The Perplexing Status Quo for Muslim Fiction

In the category of young adult (YA) fiction, one can find a relatively solid number of Muslim-oriented novels, some of which are consistently championed in the Muslim novel-reading community for their positive representation of Muslims. Through mass marketing, these portrayals are lauded and viewed as authentic. Though I do not personally read young adult fiction, it recently occured to me that I could perhaps curate a small Muslim fiction collection in the library of the school where I work. I began to research the most popular YA novels which were repeatedly garnered praised across social media. The project was exciting, I hoped that teenagers seeing themselves in such novels would not only lead them to read more books, but also aid them in feeling proud and confident in their identities. Continue reading The Perplexing Status Quo for Muslim Fiction

Halal Consumption and Our Spiritual Health

We must be scrupulous in what we eat because the rest of human civilization depends on us. The actions of non-Muslims are not as important as the actions of Muslims — it is the actions of Muslims that govern the welfare of the entire planet. We are responsible for what happens in the world. Our good deeds have a good impact and our bad deeds have a bad impact — not only on the physical environment but on people. Continue reading Halal Consumption and Our Spiritual Health

Andrew Tate and the Ethics of Sincerity in Digital Engagement

There is an obvious question for consideration here: why do some people come out in support of Tate while others come out against him? Why do some people seemingly materialize out of thin air to say we must have a good opinion of him, while other more progressive-leaning individuals come out to say Tate deserves the worst human punishment possible? Continue reading Andrew Tate and the Ethics of Sincerity in Digital Engagement

The Ibn ‘Arabī Connection: How Akbarian Metaphysics Shaped South Asian Sufism      

To those that, like me, spent their lockdown evenings watching Diliriş: Ertuğrul, Ibn ʿArabī will be a familiar name. Draped in the robes of a dervish, Ozman Sirgood’s character wanders the landscapes of medieval Anatolia, dispensing scriptural wisdom and delivering spiritual guidance to the eponymous protagonist and his plucky tribespeople. Continue reading The Ibn ‘Arabī Connection: How Akbarian Metaphysics Shaped South Asian Sufism      

علماء المسلمين في اليابان: التفكر في الإسلام في مجتمع غير مسلم

ما يلي مقتبس من محاضرة الدكتور قييم ناوكي ياماموتو ، العلماء المسلمون في اليابان: التفكير في الإسلام في مجتمع غير مسلم. وهو جزء من سلسلة محاضرات من ثلاثة أجزاء بعنوان “شرق آسيا والإسلام: الحاضر والماضي والمستقبل” في مركز الدراسات الآسيوية والشرق أوسطية (CAMES). تم اختصار النص وتحريره للتدفق مع بعض التعليقات الإضافية من قبل الدكتور ياماموتو. أظن أن معظم الناس ليسوا على دراية بالتاريخ الإسلامي … Continue reading علماء المسلمين في اليابان: التفكر في الإسلام في مجتمع غير مسلم

Transgender Ideology: A Book Review of Ryan T. Anderson’s “When Harry Became Sally”

In under 300 pages, Anderson discusses the wide range of affected areas: political development, specifically civil rights strides under the Obama administration; medicine; philosophical incoherence of the movement; the experiences of individuals regretting undergoing sex-reassignment procedures (“detransitioners”); reforms in education to indoctrinate children; coercion to align with the latest evolution of the ideology; cultural and media forces; the encroachment into single-sex spaces and the harm to women especially. Continue reading Transgender Ideology: A Book Review of Ryan T. Anderson’s “When Harry Became Sally”

Vampires, Witches and the Walking Dead in Ottoman Lands

“’On the Night of Karakoncolos, the obur would awaken to feast on human blood. Relatives of the victim would urgently seek out a village elder with expertise in finding the creatures. They then would go to the grave from whence the obur had emerged and exhume the body…’ [reported] Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi, on one of his expeditions around the empire in the 17th century.” Continue reading Vampires, Witches and the Walking Dead in Ottoman Lands

Dearborn Schools and the Protests Against LGBT Books

Books like This is Book Gay by Juno Dawson and Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston sat atop library shelves in Dearborn Public Schools, Michigan, until last week, when the schools pulled them for review after parents complained of their sexual nature. Many of the books discussed LGBT relationships; This is Book Gay is a non-fiction title with instructions on how to use apps for casual sex, descriptions of sex toys and how to engage in anal sex. Other fiction titles contain numerous explicit sex scenes. While it is not a shock that most Americans view pre-marital sex as acceptable, the outrage stemmed from the portrayal of this material as innocuous and acceptable for young people. Continue reading Dearborn Schools and the Protests Against LGBT Books

7 Modern Deadly Sins and Misunderstandings: Inequality

In any given society, there are certain common sense moralisms ingrained within that culture. Certain aspects of ethical life and sentiments may be universal in nature and span multiple countries and continents, as part of a generalized weltanschauung. Yet, the particular way in which that ethic is practiced is always subject to cultural conditions and specifics. The key part to this common-sense morality is that you do not think much about these things: they are simply the immediate ethical context one engages with and considers as obvious. As a result, one of the main arenas where we see a stark shift from pre-modern to modern societies, and from religious to liberal societies, is in ethical sentiments and “common sense.” Continue reading 7 Modern Deadly Sins and Misunderstandings: Inequality