Great insight Umar. Specially about the EPIC-led “intentional community”, I think you hit it on the head when you said “try to have some political sophistication”.
Yes, this community is technically not violating any laws, but it seems the planners were far too aloof of the political realities on the ground. For example, after the Gov. Abbott comment the planners quickly revised the future community’s website to change the wording from “we will limit sales to only persons we believe will contribute to the overall makeup of our community” to “Our vision is to build a diverse and inclusive community — one in which people of every background, faith, and culture can live together in harmony”.
An article from the Dallas Morning News shows how leadership from the community seemed to duck away from giving a public comment and locals in the area had no idea about the project until hearing about it on the news.
I think this episode speaks to the general lack of sophistication of the immigrant Muslim communities across the affluent suburbs and exurbs. Who often times focus on the superficiality of Islam — whether its perceived public piety or excessively constructed mosques — but are clueless when it comes to what is going on outside their bubble (local politics, social ills, inner city plight, etc.).
Whether or not this vision will be stopped by political opponents is less important than the bigger concern of perpetuating these superficial “communities” that will ultimately make Islam less and less relevant for future generations.
The original statement is perhaps more in line for the DFW community I know. Keep it to a wealthy Brahman class of Muslims with similar lifestyles and religious views. The second is an attempt to be more inclusive and of course is already readily available in Plano.
The sophistication is lacking and as you point to, a bubble won't solve that riddle.
Good questions. I don't have the answers! Regarding the first question you present, I get the sense the plan is for a Texas exurban gated subdivision full of McMansions, with a masjid in the middle and a Muslim school. Not sure if restaurants, retail, and mixed used architecture would be included. Ideally in such a community there would be density and walkability, but knowing Texas, I wouldn't count on that. What should a Muslim community look like and who is invited? Depends on who is writing the checks would be my assumption.
Regarding the second that is the conundrum. Because of liberal values and commitments to diversity blue cities and states are welcoming to Muslims. Yet, that those same commitments create discomfort surrounding educational issues and those surrounding gender and sexuality (and can lead to a toxic level of said values endangering public safety due to unsafe levels of empathy and compassion). These issues also aren't absent in Red States and the normative lifestyles in Blue and Red states are nearly identical. What Red States often do have is elected officials who are explicitly unwelcoming. Texas Muslims are testing this now.
Regarding the third point you make, this is the St. Louis argument. The Sun Belt is kicking our ass and we have been losing population since the Eisenhower Administration; but wait another century and we'll be back due to Climate Change! I'll let the next couple of generations grapple with that as I'm statistically in the 3rd quarter of my football game (with sudden death a possibility in regulation).
Great article! However I do want to talk about the sentence, "At the fringes of this demographic are white leftists, such as DSA members, and then those even further left (normally those from very privileged and affluent backgrounds enacting some form of generational rebellion)."
I grew up in the STL suburbs with a salesman and a teacher as parents in a 1,500 sq ft house that my mom still lives in. While that may make me privileged, it was the Democratic party and the 2-party system itself that sent me to the far left of the political spectrum. I realized the GOP ratchets everything to the right and the Dems do little to nothing to stop it, slowly bringing the whole country right. My politics are simple, take care of people! Neither party really wants to do anything other than get rich while doing the bidding of their rich donors. The system has failed the humans of our country. It's time for a better system. Meanwhile I'll be on the far left, cheering anything that actually supports the earth and humanity.
Thanks for your input and sharing your experience. I agree that the system has failed most, but I also think any other system would be the same. No Utopias. We just have to work within our capacity to improve what we can. My issue with the suburban ideolouges turned urban dwellers is they often talk over people and prioritize personal performance over the practical. Nonetheless, we all have a voice.
Salam, I appreciate these questions and considerations and would love for these to continue to be explored
First, if we're making a Muslim community, there's a question as to whether this includes deeper questions of what renders space "Muslim"
What for example about density, walkability, and the role of built environment in fostering community? Do we want to be known for making spaces for us to live in (defining "us" rather lazily, I know) or for making spaces that encourage a certain kind of warmth and mutuality but aren't at the same time religiously exclusive? There's a big debate there I haven't heard, which opens the door to what role we want to play in America
Zoned areas of exclusion or projects meant to benefit society at large?
Where's the balance here?
Second, blue states feel more amenable to such projects, except that plenty of blue states are or until recently have been extremely unaffordable (conversely, while schooling might require acknowledging topics some of us are uncomfortable with, that liberality in turn creates space for our specificities -- not to mention blue states still also allow private schools). One might conversely point out red states require or avoid topics we religiously have stances on
Yeah, there's some topics where Muslims tend to more conservative opinions, but others on which I'd say we are or should be more progressive
Third, and perhaps most importantly, how resilient are southern cities to climate change, especially with a new administration that seems to be keen to go to war with reality? I think that deserves some comment; if we're talking about Muslim values, an honest appreciation of causality, an impartial epistemology, and valuing knowledge and expertise should count...
Of course I imagine these conversations have come up among the planners, and of course except for a very small number of places, there's hardly sufficient density to pursue such thought experiments in real life
Great insight Umar. Specially about the EPIC-led “intentional community”, I think you hit it on the head when you said “try to have some political sophistication”.
Yes, this community is technically not violating any laws, but it seems the planners were far too aloof of the political realities on the ground. For example, after the Gov. Abbott comment the planners quickly revised the future community’s website to change the wording from “we will limit sales to only persons we believe will contribute to the overall makeup of our community” to “Our vision is to build a diverse and inclusive community — one in which people of every background, faith, and culture can live together in harmony”.
An article from the Dallas Morning News shows how leadership from the community seemed to duck away from giving a public comment and locals in the area had no idea about the project until hearing about it on the news.
I think this episode speaks to the general lack of sophistication of the immigrant Muslim communities across the affluent suburbs and exurbs. Who often times focus on the superficiality of Islam — whether its perceived public piety or excessively constructed mosques — but are clueless when it comes to what is going on outside their bubble (local politics, social ills, inner city plight, etc.).
Whether or not this vision will be stopped by political opponents is less important than the bigger concern of perpetuating these superficial “communities” that will ultimately make Islam less and less relevant for future generations.
The original statement is perhaps more in line for the DFW community I know. Keep it to a wealthy Brahman class of Muslims with similar lifestyles and religious views. The second is an attempt to be more inclusive and of course is already readily available in Plano.
The sophistication is lacking and as you point to, a bubble won't solve that riddle.
Good questions. I don't have the answers! Regarding the first question you present, I get the sense the plan is for a Texas exurban gated subdivision full of McMansions, with a masjid in the middle and a Muslim school. Not sure if restaurants, retail, and mixed used architecture would be included. Ideally in such a community there would be density and walkability, but knowing Texas, I wouldn't count on that. What should a Muslim community look like and who is invited? Depends on who is writing the checks would be my assumption.
Regarding the second that is the conundrum. Because of liberal values and commitments to diversity blue cities and states are welcoming to Muslims. Yet, that those same commitments create discomfort surrounding educational issues and those surrounding gender and sexuality (and can lead to a toxic level of said values endangering public safety due to unsafe levels of empathy and compassion). These issues also aren't absent in Red States and the normative lifestyles in Blue and Red states are nearly identical. What Red States often do have is elected officials who are explicitly unwelcoming. Texas Muslims are testing this now.
Regarding the third point you make, this is the St. Louis argument. The Sun Belt is kicking our ass and we have been losing population since the Eisenhower Administration; but wait another century and we'll be back due to Climate Change! I'll let the next couple of generations grapple with that as I'm statistically in the 3rd quarter of my football game (with sudden death a possibility in regulation).
Great article! However I do want to talk about the sentence, "At the fringes of this demographic are white leftists, such as DSA members, and then those even further left (normally those from very privileged and affluent backgrounds enacting some form of generational rebellion)."
I grew up in the STL suburbs with a salesman and a teacher as parents in a 1,500 sq ft house that my mom still lives in. While that may make me privileged, it was the Democratic party and the 2-party system itself that sent me to the far left of the political spectrum. I realized the GOP ratchets everything to the right and the Dems do little to nothing to stop it, slowly bringing the whole country right. My politics are simple, take care of people! Neither party really wants to do anything other than get rich while doing the bidding of their rich donors. The system has failed the humans of our country. It's time for a better system. Meanwhile I'll be on the far left, cheering anything that actually supports the earth and humanity.
Thanks for your input and sharing your experience. I agree that the system has failed most, but I also think any other system would be the same. No Utopias. We just have to work within our capacity to improve what we can. My issue with the suburban ideolouges turned urban dwellers is they often talk over people and prioritize personal performance over the practical. Nonetheless, we all have a voice.
Salam, I appreciate these questions and considerations and would love for these to continue to be explored
First, if we're making a Muslim community, there's a question as to whether this includes deeper questions of what renders space "Muslim"
What for example about density, walkability, and the role of built environment in fostering community? Do we want to be known for making spaces for us to live in (defining "us" rather lazily, I know) or for making spaces that encourage a certain kind of warmth and mutuality but aren't at the same time religiously exclusive? There's a big debate there I haven't heard, which opens the door to what role we want to play in America
Zoned areas of exclusion or projects meant to benefit society at large?
Where's the balance here?
Second, blue states feel more amenable to such projects, except that plenty of blue states are or until recently have been extremely unaffordable (conversely, while schooling might require acknowledging topics some of us are uncomfortable with, that liberality in turn creates space for our specificities -- not to mention blue states still also allow private schools). One might conversely point out red states require or avoid topics we religiously have stances on
Yeah, there's some topics where Muslims tend to more conservative opinions, but others on which I'd say we are or should be more progressive
Third, and perhaps most importantly, how resilient are southern cities to climate change, especially with a new administration that seems to be keen to go to war with reality? I think that deserves some comment; if we're talking about Muslim values, an honest appreciation of causality, an impartial epistemology, and valuing knowledge and expertise should count...
Of course I imagine these conversations have come up among the planners, and of course except for a very small number of places, there's hardly sufficient density to pursue such thought experiments in real life