Chechnya is back in the news with the hostage-taking crisis in Moscow. Chechnya falls off the front page so fast, it’s hard to remember what exactly has been going on there all this time. Alt.Muslim featured the crisis on their front page, with a number of good links. Bill Allison of Ideofact.com [who I’ve been […]
Monthly Archives: October 2002
Boris speaks
So I was having this conversation with an atheist from Russia about how I wanted to live in Malaysia. I can’t blame him his perspective; he’d moved from arguably the worst place on earth to arguably the best. So he told me this story. I wasn’t swayed, mind you, but it bears repeating: A man […]
Arahan Kembali Ke Malaysia
That’s what the fax said that woke us up at two in the morning Tuesday night. The suddenness and sternness of the summons made me feel like Frank Sinatra being shown the Queen of Hearts in the Manchurian Candidate. Get thee to Malaysia! I had known this was coming; university would only grant so many […]
Samuel Wooten Photography
I stumbled across a stunning collection of photographs at Journey Through Islam. Wooten has photographed from Morrocco to China. I particularly like his pictures of the village elder from China and Mali. Wooten is an unusual name, and I immediately thought he may be related to the two other Wootens I’ve heard of before, Futureman […]
Nifs ul-Sha’ban
Driving eastbound to my home at maghrib time just now I saw the moon hanging full and low, slightly orange in color, shining bright. Alhamdulillah, tonight is Nifs ul-Sha’ban, the middle of the month. Only two weeks left until Holy Ramadan. Tomorrow is a day RasulAllah often fasted, in a month he fasted much. Don’t […]
The Importance of Qasidah
There are so many beautiful habits and customs that have become commonplace in countries where Islam has existed for centuries, like reciting salawat after Adhan or joining the du’a of the Imam after salat, that have not yet permeated the muslim community here. Most palpably lacking is the invoking of praise on the Propet, peace […]
Comments
Hey! I’ve added comments. They are down at the bottom of each post. Now all my dedicated readership (Hi Mom!) can leave a comment about any post that interests you. OK, mainly I do this for me, but I do it for you too! So let me know how you feel. Thank you, Haloscan.
Bali
The recent bombing in Bali is terribly unsettling, coming as it does a few months before my departure for Malaysia. As horrific as it is, though, it doesn’t change my plans, and I don’t think it will be a “first step” on the road to something more terrible, God willing. Eric Boehlert of Salon.com has […]