March 2011 – Page 2

Art

Metropolitan Museum’s Moroccan Courtyard Takes Shape – NYTimes.com

islamoyankeeMarch 24, 2011

Metropolitan Museum’s Moroccan Courtyard Takes Shape – NYTimes.com. Almost 30 years later the museum was embarking on the most ambitious rethinking and rebuilding of its Islamic art galleries in its history, a $50 million endeavor. At the heart of those galleries, which will open in the fall after being closed six years, it dreamed of showcasing the defining feature of Moroccan and southern Spanish Islamic architecture: a medieval Maghrebi-Andalusian-style courtyard, which would function in much the same way such courtyards still do in the traditional houses and mosques of Marrakesh or Casablanca, as their physical and spiritual center.

Video

‘In a Better World’ and Other Films on Islam – NYTimes.com

islamoyankeeMarch 24, 2011

‘In a Better World’ and Other Films on Islam – NYTimes.com. AT the Oscars last month the gap between what interests Hollywood and what the rest of the world seems to be doing was sharp and clear. Of the five nominees for the best foreign-language film, all but one, among them the winner, “In a Better World,” from Denmark, dealt in some way with relationships between the West and Islam.

Intra-faith

In a Muslim State, Fear Sends Some Worship Underground – NYTimes.com

islamoyankeeMarch 24, 2011

In a Muslim State, Fear Sends Some Worship Underground – NYTimes.com. “I consider myself the new generation of Malaysian Shia,” said Mr. Mohammad, 33, using another term to describe Shiites. “My father is Sunni, my mother is Sunni. They are aware that I’m practicing a different school of thought. It’s no problem at all.”

Intra-faith

US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Press Room – Chairman’s Press

islamoyankeeMarch 24, 2011

US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Press Room – Chairman’s Press. To all those who observe Nowruz, including those in Afghanistan, Iran, and the United States, I would like to wish you Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak.

Video

Video: Kill Them With Love

islamoyankeeMarch 24, 2011

Music

Hip-Hop’s Reluctant Hero – LA Times Magazine

islamoyankeeMarch 23, 2011

Hip-Hop’s Reluctant Hero – LA Times Magazine. In pure Lupe Fiasco style, nothing about Lasers is obvious, starting with the title. According to the artist, it either stands for “Love Always Shines Everytime Remember 2 Smile” or it’s a reworking of the word losers where the O is replaced with an anarchy A symbol. And in keeping with the wordplay, Fiasco raps brilliantly about everything from the contradictions of fame to corporate greed to ghetto culture.

Intra-faith

Mullah Caught in Debate Over Tradition vs. Modern Education – NYTimes.com

islamoyankeeMarch 23, 2011

Mullah Caught in Debate Over Tradition vs. Modern Education – NYTimes.com. On opposite sides of a dusty road, thousands of Muslim students in this remote farming town are preparing for very different futures. On one side, inside a traditional Islamic seminary, teenage boys in skullcaps are studying ancient texts to become imams. On the other, students are hunched before computers in college classrooms, learning to become doctors, pharmacists and engineers.

Intra-faith

Islam is all-American for one U.S. Muslim leader

islamoyankeeMarch 23, 2011

Islam is all-American for one U.S. Muslim leader. Al Azhar, the centuries-old center of Islamic learning in Cairo, is a world away from Oklahoma City where William Suhaib Webb grew up. But it was not until the American Muslim leader immersed himself in Islamic studies at Al Azhar that he realized just how American he was, regardless of his religion.

Women

Wanita Power: What Women in the US Could Learn from Indonesians

islamoyankeeMarch 23, 2011

Wanita Power: What Women in the US Could Learn from Indonesians. It’s surreal for me, an American woman, to be telling audience after audience of women dressed in traditional Muslim headscarves that we don’t have gender equality figured out. But it’s more surreal for them to hear it. More than a few women have told me they were shocked. That they’d assumed women could do whatever they wanted in the US. A few have said that after my talk, they think starting a company sounds easier in Indonesia.

Politics

Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison Breaks Down at Peter King Hearing — Daily Intel

islamoyankeeMarch 23, 2011

Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison Breaks Down at Peter King Hearing — Daily Intel. it was near the end of his remarks, when Ellison told the story of Mohammad Salman Hamdani, a Pakistani-born American citizen who drove an ambulance part-time and worked as a research assistant, that Ellison’s emotions overwhelmed him. As Ellison recounted, some people initially suggested, after Hamdani disappeared on 9/11, that he had been involved in the attacks. It was only later that his remains were discovered in the rubble of the World Trade Center. He had seen the smoke that morning and rushed to help.