Here is a link to a blog by two Muslim guys (Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq) travelling around NYC every day in Ramadan having iftaar (breaking of the fast) at a different mosque each night. It’s pretty interesting because not only do they talk about the different types of food, but also the culture and history of the mosque as well. They also got some very nice pictures. Check it out here: http://30mosques.tumblr.com/post/189907332/day-26-masjid-at-taqwa#disqus_thread Read more
Check out this very interesting piece on Architecture in Pakistan, featuring the Bhong Mosque, which received the Agha Khan Award in Architecture in 1986. The mosque had 50 years of continuous construction from 1932 to 1982! This Article from Pakistan.Com was written by Owais Mughal: http://pakistaniat.com/2009/07/27/architecture-pakistan-bhong-mosque/ Read more
I recently watched the “New Muslim Cool” documentary and was pretty impressed. The film directed and produced by Jennifer Maytoerna Taylor, is about a Puerto Rican Muslim convert, Hamza Perez, who as a former drug dealer, struggles to make a new life for himself, his family and his new Muslim community in Pittsburgh, PA. It is an inspiring story of how a young Muslim, who uses Hip Hop music to express his feelings in a very creative and productive way,... Read more
I watched the latest “Star Trek” film in IMAX this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised to see Faran Tahir, a Pakistani-American who played the lead villian in “Iron Man” last year, as Captain Robau of the Starship U.S.S. Kelvin. According to an article on scifiwire.com, Tahir was cast by Director J.J. Abrams specifically because of his ethnicity, which is a tradition of the “Star Trek” series since the 60’s when Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had a mutli-ethnic cast... Read more
The Islamic Society of the East Bay (ISEB) will host its first Islamic Architecture Mosque tour in Fremont, CA. The tour of the 10,000 square foot mosque and recently completed 13,000 square foot school building will be lead by Amin Adil Qazi, Architect, AIA (American Institute of Architects), and Shakeel Ahmed, PE. The tour will also include a presentation about Islamic influences on American Architecture by Irfan Rydhan, Assoc. AIA. “This event offers a unique opportunity for the Architectural community to... Read more
A friend posted this video clip on facebook about the First Mosque in Turkey designed by a Woman (Zeynep Fadillioglu): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7985351.stm I was impressed with the creativity and look of the Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul, especially with the stylized mihrab, elegant mimbar and blown glass “rain drops” hanging from a chandelier on the inside of the 130 foot diameter dome. The design is very contemporay, yet very respectful of the past Islamic traditions, such as the Quranic Calligraphy etched into the interior... Read more
I was recently interviewed by KGO-TV (ABC Ch. 7) news about U.S. Aid to Pakistan, the flogging of a young women in the SWAT valley and Illume magazine’s coverage of Greg Mortenson’s work of building schools in the mountain areas of Pakistan. I stated that this type of treatment of women is not based on Islam, but ancient cultural and tribal practices that go back hundreds of years. It also has to do with a lack of education, not only... Read more
I was just a college freshman then, as I sat face to face with Br. Abdul Sattar Rydhan, marhoom – Sattar Uncle, as I called him – at his home in San Jose. Tape recorder, notebook and pencil in hand, I was ready to begin my first interview for an assignment I had taken on in Dr. Hatem Bazian’s course on the development of Islam in America. It was mid Spring 2004 and like all the other lazy Muslim kids... Read more
I recently finished reading “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. My first reaction after reading the story of Mortenson’s 15 + year story of building schools for the impoverished children of Pakistan and eventually Afghanistan’s mountain villages was – why do the Non-Muslims do Allah’s work without making any excuses, but we Muslims just argue, cheat and fight amongst ourselves?! For those who don’t know Mortenson’s story – he was a mountain climber who in... Read more
For Those of you who live in San Jose/Campbell, CA – Be sure to check out the interviews I conducted a few weeks ago of American Muslim Activists in the S.F. Bay Area to get their views and opinions on Barack Obama’s election to the Presidency of the United States of America. This unscripted and special edition of the “Muslim Round Table Television” program will air on Friday Feb. 27th, 2009 at 3:30pm on Comcast Channel 15 which airs in San... Read more
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