Teaching in NY

Richard, at Tikun Olam, has a piece up entitled Hanukah: Holiday of Spiritual Renewal or Jewish Nationalism? This summation is, I think, a good review of what Hanukah is becoming. Growing up I only knew the miracle story from my friends. The nationalist aspect is new to me, even now.  Muslim holidays have been politicized, albeit in a different way, for quite some time. The celebration of the Prophet’s birthday is a touchstone of Wahabbi ideology. To recognize the uniqueness of the Prophet in any way is to commit a sin in their worldview. The Hajj has always been a good time…

The Arab world and the Saudis in particular seem surprised by the recent bombings in Riyadh. How could this happen against fellow Arabs and Muslims? How could this happen during the month of Ramadan? Why were women and children targetted? The Saudis are waking up to the fact the the intolerance they have spread around the world through their funding of madrassas, Islamic centers, and publications, has not only come home, it perhaps never left. The bombing can not be blamed on a Zionist conspiracy or on American foreign policy. This was a deliberate attack on Muslims by Muslims. A…

Even though categorization is a useful tool for analysis, and OBL is definitely a bad guy, I am curious to hear if people have any objections to the use of the term binladendism as described in this article in the Boston Globe by Abdul Cader Asmal.  I’ve heard some convicing arguments against the blanket use of the term Wahhabism and my sense is that binladenism is probably more accurate but flawed in its own ways.