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IN THE BLOGOSPHERE: May 20 is now “Everybody Draw Al Gore Day.” Confused? By now, you’ve likely heard about the “South Park” episode that stirred up a bit of controversy for its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad. Since then, a Seattle-based cartoonist created a fictional ad/poster called, “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!” The idea caught on, but the cartoonist later said she wasn’t serious.
IN THE BLOGOSPHERE: Amid all the pseudo-controversy surrounding the 200th episode of “South Park,” which featured the Prophet Muhammad in a bear costume, playwright Wajahat Ali last week offered the most fitting of all responses I’ve seen so far from Muslims: a short and punchy satire called “East Park.” Published on Salon.com, this imagined script for South Park’s neighboring town features a great line up of characters, including KKKartman…
Who is Shahid Khan? Besides being the owner of Flex-N-Gate Corp., an auto-parts manufacturer based in Urbana, Ill., he has put in a bid to become a majority owner of the St. Louis Rams. By the way, he is also a Pakistani Muslim American.
For those of us who are Bollywood fanatics, the outrage over the Muslim Public Affairs Council decision to honor “My Name Is Khan” producer Karan Johar on May 1 is laughable. We all know that Hindi films are, more often than not, painfully obnoxious, irritating, and frustrating to watch. In fact, that’s why many within our ranks (especially the closeted ones like me) watch them in the first place; we love to hate (on) them.
A New York-based Muslim website warned last week that the creators of “South Park” could soon meet the same fate as a Dutch director who was killed in 2004. The warning came after an episode depicted the Prophet Muhammad in a bear costume. Regardless of the cartoon’s content, this reference to a past act of violence was unacceptable and a disturbing reminder to all Muslims that we cannot allow for one individual or group to speak for all of us while not accounting for the diversity of the community.
If big name athletes ever get involved in politics it is almost always after they retire. Rarely does an athlete to get involved before his or her prime. This is exactly what Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh is doing in his native France. The 26 year-old striker last month decided to join the Democratic Movement party of France, a.k.a MoDem, and run in their regional election in southwest France next month.
IN THE NEWS: Sania Mirza, India’s most successful female tennis star is engaged to Shoaib Malik who is…*gasp*…Pakistani. Malik is the Islamic Republic’s top cricketer and the pairing has set off a cross-border nationalistic controversy in South Asia. My take? Who cares. They’re both Muslim, and that’s all that should matter, right?
Dave Zirin, a sports columnist and creator of Edge of Sports, weighed in on Muslim athletes who use their visibility to create awareness for world events and concerns. He said players like Mohamed Aboutrika, an Egyptian soccer player who lifted his jersey after scoring a goal to reveal a “Sympathize with Gaza” shirt, have a “real effect throughout the world.”
IN THE NEWS: Hissa Hilal has gained notoriety for her appearance on an Abu-Dhabi based poetry competition. She used some not-so-subtle language to criticize conservative clerics. Should her approach be an inspiration for Muslim Americans?
Director Omar Ali Khan is hoping to bring an American spin to the Pakistani film industry. But can he tame Lollywood, the celluloid wasteland that a lifetime of astaghfirullahs can’t do penance for?
Four out of the last seven winners for “Best Actress” split with their husbands soon after receiving their awards, and a large number of former award winners suffered a similar fate. But does this supposed curse only strike Hollywood’s leading ladies, or is it something that all women, including Muslim women, need to be concerned about?
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