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Secrets of the Pilgrimage

The pilgrims came with honour and reverence, thanking God for His compassion and mercy, having escaped the toil and trial of the Hijaz and saved from the painful punishment of hell. They came to Mecca from ‘Arafat proclaiming “Labbayka! Here I am, at your service, O Lord!” They had performed all the rites of the pilgrimage and were now returning home, safe and healthy.

Double or nothing

Crown Prince (of Darkness?) Abdullah of Saudi Arabia speaking after a car bomb destroyed a building in Riyadh on 21 April 2004 said "God is on our side and will help us punish the perpetrators." I am sure that the planners of the bombing said exactly the same thing before they unleashed their destruction. Bush has said that God wanted him to be in the White House. Following that logic, God wants Bush and America to wage war in Iraq and recent battles in Fallujah suggest that America is fighting a real war not skirmishes. While those in Fallujah and…

Friedman on Sistani and the Nobel

See here. Friedman, like most commentators, acknowledges Sistani’s Shi’ism, but fails to understand what that means. “People power” as he describes is what the Ithna’shari conception of the state was/is prior to Khomeinism taking center stage. The idea of jurists leading the state, vilayat-e faqih, is a relatively new concept, but it’s already become normative for even op-ed writers who supposedly have the time to be able to think.