Quran on Cloth

A few new books added to our sidebar items. One is on mystical poetry and symbolism in Islamic literatures, by Annemarie Schimmel. Another is a theoretical framework for understanding some of the issues plaguing Muslim majority societies. It covers a wide-range of disciplines including religion, economics and history. The newest one is a discussion of the stories of Joseph/Yusuf found in the Hebrew Bible and in the Qur’an.

It would be nice if when we did things for our faith that made sense, we were seen as reclaiming the inclusive and intellectual aspects of our traditions rather than trying to reform them. So many groups that live and die by a narrow interpretation of Islam use the past to justify their actions. It’s heartwarming to see the past being invoked for good things as well. Here’s an article about a group that I believe is doing just that in Canada. As a side question – if forced to live in under a fundamentalist regime, would you rather it…

Suicide bombings are becoming a daily occurance in Iraq. So much so, that when I scan the paper in the morning I quickly glance over the morning report of Iraqi violence. I can say the same for Darfur. I have become de-sensitized to it. Shame on me. Today they got 47 in Mosul. Last week it was a much higher figure. The total will continue to rise like a pinball machine. High score goes to the insurgents. A few days ago, it was the mass shooting of civilians including women and children. The insurgents or terrorists no longer attempt to…