Saturday, July 4, 2009 in Washington D.C. at the 46th Annual ISNA Convention.

Some of the attendees present at the meeting: Shaykh Muhammad Ninowy, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Shaykh Yasir Qadhi, Imam Siraj Wahhaj, Naeem Muhammad (of Native Deen and Islamic Relief), Imam Johari Abdulmalik, Tariq Subhani, Altaf Hussain (ISNA), Asma Mirza, Amadou Shakur, Imam Yahya Hendi, Imam Faris (ISNA Canada) and Sidi Yusuf Islam (also known as Sidi Cat Stevens).

Source: http://www.muslimsunitedforchange.com/gallery/

On June 17, 2009, the Mayor’s office of San Francisco, the Indonesian Consulate, the California College of the Arts welcomed the batik collection of Ann Dunham, the late beloved mother of President Barack Hussein Obama.

Much thanks to the Alhadi / Usman family, we were given invites to attend this exclusive event. The photo gallery slideshow above is also on our Flickr page: Ann Dunham Batik Collection

A Lady Found a Culture in Its Cloth: Barack Obama’s Mother and Indonesian Batiks

This exhibition features 20 large fabrics and two scarves from the batik collection of Ann Dunham, President Barack Obama’s late mother. The collection has been in storage for many years and this is a valuable opportunity for the public to see it. The presentation is part of a national tour that is also passing through New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and Washington DC this summer.

Indonesia is home to the ancient tradition of batik, in which fabric is decorated using a wax-resist dyeing process. Batiks are often intricately patterned and vividly colored, and they come in a wide variety of styles, from classic to contemporary.

The San Francisco presentation of the exhibition will also feature selected works by students in the Textiles and Fashion Design programs at California College of the Arts. These works will complement Dunham’s collection and indicate some of the contemporary directions this centuries-old art has taken. (Source: California College of the Arts)

Press release link.

Alhamdulillah, we have launched a new group on Flickr called Islam in the 21st Century: http://www.flickr.com/groups/21stcenturyislam

To launch this group, we are conducting a photo contest!

To enter, submit photos to the new Flickr group. Photos must depict Islam with elements of modernity and/or Muslims interacting, engaging or using technology.

After submitting your photos, post the link to your photos on our contest page. You can submit more than one photo but only one contest entry per email address. So if you plan on submitting more than one photo, please ensure you share all of the URLs to your photos on your entry form. All photos and your entry form must be submitted by December 1st, 2008.

Prize: A Flickr Pro account valid for 2 years!
A Flickr Pro account gives you:

• Unlimited uploads and storage
• Unlimited sets and collections
• Access to your original files
• Stats on your account
• Ad-free browsing and sharing
• Video uploads

Some ideas for the contest: reading the Quran on your iPhone, viewing an Islamic studies class on your smartphone, using a laser-guided compass to find the qibla, using GPS to find the resting places of Islamic saints. This is the 21st century, technology surrounds us.

Visit the contest page for contest rules and more details.

Technorati Tags: flickr, photo, contest, islam, 21st century, quran, iphone, smartphone, gps, compass, technology

Zaytuna Institute presents

Prophetic Counsel: A weekend intensive workshop on the Forty Hadith of Imam al-Nawawi

with Ustadh Yahya Rhodus.

To Register:  www.zaytuna.org | 510.548.1979

October 18 & 19, 2008 – Saturday & Sunday 10am – 7pm

Mehran Restaurant – 5762 Mowry School Road, Newark, CA 94560

TUITION & TERMS
- $55 per person
- $35 for students with ID
- Price includes a copy of the translation of Imam al-Nawawi’s Forty Hadith
- Lunch is included
- Please, no children under age 10

In conjunction with the Zaytuna Distance Learning Program

A slide show of photos from the ISNA Annual Convention at the Zaytuna Institute booth. Photos taken by Sidi Amjad Tarsin and Su Pittam. Photos compiled by Sidi Haroon Sellars, Zaytuna’s AudioVisionary.

Includes photos of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir.

See all photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/islamcrunch/sets/72157607388384559/