islam doesn't speak, muslims do | "the ink of the scholar is worth more than the blood of the martyr" – Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Kate Spear-Brodsky and Louai Abu-Osba – NYTimes.com. In truth, she wasn’t sure what to make of Mr. Abu-Osba, who wore his hair in long dreadlocks. “I thought he was a little bit nerdy,” Ms. Spear-Brodsky said. “He was very sweet and flirty in an innocent way, but I just wasn’t interested in having a boyfriend at the time. Also, he had no game whatsoever.”
The Agenda – The Agenda Blogs – The Inside Agenda . You shouldn’t despair, she said. All you can do is talk to one person at a time. These problems will only be solved one person at a time. Your parents did their part by being part of their community. You’re doing it by talking to me. And so it goes. One person at a time. She continued: “You know when I was growing up it was the Russians who were hated. And then for a time it was the Jews. Now it just so happens to be the…
NPR does the story. I am uncomfortable with this sort of comparison because it still buys into a paradigm of one religion being better than the other. Interestingly, I think the most intelligent comment comes from the critic of Islam who argues that the Qur’an is not about history, but the present. It is, in many ways, about always defining the present, which means it’s reading cannot be fixed in the past either. He does not take the argument to the logical conclusion. If the guidance is meant to be read for the present, than we as Muslims must struggle…
Patheos asked to describe God in 100 words. They compiled all the responses they received to this “theoblogger” challenge, and the results are interesting. Check out the site. I am one of two Muslims, the other being Svend White from Akram’s Razor, and without speaking to each other about the challenge, we focused on God’s immanence and transcendence. Nice complement. How would you describe God in a 100 words?
via Talk Islam, I found this article: A rise in the number of hate crimes against Muslims in London is being encouraged by mainstream politicians and sections of the media, a study written by a former Scotland Yard counter-terrorism officer, published yesterday, says. Attacks ranging from death threats and murder to persistent low-level assaults, such as spitting and name-calling, are in part whipped up by extremists and sections of mainstream society, the study says.
The Ariane de Rothschild (AdR) Fellowship program (www.adrfellowship.com) to be held at Columbia Business School in partnership with University of Cambridge, UK, starting July 4 – July 16, 2010. Last date to receive applications is January 22, 2010. This is an intercultural and interfaith initiative which aims to define new paradigm of dialogue between Muslims and Jews from UK, USA and France. The Fellowship aims to develop a network of entrepreneurs with a demonstrated interest in social change and cross cultural dialogue. It is an endeavor to create a new brand of both dialogue and social entrepreneurship that allows for…
Two of my friends, Rachel the Velveteen Rabbi and Ayesha, Ms. Rickshaw, are both pregnant. They are both blogging about their experiences, and both posted the linked articles very close to one another. I tend not to get too personal on this space, but both pieces brought out powerful memories of when my wife was pregnant. As cliche as the practice hospital run is, we never did it in NY. We had the “go” bag, but we just needed to hop in a taxi. The only limit we had was that my wife could not go into labor during rush…
Was just referred to this campaign by a friend. I am late on it, but very good. Deprive yourself of a comfort you take granted or a vice that drives you, even for one day. Whether it’s food, your car or the internet, nourish your spirit by going without. It will make you stronger, grow your self-discipline and help disconnect you from worldly activities in these days of selfish decadence and gluttony.
I am always looking for interesting artwork, especially as it relates to Islam. Below is the Arabic phrase “bismillah,” “in the name of God,” done in a Native American style. Details from the artist are here, and an article about the piece can be found here (another take here). taken from here.
Leila Abu-Saba of Dove’s Eye View has returned to her Maker. inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. We come from God and we return to God. Leila was true friend of islamicate. She was one of our earliest commenters, was always available for a good email chat, and was deeply committed to seeing peace become a reality. I pray for her and her family. (first heard from Marc Lynch of Abu Aardvark)