avari | haroon moghul

Islamic Center at NYU: Fundraiser for Gaza with Islamic Relief

Since the IC NYU website has been down for some time and my stats show a lot of persons searching for more info on the event, I offer you the original post here.  Do come.

Muslim World: "Americans Are Not Your Enemy"

Therefore, Haroon is not your enemy, either.

Obama struck the right tone in his interview with Al-'Arabiyya, here in two parts (though, admittedly, it would have sent another and stronger message had he selected Al Jazeera.)  He offered to talk to Iran, to listen to what all sides had to say, and to negotiate to end the Israel-Palestine conflict.  Especially the first - talking to Iran - that's so important.  As unsavory as it might seem, we are in no position to dictate to any country in the region, and a long-term deal with Iran, recognizing its power and influence in the region, would help stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan and contribute to better relationships and interactions, regionwide, between and amongst the GCC, the Levant and even, I think, India and Pakistan.

In other news, another Bush administration failure!  His boneheaded and violent policy of asking Ethiopia to invade Somalia, just about two years ago, has ended exactly where it began, except the supposedly Qaeda-affiliated Islamists might be a lot more amenable to such rhetoric after fighting an American proxy army.  And, to top it off, Bush selected Somalia's oldest nemesis to do the job it couldn't and ultimately didn't want to do.  Bush was so bad he fails even after his presidency.  It's like Star Trek: "Watch your futures end."  I mean, sort of.  Isn't this why you read my blog?  Because I can connect George Bush to Somalia and then to First Contact's Borg Queen?

Lastly, the BBC's refusal to air a charity appeal has reached even the Times: "The BBC has rarely been buffeted as severely as it has in recent days over its decision not to broadcast a television appeal by aid agencies."  Goatmilk has a clip of a surprisingly blunt interview with Tony Benn.  Speaking of charity appeals, are you coming to NYU tonight?  6.30pm.  Kimmel Center.  Be there.

CBS' 60 Minutes: Is it the End of the Two-State Solution?

Watch CBS Videos Online

The Better End of Blogging

Wajahat Ali is my hero.  Here, at AltMuslim, is a longer version of an article he published in the Guardian.  Yay, I am quoted.  For those of you who don't know, and don't keep up, he is the mastermind (I'd say wizard but question its Islamicity) behind Goat Milk, an intellectual playground high in butterfat and content.  I can't keep up.  I accused you of what I am guilty of.  Hence we are Ummah, strong.

Please, please, do not forget

It's been almost a week now and things have quieted down.  The stories have been removed from the headlines.  Any kind of frustration, confusion or despair that we may have been feeling fades a little bit, maybe the initial urgency declines.  This is however precisely the moment when we should take any feelings we may have and translate them to positive actions.  This past Thursday night, we held a two-hour prayer service for the victims in Gaza, and this coming Tuesday, January 27, we will be holding a fundraiser for the victims of the conflict. 

This is intended primarily and solely as a humanitarian gesture, out of the desire to help those who are now most in need, to indicate to them that we, as Americans and as Muslims and as people of conscience, care enough to put aside the politics and give of our time and money -- lest other, harsher discourses prevail.

I've posted on this previously, so you can follow that link to the full information on the event.  From what I've heard so far, such fundraisers have drawn many people together -- they have really brought together our community and well-meaning humanitarian allies -- but they have also raised a lot of money.  That's important.  Tens of thousands are homeless, refugees made refugees all over again.  The siege on Gaza has not been fully lifted, and people continue to want for the most basic necessities, the things you and I probably take for granted almost all the time.  I know such moments are hard, they point to us in an accusing way, as if we are too powerless to help improve the conditions of people with whom we share spiritual and cultural ties. 

We can look all over the world and find a lot of misery, a lot of suffering, a lot of deprivation; some of that is done in our name; some of that is done and defended in a language we really use to argue for the exact opposite.  The most important thing is to focus on what can be done, pray very hard, work very hard; we should not be discouraged by the scale of the challenge that always seems to confront us.  With that spirit, I really, really hope that all of you who are in the New York City area can make is to Tuesday night's fund-raising dinner.  We're going to have performances by spoken word artists, reflections, commentaries from people on the ground and a description of the kind of relief efforts that are under way and the kind of needs that continue to stand unmet.

Mark your calendars.  And tell your friends.  If you don't have any, make some, so you can tell them.

All Over Gaza

Many voices.

On LRB, a set of reactions from contributing authors, as well as an essay on Gaza by Ilan Pappe.  All are worth your time, especially as far as they debate what happens next.  The One-State-Solution voice seems particularly empowered.

At TAC, the Cover Story: "What Israel Lost."  A set of articles, including one by John Mearsheimer, on the conflict and its aftermath.  A different way of looking at the same challenge.

Noam Chomsky weighs in at ZNet.  Long.  Very, very long.

Over at the Islamic Center at NYU, we are holding a qiyam for Gaza from 9pm-11pm tomorrow, Thursday, Jan 22nd.  We are located at 371 6th Avenue, St. Joseph's Church, entrance on the side (basement stairs).  This to precede our January 27th fundraiser for Gaza.

Wajahat Ali discusses Israel's strategies.  Does the Hamas war belong in the same category as the 2006 Lebanon War?

An Apocalyptic Interview: History Channel, "Armageddon," Islam

You may have seen ads on TV, buses, the subway, etc., for the History Channel's series on Armageddon, the ending of the world and what that has meant to many cultures and communities.  As part of this series, I was interviewed by the History Channel and the video -- a short one -- is available at their website. 

Select the Editor's Picks tab, scroll down about halfway, and you'll see Armageddon: Islam.  That's mine.  The product of a 45-minute interview, my short comments try to convey the similarities in the Abrahamic tradition and a broad Islamic sense of what it will mean for the world to end.  If I can embed the video, I will do so, but so far, that's not an option.

Let me know what you think.

Haroon Moghul to President Obama

I've just returned from the wonderful, inspiring and now very tiring Third Annual Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow Conference in Doha, Qatar.  My first such Conference, and a fantastic opportunity; I must say, the governments of the region have been inspiring and supporting initiatives that our communities need a lot more of, and should be positively congratulated for having such visions.

But, of course, right now we are about to behold the long-delayed transfer of power.  In that spirit, Tikkun Magazine asked a number of American activists, thinkers and leaders to pen memos to Obama.  In this most recent issue, you can read yours truly, along with Imam Khalid Latif, writing to President Obama, advising him on what we think the American Muslim community most wants from him and his administration.  The issue is available for sale at major booksellers everywhere. 

Other American Muslim writers featured in Tikkun include Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Prof. Omid Safi.

Cities Make You Dumber, Trees Make You Smarter

"One of the main forces at work is a stark lack of nature, which is surprisingly beneficial for the brain. Studies have demonstrated, for instance, that hospital patients recover more quickly when they can see trees from their windows."

"Stone In My Hand" - The Song by Everlast

Ride with the devil, hide with the lord
I got no pistol, ain't got no sword
I got no army, ain't got no land,
Ain't got nothing but the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
Ain't got nothing but the stone that's in my hand

You say you want a revolution, well get on board
We'll start a new crusade; we'll start a holy war
Don't need no orders, don't need no plan
I don't need nothing but the stone that's in my hand

Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
I don't need nothing but the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
I don't need nothing but the stone that's in my hand

You build your fighter jets, you drop your bombs
You kill our fathers, you kill our moms
You kill our brother and our sisters, and our uncles and our aunts
Still I'm fighting with the stone that's in my hand

Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
Still I'm fighting with the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
All the love that's in my heart and the stone that's in my hand

Blood runs in the gutters, smoke fills the sky
Every son that suffers, every mother cries
So if you've had enough and you're ready for your stand
I'll be waiting with the stone that's in my hand

Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
I'll be waiting with the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
All the love that's in my heart and the stone that's in my hand

- From the album "Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford"
By Everlast