Public Service Announcements

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

The Carnival of Islam in the West (6)

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Finally, the sixth edition of the Carnival of Islam in the West is here! The carnival - this creative collage of Muslim-thought - is over a week late but here nonetheless, complete with criticisms and mention from Islamophobic pundits. But what is point of taking a stand, gaining popularity and changing the tide of society if you don't come across a few critics now and again.

the Carnival of Islam in the West

I'm sure Aziz would agree with me, speaking of Aziz, don't forget to check in to the Carnival of Brass - the dynamic side of this powerhouse team of Muslim-bloggers - and don't forget to tell Aziz that Hakim sent you.

Now, I would like to thank you all for stopping by because we have another collection of excellent articles this month. So without further adieu, I present to you the sixth edition of the Carnival of Islam in the West, enjoy:

Abdur-Rahman. Learning to Talk. "Abdur Rahman's Corner". Jan 27. 2007.

Dare I say: this post is the most important article of this entire carnival, particularly for Muslims - ya akhi, jazaka'allah khairun.

Adam. Radical Islam in the U.K.. "Sophistpundit". Jan 20. 2007

This article is a passionate and spirited look at one of year's most controversial depictions of Muslims to date, the secret investigation of masajid in the U.K. by Channel 4 News. Adam adds an Islamophobic spin to this topic rarely seen in this carnival!

Amad. The Wahhabi Myth: Debunking the Bogey-man. "Musings of a Muslims Mind". Jan 28. 2007.

This post is an interesting analysis and commentary on the terminology "Wahhabi". Amad, explains the colloquial usage of the term and also gives some commentary on the historical figure, comparing notes and contradictions between sources.

Baraka. Only Connect. "Truth & Beauty". Feb 8. 2007

Falling short of nothingless than a masterpiece Baraka discusses meeting members of the Islamosphere (Muslim bloggers) in the "real-world". It is an insightful piece about a subject that I have been contemplating lately. As I have been invited to - though respectfully declined - a number of meetings and gatherings as a result of this blog.

Birt, Yahya. With Us or Against Us: The Rhetoric of the War on Terror. "Yahya Birt". Feb 2. 2007.

This article, like many of Birt's essays and articles is a giant. His profound understanding of Western Culture allows him to peer into the untouched realms of reason. In this entry Birt offers us a well crafted essay on the language used by Western authorities to describe their position on their own foreign military engagements. This declaration ultimately shaped the lens to which Westerners would then look upon Muslims forthright.

Bradford, Hood. PSA (4): What does a Wali look for? (Main objectives of Islam). "Islamic Law, etc". Jan 12. 2007

Hood offers a public service announcement (PSA) about oneof the most popular topics in the present-day Muslim's world, marriage. Its true, marriage always raises the most interesting discussions but this is not just another blog post about marriage. It is a comprehensive narrative of the wali (guardian) as used in traditional Islamic matrimonials. Hood's insightful article is reminiscent of Imam al-Ghazali's, adab an-nikah ("The Proper Conduct of Marriage in Islam").

Karchmar, Irving. Intention. "Darvish". Feb 1. 2007

Irving, whom I find one of the most inspiring personalities in the blogging circuit, gives some advice on intention ( niyya). He finds a way  - as he always does - to connect the dots between, gaining nearness to Allah subhana wa ta 'ala and our seemingly distant lives in a practical exercise that anyone can do. So whats left but to do it! And after you apply this technique and find it fruitful, be sure to thank him.

Kashmiri Nomad. Right-Wing Americans, "Muzzies" and Iraq. "Islam & the West - Opinions of a Kashmiri Nomad". Jan 18. 2007.

The Kashmiri Nomad - I just like typing his name, "The Kashmiri Nomad" - picks up on an issue that has brought me, to my dismay, much heartache. And that is the "disdain" and utter contempt that conservatives, right-wing Americans hold in their hearts for Muslims. He then asks the insightful question, " How can right-wing Americans on the one hand regurgitate the same hateful invective against all Muslims and then on the other hand support policies that are designed to "help" Muslims?"

Maiden, Gazzali. Book title: Gazzali's Jinn. "Maulana.com". Jan 24. 2007.

Author Gazzali Maiden, has written an online book about the subject of jinn. Giving a comprehensive and informative look at the world of jinn.

Maister, David. Islamic Saying. "Passion, People Principles". Jan 28. 2007.

This little tid-bit posted by business "guru" David Maister was a particularly pleasant surprise. I won't give to much away, but I will say this. It was the most unexpected post so far this year, thanks David.

Raysofsunlite. Children of One Faith. "Rays of Sunlite". Jan 27. 2007.

This post is actually a great follow-up to Yahya Birt's essay. It is a gentle and poetic expression of the opposite position to that expressed by the "authorities" depicted in Birt's essay. criticisms. As Raysofsunlite suggests to concentrate not of our differences but our unity.

Shareef, Safi. Yawn. "ShareefAdvice.com". Feb 7. 2007.

If you need good advice, perhaps Safi of ShareefAdvice.com can help. In this article, Safi shows us the "best" way to manage our body's rest during the prayers and rites of hajj.

That concludes this edition.  Submit your blog article to the next edition of the carnival of islam in the west using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

In addition please support the Carnival of Brass.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Ourstory Carnival: The Beginning

I am stealing this whole from Kevin at Slant Truth. I think it’s a great idea and should yield very interesting stories, as it catches on. 

How It All Began
Things move fast in the blogosphere. A couple days ago, The Angry Black Woman posted an assignment for Black History Month. The assignment was simple enough. It was a call to make Black History Month useful, pertinent, and personal.

What black folk do we hardly ever talk about yet deserve to be remembered if not celebrated? What recent history is worth exploring? And what is your personal black history? I would love to hear stories about people’s families. Either stuff you remember or stuff you were told. How did your people contribute to history? How were they affected by it?

So seriously, this is the Black History I want to explore this month. Post this on your blog, pass it around, email your grannies and cousins for material. Recommend some books, dig up some history, have fun!

Then come back here and tell me about it. Oh, and tag your posts “Our Black History Month”

The idea sparked a post from Kevin, in which he encouraged people to participate in ABW’s call and extended it a bit:

I’m gonna take this a step further and say it’s about time we opened this up. Asian folks, Latin@s, The Indigenous folks of the U.S., Middle Eastern Folks, the LGBT community of all races and ethnicities, what history do you want to put out there? What’s been overlooked for the more conventional narratives that makes everyone feel good?

Kevin left off with a question, “Is there a carnival to be had in this idea–a carnival of forgotten history or something?” Kevin and I were IMing each other while he published the post. I immediately responded that i like the idea of a carnival of forgotten ourstories. Being people with no patience for talk without action, we set a date and decided to host the first edition of this carnival together on Taking Place.

Where It Goes From Here
We will publish the first edition of the Ourstory Carnival on Saturday February 24th. The deadline for submissions is Thursday February 22nd. Between now and then, it is up to you to make this happen. We want you to write the stories that are rarely or never told; stories that have been forgotten; stories that helped define you and us. They can be stories of lesser known figures or actions of the past. They can be stories from your family. The idea is to breakdown the hierarchical approach to history that only shares stories to promote patriotism and pacifism. We want to create an ever-evolving ourstory of what makes us who we are. A collective ourstory that informs the present and reminds us that each and every one of us are responsible for how ourstory will be told in the future.

If you are interested in submitting your story, just leave a link to your post in the comments section of this post or use the official post submission page.

Update 2: Note that this is just a repost of the official call for submissions at Taking Place. Please don’t leave a link to your post here. Instead leave your links at Taking Place or the official post submission page.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Still Dusty! We are ‘Under Construction’

As I explained a few posts below, we are doing a bit of structual stuff in the background of the site, making changes here and there, adding this and that and so on, so things are just a tad discombobulated at the moment.  Don’t be alarmed if you come across odd things in different parts of the site, or if it seems as if some portions have disappeared completely. We have it all Under Control! I’m pretty sure.

Also, we’ll not be updating the various sections for this short while (except for blog posts) so, sorry about that.  But things will be much better when we are done! Although you might not actually notice any difference because, well… most of changes are in the background. :)

Thanks for your continued patience.

(this post will stay at the top of the page for a few days)

Friday, October 06, 2006

Slated to be Stoned to Death, These Women Need Immediate Help

This is a call for action to do our small part in coming to the assistance of the women in Iran who have been sentenced to death by stoning.

1. Read the background and an explanation of the punishment for stoning to death in Islamic Law.

2. Realize that crimes against chastity in Iran are a pervasive problem by going to the website of one of the leading Iranian-American activists. There you may watch a detailed 48 minute documentary about a woman executed for a crime against chastity.

3. Spread word about this rally in Rome protesting the decisions by the Iranian government.

4. Sign these two petitions which refer to the two of the seven women sentenced. Activists in the US have gotten personal confirmation that Iranian officials were influenced by petitions when they previously ordered stays of executions. The first is for a woman named Kobra. The second is for a woman named Malak.

5. Submit the following letter...

8. If you fail to do any or even some of these, I assure you that you will remember the image of a bunch of stones pinging against a woman�s head cracking open her skull sometime after October 12. You have eight days.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

PSA - First Carnival of African Women

The first Carnival of African Women will be held on this [linked] site on Monday October 9th. The Carnival is open to everyone registered on the African Women’s Blog Agregator and is a selection of posts on articles of interest to African Women.

To participate in the premier Carnival we are asking contributors to write a piece on Blogging and Identity and publish it on their blogs. Please feel free to interpret the topic as broadly as you wish - long, short, a poem, a piece of prose or photos. Once you have done that please register the post at the Carnival site or alternatively send an email to: info at blacklooks (dot) org with the URL of your post before the 6th of October. On 9th October we will publish a roundup of all submitted posts.

We hope that as many African women bloggers as possible will join in the Carnival. Even if you cannot write a piece please link to the site and join the webring. Thanks to everyone.

via Slant Truth