Brooklyn Bedouin

Inner City Muslim Action Network

At their offices as we speak. Check them out-- www.imancentral.org,

SURA 94

I must make this brief. I am on the hunt, looking for work for almost 7 months after earning an MPA. So here is the thought of the day:

A friend of mine is sending me something in the mail. Something important. She has been sick and unable to send it out when she said she would. She alerted me to that fact and the immediate thing that entered my head was Sura Inshirah of the Qu’ran that says: “Verily with every difficulty there is relief”

And I took it to mean that she is sick, I am not, and those are two sides of the same coin. 

And that the hardship and ease cycle moves in and out in a natural process sometimes is more like: in hardship there are moments of ease and in ease there are moments of hardship… everything sorta folds together. 

Follow this link to see the translated words of that sura, one that has been a constant in my life. In fact, I learned it not from reading it, but by listening to my father say it so much growing up. I love him so much and ask Allah to have mercy on him. Amin.

Thank you. Enjoy your day. And homie… get better, take your time – things happen when they need to, even if we do not understand it now. Perhaps by being mindful of the Will of the One, then we gain discernment to understand the nuance of hardship and relief in the moment so that we are not overwhelmed by either, can take them in stride, and maximize the learning and blessings from any situation. Many Blessings. 

bb

My Favorite Things, Feb 24 Style @ APT

www.thestudiobooth.com

We are here right now.

Talking about Malcolm X

Just spoke about Malcolm X with a group of students at Baruch College. I think it went well. Talked about the early years of his life and what that meant for framing his understanding later and the intersection ofbhis legacy within a social justice context. Went really well. MashAllah.the talk was presented by Women in Islam.

Born on the 5th of January

Artist and educator Katina (Latina) Papson and myself got a chance to chop it up at my favorite local lakeside sushi spot called Mijori Sushi where they still play the same Dido Album for the evening shift. Just when does something become classic? Instantly. Katina and I share the same day. Classic. PS- F the NY Post

Brooklyn Meets West

How do we measure time? Activities? Milestones?

Perhaps in terms of movement between states, we know what happens in fixed points, what troubles us are the transitions. It also depends how fast you are moving. Are you moving dimensions? Are you able to see into the super fast and super slow scenarios? Then you discern.

I dared any reader of Brooklyn Bedouin to catch me if they could. In that span of time I have seen Environmental Justice history, saw the band the Mental Notes, hanging with DJ Chela, talked to a friend who was meeting people in the West Wing, scored an interview with a fresh org that would be a blessing to work for, went to the Green Jobs Conference in DC and staying in the same hotel Haile Selasseie stayed in DC years ago and I helped found an urban-rural coalition to stop coal use forever, traveled back basically overnight and then in the morning had the interview with the fresh org. By afternoon I was on a plane west. The west.

Let me be clear to the Californians – I LOVE CALIFORNIA. I have developed a thick skin of Brooklyn Protectionism in the recent years based on the consistent insistence that NYC is horrible, and too cold by the wimps in the west – so in reaction I developed a hyper-nyc-ego. The myopic notion that if I go anyplace on the planet earth, and maybe even to mars, and when asked where I was from, I would respond to earthers or martians: Brooklyn, and they would instantly know what I was talking about.

Everybody knows Brooklyn.

I tend to state the obvious about pedestrian culture vs car culture – thanking God that this year that argument has gained traction. I recently attended a Knicks – Warriors game in Oakland and saw how the local crowd gave Al Harrington a bad time, booing him anytime he simply touched the ball. He had a lousy day too, makes me think that my fear is that people on both coasts will boo me as an outsider – so now I fully stake my claim – I love both coasts for what goodness they provide, they are not equal, they are just different. And, In NYC al Harrington can hawk reasonably priced basketball sneakers on subway ads. And yes, they still boo him like he stole something.

On the way to the airports in both cities an Arabic speaking man absorbed my anxiety (airport stress) in stride and landed me to the curb safely, its like I can arrive within this larger family to receive and send me off. Maybe the Creator has appointed me a squad of angels.

InshaAllah – God Willing We can almost never know the reason we are in whatever position we are in. the plot of our lives is ever evolving, nothing is by accident. So when I was in prayer this Friday at Masjid Al-Iman in Oakland and noticed the awkwardness of the white man near me I decided to give him salaams. Moments later a dua, prayer, happened after a traditional funeral prayer occurred. They repeated the refrain: Allahu Allahu Allahu Haq (truth) and another man, a somewhat shaky man, balding black man no too much older than me, in white collar gear – maybe academia – and he asked me what it meant. I told him what I knew, and when the prayer – dua – ended he asked me where he could go to become Muslim so I directed him to the front of the room where the Shaykh and his teacher were holding a humble court. They received the man with vigor, and each person standing around participated in the saying of Shahada with the new Muslim.

We affixed our hands on the shoulders of the man in front of us. And in the end someone formed a link with the sisters in the room. Children ran around as we all announced our declaration of faith as Muslims do nearly everyday. Upon ending I approached the exit to join my party outside and I came across the tall blonde man who had been awkward in prayer. He looked to me and asked what had just happened, I told him that then man over there, pointing, had just taken his declaration of faith, he looked at me eagerly asking where he could go do the same and the wise sufi’s were walking in our direction and I directed the tall white man to them. He took his shahada right there in the same manner as before. It rained for the first time in a long time while I was there. They been calling it a drought but it poured the rest of that day, in torrents.

Still how do we measure all that time? Well, I was in a state of constant movement and felt like I was where I was supposed to be in the universe. That speed of movement does not facilitate having a super clean email - regular maintenance slackened and I in that time period I went from 40’s something emails unread to 269.

In 2009 we measure in unread emails. (photo shows the play area of a new muslim cool family and on the window is the alphabet and the small building in the background is a old bathroom shelter from the WPA days)

What Manner of Being are You?

I used to think I was a dwarf, I thought that because I am slightly workaholic and live in an apartment where my bedroom is undeground and I work a lot! But after this weekend with my elvish friends I have come to understand that I am really part human and part elvish... A Ranger, like Aragorn in Lord of The Rings.

Ha! What ate you? Hobbit? Elf, Dwarf, human? Troll?

Do tell!

KQED Honors Local Heroes

Darrius Johnson sings 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' at event honoring local unsung heroes. I am sitting next to an honorees wife, by accident, and my uncle Bill, in San Francisco.

American Muslims

Building with Usama Canon, Mikael Pittman, and Shawn talking organizational management, structure etc... It's late but hanging on the wall is what you see in this picture. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Allah on the right in a voluminous script fit for a commoners and royalty. Currently in Fremont, CA

Californication

The crew makes it's way to the sea. Pacifico.