This evening we went to see this Egyptian movie, دنيا Dunia, at the DC Muslim Film Festival (followed by a live belly dance performance by Katarina Gala). Directed by Jocelyne Saab and starring beautiful Hanan Turk, Dunia is a major achievement of Arab women's cinema, stunningly visual and carrying a powerful meaning.


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A mulla was praying the Islamic prayer outdoors. A young woman walked by and passed right in front of him. He saw this and became very angry ( Read more... )

Fāṭima [al-Barda‘iyya, tenth century] used to live in Ardabīl [a city in the ‘Abbasid province of Adharbayjan, in Iran]. She was one of the female gnostics who speak words of ecstasy (al-mutakallimāt bi-ash-shaṭḥI heard Abū al-Ḥasan as-Salāmi say: A shaykh asked Fāṭima al-Barda‘iyya about the statement of the Prophet (may God bless and preserve him ( Read more... )

از محبت تلخها شيرين شود
از محبت مسها زرين شود
از محبت دُردها صافى شود
از محبت دَردها شافى شود
از محبت مرده زنده ميكنند
از محبت شاه بنده ميكنند

By love, the bitter becomes sweet;
by love, copper becomes gold;
by love, dregs become clear;
by love, pains become healing;
by love the dead become living;
by love, the king becomes a slave.

az mohabbat ( Read more... )

This is a very old traditional folk song. It is a song in praise of Allah (God), asking him to do his will but refrain from bringing suffering upon anyone. Although it is a very simple song, the lyrics are highly appropriate for the times in which we find ourselves. The second verse sums up the sentiment of the song: "When glass breaks it is ( Read more... )

Musical ambassadors of cross-cultural tolerance and understanding, the innovative Iranian-American musical group نياز Niyaz just spent two days at the University of Maryland, helping to teach a class on ethnomusicology, giving a matinee performance for the students, and tonight a public concert.
( Concert review follows: )

لقد صار قلبي قابلاً كل صورة * فمرعى لغزلان ودير لرهبانِ
وبيت لأوثان وكعبة طايف * وألواح تورات ومصحف قرآنِ
أدين بدين الحب أنّا توجهت * ركايبه فالدين ديني وإيماني
My heart has become capable of every form ( Read more... )

So I was down in my basement looking for something. The area was cluttered and needed tidying up. That made it harder to find the missing item. Walking around barefoot, I struck my toe against something on the floor ( Read more... )

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