The Middle Class and Islam

Last year, I posted this on the topic of telling college educated/middle class individuals about Islam. A few days ago, Amir posted this similar post on Austrolabe. What goes on in Australia is eerily (and sadly) similar to what often happens here in the US in spite of them being ‘down under’.
What is the common [...]

Fear of Science

This is from an article on the contemporary fear of science in the Muslim world in Nature Magazine based on a lecture by Ziauddin Sardar

On Islam and science two things can be stated with some certainty. One, science thrived during the classical period of Islam; two, science in Muslim society has suffered a drastic decline. [...]

Embarrassed by the lunatic fringe

Update 2: This post by Abu Eesa sums up much of what I feel (hat tip to Austrolabe)
The mind would boggle except that we know that there are Muslims in our communities who have become absolutely oblivious to common sense, religious guidance, and divine warning. What else can we possibly do with them? These brothers [...]

On “Islamism”

Dr. Mahmoud has another good read on the problems of sloganized answers
The difficulty is this: to find or develop and workable “Islamic solution”, one must abandon historical and pietist utopianism. Islamic history, from its earliest days, has never painted a rosy picture. Islamic societies prospered when they were open to learning from others: Sassanid, Byzantine, [...]

Recovering from the “movement mentality”

This series of posts on the 1990’s salafi movement is probably the most talked about series of all time from a Muslim Blog. Many were forwarded the links from several lists several times over from different cities.
I don’t think the movement mentality and burnout from it is limited to salafis, so I am going to [...]

Groupthink


A Good Question

Peaceful Muslimah asks: If Islam is for All Times

Hurry and get married … and have lots of children too!!!!!

Hood has started a series on the wali

Condemnation of Lunatic’s Conference in Iran

A condemnation of the conference held at the Unislamic Republic of Iran
UPDATE: Austrolabe on the Unislamic Republic of Iran’s hypocrisy

“Islamist” = Khawarij

Baybers of Austrolabe talks about the failures of the “Islamist” movement. I can sum it up as being too based in canned slogans with no substance.
Meanwhile, The Combating Terrorism Center says that

Hard Facts on Black America

Juan Williams is

The Pope must die????

OK, enough is enough…
I have been watching the (sadly typical)

Reforming the way we think about Jews and Women’s rights in Pakistan

A couple of good posts
- Baybers wrote about the Muslims reforming the way they think about the Jews:
Over recent years we have seen a genuine attempt by Jews from around the world to understand and speak forcefully in the defence of Palestinians, often at great personal cost to themselves. They have done so because they [...]

Apologize? No … Explain? Yes

Umar and Izzy Mo both had pieces on why the Muslims and Muslim organizations should not condemn attacks by extremist and/or lunatic Muslims.
Personally, I’ve always had such a relationship with non-Muslims, that I have never been associated with such foolishness. Even after 9/11. The most I would be asked was “Man, what is wrong with [...]

“Nasrullah” attacking Companions

This speaks for itself:
This is a video of him accusing the Abu Sufiyaan of nifaaq
Here speaking about their “betrayal” of Hussein and supposedly forcing him out of Makkah
Many of us find this kind of thing to be vile (especially their vicious attacks on Aisha) and too much to take even if they were not terrorists.
(Thanks [...]