Faith, Piety, and Action: Creating a More Just World – First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn
Hussein On Nov. 6, 2016, the Sunday before Election Day, I was asked to preach at First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn. Below is the audio of the sermon.
Secret Wars: | Mizan
Muhammad and his family are the original heroes for Muslims, and their virtuous behavior is being represented through the American art form of the comic, by artists from India. This approach seemed like a way to look at the transnational nature of Muslim identities, while still taking national particularities into account.
The Power of Names – Sacred Matters Magazine
The Power of Names – Sacred Matters Magazine.
In many popular media reports, the default often seems to be Sunni Islam. It is unclear why this has become the baseline for what Islam is. Some academics have suggested, going back to the origins of the discipline of Religion, that Sunni Islam most closely resembled Protestant Christianity, which was constructed as the truest of religious groupings. As a result, structures that mirrored Protestant Christianity were elevated to true expressions of those traditions. Perhaps it has to do with the tyranny of the majority, so that by virtue of being the most numerous group of Muslims, Sunni Islam becomes the normative position.
Speaking Event: “American Muslims: 500 Years of History” – Princeton Public Library
In 2016, America mourned the passing of one of its heroes, boxing champion Muhammad Ali. His funeral service gave public light to the long history of Muslims in America, and the deep impact Muslims have on popular culture. This talk takes on an exploration of that history, focusing on literature, and the contemporary political environment. Community Room
Why I was scared to attend the AAR Conference this year | Bulletin for the Study of Religion
Why I was scared to attend the AAR Conference this year | Bulletin for the Study of Religion.
Like many scholars of religion, I normally make my plans to attend the annual national meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR). This year, I decided I would not attend. Some of my friends and colleagues thought it was perhaps because I was an adjunct, and had no funding to attend the most important professional conference of our discipline. This concern is real for so many of our members, but was not my issue this year. Instead, it was that we were hosting the meeting in an open carry state, and one that allowed students to carry their weapons into classrooms. As a person of color and as a Muslim, the location of the meeting in San Antonio did not seem prudent.
Trump supporters think my life is worth less than theirs | Religion News Service
Trump supporters think my life is worth less than theirs | Religion News Service.
The high school I went to on Long Island taught me a lot about race. I learned about overt racism, and what we now call microaggressions. Over a quarter of a century later, I am under no delusions that we live in a post-racial society. The movement for, and resistance to, Black Lives Matter reminds me every day that racism is part of our national DNA. Even with all that experience, hearing the results of our presidential election shocked me.
Let Love Overcome Us – We Stand With Love
Let Love Overcome Us – We Stand With Love.
Love wins! What has it won? What had it lost? Perhaps love has not won. Perhaps we have lost. We have lost love. Perhaps it’s not that love wins, but that humanity wins love. By love, I do not mean the love of one person for another person. Cities founded on brotherly/sisterly love are all good in theory. The problem is that when it is between you and I, and we forget what ties us, it’s easy to break those bonds.
Hofstra Event – Oct. 26, 2016 – Islam, Islamophobia, and American Democracy
I will speaking at Hofstra University on a panel on Islamophobia and American Democracy. Please come if you can.
Iona College – Muslims and the Making of American Democracy
I will be giving a talk at Iona College on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016 at 7PM. The talk will be on Muslims in America, Islamophobia, and the Presidential election.
Quoted in HuffPost Religion Video on Islam
Let’s Talk About All That Anti-Muslim Garbage In Your Newsfeeds