TikTok Trend: Young Americans turn to Quran reading in solidarity with Gaza
Washington: In a trend on TikTok, young Americans are diving into the Quran to better understand Islam and show solidarity with Muslims, particularly those in Gaza, a report by The Guardian has noted. This movement, marked by the hashtag "quranbookclub," has gained traction, with 1.9 million views on the platform.
Megan B Rice, a 34-year-old romance novel enthusiast from Chicago, exemplifies this growing curiosity. Using her TikTok platform, Rice initially spoke out about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Intrigued by her Muslim followers' suggestion to read the Quran for a deeper understanding, Rice established a "World Religion Book Club" on Discord. The experience led her to embrace Islam, finding alignment with the text's anti-consumerist, anti-oppressive, and feminist values.
The TikTok movement is not without precedent, as the Quran became a bestseller in the aftermath of 9/11. However, the current wave distinguishes itself by a genuine desire to understand the resilience and faith of Muslim Palestinians, rather than confirming preconceived biases about Islam.
Nefertari Moonn, a 35-year-old from Tampa, Florida, embarked on a similar journey. Initially spiritual but not religious, Moonn delved into the Quran to comprehend what drove people to turn to Allah in times of adversity. The emotional resonance she found led her to take the shahada, becoming a Muslim revert.
The movement extends beyond TikTok, with Misha Euceph, a Pakistani American writer and podcast host, running a Quran Book Club on Instagram since 2020. Euceph highlights how certain Quranic themes resonate with the values of young, left-leaning Americans, emphasizing environmentalism and anti-consumerism.
The Quran's stance on gender equality also appeals to many readers. In the eyes of God, men and women are equals, aligning with feminist principles for converts like Rice. Additionally, the Quran's engagement with scientific explanations for creation, including references to the big bang, challenges the perceived conflict between religion and science.
Sylvia Chan-Malik, an associate professor at Rutgers University, draws parallels between the current TikTok trend and her own experience post-9/11. Having converted to Islam during that period, Chan-Malik notes the vast disconnect between popular perceptions of Islam and the reality she discovered through personal interactions.
Zareena Grewal, an associate professor at Yale, observes that individuals often approach religious texts with the intent to confirm existing worldviews. In the case of TikTokers, they seek progressive messages within the Quran, recognizing the complexity and multiple interpretations of religious scriptures.
For Rice, who rejected Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslim Americans, reading the Quran became a way to empathize with Palestinians in Gaza. The experience challenged her internalized misconceptions about Islam, leading to a profound transformation.
The TikTok trend of exploring the Quran reflects a genuine desire among young Americans to understand and connect with Islam, driven by empathy and a quest for truth, as Rice aptly puts it in The Guardian’s report, learning about the most intimate aspects of someone, including their faith, fosters empathy irrespective of one's religious background.
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Supreme Court rejects plea for reverting to ballots in elections
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking to revert to ballot paper voting in elections in the country.
"What happens is, when you win the election, EVMs (electronic voting machine) are not tampered. When you lose the election, EVMs are tampered (with)," remarked a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale.
Apart from ballot paper voting, the plea sought several directions including a directive to the Election Commission to disqualify candidates for a minimum of five years if found guilty of distributing money, liquor or other material inducement to the voters during polls.
When petitioner-in-person K A Paul said he filed the PIL, the bench said, "You have interesting PILs. How do you get these brilliant ideas?".
The petitioner said he is the president of an organisation which has rescued over three lakh orphans and 40 lakh widows.
"Why are you getting into this political arena? Your area of work is very different," the bench retorted.
After Paul revealed he had been to over 150 countries, the bench asked him whether each of the nations had ballot paper voting or used electronic voting.
The petitioner said foreign countries had adopted ballot paper voting and India should follow suit.
"Why you don't want to be different from the rest of the world?" asked the bench.
There was corruption and this year (2024) in June, the Election Commission announced they had seized Rs 9,000 crore, Paul responded.
"But how does that make your relief which you are claiming here relevant?" asked the bench, adding "if you shift back to physical ballot, will there be no corruption?".
Paul claimed CEO and co-founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, stated that EVMs could be tampered with and added TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the current chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, and former state chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had claimed EVMs could be tampered with.
"When Chandrababu Naidu lost, he said EVMs can be tampered with. Now this time, Jagan Mohan Reddy lost, he said EVMs can be tampered with," noted the bench.
When the petitioner said everybody knew money was distributed in elections, the bench remarked, "We never received any money for any elections."
The petitioner said another prayer in his plea was the formulation of a comprehensive framework to regulate the use of money and liquor during election campaigns and ensuring such practices were prohibited and punishable under the law.
The plea further sought a direction to mandate an extensive voter education campaign to raise awareness and importance of informed decision making.
"Today, 32 per cent educated people are not casting their votes. What a tragedy. If democracy will be dying like this and we will not be able to do anything then what will happen in the years to come in future," the petitioner said.
