Review: Salaam, Love: American Muslim Men on Love, Sex, and Intimacy

Salaam, Love: American Muslim Men on Love, Sex, and Intimacy by Ayesha Mattu (Twitter) and Nura Maznavi.

Rasha Madkour of the Associated Press reviewed the book. I have not read it.

I suspect the link will go dead at some point. If it does, please add a comment so I can update the entry.

New Site for Arabic E-Books

H/t to M Lynx Qualey

Detained Journalists, Launch of http://t.co/r1Ze8omfy7, and Other Scenes from the Cairo International Book Fair http://t.co/pN68tUYKdD
— M. Lynx Qualey (@arablit) February 5, 2014

I had suggested to some elderly relatives who complained that changes in their eyesight made it difficult to read normal print size books to try e-books. The devices which allow the user to read these e-books have font size adjustment. One relative mentioned that he wanted to read Arabic books, and I did not know a good source of Arabic e-books. Hopefully Kotobi.com will solve that problem. I "purchased" 20 or so free books off the site. The prices are in Egyptian pounds for the books. There is a Facebook page and a Twitter account. The application is available in Google Play for Android and the Apple Store. There still is not a lot of content, especially in science.

Review: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Walker

James Langton reviewed The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Walker (Twitter) in The National (United Arab Emirates).  I have not read the book.

NCIS, another USA national security propaganda show?

My long awaited critique of @NCIS_CBS episode #KillChain here: http://t.co/zasOSssyPq #pakistan #drones #CBS #NCIS #yemen #navy #usa
— Irfan Rydhan (@IrfanRydhan) January 31, 2014

I'm proud that I decided to drop watching USA Network's Covert Affairs. I usually, once I start watching a show, continue to watch it. The worst example of this was that I actually watched all episodes on DVD of Highlander: The Raven, including the special feature where the production team explained how they managed to produce the worst TV show ever.

For this reason, I've never watched NCIS. If I started, I'm worried that I'd be devoting 2 hours a day watching all the episodes I missed.

So I thank Irfan Rydhan for writing a review of a recent episode. I've written other blog posts about TV episodes featuring Muslim characters.

Ranya Tabari Idliby Interview on C-SPAN2 BookTV

Daisy Khan interviewed author Ranya Tabari Idliby on C-SPAN2's BookTV December 4, 2013. Ranya is the author of Burqas, Baseball, and Apple Pie: Being Muslim in America and The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew--Three Women Search for Understanding.

Review: Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an: Islam and the Founders by Denise Spellberg

Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an: Islam and the Founders by Denise Spellberg

Orme Wilson, director and immediate past president of The Filson Historical Society, reviewed this book for The Courier-Journal, a Louisville, Kentucky newspaper.

I have not read the book.

THE BIG HOUSE -- البيت الكبير

h/t Ebadur Rahman

Interview with Ranya Tabari Idliby, Author of Burqas, Baseball and Apple Pie: Being Muslim in America

The C-Span program After Words is broadcasting Daisy Khan's interview with Ranya Tabari Idilby beginning this Saturday, January 11.

Burqas, Baseball, and Apple Pie: Being Muslim in America by Ranya Tabari Idliby.

This is the first I've heard of the author or the book.

Update: I saw the interview and wrote some comments.

Update 2: I read her book and wrote a positive review, which surprised me.

Review: Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes & Erik M Conway

Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming by Naomi Oreskes & Erik M. Conway. First edition, 2010, hardcover, 355 pages.

I'd had this book on my shelf for a while, but I was especially motivated to read it when I noticed that an entire chapter was devoted to contemporary attacks on Rachel Carson and the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to ban the use of the pesticide DDT in the United States in 1972.

Review: Gaza Writes Back

The Story of #Gaza by @davidcnswanson http://t.co/O7W79Ce2mW #Palestine #Books #Israel #MENA
— MyFDL (@MyFDL) January 2, 2014

David Swanson reviewed Gaza Writes Back at firedoglake.com. You can purchase Gaza Writes Back from Just World Books. I have not read the book.


Gaza Writes Back

Open Access Academic Books from University of California Press

h/t Mark Lynch, who retweeted

This is pretty great: UC Press makes 194 e-books from its history catalog (and 700+ books total) open access http://t.co/zzw4LYZisG
— Ian Mosby (@Ian_Mosby) December 30, 2013

Here are some books which may interest readers of this blog:

Review: “I Am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

Yomna El-Saeed reviewed I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb on the website OnIslam.net on 19 December 2013. I have not read the book.

Confronting Anti-Black Racism & Tribalism in the Ummah

This is a recording of the radio show I mentioned last week.

Important Radio Discussion This Saturday on Intra-Muslim Racism

From Dawud Walid's blog: (I've added the date and a few links)

Arab American Association of New York Director Linda Sarsour and Dawud Walid are scheduled to be 900 AM WURD in Philadelphia this Saturday (Nov 30, 2013) from 5pm to 6pm Eastern to discuss the issue of the usage of the slur “abeed” and the broader issue of intra-Muslim racism and tribalism.

Islam Today Radio Show is hosted weekly by University of Pennsylvania Chaplain Kameelah Rashad. The show may be listened to live-streaming at www.900amwurd.com.  Callers may join the conversation at (866) 361-0900 or (215) 634-8065.

Updated December 2, 2013: A recording is available online.

Film: The Silencing of Dorothy Thompson - Support its Production

Consider pledging money to support this Kickstarter project on a US journalist who lost her status by drawing attention to the plight of Palestinian refugees from the 1947-48 war.

I heard about this because I follow updates from If Americans Knew (Facebook, Twitter). Its executive director, Allison Weir, is a script consultant.

The production company is Alternative Focus.

Production Stills from Unity Productions Foundation's Film on Noor Inayat Khan

Unity Productions Foundation (UPF) is close to completing a film on Noor Inayat Khan, a Muslim who spied for the British government during World War II. Here are some picture from the production. The website for the film is http://NoorKhanFilm.org, and it should be complete by mid-November 2013. UPF asked me not to share the stills I received, so I have taken them down and I apologize to you readers for the misdirection. But I was assured that some of the stills would be placed on the website soon. In the meantime, please support UPF financially to bring this and other projects to life.

Religious War is Not So Bad: Modern Defenses of the Crusades

I was flipping through the TV yesterday and hit upon EWTN ON LOCATION - RETHINKING HOLY WARS: THE CRUSADES AND CATHOLIC DEVOTION IN THE MIDDLE AGES. It featured a lecture by Dr. Thomas F. Madden, of Saint Louis University, on "Rethinking Holy War: The Crusades and Catholic Devotion in the Middle Ages" delivered at the Catholic Vision of History Conference at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. The full lecture is available in audio and visual format through iTunes University.

Review: Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation by Tariq Ramadan

Mohammad Fadel (Twitter) of the University of Toronto Law School reviewed Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation by Tariq Ramadan in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion.

I have not read the book.

Interview with Wael Hallaq, author of The Impossible State: Islam, Politics and Modernity's Moral Predicament

Jadaliyya published an interview with Wael Hallaq, author of The Impossible State: Islam, Politics, and Modernity's Moral Predicament.

I have not read the book.

Where the Two Seas Meet: Al-Khidr and Moses-The Qur'anic Story of al-Khidr and Moses in Sufi Commentaries as a Model for Spiritual Guidance by Hugh Talat Halman

Where the Two Seas Meet: Al-Khidr and Moses-The Qur'anic Story of al-Khidr and Moses in Sufi Commentaries as a Model for Spiritual Guidance by Hugh Talat Halman, published by Fons Vitae

I reviewed Hugh Talat Halman's children's book about al-Khidr. The American Muslim published more details on this latest volume. I have not read this book.