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Show iSfirarf iVT. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015 iTfTi -- gagvrtw tofcMWW WMi. Mw DIXIESUNNEWS.COM n o continued from Page ) 7 psychedelic sounds faced extinction, Panda Bear removed them from the endangered species list with his latest LP. Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper, Panda Bears fifth studio album, stands out as 20 1 5 s best release so far. The collection maintains unity, but all tracks exhibit concepts that make them more than just pit stops leading to the final destination. Mr. Noah Sequential Circuits, and Crosswords usher in the album with organic sounds and layered keyboards under Panda Bears stretched-ou- t syllables. However, in Collective-esqu- e, BY NIRAJ WARIKOO Minister David Cameron about TNS Muslim-American- s, From pronouncing the word Muslim to explaining Islamic holidays, a new guide written by students at Michigan State University aims to educate the public about at a time when the issue of Muslims in the West is being intensely debated. Titled 100 Questions and Answers About the guide offers a basic introduction to Islam and the practices of observant Muslims. Its the latest guide by a journalism class at MSU that seeks to inform about various groups, including East Latinos and Next, the class will start work on a guide about At the beginning of the course, we agreed that there were several misconceptions about said Kate Kerbrat, a senior at MSU who helped write the guide last semester along with other students. A lot of people spread misinformation about Islam in order to scare people and vilify Muslim-America- ns Muslim-American- s, Asian-Amer-ican- s, Arab-America- n o a w 2 Jewish-American- H 0 5 s. Muslim-American- s, M S. the religion. S The students interviewed and consulted last semester with experts on Islam and Muslim groups to compile the information into a guide available as a small book or electronically. Given the recent attacks in France, the guide deals with an issue thats being widely discussed. Recently, President Barack Obama talked at a news conference with British Prime Muslim-American- s, y. g id contrasting them with Muslims in Europe. Our biggest advantage is that our Muslim populations, they feel themselves to be Americans, said Obama, according to media reports. There is this incredible process of immigration and assimilation that is part of our tradition. In contrast, Obama said, there are parts of Europe in w'hich that is not the case and thats probably the greatest danger that Europe faces. The MSU guide echoes the view that Muslims in the U.S. have become assimilated, citing studies that show they have educational and income levels comparable to the American average. In Europe, the Muslim population tends to be less educated and less wealthy on average compared to Europeans overall. The guide also delves into personal issues, from dress to dating to marriage and polygamy, stressing that there are no monolithic practices in n the community. The guide allows us to see the n . diversity of the community, which might be the most diverse in the world, said Mohammad Hassan Khalil, an associate professor of religious studies and director of MSUs Muslim Studies Program, who wrote the guides preface and helped the students with it. The guide helps to dispel certain misconceptions and introduce nuance. Joe Grimm, a former editor at the Detroit Free Press whos the editor of the series of guides and teaches the classes that have produced them, said that Islam is misrepresented by the actions of political extremists t Muslim-America- Muslim-America- Students at Michigan State University work on a short book about to help educate the public. The title of the book is, too Questions and Answers About Muslim Americans. Muslim-America- ns and terrorists. Islam is a very complicated religion, given its widespread, and it was a challenge to reflect that, said Grimm. The class decided to focus on Muslims after a Pew survey was released in July showing that Muslims are the religious group that Americans are most likely to have negative feelings toward. Kerbrat said that all the Muslims she interviewed for the guide denounced terrorism and wanted to ... convey that Islam is not a violent religion, that the extremists misinterpret a few verses in the Quran. And as for pronouncing Muslim, the guide says that the first syllable uses the sound of the letter u in push, and is stressed. Its not or Mooz-lipronounced Maaz-lias some mistakenly do. The guides are not for experts or members of the groups, but for people who just want a clear, concise introduction, Grimm said. (c)2015 Detroit Free Press Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. m sections where Sequential Circuits rhythm stalls, Mr. Noahs instrumental drives forward through the verses, refrain and instrumental break. And Crosswords takes contrasting aspects of both those songs, meshing them into an uptempo yet dark track. Like with these three songs, listeners hear similar snippets throughout Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper but never in the exact same way. Panda Bears eclectic collection demands attention because each song achieves what people strive to do: have the ability to work with others in the larger scheme of things but also stand out as individuals. Song six, Boys Latin, embodies this idea as well as any of the albums tracks. Here, listeners can probably pick out motifs from all five songs prior to it. Panda Bear expands on them, though, and the finished product sounds like a mix of 90s British bands like the Verve and Animal Collective albums like Merriweather Post Pavilion. Unlike other cohesive albums, you can listen to Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper in order or on shuffle, and thats one aspect that makes it an early candidate for 2015s best album. dy ne to y ite it h. o nd 3f e a re ght, ea y T ? it ty ood Im jies ast ites 11 vice n, will juts ep e n ay r ve are iy- - lat 1 ;ZZZL '! fTOJ V J; u Jj ; ; i vj 1 rl ICIOIM 8 |
