The Divine Aquatic
After all these years, I know now that what felt like rebirth to me had felt like—had been—near-death for them.
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Posts Tagged: Islam
Before the First Book: A Roundtable Discussion
With Sarah Ghazal Ali, Erin L. McCoy, and Tawanda Mulalu.
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The Rumpus Poetry Book Club Chat with Kaveh Akbar
Kaveh Akbar discusses his new collection, PILGRIM BELL.
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Why We Believe What We Believe: A Conversation with Dantiel W. Moniz
Dantiel W. Moniz discusses her debut story collection, MILK BLOOD HEAT.
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Be a Reed in the Wind: Talking with Aisha Sharif
Aisha Sharif discusses her debut collection of poetry, TO KEEP FROM UNDRESSING.
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Conversations with Literary Ex-Cons: Samuel Barlow
Writer Samuel Barlow talks with Cullen Thomas in the prison where he was held for half a century.
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Terror Is a Faggot with Halal Sausages Strapped to His Chest
Dishonesty became a form of protection.
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A Parcel of Stories: Hard Damage by Aria Aber
The speaker in Hard Damage, it seems, is writing herself to life.
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Talking Haram Auntie Poetics: A Conversation with Fatimah Asghar
Fatimah Asghar discusses the new anthology she co-edited, HALAL IF YOU HEAR ME.
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Death and Rebirth: Armenians in Jerusalem
When I was young, my grandma told me that Armenians are distant descendants of Noah.
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The Story We Have Yet to Tell: Talking with Haroon Moghul
Haroon Moghul discusses How to Be a Muslim: An American Story, his own religious journey, and the blessings that come with being an outsider.
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Home Is Here
There is no singular Muslim story, no definitive identity for the entire religion. […] Here, four women discuss what it’s like to be a minority in America in 2017, post-9/11 and post-Trump.
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TORCH: Blood Trauma
But still: A pattern. The trauma had been diluted by time. But, it was still present, still discernible, in my blood.
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We Brown Women
Our bodies will not be your banners. We are not yours to use and abuse, we are not yours to dupe. We see through your words, and we see your violence.
...moreThe Digital Dictator
I have existed from the morning of the world and I shall exist until the last star falls from the night –Roman emperor Gaius Caligula (AD 12–AD 41). Part of the beauty of me is that I am very rich. –Donald Trump President-elect Donald Trump’s vernacular has been compared to that of Adolph Hitler, Benito […]
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Podcatcher #5: #GoodMuslimBadMuslim
Podcatcher talks with Taz Ahmed and Zahra Noorbakhsh of #GoodMuslimBadMuslim about the podcast format, finding humor in absurdity, and diversity within the Muslim identity.
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The Sunday Rumpus Essay: There Are No Good Muslims
I say I am Catholic because it is easier than telling the truth.
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The Sunday Rumpus Essay: What’s in a Name? A Tale of Two Alis and Three Muhammads
Few things are as important to me as my name.
...moreGeorge Gets Curious about Ramadan
Children’s literature’s most beloved rambunctious primate, Curious George, has a new installment in his adventures, and this time he’s curious about a holiday most Americans remain clueless about: the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The Huffington Post reflects on the timeliness of It’s Ramadan, Curious George in light of increasing Islamophobia in American culture. Author Hena Khan […]
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The Rumpus Interview with Gina Nahai
Gina Nahai talks about her fifth novel, The Luminous Heart of Jonah S., Iran and Los Angeles, and the possibility of a long-sought-after peace in the Middle East.
...moreISIS: A Rumpus Roundup
The Islamic State of Iraq in Syria, known better as ISIS, has operated in Syria and Iraq since 2003 as an offshoot of al-Qaeda—at least until al-Qaeda disavowed any connection. The military organization is neither a political party nor religious group, though membership primarily consists of Sunni Muslims, the “orthodox” branch of Islam and the […]
...moreDiscussing Zealot without Zealotry
You may have seen, over the weekend, an exceedingly squirm-worthy video in which a Fox News correspondent grills religious historian and scholar Reza Aslan about why he’s written a book about Jesus despite being Muslim (completely ignoring his credentials, not to mention the fact that Jesus is a holy figure in Islam).
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The Truth About Multicultural Stories
I understand that multicultural fiction does not exist simply to speak truth to bigotry. And still this is, for me, part of its importance. It is not as good as actually knowing someone, but it is close.
...moreFiction Becomes Islamic Punk Reality
When Michael Muhammad Knight wrote his novel The Taqwacores, about Muslims playing punk music, he didn’t know his fictional story would end up throwing down roots in the real world. But young Muslims read the book and saw themselves: “I had a lot of guilt growing up about not doing the right thing or not being […]
...morePaul Bowles, Travel and the Non-Christian World
“With few exceptions, landscape alone is of insufficient interest to warrant the effort it takes to see it. Even the works of man, unless they are being used in his daily living, have a way of losing their meaning, and take on the qualities of decoration. What makes Istanbul worth while to the outsider is […]
...moreWhat Buildings Would You Ban?
“Fear, on one side, of watching Europe turn into “Eurabia” —even if the demographics don’t justify such worries—and, on the other, of seeing centuries’ worth of social liberalization—including women’s suffrage and gay rights—fall apart in the face of religious conservatism, has led to the illegalization of an architectural form. When your culture is under threat, […]
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