Cleared by airport security 
Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | 23 Safar 1431  
Zahed Amanullah
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Zahed Amanullah
Zahed Amanullah has been Associate Editor of altmuslim.com since 2002 and full time Executive Editor as of 2009. He 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 many 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.

ARTICLES BY ZAHED AMANULLAH

  Year in review  
The top ten good news stories of 2009
The year 2009 has brought with it stories from the Muslim world both good and bad.. though this year, things seemed particularly bleak. But being the optimistic types, we now present you with the good ones once again. (1 comment)

  Hizb-ut-Tahrir and the media  
Gotcha Islamism
As a recent incident on Britain's Islam Channel shows, the often subversive use of the media by the global pan-Islamist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir speaks to the difficulties the group has with its image and worldview. (4 comments)

  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 comment)

  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. (19 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 comment)

  Extremism and the media  
The talented Mr. Butt
Former Al Muhajiroun activist Hassan Butt sold a compelling story to the media and governments about radicalization. By admitting he made it all up, Butt exposed the weaknesses of systems put in place to protect and inform the public. (6 comments)

  Barack Obama  
The PR president
Just one week into his presidency, Barack Obama is setting the tone for a new relationship with the Muslim world that differs dramatically from his predecessor. But success will depend on following through with his actions. (4 comments)

  European Muslims  
A declaration of independents
A new European Muslim media network aims to bridge the divide between Muslims and non-Muslims in Europe, as well as between European Muslims themselves. The Internet, along with a better understanding of media, is making it possible. (1 comment)

  Assalamu aleikum, Mr. President  
Obama prevailed. So will we
President-elect Barack Obama has endured the most sustained and aggressive onslaught of anti-Muslim hysteria ever foisted on the American public. So have American Muslims. (131 comments)

  Imam Warith Deen Mohammad  
The imam cares
Imam Warith Deen Mohammad spent much of his life keeping a low profile while at the same time leaving a lasting impression on the greater Muslim American landscape. (15 comments)

  Language and extremism  
You say jihadi, I say extremist
The struggle against extremism has turned into a larger struggle over the use of Islamic terminology. It's a struggle the pragmatists among mainstream Muslims and Western governments are winning. (6 comments)

  Kosovo independence  
State of confusion
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? (5 comments)

  Islamic law in the West  
One man’s sharia
Nothing gets a debate going more than proposing the introduction of Sharia law in the West. That goes for non-Muslims too. (6 comments)

  Crisis in Gaza  
Turning out the lights
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)

  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 comment)

  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)

  Tablighi Jamaat  
Mega mosque, mega problems
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)

  Khalil Gibran Academy  
Little Rock in the Big Apple
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)

  José Padilla verdict  
A flawed victory
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)

  Muslims & the Internet  
For Muslims, social networks bring new challenges
Are Muslim social networking sites viable and competitive enough to attract Muslim users from MySpace and Facebook? A group of new websites feels it is up to the challenge. (4 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)

  Terrorism in the UK  
A shifting terror strategy emerges
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)

  Guantanamo Bay detainees  
Poetic justice
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)

  Turkish elections  
In Turkey, democracy and secularism collide
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)

  Marketing to Muslims  
The new halal (and the non-Muslims who love it)
Muslims are feeling the love from companies seeking a piece of the Muslim consumer dollar. But being the latest attractive market demographic might come with a high price. (33 comments)

  Pakistan Judiciary  
A misjudged reaction to reform
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)

  Hijab & soccer  
Butting heads over headscarves in Quebec
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)

  Hamas and Fatah  
Between a (Dome of the) rock and a hard place
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)

  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)

  The Hajj  
As Hajj begins, more changes and challenges in store
With concerns about safety at hajj ritual sites and substandard accomodation, the Saudis are working overtime to improve both, and in doing so, may change hajj forever (6 comments)

  Mass media  
Al-Jazeera reaches out to the English-speaking world
After ten years of Arabic-only programming, 24-hour news station Al Jazeera launches an English channel. Now the rest of us can see what the big deal was about. (23 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)

  Visa denials  
Fear of a Muslim opinion
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)

  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 comment)

  Muslim Nobel laureates  
Muslim economist, writer win Nobel prizes
Political or not, the awarding of prominent Nobel prizes to two courageous Muslims this year helps bridge the gap between Islam and West. (46 comments)

  Papal speech fallout  
A papal apology, but a deeper rift
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)

  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)

  Media warfare  
The propaganda war so far
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)

  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)

  Somalia ICU takeover  
The courts of Somali opinion
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)

  Dutch Immigration scandal  
The ups, downs, and outs of Ayaan Hirsi Ali
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)

  Singer Deeyah  
So who’s hung up on the ‘Muslim Madonna’?
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)

  Extremism in the UK  
Abu Hamza al-Masri begins his “slow martyrdom”
With the US running out of domestic fish to fry, Abu Hamza's "slow martyrdom" following his UK conviction on incitement charges may soon quicken. (29 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)

  Indonesia's Courts  
The strange spiritual journey of Michelle Leslie
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)

  Egypt's Copts  
Is what’s good for France also good for Egypt?
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)

  Indian Muslim personal law  
A new divorce code for women in India’s Nikahnama
For years, Indian Muslim men have been allowed to divorce their wives with three repeated words, the dreaded triple talaq. A new religious ruling may finally end the practice. (No 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)


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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
altmuslim this week - february 1, 2010 - This week, a controversial autopsy report on the killing of Imam Luqman Abdullah raises questions, the trial conviction this week of Aafia Siddiqui in New York raises even more questions, and a report in Harper's alleges that suicides at Guantanamo were cover-ups and raises yet more questions. Enough questions. Who has answers?
ASIDES
editor's blog
Win tickets to see “Journey to Mecca” in London - Voting for the Brass Crescent Awards has begun and for our British participants, we're offering five pairs of tickets to see a special IMAX screening of "Journey to Mecca," a documentary that tells the story of Ibn Battuta and the hajj (November 16, 2009)

Treachery at Fort Hood - American Muslims, particularly those serving in the US Armed Forces, should consider the killing of soldiers at Fort Hood an act of betrayal and treachery, regardless of the political sphere surrounding America's wars overseas. (November 5, 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
Al-Awlaki, a new public enemy, Zahed Amanullah, The Guardian, Comment is Free, December 30, 2009.

Islamophonic: Review of the year, Riazat Butt, Zahed Amanullah and David Shariatmadari, Cif Belief (The Guardian), December 18, 2009.

Fort Hood has enough victims already, Wajahat Ali, Comment is Free (The Guardian), November 6, 2009

The pitfalls of filming Muhammad, Shahed Amanullah, The Guardian, Comment is Free, November 4, 2009.

Children of Dust (published by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins), the first book by longtime altmuslim.com contributor Ali Eteraz, is released in the US, Canada, and the UK on October 13, 2009.

Shahed will be attending the m100 Sansoucci Colloquium in Potsdam, Germany, September 14-16, 2009. He will be moderating a panel discussion on the Danish cartoon crisis with Denis MacShane MP, Jasim Al-Azzawi (Al Jazeera English), and Flemming Rose (Jyllands Posten).

Associate Editor Wajahat Ali's play "The Domestic Crusaders" is having its premiere at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City, NY, September 11, 2009. The play will continue through Sunday, October 11, 2009.

Shahed will be moderating or participating in three panel discussions at the Islamic Society of North America's annual convention, including Muslim Journalists: The View from the Inside, Supporting Social Entrepreneurs and Civic Leaders, and Blogistan: Muslim Americans on the Web in Washington, DC, July 3-6, 2009.

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.

IN THE NEWS
Muslims say new security rules unfair, ineffective - ''Muslims are doing their duty. Muslim parents are being attentive. It's the TSA that's not being attentive. It's the TSA that's not doing its duty," said Shahed Amanullah, an editor at the Web site altmuslim.com. "There's nothing more that Muslims can do than turn in their own families." (January 7, 2010)

US Muslims & media… Lost love - "We have a big problem; it’s that other people are shaping the story about us," Shahed Amanullah, editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com, told IslamOnline.net. (December 16, 2009)

Moves to Seize Mosques Spark Outrage - "I'm extremely skeptical that the link between these mosques and this organization is so strong as to merit the seizing of a considerable amount of assets that do a lot of good for the Muslim community," says Shahed Amanullah, a prominent Muslim blogger based in Austin. "The government better be prepared to make a very good case, because this is unprecedented." (November 17, 2009)

Muslim Prayer Day Illustrates Dynamics of Free Speech in U.S. - "Some popular commentators and bloggers, such as Zahed Amanullah of the Web site altmuslim and Aziz Poonawalla of the blog City of Brass, were critical of its timing, coming so close to the end of Ramadan and Eid celebrations." (October 23, 2009)

O’s Fall Reading Guide - Children of Dust - "Ali Eteraz's memoir, Children of Dust, describes this ardent young Muslim's picaresque journey from a brutal Pakistani madrassa (oddly reminiscent of a British boys' school) to America's Bible Belt ("Allahbama," in his devout but increasingly modern eyes), where he braved the sexual fantasyland of AOL and zealously warded off temptation in miniskirts... his adventures are a heavenly read." (October 14, 2009)

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