Muslim Voices

Muslim Voices Podcast Series Finale: Hosts Look Back

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:19:17 +0000

After two years and 60 podcasts, Muslim Voices is winding down — this is the last new podcast that will be produced as part of the series. So, to mark the series’ end, we take a look back with a few familiar voices.

The Smithsonian’s Art Of The Islamic World

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:26:11 +0000

What’s striking about the Freer’s collection is the lack of overtly religious pieces. Farhad is careful to state the art exhibited in the collection is from the “Islamic world” and represents particular cultures, not the religion of Islam itself.

Social Media And Global Muslim Culture

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:15:12 +0000

What happens online doesn’t have to be an expression of politics or justice or a message of any kind. It can just be a nice place for Muslims to hang out.

Q & A With ‘The Muslim Guy’ Arsalan Iftikhar

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:29:28 +0000

Arsalan Iftikhar likes to call himself a “freelance hustler.” A human rights lawyer by training, over the years he’s become a fixture on CNN, NPR and other media outlets. Iftikhar is working, he says, to reframe the discussion about Islam.

Championing ‘Moderate Islam’ In The United States

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:10:06 +0000

The Center for Islamic Pluralism works to counter "radical" Islam and encourages Muslim immigrants to abide by the laws of their country of immigration.

‘Islamophobia’ Author Talks South Park And The Prophet

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:22:13 +0000

Rosemary Pennington speaks with Peter Gottschalk, author of 'Islamophobia', about the recent controversy surrounding Comedy Central's South Park depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

Is There Islam In Latin America?

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:02:17 +0000

A Social Science Research Council funded project at Florida International University’s Latin American & Caribbean Center is working to educate English speaking scholars and reporters about the Muslim populations in the region.

The Islamic Renaissance Of Kazakhstan

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:43:00 +0000

Islam is the largest religion in Kazakhstan, but it’s only been in the last few decades that Kazaks Muslims have been able to openly practice Islam.

What Is Faith? (An Audio Postcard)

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:41:27 +0000

We asked people what they think of when they hear the word "faith." As you’ll hear, faith means different things to different people.

Indonesia’s Rifts And Bridges

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:00:54 +0000

Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country. It might surprise some to know it’s also the most populous Muslim country.

Radio Tahrir: Cultural Liberation Through Journalism

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:48:41 +0000

In Arabic the word “tahrir” means liberation; the idea behind WBAI’s “Radio Tahrir” is to liberate Arabic and Muslim voices from mediation and present them as they are.

Mosques: Houses Of Prayer, Hearts Of Communities

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:00:40 +0000

Virtually anywhere you find a Muslim community, you’ll find a mosque -- or masjid, its name in Arabic. But a mosque is more than simply a house of worship. It’s often the heart of the Muslim community.

‘Axis of Evil’ Label’s Effects On Youth In Iran

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:36:12 +0000

Filmmaker Neda Sarmast shows the complexity of Iranian society in 'Nobody's Enemy'.

Islam’s Reformation In The Sudan

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:29:41 +0000

As Sudan began to craft a new idea of itself in the mid-20th Century –- one that required gaining independence from Great Britain -– one man was creating a new idea of Islam.

Islam In Second Life

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:00:21 +0000

The virtual world is a place where you can explore other cultures without getting in trouble for it.

Salaam: Music Of The Midwest And The Middle East

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:55:27 +0000

Salaam, a band based in Bloomington, Indiana, focuses on music of the Arab world and aims to introduce it to an audience that reaches far beyond the Arabian Peninsula.

Honor Killings: Always Wrong And Never Islamic

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:00:55 +0000

Why do we use the term "domestic violence" for Western murderers, and "honor killing" for Muslim ones? The Qur'an makes no reference to honor killings.

Zanzibar Call To Prayer: Islam In Tanzania

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:00:54 +0000

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania, one of the earliest adopters of Islam in sub-Saharan Africa.

Daayiee Abdullah: Being Out And Being Muslim

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:00:35 +0000

Being out and being Muslim - Rosemary Pennington speaks with openly gay Imam Daayiee Abdullah.

Breaking Down Walls With Language

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:00:44 +0000

For years, experts have been stressing the importance of exposing young children to foreign languages.

Television And Hybridity In The Muslim World

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:00:00 +0000

At its heart, cultural hybridity is related to globalization -- virtually all culture is the result of mixing.

Islam In The Balkans: Can One Be European And Be Muslim?

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:00:40 +0000

There is a debate raging in Europe over what it means to be European. The question often asked: Can one be European and be Muslim?

The Lives Of Women In Afghanistan: Interview With Leila

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:02:00 +0000

There have been moments when, from her home in the States, Leila couldn’t reconcile her memories of Afghanistan with what she was seeing in news, especially after September 11th.

Women In Islam: Converting

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:23:04 +0000

Converting to a new religion is never an easy thing. Things can be even more complicated for non-Muslim women who convert to Islam … most of the time.

Life As A Muslim Politician

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0000

André Carson said the fact he was a Muslim never turned into a negative, but he did have to face opponents who attempted to tap into some of the fears and misconceptions many Americans have about Islam.

Elsa Marston: Santa Claus In Baghdad

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:22 +0000

In “Santa Claus in Baghdad and Other Stories about Teens in the Arab World," author Elsa Marston attempts create a better understanding of the Muslim world by writing about the lives of Arab teenagers.

Iraqi Impressions Of Iraq And USA

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:00:36 +0000

Twenty students from Iraq came to Indiana University last summer as part of a leadership program sponsored by World Learning. The idea is to give Iraqi youth firsthand experience of the United States, as well as broaden American understandings of Iraq.

Women In Islam: Religious Study

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:00:38 +0000

One common misperception about Islam is that a woman's duty to submit to Allah makes them somehow less than men.

Exploring Islamic Finance

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:00:23 +0000

Having money is not a sin in Islam; what’s important is you do with your wealth. Islamic investing plays a crucial part of the financial lives of many Muslim Americans.

How To Win A Cosmic War

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:00:08 +0000

The global jihad movement is more than a movement – it’s an idea Reza Aslan says. It goes beyond nations, states, cultures or ethnicities.

Muslims And The Media

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:00:03 +0000

A topic of concern to many Muslim Americans is that when it comes to covering people of their faith, journalists may be missing the story.

Energy And Security In The Persian Gulf

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:00:20 +0000

Over the last several years we’ve been hearing the idea that the United States must become energy independent – that it’s a matter of national security the country ween itself off of foreign oil.

Muslim Alliance Of Indiana Women’s Fund

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:00:20 +0000

Attorney Rafia Zakaria is the Director of the Muslim Alliance of Indiana’s Women’s Fund. Housed at the Julian Center in Indianapolis, the Fund has been working to help Muslim women find ways of leaving abusive situations but still retain their sense of who they are … as Zakaria tells Rosemary Pennington.

An American Muslim Learns To Fly

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:00:16 +0000

Rosemary Pennington speaks with Monem Salam, a Muslim who is the subject of the PBS documentary “On a Wing and a Prayer: An American Muslim Learns to Fly.”

Mohja Kahf: Footwashing

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:00:12 +0000

Author Mohja Kahf reads her short story “My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears.”

Ebru, The Art Of Turkish Marbling

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:00:55 +0000

If you open up an antique book and look at its inside cover, you’re likely to find the paper there a colorful mix of circles and swirls and lines—more than likely the result of a technique known as ebru or Turkish marbling. It’s a technique of transferring color to paper without using a paintbrush and is a difficult art to master.

A Clash Within Islam

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:00:21 +0000

The idea of the Christian West and the Muslim East clashing over the control over global affairs has been long been a source of controversy. Some people say the conflict is simplistic and while others say it is going on right now.

Women In Islam: Taslima Nasrin

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:00:49 +0000

This month, Muslim Voices is launching an occasional series exploring Women in Islam. Last week featured artist Uzma Mirza who sees Islam as a beautiful thing, not oppressive. The oppression, she says, comes from the behavior of Muslims themselves. But that’s not how writer Taslima Nasrin sees it.

The Role Of Women In Islam

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:00:57 +0000

In her roles as architect, artist and philanthropist Uzma Mirza says she’s constantly trying to find her place in the world as well as reconcile her faith in Islam with her sense of self.

The Tensions Between Islam And Secularism In Turkey

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:00:49 +0000

Tensions have been mounting for years as Turkey struggles with its secular and religious sides. Those tensions came to the forefront with the election of the conservative JDP party six years ago.

Islam In Uzbekistan

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:00:47 +0000

Before its independence, mosques in Uzbekistan were used as storage places, libraries, factories and offices.

The Diverse Indiana Muslim Community

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:00:30 +0000

Indiana’s Muslim community is diverse – with Muslims coming from all over the world, including South Asia, parts of African and right here in Indiana. A publication put out by the Muslim Alliance of Indiana aims to introduce Hoosier Muslims to that diversity, as well as educate them about opportunities open to them in the state.

Islam’s Spread To Sub-Saharan Africa

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:00:25 +0000

Islam has a long history in Africa. According to Arab tradition, the religion first arrived in Northern Africa with Muslims fleeing persecution on the Arabian Peninsula. Scholars believe it took centuries for Islam to take root in the region with North African Muslims eventually taking on practices of Arab culture.

Muslim Transnationals

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:00:05 +0000

There are some 16 million Muslims living in European Union countries and they come from all walks of life and a number of different countries. On the surface, it would seem as though there is little to bind them together. But, that’s not the case.

The Conflict Over Mindanao

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:00:36 +0000

For decades a conflict has been raging between the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Indiana University doctoral candidate Rafia Zakaria is a Muslim and recently traveled to the Philippines. She tells Rosemary Pennington the conflict is about more than just religion.

Islam’s View Of Mary

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:00:06 +0000

This week, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. But for many Muslims, it is also a time to celebrate as Jesus is considered one in a long line of Abrahamic prophets. His mother, Mary, is also revered in Islam – there’s even a chapter in the Qur’an devoted to her.

The Sufi

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:30 +0000

All three Abrahamic faiths have a mystical side to them. For Jews there is Kabbalah. For Christians the Gnostics. For Muslims there are the Sufi.

Islam In China: The Uyghur

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:00:39 +0000

There are Muslim populations all over the world – in Africa and North America as well as the Middle East. Some, though, might be surprised to learn there’s a large population of Muslims living in China.

The Experience Of Hajj

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:00:08 +0000

From December 6 to December 9, millions of Muslims are in Mecca for Islam’s annual pilgrimage. Known as Hajj, the pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam – a Muslim must complete Hajj at least once in his or her life if they are financially and physically able to do so.

Orientalism In Film And Television By Filiz Cicek

wfiu@indiana.edu (Voices and Visions) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:00:39 +0000

For as long as there has been film, there have been Muslim bad guys. Whether they are Rudolph Valentino’s swarthy sheikh or the countless Arabs scattered throughout the Indiana Jones movies, Muslims have been treated as boogeymen, and it’s not just films that have done this.