Iran, Same Imams, and Changing Cities
When I was a young Muslim in St. Louis, it was very difficult to find halal meat. The concern wasn’t that huge for most non-Desi Muslims I knew because we were all following the Saudi opinion that it’s permissible to eat the meat in America. As I recall, most Zabihah people were still slaughtering their own meat, either at farms or a local packing house, but there were two local stores with a limited selection of meat. One of the stores was owned by a local Iranian man who doubled as the de facto leader of the local Shia community.
The store was located near the masjid, so I used to pop in from time to time. Along with meat and groceries there were books on sale extolling the virtue of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, collections of the writings and fatwas of Ayatollah Khomeini, Seerah, Shia imams, and more. I once purchased a few and took them to the masjid at which point I was essentially told to throw them in the trash by Sheikh Muhammad Nur Abdullah.
For an American-Muslim, and especially a working-class guy from St. Louis who didn’t graduate from college, my exposure to Iranians has been very similar to my exposure to Pakistanis, Saudis, Somalis, and others, and that is through the lens of religion. If someone from those countries isn’t religious, and doesn’t attend the masjid or Muslim events, it’s very unlikely our paths would ever cross outside of perhaps Arab hood store owners and later on halal restaurant owners and the occasional coworker. I say that to say is that my information about Iran largely came from people who didn’t very much like Iran or their Revolution.
Some of the animosity towards Iran was based on historic rivalries between Arabs and Persians. Most was based on religion. They, and I, tended to have a very hostile view towards Shi’ism. In fact, when a Saudi cleric visited St. Louis, I asked him for clarification on whether or not Shia are even Muslims. He responded that the average Shia is just jahil (ignorant) and their scholars and leaders are kufar (disbelievers). As years progressed and I developed a more academic and nuanced understanding of faith I learned to refrain from sectarian impulses and communal hostility but affirm our differences.
In New York I saw and interacted with very few Shia. My only memories are the Shia Mosque across the street from Masjid al Farooq on Atlantic Avenue always being empty and me accidentally walking into a Shia school in Queens. The Washington DC area was much different as there is a very large and established Shia community there. The area also has the largest Black American Shia community in the US who were largely attracted to Shi’ism due to the Iranian Revolution. I was told by elders that during the late 70s and early 80s they used to engage in street brawls with Black Sunnis (who would later establish the Salafi masjid Jamaat al Qawiyy). It was there that I attended a very large Shia gathering held at Wheaton High School at the invitation of a friend of Ismail Royer where I witnessed a diverse gathering of mourners. I wasn’t sure what to make of the gathering although I have a memory of seeing many pleasant sites. What I do remember is that the sectarian climate of the 90s was so intense that I had a friend of mine who made a plan to go to a large Shia Mosque in Maryland and take a shit in the musalla. Crazy times!
Of course, another sentiment could be found within the community simultaneously. It went something like this. We aren’t Shia, we strongly disagree with their beliefs on Ayesha, the Sahabah, Mutah (a more popular opinion among the shabab if we’re keeping it real), but they are the only ones with the guts to fight Israel and spread an Islamic Revolution. Some would say “their revolution succeeded (Shia) and our attempts have failed”. This sentiment still exists as many Sunnis support Hezbollah in Lebanon and see them as heroic.
Enter Yasir Qadhi. His community is fighting for their life, being investigated by fourteen Texas state agencies, and Trump’s Department of Justice, and he has taken this moment to give a talk in which he says that not only does he support Iran- but you should also. This will not go down as one of the more intelligent public relations strategies in American history. If Muslims want to perpetually be a fringe community, you can do things like support Iranian missile attacks on regional neighbors, ignoring the human rights abuses of the regime, and downplaying their unpopularity. Outside of Qum, the slums of social media, and the Ivy League this is something not only distasteful. It’s disqualifying. One of the things you cannot do with this attitude is purchase land in deeply red rural Texas to establish a private community without causing a major shitstorm. It’s one or the other. Do you want to be mainstream or simp for Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah? You can’t do both.
There is something else you can’t do. Even in the looney bin of American academia you cannot say you want to see American military bases and personnel attacked. This is precisely what an eccentric white convert, full-time Ikhwani apologist, and intellectual sex creep Jonathan Brown of Georgetown appeared to do. Predictably, it has caused a firestorm. In fairness to Brown, I think his critics misunderstood the point he was trying to make, and he was essentially making the point President Trump made himself, but when you aren’t charitable as a person you receive no charity.
The larger takeaways are this:
Imams should follow the path of Saudi clerics, Traditional Sufis, and others. Focus on matters of faith and spirituality and refrain from political matters. These Imams show time and time again they aren’t that bright and have very low social IQs and are essentially living as strangers in America. Just remind us of the importance of wudu and salah. We all have access to podcasts, YouTube, TikTok, cable news, newspapers, and the public library where we are free to engage with political content to our liking.
JB confirms that academics are essentially like sex workers. They provide a needed service and are valued; but can also come with a lot of baggage and diseases and be trafficked by nefarious organizations (although I sincerely hope pimping isn’t the next Ikhwani income source). For both professions you have to be careful what you do with your mouth.
YQ, JB, and celebrity imams most closely resemble Christian televangelists. The likes of Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes in that their messages tend to be motivational, entertaining, and light on theology. This is a good business model in order to not drive away paying customers. It can also be entertaining and that is fine, people need some halal entertainment and gentle reminders. However, they are also like the late Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, in which they seek to use their religious platform in order to influence American politics. This is very difficult to do when you are around 2% of the American population.
I’m someone who supports the 2030 Vision of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the path of the Abraham Accords, and Saudi entry to the accords upon reasonable Israeli concessions to Palestinians. I believe that the best path forward is the path of peaceful coexistence. A region that is free of war, free of violent theocratic regimes, and everyone is free to economically prosper. This is something that seems very unpopular among most Muslims in the US I talk to. While they are enjoying middle-class and affluent suburban prosperity, sending their kids to good schools, building megamosques, and gorging themselves at the newest halal restaurants, what they are cheering for is perpetual war and conflict. They don’t to participate in such a conflict, they certainly don’t want to die in one, but they will eagerly cheer others to their deaths and embrace a cycle of violence. Their kids go from Frisco, Texas to Harvard to corporate America and the kids of taxi drivers and butchers go to Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, etc. Go team go! Someone come up with a new chant and hashtag! The only path forward is peace. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and others are on board. Iran has no interest in peace and has spread fitnah throughout the region. Bashar is gone, Hezbollah is on life support, and hopefully Iran is next. As an American I don’t want war with Iran, I certainly don’t want a regime change and occupation, but a change in the regime would be nice. JB said “they can take a licking” from his perch in Northern Virginia. I’m not so sure. We do know who has demonstrated time and time again they can take a licking and keep ticking.
Changing Cities
New York is the most important city in the world. The city has changed dramatically as has urban life in America. Black Americans are leaving cities, many immigrants are leaving before they can legally vote, and white and other working-class families have given up on city life. Family is key-families have given up due to bad public schools, crime, and a low quality of life. In places like St. Louis this often means population loss. In NYC, given its place in culture and commerce, this means that the city has been transformed into a playground for the wealthy and for young people to chill on for some years until they decide to take adulthood seriously. A very high percentage in the second category come from wealthy families, have trust funds, are sexual deviants, are on drugs, and mentally ill. They also tend to possess the types of useless degrees that don’t grant them entry into the job market.
On a smaller scale this is happening in cities throughout America. The Boreum Heights and Park Slope brownstone liberal couple with seven degrees, three dogs, 0-2 kids, is the Shaw Neighborhood yuppie in St. Louis. The younger, broker and fringier version is in Tower Grove South. As St. Louis is seldom important to the national conversation, no one generally cares about elections here. The eyes of the world are watching NYC.
If Zohran Mamdani wins today, it will be because he ran a successful campaign and won big with younger college-educated whites excited by social media influencers and canvassers, few of whom are native New Yorkers and have a real commitment to NYC, the Leisure Left, and leaned heavily into identity politics. Black Americans and working-class Americans are generally skeptical of progressives, leftist politics, and utopian politics. I’m in this category. I wouldn’t vote for Zohran for dog catcher, and I hate dogs. If he wins this primary, he still has a long way to go to be mayor, his success will be due to the changing nature of American cities. Those who frequent the dog parks and cycle on bike lanes tend to swoon for guys like Zohran and people who used to play in those parks as kids and take their kids to play are not only less enthused, they can no longer afford to live in those neighborhoods and moved down south. They’ve been displaced by the base of the “working-class socialist” candidate. The irony of all ironies. My opinion is that this socialist, from humble educational roots, is as authentic as his changing accents. As a Muslim, I’m not sure why anyone would be excited, unless they’ve adopted the Ikhwani position that Islam is essentially a political movement void of spirituality, or the North American and British progressive left position, that Islam is essentially a racial and ethnic identity, faith is not required, and should be organized under the auspices and loving grace of the White Left.
New York exiles feel free to consider St. Louis. We could use the population, we’re cheap, and we put out.
