Revisiting the Story of the Islamic Tribunal in Irving, Texas
Posters for the legal services had already been posted on the windows of Halal neighborhood stores. I knew about it long before the posters were distributed. But how Mayor Beth Van Duyne approached it, catapulted her onto the national stage.
Headlines: were splashy.
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/north-texas-home-to-first-islamic-tribunal-in-u-s/
The cartoon: unnecessary.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/texas-town-supports-forbidding-sharia-law-despite-plea-from-new-islamic-tribunal-mayor-says-citizens-need-to-respect-us-law.html
The image: still available:
https://www.islamictribunal.org/
And my memory of the Islamic Tribunal are closely tied into my decade of friendship with Dr. Yusuf Ziya Kavakci. It remains a very pleasant journalism interlude which spanned a decade.
Attendance at an event where Dr. John Esposito spoke at a conference for Muslims in Dallas brought me into the orbit of Dr. Kavakci. Close on the heels of the event, I invited him for a meal at a Halal restaurant. This was followed with an invitation to share a meal in his home. I sent flowers to the home for his wife on the day of the invitation. Additional conversation at Halal restaurants and bookstores, seated next to him at a conference at SMU, an inter-faith dinner at the mosque and thousands of conversations and e mails later, all began with a simple "Hello". I found myself enjoying the company of a remarkable man who offered that which really counts in a real friendship: the simple gift of himself.
But he was not really a simple man. A Mufti at age eighteen, able to legally issue a fatwa, author of many books (which I read), I had come across a man with a towering intellect regarding Islamic scholarship; a man who understood how Muslim community life both unwinds itself and tightens up when exposed to America and democracy.
Most surprising was his view on women. A strong proponent for hijab, he was also a strong proponent for women's rights - especially regarding education. A "girl's dad", everyone single one of his daughters are highly educated. His daugher Merve, went on to serve as Turkey's ambassador to Malaysia. I have met her and she is a gracious presence in the room. So it was no surprise to see Dr Kavacki's granddaughter serve as a translator when President Biden met with President Erdogan. The tradition of education continues. The last time I saw Fatima, she was blossoming into a lovely young lady in her own right. The spelling of her surname (in the link below) is wrong. For the record, it is also pronounced Ka va chi (all with short vowel sounds, and the accent on the second syllable)
https://ummid.com/news/2021/june/23.06.2021/a-strong-message-erdogans-choice-of-hijabi-translator-in-biden-meeting-hailed.html
Although it was a dichotomy for me - demand for hijab but also a demand for education of women - Dr. Kavakci's perspective was most like that of ibn Rushd (known as Averroes, because he was born in Cordoba, southern Andalusia). Here are the words of Ibn Rushd:
"Our society allows no scope for the development of women's underlying talents; they seem to be destined exclusively for childbirth, and the care of children. This state of servility has destroyed their capacity for larger matters. They live their lives like vegetables, devoting themselves to their husbands. From this stems the misery that pervades our cities for women who outnumber men, and cannot procure the necessities of life by their own labor."
During his time as the scholar-in-residence for the Richardson, Texas mosque Dr. Kavakci worked tirelessly for the rights of the women. Certain women in the community have a driver's license today because he taught them to drive. Other women, found themselves in need of assistance during time of financial distress. They received support. One thing which greatly concerned him was that Muslim men in the community would bid farewell to their wives and children to attend Hajj. Suffering from the usual Muslim wanderlust, they would disappear for months and return home as if nothing unusual had happened. A strong point, was that he would not perform Nikah for a couple unless they could produce a marriage license from the state of Texas. He knew far too well, that men in his community held to the Islamic belief of multiple wives. He did not want to land in the cross-hairs of the state.
Men and the use of Viagra? Yes. We discussed it. Israel? We discussed it? American foibles? Not off the table. I strike at the heart of Islam. You strike at the heart of something which I hold dear. smile This is what counts for super great dialogues! I listened, more than I spoke - which is a testament to his ability to tame the wind.
So with regard to an Islamic Tribunal in Irving - it was an attempt to mediate the concerns of the community within the community; and the services offered were by experts of Islamic jurisprudence. Keep the family fights in the family; keep them from spilling into the headlines.
This was also a dichotomy for me. I still oppose para-parliamentary structures superimposed on our Republic. That being said - the Muslim community at large received a really black eye and I wish it had been handled differently: quietly, and with attention to both details and concerns, as was my posture when seated in the presence of Dr. Yusuf Ziya Kavakci.
Tammy Swofford
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