altmuslim

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Friday, March 7, 2003

Muslim Summits: Low On "Unity", High On Entertainment

For over 30 years, the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) has attempted to forge the Muslim world into a cooperative body that works towards mutual goals. And for 30 years, this body that hoped to be a sort of "Muslim UN" has been all but irrelevant. Meeting in Doha, Qatar, the loosely... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, March 5, 2003

Pressure-Cooked Turkey Reconsiders US Troops On Its Soil

If anyone wants a textbook example of how complicated the political web is in the Middle East - and how principles like democracy and freedom are lost among the backroom shuffling - the recent vote by the Turkish parliament rejecting the stationing of US troops along the Turkey-Iraq border is a good... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, March 3, 2003

A Muslim Refugee Camp Opens - In Upstate New York?

The scene has played itself out many times in areas of unrest in the Muslim world. Muslim refugees huddle at some border seeking refuge or entry into a safe country, only to be held back and crowded into refugee camps. Muslims, in fact, make up the majority of registered refugees in the world today.... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, February 28, 2003

Australian Aborgines Find Solace, Empowerment In Islam

In the long history of the Australian Aborigines, who found their quiet island overrun by colonists who quickly dominated the continent and rendered them second-class citizens in their own land, one can find many parallels to the African-American experience. Both are stories of marginalized... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, February 26, 2003

A Terrorist Is Arrested In Florida, And Nobody Cares

It really makes you wonder. While the media is on a feeding frenzy following the arrest of Florida professor Sami Al-Arian, another terrorism case moves along quietly in the background, one that was much closer to violently taking the lives of innocent Americans. Robert Goldstein, a Florida... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, February 24, 2003

Murdering Pakistani Worshippers: It's Not Just For Christians Anymore

Much has been made of the many murders of Christians in Pakistan over the last year, as if to show that those who committed these crimes somehow represented a Muslim hatred of non-Muslims in their midst. Well, the likely culprits in those attacks - the shadowy Sipah-e-Sahaba militant group that has... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, February 21, 2003

After Years Of Investigating, FBI Finally Arrests Sami Al-Arian

For a while, it looked like University of South Florida engineering professor Sami Al-Arian was on his way to prevailing over a decade-long investigation by the US government that tried to pin him to terrorism. The FBI combed through his life in 1995, looking for connections to the 1993 World Trade... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, February 18, 2003

Will The New "American Muslim" Ad Campaign Play In Peoria?

Just days after the US government scrapped an unsuccessful $15 million ad campaign that showed the Muslim world that American Muslims are normal and happy citizens, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has launched a new $4 million ad campaign that shows that American Muslims are, uh,... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, February 13, 2003

Muslims Have A Love-Hate Relationship With Valentine's Day

Even as the United States prepares a little Valentine of its own for Iraq, much of the Muslim world has taken to this mysterious holiday. Despite clerical rulings against " Eid al-Habb ", stores are filled with red roses, cards and the like. Islam has always looked positively on love and sexuality,... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, February 12, 2003

This Year's Eid Isn't Very Mubarak

There was certainly a lot to pray for this year during the hajj, where over two million Muslims from around the world gathered in the birthplace of Islam to renew their commitment to God's covenant. With war in Iraq a near-certainty (possibly using tactical nuclear weapons ), many Muslims have... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, February 10, 2003

Conservative Feud Grows Over Muslims White House Staffers

It is a little-known fact that one or more Muslims have been on the White House staff continuously for the past 10 years, working behind the scenes in various capacities. All of these people worked their way up the ladder, overcoming suspicion and doubt and getting various security clearances along... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, February 7, 2003

Extremist Imam's About-Face May Not Be Enough For UK Court

Could the same person say "You can use chemical weapons to exterminate the non-believer... If you would spray the cockroach, spray the Hindu " and "Extremism brings disaster to the Muslim faith"? Perhaps, but a UK jury isn't likely to buy it. Jamaica-born convert Abdullah El-Faisal, who taught at... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, February 5, 2003

Welcome To Hajj 2003, Brought To You By...

Since before the days of Islam, Mecca (purists spell it " Makkah ", but we'll hold off for now) has always been a trading crossroads as well as a spiritual center. One needed to only look outside the walls of the Masjid Al-Haram to see vendors hawking wares from all over the world - jewelry,... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, February 3, 2003

In Death, A Remembrance Of How To Live Life

Like many Americans, the news of the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia early Saturday morning was surreal and unexpected. After all, it is our nature as human beings to forget about death as quickly as we can, to avoid contemplating the inevitable lest it sap our lust for life. Death,... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, January 31, 2003

"To Allah & My Country": Muslim Scouting In The USA

A group of young Muslims gathers at a camp in the mountains, undergoing training, learning survival skills, and practice exercises meant to make them better Muslims. Is it a secret terrorist training camp in the back woods? No, its one of the many Muslim Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops across North... Sign in to see full entry.

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