Air America Appearance
Just found out my Air America appearance on State of Belief, is on tonight, Aug. 13, 2006. Check the site for more information, and download the podcast. For more on my thoughts on The New Mecca, click here.
Category: Intra-faith
Conspiracy Theories
As I’m writing this, I see someone else had a similar idea. So I’m watching CNN yesterday, Aug. 10, and I hear Christiane Amanpour say that many young Muslims in the West believe that 9/11, 7/7, and now the new attacks on planes were plots by Western governments in order to start a war with Islam. O Muslims in the West, are you stupid? Either: 1. The West has the wherewithal to plot such destructive events against their own people, including American and British Muslims, and the ability to keep it secret, but not so secret that we can’t figure…
Proposing the “Bose Adhan Fund” for Muslim Countries
Recently I had the chance to visit, after a 7 year gap, one of my favourite cities in the world, Istanbul. The city is a perfect melange of East and West. For some reason it feels like home to me even though I am not from there or live there, It physicaly represents both my Western and Muslim identities. Its very modern and cosmopolitan, yet steeped in history and tradition. Its been over 5 years since I have actually visited a Muslim-majority city and something did not feel right for the first few days. Then it occurred to me that…
Save Nazanin
Sometimes when you can’t save the whole world, you can at least try to save one person. Save Nazanin. Technorati Tags: Iran, NazaninFatehi, SaveNazanin
Karen Armstrong Cusses!
No, not really. But it would be appropriate in this context. I can hear her now: “Y’all fundies are a bunch of dumb a$$ mo’ fo’s.” With a British accent of course. Technorati Tags: KarenArmstrong, fundy-ism
On Being a Conservative-Liberal Muslim (or why the progressive label is bad)
Several things began to come together in my thinking at the MLT Conference in Copenhagen. To be clear, it was not a result of the planning of the MLT, but a series of amorphous thoughts that started to click from meeting people at the conference. With the Progressive Faith Blog Con coming straight after, these ideas began gaining more clarity. Coincidentally, both the good folks at Progressive Islam (1, 2, 3) and Von Aurum published pieces that further moved my thoughts forward. I had been planning on this post for some time, but as the adage goes “Man proposes, God…
AK and AUC
I don’t normally post things from the AKDN website, but I thought this speech was particularly good at the American University of Cairo. Technorati Tags: Aga Khan
PFBC – Thanks
Well, the first Progressive Faith Blog Con is over. Unfortunately I couldn’t make the last day, but the reports are good. I want to thank the good organizers of the Con for making it a success. The group was a large enough size that it felt like we could do something real, but small enough to be intimate. It was diverse enough to avoid us sounding like an echo chamber, but respectful enough to always have something in common. I know in an event like this there are numerous people, named and nameless, faced and faceless, to make individual thanks…
PFBC – Muslim Worship
Introduction to adhān (call to prayer) and the Fatihah (The Opening; first surah/chapter of the Qur’an, used to begin prayers and activities). Zikr/dhikr explained. Remembrance of God. Phrases we used below: Bismillah ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm – In the name of God the most Compassionate, the most Merciful lā illāh ilā allāh – there is not deity but God shukrun līllah wa al-ḥamdulīllāh – all thanks and praise are due to God yā raḥmān yā raḥīm – O Compassionate; O Merciful Walked through one cycle of prayer in English to demonstrate positions and structure. CDs used: Ocean of Remembrance (The CD is…
PFBC – Faith and Politics, A Path to Engagement
Thurman (Xpatriated Texan), Mik (JSpot), Bruce (Talk2Action) Thurman: we have a separation between church and state. not in constitution. [makes my favorite argument about the establishment clause and the free expression clause.] term comes from Thomas Jefferson. History of religion and the Founding Fathers of the US. Wedged between religious right and the secular left. Presidents used the idea of God frequently until JFK who had to renounce his religion. marks turning point in American Left. Really good historical introduction. Couldn’t capture it all, he had me enthralled. Mik: Referencing Obama speech. It was fantastic. Second look made him think…