My beloved SAPers are on track

Please go check the MAS Youth Study Abroad Program Blog. This is a wonderful program that MAS Youth organized. It is very fun to tune in and learn about their experience.

A tribute to my teachers behind bars

Dr. Mahmoud, I know you may not read this but I felt that the least I could do is to write those lines. Dr. Mahmoud Abozeid, a professor of surgery in Cairo University medical school. I learnt a lot from him just by example. For me he was an example of dedication, sacrifice and most importantly decency. When I think of the word decent, he is the first I think of. He was a mentor of the student movement when I was a student at Cairo University. I used to bother him with my visits to his office late by night after he is done with his patients (doctors' private practice opens in the evenings in Egypt). He was so welcoming all the time and would stay for hours even if that meant missing his kids' bedtime. In my last year of school when the emphasis was on Surgery, I had to miss many days at school because of the political turmoil at the time and the conflict the government had with the student movement. He offered to help me with school. I used to visit him in his office around 10:30 PM at "my" convenience to discuss a chapter or more with him. His knowledge in Surgery was vast and his character just stood out. One time I asked him to give a talk and he said that he was busy all Fridays and every three months when the month has a fifth Friday, he has a meeting scheduled. With such a busy schedule he was still willing to give a talk during weekdays in the time slot between his morning work and his private practice in the evening. For an organized person like him and with such a busy schedule, tutoring me must have been way high on his priority list to squeeze it in like that. What was he thinking? I don't know. All I know is that I am so grateful and I am so full of guilt. I am grateful for him and for the movement that allowed me to know such a person. I feel guilty because what he gave me was a trust to carry over. I may not know why he gave me this kind of attention and time but I am sure he was thinking he was investing for the future. I am not sure I gave as much as I took, let alone give more. May Allah forgive us all. During my last visit to Egypt I couldn't find time to visit him and surely, I regret this so much. I pray that his time behind bars won't last for long and that in my next visit to Egypt, inshallah, I will be able to visit him in his office. Let me hope that by then, I would be able to make him feel that his investment was worth it.


Dr. Abdelrahman Saudi is another person behind bars who influenced me so much. Although I haven't had a deep direct relationship with him, I was deeply influenced by his character. He was an icon of generosity. He used to be very rich before the government froze all his assets. His house was hugely humongous and we used to hold meetings there all the time whether he was at home or not. Countless brothers and sisters had keys to his house and at one point they were welcome anytime of the day. He had more than a dozen cars but one day he asked for a ride because all his cars were in use for movement related errands. That was not an exception, that was his daily routine; giving and giving more.
One day I visited him at work and my sister came along. She had never met him before. As we left the office, I noticed tears in her eyes and an extremely delighted look on her face. I was surprised and when I inquired, she said: I have goose bumps, this is the "Ikhwan" I read about not "you". I asked her what did you notice that made you extremely taken by his character. She said: "I don't know, but he is just so kindhearted and extremely decent"

If people like this lose their freedom and their money, what kind of message is the government sending to the youth: "Good is bad and bad is good"
I ask Allah to free all of them, to give them patience and to return their money to them and multiply it for them. I ask Allah to give their families patience and to shower them with peace and tranquility.

Don't you ever "brother" me

Yes, seriously. What's up with this brother/sister thing that gets added to your name. Who invented it?!! When did brother become a title?! It is a beautiful word, but when did it become a title?! Sometime during the last century someone introduced this "innovation" to the English language. This is one of my pet peeves. Why is David Dave but Mohamed is Br. Mohamed? Why is Elizabeth Liz but Mariam is Sr. Mariam? Why do I respect everyone without adding to their names any titles but I have to add a title to my Muslim "brother" or "sister" to show respect. I have been struggling with this issue for a while and I discussed it with several people and here are the answers I got:

1- Respect: It is a cherished value in Islam and we need to respect each other and older people in particular.
Rebuttal: Are we respecting David and Elizabeth less when we do not add the br./sr. title to their names? Don't we respect our teachers and professors?! Don't we respect our seniors at work and don't we respect our neighbours?! Did the Prophet (SAW) show respect to people using elements alien to their culture? Didn't he use the very titles that they used to use to show respect to them like the Kunya (which means calling a person father of "his son's name" or something beloved to him)
2- Professionalism: In Islamic work we need to be professional especially across genders, thus the need to use titles.
Rebuttal: Why do we need to be professional in a different way from the rest of the society? People are very professional at work, yet they don't use titles most of the time. They only use titles sometimes in some settings with doctors, professors, judges, attorneys and some elected officials. However, most of the time in professional settings they don't use titles and they are very good at being professional.
3- Brotherhood/sisterhood: When we add the title we enforce the concept that we are brothers and sisters which is the bond that ties all of us as Muslims.
Rebuttal: Keep it real dude. As soon as I add the title I don't feel that bond anymore. You want me to feel the bond call me with my name or say my dear brother. You can put the word brother in sentence, it is such a beautiful word but please don't make a title out of it. When someone sends an email and signs, your brother it touches my heart. When some tells me "ya akhi" which is the Arabic for "my brother", I feel the warmth of brotherhood. One time a dear sister emailed me and signed "ukhtak....." (your sister), I was so happy and replied back thanking her. My brothers and sisters in Islamic work are as dear to me as my family and I don't add titles to my cousins names. If you are from a background that mandates giving elders titles and you feel uncomfortable not doing that with me (if I am older than you), then use the same title you would use for your older brother in your culture. In that sense if you are Egyptian and you feel that you can't call me by my first name, then call me "Abaih Ayman". As funny as that sounds, I won't mind it. If you are younger than that, I won't mind being called "3ammo Ayman" :).

Let me share this story about Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. He was off to a 3umra and the prophet (SAW) told him mention us in your prayers "ya akhi" (my brother) and Umar (RAA) said that he wouldn't have loved anything better than this "ya akhi". When the prophet (SAW) wanted to be very brotherly he didn't give him a title. Ever since I read this story, I can only relate to the word put in a sentence but never as a title, ever.

In our Masjids and communities we don't want to create an alien culture. We need to create an all inclusive culture of genuine respect and sincere brotherhood and sisterhood. What message are we sending to people of other faith when we call each other br./sr.? Are we telling them that they are not our brothers and sisters? Let's love each other but let's also make room for our fellow neighbours to come join us in our activities. Let's not create a culture that will stand out like a sore thumb but rather a culture where everyone likes to belong to.

So my dearly beloved sisters and my dearly beloved brothers, don't "brother" me anymore pleaaaaaaaaaaase.