The following op-ed by Brooks in today’s NYTimes gives some interesting perspective on past views in America about combatting terrorism. Seems to make a convincing case that the dumbing down of American politics continues on.
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I hope this isn’t true [updated]
The following article talks about the disproportionate response to Iraqi aggression by US troops. As a tactic it is debatable, but is also a strategic decision. However, the British troops seem to suggest that the response is not based on strategy but on racism. I hope it’s not true. It does beg the question though, in the first Gulf War much ado was made of the precision guidance systems on our missile systems. Has our technology regressed in the interim? Or have we made the decision that these systems are too expensive to be used in limited casualties? Link via…
We need to do something.
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting the imam of a local mosque, the largest from what I understand, has commended the 9-11 hijackers in a khutba in Lebanon. The defense is that the comments were taken out of context, but the text is not made available. Give us the context. More telling is the final line: “”When you make a speech in an Arabic environment, the translation will be different in an English environment.”” How will it be different to recommend murder in one language than in another? I agree we shouldn’t rush to judgment, but the Muslim community of…
Ahl al-Kitâb
We’ve added a new typelist on the left bar today to recognize the Ahl al-Kitâb, People of the Book, very broadly defined. One of the things I’ve tried to argue for is that Muslim community cannot see itself or its issues in isolation. After a generous comment from the Velveteen Rabbi, I thought we should practice what we preach. We are actively seeking suggestions for Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, etc., blogs that are attempting to grapple with or explain aspects of their faiths.