ISNA – Great American Pilgrimage?

That time of year has dawn upon us again. Yes, as many of your know, it is that time of the year when Muslims from all over North America, and sometimes even from other parts of the globe flock to Chicago, Illinois to attend the ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) National Convention. This annual festival has become a regular for myself, and tens of thousands of American Muslims like myself. Each year we drive, fly, or perhaps even hitch hike (joke everyone!) to make our way to the ISNA National convention in hopes of making tawaaf around the bazaar, listening to the awesome lectures from the likes of Sheikh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Sirraj Wahhaj, to listen to the generally awesome entertainment, and to meet up others whom we have not seen since the previous years convention.

Ahh yes, only a few days away, and already the tension is building. What will Sheikh Hamza wow us with this year? What songs will Kareem Salama and Dawud Wharnsby perform off their forthcoming albums. Will Native Deen be there?! Will I get more than 3 hours of sleep a night?!

So many questions, and the answers are soon to come. I will be sure and try to take some pics while I am there, provided I don’t forget my digital camera.

For those that want to find out more about ISNA, click here

Sami Yusuf – Mother FARSI Version

Finally!!! At long last, Sami Yusuf has release the FARSI version of Mother after it long being announced on his official website. For all those fans who waited so patiently, the wait is over. Just wait till the television stations get a hold of this in Iran. Sami Yusuf was popular when I was in Iran in May of this year, and they kept playing his supplication song which was in English and Arabic. Now to have a song in Farsi and English… Sami Yusuf’s popularity is about to increase ten fold in Iran.

Hijabs and Palestine

Disclaimer: Please do not take this video seriously, it is meant to be a parody:)

Don’t really know what much to say about this video, except for you will have to see it to believe it. I found myself chuckling throughout the video. Nice job from Aman Ali in giving us something to laugh at.

Sami Yusuf singing in Farsi (Persian) in Los Angeles

I don’t know what to say!!! I am speechless. My dream has come true, I have finally heard Sami Yusuf sing in Farsi!!! Oh why, oh why won’t he sing more in Farsi! No, I am not a native speaker of Farsi, but I grew up listening to Persian music from my father, and the words mean so much more in Farsi than English sometimes!!  I hope he makes some tracks in Farsi on his new album inshAllah! *** I am so easy to make happy, I know ***

Lupe Fiasco – Superstar (NEW TRACK!)

This is a video of a new track from Lupe Fiasco’s forthcoming album, The Cool, scheduled to release on Haloween 2007. The track definitely sounds solid, and really shows promise that the album will be just as good.

Saudi Arabia’s first music video urges youths to become devout

Ran across this, and found it very interesting, and motivational. I don’t speak arabic, but I have picked up bits and pieces over the years, however I hope perhaps to find the lyrics translated somewhere. If I do, I will post them.

Source: International Herald Tribune

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: The Arab world’s hugely popular music video industry often features sexy performers in revealing clothes crooning about love.

But the first clip to be fully produced in Saudi Arabia has a message of a different kind: You can be cool and devout.

The video is unusual because it was made in a country where the religious establishment considers music un-Islamic and bans it in public places. And the main cast includes a Saudi woman, something rare in a work produced inside the kingdom.

But in a sign of Saudi impatience with the restrictions, “Malak Ghair Allah” or “You Only Have God to Count On” was a hit when it was launched at a popular mall in the western seaport of Jiddah last week. Hundreds of people showed up to watch it on a giant screen in the mall’s main hall.

“People didn’t stop clapping. Some had tears in their eyes,” Kaswara al-Khatib, the video’s director, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The video is expected to air on most of the Middle East’s more than 30 music satellite TV channels this week. Despite fears among the Saudi clergy over the corrupting influence of music videos, the clip had implicit government approval. The credits thank “those who helped make this work a success,” including the Information Ministry.

“You Only Have God to Count On” uses upbeat music to tell the story of a successful man who had strayed from the path of true Islam. He smokes, flirts with women even though he’s engaged and doesn’t join his colleagues at work in performing the five daily Muslim prayers.

Things slowly start to go bad: he has a flat tire and problems at work and his fiancee leaves him when she sees him talking to another woman. He then has a serious accident while recklessly driving his motorcycle. After he recovers, the man starts to pray, stops smoking, wins back his fiancee and excels at work.

Significantly, the man, played by Salah Abul-Jadayel, a tall, fit third-year medical student sporting a hip goatee, doesn’t grow the big, bushy beard favored by fundamentalist Muslims. He still wears T-shirts and jeans and sticks to his old friends, including a man who favors the much-frowned-upon ponytails.

“I wanted the youths to understand that it’s not the looks that count. It’s what inside that matters,” al-Khatib said.

“The video also has this message: Don’t give up and think, ‘I sinned, therefore I’m going to hell,’” the director added. “Think that there’s a God and he is always there to help you.”

While there’s no lack of production crews, dancers and singers in Lebanon, Egypt and other Arab countries that produce music videos, things are different in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom follows the strictest school of Islam that bans the mixing of the sexes and all forms of entertainment, including music in restaurants, concerts and movie theaters.

Al-Khatib, 37, who heads an advertising agency, has previously produced music videos, but this is the first that is an all-Saudi work. It was filmed along Jiddah’s boardwalk on the Red Sea, a popular hangout for youths.

The lyrics of the song, performed by Muhammed al-Haddad, say in part: “If things go bad … if your dreams have been lost … you only have God to count on.”

Al-Khatib, said that for the lead female part, he had to get permission from the parents of Ruwaina al-Jihani before he could cast her in the role of the fiancee.

“They consulted with the extended family before giving their consent,” said al-Khatib.

Al-Jihani, an attractive university student, appeared covered in the traditional black cloak and headcover, with only her face showing. One shot showed her all in white at her engagement.

Al-Khatib said that while music is controversial in Saudi Arabia, he has heard fatwas (religious edicts) from non-Saudi clerics who say music for a good cause should not be illegal.

Plus, al-Khatib said he wanted to give Saudi youths an alternative to music videos produced abroad but popular on satellite TV.

“The problem is not the music. It’s how you utilize it,” said the director.

“We wanted to talk to them in their own language,” he added. “Instead of saying, ‘Don’t listen to music,’ we’re saying, ‘Listen to music that’s good for you.’”

Amir Sulaiman – “Spit” Short Film

Don’t know what to think of this video yet. Let’s discuss it in the comments section. I would like to know what everyone thinks about it.

Two Florida University Muslim Students Arrested

Honest arrest or racial profiling? Only time will tell…

Sami Yusuf Concert Feedback

Ok, my apologies to those who were awaiting my feedback on the Evening of Inspiration show featuring Sami Yusuf. I have been extremely busy last few days working on an exciting new project, which I hope to unveil here on my blog in the coming weeks. All I can say about it at the moment is, that it involves Muslims and Entertainment

Now, on to the show feedback. First, I must start off by saying, I didn’t get any pictures. At first I had forgot my camera in the car, and considered to grab it during the intermission, but when I saw that they were not allowing people to take pictures, I skipped that idea. So, although it is less than ideal, it is what it is.

So, with regards to the show, we arrived right in time, but missed the opening of the show because of some slight problems with our tickets.We got that sorted after what seemed like a looonnngg 10 minutes, and after a quick rush to the restrooms (we drove 3 hours to get there by the way), we took our seats. Oh, I also got upgraded to a VIP seat . By the time we got to our seats, Hamza Robertson was already half way through his first song. I had heard the CD a ton of times already though, so I really wasn’t too worried about it. However, since I had already seen Sami and Native Deen quite a few times before, I was really keen on seeing how Hamza Robertson would do, especially since Nazeel seemed so nervous the year before when he opened for Sami.

So, first thing off the bat, what I noticed about Hamza is that his voice is just excellent. Actually, I already had a good feeling about this from the YouTube videos I had seen from him and his album as well. But, nothing tells the truth like seeing a person perform live in concert, and trust me, I have been to over 100 Islamic/Nasheed concerts in the last 2 years. I am happy to say, Hamza Robertson passed the test as far as his voice goes, and that can be one of the more difficult things to do, the other being stage presence. I am also happy to say that Hamza passed the test with regards to his stage presence. He came off confident, never looked to be the least bit nervous, and talked to the audience as if he had been doing it for a long time. Overall, Hamza gets a B for his performance. I would have given him an A, however, he sang to CD backing tracks, which really doesn’t come off as impressive. Had he had some backing singers, or instrumentalists with him, I would have bumped him up to an A. With regards to his tracks, Hamza sang Our Creation, Your Beauty, Show Me, and My Hero. One interesting point, is that after his set, Hamza came and sat in the first row, a few seats away from me, and watched Native Deen and Sami perform, which I find to be very cool.

After Hamza, was Native Deen. As usual, my expectations of Native Deen were very high. I have known these brothers for about 3 years now, and Alhamdullilah it has been a sincere pleasure knowing and working with them on several different live events I have organized in the past. As I have seen their live shows improve over the year, I was expecting something big to impress me this year, as they have failed to let me down yet. And I feel safe to say, that I was not let down the least. First thing that I noticed, is that they had quite a setup on stage this year. As is the past, they had they main drum set center stage as they have had in the past. I also saw conga drums of to one side, however along with those conga drums were another typ of drums, steel drums perhaps, and a big xylophone. As well, I noticed off to the right of the stage a DJ’ing table. This could really be interesting I thought to myself, and interesting it was indeed.

To Be Continued….

Back from seeing Sami Yusuf

I got back real late last night from seeing Sami Yusuf at the Evening of Inspiration. Full review coming tonight inshAllah.