Spring 2017
The Moozis are a collective of non-traditional spiritual and/or cultural Muslim folks interested in learning through internal exchange with our kindred without judgement while creating playful, subcultural programs to connect, learn and make ourselves count in the definition and understandings of our culture.
Past Programming
Moozis Meeting
Wednesday, Mar 8, 7:30-9:30pm
Inviting people to join group and share thoughts on what programs they would like to see. Invitation only.
The Haft Siins
Wednesday, Mar 15, 7:30-9:30pm
Make and design all of the siins you need for your Nowruz sofreh. Open to all.
Diasporic Urdu Reading Club
Tuesday, Mar 21, 7:30-9:30pm
Dissecting Urdu ghazal poetry in English, Urdu, and Farsi. Must have some knowledge of Urdu and/or Farsi to participate.
Buraq Stitch Night
Wednesday, Mar 29, 7:30-9:30pm
Work together to create a needlepoint of the Buraq, a mythological winged horse that flew the Prophet to heaven. The Buraq is often depicted with a woman’s face. Moozi kindred.
Return of Buraq: Stitch Night
Wednesday, April 5, 7pm
Work together to create a needlepoint of the Buraq, a mythological winged horse that flew the Prophet to heaven started on March 29. The Buraq is often depicted with a woman’s face. Moozis only.
Oral History Comic Drawing
Wednesday, April 12, 7pm
A workshop for creating comics that put to paper our personal stories or oral stories our elders, friends, or family have recounted to us. These stories could range from family recipes to migration journeys. Led by Paradise Khanmalek, Azeem Khan, and Halla Keir. Moozis only.
Moozifuturism
Wednesday, April 19, 7pm
Visions of the future often mimic the present in that they marginalize or erase non-white populations from their prospective landscapes. At this workshop, attendees will be asked to imagine a future where Muslim women or femmes of color have survived an apocalypse and lived to rebuild a new society. What does this potential future look like? We’ll manifest these new Moozifutures and Moozidestinies in textual and visual art. Facilitated by Tasbeeh Herwees. Moozis only.
Ancestral Games
Wednesday, April 26, 7pm
Have you ever wanted partners to play Backgammon and be able to slam the pawns down hard while talking khara? Or drink Chayee, talk politics and play Pasour or Ludo with people who have some understanding of the game? Bring your “ancestral” game and we can all play together. Co-Hosted with Kiyaan Abadani. Open to Moozis and allies. Note: this space will center trans, femme, and otherwise marginalized folks, so let’s not assume pronouns and create a teahouse space where all aspects of who we are can be unapologetically present.
We are asking that folks please come fragrance free so all participants can join with less harm.
Urdu Diaspora Reading Group Night
Tuesday, May 2, 7pm
Discuss and dissect poems and short stories in Urdu, basic language experience required.
Feminist Quranic Sing-a-long
Wednesday, May 3, 7pm
Let’s practice together to discuss and sing feminist verses of the Quran. Lift our voices and spread the Suras as Trans, Women, Queer, Non-binary peoples. Moozis only!
Internalized Orientalist Auto-Ethnographic Portrait Night
Wednesday, May 10, 7pm
Pasadena Rug Mart: 530 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
If you’re a Moozi, you’ve probably encountered a ferengi (and probably more than once) who’s told you how exotic you are, how your skin is like brown butter, or how much they love falafel or tandoori chicken as soon as they assume what part of the world you originate from. Tonight, we invite you to orientalize yourself, fetishize yourself, and portray yourself as you please. We’ll provide some props, a backdrop and a photographer, but feel free to bring your costumes and accoutrements for your perfect auto-ethnographic portrait. Moozis only!
Moozis Remote Collage
Ongoing through May 12
Embodying our Desires: Desire. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I was not raised to believe that I had a right to have my own desires…that somehow the desires that arose from me were frivolous, taboo, unproductive, even dangerous to manifest. I was taught to focus on achievement, productivity, being of service to others, being a “good Muslim girl” and focusing on how I could meet the needs of others. FUCK THAT SHIT. We each have a right to our desires.
In that spirit, what if one of the collages was about our collective DESIRES. Submit photos, artwork, words, poems that give us a peek in to your deepest desires. Rich, layered, technicolor desires of the MOOZIS.
Please send your art droplets by Sunday the 30th to [email protected]. After that, I will drop all your work into the Adobe suite and make a digital collage/cohesive piece. Depending on the level of participation, perhaps I will make multiple collages.
Lead by Paradise Khanmalek. Moozis Only.
About the Residents
The Moozis are a collective of artists attempting to bring together kindred peoples of non-traditional, feminist, sex-positive, gender and non-gender inclusive, progressive, multi-abled, creative and multiplicitous cultural and spiritual Muslims. We are interested in learning through internal exchange with our kindred without judgement while creating playful, subcultural programs to connect, learn and make ourselves count in the definition and understandings of Muslims. We hope to use this cultural exchange to create an elaborate extended network that can help and collaborate, building us strong and out of isolation.