http://www.altmuslim.com Global perspectives on Muslim life, politics, and culture en-us editor@altmuslim.com Copyright 2010 altmuslim.com 2010-09-01T11:00:52+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/turning_our_back_on_religious_freedom/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/turning_our_back_on_religious_freedom/#When:10:00:52Z On August 13, 2010, the White House sponsored the annual Iftar, a tradition started by President Bush in 2000, commemorating the month of Ramadan. Diplomats, members of Congress, and community leaders from diverse backgrounds celebrated America’s venerable support for religious diversity and freedom. At the dinner President Obama accurately summarized the Founders’ intent to preserve religious freedom in America, for native-born and immigrant alike. He commendably stated, “As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan.” 2010-09-01T10:00:52+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_ground_zero_synagogue/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_ground_zero_synagogue/#When:12:00:49Z Has Lebanon officially become more tolerant and progressive than the United States? In a country with about the same land mass as Los Angeles County which has been at war off and on for nearly four decades, “Ground Zero” for the Lebanese is arguably their entire country -and at the center of their Ground Zero is downtown Beirut, captured and occupied by the Israeli Defense Force in 1982 and which was almost entirely reduced to rubble from Muslim West Beirut to Christian East Beirut, and all points in between. 2010-08-30T12:00:49+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/anti-terror_camp_trains_youth_to_counter_extremism/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/anti-terror_camp_trains_youth_to_counter_extremism/#When:17:46:28Z What drives a Western born-and-bred youngster, with all the privileges of an education, a modern lifestyle and freedom of speech, to violently attack his fellow countrymen? The growing phenomenon of home-grown radicals highlights the need to understand the root causes of such violence and develop a strategy to deal with the individuals at risk of committing it. On 7 August, the UK’s first Anti-Terror Camp was held in the county of Warwickshire, led by prominent Pakistani scholar Dr. Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri, with the aim of protecting youth from radicalisation by presenting them with arguments that they can use to counter extremists. 2010-08-28T17:46:28+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/its_about_the_community_stupid/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/its_about_the_community_stupid/#When:10:00:29Z Despite the countless media hours dedicated to the controversy surrounding Park51, the Muslim community center to be built two blocks from Ground Zero, there has been little to no substantive discussion. Across the country and on our televisions and radios, there is far too much vitriol spewed towards Muslims for any serious conversation to be had. Though racism and anti-Semitism, among other societal ills, are widely considered unacceptable, a steady diet of Islamophobia has found an unfortunate place in the narrative of 21st century America. The coordinated attack on Islam and Muslims, even in a place as tolerant and diverse as New York City, leaves little to the imagination of just how much some Americans hate other Americans. 2010-08-25T10:00:29+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/pride_and_prejudice/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/pride_and_prejudice/#When:11:00:01Z The Park51 controversy has brought many dark elements to the fore. To my mind the foremost danger is the mainstreaming of a pernicious partnership between prejudice and politics. Come December, the politicians will abandon the issue and the bigots, strengthened and empowered by their political salience, will continue to spew their venom against the mosque. But sadly until November, we will be forced to witness an ugly and hateful vulgarity on display, as the GOP uses hate as a political strategy. It is also rather shameful that prominent Democratic leaders like Harry Reid have joined the “I am a bigot now, be sure to vote for me” bandwagon. What is the point of having values, if we will not live up to them, when the polls dip? Muqtedar Khan 2010-08-23T11:00:01+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_other_islam_controversy_in_nyc/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/the_other_islam_controversy_in_nyc/#When:06:30:47Z This Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims, two major debates around Muslims rights are taking place in New York City. One about the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque", the other over whether to include Muslim holidays, including the post-Ramadan celebration, Eid-ul-Fitr, in the public school calendar. Last September, a broad coalition of religious, labor and immigrant groups began pressing New York City officials to close all public schools during two important Muslim holy days. The advocates have asked that Eid Ul-Adha, which marks the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, and Eid Ul-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, be recognized on the academic calendar of the school district as official holidays for all students. Asma Uddin 2010-08-20T06:30:47+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/Looking_for_an_American_standard/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/Looking_for_an_American_standard/#When:09:00:42Z About six months ago, I became an American citizen. They gave me a nifty handbook called “The Citizen’s Almanac: Fundamental Documents, Symbols, and Anthems of the United States,” replete with quotes: Franklin Roosevelt, James Madison, Woodrow Wilson, Supreme Court decisions, Reagan’s speech at the Brandenburg (“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”) and so many others from the colorful cast that comprises American history. In the naturalization ceremony, each of us was asked to name our “country of origin” at the microphone; it was an inspiring display, as intended, and I even felt rather bland with my Canadian roots - as though somehow I barely made the diversity cut-off. 2010-08-18T09:00:42+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/prosecute_taliban_leaders_for_war_crimes/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/prosecute_taliban_leaders_for_war_crimes/#When:09:30:24Z Sanam Gul was a widow, 35 years old and pregnant. According to news reports she was kept in captivity for three days before being shot to death in a public trial by the Afghan Taliban. The execution took place in the Qadis District of the rural Baghdis province in Western Afghanistan. The “court” that ordered the punishment, found Sanam Gul, also known as Bibi Sanubar, guilty of having an illicit affair, proof of which was her pregnancy. She was sentenced to 200 lashes and then executed. The punishment was carried out by Mohammad Yousuf, the area Taliban commander amid a crowd of onlookers. Rafia Zakaria 2010-08-16T09:30:24+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/finding_mizan_with_a_good_story/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/finding_mizan_with_a_good_story/#When:08:30:03Z A recent study carried out by DJS Research in the UK for IERA (Islamic Education and Research Academy), involving a poll of 500 randomly selected non-Muslims, found that 60% preferred not to receive any information about religion, while 77% did not agree in any way that Muslims should do more to teach people about their faith. While these findings might suggest to some that most British non-Muslims are not at all interested in learning more about Islam, my experience of producing theatre inspired by Muslim world literature for British audiences has shown me otherwise. 2010-08-13T08:30:03+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/ramadan_and_gods_love/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/ramadan_and_gods_love/#When:10:45:01Z Today, in many parts of the Muslim world, the month of Ramadan will start. Continuing until September 9, Muslims the world over will abstain from food, drink, sexual relations, and other sensual pleasures from 90 minutes before sunrise until sunset. And, I must admit, I am a little nervous becuase of the long, long, long days of August. This year, the fast will last from about 4:15 AM until 8 PM. Since the Islamic calendar, like the Jewish calendar, is a lunar one, the month of Ramadan moves earlier each year by about 11 days. Thus, it is not too long before we will have 17 hour fasts in the dreadful heat of the summer. In fact, Ramadan will be in the summer months for the next decade or more. Hesham Hassaballa 2010-08-11T10:45:01+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/looking_for_common_ground/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/looking_for_common_ground/#When:07:45:13Z That most Americans are fearful of Islam and distrustful of Muslims is not new. Most polls show that 1 in 2 Americans have a negative view of Islam. Thus, it is not surprising that a majority of New Yorkers acting on such perceptions oppose the construction of an Islamic community center and mosque called Park51, two blocks from where the World Trade Center once stood. Opponents of Park51 have often cited the negative public sentiments as a reason why American Muslims should voluntarily give up their right to freedom of religion. Parvez Ahmed 2010-08-09T07:45:13+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/everyday_acts_of_intolerance/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/everyday_acts_of_intolerance/#When:12:00:16Z Judging from news accounts, the Pakistani military has been making significant inroads against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the tribal agencies and Swat valley. In a report published by the Critical Threats Project, army personnel described the victory of the security forces as “long-lasting, sustainable peace”. Operations in South Waziristan are also reported to have been largely successful in identifying and eliminating militant strongholds. Data culled from news reports shows that Pakistan’s military has made tremendous progress in dismantling Taliban operations and gaining control of previously militant-infested areas. Rafia Zakaria 2010-08-06T12:00:16+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/choosing_freedom_over_fear/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/choosing_freedom_over_fear/#When:08:30:42Z Terrorism is brutal and devastating, and its ultimate goal is fear. Terrorists hope to set allies against each other, and build tension between compatriots. The atrocities carried out by terrorists on September 11, 2001 were particularly devastating and, in many ways, the fear generated by the attacks is still being felt today. Since this spring, critics have condemned a proposed Muslim community centre in Lower Manhattan, formerly known as the Cordoba House. The community centre’s leaders recently changed its name to Park51, referring to its address at 51 Park Place, in part to emphasise that it will be located several blocks from Ground Zero and that it is hardly the “Ground Zero Mosque” it had been branded. 2010-08-04T08:30:42+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/lets_be_friends_not_frenemies/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/lets_be_friends_not_frenemies/#When:21:00:19Z This May, I traveled all over Pakistan for two weeks as a part of a State Department public diplomacy program aimed at addressing anti-American sentiment taking control of the country. As a part of the State Department’s International Visitors Program, I was able to meet with leading academics, NGOs, and students in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi. Although the aim of my program was to talk about the American Muslim identity and women’s rights in Islam, I spent the majority of my time talking about a woman named Aafia Siddiqui, the mistreatment of Pakistanis at American airports, drone attacks, and a general barrage of frustrations with U.S. foreign policy. I’ll be honest - people in Pakistan are outraged. 2010-08-02T21:00:19+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/we_are_all_on_the_mountaintop/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/we_are_all_on_the_mountaintop/#When:12:00:11Z In the upper reaches of the Zagros Mountains, the air changed. The high altitude opened it, cleared it of the dust of the valleys, and made it sing a little in the lungs; low atmospheric pressure. It was a shift I recognized. We had been driving for hours, winding north along a wide dry basin between high peaks; then we turned west. Now the car, an old Peugot, struggled upward along switch-backs cut into the mountainside, past intersecting layers of rock laid down over geological ages. For a moment I was reminded intensely of home. It had been almost a year since I had been back to Boulder, in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. 2010-07-30T12:00:11+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/islam_the_media_and_meaningless_language/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/islam_the_media_and_meaningless_language/#When:08:15:58Z Islamist, orthodox, jihadist, conservative, Islamism, hardliner, Moslem, extremist, insurgent, fundamentalist, freedom fighter, infidel, moderate, liberal, progressive. All of these words mean nothing and everything at the same time - a testament to the power and mutability of language in the media, specifically when it comes to the words we use to describe Muslims and Islam in the contemporary world. The potency and slipperiness of this kind of journalistic shorthand is apparent in a recent article from the Associated Press that was picked up in the World section of the Los Angeles Times. The headline reads: "Indonesian militant gets 8-year jail sentence for twin hotel bombings." 2010-07-28T08:15:58+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/we_want_to_build_park51_so_it_has_something_for_everyone/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/we_want_to_build_park51_so_it_has_something_for_everyone/#When:05:11:10Z When the Park51 project in lower Manhattan was first conceived, the developers could not have imagined that they would find themselves in the firestorm they are in today. The purchase of the property, the initial planning, and even the first community vote all passed uneventfully. But not long after the developers received their first community board approval (not a requirement, but done in order to show a commitment to the lower Manhattan community), the $100 million project has become the focus of intense debate. Lost in all the fracas, however, is the voice of the owner of the building and developer of the Park51 project, long-time Manhattan developer Sharif El-Gamal of Soho Properties. We reached out to El-Gamal to find out how more about the project financing, the history of Muslims in Manhattan, and how the project can bridge a gap that seems to be growing day by day. 2010-07-24T05:11:10+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/US_peacemakers_forced_to_stay_home/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/US_peacemakers_forced_to_stay_home/#When:14:00:46Z Days before Secretary Clinton urged foreign governments to promote rule of law through an independent civil society; the U.S. Supreme Court struck a blow to American civil society's commitment to international human rights. In Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project (HLP) (PDF download), the Court ruled it is unlawful to train organizations designated as terrorist on how to resolve their disputes through peaceful means. Allowing Americans to provide training in nonviolent conflict resolution, the Court reasoned, would legitimize terrorist organizations. 2010-07-23T14:00:46+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/how_can_we_view_muslims_as_americans/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/how_can_we_view_muslims_as_americans/#When:11:30:01Z Writers, philosophers, professors, and politicians have referred to the United States of America as "a nation founded by immigrants." This fact can hardly be refuted - especially considering the existence of the term "Native American." America has dealt with the question and issues resulting from immigration since its birth in the 18th century. The most cancerous aspects of America's response to immigration are bigotry and racism, and they are flaring up again, this time in reference to Muslims. America's unofficial "open-door" attitude during the colonies' infancy worked to bring the new nation out of economic obscurity. Yet the American legacy, built on the backs of immigrants, has not been historically favorable to its creators. Asma Uddin 2010-07-21T11:30:01+00:00 http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/hijacked_art_sidetracked_peace/ http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/hijacked_art_sidetracked_peace/#When:13:00:34Z When Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris was put on an Al Qaeda hit list for her "Draw Muhammad Day" project, my inbox started filling up. Since I'm one of the only practicing Muslims in the American comics industry, people assumed I had some kind of profound insight into the reasons these cartoon incidents keep flaring up. But the only explanation I have is too simple to satisfy anyone: they happen because hate sells. It sells in the West, where anti-Muslim hate groups feed on incidents of Muslim rage; it sells in the Muslim world, where extremists are only too happy to use examples of Western intolerance to win over new recruits. 2010-07-19T13:00:34+00:00