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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
Wajahat Ali
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Wajahat Ali
Wajahat Ali is a Muslim American playwright, essayist, and humorist of Pakistani descent whose first play, "The Domestic Crusaders" is the first major production about Muslim Americans and premiered to wide acclaim in 2005 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and San Jose University Theatre. Ali has been referred to by art critics as a "major new voice in American literature" whose work mirrors the style of groundbreaking African-American theater productions.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he has been writing, producing and directing plays, films, and sketches since he was a child, enlisting his friends to be actors and crew. He performed stand-up comedy while attending the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to just completing law at the University of California, Davis, he is currently working on his second play, "UnWholly Warriors," a comedic political satire that will premiere in Summer 2008.

Wajahat's work has been featured on BBC World, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, KGO Radio, Malaysian Television, and Geo Television. In addition to altmuslim, his writings have appeared in Counterpunch, Islamica Magazine, Konch Magazine, The Daily Times (Pakistan), Naseeb Vibes, and DesiLit magazine.
Islamic Relief: A 4-Star Charity

ARTICLES BY WAJAHAT ALI

Obama in Cairo
A blow to democracy
US President Barack Obama's decision to give his long-advertised speech to the Muslim world from Cairo will be seen as an endorsement of Egypt's brutal 30-year long dictatorship which has stifled political and press freedom alike. (36 comments)

Movie "Waltz with Bashir"
A waltz with injustice
A sobering and imaginative Israeli film Waltz with Bashir artfully documents the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacres that should have left a lasting impression. Current events show how a film like this is needed. (0 comments)

Civil liberties
Better safe than free?
Even though air travel regulations have ensured a strengthened defense program, prejudicial measures targeting “brown” Americans not only placate and inflame our basest paranoid fears, they are also ineffective and inefficient. (10 comments)

Gaza military strikes
Business as usual
In supporting the Israeli bombing of Gaza while ignoring events older than last week, we risk squandering yet another precious opportunity to remedy the Palestinian human rights crisis. (26 comments)

Holy Land Foundation
Perverse justice
Prosecuting a charity such as the Holy Land Foundation was nothing more than a means for the Bush administration to acquire a notch on its "get a terrorist" club. (6 comments)

Movie "Slumdog Millionaire"
Hope from an unexpected place
Slumdog Millionaire, a fantasy wrapped around the brutal realities of modern day India, could make even the most curmudgeon of grinches amongst us applaud at the end. (4 comments)

US Elections
Dear John McCain
If Barack Obama’s social “palling around" with Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi makes him an anti-American radical extremist, then John McCain - who gave Khalidi nearly $500,000 - surely emerges as the 72 year-old hybrid incarnate of Hezbollah, Hamas and Al Qaeda. (3 comments)

Actor/Comedian Aasif Mandvi
“This is you, America. Are you ok with it?“
Comedian and actor Aasif Mandvi speaks to us about life at The Daily Show, life after Sakina's Restaurant, and why Muslims shouldn't complain about negative portrayals in Hollywood if they don't get involved. (4 comments)

Movie "W."
Standing alone in the outfield
Oliver Stone's "W." is a rushed, but oddly poignant vision of a man overshadowed by his father and by the role he was given as President of the United States (3 comments)

Author Tariq Ali
Dueling partners: Pakistan and America
Journalist and author Tariq Ali speaks to Associate Editor Wajahat Ali about the state of Pakistani society and its complicated, ongoing relationship with the United States. (2 comments)

Author Naomi Klein
“The tyranny of complexity is at the heart of this crisis”
No Logo and The Shock Doctrine author and journalist Naomi Klein speaks to us about the "disaster capitalism" underway with the proposed multi-billion dollar Wall Street bailouts. (2 comments)

DNC Chairman Howard Dean
“It’s not true that [we don’t] want to be associated with Muslims”
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean speaks to us about the rise of Barack Obama, the Bush-McCain legacy, and why Muslims are welcome in the Democratic Party. (6 comments)

Movie "Traitor"
Undercover Muslim brothers
Is the Muslim lead character in Traitor the shining definitive of the moderate Muslim majority, or merely an aberration? Traitor aims for the former but unintentionally delivers the latter. (24 comments)

Activist Shirin Ebadi
“The people of Iran have chosen the path of reform”
Human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi speaks to Wajahat Ali and Omid Safi about her native Iran, the looming threat of war, and the aspirations of the Iranian people. (0 comments)

Author Chris Hedges
“The new atheists are secular fundamentalists”
Author Chris Hedges has an issue with the "new athiests," namely that they're no better than those they profess to oppose, the Christian fundamentalists. Muslims and other religious minorities are often stuck in the middle. (6 comments)

Professor Noam Chomsky
“(Our) international affairs are like the Mafia”
Wajahat Ali interviews influential intellectual Noam Chomsky about how Iraq is different from Vietnam, America as an "outlaw state," and the consent that is still being manufactured in today's media. (2 comments)

Professor Seyyed Hossain Nasr
Islam’s spiritual science
We speak with Professor Seyyed Hossain Nasr about Rumi’s spiritual influence on the modern world, the role of Sufism in Islamic history and tradition, and the critique of Sufism as an antiquated model of esotericism. (3 comments)

Presidential candidate Ron Paul
The dark horse still rides
Presidential candidate (yes, he still is one) and member of Congress Dr. Ron Paul talks to altmuslim.com about economic policy, old school Constitutionalism, and how he would repair US-Muslim world relations. (0 comments)

Writer Fatima Bhutto
The new “daughter of destiny”
Writer and poet Fatima Bhutto, the niece of recently assassinated former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, speaks about her views of Pakistani politics - and why she's not interested in becoming another politician. (1 comments)

Journalist Robert Fisk
“We should be partial on the side of justice”
Wajahat Ali interviews renowned journalist Robert Fisk on his 32 years of experience in Lebanon, along with his thoughts on Iran, Bin Laden, and the media's influence on the drive to war in the Middle East (1 comments)

Director Morgan Spurlock
“There is a vast majority you don’t hear from”
"Super Size Me" director Morgan Spurlock sits down with altmuslim associate editor Wajahat Ali to discuss his experiences filming his latest movie, "Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?" (2 comments)

Movie "The Visitor"
“I’ve got to put this character in a movie”
altmuslim's Wajahat Ali interviews director Tom McCarthy and actor Richard Jenkins to find out how they balanced themes from East and West in "The Visitor". (0 comments)

Journalist Steve Kinzer
The folly of attacking Iran
Associate Editor Wajahat Ali interviews journalist Steve Kinzer, author of the best-selling book All the Shah's Men, on America's creeping military response to Iran. (1 comments)

Movie "Stop Loss"
Men do cry
Movies like "Stop-Loss," although not perfect by any means, can at least show a society that indeed boys - and even men - do cry, especially those serving our nation in Iraq. (2 comments)

Congressman Keith Ellison
“Do good works, engage politically, and get involved”
Associate Editor Wajahat Ali sits down for a rare interview with US Congressman Keith Ellison, who speaks about the challenges and opportunities of being the first Muslim elected to Congress. (9 comments)

Journalist Philip Shenon
Omissions of the commission
Four years after its release, the 9-11 Commission report still leaves some unanswered questions. We speak with New York Times investigative journalist Phillip Shenon, whose latest book finds flaws with the report. (2 comments)

Professor John Esposito
One billion Muslim voices
So what do a billion Muslims around the world really think? Georgetown professor John Esposito analyzed the data from a wide spectrum of Muslims from over 35 countries to find the answer. (0 comments)

Journalist Steve Coll
“Pakistan will realize its own potential”
Associate editor Wajahat Ali speaks to Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Steve Coll on the recent Pakistan elections, the future for President Musharraf, and life in the Northwest Frontier Province. (4 comments)

Pakistani Politician Imran Khan
“Unless we change strategy, the future is in danger”
Correspondent Wajahat Ali manages to speak to Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan on Monday's parliamentary elections, the first in a post-Benazir Bhutto age. (2 comments)

Authors Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer
“We are not talking about a conspiracy”
Correspondent Wajahat Ali speaks with Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, authors of the book "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," about how their groundbreaking book and ideas have been received. (2 comments)

Imam Zaid Shakir
“Radicalism is the realization of marginalization”
Imam Zaid Shakir might seem like a rock star, but he is one of America's most influential Muslim scholars. He speaks to us at length about politics, extremism, and an emerging Muslim American identity. (4 comments)

Journalist Seymour Hersh
“We did more for Osama than he could do for himself”
The New Yorker's Seymour Hersh is a busy man. But he has some convincing opinions about Iraq, Iran, and the "Re-direction." Correspondent Wajahat Ali tracks Hersh down, corners him, and drags out an interview. (21 comments)

Author Adrian Levy
“We have to honor the wishes of the Pakistani people”
Is Pakistan's nuclear arsenal really able to fall into the hands of al-Qaida? To find out, we speak to Adrian Levy, author of "Deception: Pakistan, the United States, and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons." (3 comments)

Bhutto assassination
Requiem for a “daughter of destiny”
Having witnessed the ghost of Hamlet's father, Marcellus, a minor character from Shakespeare's tragedy, remarks, "Something is rotten in the State of Denmark." Sadly, observers of modern day Pakistan echo a similar sentiment. (3 comments)

"Axis of Evil" Comedy Troupe
“I hope we inspire more Muslims to get involved in entertainment”
We explore the world of Muslim-inspired comedy further with an interview of the "Axis of Evil" comedy troupe, featuring Arab and Iranian-American comedians and all the stereotypes you can laugh at. (2 comments)

"Aliens in America" co-creator David Guarascio
“It was more important he was Muslim than where he was from”
"Mad About You" co-creator David Guarascio has successfully brought a Muslim lead character to US television - in a comedy, no less. Wajahat Ali sits down with the "Aliens in America" co-creator to find out how it happened. (9 comments)

"Allah made me funny" comedy tour
“We’re trying to bring an expression about us, to us, from us”
The successful "Allah Made Me Funny" comedy tour has made people see the world a little differently (after fits of laughter). Founders Preacher Moss and Azhar Usman sit with Wajahat Ali to help explain the punch lines. (6 comments)

Analyst PW Singer
Privatizing terror, outsourcing diplomacy
Wajahat Ali interviews Peter Warren Singer of the Brookings Institute on the turmoil caused by Blackwater and other private military contractors functioning in Iraq (5 comments)

TV Drama "Sleeper Cell"
Sleeping cell
Perhaps if we know our enemy, we will know ourselves and become the "good Muslim" and the "good American." Too bad most of us are sleeping. (1 comments)

Speaking for Muslims
And will the real Muhammad please stand up?
With a sigh of resignation, a fist pumped in rage, and both hands brought together in hopeful supplication, I humbly ask, "Will the Real Muhammad please stand up?" (24 comments)


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