Law & Order: SVU - S15E17 - More Anti-Muslim Tropes & Support of Police Misconduct

Most people will remember Law & Order: Special Victims Unit S15E17 Criminal Stories because Alec Baldwin is the guest star. As always in the Law & Order franchise, there is a gruesome crime which forms the background for the episode. In this case, an Indian Muslima named Heba is raped by her brother's corporate bigwig boss and colleague in his office after a charity dinner in which she volunteered. She lies and claims that men shouting anti-Muslim slurs raped her in Central Park. Because of Heba's lies, the case against the perpetrators weakens. Alec Baldwin's character is a reporter, and he publishes a story about the bigwig's father's influence in publicizing Heba's initial lies to the police. Some of the jurors read this story, and the judge declares a mistrial.

Umberto Eco: Heresy and Ur-Fascism

My local book club read Umberto Eco's In the Name of the Rose. While the book itself is a mixed bag through which I struggled (which is not an indictment of the novel, since I struggled through Moby Dick as well), there's a remarkable chapter about the origin of heresy. If you don't want to read the novel, it's worth borrowing it off the library or bookstore shelf and turning to Second Day, Chapter Nones (p. 196). Here are some highlights of the dialogue between William of Baskerville and his novice Adso of Melk.

The Trials of Muhammad Ali - Free Streaming Online Until May 4

"I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was." Watch @MuhammadAliDoc online through May 4th: http://t.co/GTyXrYfboo #TrialsofAli
— Independent Lens|PBS (@IndependentLens) April 15, 2014

The Trials of Muhammad Ali

Börgen Episode 23 "The Right Shade of Brown" and the Issue of "Integration"

Adam Price surrounded by the cast of his political drama Borgen

I watch Börgen on Link TV. In season 3, the series's protagonist Birgitte Nyborg decides to leave her party, The Moderates, because it agreed to support a law which would allow the government to deport immigrants for minor offenses. In episode 23, "The Right Shade of Brown," the founders of her new party, The New Democrats, are discussing who should represent The New Democrats in a TV forum on immigration. They decide they want an actual immigrant to represent them. The first condition they place is that the immigrant must be a Muslim, not an Inuit from Greenland, since Muslims are the problem in immigration/integration. Then they decide it can't be an Indonesian or an Ugandan, because they don't look "Muslim."

Interview with Composer and Pianist Malek Jandali

I purchased the album "Emassa (Homs) by Malek Jandali, and I came across an interview he gave to the Chapel Hill, North Carolina public radio station. He's also on Twitter!

@NPR interview @DukeU @Ibishblog clarifying how Assad dictatorship is connected to corrupted NGOs in our U.S. Capital http://t.co/C6CALQndQB
— Malek Jandali ♫ ☮ ♥ (@MalekJandali) March 31, 2014

Interview with Maud S. Mandel, author of "Muslims and Jews in France: History of a Conflict"

Joseph Richard Preville conducted an interview with Professor Maud S Mandel on her book Muslims and Jews in France: History of a Conflict, and it was published in IslamiCommentary.org on March 31, 2014. You can also listen to an interview from March 21, 2014 from a Memphis, Tennessee radio station. I have not read the book.

Interview with Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, author of "A Metahistory of the Clash of Civilisations"

Joseph Richard Preville conducted an interview with Professor Arshin Adib-Moghaddam (Twitter) on his book A Metahistory of the Clash of Civilisations: Us and Them Beyond Orientalism, and it was published in IslamiCommentary.org on January 20, 2014. I have not read the book. H/t

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam on his book "A Metahistory of the Clash of Civilisations: Us and Them Beyond Orientalism" http://t.co/RUXh7B28hX
— bint battuta (@bintbattuta) March 25, 2014

Minority Report Law? Cheney’s 1% Preemptive Doctrine of Prosecution and the Case of Ziyad Yaghi

Satyagraha911.org conducted an interview about the case of Ziyad Yaghi, a Muslim US citizen victim of the "War on Terror." The interview covers Ziyad's background, trial and imprisonment. Laila Yaghi, Ziyad's mother, Dr. Mel Underbakke of the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms and journalist Siraj Davis participate in the interview.

Minority Report Law? Cheney’s 1% Preemptive Doctrine of Prosecution and the Case of Ziyad Yaghi... http://t.co/pbhprQigQt
— siraj davis (@sirajdavis) March 23, 2014

Review: The Battle for Justice in Palestine by Ali Abunimah

Ben White reviewed The Battle for Justice in Palestine by Ali Abunimah for Middle East Monitor on March 19, 2014. You can buy it at the publisher's website.

my review of @AliAbunimah's new book -- The Battle for Justice in Palestine http://t.co/kL4xv1CJ5Q via @middleeastmnt
— Ben White (@benabyad) March 20, 2014

I have not read the book.

"Gaza Writes Back" & Iran "Manufactured Crisis" Tours, USA, Mar-Apr 2014

Gaza writers & G. Porter tour US-wide soon! M. Peled in S. Africa. Other authors speaking... - http://t.co/CG0aZeUJM1
— Just World Books (@Justworldbooks) March 15, 2014

In a previous blog entry, I referred to peace activist David Swanson's review of the book. I'd also encouraged people to support Gareth Porter's book Manufactured Crisis.

Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'an

In the Winter 2013 issue of Islamic Sciences was a "Project Brief" advertising the Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'an. Volume 1 is available, and Volume 2 should become available in March 2014. Seven volumes are planned.

I have not examined it.

"A World Not Ours" by Mahdi Fleifel to Air on PBS's POV on August 18, 2014

August 18 - "A World Not Ours" by Mahdi Fleifel

A World Not Ours is a passionate, bittersweet account of one family's multi-generational experience living as permanent refugees. Now a Danish resident, director Mahdi Fleifel grew up in the Ain el-Helweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon, established in 1948 as a temporary refuge for exiled Palestinians. Today, the camp houses 70,000 people and is the hometown of generations of Palestinians. The filmmaker's childhood memories are surprisingly warm and humorous, a testament to the resilience of the community. Yet his yearly visits reveal the increasing desperation of family and friends who remain trapped in psychological as well as political limbo.

PBS Doc Series 'POV' Announces a 2014 Lineup That Kicks Off With 'When I Walk' | Indiewire http://t.co/syMahGvmQe @povdocs
— PBS (@PBS) March 13, 2014

You can also read (in Arabic) a review by Mahmuud Umar in Al-Mudun dated February 25, 2014.

محمود عمر في #المدن عن الوثائقي الفلسطيني #عالم_ليس_لنا http://www.almodon.com/culture/3e899c70-ebba-4f58-9f65-bb286fa18648 #سينما #فلسطين #مهدي_فليفل #اوسكار pic.twitter.com/e28eQDCDtd
— Al Modon (@AlmodonNp) February 25, 2014

Sometimes a PBS station chooses not to air a nationally syndicated episode, so make sure you look for this and ask your station to air it if it is not on its schedule.

Al-Maghrib Institute Needs to Distance Itself From This Misogynist

Over 7000 shares of my piece on @Niamatullah @almaghrib people are paying attention,do the right thing. http://t.co/A11QtzfNwB #FireAbuEesa
— rabia chaudry (@rabiasquared) March 11, 2014

This is Al-Maghrib Institute's website.

Hind Makki also wrote a piece on Muslim male allies. Sana Saeed wrote a piece about Muslims who criticize feminism.

Update 2014-Mar-15: Damsels in distress, the chivalrous caliph, and the misogynistic scholar: a modern fairy tale

To-Read: Muslim American Women on Campus: Undergraduate Social Life and Identity by Shabana Mir

Updated August 4, 2014: 52-minute interview with author

Check out my new subliminal BUYMYBOOK twitter home page.
— Shabana Mir (@ShabanaMir1) March 7, 2014

Muslim American Women on Campus: Undergraduate Social Life and Identity by Shabana Mir

Does sublimal Twitter marketing work? Maybe :-) You can also read a review at The Washington Post of March 7, 2014 and altmuslimah.com of March 12, 2014.

Here's the book's page at the publisher's website. Professor Shabana blogs and tweets. I have not read the book.

Update March 13, 2014.

My book "Muslim American Women on Campus" was voted recipient of the National Association of Ethnic Studies Outstanding Book Award 2014!
— Shabana Mir (@ShabanaMir1) March 13, 2014

Review of my book 'Muslim American Women on Campus" in Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs http://t.co/ENrygas84e +

— Shabana Mir (@ShabanaMir1) April 5, 2015

To-Read: Shattered Hopes: Obama's Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace by Josh Ruebner

Josh Ruebner is on a book tour promoting Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace. If you are near any of the stops, attend. If there's no stop near you, organize one! Here are some video recordings of Mr. Ruebner.

On May 23, 2014, an Augusta, GA peace group helped arrange for Josh Ruebner to speak, and here is a recording.

"... a fundamental principle of their work: the presumption of guilt."

One of my favorite novels from college was Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler. I'm currently listening to Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Twitter) (Facebook). The following quotes reminded me of the War on Terror materials I've been reading & watching and reviewing on this blog.

Review: Barzan

The documentary film Barzan's website has the trailer and links to interviews with its creators. I watched it in light of my national security and immigrant rights concerns. I was fortunate enough to have Alex Stonehill (Director/Cinematographer), Bradley Hutchinson (Director/Editor) and Sarah Stuteville (Writer/Reporter) in the room for a Q&A after the screening.

Film: Outlawed in Pakistan by Habiba Nosheen and Hilke Schellmann

This film aired as an episode in PBS's Frontline program on May 28, 2013. Visit its website for the entire film and features. Azra at Muslima Media Watch wrote an excellent review on September 10, 2013. Obviously, the film makes obvious the wretched state of police, criminal justice and judicial proceedings in Pakistan. People who claim to be working to reform their governments should prioritize professionalization of the police to better investigate rape.

Another important lesson for Muslims in the United States is the value of public television and radio, despite the limitations (and here) of PBS and NPR.

Filmaker Habiba Nosheen has a website, and she is on Twitter. The second filmmaker, Hilke Schellmann, is also on Twitter.

P.S. In 2008 on this blog I reviewed the film Shame by Mohammed Ali Naqvi about the rape of Mukhtar Mai.

Review: "Fire in the Unnameable Country" by Ghalib Islam

Fire in the Unnameable Country by Ghalib Islam

There are two reviews out for this book. One is by Alex Good in The Toronto Star of March 11, 2014. The other is by Emily Keeler in the March 2014 edition of The Walrus.

Here's Penguin's page on the book. Ghalib lives in Canada. I have not read the book.

Dead Man Tell No Tales: Susan Zalkind's Story on Ibragim Todashev

Check out @ThisAmerLife episode 519: 'Dead Men Tell No Tales.' http://t.co/IyJkGD89pk
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) March 10, 2014

This American Life is one of my favorite National Public Radio programs. This episode focuses in another of the glorious episodes in the United States's War on Terror, about which this blog has a series of entries.
Updated March 24, 2013.

BREAKING: FTF has obtained a leaked copy of the FBI's Todashev report. http://t.co/dUSz4Uyh9b

— Fire Tom Friedman (@firetomfriedman) March 24, 2014