This section provides insights into some events or matters of historical significance to various segments of our society. For example, the first entry documents events surrounding a controversy that arose between a Muslim organization and the Supreme Court. The controversy concerned the frieze in the Supreme Court Room that included a representation of the Prophet Muhammad. Since I was directly involved in resolving this conflict, and had not shared these documents earlier, I included some of them herein, along with related articles.
The same is true of the other entries. The second entry documents the impact of the events of 9/11 on Muslims in Northern Virginia. The third entry documents the historical participation of the then newly formed KARAMAH in the NGO Forum of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, held in China. The fourth entry documents the much-discussed two short visits to Beirut by Malcolm X, during which he delivered two important speeches, one of which was at the American University of Beirut.
The fifth entry documents the founding of Hypatia, the first journal of feminist philosophy in the US that thrives until this day. The sixth entry documents the founding of KARAMAH, the first organization in the US for Muslim woman lawyers. The seventh entry documents the establishment of the Muslim Scout Movement in Lebanon and its spread from there to the rest of the Muslim World. It also provides a copy of a Scout manual from that period. The last entry documents the historical presence of and information about the Sufi al-Zawiyyah al-Hibriyyah, established by Dr. al-Hibri’s great grandfathers.
In time, additional entries regarding significant matters will be added.
Supreme Court Frieze Controversy
Introduction: On the Supreme Court Frieze
Citation: Bluebook 20th ed. Azizah Yahia al-Hibri, Introduction, 15 J. L. & Religion [xi] (2000-2001
Download PDFKARAMAH Supreme Court Frieze Press Release
Download PDFDr. Nasr’s Supreme Court Frieze Opinion
Download PDFDr. Taha Jaber Alwani’s Supreme Court Frieze Opinion
Citation: al-Alwani, Taha Jaber. “Fatwa Concerning the United States Supreme Courtroom Frieze.” Journal of Law and Religion 15 (2001): 1–28. doi:10.2307/1051512.
Download PDFJustice Rehnquist Letter to Dr. al-Hibri
Download PDFThe Beijing Conference
The Muslim Scouts Movement was Founded in Lebanon by my grandfather Sheikh Muhammad Toufic al-Hibri, with the help of Muhammad Abdul Jabbar Khairi, and his brother Abdul Sattar, both from India. They were sent to my grandfather by Mawlay Muhammad Abul Hamid, a high official in the government of Panjab. Mawlay Abdul Hamid asked my grandfather to help the brothers pursue their studies at the American University of Beirut. He did. He also recruited them to teach at the Islamic schools he founded in Beirut, and to help him found the Muslim scout movement. Eventually, this scout movement spread to other parts of the world, and later came to be known as the Muslim Scout Movement.
“Here are copies of old documents published by Muhammad Abdel Jabbar Khairi, President of the Ottoman Scouts in Lebanon, and his brother Abdel Sattar. Together, these rare documents provide the mission, vision and corporate structure of the Scouts movement, as well as its code of ethics and symbols.
Karamah Press Release in China
Download PDFReflections on the Fourth World Conference on Women
Download PDFMalcolm X in Beirut
Someone shared with me this excerpt from Brother Malcolm’s Diary, dated September 28, 1964:
“Azizah the Lebanese student (nationalist leader) met me at the airport with about 10 other girl students, all white & American. We went to Prof. Hope’s home and had 7UP. Azizah went out, while the rest of us talked & came back informing us that the Dean had agreed to let me lecture on campus in just two hrs., from 12 to 1pm. Azizah and I had dinner at the American Embassy cafeteria and then walked to the lecture hall. I had an overflow crowd with just two hours’ notice. The students were receptive, their questions objective. There was a cross section represented. Azizah had driven me to the airport; we sat and had ice cream and talked while waiting for my plane.“
Malcolm X Postcard 01 Front (Click image to enlarge)
Malcolm X Postcard 02 Front (Click image to enlarge)
Founding of Hypatia
To some of her contemporaries, Hypatia was a woman who did not know her place. Furthermore, her philosophical and scientific views were regarded by Christians as pagan. Paganism was a serious charge at that time, given the fact that Christians and pagans were in conflict. It is reported that a group of monks incited a mob against Hypatia and she was brutally murdered on her way to the academy. Her demise left an indelible mark on the intellectual life in Alexandria.
Remembering Hypatia’s Birth
Download PDFAbout Karamah
When Dr. Azizah al-Hibri established KARAMAH in 1993, two years before the Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, Muslim women’s rights were being actively discussed in international forums. Yet the voice of Muslim women in these discussions was muffled. Dr. al-Hibri, a professor of law at the University of Richmond and a former Fulbright Scholar, wanted to give Muslim women a clear and informed voice in the debate about their rights. From its inception, KARAMAH was based on the premise that knowledge is power, and that to change the world, Muslim women must regain their own voices and discover their rightful place in the world through gender-equitable religious education. Since no such education existed at the time, we at KARAMAH resolved to develop it ourselves.
On the Verge of Change: Giving Muslim Women the Confidence to Lead
The Muslim Scouts Movement
The Muslim Scouts Movement was Founded in Lebanon by my grandfather Sheikh Muhammad Toufic al-Hibri, with the help of Muhammad Abdul Jabbar Khairi, and his brother Abdul Sattar, both from India. They were sent to my grandfather by Mawlay Muhammad Abul Hamid, a high official in the government of Panjab. Mawlay Abdul Hamid asked my grandfather to help the brothers pursue their studies at the American University of Beirut. He did. He also recruited them to teach at the Islamic schools he founded in Beirut, and to help him found the Muslim scout movement. Eventually, this scout movement spread to other parts of the world, and later came to be known as the Muslim Scout Movement.
“Here are copies of old documents published by Muhammad Abdel Jabbar Khairi, President of the Ottoman Scouts in Lebanon, and his brother Abdel Sattar. Together, these rare documents provide the mission, vision and corporate structure of the Scouts movement, as well as its code of ethics and symbols.
The Ottoman Kashaf, by Muhammad Abdel Jabbar Khairi (Arabic, 1914)
Download PDF"The Founding of Al-Kashaf al-Muslim"
Download PDFAl-Zawiyah al-Hibriyyah
The al-Hibri zawiyahs focus on instilling good moral values in students, and providing them with a solid education in the Qur’an, sunnah and various Islamic studies. They also encourage them to “do good” (فعل الخير) in the world, in accordance with these moral values and beliefs.