The Muslims in NY Project out of Columbia is having a conference next week. I know many of the panelists and have heard some of the presentations. If you have a chance to check it out, you should. Details here.
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Yo Say José
One of the activities that some Shi’ah participate in during Muharram is to chant “Ya Hasan! Ya Husayn!” “Oh Hasan! Oh Husayn!” These were the Prophet’s (PBUH) grandsons, both of whom were assassinated. When the British came to South Asia they heard “Hobson-Jobson” and thus was born the Anglo-Indian Dictionary. Hobson-Jobson is the dictionary of all the words that have entered English from South Asia. The list is quite entertaining and exhaustive. There has been an attempt to supplement it with some of the words that have gained currency in the 20th century in a book called Sahibs, Nabobs and…
On Sufis
Here’s a wonderful piece on looking for Sufis in Central Asia. Go find some grapes. However, I think it’s important to note that Sufism is not the touchy-feely part of Islam – although it is often used to create a Good Muslim/Bad Muslim dichotomy – it is much more. Read about the politicization of a Sufi group in Iraq here. Technorati Tags: Iraq, Sufism
Last Night I Cried
Last night was Laylat ul-Qadr, the night of power, the night Qur’anic revelation began. “Read in the name of your Lord Who created you from a clot of blood God the most bountiful who taught you by the pen taught what you did not know.” Read is the first command. During a dhikr tasbih last night, I was terribly moved. Group prayer is such a wonderful experience and the loud recitation, late at night, is a good way to feel the presence of the Divine. It was a lovely and indescribable. Just wanted to share. Back to the first command.…