from the beginning

new islamic year. new gregorian decade. all in all, new beginnings. so i thought what better way than to dig up a little history and refresh our memories (or learn for the first time) about where Islam originated from? it’s a great way to start off for the year ahead of us. recently i’ve been pondering about the different events that took place to establish Islam. but it has always been in chunks of information for me. and hardly ever in chronological order. i came across the documentary “Muhammed: The Legacy of a Prophet” in an Islamic studies course. it is a little long, but definitely worth the watch. it presents not only historical facts, but relates the events to present day circumstances. the documentray interviews muslims across america and gives the viewer an understanding of how and why they carry themselves the way they do. as one of the interviewees says “decrease prejudice, and increase understanding”, this video sets out to do exactly that. click on the link below, to lead you to the video. hah! that rhymed!

Muhammed: The Legacy of a Prophet

tyra puts a hijab on it

so if you like it, then you shoulda put a hijab on it. uh uh oh, uh uh oh oh-oh oh oh, uh uh oh!

so my hijabi friend sent me this awesome link from an episode of america’s next top model where tyra does a creative photoshoot. the idea is that all models must wear a headscarf. this is an amazing clip for those hijabi’s who want the latest inspiration in styling their hijabs.

work it ladies!

aqsazine writing & poetry Workshops!

salaam!!

got this message in my inbox. to all my writers, write on!

–
Express Yourself, Share Experiences, and Connect with Others

FREE Writing & Poetry Workshops
FREE TTC, light supper and materials!

Email us at aqsaworkshops@gmail.com

Poetry workshops Sunday November 8th & 15th Regent Park Library Sunday 2 – 5 pm. With Shadi Eskandani poet/writer/youth support worker. Shadi’s publications appear in the anthology, Voices of Resistance: Muslim Women on War Faith and Sexuality and various zines. She is currently completing a collection of poetry and working on her first novel. The two-day workshop focus on the reading and writing of poetry as artistic expression, craft and form of empowerment.

Participants will strengthen their reading and writing of poetry withintent of creating work(s) to be published. Participants will spend time in class writing poems inspired by themes of “My Islam”. They will also provide one another with peer critique of the works created in workshop.

WHO: The workshops are open to anyone (16 -29) who self-identifies as a Muslim woman. Whether you are practicing or non-practicing, culturally, politically, spiritually or religiously identify as a Muslim person, are Sunni, Shi’a, Ismaili, Ahmadiyya, Sufi, or another denomination. AQSAzine strives to work from an anti oppressive, anti-racist, queer and trans positive framework.

The AQSAzine Creative Workshop Series is sponsored by ArtReach Toronto www.artreachtoronto.ca. Workshops will be happening throughout 2009 – 2010. Look out for: spoken word, radio documentary, screenprinting, journalism & poetry workshops by and for US! All workshops strive to work from a anti oppressive framework.

Pre-registration is required by October 31st. Enrollment limited to 15 participants per workshop. Email us: aqsaworkshops@gmail.com

Participate: If you’re tired of feeling alone or fragmented…If you get spoken to slowly because you’re wearing a hijab…If you get asked how you could be Muslim and NOT wear a hijab…If you’re a steady victim of racial profiling, harassment by police, or “random checks” at airports…If you’re constantly having to repeat your name because no one can pronounce it… We’re here for you, and we’re LOUD, intellectual, scandalous, curious, hijab wearing, non-hijab wearing, immigrant, honest, all of it MUSLIM: United by our cause and in our diversity. Join us, won’t you?
–

love,
mslmTO

the mslm punk rocker

montreal’s omar majeed has been creating a film about he mslm punk movement over the past three years. at one point the taqwacores visited TO and my english teacher sent me an invite to go and check it out. while i wanted to, because i was just so curious, i had to miss out on it. apparently while that event happened in TO’s own drake hotel, the film was still being shot. if you haven’t heard of it yet, here’s another kind of mslm that you may have not seen before.

read the article, and let us know what you think on the poll.

what a billion mslms really think

i stumbled upon a facebook invite to an event that i thought i’d share with you all:

Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think is based on a simple premise: skip the pundits and speak to the people. The Canadian Premiere is your only chance to watch this astonishing documentary on the big screen in Canada.

Playing one night only on Friday, Oct. 30th at the state of the art Queen Elizabeth Theater, in Toronto, this 60 minute documentary challenges some popular notions and asks some tough questions.

An impressive Q&A panel with filmmakers, researchers and Muslim leaders will follow the screening allowing you to get answers to your own questions.

Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think, a new documentary film from Unity Productions Foundation, explores the expertly gathered opinions of Muslims around the globe as revealed in the world’s first major opinion poll, conducted by Gallup, the preeminent polling organization.

Gallup researchers began by asking the questions on every American’s mind. Why is there so much anti-Americanism in the Muslim world? Who are the extremists and how do Muslims feel about them? What do Muslims like and dislike about the West? What do Muslim women really want?

Crucial policy decisions hang on these questions. They continue to generate passionate disagreements in the public square. Yet for all the heat and controversy, the actual views of the world’s Muslims have been conspicuously missing from this debate.

Now, we have the missing answers and statistics, gathered, parsed, and analyzed not by pundits but by professional researchers.

As part of this groundbreaking six-year project, Gallup conducted fifty thousand interviews with residents in 35 predominantly Muslim nations, as well as smaller populations in Europe and the USA. The broad extent of the polling has delivered findings for the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims with a plus or minus accuracy of 3%.

Focused on the issues of gender, justice, terrorism and democracy, Inside Islam challenges the popular notion that Muslims and the West are on a collision course.

Experts featured include Dalia Mogahed, Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, John Esposito, University Professor, Georgetown University, Rami Khoury, Editor of the Daily Star (Beirut) and Kenneth Pollack, Director of Research, Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institute.

Also check out the Facebook event page for more details.

tomorrow: for the fit mslm woman

salaam ladies,

check out this amazing opportunity that’s happening tomorrow night for young mslm women who want to get active. it’s that time of year again – i feel my love handles and my thighs expanding because it’s winter time and i’m too lazy to go to the gym. so this is definitely a great opportunity, especially if you’re not comfy hitting the gym with all those guys checkin’ you out.

here is the email i’ve received from the federation of muslim women:
—
Assalamu alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakaatuh

Fit-Nisa Inc. is a professional fitness coaching service being started with the needs of Muslim women in mind. We are dedicated only to delivering results and ensuring that our clients achieve their fitness goals.

If you are serious about wanting to change your lifestyle, and want to feel better, look better and be healthier, then please attend our live presentation to learn more!

Refreshments will be served.

It will be held this week:
Friday October 9th
6:00 pm
ISNA Canada Center
2200 South Sheridan Way, Mississauga, ON

Please contact us at info@fit-nisa.com for any questions or visit the Facebook page.
—

unfotunately, we won’t be able to attend. but if you are, let us know how it goes?

in spoken word: boonaa mohammed

salaam!

check out TO’s own boonaa mohammed performing his latest, green card. he’s got some serious powerful words in this one that i think we could each relate to (whether it’s about us, our parents or their parents). let us know what you think?

in spoken word: sofia baig

salaam, homies!

spoken word artist, sofia baig from montreal, hit up sweden for an eid-ul-fitr festival festival. her voice is powerful, and i’m so proud that there’s a strong canadian woman being able to speak her opinions so confidently. her work has taken her around the world, because she’s just that good. click on her picture to go to the link to listen to herself and others perform at the festival. (skip to 13:00 if you want to hear sofia, or listen to the whole thing if you speak dutch?!)

let us know what you think?

halal meat

hey all!

we wanted to give you an update and let you know that hamilton mslm band, halal meat, had their launch this past saturday at the unversity of toronto @ mississauga. we actually missed out on coverage, but we really wanted to be there! if you haven’t heard their music yet, here’s your chance to. click on the picture to check out their myspace and let us know what you think of it. kudos hamiltonians!

salaam,
mslmTO

eid mubarak!

eid mubarak! from the mslmTO fam to yours.

ps. sorry about the countdown. we were all so hungry we couldn’t sum up the energy to blog! eat up everybody.