Sunday, January 05, 2014

aishah, rebeccah and young marriage

From time to time I've been caught up into highly-polemical religious discussions on the internet. At times I've found such discussions personally useful as a way to clarify for myself what I believe. Other times, the discussions are a source of aggravation and a waste of time. One of the more hot-button issues in the context of such discussions is the fact that Muhammad (saaws) married Aishah (ra) when she was relatively young. Alot of the time, my main response would be to point people to  The Young Marriage of Aishah by Abû Imân cAbd ar-Rahmân Robert Squires, which provides a fairly well reasoned discussion of the subject.

Recently my mind has been blown after reading the article: Child Marriage in Ancient Israelite times which, among other things, cites the "respected" rabbinic opinion that Rebecca was only three years old when she got married to Isaac, and that in general, child marriage was INCREDIBLY widespread in the ancient Jewish world


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Also see: Our Mother A'isha's Age At The Time Of Her Marriage to The Prophet which presents a fairly detailed argument for Aishah being older than is usually stated, while at the same time making it clear that young marriages were not at all atypical for the time (for example, Aisha herself was almost engaged to someone else).

someone is wrong on the internet

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Monday, December 16, 2013

lorde's royals and the people's revolt

For some reason I find the minor controversy over Lord's song, "Royals" and whether it is racist or not really intriguing. I'm especially interested in seeing how different artists of color have engaged with the song through covers and remixes, with varying degrees of creative and political sophistication. (There are even a few white artists who add new levels of appropriation in the mix as well). Feministing: Wow, that Lorde song Royals is racist Feministing: A little more on Lorde, Royals, and Racism The Guardian: Lorde's song Royals deserves nuanced critique XXL: Five Best Rapper Remixes of Lorde’s “Royals”

ROYALS REMIX LORDE FT VA DRIVE from IN FOCUS on Vimeo.

(Ghetto from my head to my toe cover) by Vamsi ft. Ace

Monday, December 02, 2013

the end of totally biased

Unfortunately, the show Totally Biased has been cancelled. But hopefully it will lead to bigger and better things for W. Kamau Bell. W. Kamau Bell: A Baker’s Dozen of My Favorite “Totally Biased” Clips see also: zain malik on w. kamau bell's totally biased

the fate of afro-turks: nothing left but the color

Qantara: Nothing Left but the Color

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

Saturday, November 02, 2013

tato laviera is dead

Hispanic New York: Tato Laviera, Prominent Nuyorican Poet, Is Dead This makes me sad. When I was in college I discovered Tato Laviera's poetry and it played a big role in my thinking about what it means to be Afro-Latino. I even organized an event to bring him to campus and got to spend a chunk of time with him. He's apparently been sick for a while with diabetes and unconscious. Rest in Peace. Inna illahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

no woman, no drive

For the sarcasm impaired, this is a satire.

Sunday, October 06, 2013

william copeland & joe reilly - twice in a lifetime

This is a sequel of my favorite song by Will Copeland and Joe Reilly (see "i've seen ethiopians knocking out rome")



A version of the same song also appears on Copeland's (aka Namaste Brown aka Ill Wizard aka Will See) new digital album: The Basics. (check the link to hear free samples, buy the whole album or individual tracks)

Friday, September 27, 2013

the ugliness of beauty pagents



It is surprising to me how ugly and political beauty pageants seem to be getting lately. First Nina Davuluri becomes the first Miss America of Indian descent (prompting a confused and ignorant racist backlash). And then Jakiyah McKoy wins Little Miss Hispanic Delaware, only to have her crown stripped from her because 1) some racist Hispanics don't believe a black little girl can represent "latin beauty" and 2) she apparently wasn't able to produce proof of her Dominican grandmother. For me, Jakiyah's situation cuts a little closer to home since I could totally imagine crap like that happening to some of my younger relatives. I also find it especially ironic that the issue should ostensibly turn on the identity of the grandmother (see y tu abuela donde esta? and y tu abuela, a’onde esta?