Children of Dust
Not the bui-doi. Ali Eteraz discusses his new book in this video. Sounds promising. I love that one of the domains he registered is “The Fun in Fundamentalism.”
Category: Books
Muslims, Jews, and the Holocaust
Although now we hear quite a bit about Muslims denying the Holocaust, things were not always thus. NPR has a good interview with the author of a book called Besa: Muslims who Saved Jews in World War II. I have Besa, and can tell you it is very good. In searching for the title on Amazon, I found two other related books, listed below. “Besa: Muslims Who Saved Jews in World War II” (Norman H. Gershman) Related: “The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust” (Karen Gray Ruelle, Deborah Durland Desaix) “When Courage…
Of Concentration Camps and Comic Books
Naif Al-Mutawa, mastermind behind the 99, writes a column about growing up in NY. If we can show how perceptions are unfairly formed, we can take great leaps in a single bound towards transforming them. And what better characters to explore such issues than Superman and Batman who were created by Jewish young men from New York and Cleveland at the height of anti-Semitism and THE 99 who were created by a Muslim during the height of Islamophobia (and who went to camp with a bunch of Jews from Cleveland and New York!).
AIRLift – Buy a Graphic Novel, Save the World
I have lifted the following wholesale from Aziz P.. He says it. I wouldn’t say much different. It’s a good cause. I will feature the post until the weekend (or I remember to take it down) so it stays on top. —–Begin Verbatim Verbiage—– My friend, the writer G. Willow Wilson, is the author of the comic book series AIR which has been getting rave reviews and recognition. But AIR is more than a book, it’s also a cause! I’ll let Willow explain: Whacky as it is, AIR is a book with a message. So, for every copy of AIR…
Free Book: “Dis-Orienting Rhythms” available for download
I love this book. I had just written an article on treating Fun^Da^Mental as part of the South Asian literary tradition (unpublished) about three months before this book came out in print. It’s a wonderful collection of essays, and they don’t all agree with one another. It’s a shame it’s out of print, because I think it’s a classic in the field, but I’m glad they’ve made it available for download. I learned about this book over ten years ago from Tony Mitchell, and have found it invaluable. I urge anyone interested in BrAsian politics and culture, fans of Fun’Da’Mental,…
Willow Wilson on NPR
Willow Wilson, American Muslim comics shaykha gives an interview on KUOW on her new series AIR. It’s a good interview that talks about flying while Muslim and the inspiration for her work.
A Muslim at the Catholic Worker
I’ve been pushing my friend Eboo’s book for a while now. Found an old article where he relates some of what is found in his book. Take a look. A Muslim at the Catholic Worker | Peacework Magazine. Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation
Chris Dickey Says
Chris says read Giles Kepel’s new book, Beyond Terrorism and Martyrdom. I took his advice and am now using it in a course. While his review is not as useful as I would hope, I like Chris’ analysis and I really like Kepel’s thinking. If you have not, you should also read his book on Jihad. Chris also talks about The 99, a new comic book series about Muslims – Martijn has more. I have blogged about Muslims and comics before.and thinki it’s a great art form for Muslims to express themselves. Again it’s interesting that such an American medium…
Event: Art of the Qur’an
For those in the NY area, the Asia Society is host an exhibition on the art of the Qur’an and on calligraphy. Asia Society link. New York Times review. Qur’an, calligraphy
On “The Jewel of Medina”
There’s a controversy over the historical novel called “Jewel of Medina,” about one of the Prophet Muhammad’s wife, Aisha. If you are unfamiliar with the controversy, the links below provide good background. I believe that Sherry Jones should publish the work. We should have people like Gordon Newby knocking it down. It’s bad history and bad writing. That’s the marketplace of ideas. More importantly we should have better people writing. Muslim or non-Muslim, it doesn’t matter, they just have to be good. I would never recommend Martin Lings’ excellent biography of the Prophet as a casual read, but I would…