Related Posts

What is Shi’ism?

In the contemporary period Shi’ah is the standard short form for Shi’ah Ali, the Partisans of Ali. The Shi’ah have a history that goes back as far as the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and form one of the two main schools of thought in Islam; the other group being the Sunni, short for Ahl us-Sunnah wa Jama’ah, the People of Tradition and Consensus. The main division between these two groups relates to questions of religious authority, and who has that authority. In this post I want to give a brief outline of Shi’ah understandings of authority. Rather than cover…

America to Zanzibar Opening

I am proud to announce the opening of the exhibit America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. I served as the lead academic advisor the exhibit, and it is stunning. Below is a link to my Flickr album of the space, which I will continue update as the exhibit goes on for the year.

Young Muslim-American Leaders on the Rise | USA | English

Young Muslim-American Leaders on the Rise | USA | English. This year marks the tenth anniversary of September 11, and as the tragic date draws closer, some surveys show Americans still remain conflicted over their views on the Muslim world.  The Arab Spring uprisings have raised a positive image of Muslims striving for democratic values, yet events like the “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy and the contentious Peter King hearings only reiterate the fact that a negative spotlight still shines on the followers of the Islamic faith.  But these perceptions have not stopped Muslim Americans, specifically the youth, from taking the…