Category Archives: Islam in America

South Park, but not so funny

Film and Video, Humor and Satire, Islam in America, Islamophobia 101, Muhammad

Who’s Afraid of the Free Speech Fundamentalists?: Reflections on the South Park Cartoon Controversy

by Jeremy F. Walton, The Revealer, April 28, 2010

Recent days have, alas, been marked by a sense of déjà vu all over again for scholars of contemporary Islam. On April 14th, the American cable network Comedy Central aired the first half of a double episode of the immensely-popular cartoon sitcom “South Park.” The episode specifically parodied Islamic prohibitions on the pictorial representation of the Prophet Muhammad by portraying him in concealment, first within a U-Haul truck and then inside an ursine mascot costume. On the day prior to the episode’s airing, the American website revolutionmuslim.com posted the following comments by one Abu Talhah al-Amrikee:

We have to warn Matt and Trey [Matt Stone and Trey Parker, co-creators of South Park] that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.

Continue reading South Park, but not so funny →

Tea Party Monkey Business

Islam in America, Islamophobia 101

One of the major problems with the blogosphere in which I dip is the ease with which the most ludicrous and obnoxious statements can spread. Witness Mark Williams, the blogging head of the so-called Tea Party, who ranted against a proposed new mosque in lower Manhattan by calling Allah as worshipped by Muslims a “monkey god.” There are many who have denigrated Islam, most often claiming that Allah started out as a moon god in Mecca. But Mr. Williams probably confused Islam with Hinduism, only to compound his ignorance by issuing an apology to Hindus for accidentally offending Hanuman, who is indeed a monkey god. Here is the “apology”: Continue reading Tea Party Monkey Business →

New M.A. In Islamic Studies at GTU

Islam and Christianity, Islam in America, Islam: Introduction, Teaching Resources


Dr. Munir Jiwa, Graduate Theological Union

Announcing a new area of concentration in Islamic Studies for fall 2010

We are pleased to announce this new concentration with a primary focus on the study of contemporary Islam within its theological, historical, and cultural contexts. The application deadline for this program has been extended until May 21. To apply, follow the instructions on this webpage.

Islamic Studies
A specialized program offered by the Graduate Theological Union faculty at the Center for Islamic Studies and Associate Faculty

The primary focus of this area is on the study of contemporary Islam within its theological, historical, and cultural contexts. In addition to the core courses in classical Islamic scholarship, students have the opportunity to develop expertise in specific topics such as Muslim Cultures (especially Muslims in America), Islamic Education, or Islam and Media. Interdisciplinary and interreligious approaches to the study of Islam in which Muslims are understood in their diversity and in dialogue with other religious traditions are an implicit part of the program, fostered by the unique environment of the GTU.

For more information, contact
Munir Jiwa, Ph.D.
Director and Assistant Professor
Center for Islamic Studies
Graduate Theological Union
2400 Ridge Road
Berkeley, CA 94709
Office: 510 649 2562

Miss USA (and no burqa)

Gender and Sexuality, Islam in America, Journalism and Media



[Editor’s Note: For a change we can report something about a Muslim woman and not have to discuss the issue of wearing hijab. For videos from the pageant website, click here.]

Arab-American Crowned 2010 Miss USA

The Independent, May 17

Lebanese immigrant Rima Fakih says it was a certain look from Donald Trump that tipped her off that she had won the 2010 Miss USA
title.

The 24-year-old Miss Michigan beat 50 other women to take the title last night, despite nearly stumbling in her evening gown.

She told reporters later that she believed she had won after glancing at pageant owner Trump as she awaited the results with the first runner-up, Miss Oklahoma USA Morgan Elizabeth Woolard.

“That’s the same look that he gives them when he says, ‘You’re hired,”‘ on Trump’s reality show “The Apprentice,” she said.

“She’s a great girl,” said Trump, who owns the pageant with NBC in a joint venture.

Fakih took top honours at the pageant at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip after strutting confidently in an orange and gold bikini, wearing a strapless white gown that resembled a wedding dress and saying health insurance should cover birth control pills. Continue reading Miss USA (and no burqa) →

Hate, Times Squared

Afghanistan, Ethics, Immigration Issues, Islam in America, Islamophobia 101, Journalism and Media, Obama Administration, Pakistan, Taliban, Terrorism Issue


Photos juxtaposed on May 6 by the New York Post, tabloid journalism at its most blatant

Faisal Shahzad, not your typical terrorist: unless you think being a Pakistani Muslim makes you a typical terrorist. Anyone reading yesterday’s New York Post (Wednesday, May 5) and taking the blustered and bloated tabloid rhetoric seriously could easily make such an assumption. I do not, as a rule, read tabloids, although seeing what many others do read is a useful reality check from time to time. But on the train home from Manhattan yesterday there was a crumpled up newspaper under the train seat and at least 45 minutes to unwind. The cover was, for a change, not a pun. It might be called a revelation, as it read: “REVEALED: WHY HE DID IT. EXCLUSIVE. Revenge for US drone attacks on Taliban terrorists.” Six pages (and more) were devoted to the story, although there was little that I found exclusive in the shoddy news reporting and vengeful commentary by the tabloid’s stalking heads.

Let’s start with the cover and what the tabloid pictures for us. Continue reading Hate, Times Squared →

Jihad for Jesus?

Ethics, Islam and Christianity, Islam in America, Terrorism Issue

Those Americans who feel compelled to rewrite our collective history as the emergence of an avowedly Christian nation are fond of quoting scripture. Take the seemingly noble sentiment in John 15:13, where Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” I say “seemingly noble” because even the Devil is good at quoting scripture. Consider the fringe Christian apocalyptic group called the Hutaree; there this motto blazes their website just above the image shown above. Yesterday, the U.S. Attorney General announced the arrests of nine individuals accused of “plotting to kill law enforcement officers in hopes of inciting an antigovernment uprising, the latest in a recent surge in right-wing militia activity,” as the New York Times reports. The plan is right out of what is often called the Al-Qaeda playbook, one played out in Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan on almost a daily basis: kill a police officer and then when there is a funeral procession, set off an i.e.d. Were these Muslim extremists, the word “jihad” would be on every television newscast. But, no, these are individuals who claim to be following a commandment of Christ. So why not face the fact that rhetorically it is possible to jihad for Jesus?

Speaking of those who believe in a literal Devil and do not recognize they are doing his work, earlier today I happened to be leafing through The Devil’s Dictionary by the Ohio-born American journalist Ambrose Bierce. Here is what Bierce had to say a century ago about the real-world definition of “Scriptures”:

“The sacred books of our holy religion, as distinguished from the false and profane writings on which all other faiths are based.”

Continue reading Jihad for Jesus? →

Ramadan: Slow not fast justice

Conferences and Talks, Islam and Christianity, Islam in America, Islam in Europe, Islamophobia 101


Mirror, mirror on the terrorist list wall,
Whose the most likely terrorist of them all?

In the post 9/11 world it is not easy to have a Muslim name. Just because your name is Khan, does not mean you are a terrorist. Just because your university (Harvard, for example) has a fellowship paid for by the Bin Laden family does not mean it is an academic haven for suicide bombers. But if you have a last name of Ramadan, you are not going to be put in the fast lane for an entry visa. Literally. In 2004 the distinguished Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan was appointed to a tenured professorship at the University of Notre Dame. One would think having a major contemporary voice for Islam, especially Muslims living in secular societies, at an acclaimed Catholic university would help break down or at least counter the hatred that fueled the Twin Towers bombers. Such thinking was not on the agenda of the Bush administration, which was more attuned to the slimy interrogation technique of water boarding than interfaith dialogue. Continue reading Ramadan: Slow not fast justice →

A Muslim in the House and Praying

Film and Video, Islam and Christianity, Islam in America, Islamic Rituals


U.S. Rep. David Price, left, meets with Duke Muslim chaplain Abdullah Antepli, his wife Asuman, and U.S. House chaplain Rev. Daniel P. Coughlin

Antepli Delivers Opening Prayer at US House

Duke Muslim chaplain begins Wednesday session (video)

Duke University Press Release, Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Durham, NC — Duke Muslim chaplain Abdullah T. Antepli delivered the opening prayer for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., this morning. Antepli served as guest chaplain at the invitation of Congressman David Price, D-N.C.

Antepli, who joined Duke in July 2008, is one of only a handful of full-time Muslim chaplains at U.S. colleges and universities. He is the founder and executive board member of the Muslim Chaplains Association and a member of the National Association of College and University Chaplains. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Duke Divinity School and Duke Islamic Studies Center, where he teaches courses on Islam.

Following the prayer, Rep. Price took to the floor for a short address praising Antepli as a leader who helps to bridges faiths across the campus. Video of the session is embedded below: (The prayer begins five seconds into the video; Price’s comments immediately follow the Pledge of Allegiance.)

To see the video on the Duke site, click here. Continue reading A Muslim in the House and Praying →