Hussein

Building Community Through the Arts | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube

Building Community Through the Arts | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube.

In this discussion, panelists talk about the true power of the arts to shape cities and policies and strengthen the ties between us. For this conversation, scholar Hussein Rashid is joined by Lydia Cotton and Marty Pottenger. Lydia Cotton is the co-founder of the Art Pot in Hanahan, South Carolina—our state’s first Hispanic multicultural center providing arts programming for kids and adults. Lydia is actively involved with the Hispanic community in the Charleston area, a tireless advocate of its people—making sure they are aware of their rights and their resources. A celebrated playwright, Marty Pottenger is also the founder of Art at Work, a national arts initiative that partners with communities and governments that uses creativity and the performing and visual arts to address non-arts based challenges.

Art & Global Politics | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube

Art & Global Politics | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube.

In this discussion, three artists and scholars talk about the intersection of art and history as well as art and politics and cultural diplomacy. How do performances shape our understanding of history—and how might politics shape our understanding of art? The panelists will also speak about America’s position as a global arts leader, and how its position has changed or been challenged over time. Moderator Dr. Hussein Rashid is joined by South African musician Kyla-Rose Smith and Georgian theater director Paata Tsikurishvili.

Teaching History | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube

Teaching History | More On That Now | #sfusa2022 – YouTube.

What role should the performing arts play in education and the teaching of history? Spoleto Festival USA’s 2022 season looked at the power of the arts to reveal untold histories, especially those of marginalized people and groups whose stories are not widely shared or known. Works like Omar and Unholy Wars, for example, asked us to not only look at history, but ask why those histories are told and who is telling it.

Event: Addressing the anti-CRT Movement

Addressing the anti-CRT Movement

What is the anti-CRT (Critical Race Theory) movement and what does it have to do with faith communities? Is teaching about religious and racial diversity now banned?

Join Shoulder to Shoulder for a presentation and panel discussionfeaturing Harman Singh from The Sikh Coalition, Taneeza Islam from South Dakota Voices for Peace, and Hussein Rashid representing the Interfaith Center of New York on Thursday, September 22 at 1pm ET to learn more about what CRT is and isn’t and what we can do to create communities where all people, regardless of their faith, culture, or background are treated fairly, respectfully, and with dignity.

Critical Race Theory understands that experiences of racism are both individual and personal as well as political and social. Legal scholars, activists, and lawyers established this theory upon realizing that many of the advancements during the civil rights movement had come to a stop and that some gains were even being reversed. Anti-CRT activists spread disinformation about what is and is not being taught in schools to shut down any conversation about our country’s racial and religious diversity, or the experiences of marginalized communities. The impact of the anti-CRT movement is that teachers and school officials are afraid to teach anything for fear it will be labeled divisive or CRT. Some school officials are receiving death threats and advocacy work to have the school calendar reflect the community’s religious and cultural diversity have been frozen.

The Sikh Coalition, South Dakota Voices for Peace, and the Interfaith Center of New York are among a broader community of organizations who have been working for years to improve teachers' access and ability to teach about our religious diversity, abiding by legal requirements and restrictions. Now they have run into significant and in some ways renewed energy with anti-CRT activists pushing for control over school curriculum. We will discuss how are they understanding the movement, strategizing engagement, and thinking creatively. We’ll also explore the roles of local educators, faith communities, and families in continuing to create more inclusive and diverse learning environments.

 

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/addressing-the-anti-crt-movement-a-panel-discussion-tickets-411495864207

9.22 PC Social Post

“Are the Arts Essential?”: Finding and Fostering Community Through the Lens of Urdu – YouTube

"Are the Arts Essential?": Finding and Fostering Community Through the Lens of Urdu – YouTube.

Wajahat Ali, renowned writer and TED Talk speaker, sits down with Director of the Building Bridges Program Zeyba Rahman and scholar Hussein Rashid to discuss their essay, "An Urdu of the Twenty-First-Century United States." In this lively conversation, the coauthors reveal the impetus behind the piece, which was published in the New York University Press anthology titled “Are the Arts Essential?,” talk about Urdu as an allegory for cross-cultural connection and unity, and reveal why the arts are “a superpower” to be found in every profession, practice and personal pursuit.

More on the book Are the Arts Essential?

The debut of ‘Omar,’ a thoroughly American opera : NPR

The debut of 'Omar,' a thoroughly American opera : NPR.

Hussein Rashid is a scholar specializing in Muslims in U.S. popular culture. Like Alryyes, he was an advisor on this opera. Rashid says that in his autobiography and other writings, Omar Ibn Said offers some coded language and certainly ambiguity in his actual beliefs. Rashid points to one chapter from the Qur'an that Said quotes in the autobiography that addresses God's power and sovereignty: the Sura al-Mulk. 

"The way I understand this, and the way several other scholars understand this," Rashid explains, "is that this is Omar talking about being enslaved, recognizing that it is other human beings playing at power, playing at having sovereignty, playing at having authority over other human beings. And he is saying, 'No, you don't actually know what power is, you don't know what sovereignty is, you don't know where my allegiance is.' And I think this is really a spiritual nourishment for Omar."

More On That Now: A Spoleto Discussion Series | Spoleto Festival USA 2021

More On That Now: A Spoleto Discussion Series | Spoleto Festival USA 2021

The Crusades, 1000 years later 

Tuesday, January 18, 2022 

6:00pm ET 

REGISTER 

Registrants will receive an access link via email on the day of the discussion. 

Test your historical knowledge: Who “won” the holy wars? It may come as no surprise to hear there are varying perspectives on the Crusades’s causes and repercussions. By some accounts, nation-states and Islam emerged, while other accounts describe a region ravished and sectarian. Dating back over a millennium, these conflicts are a foundational example of how religion and ideology have been used throughout history to forcibly change societies. Taking inspiration from Unholy Wars—a new opera receiving its world premiere during Spoleto in 2022—panelists Ethel Sara Wolper (Professor, University of New Hampshire), Ussama Makdisi (Professor, Rice University), and Zeyba Rahman (Senior Program Officer for the Building Bridges Program, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art) will discuss rare accounts of contemporary Muslim life as a result of this time period.

Spoleto’s ongoing discussion series returns with a new focus and expanded scope. More On That Now will cover a wide range of topics drawing inspiration from themes found in the upcoming 2022 Festival program and the broader artistic industry. Expert panelists will gather virtually and address the arts’ connection and intersection with religion, education, social justice, and identity politics. Dr. Hussein Rashid—an educator and academic whose research focuses on Muslim and American pop culture—will serve as the series-long moderator.