Preaching as Reimagining: Post-9/11 Khutbas in the United States and Canada

Abstract

How have North American Muslims been equipped to deal with discouragement following September 11? One answer to this question is through khutbahs, or Friday sermons, in various Islamic centers in the United States and Canada. This may especially be true with khutbahs that exemplify “reimaginative preaching,” a type of preaching discussed by Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann that enables listeners to interpret their existence differently for the sake of new possibility. Utilizing Brueggemann’s framework provides a unique perspective on Islamic preaching. It reveals that by offering a key principle linked to a verse or brief portion of the Quran, preachers of certain khutbahs present an intended phenomenological structure of disruption and refiguration in order to enable listeners to deal with discouragement.

Voices of Islamic Authorities: Friday Khutba in Malaysian Mosques

“…Jones (2012, 89) writes that the khutba 'persuades the congregation to act out, project, and apply the khutba's message to its own particular social, cultural, and political reality'. In addition, the khutba functions as a platform from which to influence the Muslim community's perception of a certain issue, mobilize activism, strengthen ties and relations amongst the congregation (Wiktorowicz 2001) and formulate responses to the challenges faced by locals, such as social and religious discrimination (Fink 2007;Hashem 2010).…”