Hi Greta,

Thank you for your comments. I appreciate that very much.

“We’re working on an hour long conversation on the show tonight precisely about “the generation gap between Muslim youth and parents.” Why did that strike you as such an important topic?”

It struck me as an important topic because its a problem that exists. There are many factors that cause that problem, but none the less the problem exists.

“Who would you have had on the show? (And since you won’t be producing that series, who do you think would be invaluable voices on our show?)”

If I were to have chosen that topic, the youth and parents that I would pick out for the show would be from among the immigrant community. Very much among the Indo-pakistani community this exists. I’m sure I would be able to find a good number to help me out with this. Just go to any Muslim community where most of the people are immigrants while thier children are american born.

“If you were to sketch out a layout for the episodes like you did for “one man’s journey…,” what topics would you have covered?”

The way i probably would have layed it out is going through the different stages of life of an American youth and act out the typical things that happen. One of the reasons for the formation of the generation gap is that many times immigrant parents tend to give precedence to the culture instead of following what Islam teaches, while the kids have no real interest in following the culture of the parents, because they cant really appreciate it. The major gap starts when the kids enter thier teens.

Islam welcomes culture. After all what is culture? The cloths we wear, types of food we eat, languages we speak, customs and tradations that are done. The thing that Islam prevents in culture are those things that go against the teachings of Islam. For example, in some parts of India its the custom of people to bend down and touch the feet of the elder. Islamically this wouldnt be allowed b/c bowing and showing respect in that manner is reserved for God, the only One worthy of worship. Other aspects of culture that dont contradict the teachings of Islam would be very much welcomed and encouraged.

“Where we are, the conventional wisdom seems to be that Muslims now in their 20s and 30s are more religious, less US-focused or -friendly, and more radicalized than their parents’ generation. Do these generalizations hold true, in your experience?”

I dont know about “radicalized” or “less US-focused”, but from what I’ve noticed, Muslim youth who had the opportunity to join an MSA (Muslim Students Association, http://www.msanational.com) in high school/college, or youth groups such as YM (Young Muslims, http://www.ymsite.com) and MAS Youth (Muslim American Society) seem to be more aware and practicing of Islam than their parents were. But on a whole, you will find that most Muslim youth are not very practicing. If you were to see them, you wouldnt know they were Muslim unless they were asked. Reason for this is that, many immigrants that came to America in the past…thier first concern wasn’t practicing or teaching Islam (which is one of the duties of a Muslim).

“We’re also thinking about the Israeli-Lebanon conflict, of course, and we’re wondering how the 20-30 somethings approach the conflict differently than the 50-60 somethings do. What’s your view?”

When it comes to atrocities that happen around the world, I think that among American Muslims, the reaction is about equal throughout the different age groups. The elders may feel more because they may have been from that region or know someone who is from that region. I think you can find the younger generation going to rallys more and speaking out more than the older generation.

Speaking of the Israeli-Lebanon conflict…have you heard of the Yahoo Hotzone? It’s an online blog for Kevin Sites, a war reporter. http://hotzone.yahoo.com. The accounts he gives of the people there is quite interesting. Quite a different angle than western media.

Thank you for the comments and questions you asked. If you have anymore, feel free to email me.

- AlBaraa

I went to Frappr Forums, signed up, and responded to your posting on religious taxonomy, but for some reason it wouldn’t accept my name, so it posted me as anonymous. Whatthehell?

“Many “soldiersâ€? were conscripted off the boat from war-torn Europe. Quite a story. it was not so certain that Israel would survive. The General Armistice Agreement signed in 1948 ( Egypt, Jordan, Syria Lebanon) had Arabs still claiming “full belligerant rightsâ€? and denied Israel legitimacy while Israel was hoping for peace. This Arab rejectionism set the stage for wars that followed and continues to today. Context is important.”

Martin Gilbert in his History of Israel writes about something that I heard in Israel: many of the new Jewish conscripts had been liberated from concentration camps in Europe, first German than the allies kept them in camps because they didn’t know what to do with them.

When in Israel these new conscripts knew very little Hebrew and many of them were killed because they didn’t know how to follow directions in order to keep themselves safe from enemy fire.

I believe that Kaniuk in his book on Exodus makes a similar point. He also points out that in many cases a new immigrant lived to survive the war in 1948 only to be killed in the war of 1956 or have his son or grandson killed in the wars of 1967 or 1973.

In some cases three generations served in the army simultaneously.

The fact that Israel survived and thrived under these circumstances is truly an epic achievement.

The trauma of Israel’s War of Independence left a big mark on Israeli’s. Israel was not at all strong and had to scramble for the hardware/supplies. Many “soldiers” were conscripted off the boat from war-torn Europe. Quite a story. it was not so certain that Israel would survive. The General Armistice Agreement signed in 1948 ( Egypt, Jordan, Syria Lebanon) had Arabs still claiming “full belligerant rights” and denied Israel legitimacy while Israel was hoping for peace. This Arab rejectionism set the stage for wars that followed and continues to today. Context is important.

And I could use some feedback and further ideas (from anyone).

It could be fun.

Your posting was very kind. Thank you. And may you find your LIFE OF BRIAN with all speed!

Ah, the Islamist meme. Sometimes it can be difficult deciding which meme is more arrogant: the fundamentalist Christian meme, or the Islamist meme. Indeed, thank you, religion.

I appreciate your acceptance of my apologies. Let us hope that the level of discourse here can rise and rise. And your latest post was very informative–I wasn’t aware of that stat from the 1948 war. Thank you.

I’m a bit disappointed in last night’s show. Not that I didn’t learn anything new – I did. But I can’t fully come to grips with this business of ‘Arab humiliation.’ That’s an ‘old meme’ whose lack of evolution into anything less malignant has stunted the growth and evolution of reason in the region. It’s a meme whose hosting minds refuse to let it evolve. It’s as stubborn as a superstition, and just as closed to rational analysis.

It’s galling that secular Arab governments, who have always manipulatively used the Palestinian plight while barely bothering to help the Palestinians, have unimaginatively ceded the business of memetic evolution to religious minds. Hence Islamism-the-meme-complex is colonizing the minds of the region’s millions of young people.

So, last night we learned that the Islamism meme-complex isn’t monolithic, and that’s a good thing. But if I take anything new away from the regional events of July and now August, it’s that the Iranian-sponsored Shiite variant of the Islamism meme-complex is gaining many more adherents than before, that Al-Quaida will feel forced to react – to reclaim their own memetic stake in the minds of the credulous – and that we’re therefore doomed to many more massacred civilians.

And who knows where they’ll strike next.

Thank you, religion. Thank you so very much.

But I had one of those surreal “small world” moments, when you mentioned a blogger named Mystique from Jeddah Saudi Arabia, who I am familiar with through her blog “The Emancipation of Mystical Thoughts”

Notice that I said “she.” You guys assumed she was a “he” — I imagine because so many people assume that Saudi women are completely muzzled. While that is true of many Saudi women who have had very little opportunity to cultivate any sense of independence, there is a very strong contingent of very strong minded, well educated, well traveled, well read Saudi women. And the young ones are phenomenally rebellious!

In addition to Mystique’s blog, here are links to two other blogs which many readers may find interesting and give a glimpse into the mindset of young Saudi women: Alien Memoirs and A Thought in the Kingdom of Lunacy. Also Sunshine. Following the links around in their blog rolls and comments will lead you to a world that is not well-known in the west!