Photo: Muslim Woman and the NY Skyline

Chair Shiraz Hajiani. Raised in E. Africa, of S. Asian descent. Talks about Texas cyanide arrests; Saudi banning of Jewish tourists; Title VI issues. Mentions they relate to each of the three panels: Public Policy, Interfaith, and Education. Mentions this is the fifth conference. First four chairs were all women; mentions ethnicities: African-American, European-American, South Asian American, Central Asian American. Observant Jews will not be in attendance today because of Sabbath and Purim. Will be present tomorrow. Introduces Karen Leonard.

Officially, the taking of hostages is forbidden in Islam. A stance reiterated today by the Ithna’ashari scholars in Iraq. So that means the kidnappers are either Sunni or are acting out of an interest other than Islam. I don’t believe they are Sunni at this point – are at least are not acting under that identity – as it would disenfranchise the community. These are pseudo-nationalists, and the behavior is not intrinsic to Muslims. Just a clarification for those who were wondering if hostage taking was tenet of faith.

I’ve been trying to avoid talking about the Democratic primaries, but Gov. Howard Dean really got Muslimed. Often times, we, as Muslims, talk about how the media portrays us negatively, and that means much of the richness of Muslim civilizations are muted. Therefore, the negative press becomes self-fulfilling. I won’t get into the victim mentality behind such an approach, but clearly there is a kernel of truth to it. Now it seems that Gov. Dean got the same treatment. The only difference is, some outlets are owning up to it. Gov. Dean got Muslimed.