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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
Zahed Amanullah
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Zahed Amanullah
Zahed Amanullah has been Associate Editor of altmuslim.com since 2002 and is a founding member of AMILA (American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism). He has been involved with a number of American Muslim organisations including the Islamic Center of Southern California and the Muslim Public Affairs Council before relocating to London, England in 2003. He has been featured in a number of media outlets, including BBC TV and radio, the Guardian (UK), CNN International, Alternet and others.

Zahed has also served as an advisor to a variety of organisations including Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society and the US State Department on matters dealing with extremism, integration, technology, and media. Born and raised in Southern California, he is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and is Associate Director of an engineering firm in Central London.
Islamic Relief: A 4-Star Charity

ARTICLES BY ZAHED AMANULLAH

British parliamentary candidate Osama Saeed
Muslims in Europe: The Scottish example
The Scottish National Party (SNP) has a new candidate for British Parliament from one of its key districts in Glasgow - activist Osama Saeed. But what's a young Glaswegian Muslim doing running with a nationalist party in Europe? We speak to Saeed to find out. (1 comments)

Obituary: Michael Jackson
The way he made us feel
Like him or not, Michael Jackson, who passed away this week at 50, had an intriguing and tangential relationship to Islam in addition to his many controversies. Nevertheless, he was loved by millions of Muslims for his music and talent. (2 comments)

Author Shelina Zahra Janmohamed
“Life is on hold until you get married”
Author Shelina Zahra Janmohamed sits down with us to discuss the issues brought up in her new book Love in a Headscarf, which documents Janmohamed's search for a partner in a landscaped blurred by culture clashes, mixed identities, and double standards. (8 comments)

American Muslims
Thriving in America?
Headline figures from a new Gallup poll – which say that Muslims are doing better in the US than the UK – don't tell the whole story. Applying one country's model to the other won't complete the story either. (53 comments)

Former Dutch MP Fadime Örgü
Muslims in Europe: The Dutch example
With all the challenges Muslims in Europe face, it's hard to find examples of social and economic progress. But Muslim communities in the Netherlands are making a difference - and former Dutch MP Fadime Örgü was at the centre of it. (1 comments)

Educator Sadek Hamid
“Muslim youth work has yet to be understood”
Doctoral student Sadek Hamid has created Britain's first university degree programme in Muslim youth social work. We speak to him to find out how programmes like his can make a difference. (1 comments)

Extreme literature
War of words
Once again, scary literature has been found at Islamic bookstores and mosques. If Muslims continue to be careless about the books they sell, those books will continue to be exploited against us. (25 comments)

Muslim response to terror
The mother of all non-sequiturs
Tony Blair and George Bush sold the Iraq war to a jittery public by conflating it with an increased risk of terrorism. In opposing them, why on earth do Muslims insist on doing the same? (42 comments)

Provocative preachers
Imams gone wild
Why do so many Imams get caught on camera saying things that are embarrassing, militant, misleading, or just plain wrong? And why do the rest of us point the blame elsewhere? (8 comments)

Musician Yoriyos
So, Mr. Islam has a new album out…
The real surprise this month is not a new record by a musically rejuvenated Yusuf Islam, but one by the son who inspired him to play guitar again. Meet Yoriyos. (3 comments)

Movie "Death of a President"
Be careful what you wish for
While controversy simmers around a fictional assassination of President George Bush, the new movie "Death of a President" is really more about the system surrounding the man. (1 comments)

Perceptions of Muslims
Polls, damn polls, and statistics
With the recent increase in tensions between Muslims and the West, many have turned to polls to figure out what Muslims are thinking. But how much do they really tell us? (9 comments)

7/7 Anniversary
One year later, the gap is greater
Twelve months after the London bombings, the British government and Muslim leaders have made little progress in combatting terrorism and extremism. Both sides share the blame. (5 comments)

British Muslims
Fear and loathing in the MCB
The poorly conceived battles fought by the Muslim Council of Britain threaten to cause lasting damage, but the group forges ahead regardless - despite a string of embarassing failures. (21 comments)

Movie "The Hamburg Cell"
Buying into HBO’s hard “Cell”
A controversial new film portraying the events leading to the September 11th attacks finds its way into American living rooms and shows Muslims and non-Muslims what they may not want to see. (7 comments)


CAMP - Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals HalfDate.com