My latest at RD: “Blessed Be the Warmakers”

Last updated on: May 7, 2013 at 6:37 pm By Svend White

Posted some reflections to Religion Dispatches on the notion of Hell and rightwing conspiracy theories inspired by the "Left Behind" films, which I watched last weekend. Religion Dispatches – Blessed Be the Warmakers I finally got around to watching the Left Behind films. While I as a Muslim and a liberal didn’t expect them to be my cup of tea, I was nonetheless surprised and disturbed by their content. I must confess to finding its dispensationalism scripturally and intellectually suspect,... Read more

My latest at Religion Dispatches: “Contraband Valentine” in Saudi Arabia

Last updated on: May 7, 2013 at 6:37 pm By Svend White

Religion Dispatches: Contraband Valentine Upon reading about the hullabaloo in Saudi Arabia to prevent the pernicious spread of the Valentine’s Day spirit (”Saudis clamp down on valentines”), I am saddened but not terribly surprised. For me, it is just another reminder of why so many Muslims are ambivalent about the Kingdom’s prominence in Islamic and Middle Eastern politics. There’s more. Read more

The plight of widows around the globe

Last updated on: May 7, 2013 at 6:37 pm By Svend White

There’s a reason the Quran thunders so chillingly against those who take advantage of widows and orphans. IPS News Service: Widows Face a Life of Quiet Destitution Widows are stigmitised by society not only in India, but across the globe. Worldwide, every day, about 100 million widows and their children are ostracised, exploited, and harassed by the societies they live in, according to the Loomba Trust, an international charity based in Britain that aims to educate the children of poor... Read more

Remember, Children: Cthulhu Loathes You

Last updated on: May 7, 2013 at 6:37 pm By Svend White

Spent lunch yesterday locked in an impassioned debate about various questions of Star Trek dogma with a trekkie whose freakish mastery of Trek minutiae was worthy of the legendary Saturday Night Live send-up with William Shatner. He was citing episodes by name… We didn't see eye to eye much, and almost came to blows when he said Janeway was better than Sisko. But it was fun. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, geeks are actually where the party's at. They're eccentric,... Read more

New blog: “Madrasa Reforms in India”

Last updated on: May 7, 2013 at 6:37 pm By Svend White

A promising new blog by Yoginder Sikand, a noted scholar on Islam and Sufism in India. Madrasa Reforms in India This blog aims at broadening the scope of debates on madrasasa in India by focussing, in particular, on the voices of those Indian ulema who see reforms (variously defined) as essential to enable madrasas to more effectively serve their purpose as centres of Islamic learning and instruction. Powered by ScribeFire. Read more

Past writings & the dangers of Internet procrastination

Last updated on: May 7, 2013 at 6:37 pm By Svend White

Having grown weary of the chore of googling myself every time I want to find past writings, I’ve added to each page a list of links to past writings available online. It’s called "My writings elsewhere". Here’s the current list, for those interested: 2008-01-23: "MLK’s ‘Dream’ Unrealized and Undigested"Religion Dispatches 2007-12-31: "UK Muslims & the ‘War on Christmas’"Religion Dispatches 2007-11-01: "Jyllands-Posten and the Otherization of Europe’s Muslims"THE CARTOON DEBATE AND THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS (book chapter) 2006-07-06: "Theme Park... Read more

The Story of Stuff

Last updated on: May 7, 2013 at 6:37 pm By Svend White

Check out entertaining yet profound cartoon documentary "The Story of Stuff", which lays out the ugly realities of our misbegotten love affair with consumption and its parasitic relationship with the rest of the world. It points out many of the fundamental and inescapable problems built into American lifestyle patterns and the myths used to rationalize them for the sake of Big Business profits. There’s nothing "efficient" or "practical" about the way we live, or the way the world’s resources are... Read more

NYT: Kidney Thefts Shock India

Last updated on: May 7, 2013 at 6:37 pm By Svend White

This report from India proves that stories of involuntary kidney donations can no longer be dismissed as urban legends. It’s absolutely horrifying and infuriating. A chilling new (perhaps more honest) face to Globalization, not to mention the endless demands for Deregulation. I disagree on one thing in the article. The perpetrators (and their many abettors) shouldn’t be hanged–they should be slowly lowered into a wood chipper. Kidney Thefts Shock India – New York Times Powered by ScribeFire. Read more

NPR on the “child-man” phenomenon

Last updated on: May 7, 2013 at 6:37 pm By Svend White

NPR: Young Men Stuck in Adolescent-Adult Limbo It wasn’t long ago, Hymowitz argues, that the average man in his mid-20s had achieved many of life’s major milestones — he had a job, a marriage, perhaps even kids and a house. Today’s mid-20something male “lingers happily,” Hymowitz writes, “in a new hybrid state of semi-hormonal adolescence and responsible self-reliance.” Social scientists are struggling to define this new phase of life — “emerging adulthood” and “delayed adolescence” are two identifiers. Hymowitz has... Read more

Cloverfield: A barf bag to go with your popcorn?

Last updated on: May 7, 2013 at 6:37 pm By Svend White

Saw "Cloverfield" yesterday with two fellow geeks from school. A lot of fun. It’s an interesting if less charming update on the beloved metropolis-destroying monster film genre. At least until you hurl due to the frenetically bouncing camera angle. The premise of the movies is that the film is footage from the camcorder of an innocent bystander caught in the middle of a Godzilla-style disaster. The choice has the advantage of adding immediacy–a sense on the part of the viewer... Read more