Turkish Surprise

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…

I am impressed that Afghanistan has managed to create a new constitution. I haven’t had a chance to get my hands on it, but I wonder how different it is from the 1964 constitution, which was the last functioning one in the country. I think settling the language issue is key, as it is one of the markers of ethnicity, and one of the big dividing forces in the country. How the Hazaras will be treated is still an open question, as is the role women will play. As the BBC article correctly notes, the country still lacks the rule…

Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant. – The Qur’an, Chapter 7, Verse 199 What would the Prophet have done given the presence of those cartoons? Most probably smiled and turned away.  Why are Muslims getting so worked-up about the works of ignorant cartoonists from the boondocks of Denmark?  Is Islam so weak that we need to kill each other demonstrating our anger at an insult at the Prophet?  Is the legacy of the Prophet so weak that we have to condem every Tom Dick and Lars when they insult him?  Is Allah…