密歇根新闻广播 清真都市对各方面的影响

What exactly is a "halal metropolis¹"?

According to Razi Jafri, it's "a region in which Muslims can live freely, practice their faith, contribute to society, with all of their creative and entrepreneurial and all kinds of skills that they have." And he says that Detroit, and Southeast Michigan more broadly, fall squarely into that category.

Jafri is one of three co-creators of a new exhibit called Halal Metropolis that explores Muslim contributions to art, music, and culture in Southeast Michigan. Musician Tazeen Ayub is one of the artists featured in the exhibit. She is also the founder² of the Detroit chapter of the Gathering³ All Muslim Artists (GAMA) collective.

Halal Metropolis features a range of different works created by Muslim artists in Southeast Michigan. The multi-part exhibit will be updated over time to showcase new submissions⁴ as they are acquired and curated.

It's great to be able to have a hub where people can come together and appreciate all of the creative expression that all these Muslims have from different backgrounds," said Ayub.

What makes Southeast Michigan a "halal metropolis," Jafri says, is the public signaling — think a sign in a local grocery store wishing customers a Happy Eid that Muslims are part of the broader community. That could also include architecture, food, and other cultural markers that help give visibility to the Muslim community in the area.

The project's first show will feature archival material that showcases how the Muslim community started blossoming in southeast Michigan from the 1920s through the 1940s. It will also feature news articles going back to the early 1900s that Jafri says will give viewers an idea of how Muslims were portrayed⁵ by the media during that time.

Our hope is that the people that come and visit these exhibits will learn something new and go away with this idea of learning about who Muslims are, how diverse the community is, Jafri said. Then, in addition to that — one step above that — is the cultural contribution that Muslims have made and are currently making.

The exhibit will travel to different communities across Michigan, including those with less exposure to Muslim-American culture. In the face of Islamophobia, anti-immigration sentiment, and other issues that impact Muslims, Jafri hopes that the exhibit will “build bridges” between Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

Connection is at the heart of Ayub's musical collaboration⁶ with her husband Lu Fuki, which she describes as "Afro-spirit jazz."

At its heart, it is spirit music. It is music that is inspired divinely, that is inspired through the soul, and that is — its entire purpose is to just connect hearts, Ayub said.

You can find out more about Halal Metropolis, which will be opening Friday, June 21 at Indus Detroit, on the project's website.

This post was written by Stateside production assistant Isabella Isaacs-Thomas.

1 metropolis   

n.首府；大城市

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
• He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 submissions   

n.提交( submission的名词复数 )；屈从；归顺；向法官或陪审团提出的意见或论据

参考例句：

• The deadline for submissions to the competition will be Easter 1994. 递交参赛申请的截止时间为1994年的复活节。 来自辞典例句
• Section 556(d) allows the agency to substitute written submissions for oral direct testimony in rulemaking. 第五百五十六条第（四）款准允行政机关在规则制定中用书面提交材料替代口头的直接证言。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

5 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。