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. 
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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)
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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)
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Recent and upcoming talks and offsite articles by altmuslim contributors
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)
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Media appearances and analysis featuring altmuslim editors
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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Qur'anic exegesis
Blogging the Qur’an
Posted by Zahed Amanullah on January 8, 2008
For all its importance to Muslims, the Qur'an has not been methodically explained to a wide non-Muslim audience. Considering the cherry picking done by non-Muslims and Muslims alike, an objective public reading doesn't sound like a bad idea. The online magazine Slate ran a blog series by Jewish columnist David Plotz covering the Bible that was largely successful (if uncontroversial) due to the genuine sense of introspection and a reasonably objective approach.
It is perhaps that sense that Muslim writer and "cultural critic" Ziauddin Sardar hopes to provide as he begins " blogging the Qur'an" on a weekly basis in Britain's Guardian newspaper and website. Before people think that the blog series will be a fawning exercise in hyperbole, Sardar is well known for his "scepticism" as outlined in a range of books including the wonderful Desperately Seeking Paradise. It is the kind of approach that promises to be influential to the people who need it most - Muslims who interpret the Qur'an in a way that exacerbates the clash with modernity and non-Muslims who do the same. Both groups are sympathetic enough to Sardar - to his humility and to his constructive critique - to grant him a willing ear.
It should be noted that Sardar has been beaten to the punch by Islam critic Robert Spencer, who started blogging the Qur'an on a weekly basis in May of last year. Looking at his latest entry, you'll find a surprisingly sedate description of the selected verses scattered with varying degrees of misinterpretation (it's not "up to Allah who believes and who doesn’t," Robert... it's that humans have been given free will to choose their destiny). Still, the idea of explaining the Qur'an in depth to an audience that is already predisposed to despise it is not a very efficient use of influence.
Interestingly, the public commentary will be limited to selected e-mails and responses from Sardar rather than the mudslinging comment threads found on Islam-related blog entries on the Guardian's Comment is Free website. Those (on both sides) who relish the sport of verbal jousting will have to resort to substance, honesty, and patience in their interactions. Letters to the editor in the Internet age? Doesn't sound like a bad idea.
[Zia Sardar is speaking on a panel discussion this Friday at the City Circle in London this Friday on the Pakistan crisis.]
We try to remove any comments that do not conform to our netiquette guidelines. If any comments remain that are in violation, please let us know. The presence of offending comments does not necessarily reflect the views of the editors of altmuslim.
Mr. Amanullah: On 9/11, and in the immediate aftermath, I was proud of my country because there were no counterattacks against Muslims. I was proud of the fact that our leaders stood up and announced that Islam is a "religion of peace." I, along with the vast majority of Americans, simply assumed that Islam was just another religion - i.e., be nice, don't lie, cheat or steal, pray once in a while.
In the months and years following 9/11, I've been doing my own independent research on Islam, and I have discovered, much to my surprise, that Islam is NOT "just another religion." Islam is unique in many respects, but most importantly, I sincerely believe that anyone who reads the Qu'ran from the perspective of "I believe this is the immutable word of Allah/God" will inevitably exhibit a range of pathologies that do not fit within contemporary Western society. To insist otherwise means that you: 1. Have not read the Qu'ran; or 2. You are part of the large group of Muslims who feel that it is their duty to cover-up the "bad" parts of the Qu'ran from the infidel.
Robert Spencer will someday be viewed as a hero - the lone Westerner who dared to understand the Qu'ran and the Hadith, who dared to research Islam with a critical eye, and who exposed what he found to the rest of humanity.
Your glib dismissal of one of Mr. Spencer's statements (regarding free will) is, according to Mr. Spencer, wrong. Of course, Mr. Spencer quotes directly from the Qu'ran as well as other historic sources to buttress his argument (as he always does.) I invite you to read Mr. Spencer's rebuttal (at http://www.jihadwatch.org) and to provide a counterstatement (but please, adhere to the same level of discourse as Mr. Spencer, i.e., references are required.)
Thanks.
Mr. Amanullah,
Robert's specific response to your erroneous statement is found below:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/019497.php#comments
As is typical, you refute a point by Spencer with absolutely no references to support your claim, whereas Robert has substantiated his with , yeah you guessed it, the Qur'an and Islamic sources like the Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs and Ibn Kathir.
How can you expect anyone to take your words seriously when this is what you consider intellectual debate.
Do you dare care to respond, Sir? - Posted by awake on January 9, 2008 at 01:39 PM
Robert allies himself with the extremists in their common interpretation of Islam being a religion of endless conflict. I am working to promote in my own way a practice of Islam - regardless of the differences of opinion within it - that is respectful of others and exists peaceably within pluralistic societies, Muslim and non-Muslim. I stand by my opinion (as does Zia Sardar, who agreed with my stance about free will on his blog today), but I also choose not to let myself be distracted from this important work by either Robert or the extremists.
So thank you for your comments, but that's all I'm going to say about this.
- Posted by zahed (london, england) on January 9, 2008 at 04:43 PM
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