The Nomad and the Olive Branch

Reza Aslan is one of those intellectuals notorious for their uncompromising stance, bluntness, and, to a certain degree, political incorrectness. It comes to no surprise, then, that his latest publication, God: A Human History , reflects his headstrong approach in the sphere of all things religion and spirituality. However, despite Aslan's misgivings, this book is a thoroughly enjoyable read and indeed a most enlightening one. While his previous book, Beyond Fundamentalism , explored the notion of a "cosmic war" of ideologies against a backdrop of globalization, God: A Human History instead looks at how religion came to be from a more scientific standpoint, coming to a conclusion based on his own personal experiences with faith and belief. The book starts with Aslan's recounting of his conversion to Christianity and subsequent reversion to Islam, followed by a revelation of his newly adopted pantheistic approach to which he returns to near the end of the book...

The intellectual (or the intellectually lacking) debates surrounding Muslim issues post-9/11 has shaken as a whole the foundation of the Muslim body in light of the context of the "modern world", and lead to the formation of many polarized encampments from which people base their arguments and critiques on. Amongst the most exploited camps are those of the apologetic Muslims who keep parrotting "Islam is peace", promoting flowery and "hip" images of Islam through media, and speaking out against the injustices with arguments that draw out excerpts from Islamic doctrine... all at the constant urge of those who criticise Islam. "Where are the protests?" "Islam is a religion of violence." "It needs reform". "Sharia is barbaric". Time and time again, I see new literature springing out again and again repeating the same old lame old mantra. The debate is heading into a standstill b/c both sides are repeating the same stu...

Sometimes, turning stereotypes into comedy serves to undermine the stereotype. Let's see how Jeff Dunham and his pal, Achmed the Terrorist, do that: Achmed The Terrorist - Watch more free videos It sure got a good laugh out of me. Hope you enjoy it! Salaam, from Saracen

One of the most controversial issues in all religions is the case of gender equality in religious beliefs. Unsurprisingly, Islam has faced countless criticism against its so-called “misogynist traditions” in that it is inherently a religion that is biased against women in matters of marriage, divorce and inheritance, among other things. On the other hand, apologetics and scholars alike argue that Islam is a religion in which both sexes are considered equals both under the eyes of God and in social matters. This paper will compare both approaches and attempt at resolving this question from the following perspective: that the religion of Islam is not inherently misanthropic towards women, and that this application does not require a specific social and cultural framework. This standpoint defies many obstacles, among them the rising reports of domestic violence in Islamic countries and the lack of contemporary scholarly discourse on women’s rights in these nations; at the same time, I am ...

Since September 11, 2001, the growing interest in Islamic studies has led to serious inquiry about Islam’s integration with the modern global community over myriads of issues. One of the most prominent challenges to Islam is its compatibility, or lack thereof, with the most promoted form of political and social decision-making today, democracy. Another challenge involves the necessity of implementing democracy in Islamic institutional and social reform. There is a wide spectrum of views concerning this subject. Some scholars insist that Islam’s coexistence with democracy is possible, and even more insist that the implementation of democracy is a prerequisite for such reform in the modern world. Others, however, oppose the notion of democracy altogether, instead calling for more “Islamic” methods. While I do agree that Islam and democracy can go hand-in-hand, although not entirely, I do not consider democracy a necessity for social reconstruction in the Islamic world today. At the same ...

The Zionist P.R. is abuzz with news of a Mickey Mouse moniker on Al Aqsa television, Hamas's equivalent of Hizbullah's Al-Manar, telling children to "annihilate the Jews" and that one day Muslims will rule the Earth. I actually fell for the P.R. that spewed it out, until my sister found the video on YouTube and was considerate enough to show me. After watching it, I concluded that the video was heavily butchered and the translation was waaay off.Why do I say that? First, the translator was MEMRI, the same organization that made a pitiful translation and coverage of the Wafa Sultan debate . MEMRI is known for snippetting MidEastern media output and horribly translating what is being said on Arab television. Second, even if MEMRI did turn out to be a "reliable" source, there were many translation mistakes evident, as well as quotes that were taken out of context. At 00:18 , "Farfur" (فرفور, a play on the Arabic word that means "mouse") gi...

About a year ago, I decided that I had enough of reading opinions and propaganda outlets, so I started a blog of my own and posted on it. It wasn't until I realized that what I wrote and saw and had feedback on had more of an effect on my outlook on things than what I read that I began to obtain a clearer state of mind that saw things for what they were and not for what I wished them to be. Apparently, I'd have lived in more of a bubble if I read more than I blogged. I guess it was because blogging itself made me actively read, as opposed to passively read, all materials and pieces of information out there that existed on the net and elsewhere, and thus it helped me process this information more and more as I actually engaged in producing feedback to what I read and came across. Perspectives do change over time, and that's guaranteed, but I never expected mine to change so drastically over a course of 365 days. Allow me, then, to reflect on how my perspectives have changed ...