Our friends of Nasheeds.com have a special bonus for all IslamCrunch readers. Use the code below to receive a 15% discount on all purchases! Some CDs are already on sale. Use the code to receive an additional 15% off on sale items!

ST32IC1439*

Pre-order the upcoming Native Deen album, Not Afraid to Stand Alone. This album has been highly anticipated. Anyone who has seen Native Deen recently will know that they have grown artistically, creatively and spiritually. When our brothers from Native Deen visited San Jose this year, their set was a m a z i n g.

Click on the CD cover to read more about the album.

Another album to add to your collection is Hamza Robertson’s Something About Life. Hamza may not be a household name yet but he has already toured with Sami Yusuf, Native Deen and other well-known nasheed performers. Use the special code above to add an additional 15% to the current discount of 10% off. That’s 25% discount!

Click on the CD cover to read more about the album.

Out Seeing the Fields by singer/songwriter Dawud Wharnsby is an intimate collection of songs underscored by acoustic guitar and the intricate piano work of US based composer Idris Phillips. Wharnsby’s poetry and voice are in the foreground as usual, with subject matter addressing honesty of faith, quest for identity, spiritual growth, and love. Other elements include a tribute to peace activist Rachel Corrie and a semi-autobiographic look at balancing faith with the egocentric music industry. Another opportunity to purchase this album at 25% discount.

Click on the CD cover to read more about the album.

Nasheeds.com has been very gracious to showcase IslamCrunch on their site and our relationship continues to grow, which all began here: http://islamcrunch.com/archives/ramadan-competition/

Please support them, tell all your friends about this offer and purchase your ‘Eid gifts now. Share this article by clicking here!

* = valid until December 31, 2007.

Meem Music & Audio is conducting a Ramadan competition! Win free stuff including autographed CDs, Seven 8 Six T-shirts and much more. More details will be revealed soon, insha’Allah. Watch this space or visit Meem Music & Audio :::: Producers & Distributors of Fine Islamic Nasheeds & Audio to keep updated. IslamCrunch is proud to co-sponsor this competition alongside Nasheeds.com during the blessed month of fasting and purification.

Creativity abounds in the Muslim blogosphere. MuslimEntertainment.com is a blog that covers news, events and information about Muslim entertainers. A lot of information is provided on mainstream artists like Lupe Fiasco, Akon, Outlandish and others. Also featured are bright new stars like Project26, Native Deen, Kareem Salama, 786 and more. Even though hip hop is a major theme running throughout the blog, other styles of entertainment are featured. These include comedy, spoken word, poetry and nasheed singers.

MuslimEntertainment.com was established in 2004 by Ahmed Khatib, a popular Internet/media entrepreneur in the Silicon Valley. Ahmed took the site offline for personal administrative reasons. The site has now come back to life with Meem Music’s Director of US Operations, Adam Soltani supplying content. Ahmed maintains the site while Adam provides updates and articles.

Their blogroll shows a good mix of Muslim entertainers’ websites. This adds to MuslimEntertainment.com’s resourcefulness. Check out their widget below which you can add to your blog, MySpace profile or website. You can grab their widget here: http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/muslim-entertainment  

And while you are at it, check out IslamCrunch’s widget:

Here’s the scenario: You are at an event and you meet someone, screaming familiarity. So you scan through your brain. Maybe it’s a friend of a friend, someone you know on Facebook, from a photo off Flickr, but you just cannot place the face.

Then, realization hits, you have just met someone famous. We met Ali Qazi after an introduction from his brother, our friend Faisal Qazi. After the mental scanning and introduction formalities, we had a chance to sit down with the lead guitarist and main songwriter of Project26. He was humble and down-to-earth, treating us with utmost respect. We asked Ali to share with us their latest adventures in the music world. Ali provided updates on the status of their recordings and future plans. Even though he was keen on learning from Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir, he spent time talking to us about the band and the Muslim community.

Latest news: Project26 have just launched a new promotion: 26 Days to get a FREE CD. Visit their site for more details. Also, take a look at their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/project26theband

For an insight on America’s first all Muslim rock group, read the interview here. Facebook users can join their group page by clicking on the band photo above.

Next performance: Open Mic Night at Barako Coffee & Patisserie, 19756 Colima Rd, Rowland Heights, CA. May 18, 2007

Shout this article here: http://www.muslimshout.com/trackback.php?id=232

Ummahwatch this article here: http://www.ummahwatch.com/story.php?title=Project26–Rocking-in-free-world 

Technorati tags: music, project26, songwriter, myspace, facebook

Update: This event has grown! We have decided to host the site with it’s own domain: http://www.IslamInTheWest.org/ We have posted updates on the new site, including news about a poetry section with Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore. Please purchase your tickets and invite your friends (you can invite them here: http://islaminthewest.eventbrite.com/ lower right side of the page).

IslamCrunch is honored to have been selected to host the website for the Islam In The West Arts Fest event. Please visit the site to find out more about this event that features Islamic scholars (Imam Siraj Wahhaj, Imam Zaid Shakir and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf), entertainers (Native Deen, Noor, Kareem Salaama), film premieres (Michael Wolfe and Zahir Ahmed) and our dear friend and teacher, Haji Noor Deen.

This event has also been posted Facebook here:

For Zvents users:

For Eventful users: http://eventful.com/events/E0-001-003705535-1

Technorati tags: arts, fest, islamcrunch, zvents, eventful, facebook, hamza yusuf, zaid shakir, siraj wahhaj, native deen, kareem salama, michael wolfe, haji noor deen, islamic, eventbrite, poetry