News and Analysis (6/25/15)

“[T]here’s nothing inherently liberating in covering up, just as there’s nothing inherently liberating in wearing next to nothing. But the liberation lies in the choice.” With the growing fear of hijab wearing women in Western societies, Hanna Yusuf’s video is refreshing …

… as is the beauty competition established by a former TV reporter fired for refusing “to remove her hijab on screen,” celebrating “style and elegance along with religious piety, development of humanitarian intelligence and strength of character. Prizes include everything from pilgrimage trips to scholarships”:

The Israeli government’s destruction of Palestinian homes represent the larger problem of current Israeli policies; it is not just an issue of occupation, but also of the treatment of Arab Israeli citizens:

With a record high number of journalists now jailed in Egypt – an accusation fiercely denied by the government …

… the government is exacerbating its crackdown on free speech with an announcement that “[b]ooks or digital material that disagree with ‘the leniency of Islam,’ will be [purged] and [confiscated]” …

… but an Irish imam expressing “deep concern and opposition to the criminalising of theological disagreement,” asserts a “duty steadfastly to defend the freedom of citizens to discuss, debate and critique religious ideas and beliefs – restricting only speech which incites to physical violence against others”:

“Negin Farsad and Dean Obeidallah, claim the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is violating their First Amendment right to free speech….  The two are not challenging the MTA’s ability to enact policies, but instead are arguing that their advertisements are not political and do not violate the policy”:

A critic of the UK programs to prevent radicalization at universities, Dr. Chris Allen argues that the signs university officials are supposed to look for to prevent radicalization are “mere code for becoming ‘more Muslim’” …

… while in the U.S., writer Christian Piatt argues, “Terrorism always has a complex combination of sources for its diabolical inspiration.  Unfortunately, we’re far more willing to point the finger at the multitude of problems abroad, rather than … exorcising similar demons from our … own communities”:


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