TLC’s All-American Muslim is Surprisingly Really Watchable

November 11, 2011 By 6 Comments
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It’s tough, and never a good idea for a single person, or a few families, or even a specific community to be considered the representation of an entire faith group. Growing up as one of the only Muslims families in a small university town in North Dakota, inevitably my brothers and I became the poster children for “This is what Muslims are like!”  I think, for the most part, it was a good thing because we walked that delicate line of practicing our faith (Ramadans spent hanging out in … [Read more...]

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Hajj Lessons: How to Improve our Ummah

November 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
MUSLIMS-PRAYER

This is a guest post from Hesham Hassaballa, who will soon be joining the Patheos family as a columnist. October 28 marked the first day of the last month of the Islamic calendar, Dhul Hijjah, and it marked the beginning of the Hajj season. Now, millions of elated pilgrims are descending upon the valley of Mecca to perform this truly amazing, once-in-a-lifetime event. I was blessed to perform the pilgrimage in 2003, and it was the most powerful spiritual experience of my life. When … [Read more...]

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Watch the Hajj Pilgrimage

November 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Kabbah

Click here to see the Hajj performed live. Six short years. Six long years. Six extraordinary years. Often I feel like my life is lived in two ways - pre-Hajj and post-Hajj. The other way is pre-autism and post-autism. Both have been life changing experiences for me and my family in ways too lengthy, intimate and emotional to lay out in one measley blog post. Every Muslim who has gone for his or her Hajj has a unique story to tell, from how they received the calling (for literally, many … [Read more...]

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A Muslim Changes His Mind About Halloween

October 28, 2011 By 8 Comments
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This is a guest post from Hesham Hassaballa, who will soon be joining the Patheos family as a columnist. My entire life has been an evolution of belief, opinion and thought. A big part of that has been my religious interpretation. My committment to my Islamic faith has never waivered. Indeed, I did have a crisis of faith during my university years, but my devotion to the Lord has never weakened. But, I have changed considerably over the past decade.   In 2002, I penned a piece for … [Read more...]

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The Trouble with Anwar al-Awlaki’s Death

September 30, 2011 By 12 Comments
Anwar al Awlaki

I start with this: Innal illahi wa innal illayhi raji’un – to Allah we belong, and to Him is our eventual Return. I say this because Shaykh Anwar al-Awlaki, who was reportedly killed today in Yemen, was a self-described Muslim. The reported death of al-Awlaki has put American Muslims in some unchartered territory – whereas when Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was finally killed last spring, there was almost universal relief at his death, but with al-Awlaki, the feelings of American … [Read more...]

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Three Questions for American Muslims: Asma T. Uddin

September 28, 2011 By 2 Comments
Asma T Uddin

The Muslim Portal at Patheos  is hosting the “Three Questions” project for the month of September in conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the terrorist acts of 9/11.  We are asking American Muslims from across the nation three simple but important questions. Click here to learn more about the project. Asma T. Uddin, founder and editor-in-chief of Atlmuslimah, legal fellow with the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) and an international law attorney with The … [Read more...]

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Justice Perverted for the Irvine 11

September 23, 2011 By 7 Comments
Irvine 11

So what is free speech, really? Is it the right to burn the American flag? The right to sponsor a campaign to “Draw the Prophet Muhammad,” which offends a sizeable faction of the American population? The right to say what you want, when you want? The right to wear a black armband on your arm in protest of war? The right to use speech that others may deem hateful? The right to protest? The right to insult? The right to praise? What is free speech, if it isn’t one of the most fundamental … [Read more...]

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Muslims and 9/11: Lessons Learns and What Comes Next

September 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Remembering 9 11

(Editor's Note: This is a guest post from Rabiah Ahmed, director of Mirza PR and board member of My Faith My Voice.)  I knew from an early age that I wanted to work on behalf of the American Muslim community. My passions for community organizing, writing, and Islam led me to pick majors in college that I knew could help share the stories and perspectives of Islam and Muslims in America. (I graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., with a bachelor’s degree in mass … [Read more...]

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A Muslim American Declaration

September 9, 2011 By 1 Comment

(Blogger's note: This is a signed declaration from American Muslims/Muslim Americans, including myself, for public consumption.) We are Muslim Americans. We are American Muslims. We live as your neighbors, friends, doctors, lawyers, police officers, soldiers, cab drivers, newspaper vendors, teammates, co-workers, and family -- seamlessly and without conflict. We are fully immersed in the American mosaic, and we are proud. Our Muslims forefathers have been here since the founding of this … [Read more...]

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Three Questions for American Muslims

September 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many American Muslims are on the fence about what the response/reaction should be in regards to the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Do we condemn terrorism -  again? Do we keep addressing the misconceptions and stereotypes about Muslims and Islam that still exist and are growing? (Creeping sharia, anyone?) Do we try to push the conversation forward? Do we work on rewriting our American Muslim narrative? The Muslim Portal at Patheos (disclosure – I am the managing editor … [Read more...]

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