Gardens and Afghanistan [Updated][2x]
Does a war-torn country need a garden? [update]: Sectarian bias is a blight on a rare Afghan good news story [update]: Afghanistan’s fight for it’s cultural heritage Afghanistan
Day: March 24, 2008
Synagogue in Afghanistan
Amongst all the cultural loss, I’m glad to see that all the focus isn’t just on the Muslim community, but on the entirety of the Afghan community. Synagogue restoration in Herat. Afghanistan
Asma Hasan at Glamour
My friend Asma Hasan is blogging at Glamour Magazine about the presidential election. Do check her out, but as she says, she’s a Republican, and I am most assuredly not, so don’t be surprised if you read very different things over there. Enjoy!
Karen Armstrong Interview
She talks a lot about religion and politics in this particular piece. I think her history of the Sunni-Shi’ah political divide is a bit off. Arguably the first empires fighting about this were in the 11th century (Fatimids and Abbasids), but I would argue the political division goes back to the time of the Prophet. However, that doesn’t mean that they didn’t live well together. Karen Armstrong
Obama, Race, Religion, and Slavery
I had been toying with the idea of writing a piece on Obama, his religion, and the legacy of slavery for some time. Recent questions about his attendance to the church of Rev. Wright appear to have brought the first two issues to boil for Obama as well, and delivered a masterful speech this week on race in America. In terms of content, I have no problems with his comments. However, I think he still misses something important in his approach. Over a year ago when the question of Sen. Obama’s faith became an issue, I felt he inadequately addressed…
Event Announcement: A Mystical Journey
A Mystical Journey – Sufi Music and other Expressions of Devotion from the Muslim World is a Golden Jubilee International Programme featuring artists from Algeria, Bosnia, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Syria performing music from various Sufi and other esoteric traditions of Islam. A Mystical Journey seeks to express the rich diversity of devotional expressions in Islam reflecting different geographies, languages and traditions. Though different in form, these acts of devotion are common in their peaceful search for the divine and represent the pluralistic traditions and mystical unity among different communities of interpretation within the Muslim world. New York performance date…