Re: Non-Desi View on Ummah post 9/11
My advise to you is to stay out of Cafe. I hardly consider posting of a single smiley in a thread to be a “countable posting.” But that’s just me.
And, BTW. Look in the mirror at your teeth. You already have enough plaque.
Re: Non-Desi View on Ummah post 9/11
I can't even find the smiley crib sheet any more. And for the record, I floss. I want combat pay.
Back to the topic, In general I think the concept of the interconnectedness of Muslims is fine. I just don't see it meaning much more than lip service in reality. That is to say, Muslims at an individual level may feel a repsonsibility, but it does not mean much more than general sympathy, as there is no vehicle for collective action.
Re: Non-Desi View on Ummah post 9/11
You floss ??? 
I hope you wear your kevlar bathrobe when you do in order to protect yourself against the flying chunks.
Nor should there be a vehicle for collective action in my opinion. When you talk about 1.5+ billion people, the common denominator of shared religion is de minimus commonality when contrasted with significant differences in interests. For spiritual and humanitarian purposes, the commonality of religion may be important. For all other purposes, it is too tenuous.
Re: Non-Desi View on Ummah post 9/11
Fabulous thread.
Its making me think of my own understanding of ummah - i take the angle of interconenctedness, shared knowledge and understanding, e.g the kalima, the way we pray, the commonality of the Quran, common phraseology s.a. Assalamu alikum. That when a person declares themselves as a muslim u have a common experience/history that connects u.
To my mind it has no political connotations so it is fascinating and important to read a non muslim perspective.
I am also interested in the creation of the 'other', that after 9/11 the muslims have become the bogeyman and are seen as a mass as opposed to as individuals. So how do non muslims marry up their ideas of an ummah with their knowledge of the muslim as an individual?
Re: Non-Desi View on Ummah post 9/11
Serendipiti:
Interestingly enough, pre-911, I never thought of viewing the few Muslims I had ever met and become acquainted with as part of a mass. Nor do I refer to or categorize the people I know as "the Christian," "the Jew," "the Muslim," etc. Even after 911, it would never have occured to me to categorize Muslims as a mass rather than look at each person individually..... until I came to Gupshup and started hearing about the ummah and Khalifah.
Soon, I found many, many Muslims advocating the concepts of ummah and khalifah who adopt the attitude that anything done to anyone who is Muslim is done to all Muslims and it is done to them because they are Muslim. These same folks seem to ignore or excuse any wrong done by one Muslim to another Muslim no matter how great. They treat any perceived wrong (no matter how small) done by a non-Muslim to any Muslim as being anti-Muslim. I find that these Muslims treat Muslims as a mass rather than as individuals much more than I would ever have thought to do.
I do find that when Muslims generalize themselves this way that it has a tendency to encourage non-Muslims to generalize them as well. Thus, if Muslims embrace terrorists or other fanatics who happen to be Muslim as brothers and sisters of the ummah, how can these same folks be heard to complain when some non-Muslim generalizes and thinks of the Islamic ummah as embracing terror?
** I would prefer to think that for the majority of Muslims, the most important characteristic is not ones Muslimness or lack thereof. Rather (to borrow a phrase from Martin Luther King), the most important thing is the content of a person's character. I think the whole concept of ummah as expressed by some is that the worst Muslim is better than the best Kuffar. ** If that is or becomes the prevailing view of the ummah, I think the rest of the world will simply generalize all Muslims into one mass, try to isolate them and prepare for the coming Clash of Civilizations.
Re: Non-Desi View on Ummah post 9/11
Just to follow up on my above post, I found this quote from another thread to be appropriate:
"We pakistanis love all Muslims of the world. be they black white arabs or what ever.
** any muslim is better then a pagan that worships a cow" **
Re: Non-Desi View on Ummah post 9/11
Kaleem and others already pointed it out but still you need to define it further that “ummah” concept was not heard or talked of by an average Joe, it was there in the think tanks.
Anyway, people have already contributed a lot not leaving much for me. I’ll only add this:
I don’t believe that a widespread Khilafa or “Ummah” can be established anymore, there can be 10 or 20 or 70 Ummahs of each sect i.e. Shia, Sunni, DeoBandi, Brelvi, Qadiani etc. But making one Ummah out of all these divisions is now not possible, Khilafah is out of question. Because of this division many sects believe other to be out of Islamic fold therefore a “cooperation” even on government level seems to be an impossibility. But it doesn’t mean we can’t dream of it.
Re: Non-Desi View on Ummah post 9/11
MV, but that is exactly my point, u came here and took the views of some people here as representation of ALL muslims. I came here and, like u, am also shocked at some of the views expressed here but they r still individual views and hardly representative.
As a minority group I think people appreciate the individual a lot more than the majority, I know that the BNP does not represent all white people nor do the evangilical right, y should some ignorant vocal people represent a fifth of the world? I have no hesitation in saying that there are elements in the muslim community, particularly young lazy ill mannered hotheads who need a good slap at the very least but that does not excuse generalisations you make based on these.
The problem with a quote you give is it has an equal quote ready from the 'other side', we need to move beyond that.
Re: Non-Desi View on Ummah post 9/11
Captain1 captured it quite well as well.
Re: Non-Desi View on Ummah post 9/11
it’s all reltive really…maybe at wrapping a suicide belt and blowing up some kids, yeah. Definitely better. see how easy it is. 
Re: Non-Desi View on Ummah post 9/11
matsui i expect better from u tsk tsk