Month: September 2010

“Many Muslim scholars say that America is the most shari’ah compliant nation in the world, because it has maintained the vision of its founders as a model of justice, even though the practice has not always reflected this vision”: Shari’ah Compliance In America (Musalman Times) As Israel scornfully dismisses a U.N. report that it executed…

In a 7-6 vote, a Texas body that influences the choice of textbooks around the nation “managed to undermine Christian-Muslim relations, hamper religious literacy and impose ignorance on our kids at a time when they need knowledge to live and work in a competitive and integrated world”: Ignorance, Not Islam, Is The Enemy (Musalman Times)…

The ugly underbelly of the military occupation shows itself in the reported premeditated murder of three Afghan civilians for sport: Tapes Describe U.S. Servicemen Killing For Sport In Afghanistan (CNN) “We stand in the proud Jewish tradition of justice, of championing the rights of the downtrodden, of implacable opposition to prejudice and racism,” read a…

A Ph.D. student explains the foreign policy establishment’s handicap in “forecasting religiously inspired events (the Iranian revolution), identifying hostile actors (al-Qaeda and its ilk), and developing constructive partnerships (Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq, among others). We need to understand and respect religion, as it forms the beating heart of the countries we are trying to engage”:…

“Iran accused the US of human rights violations today over plans by the state of Virginia to execute a woman for the first time in nearly 100 years, despite claims that she has severe learning difficulties”: Iran Accuses US Of Double Standards Over Woman’s Execution (Guardian) A poll “by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies…

In the face of what her sister calls the judge’s bias, Aafia Siqqiqui’s advice to supporters is: “Don’t get angry…. Forgive Judge Berman”: Pakistani Woman Gets 86 Yrs for U.S. Agent Clash (AP / CBS) Religious studies in public primary and secondary education would increase cultural literacy, and may have a dampening effect on xenophobia from ignorance … Schools…

Woodward reports that U.S. intelligence diagnosed Karzai as a manic depressive” and Pakistan as a “dishonest partner,” and despite Obama’s insistence, the military never did come up with an exit plan: Bob Woodward Book Details Obama Battles with Advisers over Exit Plan for Afghan War (Washington Post) “Hamas refuses to say who has been arrested,…

The absence of an Islamic contract, which should be evidence the women were forced into marriage is instead used as an excuse to disqualify the victims’ children from Iraqi citizenship: Children of al-Qaeda in Iraq Pay for Sins of Their Fathers (Washington Post) “If society inhibits women from whatever they want to wear, that is…

The quandary, even violence, that may be provoked by the ruling in the Babri mosque controversy underlines the difficulty of defending property rights in areas of emotionally charged communal conflict: Ghost of Communal Riots Haunts India Mosque Verdict (Reuters) “We have to realize that God’s law is not an alternative to the human mind, nor…

The Guardian speculates that the sale of “84 new F-15 fighter jets, 70 upgraded F-15s, 70 Apaches, 72 Black Hawks and 36 ‘Little Birds,’” to Saudi  is a prelude to big arms sale to Israel: Saudi Splurges On Weapons … For What? (Al-Jazeera) A brand-new shopping center, financed by Hamas, opens in the Gaza Strip,…