Showing posts tagged islam

androphilia:

Muslims treat Paris to pastry protest on Eid | FRANCE 24

Muslim rights activists distributed chocolate croissants at a Paris mosque at the start of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, after a French MP’s controversial comment that thugs snatched children’s pastries during Ramadan.

By FRANCE 24

October 26, 2012

In an amusing response to a conservative French politician’s incendiary comment that thugs snatched children’s pastries during the holy month of Ramadan, a French Muslim rights group distributed chocolate croissants outside the Paris Grande Mosque on Friday, the start of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.

The chocolate croissants - called “Copé” after French politician Jean-Francois Copé - were made with the same ingredients as the classic “pain au chocolat”- but baked in the shape of a crescent, according to Muslim rights activists.

Earlier this month, Copé sparked a controversy when he claimed that Muslim thugs were enforcing the Ramadan fast in some neighbourhoods. “I can understand the exasperation of some of our compatriots when there are some neighbourhoods where a mother or father will come home from work in the evening to learn their son has had his pain au chocolat snatched out of his hand by thugs, telling him it is forbidden to eat during Ramadan,” said Copé at the time.

About 2,000 “Copés” were distributed Friday, according to Abderrahmane Dahmane, head of the Council of Democratic French Muslims, Paris-based Muslim rights group.
Speaking to FRANCE 24 outside the Grande Mosque, Dahmane – who was also a former aide to ex-President Nicolas Sarkozky – called the protest “a great anti-Copé success”. The chocolate croissant stunt, he claimed, was “an overall victory against the racism and stigmatisation [of Muslims].”

Copé, who is running to replace Sarkozy as head of the conservative UMP party, has been criticised for his increasingly inflammatory rhetoric concerning Islam. Following what was dubbed “pastry-gate” in the press, the French Council for the Muslim Faith filed a lawsuit against Copé for defamation, citing “severe damage” to the community.

Friday’s protest came amid signs of a hardening attitude towards Muslims in France, which is home to Europe’s largest Muslim community. An opinion poll published Thursday found six out of ten French people believe the influence of Islam in France is “too big” and 43 percent saw the religion as a “threat” to national identity.

Copyright © 2012 FRANCE 24. All rights reserved.

(Reblogged from fyeahlilbit2point0)
theatlantic: #MuslimRage: How a Cynical Social-Media Play Became an Awesome Meme The tagged reactions to Newsweek’s proposal have been … mixed. Some tweets are funny. Some are satirical. Some are cruel. But they are pretty much united in their rejection of Newsweek’s premise that “Muslim rage” is something to be talked about, under the magazine’s brand, on Twitter. Which is also to say: People rejected glibness. They rejected cynicism. They rejected reductive branding. And they did so, specifically, by reappropriating the hashtag Newsweek had proposed. They treated #muslimrage as exactly what it was: a joke. Read more.

theatlantic:

#MuslimRage: How a Cynical Social-Media Play Became an Awesome Meme

The tagged reactions to Newsweek’s proposal have been … mixed. Some tweets are funny. Some are satirical. Some are cruel. But they are pretty much united in their rejection of Newsweek’s premise that “Muslim rage” is something to be talked about, under the magazine’s brand, on Twitter. Which is also to say: People rejected glibness. They rejected cynicism. They rejected reductive branding. And they did so, specifically, by reappropriating the hashtag Newsweek had proposed. They treated #muslimrage as exactly what it was: a joke.

Read more.

(Reblogged from lusilly)
According to one interpretation of the Holy Quran, it allows Muslims to break their fast if they are too ill or travelling, which athletes are if they’re attending the Olympics. But although athletes are allowed to defer their fasts until a later date, many Muslim sportsmen and women from cultures or countries where not fasting is frowned upon may well honour the holy month. Ronald Maughan, a sports scientist from Britain’s Loughborough University who chaired the IOC working group, agrees some physical changes are likely. Nonetheless, he also noted that observing the Muslim holy month involves mental and spiritual discipline, the effects of which should not be underestimated. “Some individual Muslim athletes say they perform better during Ramadan even if they are fasting because they’re more intensely focussed and because it’s a very spiritual time for them,” he told Reuters. “Their faith gives them strength and Ramadan is an integral part of that faith.”

According to one interpretation of the Holy Quran, it allows Muslims to break their fast if they are too ill or travelling, which athletes are if they’re attending the Olympics. But although athletes are allowed to defer their fasts until a later date, many Muslim sportsmen and women from cultures or countries where not fasting is frowned upon may well honour the holy month.

Ronald Maughan, a sports scientist from Britain’s Loughborough University who chaired the IOC working group, agrees some physical changes are likely. Nonetheless, he also noted that observing the Muslim holy month involves mental and spiritual discipline, the effects of which should not be underestimated.

“Some individual Muslim athletes say they perform better during Ramadan even if they are fasting because they’re more intensely focussed and because it’s a very spiritual time for them,” he told Reuters. “Their faith gives them strength and Ramadan is an integral part of that faith.”

(Reblogged from acciomarchmadness)
“
I want to know about the Muslim women in the Olympics rather than the hijabs and long sleeves that they are wearing or not wearing. I want to read about Muslim women’s ground-breaking fashion achievements, not about whether hijab enables or prevent them from being successful or even pious. And I would like to hear from the new Egyptian First Lady about her role within the new government instead of her hijab and “fashion” style.

At this point in time where there is so much attention around Muslim women, and when many of them are contributing so much, it is about time that we look at what these women have to say, what they do, what they achieve, instead of how they choose to dress.

Hijab: A Muslim Woman’s only Achievement?|| Muslimah Media Watch

(via muslimwomeninhistory)

(Reblogged from bunnybotbaby)

timaeustestified:

hey! just a reminder that some of your followers may be fasting for ramadan right now, so you should tag food pictures as “food” to give them a chance to block it with tumblr savior!

(Source: marcovicci)

(Reblogged from jirachi)
“
One thing I realized when traveling around the Muslim world is how closely these hard-line interpretations of Islamic law are associated with political consternation and turmoil. There isn’t a country anywhere in the Muslim world which has been applying Muslim laws continuously for hundreds of years and which is drawing on genuine tradition. It’s a revival of supposed traditions which don’t really pay much heed to history at all.
Sadakat Kadri on interpretations of the Shariah over the last 40 years. (via nprfreshair)
(Reblogged from npr)

Saudi princess: What I'd change about my country

I heard about this on the radio a few days ago, and I finally remembered to look it up.  It’s a very interesting read, and I highly recommend checking it out. 

I understand that tomorrow is supposedly “International Hijabi Solidarity Day” (I think that’s the name at least), and we’re supposed to wear a scarf as a sign of support for women who choose to wear the hijab, niqab, etc.  I just wan’t to make sure that this is an actual thing, and that I won’t be pissing off any Muslims by taking part.  The last thing I want to do is be appropriative or anything like that.

wonderwomanv2: akitron: ~yeezy taught me~ ACTUAL BEST View high resolution

wonderwomanv2:

akitron:

~yeezy taught me~

ACTUAL BEST

(Source: misandrwitch)

(Reblogged from wonderwomanv2)

heaveniswheretheheartis:

Don’t Stereotype Me——University of Mary Washington Islamic Student Association campaign against stereotyping and judging on campus. This campaign was inspired by the Trayvon Martin case. Stereotyping essentially killed Trayvon Martin so we wanted to raise awareness about the negative effects of stereotyping. 

(Source: heaveniswheremyheartis)

(Reblogged from last0name0rosa)

Muslim Schoolgirls and General Bad-Assery

BY  ⋅ JULY 30, 2010 

The following photos were taken from a photo essay in the China Daily:

Muslim school girls from St. Maaz high school  practise [sic] Chinese wushu martial arts inside the school compound in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, July 8th 2008. Girls from ages 10-16 participate in weekly sessions during the school terms. (Agencies)

While the photos are two years old, they’re still pretty bad ass. And only prove the Sino-Islamic alliance Huntington predicted. Awesome. Also note that this is not new to the region, as South Indian Muslims commonly engage in learning the various martial arts.

(Reblogged from lusilly)

resting-at-last:

popca:

mehreenkasana:

heaveniswheretheheartis:

Photos courtesy of Virginia Tech students

Call the NYPD (VT) Campaign has been launched by students of Virginia Tech to raise awareness about civil liberties in and around Blacksburg.

I love this.

“im muslim and i ball so hard” hahahhaha yessssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“I drive a camel car” lol omg

(Source: heaveniswheremyheartis)

(Reblogged from fyeahlilbit2point0)

Queer Muslim

everythingbutharleyquinn:

Though about a religion, and experience, different from my own, I related to this piece in several ways, but specifically this paragraph:

Eventually, I moved interstate and found the courage to explore both sides of my identity and discovered I could not deny my sexuality nor my spirituality. I could be both Muslim and queer since I believed Allah created me this way, and being a good person was enough for me to call myself Muslim. I am not a cleric nor religious scholar but I studied the religion and found my own way home. There are 99 names for God in Islam, and 97 of them are words like gentle, merciful, forgiver – this is the God that made me.

That had me bawling like a baby. And now, the whole thing:

I was raised in a Muslim household where we were encouraged to ask questions and seek answers. But for a long time, all I knew about sexuality and Islam was that heterosexuality was celebrated once married, and that homosexuality – a word used to describe men who have sex with men – was forbidden. Lesbians didn’t even get a look in.

I had known I was attracted to women since I was in my early teens. I remember watching German Figure Skater Katarina Witt in the Winter Olympics and thinking she was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

I first ‘came out’ to my parents when I was at Uni, but I went back into the closet when I saw the emotional chaos it caused for my family. My father didn’t want to speak about it and my little sister felt like I was tearing our family apart. I ended up denying my sexuality and living a double life, and hating myself for it.
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In 2000, I entered my first same-sex relationship, and then suddenly it dawned on me that maybe I was no longer Muslim. When I decided to renounce my faith, I was miserable but I couldn’t pretend I didn’t want a life with a woman. Strict interpretations say that homosexuality is forbidden in Islam. So I felt I couldn’t be queer as well as Muslim, and I was consumed by confusion. I even spent a year lying to my parents and saying I was “Women’s Officer” at Uni when I was the “Queer Officer”.

Eventually, I moved interstate and found the courage to explore both sides of my identity and discovered I could not deny my sexuality nor my spirituality. I could be both Muslim and queer since I believed Allah created me this way, and being a good person was enough for me to call myself Muslim. I am not a cleric nor religious scholar but I studied the religion and found my own way home. There are 99 names for God in Islam, and 97 of them are words like gentle, merciful, forgiver – this is the God that made me.

Until a few years ago, there were no online support groups for queer Muslims in Australia. I made a promise to myself that is I was ever comfortable enough with my reconciling faith and sexuality, then I would do something to help people find a voice when I for so long believe I had none. In 2005, I founded an online support group “Queer Muslims in Australia” to provide people like me with a safe space to connect.

We have just over 100 members so the group is small by today’s standards but I think of it as over a hundred brave people who are on a journey not dissimilar to my own. It still makes me extremely sad to read of people searching for “sham weddings” because it is not safe to come out. But I also do not think anyone should come out if there is a risk that they might be harmed or hurt – and this is a real risk for many people.

It has been a long and difficult road for my family to come to accept my sexual identity, but it’s worth it. I am now in a happy, committed and secure relationship with a non-Muslim woman, with whom I have a young son. We are raising our child to be Muslim because it just feels right. Although my parents have said that they still wonder why Allah created me differently, they accept my partner, and love her and my son. This is what matters to me.

Ultimately, I identify as a “queer Muslim”. But I am also a mother, partner, sister and daughter, a lawyer and a social justice activist. And I have found that I cannot be happy if I choose one world over the others. I’ve had countless people say to me, ‘You can’t be queer and Muslim – it just doesn’t exist in Islam.” To this, I simply say, “I exist. So it must be possible.”

(Reblogged from fyeahlilbit2point0)
“
Since the terrorist attacks of September 2001 Islam in America has flourished. The number of mosques has nearly doubled over the past decade, rising from 1,209 in 2000 to 2,106 in 2011.
A boom in American mosque-building will probably further rouse those who are worried that radical Islam will take root. But as with other religions in the country, the main challenge facing Islam is not radicalism, but secularisation. (via theeconomist)
(Reblogged from theeconomist)

wayne-o-phile:

comicsalliance:

‘WHAM! BAM! ISLAM!’ Documents Reaction To Islam-Inspired Superheros ‘The 99’ [Video]

The 99 is a comic book series about a group of multi-ethnic superheroes with a basis in Islamic culture and faith. An animated series based on the comic was meant to debut in the United States last year, but was interrupted amid prejudicial outrage on behalf of some of the American media who characterized the work as a scheme to endear American children to Sharia law and Muslim scripture. The superhero group, who appeared in a crossover series with DC Comics’ Justice League, was created by Muslim psychologist Naif Al-Mutawa not to promote radical Muslim values, but specifically to confront them, and to challenge the xenophobia preached by radical Imams.

The political and cultural climate of the world is such that an endeavor like Dr. Al Mutawa’s has been met with quite a lot of resistance as well as positivity, and that journey is the subject of a new documentary. WHAM! BAM! ISLAM! will debut October 13 on PBS. Directed by Isaac Solotaroff, the film follows Dr. Al Mutawa as he tries to introduce his characters to Muslim children as well as defend the reputation of Islam in the West. Check out the trailer after the cut.

Each of the heroes of The 99 represents one of the names or virtues of Allah, such as strength, mercy and wisdom, attributes that are valued by many faiths and cultures. Praised by U.S. President Barack Obama as embodying “the teachings of the tolerance of Islam,” the young heroes also demonstrate these values in their fantastical adventures without any one character praying or even mentioning explicit Muslim scripture nor the Prophet Mohammed.

WHAM! BAM! ISLAM! documents Dr. Al Mutawa’s struggles with reactions like that of The New York Post’s Andrea Peyser, who wrote last year, “Cancel The 99 before it starts.”

Hide your face and grab the kids. Coming soon to a TV in your child’s bedroom is a posse of righteous, Sharia-com pliant Muslim superheroes — including one who fights crime hidden head-to-toe by a burqa.

These Islamic butt-kickers are ready to bring truth, justice and indoctrination to impressionable Western minds.

Additionally, the film will detail negative reaction to The 99 from people and institutions within Muslim culture.

So as opposed to trying to introduce other cultures and belief systems to children in a positive way, not in an attempt to indoctrinate, but to simply create understanding and diminish fears created by bias, we’re going to continue to fear-monger and simply ignore the fact other people exist on this damn planet.

For the record, I’m Christian. And as a Christian I follow the teachings of Christ: to love and not judge. To treat the WHOLE OF HUMANITY as my spirit family. 

And I don’t care if this causes a shit-storm. Stuff like this pisses me off.

(Reblogged from sprygemini)