Politics

‘Haboobs’ Cause a Storm of Complaints in Arizona – NYTimes.com

This is what people are seriously concerned about? Fortunately, the article points out that if they don’t “Middle Eastern terms,” they should stop using “alcohol.” ‘Haboobs’ Cause a Storm of Complaints in Arizona – NYTimes.com. “I am insulted that local TV news crews are now calling this kind of storm a haboob,” Don Yonts, a resident of Gilbert, Ariz., wrote to The Arizona Republic after a particularly fierce, mile-high dust storm swept through the state on July 5. “How do they think our soldiers feel coming back to Arizona and hearing some Middle Eastern term?”

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Art

A medieval monument to religious pluralism, hidden in the mountains of Afghanistan

A medieval monument to religious pluralism, hidden in the mountains of Afghanistan. One of the great wonders of the medieval world is a very tall, heavily ornamented minaret nestled in a green valley at the edge of the Jam river in what is now Afghanistan. Often called the Minaret of Jam, the monument was almost a millenium ago illuminated by a torch at its top, and surrounded by a thriving town with small industries and outlying farms.  What’s remarkable is that the writing on the minaret and archaeological remains nearby strongly suggest that the city harbored a population of Muslims,…

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Politics

Event: Muslim Americans: Faith, Freedom, and the Future

[EVENT] Muslim Americans: Faith, Freedom, and the Future. On August 2, the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center will host the launch of Muslim Americans: Faith, Freedom, and the Future. Based on three years of research and hundreds of thousands of interviews, the new study explores Muslim Americans’ political, social, and spiritual engagement a decade after 9/11, and concludes with evidence-based recommendations for government and civil society leaders. The report discusses U.S. Muslims’ views on a range of topics…

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Intra-faith

A tweet feat: #Quran goes on Twitter for #Ramadan

A tweet feat: Quran goes on Twitter for Ramadan – USATODAY.com. Ramadan, which begins with a sunup-to-sundown fast Monday, calls on the Muslim faithful to immerse themselves in scripture — ideally by reading the entire Quran.   In 2009, Hussein Rashid, a professor of Islamic Studies at Virginia Theological Seminary, noticed rabbis using Twitter to highlight snippets of Torah text to celebrate Shavuot, when Jews say Moses received God’s word at Mount Sinai.  “I saw they were creating a virtual way to pray and study together, and I thought it would be fun to invite a few friends to tweet…

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Inter-faith Intra-faith

Tweeting the Qur’an 2011/1432

Ramadan is back. Time to talk about tweeting the Qur'an again. Last year's thoughts and rules: Traditionally, Muslims read the Qur'an in its entirety over this time, in a section a day. The Qur'an is split into thirty sections, called juz', and one section is read each night. This year, I have been thinking it would be fun to tweet the Qur'an for Ramadan. Coincidentally, Shavuot came, and several people I follow on Twitter tweeted the Torah. Since that experience seemed to be successful, it further cemented my belief that this would be a good idea. Some guidelines for tweeting…

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Inter-faith

Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of 9/11: Reflections and Resources from RHR-NA | Rabbis for Human Rights – North America

Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of 9/11: Reflections and Resources from RHR-NA | Rabbis for Human Rights – North America. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington, DC. It often seems hard to believe that it has been that long. So much has changed, and yet for many, the reminders of that day are ever present.  We must remember those who died, pray for peace and healing, and reflect on the challenges that have arisen over the past ten years: American use of torture, two wars, and rising anti-Muslim sentiment. There is…

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Art

Carpet with Bic pencils | Fubiz™

You must click through to see the images. Carpet with Bic pencils | Fubiz™. L’artiste Jonathan Bréchignac a travaillé plus d’un an sur ce projet de tapis illustré avec des stylos Bic. Fabriqué à la taille d’un tapis de prière musulmane réelle, ce morceau est minutieusement détaillé, s’inspirant de différentes cultures. Un rendu à découvrir dans la suite.

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