This interview is a fascinating and eye-opening overview of the Golden State's little known history of virulent de facto racial segregation (called "genteel Apartheid" by one sociologist in as far back as 1960). This is important work. We as a society will never be able to have a fair, factually-grounded discussion about social policy so long as we labor under all these Disney-esque misconceptions about the origins of poverty, racism and marginalization in contemporary … [Read more...]
Against the Grain Interview on California’s long history of “genteel Apartheid”
May 1, 2011 By 1 Comment
“Winter’s Bone”
April 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
If you like good movies, you need to see this amazing film. … [Read more...]
Happy Easter
April 24, 2011 By 8 Comments
Happy Easter to Christian friends out there. … [Read more...]
The Arab Street is owed an apology!
April 23, 2011 By 1 Comment
Most of the time I post stuff about Denmark, it tends to be bad news--of course, if you're a Muslim observer of Danish politics there's often been, sadly, pretty good reason for that--so I thought I'd try to atone a bit by translating this very thoughtful and topical piece by a Danish pundit on the lessons of the Arab Spring. One could quibble about a few small things (e.g., identifying Saudi-funded establishments as "ultra-orthodox"; their claim to orthodoxy is rather … [Read more...]
The murder of a pro-Palestinian activist & why “Tawhidi” groups often are anything but
April 17, 2011 By 4 Comments
Sickening news from Gaza. A volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) appears to have been murdered by a rogue Palestinian faction. God rest his soul and reward him for his work for justice.Vale Vittorio Arrigoni, 'hero of Palestine' | Pennie Quinton | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk Hearing of the murder of Vittorio Arrigoni, a committed peace activist who for the last 10 years campaigned for recognition of Palestinian human rights under Israeli occupation, has left … [Read more...]
Timely report on French women and the veil
April 16, 2011 By 1 Comment
A very timely study on Muslim women and the veil in France has just been released by the Open Society Foundations. It's available for download in English. Unveiling the Truth: Why 32 Women Wear the Full-Face Veil in France | At Home in Europe Project | Open Society Foundations This report from the At Home in Europe Project aims to distinguish myths and misrepresentations surrounding women who wear the full-face veil from the actual experiences and testimonies of the women themselves, by … [Read more...]
Throwing the book at the “Irvine 11″
April 16, 2011 By 2 Comments
I have a post on Tikkun Daily on the latest development in the "Irvine 11" saga. "If the'“Irvine 11' are to do time, what about Tea Party organizers?": Criminal charges have been filed against the “Irvine 11″ – the ring leaders of a large group of Muslim students at University of California, Irvine who repeatedly disrupted a speech by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren last February, sparking outrage – which could result in 6 months of prison time. This … [Read more...]
The Guardian’s neato interactive timeline on the Jasmine Revolutions
April 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Wow, this interactive timeline for the Jasmine Revolutions on The Guardian website is way cool. (And psychedelic, man!)But they really need to update its data. It's 2 weeks out of date and this stuff is still going down. … [Read more...]
Breaking down the Murfreesboro Mosque controversy
April 11, 2011 By 2 Comments
This is great stuff from the backwoods sages at Red State Update. (HT: Goatmilk) It's from last year, but its barbs are only becoming more apropos by the day. In fact, it probably won't even be satire much longer. I love the part about the naked ignorance and prejudice of these protests giving rednecks a bad name. … [Read more...]
Great documentary on Sufi music
April 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
If anyone is looking for a lush, inspiring and accessible multimedia introduction to Sufism--not to mention a reminder of the great beauty also exists in much maligned places like Pakistan--I highly recommend "Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam." It's a bit light on theory and oversimplifies a bit at times, but it makes up for that with rich footage and wonderful excerpts. It crisscrosses the globe to bring you vivid glimpses of Islamic mystical practice set to music--from … [Read more...]
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