Year: 2009

Politics

Call for Action: Majid Zamani – UPDATED

islamoyankee

UPDATE:  Majid Zamani has been released and I have removed the links to the action website. Received from a friend: Dear Friends, It is now 140 days since a good friend of mine, Majid Zamani, has been imprisoned in the aftermath of the elections in Iran. He is not a known political figure and thus his case gets little attention, yet given that he has studied in the U.S. (University of Illinois and Columbia University), we hear he is under pressure to confess to things he has not done such as training for velvet revolution. A group of his friends…

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Politics

ACLU’s new #torture Video: Justice Denied

islamoyankee

The men in the video – Moazzam Begg, Omar Deghayes, Bisher al-Rawi, Ruhal Ahmed and Shafiq Rasul – were detained by the U.S. in Afghanistan and Guantánamo for years, without charge or trial, and without any meaningful opportunity to challenge their detention. In the weeks ahead, we will be releasing more videos that focus on these individuals’ lives before, after and during Guantánamo. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: http://www.aclu.org/national-security/justice-denied-video-voices-guantanamo Technorati Tags: torture

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Art

NYC Event: Play on Iraq Vets

islamoyankee

Intersections International is hosting a play called “Nothing Means Nothing.” Join us for a special showing of “Nothing Means Nothing,” a veteran’s play by Larry Winters. This presentation showcases some of the hidden questions of veteran’s lives, and will be held at Intersections, 274 Fifth Avenue (btwn 29th & 30th).

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Media

America’s Next Great Pundit: Plug

islamoyankee

My friend Zeba Khan is up for “America’s Next Great Pundit.” She is also founder of Muslim Americans for Obama. Absolutely lovely and charming person, but more importantly for this process, a good writer. Please see her email below, and while I’d prefer you vote for her, feel free to vote your conscience. I won’t know. Salaams Friends, Last week, I was selected as one of ten contestants in the Washington Post’s “America’s Next Great Pundit” competition. Nearly 5,000 entries were submitted. The Post is holding an online voting weekend starting today and ending Monday, Nov 9th at 3pm EST…

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Books

Book Plug: Home Boy

islamoyankee

The husband of a dear friend has just published a book called Home Boy. The New York Times seems to love it. Naqvi’s smart and sorrowful debut is at once immigrant narrative, bildungs roman and New York City novel, with a dash of the picaresque. Immigrant stories are often appealing not only because they dramatize the longing to trade oppression for freedom and prosperity, but also because they have the perfect antagonist: America itself. Set in Manhattan just after Sept. 11, 2001, this novel follows three bright and likable college- age Pakistani men — AC, Jimbo and Chuck. Before 9/11,…

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Current Affairs Politics

Penis Slicing and Cheney is more Taliban than the Taliban – #torture

islamoyankee

Andrew Sullivan brings us two torture related stories today. One pulls on reporting by Glenn Greenwald, in which we find out Binyam Mohamed had his genitals sliced open as torture. If, for some reason, that image doesn’t nauseate you, imagine his name was Benjamin Moses (it is the Hebrew equivalent) and he was in Taliban custody. We surely would be up in arms. Speaking of the Taliban, Andrew also tells us that the Taliban treat their prisoners better than Vice-President Cheney did.

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Art Inter-faith

Bismillah Raven

islamoyankee

I am always looking for interesting artwork, especially as it relates to Islam. Below is the Arabic phrase “bismillah,” “in the name of God,” done in a Native American style. Details from the artist are here, and an article about the piece can be found here (another take here). taken from here.

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Inter-faith

The Dove is Dead

islamoyankee

Leila Abu-Saba of Dove’s Eye View has returned to her Maker. inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. We come from God and we return to God. Leila was true friend of islamicate. She was one of our earliest commenters, was always available for a good email chat, and was deeply committed to seeing peace become a reality. I pray for her and her family. (first heard from Marc Lynch of Abu Aardvark)

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