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City of Brass

They say getting here is half the fun… if you’re a masochist, perhaps. I arrived on Friday morning and only now, awaking on Tuesday morning, do I really feel like I’m rested and energized after sleep. Part of the reason for my unusually longer acclimation was the exacerbation of jetlag from my torturous itinerary, which…

This is the mausoleum of the late 51st Dai ul Mutlaq, Syedna Taher Saifuddin AQ, and the focal point of Bhindi Bazaar, Mumbai. Upon the four interior walls is inscribed the entirety of the Holy Qur’an, in gold. The entire Bhindi Bazaar area is due for a massive renovation and reconstruction, funded entirely by his…

The many vendors in the Marol area were quite excited that over 150,000 Bohras had converged on the area, with plenty of thirst to satisfy. And money to spend. (see more of my photos here – will be adding many more)

Saifee Masjid, the venue for Ashara 1431 in Marol, Mumbai. The Marol Jamaat has a brief history   of the Saifee Park area on their website. (see more of my photos here – will be adding many more)

The Islamic New Year is almost upon us – by the Fatimid calendar, the month of Muharram al Haram begins tonight at sunset. For Shi’a muslims, the new year marks the start of the Ashara 10-day period of mourning for Imam Husain AS, which culminates on Yawme Ashura, the 10th of Muharram (next Saturday). The…

I’ve been invited to discuss the recent story about Pakistani-Americans traveling to Pakistan to fight alongside the Taliban, and the general issue of whether domestic “home-grown” terrorism is an issue, on NPR Los Angeles’ “To the Point” this afternoon (hosted by Warren Olney). Tune in to KCRW Los Angeles (streaming online here) from 2:10 –…

The Geminids are coming tonight! “It’s the Geminid meteor shower,” says Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “and it will peak on Dec. 13th and 14th under ideal viewing conditions.” A new Moon will keep skies dark for a display that Cooke and others say could top 140 meteors per hour. According to the…

These are the remarks by President Obama in Oslo, Norway at the acceptance ceremony for his Nobel Peace Prize. Click to enlarge the word cloud – which features “America” quite prominently, interestingly enough. Democracy Arsenal highlights two passages in particular – pointing out that Obama seems to endorse the right of humanitarian intervention by force,…

In response to my post on the Air Tran Flight 297 debacle, Dave Price at Dean’s World complains: I worry that even liberal Muslims like yourself are more concerned with defending your faith than acknowledging its problems and reforming it. Shouldn’t liberal Muslims be sympathetic, if not having these fantasies themselves (preferably distinguishing fantasy from…

UPDATE: Todd Petruna lied, not just about what happened on the flight, but about being ON the flight at all! This hilarious email, about what supposedly transpired on AirTran Flight 297 last month, is currently making the rounds amongst right-wing conservatives: 11 Muslim men got on the plane in full attire… In the back of…
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