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hrashid A Return to Values and Voices for 2021
Hussein I'm pleased to be writing for Values and Voices again. My letter for this year is Letter 7. My previous letter can be found here. I return to the letter of Imam Ali (as) to Malik al-Ashtar.
In the seventh century, Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib, successor to the Prophet Muhammad’s religious and political authority, wrote a letter about good governance. This letter is recognized through history as a model for good leadership. Although it is grounded in a Muslim ethical worldview, it is broadly applicable in practice. One of the points of the letter that I would like to bring to your attention is this line: “A nation in which the rights of the weak are not wrested in an uninhibited manner from the strong will never be blessed.”
Muslim Futurism Advisor
The good folks of Mipsterz have a new project on Muslim Futurism, and I'm an advisor. Check it out and support us.
GIA Podcast | Narrative Change: Satire, Storytelling, and Unpacking this Shift
GIA Podcast | Grantmakers in the Arts.
Narrative Change Through Satirical Storytelling (podcast #17): Zeyba Rahman, senior program officer for The Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art's Building Bridges Program; Josh Seftel, filmmaker and creator of “The Secret Life of Muslims” series; Hussein Rashid, adjunct faculty member in the Department of Religion at Barnard College who focuses his research on Muslim and American pop culture; and Negin Farsad, Iranian-American writer and comedian who you can find on Netflix, HBO, and other media platforms, are interviewed by Nadia Elokdah, deputy director and director of programs of GIA. They discuss their recent film, The History of Muslims in the US, and share how they have used creative methods for shifting narratives and culture as a strategy towards equity.
Being the First: Reinventing Superheroes | Barnard College
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
Tweeting the Qur’an #Quran #ttQuran #Ramadan 2018/1439
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.
To see how the call has (not) evolved, here are the six call outs:
2010 (despite the title, which says 2011)
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:
- Anyone is welcome. You do not have to be Muslim.
- 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.
- 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.
- Include chapter and verse numbers using "Arabic" numerals, eg. 1:1, 33:72, etc.
- 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.
- You should feel free to offer commentary on why you chose that verse. If you know some tafsir, please include as well, if relevant.
- Tags: please include #ttQuran .
- 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.
Tweeting the Qur’an #Quran #Ramadan #ttQuran 2017/1438
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 9th year I am inviting people to tweet the Qur’an for Ramadan. I will be tweeting @islamoyankee.
To see how the call has (not) evolved, here are the six call outs:
2010 (despite the title, which says 2011)
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:
- Anyone is welcome. You do not have to be Muslim.
- 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.
- 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.
- Include chapter and verse numbers using "Arabic" numerals, eg. 1:1, 33:72, etc.
- 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.
- You should feel free to offer commentary on why you chose that verse. If you know some tafsir, please include as well, if relevant.
- Tags: please include #ttQuran .
- 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:
Combatting Islamophobia Through the Arts – Video
The Roles of Arts & Culture in Addressing Islamophobia direct link to my video is here.
New Co-Authored Article: We Are All Children of the Atom
Mizan Project: We are All Children of the Atom
The recent launch of the new comic series X-Men Gold has generated international controversy over religious and political images included by its artist, Ardian Syaf.
These images stand in striking contrast to the diversity that Marvel Comics has recently come to energetically espouse. The company has released a statement that explains their being unaware of the symbolism in the book as it was originally published, and declared its plans to discipline Syaf and remove the offending imagery from future reprints of the comic. We do not believe that this incident should detract from Marvel’s commitment to diversity; rather, it should compel Marvel to aim for more than just diversity, and push more fully to realize an ethic of pluralism instead.
#GlobalEdChat with @AsiaSociety on Mar. 23
I’ll be hosting a #GlobalEdChat with Asia Society on Teaching Islam.
Thursday, Mar. 23, 2017
8PM EST
