islam doesn't speak, muslims do | "the ink of the scholar is worth more than the blood of the martyr" – Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
MUSLIMS AND AMERICANESS IN GRAPHIC NOVELS Hussein will trace the religious imagery embedded in American graphic novels and how this coded language served to normalize religious minorities in American consciousness. There will be a discussion of vectors of Muslim involvement in graphic novels and how they are building on these traditions to integrate into American society.
Some of you may wish to do the whole juz’, but the idea is that we find comfort in the word of God, and we approach it and understand differently every time we come to it.
… If there are are other guidelines you believe should be included, please leave them in comments and I’ll move up some to the main post.
Progressive Scottish Muslims: Islam design tartan unveiled is far from representative. Islam and Muslims are not a monolith.. My view: But is ‘Islam’ a culture? In the same way that we can talk about our Scottish culture? If so, which Islam? Which ‘Islamic’ country does this tartan represent in terms of all the Muslims in diaspora who live in Scotland? Then this raises the question about whose Islam? Is this a Shi’a, Sunni, Ahmadi, Alawi ‘Islam’ tartan? Muslims are not a monolith and nor is ‘Islam’ — this is certainly not a progressive move
FREE culture show featuring amazing D.C. artists celebrating the release of the anthology “All American: 45 Men on Being Muslim” and Willow Wilson’s novel “Alif” THE LINEUP – Stand up Comedy by Preacher Moss – Musical Stylings of Michelle Struck – A Conversation with novelist Willow Wilson and Wajahat Ali – Comedy by Raad Mismaar – Poetry by Samer Badawi – An original song by Shahed Amanullah (yes, we’re not kidding) – An original poem by Ibrahim Abdul Matin – “Ask a Muslim Dude” panel featuring contributors from the anthology “All-American: 45 Men on Being Muslim” Book signings after the performance! —
‘Alif the Unseen’ by G. Willow Wilson – NYTimes.com. Ms. Wilson fills “Alif the Unseen” with an array of observations about contemporary culture: new questions of theology (if a sin is committed in virtual reality, is it still a sin?); fantasy literature and, most conspicuously, Western culture. At one point the conversation turns to Lawrence Durrell and the Alexandria Quartet, the question being if the novels are Eastern or Western literature. “There is a very simple test,” Vikram says. “Is it about bored, tired people having sex?” Yes, he is told. “Then it’s Western,” Vikram decrees.
Muslim Woman Sues Religious-Freedom Commission For Discrimination – The Daily Beast. One of the more explosive claims in the suit comes from an internal email that said hiring a Muslim to investigate religious freedom in Pakistan was akin to “hiring an IRA activist to research the UK twenty years ago.” … In response, USCIRF commissioners claimed they were within their rights to base their decision on her religion, arguing that the anti-discrimination clause of the 1964 Civil Rights Act did not apply to the commission. Strangely, the commissioners weren’t entirely wrong. Indeed, it’s possible that Ghori-Ahmad’s suit would not…
My essay, “Nation and Narrative” is in the volume The Power of Words and Images. British Council – Society – Our Shared Future – Building a Shared Future. One of the key objectives of this conference was to help fill the gap between academic expertise and public knowledge of cross-cultural relations involving Muslims. Participants broke into discussion groups around five themes to pinpoint new, more inclusive narratives to reshape the conversation about intercultural relations. They explored areas of research and partnerships among institutions in the US, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa that can help shed light on deep connections…
Pakistan: Neo-Sufi and the American Jugni, Part 2 | Clocktower Gallery & Radio | ARTonAIR.org. Part two of Neo-Sufi and the American Jugni focuses on the music of Arooj Aftab and the instrument Arif Lohar always has by his side, the chimta, or “musical fire tongs.” On April 28th, 2012, Pakistani musical icon M. Arif Lohar and Pakistani American musician Arooj Aftab brought their passionate blend of traditional Punjabi music, Sufi spiritual poetry and contemporary rock and pop music to Asia Society for the organization’s Creative Voices of Muslim Asia project. Before this outstanding event, David Weinstein had the chance…
Velveteen Rabbi: The voices of American Muslim men. Because I've been blessed to know Hussein for years, I paid special attention to his essay. He writes eloquently about growing up "painfully normal" in Queens, New York. His grandmother and his grade school were both located in Forest Hills, Queens, "one of the most diverse Jewish communities at the time." He writes about how he developed racial identity consciousness first, and religious identity consciousness later. (Indeed: as a good second-generation American teenager, he rebelled against his parents, which naturally meant steering away from religiousness. For a while.)
Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi: Fathers Day: A Love Letter to Muslim Fathers. All of my life, Muslim men — from my father to my uncles, from my cousins to my friends — are the ones who have nurtured, supported and protected me. They've cheered every success, inspired me to push higher with my personal and professional ambitions, and believed in me even when — especially when — I did not believe in myself.