Yom Ashura

One of the favorite topics of conversation amongst my friends and I is whether certain foods are haram (forbidden, like pork) or makruh (discouraged). Our case study is usually lobster, but it seems God hates shrimp. Glad to see we’re not the only ones contending with this issue. Like I said before, we can’t see the Muslim the community in a vacuum.

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.

I’m trying really hard not be political, but darn it, it seems that we as Americans are most threatened whenever the current administration opens its mouth. Iraq has yellow-cake, WMD (oddly enough, it’s meant as non-conventional weapons, not necessarily nuclear which is why it can different from the yellow-cake claim), Al-Qaeda is in bed with every Muslim in the world, etc., etc., etc.. I was feel better when they are quiet, not because ignorance is bliss – in their case quite the opposite – but because then the truth starts to come out into the open. That’s when I feel…