Arsalan Iftikhar weighs in on the Ft. Hood shootings with Murder has no religion. Daisy Khan writes about responses from the American-Muslim community. U.S. Army General Casey says diversity is a strength and must not become a casualty of the event. Michelle Brooks takes a look at President Obama’s comments.

“Cultural preservation offers an opportunity to show a different American face to other countries, one that is non-commercial, non-political, and non-military. By taking a leading role in efforts to preserve cultural heritage, we show our respect for other cultures by protecting their traditions.”

These words are found in the text of the 2001 Congressional bill that created the U.S. Ambassadors’ Fund for Cultural Preservation. Since the passage of that act, more than $13.4 million has been spent across the world to help preserve some of the oldest cultural sites, including religious sites. You can see what sites it has funded on the State Department’s Web site.

One of those places is Serbia’s Studenica Monastery, which in 2008 was awarded $33,850 to help preserve frescoes that depict religious stories and tell part of Serbia’s history. The church dates back to the 12th century and features the country’s oldest paintings of Serb kings. Today the church is visited by people across the region and used for religious events. It is also home to about fifteen monks who work on the monastery’s land.

Preserving these 50-square meters of painted walls takes a lot of careful - and patient -work. The year and a half long process is almost complete. There are layers of color - and each layer has to be carefully worked on, often with simple small tools like scalpels, to ensure that no piece is destroyed. During the process, workers discovered more art below a layer of cement.

Stooanka Samardić, director of the restoration project, gave me a tour of her team’s work. As we stood on the scaffolding closely examining the paintings, it became visibly clear how much of the church’s long history is demonstrated on the walls. Some of the art is from the 12th century while other frescoes date around the 16th. Samardić pointed out different materials - marble in some places, stone in others. She noted how some work suggested Roman influence, some Turkish, among others.

In its 800-year history, Studenica has withstood a lot - as different empires conquered the region, parts of Studenica were pilfered and burned. It even survived a massive earthquake in the 17th century, although the cracks caused by it can be seen on many walls. And yet throughout this time, the church remained and monks always continued to work the land. So while the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation is helping this church in dire need of repair, this renovation is just the latest of dozens, maybe even hundreds, of efforts by its own people to preserve and keep its culture flourishing. And hopefully these renovations will continue for the next 800 years.

Read more about Michelle’s trip at America.gov’s By the People blog.

In Belgrade, Serbia, St. Sava’s Temple is hard to miss - its large dome with a golden cross makes it visible from far distances. It is also enormous - many believe it is the largest Orthodox church in the world. It should have no trouble filling up, as Serbia’s population is overwhelmingly Orthodox.

St. Sava’s size and Byzantine style architecture reminds me of many of the great churches of Europe. But there is something about St. Sava’s that is different - it is still under construction.

Planning for the temple began in 1894, but war after war in the 20th century halted construction. As the country sought to rebuild after each conflict - the most recent in the late 1990s - finishing the church was not typically at the top of the list. Finally work is underway again.

If you want to see for yourself, take a look at the (very amateur) video I uploaded on YouTube.

What do you think of this dedication? Is it good to finish what was started, or are there other pressing needs for a rebuilding nation to focus on?

Read more about Michelle’s trip at America.gov’s By the People blog.

Photographer Harry Hazari posted this photo to our “Islam is…” Flikr site.

Being able to talk about sensitive or controversial things can be difficult—that’s why I love the movies. It isn’t easy to sit down with someone and listen openly to a viewpoint directly opposite your own. But watching a movie about the same topic gives us a chance to explore other people’s thoughts and experiences without feeling the need to defend our own point of view.

Here in Washington, we’re fortunate to have the DC Shorts Film Festival, which just wrapped up its sixth year of showcasing short films created by moviemakers from around the world. Some featured first-time filmmakers and actors, while others included people you might recognize from major TV shows and Hollywood blockbusters. The films ranged from the wacky and lighthearted to the dramatic and tense. Some of the most thought-provoking films were the ones that discussed religion and tolerance.

One film profiled the journey of a female Muslim soldier, who became an example to other women in the American-Muslim community. Another film, “The Road to Tel-Aviv,” is a heart-wrenching look at the complicated reality of religion and identity for Arabs and Jews in Israel—and the devastating consequences of choosing one bus over the other. Many of these movies highlighted how issues we face are not simply a question of right or wrong—rather the truth rests somewhere in a very intertwined middle.

Not every film was tense and dramatic—some got you thinking even while you were laughing. One film about a young American-Muslim college student’s anxiety over asking out a cute guy managed to get audiences thinking about a broader reality for young Muslims while laughing at the slapstick pitfalls she encountered on her college campus. And a satiric look at the history of the Middle East through an argument over a plate of hummus got an important point across by forcing the audience to take a second look at both sides of a serious issue.

And in the end, for me that’s what movies are all about: making you feel emotion, showing you things you’ve never seen or thought about and giving you a chance to escape into someone else’s reality; whether it’s for two hours or only five minutes.

www.dcshorts.com

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, President Obama issued a video greeting to Jews around the world. “Rosh Hashanah marks the start of a new year – a time of humble prayer, joyful celebration, and hope for a new beginning,” Obama said.

The new year is a time to rededicate oneself to resisting intolerance and prejudice, Obama said. “Let us stand up strongly to the scourge of anti-Semitism, which is still prevalent in far too many corners of our world,” he said.

The video and a transcript in multiple languages is available on the White House Web site. Obama gave a similar video greeting for Ramadan.

Check out this photo that Jon aka Boris Earth posted to the “Islam Is…” flikr site.

Thoughts?

Our Islam Around the World Flikr group received its 300th image today! It’s really interesting to see the different ways that people around the world, from Thailand to Pakistan, answer the question “Islam is…” through images. And if you don’t have a photo to send us, write in the comments section below what Islam means to you.

Today’s photo of the day is from Sigree Ibn Mamak “Dol” in Thailand

Send us your photos completing the phrase “Islam is…”

Today’s photo of the day is from Flikr user Rafet Elezi from Prizren, Kosovo.

Send us your photos completing the phrase “Islam is…”