First Mosque Designed by a Woman in Turkey

April 21, 2009 By irfanrydhan

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

My Interview on KGO-TV (Ch. 7) news about U.S. Aid to Pakistan

April 12, 2009 By irfanrydhan

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

My Memory of Dear Sattar Uncle – by Adeel Iqbal

March 19, 2009 By irfanrydhan

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

Three Cups of Tea

March 11, 2009 By irfanrydhan

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

Watch “American Muslim Views on the Obama Presidency” – Friday 2/27 on Ch. 15 @ 3:30pm (San Jose)

February 25, 2009 By irfanrydhan

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

“Slumdog Millionaire” wins Best Picture and 6 other Oscars, including two for A.R. Rahman, for Best Original Song and Best Original Score.

February 23, 2009 By irfanrydhan

I found out recently that A.R. Rahman, the Academy award winning composer of “Slumdog Millionaire” as well as many other Bollywood films, was inspired by Sufism and converted from Hinduism to Islam in 1989. His full name is Allah Rakkha Rahman. He comes from a Tamil background and said “God is Great” in Tamil after he won the first Oscar. Congratulations to A.R. Rahman as well as to the other Muslim actors in the film including Irrfan Ali Khan, who... Read more

My Personal Experiences with BridgesTV

February 22, 2009 By irfanrydhan

The recent tragedy affecting American Muslims is the murder by decapitation of Sr. Aasyia Zubair, the co-founder of BridgesTV, reportedly by her husband Muzzamil Hasan, the CEO of BridgesTV. I have met Muzzamil “Mo” Hasan a few years ago, when he came to the Bay Area searching for funds and content for the new American Muslim “lifestyle” channel he was starting called “BridgesTV.” I along with some other Bay Area Muslims who met him, thought he was like any other... Read more

Welcome!

February 22, 2009 By irfanrydhan

“Al Mihrab: “the place of war” (literal translation in arabic); also the place where an Imam (Muslim Religious Leader) leads the prayer; an architectural element of a masjid (arabic for mosque).” Read more