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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Dynastic defector
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Writer Fatima Bhutto
The new “daughter of destiny”
By Wajahat Ali, May 13, 2008
Wearing Bhutto as a last name in Pakistan is analogous to carrying a flamboyant, rare, elitist Prada bag: an accessory that assures you will never be common nor anonymous. The Bhutto merchandise captivates the political landscape as a dynamic, privileged, legendary and plagued real estate that encapsulates all that is wildly schizophrenic, volatile but ultimately endearing about Pakistan. It’s precisely this mythology borne from a feudal dynasty that burdens Fatima Bhutto, the charismatic and outspoken niece of recently assassinated Benazir Bhutto, and daughter of Murtaza Bhutto, himself assassinated in 1996. The twenty five year old published poet, writer, and columnist for The News in Pakistan loathes “birthright politics” and laments Pakistan’s obsession with “the cult of personality.” Regardless, that Bhutto brand name, for better or worse, places the spotlight squarely on this young Bhutto, who is now coming into her own as both a vocal social activist and highly coveted, Pakistani bachelorette tabloid sensation. ( 1 comment) | |
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Muslim electorate Making the Muslim vote count By Inayat Lalani, April 22, 2008 |
 | | The American political system is constructed along extraordinarily fair principles, and if properly engaged, Muslims can have an effect on the 2008 election beyond their proportional numbers. ( 7 comments) |
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Interfaith dialogue The imam and the rabbi By Muqtedar Khan, May 09, 2008 |
 | | In one evening, we did not solve the great problems that plague US-Islamic or Jewish-Muslim relations. But Jews and Muslims who were there went home a bit more hopeful. ( 2 comments) |
Importing imams Home-grown imams fight home-grown extremism By Aftab Ahmad Malik, April 29, 2008 |
 | | While the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Britain are of Pakistani origin, few actually look to Pakistan for religious guidance. Even the youth living in Pakistan don't relate to what is being preached there. ( 1 comment) |
Interfaith relations The better angels of our natures By Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, April 24, 2008 |
 | | Muslims should revere the devotion of Christians and all others as they do their own, and greet a man or woman of God among us, whomever it might be, as a reminder of Him. ( No comments) |
Criticism of Islam Islam, the new Israel By Hazem Bata, April 14, 2008 |
 | | Muslims who complain the most over Israel'’s immunity to criticism are the same ones who complain the most about Islam’'s lack of immunity. Wrong speech is countered by correct speech, not by shutting it up. ( 25 comments) |
Free will Alarm over Allam? By Hesham Hassaballa, April 07, 2008 |
 | | If Magdi Allam decides to leave Islam, that is his business, and he will answer to God for his decision. No one should brace for an angry response, because an angry response is completely unnecessary. ( 13 comments) |
Freedom of expression Dialogue of the deaf By Jørgen S. Nielsen, April 03, 2008 |
 | | One side is talking the language of freedoms and rights. The other side is talking the language of respect for the sacred. The question left unanswered is how that balance is to be achieved. ( 7 comments) |
Apostasy Tradition and truths in the Muslim world By H. A. Hellyer, April 01, 2008 |
 | | When it comes to interpreting between Islamic teachings regarding apostasy and historical practice, change, if it is to be sustainable, comes from within, or not at all. ( 2 comments) |
Reverend Jeremiah Wright Could a Muslim ever say that? By Hesham Hassaballa, March 22, 2008 |
 | | Unlike the comments of Barack Obama's former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, any anti-American statement by an American Muslim leader would immediately be considered tantamount to sedition. ( 42 comments) |
Hijab in the Middle East From the university to the workplace By Nathalie Nahas, March 20, 2008 |
 | | Muslim women across the Middle East face two struggles: reserving the right to choose whether to wear hijab or not, and - whatever their choice - facing the judgment of others. ( No comments) |
Iran Elections A worn out utopia By Rafia Zakaria, March 16, 2008 |
 | | In evaluating the course of Iran’s path since the 1979 revolution, one must ask why a revolutionary force has became as administratively inept, increasingly repressive and suspicious of dissent as the order against which it mobilised?
( 3 comments) |
Terminology “Caliphate” is the new “jihad” By Omer Mozaffar, March 10, 2008 |
 | | As Muslim Americans actively work to develop their indigenous Islam, the challenge will involve determining the meanings of Islamic words that have found their own limited ones in the American socio-political lexicon. ( 7 comments) |
Freedom of speech Blasphemy and the press By Ammar Alo, March 05, 2008 |
 | | The Prophet Muhammad himself was often called a liar, yet he did nothing to his accusers or defamers. In the spirit of this response, it should be left up to the free market of discourse to choose what is censored and what is not. ( 30 comments) |
Valentine's Day A true love story By Hesham Hassaballa, February 14, 2008 |
 | | I can find no love story more powerful, more spiritually uplifting, more awe inspiring as that of the Prophet Muhammad and Khadijah. It is a shining example of what an ideal marriage is. ( No comments) |
Interpreting scripture The idolatry of words By Naif Al-Mutawa, February 05, 2008 |
 | | It is an absolute shame that the Qur'an continues to be held hostage by those who favour the idolatry of words over the depth of their meaning and the elasticity of the human intellect. ( 2 comments) |
Former Indonesian President Suharto The authoritarian liberator By Irfan Yusuf, January 31, 2008 |
 | | The man who ruled over the world’s largest Islamic nation for over 30 years certainly was not perfect. But today Indonesians enjoy freedoms which their co-religionists elsewhere yearn for. ( 3 comments) |
Women in politics The women on top By Rafia Zakaria, January 28, 2008 |
 | | Feminists should not hold real examples of female leadership, such as the late Benazir Bhutto and Hillary Clinton, to a stricter standard than that applied to men who have the same aspirations ( 4 comments) |
Sunni-Shia relations Friction in context By Mazen Hashem, January 21, 2008 |
 | | Common sense says that Shii scholars make clear their rejection of the offshoot ideas ascribed to them and that Sunni scholars should not get hooked on historical debates. ( 7 comments) |
Musicians Native Deen Why American Muslims shouldn’t play the victim By Andrea Useem, January 15, 2008 |
 | | Native Deen are a talented group of American Muslim artists. But a few songs on their most recent album highlight a victim mentality that is ultimately counterproductive. ( 17 comments) |
Culture and religion The Arabization of Islam By Fatemeh Fakhraie, January 09, 2008 |
 | | It's time we realized that passing off Arab culture as authoritatively Islamic is inaccurate, exclusionary, and disrespectful of other Muslims' cultures. ( 56 comments) |
Culture and identity Pride and prejudice (Pakistani style) By Maliha Masood, January 07, 2008 |
 | | No one wants to feel ashamed of where he or she is from. It should be a matter of pride to utter the word Pakistan and not feel your insides cringe. ( 3 comments) |
Bhutto assassination Mourning an icon By Rafia Zakaria, December 29, 2007 |
 | | Even though Benazir Bhutto was helped along by the political legacy of her father, her continued commitment to democratic politics and to the women of Pakistan demonstrated that silence and submission are not the only choices for Pakistani women. ( 13 comments) |
Bhutto assassination Requiem for a “daughter of destiny” By Wajahat Ali, December 27, 2007 |
 | | 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) |
Year in review Top ten good news stories of 2007 By Mas'ood Cajee, December 25, 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) |
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Language and extremism You say jihadi, I say extremist By Zahed Amanullah, May 05, 2008 |
 | | 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. ( No comments) |
Integration Who speaks for German Muslims? By Loay Mudhoon, March 26, 2008 |
 | | As Germany makes moves to accommodate its significant Muslim minority, a debate has started. Who has the power to define what German Islam is? And who speaks for German Muslims?
( 2 comments) |
Kosovo independence State of confusion By Zahed Amanullah, February 25, 2008 |
 | | 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? ( 4 comments) |
Islamic law in the West One man’s sharia By Zahed Amanullah, February 11, 2008 |
 | | Nothing gets a debate going more than proposing the introduction of Sharia law in the West. That goes for non-Muslims too. ( 6 comments) |
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Journalist Robert Fisk “We should be partial on the side of justice” By Wajahat Ali, April 25, 2008 |
 | | 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 comment) |
Director Morgan Spurlock “There is a vast majority you don’t hear from” By Wajahat Ali, April 17, 2008 |
 | | "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) |
Journalist Steve Kinzer The folly of attacking Iran By Wajahat Ali, April 10, 2008 |
 | | 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 comment) |
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Book "Still Moments" Moments of clarity By Irfan Yusuf, April 16, 2008 |
 | | Still Moments, a short memoir by Dr. Zighen Aym, thoughtfully explores the contrasts and commonalities between experiences in his native Algeria and his adopted America. ( No comments) |
Movie "Stop Loss" Men do cry By Wajahat Ali, March 30, 2008 |
 | | 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) |
Movie "Rendition" Nothing ordinary about “Rendition” By Hesham Hassaballa, October 24, 2007 |
 | | A new movie about the controversial practice of "extraordinary rendition" may be more educational than entertaining, but that doesn't make it any less important ( 5 comments) |
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Muslims in Texas
Divine submissions
By Bassam Tariq, September 18, 2007
Muslims in Texas have found their place in this rugged and independent state, and can be found in nearly every corner of Texas' expanse. ( 1 comment)
Hajj 2007 Lost in prostration By Zahed Amanullah, July 29, 2007 |
 | | In 2007, the hajj experience was transformed by tragedy and globalization. Will today's Mecca preserve the spiritual experience of years past? ( 1 comment) |
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Thousands of music fans head to Morocco each summer for the Gnawa and World Music Festival, turning the resort of Essaouira into a North African version of Woodstock. -bn
Without a trace of irony, apparently.
Ultimately, Tehran could use them for good or ill, for lighting cities or destroying them. Only time, they say, is likely to reveal Iran’s true intentions.
"We are benefiting from one thing, and that is the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, and the American struggle in Iraq,"
Both politically and theologically, conservative Christianity is now a militant and rapidly growing force, in Britain and globally. -ap
Egypt's government has complained after staff at Heathrow Airport insisted the leader of the Egyptian Coptic Church went through a metal detector. -ap
The art of being an American Muslim. Check out the photo essay too. - bn
European Muslims are breaking barriers and stereotypes. - bn
A brief nuclear war between India and Pakistan would rip apart the ozone layer and unleash global devastation - killing millions, besides triggering catastrophic health problems, according to a study by US scientists (who had nothing better to do). -ap
Vandals have desecrated 148 Muslim graves in France's biggest WWI cemetery. -ap
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