New movie: Captain Abu Raed

New movie out called Captain Abu Raed, directed by Amin Matalqa, a Jordanian-American who studied at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. It earned 90% on rottentomatoes and won a prize at the Sundance festival.

Here is a link to the trailer, a review in the San Jose Mercury News, another one on 360east.

Seems like a great story, let me know if any of you have seen it.

Muslims hope for new era of understanding

A nice piece on Muslim Americans and their involvement in civic life...
http://www.sj-r.com/homepage/x540127676/A-time-for-healing

Muslim Headscarves to be allowed in Georgia courtrooms

I'm glad common sense has finally caught on in Georgia...if it's okay for a nun, why isn't it okay for a Muslim woman? If freedom means the right to dress provocatively, why not also modestly? It's nice to see that the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish organization, also supported this decision.

Read the rest of the article here

Islam in Xinjiang: an ancient rival for a young China

Interesting piece on the positive role of Islam in the social life of Chinese Muslims in Xinjiang and the Communist repression of its expression. Here is an excerpt:

Other popular Islamic Uighur rituals fill roles that the government cannot. One, called the mäshräp, brings men together to perform, to read and discuss the Qur'an, and to mete out punishments for immoral behaviour in the community. In the city of Ghulja in the mid-1990s, these organisations became very influential, as they were popularly recognised as a force for positive social change, especially in addressing alcoholism and drug abuse. The groups even began to establish football clubs. In February 1997, the authorities cracked down on the groups, calling them illegal separatist gatherings. The government used football pitches for tank exercises and then cracked down violently on the subsequent protests. The groups became victims of the state's imperative to control every aspect of public life.

Documentary: "New Muslim Cool"

A documentary called, "New Muslim Cool" is airing on PBS and is the story of Hamza Perez, a Puerto Rican who gave up his life as a drug dealer after embracing Islam. Hamza dedicates himself to rehabilitating drug dealers and also is a hip hop artist. A nice review of the documentary was posted by Ginia Bellafante on the New York Times website. An excerpt:

Shot primarily in grim quarters of Pittsburgh, it chronicles the life of a young religious convert to quietly explore the porousness of cultural identity and the immense challenges presented to a man dramatically trying to reinvent himself in the face, essentially, of sanctioned prejudices.