I think I’ve finally found the phrase that identifies me, at least with regards to the kinda guys I go for. According to part 3 of the Gay Muslims documentary, I would be a “Mohammed queen”. (Similar to how a white guy who likes East Asian guys is called a “rice queen” and a non-white guy who likes white guys is called a “snow queen.”) I feel like my ideal lover and life partner would be a guy who identifies as Muslim and practices the faith (or, at least, shows some genuine love/affection for it).

The month of Ramadan, the Hajj season, and the days of the Eids are some of the most blessed moments of our calendar, let us try to fill them with peace, compassion, and good will towards all humanity; and let us start within our community. Have a blessed Eid, and please sign this pledge:

We pledge to engage with respect and good will towards those who hold views different from ours on the calendar of our festivals. Wa Allahu Aalam, only the Almighty has perfect knowledge.

Here’s the full statement from the MPV:

Comments after the jump:

Founding conference attracts diverse gathering resolved to create physical spaces for progressive Muslims

Bronxville, NY/Los Angeles, CA: The progressive Muslim movement in the United States took a significant step forward as a diverse collection of activists, organizers, and academics gathered at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, May 15-17, for the first conference of Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV, website: www.mpvusa.org). Coming together in fellowship, they joined in communal devotion, shared the various personal, intellectual, and spiritual journeys that brought them there, discussed how to formulate their positions on political, social, and cultural issues and how to interact with other progressives and other Muslims. They also elected an Executive Board to lead them for the next two years.

As I have said before, on the whole I like Eteraz and Eteraz.org’s general drift. Which is why I stay engaged there—and try to raise issues I think important. There’s a post on the Eteraz.org site titled "One Brother Dead"...

Shouldn’t that be "at least" one brother dead? There was also mention of at least one female victim that seemed to have a Muslim background: Reema Samaha. She can’t be considered a sister?

Other questions:

As Ilan sorts out the next version of Drupal, I am putting together two new sections for the site: 1. Muslim Comedy and Humor, and 2. Your Typical Muslim. "Your Typical Muslim" will highlight Muslims that everyone should know. Ludicrously cool Muslims. In other words, your typical Muslim.

Meet Mahdi Tourage! Scholar of Islamic Studies at Colgate University. He Rides with the Mala'ika al-Janna, is a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is the devoted father of Layla, Thalis, and Janos, husband of Sonja, and granddaddy to little Layla's cat Pishee.

I haven't been posting because, well, I haven't been thinking in that "committed progressive theoretical up on my soap box" way lately.  I've been happy, sleeping, working, researching, doing other things like cleaning my apartment and organizing my dvds.  Then I thought this morning…wait a sec!  I am a progressive Muslim, then anything I am into is "progressive Islam" is it not?  Okay, I don't think that.  You caught me.  This is merely a ploy so that I might post some errata and call it progressive Islam cause I got naught else to write about:

There are a number of interesting stories on Keith Ellison I would like to reprint here. 1st, Shahed Amanullah's piece on Ellison's use of the Jefferson Qur'an for his private oath of office. 2nd, the video of the oath. 3rd, an interview with Ellison. Then finally, 4th, Ellison's recent essay in Newsweek.

Someone on a list I am on sent around the "Ramazan Checklist" that is one of the pieces of faith-related spam that circulates once in a while. You can can read the whole think by clicking on the graphic at right--or here. Here's the reply I posted on that list:

Thank you for the reminder. I would particularly like to bring attention to #7 and #8. And ihsaan, good akhlaque, is amongst the best of sadaqah, we were brought up to believe. Let us remember to be compassionate, polite, and beyond polite, let us be warm and friendly both to Muslims and, even more importanly, I believe, non-Muslims; and towards people we agree with and love as friends and dear ones, but, even more importantly, towards people we disagree with who, we think, are completely wrong on this or that issue (take, for example, when Eid is, or whether the calendar should or should not be fixed).