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Muslims in the Movies — Kristian Petersen | Harvard University Press

Muslims in the Movies — Kristian Petersen | Harvard University Press. Muslims in the Movies provides a series of essays that explore the portrayal and reception of Muslims in Euro-American film, transnational productions, and global national cinemas. The volume brings together a group of internationally recognized experts to introduce Muslims in the films of Europe, North America, Australia, Iran, Egypt, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The interdisciplinary collection explores issues of identity, cultural production, and representation through the depiction of Muslims on screen and how audiences respond to these images. Together, the essays operate as…

Islam Doesn’t Speak, Muslims Do

The fourth caliph Imam Ali faced Khariji rebels who insisted that he simply “apply” the Qur’an’s judgement without interpretation. In that situation of armed conflict, Imam Ali gathered the people and brought out a copy of the Qur’an and as he touched the book he exclaimed, “O Qur’an, speak to the people!” The people gathered around Ali, saying, “O Ali, do you mock us? It is only paper and ink and it is we [human beings] who speak on its behalf.” To this, Ali stated, “The Qur’an is written in straight lines between two covers. It does not speak by…

Review: Sufi Comics – Rumi

I am a huge fan of Sufi Comics. I've been reading them for years, and appreciate their dedication to their craft, and the fact that they use the teachings of both Sufism and Shi'ism in their lessons. I was super excited when their first book came out, even though it was a collection of material they had already published on their blog. I bought several copies, and then several more when the color version came out. Their second book, The Wise Fool of Baghdad, was also a gem. They used the name Bahlool, but the figure they wrote about is…