Television

What’s So Threatening About All-American Muslim?

My latest for Our Shared Future. What’s So Threatening About All-American Muslim?. What the show really is is a threat to the FFA. Here is a popular show that anyone can watch at any time, and it shows that Americans are Americans, regardless of their faith. It’s not very scary. The other option that makes the FFA’s case is to believe that hundreds, if not thousands, of people involved in the production of the show for TLC are complicit in a cover-up that millions of Americans who recognize their stories in the episodes are going along with.

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Books Intra-faith Women

Ayesha Mattu: Fighting for what’s Right | elan

So happy to know Ayesha. Ayesha Mattu: Fighting for what’s Right | elan. Ayesha Mattu, 39, is not afraid to challenge the status quo.  Her professional career focuses on creating safe spaces for oftentimes disenfranchised communities.  Mattu has now co-edited a book called Love, InshAllah.  She shares the stories of American Muslim women falling in love.  We got a chance to speak with Ayesha.

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Intra-faith

Slideshow: Ashura, the Unique Face of Shia Islam | Religion | FRONTLINE | PBS

Slideshow: Ashura, the Unique Face of Shia Islam | Religion | FRONTLINE | PBS. The holy day of Ashura marks the martyrdom of Hussain ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad, in a historic seventh century battle. The Battle of Karbala, as it’s known, cemented the schism between Sunni and Shia Muslims that arose from a succession dispute after the prophet’s death.  Every year around Ashura, the media is flooded with images of blood-soaked Shias self-flagellating. But Shias around the world — who make up between 10 to 13 percent of Muslims – observe the month in a myriad of ways.…

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Music

NYC Event: @metmuseum Musical Encounters from the Lands of the Mughals

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Musical Encounters from the Lands of the Mughals. This program features new music developed from an artistic collaboration supported by the Aga Khan Music Initiative. Inspired by visual images and literary descriptions of exuberant music-making in the Mughal courts, the Music Initiative brings together musicians from Afghanistan, India, and Tajikistan with the aim of merging their talents, traditions, and musical instruments to create new sounds.

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