Only One Reality



An-Nur (The Light). Oil on canvas, by Hafeez By Bruncha "Sakeena" Milaszewski In the vastness of eternity, in all its great expanse, Only one reality knew its purpose… Ya Khabir, Ya Allah In the darkness of the void, depth...

Ten Years Later: Growing Up With Kurt Cobain



Cobain, like Lennon, was a cultural icon (the kind of guy whose face you can put on a T-shirt). Where Lennon defined the 60s and 70s, Cobain towered over the 90s. If we’re talking about the power of music to express reality then Cobain was certainly a master.

American Muslims and the Politics of Block Voting



In the coming Presidential elections, the stakes are very high for American Muslims. If George Bush can be defeated, there is hope that many of the unconstitutional practices instituted by the USA Patriot Act will be revoked by his successor, Muslim organizations will be spared undue hardship, and America may be less likely to invade Muslim countries under dubious circumstances.

Scholar of Islam Finds Himself in Demand — for the Wrong Reasons



One positive of all this, I suppose, is that I'm invited to speak more frequently. But it's somewhat absurd that I — a medievalist — am asked to explain the ideological interconnections between contemporary Wahhabism, jihad organizations and Al Qaeda.

Hamas Violence: Not In My Name



After all the outrage, anger and threats, it’s time to take a breather and think things over. Hamas has chosen violence as its ways of resisting Israeli occupation. This choice was not put to a vote by the majority of the Palestinian people; it was imposed on them.

Liberation come to Wana



Send the Government of Pakistan a WakeUp! Call Now! By Jawad Ali The government of Pakistan is starting to bulldoze the homes of the Yargul Khel tribe in an attempt to uncover Al Qaida fugitives, reports the Christian Science...

After the Malaysian Elections: Caught Between False Choices



Only to citizens of Middle Eastern and African dictatorships would Malaysia appear to be a model Muslim democratic state.

Hellfire Indeed, Mr Sharon



Hellfire indeed, Mr Sharon – for the retribution that is sure to come can only be described in mythic, biblical terms.

Apu, Naked Businessmen, and Personal Responsibility



It is not enough to say that the Bush administration is covering up the 9/11 investigation. We must come out and say that the Bushies are covering up for Al Qaida. Aznar was covering up for Al Qaida. Dirty collaborators.

Ariel Sharon and the Execution of Sheikh Yassin



The Israeli assassination of Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the founder of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, is designed to escalate the level of violence in Israel/Palestine.

It is a just war, or is it just a war?



It is a just war, or is it just a war?

One Year Later: In Shock and Awe I Remain



Before the Iraq fiasco, progressive, pro-democracy, pro-human rights activists had a voice struggling to be heard between the US-backed non-democratic governments and Muslim fundamentalists. Today, people in the Muslim world see democracy and human rights as nothing more than empty slogans, doublespeak and justifications for imposing America’s will.

Jews Are Not the Enemy, House of Saud



Dear Saudi Royal Family, and the Guardians of the Two Holy Places (Chevron and Raytheon). The BBC is claiming that you are not giving tourist visas to Jews. Shame on you. We need to talk.

The elections that never happened



So Malaysians will once again to go to polls on Sunday and the results are to be expected. With an opposition in tatters and an Islamist party bent on pursuing its own exclusive agenda at the expense of its allies and the nation as a whole, it is unlikely that the opposition will make serious gains at all.

Malaysia's Upcoming Elections: Procedure vs. Substance



The dominant party within the ruling coalition is a Malay Muslim party, but the other parties are seen by many voters to have a moderating factor on the overall character of the coalition. The opposition, on the other hand, is seen by many to be either too fractured, or completely swallowed by the Islamists.

Gujarat Two Years Later: Time for Collective Introspection for Indian Muslims



What have Indian Muslims learned from the Gujarat Massacre? Perhaps nothing.

They Changed My God



We roamed around together, holding hands. We collected colored feathers, glorious flowers and chased delicate butterflies.

Remembering the Gujarat Massacre



No period in history marks the kind of butchery that was displayed against women. Thousands of children became victims of terror and were left orphans.

“Sometimes Our People Can Overreact Unnecessarily”: An interview with ISNA Secretary General Sayyid M. Syeed



They have misunderstood. I don’t know exactly what we told them. In this situation, we tell them we will help them and so on. It does not mean we’re a member.

Let's Be Consistent: Muslims Should Protest Iranian and Saudi Hijab Policies Too



If we consider the French law against the hijab offensive, then the Saudi and Iranian laws enforcing compulsory wearing of the hijab should also be condemned because they take away a woman's right to choose.

"We Have Too Many Mexicans": An Interview with ISNA's Anti-Alcohol Partner, Howard Lydick



"If we let the entire world move here, our cities will begin looking like New Delhi. We have too many Mexicans coming here. They don't want to be good Americans. They still celebrate Cinco de Mayo instead of the Fourth of July."

What's ISNA Hiding?



In response to your continuing WakeUp! Calls, ISNA has pulled the Prohibition Conference announcement from their home page. Find out more....

Seventy Two Virgins and a Giant Bag of Lard



So what does the ill fated exploding pig have in common with the 72 nubile virgins, you ask? They are clumsy attempts to slap on a religious dimension to a very political conflict

Send a WakeUp! Call to ISNA



Send a WakeUp! Call Now! Assalamu Alaykum Dear MWU! Readers, Today, we are happy to introduce our latest grassroots activism tool, the WakeUp! Call. This is another way of making our voices heard as Progressive Muslims on the issues...

Brother Against Brother: 'A bloodbath that seemed too gory to be real'



They were massacres: Iraqi and Pakistani Shiites suffered a week of carnage and horror as suicide bombers attacked religious sites last Tuesday, killing at least 200 people with some estimates running as high as 300, during the most holy day on the Shiite calendar. In Iraq it was the bloodiest day since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Excerpt from Madras on Rainy Days



On the wedding night, when Sameer discovered what I’d done, certainly he would throw me out. The wedding had to be stopped before that could happen. I ran forward and grabbed Amme’s small hand. She gave me a startled look, but didn’t let go. Together, we trailed behind Abu Uncle.

Meet the New Jack Novelists: Review of Madras on Rainy Days



She is the first novelist to write about Indian Muslims who really gets it.

The Adab of Dissent and Dialogue: Interview with Khalid Masud



The fear that dissent will divide us has been so strong that our ethics of dialogue became very authoritarian and conservative. Ironically, it has not prevented schism, but has rather fostered a kind of mutual mistrust which is more dangerous than even anarchy. Muslims have lost their sense of adab as well as the urge and ability to speak to others. Instead political concerns have come to dominate our interaction with each others and those outside our faith community.

Unveil Your Mind: An Interview with Nawal El Saadawi



God is not a book. God is justice and freedom and love and honesty. That is what my father taught me—to be honest.

Fellatio, Feminism and Faith: Celebrating International Women's Day



So, as a man, I will be celebrating loud and proud this 8th of March – I will be celebrating International Women’s Day.

Bleeding for the Imam: Heartbreak and Catharsis in Muharram



Part of me just wanted to soak in some deliberate heartbreak, manifested through a man that happened to be Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. And part of me wanted to bleed again, because it had been a long time and I almost missed it.

A Poem on India, Pakistan Nuclear Tests



Don't say we did not know how the death entered our homes.

Islam, Feminism and Living as the ‘Muslim Other’: an Interview with Asma Barlas



Incidentally, drafting “moderate Islam” on its side does not mean empowering Muslims or rehabilitating Islam. Indeed, Washington’s embrace of “moderate Islam” comes at a high cost. Since friends can and do differ, the administration wants “moderate Islam” not so much to be an independently-minded ally as it obedient and unquestioning henchman

On the Corruption of Religious Leaders: Imam Husayn’s Sermon at Mina



You have taken lightly your duties as leaders. You have neglected the rights of the oppressed and the lowly, but have assiduously pursued what you regard as your personal rights.

The Power and The Passion: Mel Gibson's Film through Muslim Eyes



Even if the Jewish authorities at the time were involved, does that justify the atrocities committed against Jews throughout the Dark & Middle Ages? Or the Atrocities committed by the Nazis? Of course not.

Bangladeshi Scholar Humayun Azad in Critical Condition After Attack



The hatred generated by Sayeedi and others fundamentalists have contributed to the milieu of fundamentalist arrogance and hatred for free speech in Bangladesh. Professor Azad had received death threats for his writings. A “call” for punishing him came during one of the recent anti-Ahmadiyya mob meetings in Dhaka.

The Glass House Washington Has Built: The Writing of Pramoedya Ananta Toer



It is for these reasons that Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s ‘Glass House’ should be read and re-read assiduously by all third world intellectuals, activists and politicians today. We are all the unwitting captives of the glass house that Washington has built, and unless and until we realize that our dreams for deliverance will remain an illusion beyond our reach. Fascism and authoritarianism thrive in a climate of manufactured fear: even as captives of this global glass house, we still have our conscience that serves as our final asylum, and it is from this diminishing space that we can hurls the actions and ideas that will break the glass walls that confine us.