31 October 2012
30 October 2012
ethnographer @coursera
In August I decided to indulge my fantasy anthropologist within. I have since joined an online learning community (Coursera.org) and taken first steps in the process of applying for a Fulbright Grant. Content with my life as it is and in no rush to leave my job, I moonlight as a virtual student.
At present, I am preparing for a fitness instructor certification and taking a four week introduction to obesity economics.
I've designed a rigorous courseload for the upcoming year,
To acquire a basic understanding of neuroscience.
To develop just enough business skills.
To put what I know into an academic context.
To put what I do into an academic context.
To learn more about what interests me most.
I am hoping to use Coursera to establish a global network to conduct doctoral research in the future.
At present, I am preparing for a fitness instructor certification and taking a four week introduction to obesity economics.
I've designed a rigorous courseload for the upcoming year,
To acquire a basic understanding of neuroscience.
To develop just enough business skills.
To put what I know into an academic context.
To put what I do into an academic context.
To learn more about what interests me most.
I am hoping to use Coursera to establish a global network to conduct doctoral research in the future.
23 October 2012
Professor Frick.
I am loving the low-tech nature of Principles of Obesity Economics...but only when it's accessible! Some glitches the first night of Professor Frick @Coursera. Having just finished Professor Tompkin's Introduction to Sustainabiliy, I now feel spoiled by his professionally-produced lectures!!
22 October 2012
A style of yoga inspired by the 99 Names of Allah
bismillah irrahman irraheem. This is the idea that came to me upon return home from a long bus trip. While passing thru NYC, I met up with a friend I hadn't seen in years and some of his friends. I found myself feeling, as I often do, deeply happy to be muslim, inspired and comforted by my presence in a global family, ummah. And yet, arriving home, I felt confronted by some elements of my life out-of-sync and unharmonized with the principles I value so deeply. Lately feel that I am working against myself in some ways. I am learning and identifying ways to make my life more sustainable and more enriching, however the transition - as in all our endeavors - is not immediate and sometimes trying. Long story short, I opted not to dwell in guilt or contemplation and instead took to my yoga mat and stretched eastward.
And so became a mental exercise to recall all 99 Names of Allah... I was solving this problem not mentally by recitation or rote memory but by physical movement guided by intentional mediation. Amidst this meditative state, I realized that I was acting out a technique I had seen on TED recently by choreographer Wayne McGregor and also applied by the Dance Your PhD contest.
Ideas worth sharing.
And so became a mental exercise to recall all 99 Names of Allah... I was solving this problem not mentally by recitation or rote memory but by physical movement guided by intentional mediation. Amidst this meditative state, I realized that I was acting out a technique I had seen on TED recently by choreographer Wayne McGregor and also applied by the Dance Your PhD contest.
Ideas worth sharing.
17 October 2012
10 October 2012
selective justice
"Due to the prevalence in the world today, of the false
belief that some forms of life are superior to others,
all such life - that has been deemed inferior, (and
merely perceived as existing to be exploited and
subjugated to human desires) - has been pushed to the
point of extinction in some cases, while in others the
lives of the oppressed have become as a virtual cog in
the machine that perpetuates such tyranny, generation
after generation. This underlying theme that supposed
inherent superiority of the powerful over those who
lack current means of resistance, is sowing societies
own downfall through ecological destruction,
patriarchy, slavery, animal exploitation, racism and
the list goes on. These problems can not be solved
through single issue causes which only address the
symptoms of the problem rather than its root
causation. Such principles of selective justice continuously fail to realize that oppression is oppression whether wrought upon a member of a different race, nationality, gender or species.
So long as people continue to believe that they are above the Higher Law of Allah, that governs the entire Universe – so long as division is conceived of in the minds of men - then oppression and injustice will continue to exist on all levels.
We must stress that connection between the underlying root of injustice, and similarly propose a solution that is unified against oppression on all fronts.
While an individual for “animal rights” might oppose
injustice to other species, they most often will deny
those same basic rights of life and freedom to a
member of their own species within its mother’s womb.
Or vice versa, those who most often fight for the
liberties of the unborn will deny those same basic
rights to others they feel no affinity towards.
This sort of selective justice can not help but fail
to address the root of the problem with modern
society; that being mankind’s false notions of
alienation from the Unity of existence and their lack
of faith in Allah. It is this lack of faith that
causes them to wall themselves off from the rest of
the world, which they don’t understand in the least.
It is this lack of faith which leads them to create
such a vast spectrum of social injustices, each of
which are single issues symptoms of their alienated
sickness. Therefore it is imperative that we address
this, the root of the moral discord, which permeates
the modern world, or we will be destined to fail
miserably in any effort to bring about positive
change. Both internally and externally, this is the
War we must fight."
Read other mystic definitions of jihad here.
belief that some forms of life are superior to others,
all such life - that has been deemed inferior, (and
merely perceived as existing to be exploited and
subjugated to human desires) - has been pushed to the
point of extinction in some cases, while in others the
lives of the oppressed have become as a virtual cog in
the machine that perpetuates such tyranny, generation
after generation. This underlying theme that supposed
inherent superiority of the powerful over those who
lack current means of resistance, is sowing societies
own downfall through ecological destruction,
patriarchy, slavery, animal exploitation, racism and
the list goes on. These problems can not be solved
through single issue causes which only address the
symptoms of the problem rather than its root
causation. Such principles of selective justice continuously fail to realize that oppression is oppression whether wrought upon a member of a different race, nationality, gender or species.
So long as people continue to believe that they are above the Higher Law of Allah, that governs the entire Universe – so long as division is conceived of in the minds of men - then oppression and injustice will continue to exist on all levels.
We must stress that connection between the underlying root of injustice, and similarly propose a solution that is unified against oppression on all fronts.
While an individual for “animal rights” might oppose
injustice to other species, they most often will deny
those same basic rights of life and freedom to a
member of their own species within its mother’s womb.
Or vice versa, those who most often fight for the
liberties of the unborn will deny those same basic
rights to others they feel no affinity towards.
This sort of selective justice can not help but fail
to address the root of the problem with modern
society; that being mankind’s false notions of
alienation from the Unity of existence and their lack
of faith in Allah. It is this lack of faith that
causes them to wall themselves off from the rest of
the world, which they don’t understand in the least.
It is this lack of faith which leads them to create
such a vast spectrum of social injustices, each of
which are single issues symptoms of their alienated
sickness. Therefore it is imperative that we address
this, the root of the moral discord, which permeates
the modern world, or we will be destined to fail
miserably in any effort to bring about positive
change. Both internally and externally, this is the
War we must fight."
Read other mystic definitions of jihad here.
a PSA for peace-making
This is an important public service announcement: Supporting Israel is not defeating Jihad.
An unknowing observer of the contentious ads, drawing from Ayn Rand while distinguishing the moral superiority of the civilized man from the savage, might stumble into an understanding of “Jihad” as being against “Israel”. I put two words in quotes because - forgive me and please prove me wrong - I don’t believe more than one out of every ten Americans knows an informed and conventional meaning of both words.
The hostility and the insecurity of the world, across all its sects and sectors, towards these two words takes the fun out of offering any further definitions for public discourse.
Like other muslims, I want to 'reclaim jihad' from the mainstream media and encourage nonmuslims to contemplate its mystic invitation. Like other political scientists, I want to explore the implications of protecting ignorance and xenophobia under the first amendment. Like other morning riders of the DC metro, I want to get from the train car to the exit swiftly and in good spirit, without drama or delay. Most urgently, however, I want to share why this ad bothers me:
I am a friend of Israel - and proud to be. As a taxpaying American, I have always considered myself to be at least a fake friend of Israel. As a student of Arabic in several Middle Eastern countries, I learned to be a sort of fake enemy of Israel, too. This juxtaposition made me deeply curious about Israel, this complicated place that I had read and heard so much about but had never seen with my own eyes. This inspired me to seek a David L. Boren Fellowship and as a result, I had the privilege of living in Israel for six months in 2010. During that I time I taught myself basic Hebrew and made many, many friends. It is only now - being connected via facebook while worlds apart - that I realize how special these friendships are.
Pamela Geller’s ad bothers me because it socially and politically excludes people seeking a personal jihad of their own from supporting Israel. There won’t be peace in the Middle East if you don’t include muslims, there will only be war.
An unknowing observer of the contentious ads, drawing from Ayn Rand while distinguishing the moral superiority of the civilized man from the savage, might stumble into an understanding of “Jihad” as being against “Israel”. I put two words in quotes because - forgive me and please prove me wrong - I don’t believe more than one out of every ten Americans knows an informed and conventional meaning of both words.
Israel is a very special place. Jihad is a very special concept.
The hostility and the insecurity of the world, across all its sects and sectors, towards these two words takes the fun out of offering any further definitions for public discourse.
Like other muslims, I want to 'reclaim jihad' from the mainstream media and encourage nonmuslims to contemplate its mystic invitation. Like other political scientists, I want to explore the implications of protecting ignorance and xenophobia under the first amendment. Like other morning riders of the DC metro, I want to get from the train car to the exit swiftly and in good spirit, without drama or delay. Most urgently, however, I want to share why this ad bothers me:
I am a friend of Israel - and proud to be. As a taxpaying American, I have always considered myself to be at least a fake friend of Israel. As a student of Arabic in several Middle Eastern countries, I learned to be a sort of fake enemy of Israel, too. This juxtaposition made me deeply curious about Israel, this complicated place that I had read and heard so much about but had never seen with my own eyes. This inspired me to seek a David L. Boren Fellowship and as a result, I had the privilege of living in Israel for six months in 2010. During that I time I taught myself basic Hebrew and made many, many friends. It is only now - being connected via facebook while worlds apart - that I realize how special these friendships are.
In Israel I volunteered at the African Refugee Development Center.
Since 2006, Israel has hosted an increasing number of asylum-seekers.
Their presence and questionable legal status has created a
controversial public discourse around migrants and refugees, in addition
to public health and security concerns. While working alongside
Israelis, other visitors, and refugees in South Tel Aviv I lost track of
who’s from where or where we are.
Pamela Geller’s ad bothers me because it socially and politically excludes people seeking a personal jihad of their own from supporting Israel. There won’t be peace in the Middle East if you don’t include muslims, there will only be war.
08 October 2012
Savage versus Civilized
In trying to understand HOW THE HOLOCAUST HAPPEN, Gordon Willard Allport devised in 1954 a scale of prejudice. It is to his 5-point scale that I point while responding to the recent ruling defining Defeat Jihad ads as free speech.
The Allport's scale shows how discriminatory behavior left unchecked may evolve into genocide.
As evidenced by World War II and implied by nuclear proliferation and social inequality today, we are capable as a human family of destroying ourselves and attention must be heeded to small infringements upon human rights and safety, in order for peace to prevail on a global scale.
By ignoring the the definition of jihad as savage and anti-Israel, it passively supports the social exclusion of Muslims in peace-making with Israel. This ad socially excludes people seeking a personal jihad of their own from supporting Israel.
The Allport's scale shows how discriminatory behavior left unchecked may evolve into genocide.
In the first stage, antilocution, a majority group freely make jokes about a minority group and sometimes this behavior is labeled as "hate speech". While antilocution itself may not be harmful, it is a gateway to xenophobic communication.In the next stage, avoidance, members of the majority group actively avoid people in a minority group, creating "social exclusion". While no direct harm is intended by avoidance, isolating a social group is harmful to the balance of power and freedom of expression in a society.The third stage, discrimination, occurs when behaviors have the specific goal of harming a minority group by preventing them from achieving goals, getting education or jobs, etc. We have seen cases of this in the US, South Africa and Japan.The fourth stage, physical attack, occurs when a majority group uses violence against a minority group (or their property) and sometimes we label this behavior as "hate crime".The final stage, extermination, occurs when a majority group seeks removal of a minority group. This has been evidenced in our global history through the American colonists' treatment of Native Americans, to American lynchings of former slaves and African Americans, to Nazi-led Jewish genocide, Rwandan Genocide, and countless incidences of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, Sudan and elsewhere.
As evidenced by World War II and implied by nuclear proliferation and social inequality today, we are capable as a human family of destroying ourselves and attention must be heeded to small infringements upon human rights and safety, in order for peace to prevail on a global scale.
By ignoring the the definition of jihad as savage and anti-Israel, it passively supports the social exclusion of Muslims in peace-making with Israel. This ad socially excludes people seeking a personal jihad of their own from supporting Israel.
Defeat Ignorance, not 'Jihad'
Despite some resistance from the Washington Metro Transit Authority, the Pro-Israel advertisements that raised emotions in NYC by misrepresenting jihad and minimizing the Arab-Israeli conflict to a ethnocentric sitcom of the civilized man versus the savage, will be coming to the District of Colombia, coincidentally while we are busy celebrating Columbus Day.
Issues of racism in the US are deeply complicated as a result of our history and shared heritage. Public discourse around racism in the US - be it in schools, advertizing or medical practice - is often emotional, on the basis that our personal experience informs our perceptions of racial reality, so information is frequently misrepresented and dialogue often lacks complexity or context-specific evidence.
I begin with this thought because whether the ads promote solidarity with Israel or hate for Muslims or the power of PR to shape politics... it's an opportunity for us to explore race in American and learn from it. The psychology and questionable legality of hate speech are two interesting topics that I hope get explored amidst the political discourse, and potential metro gridlock, that will likely unfold in the wake of this ad campaign.
My thoughts focus on institutions and tools at our disposal to respond to this ad and defeat ignorance, instead. This Washington Post article suggests that the most fruitful response to the hate ads is to build relationships based pluralism, rather than xenophobia. This is time-consuming but undoubtedly true.
This slow-motion approach to peace-building is codified at the international level via the The Durban Declaration. Unfortunately, some discrepancy remains around the policy, particularly within the Israeli context. While the Durban Declaration and it's Plan of Action is intended to protect people from racism and xenophobic practices worldwide but some people don't like it because they believe that while condemning racism, it also provides universal grounds to de-legitimize Israel's sovereignty.
06 October 2012
05 October 2012
Tomorrow...
Everyday people talk to me about my hair. Everyday.
If I leave the house, I have at least one interaction about my hair with someone. That is a given in my daily life and one that I never take for granted.
Seriously, it has been a pleasure to get random snippets of insight into total strangers' lives purely because something about my hair moves them to talk to me.
How many conversations do you have about your hair?
When you see a cool dress or nice shoes or a funky bag, do say something?
Someone with a military cut, a woman in hijab, or a person with a shaved head...
Would you ask what made them do their hair like that?
Can I touch it?
Do you wash it?
What did you use to do that?
It's pretty absurd, right? I find it interesting, though. It's awesome that so many different people - from ambassadors to exotic dancers - have said to me, "I've always wanted dreadlocks" and yet haven't had dreadlocks for as many reasons as there are people.
Initially, talking about my hair with strangers was fun and flattering. Then it was insightful but increasingly routine... Now it's pretty much boring, but I have fun with it:
Tomorrow, to whatever kind soul inquires about my lovely locs, I'm going to respond with the following: Jesus probably had dreadlocks. Most people on earth used to have dreadlocks.
If I leave the house, I have at least one interaction about my hair with someone. That is a given in my daily life and one that I never take for granted.
Seriously, it has been a pleasure to get random snippets of insight into total strangers' lives purely because something about my hair moves them to talk to me.
How many conversations do you have about your hair?
When you see a cool dress or nice shoes or a funky bag, do say something?
Someone with a military cut, a woman in hijab, or a person with a shaved head...
Would you ask what made them do their hair like that?
Can I touch it?
Do you wash it?
What did you use to do that?
It's pretty absurd, right? I find it interesting, though. It's awesome that so many different people - from ambassadors to exotic dancers - have said to me, "I've always wanted dreadlocks" and yet haven't had dreadlocks for as many reasons as there are people.
Initially, talking about my hair with strangers was fun and flattering. Then it was insightful but increasingly routine... Now it's pretty much boring, but I have fun with it:
Tomorrow, to whatever kind soul inquires about my lovely locs, I'm going to respond with the following: Jesus probably had dreadlocks. Most people on earth used to have dreadlocks.
Nice and tidy, like noble locs ought be.
03 October 2012
Marley & Fresco
I'm really into New Year's Resolutions.
I'm creative while making them and often dedicated in keeping them. At the end of 2009 I was drafting my anticipated pledges to the new year and my significant other mockingly wrote between the lines: have great sex, travel a lot, listen to more bob marley.
While he and I broke up, I did keep his last suggested resolution:
Every morning in 2010, minus a few mornings in a rush or under the weather, I listened to Bob Marley. I remember telling people last year that it has made me a happier person and taught me a lot.
By listening to Bob Marley every morning, in just one year, I was able to hear almost his entire discography - some many versions of some songs and rare versions of others - and several full-length live concerts available on YouTube.
At some point in during 2011 I replaced the morning Marley meditation with a ritualistic surf to AJE in the AM: I started my day with headlines and special reports and breaking news. I am not exaggerating when I say, I am a much heavier person to be around than I used to be. I believe this mild media worship that I've been involved in, like so many of peers, has rendered my spirit a bit out touch.
Eagerly awaiting a new year as someone who loves new year's resolutions might, I have decided I am in need of a new morning mantra or ritual. Whatever it is, it might need to do with Mr. Jaques Fresco and all the wonderful projects he's dreamed up and designed for a better world.
I'm creative while making them and often dedicated in keeping them. At the end of 2009 I was drafting my anticipated pledges to the new year and my significant other mockingly wrote between the lines: have great sex, travel a lot, listen to more bob marley.
While he and I broke up, I did keep his last suggested resolution:
Every morning in 2010, minus a few mornings in a rush or under the weather, I listened to Bob Marley. I remember telling people last year that it has made me a happier person and taught me a lot.
By listening to Bob Marley every morning, in just one year, I was able to hear almost his entire discography - some many versions of some songs and rare versions of others - and several full-length live concerts available on YouTube.
At some point in during 2011 I replaced the morning Marley meditation with a ritualistic surf to AJE in the AM: I started my day with headlines and special reports and breaking news. I am not exaggerating when I say, I am a much heavier person to be around than I used to be. I believe this mild media worship that I've been involved in, like so many of peers, has rendered my spirit a bit out touch.
Eagerly awaiting a new year as someone who loves new year's resolutions might, I have decided I am in need of a new morning mantra or ritual. Whatever it is, it might need to do with Mr. Jaques Fresco and all the wonderful projects he's dreamed up and designed for a better world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
