October 2017

Speaking Event: al-Ghazali Lecture: The Uncanny Muslim: Real and Imagined in America

The al-Ghazali Lecture

Hussein Rashid is the founder of islamicate, L3C, a consultancy focusing on religious literacy and cultural competency. His work includes exploring theology, the interaction between culture and religion, and the role of the arts in conflict mediation. To share his research on Muslims and American popular culture, he writes and speaks about music, comics, movies and the blogistan. He currently is a fellow with the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, and also is working with the Children’s Museum of Manhattan as a content expert for their “America to Zanzibar” exhibit.

Panel: Comics and Islam, Boston, Oct. 21

Comics and Islam

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Saturday, October 21, 2017

Muslim identity and practices are featured more comics than ever, from mainstream titles like Ms. Marvelto independent graphic memoirs. This panel takes stock of this important growing field — including the brand-new book Muslim Superheroes: Comics, Islam, and Representation — and presents the perspectives of both academics and creators.

 

Hussein Rashid – Religion Professor, Barnard College; Contributor, Muslim Superheroes
A. David Lewis – Faculty Associate, MCPHS; Co-Editor, Muslim Superheroes
Sara Alfageeh – Illustrator, Co-Director, BOY/BYE series MIPSTERZ project

Cold stones – The Immanent Frame

Cold stones – The Immanent Frame.

When I first received the invitation to contribute to “Is This All There Is,” I thought immediately of the great speculative fiction author Douglas Adams. The question called to mind the title of his novel So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish. An open question about endings demanded an equally amorphous valediction. My goal was to write a series of seemingly unconnected vignettes, which would ultimately connect to a point and work in the number “42.” Inspired by recent resignation letters from the executive branch of the US government, which used the initial letters of paragraphs to spell out the words “RESIST,” and “IMPEACH,” I thought it might be fun to do something like “SKYWALKER,” “CYCLOPS,” or “MS. MARVEL.” Unfortunately, I realized quickly that I lacked the fortitude and creativity to do something like that. However, in keeping with the spirit of Adams, there is a secret message embedded within the text, but the cryptographic key has yet to be determined.