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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Shahed Amanullah
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Shahed Amanullah
Austin, Texas USA

As editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com, Shahed Amanullah is an award-winning journalist who writes regularly about the challenges and opportunities facing Islam in America. Named one of ten "Muslim visionaries" by Islamica Magazine, Shahed's work and writings have been featured in magazines (Newsweek), newspapers (New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune), radio shows (BBC News, National Public Radio, and major websites (BeliefNet.com). Television appearances include "Nightline with Ted Koppel", CNN Headline News, the "Today Show", and "Hannity & Colmes". Shahed is the founder of Halalfire Media, a network of Islamic-themed websites with nearly 6 million visitors annually. Along with altmuslim.com, signature properties include zabihah.com, salatomatic.com, halalapalooza.com, and unitedmuslims.org. He has also served as a board member for the United Muslims of America, the Muslim Public Service Network, and the Muslim Youth Camp of California. He is a general partner in Zakat Community Ventures, a startup "venture philanthropy" fund dedicated to promoting Islamic charitable values. |  |
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Public diplomacy
Karen, we hardly knew ye
By Shahed Amanullah, November 12, 2007 Karen Hughes' public diplomacy administration was certainly better than her "brand America" predecessors. Too bad an unchanging US foreign policy precluded any meaningful improvement in US-Muslim world relations. ( 3 comments)
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Opposing terrorism
What would marches against extremism achieve?
By Shahed Amanullah, July 29, 2007 If Muslim-Americans were able to pull off a grand protest, would it curtail the rise of extremism? Would the terrorists care what we thought? And would it make the average non-Muslim American feel more secure?
( 0 comments)
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Preventing homegrown terror
Seeing eye to eye on extremism
By Shahed Amanullah, May 16, 2007 American Muslims and the US government are often on opposing sides when it comes to combating extremism. By depoliticizing the issue and promoting a cooperation of equals, it doesn't have to be that way. ( 15 comments)
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Musician Kareem Salama
“There’s something reverent about country music”
By Shahed Amanullah, April 17, 2007 For Oklahoma native Kareem Salama, the Islamically-inspired country music he creates is no novelty. We speak with the budding country singer about why his varied influences mesh so well. ( 10 comments)
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Muslim journalism
Western Muslims need a “fourth estate”
By Shahed Amanullah, April 09, 2007 We started altmuslim.com because we could no longer tolerate the absence of an independent Muslim media. We would be happy if the emergence of one made us redundant. ( 11 comments)
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Promoting civic involvement
Introducing unitedmuslims.org
By Shahed Amanullah, March 21, 2007 With the launch of our new sister site unitedmuslims.org, we hope to broaden the base of Muslim activism in the West by addressing real world issues that benefit everyone. ( 12 comments)
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Muslims in India
The new “untouchables”?
By Shahed Amanullah, December 20, 2006 India's Muslim population, once thought to be relatively integrated, has been found in a recent report to be in many cases worse off than the "untouchable" dalits. ( 8 comments)
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Talk show host Dennis Praeger
The extremists among us
By Shahed Amanullah, December 07, 2006 Which is the extremist threat in America? The Muslim American bogeyman that everyone talks about but nobody can find? Or the thousands of Americans who openly declare their intent to fight their Muslim neighbors? ( 27 comments)
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US Elections
The lessons of Keith Ellison
By Shahed Amanullah, September 14, 2006 There are Muslim leaders, and then there are leaders who happen to be Muslim. In Keith Ellison, we are finally witnessing the ascendance of the latter. ( 32 comments)
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9/11 Anniversary
Still caught between two hells
By Shahed Amanullah, September 11, 2006 Sometimes it seems like the average Muslim American, caught between the extremists on both sides, just can't win. But there is a way out. ( 77 comments)
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Muslim bookstores
Intolerance or incompetence?
By Shahed Amanullah, July 20, 2005 Having a community full of bad businesspeople, however unfortunate, is preferable to having a community full of people who support terrorism. ( 45 comments)
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Playwright Wajahat Ali
A Muslim family takes center stage
By Shahed Amanullah, July 14, 2005 Are American theater-going audiences ready to plumb the depths of the American Muslim experience? Playwright Wajahat Ali, a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, thinks so. ( 1 comments)
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July 7th Attacks
In the wake of shame, reject extremism
By Shahed Amanullah, July 13, 2005 This week, the worst fears of secular Europeans (and European Muslims) came true. As a result, Muslims must expose and reject the extremists among them. ( 31 comments)
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Reflections
Yearning for a peaceful Ramadan
By Shahed Amanullah, October 14, 2004 Ramadan today is very different than it was ten years ago, before Muslims came into the media spotlight. We lost a very special part of it. ( 0 comments)
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A murder in Saudi
Yes, it’s our problem too
By Shahed Amanullah, June 18, 2004 Muslims should not dismiss the murder in Saudi Arabia of American contractor Paul Johnson as "not our problem". It very much is our problem. ( 24 comments)
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Anti-Muslim hysteria
Protocols of the Elders of Islam?
By Shahed Amanullah, April 28, 2004 The way that anti-Muslim commentators describe what they think is in the minds of Muslims reminds one of an infamous book of long ago. ( 11 comments)
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Defining halal
If it’s not organic, it’s not halal
By Shahed Amanullah, January 09, 2004 With the emergence of "mad cow" disease in the US, the only way to insure meat is truly halal is to use organic or "free range" animals. ( 3 comments)
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Honor killings
Condemnations are not enough
By Shahed Amanullah, December 16, 2002 The Muslim world's collective silence regarding "honor" killings is symptomatic of our continued inability to "enjoin the good and forbid the evil". ( 2 comments)
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9/11 anniversary
Evaluating Muslim responses to 9/11
By Shahed Amanullah, September 11, 2002 After 9/11, we sought to convince Americans that we oppose terrorism and tried to stave off discrimination and hate. One year later, it is clear that we have failed. ( 49 comments)
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