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We submit to you a joyous, vibrant vision of liberation. A future where our dignity, flourishing, and imaginations as Muslims are actualized. We dream of worlds and communities where we exist boldly, proudly, and unapologetically. It is precisely for this beautiful future that we pray our efforts with the ALHAMDU | MUSLIM FUTURISM project serves as a catalyst toward a celebration of our humanity.
There should be no ambiguity in our call—a joyous Muslim future begins when we resist against anti-Black racism, Islamophobia/xenophobia, orientalism, homo-trans phobias, sexism, ableism, settler colonialism, nationalism, imperialism, militarism, supremacy-nativism, and everything in between.
The chronic suffering of yesterday and the compounded acute traumas of each day are constant affronts to the Muslim spirit—restricting us from conceiving and building toward a utopia of our own. May the process of boldly asserting our existence disrupt the hegemonic powers of today and serve as a portal to another planet where our joy is championed, our spirits are revitalized, and our commitments to flourishing and justice are re-energized.
ALHAMDU
(short for al-hamdu li-llāh الحمد لله)
is an evolving experiential art exhibition and archive created by MIPSTERZ that explores Muslim Futurism—a cultural and artistic approach inspired by Afrofuturism that imagines a broader Muslim future free from the oppression* of today, set in a utopic tomorrow of our collective creation.
*consists of anti-Black racism, Islamophobia, orientalism, homo-trans phobias, sexism, ableism, settler colonialism, nationalism, imperialism, militarism, supremacy-nativism, and
everything in between
ALHAMDU visually and interactively envisions a future where Third Culture is the dominant wave, where Muslims exist loudly alongside each other in their found-families.
This is a surreal
multi-chromatic journey.
This is a bright world that exists tomorrow, shared today.
The project will take shape in the form of a physical and digital immersive art installation with related public programs.
To focus our exploration, we have selected 5 themes that reflect the legacies and intersections that have come to define the contemporary Muslim experience: Imagination, Identity, Community, Resistance, and Liberation.
Each theme is explored from an artistic and academic lens that interactively considers what “Muslim Futurism” means, draws from, and works toward.
Imagination
Identity
Community
Resistance
Liberation
ALHAMDU installations consist of original MIPSTERZ artwork and contributions from
Muslim + Muslim-adjacent
+ ally artists.
We invite artists to contribute
to our growing archive of
Muslim futurism art.
ALHAMDU public programs are designed to be accessible and expert-informed to foster meaningful dialog and understanding.
We seek input from academics, community leaders, and thought-provokers to broaden our capacity for analysis and imagination.
We invite thinkers to share their ideas, critiques, and conceptions of Muslim futurism.
LISTEN TO THE MUSIC
"ALHAMDULILLAH"
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partners*
*Support for ALHAMDU is provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art’s Building Bridges Program.
collaborators
Gail Murphy-Geiss, PhD
Chair of the Department of Sociology, Colorado College
Tomi-Ann Roberts, PhD
Chair of the Department of Psychology, Colorado College
Ellen McLarney, PhD
Director of the Duke University Middle East Studies Center
and the Duke Islamic Studies Center
John Engelbrecht, MFA
Director, Public Space One
Kathryn S. Poots, PhD
Academic Program Director, Center for the Study of Muslim Societies, Columbia University
Hisham Aidi, PhD
Senior Lecturer, Discipline of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs
Sofia Fenner, PhD
Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Colorado College
Tanzila Ahmed, MPP
Political Strategist, Storyteller, Artist
Nadia Guessous, PhD
Assistant Professor in Feminist & Gender Studies, Arabic, Islamic, & Middle Eastern Studies, Colorado College
Jameel Paulin, MFA
Visiting Professor in the Department of Art, Colorado College
Dellyssa Edinboro, PhD
Educational Policy and Leadership Studies, University of Iowa; Education Coordinator, Center for Afrofuturist Studies
Kalmia Strong, MFA
Program Director, Public Space One
Yasmine Flodin-Ali, PhD Candidate in the Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Brian Valentyn, PhD
Manager of Campus and Community Initiatives, Duke Performances at Duke University
Julie Maxwell, MDiv
Program Coordinator, Duke Islamic Studies Center
Latisha Catchatoorian
Writer + Journalist
Shabbir Agha Abbas
PhD candidate in Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Arizona University; MEI/MESAAS, Columbia University
Shamim Hossain
MA candidate in Islamic Studies, Columbia University
Jamilah Maronde
Psychology major and researcher, Colorado College
