Officially, the taking of hostages is forbidden in Islam. A stance reiterated today by the Ithna’ashari scholars in Iraq. So that means the kidnappers are either Sunni or are acting out of an interest other than Islam. I don’t believe they are Sunni at this point – are at least are not acting under that identity – as it would disenfranchise the community. These are pseudo-nationalists, and the behavior is not intrinsic to Muslims. Just a clarification for those who were wondering if hostage taking was tenet of faith.
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Framing the issues
The Boston Globe has a good op-ed on some of the political dissimulation going on by both parties.
Picture: American Muslim Praying
YA ALLAH HO YA RAHMANO YA RAHEEMO Originally uploaded by *Aqs* playing with my new toy. Lightroom 2. Great shot from an American Mosque. I have been to this center and it as lovely as the picture suggests.
‘Granddad, There’s a Head on the Beach’ and Other Summer Reads – NYTimes.com
So proud to know Willow. Looking forward to this book. ‘Granddad, There’s a Head on the Beach’ and Other Summer Reads – NYTimes.com. But this year’s improbably charming book about hackers is “Alif the Unseen,” a novel prompted by its author’s frustration. G. Willow Wilson, admired for her graphic novels and memoir, says that she was sick of treating her readers as separate factions (“comic-book geeks, literary NPR types and Muslims”) and sick of assumptions that blogging and social media could not have political consequences. So she conjured Alif, a young Arab-Indian hacker living in an unnamed Middle Eastern high-security…