Muslim Women in the Olympics

Two Saudi women are competing.  Although it hasn't been easy for them.  One lives in the USA, the other has to train in private.  And they're getting hate mail for even competing.

Afghanistan has a female sprinter.  So does Brunei.  The female shooter from Qatar carried the flag.

It's about time more women from the Islamic world competed in sports.  There is no reason for them not to!  Many of these women follow Islamic dress codes when they compete, so why do so many Muslim men want to stop them?

Islam is a Religion?

A really sad article from the US state of Louisiana.  A state representative there was supporting a program to allow kids to use educational vouchers to go to private religious schools.  Because everyone deserves a Christian education in Louisiana!  Apparently, she did not understand that Islam is also a religion, and it is also protected by the US Constitution.  So some kids were going to use those vouchers to go to a Muslim school.  Once the representative discovered this, she was very upset and now wants to cancel the whole voucher program.

This is probably the biggest problem that I have with the far right religious group in America.  They want all of these religious protections and exceptions, or whatever, but they believe that religion = Christianity.  It never occurs to them that if prayer is allowed in public schools, it might be a Hindu prayer, or a Muslim prayer, or any other prayer.  For them, everything is Christian.

Muslim Drivers Fired by Hertz

Hertz, a rental car company, suspended 34 Muslim drivers on September 30th.  It said these drivers were "abusing break times."  The drivers said they were praying, and held a protest with their union.  Hertz says the drivers are required to clock out for prayer time, and that the rule was agreed to 2 years ago; the union says that Hertz just recently started that rule, and that last year Hertz said Muslims did not have to clock out.

Last week, 8 of the drivers agreed to clock out for prayer time, and the other 26 were fired.  The union is upset and has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.  It will also file a complaint of religious discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Women's News October 15, 2011

An Iranian actress, who appeared in a movie criticizing Iran, may get a year in jail and 90 lashes.  The movie is also banned in Iran.


Nice opinion column by a female Saudi journalist, on The role of women in the Shoura Council.

Information about female genital mutilation.  Several Islamic countries have issued fatwas banning it.

Ramadan in America

You may have seen this already, but I thought it worth mentioning.  A Muslim teenager in Florida is observing Ramadan while he practices football.  And it is very hot and humid in Florida.  It would be really easy to either give up football or simply not observe Ramadan, but he's choosing to do both.

America Hates Islam

What the hell is going on with the USA these days?

1)  There are legislators in Tennessee who want to ban parts of the Sharia; following it would be a felony.  But the bill is worded so weirdly.  Sharia is referred to as (quoted directly from the House and Senate bills):

the set of rules, precepts, instructions, or edicts which are said to emanate directly or indirectly from the god of Allah or the prophet Mohammed and which include directly or indirectly the encouragement of any person to support the abrogation, destruction, or violation of the United States or Tennessee Constitutions, or the destruction of the national existence of the United States or the sovereignty of this state, and which includes among other methods to achieve these ends, the likely use of imminent violence.

So if this bill passes, Sharia would officially become terrorism in Tennessee.  In fact:

“Sharia organization” means any two (2) or more persons conspiring to support, or acting in concert in support of, sharia or in furtherance of the imposition of sharia within any state or territory of the United States

and

The attorney general and reporter is authorized to designate an organization as a sharia organization in accordance with this subsection (a) if the attorney general and reporter finds that:
 (A)  The organization knowingly adheres to sharia;
 (B)  The organization engages in, or retains the capability and intent to engage in, an act of terrorism as defined in § 39-13-803; and
 (C)  The act of terrorism of the organization threatens the security or public safety of this state's residents.

Apparently Muslims follow this Sharia thing, which wants to destroy America, and all people who follow Sharia are terrorists.  Of course, they already think all Muslims are terrorists.

2)  Representative Peter King of New York is holding hearings on Islam.  The White House has already given their statement out, about how Muslims are NOT the problem.  So has the attorney general.

3)  Only "one member of local law enforcement" will be at the meeting, and he has some interesting information.  As quoted in the article:

Since 9/11, 77 extremist efforts or attacks have been carried out by non-Muslim extremists in the United States,” said Baca. In addition, of the last 10 terror plots attempted by Muslims, seven of them have been thwarted by Muslims coming forward. (emphasis mine)

4)  In keeping with the non-Muslim extremist attacks:  A white man tried to put a bomb along the parade route for a Martin Luther King, Jr. parade in Spokane, Washington.  That was almost 2 months ago, and yet this is the first I've heard of it.  I guess since this seemed an obvious case of white supremacy, it just wasn't newsworthy.  But you can bet that if there was any indication at all that a Muslim was involved, it would have been on the news as soon as the bomb was discovered.

Pakitstan's Blasphemy Laws Abused: Update I

Well, it's getting worse.  Now a lot of Pakistanis are protesting against any changes to the blasphemy law.  They think that insulting Islam should carry the death penalty.  This comes after the governor of Punjab province was killed by his own bodyguard on Tuesday, because he wanted to save a Christian woman who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy.  And at least one group called for a boycott of his funeral!

I find this whole subject crazy.  I've said it before, but I do firmly believe in freedom of speech.  And that includes the ability to discuss or argue about religion(s).  I just hope that most Americans don't look at this and think that all Muslims are fanatics.  Christianity has had its own problems in the past with killing or jailing "blasphemers."  Just last week Bill O'Reilly even yelled at an atheist leader for "insulting" Christianity and wouldn't listen to any of his reasons (No, I am not an atheist.).  Why do so many people get so upset if anyone dares to say something about their religion that they don't like?  Why can't we simply discuss things like supposed adults instead of attacking each other like unruly children?

Muslims Increase at Catholic Universities

The Washington Post has a good article about how Muslim enrollment is increasing at Catholic universities in the United States.  Which kind of makes sense when you think about it.  Islam and Christianity do have a lot in common, and it's easier to be actively religious at a religious school.  Hopefully this will expose even more Americans to Islam so they can see that Islam is NOT a religion of terror.

Islam on ABC 20/20 Update I

Interesting comments:  Judaism and Christianity went through the Enlightenment, which mitigated the misogyny.  Of course, they overlook the point that it only took 1700 years for Christianity to get there, and Islam has only been around for 1500 years.  And women's rights are still being fought for in the United States.

Islam on ABC 20/20

ABC Network is doing an episode on Islam right now.  So far, they are making some good educational points about Islam.  They are also showing some of the wacko Americans with bizarre beliefs.

Pro-Islamic Textbooks

Alright, this really ticks me off:

The Texas State Board of Education today passed a resolution warning textbook publishers to scrub their books of "gross pro-Islamic, anti-Christian" bias.

and

Proponents of the measure, including board members and witnesses, argued that world history textbooks spend too much space discussing Islam, and in too positive a light, when compared with Christianity. 

and

One of the board's most conservative members, Don McLeroy, who is serving the last months of his term, said textbook publishers have been biased in favor of Islam for years. He argued that "one of the greatest gifts to the world was medieval Christendom," citing an essay he had written in 2002 titled "The Gift of Medieval Christendom to the World."

The only gift medieval Christendom ever gave to the world was the crusades.  While Europe was going through the dark ages and trying to recuperate from barbarian invasions, the Islamic world was at the height of mathematical and scientific discovery.  It wasn't until the late middle ages that Europe finally got its act together and began achieving on its own - thanks to material they got from the Islamic world.  For hundreds of years the church held back science, and women, all in the name of God.  It's kind of hard to spin that into a positive light.

So why do I care what a bunch of Texans say?  Because that board is one of the most influential, among textbook makers.  I'm not sure if it's because of the size and population of Texas, or because they talk really loudly.  They say everything's bigger in Texas.  Even their stupidity.

Muslim Conference in NYC

American Muslims are gathering at a conference this weekend in New York City. With all the backlash against Muslims over the "Ground Zero Mosque" and increasing violence against Muslims (the defunct Qur'an burning, the arson at the mosque in Tennessee) Muslims in America are getting rather concerned. I think it's a good thing that they are getting together in a show of solidarity. In the past, new immigrants and beliefs have had a rough start in America. It's disturbing to think that that is still the case.

9/11 and Islam

There's a great post by Juan Cole about how the terrorist attacks on 9/11 are actually against Islamic law. Here are a few of his remarks:

1. It is forbidden to attempt to impose Islam on other people. The Qur’an says, “There is no compulsion in religion. The right way has become distinct from error.” (-The Cow, 2:256). Note that this verse was revealed in Medina and was never abrogated by any other verse of the Quran. Islam’s holy book forbids coercing people into adopting any religion. They have to willingly choose it.

2. Islamic law forbids aggressive warfare. The Quran says, “But if the enemies incline towards peace, do you also incline towards peace. And trust in God! For He is the one who hears and knows all things.” (8:61) The Quran chapter “The Cow,” 2:190, says, “Fight in the way of God against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! God loveth not aggressors.”

3. In Islamic war, not just any civil engineer can declare or launch a war. It is the prerogative of the duly constituted leader of the Muslim community that engages in the war. Nowadays that would be the president or prime minister of the state.

4. The killing of innocent non-combatants is forbidden. According to Sunni tradition, ‘Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, the first Caliph, gave these instructions to his armies: “I instruct you in ten matters: Do not kill women, children, the old, or the infirm; do not cut down fruit-bearing trees; do not destroy any town . . . ” (Malik’s Muwatta’, “Kitab al-Jihad.”)

5. Muslim commanders must give the enemy fair warning that war is imminent. The Prophet Muhammad at one point gave 4 months notice. Sneak attacks are forbidden.

The World Trade Center had a mosque in it, which Bin Laden destroyed, and he killed dozens of innocent Muslims in the attack along with thousands of others. All of this is an abomination in Islamic law

Hariri

In 2005, the former prime minister of Lebanon, Rafik Hariri, was assassinated. The Syrians were originally blamed for it, but now Hizbollah is saying it was the Israelis. Hizbollah claims to have evidence and will turn it over to the Lebanese authorities.

Who is really to blame? At this point, it's anyone's guess. Syria is still a strong contender, and last year a German paper suggested Hizbollah was involved (see the last link above). We may never know for certain.

Religion in Saudi Arabia

I hate to discuss news like this because it makes Islam look weird. There is a man in Saudi Arabia who has a small circus. He eats fire, has strongmen, someone puts bricks on his chest and they are broken with a sledge hammer. It's basic sideshow stuff. But the mutawain (religious police) in Saudi Arabia are extremely strict and think that it may be magic or witchcraft, so they stop the performances. If they're not careful, the performers could even be jailed or beaten.

As I said, I hate to discuss this, because some people don't understand that this is not the norm in Islam. Saudi Arabia has a strict form of Islam, known as Wahhabism, outside of the Kingdom. And the religious police are very strict, and often carry sticks/canes. Think of it as some of the very strict Christian sects in the US. There are some people who really think that rock-n-roll is evil, and that women who wear tight clothes and make-up look like whores. Unfortunately, these type of people have control in Saudi Arabia. That in itself is a long story, going back to the founding of the Kingdom by Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, who used this strict form of Islam to legitimize and consolidate his rule.

More Flotillas on the way! Update II

Remember the ship being sent by a German Jewish organization? Apparently they've had so many volunteers they are having to get a second ship.

The original Turkish flotilla was organized by a group called The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Aid (IHH). They're working on another flotilla for July. And Israel has added the IHH to their terrorist watch list.

I've previously posted about the Israeli-Arab Knesset member who may lose her privileges. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which overseas parliaments, is looking into it now. They're concerned about death threats she

Turkey to stop treating children like terrorists?

A new bill is in the Turkish Parliament right now. It's being referred to as the "stone-throwing children" bill. Turkey has pro-Kurdish groups, some of which use terrorism. But sometimes children out there throw stones at the authorities. If this bill passes, they would stop arresting the children and treating them as terrorists. They might still be arrested, but they would go to a juvenile court instead of an adult court as terrorists.

That's a good start! Now Israel needs to learn from that. They have a history of shooting Palestinian stone-throwers.

MV Rachel Corrie & Gaza

The ship was stopped by the Israelis and taken to the port of Ashdod. The Israelis said that no one was injured, because this was a ship of peace activists not "a ship of hate organised by violent Turkish terror extremists."

Witness Gaza has footage of the Israelis boarding the ship, as well as interviews with activists, including an old interview with Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003.

This is a lot more anti-climactic than the Turkish flotilla, which may be a good thing. No else died, possibly because this time the entire world was watching the situation. According to Haaretz, left-wing Israeli protesters even showed up to protest the attacks against the flotillas.

Now that the world is watching, though, it would be nice if the world (especially the US) would look at what is going on in Gaza and do something about it. You cannot have peace when 1.5 million people are in what amounts to a prison camp. And if the Palestinians want peace, Hamas will have to come to terms with the existence of an Israeli state. Both sides need to taste the bitter pill of reality and try living together instead of killing each other. And the more powerful side (Israel) needs to take the first step.

Gaza Going Up?

Things are deteriorating over in Palestine/Israel. Israel was attacked by a bunch of rockets from Gaza, so they responded. About 7 Israelis were hurt, and over 150 Palestinians. Abbas has broken relations with Israel - which is interesting since he's Fatah and Gaza is controlled by Hamas. People in Gaza are pretty upset - more info on the situation. Info on the attack by Israel. Israel has threatened to invade, and Hamas says they are ready.


Al-Ahram (Egypt) says a third intifada may be close. Gulf Times (Qatar) article. Turkish Daily News - protests in Gaza.

Islam and Freedom

A few stories of interest:

Iran has been targeting activist women's groups.

A new study says that Muslims do want freedom and democracy, but they don't want it forced upon them. Wow, what a concept. We want freedom, but we don't want someone else telling us what it means or forcing us to accept what they want (because that's not really freedom is it?). I am taking this study with a little grain of salt. It's part of a book, and one of the authors sometimes comes across as a bit of an apologist.

The US is sending a warship to Lebanon! This is "a show of support for regional stability." Nothing says stability like a warship off your coast! (Yes, the Gator is a bit snarky today.) It's a little disturbing that the ship is the USS Cole (the one that was bombed in Yemen years ago).