Category: Media

Media Web/Tech

Plug: America’s Next Great Pundit Round 3

islamoyankee

My friend Zeba has made it through to the next round. It seems WaPo is going to keep making go through these rounds until we give up. No Surrender! Go vote. Dear Friends & Colleagues, My apologies for the constant stream of emails, but I’m writing to inform you that thanks to your votes, I made it past Round 2 in the Washington Post’s “America’s Next Great Pundit” Competition! But there was little time to celebrate as Round Three was a live Q&A session this morning. Online voting has already begun and will go until tomorrow, Tuesday Nov. 17 at…

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Media

Plug: America’s Next Great Pundit Round 2

islamoyankee

My friend Zeba Khan is through the first round of voting, and round two is open for voting. Her email is below. Please support her again. Hello Everyone, Thanks to your help last week, I moved on to Round Two in the Washington Post’s “America’s Next Great Pundit” Competition. This week the five remaining contestants had to blog. My aim was to put out quality over quantity and I hope I achieved that. Here are a couple links to pieces I wrote: http://views.washingtonpost.com/pundits/contestants/zeba.khan/2009/11/an_idea_for_detroit.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/pundits/contestants/zeba.khan/2009/11/great_expectations.html Now, I am writing again to shamelessly ask for your vote. Voting is happening now until…

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Media

America’s Next Great Pundit: Plug

islamoyankee

My friend Zeba Khan is up for “America’s Next Great Pundit.” She is also founder of Muslim Americans for Obama. Absolutely lovely and charming person, but more importantly for this process, a good writer. Please see her email below, and while I’d prefer you vote for her, feel free to vote your conscience. I won’t know. Salaams Friends, Last week, I was selected as one of ten contestants in the Washington Post’s “America’s Next Great Pundit” competition. Nearly 5,000 entries were submitted. The Post is holding an online voting weekend starting today and ending Monday, Nov 9th at 3pm EST…

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Media Television

Dubai Superheroes: Little Old Grannies Who Wear Veils

islamoyankee

From the NYT: “Freej,” which swiftly became one of the most popular shows in the United Arab Emirates when it had its premiere here three years ago, is on a hiatus this Ramadan season, a result of the declining economy and, Mr. Harib says, his exhaustion after three grueling production cycles. In its place a new series of three-minute episodes starring the characters is being shown on local television. Mr. Harib’s animated aspirations took shape a decade ago when he studied at Northeastern University in Boston, where his peers downloaded “South Park” episodes in their dormitories. He recognized that his…

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Media

Domestic Crusaders – Landmark Play in NY on 9-11

islamoyankee

Aziz has more details. The following is a press release by my friend Wajahat Ali, who is a blogger, journalist for Altmuslim, and also a budding playwright. His first play, The Domestic Crusaders, has received rave reviews from critics and artists alike (including Emma Thompson and Mitch Berman). The play will premiere in NYC at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe on September 11th 2009 and if you are in the NY area or will be traveling there during that time, then make some time for this one I reviewed the play, and really encourage people to go.

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Film Media

Interview with producers of #FlyingWhileMuslim

islamoyankee

From Neem Magazine. Below is the list of interviewees: Anthony Shadid – Pulitzer Prize Awardee and Washington Post Journalist; Amy Goodman – Democracy Now! Host; Brigitte Gabriel – Author, “Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America” and American Congress for Truth Founder; Robert Spencer – Jihad Watch Director; Arwa and Sumia Ibrahim – Profiled at JFK; Raed Jarrar – Profiled at JFK and won a court case against Jet Blue; Talat Hamdani – Mother of Mohammed Salman Hamdani; Robert Steele – Former CIA Agent; Reginald Shuford – ACLU, Senior Legal Officer; Dalia Hashad – Amnesty International, Director…

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Media Video

Converting Islamic Ideals to Hip-Hop Flow

islamoyankee

SF Gate covers the new documentary New Muslim Cool (h/t Kawthar) “New Muslim Cool,” a new documentary about a Puerto Rican convert, Hamza Perez, who gave up drug-dealing in exchange for Islam, but couldn’t quit hip-hop. Perez’s new life is certainly rich with subject matter – the FBI raids his mosque without giving a reason; he teaches prisoners in the county jail until his security clearance is mysteriously revoked – but it’s a different kind of subject matter, and he’s operating under different constraints. His ideal audience isn’t the head of a major label – it’s the young men hanging…

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Current Affairs Media

Geert Wilders and Free Speech

islamoyankee

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.

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Media

Prince of Persia and Orientalism

islamoyankee

This New York Time’s commentary ties Edward Said’s classic opus, Orientalism, to the game Prince of Persia. Then it stops. Good idea. Lousy implementation. “C” at best.   We do not see the rest of the world except as a mythologized “us.” To see the world as being composed of difference, means we have to acknowledge difference at home, and perhaps internalize the challenge to our uniqueness. It is far easier to control and encourage emulation of “us,” than to deal with difference. Orientalism, Prince of Persia

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