In the film, Mr. Sharma, 41, struggles visibly with his fear, even as he prays. He also explores the enduring grief he felt after being rebuked by his late mother, a poet, for not finding a “nice girl” to marry. The documentary, largely recorded on an iPhone strapped to Mr. Sharma’s neck with rubber bands,…
MECCA, Saudi Arabia — As Shahidah Sharif, an African-American Muslim, joined millions of fellow pilgrims from around the world on the hajj this year, she felt a renewed connection. To her own “blackness,” she says, but also to humanity as a whole. For American black Muslims, this year brought a significant landmark, the 50th anniversary…
A new book titled, A History of Conversion to Islam in the United States, Volume 1: White American Muslims before 1975, has been recently published by the religious scholar Patrick Bowen. It is available at these following links: http://www.brill.com/products/book/history-conversion-islam-united-states-volume-1 http://www.amazon.co.uk/372/dp/9004299947
Germans who adopt Islam not out of frustration but out of a sincere passion for the religion are often disappointed by those born into the Muslim faith, finding that they insufficiently embody the beauty of Islamic doctrine and spirituality. By Charlotte Wiedemann Convert – the word has a metallic ring to it. When weapons are…
The cross-dressing Asif was one of three courageous characters who agreed to be filmed for this First Cut documentary Muslim Drag Queens (Channel 4). Courageous, because homosexuality remains a taboo in Islam and Asif has received death threats. The “Gaysian” club scene in London is clandestine, populated by young men who fear coming out not…
