Category: Intra-faith

Charity Intra-faith

Islam, business, Aga Khan

islamoyankee

I am a Nizari Ismaili, and hold that the Aga Khan is the direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through his daughter Fatima (PBUH) and his cousin/son-in-law Ali (PBUH). The New York Times ran a decent story yesterday on the Aga Khan and his humanitarian efforts. I don’t call it philanthropy, because according to the Imam: I am fascinated and somewhat frustrated when representatives of the western world — especially the western media — try to describe the work of our Aga Khan Development Network in fields like education, health, the economy, media, and the building of social infrastructure.…

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Intra-faith Women

More on Women and the Veil

islamoyankee

This one is an interesting take on a non-Muslim woman who has to wear the veil in Saudi Arabia. I’m curious about somethings. Towards the end, she is on the sidewalk unattended by a male. Is that not a problem? She can’t be in the bank with her male escort, so she’s left unescorted outside? Also, isn’t the abaya supposed to be the thing that hides women? Are they be veiled and separated in a different room? I know all these things intellectually, but to read her story helps to highlight the contradictions. Technorati Tags: veil, Saudi Arabia, women in…

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Intra-faith Poetry Religion

Milad an-Nabi

islamoyankee

The birthday of Prophet Muhammad, our most blessed role model. From Nasir Khusraw: Of Muhammad I chose the Qur’an and the faith of Muhammad, for that is the choice that was made by Muhammad. I’m certain by faithfully following these, my certitude will be like that of Muhammad. My key for the heavens, my guide to delight, my fortified castle: the faith of Muhammad! Muhammad is sent as God’s prophet to us: thus is the imprint of the seal of Muhammad. The faith, the Qur’an they are fixed in my heart just as they were fixed in the heart of…

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Inter-faith Intra-faith Shi'ism

Navroz Mubarak 2007

islamoyankee

Yes, it is a hybrid date format. But the holiday is now hybrid. Little bit of Zoroastrianism, little bit of Iranian nationalism, little bit of Islam, little bit of 21st century style globalization. Here is a good, short history of contemporary Navroz. Just a clarification, the Ismailis don’t recognize Navroz as Hazrat Ali’s birthday, we recognize Yawm-e Ali as a separate holiday. Navroz is also a marker of the solar new year for most Ismailis. The Fatimids marked a celebration of the holiday as well in the 11th century. (see Ritual, Politics and the City in Fatimid Cairo). Here’s the…

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Inter-faith Intra-faith Religion

My God Hates More Than Your God

islamoyankee

My friend Eboo Patel, founder of the Interfaith Youth Core, has a blog over at Newsweek, and I’ve been meaning to plug it for a while now. What’s prompted me to do so now is his most recent posting Discrimination Against Muslims, which has forced me to pen some thoughts that I’ve been kicking around for awhile now. Aziz, too, has a piece on people’s understanding of the West and Islam, which highlights some of the issues I’ve been thinking about. For me, Eboo’s key quote is: Read how the commentators insist on highlighting only the dark sides of Islam,…

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Inter-faith Intra-faith

Muslims and the Cross

islamoyankee

via one of my favorite Texans, I saw this on Street Prophets. A. This is a huge violation of church and state in my opinion. Public schools should not be holding services in any religious space. Period. B. The kid is a moron. It’s not about him being Muslim. Let’s not get stupid with him. To the best of my knowledge there is no legal tradition that prevents Muslims from entering house of worship of other faiths. There are reservations (and prohibitions) about joint worship, but not actually entering the space. The closest I’ve heard about this religious image issue…

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