islam doesn't speak, muslims do | "the ink of the scholar is worth more than the blood of the martyr" – Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Helping U.S. reach out to young Muslims worldwide – latimes.com. A Kashmiri-born Muslim who grew up in Massachusetts, Pandith was appointed to her position last June, shortly after President Obama, speaking from Cairo, sought to dissipate some of the mistrust between Muslims and the West. Pandith’s charge is to help bridge the cultural and religious divides by reaching out to individuals and organizations to build cooperation and partnerships.
Young. British. Female. Muslim. -Times Online. It’s a controversial time for British women to be wearing the hijab, the basic Muslim headscarf. Last month, Belgium became the first European country to pass legislation to ban the burka (the most concealing of Islamic veils), calling it a “threat” to female dignity, while France looks poised to follow suit. In Italy earlier this month, a Muslim woman was fined €500 (£430) for wearing the Islamic veil outside a post office. And yet, while less than 2 per cent of the population now attends a Church of England service every week, the number…
Kate Spear-Brodsky and Louai Abu-Osba – NYTimes.com. In truth, she wasn’t sure what to make of Mr. Abu-Osba, who wore his hair in long dreadlocks. “I thought he was a little bit nerdy,” Ms. Spear-Brodsky said. “He was very sweet and flirty in an innocent way, but I just wasn’t interested in having a boyfriend at the time. Also, he had no game whatsoever.”
The following piece is by my friend Zeba Iqbal. Guest Voices: Young Muslim voices: Taking back our religion – On Faith at washingtonpost.com. We are at a crossroads, and our position today offers us the unique opportunity to choose our way forward. We can continue to be wholly reactive, or we can choose to be more wholly proactive, and set out to renew and reform our vision, our actions and our way forward.
Putting on the Veil – The Wooster Collective – GOOD. I’ve also found that my media, guerrilla art, presents a mystery and an impishness consistently missing from serious discourses on the hijab. The terms “hijabizing” or “hijabism” continue to define my work.
From Muslim Advocates: One year after President Obama pledged in Cairo, Egypt, to ease hurdles to charitable giving, American Muslims are asking President Obama to keep his promise and help them fulfill their religious obligation, while building bridges to Muslim nations for a more secure future. … On Friday, June 4th, Muslim Advocates is urging Muslims across the country to call the White House (202.456.1111) and tell President Obama to keep his promise and reform the many federal laws complicating our ability to give zakat freely. Download a PDF of the Action Alert!
The Agenda – The Agenda Blogs – The Inside Agenda . You shouldn’t despair, she said. All you can do is talk to one person at a time. These problems will only be solved one person at a time. Your parents did their part by being part of their community. You’re doing it by talking to me. And so it goes. One person at a time. She continued: “You know when I was growing up it was the Russians who were hated. And then for a time it was the Jews. Now it just so happens to be the…
My friend G. Willow Wilson has her new book, Butterfly Mosque, excerpted in the NY Times. Lives – Engagement in Cairo – NYTimes.com. Marwa, a woman a year or two older than I, began reciting a prayer for her grandfather’s soul. The other girls cupped their hands in front of their faces. I did the same. It’s a strange feeling, praying into your hands, filling the air between them with words. We think of divinity as something infinitely big, but it is also infinitely small — the condensation of your breath on your palms, the ridges in your fingertips, the…