By Zainab Chaudry If any question remained whether racism and bigotry are alive and well in America, the Rush Limbaughs and Paula Deens of our time have laid it to rest. A couple weeks ago, hot on the heels of the furious uproar that swept the nation after the jury reached its verdict in the Trayvon Martin case – Rush Limbaugh in true form pounced on an opportunity to exploit racial tensions in America by dropping the derogatory N-word on the airwaves.... Read more
By Aaron Vlek Well, the internet is on fire today about the White House Iftar and why Muslims are or are not going. Boycotters find it unconscionable to sit down to dinner with people and an administration they feel to be, among other things, guilty of numerous crimes against humanity, lying, perpetuating a foreign policy that endangers not only Muslims but all Americans and peoples of the world and unquestionably supporting Israel and its apartheid state and all that that... Read more
By Rushain Abbasi When thinking about the month of Ramadan, I often recall a story I heard from a peculiar Muslim scholar. In an attempt to advise Muslims on preparation for this holy month, he spoke of an odd incident from his relatively unorthodox youth. Traveling in the backwoods of Europe, he passed by a placid lake and was unexpectedly entranced by the emblematic youthful urge to “disturb the peace.” In a moment of inspiration, he stripped off his clothes... Read more
By Aaron Vlek I’ve been really looking forward to Ramadan this year. I look forward to it every year actually, and usually look to its long days and rituals as something of a spiritual retreat, an inner vacation and a time of heightened awareness and togetherness with fellow Muslims far and wide that I don’t often have the luxury of the rest of the year. But this year it’s just a little bit different. This Ramadan has come like a... Read more
By Hesham Hassaballa In the Name of the Infinitely Good and Compassionate Beloved Lord July 9 marks the first day of Ramadan in 2013. This is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and Muslims must forgo food and drink (yes, even water) during the daylight hours. Because the Islamic sacred calendar is lunar, Ramadan will fall during the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere for the next … um … decade or so. Thus, I have been having a... Read more
Are you Ramadan ready? Or if you are not a Muslim, are you ready for the deluge of fasting Muslims, heightened worship and Ramadan traditions and customs? If there is ever a month that unifies (as best as possible) billions of Muslims around the world, it’s Ramadan. Muslims around the world are preparing for this holy month of fasting and reflection, partaking in online Ramadan prep classes, making their plans for how to maximize the spiritual benefits of the month,... Read more
By LesleyHazleton From time to time Altmuslim likes to feature interesting videos exploring Islam, Muslims and interfaith discussions. This recent TED video from Lesley Hazleton, who wrote The First Muslim (a biography of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and who blogs at the Accidental Theologist, caught our eye. For an agnostic Jew like myself, writing a biography of Muhammad might be considered an act of pure chutzpah. Yet exploring his life has led me places I never imagined going –including the TEDGlobal stage in... Read more
By Ahmed Younis and Dr. Bassem Youssef Umar Lee left Islam — and then came back. One of the things Egyptians and Americans have in common is professional wrestling. Weekly translations of the glory years of WWF episodes have ensured that there is nothing missed (in translation) between the youth of our two worlds. From Hulk Hogan, The Rock and the John Cena to the Iron Sheikh and Nikoli Volkov (everyone’s favorite dirty bastard communist villain) – we are all... Read more
By Maher Budeir We often hear the phrases, “When I was your age…” or “The youth these days are different” or “It is all because of access to video games and other bad stuff on Facebook,” when we hear our elders speaking of the younger generation. But, is it really so? Is the current generation really worse off? Are the media and technology advancements we are witnessing ruining the chances of this generation becoming responsible enough to carry the torch... Read more
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Combating Islamophobia — Breaking through the Invisibility Cloak
By Dr. Henry Millstein and Maha Elgenaidi The advent of Ramadan this year on July 9 brings to mind the ongoing hold of Islamophobic ideology on the American public. Despite years of struggle on this issue by Muslims and their allies, the most recent Pew poll of attitudes towards Muslims in May 2013 shows that 40 percent of respondents believe that Islam is more likely to encourage violence than other religions. Islamophobia in the West has deep roots, going back to... Read more