In the first season of ABC’s The Chaser, Julian Morrow tested the tolerance levels of Mosman residents (for non-Sydneysiders, Mosman is a rather fashionable, upper-class area of Sydney) by setting up a table on a shopping strip and pretending there were plans to build a mosque in the area. He even had a model of a mosque to assist when testing the reactions of local residents. Granted that Morrow would have interviewed a large number of people, I suspect they kept the ratio of dissenters to those in favour intact when editing the responses.

Mosman is not known for a substantial Muslim population, so I could understand the surprise some interviewees registered; the disgust was a little harder to stomach. But it was there, and it certainly demonstrated that many were, in no uncertain terms, passionately opposed to a mosque in the area, particularly because, well, it would attract Muslims.

It’s this skit that came to mind when I read an excellent piece in The Economist (‘Constructing Conflict’, 30 August 2007) about the politics of mosque-building in non-Muslim majority countries. You can read the whole article here. It’s worthwhile reading the entire piece, but this short paragraph really caught my attention:

Reza Aslan, a Californian writer on Islam, says that to his American eyes the intensity of openly “Islamophobic” opposition to mosques in parts of Europe, especially the south, is a shock. “It’s as though some Europeans are confused about their identity and are now trying to construct one in opposition to Islam.”

Is that the case for Europe? Let’s hope not.

We thought it might be a good idea to note upcoming books/films/general media stuff that relates to Muslims on the site. Please note that by listing these items, we’re not necessarily endorsing them. This is simply an opportunity to have a central repository for “Muslims in the media” stuff.

I’ll try my best to scour the net/newsletters/etc for anything of interest. I’ve compiled a brief list of some books and movies (I know there’s probably a lot more).

We welcome reviews and recommendations from readers in the comments.

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The Sydney Morning Herald published an interesting article on the celebrity faithful, which looks at the current sexed-up piety coursing through Hollywood. Whether it’s Christianity (Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears (!)), Scientology (Tom Cruise and some heavy psychology conspiracy theories) or Kabbalah leanings (Madonna makes red wristbands trendy while annoying Orthodox Jews), celebs are loud and proud about their born-againism (not a real word).

Even Christina Aguilera, known for her raunchy dance videos and explicit lyrics, was shown in a recent 60 Minutes interview praying before a concert (although, as reporter Tara Brown notes, this is a typically American practice).

Even the Middle East’s celebrities are joining the bandwagon of righteousness; I wrote about the rise in trendy piety in a review of Muhajababes several months ago.

Far be it for me to care whether or not a celebrity subscribes to any religion but I do find it a tad disturbing that religion is being used as a marketing tool. And while it’s not particularly new (it’s just more prevalent and glossy nowadays), there’s a veneer of hypocrisy to all of it.

Is it something in the Tinseltown water?

Poor Angry Anderson. As trusty Daily Telegraph reporter Luke McIlveen reports, not only does Anderson have a cold, but he’s also been staying up until the wee hours of the morning with Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose while they tour Australia together (no doubt bringing thousands together with their messages of peace and love).

Anyway, according to McIlveen’s reportage, “[Anderson’s] talking about Rose Tattoo’s new album Blood Brothers and the perils of hydroponic marijuana for Australian youth. But mostly he’s talking about the danger fundamentalist Islam presents to our way of life.”

For me, all of the above three are inextricably linked. But I should break it to you now that unfortunately McIlveen fails to continue the music-drug-fundamentalism axis. I’d expected that either he or Anderson might have, for example, blamed Islam for Rose Tattoo’s new album and/or the perils of hydroponic marijuana for Aussie youth.

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In a department store yesterday, a sales assistant was helping me with a product; he needed to check the price and when he got back to me, he went to ring through the transaction. In the interim, a woman had gone to the counter, products on hand ready to buy.

Technically I was there first and because of that, I was served first. Surprisingly, she didn’t move a single inch at the small counter, making the transaction extremely difficult. I finally asked her, politely, if she could please move a bit so that I could complete my purchase.

Heavily and slowly, she moved, but not without giving me what I can only term a look of pure and utter hatred. I was a little surprised and, although I felt slightly sick from her look, not being an overly shy type I was about to ask her what the problem was. But I didn’t. I thought it may create unnecessary fuss, and really, part of me didn’t want to know. If it escalated, it would ruin my mood and my day.

Instead, I finished the transaction and shook off the incident immediately. Past experience has taught me it’s the only way to not let it weigh on my mind.

But I didn’t completely forget it.

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Travellers are hesitant to visit Jerusalem, perhaps now better known for the conflict crippling the region. But those who venture there discover a magnificent world, writes Amal Awad

The first time I saw Jerusalem, I was too young to appreciate the amazing things it had to offer. I was about six years old, and admittedly I spent a good portion of the afternoon crying for my parents, who’d ventured into the old city to pray at the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa mosque. Thankfully, the few times I have returned, I enjoyed a more enriching experience – and there were no tears.

As I stroll through the narrow lanes of the souk (markets) as an adult, there are so many things I find striking. Bustling with activity, it’s hard to believe that Jerusalem is in a place riven by devastating chaos. The hidden souks are reminiscent of ages past, the banter and haggling of shopkeepers and patrons filling the tiny walkways. It is positively buzzing with action: buying, selling, pointing, eating, worshipping. And I have barely scratched the city’s surface. Continue reading →

Regular readers of Austrolabe may remember a previous post in which I offered a review of Allegra Stratton’s abysmal take on the modern Middle East, Muhajababes.

But to refresh, I noted early on in the piece that nowadays, the Middle East is pop culture-saturated:

I could tell that in some ways, peculiarly enough, there were people in other parts of the world who took their situation more seriously than themselves.

My feelings were confirmed when the next day I sat in front of the TV, flicking channels and finally settling on one of the many music stations taking the Arab world by storm. This one was called “Superstar”, not to be confused with the pan-Arab Idol show of the same name, and it ran music videos and concert clips 24/7, SMS messages of love and flirtation scrolling constantly across the bottom of the screen in gaudy technicolour. A family friend later confirmed that they were watching Mazzika, another of these music channels, more than Al-Jazeera. It all seemed very bizarre to me, but I concluded that in such times of trouble, no matter how misguided it seemed, music videos, with their cheeky storylines and buffed, good-looking and impossibly happy actors, obviously served as an antidote. Forget occupation and war — Nancy Ajram had a new album out.

And so it is that Iraq, a country in absolute chaos, drowning in bloodshed, kidnappings, and war, is momentarily united because of an Idol-esque show called Star Academy.

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Mainstream media has recently covered the ‘burqini’ phenomenon, extolling its virtues and gushing over the lifesavers who are adopting its use in what is, unashamedly, a PR exercise to dim the Anglo face of beach culture. For those living under a rock, the burqini is a “Muslim-friendly” swimsuit for women, which apparently covers the body without being clingy and shape-revealing.

The reactions to the burqini are, not surprisingly, quite mixed amongst Muslims.There is no doubt that the maker of these suits has done Muslim women a service by providing them with swimming attire that does not compromise their modesty, as even among women, there are certain standards of modesty that should be observed. Perhaps it may even be viewed as a suitable alternative for those not adhering strictly to Muslim dress; it could be seen as better than, say, a one-piece or a bikini.

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It seems that there are virtually no Muslim authors who inject a fairly universal and positive Islamic worldview into their fiction (and I am speaking strictly about fiction). We’re all aware of the ubiquitous Muslim interest novel: the picture of a veiled woman, her kohl-lined eyes peering out from her black scarf, gracing the cover. And then there’s the literature that deals with Muslims in the Western setting. For example, White Teeth (although the author Zadie Smith isn’t Muslim), Nadia’s Song, Brick Lane, The Map of Love and so on.

I’ve just finished reading Minaret by Sudanese author (and UK resident) Leila Aboulela. Her books are highly regarded, and Minaret was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction. See an excellent in-depth review of Aboulela’s work published by Al-Ahram Weekly.

I’m not a huge fan of the stilted writing form that plagues so much “award-winning” literature, but aside from that, in terms of content, I closed Minaret and wasn’t sure what to think. Is this halal fiction? I wondered.

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British psychologist and author Oliver James has undertaken an eight-country “mind tour”, assessing each of them for the level of ‘affluenza’ permeating within, the results of which are documented in his now released book, Affluenza.

The subjects of James’s examination include Australia, Britain, the US, Russia, Denmark, China and Singapore. But of all the places he visited, it was Sydney, claims James, that is the most struck by the virus, which is essentially a measure of the impact of consumerism on self-worth and mental wellbeing. Sydneysiders, he argues, live in the most “vacuous of cities“, determining that it is a city obsessed with perfection: the ideal body, wealth, property and all that modern capitalism involves. Adelaide and Melbourne, on the other hand, aren’t as materialistic.

Brigid Delaney’s treatment of the book offers a good summary of the content, citing examples of James’s studies – specifically, people he interviewed for the purposes of research.

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