Traveling the Middle East Without Leaving the City

Someone once wrote, "Every journey begins with a single step." Make that step be towards the Islamic Resource Center, your source for books, films, and merchandise about all things Islamic from around the world.

Interested in the Middle East? We have you covered. From travel books on Yemen and Palestine to politics by Jimmy Carter and Tariq Ramadan, you'll get an insider's view on the Middle East. Borrow a book from our library and start your journey with the turn of a page.

Second Showing of Guantanamo's Child Scheduled for April 3rd at the Milwaukee Art Museum

For those of you who have been following this blog and/or going to the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival #MMFilmFest2016, you may recall Guantanamo's Child opened this year's festival about a month ago. If you didn't make it to the last showing, don't worry. You are about to get a second chance. Sunday, April 3rd at the Milwaukee Art Museum (a.k.a. MAM) a special matinee screening of the film will take place at 2pm complete with talk back session from the good people at the ACLU of Wisconsin. Tickets are $8 at the door. We look forward to seeing you there!

Journey Into Europe Tonight at the UWM Union Cinema

Just a reminder to all of you film buffs out there, the continuation of the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival #MMFilmFest #FilmFest resumes tonight at 7PM at the UWM Union Cinema on Kenwood Blvd with the Akhbar Ahmed film, Journey into Europe. Remember, tickets are $8 at the door and UWM students get in free. We hope to see you there!

Journey Into Europe to Show March 24th

We have reached that point in the event where the Milwaukee Muslim Film Fest #MMFilmFest2016 is about to go into full swing. First up is Journey into Europe. The film will only show Thursday, March 24th at 7pm in the UW-Milwaukee Union Cinema. Stay afterwards for a talkback session by the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. General admission is $8. UWM students get in free.

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, a world-renowned anthropologist, Islamic scholar, and filmmaker, explores Islam in Europe and the place of Islam in European history and civilization in this unprecedented study. In the film shot across the continent in countries such as Germany,the U.K., France, Spain, and Bosnia, we hear from some of Europe’s most prominent figures, including presidents and prime ministers, archbishops, chief rabbis, grand muftis, heads of right-wing parties, and every-day Europeans from a variety of backgrounds.

The film has received praise from some of Europe’s most prominent leaders. Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, states, “It is hard to exaggerate the importance of this work.” Dr. Haris Silajdzic, the former President and Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, writes, “Ambassador Akbar Ahmed’s latest project on Muslims in Europe is yet another illustration of his vision by offering us understanding of, commitment to, and hope and compassion for humanity.” And Paul Smith, the USA Director of the British Council here in Washington, writes, “Your film is a compelling, gracious, thoughtful study and we’re proud to be involved in it.”

We'll see you there.

My Arabic Library from Scholastic Now Available at the IRC

Hello and welcome back to the Islamic Resource Center blog. This is your friendly neighborhood librarian with a fun collection update. As you might have gathered from the title of this post, we now have Scholastic's "My Arabic Library" collection for your viewing pleasure.

These books are titles that were tried and true in English, some even classics, spanning grades 1-6 that are now translated into Arabic. With 208 titles in the collection, it will take a little while to finish cataloging them, but every week a dozen or so have and will make it onto the shelves for your perusal along with the rest of our ever growing collection.

Come visit us today and find out what all the fuss is about.

Guantanamo's Child To Be Opener in 2016 Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival

This year, the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival #MMFilmFest2016 will be opening with the documentary film, Guantanamo's Child: Omar Khadr.

Taking place after Omar Khadr was released on bail and told both in his own words and through research done in the name of Michelle Shephard's authoritative book, Guantanamo's Child: The Untold Story of Omar Khadr, the film Guantanamo's Child profiles how one suburban Toronto teenager became the first juvenile ever tried for war crimes and part of one of the first trials since the prosecution of Nazi war criminals in the 1940s.

The documentary will preview this Thursday 7pm at the UWM Theater. If you can't make it, don't worry. Guantanamo's Child will screen again on Sunday, April 3rd at 2pm at the Milwaukee Art Museum.