Month: March 2004

So, our friends over at Muslim WakeUp! have instituted a new activity, a WakeUp! Call. Their first one is directed to the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). ISNA is supporting a temperance society that believes the only way to salvation is through Jesus and all immigration should be stopped lest the hordes run us over. But the good news is, they will bring back prohibition. Didn’t we learn anything from the 2000 election? A single issue, at the ignorance [yes, I know it’s not the correct use of the word, but it really is a willful ignorance] of all…

Check out this commentary on Bush’s new campaign ad. It’s from The New Republic. Race and fear. Race and fear. The frightening thing is that Bush will probably still get a fair amount of votes from South Asians and Muslims. Link via TPM.

Three senators have approached the Pakistani(-American) community in New York. Read the article here. The politicians are finally starting to realize the value of using history and speaking a new symbolic language as witnessed by their calling on the vision Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It’s also important to note the semi-mea culpa with respect to the PATRIOT Act. The reach out maybe for the wrong reasons, but it’s an important acknowledgment of the role immigrants, and Muslims, play in the political process. It’s also an opportunity for us to get more involved and create a new vision for ourselves here in…

I’ve been sitting on this poem for a while, wondering if I should share or not. It’s not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but I finally decided that’s the point of a blog, to share quickly and easily. It doesn’t necessarily have to be great.

Here are my notes from the Construction of the Other Panel. Please keep in mind that this is a stream of consciousness capture of my interpretation of what they had to say. (sorry for the terrible formatting – no time to fix it right now)

Here are my notes from the Teaching Islam Panel. Please keep in mind that this is a stream of consciousness capture of my interpretation of what they had to say. (sorry for the terrible formatting – no time to fix it right now)

Here are my notes from the Public Policy Panel. Please keep in mind that this is a stream of consciousness capture of my interpretation of what they had to say. (sorry for the terrible formatting – no time to fix it right now)

Here are my notes on Karen Leonard’s keynote address. Please keep in mind that this is a stream of consciousness capture of my interpretation of what she had to say. (sorry for the terrible formatting – no time to fix it right now)

We’ve added a new typelist on the left bar today to recognize the Ahl al-Kitâb, People of the Book, very broadly defined. One of the things I’ve tried to argue for is that Muslim community cannot see itself or its issues in isolation. After a generous comment from the Velveteen Rabbi, I thought we should practice what we preach. We are actively seeking suggestions for Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, etc., blogs that are attempting to grapple with or explain aspects of their faiths.

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting the imam of a local mosque, the largest from what I understand, has commended the 9-11 hijackers in a khutba in Lebanon. The defense is that the comments were taken out of context, but the text is not made available. Give us the context. More telling is the final line: “”When you make a speech in an Arabic environment, the translation will be different in an English environment.”” How will it be different to recommend murder in one language than in another? I agree we shouldn’t rush to judgment, but the Muslim community of…