2011

What’s So Threatening About All-American Muslim?

My latest blog for Our Shared Future.

What’s So Threatening About All-American Muslim?.

What the show really is is a threat to the FFA. Here is a popular show that anyone can watch at any time, and it shows that Americans are Americans, regardless of their faith. It’s not very scary. The other option that makes the FFA’s case is to believe that hundreds, if not thousands, of people involved in the production of the show for TLC are complicit in a cover-up that millions of Americans who recognize their stories in the episodes are going along with.

My Endorsement of Love, Inshallah

Reviews « Love, InshAllah.

Love Inshallah is unbelievable in its audacity. Not all of our authors find love, and God and God’s Will are just as often felt by their absence as by their presence. The brutal honesty that these women portray is refreshing and frightening. Nearly every story reveals another aspect of the human condition, and makes you appreciate that even among people who share the same faith, love can mean something very different.

Pre-order Love, InshAllah

Islam meets reality TV – Guest Voices – The Washington Post

Islam meets reality TV – Guest Voices – The Washington Post.

I think the most important aspect of the show is the great diversity of opinion that will be on display. There are questions of clothing, and not just the hijab, which does generate very rich conversations, but just what is appropriate and modest on a daily basis. There are many independent business women on the show, and we are privy to the conversations as to what limits Arab culture imposes compared to religious mandates. One of the most powerful moments, and I think one that will resonate, is how a couple navigates the fact that reproductive technology has outpaced ethical thinking, whether religious or otherwise. The very deep question of the role and presence of God in a believer’s life is on full display.

INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL POLICY AND UNDERSTANDING

INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL POLICY AND UNDERSTANDING.

Join the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, the British Council’s Our Shared Future Project, and the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Transatlantic Relations for a panel discussion on the impact of 9/11 on Britain, Europe, and the United States. 

H.A. Hellyer, Senior Analyst at the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center and ISPU Fellow, will discuss his latest ISPU policy brief, “Across the Atlantic: Islam, Europe, and the Repercussions of the Attacks” with Jocelyne Cesari Director of the Islam in the West Program, Harvard and JHU University, and Hussein Rashid of Hofstra University. Their discussion of the societal impact of 9/11 will cover Islamophobia, radicalization, and other issues. Sharon Memis, Director of the British Council in the USA, will moderate what is sure to be an engaging and lively discussion.  

We hope you will be able to join us for an informative discussion.  

Event Details: 

November 16th, 2011 at 10:30am-12:00pm 

Registration begins at 10:00 am 

Kenney Auditorium 

Johns Hopkins University 

1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington DC, DC 20036

The Transcript of the 1-Hour Audio Seminar « The Future of Islam In the Age of New Media

The Transcript of the 1-Hour Audio Seminar « The Future of Islam In the Age of New Media.

The following is the unedited and far from perfect transcript of The Future of Islam In the Age of New Media, the audio seminar this project is based on. It still needs some polishing, but for now, here it is. 

A huge special thank you to Janelle Dumalaon for putting it together, and also to Aysha Khan for contributing. You may use the transcript partially or in its entirety provided you link back to this page or mention this project. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Hussein Rashid, and I’m an academic who researches Muslims in America, and an active Blogger at Islamicate, and associate Editor at Religion Dispatches, an online magazine dedicated to discussing religion and culture.

When I look at how new media, social media is impacting America, what I see is a way for us to be able to look at old debates in our tradition in new ways. To discover old debates. To bring up new debates. And I don’t see this really as breaking with tradition. I see this as a way for us to rediscover our tradition.

When we think about our earlier history, it was incredibly pluralistic in terms of theology, in terms of philosophy, in terms of legal schools. And what’s happened is that we lost that, because the voices that were there before were buried due to various economic circumstances.

So what this allows us to do is to go back, to bring life back into tradition. To pay honor to our tradition and to advance t into the 21st century so Islam remains a tradition for all times and places.