Recently in Expressions Category

Hesham Hassaballa, who writes for Beliefnet and was a guest author here on City of Brass, has suffered a tremendous personal tragedy:

June 7 will forever be burned in my memory. June 7 became my personal 9/11. I played the movie of her death countless times in my head. I tried to mentally prepare myself for this day for years. But, it did not make it any easier. Not by a long shot. Nothing could prepare me for such a horrific loss. There is no greater pain, no greater suffering, no greater agony than to watch your child die in front of your eyes. I would not wish it on my worst enemy.

Hesham has written at length about his daughter's passing. My thoughts and prayers go out to Hesham and his family. Inna Lillaahi wa inna 'ilayhi rajioon

I am extremely happy to announce that my friend Wajahat Ali will be honored later this month as a rising muslim artist by the Muslim Public Affairs Council for his landmark play, The Domestic Crusaders. Here's the press release by MPAC:

The Muslim Public Affairs Council announced today that it will recognize playwright Wajahat Ali as a rising American Muslim artist at the 18th annual Media Awards Gala on Saturday, April 25 in Los Angeles.

Wajahat Ali is a playwright, journalist, blogger, short story writer and Attorney at Law. His play, "The Domestic Crusaders," is the first major play about the American Muslim experience. It originally premiered at the Thrust Stage of the Tony award winning Berkeley Repertory Theater to universal acclaim in 2005, and is slated to make its New York premiere on the 8th anniversary of 9/11.

"The Domestic Crusaders" focuses on a day in the life of a modern Muslim Pakistani-American family of six eclectic, unique members, who convene at the family house to celebrate the twenty-first birthday of the youngest child. With a background of 9/11 and the scapegoating of Muslim Americans, the tensions and sparks fly among the three generations, culminating in an intense family battle as each "crusader" struggles to assert and impose their respective voices and opinions, while still attempting to maintain and understand that unifying thread that makes them part of the same family.

Among its rave reviews, Academy Award winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson called Ali's play "exactly the sort of theater we need today. The gulf that separates cultures must be bridged and Art is one of our best hopes. I'll be supporting this all the way."

Wajahat Ali was honored as an "Influential Muslim American Artist" by the State Department. He was also recently honored as a "Muslim Leader of Tomorrow" for his journalism work and invited to participate in the "Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow" conference in Doha, Qatar. Ali is also a frequent contributor to the Washington Post, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Counterpunch and Chowk.

Wajahat is amazing - he's incredibly prolific as a writer and journalist, and is also an energetic and tireless activist. It's been a real pleasure to get to know him over the past year online and I look forward to meeting him in person. Follow him on twitter, read his blog, and above all go see his play when it comes out in September!

Incidentally, ladies, he's still single. I'm just saying...

The view from inside the observation deck of the Coit Tower, in downtown San Francisco. I am struck by how similar the tower's design is to the minaret of a mosque.

View of San Francisco from the south, during takeoff from SFO airport.

Sea lions lounging at Pier 39 in San Francisco.

I confess that I was defeated by this monstrosity, encountered at the Santa Cruz boardwalk in San Francisco....

And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a...

I've written a statement about my support for free speech, for reference. I will update it over time but I welcome feedback....

I must hasten to point out that not everyone is celebrating Eid today - many muslims are abiding by the sightings which indicate Eid is tomorrow. One of my favorite bloggers, Mr. Moo, offers his take on the opacity of...

I received these astonishing photos as an email forward, so I am unaware of their origin, but they certainly look legitimate. These are allegedly a glimpse of the heavy security around the Kaaba when the doors are opened by the...

There are sometimes treasures to be found at Flickr. Look at this set of vintage photos from Ceylon from before the turn of the (previous) century. Modern Sri Lankans are casual, friendly, outgoing, and quick to smile, but these photos...

Wired Magazine has a short feature on The Musalman, the last hand-written newspaper in the world: The Musalman is possibly the last handwritten newspaper in the world. Four professional calligraphers spend three hours on each page every single day to...