Strategies of Indirect Da'wah in America of Post 9/11 Era: The Case of Yasir Qadhi

Abstract

Da'wah (call to Islam) is a religious activity that is considered one of the essential activities in Islam. While da'wah was part of America for many decades, 9/11 attacks with the rise of Islamophobia, served as a catalyst that boosted da'wah activity to battle the negative image of Islam. In this paper, I argue that forms of indirect da'wah have been essential strategies among mainstream American imams since 9/11, who tried to present Islam positively, by “Americanizing” the religion using attitudes of social aspects. As an example of this methodology, I use the case of Sheikh Dr. Yasir Qadhi, a prominent American cleric, who has updated many of his harsh views since 9/11, and has been deeply involved with the American Muslim community. Qadhi's Islamic reformation symbolizes the post-9/11 impact on American clerics, who promoted indirect da'wah forms to bolster Muslims to become an integral part of American society.

Keywords:

• Da'wah
• Post 9/11 era
• Yasir Qadhi
• Islam in America

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Kathleen Marie Moore, “Da’wa in the United States”, in The Oxford Handbook of American Islam, eds. Jane I. Smith and Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, Oxford University Press, 2015, p. 268.

2 Egdunas Racius, “The Multiple Nature of The Islamic Da'wa”, Academic Dissertation, University of Helsinki, 2004, p. 7.

3 Kathleen Moore, “Da’wa in the United States”, op, cit, ibid.

4 Larry Poston, Islamic Dawah in the West: Muslim Missionary Activity and the Dynamics of Conversion to Islam, NY: Oxford University Press, 1992, pp. 4, 122, 116, 117.

5 Ibid., pp. 4, 122, 116, 117.

6 Larry Poston, Islamic Dawah in the West, op, cit. p. 119.

7 Murad was a famous Muslim thinker and a famous disciple of Mawdudi, and and one of the prominent Muslim scholars in the West.

8 Nina Wiedl, “Da’wa and the Islamist Revival in the West”, Current Trends in Islamist Ideology, Vol. 9, 2009, pp. 122–123.

9 Torsten Janson, Your Cradle Is Green: The Islamic Foundation & the Call to Islam in Children's Literature, Almqvist & Wiksell Intl, 2003, p. 55.

10 Raquel Ukeles, The Evolving Muslim Community in America: The Impact of 9/11, Mosaica-Research Center for Religion State and Society, 2003, p. 7.

11 The official site of the MSA, https://www.msanational.org/ (accessed 12 December 2021).

12 The official site of ICNA, https://www.icna.org/ (accessed 12 December 2021).

13 Larry Poston, “Da’wa in the West”, in The Muslims of America, ed. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991, pp. 131–132.

14 Dar Al-Kufr means a land of disbelief where Islam and Muslims are not in domination, as opposed to Dar Al-Islam, which is considered the abode of Islam, and refers to global Muslim or Islamic regions. Nowadays these notions have lost much of their validity with new Muslim generations born in Western countries, and the increasing Islamic presence.

15 The official site of ISNA, https://isna.net/ (accessed 12 December 2021).

16 The official site of CAIR, https://www.cair.com/ (accessed 12 December 2021).

17 Larry Poston and Elysia Guzik,“Da’wa in North America: The Past, the Present, and the Future”, in Culture of Da'wa: Islamic Preaching in the Modern World, eds. Itzchak Weismann and Jamal Malik, Salt Lake City: The University of Utah Press, 2020, p. 161.

18 Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Adair T. Lummis, Islamic Values in the United States: A Comparative Study, New York: Oxford University Press, p. 158.

19 IIyas Ba-Yunus, Kassim Kone, Muslims in the United States, Westport, U.S.: Greenwood Press, 2006, p. 70.

20 Ibid., p. 166.

21 Ibid., pp. 158, 164.

22 The Patriot Act was a landmark Act of the United States Congress, after the 9/11 attacks to tighten national security against acts of terrorism. See Abdus Sattar Ghazali, op. cit, pp. 2–3.

23 Ibid., pp. 69–89.

24 Raquel Ukeles, The Evolving Muslim Community in America. op. cit., pp. 8–9.

25 Jonathan Curiel, Islam in America, New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd London, 2015, pp. 51–53. The first Muslim Congress was elected following this activity, Keith Ellison in 2006. Ibid., 52.

26 Larry Poston and Elysia Guzik, “Da’wa in North America”, op. cit, pp. 166–167.

27 John Esposito, “Muslims in America or American Muslims”, in Muslims on the Americanization Path? eds. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, and John Esposito, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 3.

28 Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Nasir Nader Harb, “Post-9/11: Making Islam an American Religion”, Religions, Vol. 5, 2014, p. 491.

29 Zaytuna College in Berkely, California, was officially established by Hamza Yusuf, Zaid Shakir and Hatem Bazian, in 2009. For more information, see: https://zaytuna.edu/about (accessed 13 December 2021).

30 Zareena Grewal, Islam is a Foreign Country: American Muslims and the Global Crisis of Authority, New York: New York University Press, 2014, pp. 296, 307, 308, 312.

31 A.J. Willingham, “By 2040, Islam could be the second-largest religion in the US”, CNN Politics, 1.11.2018, https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/10/politics/muslim-population-growth-second-religious-group-trnd/index.html ((accessed 12 December 2021).

32 Meghan Neal, “Number of Muslims in the U.S. doubles since 9/11”, New York Daily News, 3.3.2012, https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/number-muslims-u-s-doubles-9-11-article-1.1071895 (accessed 12 December 2021).

33 Jonathan Curiel, Islam in America, op. cit, pp. 68–69.

34 Andrea Elliott, “Why Yasir Qadhi Wants to Talk About Jihad”, The New York Times Magazine, March 17, 2011, p. 1.

35 The official site of Epic Masjid, https://epicmasjid.org/ (accessed 12 December 2021).

36 The official site of The Islamic Seminary of America, https://www.islamicseminary.us/ (accessed 12 December 2021).

37 The official site of Al-Maghrib, https://www.almaghrib.org/ (accessed 12 December 2021).

38 Elad Ben David, op. cit, pp. 8–13.

39 Christopher Pooya Razavian, “Yasir Qadhi and the Development of Reasonable Salafism”, in Modern Islamic Authority and Social Change, ed. Masooda Bano, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2018, pp. 155–156, 175.

40 Salafism is considered a harsh interpretation of Islam, and its followers see themselves as the original successors of the Muslims who lived in the first three centuries of Islam. The Salafist ideology is characterized by a rigid understanding of the Islamic concept, and therefore it sees in liberal or Sufi (mystic) Muslims to be mistaken Islamic sects. See: Nina Wiedl-Menashe, “Contemporary Calls to Islam—Salafi Da’wa in Germany 2002–2011”, Ph.D. Dissertation, Ben-Gurion University, 2015, pp. 31–34.

41 Daniyah M. Hannini, “The ‘Spiritualization’ of Islam in America: A Study of Highly Individualistic Forms of Islamic Practice in the U.S.”, M.A. Thesis, The State University of New Jersey, 2016, p. 57.

42 Yasir Qadhi has addressed that issue many times. See for example: Yasir Qadhi, “Muslims Studying Islamic Sciences in Western Universities”, YouTube, 1.28.2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhtCEUw5MKQ&t=90s (accessed 22 December 2021).

43 See for example: Yasir Qadhi, “Have you left the way of the Salaf?” YouTube, 4.9.2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GYkedPkxlI. (accessed 22 December 2021).

44 Daniyah M. Hannini, “The “Spiritualization” of Islam in America”, op. cit, p. 56.

45 Yasir Qadhi, “Ummah vs. Nation State”, Texas, 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdP-f9SvWd4. (accessed 12 November 2021).

46 Ibid.

47 Cited in Poston, “Islamic Da’wa in the West”, pp. 83, 108.

48 The FCNA (Fiqh Council of North America) was established in 1986, and Yasir Qadhi is considered one of the executive members. For more information, see: https://fiqhcouncil.org/about/

49 Wiedl, Nina, “Da’wa and the Islamic Revival in the West”, Current Trends in Islamist Ideology, Vol. 9, 2009, pp. 122–123.

50 Siraj Wahhaj, “Should Muslims do Hijra?” Islam.net, Oslo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a1XZYG6q90 (accessed 12 November 2022).

51 Also known as Al-Najashi.

52 Brelvi, Mahmud, Seerat al-Nabi: The Life and Times of the Great Prophet of Islam Hadrat Muhammad, Pakistan: University of Sind, 1982, pp. 32–33.

53 “Ummah vs. Nation State”.

54 Yasir Qadhi, “Relationship between Church & State comparison with Islamic Caliphate”, ‘Why Islam,’ Hartford, CT, 26th May, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrtGF4LAfQ (accessed 31 October 2021).

55 Yasir Qadhi, “AlMaghrib's 1st Graduation: The Future of Islam in the West”, 1st June, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw9nfa1Jwko (accessed 31 October 2021).

56 Eid l-Fitr, the festival that celebrates the end of the Ramadan fast.

57 Yasir Qadhi, “Challenges & Solutions of Muslims living in the West”, 21st March, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os0KUKjOJoo&t=655s (accessed 31 October 2021).

58 “Ummah vs. Nation State”.

59 Deedat (1918–2005) was a famous Indian Muslim preacher from South-Africa, and was popular in his interreligious debate.

60 Naik was the student of Deedat, and is now considered as one of the most famous Muslim missionary preachers in the world.

61 Yasir Qadhi, “Dawah & Ikhlas”, ICNA, Chicago, 18th June, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DmKZdC7xEs (accessed 27 April 2022).

62 Yasir Qadhi, “The Pitfalls of Dawah: OR: Why Don’t People Embrace Islam Immediately”, Islamic Foundation, Villa Park, IL. October 19th, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0nQ_FGDQSM (accessed 27 April 2022).

63 Yasir Qadhi, Tafseer Surah Al-Kahf Pt.7—Etiquettes of saying InShaAlla-h—v22-24, Memphis TN, 16th July 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooPbTyh3-Ac&t=496s (accessed 31 October 2021).

64 Yasir Qadhi, “Da’wah advise to young Muslims”, ‘Peace TV,’ Mumbai, India, 19th Nov, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si7H6RIokaU&t=221s (accessed 31 October 2021).

65 Yasir Qadhi, “Islamic Reform—Destruction, Progress or Necessity?” London, UK, 9th November, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzGKm3q39rs&t=6772s (accessed 28 April 2022).

66 Yasir Qadhi, “Dawah & Ikhlas”, ICNA, Chicago, 18th June, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DmKZdC7xEs (accessed 28 April 2022).

67 Ibid.

68 Ibid.

69 Matthews, Daud, Presenting Islam in the West, UK Islamic Academy, 2004, p. 50.

70 Yasir, Qadhi, “Muslims should get involved in their local public causes”, Memphis TN, 14th September, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTI8e02T0Is (accessed 28 April 2022).

71 For more information about the incident, see: Brelvi, Seerat al-Nabi, op. cit, p. 17.

72 Yasir Qadhi, “Winning the battle against Islamophobia: Fighting bigotry & intolerance”, ICNA, Hartford, CT, 27th May, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_zbytuS_jo (accessed 28 April 2022).

73 Ibid.

74 “Muslims should get involved in their local public causes”.

75 Yasir Qadhi, “The Kafir who Helped the Prophet”, Al-Maghrib Institute, Minnesota, 1st December, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvdYYHAoQRE (accessed 31 October 2021).

76 Ibid.

77 “Winning the battle against Islamophobia: Fighting bigotry & intolerance”.

78 Ibid.

79 Ibid.

80 90: 13–16.

81 76: 8–9.

82 For more information about the movement, see:

83 59:7.

84 “Winning the battle against Islamophobia”.

85 Ibid.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elad Ben David

Elad Ben David is a Ph.D. graduate from the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at Bar Ilan University in Israel, and His Ph.D. research focused on Da’wah (call to Islam) in America. Ben David is also a research associate at the Forum of Regional Thinking (FORTH), an independent Jewish and Arab research institute, and at the Middle East Network Analysis Desk at Tel-Aviv University, where he published many articles in Hebrew and English regarding Islam in the West. Ben David is also affiliated with GIRES (global institute for research education & scholarship), located in Amsterdam, and executes as a board member of the Israeli Association for the Study of Religions (IASR).