Review: The Ornament of The World—How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created A Culture Of Tolerance In Medieval Spain

The Ornament of The World—How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created A Culture Of Tolerance In Medieval Spain by Maria Rosa Menocal. Little Brown; 2002.

Reviewed by Dr. Faroque Ahmad Khan in Vol 43, No 1 of the Journal of the Islamic Medical Association of North America.

YaleNews | In memoriam: María Rosa Menocal - news.yale.edu/2012/10/15/mem… ow.ly/2sLKTx

— Ebadur Rahman (@i_baad) October 19, 2012

Review: Honeybee Democracy by Thomas D. Seeley

Honeybee Democracy by Thomas D. Seeley. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey 08540. ISBN 978-0-691-14721-5. Published 2010.

Reviewed by Dr. Faroque Ahmad Khan in Vol 43, No 1 of the Journal of the Islamic Medical Association of North America.

The Taqwacores – Film Review from Media and Islam

The Taqwacores – Film Review from Media and Islam

Review: Carl Sagan: The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

My first exposure to Carl Sagan was the catch phrase "billions and billions," which comedians attributed to him. I knew that he had a science show on United States Public Broadcasting. I had some notion that he was not a supporter of religion. But I frankly had no first-hand, in-depth knowledge of a person whom I've come to consider an important North American intellectual of the 20th century CE.

My first real exposure to his work was an abridged audio version of his science fiction novel Contact, which, aside from begin an excellent drama, was an excellent introduction to the science behind the Search for Extra-Terrestial Intelligence (SETI) and how this project, upon finding alien intelligence, might play out in our world, with its contemporary political and religious characteristics. I've acquired the full-length book and look forward to reading it.

I acquired the audio book version of The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. After listening to it, I got a paperback version from a local library to help me complete this review.

Updated Izzeldin Abuelaish Book Tour Schedule

I've previously reviewed Dr. Izzeldin's book and provided a tour schedule. Here is the tour schedule as of February 23, 2011.

WASHINGTON, DC

Monday, February 28, 2011

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue

600 I Street, NW

7:00 p.m.

Books will be sold by Politics and Prose

Read on MMW - Rukhsana Khan: A Wonderful Children’s Author

Read on Muslimah Media Watch Rukhsana Khan: A Wonderful Children’s Author.

Review: Al-Khidr: The Green One: Adult Book in Child's Body

Al-Khidr: The Green One
Story adapted by Hugh Talat Halman
Illustrations by `Abdallah Lipton

Technically, this book is very well done. No grammatical and spelling errors plague the text. The binding and paper are of high quality. The illustrations are amazing.

Standing in Solidarity - Video Message from New York City to Egypt

Another video from Hena Ashraf:


Standing in Solidarity from Hena Ashraf on Vimeo.

Review: Outcasts United by Warren St. John

Outcasts united : a refugee soccer team, an American town by Warren St. John
ISBN 0385522037, 288 pages

Warren St. John is a New York Times reporter, and I first heard about his work through an article the NYT published January 21, 2007 describing problems the city of Clarkston, GA was having accommodating The Fugees, teams of refugee soccer players coached by Luma Mufleh, a Jordanian immigrant.

Review: An ordinary person's guide to empire by Arundhati Roy

An ordinary person's guide to empire by Arundhati Roy
200 pages, softcover ISBN: 0896087271

Yes, revolution is in the air.

Gratuitous Stoning in 2006 Remake of "Murder on the Orient Express"

I watched the 2006 film Murder on the Orient Express, which of course has been done before and is based on the Agatha Christie novel of the same title.

Fawzia Gilani's Cinderella: An Islamic Tale

Cinderella: An Islamic Tale by Fawzia Gilani, illustrated by Shireen Adams, is an excellent retelling of the Cinderella children's tale. It is available for purchase at Kube Publishing.

A Responsible End?: The United States and the Iraqi Transition, 2005-2010 by Reidar Visser

A Responsible End?: The United States and the Iraqi Transition, 2005-2010
Author: Reidar Visser

Division Accomplished
By Daniel Luban

WASHINGTON, Dec 20, 2010 (IPS) - Few in Washington want to talk much about Iraq these days.

Eager to avoid refighting the intense political battles over Iraq during the George W. Bush administration, both Democrats and Republicans seem to have tacitly agreed on a set of lowest-common-denominator premises: the initial decision to invade may have been questionable, but the 2007 surge worked, and Iraq is now on a slow-but-sure path to recovery. 

Read more ...

Book Tour Dates for Izzeldin Abueleish, Jan-Mar, 2011

Note: Updated tour dates as of 2/23/2011
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish

I SHALL NOT HATE

AUTHOR APPEARANCES

(as of Nov 24)

Review: Sabra Zoo by Mischa Hiller

Matthew Cassale's Review of Sabra Zoo by Mischa Hiller is available at Electronic Intifada.


I have not read this book.

New Videos from Hena Ashraf

More videos from Hena Ashraf, who has been featured on this blog.

Reader: The Muslim Family Reader: A Builder of the Islamic Personality Vol II

I found The Muslim Family Reader: A Builder of the Islamic Personality (Vol II) in a box of discarded books from a local masjid. The authors, Dr. Saidi J. El-Liwaru and Maisha Zoja El-Liwaru compiled 25 one - three page stories which "should be read aloud by a family member in the presence of the rest of the family." (preface)

More on Georgia Private Schools Supported by State Income Tax Credit Diversion

I've previously discussed the issue of Georgia state income tax diversion to private schools on this blog (and here). I've created a new blog for issues not related to Muslim media, and I'm moving this discussion there.

Islam and Science Fiction Blog

Readers of this blog may be interested in the Islam and Science Fiction Blog. It has published interviews with authors, and the site has links to the works of Muslim science fiction authors.

Review: I Shall not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey by Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish

I finished I Shall not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey by Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish in one evening.

As biography of a person involved in a conflict, it is not heavy on historical details and analysis. But its moral challenge is in the title. "I shall not hate." Add to that, "I shall be thankful. I shall continue working. I shall hope. I shall treat the survivors. I shall act for justice."

Review: We Are All Moors by Anouar Majid

We Are All Moors: Ending Centuries of Crusades against Muslims and Other Minorities by Anouar Majid is a must-read for all immigrants and civil rights activists in Europe and North America.

Review: Sexual Ethics and Islam: Feminist Reflections by Kecia Ali

Update 2016-06-12.

@aymanfadel Thank you. FYI, there's a new edition of the book, with a substantial update to the chapter on same-sex intimacy & trans issues.

— Kecia Ali (@kecia_ali) June 12, 2016

Update 2015-November-13. A new edition is coming out. This review is based on the first edition.

Time to pre-order expanded edition of Sexual Ethics & Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith and Jurisprud... https://t.co/SJr3F8tHZ8

— Kecia Ali (@kecia_ali) October 27, 2015

I finally read Dr. Kecia Ali's (Twitter) anticipated book Sexual Ethics & Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith and Jurisprudence four years after its publication. I'm only reading on vacation these days. Ahough this book has long been on my to-read list, the suicide of Tyler Clementi moved it up to the top. I finished this in a day of travel.

Profile of Indian Author Andaleeb Wajid

Aya Khalil wrote a profile of Andaleeb Wajid, the author of Kite Strings and the forthcoming Blinkers Off.

Common Ground Campaign

In 2008 I wrote an entry promoting the film Divided We Fall. In Augusta, GA, we were fortunate enough to have held a screening, and here are some pictures.

Valarie Kaur, the film's producer, has recently launched a new website.

In addition, her organization has launched a new campaign called Common Ground, which encourages cooperation among all people, regardless of religious affiliation.

A Common Word Statement

On October 13^th 2006, one month to the day after Pope Benedict XVI’s Regensburg address of September 13^th 2006, 38 Islamic authorities and scholars from around the world, representing all denominations and schools of thought, joined together to deliver an answer to the Pope in the spirit of open intellectual exchange and mutual understanding. In their Open Letter to the Pope, for the first time in recent history, Muslim scholars from every branch of Islam spoke with one voice about the true teachings of Islam. 

The A Common Word initiative is a good statement of Muslim belief. It is expressed in two commandments, love of God and love of neighbor.

Calligraphy Exhibit in Atlanta, Georgia, USA Through Dec 5, 2010

The Carlos Museum of Art at Emory University in Atlanta, GA has an exhibit on calligraphy and the Qur'an running through December 5, 2010.

4 Attacks Against Park51 and Muslims and My Response

A friend wrote a blog entry in support of the Park51 project. Someone (henceforth referred to as “the author”) responded to him at another account writing:

What people don't understand about muslims is that they traditionally build a mosque at the site they attacked to symbolize ... the "victory." What happened at Ground Zero should not be considered a victory in the United States. I don't like to use absolutes, so I'm not going to lump all Muslims together, but in general, the Muslim "religion" makes it okay to kill anyone opposed to their beliefs, and they don't have to keep their word with "infidels" (aka, those who are not muslim). This mosque, while disapproved of by approximately 70% of Americans, is a sad, sad thing - should it come to fruition.

TIME Survey Reveals that Opposition to Park51 Based Largely on Islamophobia

My hometown newspaper, The Augusta Chronicle, published an editorial which claimed that opposition to the Park51 project was not based on prejudice against Muslims.

The results from the TIME survey to which this editorial refers and which reports widespread opposition to the Park51 community center belies the claim that fear of Muslims/prejudice is not a major motivation behind this opposition.

Beyond Bullets: Once I put down the gun and picked up a camera, everything changed

Hena Ashraf participated in the production of Beyond Bullets, a short film portraying a young man's attempt to avoid gun violence in New York, New York.

I previously reviewed a film by Hena Ashraf entitled Uzair.

Review of The War Within Our Hearts

Muslimah Media Watch reviewed Habeeb Quadri and Sa’ad Quadri’s book The War Within our Hearts.

Review: Forty Days and Forty Nights in Yemen

Al-Masry al-Youm reviewed the book Forty Days and Forty Nights--In Yemen.

Art Exhibit in Washington, D.C., July 16-September 10, 2010

the light thread, the dark thread

at The Jerusalem Fund Gallery, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW / Washington DC 20037 / 202-338-1958/Metro: Foggy Bottom

paintings by Anna Kipervaser

July 16 - September 10, 2010

opening reception to meet the artist*, Friday, July 16,  6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam by Akbar Ahmed

Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam by Akbar Ahmed

Professor Akbar Ahmed has also produced a documentary film based on the research that went into this book.

Rafia Zakaria wrote a review of this book which was reproduced at altmuslim.com.

I have not yet read the book.

With God on Our Side

2013-Apr-9 Update: The film is now available on demand at Vimeo.

A discussion of this documentary film from Christianity Today.

I purchased my copy from Amazon.com.

This movie is accessible to a general audience in that it does not delve too deeply into Christian doctrine. It exposes the viewer to the gross indifference of United States Christian Zionists to justice for non-Jews in Palestine and to the oppression the state of Israel inflicts on non-Jews in Palestine.

Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa

The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa
Sasha Polakow-Suransky
Hardcover:  336 pages, Pantheon; 1 edition (May 25, 2010) 

Yousef Munayyer published a review at The Palestine Center.

Onward, Christian Zionists

Onward, Christian Zionists is a short-film production by Alternate Focus. It does not go into as much depth as Stephen Sizer's Christian Zionists: On the Road to Armageddon, but that may make it more accessible to audiences unfamiliar with Christian doctrines and texts.

A Collection of Eid Stories adapted by Fawzia Gilani-Williams and Shazia Yusufali

A Collection of Eid Stories
Adapted by Fawzia Gilani-Williams with original artwork by Shazia Yusufali
Miskhat Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9763537-4-4
47 pp, 8.5" x 11", color illustrations

I've previously in this blog reviewed books by Fawzi Gilani-Williams (1, 2, 3), and I like this one the best.

The stories are engaging, and the illustrations are colorful and attractive. I also believe that these stories could be read aloud to children. Characters in the stories learn and change, which is what all of us should be doing, adult and child.

p.s. Check out my criteria for evaluating Muslim children's media.

To Kill an Elephant-Documentary Film on Gaza

The Spanish documentary on Gaza To Shoot an Elephant, named after George Orwell's famous essay Shooting an Elephant, is available to view online.

Dr. Maher Hathout Presentation of Quranic Passages Related to Peace and War

The Muslim Public Affairs Council recorded Dr. Maher Hathout's presentation on passages of war and peace on November 22, 2009. A power point presentation is available.

Review: The Crusades, Christianity and Islam by Jonathan Riley-Smith

The Crusades, Christianity and Islam by Jonathan Riley-Smith

Jonathan Simon Christopher Riley-Smith is the author of scores of material regarding the Crusades.

Review: Change from Within: Diverse Perspectives on Domestic Violence in Muslim Communities

Change from Within: Diverse Perspectives on Domestic Violence in Muslim Communities
Edited by Maha B. Alkhateeb and Salma Elkadi Abugideiri
ISBN-10: 0979138906
Peaceful Families Project www.peacefulfamilies.org

This book is a collection of essays and documents related to domestic violence among Muslims, primarily in North America.

It's not an easy read, but it is important. I particularly liked Zainab Alwani's The Qur'anic Model for Harmony in Family Relations and Imam Mohamed Magid's Affecting Change as an Imam. There are also accounts from survivors of domestic violence.

I acquired my copy from the Peaceful Families Project. It included a video which was used in a domestic violence awareness program at my local masjid.

Bones, Season 5, Episode 4-Good Portrayal of Muslim in Workforce

I had reviewed quite negatively the 2nd episode of Bones in 2005, but I actually have some good things to say about the latest episode, The Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Season 5, Episode 4. Actor Pej Vehdat plays the minor character Arastoo Vaziri, a lab intern at the Smithsonian. Prior to this episode, his cheesy foreign accent and the writing which constantly highlighted his being Muslim irritated me.

Law & Order Episode "Great Satan"

National Broadcasting Company's long-running series Law & Order's episode "Great Satan" (Season 20, Episode 3) portrays the use of an informant to convict a group of New York City Muslims for a terrorist plot against a synagogue.

My Modern Interpretation of John Donne's Sonnet 14-Batter My Heart

Review: Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance by George Saliba

Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance by George Saliba.
MIT Press: Cambridge, MA and London, UK; 2007.
ISBN: 0-262-19557-7. Hardcover, 315 pages with endnotes, a bibliography and a subject index.

This monograph is a series of lectures which challenge the dominant narrative of the history of science culminating in the European Renaissance. The dominant narrative is that Muslim rulers in the early Abbasid period, under the influence of the Mu'tazila theological school (aka rationalists), sponsored a translation of Persian, Indian and Greek scientific and philosophical texts. When the ahl al-hadith theologians (aka irrationalists), who in large part adopted the Asha`ari theology and who are most identified later with Imam al-Ghazali, persuaded later Abbasi rulers to cease sponsoring rationalist theology, scientific production began to decline. Finally, the Mongol destruction of Baghdad in 1258 CE combined with religious hostility to science to cement cessation of scientific thought and production throughout Muslim lands. In key contact points, such as Sicily and al-Andalus, Europeans were able to reacquire the Greek scientific and philosophical legacy which had been faithfully transmitted by Muslims, and these Europeans later used this legacy to develop the Renaissance. In short, Muslims were a storage facility for Europeans' intellectual property, supplemented with unclaimed items left by the ancient Indians and Persians, until the Europeans could complete renovations.

Houston, TX-Dr. Ezzat's Paintings on Display Until Sept 30

Clear Lake City-County Freeman Public Library in Houston, TX is hosting a display of Dr. Ezzat Abouleish's paintings until September 30. Here is a note I received from him:

The opening ceremony went very well, Alhamd LELLAH, on Monday 8.3.2009. The show has been well received by Moslems and non-Moslems alike. The high spirituality and beauty of Islamic art was astonishing to the show visitors and expressed in their written comments. If you have not seen the exhibit yet, I recommend to visit and to take along the family. I feel our children need it more than us. The venue is Freeman Library of Clear Lake, 16616 Diane Lane (off Bay Area Blvd), Houston Texas, 77062. Tel. 281 488 1906. The display will continue to Sept. 30Th, but the sooner the better.

Film: Christian Zionists: On the Road to Armageddon by Stephen Sizer

Christian Zionists: On the Road to Armageddon. By Stephen Sizer. Distributed by Presence Media. http://www.presence.tv/dvd

2 DVDs with six 20-minute segments.

These six segments are lectures by Dr. Stephen Sizer (http://www.stephensizer.com/) which trace the historical roots, theological bases and political consequences of Christian Zionism. The DVDs come with a study guide to facilitate discussion.

The weakest part of this DVD is the section on historical roots, and I think that is primarily due to the lack of time to explain to those unfamiliar with dispensationalism the importance of this doctrine. It was shocking to me to learn that many high-ranking British politicians, including Lord Balfour, the author of the Balfour Declaration, followed this strand of Anglo-Protestantism. Another piece of news to me was that the principal editor of the version of the Bible used by American fundamentalist Protestants, Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, was a disciple of John Nelson Darby, the leading proponent of dispensationalism.

The second section, theological bases, is best suited to an audience able to understand Christian doctrines. I believed Dr. Sizer did a good job, and I felt I understand this segment, but I think it would be difficult for someone unfamiliar with Christian theological doctrines. I hope that a reader with more background in this area might add some additional comments to this blog entry concerning this section.

The third section, political consequences, is accessible to all, and it is of course the reason why this video can appeal to those who seek some peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Book Review: A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman’s Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide by Mark D. Siljander

A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman’s Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide. By Mark D. Siljander. New York: HarperCollins; 2008. pp. 260. ISBN: 978-0-06-143828-8.
Mark Siljander served his Michigan district in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1987. He came into office supporting Ronald Reagan’s, Newt Gingrich’s and Tom DeLay’s policies of economic deregulation, supply-side economics and confrontation with the Soviet Union and other communist and socialist nations. In a conversation with a trusted advisor, he revealed all he needed to know and all he wanted to know about Muslims and Islam:

… if I didn’t mind his asking, as a follower of Jesus, what was my strategy in relation to other people in my travels around the world? I replied without hesitation: it was to convert them to the Christian faith. [p. 16]

Review: Tears of the Desert by Halima Bashir and Damien Lewis

Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur. By Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis. 2008. One World Books. Hardcover. 316 pp. ISBN 978-0-345-50625-2.

Reading this book should strengthen one’s resolution to oppose the falsehoods that one person is better than another by virtue of one’s birth and that one person should usurp the rights of another if the opportunity presents itself. It is the failure of peoples of the world to nip these falsehoods in the bud which lead to the massive casualties the author Dr. Halima Bashir describes in Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur.

Review: This is Palestine by George Azar

This is Palestine is a data CD collection of photos by George Azar, with commentary by Mariam Shahin and accompanying music. It is published by the United Nations Development Programme, Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People. It is compatible with Windows and Macintosh personal computers.

I bought my copy from Palestine Online Store. It took nearly five months for it to fulfill the order, so if you need it soon, call ahead and confirm that it is in stock. When I placed my order electronically, an employee contacted me and alerted me to its being out of stock and asked me if I would prefer to cancel my order or receive the item later. So, I thought the customer service was OK.

The photos themselves show the Palestinians as human beings in various phases of life, including the political. It also shows Muslims and Christians. The pictures are from a variety of locations in Palestine.

There is a also a collection of photos of fashion and jewelry.

If you are having a public event about Palestine, I'd recommend using this slide show to play while people are waiting for the program to get started and/or after the program is over and people are milling about.

I have not seen the companion book, Palestine: A Guide. The UN also maintains a photo gallery.

Review: Radical Reform by Tariq Ramadan

Read Muslima Media Watch's review of Tariq Ramadan's new book Radical Reform. I have not read it yet.

Interview with Founder of Georgia Student Scholarship Organization

On August 4, 2008, I posted a blog entry discussing the state of Georgia's new law which allowed Georgia residents to divert a portion of their state income taxes to student scholarship organizations which would pay the money to accredited private schools in Georgia to pay for children transitioning from public schools.

On May 20, 2009, I conducted an interview with Ziad Minkara, the founder of Liberty Scholarship Foundation. To my knowledge, he is the only Muslim involved with a student scholarship organization. I encourage you to listen to the interview to understand aspects of the school choice movement and how you can support such efforts.

In addition, South Carolina is considering similar legislation. Americans United for Seperation of Church and State is hosting a debate on this proposed legislation on Sunday, June 7, at 6 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Columbia at 2701 Heyward St, Columbia, SC, 29205. Below is a description of the event.

Sen. Robert Ford's bill to give tuition tax credits to families to pull their kids out of public schools may have died in this last session of the General Assembly, but you can bet that the issue of "school choice" is not deceased. We will debate the issue of tuition tax credits in particular and of school choice in general at our upcoming AU meeting. Tim Moultrie, a Libertarian candidate for SC Superintendent of Education, will argue for the merits of school choice, while Ronny Townsend, former Representative from Anderson and Chair of the SC House Education and Public Works Committee, will advocate for public education. Both will also take questions from the audience. This should be an informative and invigorating discussion.

Review: Great Muslim Philosophers and Scientists of the Middle Ages (The Series) by Rosen Publishing

I read two books in the series Great Muslim Philosophers and Scientists of the Middle Ages by Rosen Publishing. They were the books about al-Khawarizmi and al-Biruni.

I liked both books for the following reasons:

1. They were in general not "religious", meaning they did not attribute scientific progress or lack thereof to religion, particularly Islam. When discussed, secular factors, primarily sponsorship by the wealthy and powerful, were identified as the cause of scientific progress.
2. They contained illustrations with informative captions, sidebars introducing tangential lines of inquiry, and discussions of the subjects' ideas and their place in their intellectual milieu.
3. They have a glossary and a recommended reading list.

I got these two books from my public library. I encourage librarians to acquire these books. For this blog, I'm planning to start tagging books I believe appropriate for public libraries with the tag "Good for Public Library."

The publisher recommends this for grades 5-8. I think it could benefit students at all levels, yet the writing is accessible to the younger age group the publisher recommends.

Review: The Writing on My Forehead by Nafisa Haji

Pamela Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reviewed The Writing on My Forehead by Nafisa Haji. Here is an excerpt of the book.

I have not read the book.

Review: Secret Son by Laila Lalami

Aaminah Hernndez's review of Secret Son by Laila Lalami

I have not read the book.

Review: Torture and the Twilight of Empire: From Algiers to Baghdad by Marnia Lazreg

Torture and the Twilight of Empire: From Algiers to Baghdad, by Marnia Lazreg, is an eloquent plea to end torture. Professor Marnia pursues a historical, anthropological and philosophical inquiry into France's use of torture in its war against Algerian independence from 1954-1962.

Review: Al-Mudarris Quran Software

MuslimMatters.org published a review of Al-Mudarris Quran Software.

I have not used the software or any software like it.

Review: Son of Mountains by Yassin Aref

Son of Mountains: My Life as a Kurd and a Terror Suspect by Yassin Aref is now on my Amazon wish list. So look for an upcoming review.

Yassin Aref's lawyer appeared on Democracy Now! The War and Peace Report.

Film: New Muslim Cool

June 23, 2009 is the broadcast date for the PBS documentary "New Muslim Cool."

Review: American Muslim Women: Negotiating Race, Class and Gender within the Ummah by Jamillah Karim

Jamilah King reviewed American Muslim Women: Negotiating Race, Class and Gender within the Ummah by Jamillah Karim.

I have not read the book. It is available from Amazon.

Updated January 19, 2015:

A discussion with @jamillahkarim on gender and race in Islam @HindMakki @RamiNashashibi http://t.co/jQ187Y39SA
— Jamillah Karim (@jamillahkarim) January 16, 2015

Film: Warring Factions, by Justin Mashouf

See Hena Ashraf's review at altmuslim.com.

I have not seen the movie.

Film: 'Bama Girl

'Bama Girl follows University of Alabama seniors in their campaign to be elected homecoming queen. It ended up focusing on Alpha Kappa Alpha member Jessica Thomas, an African-American who had set her sights on being the homecoming queen since her first year in the university.

I saw the movie as part of the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers when Rachel Goslins screened her film in Augusta, GA's Imperial Theatre.

I had held a lot of anti-white fraternity/sorority life ideas since my undergraduate days. I used to repeat phrases like "buying friends" and "muffies and buffies" (before Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Now I've mellowed a lot since then, and I realized that people participate in white fraternities and sororities for a lot of different reasons, and I should not just judge people right off the bat. In addition, I did not spend my university life feeding the poor, so it's not like I was really that morally superior to people who spent their time dressing for socials and singing arcane songs.

But some of those anti-Greek ideas still remain, and I did not think I would be sympathetic to any students who cared about homecoming (I have yet to buy University paraphenalia such as sweatshirts), much less actively campaigned to become homecoming queen. As I watched the film and learned about the Machine's efforts to coordinate the white Greeks' votes behind a candidate and Jessica Thomas's gathering of her friends and supporters, including one who worked in an electoral campaign for the mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, I asked myself why could not these people work to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and reduce carbon emissions and demand an end to the prison-industrial complex and the war on drugs.

But if I go beyond my crass Marxism, I admit to myself that this coalition building and canvassing is training for lives of public advocacy. While I may scorn university bodies such as student government and homecoming, I have to admit that those activities are an effective introduction to corporate and government work.

My other problem with the homecoming queen (and king) is its sexism. A quick search on the term "homecoming queen protest" came up with the following headlines:

• University of Vanderbilt
• Northern Kentucky University
• George Mason University

I don't remember even hearing about a homecoming queen election at the University of Virginia, and fellow alumni told me that University of Virginia did not have a homecoming queen.

In addition, I have come to believe that part of being an "ally" with the "oppressed" is respecting the goals they set for themselves. While I may not consider an African-American winning the homecoming queen election at University of Alabama to be a milestone on the road to ending American white supremacy, obviously some African-Americans have considered things like homecoming queen elections important.

The film itself is humorous, gentle in its treatment of the people who appear in it and short enough that my interest did not stray.

Review: Love in Headscarf

Muslima Media Watch's review of Love in a Headscarf.

I have not read the book.

Film: Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson is a 2-DVD, 220-minute documentary about Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion of the world.

The first DVD covered Johnson's quest to win the heavyweight title, and the second DVD covered society's persecution of the champion, eventually leading to his arrest, flight from the United States and eventual imprisonment.

I hope that people can watch it to understand the comprehensive, pervasive white supremacy which encompassed all sectors of the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. That Euro-Americans considered boxing a sphere of racial competition is symptomatic of a deep pathology of which I have never heard in other places, even where there are patterns of racial, ethnic or tribal discrimination.

Additional Resources:

• On Point with Tom Ashbrook interview with Wiliam Rhoden, author of Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete


• Sweet Land of Liberty: The Forgotten Struggle for Civil Rights in the North, a lecture at the University of Virginia Miller Center by Thomas J. Sugrue
  

Film: The Iron Wall

The Iron Wall is a 58-minute documentary about Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. It focuses on the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The film's official web site is an excellent source of information about the film. It is available for purchase in North America from Palestine Online Store.

What's there for me to add here? The film is gruesome in its detail of the appropriation of Palestinians' land. The film uses credible interviews and hits most of the important points U.S. audiences need to know.

Review: Disturbing the Peace: The Story of Father Roy Bourgeois and the Movement to Close the School of the Americas

James Hodge and Linda Cooper. Disturbing the Peace: The Story of Father Roy Bourgeois and the Movement to Close the School of the Americas. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books; 2004. Foreward by Martin Sheen. 244 pages, including index. ISBN-10: 1-57075-434-9.

The authors chronicle the life of Father Roy Bourgeois and the development of the School of the Americas Watch.

Father Roy fought in the Vietnam War. There, he met a French missionary, who, through his example of caring for the Vietnamese poor and sick and injured, set Bourgeois on a path away from violence. After years of searching, he began a career as a clergyman.

Serving a mission in Bolivia, Father Roy began to realize that the violence peoples of the Americas endured was not an accident. Rather, it was partly the result of policies his own government pursued.

As other Catholic missionaries, both clergy and lay persons, were murdered in Latin America, Father Roy increasingly found that the trail of blood began in Columbus, GA. There, in the U.S. Army base Fort Benning, the United States was operating the School of the Americas. This school attracted military personnel from most countries of the Western Hemisphere, and it was the only educational program entirely taught in Spanish.

Although the school had been operating since the 1950s, information about its existence and activities was not readily available. Chance meetings and unrelated news reports led Father Roy to begin protest vigils at the base, demanding the closure of the school. Due to the dedication and persistence of Father Roy and other activists, this vigil has grown into the School of the Americas Watch, a leading organization advocated peace and justice in Latin America.

The book is a good balance between Father Roy's personal transformations, information about the human rights abuses of the graduates of the School of the Americas and the cover-ups of the successive U.S. governments of U.S. support of these abuses.

I believe that Muslims in the U.S. can learn a lot about the challenges in improving U.S. policy towards predominantly Muslim countries by studying U.S. policy towards the predominantly Christian countries of the Americas. They would find that the U.S. has been an equal opportunity imperialist. I hope that U.S. Muslim activists would then form productive alliances with other justice-seeking Americans and press the U.S. government to refrain from human rights violations, preemptive wars, covert actions and trade agreements that fail to protect workers' rights, subsistence agriculture and the environment.

Review: Shadow Speaker

Read the review of Shadow Speaker at Muslima Media Watch. I have not read the book.

Review: Al' America

The blog Media and Islam has a review of the book Al' America: Travels Through America's Arab and Islamic Roots
.
I have not read the book.

DVD: The Tipping Point: Changing Perceptions of the U.S.-Israeli Relationship

This is a DVD of a panel discussion held at Cooper Union in New York City on September 28, 2006. It focused on the arguments in John Mearsheimer's and Stephen Walt's book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. The panel included John Mearsheimer, Rashid Khalidi and Tony Judt, who were more or less defending Mearsheimer and Walt, and Ambassador Dennis Ross, Ambassador Martin Indyk and former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, who criticized Mearsheimer and Walt, more or less.

On the whole, I find historians' reasoning and outlook more sound than political scientists and politicians, whom I find in comparison to historians to be overly focused on details and misleading data lacking causal mechanisms. So it was pleasant to hear Khalidi, Judt and Ben-Ami, and Mearsheimer was good, and Dennis Ross and Martin Indyk rarely made points which I thought worthwhile.

The forum is a good introduction to the arguments about how U.S. policy towards Israel is constructed.

It also includes two bonus features. It may be better for those unfamiliar with Mearsheimer and Walt to watch the bonus features first, as they illustrate how they make their arguments.

I think it is important for Muslims involved in policy debates regarding Palestine to hear these discussions so that they don't imply in their arguments that American Jews are making backroom deals to use United States power to suppress Palestinians. The "lobby" and its ability to influence U.S. politicians is a function of a whole congruence of factors, many of which have nothing to do with U.S. Jews. Perhaps Muslims can learn from a study of the pro-Israel lobby is how to advocate at many different levels of society simultaneously and continuously.

I purchased my copy from http://www.cnionline.org.It is available on Amazon.

Karen Armstrong: The Role of Religion in the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Karen Armstrong's talk at the Capitol in Washington, DC with a 20-minute or so Q&A period is being distributed by the Council for the National Interest Foundation.

The talk is basically a summary of positions she has laid out in her book The Battle for God. Her prime contention is that intra-religious battles about how to react to modernity result in social identities which, in situations of stress and political conflict, emerge into fundamentalist political movements.

She takes a little more time to deal with Christian fundamentalists, but she address Jews and Muslims as well.

This talk is a great way to address people who say things like "Those people are always fighting" or "God said there would always be war" or "God says we must do such and such (politically)."

The program is 78 minutes long.

Film: Gaza Strip, by James Longley

Update: James Longley has made this film available for free. Please consider donating to support the work. Also, read the comment he made regarding Israel's July 2014 attacks on Gaza.


Gaza Strip from James Longley on Vimeo.

The documentary film Gaza Strip by James Longley runs 74 minutes. The special features include some striking still shots, a map of the Gaza Strip showing the extent of Jewish settlements in 2002 and a narrated audio track by James Longley, which I have not yet heard.

You can also read other reviews of the film.

The film includes profanity in Arabic which is then translated into the English subtitles.

The film includes a segment describing Israeli use of a gas weapon which caused neurological symptoms. I had never heard that before.

Another amazing scene is a large number of children standing around and taking cover every 10 seconds or so as gunfire breaks out, but otherwise acting as if it was normal.

The most unbearable scene is a dialog where Muhammad Hijazi, a thirteen-year old boy who appears frequently in the documentary, talks about what he thinks might happen to him after death. He relates the conversation he imagines might take place between him and God and his assignment to Hell or, perhaps, purgatory.

The film's footage was shot in 2001 (I think).

As I was watching it, I was thinking that most of my previous office co-workers would not be able to handle the truth of this movie. The Palestinians Longley interviews express a deep pessimism combined with a determination to resist.

I purchased my copy from Amazon.com.

James Longley has also directed Iraq in Fragments. He is currently working on a documentary film about Iran.

Film: The Refusal-Story of Franz Jägerstätter, a martyr for justice

THE REFUSAL - Story of Franz Jägerstätter from GNV Team on Vimeo.

I purchased this DVD at the School of the Americas Watch rally in Columbus, Georgia, USA in November 2008. The movie was originally released in West Germany in 1971. This DVD has English subtitles available on-line, but no extra features. It runs for 95 minutes. The DVD label includes the web site for the Center for Christian Nonviolence. I spoke with John Carmodi of the center on January 26, 2009, and he told me that the web site's store was being rebuilt and it should be available again shortly. In the meantime, people who want the DVD can call 302.235.2925. [May 13, 2009-New English language translation of Franz Jägerstätter letter's and writings from prison].

Sonbolight Kids Web Site Focuses on Materials for Children to Enjoy Eid

While there are only a few items currently available from the sonbolightkids.com web site, I hope that Muslims support it in the hope that it develops into a quality supplier of decorations and children's activities materials for Eid.

Review: The Great Influenza by John M Barry

John M. Barry´s list of works in worldcat.org shows that he is able to make a popular, general audience book about topics that academic historians might write articles and monographs the general public would avoid, like the way Ken Burns does with PBS films.

Both Believer and Infidel-Herman Melville

And how nobly it raises our conceit of the mighty, misty monster, to behold him solemnly sailing through a calm tropical sea; his vast, mild head overhung by a canopy of vapor, engendered by his incommunicable contemplations, and that vapor - as you will sometimes see it - glorified by a rainbow, as if Heaven itself had put its seal upon his thoughts. For, d'ye see, rainbows do not visit the clear air; they only irradiate vapor. And so, through all the thick mists of the dim doubts in my mind, divine intuitions now and then shoot, enkindling my fog with a heavenly ray. And for this I thank God; for all have doubts; many deny; but doubts or denials, few along with them, have intuitions. Doubts of all things earthly, and intuitions of some things heavenly; this combination makes neither believer nor infidel, but makes a man who regards them both with equal eye.

This amazing passage appears at the end of Chapter 85 of Moby Dick, entitled "The Fountain." It's a (surprise!) lengthy speculation on the breathing apparatus of the sperm whale. And just when you're wondering why you are reading it, you get this wonderful insight from the author, Herman Melville.

Here's an earlier blog entry I did with a Moby Dick quote.

2013-12-25: The Lettered Wayfarer posted a quote from Moby Dick with a thoughtful introduction.

O God! by Mehdi Alavi

O God! by Mehdi Alavi

I reviewed this one in 2001. I've started to add my reviews to Amazon.com, and then I discovered a review I wrote in 2001. Eek!

Labyrinths by Ayman Fanous and Tomas Ulrich

Dr. Ayman Fanous attended University of Virginia with me in the early 1990s. In addition to being a genuine human being, a gad'a, an ibn nas, he was an accomplished musician and played the `uud in various venues.

He has been able to continue making music, and I was fortunate enough to get his latest album. Lately, he has been combining his classical guitar with Tomas Ulrich's cello. The latest CD is entitled Labyrinths, and its out on konnex records, konnex-records.de. I purchased my copy from squidco.com.

Free the P

Free the P is a compilation of hip hop and spoken word performances to renew the spirit of resistance and self-evaluation for all activists for justice. There are two songs with a lot of Arabic lyrics, and the remainder use English. There are some "Eastern" musical features, but most of the artists' sounds are familiar to North American hip hop fans.

The bottom line for me is that the CD kept my interest, raised my pulse and kept the car moving.

A warning. There is some profanity and some use of the N-word. Immortal Technique's song "The 4th Branch" is an example of this.

It can be purchased from http://www.freethep.com.

Dissonance and Harmony: Arabic Music Goes West

Dissonance and Harmony: Arabic Music Goes West was broadcast on Georgia Public Television November 2. Catch it on your local station. It is not available on the PBS site.

Herman Melville-Philosophers Have a Broken Digester

From the Princeton full-text version of Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

But, perhaps, to be true philosophers, we mortals should not be conscious of so living or so striving. So soon as I hear that such or such a man gives himself out for a philosopher, I conclude that, like the dyspeptic old woman, he must have "broken his digester."

I added another Moby Dick quote in a later blog entry.

Review: A Season in Mecca by Abdellah Hammoudi

A Season in Mecca: Narrative of a Pilgrimage. Abdellah Hammoudi. Translated from the French by Pascale Ghazaleh. New York: Hill and Wang; 2006. ISBN-10: 0-8090-7609-8. www.fsgbooks.com

Amnesty International Report on Women

Amnesty International has released a report entitled "Egypt: Women Targeted by Association." A local Amnesty International member requested that I translated some letters to Gihan Ibrahim Abdelhamid, the longest-held female administrative detainee in Egypt, into Arabic. I've attached them to this blog entry in case you wanted to use them yourself. The report does not include instructions on how to send the letters, but in sha Allah I'll get that information and updated the blog entry.

Arabic religious letter (MS Word, TIF)
Arabic secular letter (MS Word, TIF)
English religious letter
English secular letter

Update April 20, 2011

Boston Globe Web Site Features Photos of Ramadan Observance Worldwide

The Boston Globe's The Big Picture by Alan Taylor has a 35-photo collection of Ramadan observance around the world.

Film: War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death

Film: War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death, produced by The Media Education Foundation and narrated by Sean Penn, is a 72-minute documentary documenting how mainstream media, contrary to right-wing commentators, generally supports U.S. militarism. The documentary shows how long it took for U.S. media outlets to begin to question the government's narrative in Vietnam. Of course, the situation with regards to the 2nd Iraq war is much worse. Watch it and feel your righteous rage!

Film: No End in Sight: Iraq's Descent into Chaos

No End in Sight: Iraq's Descent into Chaos, the Inside Story from the Ultimate Insiders is a 102-minute documentary detailing the errors (deliberate sabotage?) the U.S. did in Iraq from the beginning of its occupation in 2003 until the film's end in 2007. A great summary for those who have not been following this crime from the beginning.

Film: The Fog of War by Errol Morris

The Fog of War, by Errol Morris, is a series of interviews and commentary with Robert S. McNamara. Slate.com published a review which best explains the value of this film-that even a person at the center of the U.S. wars of imperialism and the brutality of modern warfare can remain lost in the fog some 40 years later.

Review: Haleem & Kaleem's Eid Gifts by Fawzia Gilani

Haleem & Kaleem's Eid Gifts (ISBN 978-983-065-253-5) by Fawzia Gilani and illustrated by Muslimah Williams. Published by A.S. Noordeen, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. First published 2008.

The author sent me the copy I read, so I cannot comment on purchasing from the Halalco book site, although I believe I've made successful purchases from it in the past.

The story is engaging, the morality is simple and important and the illustrations are attractive. The book meets my criteria for Muslim children's media.

Review: Ismat's Eid by Fawzia Gilani-Williams

Ismat's Eid (ISBN 978-81-8146-405-7) by Fawzia Gilani-Williams and illustrated by Proiti Roy. It is published by Tulika Publishers, Chennai, India.

I read it in English, but it is also available in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati and Bangla. The author sent me the copy I read, so I cannot comment on purchasing from the Tulika web site. As of September 22, 2008, I did not find it at astrolabe.com or IslamicBookstore.com.

I like this story a lot. It celebrates Eid, it shows Muslims hard at work, and it shows a Muslim family performing kind deeds for each other and laughing together. The illustrations are excellent as well.

Although I've never seen this before and I have no idea how helpful this is, the book is rated for listening to by children four years and older and for reading by children six years and older.

Film: A Garden in Cairo

The United States public TV show e² opened its third season with an excellent episode entitled "A Garden in Cairo" about the Aga Khan Foundation project to establish the Azhar Park in Cairo, Egypt and the impact of the project on the surrounding neighborhoods.

Film: Rumi Returning

Rumi Returning is a wonderful documentary about Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi's life, focusing on the historical events and places which provided the context for his example and his writings, rahmat allah alayhi.

I saw it on United States public TV.

Review: Film "Seniors for Peace" by David L. Brown

David L. Brown produced and directed the film "Seniors for Peace: A Portrait of Extraordinary Senior Peace Activists." This film contains footage from 2003 and 2004 and was broadcast on United States public television.

This 27 minute documentary is extraordinary because the elderly interviewed have so many important life experiences and have such deep outrage towards the war in Iraq. Seeing it should inspire people young and old to become more active in their opposition to war in general and this occupation of Iraq in particular.

I purchased it from the dlbfilms.com web site with no problem.

Review: Ayaan Hirsi Ali "Infidel"

Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Infidel. Free Press: New York; 2007.
ISBN:0-7432-8968-4

I read this book at the request of a friend. I honestly had a lot of hostility towards the author, partly because interviews I heard or read in which she, in my opinion, presented her distorted ideas of Islam, partly because I thought she was a tool of neo-conservative warmongers, and mostly because I was sick of johnny-come-lately, new-kid-in-town pundits feeding crap to ignorant U.S. citizens. I waited until the book became available at the public library, and I still ignored it for several weeks, accumulating fines, until I’m just now reading it.

Review: CDs-Foundations of the Deen

Foundations of the Deen: Islam, Iman, & Ihsan by Zaid Shakir and Abdullah Ali.

This is a 5-CD set from the Zaytuna Institute which cover the topics mentioned in the hadith of Jibril, islam, iman and ihsan.

The speakers did a good job of balancing a scholarly treatment of the topic with an engaging mix of beneficial sidetracks.

The sound quality was good. My purchase was without difficulty and the item arrived quickly.

Film: Can We Talk About God? Devotion and Extremism in the Modern Age

This DVD, entitled "Can We Talk About God?: Devotion & Extremism in the Modern Age," consists of two talks by Zaid Shakir and Roger Scruton and their participation in a Q&A with the moderator and some audience questions.

I was disappointed in this DVD because the participants did not really address each other's concerns adequately due to the differences between the United Kingdom's experience with religion and that of the United States. When Scruton described the orthodoxy of agnosticism and atheism among U.K intellectuals, the experience of Zaid Shakir taught him that religious people, acting out of conviction that God forbade injustice, improved the United States by lifting government support of racial and other forms of discrimination. Many of the Muslim dysfunctions of Europe are not widespread here, and hence we U.S. Muslims can't understand European intellectuals' anti-religious impulses.

Moreover, Zaid Shakir did not address Roger Scruton's concerns that committed Muslims could accept legal and social structures in conflict with Islam except by saying that these Muslims always had the option of leaving and that most Muslims in the U.S. did not care about these things anyways. So Imam Zaid did not address why a devoted Muslim would continue to participate in a society which forbids polygyny, allows same-sex marriage, handles divorce in a different way than Muslim jurists recommend, etc. At the same time, I don't think Professor Scruton had enough background in Islamic sciences to be able to understand an Ash`ari theological defense or a juristic defense of Muslim accommodation to liberalism.

Imam Zaid did make an excellent point that the bigger problem is society's prejudice against religous behavior even when it does not conflict with civil law. If the anti-religious claim that they are fighting religion to preserve human rights and scientific progress, then why are they also against manifestations of religion that have nothing to do with either?

Both speakers maintained a high and civil level of discourse.

I'd recommend that people read The True, the Good and the Reasonable: The Theological and Ethical Roots of Public Reason in Islamic Law by Mohammad Fadel. It is a much better treatment of how a devoted Muslim could live in a liberal society.

I purchased the DVD from the link at the beginning of the blog entry. I had no problems with the transaction or delivery.

Film: Jerusalem, the East Side Story

Jerusalem: The East Side Story is a 57-minute documentary film by Mohammed Alatar. Those familiar with the history of Palestine will be bored by the first 10 minutes, which consist of a History Channel type narrative of the partition, the 1947-8 war and the 1967 war. But the rest of the documentary is extremely informative in its description of the tremendous excercise of control the Isreali government excercises over its non-Jewish subjects in Jerusalem. Despite the inhumane and oppressive policies, the non-Jews of Jerusalem still grow at a faster rate than the Jews in Jerusalem. This documentary exposes many of the contradictions of a government promoting a single religious identity as the basis for citizenship and not recognizing the indigenous people with different religious identities.

I purchased the DVD from the official web site, and it arrived in a timely manner.

Review: I am a Muslim-Shekh Abubaker Najaar

I am a Muslim by Sheikh Abubaker Najaar (Part 1 & Part 2)
Part 1 was originally published in 1962. Part 2 was originally published in 1978. This volume includes the 6th edition of part 1 and the 2nd edition of part 2. Publisher Formeset Printers. ISBN: 0958395616

Film: USA v al-Arian

Just purchased the DVD of USA vs. Al-Arian from DaWorks. I've also got a copy of Shackled Dreams and Conspiring against Joseph. In sha Allah, reviews coming soon.

I wrote the above September 9, 2008. I just watched the film today, November 5, 2008.

I'm not sure how to react to the film. It's well done and well-edited as a documentary. There is a quality animation effect used to portray important courtroom scenes. All of the elements of the case through October 2006 are included, including the despicable sentence of Judge James Moody of Professor Sami to 57-months in jail (minus time served) despite a prosecution recommendation that Professor Sami be released based on time served. There are extensive sound bytes from the federal prosecutor, Walter E. Furr, whom I also come to dislike intensely by the end of the documentary.

I think the documentary gives too much time to Furr and not enough time to explaining why the plea bargain to which Professor Sami agreed was the result of extreme government coercion and deception. What's the point of asking a federal prosecutor if justice was done? In any prosecutor's opinion, the harsher the sentence, the more just the outcome.

Having said this, the film does do a good job of portraying Professor Sami's family as normal people and the tremendous pain the government inflicted on them. And perhaps the film needs to be low-key in order to take the message to those who have not followed the case closely.

In any event, the film's new North American distributor is Kudos Family. When I called, Ms. Klara Grunning-Harris of Kudos Family informed me that they hoped it would be available in NTSC format before the Christmas holidays, 2008. If you can play it in PAL, it is still available from DaWorks.

I've not yet watched the special features. In sha Allah, an update when I finish that. Remember, visit http://www.freesamialarian.com to get the latest information on the case and to help him out.

Ann Arbor Palestine Film Festival

People in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA area might want to check out the Ann Arbor Palestine Film Festival, which debuts in March 2009.

Film: Mesalla: Activists in Iraq

LaOnf is an Iraqi organization working to promote non-violence in Iraq. September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows is promoting screenings of the film in the United States.

As far as I know, the film has not been released for distribution in the United States. I believe its production company is Doble Banda, a Spanish company.

There are some videos on blip.tv about the actions of LaOnf.



There is also a YouTube video:


I have not seen the movie. There are at least two values I hope this movie can convey. The first is Iraqis' agency. The second is my hope to learn more about the acceptance among us Muslims of nonviolent resistance. This latter goal is a big topic, so I'm not going to discuss it in this post.

And before I forget, there is a channel on YouTube entitled Nonviolence in the Middle East.

Film: Shame by Mohammed Ali Naqvi

The film "Shame" by Mohammed Ali Naqvi is scheduled for screening at the Imperial Theater in Augusta, GA as part of the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. I'm looking forwarding to meeting Mohammed Ali Naqvi and watching the film. Afterwards, in sha Allah, I'll update the blog entry.