Story Archives of 'Islam'

The creationist movement has long battled Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory. The issue has become a cultural tinderbox, largely pitting scientists and evolution educators against Christian fundamentalists here in the United States.

Paleontologist and evolution proponent Stephen Jay Gould once called creationism "a local, indigenous, American bizarrity." Gould was premature. Creationism is catching on in the Muslim world.

Salman Hameed teaches science and religion at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, and blogs at the site Irtiqa. He’s leading a conference called "Darwin and Evolution in the Muslim World," which begins Friday.

Science and Religion Today: Are We Ignoring Muslim Creationism? Salman Hameed Answers

New Humanist: Sex, flies and videotape: the secret lives of Harun Yahya

(Photo by gravitywave via Flickr/Creative Commons)

As a sign of changing times comes a new band of superheroes. Noora The Light, covered from neck to ankles, joins forces with the scantily-dressed Wonder Woman. Jalil The Majestic fights evil alongside Batman. DC Comics, creators of the Justice League, recently made an historic deal with Teshkeel Media Group, creators of The 99 series of Muslim superhero comics.

The Kuwaiti-based comics sell about one million physical copies a year worldwide, in addition to downloads. Writers and artists who’ve worked on the X-Men, Spiderman, and Star Wars already work on The 99 series, which gives kids throughout the Islamic world a cast of superheroes to be proud of. Also in the works, an animated TV series and several theme parks. Here to tell us more is Naif al-Mutawa, the founder of Teshkeel and creator of The 99.

Download a free copy of The 99 Origins.

This week we’re looking at the changing face of faith in America, and turn now to Second Lieutenant Rafael Lantigua. Lt. Lantigua serves in the Nebraska National Guard, and he’s in line to become the first Muslim chaplain in the National Guard’s 372-year history.

His story is characteristically American: half African-American, half Dominican-American. He was raised in Columbia, South Carolina by a Baptist mother and Catholic father. His day job now includes recruiting Pakistani-Americans and Sudanese refugees to the Nebraska National Guard. At night he studies Islamic theology and Islamic-Christian relations. He joins us now to talk about his work and his faith.

Omaha World-Herald: "Spiritual quest to break new ground"

Omaha Public Radio: "First Muslim Chaplain in the history of the National Guard" (via Public Radio Exchange)

(Photo courtesy Martin Wells)

Growing up Muslim in post-9/11 America isn’t easy. Being Muslim can make you a target of discrimination every time you go to an airport. And the imams at mosques preach chastity and purity, when so much of growing up in America involves good old-fashioned sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Where can Muslim kids find a sense of belonging, and an outlet for their frustration? Enter the Islamic punk movement known as “taqwacore.”

Taqwacore bands like Boston's The Kominas (the name means “bastards” in Punjabi) poke fun at and play with Muslim stereotypes. Many of these bands were inspired by the 2003 novel The Taqwacores, which follows a rowdy gang of Islamic punk rockers in Buffalo, who stay up late, drink cheap beer, play loud basement concerts, and pray towards Mecca. The name comes from the words taqwa – meaning fear or reverence for God – and the fast-paced hardcore punk scene. The book has become the Bible of the Islamic punk movement, and has recently been reissued by Soft Skull Press. Its author is Michael Muhammad Knight. His forthcoming memoir is called Impossible Man, and he joins us now from Toronto.

New York Times: Young Muslims Build a Subculture on an Underground Book

The World's Global Hit: The Kominas

(Photo courtesy JacobEnos via Flickr/Creative Commons)

Canadian born, Catholic raised, Dr. Ingrid Mattson made history in 2006 when she became the first woman and first convert to head up the continent’s largest Muslim organization. Today she’s speaking at St. Paul’s School in Concord as part of the New Hampshire Humanities Council “Shifting Ground: Religion and Civic Life in America” We’ll speak to Mattson about her journey to Islam, her goals as president of the Islamic Society of North America and the state of the Muslim faith in America today.

Guest

• Ingrid Mattson, President of the Islamic Society of North America, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations and Director, Islamic Chaplaincy Program for the Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations