Performances at The Shrine in Harlem by DAM, Shadia Mansour & M1, Mazzi Soul Purpose, Marcel Cartier
Performances at The Shrine in Harlem by DAM, Shadia Mansour & M1, Mazzi Soul Purpose, Marcel Cartier
By wandering through fifteen new galleries in the new Islamic art gallery at the Metropolitan Art Museum, one can travel throughout the Islamic civilization, from the Middle East to North Africa, Europe and Central and South, in less than fourteen centuries and any without effort. The only strenuous effort is to read and comprehend the gallery’s official name: ”Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Later South Asia.
The Tides Are Turning. #Palestine
Another celeb raising her voice about the rights of the Palestinians #courage
MIDWOOD, BROOKLYN:: On the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, few New Yorkers did not participate in some form of commemoration somewhere in the city. In the South of Brooklyn the Catholic church ‘Our Lady of Refuge’ had opened its doors for interfaith rememberance and worship. So this day one could spot a kippa, fez, hijab and small crosses on the pews; a father, Imam and a rabbi on the pulpit; and members of the different belief societies who read quotes from the Bible, Torah and Koran. Furthermore music from local artists composed for the occasion floated between the arches.10 years after an event that would sow discord and suspicion between Christian, Jewish and Muslim Americans, the religious community in southern Brooklyn proved, that the unity there is stronger than ever before.
This video gives an impression of the sorrow, unity and love that was expressed on that day.
Beats, bass & booty and the best day for the NYPD to be on duty.
My report from the West Indian-American carnival on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn on Labor Day 2011:
Music credit: Like it’s Carnival by Admiral T Feat. Machel Montano
How a Norwegian assassin went from being a Muslim terrorist to an islamophobic far right nationalist. When the media and “experts” are too desperate to break a story, they get it all wrong. Another embarrassing example of the pitfalls of taking at face-value ‘facts’ that have gone viral on social media.
Two and half hours after a bomb exploded at the Norwegian Prime Minister’s office, and a man had gone on a shooting spree at a camp for Labor Party youth, two facts were known — 17 people were killed and, as for the prime suspect:
| “ | Arrested man is blond, nordic and about 1.90 CM accourding to TV2. #whys #osloexpl | |||
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The lead of Foreign Policy’s article was entitled ‘Norway’s 9/11?’
![]() | Norway’s 9/11? - Interview with Kristian Berg Harpviken Foreign Policy: We don’t know much about this bombing yet, but who would have been interested in attacking Oslo? Kristian Harpviken: The only concrete supposition that would emerge in a Norwegian context would be al Qaeda. |
But this was immediately followed with ‘expert’ Kristian Harpviken asserting with total confidence that there was only one real possible explanation: al-Qaeda.
Reading the many #oslo newstweets written under the presumption of an Al Qaeda link, I was puzzled, so I asked:
| “ | @LowkeyMusic1 Why are everyone so sure this is the work of Muslim militants? Norway also has its share of militant far-right nationalists. | |||
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| “ | @gr33ndata @NaheedMustafa could also be far right extremists. The young socialdemocrats were discussing how to combat the far right mov. | |||
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But the Al Qaeda narrative was too compelling. And then this nine-day old article from the Atlantic was circulated. It was as if this confirmed the theory.
| “ | 9 days old article: “Why Does Al-Qaeda Have a Problem With Norway?” - The Atlantic: http://bit.ly/aWmp0I #osloexpl | |||
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| Why Does Al-Qaeda Have a Problem With Norway? Why on Earth would Norway be a target for attack? The country is famed as an international peace negotiator, the home of the Nobel Peace Prize, and the distributor of more foreign aid per capita than any other country. It’s an all-round international good guy — so long as we aren’t talking about whaling. |
The arguments in the article were repeated by many experts and commentators I came across, although at this point there were still only those two facts that had been established: 17 dead and a white, blond Norwegian man arrested. Nevertheless, the al-Qaeda story was flourishing.
And then a new “fact” — one that provided ‘proof’! — revealed itself, and the journalists and editors jumped on it. After all, here was exactly what they needed to legitimize the narrative they had already put forward.
| “ | Fastcompany reports that ‘Assistants of the Global Jihad’ claims responsibility of attack: http://ht.ly/5Ld9s ref. likely, but dubious #oslo | |||
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Will McCants, a blogger on www.jihadica.com and CNA analyst at Johns Hopkins Faculty, was the source of this new fact. He had been monitoring Shmukh, a forum for supporters of al-Qaeda, where McCants claimed that a man named Abu Sulayman al-Nasir had taken responsibility for the attack, on behalf of a group that calls itself ‘Helpers of Global Jihad.’
| Alleged Claim for Oslo Attacks « jihadica This was posted by Abu Sulayman al-Nasir to the Arabic jihadi forum, Shmukh, around 10:30am EST (thread 118187). Shmukh is the main forum for Arabic-speaking jihadis who support al-Qaeda. Since the thread is now inaccessible (either locked or taken down), I am posting it here. |
Even though the original thread had been deleted and the only source was McCant´s copy-pasted quote (in Arabic), the “fact” was soon picked up by news agencies and immediately went viral.
| “ | The New York Times reports that terror group ‘Helpers of the Global Jihad’ have claimed responsibility for #Oslo attacks | |||
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![]() | Norway News - Oslo Attacks, July 2011 Powerful explosions shook central Oslo on the afternoon of July 22, 2011, blowing out the windows of several government buildings, including one housing the office of the Norwegian prime minister. The state broadcaster, citing the police, said that seven people were killed and at least 15 injured. |
From McCants published the quote on his blog and until NYT ran with the “fact”, individual skeptical Twitters had been asking questions and when Ansar al Jihad retracked the post, they saw the story debunked.
| “ | .@BBCBreaking NYT reported “Ansar al Jihad” claim based on this source, which has now retracted http://t.co/XcDRxuw #oslo | |||
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That made NYT and BBCBreaking modify the “fact” with a caveat.
| “ | New York Times reports on responsibility claims from a Jihadi group over #Oslo attacks can not be confirmed, the paper adds | |||
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NYT continued to refer to the (largely debunked) Jihadi connection in their main story, which led other news outlet to do the same. Tweeters responded by repeating that the claim had been discredited.
| “ | For all of you who claims Helpers of Global Jihad was behind #oslo. It is not true! It was just some dude in a forum. http://www.jihadica.com/alleged-claim-for-oslo-attacks/ | |||
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| “ | @will_mccants I think you need to tell NYT something. Swedish and Norwegian newspapers are citing this as a source. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/23/world/europe/23oslo.html?_r=1&hp | |||
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| “ | @guff_se I told NYT immediately that claim had been retracted. see also http://www.jihadica.com/alleged-claim-for-oslo-attacks/ | |||
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| “ | RT @iRevolt: “Jihadica” statement was retracted though it’s still floating around amongst those keen on pinning the blame on Muslims. #Oslo | |||
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| “ | Synes NRK kan slutte å gjenta NYT-“nyheten” om Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami-maset når kilden selv, Will McCant, har avfeid det som bløff | |||
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At this point the mainstream media was presenting it as a given that Norway was facing its own 9/11. Prime Minister Stoltenberg’s first speech after the attacks fed into this narrative:
The Telegraph, 21.39 Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg says Norway will “never stop standing up for our values”
I have a message to the person who attacked us and the people who are
behind it: You’re not going to destroy us. You’re not destroying our
democracy and our work for a better world. We’re a small country but a very
proud country. No one can bomb us to be quiet. No one can shoot us to be
quiet no one can ever scare us from being Norway.”
The hype around the al-Qaeda link was so intense that islamophobic hate speech was proliferating on blogs and user fora and, according to Philidelphia-based Norwegian journalist Lene Johansen, also in the streets of Oslo:
| “ | Reports that Muslims are being harassed on the streets of Oslo. This is why the experts cautioned against rash conclusions. | |||
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Many tweeters of Arab descent were upset, though far from shocked:
| “ | I wasn’t surprised when the media starting linking #Jihadists to the shootings&explosives in #Utoya. I was just waiting for it. #NYT #Norway | |||
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| “ | Is the nytimes actively fomenting anti-muslim rage and hatred? Is there any holding the Islamophobes at the #NYT to account? #racism #Oslo | |||
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Finally, the only source that could possibly provide credible information about the assassin’s motive appeared, the police. Norwegian media incorporated the new information in their subsequent reports:
| “ | Nationen: Police think he is NOT related to international terrorism. http://j.mp/o6QQSP #osloexpl #oslobomb #whys | |||
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| “ | Nationen also writes police think its a local variant directed at the current political system. http://j.mp/o6QQSP #osloexpl #oslobomb #whys | |||
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Now, the BBC News’s Security correspondent, Gordon Corera, also came forward to suggest that the Jihadi assumption had been false:
“During the day, after an initial focus on an al-Qaeda link, the possibility of domestic extremism increasingly came into focus. The choice of targets - government buildings and a political youth rally - suggested a possible political agenda rather than the mass casualty approach typically employed by al-Qaeda.”
Yet, some news outlets stubbornly clung to the debunked al-Qaeda link:
| “ | Sky News still reporting the #oslo attacks are “Al-Qaeda-type attacks”. | |||
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When the assassin’s identity was ultimately revealed, the motivation behind these atrocious attacks became clear:
| “ | Initial press reports is that man reportet for #oslo bombing and shooting is a neo-nazi… | |||
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![]() | - Minner om Oklahoma-bombingen Bombeaksjonen i Oslo har krevd et ukjent antall menneskeliv. - Dette minner om Oklahoma-bombingen, sier politiprofessor. Vitner på Utøya forteller at politimannen som skjøt etter folk hadde et nordisk utseende. - Det er høyst mulig at dette kan knyttes til høyreekstreme miljøer, sier professor Tore Bjørgo ved Politihøgskolen. |
Yesterday was a tragic day in Norway. Unfortunately, the experts and media’s eagerness to fit the events into pre-conceived narratives about global terrorism perpetrated by Muslim extremists meant that those murdered and wounded by the killer’s bombs and bullets were not the only victims. Their rash conclusions, based on shaky evidence, incited anti-Muslim sentiment unnecessarily - and they wasted our time with non-accurate information.
| “ | Many “terror” experts sing from the same sheet. It’s a huge echo chamber that emits much noise, scant wisdom. #Norway | |||
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Certainly, these ‘experts’ spoke too soon. Perhaps even more alarming, however, was the media’s willingness to trust their conclusions, almost blindly.
Social media has revolutionized the time frame in which information is disseminated, so mainstream media, overeager to keep the edge, are going with information that goes viral, even before it is confirmed.
The Texas massacre hoax was a lesson, now #oslo is another.
When Luz Alejandro Pena, a major in Broadcast Journalism at Hofstra University, submitted the first video to compete in MTVu’s annual Oscars Correspondent Contest, she was determined to win.
And she did – with the help of her cameraman and fellow broadcast student Philip Robibero, her aunt and the entire Columbia.
That has made her the first woman and the first American Hispanic to win this contest and it has sparked a promising carrier for the only 21 year-old aspiring broadcast journalist.
Photo credit: Philip Robibero
“Hey I’m going to the Oscars, wanna be my camera guy?” Luz texted Philip Robibero, a senior Broadcast Journalism student in November 2010. In the week of February 28 2011 the two were selected as winners, out of a nationwide top ten, and awarded their designated spot on the Red Carpet at the the Academy Awards 2011.
Crammed in on the Red Carpet with loads of music industry people and professional journalists, Luz and Philip, as correspondent and videographer, covered the Red Carpet festivities and the backstage celebrations which included interviews with Armie Hammer, Christopher Nolan, Mila Kunis, Amy Adams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Renner, Josh Hutcherson, Mark Ruffalo, Russell Brand and Zachary Levi.
Luz Pena is now back to interviews with Hofstra athletes and MTA concerns in Long Island, continuing her studies at Hofstra University. She here shares some of her memories, aspirations and reveals her secret weapon in the contest: Columbian solidarity.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW:
When Luz Alejandro Pena, a major in Broadcast Journalism at Hofstra University, submitted the first video to compete in MTVu’s annual Oscars Correspondent Contest, she was determined to win.
And she did – with the help of her cameraman and fellow broadcast student Philip Robibero, her aunt and the entire Columbia.
That has made her the first woman and the first American Hispanic to win this contest and has sparked a promising carrier for the only 21 year-old Columbian.
Photo credit: Philip Robibero
“Hey I’m going to the Oscars, wanna be my camera guy?” Luz texted Philip Robibero, a senior Broadcast Journalism student in November 2010. In the week of February 28 2011 the two were selected as winners, out of a nationwide top ten, and awarded their designated spot on the Red Carpet at the the Academy Awards 2011.
Crammed in on the Red Carpet with loads of music industry people and professional journalists, Luz and Philip, as correspondent and videographer, covered the Red Carpet festivities and the backstage celebrations which included interviews with Armie Hammer, Christopher Nolan, Mila Kunis, Amy Adams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Renner, Josh Hutcherson, Mark Ruffalo, Russell Brand and Zachary Levi.
Luz Pena is now back to interviews with Hofstra athletes and MTA concerns in Long Island, continuing her studies at Hofstra University. She here shares some of her memories, aspirations and reveals her secret weapon in the contest: Columbian solidarity.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW:
Dearborn Arabs experience their first hip-hop concert with leading Arab MCs by Jannelouise
DEARBORN, MICH. This month a hip-hop tour with a quite unique sound, style and message swept the U.S. featuring some of the currently most popular MCs on the Arab hip-hop scene. With artists such as Palestinian-British Shadia Mansour, Iraqi-British Lowkey, Iraqi-Canadian The Narcicyst, Libyan-American Khaled M and Syrian-American Omar Offendum the line-up was truly global and pan-arabic all at once.Under the name “From Detroit to the Gaza Strip” the Hyatt Hotel in Dearborn hosted this line-up, which profit would go to finance relief for the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
A line-up like this had never before been seen in sleepy Dearborn, a suburb to Detroit with America’s largest Arab community. In the light of the popular uprisings across Africa and the Middle East, I was curious to know what this concert ment to the local Arab-Americans and if they knew the Arab rappers at all.

28 year-old Saman Waqand and 23 year-old Omaima Bokhari are both students from Detroit with Pakistani backgrounds.

Fadi Issa and Ala and Omar Hassan, all highschool students with Palestinian background, come together from An Arbor - a 30 minutes drive to Dearborn.

Risraa Hassan, her sister Noor and their friend Samah Awal, all Palestinian of origin, had driven an hour from Ohio to see the show.