islamicate

Captain Jack Sparrow was Muslim

So says Aziz at City of Brass. 

Rent-Free Religion in New York’s Public Schools | Religion Dispatches

Rent-Free Religion in New York’s Public Schools | Religion Dispatches.

When I moved to New York City just over a year ago, I started going to church. More precisely, I started going to the churches—dozens of them—that were located in New York City’s public schools.

The Dolphin and the Monkey and NYPD's Disappointing Tactics

We need to hold the NYPD accountable for their misdeeds. Sarah's piece is spot on.

Sarah Sayeed, Ph.D.: The Dolphin and the Monkey and NYPD's Disappointing Tactics.

Aesop's story might be a good one to teach at New York Police Department trainings, instead of infecting unsuspecting officers with a pernicious fear of Islam and Muslims. The active participation of Police Commissioner Kelly and his Public Affairs Officer Paul Browne in the creation and promotion of an anti-Muslim film has led Muslim New Yorkers to deep disappointment, skepticism and mistrust. They are now calling for the two to resign.

Civic Pride Makes People Happier Than Ethnic Pride - News - GOOD

Civic Pride Makes People Happier Than Ethnic Pride - News - GOOD.

Patriotism looks different depending on how you spin it. It can create a fascist, racist monster, or it can be a symbol of justice and independence. The difference, according to a new global study published in Psychological Science, is the source of the pride in question. The study found that people who love their country for its laws and institutions, rather than its lineage, are happier.

The big tent: Jews, Muslims, Christians celebrate spirituality in a shared sacred space | Cover Story | Jewish Journal

The big tent:  Jews, Muslims, Christians celebrate spirituality in a shared sacred space | Cover Story | Jewish Journal.

Whirling Dervishes, an elaborate feast and a lecture by a prominent Muslim scholar – Musallah Tauhid’s joyous celebration of its move to a new home in 2008 heralded good times ahead for the Sufi Muslim worship group. As a friendly gesture, the group invited its new neighbors for the occasion: members of both Village Lutheran Church, whose Brentwood facility Musallah Tauhid would now be sharing, and Ahavat Torah, a small Jewish congregation that also holds its services at the church.

Anti-Loons of 2011: Profiles in Courage | loonwatch.com

Doesn't matter if it's late, it's a great list of people, including my friend, Haroon Moghul.

Anti-Loons of 2011: Profiles in Courage | loonwatch.com.

That time where we recount and reflect upon the events and happenings of the past year is upon us. A review of 2011 is due in short order, but before we post that piece we will consider the anti-Loons of the year. This time around it would only be fair to allow loonwatchers to vote for the Anti-Loon of the Year. As we can’t create a poll, we present those we found deserving of such a consideration.

Welcome to ShaykhaFest

Welcome to ShaykhaFest.

Did you know that some of the greatest Islamic scholars such as Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Imam Ibn al-Jawzi, Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Imam al-Dhahabi, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali and many other great Imams and scholars had female teachers? Even though it is not widely known, thousands of female scholars have enriched the Islamic tradition through out history. Shaykha Fest is intended to honor the legacy of female Islamic scholarship and draw attention to contemporary female scholars. At Shaykha Fest we will embark on an exciting journey into the past and learn from contemporary female scholars, thinkers and activists from around the world in a nurturing, non-cultural and inclusive atmosphere. Shaykha Fest in essence is a celebration of life, love and sisterhood. Come and join with us so we can revive this tradition together.

ArtLit Competition

ArtLit Competition.

Long gone are the days that teens would pick up a book and become utterly lost in the London slums and alleys of Dickens or caught up in the schemes and adventures of Twain's Huckleberry Finn on the Mississippi River. Today these playgrounds of the mind have been replaced by video games, texting and the social networks of the internet. Our purpose of organizing this competition is to inculcate love for art and literature. The award ceremony brings together people of different backgrounds to promote arts, understanding and cross-cultural dialogue.

ACLU in Court Today: Government Can't Use Border Checks to Avoid the Bill of Rights » Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union

Let's hope they win this one. We don't stop being American citizens when we leave this country.

ACLU in Court Today: Government Can't Use Border Checks to Avoid the Bill of Rights » Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Late last year at Chicago's O’Hare airport, while returning from a vacation in Mexico, Mr. House was approached by two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who questioned him about his political beliefs and then seized his computer, USB drive, video camera, and cell phone. The government retained the devices for nearly seven weeks, copying and distributing the information on them to various federal agencies.

Guest on The Takeaway: Anti-Muslim Rhetoric in the 2012 Primary - The Takeaway

Anti-Muslim Rhetoric in the 2012 Primary - The Takeaway.

While political mud-slinging is de riguer in primary races, 2012 has brought several not-so-thinly-veiled anti-Muslim soundbytes from its frontrunning candidates. Last week, Newt Gingrich said that he would not support a Muslim president unless they would "commit in public to giv[ing] up Sharia." Rick Santorum also expressed his thoughts on Islam, saying that the concept of equality "doesn’t come from Islam" or "Eastern Religions." Instead, he said, "it comes from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

“All-American Muslim” is not an Oxymoron: What Does it Mean... - Eventbrite

Very excited to be hosting this virtual panel. Please join in on Jan. 29, 2012

“All-American Muslim” is not an Oxymoron: What Does it Mean... - Eventbrite.

The Global Muslim Jewish Friendship Forum (GMJFF) is excited to announce its first public program: “All-American Muslim” is not an Oxymoron: What does it mean to be American and Muslim in the 21st century?

Supreme Court Rules Government Violated Privacy Rights in GPS Tracking Case » Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union

Supreme Court Rules Government Violated Privacy Rights in GPS Tracking Case » Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union.

In a major victory for privacy, today in U.S. v. Jones the Supreme Court unanimously held that, “The Government’s attachment of the GPS device to the vehicle, and its use of that device to monitor the vehicle’s movements, constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment.” The Court found that the government violated the Fourth Amendment, which protects American from unreasonable searches, when it placed a GPS device to Antoine Jones’s car and tracked his movements continuously for a month.

Behind the Bars of Supermax, Contemplating Aristotle and Islamic Extremism - Document - NYTimes.com

Behind the Bars of Supermax, Contemplating Aristotle and Islamic Extremism - Document - NYTimes.com.

Randall Todd Royer, 38, a Missouri-born Muslim convert known as Ismail, is nearly eight years into a 20-year prison sentence for helping friends go to an extremist training camp in Pakistan. In the highest-security prison in the United States, known as the federal Supermax, he wrote about prison life and his views about Islamic extremism in a year-long written correspondence with a New York Times reporter.

How a couple in Alaska became the terrorists next door - latimes.com

How a couple in Alaska became the terrorists next door - latimes.com.

To Rockwood, the plot involving targeted assassinations and bombs was a "pure fantasy" created by a government agent he thought was his friend, a common refrain in the nation's burgeoning number of "home-grown" terrorism plots prosecuted since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Fattest nation on Earth

A friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent me the following email:

The Fattest Nation on the Face of the Planet

... is a Muslim one...

http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/11/the-richest-fattest-nation-on-earth-its-not-the-united-states/248366/

The poorest and hungriest is probably also a Muslim one too....

May God save us from ourselves.

That about sums it up for me.

Your Call: How are graphic novelists illuminating politics and history?

Your Call: How are graphic novelists illuminating politics and history?.

On the next Your Call, we'll have conversation with graphic novelists. How do images change the art of story telling? What are your favorite graphic novels? What makes them unique? Join us at 10 or email feedback@yourcallradio.org. More graphic novels have been published in the last 10 years than in the previous 30. What explains the explosion? What can we learn from graphic journalism? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Exposing Hate, Resisting Victimization: Islamophobia & the Path Forward | Straight Talk Podcast with Dr. Hathout

My friend, Wajahat Ali, hits some good notes in this interview.

Exposing Hate, Resisting Victimization: Islamophobia & the Path Forward | Straight Talk Podcast with Dr. Hathout.

What are we doing as a nation to our own? In this conversation taped at the MPAC convention with speaker, author and playwright Wajahat Ali (co-author of “Fear Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network” study), Dr. Maher Hathout examines the small but powerful network fueling hate and its dangerous impact on politics, media and public opinion at home and abroad. As their hateful messages become more and more mainstream, how can we deal with public fear and misconceptions in a way that reinforces our identity and place in the American fabric?

Umar Hakim's Muslim Faith Inspires His Fight for Social Justice -- and a Responsible Banking Ordinance - Los Angeles News - The Informer

Umar Hakim's Muslim Faith Inspires His Fight for Social Justice -- and a Responsible Banking Ordinance - Los Angeles News - The Informer.

The offices of L.A. Voice, where Umar Hakim is in residency, are on the third floor of the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles. So when it comes time for Hakim to offer his daily prayers, he finds a quiet room, faces Mecca and turns his thoughts to God.

OWS Library Update < Killing the Buddha

The destruction of knowledge is a sign of desperation and despotism. It's no accident that it coincides with the militarization of our police forces.

OWS Library Update < Killing the Buddha.

Back in November of 2011, an epic act of state occurred in New York City—the seizure and destruction of the OWS library. More seizures ensued. The library reappeared on the Brooklyn Bridge. Readers and writers all over the world spoke out against the so-called Bloomberg Bibliocide. What’s been happening with our favorite library? KtB recently caught up with People’s Librarian Betsy Fagin via email.

At 27, new imam represents a homegrown American Islam – USATODAY.com

At 27, new imam represents a homegrown American Islam – USATODAY.com.

At just 27 years old, Asif Umar is the new imam of Daar-ul-Islam mosque, the largest mosque in the St. Louis area. The son of Indian immigrants is devoted to the city's sports teams, marking the end of Ramadan with a St. Louis Blues hockey game.

Kareem the Dream named Ambassador

I love The Dream. I love the fact that he got this appointment. However, I don't think engaging young people should be the primary selling point about a guy who was getting to retire when I was a kid. 

News from The Associated Press.

In a move to engage young people worldwide, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a global cultural ambassador.

Jihad Beyond Islam: open access book | Islam, Muslims, and an Anthropologist

Jihad Beyond Islam: open access book | Islam, Muslims, and an Anthropologist.

I am pleased to inform you that my publisher Berg has decided to join the Social Science Open Access Repository and to make my first book, Jihad Beyond Islam(2006) available legally for download with no costs but strictly under the Creative Common License.

Video: Beautiful Adhaan

A beautiful rendition of the adhaan, the call to prayer, recited in a church. h/t to the Web Shaykh of Tabsir.

Music

Stop SOPA and PIPA

via velveteenrabbi.blogs.com

See Rachel's whole post for excellent resources against SOPA and PIPA. We are both on TypePad and can't go black for the day.

TSA Seeks to Expand the Airport Experience Into Everyday Life » Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union

TSA Seeks to Expand the Airport Experience Into Everyday Life » Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Los Angeles Times today reports on the TSA’s VIPR program, in which roving teams of security agents bring the joys of the airport security experience into bus and train stations, highways, the subway, and other transportation facilities around the country (a Daily Caller story on the program from earlier this year is here). 

This program represents nothing less than a direct assault on the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. It’s also an exceedingly dumb security measure. But never underestimate the mindless force of a government bureaucracy seeking to expand its power, domain, and budget. 

INFOGRAPHIC: Guantanamo by the Numbers » Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union

INFOGRAPHIC: Guantanamo by the Numbers » Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union.

This Wednesday, January 11 marks 10 years since the first prisoners were sent to Guantánamo. Over the last decade, the prison camp has become a symbol of injustice, abuse and disregard for the rule of law.

hawgblawg: Robin Wright on Arab/Islamic Hip-Hop

About time MERIP got a blog. Some nice stuff brewing.

hawgblawg: Robin Wright on Arab/Islamic Hip-Hop.

Merip has a brand new blog, launched today. I intend to contribute posts on a regular basis--but I will not be abandoning hawgblawg by any means. My first was a meditation on how Robin Wright celebrates Arab/Islamic hip-hop in her book, Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World. Read it here.

Omid Safi: What Would Martin Say Now?

Omid Safi: What Would Martin Say Now?.

Prophets don't come to us to make us feel better about ourselves, to tell us to affirm our inner goodness, or to grant us wishes like a Santa-Clause. 

No, prophets come to hold up a mirror to our society and our hearts, and let us see how we have fallen away from God, how we are living unjustly. They tell us that unless we repent now, the judgment of the Lord is upon us.

Cambridge Digital Library - University of Cambridge

Cambridge Digital Library - University of Cambridge.

Cambridge University Library's collection of Islamic manuscripts dates from the origins of Arabic scholarship in Cambridge in the 1630s when the University founded a Professorship in Arabic and William Bedwell donated a Qur'an to the Library. Since that time the collection has grown in size and diversity to over 5,000 works, including the collections of Thomas Erpenius, J.L.Burckhardt, E.H.Palmer and E.G. Browne. These manuscripts shed light on many aspects of the Islamic world, its beliefs and learning.

h/t Gary Bunt

An Absurd Rite of Passage - Ta-Nehisi Coates - National - The Atlantic

An Absurd Rite of Passage - Ta-Nehisi Coates - National - The Atlantic.

I wanted to make sure I linked to this excellent op-ed from a young black man, experiencing what all too many of us learn to basically tolerate in New York.