Dear Friends,
Greetings of Peace! I pray you are well! This weekend, we have the blessed opportunity of addressing once again, a painful topic: spiritual and sexual abuse in our communities. It is a blessed
opportunity because anytime we have the chance to blast light towards the accumulation of darkness, we have the opportunity to help people who have been held in the grip of this darkness. We have
the opportunity to see what damage has been hiding in the shadows, and we help people who have been suffering untold injury actually begin to heal. By addressing the ugliness of lies, deception
and injustice with a good dose of truth-telling, we can begin the necessary process of "cleaning our own house."
It pains me to recognize that the disease of spiritual and sexual abuse is much more rampant than any of us realize. We have come to hear from more and more victims of abuse about the broad
expanse and unchecked growth of this evil infection that has been metastasizing in the dark. More people have been affected by this disease than we recognize or wish to acknowledge. The taboo
nature of the topic holds people hostage in silence.
The first time we addressed this topic, in Part I of our Dispelling Myths Q&A on Spiritual and Sexual Abuse with Shaykh Abou El Fadl, we broke important ground. It was a bold, clarifying
and transformative session where we started from the beginning and worked our way across the most pressing and glaring issues and questions. This weekend, we aim to continue where we left off and
dig a little deeper, covering additional terrain. I am praying for and anticipating another incredible session. It is a difficult topic, but like every opportunity to grow, learn and heal, we
find that the more difficult the challenge, the greater the rewards of knowledge, clarity, liberation and ultimately, empowerment. I hope you will join us.
**To join us online this SUNDAY, 15 MARCH @ 4 PM EASTERN, please register in advance of the event.** Here are the details:
REGISTER NOW TO JOIN ON ZOOM HERE:
s02web.zoom.us/meeting/
HAVE YOU PURCHASED YOUR COPY OF THE PROPHET'S PULPIT YET?
This is the most important book you can read to capture the beautiful essence and power of what it means to be an ethical Muslim in 2022! Get one for yourself and your friends and make a difference in the world.
NOW AVAILABLE IN EBOOK! The paperback and hardbacks are gorgeous! It is available on Barnes and Noble online here!
REVIEWS OF THE BOOK
There are some great reviews so far on Amazon - if you have read it and can leave a 5-star review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any place that allows you to leave a review, we would be most
grateful, especially before the Islamophobes jump on the bandwagon and decide to start writing negative reviews to undermine sales (yes, it happens).
Also, if you or someone you know would be interested in reviewing or writing about the book for a journal, newspaper, blog or other media outlet, let me know and we can send you a review copy.
Same for professors who would like an examination copy for possible adoption in a course. Any questions, write to me. :) Time for an intellectual revolution!
USULI MERCH!
On that note, if anyone would like a T-shirt, we are happy to sell them at cost!
Here are the details: If you live in the U.S., they are $20 and will be shipped to you directly from Canva.com. If you live outside of the U.S., we will receive your order and ship to you for an additional shipping and handling fee of $10, so $30 total. Send your payment via PayPal (@UsuliInstitute) and indicate in the notes the size (S-M-L-XL-XXL) and shipping address (with phone number) if different from your billing address. Let me know if you have any questions! If you would like an Usuli T-shirt (available in black or white), you can follow the same process.
PART 1 OF DISPELLING MYTHS FROM AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE: Q&A ON SEXUAL AND SPIRITUAL ABUSE FOR YOUR REFERENCE:
Transparent, honest and empowering. This is a discussion to be shared far and wide - we covered an important list of questions that many people have about what to do in cases of abuse, especially
at the hands of religious authority.
Part 2 will address more myths, misconceptions and misapplications of Islamic law in approaching the issue of spiritual and sexual abuse. If you have any questions you would like to suggest,
please do write and let me know.
MATCHING GIFT PROGRAM EXTENDED - Double your impact!
Another very kind soul upped the ante another $12,500 and we have extended our matching gift program up to a total of $52,500 until we reach our goal! Alhamdulillah! THANK YOU to the most
generous and blessed donors who have allowed us to double the impact of donations beyond Ramadan!
MATCHING GIFT PROGRAM - DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT DURING RAMADAN!
Every donation to The Usuli Institute will be matched dollar for dollar up to $52.5K! You can double your impact with your support! Alhamdullilah, we are so grateful that this opportunity will
increase blessings for all involved insha'Allah! Please spread the word and take full advantage of these blessed gifts!
DISCOVER ISLAM ANEW!
People often ask me where to start if they want to take this journey with us from the beginning. My own recommended reading list begins with The Search for Beauty in Islam: A Conference of
the Books and The Great Theft: Wresting Islam from the Extremists. Then third would be And God Knows the Soldiers: The Authoritative and Authoritarian in Islamic Discourses. Fourth would be
Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari'ah in the Modern Age. AND of course, everything by Dr. Abou El Fadl either through the Usuli website or the online archive for Dr. Abou El Fadl's work at www.searchforbeauty.org.
Want to stock up on three of those books while they are on sale? Here they are! In conjunction with our virtual events, our publisher is running special discounts on three
of Dr. Abou El Fadl's amazing books! Take 30% off the paperback versions ONLY:
1) Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari'ah in the Modern Age Reg. $32.00 / Sale: $22.40
2) The Search for Beauty in Islam: A Conference of the Books Reg. $54.00 / Sale: $37.80
3) And God Knows the Soldiers: The Authoritative and Authoritarian in Islamic Discourses Reg. $43.99 / Sale: $30.79
ORDER NOW on Rowman.com and use code RLFANDF30 at the checkout!
Looking forward to seeing you online for our khutbah today and tomorrow night at 6 pm ET FOR A NEW SURAH! Please keep all of us in your prayers!! May God keep you and
your loved ones safe and protected and on the most beautiful path always! Hope to see you online soon insha'Allah!
In Peace and Hope,
Grace Song
Executive Director
The Usuli Institute
grace@usuli.org