From Demonization to Objectification: Killing the Burqa
The hijab has gone from symbol to object, and the people associated with it are that object. Alex W. attacked and killed a piece of cloth.
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Bloomberg is Right to Say No to Muslim School Holidays
Though it sounds good just on its face, NYC Mayor Bloomberg has made the right decision by threatening to veto the proposal to add two Muslim holidays to the school calendar. And no, it’s not a pander to Jewish voters.
Read MoreUpdated: Response to the New York Times on Islam
In a recent Times Op-Ed neoconservative Edward Luttwak labeled Barack Obama “an apostate from Islam,” and that “would cause… complications in our dealings with the Islamic world,”
Read MoreUPDATED: Religion Has Been Framed; Covering the Aga Khan’s Visit
When a man who leads a large Muslim community, is believed to be descended from the Prophet Muhammad, and who derives his authority from that claim, comes to the United States it should be a major news story.
Read MoreThe Qawwali-Gospel, a Cross-Cultural Musical Experiment
Attempts at the recent Muslim Voices festival to reinvent the qawwali, of having it cross-fertilize with other musics, made the concert seem so promising as a closing event.
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Osama and Orientalism: Where Islamophobes Meet Al-Qaeda
What do critics of Islam have in common with bin Laden? They both have a reductive, prescriptive understanding of religion and they use it to assert superiority over others.
Read MoreMuslim Voices Festival: A Teahouse, and a Shakespeare Play
Two examples of transposition from one culture or location to another, and both work surprisingly well.
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Allah Made Me Funny: Borscht Belt Goes Halal
Jackie Mason shticks and all, a new comedy concert documentary, Allah Made Me Funny, reminds us that it’s not all doom and gloom.
Read MoreMuslim Voices Festival: On the Scene
This festival, running now in NYC, is an example of the kind of border-crossing that art can inspire. Our coverage of the festival starts today.
Read MoreMuslim Voices Festival: Story-telling For a New Millennium
The story-telling tradition may be a dying art form but a performance by Mahmood Farooqi, with star-power lent by Naseeruddin Shah, made a strong case for the future.
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