Despite my responsibility as a citizen to keep informed, it’s getting quite difficult to read the news these days. I often find myself having to take a break from reading because I am overcome by anger, bitterness, or despair. And never mind the effect it’s having on my ability to do other work. However, I came across an op-ed yesterday, by a supporter of the war in Iraq, that made some very good points. What I liked most about it was its focus on where do we go from here. Regardless of whether or not you support the war in Iraq, we must all focus on the future and how to make it better – first for all the innocent men, women, and children who have been placed in harms way, second for those Iraqis who deserve a better chance, and third for all of us Americans who so far have been made less safe in the world by this conflict and the way in which it has been handled.
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Marsiya
شەيد كربلا كي مومينوں جب ياد آتي هے تژپ جاتي هے دنيا خون آنسوں بەاتي هے يا حسين shahîd-e karbalâ kî momînoñ jab yâd âtî hai taRap jâtî hai duniyâ xûn ânsûñ bahâtî hai yâ husayn When believers remember the Martyr of Karbala The world becomes upset Blood flows as tears Oh Husayn! From a Marsiya performed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
#LoveRally on April 10, 2016
I’ll be speaking at a rally to counter the hate emerging out of this year’s Presidential Election Cycle. Please join if you can on Sunday, April 30, 2016 at 2PM in New York City, by New York University. The official letter about the program is here. Dear Friends: As the co-founder of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity (PACH; pach.org), I am writing to let you know that PACH and 20 other NYC organizations are having a love rally in Washington Square Park on April 10th from 2-4. Please join us! We have over 35 world leaders,…
Schimmel and the Marsiya
Annemarie Schimmel was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, commentator on Islamic literatures writing in English. Her works are magisterial, and very diverse. I’ve discovered one of her articles on-line, and it’s about the marsiya tradition. Her translations are just beautiful. I wish they had also included the original texts.