As I’m sure is universal among muslim communities, Ramadan represents the high water mark of religious devotion, the time when the greatest number of people turn up for daily prayers. That’s followed by a Eid crash, when numbers plummet back down to, or even below, average levels, as everyone becomes distracted with the holidays. In […]
Monthly Archives: November 2006
WaPo on Khalil Moore
The Washington Post has a nice interview with Sidi Khalil Moore on forging a new American Islamic culture. via Akram’s Razor.
Learning from Chickens
Shortly after Hari Raya Eid al-Fitr, I was given a lovely gift in the form of a rooster, hen, and four small chicks. The chickens are a small variety known locally as ayam katik. Although smaller and more tame, these chickens are not related to our modern poultry or egg laying machines, but are bred […]
Learning from immigrants
Me and Omar and some other folks were flogging a horse to death over at Umar Lee’s website on the topic of immigrant muslim culture in the US. We managed to agree that [American] muslims should be accepted as authentic Muslims without having to turn away from our cultural heritage, and there is plenty in […]
Journey to Ihsan Photos
Photos from the Journey to Ihsan conference are available here on Flickr. I loved looking them over since I didn’t have my camera for the trip. Someone even took a shot of me!
Masjid Negeri Sarawak
You’d be forgiven for thinking these pictures were taken in Central Asia somewhere, but they are from the Sarawak State Mosque in Kuching. I was on holiday for the first Friday after Eid, so I took the chance to visit the masjid with my son and nephew. As you can see, it has a very […]
Bahrus Shofa
If you read Malay, this is the blog you really should be reading. Biographies of Malay religious scholars, scans of rare texts and images, impeccably researched opinions on hot islamic topics, all presented in a friendly and approachable writing style. Highly Recommended!
Mysteries of the Coconut: Ketupat
A ubiquitous icon of the Ramadan season is Ketupat. Ketupat is to Hari Raya what candy canes and tinsel are to Christmas: innocuous, non-religious cultural symbols that are inextricably linked to the holiday. Images of ketupat are plastered on greeting cards, banners, cut-shots between TV programs, and so on. Decorative ketupats made of ribbon are […]