Events

Being the First: Reinventing Superheroes | Barnard College

Being the First: Reinventing Superheroes | Barnard College. Someone has to do it first. But what does it take? Being the First showcases trailblazers, pioneers, and those who were “the first” in their field. Taking a look at the journey it took to get there, these candid discussions aim to break down stereotypes and explore strategies to accomplish personal, professional, and societal goals.  Sana Amanat ’04, director of content and character development at Marvel Comics, created the first Muslim superhero, Kamala Khan, with her own comic book series, Ms. Marvel. Amanat spoke with Hussein Rashid, adjunct faculty in the Department of Religion, about…

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Media Appearances

Break This Down: Q & A with Hussein Rashid on Pop Culture, Ramadan, and Islam’s Diversity | Barnard College

Break This Down: Q & A with Hussein Rashid on Pop Culture, Ramadan, and Islam’s Diversity | Barnard College. In Muslim traditions, you have heroes who are super not because of an innate position but through relationship with God. By developing spiritual wisdom and maturity, the hero is granted superpowers by the Divine. So in writing my article, the hyphen in “super-hero” shows that the person may always be a hero, but is not always super. That super quality is a gift granted by God, which may be earned but is not a permanent condition.

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Media Appearances

A Discussion with Professor Hussein Rashid | the.Ismaili

A Discussion with Professor Hussein Rashid | the.Ismaili. We are always judging ourselves by material attributes, material aspects. Instead of saying what is this person like as a human being, as a person? How can I better myself by being in contact with this person? I think that’s what materialism does, is it keeps us from God, it keeps us from ourselves, and it keeps us from making a human connection. Basically, what we do is, we willingly turn ourselves into nothing more than an object, by denying our divine connection in our very own humanity.

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Media Appearances

Enforced disappearance: Why a whole community is going missing – Home – Herald

Enforced disappearance: Why a whole community is going missing – Home – Herald. Gatherings such as the one at Baitul Huda are common for Ahmadi communities living in various parts of the United States. According to Professor Hussein Rashid of the department of religion at Columbia University, they are more a manifestation of a shared insecurity than of anything else. “Staying together does not tell anything about the community except the fact that they are a minority, and a besieged minority,” he says. “This is often the case with immigrant groups and those who are persecuted in their home countries…

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