From Fear of Islam to Outreach: How 9/11 Prompted Interfaith Efforts...
After the deadly attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the first person Rabbi Ted Falcon called was his friend, Jamal Rahman, a Sufi imam. On the following Sabbath, the rabbi invited the imam to hisSeattle synagogue to speak to the congregation. Soon after, the two spiritual leaders, along with Pastor Don Mackenzie, commenced a series of frank conversations about their beliefs, both shared and exclusive. The talks eventually inspired a radio show, a pair of books, and worldwide speaking tours. The men’s willingness to ask and answer tough questions about faith in the wake of 9/11 had clearly struck a nerve with many Americans. In particular, many people wanted to talk about a religion they had barely considered before the attacks, but which now...
Those Defending US Constitution from Sharia Must Have Failed High School Civics...
There are those who would have you believe that Islamic law, or sharia, is taking over America. They seem to allege that the 1 percent of the American population that is Muslim is on the verge of a total takeover of the United States, and if Americans are not vigilant, soon we’ll all be stoning adulterers and chopping off the hands of thieves. Take Rep. Allen West (R) of Florida, who recently alleged that, “there is an infiltration of the shariapractice into all of our operating systems in our country as well as across Western civilization. So we must be willing to recognize that enemy.” If that kind of hyperbolic statement sounds ludicrous, it’s because it is. Yet nearly two-dozen states have...
Muslim Cricket Player Won’t Wear “Beer” Logos on Jersey...
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has criticised “bigoted” comments about Pakistan-born leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed not having to wear a beer sponsor’s logo on his playing shirt on religious grounds. Former rugby international David Campese said Ahmed should `’go home” if he did not want to wear a beer sponsor’s logo on his playing shirt because of his Muslim faith. Campese has tweeted in agreement with comments by former test cricketer Doug Walters, who was quoted as saying: “I think if he doesn’t want to wear the team gear, he should not be part of the team.” Campese tweeted: “Doug Walters tells Pakistan-born Fawad Ahmed: if you don’t like the … uniform, don’t play for Australia Well said doug. “Tell him to go home.” Sutherland said...
‘Fatwa’ Condemns Killings Of Innocent...
‘ISLAMIC terrorism’ is a phrase that has become part of the active vocabulary of mainstream media in the world. But the phrase is an oxymoron, argues Advocate Jafar Samdani, Senior Associate at Kuwait Mediation and International Arbitration Chamber. As the head of a forum that has proclaimed peace and understanding as its core objectives, Jafar is currently actively promoting a book by a world famous scholar to create awareness on the Islamic perspective on terrorism. Armed with a degree in Islamic Studies and International Affairs, Jafar is able to shed light on the book and also courses through history and politics to put the phenomenon of terrorism in perspective. However, he agrees that creating harmony without bringing about...
France Has Problems With All Religions — Not Just Islam...
A couple of months ago, the French media reported on yet another clash between religious extremists and state authorities. Fifty boys from a private religious school near Paris arrived at a public lycée to take their final examination; however, when two women serving as their proctors met them, there was a standoff. The students, citing religious scruples, refused to enter the room. After a few tense minutes, the school authorities blinked first: They agreed to replace the two female proctors with men. The students, by the way, were wearing yarmulkes. This latest bulletin from the battered no-man’s land that lies between republican France and its religious radicals came to mind as I read René Guitton’s “La France des...
Working Women and Islam
Whoever thinks that women should be confided to the comforts of their homes, ‘like before’, obviously has no idea about the good old days. This second installment in the series of articles on Women and Islam focuses on working women. The presented excerpt, from a study titled The Urban Economic Life of Women in Islamic Egypt, was first published in 2007 by the Women and Memory Forum — founded in 1995 by a group of women academics, researchers and activists aiming to highlight, and revive, the role of Arab women in history as a means of empowerment. The study explores the presence of women in the economic and mercantile life of Islamic Egypt up to the end of the Fatimid Caliphate....
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