Don't have time to blog these days, but I have to note very sadly that Iran's most powerful voice for religious reform–and it's most illustrious contemporary religious scholar–Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri has returned to his maker. Inna lillahi wa innaa ilaihi rajioon. From Allah we come and to Him we return. In my view, the great man's passing is cause for mourning by Shia and Sunni alike, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, as for the last two decades he was truly... Read more

So much to belatedly blog about (and mourn–almost as much that the killer survived as for those he murdered in cold blood–and rail against) and so little time to do so. Sigh… Anyway, here's some thoughtful and pragmatic post-Fort Hood advice to Muslim and non-Muslim alike from Sh. Hamza Yusuf. Muslims, critics have work to do, Islamic scholar says | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal Shaykh Hamza Yusuf has strong medicine for American Muslims — and their critics. American Muslims “should... Read more

I've mentioned my theory of Khaleeji Consumption Disorder before. This case takes the cake. There are filthy rich people around the globe who pour money into yachts, custom sports cars, alpine villas, tropical islands, gold plated bathroom fixtures, trips into space, and all manner of self-indulgent and eccentric luxuries, yet not even the kinkiest playboy tycoon ever had an idea so revoltingly wasteful and utterly gauche as this "historical benchmark for the adult novelty industry" dreamed up by some pathetic... Read more

After I shared that link about spousal assassinations in India on Facebook, a friend shared this even weirder report. BBC NEWS | UK | Abused Asian men’s lives ‘living hell’ More South Asian men married to British women are becoming the victims of domestic violence, it has been revealed. The National Men’s Advice Line found 9% of calls for help to its service last year were made by men originally from countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. [MORE] My... Read more

Oy vey, where to begin? BBC NEWS | Middle East | Egypt anger over virginity faking A leading Egyptian scholar has demanded that people caught importing a female virginity-faking device into the country should face the death penalty. Abdul Mouti Bayoumi said supplying the item was akin to spreading vice in society, a crime punishable by death in Islamic Sharia law.[MORE] Meanwhile, men are getting it on with impunity. Given the double standards and life changing penalties many women face... Read more

Something to ponder when planning a leisurely visit back to the Old Country. BBC NEWS | South Asia | British Asians ‘outsourcing murder’ A BBC investigation has uncovered the deadly practice of British Asians travelling to India to hire contract killers. Family and business associates, who are lured to the sub-continent, are often the targets. In a country where murder is cheaper and less fraught with risk, the perpetrators of these crimes are rarely brought to justice. [MORE] Note to... Read more

Conservative columnist David Brooks has an interesting take n The New York Times on the influence of Rush Limbaugh and kindred right-wing crusaders in punditry. He argues that these shrill figures are essentially all bark and no bite, being unable to get the people they claim to represent onto the street or into the ballot booth. Op-Ed Columnist – The Wizard of Beck – NYTimes.com [N]o matter how often their hollowness is exposed, the jocks still reweave the myth of... Read more

This tragedy is really shocking, both for its savagery and the way it seems to confirm every cliché about American politics and culture in the book. Census Worker Hanged with "Fed" on Body – CBS News A U.S. Census worker found hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery had the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment. […] He was found... Read more

I recently read David L. Holmes’ The Faiths of the Founding Fathers, which I heartily recommend. He makes a compelling case against the widespread claim that Founding Fathers were recognizably “Christian” in their worldviews and that the US was founded a Christian Nation. If by “Christian” one means theologically traditional (i.e., subscribing to the Trinity, Christ’s Resurrection, miracles, a personal God, …) Christians–much less evangelical “Bible-believing” ones–the historical evidence seems overwhelmingly against it. He takes a close look at the... Read more