The recent debates around religion and representation shed light on the following quandary: whatever good is in mainstream media must eventually submit to the demands of entertainment. This is the argument of Neil Postman’s book, Amusing Ourselves to Death. Continue reading Neil Postman and the Internet Age
When it comes to exploring the Muslim identity in the realm of fiction, one is hard-pressed to find a story that provides a realistic narrative for the lay Muslim…Novels that debunk popular stereotypes and endeavor to reconcile the Muslim identity with the twenty-first century are finally on the rise. Continue reading Redeemable Representation of the Modern Muslimah
Journalist Rana Ayyub’s investigation into the Gujarat riots has yet to be considered seriously, while what is now a nightmare in India could become a permanent cataclysm. Continue reading A Book Review of Rana Ayyub’s “Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up”
A Book Review of The Theological Thought of Fazlur Rahman: A Modern Mutakallim by Ahad M. Ahmed, a significant addition to modern Islamic thought in general and to the literature on the life and thought of Fazlur Rahman. Continue reading Fazlur Rahman as a Modern Mutakallim
A Book Review of Travelling Home: Essays on Islam in Europe by Abdal Hakim Murad. There is something strange happening in the Western world. Continue reading Diasporic Wanderlust: Sh. Abdal Hakim Murad’s “Travelling Home”
A Book Review of Halal Food: A History by Boğaç Ergene and Febe Armanios. As we fast through the month of Ramadan, we should pause to reflect on our relationship with what we consume. Continue reading The Halal Food Industry
A Book Review of Ethics of Assisted Reproductive Medicine: A Comparative Study of Western Secular and Islamic Bioethics by Dr. Sharmin Islam. What is Islamic bioethics, and how does it differ in its approach to modern reproductive technology? Continue reading Ethics and Reproductive Technology
A Book Review of Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis of Modern Man by Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Science and feats of engineering are parts of the solution, but will not solve the problem on their own. Continue reading The Spiritual Crisis of Man and Nature
A Book Review of The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty. One of the factors that has distinguished the literary tradition in the Muslim world from that of the cultural West for much of the past millennium is the modality adopted by popular literature. Continue reading Faith and Fantasy: Is Islamic Fiction Viable?
A Book Review of My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk. In his book My Name is Red, Orhan Pamuk tells a story of miniaturists in sixteenth century Istanbul that provokes reflection on contemporary events in the world. Continue reading Parallelizing the Past to the Present
Traversing Tradition 