The Han Kitab: a Confucian-Islamic synthesis
Interestingly, it was only through reading an essay calling for the construction of a viable Muslim American culture that I got interested in the issue of Chinese Islam. Although this selection of cultural traditions might seem somewhat schizophrenic, I do believe that the essay—by Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, chairman of the Nawawi Foundation—made a worthwhile point regarding the intricate dance between cultural unity and cultural diversity from the perspective of Islam.
Source: US-Middle East Youth Network
Free cinema screenings bring movies to Cairo's less privileged
Cinema, unlike many forms of art and literature, can be very easy to grasp. It opens up the mind and the heart to places and notions that one may never have tapped into. But unfortunately, this basic form of art is usually communicated only to the well-off and privileged.
With a growing belief in the power of alternative arts, many cultural venues now allocate more time for the screening of non-commercial movies, and one initiative decided it was high time Cairo’s impoverished neighborhoods had a taste of the thought liberating art.
Source: Egyptian Streets
Yemenis making art in the time of war
Yemenis are putting their art and creativity to call for an end of a war in their country, which is the poorest in the Middle East.
Over the past three decades, Yemen has suffered from chronic underdevelopment and a socio-economic crisis.The precarious humanitarian situation was further exacerbated in the four years of political instability following the revolution in 2011, which ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Since Saudi-led coalition forces started bombing the country on March 26, and ousted president Saleh's militia allied with the tribe the Houthis advancing and bombarding the southern provinces, the situation reached catastrophic levels.
Source: Global Voices
