American Muslims, Social Liberalism & the Culture Wars with Mobeen Vaid
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With the US mid-term elections looming, once again Muslims in the United States confront a now perennial problem, to whom should they cast their vote? Liberals promise to fight discrimination and advance minority rights, attractive to young Muslims in particular whilst the right look to capitalise on the culture wars by addressing some of the so-called wedge issues that provoke conservative America, including liberal abortion laws, the trans issue and the liberalisation of education.
It is within this context that I held a very interesting conversation with my guest today, public intellectual and activist Mobeen Vaid. Mobeen has been at the forefront of addressing the creeping liberalisation of social attitudes of the Muslim community and how these opinions often are way out of sync with the global Muslim ummah and Islam. Mobeen’s erudite commentary has looked to counter and critique these trends and today he lectures at Mosques and community centres across the US.
I ask him to attempt to explain to an outsider like myself why many Muslims worry about the intellectual and social health of American Muslims and whether these perceptions are warranted. I also ask him to situate his own work within the context of these culture wars, how can he criticise the excesses of social liberalism without becoming fodder for an equally disturbing conservative right?
I have to note, Mobeen has moved the conversation in a positive direction in America and I suspect many Islamic scholars, who have been reticent to talk about these trends, have been influenced by his straightforward yet well-researched opinions. In that sense, I see him as a thought leader. As always some of our listeners may find some of what is said today challenging, but let’s keep the conversation going. You can interact with us through our website, our social media channels and on our YouTube channel.
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The Thinking Muslim Podcast Episode 79
00:00 Introduction
03:57 The state of American Muslims
08:47 Have first-generation Muslims failed?
12:50 When tolerance becomes acceptance
21:35 Liberalism and the modern state
27:06 Dearborn, Michigan and US school boards
36:14 Muslims with left-leaning preferences
43:13 Alliances with the Christian Right
45:33 The politicization of faith
50:00 Muslim scholars and their response
01:02:03 Where should a Muslim’s interest lie?
01:05:04 Should Muslims remain in the US?
