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Sacred Matters | “Islam” is Not a Person

Sacred Matters | “Islam” is Not a Person.

There is an idea of “Islam,” as a signifier of something foreign and threatening, that continues to plague American discussion of the religion. It is part of the shooting in Chattanooga, and it part of the debate around the Iran nuclear deal.

Multiplicity and Diversity Are the Future of Islam in America

Multiplicity and Diversity Are the Future of Islam in America.

The idea of writing about the future of Islam in America is more than daunting. At nearly 2 percent of the U.S. population, covering all fifty states, with histories stretching back hundreds of years, and representing nearly every Muslim community in the world, there does not seem to be a unified future. And that there is no one future is in fact a blessing and a potential, which perhaps should be the future to be celebrated.

Toward a More Inclusive Islam | Religion Dispatches

Toward a More Inclusive Islam | Religion Dispatches.

The report, called (Re)Presenting American Muslims: Broadening the Conversation, seeks to move beyond inclusion as simply referring to sexual orientation. Instead, it aims to revive a broader ethos of pluralism and cosmopolitanism, grounded in Muslim traditions, that has historically been the hallmark of healthy, thriving Muslim societies. In many ways, it sets the stage for and goes beyond the open letter to American Muslims published by Reza Aslan and Hassan Minhaj here on RD.

Getting the Motives Right - Foreign Policy Association

My first piece for the Foreign Policy Association blog.

The recent attack against Ismaili Muslims in Karachi, Pakistan, will be read by most as part of a simple narrative of an ongoing Sunni-Shi’ah conflict. Unfortunately, as consistent fear-mongering has demonstrated with Sharia, bandying about non-English words conveys a facade of knowledge without any guarantee of any actual understanding. As is the case with most political violence, here is more to this attack than a simple retelling of a religious clash. There is a deeper history that is masked by using inappropriate vocabulary, and misusing it is allowing the most extreme voices to set the agenda.

Quoted: Is Cape Town’s women and gay-friendly mosque a sign of new Muslim attitudes?

I was interviewed for PBS Newshour on questions of sexuality and Islam. Interesting situation in South Africa.

 

Interview on NPR on Riyaaz Qawwali

I was recently interviewed on NPR about Riyaaz Qawwali, a group out of Austin, TX.

Hussein Rashid, a professor of religion at Hofstra University, says that many qawwaliartists working in South Asia today have limited themselves. He believes this American group is bringing the music back to its roots. 

"You know, I think there's been so much concern about what is Islam, and what isn't, politically speaking and artistically speaking," Rashid says, "that there's been a push in modern qawwali to actually sanitize it and make it very sterile — and almost rule-bound — rather than ecstatic and devotional. For me, I think what Riyaaz Qawwali is doing is trying to go back to that very exciting, innovative space that qawwali was."

And so to Rashid, it's totally logical that such a burst of inspiration would come from deep in the heart of Texas. "In fact," he says, "it seems natural that we would get a new flourishing of Muslim devotionals in a place like America, where we do have this freedom of religion."

I previously wrote about the group of OnBeing, in a piece called Qawwalis, Found Sounds, and Benghazi: Locating the Sacred in a New York Church. 

Event: Lust in Islam, May 13

I am talking about Lust. As part of a lecture series at the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, I’ll be giving a Muslim perspective on love and lust. 

The talk will be the sixth in series, and will happen on Wednesday, May 13 from 6-7:30PM.

Details on the series can be found here.

Event: McGinley Lecture, April 14 and April 15

It is time for the McGinley Lecture at Fordham. This term, I will be giving a response to the theme of “Poverty: The Curse and The Blessing."

The event will be Tuesday, April 14 at 6PM at the Lincoln Center campus, and repeated on Wednesday, April 15, at 6PM at the Rose Hill campus.

Details on this event can be found here.

Previous topics I have been a respondent to include:

Usury: A Moral Concern for Jews, Christians and Muslims (Video | text of my response)

Life After Death: Hopes and Fears for Jews, Christians and Muslims (Video | text of my response)cf. my talk at the Chautauqua Institution.

Event: Rubin Museum, April 10

On Friday, April 10, 2015, from 7-8:30PM, I will be discussing a film at the Rubin Museum of Art in NYC.

The film is about conjoined twins in Iran, one of whom is religious, and the other is not. 

Please join me. Details can be found here.

Controversy Swirls Around Oscar-Nominated Film - The Takeaway

Controversy Swirls Around Oscar-Nominated Film - The Takeaway.

Today, a highly acclaimed new film hits theaters across the U.S. It's called "Timbuktu," and it's a French-Mauritanian drama directed by Abderrahmane Sissako. 

…

Hussein Rashid is professor of religion at Hofstra University. He joins us to share his thoughts on the film, and the controversy surrounding it.