“Change cannot happen overnight,” said President Barack Obama in Cairo on June 4, 2009 as he addressed the Muslim world (wherever that is) in what was regarded as a historical speech and a monumental change from Bush diplomacy. One year later, he is facing criticism of unaccomplished goals, unfulfilled promises and a reversion back to a policy of full throttle support for the state of Israel. 

For the past several years, TIME magazine has released an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The TIME 100, as they are known, are individuals using their influence to work toward change. They are selected from a group of world leaders, scientists, philanthropists, artists, activists, doctors, CEOs and ordinary people doing extraordinary things. 

G. Willow Wilson is a comic book author, a novelist, an essayist, and a former journalist. And if that wasn’t enough, she is also the author of the soon-to-be-released autobiography, Butterfly Mosque, story of a young North American’s conversion to Islam and her ensuing romance with an Egyptian man. Willow recently took some time out of her schedule to speak to elan about her passion for comic books (check out Willow’s Air series and Vixen!) and her upcoming memoir.

It’s hard to find “the one.” Perhaps the hardest part of finding someone is making the first move (especially if you’re Muslim), but that hasn’t stopped some Muslim guys from coming up with creative approaches to landing a girl. I’m all for creativity and I understand that it’s difficult for Muslim guys to gauge whether a Muslim girl is interested in him or not, but believe me, the following methods arenot the way to go about finding your life partner.

For the past 7 years, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) has encouraged organizations to host events for a week-long series celebrating immigrant culture, heritage and history in all 5 boroughs. NYC is lucky enough to be one of the most diverse cities in the world and Immigrant Heritage Week is a reflection of a majority of the cultural groups that make up its fabric.

I often wish Muslims had more holidays. We have Ramadan and the Eids. Sometimes we throw in a Mawlid or Ashura celebration, but most of us keep things pretty basic. I, on the other hand, love holidays. The more, the merrier. I mean, who doesn’t like a reason to party?

Since we already know that Muslims were green before it was cool, it’s nice to learn that we are still continuing the tradition of being environmentally friendly. Young Muslims everywhere are participating in the worldwide movement to save the planet. Some do their part by recycling, some work together to educate their communities about the environment and others have launched environmentally-friendly businesses inspired by their faith. One Muslim couple in particular has combined environmental consciousness with sleek, modern design to create contemporary Islamic art and a company with a cause.

Comedian Hasan Minhaj began his career at the Punchline Comedy Club in San Francisco . Since then, he’s appeared on E!’s Chelsea Lately and was a finalist for NBC’s Standup for Diversity. Taking his career to the next step, Minhaj has now released his debut album, Hasan Minhaj: Leaning on Expensive Cars and Getting Paid to Do It in February. He recently sat down with elan to talk about the things that matter most to him: basketball, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and the burrito.

When violence broke out between the Uyghur and the Han Chinese last year, China went on a PR campaign to ensure that their strategic partnerships with the Middle East don’t suffer. The world quickly learned that when Arab countries claim to push for the rights of their Muslim brothers and sisters, they only really mean their Arab-Muslim brothers and sisters. China was able to keep a fire from starting (wouldn’t want to ruin those oil deals!) as the Middle East remained fairly quiet about the whole ordeal. Now, China and the Middle East are about to get a whole lot closer than they already were. 

Its automotive industry may not be so hot right now, but there’s always the next best thing for Detroit - Islamic art! Enthusiasts rejoice! The Detroit Institute of Arts has opened a permanent gallery of Islamic art, showcasing approximately 170 works of art from the Middle East, Central Asia, India and the Mediterranean region.