Monday, May 22, 2017
hapi b day sun ra, may 22. Sun Ra Arkestra - Face the Music / Space is the Place
islam needs a martin luther
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2007
Islam Needs A Martin Luther
Islam Needs a Martin Luther
By Marvin X
The Islamic world needs a Martin Luther, someone to usher in an Age of Reform that will radically alter some of the fundamental values of Islam that are retrograde, archaic, primitive and must be discarded into the dustbin of Muslim history so that Islam can regain its position as a culture of enlightenment rather than darkness.
At an Islamic Art Conference I attended this past weekend in Oakland, California, along with Muslims from around the world, there was discussion of how Islam has suppressed artists, calling Muslim art haram (religiously proscribed), shirk (associating partners with God) and other negative terms that essentially condemn Islamic art as evil. When I addressed the audience, I noted that I am the “father of Islamic literature in America” by default because other Muslim writers were told to give up the art of writing, creative anyway, but I ignored the ban and thus my work is all that remains, aside from poet Sam Hamad and a few others who’ve written during the last forty years that may surface with proper research. Not only writers, but painters, musicians, dancers, singers and others were suppressed. Even minister Farrakhan, a musician and singer, was made to give up his art.
But we know it is artists who give people visions and prophecy, thus when they are suppressed, the people are likely to walk in darkness as we see at the present moment.
In my remarks at the conference, I challenged the Muslim artists to be revolutionary and yes, disobedient—to hell with those who desire to suppress Muslim art, they are the backward ones, they are the evil ones and must be opposed by, yes, any means necessary.
So much that goes for Islam is ancient and primitive, really, not worthy of discussion in the modern world among people of intelligence. Elijah Muhammad used to say the wisdom of this world is exhausted, and this includes Islam. It must be revolutionized or thrown into the dustbin of ancient thought.
The Islamic revolution must, will and shall be led by Muslim artists with vision for a day when Islamic culture will be the vanguard of world culture, projecting the most positive and scientific aspects of the new millennium.
Islamic culture must come from behind the veil, or if anything, put the veil on men and let the women march forth as harbingers of the new world order. Contrary to what men think, women have been found to be the most advanced sector of society, intellectually and spiritually, so we would do well to listen to them for answers to the right path. Clearly, Muslim men are not on sirat al-mustaqim (“the straight path”). Over a billion people of Islamic faith are currently steeped in poverty, ignorance and disease, wallowing in political oppression of the most backward, Stalinist variety. And when the politicians are not oppressing, the mullahs and Imams do the same work, even to the point of following the Christians in the sexual exploitation of boys and girls.
Let a Muslim Martin Luther step to the front of the line and represent the way of truth, freedom, justice and equality. Muslim collaborators with imperialism, colonialism, and all manner of retrograde religiosity and political oppression must be condemned. Islamic scholars whose theology is based on primitive laws, edicts, fatwas must be ostracized because their actions only add to the utter confusion and ignorance pervading the Muslim world.
Surely, the destruction the Tsunami brought to South Asia is a sign of Allah’s displeasure with the Muslim people, along with Christians, Hindus and others. If we continue down the path of primitive worship of myths and rituals, surely Allah has even greater destruction planned for those without eyes, ears, the deaf, dumb and blind. After Allah has blessed us with light, how can we yet walk in darkness? How can we possess “supreme wisdom” yet have nothing, behave as spiritual slaves to any storefront imam with a rote memory of Al-Qur’an?
Let a Martin Luther Muslim arise to destroy idols of ignorance and suppression of creativity. Yes, let everything praise Allah, from the flute to the lute, from the dancer to the poet.
Marvin X is a distinguished poet, playwright and essayist of the Black Arts Movement (BAM). He is the founder and director of Recovery Theatre in San Francisco. He also co-founded the Black Arts/West Theatre and Black House, which served briefly as the headquarters for the Black Panther Party and as a center for performance, theatre, poetry and music in the Bay Area. Marvin X continues to work as a lecturer, teacher and producer.
By Marvin X
The Islamic world needs a Martin Luther, someone to usher in an Age of Reform that will radically alter some of the fundamental values of Islam that are retrograde, archaic, primitive and must be discarded into the dustbin of Muslim history so that Islam can regain its position as a culture of enlightenment rather than darkness.
At an Islamic Art Conference I attended this past weekend in Oakland, California, along with Muslims from around the world, there was discussion of how Islam has suppressed artists, calling Muslim art haram (religiously proscribed), shirk (associating partners with God) and other negative terms that essentially condemn Islamic art as evil. When I addressed the audience, I noted that I am the “father of Islamic literature in America” by default because other Muslim writers were told to give up the art of writing, creative anyway, but I ignored the ban and thus my work is all that remains, aside from poet Sam Hamad and a few others who’ve written during the last forty years that may surface with proper research. Not only writers, but painters, musicians, dancers, singers and others were suppressed. Even minister Farrakhan, a musician and singer, was made to give up his art.
But we know it is artists who give people visions and prophecy, thus when they are suppressed, the people are likely to walk in darkness as we see at the present moment.
In my remarks at the conference, I challenged the Muslim artists to be revolutionary and yes, disobedient—to hell with those who desire to suppress Muslim art, they are the backward ones, they are the evil ones and must be opposed by, yes, any means necessary.
So much that goes for Islam is ancient and primitive, really, not worthy of discussion in the modern world among people of intelligence. Elijah Muhammad used to say the wisdom of this world is exhausted, and this includes Islam. It must be revolutionized or thrown into the dustbin of ancient thought.
The Islamic revolution must, will and shall be led by Muslim artists with vision for a day when Islamic culture will be the vanguard of world culture, projecting the most positive and scientific aspects of the new millennium.
Islamic culture must come from behind the veil, or if anything, put the veil on men and let the women march forth as harbingers of the new world order. Contrary to what men think, women have been found to be the most advanced sector of society, intellectually and spiritually, so we would do well to listen to them for answers to the right path. Clearly, Muslim men are not on sirat al-mustaqim (“the straight path”). Over a billion people of Islamic faith are currently steeped in poverty, ignorance and disease, wallowing in political oppression of the most backward, Stalinist variety. And when the politicians are not oppressing, the mullahs and Imams do the same work, even to the point of following the Christians in the sexual exploitation of boys and girls.
Let a Muslim Martin Luther step to the front of the line and represent the way of truth, freedom, justice and equality. Muslim collaborators with imperialism, colonialism, and all manner of retrograde religiosity and political oppression must be condemned. Islamic scholars whose theology is based on primitive laws, edicts, fatwas must be ostracized because their actions only add to the utter confusion and ignorance pervading the Muslim world.
Surely, the destruction the Tsunami brought to South Asia is a sign of Allah’s displeasure with the Muslim people, along with Christians, Hindus and others. If we continue down the path of primitive worship of myths and rituals, surely Allah has even greater destruction planned for those without eyes, ears, the deaf, dumb and blind. After Allah has blessed us with light, how can we yet walk in darkness? How can we possess “supreme wisdom” yet have nothing, behave as spiritual slaves to any storefront imam with a rote memory of Al-Qur’an?
Let a Martin Luther Muslim arise to destroy idols of ignorance and suppression of creativity. Yes, let everything praise Allah, from the flute to the lute, from the dancer to the poet.
Marvin X is a distinguished poet, playwright and essayist of the Black Arts Movement (BAM). He is the founder and director of Recovery Theatre in San Francisco. He also co-founded the Black Arts/West Theatre and Black House, which served briefly as the headquarters for the Black Panther Party and as a center for performance, theatre, poetry and music in the Bay Area. Marvin X continues to work as a lecturer, teacher and producer.
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Marvin X poem: The Reluctant Revolutionary
The Reluctant Revolutionary
I am contradiction
just to confound you
transcend your myth of me
submit to your rituals
I defy you to be me
not some pure spirit
righteous holy man
for your Crucifixion
I am the meta man
on the other side of time Sun Ra said
catch me on the other side if you can
I am not your leader
lead yourself
no more battles I don't need to fight
don't waste my time
I go to bed early
get up
write after midnight
as the wicked sleep in their sloth
dream of passivity
I am not your leader
lead yourself
you know everything
I can tell you nothing
you don't know
and you will do nothing I say anyway
hard to lead in the right direction, Elijah said
easy to lead in the wrong direction
dwell on my contradictions
not your own
I admit my sins
alcohol drugs beautiful women
yet I am productive on my agenda not yours
have you written 30 books
do you stand on the blood of ancestors
why you coat tailing me
use the mind God gave you
Mama told me
so I do
what yo mama tell you
follow me I will set you free?
follow me and I will confound you
from river to sea
just to be me not your myth
let me think outside the box of your dreams schemes iszms schisms
sects cults dogmatic ideological fantasies
I am not your Jesus, Buddha Muhammad
I am me fat and happy
naked unashamed
drunk high longing for hot wet pussy
come down Mother Theresa
from your Mother Hubbard no giving up pussy ass
we would slap yo square ass in the Crack house
then you would suck every dick in sight
even the dog's
and you would not call it rape
your square ass would be uncovered for the freak you are
and there would be no shame no guilt
you just needed encouragement to unveil your freaky ass
after the nut then what?
revolution in the name of love
return of sanity through struggle like fanon said
let there be movement
a bowel movement at least
movement like a negro moving off zero into one
sun moving to moon
hate moving to love
sloth moving to action
unconscious to consciousness
movement
even I must move when the people whip me into leadership
reluctantly I go into the dreadful night of political engagement
against will desire against joy and happiness to the ugliness
of political combat
in the ring with snakes rats liars thieves of the hearts and souls of men women children.
Must I go there so gently into that night of nothingness and dread
stressing my soul mind heart
tarring me apart from the writer I love
the joy of solitude naked into the night
full of Henny and dope
on the other side of time
I do not care if you are with me there
in the zone where wise men fear to tread
I live there love there let me be
I am not your leader
lead yourself
stand for self and kind
stand sly stone said stand
no more battles I don't need to fight
call me if you need me and I will do what I can
not what you want of me
how you want me to be
when you ain't you
fake as you can be
fake love in my face
fake hair fake eyes lips ass breasts
fake men fake minds
Chris Rock said everything about you is a lie!
man woman lie
only truth about you is you don't know the truth about you
denial is the clothing you wear
afraid to be naked truthful
ashamed of your vital organs
life giving yet your fear shame guilt abounds
consumes your being
you tremble at the nakedness of truth
you deny the undeniable in your fear and trembling
just tell the truth snaggle tooth
Rev. Cecil Williams said, "You want me to do everything, Marvin?"
People, you want me to do everything
as you consume your sloth and niggardliness
let me rest in my drunkenness sex
don't call me to repeat the days of yore
battles already won yet misunderstood
there is no need to fight when the victory is won
devils shall be devils
let the second line begin
let the celebration conquer death
devils shall kill our children
that is their job
murder under the color of law
police ain't the only killers
murder in the schools universities
murder in the food water
organic toxicity
murder in the air
murder in religious myth rituals
murder in wage slavery indirect welfare handout jobs for life
murder in the loving family full of hate jealousy envy
murder murder murder
murder in the mind
murder in the heart
murder in the love bed
let Shaitan kill love
let Shaitan kill two souls joined for life
let Shaitan kill husband kill wife kill children
hail to Shaitan devil within without
listen to the whispering devil who whispers into the hearts of men and women.
who dwells in the Silent Night song for all souls
let the revolutionary stand
transcend solitude for the communal
it is painful for the Shaman to leave his nest on the other side of time
but sometimes he must
rise above imagination into pure action for the better good
stop being the child in toy r us
be about revolution in his father's house
revolution in the upper room
revolution in the dungeon
revolution in the hearts minds souls of men women children.
--Marvin X
5/19/17
Marvin X
photo Kamau Amen-Ra (RIP)
I am contradiction
just to confound you
transcend your myth of me
submit to your rituals
I defy you to be me
not some pure spirit
righteous holy man
for your Crucifixion
I am the meta man
on the other side of time Sun Ra said
catch me on the other side if you can
I am not your leader
lead yourself
no more battles I don't need to fight
don't waste my time
I go to bed early
get up
write after midnight
as the wicked sleep in their sloth
dream of passivity
I am not your leader
lead yourself
you know everything
I can tell you nothing
you don't know
and you will do nothing I say anyway
hard to lead in the right direction, Elijah said
easy to lead in the wrong direction
dwell on my contradictions
not your own
I admit my sins
alcohol drugs beautiful women
yet I am productive on my agenda not yours
have you written 30 books
do you stand on the blood of ancestors
why you coat tailing me
use the mind God gave you
Mama told me
so I do
what yo mama tell you
follow me I will set you free?
follow me and I will confound you
from river to sea
just to be me not your myth
let me think outside the box of your dreams schemes iszms schisms
sects cults dogmatic ideological fantasies
I am not your Jesus, Buddha Muhammad
I am me fat and happy
naked unashamed
drunk high longing for hot wet pussy
come down Mother Theresa
from your Mother Hubbard no giving up pussy ass
we would slap yo square ass in the Crack house
then you would suck every dick in sight
even the dog's
and you would not call it rape
your square ass would be uncovered for the freak you are
and there would be no shame no guilt
you just needed encouragement to unveil your freaky ass
after the nut then what?
revolution in the name of love
return of sanity through struggle like fanon said
let there be movement
a bowel movement at least
movement like a negro moving off zero into one
sun moving to moon
hate moving to love
sloth moving to action
unconscious to consciousness
movement
even I must move when the people whip me into leadership
reluctantly I go into the dreadful night of political engagement
against will desire against joy and happiness to the ugliness
of political combat
in the ring with snakes rats liars thieves of the hearts and souls of men women children.
Must I go there so gently into that night of nothingness and dread
stressing my soul mind heart
tarring me apart from the writer I love
the joy of solitude naked into the night
full of Henny and dope
on the other side of time
I do not care if you are with me there
in the zone where wise men fear to tread
I live there love there let me be
I am not your leader
lead yourself
stand for self and kind
stand sly stone said stand
no more battles I don't need to fight
call me if you need me and I will do what I can
not what you want of me
how you want me to be
when you ain't you
fake as you can be
fake love in my face
fake hair fake eyes lips ass breasts
fake men fake minds
Chris Rock said everything about you is a lie!
man woman lie
only truth about you is you don't know the truth about you
denial is the clothing you wear
afraid to be naked truthful
ashamed of your vital organs
life giving yet your fear shame guilt abounds
consumes your being
you tremble at the nakedness of truth
you deny the undeniable in your fear and trembling
just tell the truth snaggle tooth
Rev. Cecil Williams said, "You want me to do everything, Marvin?"
People, you want me to do everything
as you consume your sloth and niggardliness
let me rest in my drunkenness sex
don't call me to repeat the days of yore
battles already won yet misunderstood
there is no need to fight when the victory is won
devils shall be devils
let the second line begin
let the celebration conquer death
devils shall kill our children
that is their job
murder under the color of law
police ain't the only killers
murder in the schools universities
murder in the food water
organic toxicity
murder in the air
murder in religious myth rituals
murder in wage slavery indirect welfare handout jobs for life
murder in the loving family full of hate jealousy envy
murder murder murder
murder in the mind
murder in the heart
murder in the love bed
let Shaitan kill love
let Shaitan kill two souls joined for life
let Shaitan kill husband kill wife kill children
hail to Shaitan devil within without
listen to the whispering devil who whispers into the hearts of men and women.
who dwells in the Silent Night song for all souls
let the revolutionary stand
transcend solitude for the communal
it is painful for the Shaman to leave his nest on the other side of time
but sometimes he must
rise above imagination into pure action for the better good
stop being the child in toy r us
be about revolution in his father's house
revolution in the upper room
revolution in the dungeon
revolution in the hearts minds souls of men women children.
--Marvin X
5/19/17
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