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Kerry on the Middle East

Via a link on Loose Democracy, I found this article by Sen. John Kerry on his vision of the relationship of the US to Israel. It is not, in my mind, a commitment to reforming the Middle East. First, I find it problematic for Sen. Kerry to define America’s interest as the same as Israel’s interest. I do agree that Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia pose various threats to the US, but they are threats to the US; the challenges to Israel, European countries, Russia, etc., are different. By equating America’s and Israel’s interests, it makes it harder to…

L’affaire Burqa – in the West

I have always been uncomfortable around Muslim women wearing the full veil or Burqa.  Growing up in Karachi,  I only knew one woman who wore a full veil – "Apaa" my Urdu and Quran teacher.  I just never encountered in my 12 years there many women who wore a veil.  Thus, now, it is so surprising for me to see Muslim women veiled in Western countries. On the one hand – the feminist in me wants to shake them up and say: "Why? Oh Why? are you doing this?" – but then the other feminist says: "Its a free world…

The American Muslim on Park51

On Park51: It would seem that Imam Feisal at this point in time does not have authority to make any binding decisions on policy, or even the name of the project. He wouldn’t be able to make a deal with Rev. Jones, or anyone else, to move the center, or even to keep it where it is, as he doesn’t own the property. Whether or not this can be corrected in some way to put Imam Feisal in control can only be a matter of conjecture. The Park 51 people have applied for non-profit status to set up a fund…