1. I think it is not just surprising but sad that out of all the members of Public Enemy, Flavor Flav seems to be the most successful and the one who is still in the public eye in a big way... from the Surreal Life, to Strange Love, to 3 seasons of Flavor of Love and a Comedy Central Roast, to a new sitcom. Why can't Chuck D get that much exposure? I would love to see Chuck D replace Colmes on Fox News' Hannity and Colmes, for instance. The situation isn't all bad. Chuck D is actually still doing alot of positive projects, he's just not as visible as before.
2. I realized that the Rumi poetry event I went to the other day had the highest concentration of white people of almost any event I've been to since moving to Miami.
3. I don't think I'm going to come up with anything deep or new on this issue, but I'll just say that the doctrine of Quranic abbrogation has often stuck me as odd. It is bizzare to think that there are verses in the Quran which are meant to be read, studied and recited for the past 1400 years, from the time they were revealed to now, and from now until Judgement Day, but they are only legally valid for a period of 20 years or so. Maybe more on this later.
4. I recently picked up the book Jesus for President: politics for ordinary radicals by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. It is a pretty good read so far. The authors seem to be advocating a kind of hippie liberation theology. The book takes many of its visual cues from the 'zines while the text highlights many of the ways in which the Jewish and Christian writings take a critical stance towards conventional secular ideals of kingdom and empire.
5. I just went to a Borders and discovered a new Boondocks book which I hadn't known about before: All the Rage: The Boondocks Past and Present (nice).
See also:
second things second
"armageddon has been in effect... go get a late pass!" (part one)
what has hip-hop really done for racism?
Sunni Forum: Hanafi Doctrine of Naskh (Abrogation)
www.jesusforpresident.org
2. I realized that the Rumi poetry event I went to the other day had the highest concentration of white people of almost any event I've been to since moving to Miami.
3. I don't think I'm going to come up with anything deep or new on this issue, but I'll just say that the doctrine of Quranic abbrogation has often stuck me as odd. It is bizzare to think that there are verses in the Quran which are meant to be read, studied and recited for the past 1400 years, from the time they were revealed to now, and from now until Judgement Day, but they are only legally valid for a period of 20 years or so. Maybe more on this later.
4. I recently picked up the book Jesus for President: politics for ordinary radicals by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. It is a pretty good read so far. The authors seem to be advocating a kind of hippie liberation theology. The book takes many of its visual cues from the 'zines while the text highlights many of the ways in which the Jewish and Christian writings take a critical stance towards conventional secular ideals of kingdom and empire.
5. I just went to a Borders and discovered a new Boondocks book which I hadn't known about before: All the Rage: The Boondocks Past and Present (nice).
See also:
second things second
"armageddon has been in effect... go get a late pass!" (part one)
what has hip-hop really done for racism?
Sunni Forum: Hanafi Doctrine of Naskh (Abrogation)
www.jesusforpresident.org
9 comments:
Not surprised at all about Flav and Chuck.
they are only legally valid for a period of 20 years or so
I don't know, but the lessons to be learned from the gradual implementation of the alcohol ban, for example, remain meaningful to the present day. In that sense they still impart legal wisdom.
I love Rumi but somtimes it's like "Damn, there's other Sufi poets you know!" I think Baraka B was right about how "guys in shorts" sheer Rumi of everything dangerous or scary and then trot him out to marvel mildly at. Just my 2.
Bin Gregory, it is interesting that you mention the alcohol ban. One of the funny things about the abrogation issue is that scholars seem to have many varying opinions about which examples even count as "abrogation" Some scholars say that there are dozens while I know Shah Waliullah only admitted five (pairs of verses).
I think for Waliullah there are many examples of verses which explain, expand, refine and add to one another but where all the verses in question still remain valid.
In terms of the alcohol ban, I definitely agree that there is some wisdom in the idea of gradual implementation. But you could argue that this is different from abrogation because it is still not okay to pray when you are drunk.
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In terms of Rumi, thanks. I think you are right. Something is lost when Rumi is taken out of an Islamic context.
http://baraka.progressiveislam.org/?p=47
white people have a serious Rumi craze going on. a continuation of the orientalist, appropriative, culture-vulturing...nothing new. i'm not saying they're not feeling it...i just wish such poetry events would be packed with a room full of people of color. i wish more of the young people of color i know, students, would read Rumi and the kinds of poetry that the school system would never introduce them to.
i grew up with Rumi's poetry and that of other incredible Sufi poets...and i knew him as Mowlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi, not Rumi. I wonder if most people know that is his real name...
as for PE...i'd also love to see Chuck D get that much exposure. most of the young people around me know Flav but not Chuck D. I tell them about PE and they look at me like i'm crazy. thanks to youtube and wikipedia....i've got them doing some music history research.
peace
PQ
The moorish orthodox peeps have a picture of Rumi done Eastern Orthodox icon style http://www.geocities.com/moorishorthodoxchurch/rumi.jpg
An excellent critique of the whole naskh (abrogation) issue from a scholarly Muslim perspective is contained in Elements of Islamic Jurisprudence by Ahmad Hasan.
Flavor Flav gets the media spotlight because he is a "fool" (or jester), i.e. source of entertainment for the Racist (White Supremacist).
I couldn't find the book "Elements of Islamic Jurisprudence" online (at least not with that author) but I'll keep an eye out. I definitely have heard of a few scholars here and there who interpret the Quran with only minimal use of the abrogation concept.
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Yes, I totally agree on Flavor Flav. Especially after watching the Roast.
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