Tag Archives: Islam

October 19

Zehra Naqvi : What Disunity Costs Our Ummah

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We are all in it together. This Muharram, reflecting on our shared past has actually made me look to the future and reflect on the legacy our umaah will leave behind for future generations. History will tell whether our legacy will be one of unity or divisiveness. There are many good people committed to doing this work, and I pray that all of us commit to do right by all of our communities, very much in the spirit of the Quran, Prophet Muhammad, and his family.

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October 17

Qari Zuhair Hussaini : The Quran And Karbala

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I would think about this and I ponder on the status of the Holy Qur’an within their mission compared to that of mine. I would go days or even weeks without picking up the very book which they spent the night engrossed in. How can I claim to call myself his follower if I cannot even spend time to recite the Book of Allah (swt)? Did Imam Hussain not say on the day of Ashura, “If the religion of Muhammad (pbuh) were not to stand unless by my killing, O swords! So take me?” Is the Qur’an not the crux of the religion of Muhammad?

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November 01

Justin Mashouf : Muharram in the age of ISIS

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  Muharram commemoration rituals have been seen by many in the Muslim world to be a divisive performance of sectarian identity displayed by the Shia community. From the outside, these traditions of mourning, chest beating and in some cases self flagellation, tend to be viewed as a Shia declaration of separation from the larger Muslim […]

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October 30

Bahrain Manufactured Sectarianism

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Karbala, Bahrain And Manufactured Sectarianism When discussing Ashura and the events of Karbala, the story of Zuhayr ibn Qayn is one that is often glossed over. Zuhayr was an Uthmani and not a Shi’a of Ali (as), however he and Imam Hussain crossed paths as the Imam traveled to Kufa to answer the calls of […]

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October 29

Zehra Naqvi : Why I am Shia

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Those that think Shias worship these historical characters misunderstand us and misconstrue the truth: we are simply awed and humbled by the example the Prophet’s family provided of what true faith and honor mean. The lessons we inherited are not about martyrdom or death, but using our lives to serve as worthy representatives of a legacy of social justice, protection of minority rights, and community building. I reflect on these stories often, and I join millions of people around the world in mourning their loss and honoring their lives and legacies during Muharram. A shared sense of community, built around honoring the principles of the Quran and legacy of the Prophet’s family, is also why I’m Shia.

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October 28

Poetry : After My First Ever Majlis About Karbala

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  Listen to the author recite : After My First Ever Majlis About Karbala Yā Ḥusayn I am so ashamed tonight More ashamed than I have ever been since I became a Muslim because I don’t think I would have been strong enough to stand with you on the plain of Karbala I would have thought […]

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October 25

Zainab In my eyes

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Zainab sees the nuance, the ways in which we can all be more accountable for the suffering we inflict on others and on ourselves. Zainab sees truths that are inconvenient to narratives about geopolitical realities. She sees truths that are inconvenient to narratives about Imperialistic dichotomies that have overwhelmed our literature.

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October 20

Iraq : A Portrait of War, Peace and Pilgrimage

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The indescribable power of faith is visible everywhere in Iraq. It transcends rationality and eschews all modes of categorization. It is peculiar that it was in a country so plagued by religious tension and violence that I found some of the greatest harmony and peaceful tranquility of mind that I have ever experienced. We spent New Years Eve at the mosque during our last night in Karbala, ushering in a fresh start with the chants of the world and the humming of a universal law all around us.

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March 14

Is American Islam Oppressive?

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Muslims in America practice the art of compartmentalization—buckets with labels such as: Muslim, non-Muslim, Shia, Sunni , converts, activists, professionals,  Muppies and Mipzters. We navigate the deep and turbulent waters of sub-sub-cultures were the interplay of social, cultural, societal and gender norms either isolate or empower. Being born Muslim—we become a collective Bill Murray bound in […]

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December 27

Ali Gee : Motivational Muslim, Charity and Belly of the Beast

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Motivational Muslim I think about all the sadness and the tears that I have seen And then I remember I’m like every other human being Flawed and insecure, arrogant and mean Black dot on my soul no one else has ever seen What’s it all for? Just to live and die young Or old and […]

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