Failasuf Chi-Town

“Esack’s campaign against the Shariah is a manifestation of his apparent conviction that in every case where the ethos of the Quran appears to conflict with that of modern liberalism, then it is the Quran which must give way. Liberals who demand the abolition of Quranic guidance on inheritance, marriage, divorce, custodianship of minors, and indeed any other social issue, must be set in authority over the Ijma (consensus) of the Ummah, past and present…So well has Esack lubricated the canons of Fiqh that anything is now possible. Should the next item be homosexual imams? New regulations for Wudu’ (ablution)? Shariah marriages for consenting incest partners. Once the canon is broken, this year’s extremism is easily transformed into next year’s pioneering innovation. Islam itself is emptied of normative content and self destructs.” …”

- Sidi Abdal-Hakim Murad

Supposed to write my resume and essays as well a pile of MISG work this spring break. Crucial stuff, they are. But as always, I never do important stuff though I do a ton of unimportant things.

Today, all I did was laze around and read the whole 200 page book on the biography of Jalal al-din al-Suyuti by E.M. Sartain. Just now, I translated a 6-page Indonesian article into English – to be put on the Tijani website.

I didn’t have to do those two things, but I did. Yet, when I absolutely must get that resume + essays + MISG work done, I’m barely half way. And look at me blogging. This is me at my procrastinating best.

Ingin saya luahkan kesedihan akan sang Afrikanis muda kesayangan yang terpaksa berpindah ke UMich setelah gagal memperolehi tenure di universiti saya. Tentu beliau yang saya panggil Sidi Buch itu berat hati meninggalkan universiti ini kerana reputasinya sebagai pusat pengajian Afrika terulung. Tapi apakan daya, beliau kata “too many fishes in the sea”.

Telah beliau janji untuk mengajar saya kelas sejarah Islam Afrika. Telah beliau janji untuk jamu saya masakkan Senegal ala Rasta. Ingin benar saya dengar beliau sampaikan satu-satunya khutbah Jummat, tapi seringkali jawapan beliau terhadap pelawaan saya “I’ll think about it and make istikharah”. Nampaknya saya kempunan…

Humph… setelah hilangnya ahli falsafah dan sufi Tijani terkemuka dari Senegal Dr Bashir yang berpindah ke Columbia, saya kehilangan seorang lagi rakan Afrikanis. Tak apalah, kita bertemu dan berpisah kerana Allah. Moga para pelajar Muslim di Ann Arbor, masyarakat Lubnan di Dearborn dan masyarakat Senegal di Detroit menyambut kehadiran beliau sebaik-baiknya. Jujur saya amat cemburu dengan orang-orang UMich yang sudahpun punyai Dr Abdul Hakim Jackson dan kini memperolehi Sidi Buch.

Sungguhpun begitu, hal ini hanya akan menguatkan semangat saya melobi Presiden Universiti untuk cepat-cepat merekrut professor baru mengajar Pengajian Islam dan Afrika.

Here’s my reading path that eventually led to him:

Clifford Geertz -> Daniel Martin Varisco -> Edward Said -> Talal Asad -> Alasdair MacIntyre -> Charles Taylor.

Is this the answer to libertarianism?

It’s been a cold snowy day today. 20 degree fahrenheit drop from yesterday’s spring weather.

Was walking past the anthropology department building. Even though on spring breatk, I was running short on time doing random errands. Yet couldnt resist the temptation to go inside and anthro-talk with my good Professor-friend. Another orientalist-intellectual stopped by and joined in the foray. Ended up wasting a good half hour “hobnobbing” with some great minds with very warm personalities. Will take advantage of some free time to do more hobnobbing with professors tomorrow and next week. Till then…