By Narges Moaddel faculty.maxwell.syr.edu Many of us have heard the word Hajj and know that it is the fifth pillar of Islam. Ask people what kind of experience it is and you”ll hear a wide variety of responses such as spiritual, beautiful, difficult, crowded, etc. What does Hajj mean? Hajj literally means “to set…
by Osma Dossani flickr.com The Facts: The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which has built the Museum of Tolerance here in LA, has been issued the permit to build a Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem. There is some tension behind this because many believe that it is on a Muslim cemetery. This issue ought to be judged…
by Nader Nasr Narrated by Ibn “Umar: The Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said, “Amongst the trees, there is a tree, the leaves of which do not fall and is like a Muslim. Tell me the name of that tree.” Everybody started thinking about the trees of the desert areas. And I thought…
By Nabil Ahmad Approximately 14 months ago a financial crisis began, and it has now entered a new, far more serious phase. Remaining hopes that the damage could be limited to just a few financial institutions that simply made wrong business decisions is no longer there. While the original problem was subprime mortgages, the entire…
By Taqwa Abdullah The cultural movement of Hip Hop first emerged in New York in the 1970s amongst the African American and Latino American youth. The four main elements of Hip Hop culture are DJing, rapping, breakdancing, and graffiti writing; all which emerged complimenting each other in different ways. DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican who…
By Sanober Sajan Recently I sat down with a good friend of mine and asked her how being an undocumented student has affected her. She said that “it was like a thing I needed to overcome; something you realize you have to get used to, and something that makes you work harder for what you…
By Shahla Khan A Muslim Epidemic “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allah is Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest.” (24: 30-31) It might surprise you that this infamous line from Surah An-Nur…
By Norah Sarsour The late comedian, George Carlin, once jokingly remarked that, By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth.? While Carlin was a comedian by profession, he challenged the common functions of language and its authority over people”s lives. Sticks, stones and colonialism can break bones, but people heal and countries…
By Amin Eddebbarh I came in knowing little. I was informed by my NGO, Kashmircorps, that a military presence had become more immediate in Srinagar. Unaware of the precarious relationship between the occupying government of India and the natives, my work in the region was directed by the organization in which I volunteered. In my…