tagged w/ Muslim
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Demographics, technology, foreign policy, legitimacy of the state, torture, corruption and other factors all played a part in bringing discontented Egyptians out on the streets When interpreting something like the Egyptian upheaval, people tend to project their own passions on to the screen.
http://newsbreakingonline.com/news/what-caused-the-revolution-in-egypt-duncan-green.htmlDemographics, technology, foreign policy, legitimacy of the state, torture, corruption... more
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Radio Host, IMAM YUSUF RAMADAN, and producer, WILLIAM KAREEM, give a Muslim American perspective on the events that dislodged President HOSNI MUBARAK of Egypt /// Charles Krauthhammer's article "The Future of Arab Democracy" /// The Prediction of the CIA Director and the short conversation/// Radio Audience RespondsRadio Host, IMAM YUSUF RAMADAN, and producer, WILLIAM KAREEM, give a Muslim American... more
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(From Pakistaniaat Forum)
Most of us who have spoken or written against the recent murder of Salman Taseer by a zealot and have opined about the legality of the Pakistani Blasphemy law are now being told, by our friends as well as our opponents, to silence ourselves for fear of reprisals. Silence, however, is not an option and we must continue to speak truth to these so-called Ulama who have hijacked Islam and made it into an intolerant, uncompromising ideology of murder, torture, and vigilante justice.
Yes, it is a time of triumph for the mullahs and their followers: Some of them even threatened to kill those attending Taseer’s funeral. But if Taseer was murdered justly for his “sins” then his sins were, by this act of popular justice, expiated and he had become, post death-sentence, as pure as any other Muslim. It seems that the Ulama want to have it both ways: they want Taseer’s murder to be interpreted as just punishment but do not want him to be buried as a Muslim even after he had, so to speak, “paid for” his alleged sin.
Yes, this is a triumphant moment for most of the Ulama in Pakistan: they have a voiceless women (Asia Bibi) as a “killable” body, a murderer as a hero, and a weak government incapable of facing their ideological onslaught. Tragic, if this is all Islam has come down to after fifteen centuries of its march over time and space. Every system of power needs, as Foucault so aptly taught us, certain “unworthy’ bodies to be humbled, imprisoned, or killed in order to sustain itself. But historical Islam was never about the power of the sovereign to kill, but about the power of the sovereign to enable life. Wasn’t it Umar ibn Khitab, the second caliph of Islam, who had asked his people to hold him accountable if “a dog were to die of hunger” during his reign?
Yes, we the progressive majority of Pakistan are under threat by a minority that has the power to kill, destroy, and hurt us and those we love: they even have ascribed to themselves the power to forbid funerals. Is this Islam or an ultimate form of hubris? Is this in the tradition of our beloved prophet? Would he, in whose name these charlatans have killed Taseer and are getting ready to kill a poor rural woman, have the same vision of justice?
The Blasphemy law with a death sentence needs to be challenged: it is a transformation of Ta’zeer into Hadd. Hudood are limit imperatives in the Qura’n and applied only to certain specific crimes. The Qur’an does not offer any kind of blasphemy as a Had. There is a basic principle in Fiqa: What the Qur’an forbids cannot be made permissible, and what the Qur’an permits cannot be forbidden. The blasphemy law, therefore, is creation of Had by humans, which is not permitted. There is no instance of a death sentence for personal injury (verbal or physical) in the life, actions, and deeds of the prophet.
Yes, this is a triumphant moment for the mullahs: their followers are dancing in the streets. But pause a little, think what you are doing and saying. For if murder and death is the only way you can feel empowered, then God help us all. The Prophet in whose name this murder was committed did not exult in triumph, even when he entered Makkah in triumph. As our historical records show us, at the greatest moment of his victory, as his victorious armies entered the city of Makkah, the Prophet–in whose name you have murdered Taseer–was gentle, kind and compassionate. His first proclamation after victory: clemency for all!!
Think about it, for God does not like hubris nor does he condone murders in His name–especially those of unarmed men and women.
Link: http://www.pakistaniaat.net/2011/01/21/pakistani-ulama-need-for-humility-and-compassion/(From Pakistaniaat Forum)
Most of us who have spoken or written against the recent... more
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An Afghan physiotherapist will be executed within three days for converting to Christianity.
Said Musa, 45, has been held for eight months in a Kabul prison were he claims he has been tortured and sexually abused by inmates and guards.
Mr Musa, who lost his left leg in a landmine explosion in the 1990s, has worked for the Red Cross for 15 years and helps to treat fellow amputees.
He was arrested in May last year as he attempted to seek asylum at the German embassy following a crackdown on Christians within Afghanistan.
He claims he was visited by a judge who told him he would be hanged within days unless he converted back to Islam.
But he remains defiant and said he would be willing to die for his faith.
He told the Sunday Times: 'My body is theirs to do what they want with.
'Only God can decide if my spirit goes to hell.'
Defence lawyers have refused to represent him, while others have dropped the case after receiving death threats.
Mr Musa was arrested after a TV station showed western men baptising Afghans during secret ceremonies.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1354246/Red-Cross-worker-told-hanged-unless-converts-Islam.html#ixzz1DCoXOLKWAn Afghan physiotherapist will be executed within three days for converting to... more
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A Danish court on has found a Somali man guilty of attempted terrorism for trying to kill a cartoonist whose 2005 drawing of the Prophet Mohammad stirred Muslim outrage around the globe.The 29-year-old Somali, who broke into the home of cartoonist Kurt Westergaard with an axe on New Year's Day last year, was also convicted of attempted manslaughter.The man was acquitted on another attempted manslaughter charge, brought because he threw his axe at a police officer who arrived to arrest him, but was convicted of assaulting the officer.The court in Aarhus was expected to sentence the man later today or tomorrow.Westergaard's caricature of the Prophet was one of a dozen cartoons lampooning Islam published by the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, which led to violent protests in 2006 and threats to cartoonists, other journalists and the newspaper.Most Muslims consider any depiction of the founder of Islam offensive, and protests resulted in at least 50 deaths.Westergaard's drawing of Muhammad with a turban resembling a bomb attracted most attention. The cartoonist has lived for years under police protection following numerous threats against him and the newspaper.
Source: Reuters http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7120EV20110203
A Danish court on has found a Somali man guilty of attempted terrorism for trying to... more
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Demonstrators in Egypt have protested against rising prices and stagnant incomes, for greater freedom and against police brutality. But religion, so often a powerful mobilizing force here, has so far played little role.Demonstrators in Egypt have protested against rising prices and stagnant incomes, for... more
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President Barack Obama may think of radical Islamists as "freedom fighters . . . like his dad" in a way, says Dinesh D'Souza, author of 'The Roots of Obama's Rage.' D'Souza told Newsmax.TVPresident Barack Obama may think of radical Islamists as "freedom fighters . . .... more
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Now, I don't know about you, but when an agitated man drives all the way from California to Dearborn, Michigan, with a trunk full of Class C explosives (high-end fireworks, mostly) and is arrested outside an Islamic center for making terrorist threats -- well hey, I just naturally assume that this has nothing, nothing whatsoever to do with the right-wing Islamophobic hatred that's regularly ginned up by radio and TV talkers.
From the Detroit Free Press:
About 700 people were attending a funeral inside the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, the largest mosque in metro Detroit, when Dearborn police arrived to arrest a man in a car in the parking lot.
He had driven to Michigan from California and reportedly was overheard in a bar making threatening comments about Muslims or Arabs. His car was loaded with large, illegal fireworks, police said. Now, Roger Stockham, 63, is jailed on charges that include making a false report or threat of terrorism.
"He's very dangerous," said Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad.
Now, how do we know that this couldn't possibly have been a right-wing ideologue? Why, because he had been arrested back in 2002 for threatening President Bush -- which is always a certain sign of left-wing politics, according to every right-wing talker on the planet. From the Detroit News:
A decorated Army veteran accused of plotting to blow up a Metro Detroit mosque served time in federal prison for threatening to kill President George W. Bush and bomb a Vermont veterans' clinic in 2002.
Ah, but then we read the details of that particular arrest:
In the Vermont incident, he told authorities at the time of his arrest at a Veterans Affairs Department complex in Colchester that his minivan was full of explosives. A search found no explosives.
Before the arrest, Stockham called a local paper twice to say he was going to explode bombs in the neighborhood. In one call, he identified himself as "Hem Ahadin," saying he was "a local Muslim terrorist on a roll."
He ranted against the VA, the FBI and Bush, largely because of the things the president had said about Iraq in a speech earlier in the week.
According to affidavit filed in U.S. District Court, Stockham threatened to carry out "jihad," or holy war, against the VA office in White River, Vt.
In other words, the threat against Bush was made in the context of Stockham pretending to be an Islamic terrorist -- that is, he threatened Bush because he wanted his listeners to believe he was a Muslim, since he wanted authorities to assume whatever act he committed was an act of Islamist terrorism.
Most of all, the man had been diagnosed with (and treated for) mental illness on several occasions, which we all know means you can't possibly blame right-wing rhetoric for having helped inspire the act, right?
Yep, just another isolated incident.. We're up to 21 and counting, by the way.
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/california-wingnut-arrested-outside-Now, I don't know about you, but when an agitated man drives all the way from... more
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Radio Host, Imam YUSUF RAMADAN, and producer, WILLIAM KAREEM, start the program off with a quote from a Sam Cooke song "It's been too hard living but I'm afraid to die..." (Change Is Gonna Come) /// the issues surrounding the social events occurring in Tunisia-Egypt-Jordan-Yemen. How does the United States Leadership and American Culture parallel this international scenario? /// Radio Audience RespondsRadio Host, Imam YUSUF RAMADAN, and producer, WILLIAM KAREEM, start the program off... more
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In one fell swoop, the candor of the cables released by WikiLeaks did more for Arab democracy than decades of backstage U.S. diplomacy.
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Did the Wikileaked State Department cables that described Tunisia's deposed leader Zine el-Abedin Ben Ali as the head of a corrupt police state play any role in encouraging the democratic uprising against him -- and thus spark the wave of protests now spreading across Egypt?
I asked our experts at Human Rights Watch to canvass their sources in the country, and the consensus was that while Tunisians didn't need American diplomats to tell them how bad their government was, the cables did have an impact. The candid appraisal of Ben Ali by U.S. diplomats showed Tunisians that the rottenness of the regime was obvious not just to them but to the whole world -- and that it was a source of shame for Tunisia on an international stage. The cables also contradicted the prevailing view among Tunisians that Washington would back Ben Ali to the bloody end, giving them added impetus to take to the streets. They further delegitimized the Tunisian leader and boosted the morale of his opponents at a pivotal moment in the drama that unfolded over the last few weeks.
This point might not be worth dwelling on, except that it suggests something interesting about how the United States, and the State Department in particular, approaches the challenge of promoting human rights and democracy in countries like Tunisia. Consider the following proposition: None of the decent, principled, conscientious, but behind the scenes efforts the State Department made in recent years to persuade the Tunisian government to relax its authoritarian grip -- mostly through diplomatic démarches and meetings with top Tunisian officials -- had any significant impact on the Ben Ali regime's behavior or increased the likelihood of democratic change. Nor did the many quiet U.S. programs of outreach to Tunisian society, cultural exchanges and the like, even if Tunisians appreciated them and they will bear fruit as the country democratizes.
Instead, the one thing that did seem to have some impact was a public statement exposing what the United States really thought about the Ben Ali regime: a statement that was vivid, honest, raw, undiplomatic, extremely well-timed -- and completely inadvertent.
Had anyone at the State Department proposed deliberately making a statement along the lines of what appears in the cables, they would have been booted out of Foggy Bottom as quickly as you can say "we value our multifaceted relationship with the GOT." Most State Department professionals have long believed that explicit public criticism of repressive governments does little more than make the critic feel good. They argue that real progress toward ending human rights abuses or corruption in countries with which the United States has important relationships, like Egypt or Pakistan or Indonesia, is more likely to come when such problems are raised behind closed doors.
Indeed, one of the most delightful ironies of the leaked Tunisia cables is that they make precisely this argument. One missive -- after laying out more juicy details about how and why Ben Ali had "lost touch with the Tunisian people" (the very commentary that, when publicly revealed, actually seemed to affect the situation on the ground) -- concluded that the U.S. should "dial back the public criticism" and replace it with "frequent high-level private candor."
At least in Tunisia, the State Department did not disavow its condemnation of the Ben Ali government after its publication. Elsewhere, officials rushed to deny the obvious. In Sri Lanka, a leaked embassy cable "revealed" the supposedly stunning insight that the country's leaders can't be counted on to prosecute those who committed war crimes in their recently ended fight with the Tamil Tiger rebels, since the leaders were themselves responsible for those crimes. This only confirmed what everyone knew the U.S. government knew about Sri Lanka. Yet the U.S. embassy in Colombo issued a public statement trying to take it back.
American diplomats have many reasons to avoid saying publicly what they think privately about their less savory partners. An obvious and logical one is that they want to preserve relationships that are necessary to advance other U.S. goals -- securing Egypt's support for the Middle East peace process, for example, or shoring up Ethiopia's cooperation in fighting terrorism, or getting Kyrgyzstan's assent to hosting a U.S. military base.
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~In one fell swoop, the candor of the cables released by WikiLeaks did more for Arab... more
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Falling birth rates will slow the world's Muslim population growth over the next two decades, reducing it on average from 2.2 percent a year in 1990-2010 to 1.5 percent a year from now until 2030, according to a new study which will undoubtedly be ignored by the xenophobes.
Muslims will number 2.2 billion by 2030 compared to 1.6 billion in 2010, making up 26.4 percent of the world population compared to 23.4 percent now, according to estimates by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
The study saw a close link between education and birth rates in Muslim-majority countries. Women in countries with the least education for girls had about five children while those where girls had the longest schooling averaged 2.3 children.It said about 60 percent of the world's Muslims will live in the Asia-Pacific region in 2030, 20 percent in the Middle East, 17.6 percent in sub-Saharan Africa, 2.7 percent in Europe and 0.5 percent in the Americas.Continued migration will swell the ranks of Europe's Muslim minorities by one-third by 2030, to 8 percent of the region's inhabitants from 6 percent, it said.Muslims in France will rise to 6.9 million, or 10.3 percent of the population, from 4.7 million (7.5 percent), in Britain to 5.6 million (8.2 percent) from 2.9 million and in Germany to 5.5 million (7.1 percent) from 4.1 million (5 percent).The Muslim share of the U.S. population will grow from 0.8 percent in 2010 to 1.7 percent in 2030, "making Muslims roughly as numerous as Jews or Episcopalians are in the United States today," the study said.Pakistan will overtake Indonesia as the world's most numerous Muslim nation by 2030, it said.The report did not publish figures for worldwide populations of other major religions, but said the United States-based Pew Forum planned similar reports on growth prospects for worldwide Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Judaism.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70Q12D20110127
Falling birth rates will slow the world's Muslim population growth over the... more
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# What is needed is faith-of any hue including Atheism.
# Hinduism has survived because of its flexibility and tolerance.
# Hinduism has been targeted as also Hindus, but it has renewed itself with vigor.
# At the same time one should also remember that if you should not identify a religion as terrorist because of the activities of some (as has been stated here),is it not logical that you should extend the courtesy to Islam as well?
# The difference is that people of Islam, at least most of them, keep quiet with out condemning terrorism.
# Should Hindus also follow the same path?
# Hinduism needed none nor does it need any one to defend it;it can, by itself.
http://ramanan50.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/a-frenchmans-view-of-hindu-terrorism-my-reply/# What is needed is faith-of any hue including Atheism.
# Hinduism has survived... more
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The trial of a father accused of murdering his daughter in a suspected "honor killing" began in Phoenix on Monday.
Faleh Hassan Almaleki is accused of using his Jeep Cherokee to run over 20-year-old Noor Almaleki in October 2009. She died from her injuries days after the alleged attack, during which the mother of her boyfriend was also hurt.
The 48-year-old Muslim father was allegedly angry because he believed his daughter had become "too Westernized."
Almaleki later fled to Mexico, and then to England before being caught by authorities and shipped back to the U.S. to face trial.
"By his own admission, this was an intentional act, and the reason was that his daughter had brought shame on him and his family," Phoenix prosecutor Stephanie Low said last year, according to The Arizona Republic. "This was an attempt at an honor killing."
The case shines a light on an ancient practice that has spread around the world in recent years. It targets women for committing what a male decides is an immoral act, or acting in an immoral manner. Although largely praticed in Muslim countries, cases have been reported in Europe and South America, as well as the United States.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/24/2011-01-24_trial_of_dad_accused_of_killing_daughter_in_honor_killing_begins.html#ixzz1C0THAFRhThe trial of a father accused of murdering his daughter in a suspected "honor... more
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Islamophobia has "passed the dinner-table test" and become widely socially acceptable in Britain, according to Lady Warsi, the co-chairman of the Tory Party.Warsi, who is the first ever Muslim woman in the Cabinet, will in a speech at Leicester University today raise the alarm over the way in which she believes prejudice against Muslims is now seen by many Britons as normal.She will also warn against the tendency in the media to divide Muslims between "moderates" and "extremists", which she argues can fuel misunderstanding and intolerance.Extracts of the speech has been published in the Daily Telegraph. Here are some of the highlights: "It's not a big leap of imagination to predict where the talk of 'moderate' Muslims leads; in the factory, where they've just hired a Muslim worker, the boss says to his employees: 'Not to worry, he's only fairly Muslim'," she will say."In the school, the kids say: 'The family next door are Muslim but they're not too bad'."And in the road, as a woman walks past wearing a burka, the passers-by think: 'That woman's either oppressed or is making a political statement'."Baroness Warsi will also say terror offences committed by a small number of Muslims should not be used to condemn all who follow Islam.But she will also urge Muslim communities to be clearer about their rejection of those who resort to violent acts."Those who commit criminal acts of terrorism in our country need to be dealt with not just by the full force of the law," she will say."They also should face social rejection and alienation across society and their acts must not be used as an opportunity to tar all Muslims."
Islamophobia has "passed the dinner-table test" and become widely socially... more
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The controversial US pastor who planned a mass burning of the Qur'an on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks last year has been barred from entering the UK.The Home Office ban means the Florida-based pastor Terry Jones will not be able to attend a series of demonstrations organised by a right-wing called England Is Ours, which is against the expansion of Islam and the construction of mosques in the UK.The Home Office said Mr Jones could not enter the UK as the government "opposes extremism in all its forms.""Coming to the UK is a privilege not a right and we are not willing to allow entry to those whose presence is not conducive to the public good."The use of exclusion powers is very serious and no decision is taken lightly or as a method of stopping open debate," the spokesperson added.Mr Jones - who is pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, which has fewer than 50 members - received worldwide condemnation last September when he announced plans for his "International Burn a Koran Day" on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. He eventually called the action off.Mr Jones said he had not been planning to break any laws while in England."I'm not against Muslims, we are not against their religion," he told the BBC. "We have, here in the West, freedom of religion and limited freedom of speech which we don't have in their countries."What I am against is the radical element. If I came to England we would expect Muslims to rally with us."He also claims that the ban on him entering the country was also unfair on a "human basis" because his daughter lived in England and his grandchildren were English.Mr Jones had accepted an invitation to speak to England Is Ours in February and was due to address a series of demonstrations against the expansion of Islam and the construction of mosques in the UK.Barry Taylor, secretary of England Is Ours, said he was "very disappointed" by the decision."The whole object of the exercise is to have a discussion about the Islamification of the UK and just have dialogue about the problems," he said."The idea isn't to cause trouble or kick up a stink. These things do need addressing and people do need to speak about them. We shouldn't be frightened about them."
The controversial US pastor who planned a mass burning of the Qur'an on the... more
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CAIRO -- An Egyptian court on Sunday convicted and sentenced to death a Muslim man for killing six Christians and a Muslim guard last year - the latest in a series of moves by authorities seeking to calm religious tensions following a massive suicide bombing outside a church two weeks ago.
The violence has raised fears of a deepening and potentially explosive Muslim-Christian divide in this key U.S. ally, which is already beset by a widening income gap and frustration over government corruption and a lack of democratic reform.
Sunday's hearing was held in the southern Egyptian city of Qena, where the trial began 11 months ago, amid tight security, with hundreds of riot police sealing off roads leading to the courthouse.
Chief defendant Mohammed Ahmed Hassanein, also known by his alias Hammam al-Kamouni, broke down on hearing the sentence read out by presiding judge Mohammed Fahmy Abdul-Maugoud. "I am a victim, I did not do it," screamed Hassanein. He was convicted of first degree murder and terror-related charges.
The State Security Court, whose rulings cannot be appealed, will announce next month verdicts for the other two defendants in the case, judicial officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information with the media.
Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/16/AR2011011601025.htmlCAIRO -- An Egyptian court on Sunday convicted and sentenced to death a Muslim man for... more
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Malcolm X appears on a television show in Chicago called City Desk on March 17, 1963. Malcolm explains why his last name is X. Malcolm also gives a brief black history lesson on many things ranging from slave names to education.
http://nothingtotweetabout.com/Maclolm_X_Name_Change.phpMalcolm X appears on a television show in Chicago called City Desk on March 17, 1963.... more
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We can all get a little bit ornery at KFC, but an employee at one of the Colonel's halal friendly eateries near Sydney, Australia got positively enraged the collar when a customer requested bacon on his burger.
According to Islamic law governing food, bacon and other pork products aren't served at the halal KFCs, so the employee in question couldn't have provided the meat even if he'd wanted to. Which, judging by the video of him screaming "Don't record me, bi**h!" and "Don't f*****g record me!" he probably didn't want to.
A spokesperson for KFC Australia told local news ninemsn that the employee at that restaurant, located in an awesome-sounding town called Punchbowl, had been suspended and offered counseling after the bacon-inspired blow-up.
"KFC Australia strongly condemns the behaviour of the team member who appears in the clip and sincerely apologises for this very inappropriate reaction," the spokesman said.
http://consumerist.com/2011/01/kfc-employee-suspended-for-screaming-at-customer-in-australia.htmlWe can all get a little bit ornery at KFC, but an employee at one of the... more
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