Islam
May 12, 2009
- They are tut-tutting that the holy city will become a mini Dubai, a consumerist paradise. Yes, Dubai is about consumerism. So is religion. It is all about buying a bit of sawaab (reward for piety). The very fact that Saudi Arabia has a monarch whose lifestyle isn’t exactly an example of austerity should make the criticism invalid. "Architectural designs being considered by King Abdullah of ...
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May 4, 2009
- By Matt Beynon Rees, on Global PostJERUSALEM — If you happen to be in the Holy Land next week and you have a beef with the pope, get to the back of the line.In Nazareth, where Pope Benedict XVI will say Mass on May 14, the Islamic Movement accuses the pontiff of insulting Islam in a 2006 speech and leaflets have been distributed in the town calling for violence against the pontiff. In Gaza, the ...
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February 17, 2009
- The Middle East Quarterly just published a timely article by Ms. Phyllis Chesler about the differences between dishonor killings and domestic violence. The article contains some interesting charts of cases in North America and Europe, though I can tell by eyeballing them that she's missed some of the cases (i.e., the charts aren't necessarily comprehensive).I don't necessarily agree with all ...
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December 7, 2008
- Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice) is an Islamic religious festival commemorating the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to Allah. As Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son, Allah intervened and instead provided a lamb as the sacrifice. Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja of the lunar Islamic calendar. This is also the day after ...
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December 3, 2008
- Since the terrorist began their rampage in Mumbai a week ago, I have grown sick of reading about how India stands at the verge of Hindu-Muslim "sectarian" or "religious" violence. Every British and American editorial attempts to explain why US and EU cannot act again Pakistan by linking the hypothetical ramifications of all action to a Hindu-Muslim war in India. It is time - I ...
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December 2, 2008
November 20, 2008
- Commander of the Faithful is narrative history built on the life of a devout Arab jihadist, Abd el-Kader, who resisted French colonization of Algeria for fifteen years (1832-1847) and then was imprisoned in France for five years, only to become a cultural hero of sorts in France (and elsewhere in Europe) and finally, was exiled to Turkey and Syria for the remainder of his life, where he gained ...
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November 9, 2008
- In an earlier post, I talked about why I thought it was important to defend The Jewel of Medina. I wrote the post at the beginning of the Jewel scandal, before the book’s publication, when any argument about the work was necessarily abstract. The Jewel of Medina scandal, at its heart, had nothing to do with The Jewel of Medina: it was about manufactured outrage, authorial rights, religion, and ...
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November 8, 2008
- In the name of Allah; Most-gracious, Most-merciful. All good therein is from Allah and there are no shortcomings but my own.Indeed, it has been among the traits of the righteous to get ready for Salah asone gets ready to meet a special friend. And, why must not it be so, for Allah is Most-loving and High above all. It is only fitting that we approach Him in a manner that befits His Majesty. ...
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September 30, 2008
- Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of the month of Shawwal, begins today in Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Algeria and Egypt will begin marking the holiday tomorrow. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and most Muslim countries mark the beginning of Eid by the sighting of the ...
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