Carnival of Islam in the West, 12th Edition

For those of you that aren’t familiar with Carnival of Islam in the West, the carnival is an effort to allow Muslims in the West to express what life is like for Muslims living in the West.  It is meant to be a voice for Muslims in the West, a significant portion of the Ummah because not only do Westerners not know what is really going on in the Middle East, but many do not know that there are Muslims in the West.  Lastly the carnival is meant to bring together and strengthen the Ummah from every corner of the world initially concentrating on the West and growing from there.

So there you have it .. a description of the carnival as mostly copied from wasalaam.wordpress 🙂

Here is the thing though – I’m hosting it.  So we will have to do away with the typical as there is nothing typical about me 🙂  Now, according to the rules, I’m supposed to pick three posts from every category submitted and post them.  Unfortunately, the rules do not follow with my principal of no censorship on my blog and I’m not quite sure that I could keep with the stated description of the carnival by actually having to be the judge and jury as to which entries to post.

Soooo, every entry is welcome on my blog .. Enjoy the Carnival through this variety of Islam (in order of submission) :

Abdur Rahman presents:  Bow to Your Humanity posted at Abdur Rahman’s Corner.

A simply inspirational, beatiful poem in regards to humanity.

Abdur Rahman presents Diversity: What Does it Mean? posted at Abdur Rahman’s Corner.

Abdur Rahman discusses diversity, globalization and through it all our common denominator.

Saifuddin Al-Fulani (formerly known as Hakim Abdullah) presents Why Do Women Convert to Islam? posted at Hakim Abdullah.

Saifuddin Al-Fulani takes on not only the question of why women convert to Islam but tackles the issue of oppression and touches upon feminism in this informative post.

Irving Karchmar presents Call of the Mourning Dove posted at Darvish.

I’ve always loved the poetry on Darvish .. If only I could hear what Irving hears in his poem Call of the Mourning Dove when my sun conure starts up in the mornings **sigh**  

Jennifer presents When an intercultural marriage goes horribly wrong posted at online rihla.

Reflections on converts and marriage in light of the Misbah story.

Aaminah presents Can Muslims Be Happy? posted at Writeous Sister Speaks.

A look at the stereotypical view that “Muslim women are unhappy and Muslim men are angry”.

Amad presents muslimmatters.org » Sex & the Muslim Ummah – Part 1 [Sex Education] posted at muslimmatters.org.

**closing eyes**  (I tell you – I only know what this is about because I put my head to the monitor and it was osmosis – osmosis, really!.)  Seriously though, this is an important topic for the ummah in regards to sex ed and our children.  It is also a great read for non-Muslims as it highlights examples of our Prophet and his companions being able to discuss this subject openly.

Amad presents muslimmatters.org » The Farmocracy Experiment posted at muslimmatters.org.

Okay – I got this parable in the first paragraph.  I won’t ruin it for you – let me know how long it takes you – now go read this one.  I have a feeling I might find some good arguing at this post.

Tawfique presents muslimmatters.org » The Ethical Role of Religion in Promoting Peace (Part 1), The Ethical Role of Religion in Promoting Peace (Part 2), The Ethical Role of Religion in Promoting Peace (Part 3),   posted at muslimmatters.org.

Tawfique brings up some good points in regards to injustices done in the name of god and no god and wraps it up with “examples of how the value of peace is centrally engrained in Islamic theology and so comprehensively maintained by the Shariah”.  

Yasir presents muslimmatters.org » Of Mice and Men – The Cheese Factor posted at muslimmatters.org.

A Muslim pizza lover’s dream come true – free from Domino’s, at last!  At last!  Lucky for me, I wasn’t aware of this controversy during my Pizza Philosophy days.  This is a must read for Muslims that have issues with rennet being used in cheese.  It takes a sunnah and scientific approach along with various scholarly opinions – highly detailed.

ibn Abee Omar presents The Hip-Hop Migration to Islam and Vice Versa posted at muslimmatters.org.

Omar discusses the appeal of Hip Hop to the Muslim youth and the reasons parents are not winning this debate.

Amad presents Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) Revisited ? The Aftermath posted at muslimmatters.org.

Amad takes an interesting approach to the lal Masjid incident by comparing it to an American Waco.

Irving Karchmar presents Q&A – Love on the Sufi Path posted at Darvish.

Irving addresses a brothers concern in regards to love that one has for one’s family and how that is affected down the Sufi path.  He ends it with another beautiful poem.

naeem presents Divine Intervention posted at Naeem’s Blog.

naeem’s post is a commical tribute to scheduling spirituality.

Naeem presents To My Sister in Islam posted at Sunni Sister: Blahg Blahg Blahg.

Naeem submitted this post to the carnival because “I found this post to be very deep and inspirational”.  I found it to be a tear jerker.  Anyone of faith will be able to appreciate and relate to this. 

nuh ibn zbigniew gondek al kitab presents Nuh ibn Zbigniew Gondek: Sajada Home Security posted at Nuh ibn Zbigniew Gondek.

Nuh Ibn Zbigniew Gondek discusses the spiritual nature of the sajada.  (**Yes, I’m covered in this regard.  Now if only my insurance company would recognize this**)

Fathima presents perpetually dissatisfied posted at run.like the wind.

Fathima reviews a Toronto photo exhibit that has returned to Toronto this month.  Photo enthusiasts should love this one.

Naeem presents Workout your Nafs and Qalb posted at Muslim Bloggers Alliance.

It’s boot camp time at Naeem’s where you’ll learn how to give your Qalb (spiritual heart) a good cardio workout, get a graduated weight program with lots of reps for the Nafs (ego) and a balanced diet for the Ilm (knowledge).

Umm Yasmin presents Inspiring Brothers posted at Dervish.

A Muslim feminist (you go girl! – always nice to see Muslim feminists here) blogs about inspiring Muslim men.

Saifuddin Al-Fulani presents Fiqh Before Tariqat posted at Saifuddin Al-Fulani.

Saifuddin Al-Fulani discusses the common misunderstanding of Tariqat (practice). 

Shazia presents Identity Crisis posted at Nisaa:

Shazia writes about the stereotyping of Muslims by both Muslims and non-Muslims – an article that we can all relate to.