Often when Americans think of Europe as a whole, they often associate Christianity and colonization. While this is often the case, there are beautiful cultures that lie within the minority of people in these areas. This concept is especially true in Lisbon, Portugal, a city I was lucky to study abroad in for the month… Read more »
Tag: Diversity
The Bektashi Sufi Order in Albania by Dr. SeyedAmir Asghari
Sufism, the inner and spiritual dimension of Islam, boasts a history as old as Islam itself. The chronicles of Sufi orders often intertwine with myths, and the Bektashiyyah order is no exception. The significance, impact, and influence of the Bektashi order since the sixteenth century, especially in the Balkans, are undeniable. Among the communities in… Read more »
A Message for 2024, by Muslim Voices Public Scholarship Project
It was 15 years ago when we first submitted a grant proposal to the Social Science Research Council to implement Muslim Voices, a multi-media and public-facing academic initiative to dispel the harmful stereotypes in North America around Islam and Muslims by exploring the religion’s diversity across the world. Within three years we accomplished podcasts, videocasts,… Read more »
“Just One Night” A Critical Review II by Abigail Leonard
While the opposite can be argued, I feel that “Just One Night” addresses an otherness felt by some of the young Muslims in the West. It has an opening scene with two hijabi friends trying to fix their headscarves in a manner that makes them stand out less in the bathroom of a bar where… Read more »
“Just One Night” A Critical Review I by Rachel Tagoulla
In the mini movie “Just One Night”, two headscarf-wearing Muslim women go out to a bar to experience bar life for “just one night.” The protagonist’s friend claims she has never been to this bar before; however, the protagonist discovers her friend is a regular at the bar after seeing her picture on the wall…. Read more »
Being Muslim vs. Looking Islamic by Derya Doğan
A couple summers ago, I ran into an elderly couple who had done decades of Christian missionary work in Australia. They were looking for my neighbors, who were from Turkiye. When I said that I too was from Turkiye, the wife told me “But you do not look Islamic” since I was wearing a sleeveless… Read more »
“A GEM FOR THE COMMUNITY”, THE ISLAMIC CENTER OF GREATER TOLEDO (ICGT)
“A GEM FOR THE COMMUNITY”, THE ISLAMIC CENTER OF GREATER TOLEDO** “A gem for the community” was how Bill Hilt, a local teacher from Perrysburg City Schools described the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo (ICGT) during a pre-pandemic visit to their annual “International Festival” that has been running for almost 2 decades now. At this… Read more »