World AIDS Day 2008

OK, I have to admit I blew the organizing of the Meetup in Boston. HijabMan and I met for a bit and spoke about the selection of imams in local mosques. It was actually part of the discussion in the morning’s IIA panel as well. Who chooses the imams? Who do they speak to? Who do they speak for? He’s got a case study, so I won’t jump in on that. However, it strikes me that there are two basic approaches to religion: limiting and liberating.

Regardless of your view on the Iraq war, you cannot deny the bravery and sacrifice of our troops over there. Below are some links to allow you to help them out in their needs. Please be generous. May God reward all your acts of generosity, give the troops and their families support and comfort, and bring peace to the world. Any Soldier – send a care package Operation Hero Miles – donate your frequent flyer miles to help re-join families Michael Moore – he keeps a list of various organizations that help our troops, their families, and children in Iraq…

Reza has some interesting things to say about Islam: The foundation of Islamic pluralism can be summed up in one indisputable verse: "There can be no compulsion in religion." That means that the antiquated partitioning of the world into spheres of belief (dar al-Islam) and unbelief (dar al-Harb), which was first developed during the Crusades but which still maintains its grasp on the imaginations of traditionalist theologians, is utterly unjustifiable. It also means that the ideology of those Wahhabists who wish to return Islam to some imaginary ideal of original purity must be once and for all abandoned. Islam is…