altmuslim this week - june 29, 2009 - This week, reeling over the death of Michael Jackson (or is it Mikaeel?), a brutal (and brutally unfair?) new film about the stoning of women in Iran, and our good friend Farah Pandith - the most effective behind-the-scenes American Muslim you've never met - is promoted to a new office by Secretary Clinton. 
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US outreach to Muslims in good hands - Several of us at altmuslim have had the opportunity to work with Farah Pandith, who has just been appointed by Secretary Clinton to be a special representative to Muslim communities worldwide. (June 27, 2009)
Her name is Neda - Many have died tragic - and silent - deaths in the post-election violence in Iran. But one woman, Neda Agha Soltan, became a symbol with her death caught on video. Here, Neda's fiancee, Caspian Makan, comments on her story in comments transcribed exclusively for altmuslim.com. (June 25, 2009)
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altmuslim review 032 - Muslim writers everywhere! We speak about the new wave of Western Muslim literature and interview two authors with recently released books. Our own Irfan Yusuf talks about his memoir, Once Were Radicals and Reza Aslan tells us more about his second book, How to Win a Cosmic War (June 11, 2009)
altmuslim review 031 - Oh, Bama! What does the election of Barack Obama mean for American Muslims, who were both courted and shunned during a long campaign? We speak with American Muslim Democratic activists who were gathered in Washington for the historic inauguration. (March 5, 2009)
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Recent and upcoming talks and offsite articles by altmuslim contributors
State-sponsored Sufism, Ali Eteraz, Foreign Policy, June 10, 2009.
Pushing the Envelope Without Breaking It, Shahed Amanullah, The Mosque in Morgantown, June 2, 2009.
Obama in Egypt: Let the unsaid be said, Zahed Amanullah, Patheos.com, May 28, 2009.
Zahed will be a panelist at Divan 2.0, a debate on the future of the Muslim internet sponsored by the Radical Middle Way at the London School of Economics in London, England, May 22, 2009.
Once Were Radicals (published by Allen and Unwin), the first book by Associate Editor Irfan Yusuf, is released in Australia, May 4, 2009.
Shahed and Wajahat will be speaking at the 3rd Annual Leadership Summit presented by the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals in Princeton, NJ, May 2, 2009.
Shahed will be leading a workshop on Media Strategies & Techniques at the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow conference in New York, NY, April 24-25, 2009.
Bringing it all back home, Wajahat Ali, The Guardian, Comment is Free, April 9, 2009.
Zahed will be conducting a two day workshop on Blogging and New Media for Italian students at the United States Embassy, Rome, Italy, April 8-9, 2009.
Crusading for Modern Islamic Art, Shahed Amanullah, Beliefnet, March 26, 2009.
Wajahat will be speaking at the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow conference in Doha, Qatar (January 16-19, 2009)
Finding the middle ground, Hesham Hassaballa, Philadelphia Inquirer, January 8, 2009.
Shahed will be speaking about Muslims in the political process at the 8th annual Texas Dawah Convention in Houston, Texas (December 27, 2008)
Skyscraping ambition for Mecca, Ali Eteraz, The Guardian (UK), Comment is Free (December 18, 2008)
Zahed will be leading a technology workshop for European Muslim professionals at the Salzburg Global Seminar, Salzburg, Austria (November 16-20, 2008)
Zahed will be a keynote speaker at the inaugural meeting of the Network of European Muslim Technology Entrepreneurs, in Madrid, Spain (November 14, 2008)
Shahed will be a featured panelist at Red Faith/Blue Faith: Religion in the 2008 Election and Beyond at the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC (November 7, 2008)
Let the Global Islamic Conspiracy Begin, Ali Eteraz, Jewcy, (November 5, 2008)
Zahed will be a guest on Press TV's Islam & Life, hosted by Tariq Ramadan, speaking on French and American Muslim experiences (November 3, 2008)
Zahed will be a guest on Irish broadcaster RTE's Spectrum radio show, speaking about Barack Obama and the Muslim factor in the US presidential election (November 1, 2008)
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Media appearances and analysis featuring altmuslim editors
Islamic Society reaches out to other faiths - "ISNA is very interested in extending their connections with Protestant groups," said Rafia Zakaria, an Indiana lawyer and associate editor at altmuslim.com, a Web site that looks at Muslim issues. "Having a figure as high profile as him gives them legitimacy to extend those kinds of alliances with church groups that have a significant amount of power in the United States." (June 21, 2009)
American Muslims, Jews rate Obama’s speech - "He was really pressing for people to say in public what they say in private. Everybody knows what the solutions to a lot of these problems are and I think there is vast agreement on what they are going to be. But nobody really talks about it and puts the cards on the table," said Shahed Amanullah, editor of the Web site altmuslim.com. (June 5, 2009)
A place to explore Muslim American life - "The biggest challenge facing us is more internal - asking the deeper question. Okay, now that we know that we are Muslim Americans or American Muslims, whatever you want to call us, what does that mean?" (May 23, 2009)
The great potential for online Muslim media - "A recent study in the US implies a correlation between non-Muslims who fear Islam and those who don't know any Muslims. The more Muslims get to know their non-Muslim neighbours, the more ability they will have to influence them." (April 29, 2009)
Obama’s entreaty to Islam surprises Muslims - "Here's where the American public is going, and here's where Obama is going and trying to head it off," said Shahed Amanullah, editor and publisher of altmuslim.com. The Bush administration asked Amanullah for help in shaping dialogue with the American Muslim community. "He's heading it off on a global level," Amanullah said. "He's starting at a core of the problem. The core of the problem is the crisis overseas." (April 8, 2009)
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Extremism in the UK
Will Britain’s ban mean the end of Hizb-ut-Tahrir?
Tony Blair's anti-climactic response to the London attacks - the banning of Al-Muhajiroun and Hizb-ut-Tahrir - is striking Muslims and non-Muslims alike as counterproductive.
By Zahed Amanullah, August 11, 2005
After the terrorist attacks on London on July 7th (and the failed ones on July 21st), British politicians and most British Muslims were united in outrage. Most Britons were anxiously waiting for the changes that would come in response to the tragedy (with the Muslims among them bracing themselves for the worst). Finally, Tony Blair announced (among other things) a ban on two groups, Al-Muhajiroun (which, although defunct, has spawned a shadowy splinter group, The Saviour Sect) and Hizb-ut-Tahrir (could you ban these while you're at it?). To most Britons (and Muslims), the banning of anything resembling Al-Muhajiroun was no surprise and welcomed (except by founder Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammad who left Britain shortly after the announcement for a long holiday in Lebanon). But the ban on Hizb-ut-Tahrir had people across the spectrum scratching their heads. While provocative, worrying, and a bit quixotic (the group aims for a global Islamic state and a resumption of the Caliphate), their most gregarious connection to extremism was the departure of Bakri in 1996 (to form the aformentioned Al-Muhajiroun). Known to most Muslims as the eager leafleters outside mosques (long way to go for that ummah, eh?), the group has been banned in Germany and Russia (and maybe soon Denmark) for alleged anti-Semitism. The group remains legal in Australia and the USA, though a ban of the organisation there may ease public anger after July 7th (Solving the problem? Pfft.). Their bans in several Muslim countries (with Uzbekistan being the most recent example) are usually more a result of the political challenge to autocratic Muslim leaders than involvement in terrorism (though some Muslims disagree). Naturally, Hizb-ut-Tahrir responded with disgust and reiterated its history of promoting non-violent change around the world (er... except in Palestine). "This is a blurring of the margins of people who are engaged in non-violent political speech," said Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Imran Waheed. "In fact, we are directing people's anger and frustration into political work." However, their well documented aversion to integration in British society (or any other) effectively shut the door to preventing an eventual official backlash. Naturally, a ban won't end the group (as it has failed to do in many countries) and will only push it underground, which is why the move reveals more about the British government's poor hand than it does about its long term responses to terror. But in the current climate, it should be no surprise if British Muslim groups picking for a fight get one in return.
Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com. He is based in London, England.
We try to remove any comments that do not conform to our netiquette guidelines. If any comments remain that are in violation, please let us know. The presence of offending comments does not necessarily reflect the views of the editors of altmuslim.
Banning of this movement seems completely useless because if muslims in the UK or the British government want to open up Islamic dialogue between the west and the Ummah then this would have been the ideal place to start. There are misconceptions on all sides about religion, diplomacy and political process. All empathy is diminished because peoples personal theories stand superior to the societies they're supposed to serve. And there's a wasteland of British and Islamic imperialism and arrogance that must be placed on the table and weeded out of the discussion.
Honestly though, there is little actual dialogue that can occur between western governments as opposed to the enormous opportunity of meaningful dialogue/dawah with the western public. I believe that if western authority wasn't threatened, then it wouldn't be able to turn its public against religious Islam.
Hizb- seems to me to be focused on a Utopian fantasy built on some half baked Islamic truths and somehow manage to factor out some common sense and human truth from their equations. Always seeing themselves in juxtaposition to everyone. In a way .. it's intellectual imprialism on all sides thats stifling.
Is anyone going to post some articles on the Tableegh movement? I want to know what the perceptions are about what is probably the largest the civil society movement presently operating in the Ummah .. and as yet unbanned
Is this guy for real? His english is scary, his tone is judgemental, .. he may as well be the queens son : ). People like this should never be allowed to speak for muslims.
>> http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_11-8-2005_pg3_4- Posted by Ghulam (South Africa) on August 13, 2005 at 08:40 AM
>>the group aims for a global Islamic state and a resumption of the Caliphate
and quite frankly .. all muslims want an Islamic state .. ie all muslims want Islam to be a shared value amongst peoples of the world because they believe in its truth. To say Islamic state is to say global justice, peace and brotherhood. Nothing wrong with that as far as I'm concerned.
- Posted by Ghulam (South Africa) on August 13, 2005 at 08:47 AM
Author, I think you should go easy on the parentheses you are using throughout the text. Too many brackets hamper easy reading of the text. Perhaps you should also consider using normal type for the hyperlinks. Bold doesn't work if you have too many hyperlinks in the same line.
Author, I think you should go easy on the parentheses you are using throughout the text. Too many brackets hamper easy reading of the text. Perhaps you should also consider using normal type for the hyperlinks. Bold doesn't work if you have too many hyperlinks in the same line.
Point taken. I just noticed that there was more than usual in that article (more parenthesis, that is).
Whoops. There I go again.
- Posted by zahed (london, england) on August 13, 2005 at 07:13 PM
>and quite frankly .. all muslims want an >Islamic state .. ie all muslims want Islam to >be a shared value amongst peoples of the >world because they believe in its truth. To >say Islamic state is to say global justice, >peace and brotherhood. Nothing wrong >with that as far as I'm concerned.
salaam aleikum,
actually there *is* a problem here, the neo-conservative think tanks and the CIA have said this is something they will NOT allow (i.e. if u think the price of oil is high now, imagine what it would be with govt.s that were actualy accountable to their people in the Muslim world and didn't spend all of their money on their armies, locking up and torturing their own people).
anyhow, here is a leading neo-conservative analyst's working for the republican Heritage Foundation, view here:
http://www.heritage.org/Research/RussiaandEurasia/BG1656es.cfm
another think tank's view on how to 'combat' HT here:
http://www.nixoncenter.org/Program Briefs/PB 2004/confrephiztahrir.pdf
A report by the National Intelligence Council (NIC), a group of senior intelligence analysts who report to CIA Director Porter Goss but technically aren't part of the spy agency, predicts that by 2020 a "New Calipahte" may have been established and presents a
hypothesis on what the situation in the world will be like in general.
"There is a substantial risk that broad Islamic extremist movements akin to al-Qaida will merge with local separatist movements," it continued.
The report presented one scenario, dubbed "The New Caliphate," in which an obscure Islamic caliph emerges to lead a worldwide Islamic movement.
summary here:
http://www.cia.gov/nic/NIC_globaltrend2020_s3.html
link for full report here:
http://www.cia.gov/nic/NIC_globaltrend2020.html#contents
hope that this proves useful.
salaam aleikum,
g - Posted by gambino (Canada) on August 14, 2005 at 06:55 PM
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