Muslims in the Media Highlights
Highlights from a panel I was on in Sept. 2008 on “Muslims in the Media,” part of a series called “The Cost of War.” The full audio of the panel is available on this page.
Category: Current Affairs
Command the Good – Gaza
Haroon posted about a fundraiser at NYU a few days ago. Unfortunately, I was on the road. Give if you can. He says: We can look all over the world and find a lot of misery, a lot of suffering, a lot of deprivation; some of that is done in our name; some of that is done and defended in a language we really use to argue for the exact opposite. The most important thing is to focus on what can be done, pray very hard, work very hard; we should not be discouraged by the scale of the challenge…
Gaza Crisis [1/29]
This will most likely be my last major link round-up on the topic. There are individual threads of the cost of the crisis that I may develop, but with the current incursion over, the need for relatively quick, major round-ups has dissipated. One of the things I tried to communicate through my sourcing was that the conflict is not a religious issue. I consciously choose to limit the number of Muslim sources to indicate that there was opposition to Israel’s actions that was not based in a conception of a Cosmic War. I also wanted to highlight the number of…
Geert Wilders and Free Speech
Aziz beat me to it. Geert Wilders was arrested for attacking Islam. Dumb idea. As Aziz says “the best answer to bad speech is more speech.” The best thing to happen now is that a group of Dutch Muslims comes forward to his defense. Islam is bigger than one person, whether OBL or Geert Wilders. It can take care of itself. It’s Muslims who need to care of ourselves, and that doesn’t mean supporting dumb ideas.
Gaza Crisis [1/21]
A Christian reflection on Gaza. We have to remember, this is not a Jewish-Muslim issue. It’s an Israeli-Palestinian one, which means Christians are involved. Ted Swedenburg gives us some must reads, many of which have already appeared on islamicate. However, he throws in a cool kufiya pic. MJ Rosenberg on the uses of “anti-Semitism.” He can’t wait for an end to the lobby. On Bono and Kristol. Laila points me to Sandy Tolan on Obama and Gaza. I don’t know how to describe this. In Doha, Darya Shaykh of One Voice said you can focus on the horror or you…
Question on Tikkun Olam
What is the Muslim equivalent? I know we have one, it’s embedded in our conception of khalifa. But do we have something as pithy? I ask, because now must repair. Now we must heal. The world is un-wrought, it is distraught, it is with anger fraught.
Reflection on Obama and Gaza
I won’t be posting much today on Gaza, it’s going to get lost in inauguration coverage. I’ll be Tweeting thoughts on the inaugural address. David says something that I think many of us noticed. This is the Tweet I got immediately before his. And after these two Tweets. As American we cry for the hope realized. For Gazans, the tears are for hope lost. Pray for peace. Pray that Obama will make our hopes true.
Abrahamic Call for Peace
Jews, Muslims, Christians Agree on Gaza-Israel Crisis This statement by leaders of the three Abrahamic communities in Boston was issued yesterday and was published in the Boston Globe by a columnist who writes on religion. Its thoughtfulness and the breadth and stature of its signers are extraordinary – representing the best version of our religious traditions and communities. If in your own community, religious leaders are well on the way to adopting your own statement on the Gaza-Israel war and publicizing it, wonderful! — If however you don’t have such a statement ready, the existence of this one could be…
Gaza Crisis [1/16] – Big Update of Links
My apologies for the gap in posting. Now in Doha, Arab League Summit happening here. No Saudia Arabia and no Egypt, so I’m not sure what it’s supposed to accomplish. Will hope to publish some first-hand accounts of how the Arab “street” is reacting, as well as the larger Muslim world. A few Jews here as well, so if I can set-up a safe space, I intend to get as many voices as I can. May come as my first series of podcasts. Olmert says he is the boss of American Foreign Policy Juan Cole Condi says it’s a lie.…
Gaza Crisis [1/9]
Apologies for absence. Some more immediately personal concerns to deal with: Joe the Plumber is going to cover the conflict in Israel, but apparently not Gaza. Because he is Christian, he will be safe. It is only Jews and Muslims who are unsafe. What of the Palestinian Christians? Are they not true Christians? Or is JtP the truest of Christians and therefore Christ-like? h/t Atrios. Bilal actually interviewed Palestinians as to what they thought of Obama. Although it is from prior to the current crisis, it is still instructive. Bridezilla hints at something that is on my mind. This cannot…