Hussein Rashid

Academic. Speaker. Educator. Advocate.

Media Appearances

A Discussion with Professor Hussein Rashid | the.Ismaili

Hussein

A Discussion with Professor Hussein Rashid | the.Ismaili.

We are always judging ourselves by material attributes, material aspects. Instead of saying what is this person like as a human being, as a person? How can I better myself by being in contact with this person? I think that's what materialism does, is it keeps us from God, it keeps us from ourselves, and it keeps us from making a human connection. Basically, what we do is, we willingly turn ourselves into nothing more than an object, by denying our divine connection in our very own humanity.

Media Appearances

Islam scholar Bernard Lewis left unfair legacy of disdain for Muslims – Religion News ServiceReligion News Service

Hussein

Islam scholar Bernard Lewis left unfair legacy of disdain for Muslims – Religion News ServiceReligion News Service.

Lewis’ transformation from scholar to neo-imperialist was not sudden, but there is a hint to be found in “The Assassins.” Originally published in 1967, it is an erudite work that sought to correct the record on the Nizari Isma’ilis, a Shiite Muslim community that had long been maligned as consumers of hashish, known in Arabic as “hashashin,” which transformed into the word “assassin.” The book fascinated me because it was a scholarly book at a time when scholarship was rarely applied to such topics.
Yet despite Lewis’ knowledge, he still chose the pejorative name for the Nizari Isma’ilis for the title of his book, suggesting he did not see the humanity of the people he studied; they were still objects to him.

Uncategorized

Being the First: Reinventing Superheroes | Barnard College

Hussein

Being the First: Reinventing Superheroes | Barnard College.

Someone has to do it first. But what does it take? Being the First showcases trailblazers, pioneers, and those who were “the first” in their field. Taking a look at the journey it took to get there, these candid discussions aim to break down stereotypes and explore strategies to accomplish personal, professional, and societal goals. 

Sana Amanat '04, director of content and character development at Marvel Comics, created the first Muslim superhero, Kamala Khan, with her own comic book series, Ms. Marvel. Amanat spoke with Hussein Rashid, adjunct faculty in the Department of Religion, about the lasting friendships she made at Barnard, her journey to becoming a comic book editor, and superhero Kamala Khan's universal identities. In addition to advice on seeking out a network of support during one's college years

Media Appearances

Break This Down: Q & A with Hussein Rashid on Pop Culture, Ramadan, and Islam’s Diversity | Barnard College

Hussein

Break This Down: Q & A with Hussein Rashid on Pop Culture, Ramadan, and Islam’s Diversity | Barnard College.

In Muslim traditions, you have heroes who are super not because of an innate position but through relationship with God. By developing spiritual wisdom and maturity, the hero is granted superpowers by the Divine. So in writing my article, the hyphen in “super-hero” shows that the person may always be a hero, but is not always super. That super quality is a gift granted by God, which may be earned but is not a permanent condition.

Events

The Sarah Play – 14th Street Y

Hussein
I’ll be participating in a talkback after this performance.

The Sarah Play – 14th Street Y.

Three actors struggle with how to tell the ancient, sacred story of Sarah and Hagar, the mothers of Isaac and Ishmael, through a modern lens. Drawing from the Muslim, Christian and Jewish traditions, and trying various iterations to determine which religion’s version of the narrative gets told, the actors wrestle with how to tell a tale when there are multiple accounts of what happened.

Events

Are the Arts Essential?

Hussein

Are the Arts Essential?.

Specialists will take the customary deliberations about arts and culture into new, substantive, and shaping discussion. Beyond “leisure” or “entertainment,” beyond art’s personal impacts, beyond contributions to tourism, community building, or the classroom, do the arts and culture power progress? This convening will ask if (and how) the arts provide structures and strategies for social change, how they help define peoples and nations, how they deal with actual matters of life and death. Are the arts essential in ways that economics and medicine and politics are? If so, how is this manifest? What are the theoretical bases that ground the arts and govern our expectations of them? 

Uncategorized

Tweeting the Qur’an #Quran #ttQuran #Ramadan 2018/1439

Hussein

Traditionally, Muslims read the Qur'an in its entirety over this time, in a section a day. The Qur'an is split into thirty sections, called juz', and one section is read each night. 

This year is the 10th year I am inviting people to tweet the Qur’an for Ramadan. I will be tweeting @islamoyankee.

Untitled

To see how the call has (not) evolved, here are the six call outs:

2009 Windsor Star Article

2010 (despite the title, which says 2011)

2011 USA Today Article

2012

2013 Storify (including press stories)

2014 A piece I did on Immanent Frame

 

The Background [from the 2009 post]

This year, I have been thinking it would be fun to tweet the Qur'an for Ramadan. Coincidentally, Shavuot came, and several people I follow on Twitter tweeted the Torah. Since that experience seemed to be successful, it further cemented my belief that this would be a good idea.

I remain grateful to Aziz Poonawala (@azizhp), who helps me refine our guidelines and provide technical feedback every year.

Our guidelines from last year:

  1. Anyone is welcome. You do not have to be Muslim.
  2. The point is to provide greater access to the Qur'an, so please tweet in English, regardless of the language you read in. Multiple language tweets are welcome.
  3. You should tweet verses that appeal to you each night, not the entire juz'. Some of you may wish to do the whole juz', but the idea is that we find comfort in the word of God, and we approach it and understand differently every time we come to it. Each night, there are certain verses that will have more power/resonance. Simply tweet those.
  4. Include chapter and verse numbers using "Arabic" numerals, eg. 1:1, 33:72, etc.
  5. Some verses may be too long for 140 characters. Split the tweet. Summarize. As you will, but make sure you make it clear what you are doing, and include the verse number.
  6. You should feel free to offer commentary on why you chose that verse. If you know some tafsir, please include as well, if relevant.
  7. Tags: please include #ttQuran .
  8. You do not need to commit to reading/Tweeting every night. However, when you do Tweet, please make sure you are on the same juz as everyone else.

If there are are other guidelines you believe should be included, please leave them in comments and I'll move up some to the main post.

This year, I plan on using The Study Qur’an.