1st Sufi Saint and Muslim shrine of America

1st Sufi Saint and Muslim shrine of America


Some 40 miles from Philadelphia, among the rolling hills and tall trees of Chester County, is a Mazar (a shrine), the resting place of Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen the Sufi saint and founder of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, who passed away in 1986. This original piece is a 2 part series that explores this Muslim shrine, the first in the United States. Since its dedication it has become an important destination for pilgrims from all over the world who wish to pay their respects to the S Some 40 miles from Philadelphia, among the rolling hills and tall trees of Chester County, is a Mazar (a shrine), the resting place of Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen the Sufi saint and founder of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, who passed away in 1986. This original piece is a 2 part series that explores this Muslim shrine, the first in the United States. Since its dedication it has become an important destination for pilgrims from all over the world who wish to pay their respects to the Sufi saint. The first part talks about the "Mazar" (the shrine built by his followers in his memory) and the second part takes the viewers to his Mosque and talks about the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen fellowship.

Imran Siddiqui and Ilyas Khan
VOA TV

Surfing the 50 States of America

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This is a narrative original piece about two Australian surfers who are on an adventure trip to surf the 50 states of America and shoot a documentary about their entire trip. Through this initiative they would like to show to the youth that to enjoy life to the fullest all you need is a dream and the will to fulfill it. According to Jonathan and Stefan, America does not have a good reputation in Australia, and by doing this they feel that they can show the Australian people that you cannot judge a country by the action of a few people. They say that in the past five months of touring America, they have come across many amazing people, and an experience which has completely changed their lives in so many ways. We caught up with them on their recent tour to DC, where they water-surfed in the Potomac River.

Imran Siddiqui

Classic water-surfing footage courtesy of www.surfing50states.com

An Examination of the New Iraq Policy

Leading Brookings experts representing a broad spectrum of disciplines examined the implications of President Bush's new Iraq policy initiative. Participants in the first public discussion included Sarah Binder, senior fellow, Governance Studies; Philip H. Gordon, senior fellow; Martin S. Indyk, senior fellow and director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy; and Kenneth M. Pollack, senior fellow and director of research, Saban Center for Middle East Policy. Carlos Pascual, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy Studies Brookings institution, moderated the panel. Imran Siddiqui

Lahore... but in Virginia?

This is a story about Lahore, a small town in Orange County, Virginia, which in the 1850's was named after the ancient city of Lahore in Pakistan. We spoke to the present American owner of a portion of the town's land, and also the Pakistani American who has recently bought that piece of land to develop it to match the Pakistani town of Lahore. The new Lahore will have a school, a museum, an airport, and a replica of the famous Shalimar gardens in Lahore, Pakistan. But the remaining memories of the 18th century Lahore town in Virginia will also be carried forward by uniting American Lahore with the Pakistani Lahore. Imran Siddiqui

Sawana and family

Sawana Siddiqui - welcome to earth! God has blessed our family with a lovely daughter. It feels great to be parents of two kids, now we talk in plurals. This is Sawana's first day on earth. with all the best wishes and love from Mom and Dad and big sister Injila. Samar and Imran Siddiqui