Religious tolerance in Bahrain? Perhaps. For the 36 Jews living there, at least in 2009. In the tense landscape of the Middle East, there is little room left for Jewish Arabs, a tiny minority in this country as well as in places like Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. But in Bahrain, the king, Hamad bin Isa [...]
Browsing the archives for the Islam category
I had high hopes that President Obama would do more outreach among US Muslims. There are only 24 hours in a day. I get that. But I was hoping that we’d see a more overt form of engagement. Perhaps the political climate both pre- and post-election preclude that kind of “innocent” presidential appearance at a [...]
I have to thank my baby Gators for introducing me to South Park some time ago. I have to confess that I only look at it when it’s involved in some newsworthy event. And, boy, this one sure counts. I did manage to see part one of the Muhammad episode online and was looking forward [...]
So many links! So little time! This is from December, 2009, but still relevant. Where are the King’s? The Gandhi’s? The St. Francis’? St. Francis? Yes. I haven’t read the book yet, but it’s on my list, Paul Moses’ book, The Saint and the Sultan: The Crusades, Islam, and Francis of Assisi’s Mission of Peace. [...]
I want to say this is “stunning” news, but given the state of things in the world, sadly, it was to be expected. There were protests in Malaysia yesterday and four arson attacks on Christian churches, apparently provoked by a court decision to allow Christians to use the word Allah. [Photo from afp] Police at [...]
Minarets of Marseille
30 Dec, 2009 in Church and State, Islam, PHIL 525, Politics, Religion Blog, Religious PluarlismThis in contrast to the recent Swiss ban on building any new minarets: The minaret of the new Grand Mosque of Marseille, whose cornerstone will be laid here in April, will be silent — no muezzin, live or recorded, will disturb the neighborhood with the call to prayer. Instead, the minaret will flash a beam [...]
It’s sad that so much of contemporary discussion about religion centers on violence: the violence that is generated and sanctioned in the name of religion. Some critics of religion have argued that religion is inherent problematic. One such problem is its penchant for promulgating hatred and violence. Along the lines of the Cohen article I [...]
Islam and creationism
8 Nov, 2009 in Darwin, Islam, Nature, PHIL 525, Religion Blog, Religious Belief, ScienceThe discovery of “Ardi” supports a creationist perspective? This isn’t what I’d have thought but apparently there is a rise of creationism in some Muslim communities. But there is another creationist movement whose influence is growing, and which is fueling challenges to science in countries where Christianity has little sway: Islamic creationism. Campaigners in countries [...]
In the New York Times, this article on a black man leading prayers in Mecca. Sheik Adil is black, and the son of a poor immigrant from the Persian Gulf. Leading prayers at the Grand Mosque is an extraordinary honor, usually reserved for pure-blooded Arabs from the Saudi heartland. So he was taken aback when [...]
The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization
26 Mar, 2009 in Islam, PHIL 500, Philosophers, Religion BlogTimesonline article on Arab intellectual and religious influences on western civilization. When Baghdad opened its gates as the new capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, the prime site in the city was occupied by the royal library. Both the city and the library, completed around 765, were built by Caliph al-Mansur, who devised a method for [...]