Thursday, February 02, 2006
Today in the children's museum they had story time. It was a book about the 5 senses. While my guys were eagerly responding to their favorite sense-stuff (Rivky: "I like to taste sugar"), I perused the bookshelves. In the religion section, there was a book called "A is for Allah," by Yusuf Islam.
It was a beautiful book. Each page had its own Arabic letter and word, and each word described a different aspect or tenet of Islam.
In my "religious exploration" years, I picked up a reliable english copy of the Quran. I stopped reading early on, as one of the surahs said that Jews are so stupid they can't distinguish one kind of cow from another. I may have been shopping for a "better" religion, but I'd be darned if I'd read something that made fun of mine.
Nonetheless, I am interested in Islam. Maybe to understand it better, to know why some of its adherents insist on behaving so madly. To learn what one of my favorite singers found so great about it.
He'll never ever be Yusuf Islam to me. In my heart, he'll always be Cat Stevens.
Love, Maven @ 
6 Comments:
At 9:47 PM,
Anonymous said…
I have a mixed jumble of feelings in reaction to this post. On the one hand my heart sings me right back in time to hours and hours which built into years of reading so much depth and meaning into the sensitive songs of Cat Stevens (or was he really Steven Katz!!!!!!!!!)- and on the other hand I am so revulsed by this nation so much more savage and blood thirsty than our creative western minds-full of compassion, enthusiasm and fascination with the wonderful miracle of intelligent life-could ever have the scope to imagine. I feel so scared of this total idiot "Yusef Islam"- once a red blooded American, strumming his guitar just like old Bob Dylan...how could he do this? Join this nation which I can't even call a cult, because it is so much bigger and so much more horrible, and dangerous...? How could anyone- it really makes me reclaim my American-ness- a fact I once was so naively self concious about- like being American is something vulgar, and being from a thrid world country or culture is "where its at"...
At 1:30 PM,
Wendy said…
I have Cat Stevens on my ipod. Ahhh those melodies. The book sounds lovely. I also want my children to understand a wider view of the world. I read a book recently that is about 2 boys - an Israeli & a Palestian and a cat they share. It's nice. Take a look...Snow in Jerusalem
At 8:34 AM,
Maven said…
I just want to be clear, this is NOT a book I showed my kids. I don't think I would show them an Israeli-Palestinian buddy-buddy book either. I WANT them to be "sheltered," within a positive Torah framework.
At 10:06 PM,
Anonymous said…
The book is a TOTAL HYPE, WEndy! there isn't one arab or Jewish name mentionned in the makers of it- and you can tell by the cover that both kids depicted are American! anyone who wants to fool themselves with that kind of GARBAGE is totally disservicing themselves and their kids!
WAKE THE F--- UP!
At 10:12 AM,
Anonymous said…
but what do you really think?
At 2:41 PM,
kristin said…
wow. so much hostility. why can't we just let people read what they want and share with their kids what they think they should share? to each his own.
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