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Book Review – Holy Ignorance – By Olivier Roy – NYTimes.com

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Event: Interfaith Vigil for Victims & Survivors of Torture June 26th‏

TWO KEY EVENTS SPONSORED BY Metro NY Religious Campaign Against Torture (MNYRCAT), Amnesty International and other organizations ARE HAPPENING ON JUNE 26th – U.N. Day in Remembrance of the Victims and Survivors of Torture June 26th – 6 p.m. – Dag Hammarskjold Plaza – Interfaith Press Conference in Which Denominational Leaders will Announce Their Denomination’s Opposition to Torture followed by a procession to: June 26th – 7 p.m. – U.N. Chapel – Interfaith Prayer Service in Remembrance of the Victims & Survivors of Torture. (Dag Hammarskjold Plaza is at 47th and First Avenue. U.N. Chapel is across from the U.N.…

Ramadan Mubarak and L’Shana Tov [updated]

For us, Nizari Ismailis, the night of October 4, 2005, was the first night of Ramadan. This holy month for Muslims coincides with Rosh Hoshana. Over at City of Brass, he’s talking about something called the Tent of Abraham. Sounds interesting. Check it out. Also, the Bohras (official website), or Mustalian Ismailis, like the Nizari Ismailis, do not rely on moon sighting, but on astronomical calculation. I was always under the impression that we shared our calculated calendar from the Fatimid period, but since they started a day earlier, there must a divergence somewhen. Anybody know when and/or why? Update:…