It became ever clearer to me after our conference on Islam and the Media that journalists do not work hard to seek out alternative Muslim voices to counteract the extremism of radical Islam. Everywhere you look, the debate on Islam is acrimonious, unidimensional, and excessively security-based. Lots of Muslims have been hard at work creating new spaces for a different kind of debate that is constructive and less polarized. We had many of them here in Boulder during our conference and they came from all over the world, from the creator of the first Muslim comic strip, the 99 to the writer of the Canadian hit sitcom, Little Mosque on the Prairie. Our big disappointment was than nobody from the media (local, regional or national) bothered to stop by even after many interviews I did prior to the conference and the countless emails and press releases I sent to various reporters across the country. Stop asking us where the moderate Muslims are because I brought many of them together for 4 days and they were willing to talk, but you didn't show up. One of them was Mona Eltahawy, an energetic columnist who writes on Muslim issues. You can watch below her latest commentary on the many voices on the Web who deserve to be amplified but are simply foreshadowed by the spectacle of radicals. The media have a big responsibility here because the stakes are simply too high to afford lazy and short-sighted reporting.
Yesterday was the last day of our international conference on Islam and the Media organized by our Center for Media, Religion and Culture. Some amazing research is being done in many countries around the world about an interesting and vibrant Muslim media culture (broadcast, print, and digital) that is evolving with its new (mixed with old) production aesthetics, its own political economy, and certainly its own religious authority. We had stimulating discussions about these and many other to... Continue reading...
For those of you who understand French, you'll find this video of Tariq Ramadan speaking to the parliamentary commission on the burqa quite interesting. He told the 32 members (from both the right and left) of the commission that France was skirting the main problems it has with Muslims by focusing on extreme cases like wearing the burqa. This commission, Ramadan said, would be more productive if it tackled real problems of structural racism and social inequalities in France's suburbs. The ma... Continue reading...
Here is an interesting take on the implications of the anti-minaret vote in Switzerland. Ian Buruma argues that Muslims painfully remind Europeans of the loss of their own faith.
I mentioned Christopher Caldwell's book, Reflections on the Revolution in Europe, in a recent post. Here is a very good review by Laila Lalami in The Nation.
Here is a video from Ta'Leef Collective, an independent Muslim organization in the San Francisco Bay area, which grew out of a Zaytuna Institute outreach program to help converts to Islam and Muslim youth. The video describes their outreach initiatives in California and raises some interesting and rarely-addressed issues regarding the support provided after someone converts to Islam. This is from their mission statement, "Ta’leef Collective primarily serves seekers actively interested in
I... Continue reading...
An all too common pattern is emerging in the wake of the tragic shooting at Fort Hood. The media and their so-called experts, woefully unrepentant about their glaring double standards in covering anything "Muslim," are uncritically trumping up the faith card (Even The New York Times is leading today's edition with the surveillance picture showing Major Nidal Malik Hasan in a 'Middle Eastern' attire, further distancing the killer from his American roots. Even if your text is more nuanced, pict... Continue reading...
As I said a few times on this blog, this question is very common now and even if it's a rhetorical one, it's quite useful to think with because it generates a healthy debate about the diversity of voices who speak on behalf of Islam. Link TV is continuing its series on Who Speaks for Islam with some interesting guests from actors, authors, tv producers, Hollywood screenwriters, comedians to pollsters. I also came across this passionate debate between Irshad Manji and Dalia Mogahed (from last ... Continue reading...
The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued yesterday an editorial entitled, "Islamophobia Machine Targets American Muslims,"describing what it sees as the mainstreaming of anti-Muslim rhetoric in America.
Four members of Congress made some ridiculous allegations against the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Reps. Sue Myrick of North Carolina,
Trent Franks of Arizona, Paul Broun of Georgia and John Shadegg of Arizona accuse this largest Muslim advocacy group in the United States of spying on Congress by placing interns with lawmakers who have access to critical security information. I can only laugh at this and share with you this hilarious video made by the comedians of the Axis... 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.
