Category: Religion

The Princess and the Commoner « alBostoni. An Andalusian Princess in her Cordovan castle was told that a commoner was at the gates. “The same one your majesty, whom you never let in.” A mistress feeling pity for him pleaded that he be granted entrance, to which the princess replied: “There are people who come to be in my presence. There are those who come seeking sustenance. And there are those whom I must admit entrance, lest they feel abandoned and revolt against life and my family. But then there is this commoner who is perplexing.  He comes neither for…

Teachers from around the country attend webinar on “The State of Muslims in America” | The Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University. In the contemporary context, Dr. Rashid spoke as well about the role of pop culture and media, including television sit-coms, music, and comedy (examples included the “Axis of Evil Comedy Tour” and the hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco among others), and the ways in which these have historically functioned as a normalizing force for marginalized communities in the U.S.  Participants in the webinar opened discussion about the notion of “Muslim culture” in this context, reflecting on the…

Book Review: A Muslim American Slave – WSJ.com. Amid these unpromising circumstances, members of the American Colonization Society—a group that encouraged owners to free their slaves and organized former slaves to colonize what is today Liberia—asked North Carolina slave Omar Ibn Said to write his autobiography. A literate man of West African extraction who had converted from Islam to Christianity, Ibn Said (ca. 1770–1863) created what today is the only extant example of an American slave narrative written in Arabic. His brief work, under the title "A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar Ibn Said," is now published in…

This is a great trend overall. My fear is that religion will become a reified, unitary identity that will become over-determined as many traditional group markers are redefined. More Young Americans Identify as Mixed Race – NYTimes.com. The crop of students moving through college right now includes the largest group of mixed-race people ever to come of age in the United States, and they are only the vanguard: the country is in the midst of a demographic shift driven by immigration and intermarriage.

Statement by the President on the Occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr As Ramadan comes to an end, Michelle and I extend our best wishes to Muslims in the United States and around the world on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. For Muslims all over the world, Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of a holy month of fasting and prayer. It is a time of self-reflection focusing on the values that Muslims and people of all faiths share – charity, community, cooperation and compassion. This year’s Eid is also an occasion to reflect on the importance of religious tolerance and to recognize the positive…

The Associated Press: Vikings safety Husain Abdullah awaits Ramadan fast. Even while sprinting in the heat and humidity during drills, sometimes in full pads, Abdullah is adamant about his faith. He will not allow himself so much as a cup of water until the sun sets and before it rises. “I’m putting nothing before God, nothing before my religion,” Abdullah said. “This is something I choose to do, not something I have to do. So I’m always going to fast.”