who is on my blogroll?

I think I will take a hint from Sister Scorpion (part 1, part 2, part 3) and go through my blogroll and say a little something about each one, maybe getting into why I added them. The process will also force me to reconsider why I linked to some blogrolls and whether the original reasons still make sense. Hopefully, I'll also get some reciprocal blogroll love from some of y'all out there too.

When I started my blogroll, I tried to look for alot of non-stereotypical Muslims with well-written sites and interesting, relevant things to say. Honesty, creativity and originality were a big plus. (Hopefully Planet Grenada falls in the same category). I'm sunni and alot of the blogs I added came from a self identified sunni "traditional Muslim" perspective. (For the subtext-impaired, "traditional Muslim" is code for "don't call me a Salafi") But I've also noticed alot of really well done shia blogs too. In my view the ideal Muslim blog should have a large amount of content I wouldn't just be able to find in an Islamic library. So I really like blogs where people shared their thoughtfully reflected on opinions and experiences

There are also some good non-Muslim blogs that I added too because they fit into my own ideas of what I want to do on Planet Grenada. If I find more suitable sites I will add them in the future.

a heavy truth This is a blog from someone who relatively recently converted from sunni Islam to shia Islam. Me personally, I'm still sunni, but I was just compelled by the honesty and integrity reflected in what I was reading from this person's blog that I couldn't help link to it so I could learn more about what steps and stages she was going through.

a wayfarer's journey "These writings are the footprints of my journey. A 31 year old convert to Islam. A Muslim hippie chick and free spirit." I like her blog because it's "real" and off the beaten path.

aaminah hernandez I couldn't resist adding someone who is so into Muslim literature that they chose the name Writeous Sister. (On good days I think of myself as a poet so I can't help the feeling of cameraderie) She has good information about what Muslim writers and artists are up to these days.

abdul-rahim borges This is a young Muslim cat (only 16) but with alot to say and is a confessed lefty. Tends to write more about his own thoughts and direct experiences. Occasional dash of "Latin" content.

abdulsalaam al-hindi Muslim, Indian, college student, living in the heart of dixie. Views on Current Affairs, life, Islam, The "West", Arabs, South Asians, Americans (People in general), Movies, Songs, The Media, and in the words of Yul Brynner(the king) from the movie "The King and I", "ascetraaa ascetraaa ascetraaa"

afroblog An anti-colonial site by Helen W. Tewolde. She likes Mos Def and Frantz Fanon. 'Nuff said. Unfortunately, the site hasn't been updated in a while.

ahmed's world A recent addition to my blogroll. His site is a regular source of information about Islam that would be useful to Muslims, especially from a Hanafi perspective.

alexandalus Another blog which is more a source of information about traditional Islam. (Especially conferences and other gatherings). Very little commentary.

american muslim journal Not alot of traffic. A Muslim lawyer blogs about current events in the news. (I might remove)

anarcho akbar I wouldn't call myself an anarchist but I definitely like alot of the things this cat is trying to say. To me it seems a no-brainer that Muslims should lean to the left. And Yunus Yakub is putting in alot of effort into working out the details of what that means. More power to him.

andalusian reality I like this site except it hasn't been updated in a long time. The blogger is a thoughtful brother. In a number of recent entries who recently has been sharing his perspective on spiritual books he's been reading.

angry iranian Lawrence Ershaghi blogs mostly about Middle Eastern poltics (emphasis on Iran)from a left-of-center perspective. Informative and opinionated (in a good way)

anthology This is a blog from a Yale student named Arafat. The thing I like about his blog is that it is a real live Muslim talking about his everyday life. Nice but kind of tame. Minimal Muslim/political content. (I might remove)

bin gregory is a blog with a very personal tone. Bin Gregory is an American convert to Islam living in Malaysia sharing his life and experiences. He kinda looks like John Walker Lindh. (Congratulations on the new baby!)

de aqui y de alla Elenamary is a (non-Muslim) Latina blogger. I started getting into her site because as far as I can tell she has the largest collection of links to other Latino/Latina bloggers. But the more I read of her site the more I liked the look, vibe, and content there. She's real cool.

dervish Umm Yasmin is an ex-Bahai, currently Muslim, living in Australia with some good things to say about poltics and religion. (She won a Brass Crescent last year for best female blog)

detainment This was originally created to provide information about, and to rally support for, the two Muslim girls in NY who were thought to be "terrorists" by the government. A recent entry suggests that this might expand.

ethnically incorrect I think I added this blog because of two main reasons. Firstly I was intrigued by what Sume would have to say as a Muslim who is "ethnically incorrect" (a Vietnamese Muslimah adopted by a white family with an Arab husband) since I sometimes feel ethnically incorrect in my own way. But secondly on a visual level this blog is strikingly beautiful beyond words. I REALLY like the artwork she displays on a regular basis.

from clay "We're made from clay but also from a spirit that is not of this world. Negotiations between the two are now in session. Meanwhile, you may find here some reviews, commentary, short fiction, translations, links to various articles, excerpted quotes, and anything else that has a good chance of being kindling or edifying" This brother is from Chicago. He's Muslim. He's a writer. I couldn't help myself.

ginny's thoughts A really good mix of opinions on Islamic topics, current events in Africa, and personal-life stuff.

hasan al-mu'min I was happy and sad when I found this short-lived blog. Happy because it is basically the only other blog I've seen by a Latino Muslim of African descent. Sad because it has not been added to in over a year.

holla at a scholar Adisa Banjoko is a Muslim who has a really good blog. He writes mainly about hip-hop, race and politics but there are also healthy doses of entries on Islam, chess and other subjects.

ideant This is a blog by Ulises A. Mejias, a Latino who is married to Muslim intellectual, Asma Barlas. He often has interesting things to say on culture and technology. It is more "academic" than most.

ihsan A REALLY good Muslim group blog with interesting perspectives on current events and Islamic topics.

insight Comments by Louay Safi on Islamic affairs and issues relating to human rights, reform, American Muslims, globalization, democracy, and world peace.

islamicate "We are here to comment upon the culture and society, which affects Muslims, and that are affected by Muslims. We want to make informed, critical commentary.We don't want to be labeled as either 'progressive' or 'conservatives' We hold that there is not a normative Islamic thought, but rather, a spectrum of ideas and thoughts that are in constant engagement with one another." This is a really good general Muslim blog.

izzy mo's blog Musings on Islam, art, culture, beauty and other random tidbits from a Southern-born African-American Muslima and Artist.

latino pundit An informative general Latino blog.

left side of the dial A better than average lefty blog. But it is probably the only one that promotes Kurt Vonnegut's fictional religion of Bokononism

leftfield mullah A nice left-of-center current events Muslim blog.

living tradition A nice blog on traditional Islam. Often very critical of PMUNA.

mere islam Reflections, rants and raves on Islam, Islamic spirituality, comparative religion, current events, modern society, noteworthy books, English grammar, healthy living and the human condition.

moorish girl Moorishgirl is a Morrocan woman who has a very well-done literary blog. Emphasizes Arab-American and Middle Eastern writers.

muslim postcolonial "The Muslim Postcolonial challenges the oppression of Empire and celebrates Islamic cultures and histories around the world"

muslimahsoul An African-American Muslim woman's blog with a refreshing personal and original feel.

negrophile A really nice blog on Black current events. Also generously maintains a HUGE blogroll of Black bloggers.

positive muslim news "News about good things Muslims are doing in North America and around the world." Reminding the ummah and the rest that the glass is half-full.

postcolonial iraq "A postcolonial Iraq watch dedicated to genuine Iraqi self-determination; a post-fundamentalist and post-liberal watch for consociational patriotism and a confessionalism beyond religious as well as secular sectarianism" Really good and interesting political content. Hasn't been added to in some time.

progressive muslim thoughts "In my blog, I present political views especially on the Middle East. I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and am currently a Scoville Peace Fellow at Citizens for Global Solutions in Washington, DC. I bring my perspective as a Shia Muslim, a grassroots activist, someone who was brought up in the United Arab Emirates & lived in Jordan"

qiyamah forecast Like the song goes... "It's the end of the world as we know it. And I feel fine" It's been dead for a while but seems to have been resurrected recently. This is a group blog which brings occasional reminders that the world is often a stranger (and funnier) place than we realize most of the time.

rendering islam A good blog for dealing with all sorts of creative expression by Muslims. "Celebrate the expression of Islam's beauty through visual arts, literature, singing, and more."

old SAFspace Welcome to the thoughts, rants and passions of Saffiyah, a young Canadian Muslim woman seeking soulful enlightenment in cyberspace. Her blog recently moved location: new SAFspace

sister scorpion Strong Muslim mom you don't want to mess with. LOL. She definitely speaks her mind. A very well done blog.

sisters talk A collection of African-American blogs.

some muslim blogs a page with more Muslim blogs.

sufi art An online gallery of the artwork of Sufi Shaykh Husayn Neuzil.Born in Chicago in 1932, Husayn Neuzil studied Toltec, Zapotec and Mayan art in Mexico under the influence of muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros. Neuzil traveled extensively in the Middle-East including Iran, Israel and Turkey. His work shows the influence of Islamic design and illumination. (It hasn't been added to in a while)

sunni sister Just a REALLY good overall Muslim blog. Deals with current events and other useful topics.

the sulbani sagas Creative writing from a Western Sufi (Hispanic?) Hasn't been added to in a while.

thoughts & readings Nice blog with excerpts from Sufi literature.

toward's god is our journey Good general blog with thought Muslim commentary.

unveiled Edgy Muslim writing.

virtually islamic "News, Commentary, Information and Speculation about Islam in the Digital Age"