Posts under ‘Radicalism and Violence’

On Thursday, November 5th, Major Nidal Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood and killed 13 and injured 30. My initial reaction was like everyone else: extreme sadness over the loss of life, especially since it was not in a war zone and the victims were killed by another soldier. It is troubling. However, what I [...]

With all the recent news of bombings and violence in parts of the Muslim world — Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Pakistan — I felt compelled to write a response to the violence. Like anyone else, when I hear that someone has been killed, especially in a context of war and terrorism, I am deeply saddened [...]

I have often thought about the reasons for what seems to be unending turmoil in some Muslim communities. I can’t say that I have reached a clear answer–I doubt anyone has–but I do know that this is a question that occupies many, especially Muslims. Several possibilities are offered as explanations: the effects of colonization, the [...]

What is a Sunni? What is a Shia? These two labels–which many still struggle to clearly define–have been used to explain some of the most violent confrontations in recent years. Now it seems that discussions on the conflict in Iraq, for example, require framing the discourse with the colorings of sectarianism. In the mainstream media, [...]

Today’s guest post is from Daily Beast blogger and author of How to Win A Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the War on Terror Reza Aslan. If you’d like to learn more about his new book, see the interview posted today by Editor-and-Chief of  altmuslim Shahed Amanullah. Later this month, Dr. Aslan will return as [...]

In an earlier post on Inside Islam, we introduced Senator John Kerry’s proposed series of hearings on “Engaging with Muslim Communities Around the World.”

What other projects could appeal to Muslim youth, prevent anti-West violence, and have measurable success?

Social networks such as Facebook are increasingly used to organize political demonstrations like this April 6, 2008 strike and promote their coverage in mainstream news reports.

We are reposting an article excerpt with permission from MuslimMatters: “Muslim Scholars–West’s Natural Allies in Fighting Scourge of Terrorists” by Tawfique Chowdhury, the director-general of Mercy Mission and AlKauthar Institute.

A while back on the Inside Islam radio series, host Jean Feraca repeated Colin Powell’s question, “What’s wrong with being Muslim?” During his campaign, Barack Obama refrained from addressing this question in relation to his own roots. Now as president, Obama is beginning to outline his administration’s efforts to reach out to the Muslim world. In a television interview on Al-Arabiya, an Arab news station, he discussed America’s next steps in the Muslim world.

Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan joined Fareed Zakaria for an interview aired on CNN last October. Scroll down below to see part one and two later on in this post.

Pope Benedict XVI concluded his 2006 speech today by saying in the New York Times that the world needs to discuss “in a public forum the cultural consequences of basic religious decisions.” Interfaith dialogue may not lead us to any immediate or even certain answers, but it opens up the political possibility for alternatives to violence and shared common ground.

Douglas McLeod is professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joins Inside Islam on the blog to write a guest entry about his research on the Internet and media in the Islamic world. New media was the topic for our second radio show: Young Muslims and New Media. You can you can find out how to listen and participate on the show’s page.

While gearing up for this Wednesday’s Inside Islam program: Young Muslims and New Media, I found myself thinking a lot about the question Colin Powell posed to Tom Brokaw on last Sunday’s Meet the Press. He said he was troubled by some members of the Republican Party who were helping to spread the rumor that [...]

The Jewel of Medina: Controversies over Muhammad’s life and representations of it in popular television and stories are nothing new in Muslim culture. What’s recent is the link between Islam and its history with terrorism and other threats to national security in the mainstream media. This new trend happens to be what Journalist for the Bureau of National Affairs and author Sherry Jones hopes to overcome with the release of her novel. She tells Egypt Today that her interest in Islam came after the September 11th attacks and from coverage of radical violence in the news since then. Through her research and writing, she wants to overcome fears and open up a new dialogue about Islam’s history.

Join Muslim writer and scholar of religion Reza Aslan and host of Here on Earth: Radio without Borders Jean Feraca for Inside Islam’s second radio show on October 29, 2008.

…On Inside Islam: The blog will have a series of posts about Muslims in the media leading up to the second radio show with Media commentator and scholar Reza Aslan.

“Obsession” dvd on radical Islam sent out to swing states in the US and debated online. Links to mainstream media coverage and advertisement of the DVD and reader reactions online. Suggest radio show topics on Muslims in the media.

Chat online, leave comments and listen to a public radio show on Heavy Metal Islam, the first show a series called Inside Islam.

Heavy Metal in Baghdad trailer and links to Acrassicauda’s music, blog and MySpace page.