September 2012 – islamicate

‘Crossing Borders’ Opens at the Jewish Museum – NYTimes.com

islamoyankeeSeptember 26, 2012

‘Crossing Borders’ Opens at the Jewish Museum – NYTimes.com. Some defer to others: they are commenting on sacred texts. Some supplant others: sacred texts of one faith argue against those of another. But, as presented here, many also engage in unexpected dialogues, emulations, even dissections. Scripts imitate one another, even if they are in different languages; images and designs recur in manuscripts from different conceptual worlds. Some texts remain unflustered while everything changes around them. And all of this takes place among just 52 works, some of which are astonishingly ancient, many of which are beautifully illuminated, and most of…

Media Appearances

Obama-Morsi: What The American And Egyptian Presidents Should Talk About

islamoyankeeSeptember 25, 2012

Obama-Morsi: What The American And Egyptian Presidents Should Talk About. “He needs to talk about Muslims in the U.S., to show that the U.S. is not at war with Islam,” said Hussein Rashid, an Islamic studies lecturer at Fordham University.

Inter-faith Video

Middle Church: Mercy and Compassion

islamoyankeeSeptember 25, 2012

I was invited by Middle Church to preach. I spoke about mercy and compassion, and below is the video. “In the Name of God” :: Sep 23 @middlechurch from Middle Collegiate Church on Vimeo.

Media Appearances

Quoted: #MySubwayAd: People Respond To Anti-Islamic Subway Ads

islamoyankeeSeptember 24, 2012

#MySubwayAd: People Respond To Anti-Islamic Subway Ads. Muslim and non-Muslims alike took to Twitter today to denounce the Islamophobic ad. Their responses were both humorous and thoughtful. Below are some of our favorite tweets:

Art

Blurring of Cultures at Louvre’s Islamic Art Wing – NYTimes.com

islamoyankeeSeptember 24, 2012

Blurring of Cultures at Louvre's Islamic Art Wing – NYTimes.com. Other Arab bronzes with inscriptions in Arabic and Latin conjure memories of places where East and West met. A ewer from Arab Spain in the shape of a peacock carries an Arabic signature identifying it as “the work of the Christian King’s slave.” Underneath, an inscription in Roman capitals proclaims “Opus Salomonis Erat” naming the artist, probably called Sulayman, the Arabic form of the biblical name.

Art

The Louvre’s New Islamic Galleries Bring Riches to Light – NYTimes.com

islamoyankeeSeptember 24, 2012

The Louvre’s New Islamic Galleries Bring Riches to Light – NYTimes.com. Now the museum is again risking the public’s wrath as it introduces the most radical architectural intervention since the pyramid in 1989. Designed to house new galleries for Islamic art, it consists of ground- and lower-ground-level interior spaces topped by a golden, undulating roof that seems to float within the neo-Classical Visconti Courtyard in the middle of the Louvre’s south wing, right below the museum’s most popular galleries, where the Mona Lisa and Veronese’s “Wedding Feast of Cana” are hung.

Media Appearances

Huffington Post Live: Not Talking about Religion

islamoyankeeSeptember 21, 2012

I was recently on Huffington Post Live, talking about lots of stuff, except religion. Nice change of pace, and a great session.

Music

Qawwalis, Found Sounds, and Benghazi: Locating the Sacred in a New York Church | On Being

islamoyankeeSeptember 21, 2012

Qawwalis, Found Sounds, and Benghazi: Locating the Sacred in a New York Church | On Being. The combination of Yoon’s voice and the electronic components helped create a bridge between the trappings of the modern and sense of spirituality as being ancient. The stories were inverted, and technology was ancient, with spirituality being modern. Perhaps that is the state of affairs we are entering. Twitter and the writing stick are both technology, and we are coming to grips with our own spiritualities now. And when I think about the prayer of the monks, with nothing but their voices, it makes…

Media Appearances

Muslim New Yorkers Learn to Pick Their Battles – WNYC

islamoyankeeSeptember 20, 2012

Muslim New Yorkers Learn to Pick Their Battles – WNYC. “There’s no longer a sense of Muslim and American, but Muslims as Americans,” said Rashid, “and I think that’s a really important part of that political engagement. And I think, looking at France, you still see this isolation, this difference. You’re either French, or you’re Muslim.”

Books

From mystical timeless to today’s timely

islamoyankeeSeptember 19, 2012

Religion News Service | Blogs | Omid Safi – What Would Muhammad Do? | From mystical timeless to today’s timely. How to take the timeless language of classical Islamic mysticism, and express in it 21st century American English is something that takes heart and soul, intellect and craft, and Alexis York Lumbard’s beautiful Conference of the Birds is indeed rich with all these qualities. Lumbard's work is beautifully illustrated by the incomparable Demi. The result is a stunning work of art that speaks to all who are spiritually seeking, no matter what their age.