HAhmed.com

Source: MR

Unbelievable.

If John McCain wins this November, I’m moving to Canada…

Great article featuring Baba Ali and Lena Khan!

Source: NYTimes

May 8, 2008
Young Video Makers Try to Alter Islam’s Face
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

LOS ANGELES — When Ali Ardekani started fishing around on the Internet a couple of years ago for video blogs about Muslims, he did not like what he found: either the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims were depicted as bloodthirsty zealots, or they were offering defensive explanations as to why they were not.

“Arabic sounds foreign and scary — you don’t know what is going on,” Mr. Ardekani said in an interview at his small Sherman Oaks apartment, its walls decorated with Koranic verses. “Or they show a woman with the veil, who doesn’t speak, and it is assumed if she did speak she would say, ‘Help me!’ ”

So Mr. Ardekani, a 33-year-old Web designer, cast himself on his video blogs as Baba Ali, an outsize character with a serious religious message who both dissects and lampoons the lives of American Muslims.

Mr. Ardekani is among the most visible of a new wave of young American Muslim performers and filmmakers trying to change the public face of their religion. His most popular video posting — “Who Hijacked Islam?” — has garnered more than 350,000 hits on YouTube since July 2006. Of course the uphill battle such efforts face is reflected in the comments section. One viewer remarked darkly, “It’s Muslims that do the hijacking.”
Continue reading ‘NYTimes: Young Video Makers Try to Alter Islam’s Face’

The Islamic Medical Association of North America
3rd Annual Students and Residents Medical Bash
The Road Ahead: Challenges and Goals

The Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York City, NY
Saturday, June 14th
For the last two years, the Students and Residents Conference has been a success,
allowing medical students, residents and fellows to listen to dynamic speakers and network
with Muslim medical professionals in the area. Registration for the Conference at
the Mount Sinai Medical School on June 14th, 2008 is underway and is open to all
medical students and residents. Please make sure to register as soon as possible,
as space is limited. A schedule of events will be up shortly

Register Online Now at
https://web.memberclicks.com/mc/quickForm/viewForm.do?orgId=imana&formId=43450
Open to Medical Students and Residents
Early Registration ends soon! Sign up Today!

$20 per student, including food
$30 per resident, including food
REDUCED Hotel Rates Available

His Mother Tells 60 Minutes The Govt. Still Hasn’t Told The Whole Truth About Her Son’s Death

Assalamu Alaikum,

Helping New Muslims on their Chosen Path: a fundraising event for M.E.C.C.A. Come learn how M.E.C.C.A assists new Muslims in holding fast to the rope of Allah through education and support; and how you can help do your part in supporting this noble and much-needed endeavor.

Confirmed Speakers:
Sidi Khalil Moore
Imam Hamad Chebli

When: May 10th, 2008 6:00 PM through 10:00 PM
Where: 3680 Lexington Avenue, Mohegan Lake, NY 10547

To purchase tickets in Advance, please call 212-354-4320 or register online.

Tickets:
$30 Adults
$15 Students
$80 Families

Children under 12 Free
Babysitting will be available

Register online at http://www.meccacenter.com
Email: info@meccacenter.com

Found on Mujahideenryder.net

Mashallah, great seeing Arif in the Washington Post!!!

Four Ways to Partner with Pakistan

By Arif Rafiq

The need to redefine our relationship with Pakistan – a nuclear-armed, frontline state in the war on terror – has never been greater. Now there is considerable opportunity to do so.

U.S. Senate Democrats issued a letter to President George W. Bush this month urging him to “embark on a new relationship with Pakistan based on cooperation with institutions rather than individuals, and to support the will of the Pakistani people as expressed in the February 18 parliamentary elections.”

Historically, ties between the United States and Pakistan have been strongest with a Republican in the White House and an army general in power in Islamabad, with the political goodwill usually ending when Democrats start governing in Washington and elected representatives take power in Islamabad. This has been the story of the on-again, off-again U.S.-Pakistan relationship since the 1950s.

U.S. Democrats could break this cycle by supporting the new civilian government in Islamabad during this period of transition, in which democracy and nationalism are being renewed. But the Bush administration must also follow suit. The policy of relying heavily on one general (in this case Pervez Musharraf) has proven shortsighted. What’s needed now to fulfill long-term mutual interests are strong ties with the people, nation and state of Pakistan.

Failure to do so in the Bush administration’s remaining months could cause irreparable harm to our relationship with Pakistan. In a democratic Pakistan, decision-making will be less centralized and more representative of public opinion. But the current U.S. administration is increasingly acting unilaterally in Pakistan’s tribal areas and has aggressively tried to ensure a pliant government in Islamabad.

And so, amidst the opportunity for U.S.-Pakistan ties to grow also lies the seeds for their unravelling. Sustained bilateral cooperation is in the interest of both countries, and needs to be secured. This requires recasting the U.S.-Pakistan partnership as one between sovereign democracies.

Toward this end, here are four recommendations for U.S. policymakers:
Continue reading ‘Washington Post: Four Ways to Partner with Pakistan’

This was pretty cool…

Most of you have probably seen Kobe Bryant’s latest Nike commercial where he jumps over a speeding Aston Martin. Kenny “the Jet” Smith from TNT’s Inside the NBA wasnt that impressed and claimed he too could make the same jump with his new Nike kicks.

Here is the Inside the NBA clip featuring Kobe’s commercial, and footage of Kenny’s stunt:

Wow… i cant believe it took them this long to figure this out…

Nonetheless, it is great that the US Government has finally realized this and will i’A incorporate this into their language. Not only may these misappropriately used words (jihad, mujahideen, etc.) promote extremists to take on these misconstrued conceptions of these words, but also - it brings about a popular negative (yet false) meaning causing Western Muslims to sway away from using. Jihad (struggle), and Mujahideen (those who struggle) are positive, great words, and we should all be proud to be true mujahideen!

By MATTHEW LEE – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Don’t call them jihadists any more.

And don’t call al-Qaida a movement.

The Bush administration has launched a new front in the war on terrorism, this time targeting language.

Federal agencies, including the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Counter Terrorism Center, are telling their people not to describe Islamic extremists as “jihadists” or “mujahedeen,” according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. Lingo like “Islamo-fascism” is out, too.

The reason: Such words may actually boost support for radicals among Arab and Muslim audiences by giving them a veneer of religious credibility or by causing offense to moderates.

For example, while Americans may understand “jihad” to mean “holy war,” it is in fact a broader Islamic concept of the struggle to do good, says the guidance prepared for diplomats and other officials tasked with explaining the war on terror to the public. Similarly, “mujahedeen,” which means those engaged in jihad, must be seen in its broader context.

U.S. officials may be “unintentionally portraying terrorists, who lack moral and religious legitimacy, as brave fighters, legitimate soldiers or spokesmen for ordinary Muslims,” says a Homeland Security report. It’s entitled “Terminology to Define the Terrorists: Recommendations from American Muslims.”
Continue reading ‘AP: ‘Jihadist’ booted from government lexicon’

Kareem Salama was recently featured on an Arab TV program (in english). Mashallah - great interview. Kareem gets into how he entered music, his influences, his future in the music industry, and much more.

The interview also features live performances of “Get Busy Living” & “Baby, I’m a Soldier”

Making the Muslim vote count
The American political system is constructed along extraordinarily fair principles, and if properly engaged, Muslims can have an effect on the 2008 election beyond their proportional numbers.
By Inayat Lalani

Source: AltMuslim

It is not generally understood by the American Muslim electorate that a very small group of voters can get what they want out of the American political system, providing that they know what they want and that they understand how American democracy works.

There is much nay-saying among Muslim Americans who start out with pessimistic misconceptions based on the fact that we are very small in numbers. We are not. Actually, an argument can be made that Muslims, along with non-Muslim Arab Americans who see their interest not very different from our own, can squeeze out close to 4 million votes if they made a determined push to put every vote to use. We also predicate our voting patterns on the premise that the rest of the American electorate is hostile to our aspirations. In truth, they are not - they are simply ignorant.
Continue reading ‘Making the Muslim vote count’

Yo America… It’s Baracky: The Movie!!!