
Ali C, it says next to your name that you’re in the UK(!)
I thought Yvonne was out of line with her original article, but Azhar was even more so.
How dare he be so condescending towards someone for being a “new convert”?
How dare he imply that she is a “fanatical Islamist”?
And how dare he suggest that Palestine and the Ummah are issues for those with “Islamist notions about religion”?
What is he, a neocon? Flipping heck.
They’re not gay, they’re British. Hahaha, I kid I kid.
assalam alaikum
It deeply saddens me to think that today we need music and all the other evils that go along with it to promote islam to the youngsters what happened to the Quran that is all we need in our lives nowadays people prefer to listen to nasheeds to cry infront of Allah
thats why we the ummah are going down we need to stop the growth of this pop culture and hold on to the Quran and the Sunnah like the Prophet (saw) said my ummah has abandoned the Quran.Anyway i think Yvonne Ridley tells it how it is.
Im in the UK because I am seeing first hand how UK Muslims are, I am not British though PRAISE JESUS
How did we get talking about uk…. Alhamduiliah uk has good and bad Muslim!!!
So if all Muslims in uk Gay and Ali c you are in uk i wonder what thats makes you hehe…
Like usa some good Muslim and bad Muslim Alhamduiliah…
Lets not be nationalist are else this can go on allday
Lets me love not war hehe i love that quote
My spelling stink must be because im from uk hehe
ya khi 3aly (Ali) wesh feek 7aram mush huwa wila la…thats Evil dude let me tell u a story here it goes…so yea my cousion always hated the Saudis and she used to always curse them and say bad things about them until one day that day shocked her…my cousion was reading something and it said that the Prphet (pbuh) was from al Saudia
and she got mad at her self so yea that was my story now tell me urs?? 
hmm salam
bless u all
see i was just comparing how the adab and the ethics of Yvonne is and brotha Azhar, wowow mashallah, their not even comparable. i dont undrestand, even when you’re a columnist you’re supposed to be respectful, and i agree with this that people who convert to islam, mostly go to the extreme side for different reasons, and its just so saddening, because extremists make everything look black and white,and they forgot the famous quote of using your Mind, being open-minded, the issue of respect , and etc etc. I just wish and pray to God, that he opens our minds and hearts and gives us wisdom, and take away extremists from our religion. Because Islam is not a place for extremism or finnaticism, its a place for balance and moderateness. Balance=Islam, thats all i could put it into.
Allah
Please show respect to everyone
wasalam
oh and by the way, i love bro sami !!! best brotha everrrr
! and maybe some are gonna get offended with what i just said, but freedom of opinion is open to all
wasalam
erm…. bearing in mind that she’s a RECENT revert to Islam and may not have known the rulings behind backbiting.
Its shocking how those who are talking about sister Yvonne not having adaab is backbing are the same who are backbiting her and have themselves showed hardly any adaab.
Fear Allah
as He is meant to be Feared.
Brother Abu Ilyas how are u?
Swt forgive me.
bless u brother and all the Muslims
alhamdulilah all is fine, well i just wanted to make it clear that i didnt critize her because of her comments, i just said that she could at least have alittle more respect added to her article, and i didnt disrespect her at all. But if your comment wasnt pointed at me, then its a relief, but if it was then i should just say im not a hypocritical person, and if i used any unethical words then may Allah
and if i said that shes being disrespectful, its the truth and she should already know about it, its called constructive critism, and everyone including me and you have to take it and make the best out of it…
Allah
wasalam
assalamualykum
i think we as MUSLIMS must go bake to the quran and sunnah and everything will be solved.
note: when something is said in the quran or the sunnah and it is clear there is no room for ikhtilaf (difference of oppinions).
i hop this fude between the ummah can stop. i hop we can be coserned about more important things.
wassalamualykum warahmatullah.
p.s. i hop brother abu ilyas that i didn’t back bight!
it funny, sami yusuf replys the women in the worst way leaving out she is an elderly woman, and azhar uthman replys in a very bad manner too, but in the end the one who is less mannered is sister Yvonne who is older that all of us!!!
matha hallah biummatina?!!!!
may Allah
guide us.
no offence to anyone!
salam
I need e-mail address of sister Yvonne Ridley. Can any one help to provide her mail address.
The argument shown above i agree does seem to be way out of control in regard to differing view of what is acceptable behaviour/
BUT…
Im sorry to seem ignorant as i am a non muslim but i dont understand how be it muslim men or women dancing at a muslim fund rasing concert is a bad thing?
the relgion of Islam has a huge number of scholors and artists in your scriptures joy is shown to their achievments isnt a show of joy not to dance at music produced at this even
im not here to offend anyone just someone who has read through the comments and does not see the whole point of the ongoing argument are you not proud that your young people are supporting and enjoying themselves at this event
The only reason i ask is that what is being shown throught this thread is that dancing and having fun seems to be against Islam as a religion which as a person from the UK who lives within a lage muslim community thats not what i see
again i will state im not here to offend just maybe to gain some understanding why so many people feel so strongly about Muslim people enjoying themselves and raising money and awarenes for their religion