I am a longtime fan of the Imaginary Worlds podcast, and was ecstatic was I was asked to participate in roundtable on the role of faith in imaginary worlds. I was joined by friend of many years, the Velveteen Rabbi, Rachel Barenblat, who did a wonderful write-up of her experience... Continue reading

Two Faiths, Two Scriptures, One God: The Torah and the Quran | The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center | New York City. Muslims and Jews have a long history of interaction both in Europe and the Middle East — and that interaction hasn’t always been hostile. After all, like the Torah, the Muslim holy book, the Quran, tells the stories of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and Noah, and contains many parallel or echoing passages. What are the differences between these various accounts? How might we understand the common origins of these stories? How does examining the two approaches help... Continue reading

I am a longtime fan of the Imaginary Worlds podcast, and was ecstatic was I was asked to participate in roundtable on the role of faith in imaginary worlds. I was joined by friend of many years, the Velveteen Rabbi, Rachel Barenblat, who did a wonderful write-up of her experience here. The episode description is: Science fiction has not always been compatible with religion -- in fact many futuristic settings imagine no religion at all. But sci-fi and fantasy have long fascinated people of different faiths because the genres wrestle with the big questions of life. You can listen to... Continue reading

9/11, Its Lingering Effects On US Policies, And Trump | News | teleSUR English. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the government’s ban, albeit a narrower version of its predecessors, further vilifying Muslims and legitimizing their discrimination. Hussein Rashid, professor of religion at Columbia University, says that the ruling wasn’t surprising... Continue reading

9/11, Its Lingering Effects On US Policies, And Trump | News | teleSUR English. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the government’s ban, albeit a narrower version of its predecessors, further vilifying Muslims and legitimizing their discrimination. Hussein Rashid, professor of religion at Columbia University, says that the ruling wasn’t surprising in that it has often ruled “in favor of discrimination.” However, the highest court’s decision highlights that particularly since the 1978 Iranian Revolution and the 9/11 attacks, “Muslims have been “racialized”: bound together and stereotyped, instilling an idea of Muslims as a foreign threat and brown-skinned,” that includes anyone from... Continue reading

Religion As Critique | Reading Religion. Irfan Ahmad’s text, Religion as Critique, is an ambitious work that seeks to open a new approach to the understanding of Muslims: an anthropology of philosophy. As a result, his book covers a vast amount of material. The text reads like two separate endeavors—a historical, methodological study, and the author’s original work. Since the author recognizes this structure and guides the reader to be aware of it, the book does hold together fairly well. At the same time, as a reviewer, it makes more sense to treat the two parts as divisible, since they... Continue reading

Religion As Critique | Reading Religion. Irfan Ahmad’s text, Religion as Critique, is an ambitious work that seeks to open a new approach to the understanding of Muslims: an anthropology of philosophy. As a result, his book covers a vast amount of material. The text reads like two separate endeavors—a... Continue reading

Travel ban decision follows the Supremes' record of racial classification - Religion News Service. Whether viewed in terms of contemporary politics or American history, the Supreme Court’s ruling on President Trump’s travel ban against several Muslim-majority countries is not surprising. The court has safeguards designed to make it apolitical, but it is never immune to its immediate surroundings on Capitol Hill. Historically, as long as the people support its decisions, the court has ruled in favor of discrimination. And when it comes to admitting people to these shores and welcoming them to the American nation, the court almost never acts... Continue reading

Travel ban decision follows the Supremes' record of racial classification - Religion News Service. Whether viewed in terms of contemporary politics or American history, the Supreme Court’s ruling on President Trump’s travel ban against several Muslim-majority countries is not surprising. The court has safeguards designed to make it apolitical, but... Continue reading

Hussein Rashid answers 5 questions from the We Are Human… | PACH. This month, we chose Hussein Rashid as our featured PACH member. Hussein Rashid is founder of islamicate, L3C, a consultancy focusing on religious literacy and cultural competency. He works with a variety of NGOs, foundations, non-profits, and governmental agencies for content expertise on religion broadly, with a specialization on Islam. Learn more about Hussein and read his responses to PACH’s We Are Human questions below. Continue reading

Hussein Rashid answers 5 questions from the We Are Human… | PACH. This month, we chose Hussein Rashid as our featured PACH member. Hussein Rashid is founder of islamicate, L3C, a consultancy focusing on religious literacy and cultural competency. He works with a variety of NGOs, foundations, non-profits, and governmental... Continue reading

Being the First: Reinventing Superheroes | Barnard College. Someone has to do it first. But what does it take? Being the First showcases trailblazers, pioneers, and those who were “the first” in their field. Taking a look at the journey it took to get there, these candid discussions aim to break down stereotypes and explore strategies to accomplish personal, professional, and societal goals. Sana Amanat '04, director of content and character development at Marvel Comics, created the first Muslim superhero, Kamala Khan, with her own comic book series, Ms. Marvel. Amanat spoke with Hussein Rashid, adjunct faculty in the Department... Continue reading

Being the First: Reinventing Superheroes | Barnard College. Someone has to do it first. But what does it take? Being the First showcases trailblazers, pioneers, and those who were “the first” in their field. Taking a look at the journey it took to get there, these candid discussions aim to... Continue reading

Break This Down: Q & A with Hussein Rashid on Pop Culture, Ramadan, and Islam’s Diversity | Barnard College. In Muslim traditions, you have heroes who are super not because of an innate position but through relationship with God. By developing spiritual wisdom and maturity, the hero is granted superpowers by the Divine. So in writing my article, the hyphen in “super-hero” shows that the person may always be a hero, but is not always super. That super quality is a gift granted by God, which may be earned but is not a permanent condition. Continue reading

Break This Down: Q & A with Hussein Rashid on Pop Culture, Ramadan, and Islam’s Diversity | Barnard College. In Muslim traditions, you have heroes who are super not because of an innate position but through relationship with God. By developing spiritual wisdom and maturity, the hero is granted superpowers... Continue reading

A Discussion with Professor Hussein Rashid | the.Ismaili. We are always judging ourselves by material attributes, material aspects. Instead of saying what is this person like as a human being, as a person? How can I better myself by being in contact with this person? I think that's what materialism does, is it keeps us from God, it keeps us from ourselves, and it keeps us from making a human connection. Basically, what we do is, we willingly turn ourselves into nothing more than an object, by denying our divine connection in our very own humanity. Continue reading

A Discussion with Professor Hussein Rashid | the.Ismaili. We are always judging ourselves by material attributes, material aspects. Instead of saying what is this person like as a human being, as a person? How can I better myself by being in contact with this person? I think that's what materialism... Continue reading

Enforced disappearance: Why a whole community is going missing - Home - Herald. Gatherings such as the one at Baitul Huda are common for Ahmadi communities living in various parts of the United States. According to Professor Hussein Rashid of the department of religion at Columbia University, they are more a manifestation of a shared insecurity than of anything else. “Staying together does not tell anything about the community except the fact that they are a minority, and a besieged minority,” he says. “This is often the case with immigrant groups and those who are persecuted in their home countries... Continue reading

Enforced disappearance: Why a whole community is going missing - Home - Herald. Gatherings such as the one at Baitul Huda are common for Ahmadi communities living in various parts of the United States. According to Professor Hussein Rashid of the department of religion at Columbia University, they are more... Continue reading

How Arab Music Makes Movie Villains. “Muslims find it painful to hear the sound they love tied to the violence they abhor,” Dr. Rashid continues. “Non-Muslims find it basically impossible to approach what Muslims find beautiful if they hear it connected to what we all find ugly.” Continue reading

How Arab Music Makes Movie Villains. “Muslims find it painful to hear the sound they love tied to the violence they abhor,” Dr. Rashid continues. “Non-Muslims find it basically impossible to approach what Muslims find beautiful if they hear it connected to what we all find ugly.” Continue reading

Islam scholar Bernard Lewis left unfair legacy of disdain for Muslims - Religion News ServiceReligion News Service. Lewis’ transformation from scholar to neo-imperialist was not sudden, but there is a hint to be found in “The Assassins.” Originally published in 1967, it is an erudite work that sought to correct the record on the Nizari Isma’ilis, a Shiite Muslim community that had long been maligned as consumers of hashish, known in Arabic as “hashashin,” which transformed into the word “assassin.” The book fascinated me because it was a scholarly book at a time when scholarship was rarely applied to such... Continue reading

Islam scholar Bernard Lewis left unfair legacy of disdain for Muslims - Religion News ServiceReligion News Service. Lewis’ transformation from scholar to neo-imperialist was not sudden, but there is a hint to be found in “The Assassins.” Originally published in 1967, it is an erudite work that sought to correct... Continue reading

I'll be participating in a talkback after this performance. The Sarah Play - 14th Street Y. Three actors struggle with how to tell the ancient, sacred story of Sarah and Hagar, the mothers of Isaac and Ishmael, through a modern lens. Drawing from the Muslim, Christian and Jewish traditions, and trying various iterations to determine which religion’s version of the narrative gets told, the actors wrestle with how to tell a tale when there are multiple accounts of what happened. Continue reading

I'll be participating in a talkback after this performance. The Sarah Play - 14th Street Y. Three actors struggle with how to tell the ancient, sacred story of Sarah and Hagar, the mothers of Isaac and Ishmael, through a modern lens. Drawing from the Muslim, Christian and Jewish traditions, and... Continue reading