Panel discussion: Our look at new media and the Muslim world

Panel discussion: Our look at new media and the Muslim world March 7, 2010
I’d like to tweet that!

On Tuesday, March 9, 2010, from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, the UC Berkeley Centers of South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East along with Arab Cultural and Community Center, Naseeb.com, Center for Islamic Studies at GTU, and altmuslim.com will be sponsoring a social networking event focused on how Muslim youth use new media as a way to network with like-minded individuals, find answers to difficult questions, challenge commonly held attitudes and stereotypes about Islam, and to also discuss “taboo” topics. The event as described:

Muslims from all parts of the world since 9/11 are facing discrimination and even threats of violence. For many young people, this post-9/11 world has sparked a new, if not confusing, relationship with their own identities as Muslims. While some young men and women may not have even identified themselves strongly as Muslim before 9/11, they have found that even just their last names may now trigger their being targeted, profiled, and discriminated against. Others, who may have always had a close relationship to Islam and Islamic practices, have been suddenly forced to defend their religion to those who brand all Muslims as terrorists. These difficult times have led young Muslims all over the world to try and find answers, connect with other individuals in similar situations, debate issues, and even subvert commonly held notions of Islam. The ability to use the media for “networking” has been significant for these youth, as many have often felt isolated and have come to find solace in these virtual communities. As one young Muslim said, “Young Muslims are resorting to this virtual world because we have no space in the actual world…'”

Networking has been significant for these youth, as many who feel isolated have come to find solace in these virtual communities, as well as a place where they establish their own presence and express themselves.

The editors at altmuslim.com are proud to cosponsor this prestigious event. The speakers at this forum represent a diverse range of perspectives and are composed of practitioners and bloggers as well as journalists and scholars. They include:

Shahed Amanullah, CEO, altmuslim.com
Wajahat Ali, Associate Editor, altmuslim.com, author of Goatmilk blog, playwright, and lawyer
Fatemeh Fakhraie, Editor, Muslimah Media Watch
Zeba Iqbal, VP, of Council for American Muslim Professionals and AMCLI fellow, American Muslim Civic Leader
Zeba Khan, social media consultant and writer, founder of Muslim-Americans for Obama
Monis Rahman, CEO, Naseeb.com
Imam Suhaib Webb, activist and scholar

Come join us if you can. The event will take place at the California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco. Admission is free, but advance registration is required.

Shahed Amanullah is Editor-in-Chief of altmuslim.com


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