Muslim history – Islamic Research and Information Center (IRIC)

New Islamic Center for Spanish-Speaking Muslims in Houston

IRIC — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 21:01:29 +0000

A newly opened Islamic education and community center in Alief is creating a welcoming space for Spanish-speaking Muslims, a group often overlooked in Houston’s diverse Muslim community.

Centro Islamico, located on Brant Road, offers more than just a place of worship. It also serves as an educational hub, aiming to foster understanding of Islam among the Latino population, Click2Houston reported.

Founded by Jaime “Mujahid” Fletcher, the center is part of IslamInSpanish, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making Islamic education accessible to Spanish speakers. Fletcher, a former gang leader who converted to Islam after a year of self-reflection, hopes the center will provide a space for Muslims like him to reconnect with their faith and culture.

“This center is almost like Islam on display,” said Fletcher. “It’s a place where people can come and learn, not only about Islam, but about the historical connection between Latinos and the religion.”

KPRC 2 reporter Bill Barajas speaks with Muslim power-couple and founders of IslaminSpanish Sandy “Sakinah” Gutierrez and Jaime “Mujahid” Fletcher

Centro Islamico features a prayer hall, a museum dedicated to the history of Muslims in Spain, and a community space. The 10,000-square-foot building also hosts Friday prayers in Spanish and English, making it a unique resource for Houston’s growing Latino Muslim population.

Fletcher’s wife, Sandy “Sakinah” Gutierrez, who serves as the center’s interior designer and COO of IslamInSpanish, emphasised the importance of making the space approachable.

The center’s design incorporates Andalusian art and architecture, paying homage to the historical Muslim presence in Spain. “When you first walk in, you’ll see a mural inspired by Andalusian design,” Gutierrez said. “We wanted the space to feel familiar and welcoming.”

One of the key features of Centro Islamico is its focus on education. The museum highlights 800 years of Muslim history in Spain, aiming to dispel misconceptions about Islam’s global reach.

Architecture in Centro Islamic transported from Spain to capture the historical connection Spanish-speaking Muslims have to Islam.

“A lot of times people think Islam is an Arab religion, but it was native to Spain for centuries, where many of us have roots,” Fletcher explained.

In addition to its religious and educational offerings, the center has a café and a youth room designed to make visitors feel at home.

“We want people to come in, drink coffee, ask questions, and feel comfortable exploring the space,” Gutierrez said.

“Even if they don’t have questions, they’re welcome to observe.”

IslaminSpanish materials distributed for free.

The center’s inclusive approach has attracted a wide range of visitors, but it has also faced some criticism from traditionalist Muslims. Despite this, Gutierrez believes that the center’s mission to bridge cultural and religious gaps is essential.

“We’ve been through the process of not knowing what Islam was,” she said. “We designed this space to minimize any tension or fear people might have.”

Centro Islamico is currently in a soft launch, with a grand opening set for November 16. The center offers Friday sermons in Spanish at 1:30 p.m. and in English at 2:30 p.m., and all visitors are welcome.

Source: About Islam

The Integrity of the Qur’an: Sunni and Shi‘i Historical Narratives

IRIC — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 12:20:27 +0000

The Integrity of the Qur’an: Sunni and Shi‘i Historical Narratives

By Seyfeddin Kara

Series: Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Scripture and Theology

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Publication Date: July 31, 2024

ISBN: 9781474462235

Advances the method of isnād-cum-matn analysis for unravelling complex aspects of early Islamic history

Establishes the earliest dating of the Qurʾanic codex based on the study of hadith
Contributes to the textual history of the Qur’an
Examines the claims regarding the integrity of the text of the Qur’an
Uses case studies of the verses on stoning and breastfeeding, making it relevant to contemporary studies in the field

This book investigates Muslim narratives on Qurʾanic distortion through a meticulous analysis of hadith. Using isnād-cum-matn analysis, Seyfeddin Kara discovers the historical origins of this disputed claim and illuminates the dynamic interplay between Sunni and Shiʿi traditionists. He demonstrates that isnād-cum-matn analysis is not only an important tool for dating hadiths but also crucial for uncovering forgeries. By identifying the individuals responsible, he provides new explanations of forgery culture in early Muslim society. Kara illuminates debates over the textual integrity and evolution of the written Qurʾanic text, offering insights into the enigmatic early history of Islam. By pushing the boundaries of isnād-cum-matn analysis, this book makes methodological advancements in the study of early Islamic history and contributes to its reconstruction on the question of the canonized Qur’an’s integrity.

Table of Contents

Introduction
ʿĀʾisha’s Legal Debate on the Scope of Breastfeeding
The Litigation of the Two Men According to ‘The Book of God’
The Prophet, the Jews and the Stoning Penalty
CaliphʿUmar’s Sermon About the ‘Missing Stoning Verse’
Transition of the Distortion Narrative into Shiʿi Reports
Distorting the Book of God
The Return of the Avenger (Al-Mahdī) and Teaching the Correct Quran
Conclusion

About the Author

Seyfeddin Kara is an Assistant Professor of Islamic Origins at University of Groningen. He is also a Marie Sklodawski Curie Global Fellow at Lund University and the University of Toronto. He holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Durham. Dr Kara’s academic journey includes a prestigious Marie Sklodowska-Curie Global Fellowship, with research terms at the University of Toronto, the University of Lund, and the University of Göttingen. He has received grants from the European Union, Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and other funding bodies. Dr Kara has also taught at the University of Durham, UK, and served as an Assistant Professor at Hartford International University, US. His scholarly work encompasses research articles in journals such as the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, the Muslim World, and Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. Kara authored In Search of Ali ibn Abi Talib’s Codex: History and Traditions of the Earliest Copy of the Qurʾan (2018).

Source: Edinburgh University Press

Speaking at Brown, Amer Ahmed shares strategies to confront discrimination, Islamophobia

IRIC — Sat, 11 May 2024 12:52:19 +0000

In an event organized by Brown’s Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, Ahmed encouraged campus communities to deepen their knowledge and familiarity with Muslim peoples and history.

In the course of his visits to college campuses across the nation for more than 15 years, Amer F. Ahmed’s greatest challenges to confronting Islamophobia have been a fundamental misunderstanding of Islam and pervasive stereotypes.

The solution to addressing Islamophobia — and all forms of discrimination, for that matter — is to engage in learning and dialogue with people who have differing beliefs, he asserted.

“No matter the way you show up in an issue, there’s a lot of context out there to gain…” Ahmed said. “I would strongly encourage you to encourage not just yourself, but others, to engage in learning more context, even if you believe you’re on the right side of the issue.”

The imperative to advance knowledge of the social, cultural, political and historical context of Islam was among Ahmed’s key calls-to-action during a Monday, April 29, address at Brown University titled “Addressing Islamophobia: Dispelling Myths to Break Down Barriers.”

Ahmed, who was born and raised in Ohio as the son of Indian Muslim immigrants, works at the University of Vermont as vice provost for diversity, equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer — one of only a handful of Muslim chief diversity officers in the country, he noted. During his talk at Brown, he began by offering a “basic level setting” of Muslim history and a quick array of statistics, noting that most followers of Islam are not Arab, that there are large populations of Christian and Jewish Arabs, and that Islam does not espouse violence.

“It’s important to make a distinction between what a religion teaches and what people do,” Ahmed said. “People do all different kinds of things in the name of religion.”

Sylvia Carey-Butler, Brown’s vice president for institutional equity and diversity, facilitated a Q&A with Amer Ahmed.

There is also “this conflation of Arab and Muslim as if they’re the same thing,” said Ahmed, who shared that 20% of Palestinian people are Christian; half of Lebanese people are Christian; 10% of Egyptians are Christian; and 14% of people in Syria and Jordan are Christian. “The largest Muslim population in the world is in Indonesia. Arabs are only 18-20% of Muslims in the whole world.”

As an administrator at the University of Vermont, Ahmed shared with the audience his anguish over the violent attack against Brown University junior Hisham Awartani and two of his childhood friends, who grew up together in the West Bank and were injured in a Nov. 25 shooting in Burlington, Vermont, “three blocks from my office,” Ahmed said.

“I don’t even know how to express how difficult that week and the weeks since have been,” Ahmed said. “Being in the middle of the worst violence that’s been directed towards Palestinian people, and towards Arab and Muslim people [in the U.S.], since Oct. 7 has left an indelible mark on our community, and I know on this community.”

Whether it’s an overt violent attack, or a more subtle form of Islamophobia, Ahmed called on community members to lean on each other, and to use campus reporting systems to address incidents of bias so they can be addressed and ameliorated.

“That reporting is important,” Ahmed said. “Going to those spaces where you get support on your campus are important.”

As Ahmed continues to advance his commitment to confronting Islamophobia and enabling others to join in the work, he said it’s important to embrace a healing mindset.

“If we’re only operating from a space of responding to our trauma, it doesn’t put us in a place of operating with behavior at our highest,” Ahmed said. “Our commitment to our collective healing is important.”

Continue reading on: Brown University

Islamic Museum unveils augmented reality journey for Australian students

Islamic Monitor — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 22:00:04 +0000

An augmented reality exhibition titled “Winds of Change” has been launched at the Islamic Museum of Australia in Victoria, sponsored by the Andrews Labor Government.

Victorian students will experience historical moments, including crewing a Torres Strait pearl boat and exploring Arnhem Land in the 1700s.

Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins highlighted the exhibition’s significance in celebrating the connections between First Nations communities and Australian Muslims.

The program, backed by a $120,000 investment, combines digital reconstructions, webinars, and excursions to educate students about the shared history of Muslim migration and First Nations Peoples.

Source: The National Tribune Australia