June 4, 2009: Looking for Comity in the Muslim World

President Obama delivers a sensitive speech in the Middle East, and it doesn't play well with the extremists at Fox News.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Looking for Comity in the Muslim World
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Economic Crisis

Thanks to Shibli Zaman for posting this

M.E.C.C.A. FUNDRAISER 2009 Tonight with Imam Zaid Shakir

M.E.C.C.A. will be holding its 3rd Annual Fundraiser Event at the Hudson Valley Islamic Community Center on June 6th, 2009 insha'Allah. Please see below for detailed information and buy your ticket today to show your support! Where:Hudson Valley Islamic Community Center 3680 Lexington Avenue, Mohegan Lake, NY 10547 When: Saturday, June 6, 2009 Time: 7:00 pm -10:30 pm This event features well renowned and well respected scholar of North America Imam Zaid Shakir and a rising spoken word artist Brother Gaith Adhami who will both inspire you with their gifted words as well as their beautiful personalities, inshaAllah. Show your support to M.E.C.C.A. and purchase your ticket today by clicking on this link Buy Ticket or send us an email at info@meccacenter.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us at 212-354-4320 Please see below the detailed program agenda or click here to see flyer: 7:00 - 7:30 Welcome & Introduction 7:30 - 7:45 Quran Recitation Br. Refai Arefin 7:45 - 8:30 Dinner featuring Spoken Word Poetry and M.E.C.C.A. Presentation 8:30 - 8:45 Maghrib Prayer 8:45 - 9:00 Student Statements 9:00 - 9:30 Imam Zaid Shakir 9:30 - 10:00 Fundraiser 10:00 - 10:15 Dessert & Tea 10:15 - 10:30 Closing Remarks We look forward to welcoming you to a beautiful and inspirational night that promises good entertainment, good food, good company of people and above all a worthy cause!

A turn of good faith deserves another in kind

Article by Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown

[Thanks to Edgar Hopida for linking to this article on facebook]

On Obama's Cairo Speech

To appreciate or even be supportive of a politician does NOT mean that we must somehow stop being critical - an important point I believe should not be forgotten in our discussions and reactions to everything going on.

So while I recognize and am excited by Obama's speech in Cairo (text, video), I think Wajahat Ali and Moustafa Bayoumi raise important points in their respective pieces. What do you think?

UPDATE: Also see Robert Fisk's piece in the Independent

Zaytuna College

The new website for the Zaytuna College is now up! Check it out at http://zaytunacollege.org/

Also see this new article in the East Bay Express: Berkeley's Islamic Awakening: The founders of Zaytuna College hope to create a world-class Islamic university right here

Dr. Jacksons's New Book is OUT!

a 232 page hardcover published by Oxford University Press, Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering by Dr. Sherman Abdal-Hakim Jackson, is now available on Amazon to order. (A friend of mine who pre-ordered it already got it yesterday!)

Product Description:

In his controversial 1973 book, Is God a White Racist?, William R. Jones sharply criticized black theologians for their agnostic approach to black suffering, noting that the doctrine of an ominibenevolent God poses very significant problems for a perennially oppressed community. He proposed a 'humanocentric theism' which denies God's sovereignty over human history and imputes autonomous agency to humans. By rendering humans alone responsible for moral evil, Jones's theology freed blacks to revolt against the evil of oppression without revolting against God. Sherman Jackson now places Jones's argument in conversation with the classical schools of Islamic theology. The problem confronting the black community is not simply proving that God exists, says Jackson. The problem, rather, is establishing that God cares. No religious expression that fails to tackle the problem of black suffering can hope to enjoy a durable tenure in the black community. For the Muslim, therefore, it is essential to find a Quranic/Islamic grounding for the protest-oriented agenda of black religion. That is the task Jackson undertakes in this pathbreaking work. Jackson's previous book, Islam and the Blackamerican (OUP 2006) laid the groundwork for this ambitious project. Its sequel, Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering, will solidify Jackson's reputation as the foremost theologian of the black American Islamic movement.

'Treatise for the Seekers of Guidance': poignant reminders and practical advice for the believers

What are the signs of this in a truthful servant? When he studies he contemplates; when he falls silent he reflects; when he speaks he mentions [God]; when something is denied him he is patient; when he is given something he is thankful; when he is tested [with a death] he says, We belong to God and unto Him we are all returning (2:156); if someone behaves ignorantly with him he bears their abuse; when he learns something he humbles himself; when he teaches something he does so with gentleness; and when questioned he responds to the full extent of his knowledge.(pp. 117-18)

Imam Zaid Shakir’s translation, commentary & notes on Imam al-Harith al-Muhasibi’s Risala al-Mustarshidin (Treatise for The Seekers of Guidance) is a page-turner, offering great wisdom, practical advise, and much needed encouragement.

Read the rest of this review by J. Samia Mair here