We know that the westward expanse of Islam covered significant portions of southern Europe. From the eighth to the fourteenth century CE (until 1492, in fact), portions of the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, and France were under Arab rule. This is evident in the decorative arts and architecture that remain there, but also in many foodways,… Read more »
Tradition, Culture, & Change
Rediscovering the Arab Agricultural Revolution [Part I] by Ann Campbell
Popularized in American culture in the 1970s, the “Mediterranean diet” touted health benefits of “traditional” foods focusing on fish and vegetables with olive oil as the primary fat. The Mediterranean diet became such an icon that it was declared an “intangible cultural heritage” by UNESCO in 2013. But in the popular imagination this diet… Read more »
Rapping in Germany When Your Roots are Turkish and Muslim – Aziza A.! and Matters of Representation…. by Derya Doğan
Imagine listening to hip-hop with lyrics in German but the melody starts and ends with a Turkish folk song, and there is the Islamic Sufi flute Ney playing in the middle… Or rapping in German as if speaking in Turkish…This is exactly what Aziza A. does! [1] Born and raised in Berlin to Turkish immigrants[2],… Read more »
A Wayfarer in Ramadan: Experiencing the Blessed Month While Fostering Relationships with the Creator, Community, and Oneself by Mayesha Awal
Hugs and chatter with friends I have not seen in months. Greetings and introductions to those I have not met before. Hearing the adhan[1] in-person in the masjid[2]. Grabbing a medjool date and savoring the pillowy, chewy, and cake-like texture after a long day’s fast. I have been able to experience Ramadan alhamdulillah[3] in different… Read more »
Belly Dance in Islamic Worlds by Meg Morley
Most of the time, when someone unfamiliar with belly dance encounters me and my research on the changing belly dance industry in Egypt, they are surprised, confused, and struggle to even formulate the question they want to ask. What they want to know is something like, “How does a culture as conservative and repressive of… Read more »
Michelle Johnson talks about her book Remaking Islam in African Portugal by Hassan Bokhari
On December 1st 2021, Dr. Michelle Johnson, who is Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Bucknell University, gave an illuminating talk about her newly released book Remaking Islam in African Portugal. The talk was sponsored by the Center for the Study of Global Change, which directs the Muslim Voice project… Read more »
Tajikistan. Roof of the World by Cathy Raymond
This is an excerpt from a story I wrote about hiking in Badakhshan, the mountainous autonomous region of Tajikistan, and my experiences as a Fulbright Scholar in 2018. The full story is published in the Canadian adventure magazine Outpost: The air is cool, and I tighten the cords on my backpack and head into the… Read more »
Islam and Uyghurs by Mike Krautkramer
In 1929, a young Swedish librarian arrived in the Silk Road city of Kashgar. He was there to study a language and a people at the time both called “Turki,” which are now generally referred to as Uyghur. The librarian, Gunnar Jarring, would recount some decades later in his Return to Kashgar (Durham: Duke University… Read more »
An Interview with Ahmad Hayaniz
Music often gives expression to human experiences that are difficult to communicate. In times of war and national crises, artists harness music as a tool for community empowerment and healing. With this starting point, fifth-year Arabic students at Indiana University spent the fall semester looking at how the role of music takes form during… Read more »
Dena El Saffar on her listening practices by Ezgi Benli
“To really have the spirit of the Middle Eastern music, you shouldn’t be looking at a piece of paper, you know, you should be looking at each other or closing your eyes or looking at your instrument.” Right before the pandemic, Dena and I were practicing for an upcoming Turkish concert. After our rehearsals, I… Read more »