Television

Islam meets reality TV – Guest Voices – The Washington Post

Islam meets reality TV – Guest Voices – The Washington Post. I think the most important aspect of the show is the great diversity of opinion that will be on display. There are questions of clothing, and not just the hijab, which does generate very rich conversations, but just what is appropriate and modest on a daily basis. There are many independent business women on the show, and we are privy to the conversations as to what limits Arab culture imposes compared to religious mandates. One of the most powerful moments, and I think one that will resonate, is how…

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Intra-faith

Why Are Some Muslims Calling to Replace GMT with Mecca Time? | Culture | Religion Dispatches

Why Are Some Muslims Calling to Replace GMT with Mecca Time? | Culture | Religion Dispatches. This summer, the world’s largest clock began its first official duty: marking time during Ramadan in Mecca—Islam’s holiest city. This colossal clock bears a striking resemblance to Big Ben, and the tower that hosts it (courtesy of the Canadian-based Fairmont hotel operation) is six times taller than the British landmark, making it the second tallest building in the world, visible for 16 miles.  All well and good. One can marvel at human ingenuity and move on. However, what makes this case interesting is the…

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Intra-faith

LGBT and Muslim? A New Report Busts Stereotypes | (A)theologies | Religion Dispatches

LGBT and Muslim? A New Report Busts Stereotypes | (A)theologies | Religion Dispatches. LGBT Muslims, the report notes, are dealing with many of the same kinds of questions that LGBT Christians have been dealing with for decades—such as the authority and interpretation of scripture. In addition, conversations within Islam in America are complicated by a virulent Islamophobia that has flourished in the decade since the 9/11 attacks. As scholar Hussein Rashid, an RD associate editor, observes: “The intersection of sexual, religious, racial, and immigrant identities entail multiple types of marginalization.”

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Events Inter-faith

EVENT: Atheists Announce Initiatives, Host Interfaith Dialogue at Park51

On Tuesday, November 15th at 7:00 PM (EST), the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard will hold an event hosted by Park51 and Center for Inquiry NYC , in partnership with a wide swath of NYC-based organizations, to discuss communities for the nonreligious and the role of atheists in interfaith work, while launching two groundbreaking new initiatives: The Humanist Community Project, and Values in Action at the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard. … This event will be co-sponsored by the Harvard Humanist Alumni and major NYC-based atheist, religious, and LGBT organizations: GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), New York Society for Ethical Culture , HUUmanists , The Humanist Institute , Ethical Humanist Chaplaincy at Columbia University , Reasonable New York , Faith House Manhattan , World Faith , Groundswell , Auburn Seminary , Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue , Bronx Community College Secular Humanist Club .

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Politics

Ten Years After Patriot Act, Time to Restore America’s Freedoms – Muslim Advocates

Ten Years After Patriot Act, Time to Restore America's Freedoms – Muslim Advocates. Muslim Advocates released a report on the tenth anniversary of passage of the USA Patriot Act. Losing Liberty: The State of American Freedom 10 Years After the Patriot Act illustrates how the law opened a new era in which federal law enforcement erodes America's cherished freedoms and wastes precious resources. In the report, which includes a forward by former Senator Russ Feingold, Muslim Advocates sets forth concrete steps Congress and the President should take to amend the law and uphold our nation's founding freedoms, which are guaranteed…

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