And how do you attain onto that safety [of Allah]? By being a means for others for being safe in their deen and their dunya, in their worldly life and their religion. And assisting others is one of the strongest means of attaining onto the favor of Allah.

20,000 people. 200 vendors.

100 artists. 4 stages.

1 day.

Takin’ It to the Streets is a Muslim-led festival where artistic expression, spirituality and urban creativity inspire social change.

Takin’ It to the Streets bridges today’s cultural divides by connecting diverse racial, ethnic, and religious communities through a dynamic festival. The festival will enrich cross-cultural community building not only in Chicago, but around the world.

What: Takin’ It to the Streets: Urban International Festival
When: June 19th, 2010
Time: 9am-9pm
Location: 6734 S. Kedzie Ave. in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois
Price: FREE (donations encouraged)

More info: http://www.Streets2010.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=238476845127

Featured Artists:

• Imam Zaid Shakir – Scholar
• Mos Def - Grammy Winner
• Brother Ali – Minnesota, USA
• Tinarwein – Mali
• Chabab al Andalous – Morocco
• Preacher Moss – Comedian / Motivational Speaker
• And many more!

Four Stages:

• Unity Stage: Reflects this unifying principle and showcases the diverse musical talents of contemporary artists
• Hip Hop Pavilion: Bringing together the elements of MCing, DJing, Breakin’, and graff art, with skateboarding and workshops
• World Music Stage: Blending global expression of traditional art forms through international artists
• Streets Stage: The festival’s signature stage bringing together dynamic performers and inspiring speakers

Activities:

• Faith & Justice: Speakers, panel discussion, and dialogue on a variety of issues relating to spirituality & social change
  
• International Bazaar: Cultural artifacts, multi-ethnic cuisine, community organizations and more!
• Health & Wellness Fair: Free health screenings, information on healthy living and refreshments
  
• Sports Arena: 3-on-3 Basketball tournament open to all
  
• Family Zone: Rides, interactive games, children’s activities, and family-friendly performances
• Prayer Center: A quite space open all day for meditation, reflection and prayer
  

Additional Streets 2010 Events

Since its inception in 1997 as a single-day event, Takin’ It to the Streets has steadily grown in attendance and impact, and in 2010 it is preceded by a full week of events that embrace a new Muslim cultural renaissance.

Salaam Film Festival June 13-15: University of Chicago

A three-day festival highlighting the power of film as a tool for peace and social change. The festival will also screen films from the One Chicago, One Nation online film contest. Click here for more info

Melodies from Morocco June 16: Old Town School of Folk Music

The festival continues with a performance by the renowned Orchestre Chabab Al Andalous from Morocco Click here for more info

Dandana: A Celebration of Muslim Voices June 17: Millennium Park

World Music artists Tinariwen, from Mali, and Omar Faruk Tekbilek, from Turkey, will perform at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Click here for more info

About the Producer

Takin’ it to the Streets is produced by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), a globally recognized leader that aims to change, serve and inspire by working on social justice issues, delivering a wide range of direct services, and cultivating the arts in urban communities.

The Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Learn more about IMAN: www.imancentral.org

While we wait for Facebook to send us our decal, we decided to create our own digital version of the decal being sent out to local businesses. As you can see, we added our SMS notification service to the decal. If you would like to receive text alerts about Islam, Muslims and all the halalness of IslamCrunch, please sign up for SMS list – http://www.textmarks.com/MUSLIM

And please join us on Facebook – http://facebook.com/IslamCrunch

…crunch. We have integrated the impending ubiquitous Facebook Like button on our site. Now with a single click, you can share your favorite IslamCrunch articles on your Facebook stream.

From what we can tell, IslamCrunch appears to be one of the first Islamic-themed sites to implement the Facebook like button. Try it out, click the thumb, join the Open Graph.

Follow us (or like us as you can’t become a fan) on our Facebook page:

http://facebook.com/islamcrunch

What are your thoughts on Facebook’s Open Graph? Security concerns? Awesomeness? Share your comments below.

The perception that Muslims are a violent community is baseless and against the historical facts, said Hamza Yusuf, an Islamic scholar from the US, during his lecture at the Qurum Amphitheatre on Thursday.

Hamza Yusuf is here on an invitation from the Diwan of the Royal Court to deliver a series of lectures in Muscat on Islam-related issues.

In the second of the series of his lectures, Hamza Yusuf spoke on perceptions about the Islam and the Muslim world. He said that the world history of last 2,000 years prove that Muslims were hardly involved in violence against others. He said that misdeeds of a handful of people can not be used to judge as the practice of the people of a particular faith.

On issues like rights of women in Islam, he said that there was no doubt about women abused in all civilisations. Islam is the religion which gave women their rights, liberty and complete freedom to use her wealth as she wanted. This religion gave women respect and dignity in the society, said Hamza Yusuf.

He said that it is not important to accord priority to what others think about Islam and Muslims. Instead, it is important that we should know what Islam is all about, he said.

Hamza Yusuf was born in a Greek Orthodox family in Walla Walla, Washington, and grew up in Northern California. He is the founder of the Zaytuna Institute. At the age of 17, he embraced Islam. Later, in the educational institutions in the UAE, he studied Islamic jurisprudence.

Source: http://1.mqu.be/SHY_Oman2010

Tweeted from: @sandalatweets