In our time, and our part of the world, if nothing is strange and nothing immoral, I guess it's only good then, if we feel connected to the strange. 'Good tidings for the strangers.'
Dr. Irving was once a fixture at Muslim conventions. This author, professor and translator of the first American English translation of the Quran who accepted Islam over 50 years ago, passed away in 2002, very lonely.
The dawn of the 21st Century was supposed to have been a time of great and noble happenings. But much ballyhooed 2000 turned out to be a year with few heroes or heroic acts. On the bright side, at least the world didn't end.
This is a review, from a Muslim perspective, of the year 2000 in movies. If focuses on films that have either Muslim themes or major Muslim characters in them, particularly if they were protrayed in a positive manner.
Behind every front page news story and sound byte is the person who is the focus of the drama, the newsmaker. These are the people whose stories, achievements, failures and successes fascinate and enthrall audiences.
While the incredibly close and drawn out race is how most Americans will probably remember election 2000, Muslims in the US are more likely to recall this race with a sense of hope, triumph and a determination to do better next time.
Muslims are now a new, although small, variable in the most powerful nation of the world. Here's a brief synopsis of what Muslims achieved and areas where we failed across the globe this year.