Archive for the ‘Minnesota media’ Tag
Thanking the Twin Cities Daily Planet
A brief note:
We at Engage Minnesota would like to express our gratitude to the Twin Cities Daily Planet (which regularly reposts columns from Engage Minnesota) for being committed to fair journalism and serving as a true mirror for the views of the communities living in the Twin Cities.
Kudos, TC Daily Planet!
Support the Same Standards for All
Since Katherine Kersten’s column regarding Tariq ibn Ziyad Academy (TIZA) in yesterday’s Star Tribune, the Minnesota Department of Education has been inundated with negative calls.
Kersten’s column claims that TIZA is violating its charter and the “church and state” separation. She bases this largely on the observations of one short-time substitute teacher who was immersed in a different school culture, and could easily have been mistaken in her impressions and interpretations.
However, whether or not TIZA has violated the strictest interpretation of religion-state separation is not the issue. What school in Minnesota has not? Indeed, last December, the Minneapolis public schools launched a large faith-based initiative weighted almost entirely to Protestant congregations. Read about it here.
If we are going to examine TIZA’s practices with a fine-toothed comb, then surely all faith-based initiatives, Easter pageants, Christmas trees, and even our choice of holiday vacations should come under strict scrutiny.
If you would like to urge the Minnesota Department of Education to be fair in its scrutiny of Tariq ibn Ziyad Academy, and to be wary of Islamophobic motivations, the department is steering all calls to this number: 651-582 8570.
Basimah Hasan: Changing Images Every Friday at 4
Talk-Show Host Aims to Correct Distorted Picture of Muslims and Islam
By Marcia Lynx Qualey, Engage Minnesota
It was 1998 when Basimah Hasan left her hometown of Chicago for Minneapolis.
In the Twin Cities, she attended nursing school and began her career at North Memorial Hospital. She says that there is a “big difference” between the Minneapolis and Chicago Muslim communities.
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TV Show:
“Islamic View”
Airtime:
4 p.m. Fridays
Time-Warner cable Ch. 16
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“[There are] more Muslims in Chicago, and they’re more active. Here, everyone seems to be in their own ethnic groups. You don’t see a lot of activities going on, versus in Chicago.”
But, if there’s not enough activity, Hasan (pictured above) is not one to sit back and wait for someone else to start it up. The nurse, talk-show host, screenwriter, community activist, and producer is stirring up all sorts of action.
Through her nonprofit Hasan Publications Dawah Center, Hasan launched the “Islamic View.” The talk show aims not just to reach the Muslim community, but, more importantly, to reach non-Muslims with positive stories about Islam.
Why television?
“It’s images,” she says. “This is where we get our information from.”
Read more »
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