NY Area Event: Shaykha Fest

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.

MFAH | Artful Thursday: High Notes – Thursday, September 15, 2011 @ 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM. Billie Holiday’s wavy intonation has its roots in the muezzin’s call to prayer. The syncopated riffs and rhythms of blues guitar legend John Lee Hooker echo a traditional call-and-response, with painful lyrics about life, love, and faith. The be-bop and cool-jazz improvisations of John Coltrane are informed by numerous musical and meditative traditions, including those of Islam. Also indebted to this tradition are the folk rock of Steve Earle and the hip-hop of Mos Def. In this month’s Artful Thursday lecture, Hussein Rashid…

MFAH | Artful Thursday: High Notes – Thursday, September 15, 2011 @ 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM. Up to thirty percent of the slaves brought to the United States from Africa were Muslim. They spoke and wrote Arabic, and carried a rich musical tradition. Centuries’ worth of Muslim instrumental and singing traditions were combined with those of other cultures encountered in the United States, eventually forming blues, jazz, rock, and hip-hop—uniquely American musical genres.