Veiled Voicesis a rare look into the everyday life of three Muslim women in Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. It's an insightful departure from the exhausted cliche rampant in mainstream media of veiled women=oppressed women. These are religious leaders in their communities who are taking on challenging tasks to preach to other women in mosques and at home. Below is a clip from the documentary which will air on Colorado Public Television tonight at 9. This is quite similar to some of the arguments raised in Saba Mahmood's important book on the women's piety movement in Egypt.
Well here is a more than reasonable thought. Shouldn't Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Turkey or any other Muslim country where Al-Qaeda has struck since 9/11, be leading the search for Bin Laden and his lieutenant, Al-Zawahiri. Dr. Fadl, a well-known scholar of Islamic jurisprudence and jihad, thinks both men should face an Islamic trial because they've caused enough suffering to Muslims and sullied the image of their religion. I think that's an excellent idea an... Continue reading...
Here is an interesting article in today's edition of the Washington Post about what language to use for Juma' (Friday) prayer in American mosques. I don't understand why this should still be an issue. If the point of sermons is to help people reflect, then why do they have to be in a language most don't understand and are only attached to symbolically? This got to be one of the reasons many see the Juma' sermon as a mechanical ritual instead of an inspiring and uplifting experience.
I recently read an interesting article by Newsweek's international editor, Fareed Zakaria, in which he echoes much of what many observers have been saying about jihadism and the Middle East. A debate has raged in the Muslim world about what constitutes Islam after 9/11, but much of that reflection has gone unnoticed in the West. Zakaria sums up very well the need to pay attention to Muslim civil society, including the media, if we're serious enough about combating jihadism.
I've devoted this blog to revealing new and for the most part promising trends in Muslim media in the hope of challenging the reductionist views some in the West hold of the contemporary Muslim world. I know that for some people these voices don't matter much in the face of a violent extremism that shows no regard for human life and respect for dialogue. But this attitude is precisely what keeps these progressive voices from making a bigger difference in their communities because we think of ... Continue reading...
Here is a story we seldom heard anywhere. After a talk I gave this past Saturday in Carbondale, Colorado about who speaks for Islam, I was approached by a fascinating photographer, Norman Gershman, whose work has been featured in the United Nations and well-known museums around the world. His latest exhibit and book are about Muslim Albanians and Kosovars who provided shelter to Jewish families at grave peril to themselves during WWII. I've been reading the book, Besa: Muslims who Saved Jews ... Continue reading...
I've been listening for the last few months to an extremely interesting series on Islam from Wisconsin Public Radio in Madison. Inside Islam, a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin at Madison and WPR's program, Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders, has featured great guests rarely invited by traditional media, including secular and religious artists, novelists, scholars, comedians, bloggers, journalists, and activists. They have certainly set an excellent example for how the disc... Continue reading...
For almost six years the Swiss intellectual, Tariq Ramadan, had been barred from entering the United States, but no more. Thanks to a direct order from President Obama and Secretary Clinton, Ramadan will no longer be denied an entry visa. This is a major victory for critical debate. I'm sure requests to speak at conferences are already pouring in. I saw Ramadan speak at the last American Academy of Religion conference in Montreal and you can disagree with his ideas, but he's a great, construc... Continue reading...
As I watch the devastating pictures of Haiti and read about the horrifying stories of people left to scramble for food, shelter and dignity, I can't help but think of the ritzy extravagance of Dubai and its recent rejoicing over the world's tallest skyscraper which cost more than $1.5 billion (that's the happy story. The sad story is that more than 1,000 workers died while building it). I can't resist asking the obvious question: how much of this money could have been used to help the poor ar... Continue reading...
A young Muslim businessman in Orange County recently launched onelegacyradio, a 24-hour Muslim radio station in Irvine, Calif. I haven't listened to any of their programs yet, but judging from their schedule and program description online, the topics are quite engaging and very topical, including such issues as youth radicalization, drug use, and many other social problems. One of their live shows is called Objection, a daily talk show hosted by an activist and an attorney specializing in nat... Continue reading...
I was born and raised in Morocco. My research focuses on the intersections between Islam, Arab popular culture and the media. I'm currently an assistant professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
I was born and raised in Morocco. My research focuses on the intersections between Islam, Arab popular culture and the media. I'm currently an assistant professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
