When I started this blog almost six years ago the idea was to get some of my witty, well-informed friends to contribute to a commentary on the state of Muslims in the world. I quickly discovered either my friends were not so witty or not so much my friends [/humor]. islamicate has basically become a solo endeavor. I love the community I’ve entered through it and the opportunities that have come my way. It will continue to be an integral part of my online identity. However, I cannot give time to detailed posts anymore, and I don’t want the site to die. As a result I will be moving to a more Eschaton-style of posting: lots of frequent updates with little commentary and a fair amount of snark.
I have the privilege of being part of larger sites now, and that’s where my longer analyses will appear. I will be primarily at Religion Dispatches, with occasional appearances at AltMuslimah. I am now also part of the Talk Islam community.
Because I the shift in emphasis, I will be simplifying the design of the site. Unfortunately, ads will remain. While not making me rich, they do help defray the cost of hosting. I like TypePad too much to switch; I got my people. I will also add feeds to sites I think have done what I intended to do here. Talk Islam, AltMuslimah, AltMuslim, and Muslimah Media Watch will be there, as will my friends at City of Brass, Goat Milk and Avari. I will also maintain a Twitter stream on the site.
I want to thank you for the time and effort you’ve put into the site to make it a success. It’s not going anywhere, it’s just changing, and I hope you’ll stay with me through the change.
So much is happening! And that’s great news. I must check out the piece in altmuslimah. I read some articles from the site last night. A strong start for sure. Congrats to you, Shahed and Fatemeh!