indiana jones and the temple of orientalism

As I was thinking about the Indiana Jones films and how they are set among people of "the East" (both Near and Far) and prominently feature Nazis (in the first and third films) I started to wonder if I could find commentaries on the films which wrestled with issues of orientalism and racism.

So far I've only found two:
Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as Virtual Reality: The Orientalist and Colonial Legacies of Gunga Din by Dr. Kaizaad Navroze Kotwal is more of an academic piece which focuses on Temple of Doom and places it in a larger context of post-colonial studies.

Reflections: Director's cut by Hani Shukrallah, on the other hand, was published in Al-Ahram Weekly and isn't really about Raiders of the Lost Ark (which Shukrallah describes as "possibly one of the most blatantly racist films ever produced by Hollywood") as much as it uses a scene from the film (the one where Indiana Jones shoots the swordsman in the Egyptian souq) as a vehicle to talk about the condition of the Arab world in modern times.

When you really break it down, it is pretty easy to criticize certain racial/cultural aspects of the various films. For example Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was even banned in India on the grounds of "racist portrayal of Indians and overt imperialistic tendencies". I'm starting to realize that if it weren't for the Nazis (or the murderous Thugees in the second film) which make him seem heroic by comparison, it would be harder to distinguish Indiana Jones from an ordinary grave robber. On the other hand, the portrayal of the Thugees and the other "Orientals" throughout the series is itself problematic.

indiana jones and the spear of destiny

I was recently reading about Nazi mysticism and thinking on how there is allegedly a fourth Indiana Jones movie in the works (apparently most of the pre-production is done and release is planned for 2008). It made me wonder; if Indiana Jones has already discovered the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail, what else is left for him to find? Considering how bad Temple of Doom was compared to the other two movies I thought it would be best if they stuck to Judeo-Christian relics. But then the only item which seemed of comparable significance to the Holy Grail was the Spear of Destiny. The Spear which was allegedly used to pierce the side of Christ on the cross has already appeared elsewhere in popular culture. (For example, it plays important roles in the film Constantine and the made-for-tv Indiana Jones knock-off, The Librarian: Quest for the Spear.)

Well, it turns out that great minds think alike (or fools never differ). At least one blogger posted his or her own synopsis for the hypothetical Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny. On another site, a fan wrote a partial script with the same title (along with other fan scripts such as the rather polemical Indiana Jones and the Blade of Abraham) A recent discussion of the upcoming film, New "Indiana Jones"? also suggests using the Spear of Destiny. Basically, everyone and their mom is thinking along the same lines.

The surprising thing (or not so surprising to some) is that all of us are horribly slow and Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny already exists... as a comic book and it was even almost made into a video game. I'll try to check it out the next time I walk into a comic book store.

But I'm still thinking that a film version of Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny could be done (or re-done) in a powerful and effective way. Perhaps Jones could get the Spear from the Nazis and he turns it over to the US government towards the end of WWII, around the time of Hiroshima, and the film could end suggesting that we still have it today. (damn! that could be deep) Does anyone out there have other suggestions for what the fourth Indiana Jones movie could be about? Finding the Garden of Eden? the True Cross? Noah's Ark?

shaykh homie

I'm currently in the middle of reading The Sufis by Idries Shah. In some (traditional Muslim/Sufi) circles, Shah is highly criticized because he takes the position that one can be Sufi without being Muslim. For him Sufism is a reality which existed eternally and in particular, it predates the birth of Muhammad (saaws) on the Arabian Peninsula. In other circles, Shah is also criticized for his involvement in witchcraft and magic. (This is detailed a little in the Wikipedia article). Personally I would not go along with Shah's definition of "Sufism" but it isn't difficult to read the book while keeping in mind that when Shah says "Sufi" he is merely talking about something different from what I mean when I say "Sufi". In any case, in the book's Introduction (by Robert Graves) I found an interesting passage which I felt like sharing, especially since it resonated with something I've blogged about before. Graves writes:

The court fool of the Spanish kings with his bladder stick, his motely clothes, cock crest, jingling bells, simple wisdom and utter disrespect of authority is a Sufi figure. His jokes were accepted by sovereigns as having a deeper wisdom than the most solemn advice of eldest concillors.

Sound familiar? This is Homie the Clown, a figure with a very old pedigree. In an earlier post "homie don't play that" we already saw some Spanish and Afro-Latin precursors to Homie. But in terms of the blog, I thought it was a fascinating coincidence that Graves would describe the same figure as a Sufi as well. Very Grenada-esque.

even more on (and from) brother keith

Recently Laury posted: Keith Ellison Story, Film, Interview, and Essay over at www.progressiveislam.org. The post includes more details on the Jefferson Quran and the whole situation, a film of the swearing-in, an interview with Ellison where he gives a little more detail about his faith and his politics, and finally an essay by Ellison where he encourages Americans to embrace a broader, more inclusive, more "generous" vision of the country.

the pen and the sword

Unity Productions Foundation: The Pen and the Sword is one of many projects trying to put more positive historical images of Muslims and Islamic civilization out in the media. The Pen and the Sword deals with inter-religious relations in Medieval Spain. And Prince Among Slaves deals with the story of Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori, an African prince who was enslaved in Mississippi from 1788 to 1828 when he finally won his freedom and returned to Africa. Check them out.

more on ellison and the jefferson quran

I kind of wish I had been as informative. Here are more details about the situation from Sadiq M. Alam's blog, Inspirations and Creative Thoughts in an entry called: Keith Ellison, Thomas Jefferson's Quran and America's embrace of diversity

some "final" thoughts on kwanzaa

I'm still a little surprised by the Kwanzaa backlash (e.g. Jerry Falwell's War On Kwanzaa or Ann Coulter). The holiday period has apparently gone from being an obscure cultural nationalist celebration to being a dangerous threat to the right-wing. I'm honestly not sure where this over-reaction is coming from. Sadly, the most common anti-Kwanzaa argument found in the blogosphere recently is also the least logical (i.e. an ad homiem attack on Karenga, the founder of the holiday). What the critics don't seem to realize is that Kwanzaa is not intended as Maulana Karenga Day. In my opinion, its validity as a holiday has more to do with the value of Pan-Africanism and the specific principles of the Nguzo Saba. Even if you want to argue that Karenga was a bastard, the important issue has to do with the values of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

makes me want to smile

In a rather elegant response to the people who were calling him unAmerican for choosing to use a Quran for his swearing-in ceremony, Keith Ellison will be using a Quran once owned by Thomas Jefferson. Nice.

darfur is dying

In a past post (el emigrante) I brought folk's attention to some free online video games which dealt with "Grenada-esque" themes but were done in very questionable taste. As a contrast, Darfur is Dying is an online "game" which actually tries to spread some awareness about the situation in Darfur and is done in a much more respectful and realistic tone. It is still basically a video game so it definitely has its limitations as a way of conveying information. I also wonder to what extent it might be considered a form of propaganda.

I've noticed other examples of people using online games to encourage people to think in certain ways about a certain situation. The most fun example which comes to mind is the McDonald's Videogame where you are given the task of successfully running McDonald's. The action takes place on four different levels: initial production of feed and livestock, preparing cattle for slaughter, management of employees at the franchise-level, and finally setting the broader corporate policies. The game has a very good cartoon visual-style and is simple enough to be manageable, but complex enough to remain interesting. The game also has an interesting anti-McDonald's slant; opportunites abound to engage in all sorts of shady activities (e.g. adding industrial waste or hormones to the feed, mistreating your employees, bribing a variety of public officials, bulldozing a tribal village for their land, etc.) and the economic and ecological harms which McDonald's contributes to are emphasized throughout.

I suspect that the McDonald's game has actually gotten some people nervous because I've recently seen a hastily programed game called Bacteria Salad which emphasizes the dangers of fuits and vegetables?!?!?

eid mubarak y'all

A blessed eid to all those celebrating today and a second helping for those celebrating tomorrow. And if you are interested in some of the astronomical/fiqh issues you might want to check out Hamza Yusuf has to say about the issue over at Crescentwatch.org.

kwanzaa in the blogosphere

It doesn't look like anyone took me up on my suggestion in it's beginning to look a lot like kwanzaa... to create a Kwanzaa blogring. But in any case, with the exception of anti-Kwanzaa right-wing bloggers who basically copied or linked to Ann Coulter saying nasty things about Maulana Karenga, fewer people than I expected seem to have blogged about Kwanzaa at all this year. But here are some of the meatier, thoughtful and positive examples of folks blogging on the merits and significance of Kwanzaa. Enjoy! Peace.

Cobb: Twas the Night Before Kwanzaa
Cobb: Kwanzaa Reborn
Cobb: I was the Z
Garvey's Ghost: Thoughts on Kwanzaa 2006
All About George: Umoja
All About George: Kujichagulia
All About George: Ujima
Kiamsha.Com: Kwanzaa Reflections
Zimbio: The People's Guide to Kwanzaa

Fort Wayne African-American Independent Woman:
Weisser Park Center welcomes Dr.Maulana Karenga
Habari gani - Umoja/Kwanzaa reflection
Habari gani - Kujichagulia/Kwanzaa reflection
Habari gani - Ujima/Kwanzaa reflection
Habari gani -Ujamaa/Kwanzaa reflection
More on Cooperative Economics

So What Can I Do? (last year) Umoja , Kujichagulia , Ujima , Ujamaa , Nia , Kuumba , Imani

Kwanzaa Podcast Series

and also:
Karenga's Us Organization Website

do platanos go wit' collard greens?

Since today is the first day of Kwanzaa and today's principle is umoja or unity, it seemed appropriate to mention the following:

Platanos and Collard Greens is a play based on David Lamb's first novel, Do Platanos Go Wit' Collard Greens which centers around a romantic relationship between an African-American man and a Dominican woman. I have not yet seen the play, but I have read the novel. One recurring theme is the common African heritage of African-Americans, Dominicans and Puerto Ricans.

To be sure, there are other works on this topic I would recommend more highly such as Piri Thomas' Down These Mean Streets or Jesus Colon's A Puerto Rican in New York and other Sketches. But Lamb's novel, and presumably the play, serve as a decent introduction to these issues in the idiom of the hip-hop generation.

See also:
On cross-racial unity:
an open letter from latinos to african american sisters and brothers
on being black at a latino march

On Afrolatinos and the African component of Latin culture:
piri thomas interview
the afrolatino connection
black and hispanic
the black latino experience
somos primos: black latino connection
african aspects of the puerto rican personality

And for a heads-up on an upcoming conference at UC Berkeley:
beyond visibility: rethinking the african diaspora in latin america

all hail dragon jesus?

You may have heard about the Virgin dragon to give birth in holiday season. Flora is a Komodo Dragon living at the Chester Zoo who has managed to lay fertile eggs without ever being exposed to a male Komodo Dragon. It has long been known that other organisms have the capacity to reproduce in this fashion (known as parthenogenesis)but this is one of the first cases it has been observed in a Komodo Dragon.

The story reminds me of the Woodland Critter Christmas episode of South Park which centers around a porcupine giving birth to a Savior (with a twist).

richards' racist rant (epilogue)

Shortly after the Richard's meltdown, the folks at National Lampoon quickly put together the parody Seinfeld: The Lost Episode combining new footage with clips from the original show. Personally I found it hilarious. And some of the clips (especially with Kramer in "blackface") show that even well before the meltdown, the Seinfeld show left something to be desired when it comes to its racial politics.

Andy Dick -- The New "Kramer"?
Wayans Drops N-Bomb, Faces Fallout

Andy Dick was already near the top of my list of least favorite comedians but reading about him dropping n-bombs at LA's Improv certainly isn't helping. Damon Wayans has also attained the infamous distinction of being the first famous comedian to violate the Laugh Factory's n-word policy (resulting in a $320 fine and a 3 month ban).

While I'm glad that the Laugh Factory seems to be applying their policy equally to black and white comedians, I do think that on a social level, black and white usage of the n-term and similar comments can be viewed differently. The identity of the speaker is part of the context which can have a large impact on the significance of the word.

For example, what if both Marcus Garvey and the Grand Wizard of the Klan say to a Black person: "Go Back to Africa." The same four words, in one case they are an expression of solidarity, pride and achievement. In the other case they are an expression of exclusion, rejection and worthlessness.

I tend to think Michael Jackson jokes (about him being or becoming white) tend to have the same split. When a black comedian does such a joke, the subtext is often "Michael, we love you. Come back home." When a white comedian does it, the subtext is more likely "N------ please, who do you think you are?" The difference is all in the context.

Grenada's past:
richards' racist rant
richards' racist rant (part 2)

rebiya kadeer: the uighur dalai lama

In These Times: Rebiya Kadeer: The Uighur Dalai Lama
Amnesty International: Rebiya Kadeer, Prisoner of Conscience
Wikipedia: Rebiya Kadeer

Grenada: wild pigeon for another example of Uighur activism

black presidents (part two)

I'm still working on a blog entry about some of the past real-life Black presidential candidates, but in the meantime...

just today, NPR's All Things Considered did a report called Will American Voters Elect a Black President? which dealt with the idea of a Black president in general and Barack Obama specifically. The point which resonated the most with me is the idea that although there are clearly Black candidates who are qualified to be commander and chief and leader of the free world, the white electorate has a basic fear that a "black president" would seriously address and eliminate white privilege. And that is one deep and serious security blanket for a lot of folks. Like Chris Rock said: "there's not a white man in this room that would change places with me, none of you and I'm rich"

black presidents (part one)

there is something about mary (gabriel's message)

Gabriel's Message is a version of an old Basque Christmas Carol from A Very Special Christmas Album (released back in 1987). I remember seeing Sting perform this song on tv back in the day and at the time I found it hauntingly beautiful. I still kind of like it, especially since it doesn't raise any theological problems. If you don't believe me, just check out the recent Guadalupe post to see what Islam has to say about Mary. 

The angel Gabriel from heaven came
His wings as drifted snow
His eyes as flame
"All hail" said he "thou lowly maiden Mary
Most highly favored lady, " Gloria, Gloria

"For known a blessed mother thou shalt be
All generations laud and honor thee
Thy Son shall be Emanuel
By seers foretold
Most highly favored maid, " Gloria, Gloria

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head
"To me be as it pleaseth God, " she said,
"My soul shall laud and magnify His holy name."
Most highly favored lady, Gloria, Gloria

it's beginning to look a lot like kwanzaa...

Last year, I wrote a whole series of posts on the seven principles of kwanzaa (the nguzo saba) and on the holiday as a whole. And in the course of doing that series, I started to look around and see that a lot of other Black bloggers were also reflecting on the principles daily and it occured to me that it might be productive/ deep/ interesting/ beneficial if there was a blogring/ carnival out there to bring together all the kwanzaa bloggers. At the moment, I'm honestly not certain of the best way to implement it so the main purpose of the current post is to encourage someone out there with more web knowledge and initiative to pick up the torch. What I have in mind is some sort of easy-to-join, easy-to-read, easy-to-link-to forum where bloggers can share their thoughts on the Nguzo Saba. It doesn't have to be some kind of cultural-nationalist-Karenga-fan-club (some of my posts were definitely critical of certain aspects of Karenga's ideology) but I would hope the participants would take the principles seriously and wrestle with their significance to our lives today.

Last year's Kwanzaa series:
kwanzaa
umoja
tawhid (umoja cont')
kujichagulia
ujima
ujima continued
ujamaa
julius nyerere and ujamaa
why i like it, why i don't
even a stopped clock
nia
kuumba
imani
kwanzaa gains momentum among caribbean blacks

lupe fiasco

Lupe is a devout Muslim, although he admits to not being a role model Muslim.

Lupe on Islam:

"Well, I was born Muslim, so Islam plays a part in my everything I do, to a certain extent. I'm not like the poster boy for Islam you know what I'm saying? So it's like I still got my flaws and stuff like that, so I don't really wear that on my sleeve. [But] I'm really with some underlying consciousness, no matter what it is that I can talk about -cocaine, or I can talk about carrying guns. I've been literally carrying guns since I was five, like four or five years old, simply because my father was in the military and he wanted to teach us how to shoot. I've been shooting AK's since I was as baby, you know? I don't like to glorify ignorance or nothing like that, but I know you need to – you can talk about it in certain aspects. You'll still get the people who don't listen unless you're talking about nonsense. Catch their ear, and then at the same time, teach them something, you know? It [also] plays on the extra curricular stuff that happens about, about being like a rapper and being in the music business like going to – all right, I don't go to clubs, I don't drink, I don't smoke, you know like my whole – the whole groupie situation is shut down."

Official Lupe Fiasco page
Lupe Fiasco on Myspace
Lupe Fiasco on Islam (with lyrics and music to "Muhammad Walks")
Wikipedia: Lupe Fiasco

return to guadalupe

I learned recently that today(December 12) is the feast day for Our Lady of Guadalupe so I thought it would be nice (and easy) to put together some past entries on the subject of the Virgin of Guadalupe specifically, and the theological significance of Mary in Islam generally.

islam in mexico - the spanish conquest
more thoughts from the guadalupe candle
the name guadalupe
the once and future goddess
the wise men
the son of mary
jesus and the virgin mary in islam
immaculate conception

Some of this (devotion to saints) (reminds me of the similarities between Orthodox/Catholic Christianity and what I would call orthodox/traditional Islam (use of tangible objects like rosaries/tasbihs or "talismans", richness and solemnity of ritual, an aesthetic sensibility) which I alluded to in the radical middle way.