Month: July 2010

Web/Tech

MicroEducation, or YouTube for good

islamoyankee

Mountain View’s global teacher of 1,516 lessons and counting – Inside Bay Area. From a tiny closet in Mountain View, Sal Khan is educating the globe for free.  His 1,516 videotaped mini-lectures — on topics ranging from simple addition to vector calculus and Napoleonic campaigns — are transforming the former hedge fund analyst into a YouTube sensation, reaping praise from even reluctant students across the world.  “I’m starting a virtual school for the world, teaching things the way I wanted to be taught,” explains Khan, 33, the exuberant founder and sole faculty member of the nonprofit Khan Academy, run out…

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Intra-faith

Imam Ali and Compassion

islamoyankee

Watch the video. The Ismaili: Video: Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi delivers the 2010 Yawm-e Ali lecture at the Ismaili Centre, London. The 2010 Yawm-e Ali Lecture at the Ismaili Centre, London was delivered on 14 July by Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi, Reasearch Fellow at The Institute of Ismaili Studies in London. In his lecture titled Imam Ali and the Power of Compassion, Dr Shah-Kazemi explored the role played by Rahma — divine compassion — in the teachings of Hazrat Ali.

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Inter-faith

A Pre-Ramadan Dinner at The Cornell Club

islamoyankee

A Pre-Ramadan Dinner at The Cornell Club [Updated] – avari | haroon moghul. The Cornell Club of New York Presents: “The Meaning of Ramadan” A Discussion and Reception When: August 2nd, 2010, 6pm – 10pm Where: 6 East 44th Street, New York, NY http://www.cornellclubnyc.com/ Cost: $31 per person [see below for RSVP guidelines] Join the Cornell Club for its first-ever introduction to Islam’s holiest month, followed by a delicious dinner featuring Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisine. Miscellany: All guests must have reservations made through Cornell Club members. Advance reservations are required by Thursday, July 29th. For ticket purchases, contact…

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Women

Veiled Threats? – Opinionator Blog – NYTimes.com

islamoyankee

Veiled Threats? – Opinionator Blog – NYTimes.com. Finally, I’ve heard the argument that the burqa is per se unhealthy, because it is hot and uncomfortable.  (Not surprisingly, this argument is made in Spain.)  This is perhaps the silliest of the arguments.  Clothing that covers the body can be comfortable or uncomfortable, depending on the fabric.   In India I typically wear a full salwaar kameez of cotton, because it is superbly comfortable, and full covering keeps dust off one’s limbs and at least diminishes the risk of skin cancer.  It is surely far from clear that the amount of skin displayed…

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Charity

Action Call: Voice of Witness

islamoyankee

Voice of Witness » You Can Help Send Interviewers Into the Field. Voice of Witness is raising funds for a forthcoming book telling the stories of men and women who have experienced human rights abuse and other injustices after 9/11. This book will illuminate the life stories of people who have experienced the violence, violation of rights and civil liberties, and discrimination that has become widespread in the last decade. We welcome the experiences of all people affected by this issue, including but by no means limited to Arabs and Muslims, South Asians, and Middle Easterners in America, whether citizens…

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Inter-faith

Not a War Against Islam – Brian’s Study Breaks

islamoyankee

In his book Jerusalem: From the Ottomans to the British, Roberto Mazza a note issued by the British Foreign Office’s News Department: “The attention of the press is again drawn to the undesirability of publishing any article, paragraph of picture suggesting that military operations against Turkey are in any sense a Holy War, a modern Crusade, or have anything whatever to do with religious questions. The British Empire is said to contain a hundred million of Mohammedan subjects of the King and it is obviously mischievous to suggest that our quarrel with Turkey is one between Islam and Christianity.” [From…

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Art

G. Willow Wilson (@g_willow) on the latest Draw Muhammad Day Insanity

islamoyankee

Guest Voices: A Muslim cartoonist on “Draw Muhammad Day” – On Faith at washingtonpost.com. What Norris failed to understand is that by creating events like “Draw Muhammad Day”, artists hurl rhetorical stones that go straight through their enemies and hit Muslims like me. Al Qaeda isn’t hurt by Draw Muhammad Day. Its entire PR campaign is built on incidents like these. Without the Molly Norrises and Jyllands Postens of the world, Al Qaeda would have to get a lot more creative with its recruitment strategies. Artists who caricature the Prophet inevitably claim, as Norris has done, that they never meant…

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Charity

Queens, NY Action: Hindi/Bangla Translation Help Needed

islamoyankee

Dear friends and colleagues, Hope you are enjoying your summer. I need your help recruiting volunteers for an historic event that Chhaya is putting together in York College on Saturday August 7th. It is a foreclosure prevention rescue fair where lenders and housing counselors will assist distressed homeowners with loan modification applications. As you know our target population is immigrants, particularly from South Asia, who have been significantly impacted in this crisis (our research shows that in some zip codes in Queens, as many as 50% default was among SA homeowners!) We expect as many as 500 homeowners to attend…

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