Tension grows between Calif. Muslims, FBI after informant infiltrates mosque.
In the Irvine case, Monteilh’s mission as an informant backfired. Muslims were so alarmed by his talk of violent jihad that they obtained a restraining order against him.
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Karen Armstrong Interview
She talks a lot about religion and politics in this particular piece. I think her history of the Sunni-Shi’ah political divide is a bit off. Arguably the first empires fighting about this were in the 11th century (Fatimids and Abbasids), but I would argue the political division goes back to the time of the Prophet. However, that doesn’t mean that they didn’t live well together. Karen Armstrong
More on “Obsession” [Updated]
Aziz links to a thorough review of the movie. Josh finds a good break down at TPM. And of course, check out Obsession with Hate. Update: Both Aziz and Svend point me to a new deconstruction by Jews on First. The point is that this fight is bigger than us, and we have many natural allies who can take this apart without making it about identity politics.
Communism is the Opiate of the Masses
This ruling (Don’t Reincarnate Without Permission) really has to be one of the stupidest things I’ve heard. Communism seems to have made the communist leadership a little daft. Marx was close, but wrong. Anything that imbues people with a sense of power can be turned into an opiate for the masses. Technorati Tags: Buddhism, China, communism, reincarnation