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A small point

I have the utmost respect for Juan Cole and his blog. Today, he had a post that I wanted to make a small comment on, because I don’t think it gives either Sistani or Gandhi the credit each one deserves. The relevant paragraph, to be found at the end of his post, is as follows: If Sistani does lead a popular march of the sort the press is describing, it might be the most significant act of civil disobedience by an Asian religious leader since Gandhi’s salt march in British India. And it might kick off the beginning of the…

The Result of Too Much Plane Time

A Roman Catholic on the Crusades. Past and present. If you didn’t know already, serving honorably in the military makes you suspect in the eyes of this administration. Make sure you vote. Make sure you CAN vote. A German paper reporting there is no conflict between Islam and democracy? Only the clear-thinking right can believe an Islamophobe who committed genocide against Muslims could write the true history of Islam. Too funny. Ouch! Wish I had written it. 9/11 has to be more than a symbol. My Boykin‘s back and you’re gonna be in trouble. Did you know on a standard…

He doesn’t get it

The article starts out so very promising on the varieties of interpretation that we call shari’ah. Then it so quickly devolves into conflating constitutional law with religious law, without really explaining how such conflations take place. The article also talks about the religious Shi’ah and the secular Kurds and Sunnis. What about the secular Shi’ah and the religious Kurds and Sunnis? There are huge varieties of interpretation even within the traditions. Finally, page 2 is mostly about cultural practices that the author makes sound like shari’ah. This is a blog, I can say things and pre-suppose knowledge, and get into…