I remember back when Hurricane Katrina happened in 2005 in New Orleans. I heard about the lawlessness that took over New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit and I saw the images of destruction on TV, but in no way was I prepared for Dave Eggers’ new book Zeitoun. Syrian born Abdulrahman Zeitoun, or ‘Zeitoun’ as he is called, and his family were among the New Orleans residents whose lives were affected by the flood and its aftermath. In his latest work of nonfiction, Dave Eggers chronicles the Zeitoun family through Hurricane Katrina, the days leading up the event, and the ensuing weeks that forever changed them.

Eggers opens the book with Zeitoun and his wife Kathy as they go about the day to day. Together, they have raised a family while establishing a successful business in New Orleans. When we are first introduced to these characters, the hurricane has yet to strike. However, the ominous warnings regarding the increasing strength of the hurricane are prevalent throughout New Orleans media, ensuring Zeitoun, Kathy, and all of the New Orleans residents become aware at the dire nature of the situation, especially with the news that the levees may breach. And yet, Zeitoun elects to stay in the city as his wife and kids evacuate despite his wife’s pleas for him to join them in the exodus to a safer area.

When speculation becomes reality and the levees break, the city is flooded and Zeitoun somehow makes the most of it. He navigates the city with his second hand canoe and becomes a savior of sorts to people around the city as he rows around, offering his help when he can. At first, he embraces the calm spell the city falls under. Then, the unthinkable happens and Zeitoun finds himself apprehended and placed in a makeshift prison. Meanwhile, Kathy goes through her own personal hell as she can’t contact her husband and is left to wonder if he is among the rising number of dead bodies floating around New Orleans. One will feel a rise of indignation as they read on about the atrocities committed in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, all in the name of justice.

In the end, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Not only was I completely immersed in the story, but it’s important that we learn about one of the most defining events in recent U.S. history. Also, I loved how Eggers goes back and forth from the present to the past with events that provide insight on the people he documents throughout his book. The reader learns about Zeitoun growing up in Syria and his life at sea, what led Kathy to Islam, how Zeitoun and Kathy met and got married, and a multitude of other events that truly define these people and make them easy to relate to, making their struggle our struggle, whether one is Muslim or not.

Further reading: – Check out Wajahat Ali’s interview with Dave Eggers: Dave Eggers Interview: Zeitoun – An American Muslim Hero. This interview has also been featured in Huffington Post and Variety.

From the article:

When dealing with the Muslims, Obama urged: “We can have legitimate disagreements but still be respectful.” However, his reinforced commitment to Israel – despite the humanitarian crisis and global condemnation surrounding its actions in Gaza – is both polarizing and contentious to Muslims worldwide. When Obama firmly stated: “I will continue to believe that Israel’s security is paramount,” many Muslims lost hope in Obama’s promise – and by extension the desire for a new and “improved” US Middle East foreign policy – due to perceptions of his unconditionally-biased loyalty towards Israel.

Check out the entire article.

Please try to join us as this documentary does a superb job to explain the history of this issue.

From the official website:

The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media outlets.

The film covers a wide range of topics — which include — the first wave of Jewish immigration from Europe in the 1880′s, the 1920 tensions, the 1948 war, the 1967 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo Peace Process, Settlement expansion, the role of the United States Government, the second Intifada of 2000, the separation barrier and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as many heart wrenching testimonials from victims of this tragedy.

Flyer

His blog can be found here.

Check the archives as well as he writes about his time in Medina before he reached Mecca in which he visited the grave of Aisha, the tomb of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and various mosques. Here is an excerpt from his blog post titled “A Jewish cemetery and a battlefield”:

One of the most surprising things about the Quba Mosque is the presence of a Jewish cemetery next door. It is an ancient site that has stood undisturbed since the early days of Islam. Despite the current tensions in the Middle East due to the Arab-Israeli conflict, history shows that Jews and Muslims got along reasonably well over the centuries. Jews were better treated in Muslim lands than they were under Christian rulers. And in Spain in particular, Muslim and Jews enjoyed a rich and friendly relationship. When the golden age of al-Andalus was brought to an end by the Inquisition, the Jews of Spain fled Christian persecution and turned to Muslim countries for protection. Many Jews settled in the Ottoman Empire, where they thrived alongside their Muslim neighbors, and Jews even rose to the position of top government ministers under the sultans of Turkey.

Be sure to check out Kamran Pasha, blogging live from Hajj.

Obsession was produced by the Clarion Fund, a 501(c)(3) charity, which cannot get involved in campaign politics. But its spokesman has said the newspaper distribution had one purpose: to make terrorism a presidential campaign issue where it counts — in the battleground states. He said Clarion did this with a half-million dollar grant from a secret donor.

Another article was written delving into a bit of the background Clarion Group: Clarion Responds, As New Details Emerge About “Radical Islam” DVD.

It’s all very interesting and more than a tad bit suspect.

The DVD may have been the reason that Muslim children were gassed in a mosque in Dayton, Ohio.

Using the story of the massacre in Azizabad in Afghanistan as a starting point, Greenwald discusses the media’s role, especially Fox, in constantly covering up lies of the government:

There is an entire cable “news” outlet, the highest-rated one in the country, which exists for little reason other than to amplify and certify false government claims — it’s literally nothing more than an outlet for state-issued propaganda — and our leading news critics and even other “journalists” praise and treat its “news” anchors as legitimate and credible sources of news.

Way beyond Fox, this is the same thing that our media generally (and with some important exceptions) has been doing for years, at least — mindlessly repeating and confirming false Government claims.

It’s a long article but worth reading. Glenn Greenwald is a journalist who also strives to be a credible voice American journalism.

Many organizations participated in Muslim Unity Day, including Islamic bookstores, clothing stores, and even jewelry stores. There was a concert held at the end of the day that featured comedian Imran J. Khan and musical acts SevenEightSix and Five Eighty. To me, the highlight of the concert was when hip hop artist Amir ‘Five Eighty’ Abdul-Shakur serenaded his wife on stage.

Next year marks the 5th anniversary of Muslim Unity Day sponsored by the Muslim Unity Foundation so be sure to keep an eye out for that some time next year, InshAllah.

See you there.

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

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.