Events

   Who are American Muslim men?What do they think, do, and say?  We live in volatile times, where hysteria and scapegoating have reduced the rich diversity of Muslim experience to humiliating and disempowering stereotypes. The narratives of American Muslim men in particular seem forever anchored by stories of extremism, violence, terrorism, and intolerance. In the revealing ALL AMERICAN, 45 unique stories from American Muslim men represent the gamut of America’s diversity, and their stories shatter the misconceptions surrounding American Muslim men through honest, accessible, personal essays. Join the conversation this evening with editor Wajahat Ali and contributor Baraka Blue. “Finally, a chance for American Muslims to seize the mic from the pundits and politicians who claim to know what Islam is and what Muslims wants, and to speak for themselves about their hopes and aspirations, their trials and tribulations, and, above all else, their unique identity as Americans. At a time when anti-Muslim sentiment is growing in this country, there could be no more vital book than this.” -- Reza Aslan, author of No god but God and Beyond Fundamentalism “Important, necessary, eloquent and humane, All-American is an eye-opening, heartfelt journey through the stupendous diversity of the American Muslim experience. Superb.” -- Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao “These are essential stories, each one a world, taken together a cosmos. America is a nation rejuvenated by immigrants. Islam is a tradition at its best when it travels. These pieces show that the hyphen between American and Muslim is a bridge not a barrier, that this young nation and that ancient tradition can be mutually enriching rather than mutually exclusive.”  -- Eboo Patel, Founder and President, Interfaith Youth Core  Wajahat Ali is a playwright, attorney, essayist and humorist. “The Domestic Crusaders”, his first full-length play, was published by McSweeney’s in 2011. Ali’s essays and interviews on contemporary affairs, politics, the media, popular culture and religion frequently appear in a variety of publications. He is the associate editor of altmuslim.com, and contributing editor to Illume Magazine. Ali, a practicing attorney in the Bay Area, is a frequent consultant on Islam and Muslims, post 9-11 Muslim American identity and politics, multicultural art and activism, and New Media Journalism.     Baraka Blue is an emcee and spoken word artist living in Oakland. Part of Muslim musicians collective Remarkable Current, Blue has performed all over the US as well as the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. His first album, “Sound Heart” was released in 2010. He is acclaimed for his original synthesis of spoken word poetry with the tradition of Sufi poets such as Rumi and Hafiz. He is the author of Disembodied Kneelings. In addition to his performances he has taught classes and led creative writing workshops internationally. Baraka Blue is currently pursuing a masters degree with a focus on Sufism and psychology. His sophomore album “Majunun’s Lost Memoirs” will be released soon.