Mister Ian's Weblog

Category: Islam

  • Muslim cleric holds anti-terror camps

  • Iran – Beyond Stereotype

    iran-dentist

    Photojournalism on the New York Times Showcase: Iran, Beyond Stereotype

  • Muslim Girls Prom Night

    The “Sister’s Prom” has become an annual event among Toronto’s Muslim community, and is also a symbol of the balance that defines the lives of modern young women like Ms. Hindy, born and raised in Canada, faithful to Islam. They have ambitions to be doctors, engineers and community leaders, while embracing the rules placed upon them by their religion – no dating, for instance. At school, they may sit apart from the boys, but they still giggle at Zac Efron on the movie screen and sing along to Three Days Grace in their bedrooms. And, like any teenage girl graduating from high school, they just want to dance at their prom.

    From The Globe and Mail – Salma’s Prom Night.

  • Interview with Mariane Pearl

    What can you say?!

  • Pre-Flight Islamic Prayer on Jazeera Airways

    I flew Jazeera Airways to and from Dubai last weekend. On the Islamic countries airlines such as Pakistan and Kuwait Airways and Jazeera, they play a pre-recorded Islamic prayer before takeoff. The one on Jazeera is very nice and meditative sounding. It would be nice to get a good recording of it. The plane is taxiing while the prayer plays so there is a lot of background noise.

    Here is a partial recording:

    Found at: Pixelated Pad and Pen: Pre-Flight Islamic Prayer on Jazeera Airways

    The referenced post gives the English translation as:

    Allah is the Most Great. Allah is the Most Great. Allah is the Most Great. Glory is to Him Who has provided this for us though we could never have had it by our efforts. Surely, unto our Lord we are returning. O Allah, we ask You on this our journey for goodness and piety, and for works that are pleasing to You . O Allah , lighten this journey for us and make its distance easy for us . O Allah, You are our Companion on the road and the One in Whose care we leave our family . O Allah , I seek refuge in You from this journey’s hardships, and from the wicked sights in store and from finding our family and property in misfortune upon returning.

  • Fatimah, Mary and the Divine Feminine in Islam

    Islamic Art

    The Sufi poetry teaches the feminine qualities of joy, love, tenderness and self sacrifice on a path of true knowledge derived from the spiritual heart. The spiritual rebirth of the individual is not unlike the trial and tribulation of physical childbirth, according to the Sufis. They take the principle of divine love and use it to facilitate the process of alchemical transformation from mundane human to spiritual being.

    The fanaticism that we see in modern Islam is a new development in a religion that, in its early history, was famous for its tolerance and respect for other religions. In Islam’s classical period in medieval Spain and Egypt perhaps only Buddhism rivalled Islam’s tolerance. The fundamentalism that characterises the behaviour of many of today’s Muslims is in fact anti-Koranic.

    From Fatimah, Mary and the Divine Feminine in Islam via Sahaja Yoga Arabia