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How the Law Shapes the American Muslim Experience - At UConn Law

The Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal
invites you to its spring symposium 

One Nation Under Law:
How the Law Shapes the  Muslim-American Experience

This symposium will explore how legal doctrine and social institutions contribute to shaping attitudes toward Muslim Americans and the effect these influences have on the experiences of Muslim Americans

Friday, February, 3 2012 at 8:15am-2:30pm

William F. Starr Hall Reading Room, UConn School of Law
2nd Floor, 65 Elizabeth St, Hartford, CT 

Speakers include

Ingrid Mattson 
Professor of Islamic Studies and Director, Islamic Chaplaincy, Macdonald Center for Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, Hartford Seminary

Umar F. Moghul 
Adjunct Faculty, University of Connecticut School of Law and Partner, Murtha Cullina LLP

Ben Herzig
Ph.D. of Clinical Psychology and Fellow, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding 

Eric Mazur
Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Gloria & David Furman Endowed Chair of Judaic Studies, Virginia Wesleyan College 

Haroon Moghul
Ph.D. Candidate in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies, Columbia Universityand Associate Editor and Columnist, Religion Dispatches

Cheryl Sharp
Human Rights Attorney, Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities 

Keynote Speaker
Engy Abdelkader, Legal Fellow - Institute for Social Policy and Understanding

RSVP by January 25, 2012 to http://www.law.uconn.edu/form/cpilj-symposium-rsvp

For more information please contact:
Betsy Walters at walters.betsy@gmail.com

or 
Rebecca Kelly Arnold at rebeccakellyarnold@gmail.com

Haroon Moghul's Upcoming Speaking Engagements: From Spokane, Washington, to Connecticut

I thought I would put the next few months' speaking engagements out here, so that if you happen to be where I happen to be, we can connect. I'm traveling a lot less this semester than I was last semester, but I'm still looking forward to some very fun lectures and conferences in some very cool places.

This Sunday, January 15, I'm doing part 2 of my 4-part introduction to Islam Series at the All Souls church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, 79th and Lexington, in Reidy Hall (basement level). The classes are free and open to the public. For part 1, we had nearly 100 people–and it was a great discussion. Classes start at 10 AM, go for one hour, and include ample time for questions. This session's topic: The life and legacy of the misunderstood Prophet Muhammad (s).

On Wednesday, January 18, I'm joining a great panel for an event at the Newseum in Washington DC. Titled, “What's the truth about Islam and Muslims?” The event is free and open to the public, although you must register.  Here's more information.

On Sunday, January 22, part 3 of my introduction to Islam series at All Souls Church in Manhattan. This week, I will be exploring the construction of Islamic law, common misunderstandings about Islamic law, and its use in contemporary conversations. The classes are free and open to the public.

On Sunday, January 29, the fourth and final part of my production to Islam series at All Souls Church in Manhattan. I'll be talking about the Arab spring and Muslim democracy movements--tackling the question: Is Islam compatible with democracy? The classes are free and open to the public.

On Friday, February 3, I'll be at a day conference on Islamophobia, Islamic law, and contemporary conversations on the two, taking place at the University of Connecticut Law School located in Hartford, CT. Other speakers will include Umar Moghul and Ingrid Mattson. I'll be posting more details on that shortly; the event will go from about 9am through the early afternoon. Registrants get bagels and things. 

On Saturday, February 11, I'll be joining great speakers like Khalid Latif, Suhaib Webb, Linda Sarsour and more for the Islamic Center at NYU's 3rd annual conference in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.  Right now, tickets are only $40, and this event goes for two days! (Friday Feb 10 and Sat Feb 11; I'll only be on Saturday however). The early registration deadline has been extended until midnight tonight.

On the weekend of February 25th-26th, I will probably be at SUNY Binghamton. More details to follow. 

On Thursday, March 8, I will be speaking at Camden County College in Blackwood, New Jersey–not too far from Philadelphia. My topic will be: “Islam outside the Arab world,” with a focus on Islam in South Asia. This will be a longer lecture, allowing me time to really explore the history and contemporary reality of Islam across Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.  More information to follow.

On Wednesday, March  28, I'll be speaking in Spokane, Washington, at a lecture titled "Praying While Muslim," an exploration of Islamophobia. The event will take place at Washington State University, in the Cub auditorium, at 5:30pm. More details to follow; I may also have speaking engagements in Seattle in the following days, about which I'll be sharing of course if they go through.

In late May, I'll be leading a tour exploring the Muslim heritage of southern Spain, and in early July I will be leading a tour exploring Istanbul and the heritage, culture and contemporary realities of Bosnia, visiting Sarajevo, Mostar, and Srebrenica; this latter tour will be called The Ottoman Express. More details, including pricing and registration information, will be made available at this website and through Facebook and my Twitter account (I'm hsmoghul on Twitter). Trips are open to all, including residents of other countries, and departures can be arranged from practically anywhere.

Angelina Jolie Went to Bosnia

The movie is called In the Land of Blood and Honey. I went to see it a few days ago, and I'm glad I did. Despite my conclusions as to the film itself, I'm still really happy that she made it–-it's important for these kinds of topics to be discussed, these historical events not be forgotten, these political tragedies to be part of our consciousness.

My review is up at Religion Dispatches.

Learn About Islam for Free: This January, I'm Teaching At All Souls

For the third year in a row, I'll be returning to the warm and welcoming community of Manhattan's All Souls Church.  I'll be offering a course titled, "Is Islam A Religion?: Making Sense of 1400 Years."  

The classes are free and open to the public, and will take place in Reidy Friendship Hall, in the basement of All Souls Church every Sunday morning from January 8-29th, 2012.

When: Sunday, January 8, 15, 22, 29.  Classes run from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Where: Reidy Friendship Hall (basement level), All Souls Church. Located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on 1175 Lexington Avenue (79th Street).  It's Sunday, so parking is free on most area streets.  The 6 train stops at 77th street, and it's just a couple of blocks up Lexington from there.  Nice and easy.

Who: Everyone and anyone who's interested, regardless of faith or background, age or profession.  In the last two year's courses, we've had an incredible range of folks.

Below is an outline of the course by week.  I'll be preparing some simple materials for students to use during the course, but you don't need a background in Islam to attend and benefit.

Countering Extremism in Pakistan?

The topic on al Jazeera's The Stream yesterday was extremism in Pakistan.  I was on for the show, alongside a representative of Khudi, a "counter-extremism social movement promoting a democratic culture in Pakistan."

Here's how I framed the conversation: Is the solution to Pakistan's woes found in a different kind of Islam, or is radicalism itself symptomatic of deeper problems?  To what extent can a think tank with roots in the West solve Pakistan's problems?  

Check it out; the version below is the extended version, including content that didn't appear in the broadcast version.  It was a great conversation--I only wish we had more time to really get into some thick topics.  

Pakistan rarely gets the attention it deserves, so I'm glad al Jazeera devoted a whole show to where Pakistan is going and what role Pakistanis might play in that.

What Should a Muslim Make of Christopher Hitchens?

I'm sure you'll be reading many obituaries of this "astounding intellect," and so on and so forth.  He was a smart man, insofar as he had a facility with words, a fluency with language, and a vivacious personality that could communicate what he knew.  But he was also something and someone else, which should not be forgotten: In claiming to love humanity, and hating religion, in fact he hated the most consistent expression of human aspirations across history, which is an awkward definition of love.

I penned a review of his pathetic tome on religion, God is not Great, and the warmongering religiosity it aligned itself with, an illustration of how evil is done in religion's name, though never one Hitchens could admit to.  I trust, however, he was smart enough to know that.

Islamists Beat Liberals. Markets Beat Islamists. Welcome to 21st Century Democracy

I have a short piece, written on the road, reflecting on what we know about Egypt's elections so far:

The source of much of the Arab world’s recent unrest lies in income inequality, injustice, authoritarianism, and economic stagnation. No country in the world, the United States included, can now pursue domestic policy independent of international financial markets. How much more so the Arab world—considering how much poorer and less developed it is? And in that case, what difference does it make what government you have? Left or right, the market seems always to win.

A Muslim Walks Into A Subway and Talks... Tahrir?

Sometimes, a few hours in your life scream out for some kind of reflection:

I have put the fear of God and math into every Subway franchise within a ten-minute drive of me, all of which dread the day when I walk in and announce, I'd like to redeem my tens of thousands of points, and force them out of business. I am their Lehman Brothers. But of course I wouldn't do that, because then where would I eat? (Surprisingly, that logic also captures the bond market and the Eurozone crisis.)

It gets weirder when I end up having a conversation with another customer about occupy Wall Street, the Egyptian Revolution, and American manufactures. Check it out at religion dispatches.

Speaking on Islam and the Arab Spring in Los Angeles

I'll be speaking at MPAC's 11th Annual Conference on Saturday, December 17th.  

I'll be speaking at Plenary II, "Islamic Movements: Help or Hindrance" (4p-5:30p), which includes some great names. Check out the conference program here--it promises to be a very enlightening and broad program, including Cornel West, Yasir Qadhi, author Geneive Abdo and my man Wajahat Ali, among others.  

Where: Los Angeles Convention Center
When: Saturday, Dec 17th, 10am-9:30pm
How much: Here's where you can buy tickets

The Call, or, How I Snuck Into a Christian Prayer Rally to Convert Muslims and What It Was Like To Be There

For those of you who've been following me recently on Twitter or through Facebook, you know that for November 11th-12th, I was in Detroit, Michigan.  There to sneakily report on Lou Engle's The Call, an ostensibly Jesus-focused rally whose ulterior purpose was the encouragement of Jesus' invasion of my Muslim heart.  

In fact, all Muslim hearts:

I’m the one they’re after. I'm “the enemy,” the believer in the “false idol,” “the darkness” Jesus needs to cast out of America, the reason they’re spending all night in Detroit’s Ford Field, sending prayers over Michigan mosques “like sending special forces into Afghanistan.” And there are thousands of them, come because Pastor Lou Engle asked them to.

Founder of TheCall, Engle warns that an Islamic movement is rising in Dearborn, Michigan—“Ground Zero” for America’s spiritual future (and site of a new TLC reality show, All-American Muslim). When I heard the goals for TheCall Detroit—healing America in a time of crisis, accomplishing racial reconciliation, and (here’s where I come in) bringing Jesus to Muslim hearts—I figured a Muslim in the crowd could be a nice twist.

Engle's "The Call" proceeded, and managed to say a lot more about America, Christianity, and Islam, than he probably ever intended.  Here is my report: "Jesus, Carpet Bomb My Heart: An Undercover Muslim in Detroit," written for Religion Dispatches.  Check it out.  And share it widely, if you like it.  It was profoundly uncomfortable to be there, at times.  

But definitely worth it.