Illume 2.0 - Check it Out

Posted on June 17, 2008 by Bushra
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Javed Ali, founder of Illume Magazine, has relaunched the Illume’s website: www.Illumemedia.org. The site includes articles from the new issue, regular columns, and community blogs, the latter of which are exclusive to the website.

From the editor’s note:

Storytelling has been used throughout history to preserve culture and to instill moral values within a community. It is imperative that endeavours such as Illume Magazine are supported by the communities whose story they look to tell. As mainstream media has struggled to examine Muslim-American stories that really matter, it is vital that in the tradition of Maulauna Rumi, Muslims in this country begin to develop their own narratives, even if those conversations make us uncomfortable, or even if they are a reinterpretation of the stories shared by all Americans.

So check out Illume Magazine. And I’m not just saying that because I am involved with it

Back Road to the White House

Posted on June 4, 2008 by Dawan
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Throughout history, Empires and Dynasties have fallen when the desire for power and control at all levels of society becomes uncontrollable. People become ignorant, arrogant, insensitive to the world around them and basically uncivilized in their thinking and behavior. Corrupt practices within the leadership, covertly takes precedence over establishing moral fiber, justice and basic human rights, manifesting “dog eat dog,” “get over any way you can” attitudes amongst the people. Today’s America, dubbed as the world’s sole “Super Power,” boldly promotes her idea of democracy in theory, but her practice obviously displays the aforementioned signs of a nation falling at an accelerated pace. So much damage has been done trying to maintain this “Super Power” image, that it will take several conscious government administrations to get this unconscious America on the right track. In political debates, legitimate issues such as moral responsibility, education, social justice, health care, economy and the environment are used strictly as platforms for election, yet the candidates usually appear clueless as to how they will really deal with these issues. In addition, the media’s pre-occupation with seeking out and exposing the skeletons (and there are many) in the closets of candidates has become a prime source of entertainment, which completely overshadows the issues. In view of the current trends in American politics, the upcoming Presidential Elections will be a “crap shoot” any way you look at it.

United States Reinstate Fulbright Grants

Posted on June 2, 2008 by Bushra
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Last week, the United States State Department pulled out seven Fulbright Grants to Palestinians in Gaza because the Israeli government wouldn’t let them out.

However, it is now being reported that the U.S. has reinstated the Fulbright Grants and is working to get the students out of Gaza and into the U.S. Check out the story here on BBC.

Of course, these grants should never have been revoked in the first place.

STAND UP: Muslim American Comics Come of Age - Review

Posted on May 9, 2008 by Bushra
Filed Under Reviews, TV | 3 Comments

On Sunday, May 11, PBS will air another entry in their American at a Crossroads series with STAND UP: Muslim American Comics Come of Age. This latest entry is decidedly less serious than the previous documentaries in this series but still takes on the ever important question of the role of Muslims in America after 9/11.

The documentary follows five Muslim American comics: Azhar Usman, Ahmed Ahmed, Dean Obeidallah, Tissa Hami, and Maysoon Zayid. These comics range all over the Islamic spectrum, from the devout to cultural Muslims. Yet, they all felt a responsibility to do something after 9/11. In their case, this revolved around using comedy as a tool to dispel stereotypes.

However, this responsibility was not always apparent, as Dean Obeidallah discussed in the documentary. He was quite candid about using his first and middle name, “Dean Joseph” when he went on the stage to perform in the weeks that followed the 9/11 attacks. However, he understood that this wasn’t the ideal manner to deal with his Arab side. Obeidallah went on to found the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival to showcase Arab-American comics in the hope of humanizing this ethnic group to non-Muslims and non-Arabs. In essence, this festival and the Allah Made Me Funny Tour with Azhar Usman and Ahmed Ahmed have done much to portray
this group of people contrary to how the media typically portrays them.

The documentary was rather entertaining and informative and, while I did know about a few of these comics (I think I heard all of Azhar Usman jokes before ), I became introduced to others during the one hour show. It goes to show that we all need to use our strengths, whatever they may be, to further help along the image of Muslims and Arabs.

My one gripe with the documentary was that the viewer is not quite shown the reaction of non-Muslims to these comics. I would have loved to see the ramifications Muslim/Arab comics have on non-Muslims/non-Arabs who are watching them. Are they making a difference? Do audience members come away with a more positive views of the people the comics represent? The only glimpse the producers gave of this was in an interview with Ahmed Ahmed when he said that one person came up to him after a show and said he “was funny”. Fortunately, I was able to propose this question to the comics through the firm promoting the documentary:

Question: What are some of the changes you all have seen with non-Muslims after a show? What kind of effect do the shows have on non-Muslims? Do they seem receptive in the audience?

Dean Obeidallah:The fact that non-Muslims and non-Middle Easterners come to our shows in increasing number is very encouraging. Overall they seem to enjoy the shows a great deal. In fact, I hope that people in our community will try to bring one person from outside of it to our shows because I think they will be surprised how accessible and funny it is for people of all backgrounds.

Maysoon Zayed: 99% of my non muslim audience converts by the end of the show. Mostly they do it so that they can ask my dad the HAJ Musa Zayid for my hand in marriage. This includes the women. Did I mention how much I love my audiences. [Note: I'm pretty sure she's kidding about the first part.]

Check the local listing of your PBS station for show times in your area. Unfortunately for those of us living in the San Francisco Bay Area, it does not appear to be showing anytime soon.

Using Film to Promote Islam

Posted on May 8, 2008 by Bushra
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The NY Times has an article about Muslim filmmakers using their talents to alter the
negative face of Islam, an image that many non-Muslims many cling to. Check out the article:

Young Video Makers Try to Alter Islam’s Face

U.S. Officials Urged to Quit using “Islam” in Terrorism Talk

Posted on May 7, 2008 by Bushra
Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment

There is a guide going around in government circles by the National Counter-Terrorism Center that U.S. officials need to cease and desist using “Islam” and other words associated with the religion when talking about terrorists. For instance, they are not to mention Al-Qaeda as a Muslim or Islamic group.

The guide being passed around for this matter explains the need to keep this language out of discussion.

By employing the language the extremists use about themselves, the guide warns, officials can inadvertently help legitimize them in the eyes of Muslims.

“Never use the terms ‘jihadist’ or ‘mujahedin’ … to describe the terrorists,” instructs the guide. “A mujahed, a holy warrior, is a positive characterization in the context of a just war. In Arabic, jihad means ’striving in the path of God’ and is used in many contexts beyond warfare. Calling our enemies Jihadis and their movement a global Jihad unintentionally legitimizes their actions.”

This guide sounds like a good thing. Let’s hope it catches on. Check out the full article here.

Interfaith Battles Discrimination

Posted on May 4, 2008 by Dawan
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Before we broach the subject of interfaith, we need to establish the foundation and ground rules for substantiating our positions, so that we can stay focused on the main objective of this article, which is to take a deeper look into promoting interfaith as a means for overcoming discriminatory practices.

The conflict between church and state is commonplace in America and in spite of confusion and discomfort surrounding this great conflict, there is this vague concept of democracy that attempts to justify everything. Today, political ideas completely over rule religious beliefs and practices in almost every situation! Under the auspices of a particular brand of democracy, America has dispatched missionaries throughout the world with very little regard for the folkways, mores and religious traditions of the world’s indigenous cultures. As a result, people of all faiths must turn to their own religious scriptures and doctrines for guidance through this terrible dilemma. Repeated indulgence in religious scripture reminds us all that there is One God, who is Creator, Sustainer and Terminator of all things. While we may look different, speak different languages, follow different paths, perform different rituals and demonstrate different ways of bearing witness that there is only One God, declaring belief in The One God is at least one thing that Believers have in common. We worship putting our trust in The Creator of everything! So, we ask ourselves the question, why is it so difficult for us to worship in peace? An obvious answer is, leading a religious way of life today, is not popular or politically astute. Even people from strong religious traditions are playing with semantics, saying “I believe in God, but I’m not religious, I’m spiritual.” The Creator knows their intentions, but for us to distinguish true Believers from Non-believers, we can only observe their deeds. On the surface and in principle, Believers and Non-believers acknowledge the different cultures and agree with the people’s right to worship The Creator in their own tradition, however, the fact remains that beneath the surface, a lack of respect and appreciation for differences continues to brew and emerge as discrimination. Why?

Khalifah Consciousness

Posted on May 2, 2008 by Dawan
Filed Under Current Events, News, Presentation, Religion, Reviews, politics | Leave a Comment

As issues arise in Muslim communities, we are reminded of our duty to do what Allah (swt) has prescribed in Qur’an and accept the responsibility of Khalifah which Allah has bestowed upon us. Under the banner of Khalifah Consciousness we become more aware and are able to overcome the affects of deep psychological conditions that prevents us from acknowledging issues within and around our communities that need to be addressed. The following blog is an example:

Qur’an Conference promotes Unity of Humanity

Under the leadership of Imam Abu Qadir El Amin, the Muslim Community Center of San Francisco, California, is to be commended for producing one of the most enlightening conferences for people seeking to be more consciousness of religious Prophecy, the current times in which we are living and leadership for future generations. Held April 19^th and 20^th at the Masonic Auditorium and attended by predominantly Muslim African Americans, San Francisco Muslim Community Center’s Qur’an Conference is an annual event dedicated to spiritual awareness and guidance through the understanding of religious scriptures. Although the scholarly presenters referred to revelations from various collections of Scripture, the message overall focused on Creation Science and the completion of human evolution according to Scripture. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of understanding that the Qur’an and original Arabic language is a Blessing from God and our most reliable source of authentic scriptural information, referring to, correcting and upgrading the valid scriptures that were produced from earlier Revelations. Many viewed the event as an educational celebration for those who believe in and worship One God! Most of the religious faiths or paths were mentioned and acknowledged in past, present and future context as part of The One God’s Creation and Plan for the evolution of human beings. The chronological history and specific role of Muslim African Americans was referred to as a sign in scripture pointing to the establishment of Islamic leadership in the west and paving the way for Immigrant Muslims to build communities in America. Throughout the event, human evolution, brotherhood of humanity and righteous leadership was explained and supported with scriptural content. All speakers were unified and in line with the principle tenants of the Islamic way of life.

SBIA Media Committee Presentation at SJSU

Posted on April 28, 2008 by Bushra
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The SBIA Media Committee was asked by San Jose State University Professor Ann Sarrafzadeh to conduct a presentation in her Studies in American Language class this past Friday, April 25.

A few members of the Media Committee - Irfan Ryhdan, Dawan Muhammad, Imam Bilal ibnMuhammad, and myself - participated in this presentation. Afterwards, the class broke off into small groups with one Media Committee representative present in each group to field questions about Islam, the media, or both.

The class was very receptive to the presentation and asked many questions about the image of Islam and Muslims in America. Many were surprised to learn that Muslims believe in all the Prophets of God, including Jesus (PBUH) and our religion has many similarities between Christianity and Judiasm.

They also learned to not believe everything they see or hear in the media, particularly when it comes to Islam or Muslims.

Overall the presentation was a success and InshaAllah the Media Committee will be doing similar presentations to both Muslim and Non-Muslims audiences in the near future.

A few pictures from the presentation are below:
Irfan