Month: July 2009

Politics Religion

Note from near Urumqi – #Uyghur

islamoyankee

Following email was received from a friend. Edited to remove identifying information. Initial email received on July 7, 2009. people who live in xinjiang province feel panic, riot just happened there, they are afraid where and when the riot will happpened again, the matter is really seriou, at the beginning i also heard the news from TV news, then I called my family and friends, but all phone numbers are baring, and was told this number does not exist. I even can not contact anybody and get any news from xinjiang except CCTV news. some calls is not easy to…

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Art Books

Of Concentration Camps and Comic Books

islamoyankee

Naif Al-Mutawa, mastermind behind the 99, writes a column about growing up in NY. If we can show how perceptions are unfairly formed, we can take great leaps in a single bound towards transforming them. And what better characters to explore such issues than Superman and Batman who were created by Jewish young men from New York and Cleveland at the height of anti-Semitism and THE 99 who were created by a Muslim during the height of Islamophobia (and who went to camp with a bunch of Jews from Cleveland and New York!).

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Current Affairs Religion

Letter Supporting Uyghurs

islamoyankee

Open Letter on the Uyghurs For the last several weeks the Uyghurs of Xinjiang have been the subject of increasing harassment of the central Chinese government. A background of key issues can be found at http://bit.ly/uyghur-primer. The death of over 160 people during a short period of time highlights a pattern of abuse against these people that we deplore in the modern period. We demand the following rights for the Uyghurs be recognized: The right to self-determination The citizens of Xinjiang have a right to determine whether they wish to remain as part of China. If so, they are to…

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Current Affairs

Muslim-American Call to Support the #Uyghurs

islamoyankee

Taken from City of Brass. The following is a press release issued by a group of muslim Americans regarding the oppression of the Uyghur in China. I am a signatory to the release and the forthcoming petition. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 23, 2009 Media contact: Wajahat Ali, 510-909-7506, wajahatmali@hotmail.com American Muslims Call on Chinese Govt’ to Protect Religious Freedom In response to the outbreak of violence in Xinjiang, China, in early July, 2009, American Muslims across the country will speak out for religious freedom in China during their July 31, 2009 Friday sermon SAN FRANCISCO – A collection of American…

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Film

New Rumi movie?

islamoyankee

Ali Eteraz is teasing about a new Rumi bio-pic, run with Qatar Foundation and Rumi Foundation. Looks really good, but some questions: Will it seriously deal with the fact that Shams-i Tabriz was most likely an Ismaili? I can’t imagine the Qataris would be too happy with that. Why do we need a non-Muslim playing the part of Rumi? Are there not enough good Muslim actors? I think the Iranians might object. Even Mel Gibson went with a no name for Jesus to make it seem more real, and that movie seems to have done OK.

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Music

Contemporary Pakistani Music

islamoyankee

It’s not all about Junoon anymore, if it ever was. CNN ran this article several months ago about heavy metal in Pakistan, including some type of hip-hop dancing thing. Videos below: Compare this view of music to what the Kominas deal with in their expression of punk (h/t Sepia Mutiny): Of course, both sources have distinct narratives they need to tell. The truth of the popularity and acceptability of such music in Pakistan is somewhere in the middle. Although Junoon did lay the ground work, the increase in Islamist activity and thinking means that performing music remains problematic. I’m not…

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