Introducing “Impressions”
Noun / im·pres·sion
One component of Imidiwan's offerings is its blog, or what we call "Impressions." The noun "impression" has several meanings in the English language. An impression can be:
an effect on the intellect, mind, senses, feelings, or conscience
a mark or imprint (on paper, the mind, or an environment)
an effect of change or improvement
the way that something seems, looks, or feels to an individual
a printed copy (of a page or a book)
Our blog represents aspects of all of these meanings. It is intended to be a collection of reflections on experiences, ideas, and works that have left an "impression"—that is, evoked a strong feeling or influenced our thinking somehow. Though sent through the digital world, we hope it will be received in the same way a printed copy might—something that is delightful to receive, evokes nostalgia and tradition, contemplative and intentional in its content, and tangible in its outcome and impact.
Our blog and newsletter are an integral part of our programming, just like the classes and events we organize. They're not just a means of connecting with our audience and providing updates about Imidiwan; they’re also about sharing thought-provoking ideas that are relevant to Muslims in the city and in the West at large. Our blog posts follow the same principles as everything else we do and are intended to enrich the hearts and minds of those who follow our work.
An important note about social media:
Our website, blog, and newsletter will be the sole and primary avenues through which we share updates about our initiatives and communicate with our audience. Yes, this may limit our reach, but Imidiwan has made an intentional decision not to utilize typical social media platforms to promote our work for the following reasons:
We as a society are already overwhelmed by the endless bytes of information in a news feed, most of which is inconsequential entertainment. We want our message to reach an interested audience and not get lost in the digital noise.
Users don't always have decisions over what shows up in a social media feed, and many times what we are forced to see by the algorithm and ads is disturbing to our fitrah and our soul. In an age of darkness and misinformation, we all need to do what we can to protect the light in our souls.
The culture of social media triggers dopamine in unhealthy ways, leading to addiction. These triggers also feed into the desires of the nafs (lower self) for attention, recognition, and even fame, wealth, and power. There are saner, more natural ways to stay connected, and we should try our best to utilize those channels instead.
The ubiquitous and constant interruptions from digital technologies are permanently affecting our ability to do focused work, memorize, and function at a basic level. We are all better off limiting our usage of these technologies.
Finally, the major tech firms that own many of the common social media platforms are complicit in government surveillance, global unrest, and extreme levels of violence domestically and around the globe. To the extent possible, we are making a conscious choice not to support those apps.
To that end, unless promoting a particular event, we will only send one newsletter a month with a summary of our blog posts and other exclusive content for our subscribers. If you don’t want to wait for our newsletter every month, you can subscribe to this blog by adding the below RSS link to your RSS feeder.
Though we’re not on social media, we still value your opinions and would love to hear from you! You can always contact us and offer feedback by using the contact form on our website, sending us an email, leaving comments on our blog posts, and filling out feedback forms that we will send out after every event.
Thank you for going along with us on this adventure. Let’s keep the conversations flowing.