Medicine and MidEast Politics
Via thabet, I see that the politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have emerged in the British Medical Journal .
Year: 2009
Why the State Shouldn’t Be Marrying People
This case in Pennsylvania helps you understand why marriage is not in the State’s interest. Marriage is a religious interest. The state only needs to recognize unions, marriage or otherwise, for legal purposes of benefits. And what is this BS about Muslims can’t have their photos taken? I’m assuming it refers to some women who do not wish to expose their faces in public, but men have no excuse. (h/t Atrios)
It was and is torture
The NYT on the dark world of America’s torture centers. Not in my name.
Anglican [Gay] Sex
The Atlantic has a short piece on Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and how he is guiding the Church through the problems of recognizing homosexuals. The middle way, via media, seems to be a good reminder of what we need to be doing in religious discourse in general. The Archbishop’s passage on sex is an interesting read.
No More “Enemy Combatants”
Not sure what it means for the Gitmo prisoners, but it seems to be a step in the right direction. DOJ says it is longer using unitary executive theory to imprison people under the “Enemy Combatant” label.
Response to Fareed Zakaria
My response to Fareed Zakaria’s piece in Newsweek is up over at Change the Story. (Formatting is being fixed).
Willow Wilson on NPR
Willow Wilson, American Muslim comics shaykha gives an interview on KUOW on her new series AIR. It’s a good interview that talks about flying while Muslim and the inspiration for her work.
Religion and Domestic Violence
I have criticized one of On Faith’s recent panelists on Aasiya Zubair’s murder as ignoring violence in his own tradition to make it seem as though DV is a Muslim-only problem. Thankfully, another panelist points out that it exists in Christianity, and while she argues there is a problem in religious interpretation, it’s not a problem in religion. A point I try to make in conversation with Katha Pollitt.
Over 30 and Unmarried
My friend Zeba Iqbal has a piece at Goat Milk: Over 30 and Unmarried – Breaking a Stalemate. I’m not recommending it because she’s my friend, but because it’s brilliant. I only know about it because she’s my friend. I don’t normally hang out with brilliance otherwise.
The Future of islamicate
When I started this blog almost six years ago the idea was to get some of my witty, well-informed friends to contribute to a commentary on the state of Muslims in the world. I quickly discovered either my friends were not so witty or not so much my friends [/humor]. islamicate has basically become a solo endeavor. I love the community I’ve entered through it and the opportunities that have come my way. It will continue to be an integral part of my online identity. However, I cannot give time to detailed posts anymore, and I don’t want the site…