NEAPOLITAN UMMAH

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Neapolitan Ummah

In the 19^th century Neapolitan ice cream was introduced to America. Neapolitan ice cream consists of the chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors in a single container with no barrier between them (Umm genius). This seemed to work quite well for ice cream lovers. The only downside would be that people would naturally eat their favorite(s) and leave the less desirable flavor(s) to waste.

In the 20^th century the Orientalist began to apply this recipe to the Muslim Ummah. Their thought was to divide our single Ummah into a Neapolitan existence in order to force Muslims to pick and choose sides (flavors). Just as with Neapolitan ice cream, favorites are utilized and what are less desirable are alienated. Daniel Pipes wrote in the Jerusalem post: If militant Islam is the problem, moderate Islam is the solution.

Allah (swt) says,

إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً

“Your Ummah is but one Ummah”. H.Q. 21:92

Among these proposed “flavors” are Extremist, Fundamentalist, Traditionalist, Secularist, and Modernist. Of these “flavors”, the favorite chosen by the Orientalist for us is modernist, and, to a lesser extent the secularist. These are individually defined as such:

1. Extremist: Belonging to or supportive of armed groups
1. Those who would offer resistance to occupation by any means necessary.
2. Fundamentalist: Practicing Muslims
1. Those who adhere to the same exact Islamic principles and practices of The Prophet Muhammad (saw).
3. Traditionalist: Non-converts
1. Muslim by family tradition.
2. May not adhere to all the tenets of Islam.
4. Secularist: Assimilators and integrators
1. Identify as republican, democrat or other.
2. Believe in limiting Islam to rituals in order to gain acceptance.
5. Modernist: Feather in the wind
1. Believe that Qur’an needs revision
2. Believe Sunnah to be antiquated
3. Believe in socially accepted Islamic practices only.

Sadly, Muslims began to identify themselves within these parameters.

Allah (swt) says,

هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمينَ

“He Allah (swt) has named you Muslims.” H.Q. 22:78

1. Cheryl Benard, a senior political scientist at RAND, stated:
1. Support the modernists first.
2. Support the traditionalists enough to keep them viable against the fundamentalists.
3. Oppose the fundamentalists energetically.
4. Support the secularists on a case-by-case basis.
5. The West should also support the idea that religion and state can be separate in Islam, too, and that the separation will not endanger the faith but, in fact, can strengthen it.

2:120 Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou follow their form of religion.

وَلَن تَرْضَى عَنكَ الْيَهُودُ وَلاَ النَّصَارَى حَتَّى تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ

Mark A. Gabriel, Ph.D. of Al-Azhar University, the son of Muslim parents, stated in his book Charisma House: Muslims are of three kinds.

1. Ordinary Muslims: They are Muslims because of their culture and tradition rather than because of strong religious beliefs. From the point of view of a committed Muslim, this group should be referred to as secular Muslims because they are not submitting wholly to Islam.
2. Committed Muslims: Committed Muslims are those who make great efforts to live according to Islam. They pray five times a day, give alms and fast during Ramadan.
3. Orthodox Muslims: A subset of committed Muslims, orthodox Muslims want to follow the requirements of Islam in the same way Muhammad did in the seventh century.

Mr. Gabriel further states: Sufites are the first sect in Islam that tried to change the meaning of jihad from "spreading Islam with the sword" to "a spiritual struggle to fight evil within oneself." Sufism (among Muslims) started six centuries after Muhammad's death.

It should be clear that anti-Muslim agents are working to divide, label and define our Ummah beyond Muslimeen (Muslims) or Mu’mineen (believers). It is bad enough we remain polarized by the Sunni, Shia divide.

Islam’s flavorful variety rests in the fact that it unites all peoples under one thought: “There is nothing worthy of worship & obedience except Allah (awj) alone and Muhammad (saw) is His last Messenger sent to the whole of mankind.”

Allah (swt) says,

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ

“Only those are believers, who believe in Allah and His Messenger.” H.Q. 24:62 & 49:15

This has been SaadImam for DawahWorks.