Greetings of Peace (al salamu ‘alaykum) dear Friends,
I pray you are well and enjoying the last bits of summer. Obviously, someone pressed the fast forward button and launched us all to the end of August. Didn’t it just turn 2024 last month?? May we all make every moment count!
LAST DAY TO GET EARLY BIRD TICKETS IS TODAY, SEPTEMBER 1!
Are you planning to join us in person for our First Annual Usuli Conference in Columbus, Ohio, this October 11-12! We have been working hard to make it extra special so I hope you can join us! Early Bird Tickets are now available through Event Brite here. On Event Brite, you will also find information about where to book hotel rooms with the Usuli group rate and more. I hope you can join us! We are working hard to make it a very special and memorable gathering. Here is the description:
Welcome to the First Annual Usuli Conference!
Join us for a two-day event filled with insightful discussions, a film premiere, and networking opportunities with fellow enthusiasts of Usuli thought.
Whether you're a seasoned scholar or fan of our content, this event is perfect for anyone interested in deepening their understanding of The Institute of Advanced Usuli Studies and meeting like-minded friends.
Our lineup of speakers includes renowned experts who will delve into various aspects of topics we have covered since our inception. Don't miss this chance to expand your knowledge, connect with us, and be a part of this inaugural gathering. See you there!
POWERHOUSE KHUTBAHS ARE BACK!
I know that many of us missed the unparalleled khutbahs that take place on the Prophet’s Pulpit at The Usuli Institute. It feels great to have our incredible minds back on the pulpit each week. In Dr. Abou El Fadl’s first khutbah back after the summer hiatus, he gives what one friend described as an “epochal” sermon on the effects of trauma on the brain and on our Muslim worldwide community. Here are the latest transcripts now available in their entirety on the Usuli website:
FRIDAY KHUTBAHS
“Genocide, Tyranny and Trauma: Where is God’s Mercy?”
Khutbah by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, 16 August 2024
EXCERPT:
I return to this podium after a hiatus of more than fifty days, and I want to say something about this break because what I have to say will be of relevance for others. Some 40 years ago, like so many Muslims from our part of the world, I endured a trauma that human beings should never endure. What most people from my part of the world learn about trauma is to ignore it. In fact, there is a culture that celebrates machismo and defines strength as the power to ignore and suppress trauma rather than confront it. Yet it is much harder, and much braver, to confront trauma than to ignore it. Nevertheless, this is the culture in which I grew up, and it is the culture in which I gained my emotional intelligence and awareness.
But the thing about trauma is that it does not simply vanish. Like all diseases, it needs treatment. After some 40 years of suppressing, ignoring, and disassociating from this trauma, it caught up with me in the most vicious way, in the form of constant flashbacks and other unhealthy emotional responses. There is always a catalyst, a precipitating cause for the trauma to finally flood the brain and overwhelm its coping mechanisms. For me, the catalyst was the ongoing genocide in Gaza and, more specifically, the feeling of powerlessness; my sense of helplessness as I saw people being butchered, night after night, left me with a deep sense of vulnerability and weakness. That was the precipitating cause that allowed the trauma to flood the brain and overwhelm it.
I am not ashamed to say that my family had the wisdom to get me help to focus on dealing with this trauma, and I learned a great deal during this time. I learned how the brain stores trauma, and how emotions are manipulated and often defined by trauma. Put simply, so much of our consciousness, our emotional intelligence, and our thought processes are affected not by the conscious brain, but by the subconscious brain. In fact, the subconscious is estimated to be 80% of what defines our emotional responses, our likes and dislikes, our fears and anxieties. Decades ago, the famous psychologist, Carl Jung, wrote words to the effect that unless human beings deal with their subconscious, they are doomed to repeat the same patterns and call it “fate,” and that is quite true…
“Bangladesh: Governance & Integrity”
Khutbah by Shayan Parsai, 9 August 2024
EXCERPT:
In the months of June, July and August, we witnessed the rise and the demise of a surprising number of world leaders. In the United States, we saw the sudden political death of Joe Biden and the birth of Kamala Harris. In Iran, we saw the surprising voice of hope in the personality of Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, who replaced the previous president Ebrahim Raisi. In Palestine, we witnessed the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh and now we bear witness to the consolidation of leadership in the person of Yahya Sinwar. In Bangladesh, we watched the ousting of Shaykh Hasina and the brave stand of the Bangladeshi people that was led by their courageous students. These are but a few examples, there are probably even more. But today I want to focus on what is now dubbed as the second Bangladeshi revolution, the tipping point of which came through the quota reform movement.
Protests began on June 4th when the Supreme Court of Bangladesh reinstated a 30% quota for the descendants of the freedom fighters. These freedom fighters are praised and beloved in Bangladesh, because they fought for independence from Pakistan in 1971, in a very bloody and difficult conflict. June 7-30 then saw protests in Bangladesh that spread across the country and included police violently clashing with protesters…
SHARE THE PROPHET’S PULPIT, VOL. I WITH A FRIEND
We continue our Share With A Friend campaign for Volume I only! It is the perfect introduction to The Usuli Institute, and also The Prophet’s Pulpit series! If you or a friend would like a gift copy, please email your full mailing address to Dalia@usuli.org.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO CONTINUE OUR IMPORTANT WORK!
We have so many incredible projects ongoing and can’t wait to share more details! Please help us make these projects come to life and share in our mission:
- Turning 500+ hours of Project Illumine halaqas into published books
- More Usuli Press Books and Publications
- Preparing to embark on our upcoming Sirah Project: “Decolonizing the Sirah in the Age of Islamophobia” (more exciting details soon!)
- Supporting the Usuli team in creating more and better cutting-edge content and publications
- And many more surprises to come!
We believe that what we do is unique, exciting, and critical for our current moment in the world. If you believe in our work and mission, please help us continue doing what we do with a tax-deductible, zakat-eligible donation. A regular monthly donation helps us the most!
From everyone at Usuli, our heartfelt gratitude to you! May God exponentially multiply your blessings and empower us to make a difference together! We look forward to seeing you online soon insha’Allah (God willing)!
In Peace and Hope,
Grace