Tag Archive for "islam"
History of the Ph.D. and US Sensationalism
From Wikipedia:
The origins of the doctorate dates back to the ijazat attadris wa ‘l-ifttd (”license to teach and issue legal opinions”) in the medieval Madrasahs from the 9th century, though it was limited to Islamic law at the time, as in a Doctor of Laws degree.[4] … The degree of Doctor of Philosophy was a doctorate, generally granted as honorary degrees to select and well-established scholars
What I find particularly troubling about the US media, reporters, and politicians right now is the latest sensationalism: The evil Madrassas teaching children to hate America! Oh No! I doubt the vast majority of Americans really understand what a Madrassa is.
It is important to note here that there have been negative connotations applied to the word by news reports in Europe and the United States, in which madrasahs are often incorrectly inferred to be Islamic religious schools. Madrasahs are simply schools, and as with schools anywhere in the world, they may have different affiliations and curriculum.
I’m not sure what the psychology is, but this idea that average and non-average Americans alike need to be fearful of a handful of “Islamic” schools in Pakistan is absolutely absurd. The logic is totally fallacious; lazy thinking, lazy reporting, and sensationalism at its best. Meanwhile, inner city schools in the heart of every major city in the US is failing to produce well educated Americans who stay out of crime circles (most of whom would even think about higher education, let alone have it available to them!).
So while it is clear that curriculums around the world vary in extremes, from totally pro-America (perhaps the typical Australian school) to totally anti-American (schools in North Korea), it should also be clear that this will forever be the case as long as our world remains flat. And that the US (reporters and politicians) should not go on scaring the public into believing that the monster really does live under the bed and vacations in the closet.
Yet another example of word associations. For years I have been calling for an end to the association between “Islam” and “Terrorism”. Finally, as I wrote a short time ago, the US Government has called an end to it. One too many pig heads thrown into Mosques, I suppose.
CAIR Calls New FBI Profiling Policy ‘Un-American’
From CAIR:
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/3/2008) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today termed “unconstitutional and un-American” a proposed Justice Department policy change that would allow the FBI to investigate Americans without evidence of wrongdoing and could permit religious and ethnic profiling.
Under the new guidelines, which are expected to be implemented later this summer, the FBI would be permitted to consider race and ethnicity when opening an investigation. Agents would also be allowed to ask open-ended questions about the activities of American Muslims and Arab-Americans, and could initiate an investigation if a person’s employment or background is labeled as “suspect” by government analysts looking at public records and other information.
The FBI currently needs specific evidence or allegations of wrongdoing before it can investigate a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Obama Walks a Fine Line with Muslims
It is inaccurate to call Barack Obama a Muslim. Is it a slur?
The Obama campaign suggests it is. A new campaign Web site designed to air and rebut potentially damaging Internet rumors reads in one part: “Smear: Barack Obama is a Muslim… Truth: Sen. Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised as a Muslim and is a committed Christian.”
The characterization highlights a tricky balance the campaign is trying to strike: to tamp down false rumors — intended by some to link the Democratic presidential candidate to radical Islam — without offending Muslims and harming his image of inclusiveness.
Muslim-Americans have made up one of Sen. Obama’s most loyal bases of support since he announced his candidacy last year. But lately some Muslims, concentrated in several battleground states, say they are having second thoughts over his campaign’s ardent defense of his religious background.
http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?ArticleID=25029&&name=n&&currPage=1&&Active=1
Muslim voters detect a snub from Obama
As Senator Barack Obama courted voters in Iowa last December, Representative Keith Ellison, the country’s first Muslim congressman, stepped forward eagerly to help.
Mr. Ellison believed that Mr. Obama’s message of unity resonated deeply with American Muslims. He volunteered to speak on Mr. Obama’s behalf at a mosque in Cedar Rapids, one of the nation’s oldest Muslim enclaves. [b]But before the rally could take place, aides to Mr. Obama asked Mr. Ellison to cancel the trip because it might stir controversy. Another aide appeared at Mr. Ellison’s Washington office to explain.
“I will never forget the quote,” Mr. Ellison said, leaning forward in his chair as he recalled the aide’s words. “He said, ‘We have a very tightly wrapped message.’ ” [/b]
[b]While the senator has visited churches and synagogues, he has yet to appear at a single mosque. Muslim and Arab-American organizations have tried repeatedly to arrange meetings with Mr. Obama, but officials with those groups say their invitations — unlike those of their Jewish and Christian counterparts — have been ignored.[/b] Last week, two Muslim women wearing head scarves were barred by campaign volunteers from appearing behind Mr. Obama at a rally in Detroit.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25340374
Im gald that Muslim Americans are finally seeing the true colors of this FRAUD.
Muslim Women Rejected at Obama Rally
Hebba Aref said Wednesday that she and Shimaa Abdelfadeel were among 20,000 supporters who gathered to see the Democratic presidential hopeful on Monday at the Joe Louis Arena when the groups they were with were separately invited by Obama campaign volunteers to sit behind the podium. But Aref said the volunteers told members of both parties in separate discussions that women wearing hijabs, the traditional Muslim head scarves, weren’t included in the invitation and couldn’t sit behind the podium.
Aref, a 25-year-old lawyer, said a member of her group was told by a volunteer that she could not invite Aref because of “a sensitive political climate.”
Obama spokesman Bill Burton issued a statement saying such actions are “not the policy of the campaign.”
“It is offensive and counter to Obama’s commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run. We sincerely apologize for this behavior,” the statement read.
Aref said she replied by thanking Burton, but requested Obama apologize directly to her and Abdelfadeel, as well as invitations to sit behind him at a future campaign event. Obama spokeswoman Amy Brundage said the campaign has apologized.
“He needs to take the matter seriously and send a strong message against any kind of discrimination,” Aref said.
A message was left Wednesday morning by The Associated Press for Abdelfadeel.
Presidential campaigns routinely invite audience members they believe will enhance the image their candidate wants to convey on TV to stand behind the candidate at rallies.
Aref, who was born in the United States to Egyptian immigrants, said she had defended Obama during the primaries against a constant drumbeat of rumors that he was Muslim. Obama is a Christian.
Obama also has been careful in denouncing the links, noting that some rumors about him also have been insulting to Muslims.
“I don’t want to be called something I’m not, but I felt like … everyone was treating this accusation of being Muslim as though it were some sort of crime or sin,” Aref said.
She was grateful that the group she was with at the rally, which included her brother, Sharif, as well as non-Muslim colleagues of his, declined the invitation to take seats behind Obama after she was refused.
Still, she said, it was difficult to hear Obama’s message of unity among races.
“As he’s saying it, I’m thinking, ‘Well, wait a minute, I was obviously … profiled and discriminated against an hour ago.’”
Bush: Do Arabs and Jews date, or go to the same dances?
Let me sum up how I feel about Bush’s question to a group of Israeli students: WTF?
This man is totally out of touch with reality. He has no idea what is going on. One Christian Arab asked the lame President (I mean lame duck President) this question as Bush tried to convince them that he doesn’t hate Muslims: “I think it comes out that you don’t like Muslims because in most of your speeches you tend to relate extremism to Muslims”
He responded,
“Actually, what I say is you’re not a religious person if you’re a murderer,” he replied. “But you’re right. I’ve got to do a better job of making it clear when I talk about Islam [that] I talk about a peaceful religion.”
Ok, fine. But then the conversation took a Bush twist. Dances. Unbelievable…
Finally, Gov’t will start avoiding linking terrorism with Islam
Perhaps this initiative is just simply too late.
Here is the word-for-word release by CAIR:
U.S. officials are being advised in internal government documents to avoid referring publicly to al-Qaida and other terrorist groups as Islamic or Muslim, and not to use terms like jihad or mujahedin, which “unintentionally legitimize” terrorism.
“There’s a growing consensus (in the administration) that we need to move away from that language,” said a former senior administration official who was involved until recently in policy debates on the issue. . .
Urging officials not to use the word Islam in conjunction with terrorism, the guide notes that, “Although the al-Qaida network exploits religious sentiments and tries to use religion to justify its actions, we should treat it as an illegitimate political organization, both terrorist and criminal.”
Instead of calling terror groups Muslim or Islamic, the guide suggests using words like totalitarian, terrorist or violent extremist — “widely understood terms that define our enemies appropriately and simultaneously deny them any level of legitimacy.”
Any thoughts? We’ve all had this discussion about word associations for years now. It seems as though the government and their advisers should have caught on a long time ago. Too much damage has already been done.
Christian Rage and Muslim Moderation
Despite recent provocations against Islam in the West, many Muslims seem weary of the same old tit for tat.
Mar 27, 2008 | Updated: 11:35 a.m. ET Mar 27, 2008
Pope Benedict XVI, an exiled Egyptian journalist, a bleach-blond Dutch parliamentarian and Danish cartoonists all have something in common with a Teddy bear named Mohammed. They have been at the center of that seething storm called Muslim rage in the last few months, and, with the exception of Mohammed T. Bear, they appear to be testing that anger to see if it will erupt … yet again
McCain’s Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam
McCain’s Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam