Faith in the absence of Reason
Read this piece to understand what can happen when you deny part of God’s gift to humanity, intellect.
Month: October 2004
More Terrorist Attacks Foiled
And why are the spectacular failures of the DOJ in prosecuting their high-profile cases not getting the same coverage? The media is complicit with the Bush administration in making this country less secure and eroding the ideals of America.
Ramadan Mubarak
Fasting, of course, is not simply about the physical abstention from food, but also of controlling one’s lower self, whether in thought or deed. I am desperate need of that sort of re-centering as I hear that the US is considering outsourcing torture; that we are treating our troops with more and more disregard; that people are actively being disenfranchised, and no one seems to care.
It will end with a whimper
Islamoyankee recently got on my case because of my lack of posting, so I am pretending to work, listening to Dylan, and feeding this up instead. Sadik J. Al-Azm,Emeritus Professor of Modern European Philosophy, University of Damascus, and a recipient of the 2004 Erasmus Prize, has written a thoughtful article straight from the heart of the Arab world. The article entitled, “Time Out of Joint” can be viewed in this months Boston Review. In it, Al-Azm questions his own reactions to 9-11 and Huntington’s theory. It is indeed refreshing to read an article that addresses the issues rationally and approaches…
Dumping of the Links
Can Islam Change? I would have liked it better if he asked “Can Muslims Change,” but the points are still interesting. I am loving Bollywood Muslim. The Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan al-Muslimin) in the US. Ohio Muslims engaged in the process. Michael Muhammad Knight on Progressive Islam. (I agree with him on CAIR and ISNA). Reconstruction and Planning Kabul. [PDF] Don’t stop Batman, stop the Brownie. A take on the second debate that I never would have had. Dishoom.
Republican Quotes
I would vote for this Republican: I think there is only one quality worse than hardness of heart and that is softness of head. No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of expedience.
Cairo has a Garden
It’s good to know Muslims can still create, not just destroy. What’s great about this endeavor is that it’s Muslims creating for Muslims, not Muslims outsourcing.
Kerry and Muslims in the Debate
I have a better plan to be able to fight the war on terror by strengthening our military, strengthening our intelligence, by going after the financing more authoritatively, by doing what we need to do to rebuild the alliances, by reaching out to the Muslim world, which the president has almost not done, and beginning to isolate the radical Islamic Muslims, not have them isolate the United States of America. [In response to another question] And I believe that a fresh start, new credibility, a president who can understand what we have to do to reach out to the Muslim world to make it clear that this is not, you know — Osama bin Laden uses the invasion of Iraq in order to go out to people and say that America has declared war on Islam.