Month: October 2005
Blog Quake Day
As many of you know a horrific earthquake hit South and Central Asia almost a month ago. The need for donations remains immense. DesiPundit has nominated today as Blog Quake Day (found via Chapati Mystery, Danial, and Planet Granada; see also Avari-Nameh for more good links). Please donate to anyone you feel comfortable with. In addition, I’ve been working with people on the ground to get supplies and money over there and a friend is working with the UNDP to raise funds. His details are below (if you do donate this way, please indicate in the notes field that you…
Personal Aside
Where has islamoyankee gone? Well the short answer is that my father passed away a month ago – and while not totally unexpected – it has been a busy and crazy time. Today I blog again for three reasons: It’s been a month Tonight, I observe Laylat ul-Qadr (more on that in another post) Today is Blog Quake Day (more in another post) I’m back, and hopefully the rest of will be as well.
Ramadan Mubarak and L’Shana Tov [updated]
For us, Nizari Ismailis, the night of October 4, 2005, was the first night of Ramadan. This holy month for Muslims coincides with Rosh Hoshana. Over at City of Brass, he’s talking about something called the Tent of Abraham. Sounds interesting. Check it out. Also, the Bohras (official website), or Mustalian Ismailis, like the Nizari Ismailis, do not rely on moon sighting, but on astronomical calculation. I was always under the impression that we shared our calculated calendar from the Fatimid period, but since they started a day earlier, there must a divergence somewhen. Anybody know when and/or why? Update:…