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Interview on NPR on Riyaaz Qawwali

I was recently interviewed on NPR about Riyaaz Qawwali, a group out of Austin, TX. Hussein Rashid, a professor of religion at Hofstra University, says that many qawwaliartists working in South Asia today have limited themselves. He believes this American group is bringing the music back to its roots.  “You know, I think there’s been so much concern about what is Islam, and what isn’t, politically speaking and artistically speaking,” Rashid says, “that there’s been a push in modern qawwali to actually sanitize it and make it very sterile — and almost rule-bound — rather than ecstatic and devotional. For me, I think…

Muslim playwright returns to high school stage – chicagotribune.com

Muslim playwright returns to high school stage – chicagotribune.com. As a teenager, Rohina Malik went to great lengths to hide her Muslim heritage.  While some girls her age chose to wear the traditional headscarf, she opted against it. And when teachers read “Rohina” at roll call on the first day of school, she asked them to call her Mariam, her less Muslim-sounding middle name.  Unable to hide her caramel skin or overcome her shyness, the aspiring actress and playwright didn’t audition for a role until her senior year at Niles North High School. She was astounded when she landed the…

Milad un-Nabi 1432/2010

This week was the Prophet Muhammad’s (ﷺ) birthday. The celebration was formalized under the Fatimids. You can see some of my earlier posts on the Milad here 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Items 3 and 4 are devotional poems by Nasr Khusraw. This year, based on a question from a colleague, I am posting a collection of YouTube videos that are songs in praise of Muhammad. All have percussion, but no other instruments. Rather than embed them and slow down the site, I am simply giving links and a short description. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2NNPQhNVYs&feature=related – Bosnian http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_7hDq3HfNo – Turkish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXFMvfxOmS8&feature=related – Arab?…