spring 2012
ALBAYAN AL BAYAN
Muslims, Media, Mayhem
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contents AL BAYAN
03 From the Editors & Contributors 04 Fishing Through Spiced Oil 07 The God Within Science 08 The Greater Holiday 10 The Face of Islam 12 [Un]Reality TV 15 Are you there God? It’s me, Romance 16 Finding a Voice 18 The Essential Elements of a Bollywood Movie 20 Spotted: Hijabi Fashion on Campus 22 Trending on Twitter 23 Things we like
The Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
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AL BAYAN
NOTES
EDITORS IN CHIEF Kawther Albader Heba Hasan
MANAGING & DESIGN EDITOR Mariam Gomaa
CONTRIBUTORS
Letter from the Editors If you Google “Muslims in the media” the results are abundant, from Wikipedia articles to YouTube videos, to scholarly essays. This is nothing new of course — Muslims have been a sort of goldmine for the media for years. But over time, the Muslim voice has become more dimensional, fermented by experience, hardship and triumphs. With the Arab Spring, Muslims became the face of protestors, with TLC’s All-American Muslim show, we became reality TV stars, and we have since filled the roles of writers, musicians, avid tweeters, Oscar winners, and the list goes on. When we were trying to decide on a cover story for this issue, we chose instead to devote the whole issue to the media, because there isn’t one singular story that defines the Muslim world this year. Rather, we hope each of these stories plays its role in documenting the ever-evolving Muslim voice. As seen by the onslaught of diversity forums on campus, it’s clear that every group, minority, race and religion needs to be represented and have a vehicle of communication. We hope this year’s issue of Al Bayan adds to the dialogue. So here’s to another year, of Muslims, media and of course, a little mayhem.
Nadia Ahmed Ahsin Azim Katherine Cooney Omar Jamil Sara Kashani . Idil Öksüz Zabin Patel
THANKS TO OUR DONORS The Buffet Center for International and Comparative Studies • Muslim-cultural Students Association
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? Email us at mcsaalbayan@gmail.com wtih questions, comments, and feedback.
Heba Hasan and Kawther Albader [3]
AL BAYAN
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Fishing Through Spiced Oil One writer contemplates his relationship with food, using it as a link to a culture that seems to be constantly compromised. By Ahsin Azim
R
AL BAYAN
NOSTALGIA
oyal blood flows through my veins, of some sort. Our dinner table was always decked out in French white Corning Ware, gold rim glasses, even flower engraved sterling silver utensils. Mainly though, it was the feasts, so much food that I was sure my mother had extra hands to buy, prepare, and set the dinner table without my knowing. She didn’t exactly have servants; she had the power to grow extra hands so that she could simultaneously chop vegetables for the sabhzi, paint the tandoori paste on the chicken, and steam the pilau – a power that only a mother could have. She wanted her table filled with food just as it was when she was a child. My mother’s origins begin in Turkey. Emperor Mahmood Ghaznavi was his name, but during the crusades he fled to Pakistan. I’m unsure of the exact dates of his rule, the narrative is constantly changing, but I am sure that he was my great-great-great…great grandfather.
Trips to Devon Avenue allowed my parents to take part in what they had left behind as children, a culture that was continually being compromised as they were adults. As soon as the quarters were dropped in the parking meter, the smell of spices and pigeon droppings overtook my father’s nostrils, a smile on his face. My mother once again became fluent in Punjabi.
My mother was born in Peshawar. Her family once fled again, but this time it was not out of fear but rather out of hope. The destination was Illinois, where we live now, and where, back in the seventies, Devon Avenue was becoming a culinary hub of Indo-Pak cuisine in the Chicago-land area. Our dinner table was a wooden floor model of then booming furniture company Wickes. The hand-carved grooves and markings were filled in with memories and food scraps. Leave it to my parents to never cover the wooden table with a cloth, they would allow it to serve its multiple functions without discrimination. It was the meat separation table, the ata rolling table, the painting table, coloring, meeting, fighting, mango shakes on hot summer nights, and family table. My parents bought it one weekend after closing on their first home, and it’s safe to say it was one of their most important purchases. The dinner table became a new addition to the family.
No matter the restaurant the order was always more or less the same: one order of lamb biryani, one order of tandoori chicken, one order of karahi gosht, and four naans. More than enough for the three of us, at that time. My mother insisted on holding the plastic Thank You bags in her lap. The plastic bag was never strong enough for the spiced oil that would permeate through, the wrath of the waiters messily placing the food in the containers being jipped of a tip, words of a waiter that struck me. Takeout was oilier than dine-in food and with the culture of convenience and get-everythingdone-quickly mentality taking stronger hold of American consumers, takeout was the only way.
It wasn’t exactly their world, but it was close enough. I did my best to appease my mother by trying on the different shalwar kameez and sherwanis. The harem pants made me feel like MC Hammer, and the shirts fit me like a dress. I didn’t understand her desire, and she politely reminded me that there was no need for me to understand, just to go along. Our visits ended with takeout. Sometimes Usmania, other times Shahi Nihari, always a restaurant with a country-wide reputation for good Indo-Pak cuisine. Relatives from Texas would have mithai shipped from Tahoora.
With the increasing desire for takeout, IndoPak cuisine, in discourse, was becoming oily, greasier, and commercialized. Sometimes the oil found its way into the markings on our dinner table as our spoons fished for lamb botis.
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AL BAYAN
NOSTALGIA It may seem like a great generalization that In- there was an expected taste that he was just do-Pak food became greasier when more peo- not satisfying, and, because of that, changes ple desired takeout. It may also seem unfair needed to happen. I began to notice his kato claim that all commercialized restaurants bobs become crispier and soggier. The seats are creating unsatisfactory, unhealthy, unau- became filled with unfamiliar faces. As we thentic food. And I agree. However, it is hard began to notice the changes, my father comfor me to forget how the increasing popular- plained, but the chef responded by saying ity of Devon Avenue and consumer choices that this is what the people wanted. Ravi’s changed my parents’ native cuisine. Grow- Kabob King House lost many local customers. ing up, we were close family friends with the Yes, it had many new customers, but no busiowner of Ravi’s Kabob King House (name al- ness can survive on exotic weekend dinners. tered for anonymity). Now I now know why my mother al– under new management There are some ways wanted me to try on the shaland name, and serving as war kameez and various sharwanis days that I also a rundown DVD store sellimagine fleeing, like when we window-shopped down ing (arguably, pirated) Bolthe cracked pavement of Devon lywood films. Then – Ravi’s my great, great… Avenue, even if it was just for fun. Kabob King House used to great grandfather. I was always embarrassed when have the best chapli kabobs, I had to come out of the dressone of my favorite dishes ing room, shirt lifted with one hand, pants growing up, and a dish that I have not eat- lifted with the other so that my mother could en in many years. No kabob could match tie the kamarband. I always had difficulty tythe taste of Ravi’s, and after the recipe be- ing the stringy belt on my own. Even when I gan to change, I lost my appetite for it. swore to never wear these types of outfits to
“
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Chapli Kabobs are extremely simple to make – only three steps. First you mix all the ingredients – minced meat, chili powder, coriander, cumin seeds, sliced onion, chopped tomatoes, fresh mint, coriander leaves, salt, and cooking oil – and knead well. Then you grab a handful, roll the meat into a ball, and flatten. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the flattened ball. It may seem simple, but there was an exquisite taste to the chapli kabobs at Ravi’s. It may have been the extra mint that was put in or his use of saffron, an unexpected surprise. Or it may have been how the meat never tasted like it was fried, it was crispy enough to have rivaled with the other baked kabobs. As time went on, however, Ravi’s began to struggle. The restaurant began to rival with new places that served French fries rather than pakoras. Ravi’s constantly complained that
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school or in public, I still remember the joy on my mother’s face looking at her little prince.
To this day, our dinner table still showcases an impressive spread. It isn’t always IndoPak cuisine, but a mixture of Italian, Spanish, and other cultural food varieties. I guess you could call me the emperor of the world. It still amazes me how my mother is able to prepare so much food, unaffected by time, the number of appliances, and storage. There are some days that I also imagine fleeing, like my great, great…great grandfather Mahmood Ghaznavi. This time, I’d be fleeing the culture crusades, the consumerism crusades, the Americanization of everything. I wonder what it would be like to taste fresh chapatti, to taste naan actually baked in a tandoor. I don’t have any plans for fleeing this country, but I am unable to stop this culture from fleeing me.
AL BAYAN
The God in Science By omar jamil
While modern, religious scientists accept evolutionary theory by opting for a non-literal interpretation of their holy texts, where does Islam stand? The misconceptions are there and they all boil down to one major point: believing that Islam and evolution are compatible is not possible, period. But what is universally true in Islam is the nature of God: that he is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, and that everything is due to His will. That is not to deny cause and effect, but rather to say that the effect only takes place by the will of God. By believing in God’s will, it is possible to say that natural selection led to human evolution with Allah’s will as its driving force.
were zapped by lightning, turned into amino acids and eventually formed proteins. DNA, proteins and polysaccharides joined together to make cells. The cells that were randomly better than others reproduced and to cut a long story short, humans eventually popped up.
He “made you spring forth from the earth like a plant” (71:14,17). Life started with water, was shaped in phases, and organisms sprung up from the earth. The difference is that the Quran clearly states evolution took place by the will of God, and not by random chance.
To pin this process on randomness would undermine the perfect harmony of the universe that led to these unlikely circumstances to begin with. An atheist might say that we can only ponder this question because we exist, but even the atheist Stephen Hawking admits in A Brief History of Time that “it would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this Lamarck first introduced the way, except as the act of a god who concept of evolution as the change intended to create beings like us.” in properties of organisms over generations. Darwin introduced the In the Quran, God discusses the mechanism, natural selection, as the concept of creating something from changes in individuals caused by dif- nothing, saying, “Are the believfering abilities to reproduce; in other ers not aware that the heavens and words, organisms that are randomly the earth used to be joined together (through mutations) awesome re- and that We ripped them apart, that produce, while organisms that ran- We made every living thing from domly suck do not. The cause was water” (21:30). He discusses the natural selection, the effect was creation of the universe, and subevolution, and the driving force be- sequently the creation of living behind it all was random mutation. ings. He explains the universe was created from a finite point, a notion For those who do not believe the scientific community dubbed that evolution and religious ideals “the Big Bang theory” in 1910. are compatible, the problem lies in the existence of a mechanism that Through evolution, God created can create complex life and not re- living things in phases of developquire a divine creator. The story ment. God explains that “He has goes that once upon a time, atoms created you stage by stage” and that
The debate between science and religion is fundamentally flawed. Science is a dynamic and ever changing venture, influenced by culture, society and politics. Science, a construct of man himself, is just as fallible as he is. In 1925, quantum mechanics turned the physics world upside down by displacing classical mechanics of the 17th century. String theory, an understanding of reality based on general relativity, has yet to penetrate mainstream textbooks. Thus, science is a set of guidelines made by people in the quest of knowledge, and is constantly changing while religion has stayed constant and true. People have taken science as their god. In the same way the Quran describes people taking their own desires as their god (45:23), people have placed their own intellect in His place. Not only has the Quran described evolution, but it has described it more perfectly than any evolution textbook can. When people place humility over their intellect and admit that theWir god ‘science’ is their own creation, they will find the greater force behind our reality.
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AL BAYAN
TRAVEL
A cold, scraping clang of steel against sharpened steel shrieks from the lower terrace of the Benali household. I plug my ears. The last month of preparations during my fall-semester homestay is about to reach its climax. It is finally Nov. 6, Eid Kabir, or the Greater Holiday, has arrived. The white-haired patriarch of my Moroccan host family prepares the butcher knife with considerable skill. For Eid, he wears a pair of light-washed jeans and a faded t-shirt. My 20-year-old cousin wears a shirt with the mantra, “Virginia is for Lovers.” My older host brother, Ibrahim, sports an Obama “Hope” tshirt, with matching argyle socks. Littered on the ground of the lower terrace are remnants of hay, grass and ram droppings. The various clotheslines strapped close to the wall still hang drying underwear and socks from the night before. My host mother, Rabia, and her sister-in-law, Hafida, grasp mops to direct the incoming flow of blood. From above, the medina of Rabat, Morocco appears as a mass of connected, multi-colored rooftops of varying heights, each modeling a different rusting satellite dish. Sarah, my 16-year-old host sister beckons me forward toward the ledge. “Come. This is my culture,” she tells me in her accented English. Her hijab closely lines her face, covering any visible piece of hair, her eyes are thickly lined with kohl eyeliner. Below, the ram named Wahed has been steered down the steps to the lower level of the terrace. In a swift motion, Ibrahim and my cousin grab his legs and force it onto his side, restricting movement. He takes the head of the ram into his own hands, directing toward Mecca. The death is made in the name of Allah, a testament to God’s ultimate power. The slaughter is a symbolic gesture, representing the sacrifice Abraham was willing to make when God commanded him to kill his only son, Ishmael. He conceded, but just before he
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could go through with the act, God revealed his test and gave Abraham a ram to sacrifice in his son’s stead. Muslims worldwide celebrate this holiday, more popularly known as Eid Al-Adha, after the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. However, home sacrifices only typically occur in North African and Middle Eastern countries. With a quick pierce of the knife and forceful thrust, he slices the knife through the throat, windpipe, carotid artery and jugular veins. It is a clean cut, a truly halal slaughter. Ibrahim continues to hold the legs while the patriarch holds the head, allowing blood to flow from the struggling body down the slightly slanted terrace floor to the drain in the corner. The body twitches for 15 minutes or so, as the nerve endings send a final signal to contract. This is only one of the 3 million rams that will be killed in Morocco, a number steadily growing each year. I turn away from the scene and take a few steps forward. Before me is a low-lying ledge I could have easily tripped over, falling off three stories into the courtyard of the home below. My hands find their way to my throat, the artery pulsing beneath my fingertips. I’m aware of my own breathing, of the expansion and inflation of my lungs as they fill up with air. I notice the spasm of a tiny arm muscle near my elbow, of the rumble in my stomach. There’s something about a sacrifice that makes me contemplate my own humanity. But then, maybe that’s the point. In the case of my host family, who save money all year to buy this ram, who soothe and sing to the animal at night to calm and comfort it, the sacrifice is not an act of disrespect to life, but rather homage to the gifts God has given them. For me, it is a reminder of the fragility of my own life. I force out a long sigh. There’s still the other ram, Jooj. “Come,” my host sister repeats, beckoning me back upstairs. “This is my culture. You understand?” Yeah. I think I do.
The Greater Holiday
AL BAYAN
A ram, a sacrifice, a holiday: Al Bayan catches a
glimpse of how one student’s journey to Morocco makes her question the fragility of her own life. By Katherine Cooney
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AL BAYAN
OPINION
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The Face of Islam AL BAYAN
An international journalism student’s perspective on the portrayal of Muslims in the media. By Kawther Albader
I don’t like watching the news. As a journalism student at Northwestern University, there’s something about watching it that irks me. Knowing that a news clip has parts that are included solely to “spice” up a story while more realistic parts are cut because they won’t “sell” terrifies me. When I turn on the TV and see reporters showing “rebel fighters” in the Middle East, all I can do is try to put myself in the shoes of a person who has never met a Muslim before. What would they think of Middle Easterners, Afghans, or Pakistanis after watching this? Would they watch the accompanying “B-roll” of these people praying (which, by the way, is almost always a part of the clip) and think of “Allahu akbar” as a battle cry? The news reporter usually follows up the scene with an all-knowing remark, “These rebel fighters are religious.” It’s here that I cringe. I don’t know the exact effect this types of “news” has on people, but I know that stereotypes about Muslims, Arabs, South Asians, and Africans are perpetuated, and it’s all become a big jumble of religious terminology. The terms liberal, traditional, conservative, fundamentalist, modern, cultural, practicing, and extremist are thrown around like the bombs some of these people are depicted making. And we, the followers of Al-Jazeera, BBC, and CNN, are affected by it. At a spring quarter event held
by Northwestern’s Muslim-cultural Students Association (McSA), an audience member asked how the Muslim world can function when Saudi Arabia commits the daily “atrocities” it does — how it can live with itself with Saudi Arabia as the “face of Islam.”
Nowhere in the Quran or the Prophet’s sayings was it ever decreed that Saudi Arabia would lead the Muslim people. In fact, the Prophet rejected the idea that the Muslim world should be defined by the Arab people. In his last sermon, the Prophet said, “an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab. A white has no superiority over a black nor a black any superiority over a white - except by piety and good action.” Saudi Arabia is only a country, and no country has a right to claim representation of the Muslim world. Likewise, people have no right to be disappointed by Saudi Arabia or any other Muslim country, for its shortcomings before holding themselves accountable for their own.
At the end of the day, what matters is where the religion carried Now, I’ll be the first to admit that over, how it influenced people, and Saudi Arabia does not attest to all what these people — these real MusMuslim values. At the same time, I lims — did with its teachings. These understand how it’s become a sym- people are the real representations bol for all things Islamic. People of Islam, and they are the ones who hold it to a higher standard than don’t get any media play. other Muslim countries because it This year, the McSA changed is the birthplace of the Muslim reli- the name of what used to be “Islam gion, the location of the holy Ka’aba, Awareness Week” to “Discover Isand home to the holy cities, Mecca lam Week.” The connotations of the and Medina. Because the country is former name made Islam sound like host to all things identifiably “Mus- a disease, something to be “aware” lim,” it has been dubbed Islam’s capi- of. But like all religions and ways tal. of life, Islam is complex, and its deYet Saudi Arabia should not be piction in the media requires more held as the model of all things Is- thought than simply showing a man lamic, and it was never meant to be. on a prayer mat.
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AL BAYAN
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REALITY TV
Emerging reality TV shows showcase Muslims in a more positive, but not accurate, light. Which is the lesser evil? By Sara Kashani
In a popular skit from the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, Iranian-American actor Maz Jobrani jokes about the portrayal of Middle Easterners in the media: “Show us doing something good—like baking a cookie or something. Just once, I want CNN to be like, now we’re going to go to Muhammad in Iran: Hello, I’m Muhammad, and I’m just baking a cookie—back to you, Bob!”
is filmed in Dearborn, Mich., home to the largest community of Muslims in the United States, and documents the lives of five families of Lebanese Shi’a descent.
While these families’ daily activities are fascinating from an anthropological, people-watching type of perspective (as with all reality TV. shows), the show’s relevance to “all-American” Muslims from other Jobrani’s pleas may have very ethnic backgrounds is questionable well been answered in reality televi- at best. Perhaps a more apt title sion show All-American Muslim, in would have been “All-American which Muslims are shown coaching Lebanese Shi’a Muslims Living in football, having weddings, and— Dearborn, Michigan.” the most idiosyncratic: eating dinThen, reality television made anner together as a family. The show other attempt to portray individu-
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als from the Middle East. Shahs of
Sunset Boulevard began airing this spring around the time of Norouz, the Iranian New Year. The holiday usually is associated with renewal, rebirth and now with cable television’s ability to depict Middle Easterners on a tabula rasa. The show follows the seemingly scintillating lives of six Persian Jews and Muslims from Los Angeles, dubbed “Tehrangeles” due to the many Persians inhabiting neighborhoods like Westwood (Little Persia). The bohemian vibes of Asa, the group’s artist, and the pragmatic style of Reza, the group’s tellit-like-it-is persona, neutralize the personalities of short-tempered but beautiful “GG,” and businesswom-
an-by-day-partier-by-night Mercedes. The latter confesses, “Others probably think that we live a very glamorous lifestyle—and in fact, we do.”
His disclaimers somewhat conAL BAYAN tradict the show’s promos, which portray the friends as materialistic and consuming conspicuously, with Reza himself unabashedly pro- media representation? Or do these “reality” shows just create reemergShahs of Sunset mixes the life- claiming, “Hello, we’re Persian!” style of the Kardashians with the Cast members of Shahs or All- ing stereotypes with new struggles? drama of Gossip Girl, delivering American have argued that these Without a doubt, depictions of minorities on television influence public perception. Conscious bias is no longer the social norm, yet stereotype-consistent associations— even if subliminal—may augment pre-existing attitudes toward particular cultural groups. One of the chief complaints Italian-American advocacy groups had about reality show Jersey Shore, a similar cause célèbre, was the subliminal conditioning of stereotypical stimuli, such as Italian flag colors, with the behavioral quirks of the people on Above: All American Muslim. Below: Axis of Evil to American viewers a neat package of tears, birthdays and luxury goods. GG’s obsession with knives is cause for concern, considering her temperamental disposition. Reza’s struggles to connect with his estranged Jewish father, divorced many years from his Muslim mother. Each character’s quirks and mannerisms could comprise its own psychological case study. Indeed, trashy entertainment can sometimes be prima facie edutainment on what makes people click or tick. Yet these intimate stories, while alternative “reality” depictions will the show. These advocacy groups perhaps suitable fodder for reality help supersede the current and ar- feared people would then learn to television, can help to support the guably more negative stereotypes associate these types of behaviors type of heuristic thinking that leads of Middle Easterners, as depicted with Italians. people to stereotype, a type of slip- in the evening news or on politiThe Implicit Association Test, depery slope of thought that leads to cal talk shows. According to a psy- veloped by Harvard psychologists generalization and fallacy. In re- chological study by the University Brian Nosek, Mahzarin Banaji, and sponse to these concerns, Reza has of Colorado at Boulder, thinking Tony Greenwald, has demonstrated claimed in interviews that the Shahs about counter-stereotypic portray- the unconscious negative attitudes cast simply consists of a group of six als indeed has a dilution effect on of individuals toward various ethfriends who happen to be Persian, pre-existing, implicit stereotypes. nic groups, including Arab-Muslim. who are not in anyway trying to be As American-Muslims or individu- Social cognition theory can help public relations reps for Persians. als from the Middle East, should we appreciate that we have this kind of
REVIEWS
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AL BAYAN
REVIEWS
Clockwise from below, the cast of The Shahs of Sunset, the male cast members of Jersey Shore, and the Kardashian sisters with their mother.
explain how media and reality television may perpetuate stereotypes that strengthen these negative attitudes—consciously or not. From cognitive psychology, we know that people use the representativeness heuristic to quickly judge uncertain events (or in this case, people), depending on how “representative” the salient features are of a parent population. This means that if you meet me, you’ll judge my social identity based on how similar I am to your conception of my ethnic group—which gets influenced by representations in the media. Secondly, a smaller sample size of a population doesn’t ensure the most well-rounded representation. So if we showcase the behaviors of only six people cast from the entire population of an ethnic group, we may skew public perceptions of that group. Finally, reality shows tend to intentionally cast the most unusual people—the ones that stand out the most—in order to boost ratings.
iors amongst ethnic minorities. But let’s even assume for a moment that these shows don’t perpetuate stereotypes. Do they unwittingly turn a blind eye to prejudice by trying to show that Middle Easterners and Muslims are just like everyone else? In this case, “ethnic reality television” is being used as a particular ideological approach toward mediating ethnic tensions in America. The cast members of Shahs and AllAmerican navigate family relationships, go to Vegas, and have parties just like you and me
Yet Jennifer Richeson, a social psychologist at Northwestern University, found that colorblindness—treating others as individuals regardless of social group membership—actually leads to more prejudice than multiculturalism, which acknowledges and appreciates ethnic diversity. Unless these shows highlight the unique culture—or Through media depictions, cog- moreover, the struggles, prejudice nitive biases can lead people to and racial profiling—of minoroverestimate the true frequency of ity groups, they may lead people stereotypical—yet salient—behav- to disregard the marginalization of
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these groups, encouraging a sort of backhanded prejudice. For example, parties and weddings aside, not everyone is “randomly” targeted for airport security checks; by acknowledging these differences in treatment, we might better be able to reduce prejudice. In loose terms, Shahs of Sunset and All-American Muslim depict Mohammad just baking a cookie. Is he really no different from the Joneses next door, aside from a difference in name? But what’s in a “name”? The tragedy is clear in the marketing: Italian, Muslim, Persian—that which we call by these names on television, unless statistically comprehensive and reflective of the diversity and struggles of all possible members of an ethnic group, may never fully reflect reality of all those who identify with these groups, whether or not they get to be cast on a reality television show.
Are you there, God? It’s me, Romance.
AL BAYAN
REVIEWS
Part Bridget Jones Diary, part Jhumpa Lahiri, Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women unveils the face of Muslim romance. By Heba Hasan “For me, whispers of available suitors, and lavish wedding parties where girls of marriageable age with carefully applied makeup and gold jewelry hoped to catch the eye of a potential suitor or his mother, were not a thing of the past, but the present I lived in breathed.”
Zahra Noorbakhsh, who receives a five minute sex-ed class from her strict Iranian mother in a movie theater parking lot the summer after her freshman year of high school. She later loses her virginity in college behind the backdrop of the typical American dorm room.
our true potential and we have not experienced all that life has to offer until we connect emotionally and physically with someone.
But where do Muslim women, who are taught to be modest, fit into this equation? As we watch these women navigate the landscape of For Aisha C. Saeed, love carried Noorbakhsh isn’t exactly the caution and longing, we are remindwith it connotations of arranged conventional picture of Islamic ed that backgrounds do not circummarriages and a Pride and Prejudice modesty but that seems to be the scribe us to a certain path of romance. sense of restraint. It was a love that point. She, along with the othNo matter where these women seemed antiquated and therefore er 23 female voices featured in fall in the spectrum of religiosautomatically incompatible with her the book, shatter the stereotype ity, they view love and the lessons 21st century self. But as Saeed learns of the obedient Muslim woman. it engenders with a sacredness — through awkward arrange marThese women, ranging from con- a sacredness that empowers and riage set-ups, love neither lives in servative to liberal, shy to aggres- transforms them. And with love’s the realm of antiquity or modernity. sive, heterosexual to homosexual, uncanny ability to make everyone In the anthology of essays, Love, emphasize that feelings of yearn- feel like a foreigner, it is these emInshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of ing, desire and uncertainty are uni- powering tales that force the reader American Muslim Women, each versal, too powerful to be extin- to understand that love is not a milestoryteller reminds us that love is guished through the opacity of a stone or an event, but a destination beyond categorization. We meet veil or the stigma of a media label. — a home of one’s own, InshAllah. We have been taught, whether through family values or romantic comedies, that finding love is the ultimate milestone. It is almost as if we have been instilled with this notion that we have not reached
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AL BAYAN
Finding a Voice
Zamin’s lead singer shares musical inspirations and advice for aspiring artists. By Zabin Patel Zeshan Bagewadi received his Master’s Degree in Voice and Literature from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music in 2011. A critically acclaimed, international opera singer, he made his lead role debut last year in a production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” in New York City. Most recently, he was tapped by Chicago Opera Theater to understudy the lead role of Prince Tamino for their production of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” in September 2012. He also is the lead singer of Zamin, an indie-rock band that recently released their self-titled album “Zamin.”
Q&A
with Zeshan Bagewadi Tell us the story of your favorite surah (Quranic chapter).
reciting Surah Mulk. When she played it for us, I still remember the strong current going up and down my body because his recitation was so beautiful. It really reached out and grabbed me, and all of a sudden, I was really digging the sound of the Quran! I was so moved by it that I went to Mrs. Barhumi afterwards and asked if I could borrow that cassette and listen to it at home. She was definitely surprised — after all, this is third grade and most of us were either picking our noses or eating our crayons.
Surah Mulk (Quran, 67) — that surah has a lot of meaning for me because it was my introduction to my own voice. I went to an Islamic school from kindergarten until the third grade, and it was a wonderful childhood experience for me. However, during that time, I had gotten used to a certain drudgery of Quran recitation that was taught to us. I remember going home and It was monotonous and dry, and listening to the sura incessantly I had no idea that it could actufor the entire weekend. Again ally be very beautiful. and again and again — I listened But in third grade, Mrs. Bar- to it so many times that when humi brought in a cassette tape Monday came around, I had the of some qari’ (a Quran reciter) whole thing memorized and I
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could do it just like that qari’ did. When I went back to school, I approached Mrs. Barhumi and she asked me to recite it for her and I did. She was moved to tears. And thankfully it wasn't because I sucked! That was the first time I had ever seen anyone react in that way to something they heard with their ears. She was so proud of me she asked me to recite it in front of the whole class. That was the first time I had ever performed anything publicly, and it was then that I realized that I had a voice. How would you describe Zamin’s musical style? Zamin is an Indie-rock band with classical acoustic instrument and Indian vocals.
Who are your musical inspirations and influences?
Bai Karnataki, was a Bollywood singer. Unfortunately [my parents] couldn’t pursue music, but My three major influences are they were very supportive and in different spheres of music. encouraging. First, I would say Johnny Cash because I love his music and What's on your playlist? songwriting. He’s like an idol Johnny Cash, Radiohead, Elto me. His voice was a gift and he came from a time where you vis, Carl Perkins, Americana, and had to have talent in the music country music — it gets a bad industry. Every song he sang felt rep, but I think it's a wonderful genre of music, and it’s an intelike he lived it. gral part of our nation’s history. I would also say the opera tenI wish people could appreciate or Franco Corelli. He embodied that! the ideal singer because he as
dedicated to studying voice and improving his technique. I have almost all his recordings. And the last would be the ghazal (ancient type of South Asian poetry) singer Mehdi Hassan. His Urdu diction was fabulous.
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MUSIC
Given that you are trilingual and sing in many languages, how do you feel when people don’t understand your lyrics? I don’t think of it in that way. I want to sing convincingly so that even if someone doesn’t understand Hindi, Urdu, or Punjabi we can convey the meaning of the song through our music. When
What would be your message you succeed in doing that, then to aspiring artists? you really are establishing comTake the time to hone your munication with the audience.
craft. If you’re a singer, understand how the voice works. If you’re an instrumentalist, understand your instrument. If you’re a rapper, understand poetry, meHow did your family feel about ter, and rhyme. Be disciplined, have a regimen and never forget your passion for music? I feel very fortunate that my what it is you've set out to do. parents loved music. My great If you believe in yourself, others aunt from my dad’s side, Amir will believe in you too.
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given? When I was growing up, my mother used to tell us, “Good, better, best. Never rest until your good is better and your better is the best.” I try to live by her words.
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The Essential Elements of a Bollywood Movie By Idil Öksüz
BRIGHT COLORS One of the most easily recognizable elements of a Bollywood movie are the bright colors dominating almost every scene. While some newer Hollywood remakes may have colors that are more understated in nature, true Bollywood movies are all about dazzling costumes and even more awe-inspiring dancing and singing numbers.
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MUSIC
What good would a Bollywood movie be without music? It’s arguable that the musical interludes are more central to the audience’s enjoyment of the movie than the actual speaking portions. True to India’s classical music tradition, women tend to sing at very high pitches. Fun fact: the songs you hear (both the male and female parts) are actually pre-recorded.
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VILLIANS WHO WON’T DIE! No Bollywood movie would be complete without villains who try to spoil blossoming love and complicate people’s lives. Villains come in all shapes and sizes, from fathers to brothers to mothers to mobsters (and trust us, you haven’t seen a real mobster until you’ve seen a Bollywood one). Luckily enough for the main characters, they’re almost always defeated by the end of the movie — happy endings don’t always come easy.
DANCING
You can’t have a Bollywood song without the main characters dancing. Dancing varies in style from classical to modern, and is matched to the mood of the scene. The lead actors and actresses dance while singing along to the music, and often wear beautiful, brightly-colored costumes while doing so. With backup dancers added to the mix, these scenes become the fully orchestrated productions unique to Bollywood.
LOVE Love — the key to almost any Bollywood plot. Here’s a typical plot line: boy meets girl, boy chases girl, the girl falls for him, but alas! Complications stand in the way of their happy ending. Sometimes, there will be a complex love triangle in which someone ends up heartbroken, but rest assured that things will always end well! Oh, and don’t forget to bring in a box of tissues if you plan on watching the whole story unravel.
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SPOTTED
Hijabi Fashion on campus AL BAYAN
Casual yet elegant. Formal yet trendy. Muslim sisters all over the world have become trendsetters when it comes to hijab. The goal to maintain modesty and express their inner fashionistas can take practice, but with enough colors, fabrics, and innovations, Northwestern hijabis have created swag of their own.
The Bun This style is not always the most comfortable, but is great for women who love their long earrings. Although it can sometimes limit movement, it is a stylish addition to any wraparound hijab, in which one flap goes around a hair bun, and the other stretches across one’s neck and chest. It is a culturally ambiguous style that can be worn in any formal or casual setting.
The Eartuck Movement is key to hijab styles, and this eartuck style gives air, movement, and everything else to Sofia Sami. All it needs are a polyester bonnet, hair tied in a bun, and an extra dose of creative spirit. This is Sami’s favorite style of hijab—she feels more air on her face, but is also cognizant of the color and fabric of the different cloths. With a style that is both mobile and unique, Sami makes sure that she wears a hijab that matches her usually colorful pants, and notes that “the everyday hijab is the most useful hijab.” Hijab is oftentimes a test of confidence for Sami, and every year means a new look. Forget good hair days; it’s time for good hijab days.
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The Wraparound This is perhaps one of the most standard methods of wearing the hijab. Usually, a sister will wrap a rectangular cloth around the head tightly, and can choose whether to either tuck the remaining flaps in or keep them out. It is comfortable, easy, and requires minimal effort. According to Sara Fadlalla, this style generally means that she “doesn’t have to worry about [the hijab] during the day” and can always spruce it up with little bows and other adornments. Great for everyday use, this hijab style is both painless and pin-less, unless one chooses to use safety pins and straight pins for added security.
The Square This traditional style can be completed with any square cloth and is usually considered the easiest hijab to manage. It covers everything, from hair to ears to neck to chest, and still looks professional and elegant. Aatifa Shareef describes it as the “problem-free” hijab that is folded into a triangle and never falls off her head. With one safety pin under the chin and another on the shoulder, this style is oftentimes the way to go. The use of two straight pins is also common to pin the hijab flaps to the top and side of the head. Shareef enjoys mixing up cotton fabrics with extreme color combinations. Sometimes the right fabric is all that matters.
The Drape This trendsetting style adds volume to those with heads that are smaller in size. It also adds a level of mystery to the hijab—passersby will never know just how flat the sister’s head is, or have a clue about the possible hairstyle underneath. Hanan Abdisubhan loves drapes and folds and dons this style because she “like[s] it when people don’t know what’s happening.” The covering underneath is convenient for pinning purposes, and allows the sister to avoid too much fabric-flinging. This style can be worn in both formal and informal settings.
The One-piece This one-piece hijab comes in various patterns and colors and can be slipped on easily over one’s head. For hijabis like Hagar Gomaa, it’s easy, it’s simple, it doesn’t require pins, and it is one of the most convenient on-the-run hijab styles. Gomaa almost always contrasts her patterned (or non-patterned) tops and one-piece hijab colors. For her, the hijab is not necessarily the flashiest part of her daily wardrobe, but rather a small and simple accessory that adds some poise. It’s not preferred for fancier events, but for travel and everyday use.
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the best of @MslimGrlProblem AL BAYAN
TWEETS
Why are Muslims always late?? Meetings are not like prayers..u don't have a 3 hour time span to show up. #anotherpointforwhiteboys
How to seamlessly escape awkward Gchat moments: "brb. I have to pray" #nevercomeback #MGS #Muslimgirlsolutions
White guy: "Who is Eid? Did you mean to say Ed?" #what #whoisEd #whiteguysFTW #EIDMUBARAKeveryone
If the Scream movies were about Muslims, we would have to rename it 'Ayatul Kursi' #ireciteitlike12timesaday #evenwheniseebugs
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is on.We should do a Muslim remake:How to Marry a Guy in 3 Days #parentstalkonDay1 #marryhimDay2 #meethimDay3
Always that one guy who forgets to turn off his cell during Maghrib prayer. Really dude. #whyamilisteningtoChrisBrownwhileipray #Ramadan
Id love 2 reveal my identity 2 some ppl but I know how Muslims roll #everyonewillknow #mymomwillsomehowknow #theimamwilltalkaboutitatjummah
Always the girl trying to high five the guy who does not shake hands. Awkward moments. #howwasisupposedtoknow #ohiguesstheturbanandbeard
Watchin fireworks in NYC w/ Muslims and one kid yelled 'Takbeer!' after it was done. #truestory #fckbro #justRELAXwhenshitisExploding [22]
"OMG in jannah..maybe we can be harry potter" #weirdthoughts #butthatwouldbeamazing #wheremywandat
watering pots and lotta's in the bathroom always freak your friends out. Its embarrassing #buthowthefckdotheylivewithoutit #nasty
Just found out the Imam at my masjid isnt even a scholar or a hafiz or anything really #MuslimUmmahProblems #weakimamresumes #canibeanimam
♥THINGS WE LIKE
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1. Tawakul Karman - one of three women to win the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize and “Mother of the Yemeni Revolution”. She is the youngest Nobel Laureate to date. 2. Yuna - a Malaysian singer who will be performing at Lollapolooza 2012. 3. Mad Men - a show about advertising agencies in the 60’s. 4. The New York Times “Modern Love” column. 5. Downton Abbey - A must-watch TV show. 6. Moleskine notebooks.
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