Current Affairs Shi'ism

A Muharram victory

Oh boy! Was the US so confident of Allawi’s victory that they didn’t think what would happen if the Shi’i religious party won the elections? It’s not so much that they won, I think everyone but this administration saw them winning a plurality if not a majority, but it dawned on me today that they won the elections during Muharram. The first ten-days were when the Prophet’s grandson Husayn was tortured and killed. It’s one of the formative moments of Shi’ah identity and remains incredibly important for the Ithna’ashari, the type of Shi’ah in Iraq. The symbology of Imam Husayn…

Read More
Current Affairs

What kind of Allah…..

………is this that allows for such destruction?  Why did the MOST BENEFICIENT and the MOST MERCIFUL Creator will this Tsunami?  Interesting questions for us to reflect on.  What is the Islamic explanation for this disaster?  How do we as believers make sense of this event?Here are some interesting questions via Arts & Letters Daily: In the Telegraph: In temples, mosques, churches and synagogues across the globe, clerics are being called upon to explain: How could a benevolent God visit such horror on ordinary people? Traditionalists of diverse faiths described the destruction as part of god’s plan, proof of his power…

Read More
Current Affairs

Help

“There are no longer any signs of life along 240 kilometers”. (Reporter in helicopter over Aceh) “In this kind of a tragedy, there is no religion,” said Imam Syed Abdullah, who led a team of Indian rescue personnel in retrieving bodies along the coast. He agreed to have Muslim victims buried with others in a mass burial. “They died together in the sea. Let their souls get peace together.” “We’re concerned about providing safe water and preventing the spread of disease. For children, the next few days will be the most critical.” (Carol Bellamy, executive director, Unicef) Please give generously.…

Read More
Current Affairs

Depressing Assessment of The Future of Peace in the Middle East

The Death of Arafat and the Myth of New Beginnings by Mark Levine in Juan Cole’s Blog Here is a graf: "In the weeks leading up to Palestinian President Yassir Arafat’s death American politicians and pundits have repeatedly called on the Palestinian people to use the opportunity of his passing to transform the intifada from a violent uprising into a non-violent, democratic and pragmatic program for achieving independence. This is very good advice, needless to say, except for one small problem: Palestinians have been trying to build such a movement for the last two decades, and the Israeli Government, IDF…

Read More