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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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.
ASIDES
editor's blog
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)

CONTRIBUTORS
PODCASTS
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)

ELSEWHERE
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)

IN THE NEWS
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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The American Muslim
Mas'ood Cajee
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Mas'ood Cajee
Mas'ood Cajee is a longtime contributor to altmuslim.com and is a founding board member of the Muslim Peace Fellowship and former vice-chair of the national council of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. He is currently practicing dentistry in Stockton, California, and is working on several books related to human rights, history, and Islamic themes.
Islamic Relief: A 4-Star Charity

ARTICLES BY MAS'OOD CAJEE

US Elections
A sartorial smear
With a simple photo in traditional African garb, an uneasy instinct has emerged to frame Barack Obama in ways that speak to middle America’s deepest racial, religious, and cultural fears. (10 comments)

Year in review
The top ten good news stories of 2007
Though clouds gather, we must search for silver linings. They are always present and apparent to the optimist and the wisdom-seeker, as surely as springtime buds emerging from winter’s cold bareness. (2 comments)

A response to Rand
Building moderate American networks
With the release of the Rand Corporation's report that defines "Moderate Muslims", we now have an opportunity to define "Moderate Americans". (2 comments)

Madrassahs and Extremism
Madrassah matters
As a Madrassah student, I not only learned Islamic rituals but also gained exposure to Islamic virtues like justice, liberality, modesty, and contentment. (13 comments)

Year in review
The top ten good news stories of 2006
Putting aside for a moment the misery of war that afflicts the Muslim world, we have found some bright spots where good things happened in the Muslim world in 2006. (5 comments)

Muslims and the Holocaust
On Holocaust zeroes & heroes
On this Holocaust Memorial Day 2006, Mas'ood Cajee reflects on the politics of memory and why Muslims should represent the best of Islamic tradition and spirit. (41 comments)

Year in review
The top ten good news stories of 2005
Despite all that happened in 2005, we were inspired and infused with hope and strength we drew from transformative events and people - whose stories we call good news. (56 comments)

The holiday season
I’m dreaming of a nasheed-filled Christmas
How do the savvy amongst us cope with the ubiquity of the Holiday Sonic Season? Here are 10 Christmas melodies with suggested lyrics for Muslim listeners. (11 comments)

Muslims in film
The ten movies Steven Spielberg has yet to make
Imagine if we were in a parallel universe in which Hollywood gave Arabs, Muslims, and Jews a fair shake. Here are ten films (all based on true stories) that are just waiting for Spielberg's magic. (67 comments)

Thanksgiving
An American Muslim heritage day?
Let's make this a day of thanksgiving and remembrance of our heritage as American Muslims, so we can better understand our role in America in these remarkable times. (94 comments)

Year in Review
The top ten good news stories of 2004
Like establishment bobblehead Fareed Zakaria, I too have been compiling an annual list of Good News stories from the Muslim World for the past few years. (4 comments)

Year in review
The top ten mostly heartening stories of 2003
The Gregorian year 2003 was similarly littered with heartening "Onion"-esque tales of courage, strength, sheer goodness, and shameless kindness. (0 comments)

Muslim life in the US
This year, it’s a Ramadan Thanksgiving
It's not easy waking up Muslim in America anymore, but this Ramadan Thanksgiving, there are many things for which American Muslims need to be grateful. (4 comments)

War in Iraq
The first casualty index
Mas'ood Cajee lists a series of crucial truths that are unfortunately missing in action, absent without leave, or prisoners of war. (0 comments)

Muslim life in the US
I was an American Muslim Boy Scout
Today, as the War on Terror continues abroad and at home, American Muslims like myself remember the pre-9/11 era fondly. (0 comments)

Evangelism in the Muslim world
Franklin Graham, spiritual carpetbagger
From Bosnia to Iraq, this evangelical Christian leader has long seen military battlefields as his personal mission field. (1 comments)

Year in review
The top ten good news stories of 2002
Was there any good news for the Muslim community in 2002? Mas'ood Cajee recounts the news of the last year, and finds some points of light. (0 comments)