Geeking out at SXSW Interactive - There is no better place to mingle with other geeks than at South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive, one of the largest Internet-focused conferences in the country, where we presented a panel discussion on "Online Extremism - And The Muslims Who Fight It"  (March 20, 2008)
Like “Groundhog Day” - What happens when you get 200 academics, activists, policy wonks, politicians, and journalists - all with opinions across the spectrum - into a room to try to determine the best course of action to improve the relationship between the US and the Muslim world? Unfortunately, not much. (February 24, 2008)
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altmuslim review 027 - This month, we have a special report from the US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar. Also, an interview with Dalia Mogahed, co-author of the forthcoming book "What a Billion Muslims Really Think" (March 7, 2008)
altmuslim review 026 - The US presidential race is in full swing, and we discuss Muslim involvement in the campaigns and our attempts at a block vote. Also, a perspective from recently elected San Carlos city councilmember Omar Ahmad. (January 29, 2008)
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Recent and upcoming talks and offsite articles by altmuslim contributors
Shahed will be participating in a panel discussion, Sourcing Islam, at the Religion Newswriters Association conference in Washington, DC (September 20, 2008)
Zahed will be a guest on BBC Radio 4's " Sunday" programme speaking about religious podcasting (May 4, 2008)
Rafia and Shahed will be guests on South Africa's Channel Islam, speaking about interpreting Islam in the modern world (March 28 & April 4, 2008)
Shahed will be speaking at the CAMP International Leadership Summit in Princeton, NJ (March 29, 2008)
Shahed will be a guest on Radio Tahrir, airing on WBAI 99.5 FM in New York, speaking about the Muslim block vote (April 1, 2008)
Shahed will be appearing on The Agenda with Steve Paikin for a recap of altmuslim's SXSW panel "Online Extremism" (March 26, 2008)
altmuslim is hosting a panel discussion at 2008 SXSW Interactive, "Online Extremism (And The Muslims Who Fight It)" (March 9, 2008)
Count blessings, then tally taxes - Hesham Hassaballa, Chicago Tribune (February 24, 2008)
'Busharraf' gets the people's message - Irfan Yusuf, New Zealand Herald (February 22, 2008)
Shahed will be participating in the US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar (February 17-19, 2008)
Sharia an unlikely threat - Irfan Yusuf, stuff.co.nz (February 13, 2008)
Converts' dangerous pull towards extremism - Irfan Yusuf, Sydney Morning Herald (February 7, 2008)
Safiyyah will be appearing on The Agenda with Steve Paikin for a debate on "Today's Young Muslim Women" (February 1, 2008)
Sidelining the loud-mouthed cultural warriors - Irfan Yusuf, Canberra Times (January 10, 2008)
Safiyyah will be guest writing at the TVO website offering commentary on the two-part TV series Britz (February 2008)
Fault lines of a nation - Irfan Yusuf, The Age (December 31, 2007)
Is there room at the inn for a Muslim holiday in America? - Shahed Amanullah, Chicago Tribune (December 23, 2007)
Can Pakistan's non-violent past save its future? - Shahed Amanullah, Beliefnet.com (December 28, 2007)
Not your father's hajj - Shahed Amanullah, Beliefnet.com (December 17, 2007)
Shahed will be speaking at the MPAC Annual Convention in Long Beach, CA about Muslims and new media (December 15, 2007)
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Media appearances and analysis featuring altmuslim editors
Why the silence? - "Both reactionary religion and militant secularism are on the rise, with both displaying a rigid certainty and a desire for power that will do nothing to benefit society. In this context, it is vital that people with open-minded faith speak up and demonstrate alternatives. [altmuslim.com has] set many good examples in this regard." (January 8, 2008)
Does the US tolerate anti-Muslim speech? - "You see more hostility towards Muslims now than you did the year after 9/11," says Shahed Amanullah, editor of a Muslim web-zine, AltMuslim.com. He and other observers point to America's failure to capture Osama bin Laden, the continuing difficulties in Iraq and Afghanistan, and news of terrorist plots overseas as reasons why many Americans feel hostile towards Muslims. (December 7, 2007)
In the great Berkeley free speech tradition - [Amanullah] claims no personal agenda other than concerned dad. “I want my children to grow up in a country where they, as Muslims, feel valued,” he says, “and where their religion doesn’t contradict their nationality.” (November 9, 2007)
Shaping the debate on Muslims - The publication [altmuslim.com] promotes critical analysis, discussion, and debate within the Muslim community in the West while also showcasing commentary for non-Muslims who want a sense of the dialogue going on among Western Muslims. (October 19, 2007)
Blogging Where Speech Isn’t Free (.mp3) - Many nations have no tradition of free speech, and in those contexts, blogging can be extremely dangerous. How can those bloggers protect themselves, and how can we help them? (Panel discussion at SXSW Interactive, Austin, Texas, March 11, 2007) Audio available here. (July 9, 2007)
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Let's call the whole thing off
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Language and extremism
You say jihadi, I say extremist
By Zahed Amanullah, May 5, 2008
Since September 11, 2001, the war against terrorism has been waged on two fronts - a military one in Iraq and Afghanistan (look, more terrorists!), and a semantic one between governments, extremists, mainstream Muslims, and the media. The use of language on all sides simultaneously confuses, enlightens, and motivates foot soldiers in the battle. Control of the use of language - particularly the definitions that stick - can either be the key to influencing scores of people or an inconsequential exercise in vanity. In this "war on terror," it seems that people are as fixated with the terminology as they are with the tactics. ( No comments) | |
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Integration
Who speaks for German Muslims?
By Loay Mudhoon, March 26, 2008 As Germany makes moves to accommodate its significant Muslim minority, a debate has started. Who has the power to define what German Islam is? And who speaks for German Muslims?
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Kosovo independence
State of confusion
By Zahed Amanullah, February 25, 2008 Young Kosovo has the potential to become the kind of Muslim country Europe has been dreaming of. But how long can it last with its current diplomatic and religious isolation? ( 4 comments) |
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Islamic law in the West
One man’s sharia
By Zahed Amanullah, February 11, 2008 Nothing gets a debate going more than proposing the introduction of Sharia law in the West. That goes for non-Muslims too. ( 6 comments) |
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Crisis in Gaza
Turning out the lights
By Zahed Amanullah, January 23, 2008 With every Palestinian crisis, such as the one currently occurring in Gaza, there is a sense that neither side knows how to respond next. In the meantime, only the innocents suffer. ( 25 comments) |
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Film "The Kite Runner"
A scene too far?
By Zahir Janmohamed, December 18, 2007 An acclaimed new film set in Afghanistan, The Kite Runner, is testing the cultural differences between East and West with an inference of child rape. ( 9 comments) |
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Muslim-owned businesses
110% halal
By Shahed Amanullah, November 22, 2007 The thought of denying a Muslim the opportunity to manage a large mainstream food business because of his religion would be unconscionable. That Al-Safa suffered the same fate should give Muslims pause. ( 12 comments) |
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Holy Land Foundation
From unindicted to unconvicted
By Shahed Amanullah, October 22, 2007 With high expectations and pressure from above to deliver, prosecutors had few options but to forge on in the Holy Land Foundation trial. Too bad it was doomed from the start. ( 1 comment) |
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Tablighi Jamaat
Mega mosque, mega problems
By Zahed Amanullah, October 3, 2007 London's proposed Abbeymills mosque has been a lightning rod for allegations of extremism by its proponents, the isolationist and conservative Tablighi Jamaat movement. They may have learned from the experience. ( 22 comments) |
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Khalil Gibran Academy
Little Rock in the Big Apple
By Zahed Amanullah, September 7, 2007 The controversial opening of an Arabic-language school in New York revives memories of the school integration struggles in Little Rock, Arkansas fifty years ago. ( 4 comments) |
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44th ISNA Conference
Ready for a close-up
By Shahed Amanullah, September 4, 2007 Though the Islamic Society of North America still attracts accusations of extremism from some on the right, the group's annual conference last weekend showed a determination to make full integration irreversible. ( 27 comments) |
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José Padilla verdict
A flawed victory
By Zahed Amanullah, August 20, 2007 Forced to reveal its hand in the Jose Padilla case, the US dropped its "dirty bomb" scenario in favor of a lesser conviction and an admission of no direct threat. Gone with it is the rationale for his detention. ( No comments) |
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The Nation of Islam
The final call?
By Shahed Amanullah, August 12, 2007 With the stepping down of Louis Farrakhan and the stepped-up pressure of WD Muhammad, the Nation of Islam faces a fork in the road - shift towards orthodox Islam or face an uncertain future. ( 3 comments) |
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Holy Land Foundation
High stakes in Texas Muslim charity trial
By Shahed Amanullah, July 18, 2007 The vague definition of "effective support" for terror in the Holy Land Foundation trial creates a zero-tolerance policy that can be applied to any type of support - even moral - for beleaguered Muslims overseas. ( 8 comments) |
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Terrorism in the UK
A shifting terror strategy emerges
By Zahed Amanullah, July 2, 2007 Many people might be relieved at the apparent lack of a homegrown element in the recent London and Glasgow bombing attempts. But there is still much to worry about. ( 30 comments) |
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Guantanamo Bay detainees
Poetic justice
By Zahed Amanullah, June 26, 2007 The courts agree, the public agrees, and now, the Bush adminstration agrees. But will the desire to close Guantanamo mean that detainees will have their day in court? ( 1 comment) |
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Iranian dissent
Behind Iran’s new hostage diplomacy
By Zahir Janmohamed, June 7, 2007 For Iran's hardliners, under pressure from the West to abandon a fledgling nuclear programme, the detentions of foreigners and dual-nationals raises the stakes ( 3 comments) |
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Turkish elections
In Turkey, democracy and secularism collide
By Zahed Amanullah, May 24, 2007 The presidential crisis in Turkey is less about Islam and more about the role of that country's powerful military in protecting secularism. If democracy works, neither one needs to suffer. ( 2 comments) |
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Pew poll on Muslim attitudes
What polls about US Muslims don’t tell you
By Shahed Amanullah, May 22, 2007 A recent poll by the Pew Research Center has a few findings that raise eyebrows. But when compared to the views of non-Muslims, what do these statistics really tell us? ( 31 comments) |
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Pakistan Judiciary
A misjudged reaction to reform
By Zahed Amanullah, March 26, 2007 A decision by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to attempt to dismiss Pakistan's chief justice has strained the countries patience in dealing with his extraconstitutional tendencies. ( 12 comments) |
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Hijab & soccer
Butting heads over headscarves in Quebec
By Zahed Amanullah, March 3, 2007 Eleven year old Asmahan Mansour was ejected from a soccer game in Quebec for wearing a hijab, despite being allowed everywhere else she played. FIFA's failure to back her raises more questions. ( 46 comments) |
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Islam in China
Throwing a (pig) bone to China’s Muslims
By Shahed Amanullah, February 17, 2007 Why would a country of one billion people, with one of the oldest civilizations on earth, ban one of its most revered symbols from television? The answer isn't as clear as you've been told. ( 9 comments) |
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Hamas and Fatah
Between a (Dome of the) rock and a hard place
By Zahed Amanullah, February 11, 2007 Though both Fatah and Hamas patched up many differences at a groundbreaking summit in Mecca, selling their agreement and curbing the violence between them may be another story. ( 10 comments) |
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Free Speech in the Muslim World
Blogging your way into prison
By Shahed Amanullah, February 4, 2007 Some bloggers in the Muslim world have put themselves on the front lines in the struggle for open political expression - and are paying a severe price for it. ( 1 comment) |
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Muslims in government
The founding fathers and Islam
By Shahed Amanullah, January 3, 2007 The debate over a Muslim in Congress may seem new to you, but over two centuries ago, the Founding Fathers considered the possibility. Guess which side they took. ( 48 comments) |
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Iran Holocaust conference
In Iran, the Holocaust brings people together
By Zahir Janmohamed, December 17, 2006 Iran's conference on the Holocaust is an exercise in spite and self-indulgence (not to mention a denial of history) that is so audacious that it's almost funny. Almost. ( 62 comments) |
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Visa denials
Fear of a Muslim opinion
By Zahed Amanullah, November 1, 2006 A pattern of denied entries to the United States of Muslim scholars - with no evidence given - is exacerbating tensions caused by an already existing lack of dialogue ( 1 comment) |
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Apple store controversy
Selective MEMRI
By Shahed Amanullah, October 11, 2006 What if a Muslim in a forest complained about a New York retail outlet he'd never visited? Would he make a sound? If MEMRI weren't around, he wouldn't. ( 28 comments) |
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British Muslims
For Ramadan, a smorgasbord of controversy
By Zahed Amanullah, October 6, 2006 Muslim issues are often in the news these days in Britain, but Ramadan has brought with it an unusual amount of controversies in an otherwise quiet month. ( 38 comments) |
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Sonthi Boonyaratglin's coup
Thailand coup highlights role of Muslim minority
By Shahed Amanullah, September 26, 2006 A coup led by a Muslim general in mostly Buddhist Thailand might normally be a cause for concern. But most Thais, and even their ousted leader, seem to be taking it all in stride. ( 1 comment) |
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Papal speech fallout
A papal apology, but a deeper rift
By Zahed Amanullah, September 18, 2006 A controversial quote delivered by Pope Benedict XVI last week caused an outcry in the Muslim world before an apology was offered and widely accepted. But a pattern is emerging. ( 48 comments) |
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Astronaut Anousheh Ansari
Muslim women in high places
By Shahed Amanullah, August 28, 2006 Amid increasing tensions between the US and Iran, an Iranian-American entrepreneur and proponent of private space travel is preparing to become the first Muslim woman astronaut. ( 17 comments) |
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Civil war in Sri Lanka
Muslims caught in Sri Lankan crossfire
By Shahed Amanullah, August 14, 2006 In Sri Lanka, Muslims are caught in a battle between Hindu Tamil separatists and the predominantly Buddhist government. 100,000 have fled the violence so far. ( 3 comments) |
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Foiled terror plot
Staring into the abyss
By Zahed Amanullah, August 11, 2006 The stakes in the fight against terrorism reach an all time high with allegations of a plot said to rival 9/11. If not handled correctly, the problems on all sides could be compounded. ( 67 comments) |
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Media warfare
The propaganda war so far
By Zahed Amanullah, August 3, 2006 With so many sympathisers watching the Israel-Lebanon conflict from the sidelines, the propaganda wars between them are taking liberties with the truth. ( 45 comments) |
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Israel-Hezbollah war
Israel’s punishment gets more collective
By Zahed Amanullah, July 18, 2006 Israel tries to bomb the Lebanese into taking care of their Hizbollah problem, and innocents aren't just being caught in the crossfire - they are the targets. ( 131 comments) |
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Muslims and the World Cup
Zinedine Zidane becomes the football
By Shahed Amanullah, July 12, 2006 What really happened on the football field that day? The answer might be a window into the tense relationship between Europe and its Muslim immigrants. ( 14 comments) |
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Somalia ICU takeover
The courts of Somali opinion
By Zahed Amanullah, June 14, 2006 Somalia is effectively under control by a single group for the first time in fifteen years. Will its Islamically oriented rulers lean toward Taliban-style governance or relative peace? ( 41 comments) |
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Dutch Immigration scandal
The ups, downs, and outs of Ayaan Hirsi Ali
By Zahed Amanullah, May 15, 2006 Former Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali gained notoriety for her statements against Islam and Muslim immigrants to Holland. Caught lying during her own immigration, her credibility lies in tatters. ( 93 comments) |
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Muslims and Wachovia Bank
Once bitten, twice as angry
By Shahed Amanullah, May 8, 2006 Wachovia Bank cancels the account of a Muslim group dedicated to addressing domestic violence, and a community weary of "guilty until proven innocent" fights back. ( 8 comments) |
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Hassan al-Turabi
The irony of being Hassan Al-Turabi
By Shahed Amanullah, May 3, 2006 Sudan's Hassan al-Turabi once advocated for the execution of another Islamic scholar for being too liberal. Now he finds himself in the same situation. ( 13 comments) |
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Shabina Begum trial
Begum case defeat highlights a game of power
By Zahed Amanullah, March 23, 2006 Now that a Muslim high school student has lost her case to wear a jilbab instead of the Muslim uniform derived from consensus, many are asking what was really behind it. ( 28 comments) |
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Movie "Kurtlar Vadisi"
The other side of free speech
By Zahed Amanullah, March 10, 2006 After decades of Muslim and Arab stereotyping in film, a Turkish blockbuster turns the tables and portrays Americans and Jews in a negative light. Will calls for free speech diminish? ( 17 comments) |
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Singer Deeyah
So who’s hung up on the ‘Muslim Madonna’?
By Zahed Amanullah, March 1, 2006 If Norwegian-born Muslim singer Deeyah wants to be the next 'Muslim Madonna,' will mixing Muslim commentary with scantily-clad videos gain her credibility or just cheap publicity? ( 130 comments) |
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Dubai Ports controversy
Irrational fear, your ship has come in
By Shahed Amanullah, February 24, 2006 Perhaps if you didn't understand global trade, the economy of Dubai, or the help the UAE gives the US military, your fear of Dubai Ports World would make sense. But it still wouldn't be right. ( 11 comments) |
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War on Terror
A harsher light shines on Guantanamo Bay
By Zahed Amanullah, February 18, 2006 New pressure on the United States from the UN and others to close its Guantanamo Bay prison may highlight its legal and moral anomalies, but success remains uncertain ( 19 comments) |
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Cartoon controversy
The dirty dozen (and the damage done)
By Zahed Amanullah, February 3, 2006 With worldwide protests, the divide between Western understandings of Muslim sensitivities and Western notions of free speech has been illuminated. But at what cost? ( 75 comments) |
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Palestine elections
Won’t somebody please think of the Palestinians?
By Shahed Amanullah, January 28, 2006 A Hamas victory in Palestine may not lead to what Israelis fear nor what Hamas idealogues want, but instead a revisiting of the harsh compromises that both sides will have to accept. ( 5 comments) |
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Conversion controversy
A conversion in death for Malaysian Everest hero?
By Zahed Amanullah, January 4, 2006 A contested conversion after the death of a Malaysian mountaineering hero sparks a controversy over legal access by non-Muslims to sharia court decisions in Muslim majority countries. ( 9 comments) |
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Domestic surveillance
Santa doesn’t watch Muslims, but the FBI does
By Shahed Amanullah, December 24, 2005 Coal is put in the stockings of Muslims this Christmas with the revelation that thousands of their homes and businesses were warrantlessly monitored for radioactive material. ( 23 comments) |
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Greek life in the US
Muslim sorority seeks best of both worlds
By Shahed Amanullah, December 19, 2005 It's hard to think of of two groups farther apart on the social spectrum than Muslims and members of the Greek system. A new Muslim sorority seeks to change that. ( 106 comments) |
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Indonesia's Courts
The strange spiritual journey of Michelle Leslie
By Zahed Amanullah, November 28, 2005 When Australian model Michelle Leslie stated she was a Muslim in an Indonesian drugs trial, she gained her freedom - at the expense of her reputation and for an uncertain future. ( 13 comments) |
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Terror accusations
Undoing a character assassination
By Shahed Amanullah, November 21, 2005 The US found no evidence to link 25 American Muslim organizations to terrorism, but many of the groups have been irreversibly harmed in the process. ( 21 comments) |
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Filmmaker Moustapha Akkad
Remembering a lion of the desert
By Shahed Amanullah, November 14, 2005 For 50 years, Moustapha Akkad - who was murdered last week in a suicide bombing in Amman, Jordan - was the most prominent Muslim in Hollywood. ( 13 comments) |
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Egypt's Copts
Is what’s good for France also good for Egypt?
By Zahed Amanullah, November 10, 2005 Lost in the furor over France's treatment of Muslims is the long simmering conflict between Coptic Christians and Muslims in Egypt, with both conflicts stemming from the same intolerance. ( 18 comments) |
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Riots in Paris
What’s religion got to do with it?
By Shahed Amanullah, November 4, 2005 While religious ideology may have a role in other types of violence (i.e, al-Qaida), in this case it just happens to be the faith of the disenfranchised population. ( 76 comments) |
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Iran and Israel
Did Ahmadinejad write a cheque Iran can’t cash?
By Zahed Amanullah, October 30, 2005 Although Iranian antipathy to Israel is nothing new, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call to wipe Israel off the map may end up showing the limits of what Iran can actually do about it ( 30 comments) |
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