What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church?
I am dread to see what a mosque version of this would look like. (h/t Street Prophets)
Year: 2008
Jews, Muslims, and Orthodoxy
Over at Talk Islam, Abu Noor talks about what the face of Islam in America will look like. He picks up two issues that I have argued previously: 1. The Catholic-Protestant divide is not a useful analogy for discussing the Sunni-Shi’ah divide. 2. We do not need a Reformation in Islam. (See more recently, my talk on Muslims in the Media (part 2)) Where I have difficulty with his argument is the extension of the analogy with Judaism. I agree that the movement approach (Conservative, Reform, Orthodox, etc.) better fits the Muslim experience. We generally speak of turuq (paths), of…
On a New York Times Roll
The NYT had an interesting series of unrelated articles about Muslims over the last week. Deprogramming Jihadists I respect that the article is trying to show how the Saudis are attempting to deal with demon they helped create, but really does not address some of the inconsistencies in the approach. For example: Saudi schools teach a version of world history that emphasizes repeated battles between Muslims and nonbelieving enemies. Whether to Afghanistan in the 1980s or present-day Iraq, Saudi Arabia has exported more jihadist volunteers than any other country; 15 of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11 were Saudis. and…
A Conversation in a Mosque
A friend recently went to Turkey and the tour guide started explaining Islam. It’s actually pretty good, and the guide is funny. Of course, I have objections to both a five pillar definition of Islam and linking of religious acts as dependent on science, but overall it is fun. It’s also nice to have a Muslim, from a Muslim-majority country, explain Islam in a way that resonates with the way many of us understand our own faith. Turkey
Kudos
Congrats are in order to two of my regular read: 1. Svend at Akram’s Razor made it on to Beliefnet’s Top 10 list of Muslim blogs. 2. Aziz is now at Beliefnet with City of Brass. This news is old, but I’m late to the party. Great job by two deserving individuals. Also, good job by Beliefnet recognizing the talent these guys represent.
Devil’s Advocate: Rabbi Lerner is Wrong about Rahm
My latest over there can be found here.
New Devil’s Advocate Posting
My latest Devil’s Advocate posting on our first modern Muslim president, and it’s not about Obama.
What He Said
President Elect Barack Obama’s victory speech. Yes we can. Obama, Election 2008